Day Two

Will we be better today? Well, it turns out that although both girls desperately want to be better, one or the other of them has a raging fever all day again. Francesca has an ear infection, and Zela gets violent chills with her fever. That is the bad news. The good news is that each of them has short intervals of liveliness, and have ventured onto the swings and the trampoline. Francesca picked her first guava right off the tree today and devoured it. We eat them like tomatoes: everything but the stem end.

The first order of my day was to get the cabin opened up. Shawn’s parents have just departed after a three month visit, and they had shuttered up the windows as completely as possible. Michael would have loved it for its lack of a draft. Needless to say, I was feeling stifled. After that accomplishment, I spackled the walls in our cabin. I will do another coat, and then prime and paint them.

So far, both days have dawned chilly, rapidly warmed up into gorgeous, sunny days with the blue Pacific off our yard. By the afternoon, there is no discernible line between the gray sky and the gray ocean, and by evening we are drenched, and sleep to the sounds of the rain on the tin roof, punctuated by the lowing wild cow and the crows of the roosters.

I am beginning to make connections with the others who are here. Tony is in his own microcabin (a single room), while Allie and FuLong have the other bedroom in our cabin. There is another microcabin which is being finished and painted this week, and by Tuesday will be occupied by Angela and her baby, as well as Taylor and her baby. Roy is in Kona during the week, and works nights supervising construction at the airport. Even as a newcomer, I can tell that his presence is sorely missed for the days he is away each week. Shawn and the four Vanderhoef kids occupy the main cabin, which also houses the kitchen that we all share. Lauren (10), Nikole (8), Sierra (6), and Zachary (4) are handling the changes of so many new people with admirable poise. They are all very friendly to Zela and Francesca, and are anxious for them to get better and feel like playing. Lauren has already indirectly offered her babysitting services, as well, at the very reasonable rate of $2/hr., which she has pointed out is much cheaper than the $10 per hour the daycares charge around here (and also saves us both from the discomfort of me inadvertently “dumping” my children on her).