September 2017 – Mermaid on a Raft

My comedy of errors life.

09/27/2017 The photo and quote were on the wall at Emily’s home, I felt it was appropriate to use it on this blog.

The day before I was to leave the island I was down at the pool. I went to lock the gate open with the hook and eye that Bill installed on it to hold it open so the dogs could go in and out. When I went to place the hook in the eye, there was something in it. I pulled it out and just about died. It was Lola’s whole pinky toenail, totally ripped off her toe. She compulsively jumps over the gate in her effort to always be first and must have caught it and just torn it right out. I can’t fathom how much that must have hurt her. We started doctoring her immediately. Great, I’m leaving tomorrow and need to worry about this. Bill was Lola’s nurse for the week and I’m happy to say it’s all healed up. I started her on cephalexin immediately so there wouldn’t be any infection and she wore a sock and the cone of shame for 9 days.

My trip to the US began on an excellent note, I was upgraded to First class on the Houston to Baltimore route.

Excellent, free wine but no food. I got to Baltimore, got my bags, got my rental car and drove to the hotel I was staying at for the night. When I went to check in she said my reservation was for Sunday night, not Saturday. It actually was 1:30AM Sunday morning. When I made the reservation on Expedia before I confirmed online, I called the hotel and asked the person who answered the phone about it. He said, no, it would be for Sunday night, not Saturday because Saturday ended at midnight. So I bought the reservation. The girl at the desk said, “well, actually, it still is Saturday.” I see her point, but it wasn’t. I told her I spoke to a male at the desk and he said to make the reservation for Sunday. She said the hotel was full and there were no single bed rooms available. A room with 2 beds was $50.00 more. Seeing as how it would be 2 AM before I even got to the room and planned on leaving by 10 AM I could see no reason to pay for a bed I wouldn’t touch. I was really nice to the girl, explained where I came from and that I would be in the room a short time. She finally gave in and put me in the 2 bed room. I was so excited I gave her a nice tip.

I got up in the morning, showered and set off for my sisters house. Missy called Mom and Dad and they wanted me to come for brunch so I hustled over to their place. They were waiting in the area by the dining room. They both look really good and were extremely happy to see me. We sat down to eat near the salad/fruit bar. Dad got up with me to help me get some food, like I need help. He kept trying to get me to have some milk or tomato juice. Never in my life have I liked either of them, nor did I want any, especially since what he was trying to get me to drink was ranch dressing and french dressing. They were in the big plastic bottles with the red pour spouts. I told him I thought they were salad dressing but he said they were milk. We had a good breakfast but while we were sitting there Mom was freaking out over some lady who was taking all of this food back to her room in to go boxes. I tried to tell her not to worry about it, she wasn’t paying for it. She was relentless and very loud about it. I think since she is hard of hearing she doesn’t realize how loud she speaks. It was an experience for sure.

We went back up to their apartment and visited for awhile. Missy was having us for dinner that evening so I got Mom and Dad together, ran a few errands for them on the way and went to Missy’s home, less than 10 minutes away. We had a great meal there. Mark and Missy were astounded at how alert Mom and Dad were and that they seem to have changed after Ashley’s wedding the previous weekend. It’s the first they have been out to a real social gathering in quite some time (their choices not to socialize). Mark and Missy and I stayed up for awhile after Miss and I took Mom and Dad home, chatting about the situation with them and coming to the realization, it is what it is.

The next morning I headed to TJ Maxx, oh how I’ve missed that store. I shopped for a few hours but felt guilty the whole time I was there so I left (after buying a few things) and went to visit Mom and Dad.

I asked Mom if she wanted to go shopping, she did, of course. I said she had to take her walker, she said, “your Father will be fit to be tied.” (We have some Pennsylvania Dutch in us). My Mother has a bad knee and she’s NOT a knee surgery candidate, she should be using a walker, but my Dad won’t allow it. He said she looks stupid and it embarrasses him to be seen with her. OMG OMG OMG. I said that I didn’t care and he could deal with me. We got off the elevator and she didn’t know which way to go to get outside, there are no signs at all. I figured it out and once we got there, VR (my Dad) was wandering around. He walked outside with her to wait while I brought the car around. When she got in my car she said he told her she looked stupid with a walker, she looks like an old lady. For shits sake, she IS an old lady, she’s 92.

Seeing the two of them have really made me think about getting old(er)

I wanted to go to Target so we set the GPS and were off. We shopped for a little bit, she bought him 5# of M&M’s. Then we went back to the grocery near where they live. She was looking all over for cannoli but ended up buying eclairs and coke for VR. Eclairs, Cannoli, not the same.

They wanted me to go to the dining hall with them for dinner. I was introduced to everyone there as their OLDER daughter who lives on an island. I was thankful that this year Roatan had not moved, last year it was in the Pacific Ocean. Or so my mother thought, geography was never a strong subject for her. While waiting to be seated 4 ladies came in, all with walkers, all in a line. Dad said, “look at those lazy women, they could walk if they wanted to, they’re just lazy.” I was appalled. I told him he didn’t know if they could walk without them or not and it was not nice to judge them for using a walker.

After we were seated I went to get some fruit and Dad once again offered me milk (ranch dressing). During the meal he asked me when I started wearing glasses, I said 5th grade, don’t you remember? I wouldn’t leave the bathroom at 4 Mile elementary and they had to call Mom to come over. He was off on another subject by then. We were joined by a man at dinner and neither Mom nor Dad spoke to him so I started a conversation with the man. He had some interesting stories and every now and then he would say something that piqued their interests, like eating at Horn and Hardart in NYC. Then they had something to say. That evening Dad wanted ice cream. It was not served fast enough and he filed a complaint. OMG OMG OMG. Let me also say my Father drinks 3-4 cans of coke a day. He NEVER drank soft drink and he eats M&M’s by the pound. Mom says she buys 7# bags for him. The man does not have a single speck of fat on his body and you could probably bounce a bowling ball off of his abdomen. No, I did not try.

I left after dinner and went back to my sisters. They told me some stories and I shared some thoughts with them. This was Monday night, I was still feeling good.

Tuesday I was driving to Silver Springs proper to meet Barry, one of Trace’s best friends from Williamsport. On the way there I stopped by Mom and Dad’s. Mom was in bed. I asked Dad what was wrong and he said, she’s sick. I said does she have an upset stomach, he grimly replied, she’s sick. I’m all like, WTH? Does she have a headache, is she having trouble breathing? He said, SHE’S SICK. I said, fine, I’ll stop on my way back through. Oscar the grouch personified.

Mom and Dad at my niece Ashley’s wedding the weekend before.

Barry (Trace’s friend) and I have been friends on FB for a few years and he wants to come visit us and get certified. We met at a Thai place that was super easy for me to find. How did I live in the US as a young mother without GPS? What wasn’t easy was figuring out how to do the bar code scan parking. I got the app installed, set up a pay from account and then got frustrated and went to a bicycle shop for change. She gave me a $2.00 roll of nickels, it worked. Barry and I had a great lunch, reminisced about many things from Pa. and discussed the best time for him to visit. After we said good-bye I was on my way back to visit with my parents.

I walked in and there Mom was at the counter, cutting up an orange. I said, “You’re up, are you feeling ok?” She replied, “I’m fine, your Father told me to go back to bed this morning, so I did.” I asked if she would jump off the balcony if he told her to and got a dirty don’t be stupid look. Why did he so gloomily say, She’s Sick? I lost brain cells while there. Soon after I got there Missy arrived too. I had messaged her and relayed the scenario. She called and Dad told her Mom was sick and in bed. SHE WAS NOT SICK. Maybe he has Munchausen’s syndrome? Miss left and I got to go to dinner with my folks again. While I was eating lunch with Barry my throat felt scratchy, I knew I was coming down with something. After eating with Mom and Dad I went back to Missy’s, took some cold drugs and went to bed.

I felt worse in the morning so I went to Macy’s. Isn’t that the cure for sickness? I needed something magic to suck my gut in for my class reunion dress. I found something that reduced my fat by 1/4″ so I bought it, 2 bras and 5 pair of undies (which are all too big, they look like something my grandmother wore). The lady at Macy’s said if I used my Macy’s card I would save $80.00. I haven’t used that card for 4 years. They reopened it for me and I did save a little over $80.00, that’s a lot.

I left Macy’s, picked up my dress at the cleaners and went to my sister’s. I thought I should stay away from Mom and Dad for a day, maybe a mental health break. Miss and Mark cooked a good dinner, I organized my stuff (Amazon Prime is my middle name) and went to bed.

Thursday I went over to Mom and Dad’s a little later in the morning. Mom wanted to go to CVS to buy some miracle anti aging creme (she’s 92, remember). She’s addicted to that stuff and let me tell you, it does NOT work. I took her to the grocery again and spent some time with them in the evening. I told them I was leaving in the morning to meet my friend Stan at BWI but I would stop and say goodbye before I left. Missy and Mark took me out for dinner that night to a great restaurant that I think we went to a long time ago.

After that I made sure I had everything organized, stuff I needed for Williamsport and my other suitcase with things for Roatan.

I said good-bye to Miss the night before and Mark carried my bags out in the morning. I drove to BWI, got there on time, called the FBO and told them where I was so they could pick me up to meet Stan in his plane.

We made it to Williamsport around 1 and drove around for awhile. Stan stopped by his parents graves then we drove past my old house on Edercrest Rd.

I grew up in this house, we moved here when I was in 4th grade. It was 3 houses down from the Williamsport Country Club. My brother and I became WCC brats, we were there from the time they opened until dinner time, when we had to go home.

We then stopped at the Bullfrog Brewery for some lunch. Stan parked 3′ from the curb so I told him to move the car closer. He did but forgot to put $$ in the meter so we came out to a ticket. Simple things.

We drove around a bit more and then checked into the old City Hall. They renovated the building into rooms and some businesses. It’s a pretty nice place, especially for Williamsport.

The City Hall Grand. That’s me on the L.

I have no idea when Stan took this photo but it’s awesome. He is an excellent photographer. The red roof on the lower right is where my goldsmith used to be.

We arrived at our reunion spot around 5 PM. It was at the old Shore Acres, my old stomping grounds, now nicely renovated into a busy restaurant called Pier 87. There is a lot of inside seating, seating on the porch and outside seating by the Loyalsock Creek. It’s owned by young Frankie Morrone and his business partner. Frankie and his parents, Barb and Frank are all long time friends. I tended bar for the Morrone’s at the Pub and The Old Corner many moons ago. Some of my favorite people.

A few of my girlfriends come out to see me there, wish I could have visited with them longer but I had my high school friends to visit with too. A lot of our classmates were there setting up for our party that began at 6.

Not classmates but long time friends, Deb and Mary.

Mary and my other BFF from high school, Steve Cimini.

I was tapped on the shoulder and turned around to see someone I haven’t seen since 1990, Deb Caulkins. I almost cried, love her so much. Mary, me and Deb.

I was pretty under the weather and the night got quite chilly down by the water so we left around 10 and went back to the hotel. I took some meds and sacked out. The next morning I met Stan and we walked to a place called the Sawhorse for breakfast. It was across from Lycoming College. We had a good breakfast and were trying to decide what to do for the day. On our way back to town we noticed a farmer’s market so we walked through there. Stan bought some pickled jams and jellies to take home.

Helmrich’s, very fishy smelling in there.

Then he went to Helmrich’s seafood for smoked shad. UGH, my kids loved that stuff.

Our original plan was to go to Montreal to see my college friend for lunch but Stan left his passport in New Hampshire. We called Jan and Jerry to see if they wanted to ride to State College with us for lunch. Jan is Stan’s cousin and Jan and Jerry happen to be some of my best friends from Williamsport, our kids grew up together. I’ve known them since the early 70’s. I still was feeling pretty crappy and had no voice and a super sore throat, but it was a sunny day and it was nice to be with Jan and Jer.

Rockville Federal Penitentiary. You’re not even allowed to stop in front of the place.

Piece of art outside of a store called Doug Albert Art Gallery, a friend of Stan’s. Cool stuff in there. I named this Fish Face.

We had lunch at the Tavern, an old restaurant in State College that has been there for years. After we ate Stan wanted to walk up on campus so he and Jer did that and Jan and I sat and shared photos and talked.

Our class reunion gig began at 6 PM so we started our way back to Williamsport. Jan and Jer came into the City Hall and checked out each of our rooms, then we said good-bye to them and got ready for our big party.

We decided to walk over to the hotel where the party was, it was only 3 blocks. It was the first I’ve worn shoes other than sandals in 4+ years, I wasn’t sure I could do it but it was just like riding a bike.

Stan took my photo before we left for the evening.

And we did a selfie. Stan has been my friend since 1966, we have always stayed in touch with each other over the years. We were hell raisers in high school. He’s a good guy and a fabulous friend.

These two people I love so much. Steve Cimini and I have been friends since 10th grade and Cathilee and I for longer than that. I’ve seen Cims several times over the years but this was the first I’ve seen Cathilee.

The reunion was a lot of fun, Ginny and the crew worked non-stop for a year dreaming and planning. They did a great job. It was so nice to see people I’ve not seen since 1967, yet still have a connection to. It was a wonderful evening, I’m so glad I made the trip.

Two of my partners in crime, Richard Tebbs and Stan.

Sue and Garry Masley. These two have been married forever and look just as great as they did in high school. Love them both.

Lynda and I have been friends for a long time and still talk weekly. Ralphie and I have been friends and email buddies for years and years.

Ginny, the mastermind of the gala, she worked so hard for this to be a perfect night. Well done my friend. The handsome guy is my friend Cathilee’s hubby, Tim.

Aaah, two more of my guys, Ralphie and Bill Maule.

I was feeling pretty crappy so we walked back to the hotel around 11. I took a hot bath, soaked my face with hot washcloths, took more meds and put on leggings, a long sleeved shirt, socks and went to bed. The next morning we drove out through Bloomingrove Rd and Poco Farm Rd, stopped by Cicily’s but she wasn’t home. I wanted to see my brother P.J. before I left town so we met him and Devon at Perkins at 10. I saw them come in and got up to greet them and on the way back to the table Jen and Missy Jackson spotted me. My niece and her daughter, so good to see the two of them, absolutely adore them. We had a nice breakfast with PJ and Devon, they were talking about coming down and Devon said she wants to. We would love to have them visit with us, Devon is an excellent swimmer, I think she would enjoy the ocean.

PJ, Devon and I at Perkins. I really really hope they come down!

After that we drove back down to Montoursville to the airport for my ride back to Baltimore.

I got to BWI and the driver for the FBO (flight bureau operations) took me over to United. I checked in and went to my gate to wait. We should have been boarding by 4 and we weren’t. Then they announced a gate change and said the plane was late. Great, I had a short connection in Newark for my flight to Los Angeles. I talked to the gate agent and she said we had plenty of time to make the connection. She lied. She also forgot to tell us we had to take a stupid slow bus to our gate which was forever and a day away. When I got out of the bus was the time boarding closed. I do not run, I can’t run. I walked as fast as I possibly could, sure I was going to stroke out at any minute. They were waiting for me to close the gate, I was the last person on the plane. PHEW, didn’t miss my flight to LAX.

BUT…about 2 hours into the flight the flight attendant came on the speaker to say we had to make an emergency landing, somewhere. We were leaking hydraulic fluid in the left wing. Hmm. I was sitting over the L wing. Great. Then she came back and said we would be landing in Chicago and would need to stow everything, take off our glasses, pens out of pockets and they demonstrated crash position landing. The two young girls next to me were freaking out, the one was near tears, other people were crying. It was pandemonium. I got my phone out despite them telling us to turn them off and stow them. I signed up for United’s wi-fi, paid $9.95 for 30 min and messaged Bill, Mr. Pilot. I told him the hydraulics were leaking and he said they are redundant. What does that mean? He said there are backup hydraulics on everything. I asked why the flight attendant made it doom and gloom and we’re all going to die? He said procedural. I got the two girls calmed down somewhat. As we neared Chicago I told them we would be met by fire trucks and ambulances and that we would more than likely come in hard and fast. As we were on final the attendants were strapped in yelling BRACE BRACE BRACE. It was getting ridiculous. I was in the window seat and could see all the vehicles racing down the runway while still in the brace position. We landed fine, no issues at all. I told the girls that we were ok, no worries, the one started crying again. They shut the plane down and we were towed to the gate.

I knew I was going to miss my 11:39PM flight from LAX to SAL (El Salvador). As soon as I stepped off the plane I called the Premier desk at United. After 41 minutes the girl booked me on a later flight at 1:30 AM out of LAX to El Salvador. Turns out I missed that flight too. We arrived in LAX about 10 minutes after my flight to SAL left. By this time my butt was dragging, I barely had a voice and I felt like absolute crap. Again I called the Premier desk at United and she said they had me booked on the 11:39PM flight to SAL on Monday evening. I gave her my baggage claim checks and she verified that my luggage was at Avianca (my flight to SAL and then to Roatan was on Avianca) being held for me. She told me to walk to the end of the hall and turn R for the customer service desk. I approached the desk and the guy said, “are you Debbie?” They had 2 nights room vouchers and $60.00 worth of food vouchers waiting for me. I waited a whole hour to get to the hotel. Luckily I was the last one on the bus which meant I was the first one off so I didn’t have to wait too long to get checked in. My room was freezing, I had no toothbrush and only the clothes on my back. I wore them to bed.

The next morning I got a message from Cathilee who lives 20 minutes from the airport saying she was coming to get me. Cathilee picked me up and we went to the school her 2 youngest grands go to. She called Poppy down to meet me and this is how she did her hair.

Poppy said her hair was down when she got to school. Then she put it in pigtails, then she braided the pigtails, then she used the pencils to make this look.

Poppy is so creative, she will make a name for herself someday. I can’t wait to see what she does next.

After that we went to Cathilee’s daughter Emily’s amazing home. Lucky day for me, I got to meet all 4 of the gorgeous Power kids. I felt like I knew them already.

Hudson, it was his 8th birthday. He is ADORABLE!

Piper, Hudson, me, Poppy and Polly plus the 2 dogs.

After that Tim and Cathilee took me to Terranea for lunch. It was AHMAZING! It’s where Mike Nelson filmed Sea Hunt. We started lunch off with the best soft pretzel I have ever had in my whole existence! OMG.

I was freaking over the variety of succulents.

After we left there we went back to Cathilee and Tim’s home and relaxed with them and sweet Ginger, what a funny dog. She craves attention. I got a toothbrush from Cathilee and brushed my teeth before we went to meet the Power family at a sushi place for Hudson’s birthday. Emily and I chatted about them all coming to visit, there will be 11 but if Latifa and her crew come too it will be 16. I would love it. I feel like I know all of them from FB and Instagram so it was another reunion of sorts.

After dinner we went to Cathilee’s and they called an UBER to take me to LAX. The girl came on time and dropped me at Avianca. The lines were huge, 150+ people waiting to check in. I noticed a Star Gold Alliance sign, called the Premier desk again and they said to go there. I was the 3rd person in line. She checked me in gave me my boarding passes, called baggage to retag my bags and I was off to my gate. I have never been so happy to board a plane in my life.

I can’t begin to thank Tim and Cathilee and Emily and kids for their hospitality, I honestly felt like part of the family. I love all of them!

My flight to San Salvador was fine, my flight to Roatan was on time and all I wanted to do was go home and see my dogs.

I slept some the day I got home and went to bed early that night. The next day I went to the clinic and they advised me to get a z-pack and take it. I did and am feeling so much better. It’s really a drag when you go to your class reunion and don’t have the voice or the stamina to uphold your riotous reputation. It was still fun and I’m happy I was able to see my parents, sister and brother and niece and all of the people who put up with my shenanigans during our school years.

Getting off the rock

09/14/2017 In a day I’ll be heading north for a visit. It’s finally hit me and I’m still not prepared nor getting close to being ready to go. Denial that I have to leave the boys. I hated leaving my kids and now I hate leaving my dogs.

Not a lot has happened since my last blog so this will be short with more photos than thoughts. I’ve spent more time at home lately and I’ve really enjoyed it. Lounging by the pool reading books, listening to the damn dogs bark every time a leaf drops or a lizard moves.

We have had some gorgeous weather, hot sunny days with a slight breeze, and I’ve taken advantage of it, being in the pool and outside as much as possible.

On Thursday my friends Amy and Barb came over for the day. We hung in the pool and talked and drank wine. A lot of wine. They left at 4:00 and by 4:30 I was in bed. It was 10 PM when I woke up, starving for something to eat and dying of thirst. Bill had cooked bacon (yummy) and I got up and ate all that was left, chugged a lot of water and went back to bed.

The next day I went to my friend Marcia’s to go cruising in her gorgeous new boat. Marcia was learning to drive it so her boat guy, Christian, was with us. We left Carib Bight, headed out to the east. The boat started acting funny when we turned to go left. After a few minutes it stopped moving. Marcia was unable to get it out of neutral. We were at the mouth of Blue Rock, just bobbing along in the sea. Marcia called her boat repair guy and he said he would be coming right away. It sure didn’t take him long to arrive. He crawled onto our boat, took the cover off the engine and saw that the rubber ring on the prop was rotted and the prop wasn’t engaging. At least, that was my take on the situation, boat mechanic I’m not. He towed us to Trico and went to find a prop that would work on the boat.

The houses in Czech Village, between Carib Bight and Blue Rock.

So gorgeous here. You can see mainland Honduras in the background.

The boat repair guy testing out his repair.

Marcia and I had a few vodka and frescas and split an order of chicken nachos (which were delicious) while we waited. The boat guy came back, switched out the props and once we finished eating we were on our way to BJ’s.

Marcia’s boat is ultra sleek and fast, it’s in pristine condition and I can’t wait to go out with her again. I’m always up for an adventure, especially one on the water.

This is my boy Duke, one of Frito’s pups that Marcia and Dennis have. He is a total love.

Saturday we celebrated Dia Del Nino, Day of the Children, in Flowers Bay. I took our 3 neighbor boys. I have talked about Eddy before, these are his brothers/step brothers who live with their grandparents. All of the boys living there have been deserted by their parents, who have gone off to find better lives for themselves, not caring about the children they have left behind. The boys I took never get to do anything fun, they have never been to the other end of the island. I made sandwiches for them and took water, sprite and chips. The 3 of them were strapped into seat belts in the backseat and were super quiet the whole way there. They had no idea what to expect, parties are not something they go to. Marcos, the oldest, doesn’t swim but Milton and David sure do. The party was on the water and Marcos asked if they could go in, I said sure.

They found an old deflated ball and played for a long time with it.

My friend Layle came to do face painting, Ann was there with Abraham (a boy she sponsors at the Charmont Academy) and his sister Brishanne. My sweet young boyfriend from the Mother’s Day flower making at Cattleya was there also, Matthew, he is a doll. He has a smile that melts your heart and the sweetest demeanor. Paul went with me to help, Amy was there, Milesse, Judy and Toni came also to help. It’s usually feast or famine with the help, this day we had enough, sometimes we don’t. We were very grateful to those who came, it’s nice to have support from friends.

Layle was undoubtedly the hit of the party. She has never done face painting before but she came prepared with photos that she found online. She was excellent and the line for her skills never ended.

Milton, Marcos’s brother/step brother. David didn’t want his face painted.

To be honest, Brishanne is beautiful to begin with, as a butterfly, she was stunning.

The kids did egg races, balloon races, 3 legged races, sack races, they had a spaghetti eating contest, a roll eating contest and a coca cola guzzling contest. The spaghetti contest was better than two years ago when one of the kids threw up everything they had eaten.

Around 3:30 I packed the kids and Paul up and we headed home. The boys each left with ice cream cones and a bag of candy and toys. On the way out of Coxen Hole I stopped at Nidia’s store and picked up the TOM’s shoes that were for the Cattleya school.

When I got home Paul left and the boys ran to the swimming pool and jumped in. They swam for about 20 minutes, then headed down the valley to go home. On Saturday some friends arrived to the island for a week to stay with us. They own a home here and were filming for the TV show Caribbean Life. This is the second couple who stayed here that was filming for the same show.

We have seen a few more large iguanas here, seems like this is a safe place for them, despite the 5 dogs. As long as the iguanas stay outside of the fence they should be good to go. Currently I have a 4″ gecko living in my car. As I’ve said before, I do NOT like geckos. I honestly would prefer a 4′ iguana over this little gecko guy.

The night before last I was in bed reading and a bug flew in my ear. I totally freaked out, while Bill is sound asleep next to me. I finally got it out with a Q-tip. Now when I read I stuff my hair in my ears. Yes, we have screens but they need replaced and our window guy was stuck in Miami, hopefully he will be home soon and come take care of the screens.

As most of you know, I write for Women Who Live on Rocks and so many of the other writers have lost everything they own, their homes and businesses are destroyed, they have nothing to go back to. Their once lush tropical island is now reduced to rubble and trees with not a leaf or frond left on them. If any of you would like to contribute, here is a list of places to donate. (click on list) Remember, these people lost every single thing they own. If you are contributing to Harvey victims in TX or Irma victims in Florida or the Caribbean, please do NOT donate to the Red Cross. In Texas the Red Cross threw out 500#’s of dog food, saying they didn’t need it. Obviously they forgot about all the poor lost animals left in the aftermath who are now in crowded underfunded shelters all over the state of Texas and now in Florida and all of the islands ravaged by Irma. They threw out kennels, blankets, cat litter and food, they said “they will get more.” There are many other more worthwhile charities to donate to.

I really need to start/finish my packing, I still haven’t decided what I’m wearing to the reunion but I am really looking forward to seeing my classmates. Some of these people I haven’t seen since we graduated a few years ago. (Cathilee)

Here’s hoping we have no more hurricanes this season and that the unfortunate folks ravaged by them are able to have a semblance of normal life soon.

I’ll be blogging about my parents and my class reunion next time so check back to see what kind of trouble I got into in Williamsport. This should be an interesting visit.

The cool kids on the plane.

9/1/2017 OMG, my little blog. I forgot all about you, until someone (Gary M) messaged me and said, “I love your blog.” Oh shit. And hello September!

It’s been a quiet time for me as I struggle with all that encompasses a visit to my parents and then my trip to my 50th class reunion. Honest, I’m not really struggling yet, because it hasn’t quite sunk in that it’s soon and the week before I leave we will have company for the week. Our company leaves the same day I do. And I have a children’s day party on September 9th with Nidia. So much to do, so little time.

I had to go to the mainland to see an Endodontist. I’ve been having trouble with a tooth and the dentist here said the root canal was calcified. The endo drilled the roots clean, packed them with meds and said come back in two weeks. Damn, back to Ceiba again. While there I did get in an awesome shopping trip to Mega Paca, woohoo. Two floors of endless clothes. I got a new Trina Turk dress for less than $1.50.

I chose to take the ferry over and back, having done it twice before and survived both times unscathed. This time was the LAST TIME EVER for the afternoon Vomit Comet. I did not puke but I was sick for 24 hours after that ride. I vowed to never ride the afternoon ferry again.

I went back to the dentist in 2 weeks, she took the meds out and packed the canals with cement. It had been feeling quite good. She said at the root of the tooth I had an abscess, that’s why it was so painful. For 3 total hours with an endodontist with the newest greatest equipment, lots of x-rays, and all of the drilling, meds, use of the fancy microscope, it was $260.00. TOTAL.

I flew home the second trip, 15 minutes of absolute desert type heat in an airplane. I would have crawled out on the wing if I could have opened the windows. I was dripping wet when I stepped off the plane and in the time it took to walk to the entrance door, the breeze had blown me dry. It was hell. I couldn’t leave the airport until I got some water. I came home, showered and laid down, the heat on the flight did me in.

Nidia and I went to the Friday ceremony for the microenterprise that the principal at the Froylan school started. It was interesting that the students were so involved and excited to be a part of this and I give all of the credit to Marlon, the principal. He is making leaders out of these kids, giving them responsibilities. I think it’s excellent that he is doing this.

Some of the student group, the others were in the presentation.

Coolers and thermos jugs and cups donated by my sweet friend Julie.

Part of the presentation, nothing beats watching kids dance.

The girls were beautiful, swirling their skirts and dancing with the boys.

It was a fun afternoon, although I only understood about half of it because it was in Spanish.

That night Bill and I went with our group of friends to dinner at Cal’s. It was fabulous as always. I love this group of people, so easy to be around.

The next day I was picking up some ‘hood newbies at the airport. They were coming back with 2 new puppies. Recently they bought a house very close to us and plan to live here full time. I got to the airport early (I was buying the return ticket for my trip from Ceiba) and then hung out and talked with friends, all the time watching for the people I was picking up. I realized after a good wait that they should have been out by now and told Orlando, a friend who works at the airport who I was looking for. At that exact moment, my friend that I was picking up approached me, they had been waiting outside. I felt AWFUL, I should have told them I would be between the bar and the doors. My bad, really felt lame that I did that to them. I got them and all of their luggage and 2 pups in my car and we set off for home. The pups are Cavapoos, King Charles Cavalier and poodle, so stinking cute, Barkley and Lexi. They also have 2 island dogs that came with the house.

The next day we had my friend Aida and her husband and 3 kids up for chicken fajitas and some pool time. The kids had a great time and we got to visit with David and Aida for the afternoon.

Aida called her friend who is staying at their house and told him to go out on the porch and look up. They live down in the valley below us. They were waving to each other.

David said every time the kids go outside now, they look up at our house. They have 3 very nice, extremely polite, well behaved children, and cute? Oh my, can’t stand the cuteness. Wish I had taken photos.

The week I was scheduled to do several things with new friends didn’t go as planned, as often happens on the island. I was to pick up two ladies; one I met through my blog and was introduced to by Chrissann, the creator of Women Who Live on Rocks, and the other other was her friend. They were due to arrive at 11 on Monday and I was meeting them at the cruise ship and giving them a tour of the east end of Roatan, with a stop at La Sirena and Monday’s Don’t Suck. Their boat was detoured to the Cayman’s because of the approaching hurricane. Bummer, I missed Carol and Brenda. And Harvey missed us and destroyed Texas. The devastation is unbelievable. Heart breaking.

On Wednesday I met two new friends at Cal’s for lunch. They know a guy I went to high school with (Larry Vognet for all of you Loyalsock people) and he asked if I would meet with them when they were here. I’m so happy I did, they are awesome people and would make a nice addition to the expat group on the island. We had a nice lunch at Cal’s Cantina and then sat and chatted for awhile. I’m hoping they decide to buy land or a home here.

The next day I was to meet a lady at West Bay and take her snorkeling. She messaged me Thursday morning that she had a terrible earache and didn’t know what to do. I sent her to Anthony’s Key clinic, they have good doctors and deal with a ton of ear issues with all the divers @ AKR. She messaged me later on saying she got excellent care and was grateful for me steering her in the right decision. Swimmer’s ear is not fun.

On Friday night we met our dinner group at Aroma, an Indian restaurant in the mall, of all places. The owners could not possibly be nicer and their food is yummy. It was a great meal, I ate every speck of food.

The last several days have been hot and sunny so I have been poolside with a book and a scattering of dogs. And quite honestly, I really enjoy the days I’m home and can hang with the boys and Lola, the showgirl.

My friend Trish messaged me that she had rescued an iguana from some kids who probably would have killed it. She asked me what she should do with it. I called Gale Carter, she’s an Arch and she runs Arch’s Iguana farm. She said take it to the farm and put it in the pen with the other under 2 year old iguanas. They need to be protected until they are big enough to not be easy prey. I met Trish and Fred there with the captive iguana. We took him down to the cage and the guy put him inside, after telling us he was only a few days old.

He’s in the cage for 2 years, then he will be set free like the other 3500+ iguanas at the farm.

These are the coolest critters around. Mini dinosaurs.

The other day I spotted another (may be the same) iguana in the papaya tree. Oh how I love these things.

I don’t know if being self conscious is an emotion Iguanas have but if so, I’m sure my staring and constant watch made him a tad bit pissed off. I did NOT attempt to touch or grab him, just visual observation. What a stunning creature.

If you spit out seeds, they will grow. Now we can’t cut the grass where they are because we may disturb them.

Enough papaya for all the iguanas in the ‘hood.

Two watermelons growing now. So are the weeds and the grass.

Alexi came to visit the other day and Bill noticed a baby iguana on the fence. We had Alexi grab it and they took it to the iguana farm and put it in the cage.

Alexi carried the baby iguana for the 15 minute ride to Arch’s.

Alexi is an islander, he used to hunt iguanas until we had a serious talk with him about it. While at the iguana farm he was actually afraid to walk into a group of the big iguanas laying on the ground. He’s 18, lived here his whole life and it was the first time he ever went there. I find that fascinating, especially since I have been there 50 times in 4 years and have learned to allow them to crawl and lay on my sandaled feet.

On Sunday there was a Reef House party. I have not been for awhile and knew all of my friends would be there. I needed to go. We all met at Jessie’s dock, there were 17 of us. I called Keith to let him know there was a big group so he sent a big boat. My friend Joel was playing that day. I met Joel when I lived here alone in 2012, nice guy and he has a great voice.

Steps into the water, the last one is slipperier than ice.

The Duchess, Jeanie and Chris. Chris lives on the beach just east of MDS beach.

Susan and I being goofy. I think I have found a new shenanigan partner in Susan. Marcia is looking at me like I’m nuts.

We dropped Andrew off at The Happy Landing in Oak Ridge, I love their sign.

The day after I came back from my last dental appointment I started having pain in my cheek. I whatsapp’d the Doctor and she said she wanted to see me again. Another trip to the mainland. Just about that time my friend Kelly messaged me to say she was coming to the island. I told her I had to go to Ceiba and she asked if she could go with me, I said sure. I ran into the airport and bought 2 return tickets and we met Tuesday at the ferry dock at 6:30 AM. {I have to say that living on this island for 4 years has made me very aware of how much I detest alarm clocks. I am always up by 6, 6:30 but I had to be OUT OF THE HOUSE by 6. UGH.} Usually the night before I can’t sleep, worrying that I won’t get up in time.

The 90 minute ferry ride was calm the whole way. Pablo met us at the ferry terminal and dropped us off at Diunsa. We wandered through a really nice grocery store, and then went into Diunsa when they opened at 9. After that I went to the dentist. The dentist said to give my tooth time, it needs to heal. She took an x-ray, said it looked ok, no charge. Kelly and I had a lot of time to spare so we had our driver take us to the mall. We had lunch there, rode the escalators, wandered around looking at all the polyester clothes and high heeled shoes. Then we spent an hour (way too long) in WalMart. It’s nothing like the one in the US. After that we had Pablo take us to the airport for our flight home.

During Kelly’s and my messages I told her about the insane heat on the airplane so she ordered us each one of these.

It’s a rechargeable misting fan. Plugs into your cell phone charger. We filled them with water after we were through security and we were the only 2 people on the plane not drenched in sweat. I’m pretty sure the guy who was melting across the aisle from me hated both of us.

Tuesday night I went to bed at 8 PM and woke at 6:30 the next morning, finally a nice long sleep.

Today Bill and I are meeting Kelly along with a builder, then this evening Bill and I are going to Cal’s with some people we met there several months ago. They just purchased land near where Kelly did and they want to pick our brains. Tomorrow eve we are going to Cal’s again with Kelly. She wants to go to the sloth farm earlier in the day so we’ll do that when my cleaning lady is done and then we’ll go eat.

It looks like there is another tropical storm/hurricane forming in the eastern Caribbean, here’s hoping it gets disorganized and flitters off into nothing.

Just a few random shots before I take a cup of tea down to the pool with the dogs.

Teri posted this photo of Frito the other night. She is doing wonderfully and is happy and loved in her new home.

My friend Terry always finds the best jokes and it’s uncanny how they resemble my life.

My grandgirls, Alexah starts high school and Chloee starts middle school. I can’t believe how grown up they are!

Life is just zooming by us, not matter what we do. I’ve decided to enjoy the time I have left as much as I can, you never know when it’s going to be over.