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Hawaiian Summer

While looks like the hottest days of Kau (Hawaiian summer season) are behind us, it is still muggy. Fortunately, evenings are cooling, and the day does not start to get hot until somewhat after dawn.

We are still in hurricane season, however, so it is not yet time to relax.

Hurricane Season is June through November, so we are currently mid-season. This means it is a good time to check on your supplies of non-perishable foods:

According to the FDA, non-perishable foods—foods that are shelf-stable, and don’t need to be refrigerated or cooked—should be kept on-hand throughout hurricane season.

1. Bottled water.

If a major hurricane hits, the water pumping stations may not work, and the municipal water supply may be contaminated. Now is the time to lay in a supply of water. We don’t get the little bottles, we have the big 5-gallon jugs and fill them ourselves right here at the house. Lot’s cheaper, and more environmentally friendly. If you are worried about plastics, use glass or stainless steel containers. We sterilize after use with a little Clorox, then rinse well and re-fill. Be sure to have at least one gallon of water per person per day for at least three days. (For a family of three, that’s nine gallons of water.) If you have pets, you’ll need water for them, too. Personally, I keep double the recommended amount.

2. Canned foods such as tuna, salmon, vegetables, or fruits.

Spam, spam, spam, spam ? yeah, we Hawaiʻi peeps are good at canned food. Do what you usually do, you don’t need my advice. ? Canned products are ready to eat—no cooking required. Canned foods should stay safe in the storm, but the FDA says you can pack them in plastic bags for added security. Just be sure to check the cans haven’t bulged before you open them up.

3. Instant soup mixes.

Saimin / ramen. Yes, we island peeps are good at that! If your camping/pot luck gear is handy, you can cook even if the power is out. If you already cook on propane, you have your own gas supply, so you’re good, there!

4. Other shelf-stable foods.

They will go bad eventually, but should last until things settle down. Peanut butter, cold cereal, apples, potatoes, onions, pilot crackers/saloon pilots, – the normal stuff your tūtū kept in bins instead of the fridge.

Whatever you buy, buy it early and have it ready. If the hurricanes hit hard, you don’t want to be scrambling at the last minute. If we have a calm season, you’ll have less shopping to do the rest of the year!

Other things to have on-hand:

Battery-powered or hand crank radio and a NOAA Weather Radio with tone alert
Flashlight
First aid kit
Extra batteries
Whistle (to signal for help)
Dust masks (to help filter contaminated air)
Moist towelettes, garbage bags and plastic ties (for personal sanitation. You can store all of these in a 5 gallon paint bucket, and if needed the lined bucket will be your commode. For comfort, you can even keep an inexpensive toilet seat to place on it, though a hole pre-cut in the lid is just as effective)
Wrench or pliers (to turn off utilities—ahead of time, make sure it fits and you know how to use it!)
Manual can opener (for food)
Local maps with tsunami zones
Cell phone with chargers and a backup battery
Download the Recommended Supplies List (PDF)
Spare lighters
candles/lanterns
mosquito punk or spray (after the storm, these guys get vicious!)
small tarp and big tarp, duct tape (for emergency shelter/repairs)
line and bungees (for attaching the tarp if it is needed)

If you are interested in Hawaiian astronomical perspectives, which includes discussions of weather and natural history, check out Leilehua’s Patreon blog, Hawaiian Stars—Nānā i nā Hōkū.

Are you ready for winter?

Hoʻoilo, our winter rainy season is upon us, here in the islands. The month ʻIkuā, roughly October/November began with the boisterous voice it is known for, treating our island to lightening and thunder on its first night. Since then, we have had enough winter storms to dust both Mauna Kea and Mauna Loa with snow.

If you own genuine Malama Torches™, now is a good time to make sure they are ready for whatever winter will throw at them.

With our winter rains, you’ll want to be sure the drainage ports are clean and open, to prevent water from filling the cups and drowning your burners. While we usually leave them outside year-round in Hawaiʻi, in some areas, people break down their out-door living items and put them in storage for the winter.

Personally, if you are the outdoorsy type, as long as the gas lines do not freeze, I see no reason to quit using your Malama Torches™ just because it’s winter. Imagine a Snow-B-Q party, lit by the warming flames! If you have any photos of using your Malama Torches™ in the snow, we’d love for you to share them with us!

If you have the portable version, you’ll want to bring them inside when not in use. You can take this opportunity to clean them. The most successful method we have found: Just spray them with Simple Green, let sit five minutes, then hose off. We do not use any abrasives to clean our torches, as that damages the finish, and increases rust.

A very light spray of WD-40 can help prevent or slow rusting during storage, though nothing will actually stop it. Place a paper or cloth bag over the burner head, and tie or twist tie it to the pole to keep creatures from taking up residence in the orifices. You can do this with the decorative sleeve on, or take it off and store separately.

Whatever the weather, Malama Torches™ are a beautiful, durable addition to your landscape, ready to light your night with aloha. Handcrafted in Hilo, Hawaiʻi since 1967. Available from Beachside Lighting and Design. For custom pieces and table toppers, contact us directly: info@LeiManu.com

Learn more about the Hawaiian winter at Leilehua’s Patreon blog, Hawaiian Stars.

Green Scene Pool — Malama Torches™ light this gorgeous tropical style award winning swimming pool in Chatsworth, CA includes a spa that cascades into the swimming pool, a faux wood concrete bridge that crosses over the water slide, a climbing wall, beach entry, an outdoor kitchen, an outdoor bar with cast in place concrete countertop with embedded glass and fiber optic lighting, and a nearby fire pit filled with colored glass, surrounded by a seat bench, and a bocce ball court.

Less is More

Restraint in lighting building exteriors shows architectural detail better, and saves money.

Lessons learned in lighting large public buildings can be applied to homes and small businesses. Things to consider:

Two things to keep in mind are security and environment. We each need to feel secure in our spaces, but we also need to protect the environment from the ill effects of light pollution.

Tunable lighting, such as that used on Singapore’s Bund, can help with both. It can provide gentle highlighting, wrap the facade in brilliance, and do everything in between. With tunable lighting, many effects can be achieved without changing out lights to accommodate migratory birds, sea life, and community needs such as dark skies.

Most songbirds migrate at night and rely on the moon and stars to navigate. City lights overpower these natural cues, and attract birds into urban areas where they face deadly and deceptive building glass. Lights Out Portland is an effort to engage residents and building owners in carefully considering lighting options and voluntarily turning off unnecessary overnight lighting during spring and fall migration seasons.The project benefits not only the birds, but provides a healthier, more natural environment for humans as well. Portland Audubon is working with building owners, city government, lighting designers and agencies to adopt the LightsOut program throughout the city. Learn more.

Security Lighting

We all want and need to feel secure, but how do we accomplish that with all the reports of crime and home invasions? We could replace our landscaped gardens with asphalt, put high walls around our home, and have bright lights shining out. Security is important, and we need to protect ourselves. But, we also want to live in a beautiful environment, and walls keep us in as much as they keep others out.

Fortunately, properly designed lighting can both enhance security and add beauty.

Burglars like easy targets. Good security lighting around your home makes it a harder target.

Less is more

It may seem counterintuitive, but less light can be more secure. Take a look at this video. Notice that when the person is walking in range of the security lights, he almost disappears. When he is in front of the gently lit wall, he is highly visible.

When setting up your lights, think lower power, better placed. It’s better for your health, kinder to the environment, cheaper for your budget, and allows us more enjoyment of the beauty of the night sky!

So, think in terms of low-level light gently washing over flat surfaces. Not only will you or neighbors be able to see people walking around your building, but you will have a nice diffuse light to see by when you or friends walk around the property at night. You can even use wildlife friendly lighting for this.

Remember, bright lights left on all the time reduce security, and just give the burglar a light to work by.

But, when you are ready to go in for the night, a high power motion sensing security light is a great back-up plan.

Second that ‘motion

Motion sensor lights are one of the most awesome security gadgets ever invented. Our brains are hardwired to notice motion. It’s what kept us from being eaten by large predators, back in the day. Now, that trait is a major moneymaker for advertising companies because they know that humans see motion. We can use this to our advantage in security lighting. Our eyes perceive a light turning on and off as motion.

So, if you want your neighbors to really notice anyone skulking about, leave your low-level lights on, plus install high-powered motion sensing lights. You’ll want them high, and pointed straight at doorways, windows, or other points of entry.

Don’t attach them to the structure pointing out. That will just blind anyone trying to help you, and cause harsh shadows for the burglar to hide in. Instead, have them in trees, on poles, or on a fence, placed high enough they cannot be reached. Test the positioning, and make sure the light is unobstructed and illuminates what you’ll need to see.

A bright light flashing on suddenly has a better chance of startling and briefly blinding a would-be intruder than does the same light remaining on all night long. You’ve already probably heard the term, “Deer in the headlights!” With this set-up, you may get to see it in action!

Find a position

It’s better to have several smaller targeted motion sensing lights all around your property than one big floodlight. Not only will you have security coverage over more of your area, but if the person goes around your property, the lights will “follow” as the burglar moves about the property, showing you, neighbors, and the police exactly where the intruder is.

Kids are great at helping lay out your lights! Have a nighttime hide and seek game. Have them show you all the best hiding places, and set up motion detectors and lights to illuminate those.

Highs and lows

Get the security lighting up off of the ground, going for that “eye in the sky” effect. The higher the light, the wider the light pool on the ground, so you can see who is there better.

You’ll have a softer light with fewer shadowy blind spots, and it’s also easier to overlap the lighting to get full coverage. Keep that light pointing down to reduce light pollution! Try different positions and heights (use clamps and extension cords) until you find a set-up that works for your property. Then wire it in permanently.

Another advantage of placing the lights up high – they are harder to vandalize.

You have the power!

Anybody who wants to rip you off will not worry about damaging your property. If they can find your power cables, they will cut your power cables. Run the wires in such a way they cannot be tampered with, and remember security lighting for your power box. Solar lighting is another option.

Do the maintenance

Especially here in Hawaiʻi, outdoor lighting takes a lot of maintenance.

Replace any burned out bulbs as quickly as you can. Cleaning and testing your system once a month is a good idea. Bulbs burn out. Lenses get dirty. Water can get into the works. Your security lights can’t protect you if you don’t protect them.

Custom Sconces

Whether you are interested in our classic designs, or something new and unique, we can make it for you! Contact us at Info@LeiManu.com

A shipment of Lauaʻe Malama Stainless Steel sconces ready to pack!

Bird of Paradise stainless steel sconce — Bird of Paradise Malama stainless steel sconce

Pua Stainless Steel Sconce — Pua Malama Stainless Steel Sconce

Working with Copper

Copper is one of my favorite materials to work with. Lately, I’ve been making small bowls. They are simple to make, beautiful, and feel nice in the hand. I thought you might enjoy this tutorial by Jason.

The Urban Kīpuka Project

The Urban Kīpuka Project – More information

This may look like a lush tropical landscape, but there are ZERO native Hawaiian species in this image. Except for the avocado tree (a 20th century introduced food crop) buried under an aggressive philodendron, all of the visible species at this site are highly invasive. Philodendron, running bamboo, and thunbergia have created an almost sterile biome lacking in diversity. Left alone, they will kill the avocado tree. There are virtually no understory plants, resulting in significant erosion of topsoil. The only fungi are molds.

A healthy biome comprises diverse species which fill many niches. The Urban Kīpuka Project will explore ways to re-create ecosystems with healthy diversity for small urban/suburban environments.

Hawaiʻi has the unfortunate distinction of being “the extinction capitol of the world.” Many of our native birds are gone due to habitat loss and introduced diseases and predators. Many of our plants have been bulldozed away by development.

LeiManu Design‘s Urban Kīpuka Project seeks to find ways that individuals can create kīpuka, oases of native plants, in their own yards to provide habitat for native flora and fauna. We believe that if each of us creates a kīpuka, we can slow, if not stop, the rampant loss of native and cultural plants, and the native animals that inhabit them.

Click here for more information:
The Urban Kīpuka Project