Hi everyone, Colin and I returned to the states late Wednesday night. Steve put our "comcast" account on vacation hold, it saved about $1000 US. But, what he didn't do was get the service reconnected, so I'm hacked in to my neighbors internet. We do not have, TV, land phones or internet, until "comcast" can come out to reconnect! August 20th is the earliest they can be here and we'll be on our way to Virginia! So, I will not be reconnected until I return August 25th!!! I'm just a tad pee o'd!!
Any hoot, I spent yesterday in a local suburb getting my eyes checked, new contacts, routine physical and mammogram, as well as a class at the, "Apple" store! I know they all think I'm retarded there! I just do not understand all the applications of these computers! When they show me how to do something, it is exciting, especially the short cuts, etc. But the lingo and questions seem to be in Greek and I haven't a clue most of the time as to what they're talking about!
So, I walk into the "Apple" store, which is intimidating enough, find a sympathetic face to help and sit down waiting for my instructor. "Chris" approaches, asks if I'm so and so and we begin. His first words frighten me, I don't have any idea what he's just asked me and I blurt out, "okay, I have no clue as to what you've just asked me, but can you just forget the class and help me sort out my email account and help me with my blog site!"
His eyebrows raise, we begin with the blog and he tells me, oh, "Live Journal", I did that when I was in 7th grade, it's kind of hard to maneuever!" (Oh brother, I forgot to mention, he looks about the age of my kids or younger!)
The short story is this, I left the store, not sure what I just bought, but I have a lot of "little tutorial books" to read and a program that sounded great at the time, but I'm not quite sure how to really use it. I did also buy a new charging cord set, Colin left his behind on the island and we need those, so had to get that replaced. I have no idea what I just did; "Chris" suggested I go through the little books and check off what I know and what I have questions on for my next session! (Okay, first page of first book, I know zip!, except how to turn the computer off and on!) This is going to be intense, my shoulders are already tight with anxiety.
"Chris" also suggested I tell all you about my "new" blog site, because cutting and pasting the existing entries might take a lot of time! (Does he have a clue? I don't know how to do any of this!)
Today, I will look at these "little books", watch a CD tutorial about the program I bought (?) and hopefully have a new address attached to my "signature" soon!
God help me!

Yesterday, Steve and I took Colin and a couple of his friends to Caye Caulker for lunch. Normally, it's a pleasant boat ride, good food and glimpse at what San Pedro looked like 25 years ago, (sandy roads, little traffic, electric golf carts, backpackers galore, lazy, un-stressful vibes). A great Sunday afternoon ride in the boat.
After gassing up and getting the kids aboard, we begin our little venture to the island. It's starts out with everyone very quiet, taking in the views and enjoying the breeze and sun. The closer we get to the island, the meaner the sky's! Lightning in the distance, waves kicking up and now we're thinking this wasn't such a great idea! (I of course, start thinking about "Gilligan" and the 3 hour tour!) We decide to pull in to the government dock! (Oh brother, you'd think this would be the best place?!) Steve,now on shore is breaking apart a wooden skid and inserting the broken pieces of wood into holes in the dock, so we have something to tie up to! He secures the boat, pays a local fisherman to "keep an eye on her", and off we go into town.
The thunder and lightning are now above us as we pass the giant island generator; feeling like we'll be fried any minute, I run. (Not really, my knees are shot from my younger days of running in bad shoes; another story, later). The rain begins, the restaurants we are familiar with are packed; service when these places are empty sucks, I cannot even imagine what it would be like today. We decide to try someplace new and less crowded as the rain begins to come down harder.
We duck into a little friendly place and order. Okay, it takes forever, but, no one is upset, Steve is just worried he won't get back in time for a meeting he has later. The food arrives, it's delicious and the sun is back out! Strolling the streets in this sleepy town, we browse in a few shops, no real evidence that it ever did rain, we head back to the boat. She's there, no problems, we hop back on and begin the journey back.
It's beautiful and we're all smiles and really enjoying the ride. Fish are jumping and flying across the water, the birds are soaring above, it doesn't get better than this.
Arriving at our dock, the boat gets tied up, the kids disembark and Steve is happy he will not be late. So, it was a good idea to go, everyone gets to where they're supposed to be and there was no reason to worry! "Don't worry, be happy", the lyrics from an all too familiar song comes to mind.
The sky over Caye Caulker

Getting closer to Caye Caulker

Happy diners

sundown at home
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Waking up a little later than usual, 7:00 am; I did sneak out to let the cat out at 5:30 and crawled back into bed, we had our Sunday morning power outage. Today, it lasted only a few minutes?! Last week, it was over an hour, Steve had to drive to "Mr Joe's" for our coffee. Remembering this, I jumped out of bed, let the gang out, and made coffee! No offense, "Mr Joe's", but my coffee is better!
The coffee's brewing, animals are restless to start our morning routine. I grab my coffee, plastic bags for "poo" patrol, hat, lip balm and off we go to the beach. Oreo and Toby are out of their minds with excitement! They love the beach and water almost as much as they love me! (I really should start taking the camera with me; there's almost always something of fascination that's either washed ashore or that we find in the sand).
Today, it was the usual, running around in racing circles by Toby, Oreo goes to the sea immediately, Pickle, brings up the rear. I walk along the sea wall to, "John Turley's" pond to see if there's anything interesting today. Nothing unusual, Oreo is determined to catch a crab or fish and is happily running and swimming after these sea creatures. Pickle and I go back to the beach to check out the dock and birds. Toby, Oreo follow and now we're all peering over the edges out there. Baby barracuda, needlenose fish and thousands of minnows. We head back off the dock, Oreo goes back to the sea wall and falls in! She surfaces with the look of, "wow, did you see that?", and goes about her swim. After she's had enough, she "sugar coats" herself, (rolls around in the beautiful white sand) and we're ready for our breakfast. Milkbones all around and that's the start of my day.
Pickle and Toby with the wind in their hair:

Portuguese man-o-war washed ashore:

Casa Amarilla from a seaview:

Wow, it's been a couple weeks since my last post; a lot going on, mostly getting the kids ready to go back to school, worrying about the house not selling and getting things done here and at Yellowbird house.
It's been hot, breezy, humid and partly cloudy, or perfect weather. We could use some rain, mostly to fill up the cisterns, but other than that, the plants are thriving and one day melts into the next.
Colin and I go north in a couple weeks, he's off to school for football camp and I get to drive to Virginia and back. He has a lot of stuff to take to school, mostly clothes and a futon. He says he prefers to have the space under his bed/loft to sleep and study. What's the bed for? To keep stuff piled up! I'm looking for a car rental deal to pack this "stuff" up into for the trip back to school. Last year, my sister, Pickle and I took Colin back. This year, she's unable to take the time off from work, so, I'm recruiting my dad and or mom, or my niece Lindsay and her son Marcelo. We'll see. I don't mind the driving so much as I need the company of someone to laugh with on the trip home. And, of course, the trip out; Colin sleeps or has his headset on; mom's too boring!
I have also begun my list making! Taking inventory and figuring what I can bring back in a suitcase and what I should ship. Pickle will stay behind this trip :( ! My plan is to bring back our other cat, Tabby. She's the original ''scaredy cat", even medicated, she'll be a hand full, so, to make things easy, only one animal at a time!
Steve was unable to find a good pepper mill on his trip to Mexico. A trip to Williams Sonoma, TJ Maxx, Neimans and Whole Foods, to name a few, are places on my agenda. Lunch with girlfriends, checking in with family and doing what I can for the sale of the house north.
Pickle:



Recent sunset!

New dock and cabanas

Miss Tabby-Abby

Yesterday afternoon, Steve, Pickle and I went to the grand opening of the new beach bar in town. This new bar is located seaside, on the property of Caribbean Villas and is called Catamaran Bar. It is the perfect spot for a day at the beach to play in the surf, sip a cool drink in the shade and enjoy some bar-b-que. All of our friends were there to congratulate the new management/owners of this hotel on their newest addition. (The pool construction begins this week). They have worked so hard, it's wonderful and it shows!
We arrived via boat and did not plan to stay too long, (stuff to do at the house, etc.) Well, once we were there, the day was so perfect, the party was in full swing, even Pickle was having a good time, no one wanted to leave! Most guests brought their dogs, they all played together, ate little tidbits of the yummy food and got along beautifully. We met new people, saw old friends, ate Walter's famous bar-b-que, drank a few "Light House" beers and enjoyed a glorious ride home at sunset. I did not take as many pictures as I wanted to, the memory card was full; but here are a few of the party goers; Beth, Ruth, Sharon, Peter, Pickle and a new furry friend.

Steve and Colin return this afternoon from a quick trip north to Mexico. They accompanied a friend who's children are arriving from Belgium to visit him before school starts. The flight to the Mexican border is very short, the crossing is pretty easy, providing you have your passport, etc. Then the drive from the border town of Chetumal to Cancun is about 4 hours. Steve went along to help with the driving and to do some diving and shopping. I was not invited on this, "all male journey". If push came to shove, I probably could have gone. I opted to enjoy this time alone, doing what I like doing. I would have liked the shopping; the island usually has me pulling my hair out, I can go another time, Steve has my list of things to shop for.
My time alone was spent paying bills, running errands, overseeing the construction of the cabana's at the end of the new dock, sign painting, reupholstering a couple chair pads, eating leftovers, and reading! The past couple days went by fast and I will be picking up my boys in a few hours.
I am excited to see them and hear their tale of adventure. But, mostly to see if Steve was able to find the few items on my "list"! The most important item: good pepper mill! (The salt air has corroded mine to the point, it won't turn and when it does, the grinders are stripped!). Second, a descent toaster! Toasters here are so expensive and so cheap (construction wise), I would like one that does more than warm and burn. Lastly, "Dove" bar soap! I am not allergic to this product and a bar on the island runs about $5BZ each. Crazy! There's a "Sam's Club" in Cancun and Playa Del Carmen. Surely, one of these "box" stores has these items?!
I am looking forward to their return and the treasures!
The new dock cabanas, redone chair and sign:

Brother! Finally found where I downloaded a bunch of pictures! Oh well, never called myself the brightest crayon in the box!
Our little neighborhood, and it is little: we have Josh and Joanne to the south of us, Mike and Ed bought the lot kitty corner from us and we have the guy next door to the north, who rents his house to vacationers, on short term rentals. Not crazy about this, vacationers tend to think no one else is around and that they can do as they please, (another subject for another time). But, this last said house has a darling-caretaking-couple that live in a cassita on the property. We like Jimmy and Leslie very much. We also have our caretaker, Fish. So, as I mentioned, our little neighborhood is small. Between our property lines are other "lots" for sale. The group of us have taken it upon ourselves to name our street, identify our properties, (numbers and names for our houses) and form an association and neighborhood watch group.
Finally, after weeks of discussion and throwing names around, our little group named the entrance to our little sub-division! "Bone Fish Lane"! Why, you might ask? Fishing for, "Bone Fish" is apparently what some fishing sports people like to do when they visit Belize. And, one of the favorite spots to fish for this fish, is at the end of our new dock or here in out little sub-division. I was afraid naming this street, "Bone Fish Lane" would invite more visitors to our area. Ask any of the local fishermen where to go for this particular fish and they'll tell you it's here! No secret.
I am in the process right now of painting a temporary sign for the entrance to the sub-division. When it's done, I'll photograph it. In the mean time, I photographed a few other signs in the area to give you an idea of how folks identify their homes. Of course, there is the professional sign manufacturer on the island, I happen to like the signs people have made themselves. It shows some creativity and idea to their personalities, etc.
Bone Fish Lane will have its very first "block party" in September when Mike and Ed return. Should be more fun than we can handle and I am looking forward to it already!
Here is our sign and Mike and Ed's sign, plus a few others I like:

Let's see what's new? Getting back into the swing of things with shopping, organizing and attending some meetings! Meetings provide information, as well as a host of new faces! I have attended two meetings this week, not AA, Ed! (But, we should probably start our own branch?) These meetings were related to neighborhood watch groups. We have two houses; one, way south and the other, in town. It's good to know who's who and to get phone numbers in case. In case of the ever looming emergency. But, with hurricane season here and the recent crime spree, this is all good information.
I met a lot of new faces while participating in a "community yard sale"! (Can you believe I have more stuff to sell?) We saw our guests off last Saturday and I took my two bags of "stuff" to the beach and displayed my treasures. I made $25BZ, (that's $12.50US). Not to be stressed out, I priced my stuff at a $1BZ or less! Get rid of it! My stuff sold instantly and I've made a bunch of new friends! Totally worth it! While chatting with the other "vendors", I was invited to these said meetings. (Also, a baby shower for a mom I don't even know). I went and am going to the shower. There is no "new comers" club. Social events, as these, are where I have met people. It's been a lot of fun. Besides, everyone has a story and reasons for living here. Validation for decisions made, a pat on the back and a friendly smile, not to mention a little money in your pocket, all makes the world go round and a feeling of connection and acceptance.
Friends; Mike, Steve, Donna and Dave

I have had a little bit of "writer's block"! I am not a writer, but there has been so much activity lately, there is too much to choose from. (A new camera and not really sure how fully use it, adds to my list).
The last of our guests of the summer have left the island, although Colin may have a couple guys come visit later; that's still uncertain. It is now back to the routine of our daily life and tending to the list of "to dos".
My sewing machine is here now too, so I have long list of things to make and adjust. My last guests helped me redesign and rebuild our master closet; on my birthday, I finished painting it!
My next door neighbor's birthday was yesterday. I took her a card and bottle of wine and visited. She asked me if I enjoyed my birthday and of course I did! It was a birthday that lasted for days! Since our last guests are also our next door neighbors from the states, Steve wanted to include them in on his celebration for me. We enjoyed a sunset cruise on a catamaran, with cocktails, of course. Dinner later that night, at my favorite restaurant on the island, more drinks and gifts to open when we returned! All this 2 days before the actual birth day! The following day, our guests left, but not without more celebrating! On the actual day, Steve took me to brunch with some island girlfriends and shopping for closet accessories! (This is a huge treat! You get to my age and there's nothing I need, but organizing a new closet was a thrill ride!) So, after all this, we got home and all I really wanted to do was paint the closet so I could use it and enjoy it!
When I relayed this to my next door neighbor; she understood. She said they were staying in to celebrate and her big excitement was to eat her entire cake! Life's simple pleasures truly are best! A new closet, a phone call from Lauren, sailing and dining with friends and loved ones are moments and events that are simply the best!

Okay, back on the island a week. So sorry to not have updated sooner! We truly hit the ground running and have had the usual list of challenges. To make things more exciting, yesterday, our second set of guests arrived! (Don't get me wrong, we love having company, the house is beautifully set up for it). The latest challenges have been all water related! Tons of rain and wind, cannot imagine what a hurricane or tropical storm must sound like! and then a hot water heater water line broken inside the concrete wall was also real fun. This in between guests and just trying to get back into the routine of life here.
So, garage sale was a huge success, many thanks to my dear girlfriends for their support and help! Having that out of the way and that much more moved out allows me to rest easier. Should the house ever sell, at least there's less clutter to pack up. The house here could use a few more things from up north, but we're really just fine without. "Making do" is part of the fun. Steve and I become very creative; you should see the tool he made to unclog a downspout! I think he could sell them! (Poor Oreo the dog, will miss her ball tossing toy, but we won't tell her, she likes chasing sticks too).
The life here is so wonderful; guests arrive soon and we'll be ready.

I have the troops rallied, placed ads in newspapers, gathered tables, saved plastic bags, and have stuffed as much stuff into the garage as I have strength for; the ever-looming "garage sale" is a week away!l OMG! The task of sorting this stuff, again, pricing and getting it ready is waiting for me and all I can do is find other things to do! Yesterday, I embroidered orders, ironed shirts, cleared another shelf or two in the basement. I walk out to that garage and want to throw-up! I priced a few things and became so overwhelmed, I gave up and poured myself a glass of wine. And, of course, Steve and Colin just look the other way when I say, "we've got to get this organized!" Those two find hiding places or urgent matters to tend to immediately. We're all avoiding the inevitable. Lauren did her part, after much prodding, she got through the bulk of her things, sorted, moved and boxed the things she wants and needs. The other two are taking their time and refuse to help tackle this nightmare.
I am going to make a prediction on what will happen in the next week. I will get out there, (the garage), and begin this task. A girlfriend or two will come over and help and the job will manage to get done. Next friday morning will dawn, I'll be ready(?), especially for those serious, cult-going "garage sale" fanatics! Apron donned and outside for the event. Steve will casually stroll out, want coffee and will begin his "sales pitch" to some familiar faces, (no doubt, we will have the nosy neighbor or two coming over). He will then start to pull stuff out of the shed, (I've been on him about this for weeks), want the the pricing stickers, ask me a million questions,( ie; " should this go? how about this? etc., etc.") All of this in the flurry of the first half hour of the sale. (Now, any of you who have done this before know that, that first hour of the sale is the nuts-ville time! The crazies that do this for a living descend from the sky and swarm like locusts; no time to be unprepared!) But, Steve will then start picking through "the stuff" and want to know why I am getting rid of it? He will start taking things off the table, he will start discussions of the "why this?" He will start going through his clothes from the 70's, 80's and 90's, and bring these enormous piles down stairs for me to price at 9:00 am friday!
Now Colin. He will appear, after alarms go off, phones ring, dog barking, smoke detectors blaring, around noon! The sleep will still be in his eyes, hair uncombed since last week, same old shorts from 3 days ago, yawning and acting like he's from someone else's house and not this one! The insult of it all to be awakened from a beauty rest and have these strangers clamoring about! He too, will begin going through the stuff and start the question of, "why this", and begin pulling from the displays!
These two will drive me absolutely mad, but god love them, they're my guys! We'll get it done and when this house does sell(?!), the move will be that much easier because of this work done before.
No pictures, yet, gave my camera to Lauren for the road trip back to California. I'll post some soon...

Wow, looking at the photos of this year's first official hurricane, Arthur, I am feeling very sad. Little Belize, so beautiful and serene, now in a state of chaos. Our island home seems to have weathered the storm okay. Or at least, according to our caretaker, Fish. Dogs, shaken, cat, on life number 9, nothing stops him, house standing, patio furniture blown into the sea and down the road. Truck loads of sand gone from the beach. All in all, everyone is fine and no significant damage?! But, reading island blogs and newspapers, we are very lucky! The mainland is experiencing flooding, road closures, infrastructure collapse. The clean-up has begun, my heart breaks looking at these pictures.
In a country where nothing is taken for granted and the basic necessities can be taken away so violently, I wish I were there to do what I can to help and assist. I know our friends are in a state of crisis, water and electricity cut-off, amazingly, the internet is alive and well. (The local newspaper must have other things to do, I have not received my daily e-paper for days). I am also sure, our sweet, overworked vet is most probably up to her ears with issues concerning the animals. June 18th is quickly approaching and I look forward to leaving the comfort of this home to get back and assess our damage and to help those in need.
Crazy as it seems, I want to be on the island. I thought today's blog would be about my daughter moving back to California for her summer job and to get ready for the coming school year. Sad as I am about this mile stone, I'm sadder seeing what mother nature has done to a poor struggling country. My brilliant daughter will be just fine, she's a survivor, just like Belize.
Pictures of another storm, not Arthur.

I jumped out of bed just now to write! This is a first, thank you Susanne Schoen, (freshman english teacher). I was just drowsing off and thought about a recent evening with a few girl friends and a movie we watched together. This movie has caused such discussion, I found myself thinking, hmmm, I guess this particular movie was truly funnier than we all thought! I first thought it scarred us, now, I'm not so sure?
How bizarre! We four women walked out of the movie theater so stunned and laughing, (out of embarrassment, obviously), none of us have stopped talking about it! My own husband tonight at dinner said to me, "okay, this is the fourth time you've talked about this movie!" (I cannot remember talking about a movie so much, he's right!) Crap, maybe we really did like this movie? Maybe we're not so removed from our kids? Is this possible? I cannot stand this, but, he may be on to something!
After this said event, I talked to my teenage daughter by phone. When I described the movie and sort-of had the title correct, she began screaming! She could not believe I went to see this film, let alone with a group of girlfriends! Screaming, OMG!, her boyfriend, also in the car during this conversation, kept yelling, "what's wrong, what's wrong?" I explained, I went to the movies with a couple girlfriends, let one of the friends choose the movie, since I hadn't seen anything recently, and she still couldn't believe this was the one we all chose! "Mom", she says, " that's so bizarre, that's the current type of comedy!, we all think it's funny, but I don't think you would thing it funny?" No kidding, didn't send you to private schools for nothing!!!!
So, tonight, as I lay peacefully, drifting off to lala land, I began thinking about this ridiculous motion picture, (does that term of reference age me again? This wasn't even a "Desilu" production!) I paid good US dollars to see this, (not to mention another $8 US dollars for a child size popcorn and small diet coke!) I sat up laughing and came downstairs to my computer! How crazy is this? This is exactly what the producers and studio wanted! Middle- aged moms possibly seeing this, "boy-flick", and talking about it! Yeah, my 16 year old son will love this film, if he doesn't already! (Anything to do with anatomy and farting and men's "wing-wangs", boys love!) Reverse psychology at it's best! The more we all talk about how terrible this was, the more our kids will run out and watch and love it! Oh, what have we done?
My top films of all time are: To Kill a Mockingbird, Moonstruck, The Sandlot, Dirty Rotten Scoundrels, Hairspray, That Thing You Do, Apollo 13, Wizard of Oz, Mary Poppins, blah blah blah! These come to mind so quickly, I do not have to stop to think. This movie of recent viewing, will not make my top 10 list, but, it will make the list of what made me and 3 other women cry and beg for mercy!
P.S. Happy birthday Julie, my Irish twin! (She likes the old stuff, old black and whites; I'll stop teasing her about this forever now forward!)

I talked to Steve this morning; heard those adorable dogs barking away in the background and I am ready to get back. The house has not sold, we have had many showings, "broker's open house", and I have about exhausted my list of things to do! Well, not really! Steve called to tell me a shipment of boxes and furniture arrived yesterday and he has been busy unpacking doing his best to put things in their place, (he knows me too well). He began with a litany of items and I knew instantly what his idea of putting this stuff away meant. This is when I wish I had super human strength and could be in two places at once.
Okay, so getting back to here, there's something I have decided not to tackle alone! I ventured out to the shed the day before the, "open house" to find some patio things to spruce up the outdoor space. Upon opening the doors, which are about to fall off, another story, I saw what was in there and screamed! To my horror, are boxes from the business, stacked to the ceiling! Christmas decorations, gardening tools, old furniture, it goes on and on; I thought I was getting somewhere! That somewhere being about done! What was I thinking? It's never easy, never done! Isn't that what grandma used to say? (Now I'm saying it and here I go again, showing my age!)
Anyway, I slammed the shed door and have been trying all week to shove that image down. I am a neat freak, but that task takes on a whole new meaning to de-clutter. With the help of my generous neighbors, I have made numerous trips to the city dump, power washed the patio and furniture, re-sealed the porch, painted a deck, cleared out and vacuumed the attic (!, another horror!), and have sorted through more than I ever imagined. I am out of room in the garage to stack anymore. (After one recent accident, my fear is the boxes in there could come crashing down on my car; just a tad precarious). I need to have that garage sale soon!
Steve is home next week, after a couple days, we're off to Virginia to pack up our son and bring him home. On Memorial Day, our daughter and her boyfriend arrive. Help is on the way. My job then will be to keep the troops focused and working hard. (You know everyone is expecting to sleep till noon and party into the night!) Not this trip kids! I will be one crazed, marine soldier and come hell or high water, this job will be done!

Does anyone else remember "purgatory"? I do, I am showing my age, again. It was that imaginary place, although not to catholics back in the day, where you waited. Waited, waiting; do not like it at all! I like a plan, an agenda, a list of stuff to do, anything over waiting! I am at the "purgatory/limbo" stage right now and it is making me a little nuts.
Limbo now because, I have ticked away my project list from the realtor and now waiting for the professionals to arrive; ie: painter and landscaper. Cleared the rooms of the clutter, waiting now for the kids to arrive before I throw too much away. Waiting for Steve to return before I can throw away anymore of his stuff; papers, clothes and sporting gadgets.
Later today, I will hear from our daughter about what she will need for the house she and her friends are renting near school. I hope they need a lot! I have already packed boxes for her that contain; a crock pot and cook book for just that appliance, wine glasses for the future cocktail parties, place mats, napkins and baking pans, etc., etc. What was I thinking? Duplicates of everything! Why? Waiting again, in case I needed it? Or was it a deal I could not pass up? Not worth that wait!
The waiting will not go away and there is plenty more to come. I am tackling the attic today while I wait for the pros to arrive. Clearing that space will be a great feat and in doing so, will keep me occupied doing something no one else thought of to do. Starting at the top and moving down. So much better to do and keep busy than wait.

Back in the states again; house still not sold, but the kids come home soon and we do have address all the stuff. The weather is getting better, a bit cool, but the flowers and trees are budding and our house looks great in the spring. I will stay here for a couple months to prepare to sell(?) I have borrowed a power washer, and the next warm day, I am cleaning the decks, patio furniture and house!
I have borrowed a truck to get junk to the city dump and have talked my mom and sister into coming out and helping with a garage sale. Also on the list; prices for storage, landscaper, driveway sealed and doctor/dentist appointments for the kids. Finding a descent realtor would be great too! The market is so lousy, none of them have a clue as to what to do! What to do? Very frustrating. I have my list and get great pleasure in "ticking" off an item! The weather does not look good today, so it's off to run errands and get prices on storage units.
Taking Steve to the airport this morning (3:30 am), I am very envious he's going back to the island and not me! It is his business that brought us there and he has to keep track and a close eye on the partners and employees. (Not that there is anything wrong; taking his eye off another business and letting employees run things brought us financial ruin; lesson learned!)
The island will not have changed, much. It will be sunny, warm and all those friendly smiling faces is what I miss. I do love catching up with friends here; getting the latest neighborhood gossip, hearing about the local politics and seeing all that's new. Driving, running errands and getting from point "a to b", is a piece of cake, but there's nothing endearing about it. There's nothing to smile about with these tasks, they seem a fact of life. In Belize, I can spend a whole day getting one thing done and feel absolutely brilliant about that! Here, I can zip out to Vernon Hills and with two stops have a whole list of things completed in no time! Where's the wonder and beauty in that? People here complain about the pot holes! They have never driven the roads of San Pedro after a rain storm, or for that fact, after any normal day! Pot holes the size of craters, not to mention roads only wide enough for 2 golf carts abreast with bicyclists, tourists, school children and a construction truck thrown in for fun! Now this kind of driving is exhilarating, keeps you in tiptop shape for any nascar racing dream or demolition derby driving you have ever thought about entering! This my friends is pure adrenaline driven fun!
So, off I go to "tick" away at my list; it will all be done before noon, no challenge to it, I am a pro. If I stop my car here to wave and chat with an old friend I may get rear-ended or "road raged". I will save those simple pleasures for the next trip back to our new home.

A friend of ours has been a little bothered by the mis-spelling of our house. We do not have an address, per say, our house has a name, the one we adopted from the previous owners and we do not have a street name nor a mailman. The area we live in, has a name. So when we describe where we live, we say, "south end of the island, past Malcomb's house (still don't know who he is, but everyone else does!), next to Josh and Joanne, (know them, they're our next door neighbors), across from the sand pit in Boca Ciega, Casa Amarillo". I am not kidding, our utility bills used to have a similar description in the address window! (I have now rented a "mailbox" from a service on the south end of the island just for our bills and any mail we could maybe get?)
Side tracked, once again. Anyway, this friend is upset and always brings up the mis-spelling of our house when we see him, it really bothers him! The house was called, "Casa Amarillo" by the previous owners. Made simple sense, we kept it and never questioned it; we liked it a lot and it translated easy enough. Yellow house. Well, says our friend, who went as far as to consult the internet, argues, it should be "Casa Amarilla".
Let me just say, this discussion has gone on and on, we have had it here, in a couple local bars, we have had opinions from other friends, strangers and the locals. No one can agree. But, the little bit of spanish I do remember from high school, many many moons ago, is "a" is feminine and "a" continues in descriptive adjectives, pronouns and nouns. Right?
Today, I took my paint brush and walked out to the road where Steve has constructed a sign for our house. I have corrected the spelling, we are now officially, "Casa Amarilla". I even changed it here, now all I have to do is explain this change to the utility companies and the mailbox company. They will not give a hoot what we call our house or how we spell it. No one cares, except this friend and he lives further south than us and if he does not notice I have changed this for him, I will be greatly disappointed!

The party we prepared for was a success! We hosted this night for our island friends in the new house last Sunday. Steve and I worked all week, making lists, shopping, cooking and inviting friends. What started out to be a few guests, grew to 50+. My whole body aches today and thinking about cooking dinner for us tonight seems like chinese torture! Maybe Steve won't mind leftover chicken wings and pasta tonight? This is when I really miss the salad bar and roasted chicken take-away from the local grocery store north! Maybe grilled cheese?
Back to the party! I cooked for a couple days, peeled and de-veined, 8 or so pounds of shrimp, cooked 12 pounds of chicken wings, chopped veggies and fruit into papaya bruschetta. Processed chick peas into hummus, seasoned flour tortillas for salty spicy chips, frosted brownies, baked banana bread, made the invitations the old fashioned way (we don't have a printer for our computer here), shopped until I about dropped and ran up and down between the two kitchens for hours. In the states, I would have had some help, either from a caterer and or some cleaning staff. We forgot how much work this was! But, it was so worth it! The leftovers are hardly any, guests stayed way into the late night early morning, and only a couple people did not show. The wonderful phone calls of thanks have come in all day. What a pleasure and fun! The kids swam until they were so wrinkled, their parents pulling them out at the end of the evening. Promises of a swim anytime in the future and they were sure to be asleep before arriving home. The guests with their dogs played with ours, young new friends met some of our seasoned islanders buddies and the beer flowed until we ran out!
It was such a great evening, worth all the work and then some. I cannot remember a night like this one! The memories and laughs will be the talk of the island for this week and we will all look forward to the time we all see each other again.

In preparing for a little cocktail party this coming weekend, my husband has become my very willing "guinea pig". I have been researching recipes using the local ingredients. After a couple days of shopping and reading, I marinated chicken wings in a homemade spicy sauce overnight and prepared them as part of tonight's dinner.
The big mistake I made, was not tasting the sauce! I made the wings along with a spicy mexican rice, (lots of veggies and I used a salsa sauce instead of the typical stewed tomatoes). I am not a chicken wing eater. Never really got into the messy appetizer, but my son and husband love them! Chicken being a readily, very available ingredient on the island, I thought "wings" and shrimp for the appetizers for the party. Well, the chicken wings I made tonight are nuclear! Steve is coughing, rubbing ice on his lips and perspiring heavily!
Not the recipe to use for the party! (I will keep this recipe for a future "wings cook-off" at Pedro's, should there ever be one?!) Good thing I am playing around with ingredients, the hot sauce I used is considered "hot", but I know there are spicier sauces in the stores. I thought I was playing it safe by choosing this particular sauce! I guess, the regular "Tabasco" brand sauce is what the recipe was calling for. This sauce is usually too hot for me, but compared to the local sauces, this one is fairly mild.
I am looking forward to shopping tomorrow! I will stop by my favorite fruit stand first and try to relate this story to the sweet lady I buy some of our produce from. She sits serenely by the side of the main road, quietly and always smiling, peeling the oranges, mangoes, pineapple and papaya, then bagging them, so the tourists can snack and eat during their stroll into town or to the beach. She always has fresh, seasonal veggies and fruits at the best prices on the island, I think?! Anyway, she likes Pickle and we usually stop to buy a banana or two and some pumpkin seeds, hopefully the story will translate and I will make her laugh. She warned me about the peppers and I never thought anything that pretty and small could be so deadly! Next time I will listen to the local ladies and take their advice on what they think is mild, (mild must really mean, "your lips will burn off")!
So very sorry honey! I'll try again tonight and altering the recipe to a much less spicy version! I hope!!

I originally thought of posting my life on this island on "You Tube", my daughter thought a "blog" made better sense. (Ya think?). I guess I've been a little preachy or whiny! Mea culpa, mea culpa, so sorry! Did not mean that, I am really trying to laugh at each day's hurdle. Moving here has been a dream come true, but it does not come without a bit of pain. We still love it and think it was the right decision, but someone "up there" likes to make me scream!
We love having guests visit; some guests become more demanding than others. Some folks are not bothered by the bugs and nature, even embrace it; others want to sleep in the hyperbaric chamber! Mosquitoes? Bring them on, I have bites over bites! Sunburn; cannot talk about it! Giant critters on the floor, in bed, the sink and in the shower? Love it! My favorites are the iguanas sunning themselves on the deck and the birds that perch outside my kitchen window. A little serenade from a tropical mocking bird or watching the cinnamon hummingbirds feed on the cascades of bougainvillea are mesmerizing. My next door neighbor's parrot not only sings "jingle bells", but also whistles and calls their dog home. My windows are wide open all day, we have gotten used to the heat and humidity now, we rarely use the a/c. (I'm saving it for the summer), and I pinch myself every morning waking to the sound of the surf, and sunshine in my face!
So, sorry for sounding like "Eva Gabor" in Green Acres, (by the way, loved that comment!)! Another way of life and culture. No one cares if your flip-flops match your outfit, or not, or if you're wearing the latest New York/Paris fashions. Waving to your neighbors and friends and stopping the golf cart in the middle of the road to chat is an everyday occurrence. Really big news is when a new bar or restaurant opens! Last weekend a new bar opened and offered $3.00 Belikin beers! We attended to see "who was there" and to check the new place. Could not pass on the lure of live music, cheap beers and new faces! Last night we drove to the north end of the island, over the bridge, paid our toll to try a new restaurant. (I was so curious, excited into a frenzy!). Friendly, young chef and wife in a delightful space, delicious food and maybe new friends. Whole other kind of entertainment these days, we love it. There are no movie theaters, fast food chains or strip malls. So things are challenging! Big deal, they are back north too! This place hasn't lost it's charm for us and we look forward to each new day.
Maybe we'll see you here soon!