Petting Zoo and Nursery visit

Wednesday, Mama and I went out to get more groceries. We have been pounding through the food, like usual. :-) The score of the day was getting Nancy's yogurt from the health food store. Oh, did I mention that we get Laura Scudder's Peanut Butter??? Oh yeah!

Later in the day, our midwife came for a home visit. Everything seems to be gearing up for baby so we thought we'd try some black and blue cohash to see if I was REALLY ready. Hmmm... guess we're waiting for something, because he's still not here. The Lord's timing is the best and I am thankfully carrying him easily, so ... just need to be patient. My sister Julianne and I were swapping tips on how to keep babies in versus how to get contractions going. :-) Seems we both are wishing we were in each other's place. :-)

Thursday, Grandpa Ted arrived in Hawaii. He flew into Kona, then drove over to our side. He arrived with a full, gray, goatee (sp??) in which Quint was really interested in. He and Mama have not seen each other for over a month!! Glad to be reunited in Hawaii. :-)

Friday, Daddy and Mama arrived from their rental, having stopped at the Kea'au farmer's market on the way. They brought home for us lots of fresh veggies including potatoes, bok choy, tomatoes, lettuce, green beans, onions, and fruit including lemons, papayas, and a mango, too. A little later, Dwight and Grandpa Ted went into town to look for fish. Mmmmm... they found some fresh Ahi tuna, some Mahi Mahi, and some marinated Marlin in some Korean spices. Also, at the local fish market, Daddy got some raw Ahi Tuna ginger garlic - a common Hawaiian treat. They also brought back Porterhouse and Top Sirloin Steak. Daddy cooked up the steak for dinner and Mama made green beans, salad and corn to go with it. It was a fabulous dinner.

Today, Saturday, started with an enormous breakfast of pancakes and eggs. Daddy had brought some frest maple syrup from Minnesota that he had helped to harvest and cook down. Yumm. He also arrived clean shaven, which Quint immediately picked up on and kept touching his face. Later, we went back to the zoo for the "petting zoo." The boys were able to pet several familiar animals as well as the exotic. The highlights were a black swan (21 years old), a hawk, and some turtles. We showed Grandpa around so he could see the peacocks, and of course, the white tiger.  We also learned about butterflies and saw several in their chryslis' and some out.

Next, we stopped by Bob and Susi's Nursery. Apparently they have a fruit tree sale and are open to the public 2x a year, this weekend being one of those times. They sell everything from spice trees (nutmeg, cinnamon, clove, allspice), to citrus (lime, lemon, tangerine, orange, grapefurit, kumquat, tangelos) to exotics (figs, loquat, longan, lychee), avocado, banana, and lots of others. SOOOOOOO .... amazing! If only we had a place to grow these, we would! The prices were right, too. We all visited with Bob and Susi as we sampled fruit from a table near the exit. They are soooo sweet. Tomorrow, they harvest 10,000 lbs of longan fruit. WOW!

Figs!





Our dear Susi - explaining about the nutmet seed, which actually has another spice called "mace" as well.  She described the vibrant scarlet colors inside.  You can tell that she loves this stuff!

The table full of exotic fruit.  The large one open near the center - is cacao.  The inside is full of seeds that are roasted and turns into what we call cocoa - and make chocolate out of!!

While there, we met a sweet, believing family from the mainland (Riki and Nicole Roberts), who had just moved here a few months ago. They have 4 children and another due in Sept. They recently bought a place not too far from here and are starting into goats, pigs, and chickens. Plus, fruit trees. :-) Incidentally, he does window-washing and construction. All the children hit it off together and were laughing and eating fruit together. :-) We were able to chat with them and introduce them to Susi. She just loved all the children. She commented that we were such loving families.