Amy Sumida's Blog - Posts Tagged "new-year-s-eve"
Hell Night
So here in Hawaii we have two nights out of the year when it's acceptable for people to set off firecrackers: New Year's Eve and the Fourth of July. Of these two, New Year's Eve is the worst. Stemming from a Chinese tradition of scaring away the evil spirits before the new year, locals out here traditionally set off enough fireworks, firecrackers, and bombs that it feels like a war zone.
I call this Hell Night.
My house is an island of tense silence amidst a sea of raucous idiots shooting off enough firecrackers to fill the streets with smoke and bombs that literally shake my house. Every year there are horrible accidents, people's pets run away, and homes catch fire. The state has tried to control the amount of fireworks individuals set off but people buy them on the black market anyway.
So my New Year's Eve was spent at home trying to comfort my cats and keep them at home. We have two indoor cats: Sebastian and Dominic, and five outdoor: Dexter, Trevor, Nigel, Luna, and their mother who was a wild cat that came to give birth under our house, so we just call her Mama. Sebastian and Dominic hid inside so well it took me over a half an hour to find them while Dexter, the only outdoor cat I was able to get inside, cried the entire time. The rest of them spent the night running around the property trying to find good hiding spots.
When midnight comes the worst hits and firecrackers and bombs go off for(this year) a solid half an hour. Last year it was three hours of straight bombs and firecrackers so I guess I should be thankful it was better this year.
I'm happy to report that we survived Hell Night and in the morning, all the little outdoor kitties came out from hiding no worse for wear.
No one is ever as happy to see the new year as I am.
I call this Hell Night.
My house is an island of tense silence amidst a sea of raucous idiots shooting off enough firecrackers to fill the streets with smoke and bombs that literally shake my house. Every year there are horrible accidents, people's pets run away, and homes catch fire. The state has tried to control the amount of fireworks individuals set off but people buy them on the black market anyway.
So my New Year's Eve was spent at home trying to comfort my cats and keep them at home. We have two indoor cats: Sebastian and Dominic, and five outdoor: Dexter, Trevor, Nigel, Luna, and their mother who was a wild cat that came to give birth under our house, so we just call her Mama. Sebastian and Dominic hid inside so well it took me over a half an hour to find them while Dexter, the only outdoor cat I was able to get inside, cried the entire time. The rest of them spent the night running around the property trying to find good hiding spots.
When midnight comes the worst hits and firecrackers and bombs go off for(this year) a solid half an hour. Last year it was three hours of straight bombs and firecrackers so I guess I should be thankful it was better this year.
I'm happy to report that we survived Hell Night and in the morning, all the little outdoor kitties came out from hiding no worse for wear.
No one is ever as happy to see the new year as I am.
