F-E-R-R-R-N ACRES IS THE PLACE FOR ME…

It’s a a beautiful day in the neighborhood!

In my neck of the jungle, most lots are about two-to-three acres, owned by a spectrum of homesteaders ranging from the well-heeled with pristine frontage, to the hopeful yokels with a dream and not much in the way of a clue.

This gives rise to fascinating variations in the quality of the landscaping and housing on adjoining properties, and so I’ve included a few pics to show you what I mean…

One property is meticulously groomed, while another place just across the road looks like Meth Central; on any given ‘block’ (and they are lengthy blocks indeed; try walking one) you’ll find works of horticultural art that would make the best Japanese gardeners envious, while the direct neighbor sports not much more than a hand-scrawled sign bearing the legend ‘KAPU!’, usually accompanied by a skull and bones, which is supposed to ward off nosy intruders.

I laugh myself silly just walking the dogs and looking around.

THE HOUNDS OF HECK

Speaking of dogs, EVERYBODY has them. It’s about the only way to keep intruders at bay, so there are the usual breeds with reputations for noise or ferocity, or both.

But the hilarious thing is that if you actually approach one of these hounds of hell, you will notice they wag their tails with much more ferocity than they bark.

They’re lonely! So glad to see somebody, ANYBODY, that if they had the keys to the house they’d gladly fetch them for you and invite you in for coffee.

I often walk my doggy pals Strider and Smokey, and they have their pals scattered through the neighborhood that they insist on visiting to get the latest doggy news. I think Strider has a secret crush on a sweet-looking boxer/bulldog mix half his size. He likes to mark the territory around her place several times a walk…

I wonder if she feels the same…

THE THINGS THAT KEEP ME UP AT NIGHT

Coqui Frogs, only an inch-long, yet able to cause hearing damage at six feet away; Nature’s most unreliable alarm clock, the Roosters, who wake up literally every hour to crow, realize it’s dark, then go back to sleep (it’s said the whole thing starts with just one rooster on the other side of the world causing a chain reaction…); Night birds, who are apparently the Coqui frog’s best friends and are likely in cahoots with the Roosters; Cats that growl like mountain lions fighting off the mongooses who raid the chicken coops in the wee hours; Smokey, the ragged rescue dog with an anxiety disorder and who barks every time a leaf drops; Crusoe, who sometimes drinks too much, and around midnight alternates between singing and cursing in Pigeon English until he lapses into numbness; Mosquito sneak attacks, when I accidentally leave certain body parts outside my blankie; the full moon, which is like a giant spotlight in the jungle because the air is so clear it intensifies the realm of heaven; and the heady fragrance from huge, trumpet-shaped blooms that broadcast a fragrance at night so powerful and delicious that it almost puts me in a trance…

That last couple I don’t mind so much, though.

CLEAR SAILING TODAY…AND EVERY DAY

So Aloha to my homeboys and girls on this lovely Saturday; skies are robins-egg blue and clear as crystal today, so I’ll be making a roof rack out of pipe to attach to the roof of the PT Cruiser; gonna scour Hilo town for as many pallets as I can find for a yoga platform and small kitchen area.

Nothing but the best for OUR homestead…what the neighbors must think!

God bless you in every way today, my friends, you are strong, beautiful, and powerful beings born from the love in the heart of our Creator, no matter what temporary illusions might insist that things be otherwise.

Take but one step towards God, and God will meet you there to lift you higher than you ever dared to consider…

This is not guesswork on my part.

I KNOW!