Welcome Hokusushi

Aloha: I would like to greet and thank my new follower, Hokusushi!!!! She (I think she is a she) has a blog of her own. The "old timers" has kicked in as I can not remember what she calls it. Auwe, E kala mai i'au!!! If I knew how to use this machine better I could look it up.

Volcano update from the HVO website, in red. Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Northeasterly winds kept the plume moving toward the southwest resulting in good air quality in the surrounding communities yesterday. Overnight, intermittent and very faint glow from the vent was recorded by a webcam directly above it. This morning, a slightly wispy plume is being (blown) southwest over the rim of Halema`uma`u Crater and out into the Ka'u Desert.Small amounts of ash were collected this morning, but the amounts were about 6 times what was collected yesterday morning and consisted of fine rock dust including twisted hair and tiny spherules. Gas roaring sounds were heard. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and variable. The most recent average measurement was 900 tonnes/day on January 23, still elevated above the 2003-2007 average rate of 140 tonnes/day. Seismic tremor levels remain elevated. Five earthquakes were strong enough to be located beneath the south summit caldera and 3 on south flank faults. The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes was within background values.

It another beautiful day here in God's country. Clear, crisp and sunny. It was 44 degrees this morning and now is 54. Looks like it will get up to 65 this afternoon. The birds are happy and making sweet sounds. Life is good (knock on wood).

This afternoon I will walk to the Post Office to catch the bus to Na'alehu to pick up my wife's "tank". Tomorrow we will being going to Ocean View since she will be teaching a class for the Red Cross. For those of you who do not know she is an instructor that trains others to be instructors. She also instructs professional rescuers. I think this class is for Red Cross volunteers.

Still waiting for ideas for this blog. God bless all of you and may God bless America!

Mo'opuna

Aloha no: We will start with the Volcano update from the HVO website. Again the update will be in red.

Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Continuing weak winds produced poor air quality in the surrounding communities yesterday. Overnight, intermittent faint glow from the vent was recorded by a webcam directly above it. This morning, a slightly wispy plume is ascending 300 m (1,000 ft) before being blown to the west. Very small amounts of ash were collected this morning; the collection consisted of fine rock dust that included several strands of very delicate, yet fresh, Pele's hair. Gas rushing and rockfall sounds were heard. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and variable. The most recent average measurement was 900 tonnes/day on January 23, still elevated above the 2003-2007 average rate of 140 tonnes/day. Seismic tremor levels remains elevated and is slowly increasing in amplitude. Six earthquakes were strong enough to be located on south flank faults. The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes was within background values. The network of tiltmeters within the caldera recorded weak deflation. The GPS network (less sensitive than the tiltmeter network) has recorded about 2 cm of contraction across the caldera over the previous 3 months; there has been little contraction or extension over the past two weeks.

For the benefit of my sister in Kansas and my other readers I will explain just what a "mo'opuna" is. One's "mo'opuna" is a beloved grandchild. The Hawaiian language has many words that can not be broken down. "Mo'o" is lizard or gecko, "puna" is a fresh water spring. "Lei" is a garland of flowers, "aloha" is, well, aloha. "Leialoha" is a beloved child.

It was a clear, crisp day in God"s country this morning. temperature of 47 and the stars were all out. It is a clear day in Hilo and will be hot this afternoon. Anakam has a meet and greet with the people at Imiloa this afternoon when she finishes her classes.

Tomorrow I will be going to Na'alehu to pick up my wife's "tank". The "Hele-On" gets to Volcano at 3:45p and gets to Na'alehu at nearly 5p. The repair shop closes at 5 so I just might have Anakam drive me out. It is an inconvenience as Na'alehu is 72 miles from Hilo. I will have to call after 9a tomorrow to find out if it is ready.

God bless and take care of yourselves.

Helloha: How's that. Hello and Aloha both together. I will do the volcano update first as I am going to use another part of the HVO update, rather then just the summery. Here it is, in red, as usual.

Past 24 hours at Kilauea summit: Continuing weak winds produced poor air quality in the surrounding communities yesterday. Overnight, no glow from the vent was observed. Very small amounts of ash were collected this morning; the collection consisted of fine material that appeared recycled, not fresh. Faint sounds of gas rushing and rockfalls were heard.Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated and variable. The most recent average measurement was 900 tonnes/day on January 23, still elevated above the 2003-2007 average rate of 140 tonnes/day.Seismic tremor levels started to increase at about 6:30 am this morning. One earthquake was strong enough to be located beneath the southern caldera. The number of RB2S2BL earthquakes was within background values.

Well, Anakam got her internship. She will be at the Imiloa Center. She starts next week. There goes my Fridays off. Imiola is part of the UH system for the "star struck" among us. It is for the public to learn just what "star gazing" is all about. She is very pleased and excited.

I am in Hilo and it is a bight and sunny day. It was in the high 40s this morning when we left Volcano. I think we will have neighbors for some time. They have scraped the driveway and have two little dogs in a cage in the back yard. Looks like I will have to wear clothes when I go out now.

Would you believe? I just cut up some hotdogs for CJ and he ate not 1, not 2, but 3 whole hot dogs. Some days he will not eat anything and then other days....... He is like his mother and does not like any of his foods together and touching. Plain bread, plain rice. I tried to get him to eat bread with jelly or butter but no, just plain.

God bless you all and God bless America. It is good to see "My Crazy World" back on line.

Aloha kakou: I am here in Hilo sitting with my mo'opuna today. It was a bit chilly in Volcano this morning, 45 degrees outside and 56 inside the house. The winds were very light yesterday afternoon and night so air quality was down.

Halema'uma'u update from HVO website follows, in red: Activity Summary for past 24 hours: An abrupt decrease in seismic tremor levels occurred last night. Very small amounts of tephra, mostly rock dust, are still being produced. Sulfur dioxide emission rates remain elevated from both the Halema`uma`u and the Pu`u `O`o vents. Lava from east rift zone vents flows through tubes to the ocean; surface flows remain active on the coastal plain. How about them apples!! I just might get the hang of this thing yet!

Again no glow from the vent last night and when the staffers went to collect the tephra there was no sound from the vent, so we may not get our show after all.

Got my electric bill the other day. First full month with the new water heater. Bill went from $145 to $195, auwe, auwe. Sure do like the idea of having hot water when we want it though. We will see what happens next month. then we can try turning it on and off, although then we will not have hot water whenever we want.

God be with all of you and may God bless America!

Aloha kakahiaka ia kakou: Here it is another beautiful day in Hawaii nei. It was, again, a cold and wet day in God's country when we left this morning. It was down to 48 degrees. It is cloudy here in Hilo so it is not hot. Those of us who live up-country find Hilo to be rather hot during the day.

Halema'uma'u update: SOS. No report on tephra collections for the last few times. Earthquakes, SO2 and tremor all the same. There was faint glow from the vent last night so it appears that the lava lake is slowly rising.

Today I will have to be the "villain" and take CJ to the doctor for his well baby check-up. His mother will be at work so I get the job. I hope I remember where the doctor's office is and what questions she wants me to ask.

I made mention of the leaky faucet in the kitchen and I tried to fix it. Got nowhere as the screw that holds the handle on started to strip. I will now have to get a special thing-a-jig to remove a striped screw. I am thinking of changing the whole fixture as I do not like the way the faucet works. The outlet is not high enough when you want to rinse dishes or wash your hands.

I am waiting for the auto repair to call about the "tank". I think I will try to take the "Hele-on" bus from Volcano to Na'alehu on Friday to pick it up. Since my taxes pay for the bus I might just as well use it.

I am still waiting for ideas for this blog. Any ideas folks? God bless and take care. Oh, I almost forgot. The time here in Hilo is now 9:41a.

PS: CJ update: Got back from the doctor's and CJ is AOK!!!! Height 39.25 inches and weight 38.75 pounds. One pound per inch. Puts him in the top 10% for his age. His eyes and ears were checked, no shots this time and next appointment in one year. Except for the hearing test he was very cooperative. Great kid!!! This up-date posted at 3:30p.