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Welcome to summer. The long Memorial Day weekend was a time for some mental floss and a lot of yard work. I spent a little time with friends musing over the meaning of the holiday and a lot of time thinking about where I'm going with this blog. The flurry of unprintable, anonymous posts that I've had to deal with lately has given me pause. I now call these people "bloglodytes," a contraction of blog and troglodyte, which the American Heritage Dictionary defines as a "person considered to be reclusive, reactionary, out of date, or brutish." As far as I know I've coined the term (please let me know if you've seen it used elsewhere.) Anyway, no firm conclusions as to what I'll do about the swarming bloglodytes yet except to say I'm now printing fewer posts from persons unknown to me, and it's looking like I'm going down that road more and more.

I meant to comment on the Main Street Pahoa Association meeting but got sidetracked last week. Only a handful of people attended the meeting due to the fact that its postponement from the regularly scheduled meeting the week before was not well-publicized. Co-presidents Mike Hale and Larry Pedro will be working on that. The Wao Kele O Puna forest reserve was not discussed after DLNR officials figured out they might be overstepping their bounds with any talk of plans for the 26,000-acre parcel in Puna that OHA now controls, Pedro reported.

Meanwhile, Pedro is still trying to wrest the apparent control over 56 acres behind the community center from the county so that plans to develop the site as a park can proceed. It's my understanding that about three years ago Catholic Charities sold the 56 acres to Main Street, which used grants for the purchase, but then transferred the land to the county. If the county actually does own the property, it will be difficult to get it back, you can bank on that. But it would certainly bear putting some pressure on the county to do something with the parcel for the community instead of just sitting on it.

Main Street also wants to expand the hours and use of the currently under-utilized community center and pool in downtown Pahoa. The community center could be opened for evening youth activities if adults volunteer to supervise, according to recreation director Lindsey Iyo. The newly painted center has a pool table, ping-pong, basketball, a kiln for ceramics, and other facilities that aren't being used. If you can help, contact Iyo at 965-2704.

Also, a summer fun program for kids in kindergarten through grade five will be held at the Pahoa Community Center. The cost is $85 for six weeks including lunch.

The next Main Street Pahoa Association meeting is Wednesday, June 20, 6:30 p.m. at the Pahoa Community Center. Mark your calendar. There's lots to do, and a lot being done.