5 Things We Love

1. There’s nothing like a nice, fruity slush on a hot day — or any day, for that matter.

Ashley Moran and Brandon Slowey of Wicked Hi Slush make the frozen drinks with fresh-pressed fruit juices in an array of island flavors — lilikoi, pina colada, dragonfruit-lemon and more — drizzled with raw, local honey. No artificial colors or flavors are used and there’s no added sugar. Small cups are $4, medium $5 and large $7.

Find Wicked Hi Slush’s bicycle cart at farmers markets Wednesdays at Ka Makana Ali‘i in Kapolei, Thursdays at Waimea Valley, Saturdays in Kakaako and Sundays in Kailua. Wicked Hi Slush also is available for parties and weddings (alcoholic options are available!) and shares space in the new North Shore food truck Fire Dance Pizza.

Find Wicked Hi Slush on Facebook and on Instagram at @wicked_hi_slush.

— Nina Wu, Star-Advertiser

2. Kimberly Walsh and daughter Alex of Sunset Beach Traders create colorful decoupage switchplates decorated with tapa print, hula girls, tropical flora and vintage island scenes. Single outlet covers are $8.95; double, $10.96; they also make triple, quad and rocker versions.

Find them at craft fairs or visit sunsetbeachtraders.com, email sbtraders@hawaii.rr.com or call 638-9475.

— Nancy Arcayna, Wahiawa

3. Eco-minded artist Laurie Sumiye is known for her drawings and prints of native birds, plants, marine mammals and landscapes, including her Hokusai-inspired views of Mauna Kea last year.

For 2018, she offers a gorgeous “Goddess” calendar featuring women of Hawaiian descent who work in conservation. For every month a “real-life heroine” is portrayed as a goddess with her kino lau, “the physical manifestation of Hawaiian deities as plants or animals,” Sumiye said.

It’s sweet to see the connections: Narrissa Spies, a coral biologist, is Hinaopuhalakoa, goddess of corals and spiny creatures, while Jody L. Kaulukukui of the Nature Conservancy is Wahine-omao, the green goddess, cradling palapalai ferns.

This calendar will provide joy and inspiration throughout the coming year. Buy it for $20 at lauriesumiyestudio.com or at Red Pineapple and Fishcake stores.

— Mindy Pennybacker, Star-Advertiser

4. “Quackery: A Brief History of the Worst Ways to Cure Everything” (Workman; $22.95) reminds us that when it comes to health care, we’ve never had it so good. Imagine medical prescriptions containing mercury, arsenic, strychnine, radioactive water and other toxic substances. Imagine consuming goat urine, weasel testicles or human blood in the pursuit of longer life, a youthful appearance or improved “masculine performance.”

“Quackery” also covers faux-medical theories from animal magnetism and bloodletting to the healing properties of various parts of human corpses. Some advocates of these theories were sincere, others were stone-cold scammers.

Vintage illustrations, photographs and advertisements display some of the perpetrators, products and procedures.

— John Berger, Star-Advertiser

5. My first-ever contribution to “5 Things We Love” is Hope’s Perfect Glass ($4.99 for 32 ounces) at Bed Bath & Beyond.

This ammonia-free glass cleaner does wonders on tablets, phones and widescreen TVs, but the real test was my neglected bathroom mirror. Spray it on and wipe off with a microfiber towel for incredibly effortless results.

— Eugene Shimabukuro, Mililani