Stinky Fruit and an Eye Exam

Today was supposed to be a 'rest day' after our big hike yesterday. I, (Ron) wanted to schedule an annual vision check-up, and found an approved provider in Kailua. After getting that scheduled for early afternoon, we decided to walk down the hill in our neighborhood to the shore, which is named Pebble Beach.

This has got to be the longest and steepest hill I've ever seen a neighborhood built on. The driveways to some of the houses are incredibly steep, like our house, for example. After getting the car up the hill, then there are the 45 steps up to the house.

Anyway, we hiked down, finding flowers and butterflies to distract us all the way down.

This fruit of this plant, which is very common here, is called Noni, but is also aptly named the Stinky Fruit. It was brought over by the Polynesians as a medicinal and very handy plant for its wood. Here is an excerpt from an article on it:

"The College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources at the University of Hawaii, Manoa, lists traditional ways in which noni was used. Meat was wrapped in the wide, glossy leaves and cooked, or the leaves were made into a tea to treat malaria, reduce fever, or act as a pain reliever. A poultice was applied for tuberculosis, sprains, deep bruising, rheumatism, fever, stings from stonefish, bone fractures, and dislocations. The stem was used in canoe parts, paddles, axe and adze handles. Stems were also used as digging sticks, firewood, and made into a red pigment used to dye clothing. Seeds were used as a scalp insecticide and insect repellent; flowers for sties, and roots were used for carving or made into a yellow pigment.

Although the ancient Hawaiians didn’t know it then, research indicates that the ripe fruit contains 165 beneficial compounds. They did know it was effective, and used it to cure sores or scabs around or in the mouth, as a sore throat gargle (mashed), for peeling or cracking of the toes and feet (crushed), body or intestinal worms, cuts, wounds, abscesses, mouth and gum infections, toothaches, and as an appetite and brain stimulant.

Today, proponents of natural medicine and many residents of Hawaii, consume whole noni fruit or juice to relieve ADD/ADHD, addictions, allergies, arthritis, asthma, brain problems, burns, cancer, cardiovascular disease, chemical sensitivity, chronic fatigue, diabetes, digestive problems, endometriosis, fibromyalgia, gout, hypertension, immune deficiency, infection, inflammation, jet lag, multiple sclerosis, muscle and joint pain, polio, rheumatism, severed fingers, sinus, and in veterinary medicine."

So, we had our walk and I exhausted myself again coming back up the hill.

Our house is one of the ones up close to the top of the hill! Walking to the beach is no trivial journey!

So, after lunch and a shower we headed into Kailua for my eye exam. The optometrist grew up in Chicago, on the near north side, in the Rush street area, around Ginos Pizza. He said he went to sleep at night listening to the sound of the barkers trying to direct people into their bars.  I knew exactly the area he was referring to. It's not far from where Second City was, one of the original training grounds for comedians such as John Belushi. He said his mom was a single parent and worked as an exotic dancer in those bars. I was probably just a mile or two north of them at that time, on Fullerton street, attending McCormick Theological Seminary. Small, strange world.