It was a dark night on our lumpy road when the four of us bounced to the tune of the headlights flipping off the cane grass. And then there was a dark form ahead. “There’s a dog in the road,” I said.
No, not a dog. It was a pig.
We followed behind two bouncing testicles as he tripped on down the road, stealth as a Doberman. Pigs here are shinny healthy, have long legs, are black, and are abundantly endowed.
Earlier in the day we were at The Ponds Restaurant again. The waitress asked if Baby D would like to feed the Koi fishes that were abundant in the pond below our window. We said yes and she brought a little cup of fish food. First she said “I have to ring the gong three times. It has to be three times.” Thrice she hit the gong and the fish in a mighty flurry gathered below the window awaiting our handout.
Can you believe fish can count?
The animals here aren’t as abundant as in Oregon, that is we do not have the variety, no squirrels, skunks, deer, elk, badgers, snakes, chipmunks. Here mongooses, pigs and frogs are the wild things. There are birds of course, and insects. We have many spiders in the trees and porch outside. I really don’t like to run into a web for it feels sticky and I wonder where the spider is. Yesterday, however, as I exited the porch I watched a spider spin her web. She was a little brown spider, and her web was circular. I watched as she hooked a portion of web about one half inch long to a vertical bar of web, and then proceeded to make the next one half inch of web, hook it, and so on around the circle. It was exquisite. I now feel bad about tearing down any webs, besides although having a web might make our house look unkempt, Lady spider is at work sweeping insects from the air.
On an Island there is, of course, marine life. We soaked in a pond yesterday kept bath-tub warm by water heated deep within the earth which then percolates to the surface. People lounge around, and Baby D loved it. We all did. So did little fishes that nibbled at our feet.
Our two goats Do and Ra (as in Do-Re-Mi-Fa-Sol-La-Ti-Do) are sweet little nannies, and still want their bottles. We know they ought to be weaned, but they cry pitifully in the morning until they get a bottle. First we fed them twice a day. Now only mornings. For the first month after getting them we fed milk replacer. When that ran out--and they really didn’t need it anymore--we added a little rice milk to the water to flavor it. Now they get only warm water. Not as much fun, but they suck it down in two shakes of a goat’s tail.
Life on the Big Island continues…
Back in Oregon Orville and Wilbur, the goats we left behind, continue to be good will ambassadors. The manager at Sanctuary One sent pictures, and said people love the goats. Two teens were pictured petting them, one teen was seven months pregnant. The manager said they will remember our goats for the rest of their lives. And she said that Orville is in love with a new little lady goat. They look happy.
Aloha from Joyce
