Each morning we rise with the sun. Kind of hard not to, considering the myriad of free-range chickens roaming the island. I've only ever glimpsed one which was trying to pilfer papaya from the compost heap, but I hear roosters all day, and all night. Contrary to popular belief, roosters do not crow just at sunrise, they crow whenever they darn well feel like it, sunrise just happens to be the time of day when they all like to crow as a group. One rooster in particular I've dubbed "Dennis the Menace" because his particular version of a cock-a-doodle-do has a distinct "Mr. Wilson!" inflection, I mean this guy is serious about making himself heard.
Rising early has its perks. The coffee is especially warm and soothing as the last of the evening chill leaves the air, by the time we've finished breakfast it's about 8 AM, and if we get straight to work we can be finished with our daily chores around noon. Leaving us with the remainder of the day to entertain ourselves as we like. There's plenty to do in the way of entertainment and relaxation. After all, this gorgeous spread of land overlooks Honaunau Bay, Kealakekua, and the City of Refuge. I personally like sitting in my makeshift office because it gives me an opportunity to greet tour groups when they arrive. Tours tend to equal coffee sales, and that equals spending money in my pocket.
The work involves a lot of rock climbing, and various forms of physical strength, weeds around here grow up about three feet overnight. That's only a mild exaggeration, they really grow closer to two and a half feet overnight, requiring daily treks through the seventeen acre farm to chop, mow, and pull up weeds by hand. Lava rock is no joke. In only 10 days of working the farm Tony's already shredded the soles of his work boots, we're talking serious blowout, all the way through, and these boots were practically brand new when we arrived. My own hiking boots are holding up much better, but I won't lie when I say I have to sit for a good two hours after a day's worth of chores are complete. The terrain is every bit as grueling as it is picturesque.
Rising early has its perks. The coffee is especially warm and soothing as the last of the evening chill leaves the air, by the time we've finished breakfast it's about 8 AM, and if we get straight to work we can be finished with our daily chores around noon. Leaving us with the remainder of the day to entertain ourselves as we like. There's plenty to do in the way of entertainment and relaxation. After all, this gorgeous spread of land overlooks Honaunau Bay, Kealakekua, and the City of Refuge. I personally like sitting in my makeshift office because it gives me an opportunity to greet tour groups when they arrive. Tours tend to equal coffee sales, and that equals spending money in my pocket.
The work involves a lot of rock climbing, and various forms of physical strength, weeds around here grow up about three feet overnight. That's only a mild exaggeration, they really grow closer to two and a half feet overnight, requiring daily treks through the seventeen acre farm to chop, mow, and pull up weeds by hand. Lava rock is no joke. In only 10 days of working the farm Tony's already shredded the soles of his work boots, we're talking serious blowout, all the way through, and these boots were practically brand new when we arrived. My own hiking boots are holding up much better, but I won't lie when I say I have to sit for a good two hours after a day's worth of chores are complete. The terrain is every bit as grueling as it is picturesque.
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