Week One in Hilo

Aloha again,
One week as a new resident of Hilo, the time went quickly. Of course time always does when you are out and about especially out and about spending money! Personally, I think the Better Business Bureau of Hilo should name me “New Shopper of the Year”. How did I come to earn such a prestigious and competitive title, you ask. Frankly, it was pretty easy. You start by finding the perfect house to rent which is UNFURNISHED! OK…..now let’s prioritize the essential elements needed for establishing residence in said perfect rental house.

Bed…..anyone want to debate that one? If so, you can sleep on the floor when you come to visit me. So off Bev and I go for a full day of sightseeing all the possible furniture stores, thrift stores, mattress stores, and any other stores that seem logical. My best bid was from American Mattress which sells Serta. Maybe it was all those cute sheep everywhere in the store, but I was able to get a good deal on two Queen beds….you read that right….two (2) so that I also have one in the guest room for all of you. I was just kidding about making you sleep on the floor.

Now in the search for beds, we found some living room things that were on really good sale at a high end furniture store. Their mattress bid didn’t even come close, but the coffee table, end table, and sofa table set met my needs quite well and are new at that. They are heavy oak, with slate tiles on top. Very attractive, and the coffee table is on rollers! Ah Hah! Big bonus those rollers will be for large gatherings or just small groups who want to shift things around.

For those of you now worrying about my budget with the first two purchases, let me assure you that the next purchase benefited both me and the Salvation Army. An orange wood and bamboo details desk simply called out to Bev and me as we wandered the Sally Shop in downtown Hilo. The shop fronts the bay, so it’s fun to wander that long strip shopping area. But, back to the desk. Did I mention it’s orange? Yes, but it has personality! It also has 3 drawers on the left, and a center drawer in front of the seating spot. AND it comes with an orange chair and cute seat cushion that has palm trees as a design on it….the cushion, not the chair. It’s a large enough top (45’ x 22”) that my lap top and a printer will fit fine and still leave me room for papers to read and type from or whatever. I’m going to leave it orange for now. It’s really more of a coral orange.

As the week wore on, we also found two nice high arched back solid wood chairs, think dining room type chairs, at the Habitat for Humanity Recycle Shop. They will make great extra seating where ever we need such.

After much debate with myself, we headed to the COMPETITOR. While thinking good thoughts about all the lovely people at Lowe’s that Kathleen works with, I had to deal with Home Depot. But, let me explain…..the closest Lowe’s is across the island in Kona, so at present I have no choice. Feel free to write Lowe’s corporate headquarters and beg them to build a Lowe’s store in Hilo. However, facts as they are, I had to look there for some specific things, and also on a lark slowly meandered down the lighting aisle. Lucked into two lamps that match, but one is a floor lamp and the other is a table lamp. Both will go well with the new living room table arrangements, and offer good reading light. They are a simple wrought iron design without looking too western. I only need a couch now.

The house?? The house, you ask! Oh, yes…..the house. Rental proposal is in, and will be addressed by the realtor tomorrow after her long weekend vacation. She had already talked to the owners about me, and they were satisfied with my description. I think she painted me as too old for loud parties, no biker friends yet, and the perfect picture of a dottoring old college professor lady. Whatever, it worked. They even came down on monthly rent and kept the yard maintenance provision in the deal. The house is about 5 blocks from the grocery store, about 8 blocks from the Bay, and the entrance street to the one the house is on dead ends (pardon the pun) at the Veterans Cemetery). The house it’s self sits at the end of a long street (named Ala Muku) which ends in a cul de sac, and this house is at the direct end of Ala Muku on this sac. From the front of the house you can see down Haili Hill to the Hilo Bay, Coconut Island, and where the cruise ships dock. The house has all the living area on one level and the living room wall that fronts the house is all glass. It has those louvered panels that let you open to a screen and get air flow, so the “Trade Winds” will come sweeping down the plain…O-K-La-homa…..opps, sorry, got metaphor crazy. Seriously, the way the house is designed the cross air ventilation is excellent, and the view is outstanding. It has three bedrooms and two full baths with the guest bath having two sinks!! Is that heavenly or what? Kitchen is a bit of retro - early 60’s, but has lots of storage, a window over the sink, new range, fairly new refrigerator, and a spaciousness not usually seen in kitchens today. The living room and “L-shaped” dining room area is newly carpeted, and the hall and bedrooms are all done in real wood floors. Still has the 60’s dark paneling in the living room, but that’s not a problem….I’m used to that. Bed rooms all have good size closets. Now down at street level, the car port forms the left hand end of the house foot print, and to the right it opens out as a large ‘basement’ like area where the W/D are, a work sink, and a clothes line. Could put a ping-pong table there or whatever. The car port is necessary because of the high humidity, and ease with which mildew grows. You almost never see garage doors here. Now the really fun part….there is a laundry chute from the hall bath upstairs which lands the clothes right in front of the dryer. Big catch basket is the only addition needed. But then, on the sad side, I will have to carry the clean stuff outside and up the front or back steps to the house level. Tuff, huh?

I’m out of news for now. School starts for faculty tomorrow, so I’ll let you all know about that when I have something to report. It will be an exciting and interesting time. Thanks for all your notes and well wishes, I appreciate them a great deal even if I don’t get to answer each one. Please keep me and Alisa and Kathleen in your prayers as we continue to adjust to my new move and life in the Islands.
Aloha,
Janene