Before I brought him home, I had no idea how long he'd be in the hospital.  I bought a fish and named him "Flipper".   Here Tomasi is in a seat that I borrowed from some rental company.   I was able to go and be with Tomasi in the hospital because I'd say that he has dementia.   and that is true.  Here I''d ask him to stay in this seat and he'd want to get up, fall on the floor and I'd have to figure how to get him up again.   this was not working well and I needed some help.   The first to my rescue was Sarina Ruby Brown.    She was able to come and I'm forever grateful for her coming so quickly.  Harrah for her airline job that she was on hold to go back to work for the airlines. May 2020

 When I took Tomasi to the doctor in Burlington, Iowa, it was to find out why he had such a hard time walking.  I had to borrow a walker and a wheel chair.   He fell 4 times in one day and this was not normal.  I went to go get him from 2 days in the hospital and they said they were going to have him put in a nursing home so they could teach him how to walk again.   I asked if I could visit him and they said, "NO".   sooooooooooo I said, then if they want to teach him how to walk again, then they can come to our house.   The doctors there said he had ATAXIA.   That for Tomasi, he has in his mind to walk somewhere, and the legs didn't obey him.  massive tingling in his right hand also had me taking him another time.   GREAT RIVER MEDICAL SYSTEM is what I had our plans switched to and I'm very grateful that I did that.  

TELL TALE SUNSETS.

I have the most beautiful sunsets here at my home.   When we go anywhere, and then come home....here's some of the beautiful sunsets.  I have a phone of SUNSETS.   But something told me when we got on the plane to leave Hawaii on 9 March 2020 that it was Tomasi's last trip to the Islands.  My sunsets with him were beginning to tell me that there were not many sunsets to share with him while on this earth together.   

 

WHEN TO WEAR A MASK AND WHEN NOT TO WEAR A MASK

Now this is where to wear a mask and most of the time get away with it.   Mitzi Tukuafu called it "Victoria Secret Mask".   That's what I'll call it.  I'm writing this a little more then a year later and I've made quite a few of these for friends and relatives.   Until I got on a plane in 2021, I used this everywhere.   All I did was cut out a square in a store bought mask, put in lace and now I can breath.   When there used to be lines getting into Walmart, I wore this.   I can breath with this mask.  THERE IS NO STUDY THAT PROVES THAT ANY MASK CAN KEEP OUT STUPID COVID STUFFS.  Many many studies that proves masks DON'T WORK....and that are harmful to folks who wear them.  harmful to folks that can't hear well, harmful to children.   Harmful to most everyone.   I've got a lot more to say here, but not now.   May 22, 2021. 

 I rebelled right away to this stupid mask wearing stuffs.   In a dusty shop where I work at home is where to wear a mask.   Glasses to keep other flying debree out of eyeballs.  hat on head to keep my hair looking nice. 

GETTING BACK INTO POSTING ON MY BLOG SITE.

 These wonderful young folks came to my house from Rutledge, Missouri.   I had gone there to get my  new sewing machine fixed by one of the Auntie's of these folks.   I joined their sing along in the little school house there and I invited them to come to my house and I'd show them instruments that are mentioned in the Bible and also instrument's that have originated in Germany.   After I gave them a tour of my instruments, they sang for me and I was blessed to have them in my home.   

 count the goslings.  this is one of the beautiful things I see in Nauvoo right by my place.   

Here Tomasi and I are singing at Alani Violeti's wedding in 1998...... I hope I can make this work. 

Irene Tukuafu

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   Irene Tukuafu shared Al A Ni's video.

   January 6

   folks, this was 16 years ago .....sigh. how time flies. I love this song and we've done it at a lot of weddings. Thanks Alani for posting this. got me singing this song all day today.

   hi auntie! just thought I'd share with you... since it's You! from 16 years ago. :) love you guys!

   

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Christmas 2013

 My mother's little band of "Christmas elfs".   Here also is the little log cabin that Tomasi carved for me in our first year of marriage.  I thought these went well together.

 Harp #48.  I put gold levers on this harp.  When taking this photo, I could see many Christmas's here.  The grass shack that Tomasi and I lived in for 2 years with our 5 little ones ages 6 and under in 1970 about.  The Jewel Tea big bowl was my Aunt Vernie's and I spent many happy Christmas's in her home with Aunt Myrtle. When this bowl got broken several moves ago, I saved the pieces and made this planter out of it.  Then there's the now frozen Mississippi through the window....and real logs on my walls....surely a White Christmas for us this year.

 Enter with a happy heart wreathe that Vicki Andrus made for me a few years back...and oh we are soooooooooooo happy in this house of my dreams.  And can you see my "dream man" tending the fire in the house?   I always wanted a rounded door like this all my life with a square window....

Now here's our little tree....with a few of the ornaments that I've saved for over 50 years.  I have 3 bands of singing angles...and two small Nativity sets....and my Christmas Cacti that has not bloomed yet.  

 I can't have a Christmas without one Kerosene lamp...and now two violet plants.  My mother cared for violets in her house.  and Sarina, see, I still have your little thing you made for me too.  I have a butterfly night light that helps those that go up and down the stairs when folks come to visit.  Who will come to visit soon?

 This hanging bells hold special memories for me.  These were Aunt Myrtle's and she always had them in the house at this time...on the other side it says HAPPY NEW YEAR.  Aunt Myrtle was a collector of bells.

Here is the Minora....one fun blue fish that when I put water in it....gurgles when I pour from it.  you can see a star and another log cabin here....and red cardinals.  I have a special love for cardinals as they lived all around us when we lived in our place in Hawaii.  and if you look closely you'll see a photo of Tomasi and I before we had any children. 

MERRY CHRISTMAS TO YOU ALL............

LILY OF THE DUMP

This article was published in the Dulcimer Player news.   I hope you can make it bigger so to read it.  September 2013

article in Handcock County JOURNAL-PILOT on 25 September 2013

News  

Round home on the river is "perfect" for Tukuafus

By Zach Short, Staff Writer
Wednesday, September 25, 2013 11:24 AM CDT

The "dead end" sign on Sycamore Haven Dr. just north of Nauvoo seems out of place once you've driven past its warning and pulled into the driveway of Tomasi and Irene Tukuafu's home. Inside, the Tukuafu's are alive and well, and their beautiful circular wooden home is another new beginning after nearly 50 years of marriage.

The unique shape of the home is a reflection of the couples past while living in Hawaii. Now it also functions as a way to enjoy all of the nature associated with the Mississippi River that the home overlooks.

"Thirty years ago when we lived in Hawaii we lived up high and we could see the ocean a little bit and we had a stream that ran down," said Irene. "I said 'there's no place that's not beautiful, I want a round house to see the whole thing.' So that is where the round house came into being.

"Between Vicki (Andrus) and I we created it together. She says 'building round is hard Irene, it's going to take longer.' But I wanted round, so she said we'll do round."

The main area of the home is well-lit thanks to a number of large windows looking west towards the river, as well as a skylight at the top of the yurt roof, a distinctive feature of homes in central Asia for over 3,000 years. The wooden features inside the home are quite impressive as well.

Logs from a 1750's cabin in Pennsylvania hold up the roof. Cedar logs from the area help provide in the structure of the home as well as the staircase up to the loft and guest room area perched above the living room. To make the railing for the loft, aspen logs from Utah's Parley's Canyon were brought in and sanded down by Irene to perfect the look. Barn wood borders a stained glass window and the bottom of the yurt roof, which was an idea developed as Irene was working with many friends in the building process.
"So one artisan encourages another artisan," said Irene.

On the main level, a compass is ingrained into the middle of the floor which creates a vortex of sound when one speaks while standing there. Oak flooring edges out from the compass and is bordered by maple strips that look like sunbursts in the daylight. All of the wood is accentuated by the natural lighting from outside.

"It's absolutely fascinating to watch the Mississippi," said Irene. "It doesn't matter what day. Winter, summer, spring, or fall. It is beautiful."

The river setting also provides a view into the past for Tomasi and Irene. Tomasi grew up in the south pacific islands of Tonga, and Irene grew up in Sacramento.

"For him, he sees the islands. For me, I see across the Sacramento River," Irene said. "We just love it here."

The Tukuafu's came to Nauvoo in 2006 when Irene began building tables for Andrus and her restaurant business. Tomasi had already retired from teaching science and the couple's 14 children (seven sons and daughters) were well into adulthood.

Irene's woodworking ability and passion for music are evident throughout the home, especially in the main room next to the office area where a number of homemade instruments including harps and dulcimers rest.

"I make all of my instruments," said Irene, pointing to a harp. "This is harp number 45. I've made two more since then. The last one I made was in Hawaii for my daughter."

The instruments aren't simply for decoration, as Irene and Tomasi are talented musicians, and being surrounded by music again serves as a living connection to the past as all 14 children play instruments.

"Early on we decided we would go around and do the Tongan way of Christmas," said Irene. "You'd take your instruments and you'd go play. The first five years of our marriage we had a baby, so we would take our little choir around with us."

The use of wood in the home is highlighted by the bed frame made of logs, which required the original foundation be expanded to accommodate the unique piece of furniture. Above the bed is a skylight and within the connected bathroom is a vintage sink and bathtub.

Through the office area is another bathroom which features a large fossil-crete shower, giving the appearance of bathing under a waterfall.

"Old ladies don't like slipping on showers," jokes Irene. "It's just like taking a shower in a cave. I like it. I'll never slip on this shower!"

The kitchen sits on the southeast side of the home, and its middle space is occupied by a large wooden table made by a good friend Dave Hardle, who helped with a lot of the wood in the house. The table is so large it has been bolted together, but the bolts have been covered with wooden knots for a natural finish.

"This is more of a buffet table because we serve a lot of people in our home," said Irene with a smile. "Bring them in!"

The table stands on a cherry wood floor that has been painstakingly put together like a puzzle.

"We tongue and grooved it all, and there were all sorts of different sized pieces," Irene said.

Stained glass windows also feature prominently in the home. One window on the southwest side is stained glass, and Irene has another window placed deeper inside the house next to her half of the office area. It was originally intended for the northwest side, but the view to Ft. Madison would have been obstructed.

"Since Vicki knew me for 30 years she knew I loved stained glass windows," said Irene. "I realized when you put a stained glass window in you no longer have a view. At night time you can see all of the bridge lit up. It looks beautiful."

The Tukuafu's began construction in 2009 and moved in in 2010.

"We didn't want to move in on April 1, so we moved in on April 2," laughed Irene.

Irene admits that there is still more work to be done, but she is capable of doing much that work in the wood shop beside the house where she builds her harps.

"It's not a perfect shop but it's perfect for me," said Irene. "Tomasi doesn't do woodworking, but he's so sweet he'll come and clean up my shop."

Tomasi was also integral in the building process not so much for what he did, but for what he didn't do. Irene and Vicki's creativity was the driving force behind the home, and for what they could build their dream home for in Nauvoo as compared to other parts of the world they have lived, they spared little expense.

"Tomasi let us have free hand of it all," Irene said. "He said 'all I need is a log to lay my head on, you guys just do whatever you want.' How wonderful is that? In Hawaii this would be a $2 million house and the termites would love it!"

There is no love from termites inside the round house past the dead end sign, and the only sign of love is that of Irene and Tomasi. As their voices and music fill the living room, igniting the accoustics of the wood, the look of the house gives way to the feeling of the home.

After 50 years together, through different addresses in different time zones, the spark between the two remains obvious, and for now there is no other place to go.

Said Irene, "I'm in my dream house with my dream man."

Frances Irene Worth buried proper like

The following post is of my trip to Pearl, Colorado.   Tehani drove me in her car as she was leaving Keokuk, Iowa where she was attending school and is moving to S.L.C. to live with Isabella and family to earn money for her mission.  We sooooooo enjoyed our road trip together.  I really love road trips.  The weather was perfect.  We got to Pearl at Noon and Kapua them were not there so we just fooled around, read, I fell asleep on the hammock an got big time sunburned.  whew....forgot about 8,400 feet elevation.  whew.  11 of the 14 children came and we reburied my mother in a proper grave in Colorado. 

PEARL, COLORADO

 Tehani and I put up this hammock that is Bob's.   Yep, I took a nap on this when we first came....and BOY DID I GET SUNBURNED....

 Here is the fallen down "bunk house" that took care of other folks when my great grandfather Cooke Rhea was living there alone after my great grandmother died. 

here are some SWALLOWS NESTS that just have to be knocked down....but keep making new.  Hard to see, when i go again, I'll get better photos of these birds and nests. 

 they were the last to make bread in this old wonderful oven....I made bread this time...turned out GREAT. 

 Here are my grandmother's sisters, Aunt Clare (my middle name is her name) and Aunt Nina Ruth Rhea.  This and other family photos hung on all the walls of this old Pearl House.  These sisters came out here for a month every summer until they died.  They lived in Denver.

 11 kids came and myself to this old graveyard in Colorado.

 this is a photo of my dear mother that died when she was 82.  I buried her in Santa Barbara in a park that she always took my brother Worth and I to when we'd come to visit her.  That was really illegal and somehow Kapua and Ma'ata found her ashes still in the box 20 years later.  They dug her ashes up....and was always watching out for any "ranger" that might come by.  They took her all around Santa Barbara before taking her ashes home to Hawaii.  It was in Hawaii, that Kapua designed the tomb stone and had a man in Wyoming engrave it. 

 After we buried my mother's ashes, we had a memorial service up a lake that she used to play at when she was a little girl. 

Kapua designed the gravestone...and we all put lilacs on the grave.  My brother made a wood box to put her ashes in.  I'm sorry I do not have a photo of that here. 

just another view of Pearl house so far away....look at the SUNBEAMS. 

 up close, the pump house, where the wringer washer is stored and you can see the place to hang out the cloths.  When I came in 2006, she and Val Sewell were using the old wringer washer, but now Kapua goes to the laundry mat in Waldon, CO and drys 'em here.  you have to turn on the generator to use the washing machine.  There is NO ELECTRICITY in Pearl.  ALL HAVE GAS things.  lights in the house are gas, stove, refrig and gas furnace in the living room.  I'd post all of these, but it would be too much. 

 you can see the Pearl house...it's the white one to the far right...

In the perspective, here's the sign in a tire.  cute, eh?

 this lets you know how high it is up here. 

 What a view from the outhouse, eh?

When you enlarge this photo, you can see the ANTELOPE PLAY...(like as "oh give me a home where the buffalo roam and the deer and the Antelope play".  this area was soooooooooo full of game that is the reason that my great grandfather came here in the late 1800's.  My grandmother, Ethel Roberta Rhea was the first white woman born in a log cabin in this area.

 I took these with my TABLET....

 I just love this area

wayyyyyyyyyyy beautiful

 here's a melting snow bank...

 Here is part of the desert sage area....BIG SKY COUNTRY of Colorado

 I say.............SOOOOOOOO LOVELY...SUNBEAMS

 Showing you the BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY.  ENLARGE THESE PHOTOS AND SEE THE "RAINBOWS" COMING DOWN...REALLY SUNBEAMS...

In perspective....the sign on the post of the gate.  He had hundreds of acres at one time.  The large Ranch was sold and only the white house in the "town" of Pearl that is owned by Kapua.  She bought it from her cousin. 

 Rhea Ranch sign

 here's some of my children.  Isi, Felila, Kapua, Manu, Dan, Sarina, Isabella

This is the little 2 seater outhouse that is at Kapua's place (old 1904 family Rhea house that she bought in 2006.)

Isabella and Haumana and Dan walked slow up with me.....and I'm grateful for their kindness....she ran down with others when we went back.  There are 4 more miles to get to some other lakes, GLAD we didn't try to do that one.  WHEW....I WAS TOTALLY EXHAUSTED AFTER THIS HIKE.

 and boys just HAVE to skip rocks.  You can see the dead trees everywhere. Beatles kill on Douglas fir trees.  nope, don't attack other trees.....mostly these are just cut down and supposedly just go back to "mother earth"...but such a waist of lumber if you ask me.  the beetle seems to attack every 100years or so....and only the bark...so the inside of the trees are good lumber.  Looks like a dangerous place to be when the fire comes.   sad.  I'm sure this was soooooooo beautiful when all was GREEN TREES.

this is the lake that these falls go into via the little river. 

 Here we are near the lake that the falls flowed into.

 these are the four boys that took care of their mama.  Isi, Haumana, Dan and Manu

 I have to show this stick that Manu cut up for me to use as a walking stick.  It was perfect and I needed it many times.   The sign says, "Mount Zerkel Wilderness"

 SOOOOOOO BEAUTIFUL FALLS...DAN ON THE OTHER SIDE. the water was like melted ice cubes.....burrrrrrrrr. quite a few went in ..NOT ME. I so love the spray after the 2 and half mile up.  Now keep in mind that this area is over 8,000 feet up from sea level. 

 ahhhhhhh, the spray from these falls was WONDERFUL

Manu fell asleep on this log