Spoiler Alert – Don’t read this blog if you dislike Christmas decorations before Thanksgiving. Today’s image shows what happens when holiday decorations crash into each other. This phenomenon often occurs at craft and card stores, where we’re sure to find Valentine’s decorations and cards on January 2. But such confusion is seldom on public display at
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Kilauea Lodge & The Fireplace of Friendship
Kilauea Lodge may be the most famous structure in Volcano Village. Visitors and tourists comment on the excellent food and serene atmosphere. Only a mile from Volcano National Park, the lodge is a pleasant place to stay while exploring the area. Hiloans often drive approximately thirty miles southwest on Highway 11 for a brief “staycation.”
BONFIRE NIGHT: The 5th of November
Remember, Remember! The fifth of November, The Gunpowder treason and plot; I know of no reason Why the Gunpowder treason Should ever be forgot! Once upon a time, thirteen conspirators decided to blow up the House of Lords. Known as the Gunpowder Plot and foiled at its source, Catholic sympathizers wanted to kill James
THE 100-TH POST
If I gambled, I’d bet you expect me to write about Halloween again. Normally I would, but this post is even more special than things that go bump in the night. This is my 100th blog post. WoW – Triple Digits! It all began with the first post on September 17, 2012. I
Witches, Broomsticks, & Hallucinogenic Drugs
We recognize a witch when we see one, right? Take the one on this sign, innocuously travelling by broom. We know her by her conical black hat, hooked nose, and pointed chin. This witch has pretty good posture – no hump on her back. Do you think she practices yoga? The dead giveaway, of course,
HALLOWEEN WASN’T ALWAYS FUN
Halloween wasn’t always a children’s holiday. It wasn’t about dressing up in funny clothes, wearing masks and/or heavy makeup, and hitting your neighbors up for candy. And it definitely wasn’t fun. All Hallows Eve was a very serious night when the souls of the dead returned, flying through the air to find relatives or enemies
IMMORTAL HELEN
The night before her marriage to Menelaus, Helen joined other young girls to dance and sing on the last night of her youth. In the morning, Helen joined in the preparations for her new adult life. Within the immense palace complex, a massive banquet is being prepared. Accounts of entertainments
QUEEN LEDA’S DAUGHTER
I’m reading an engaging book, Helen of Troy by Bettany Hughes. The author uses ancient literature, modern archeology, and personal visits to ancient sites to unravel the Helen’s myth. Was she a goddess? A slut? A woman with no voice or one who made her own way? Do we judge her too harshly? Have we
How My Mother Learned to Cook
My mother couldn’t cook. She could, however, follow directions to their furthest extreme. When she got married in 1946, she purchased three cookbooks. The books lived on a kitchen shelf and were so well used that two of them are held together with now brittle cellophane tape. I don’t know if the third book was
GODDESS PELE’S PATH
Goddess Pele, creates land and destroys whatever impedes the process, whether vacant forest or inhabited towns. The land is hers, and she does with it as she likes, when she likes. The goddess can be beautiful and loving as shown here in Arthur Johnson’s depiction of Pele carrying her embryonic sister Hia`aka in an egg.
Better with Butter
I went to Europe for the first time when I was 19. It was there that I discovered two food products. The first was disgusting white, greasy glob that the purveyors identified as margarine. This was a revelation to me since U.S. margarine was infused with some sort of yellow food coloring. The moment I
THE MANY “FACES” OF LABOR DAY
The symbolism of Labor Day has come a long way from its roots as a day to celebrate the contributions of the men and women who built American industry. For most of us, the day marks the end of summer. Ah, summer, the mythical season of endless days of relaxation. Labor Day marks the return
“GIVE MORE THAN YOU TAKE”
(Quotation by B. K. S. Iyengar, 2002) Approximately 20.4 million Americans, 8.7 percent of the adult population, practice yoga. I’m one of them. Without the work of B. K. S. Iyengar, it’s unlikely most practitioners would even know yoga exists, let alone be able to do the poses. He was the teacher who introduced
ROTARIANS, RUNNERS, & WINE
Rotary Club of Hilo Bay staffs Aid Station Number 5 at the annual Volcano Rain Forest Run. Station 5 at the corner of Wright and Amaumau Roads had a slightly funky appearance this year due to the first purple portable toilet I’ve seen. I’m more accustomed to motley green or brown colors. But purple has
WHEW! WHAT A WEEK IT WAS
Last week featured three large events in three different life categories – Personal, Statewide Severe Weather, and State Political Shifts. In chronological order: Tuesday – Personal A few weeks ago I went to the optometrist for my annual check-up. I was hoping for a stronger glasses prescription. Little did I know, what my eyes were
A SYMPHONY OF ORCHIDS
ORCHIDS. The very word conjures up exotic flowers and romance. At one time, every girl hoped her escort to the high school prom would give her a large orchid corsage. Ideally, the corsage should look like this. The blossoms screamed expense, status, and an adoring boyfriend. Alas, most boys could barely afford a