January 2021 Journal Photos
Happy New Year!
We went to bed at 9:00 PM on the last night of 2020 and listened to the fireworks going off, with lots around midnight. We got 0.22 inch of rain
in the early morning with strong trade winds blowing.
The new year is here.
Andrea photographed our michiko hibiscus that was blooming this morning.
Zoom Meeting with Family
Saturday morning, January 2, Andrea went to Lenore's care home to host a zoom meeting with family from Manoa to Connecticut.
First Zoom screen capture. John, Uncle Bob's son, is in Thousand Oaks, California. Bill is in Denver, Colorado. Cousin Lynn is in Manoa.
Becky is in Connecticut. Jan is in Scottsdale, Arizona, and Malia is in Virginia.
Second Zoom screen capture.
Third Zoom screen capture.
Three men die and on the way to Heaven, Saint Peter stops them and asks each to show him something that reminds them of Christmas.
The first man pulls out a lighter and says it reminds him of Christmas candles. The second man jingles some keys and says it reminds
him of Christmas bells. The third man pulls out a pair of women's panties. Saint Peter says "how does that remind you of Christmas?"
The mans says "those are Carol's." Joke by Jose Feliciano as told in the New Yorker.
Bougainvillea Bonsai
Sunday morning, January 3, I brought in a bougainvillea bonsai to put where a wooden Christmas tree had stood.
Andrea took a walk in the morning while I did my exercises and brought in the bonsai.
The bonsai looks good in full bloom.
Twin Kiawe Bonsai
Tuesday morning, January 5, I brought in a twin tree kiawe bonsai.
About ten years old from seed. The bonsai is backlit against the window.
Presents from Becky and Eric
Tuesday afternoon, January 5, we got a box in the mail from Becky and Eric in Connecticut.
A glass ornament.
A nutmeg grater with nutmegs.
Closeup of the break glass ornament.
Zoom Meeting with Lenore
Andrea drove to the care home on 12th Ave. and set up the Zoom meeting at 2:00 PM Wednesday, January 6, the same day as the Trumpy
invasion of Congress. Pence did say they would get their day "in" Congress, but who knew they would take him so literally?
First Zoom screen grab. Cousin Kim joined us this time.
Second Zoom screen grab.
Lenore reading the card from Becky and Eric.
Kukui Bonsai Work
Friday, January 8, I worked on my kukui bonsai. Kukui is a Polynesian introduced nut tree with rather large leaves so it is only marginally suitable
for bonsai.
This formal upright kukui is grown from seed and is about six years old and is in a plastic growing pot. This is the before shot.
The kukui is first defoliated by cutting the leaves off their petioles (leaf stems), leaving only a few of the very smallest leaves.
The dead branch in the front was also removed.
The structure of the tree is revealed, enabling some decisions to shorten some of the branches.
Friday afternoon Andrea made a delicious cherry pie.
I have a repaired rectangular Japanese bonsai pot that is just a little oversize to use as a growing pot. I put in six screens and sand,
then a layer of potting soil. This side of the tree is the better front, I think.
I remove the tree from the pot, then I remove most of the old soil from the roots. No root pruning is required this time.
I place the tree on a mound of soil in the growing pot. The tree, with its new front, moves to the right, so the tree is placed just slightly
to the left of center. The pot is then filled with potting soil.
The soil is pressed around the roots with fingers and then leveled in the pot. The rootage (nebari) of the tree is just above the rim of the pot.
Next I put a layer of wet sand over the soil. This helps hold the soil down while I soak the pot in water.
The finished bonsai. It might go into a slightly smaller pot in a few years.
I made a separate page for the
kukui bonsai demonstration.
Shimpaku Juniper
A friend posted his photos of repotting a shimpaku juniper, so I took a photo of mine in a growing pot on Sunday morning.
This is the Juniperus Chinensis, Sargentii (Sargent's juniper), also called garden green juniper.
Sunday morning, January 10, Andrea visited Mom and set up this Zoom meeting.
Trip to City Mill
Andrea ordered compost and potting soil from City Mill in Kaimuki online and the order was ready after lunch on Monday, January 11.
In the earlier morning I photographed my shohin kengai.
Not being satisfied with the first photo of the Brazilian pepper cascade bonsai, I took another.
Andrea phoned inside when we arrived at City Mill.
While waiting, I photgraphed this window picture of the old 5-masted schooner City Mill used to have to bring lumber to the Islands.
Aina Haina Prepared Zoom Meeting
Andrea and I attended the January meeting of the board of Aina Haina Prepared via Zoom due to the continuing covid-19 restrictions.
I captures this screen shot of the meeting on Tuesday evening, January 12.
Flying the Flag
On the occasion of inauguration week, I began flying the flag daily, taking it down at night because it's not properly lit.
Wednesday morning, January 13.
Later Wednesday morning I cast these cement stepping stones using some heart candy boxes.
Zoom Visit with Mom
Friday morning, January 15, Andrea went to the care home to set up the Zoom visit with Mom.
First screeen capture.
Second screeen capture.
Third screeen capture.
Fourth screeen capture.
Heart Stepping Stones
I painted and then placed in the garden the two heart shaped stepping stones made with old Valentine candy boxes as molds.
Done painting.
In the garden.
Martin Luther King Day
Monday, January 18, is Martin Luther King Day. It rained half an inch overnight and well over another inch by noon.
I photographed this from our morning paper this morning. I thought it was appropriate also, in light of the recent Republican sacking of the Capitol.
Wetness after breakfast. Photo by Andrea.
The stream is flowing. Photo by Andrea.
An hour later it's flowing more. Photo by Andrea.
Napoleon stayed inside and looked out the window. Photo by Andrea.
Tuesday afternoon we drove out to Makapuu to take a look.
Presidential Inauguration of Joe Biden
Wednesday, January 20, 7:00 AM Hawaii time is the inauguration. We got up before six and turned on the television to watch the inauguration.
Lady Gaga nailed the National Anthem, and the swearing in occurred just before 7:00 AM Hawaii time (noon in Washington).
Andrea received this announcement on Tuesday in the mail.
Drive to Makapuu
Big surf was predicted for north and east shores, so we drove out to Makapuu to take a look on Saturday morning, January 23.
Earlier in the morning Andrea went for a walk around the valley. Photo by Andrea.
Passing showers are the order for the day. Photo by Andrea.
We stopped on the highway above the beach to take pictures.
Me taking the above photo. Photo by Andrea.
We drove down to the parking lot to take more pictures. The waves are about ten feet.
More metaphotography by Andrea.
Sunday afternoon I joined the philosophy meetup Zoom for the topic "free speech and its appropriate constraints," hosted monthly by Brian Gould.
Lenore's 96th Birthday Zoom
Andrea set up a Zoom meeting for Lenore's 96th birthday on Monday morning, January 25.
The birthday girl.
Thomas joined us a bit later.
Andrea's Zoom capture.
Janice told us about some wonderful cat litter she found,
Weruva cat litter.
After lunch we drove downtown to my dental appointment for a crown fitting and when we got home it was still raining.
Aina Haina Prepared Home Retrofitting Presentation
Aina Haina Prepared's Treasurer, Adele, gave a presentation on home retrofitting to help withstand storm damage on Tuesday evening, January 26.
Screen capture from the Zoom meeting.
Drive to Diamond Head
Andrea drove us to Diamond Head to see the sights on Thursday afternoon, January 28.
At the Amelia Aerhart memorial. Photo by Andrea.
By the Amelia Earhart memorial with a young man napping on the wall behind Andrea.
Looking toward Black Point.
Drive to Makapuu
Andrea drove us to Makapuu to see the sights on Friday afternoon, January 29.
Big waves again at Makapuu beach.
Strong trades and tradewind surf. Holding onto my hat. Photo by Andrea.
Saturday Zoom with Lenore
Andrea drove to the care home for a Zoom meeting with Lenore on Saturday morning, January 29.
Cousin John (Bob's son) joined us. Becky arrived a bit later via phone from her car in Connecticut.
Sunday afternoon, January 31, Andrea photographed our ice cream banana, given to us by Carl Young, which is flowering for the first time.
Email Richard dot J dot Wagner at gmail dot com
index.html: this hand crafted, human readable HTML file was created January 1, 2021.
Last updated January 31, 2021 by
Dr. Rick Wagner. Text and images Copyright © 2021, unless otherwise attributed, all rights reserved.