Yikes and Keto!

     I'm sticking to my keto diet and continuing to lose weight. I have very little to add about weight loss, so I'll tell you about our little town, Waianae, on the island of Oahu. During our time here, we've come to know several of the residents. One man we call the Greeter stands on the side of the main thoroughfare called Farrington Highway and greets everyone who drives by. The problem is he begins this at about five in the morning. He used to wake us up, but we have grown so accustomed to his greeting that we sleep through it like the crowing at sunrise. Another man, whom we call the Traveler, walks from one end of our little town to the other and never stops moving. His usual circuit goes from Makaha all the way to Nanakuli, back through the Waianae shopping center and then down the street, where he regularly stops at crosswalks and pushes the pedestrian button to stop traffic but never crosses the street. This is his little form of exercising power, rebellion, and raging against the machine. We often see him speed-walking through the marina when we're there fishing. Another man we call Bojangles also spends much of his time blocking traffic at pedestrian crossings. Sometimes, he stands there chastising those who try to get him to move along. Lately, he's been rolling himself around in a wheelchair. He sometimes rages at people, particularly if he notices anyone looking at him. There's a young man that we call the Kung Fu Fighter because he stands next to the Greeter, demonstrating his moves. One time, he was doing his moves while holding a large knife. A police officer driving by stopped in the middle of the street, walked over to him, grabbed his wrist, took the knife, and shook his finger at the young man, who immediately ceased his moves and hung his head. The officer returned to his car with the knife and drove away.  Apparently, he interacts with this young man regularly and feels he was not a threat. The Veteran, another regular, stations himself next to the main drag. He wears fatigues and a hat loaded with pins that look like awards. He holds up signs encouraging people to keep their faith and love America. The Decorator is more approachable than the others, and we discovered he is also named Steve. He pushes a grocery cart filled with flowers and greens along the highway, tying them to the lamp posts and telephone poles, beautifying our little town. Finally, the Olympian runs for miles up and down Farrington Highway wearing "Haku Lei" made of leaves that looks like the Olympic crown. Over the years, some of these friends come and go. The Traveler and the Decorator are currently absent. We're praying that they're okay. Our town also has a severe homeless problem. The people experiencing homelessness are primarily native Hawaiians. It's a pretty sad State of affairs because it seems that public lands could offer something for these people to hang on to, but there's no solution so far. Sometimes, people camp out in a vacant space next to our house. A chain link fence divides the properties. Within a foot of the fence is our carport, then a storage area, our Lanai and our house. A fire started at the neighboring side's fence line on Saturday night at about two AM. Thankfully, Jacob heard the fire crackle through his bedroom window and got up to check. By then, the fire was roaring. Jake pulled his car out of the carport.  Thankfully we have a water source and hose right next to the carport, so he started spraying water on the fire. The neighbors had already called the fire department, and the fire was at least under control by the time they arrived. The firefighters put the fire completely out, but I started thinking about how easily fires in these little Hawaiian towns get out of control and consume entire blocks. This is because of how people built early on, with very little space between properties. Also, many of the older wooden buildings are at the property line. Building requirements and new zoning laws make it impossible for those who have older properties to rebuild more safely. That's why the fire destroyed Lahaina. Towns in North Shore are similarly vulnerable. They exemplify the Chicago fire scenario right down to the boardwalks.  Hawaii has housing problems and needs to find solutions.