Winter

It snowed a few inches, and it's cold. It's winter - no big deal. It makes everything take a little longer, but we're equipped for it!

But back in Hawaii ...

I was walking on the beach one morning and saw this tractor:

Lots of farmers prefer a certain brand of tractor and are very brand-loyal. We've had many brands and have done well with them all. BUT! Since moving to the farm I know what color each brand is. Kubotas are usually orange.

The very friendly hotel guy operating it told me the tractor cost $24,000 and that the sand raker cost $39,000. He said it was sent from Connecticut - and that the price didn't include shipping. He asked if I was from the farmer group at the hotel. (What gave it away? That I was asking about a tractor on a beach? And snapping a picture? I could've been just a really invested tourist.)

I asked why it was teal, and he said they painted it to match the rest of the hotel equipment. He showed me where you could see the old orange line of paint in the cracks.

He told me he'd been using it for a year, and he said, "I've got no grumbles."

I loved hearing that unusual phrase, and I liked the nice, clean tractor rows as far as the eye could see. No grumbles here, either.