Ang is here!

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We picked up my friend Angie today for a two week stay! It is like no time has passed whatsoever, but it’s been 6 months since we were last stopping for a latte on our way to a tromp in the snow on Hurricane Ridge or through the nearby woods in Poulsbo. She said she really enjoyed feeling the warm, moist, fragrant air when she arrived. It’s nice to reflect on one’s arrival in Hawaii every now and then – you tend to forget just how different it is here, even the air, after a while. After she and Sam took a nap, we all went to Buzz’s in Kailua for dinner. It was well worth the wait – we had a great time (the Mai Tais took care of that! ha ha!) and Sam really enjoyed himself, especially the surprise visit from Gramma and Pete for dessert time :0 yum!

The weekend was a busy one – we transplanted four palm trees, three our front yard and one in the back, from a neighbor who wanted to get rid of them. We were happy to provide them a good home! It got little complicated when the contractors knicked a water pipe while digging out the first palm, but after 4 trips to the hardware store for brass pipe, wrenches, clamps and other stuff I know nothing about, Dave had it all fixed up. I guess all those drills fixing leaks on the submarine paid off!

And last week was really busy for me – which is why the posts have been infrequent. In the midst of several large projects for work, I have been working on our homeowners’ association budget (as the new Treasurer) to audit it for any areas we can trim. We are very close to reducing our fees to almost half of the proposed budget. Anyway…as previously reported, there are many disparate infestations one must contend with in Hawaii. Right now it’s flea season (not flu, but flea). I was trying to get Caff dipped for fleas, the carpets vacuumed and treated, and Sam into bed all within like 20 min so I could get back to work. Somehow I managed to treat the carpets for weeds instead of fleas. I grabbed the wrong sprayer (they look VERY similar in my defense). After a brief “discussion” about how serious this problem was, Dave agreed that it probably didn’t merit a response like he’d have to mount at work for radioactive contamination. I reasoned that since the weed killer was dry, it would probably be ok. After all, you can walk and play on it when it dries on the grass. As long as Sam didn’t try to eat large quantities of carpet, we’d be alright. BUT, I did end up having to treat with the appropriate chemical, adding to my workload for the day. We laughed later that I have to be extremely efficient with the rework that somehow finds its way into my day. Ahhh….laugh if you must…it is pretty funny. I know I won’t live this one down for a while. At least Ang can rest in peace knowing neither crabgrass nor fleas are likely to molest her in her sleep.

3 Comments

  1. Rebecca 23 February, 2007

    Wow. You are so thorough. You are keeping pests of all sorts out of your home. It might have been easier for you since Sammy is so smart to just tell him to say no to drugs (weed) 🙂

    I haven’t been able to check out your site in a while. What a great surprise to get the humor and update on 2 friends for the price of one. You guys have a blast. Post a photo of you and Ang together so I can have a new one for my wall of friends.

    Love & Smiles,
    Rebecca

  2. Gramma Oli 26 February, 2007

    That carpet treatment story is still hysterical! As you remember, I arrived on the scene just after the carpet had endured both treatments, and LOLed until I cried!!!

  3. Alden 6 March, 2007

    So another infestation adventure. Welcome to paradise! It seems you’ve caught them all so far. Have you had a termite swarm yet? That’s the real mother of insect experiences. If you haven’t – start asking your neighbors now and start preparing.

    Skip the flea spray on the carpet unless you are really sure that Caff is the only host. Likely it is your neighbor’s pets too or else the mice you mentioned earlier. If so carpet spray won’t do it because the fleas will just come back. Sorry to say, but it’s time to bomb the house – I don’t mean nukes like Dave works with – just the insect spray bombs that you set up in the middle of room to fog the place. They’ll wipe out EVERYTHING, but you need to vacate the house for a good number of hours and make sure you don’t leave any dishes or food out. We used to do that once or twice a year and it kept things in control. Not organic or good for the environment, but hey you’re already using chemicals on the rug so it isn’t much worse.

    Keep up the great posts. I love to laugh a lot when I read them. Just to balance things , tonight is about 3 degrees here and I’m working on fighting a bit of a millipede infestation. It seems one of my house plants came with them and they are thriving in my well heated loft. Oh well, just a reminder of the tropics.

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