Happy Thanksgiving

Mike has been here for nearly two weeks, one of which I have been unemployed. It's been nice to have time to relax. Today is Thanksgiving and we spent the morning at the beach. This afternoon we will be celebrating the holiday by the pool with a group of Canadians that are here every year at this time. We will be the token Americans to give legitimacy to their celebration. We will have barbecued turkey and all the trimmings! Mike is getting involved with me on my Monday morning volunteer work. Here is a picture from his first week here. We had a good size work crew that day. We get people on vacation dropping in to help and now seasonal regulars are coming back to the area and returning to help. It can be hard work sometimes but rewarding. We will be having a couple people we know here on the island during the next couple of weeks so there will be social time ahead. We also have a short trip planned to the big island to visit with Uncle Bob and Betty, who we purchased the condo from. I'll keep you posted on our adventures. Aloha.

I'm still here!!

Remember me??? I have been very slow getting to my blogging but here I am again. One of my last posts was about my library job so it's very appropriate that I am now writing again because my job here is ending VERY soon, Friday 11/21/08 to be exact. They had a few internal applicants from other branches and had to hire from that batch so I'm outta here! I have mixed feelings about leaving but mostly I'm happy to be removing myself from the environment. At this point I have nothing else lined up for work so that feels a bit uncomfortable but I am trusting that something will come along when the time is right. I found this library job quicker than I had expected so a little time off now is just fine, especially since Mike arrives on Sunday and will be here for two months. With just the bookkeeping work we will have more time to spend together. I can pretend I'm on vacation too, except not spend much money in the process just in case... I had a lovely time in Seattle in September but I was happy to get back here and continue my 'settling in' process. The first week back felt lonely after spending so much time with so many wonderful people but I got back in the swing of solitude. I am meeting more people as time goes on and there are certainly many more familiar faces I see regularly in my outings. I am still doing the volunteer work on the trail at least twice a month. There is a group called South Maui Sustainability that I am interested in and have attended some of their public information meetings and a couple of other events as well. One of their projects involves community gardens and I am getting involved with that. It's just getting started so I don't know yet what the involvment will look like. Another group I am interested in is the Kihei Community Association (KCA). They are involved with projects in the community and also act as representatives of the city in the county government. I am trying to learn more about where I'm living and the issues around here so that I can better understand my environment. It's a very new thing for me to get involved in these kind of things and I have much to learn. I took a ballroom dance class for a session and I'm thinking of taking a hula class. Tat this point I'll wait until after the 1st of the year, after Mike leaves, and then look into it more. I am going with a friend to see Sonny Ching this weekend. He is a name in hula over here. I have a ukulele and I have been practicing on that a little and did attend a ukulele festival a couple of weeks ago so I could here professionals. It won't be long until I'm on stage too! (HA!) I do still get to the beach, once a week to just swim and enjoy the warmth of the sand, and a few evenings a week to enjoy the sunset. In fact, I find myself getting a little crabby if I miss a couple days in a row of not getting my feet in the sand. That is why I'm here after all! Aloha!

Mangoes

It dawned on me as I was eating a local, luscious, juicy sweet mango today why 'Sark' wrote a book called "Eat Mangoes Naked" http://www.planetsark.com/eshop_products_books_feat_02.htm I've only had the store bought imported variety previously and always felt a little 'ho-hum' about them, good but not decadent, so could never understand the connection. The light bulb came on. Just thought you'd like to know what paradise pleasures I've enjoyed today. Hau'oli to you all. Love Kathie

Life at the library

Caution: the following photos may not be as appealing or pretty as previous blogs and the information could be a little unsettling. Please remember, nothing is permanent and challenges can be blessings in disguise.

Library

Finally some time to sit and write. I haven't wanted to spend the bit of free time I have in front of the computer but I've had a couple of relaxing days with time at the beach and time around the house so I'm ready to blog!

I am feeling much more settled in my new environment. There were some tough times in May but with the structure of work and recent social opportunities, along with some herbs and yoga practices, I'm beginning to feel more balanced after the crazy times getting ready for the move and the transition here.

My job at the library involves getting all the new items for our branch shelf ready. This requires great skill, like where to put the barcode and other stickers so as not to cover important information while still keeping with the typical placements for each sticker. It also involves book covers, spine tape and other miscellaneous stuff and there is some computer work to enter each item into the system. It is very relaxed and slow paced right now because there is not much new coming in since it's the end of the fiscal year. This is just fine because it's given me a chance to learn the process and get a feel of the place. I spend most of my time in the back workroom with the cat. Yes, a real cat. It was brought in as a stray kitten and has been there since. It is having emotional withdrawals because the person I've replaced used to pay attention to it and I'm not real keen about it being there and just pretty much ignore it. There are enough fur balls floating around the place, perhaps I should gather them and make another cat out it to keep Junior (cat's name) company.

Juniorback roommy desk

I help out with the circulation desk on occasion and assist the children's librarian with the summer reading program and story time. Overall I like what I'm doing and the potential of the place. The branch is a medium size library (although, the largest on Maui) and has a great trust fund someone left that allows us to offer programs and purchase things beyond what the state budget allows. The employee benefits (should I ever obtain a permanent position) are great and include a few extra days off because of state holidays such as King Kamehameha day.

I love my commute to work, 1 easy walking or biking mile. On days I walk I enjoy an abundance of sensual pleasures since my path takes me along a sandy beach and then through a large park. In the mornings I enjoy the beginning surfers tackling the waves; the canoe club rowers heading out for practice; many people out walking and enjoying the fresh stillness of the morning air and the gentle waves connecting with the shore. The evening walk has it's own flavor of entertainment. Fisherman; musicians; volleyball games; wind creating music in the palm trees; barbeque's. It's a delight to unwind and warm up after spending a day in air conditioning.

It could be an ideal place to while away a couple relaxed years since it runs on island time. But there are a few troubling issues and I'm not sure of the best way to lay them out. Maybe start at the base. 1) The place is grimy, especially the back room. Imagine a dry, dusty climate and the grit it creates and then add cat hair to it and then not clean it very often. Ick you say? Yes, I agree and I'm really not a fussy house cleaner. We have someone with the label of 'janitor' but, from my observation does a minimal amount of work and spends the rest of his time reading or being elusive. 2) The baby. One of the circ staff (also a temporary person) had a baby a year ago and the manager didn't want to lose her so she said she could bring the baby to work. The baby had her 1st birthday a couple of weeks ago. Her grandma works part time in the library as the security person and spends her time babysitting. The baby is getting more mobile and is more discontent with being contained in a stroller so now she follows grandma around in a baby walker and is fussy a lot of the time. I feel sorry for the baby and it feels very inappropriate. The break room is like a day care since there's a playpen and other baby items, including a crying baby a lot of the time. 3) Nepotism. You may have caught on that there are at least two in a family that work there - Grandma and her daughter (baby's mom). The janitor is the son AND there is another circ gal who has been filling in a lot who is also a daughter. Now, this wouldn't really bother me normally but that equals half the staff and a there are some poor work ethics which push my buttons. The two sisters live together and are typically 30-60 minutes late every day. One of them spends time on myspace when there is plenty of work to do. Their work does not affect me (except the janitors) so I try to let it go. I've learned the hard way it's the best thing to do right now. 4) The manager. Imagine a 'professional' person, my age, talking to her boss and saying in a snotty, whiny voice, "Whatever. I don't want to talk any more. Just tell me what you want me to do and I'll do it." Or, quizzing me about the whereabouts of one of the employees who she has personality conflicts with and then making a comment about the lady's lack of work (and she is one that DOES work) and telling me, again in a snotty voice, "you can tell her I said that". Maybe I'll pass her a note. She has a teenager's emotional/mental attitude in a middle age body. She has many physical issues and is in a lot of pain and has no real energy to put into work. I try to have compassion for her but... She really sets a bad example and so it's no big surprise that people take advantage of the situation. She does always have a jigsaw puzzle going in her office so I get occasional puzzle time in.

This job fell in my lap so I feel like I'm there for a reason and am willing to give it some time and see if there is a shift in the system somewhere. There may be some changes coming down from higher up that may force some accountability. However, changes here are slow in coming. It's a challenge for me to keep my mouth shut but at least I can vent with the children's librarian and one of the other employees. They see it all and feel the same way I do so I'm not alone in my perception of it. I do keep a look out for other work possibilities as well.

So, that's the job for now. On to brighter subjects. My daughter and ex-sister-in-law are coming for a visit in a couple of weeks. I'll take the time off work while they're here and play. We have a quick trip scheduled to the big island, Hawaii, to visit Uncle Bob who I bought the condo from. They will be my first guests so I'm excited to share my new home with them.

Here's some photos to enjoy to get the grit out of your mouth. I think of you all often. Aloha!

Island Hopping

Back home from the island jungles - one a vegetation jungle, the other a concrete jungle, and both a joyous time spent with friends.

On May 9th I flew from Maui to Kauai, one of the Hawaiian islands I had never seen. It was beautiful, especially the north side where I stayed. It is very rural and I'm positive the wild chickens outnumber the people. No matter what time I would wake up in the morning, I could hear a chorus of roosters that seemed to echo down the valley. This would go on for hours. Every beach we went to had numerous chicken families out pecking and scratching in the sand and hoping for handouts from the scattered human population on the beach.

I spent 4 relaxing days on Kauai enjoying numerous beaches and fabulous vistas. My friends are renting a house since they are there for about a year. I was able to stay with them and benefit from their knowledge and exploration of the island. The pictures are nice but they cannot capture the true essence of the place. The smells, air quality, and sounds are missing, as well as the perpetual feeling of salty, sweaty stickiness that seems to linger on the body. These items add depth and heart to the experience. Perhaps it was the joy of sharing with friends after an absence of friends that added to the beauty of the place. Kauai is the oldest, northernmost, and wettest of the Hawaiian Islands. Here are numerous photos to try to give you a sense of it.

Early on Tuesday 5/13, I flew over to Oahu. It felt like a different planet. I landed in Honolulu about 8:00 AM and after waiting for the bus and riding through busy city streets, I finally arrived at my hotel at 10:00 AM. My friend and her daughter were waiting for me. I checked in and then we wandered the Waikiki strip and chatted, shopped, chatted, chatted, ducked into stores to shelter from the rain and chatted some more. My friend's husband was in Honolulu to teach a class so they were there for a week's vacation. I had not been to Oahu since 1982 and Honolulu has certainly grown since then. The purpose of this visit was simply to spend time with my friend and we made the most of it. We were all heading home on Wednesday about the same time so we had a little more time to share in the morning and were able to ride to the airport together. Here are a couple shots of Honolulu but I didn't take many pictures there.

When I returned home I had one day before I started work. This week begins my 50 hour work weeks. I'll let you know in the next blog how that's going.

Until then - Aloha!

Off the unemployed list

I finally quit procrastinating and finished most of the deep cleaning that needed to be done AND I got my resume done! I finished my resume on Tuesday and within half an hour after finishing it, the manager from my local library branch called and asked if I could come in on Wednesday and talk with her about a position they have opening on May 16. It's almost like she was waiting for me to be ready. One of the other librarians had actually mentioned the job to me and got my name and number to give to the manager. Because of that I was motivated to finish my resume before tomorrow when I was going to volunteer again. I thought I'd just leave it with the manager to look at but she got to me first. So I did go in on Wednesday to talk with her and was hired on the spot. They are thrilled to have someone available who has library experience and can fill the position immediately. It is actually a temporary position while they go through the process to hire a permanent person (which could end up being me). I'm told this can take at least a year! Talk about island time. The position is full time which will be a shock to my system. I'm so used to having so much flexibility with my part time jobs and am still doing the bookkeeping. My position is a 'Library Technician V'. My main job will be to process all the library materials that come into the branch. I'll also be used as back up for checking in when the books drops are overfull, like after a 3 day weekend, and with checking out items to patrons when they are short staffed. This is good because I'd hate for those valuable skills to get too rusty! I'm very grateful to have been given this opportunity to work at the library and even more grateful that I was saved from having to pound the pavement looking for work. As with so many jobs in my life, this one fell into my lap. The location is ideal as well since it is a short 10-15 minute bicycle ride or a 25 minute walk away from my home. Gas prices today were at $4.21 so no driving is great! I'll have every Sunday and Monday off (the library is closed those days) and Tuesday is the only evening the library is open so I'll work 11-8 that day and 8-5 the other four days. Not too bad of a schedule. I can still do my Monday morning trail volunteering but maybe not every week now. Before I start work I'm going to take a little mini-vacation. I have a couple of friends who are living on Kauai for a short while and have invited me to come and visit. I'll head over there for a long weekend next weekend. On my way back to Maui I'll make an overnight visit to Honolulu, Oahu to meet up with a girlfriend who will be just finishing a visit there. It will be great to see some familiar faces. Check back periodically for updates!

Kathie's Adventure - Week 5

I'm nearing the end of my 5th week here on Maui and nearly a month on my own. Most days I'm still getting along with myself but it's good I have a few distractions to get me out of the condo and out of my head so that I don't go out of my mind!

The sense of 'island time' is seeping into my activities. It takes me much longer to complete tasks than it used too, which has nothing to do with my age. Rest assured however that my paid work is getting done just as efficiently as it used too. No slacking there. But the personal tasks I wish to complete have no sense of urgency about them. I am still working on the initial cleaning of the condo. You would think I'm trying to clean 7000 square feet but it's only 700! It's mostly the book shelves that are needing attention now and I received a batch of boxes this week that included some books so that might give me some incentive. Maybe tomorrow...

Then there's the whole 'finish my resume' project. Those words have been coming out of my mouth for a couple of weeks now and the closest I've gotten to that is pulling the folder out of the file box. Maybe tomorrow...

So you must be asking yourself (since I sometimes ask myself this same question), "What in the heck is she doing with all her time?" Well, you will be surprised to learn I am not constantly walking in the sand, sitting on the beach, swimming in the ocean, or taking photos. If you will remember from my last blog (assuming you read it!) I was going to do some volunteering. To prove it, I have some photos.

This is the trail project. We cleared this area of it's scrubby weeds and shrubs the first week I worked, put the drip line in last Monday, and these photos were from the planting day on Thursday. Maui's expert 'native plant' person joined us and brought the plants to be used. This specific spot on the trail has a monument that will have signage identifying the course of the sun setting during the year. There are white coral markers (which you can also see lining the path) that line up with the solstices and the equinox. It's not a huge variance since we are near the equator. The white coral was washed onto a nearby beach during a storm a number of years ago. It is like the skeleton of the coral. It was historically used to line the ancient Hawaiian paths so we were given permission to line this path with it. Since this is state land, and very much governed by the Hawaiians, nothing can be done without approval. I will enjoy watching the native plants grow and add beauty as I walk the trail.

My other volunteer job is at the library. The first week I shelf read a row. It really needed it! I thought I would continue into the next section yesterday when I was there but there was a weeks worth of DVD's that needed to be put away and then shelved. That was more urgent since the weekend was looming and they would be in demand. I had fun doing it and, because I was in the back with the staff I got to meet some of them. They didn't take any pictures of me working so you'll just have to trust me.

I'm trying to learn the Hawaiin language, which consists of only 12 letters. (A E I O U H K L M N P W) This process is slower because of my age! I've learned how the vowels are pronounced, so now I go around sounding out and saying all the words I can so that I can get more comfortable with the sounds. Someday soon I hope to be able to say the street names in my town.

It is certainly an adventure I've embarked upon and I feel blessed to be able to have this experience. I do have days, or at least moments within my days, when I miss my old life, the easy familiarity and sharing and laughing with all my wonderful friends and family. But there is something about this place that has always felt like home to me and I know I will make friends as time goes on. So each day I look at the beauty that surrounds me and look for ways to be a part of it and add to it, and remember the beauty in each of you.

From Maui with Love

Aloha at last!

So then, how to begin... It has been a busy time settling in and that process will continue for awhile. Mike was here with me the first week. We spent the week in semi-vacation mode. That included cleaning, walking on the beach, cleaning, sitting on the beach, rearranging furniture, cleaning, buying a car (2002 Honda Civic), cleaning, sitting on the beach, shopping at Costco, eating, setting up a bank account, getting a library card, watching the sunset, going on a whale watch cruise, and relaxing in the hot tub. It's really a good thing he was here to help me relax, otherwise I would have only been cleaning, cleaning, rearranging the furniture, cleaning...you get the idea. My internet connection got started about a week after I arrived. From that point forward I added bookkeeping ‘catch-up’ to the list of activities above. The first part of the month is a busy time with the bookkeeping and I had many hours of things to get done. It was all a somewhat new set up and so, once Mike left, I spent the next week mostly in front of the computer. But, the computer breaks were delightful since the beach is less than 5 minutes away. A slow walk with my feet in the sand and the surf at my side grounded me and I was ready to tackle the computer again. The best part is that I don’t even have to bundle up to go outside for a walk! Grab my slippers (flip-flops) and I’m ready to go.

Having the work to do has been a good thing because it helps me to realize that I am NOT on vacation. I have been here nearly 3 weeks now, which is the longest I've ever stayed, and I'm slowly finding my way. As I finish the backlog of bookkeeping I'm beginning to have a little more time to be open to my world here. I am certainly in 'observation' mode, simply taking in the environment, the language, the energy, the warmth, and anything else that comes into my awareness, (such as the amount of cleaning I still have to do). As I observe I am feeling where I want to spend my energy and time. I am very happy in the observation mode and it's very comfortable for me. But I need to begin to break out of it and 'put my toe in the water' (yes, I've already been swimming numerous times so I'm just using the cliche as a pun, in case you didn't get it...). So, beginning this week I will volunteer a couple of hours each week at the local library (they are in dire need of shelf reading!). I am volunteering tomorrow morning to help with a trail clean up/building along the waterfront nearby. It's a great little trail that I've been using so I want to help with the process and it gets me involved a little and it will be an opportunity to meet and talk with others. I spend a lot of my time alone right now, and not that the conversation's not witty and stimulating, but some new insights and perspectives never hurt. (I'm sure they'll all be delighted to hear all I have to say!)

Here's a link to a beach cam http://www.mauirealestate.net/video.html It's at the end of the beach where I walk a lot. You may have a live stream picture on the top of the page or just a still shot. Let me know if you want to set up a 'beach wave' sometime. I can walk down there, you can pull up the site and you'll be able to see me. Unfortunatly I won't be able to see you...sigh.

Perhaps now I will be able to post to my blog more regularly, but not if it takes me as long as this one did!

Here's a few pictures of my world.