Mermaid on a Raft

The rest of the story…..

06/28/2015 I started this on 6/24 but somehow it’s 4 days later. I have no idea what happened to those 4 days.

Wednesday night was a night from hell. OMG, the thunder and lightning shook this place. It was booming. I got up around 2 and checked on the pups and dogs and they were sleeping and not getting wet. Rain was pouring in all of the windows so we closed them and went back to bed. Around 2:49 there was a vicious rumbling crack and a flash instantaneously. That sucker was close. I fumbled my way to the door and all the dogs wanted in. YAY. That means:

1. blocking off the stairway so Lola can’t go down and eat the kitty roca, it keeps Luck downstairs and still gives Ems room to slink by and go down to potty. Close bedroom door.

2. grabbing the bathroom rug, the cord for the hair dryer and any and all shoes, baskets laying on the floor and relocating them.

3. Laying newspapers down so they may be inclined to pee on them. One did pee but then they instead decided on a night time gig of making confetti from newspapers. They are good.

4. Attempt to go back to sleep. I succeeded, Bill did not. I awoke to newspaper confetti ALL OVER THE FLOOR, some of it had been peed on. I somehow managed to take the pups outside, I do not remember doing this. I then went back to bed. Bill got up a bit later and fed the pups. When I awoke the second time the reality of the flipping mess awaiting me smacked me right in the face. I freaked immediately b/c there was a pee puddle and the inside of it was red. My immediate over the top thought was blood in one of the pups urine. Which pup? Max the one who was ill but is crazy good now. I was sick to my stomach in an instant and went to clean it up when I realized that what I assumed was blood was indeed a piece of freshly made red confetti, made flat by the copius amounts of dog urine on it. BASTARDS. The weather has been crap all day, rain, thunder, dogs in, dogs out, dogs finding gross lizard tails in the house. If you don’t want to be grossed out, scroll fast, it’s ugly.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — yeah, I know disgusting, but hey, it’s reality down here.

Yep, another glorious day with dogs inside.

So, I digress. Back to our company. I realized I failed to add any photos from our sun day at Parrot tree.

Thursday we had PLANNED to go to Havana Beach club for an afternoon swim, some drinks, etc. On the way there, we stopped and got SOME MORE MANGOES from our friends!! So lucky, they were delicious!

We drove on down to Havana where we always pay the $2.50 US, [L 50] per person to get in and use a lounge chair (most of which are torn to the extent that they are useless.)

At the entrance we were told the fee to use the beach and facilities was $10.00 US per person, no way Jose, so not worth it. We left and drove 5 minute further to Turquoise Bay and they were delightful. N0 admittance charge, their lounges are new and have cushions, they have excellent drinks and they welcomed our business. I will be a repeat visitor there for sure. They also have kayaks to rent and Subway water sports is located there, should you want to dive or snorkel. Beyond beautiful.

Deserted beach, we can see the little island in front of the beach (not pictured) from our house.

We had sandwiches with us so we ate them and got drinks from the bar.

Monkey LaLa is:

1 oz Baileys 1 oz Kahlua 1/2 oz Vodka 1/2 oz Rum 2 oz cream of coconut splash of milk or cream, blend in a blender filled with ice. Add decorative squirts of chocolate syrup on the top, Viola’

Nice way to spend the afternoon. When we got home we were beat again, picked at a meal and watched a movie.

Friday was a no cruise ship day so we were off to West Bay Beach again for some sun and fun. Instead of going to Banarama we were going to Grand Roatan. On the way we made a stop at South Shore Canopy. It was the first zip-line I did on the island with Olivia in 2010 and it was Jen’s first zip-line ever! It was just as fun, we had 2 young guys, were the only people on the lines, no waiting. Jen won’t forget this one, zipping though the trees upside down, pretty euphoric feeling. They bounced us too which was an unusual experience. I much prefer going like hell, with the wind at my face, hoping they can body check me on the platform if I’m coming in too fast. It’s been done. It was a fun zip, enjoyed being the one to accompany Jen on her second “first”. I failed to mention, that when Jen and I snorkeled on Monday it was her first time snorkeling, she was a pro right away. No hesitation, just let’s go!

I love this girl, she is ready for anything you want to do. No fear!!

IMG_5993-001 — Before flight, Jen and Kathy

IMG_5992-001 — Yes, I knew we were coming yet still wore a dress (beach cover-up w/ suit under)

it really is fun to fly across the top of the jungle..wish I could do it for hours.

Jen loved zip-lining!! After that we were off to the beach. I won’t mention the stupid tiny cone @ Grand Roatan that was in the middle of the entrance and maybe 6″ high. The security guard found no humor in the fact that I drove over it. Of course I did, you can’t see it. I asked if it was a trick. duh. He didn’t think that was funny either.

So we’re hanging at Grand Roatan for the afternoon, the waiters there are always really polite and chill if you say you’re going to snorkel and then eat,no worries..NO $10.00 FEE TO ENTER EITHER. We all got some H2O to drink then Jen and I went to snorkel a bit. We were going to attempt to go along Black Rock. Yeah, right, I always drift east of it and end up out there. We were pretty far out there snorkeling around for some time and were a good distance from shore so we started swimming back. We experienced quite a few changes in the water temperature, nice and warm at 80+ then it felt like 60 for a minute or two, then warm again. Different currents. I love the ocean.

We got out and had lunch at Grand Roatan (part of the deal to be allowed to use their tables but not the chaise lounges. Said I wasn’t going there again but did..easy entrance to where I want to be on the reef. ) After lunch we went out again and swam through their designated channel out to the reef. MY GAWD it was fabulously beautiful. We had a great snorkel and saw an abundance of fish. This makes me happy because the coral in this particular area has been hit hard from over tourism, it’s sad, ..good there are fish, wish people would STOP FEEDING THEM. They’re NOT YOUR PETS. DAMMIT! STOP WITH THE FOOD. Anyhow, here are some shots.

It was a great day snorkeling, I know Jen really enjoyed herself and even mentioned she may want to get certified to dive. We meandered on home and Bill had dinner almost ready. By the time we had all showered the meal was waiting to be eaten.

Kathy and Jen had some packing to do and we just kind of hung out with the pups for the evening. There is no more putting them in their super huge crate in the living room, they crawl right out.

Saturday morning before we left for the airport I noticed Kathy’s Vera Bradley beach tote laying on the counter, didn’t think too much about it, they were packing and all.

My beach bag looks like this:

We ran a few errands in Coxen Hole on Saturday morning before we took them to the airport. When we got there we found out their flight was late arriving, in fact, it left Atlanta very late. We got them checked in and hung around talking to people that we knew. While there Kevin called to see if we were home, they wanted to come get Tank. Bill told him we would call when we got home. Finally, at the time their flight was scheduled to depart it landed. This meant an hour turn around at least. At that point, we decided to say our good byes and headed home. We called Kevin and Claire and they came right over. I was crying before they got here and cried when they were leaving.

I know Tank has a good home with them but he was such a special boy, we loved him so. After spending pretty much every minute with a pup for 9 weeks, it creates an unbelievable bond. These pups were {and still are} a lot of work but I wouldn’t trade them for anything..

Kathy and Jen brought us down some stuff we had ordered on Amazon, YAY, the truck windows all work again!!! Now if I could get headlights for my car I would be very happy! Kathy bought me a gorgeous Mermaid lamp, in fact, the story is, they had one in the store where she works and when she saw it she thought of me and my love for mermaids, but someone bought it. Quite some time later another employee found another one they didn’t even know they had. Kathy felt it was an omen for her to come visit.

It’s really gorgeous. I am keeping it safe until Bill builds the entertainment center and it will have its own special protected spot to be. Love love love this..I’m thinking about asking Trace to paint it, I think it would be magical…What do you guys think??

Bill’s Mother used to make me these dishcloths and extra thick pot holders. They are my favorites, there are no better. Several friends have made or bought me the handmade dishcloths and I cherish them, as I do these!

So this post, yeah, I’m done, burned out on it. It’s been a rainy shitty weekend and I don’t remember much of the past week except Sunday, which I will post about later.

Trace said it was going to be 100 in Washington this weekend, he went climbing, alone… It was cool out, actually comfortable and thundering and lightning here. I’ll take 100. And a beach.

Movies I have recently watched, some older, some new.

Cake, Wild, The Theory of Everything, Big Eyes, Birdman, The Age of Adaline, Still Alice, The Hundred Foot Journey, Gone Girl

Recent TV (Netflix) binge: BLOODLINE

It’s been awhile

06/22/2015 Our much anticipated guests have come and gone, we wish they had stayed longer than a week. We had semi decent weather while they were here so that was a bonus. Their flight was delayed arriving, then all 3 flights landed {American, Delta and United} within minutes of each other which turns the small immigration room into a virtual circus. Luckily Kathy was old enough to get in the resident line and she took Jen with her; then my friends at the airport grabbed them and put them in the front of the line. Perks…

We, unfortunately had to take a puppy with us to the airport. Max was sick all day Friday with a variety of symptoms. I managed to get in touch with some vets who came from Tegus for a weekend to set up shop here. We had an 11:30 appointment. Max was sick beyond sick on Friday all day and into the night but we gave him a little Pepto Bismol and in about 45 minutes he rallied. We still planned to go to the vet to get to the bottom of this. They were busy and behind schedule and with the plane being late and 3 planes arriving at once we made it to the airport in time to see them get taken to the front of the line. Our friends Kevin and Claire were there. Claire has wanted to see the pups for weeks but Kevin kept saying no more dogs. He saw me with Max, grabbed him and went down to where Claire was standing. When he came back he asked if Max was the biggest, we said no Tank is at home. He said we’ll probably take him. Happy, but so sad.

We came back here and got Jen and Kathy situated then went up on the roof for awhile. After dinner it was early to bed for everyone.

Sunday morning looked ugly, it rained, then cleared then rained some more. We had planned to have Alexi dog sit while we were entertaining our company so Bill went to get him. I’m not sure what good it is even having him here because all he does is surf the web on the Kindle I gave him. This too confuses me because he barely can read or write..

We left for Camp Bay around noon, final destination La Sirena. Right before we left we got a call from a friend who wanted to give us some mangoes. We stopped by on the way and got a BOX of yummy fragrant delicious fresh picked mangoes.

After that we made a detour through Punta Gorda and then to Oak Ridge where we pointed out the highlights on the way. We then headed to Heaven. Well, that’s what the sign says and I think we’ve been there many times.

Jen and Kathy could not believe the condition of “the road” to get to Camp Bay. I guess I’m just used to deplorable roads. We had a great time at La Sirena, had some lunch and the waiter thought I ordered a Port Royal AND a rum punch so I didn’t want to hurt his feelings and drank both.

Jimmy was there so we talked to him for quite awhile, always interesting conversation. By the time we got home everyone was tired and not hungry for a big dinner. We picked at food, ate some mangoes and went to bed.

Monday was a semi sunny day and I thought we should head west, all the way west, to West Bay beach. We took the scenic route through Coxen Hole and made it to West Bay in under 40 minutes, not bad. We settled ourselves at Banarama and went in the water to float on the rafts. It felt so good and has been too long. DAMMIT, I live here…

Jen and I walked down past Infinity Bay to snorkel. She said she was cool with deep water so we went for a swim and saw some pretty cool stuff.

After lunch we floated for a bit more, then headed home. Bill was making pizza tonight so I had to get veggies cut up. That night we gorged ourselves on grilled pizzas. It was (and has been) so windy it blew the pepperoni right off the pizza into the waiting mouths of 8 dogs. Luckily we had more pepperoni, damn wind.

The pizza was yummy as usual and we were stuffed. Being at the beach in the fresh air, water and wind PLUS snorkeling for awhile is tiring stuff. I think we watched some “Whose Line is it Anyway” and went to bed.

We realized on Tuesday that Max was sick again, same symptoms but getting worse. He was throwing up but there was nothing there, just stomach bile. I messaged my friend to see if Doc was coming on the ferry that evening. She said he was and I said we would pick him up at the ferry for an emergency visit Tuesday eve. Normally he doesn’t start work here until Wed. morn.

Earlier in the day Kathy, Jen and I went to Parrot Tree to float in the pool for awhile. It was empty, we were the only people there. I came home a few times to check on Max so Bill went and picked up Kathy and Jen around 4.

We left for the ferry terminal at 5:30 to pick Doc up and take him to his clinic. Bethany was there waiting to help and translate for us. Max was so dehydrated they couldn’t find a vein for the IV. After about half a dozen times I was pleading saying I could make him drink, don’t stick him anymore. Just about that time they got a vein, they taped it to keep it in place and then administered some shots via the IV. We let him get a good bit of the fluid and then left to take Doc to Brick Bay where he stays while on island. After we dropped him off we had to get gas and realized that Max had gotten the full amount so we took the IV needle out at the gas station.

Only in Honduras. We took Bethany home and got back to the house around 8. Kathy and Jen had to fend for themselves but made out just fine. Max seemed lively and he was hungry again so we fed him a light meal. He had to be on Metronidazol for 2 more days.

Wednesday was deemed a West End shopping day. We got a good start on the day and sauntered around West End, checking all my usual haunts. When we were done there we were off to Umbul Umbul, it’s just somewhere I always take company. For lunch we were going to the Beach Grill to see Lisa and Rob and of course my babies, Sable and Bandit. When Lisa and Rob pulled up I couldn’t wait, I had to go see the pups. Lisa said they are doing really good, they are spoiled and sleep on the couch and they even get in the shower on their own when Lisa is in there.

After we left there we went to the Iguana Farm to see all of the iguana’s. They were surprised that there were so many running loose..

We were going to Cal’s that night for dinner and we were hungry!! Cal’s wasn’t too busy, food was fabulous as always.

I’ll finish this post another day, too many more photos to post and my mind is fried. I drove into Coxen Hole today to inquire about my NON EXISTANT license plate for my car. Three weeks ago I was told 2 weeks and THEY WOULD CALL ME. hahahahahahaha! Today they told me to “keep checking back.” Sure I will, it’s real convenient to drive all the way to Coxen Hole and try to find a spot to park, just makes my day. So, no license plate yet, it was made May 19th, why the hell it hasn’t gotten here yet from the mainland 36 miles away I’ll never know.

One thing I do know is that come hell or high water I am going to go to the beach at least once a week from now on, I NEED IT..It does wonders for my soul..

Vitamin Sea, I love you….

I milked my dog….

06/06/2015 I am a puppy mother, Lola is the babysitter from hell. SHEER HELL. Holy sheepshit, these pups are getting big and W I L D. And OMG, we love them so darn much it’s scary. Never before have I had this many puppies. Highway was this small but there was only 1, and Lola was small too and thank all the stars in the sky, there is only 1 of her. She is showing them how to dig holes, eat rocks, pee on the porch and chew on anything and everything. The digging holes is the worst, well, that and the fact she is peeing on the porch again. Death becomes her.

529583_10151337457598533_1562466932_n — Highway 6 weeks old Jan. 2013, Roatan

1604875_10152766076218533_7947708875549484009_n — Lola, 7 weeks old, Dec 2014, Roatan

We still have 4 almost 8 week old puppies to care for and let me tell you, this is a game changer. Four is easier than 7, much easier, but. UP AND DOWN THE STAIRS 3,978,645 TIMES A DAY. omgomgomg. Sometimes coming up the steps I actually think I am going to pass out and face plant on the ground, puppies in hands (pretty sure my boobs would envelope them and protect their heads from traumas.) But still. They are heavy. They eat a lot. And they shit a lot too. Add to that 4 BIG dogs. That’s a shitload of dog shit. And we try to clean it up immediately. I usually stand, shovel in hand behind a squatted puppy butt. I actually thought today that I should just train them to shit on the shovel and I wouldn’t even have to scoop. Oh the places my mind goes. I won’t take you there, I promise.

The pups are weaned. Frito still has milk. I read conflicting info and was told conflicting info re the milk still in Fritos’ boobs. I know that with nursing, supply=demand; no pups nursing, no milk being made. However, she was HUGE. Bill made the comment he was afraid they (boobs) were going to self destruct. I assured him it wouldn’t happen but went down to check. Umm, Dolly Parton X’s 8. I milked her. Yes, I damn did. What else could I do? Watch them explode?? Milk was even squirting out of boobs I wasn’t touching. Frito is still in her food obsessed mind set and was bound and determined to lap up all that milk. I tried like hell to stop her but you try and milk a dog AND keep her from drinking the milk. Go ahead. Try it. Hence, there are no photos of this. I didn’t want her to get the milk because it has lots of protein in it and that encourages more milk. I have stopped giving her yogurt during this drying up stage for that very reason. So we are 12 days into it and she still has some milk. I made the HUMONGO mistake of taking her with me for a few quick errands the other day. Well, now my car smells like sour freaking spoiled rotten dog boob milk. The back trunk area where she was now looks like this:

IMG_20150606_150436 — No, it’s not cocaine, it’s baking soda..to absorb the gross milk smell.

So, TERMITES. Yes, we recently had an abnormally insane infestation. This is what a termite nest looks like. Photo courtesy of the Australian Museum.

I have seen termite nests while walking the dogs, I thought they were, well, I don’t know what I thought they were. We have had termite hatches before, a few hundred wings, call it good, go to bed. This time they started early and got progressively worse. Worse to the point I was ready to lock myself in my car to get away from them. Obviously our windows are not sealed well or we would not have had 11 zillion of these things. INSIDE.

So they hatch, swarm, drop their wings, (each have 4) find a mate and nest. Hopefully not in our furniture!

I took the crib/playpen to Miguel last Sunday, he and Estefany were thrilled with it.

Last post I mentioned Eddy and his brothers, they are really sweet boys who have such a grim future. They live with their grandparents who are quite poor, their mother works in Coxen Hole and is gone during the week. They don’t know who their father(s) are. Eddy, the oldest said most mornings they go to school hungry because there is no food until their grandfather gets paid again. The boys didn’t get TOMS shoes when they were distributed at their school because Eddy was ill and since he’s the oldest, if he doesn’t go to school the younger ones don’t either. They have to hitch a ride in the mornings and if they don’t get a ride in time, they go home. Sad state of affairs in the school system here. I talked to Nidia about them and she said we could give them shoes. I measured them and she and I went and got shoes. When I got home today from my volunteer airport greeter gig (beats WalMart greeter hands down) they were here at the house. Bill got them to try on their shoes but he was afraid David’s were too small. David is the one who comes up through the jungle in his bare feet to get wood for his grandmother to cook with, he is 8. Eddy says his grandparents don’t like David. When I got out of my car Eddy came over and hugged me and said thank you for everything. He is the boy we bought a soccer ball for with the money Walt and Judy Kaiser sent to me. I checked David’s shoes and they are fine, tight but room for his toes and they stretch. Each of the boys came over and hugged me and said thank you.

Eddy fell at school and scraped his face on the concrete, looked nasty so we gave him Vitamin E. Today Marcus took a chunk out of his finger cutting a papaya, they had wrapped a piece of cloth around it. Bill put antibacterial creme and a band aid on it and I taped the band aid on. Poor kids. The new TOMS shoes made them extremely happy boys!!

We have both been exhausted, me so tired that food is meaningless. Food is never meaningless to Bill though. He lives to eat, I eat to live. Friday night we had home made potato chips, last night Bill made corn bread, That was dinner. I’m thinking we need to get our act together since next week at this time we will have guests, Bill’s sister Kathy and her granddaughter Jen. We are really looking forward to them visiting so we can show them our island and help them to understand the variety of reasons that we love it here.

We can see the mainland quite clearly today, this doesn’t happen very often.

Boob update: They all seem to be milk free finally. We’re still going to keep her separated from the pups for a few more days in case they try to nurse, give them time to really dry up. YAY for no more milk.

I’m off to puppy sit downstairs, hope your Sunday is half as exciting as mine.

P.S.S. It wasn’t boob milk in my car that smelled, it was urine. She PEED in my car. Damn Damn Damn. Think I got the smell out using Nature’s Miracle Pet Odor Remover. Last ride for the 3 legged dog..

They weren’t tears of joy

05/30/2015 Three of the babies have left us, moved to their furr-ever homes and I cried. It was hard to say good-bye to these sweet furry babies that I have loved and cared for and spoiled the last 6 weeks. They have been A LOT of work, I have had many sleepless nights, up before it’s light out mornings, I’ve done laundry every day, scrubbed floors and kennels everyday, made formula daily, washed puppy food dishes and toys and bedding and spent untold numbers of hours just sitting and watching them while the dust collects on my furniture, the dirt thickens on my window screens and the sweat runs down my back. Not to mention the kazillion steps up and down to the back yard. WHY AM I NOT SKINNY DAMMIT?? Do I regret them being born? HELL NO!! I love these babies so much.

Two of the new homes for the pups have fallen through. One was to go to a friend but on Thursday her older dog viciously went after a 2 month old puppy, not once but twice and her other dog snarled and snapped. She felt since she is not home much she would be afraid to leave the pup alone with the other 2 dogs. The other people were planning to have the 6 week old pup alone all night in a fenced area outside. We didn’t feel comfortable with this arrangement at all. He is a dog, I’m well aware of that, but he is a baby, not ready to be alone all night outside. Some of you will think I’m crazy and go ahead, I don’t care. I’m type A and just like I was with my kids, I need to know where my dogs are and that they are safe. It is what it is.

The 3 that went to new homes are doing well. One has a 2 year old rottie sibling and they are fast friends, playing all day, pottying together and sleeping together, inside. The other 2 are together and will be spoiled I’m sure. They have a nice crate inside and toys and lots of love. My heart is OK with these 3 being gone, they will be loved and cared for.

That brings us to the 4 at home. One we are keeping for sure and the others we hope to find homes for. They are still young so there is no huge hurry, except for the fact I get more and more attached everyday. We still have my boy Barrio, Tank, Brindle and Max. They are wild and crazy puppies and they are madly in love with Lola. We are trying to wean them from Frito and to do this we have to keep her out front away from them, otherwise her milk will never dry up. Hell, she’s almost dragging on the ground, of course I probably would be too if I crawled on all 4’s. She only comes around if she thinks there is food for her. The other day she snuck in the house, came upstairs looking for cat food and instead found a bag of dog treats in the pantry on the shelf in a ziploc bag. She managed to drag the bag off of the shelf and a jar of salsa came with it, obviously smashing to smithereens once it hit the concrete floor, I do not know if she licked the salsa up, glass and all, or not, Bill cleaned it up while I was downstairs attending to puppy bedlam. She is obsessed and it’s getting obnoxious. She has been wormed and her poops aren’t worm infested, I think it’s her street beggar mentality shining through.

My sweet girl Sable, gone to her new home

The day before the three of them left was traumatic for me, to say the least. The anticipation of saying goodbye was killing me, every time the thought crossed my mind, tears rolled down my cheeks. My friend Kathy came over that day to give the pups their first shots and re-worm them. Doing all 7 pups was easy but she also brought a muzzle so we could trim Lucky’s nails. He does not like it, he HATES it. Hate isn’t even a strong enough word. Now Luck is a big strong boy and a muzzle makes them feel helpless, usually. It turned him into 65#’s of fury. It was all Kathy and I could do to hold him and all we were doing was his front paws, the backs get worn down on the pavement when they go for walks. Luckily Cleo had come up too, we needed her because Frito was going nutty and Lola and Highway were freaking out because they thought we were hurting Luck. Cleo managed to keep the three of them at bay. Add to that 7 puppies running around, holy shit, it was crazy. When we were done Kathy just looked at me like, “well, that was interesting.” It’s my life.

Thursday morning Dennis, my friend Marcia’s husband came over to pick out a pup, we thought at that point his only choices were Tank and Buddha, he chose Buddha. I would have cried no matter which he picked but the tears were mixed with joy because I know he will have a superb home. Marcia messaged me later saying he was buddies already with their dog Shay and they were doing well together. Happy heart. Later that day Rob and Lisa came to get Bandit and Sable. I knew from the third day of the pups lives that Rob and Lisa would be taking these two when they were ready to go so it wasn’t as difficult for me. Lisa and Rob will spoil those 2 pups and they will have a great home. Lisa has already sent me a few photos.

11353858_10153545182444796_1736655949_o (1) — Sable and Bandit chilling in their new home. I love that Sable has a pink collar and Bandit a blue.

Last night the puppies were inside in their kennel and I looked out the window to see what Lola was doing…this is what I saw, right outside from where the puppies were inside. She is very protective..she was sleeping on the table.

The other day Nidia asked me if I would like to meet one of the big shots from TOMS shoes, he was coming to the island to see what it is we are doing. I jumped at the chance. I was going to meet them at the school in Juticalpa but that didn’t ever happen. The plane was late so I met them at the school in Brick Bay. Vivian Chahin and her daughter Stephanie and son Elias and Justin who is the executive director of Giving for TOMS came over from SPS. (Nidia says Justin is the son of the owner and founder of TOMS but I’m not positive that is correct. However, he is a big shot with the company and he was thrilled to see what we were doing.) Vivian’s other daughter Andrea is the one who wrote a letter to TOMS several years ago asking them to do their One for One program in Honduras. Vivian is the Volunteer Executive Director of Hogar de Ninos, a home to more than 80 at-risk children in San Pedro Sula, on the mainland. Hogar gives children the opportunity to go to school, participate in sports and leadership development programs that teach children how to run small businesses and give back to their communities. TOMS Ticket to Give winners joined Hogar in giving new shoes to children in public schools throughout Honduras, helping provide the black shoes required as part of their school uniforms. We met some of the students that have graduated from Hogar de Ninos when they came with Vivian and her 2 daughters for a week to do the TOMS shoe drive with us here on Roatan. Here is an inside peek at some of the people who made this possible on Roatan and throughout mainland Honduras. Click here. These photos below are at the school in Brick Bay, we did TOMS there and also school supplies a few weeks ago.

I came home from there and picked up Cleo and we went looking for a nice used pack n play baby playpen/bassinette /crib type of thing for Miguel. After traipsing all over town we found a really nice one. We tried to barter with the non-English speaking girl but gave up and paid her price.

I opened it up and scrubbed it out really good today, it is on the porch drying and airing out in the sun. We plan to deliver it tomorrow. Miguel is the guy who helped build our house and he became a good friend. (He is working for Craig and Cleo at their place now in Calabash.) They had a baby girl a month ago and they have nothing, no crib, playpen, bouncy chair, swing, nothing…the baby is sleeping between them in their bed. I’m going to keep looking for things and buy them some other stuff as I find it.

When I go back to Maryland to see my folks in July I plan to hit up some Goodwill and Value Village stores and buy them some baby clothes, I know Miguel and Estefany will appreciate it.

I finally bathed all 4 puppies today, it wasn’t as bad as I expected. I spent most of the day soaked, I scrubbed the baby thing, 2 big waste cans and 2 dog beds, might as well throw in a few puppies too. Right now they are all crashed out on the back porch with Lola, I think I may go take a quick nap too..

My nap was short, as usual, the damn dogs were barking because Eddy came up to see what was going on. His 3 brothers were hitch-hiking home from school today, Arbor Day celebration and Bill gave them a ride here so I could measure them for TOMS shoes. They did not get any when we were at their school. It’s weird, they have to hitch a ride to school because it’s so far away, if they don’t get a ride in time, they go home. Sad. These boys are 6, 8 and 9. They hitch hike to school. Alexi was here for the day helping do stuff so they cut up some coconuts from our tree. I wanted to see if the pups liked the fresh coconut milk and oh yes they do!! They drank it all. I then broke some small pieces of coconut meat up and they ate that too. This will be part of their new diet for sure, can’t be anything wrong with them eating this, fresh from the tree.

Needless to say I’ve added a big 32 oz. one to my Amazon cart, a few days before I leave for the states I’ll ship it all to my parents. Shopping is so easy with Amazon, where would I be without it?

A few more puppy photos and I’m out of here. Dinner is salad with grilled chicken and eggs and fried potatoes with basil and rosemary. Don’t get excited, it’s all leftovers..

A drink or two, some Bloodline on Netflix and it’s bedtime for me. The puppers have been sleeping from about 10 to 5 AM..and then it’s gangbusters all day long..

Frito, the OCD dog.

05/23/2015 A person my age can not exist on 5 hours of sleep a night. NO CAN DO. Every freaking morning between 4 and 5 the pups start howling, since they are in the living room and I know they are peeing up a storm we get up and take them outside. It takes us 4 trips to get them all out, downstairs. Then I have to come back upstairs (Bill is playground supervisor), make them breakfast, go back down and feed them, watch them all play and poop (have to clean that up) pee and pass out. Then they all go in the big area downstairs and sleep. I come back upstairs, pick up the peed papers and any bedding that is peed on, scrub the tarp off with vinegar, wipe it dry, put more papers in for the night, and wash the soiled bedding. I also crawl back in bed several times throughout this performance, begging my mind for a few more minutes of sleep. At some point I get up and eat, do the dishes and try to sleep again, many times. Saying goodbye to these little furballs will be so BITTERSWEET, I tear up just thinking about it.

We are spending a fortune feeding them.

Frito is totally obsessed with food and its becoming annoying. she knew there was food inside and actually tried to fit her pear shaped body out through the puppy proofed gate. She will probably end up stuck in there and we’ll have to call for the Jaws of Life to extricate her.

A temporary babysitter. Lola stays in there with the pups until the dogs bark or she thinks it’s time to eat.

We plan to let the pups go to their homes next week, once they have their first shots. I will more than likely be a mess saying good bye to them. Despite the sleepless nights and constant laundry and food prep (you all know I hate to cook) I love these 7 small creatures like I never thought I could. My first and last litter of pups EVER. I only hope and pray that they are as loved and well taken care of in their new homes.

Other than running to the grocery store this past week I haven’t done much at all except try to nap when I can and I must say, the afternoon naps I sneak in are marvelous, just ask Emmy, she’ll tell you, she is always curled up right along side of me. Last night it rained and we had to bring the 4 big dogs in off the porch, we had ELEVEN DOGS IN OUR LIVING ROOM. 11 freaking hairy creatures.. Lucky tried to hide, he prefers to be under the bed when it’s raining. Sneaky boy that he is.

Last Monday Nidia told me she had most of the supplies needed to fill the backpacks and school supply bags but was short some writing books, scissors and rulers. I met her at Super Isleno, a store in Coxen Hole and we got the rest of what we needed using most of the balance of the money my friends Walt and Judy Kaiser so kindly sent to me.

While we were there Nidia was talking about a group that was doing a water system in downtown Coxen Hole. She had invited them to go to Helene with us on Friday. I said that I had met them at the airport last week and was talking to several of them for awhile. She took me to where they were working and I walked over and said hello and they all remembered me, even my name!! We chatted for a few minutes and found out what it is they are doing. I’m sure the people who live in that area will be very appreciative, having a water supply right there is going to be wonderful!

I told them I would see them on Friday, dropped Nidia off at her store with the supplies and came home.

Also want to do a quick shout out to Beth and Aaron Fox for their donation to Because We Care. I haven’t spent their money yet, still have some of Walt’s money left. Once we start spending yours (Beth), I’ll let you know what we bought with it. THANK YOU SO MUCH!!!

I could do this in 2 posts but I don’t have the energy so here goes..

We met at the landing in Oak Ridge for a Because We Care last trip to Saint Helene to deliver the balance of the desks and school supplies and some back packs for the students. The group from Live Again Ministry was with us, as was Carly White from Sandy Bay (she and her husband have Blue Island Divers) and Brian and Sherri Visker.

We loaded 25 desks for Saint Helene and 4 for Pandytown. We had to wait until the boat got gas and it took awhile. Granted it was a big boat, biggest panga I’ve ever been in, but also the gas was dispensed from jugs and buckets, no gas pump there…

Once filled, we set off for Helene with a quick stop at Pandytown to drop off 4 left handed desks. I never really thought about it but the way these desks are made, they really are specific to your hand writing prominence, left or right. They would make it hard for a leftie to use a right handed desk.

Once we left Pandytown we were in open water and bouncing across the waves. I think it was a little rough and wild for a few people but I was loving every minute of it. There were some kite surfers on the south shore, never seen them here before, only out at Camp Bay. The photo sucks because we were going 700MPH on a choppy sea into the wind but you get the idea.

This little girl was a dusty mess and she had no shoes.

After we were done passing out school things several of the mothers made lunch for us, a conch stew. Needless to say, I passed on that as did Carly. When everyone was done eating we decided to hike over the mountain again so the group from the ministry could see the need for a water system over there.

It was a really hot, tiring, sweaty wonderful day, filled with smiling faces and lots of children who were excited about receiving bags with scissors and pencils and erasers in them. Such small things mean so much to so many and the things we take for granted are a big deal to others.

Today we have a young boy named Eddy from the village below us up here weeding. He has been coming here for a long time because Bill gives him wood for his mother to cook with. A while ago we got him some school things. He goes to a bi-lingual school and the soccer team there is in the playoffs. Bill took him to town for a baleada and I got the idea to buy him a soccer ball with some of Walt’s money. I called Bill and told him to go get Eddy a new soccer ball. Eddy could not believe we were buying him a soccer ball, Bill said he thanked him at least 20 times. They went to Molineros and the balls were 30% off, of course, it took them 25 minutes to figure out how to ring it up, but Eddy has a new soccer ball. Thanks again Walt, this young boy is extremely happy!

Many thanks to all who make this possible and most of all to Nidia, for having this vision and the passion to help the needy here on the island we call home.

Life in the nut house

05/15/2015 My life has changed in a way I never dreamed it would. I rescued a dog with a bad leg that had to be amputated and a month ago yesterday she gave me 7 gorgeous babies. I guess they were my gift. For the first two weeks they were pretty easy but that has changed exponentially. Frito is not too into these little milk suckers now that they have teeth and I have been designated the surrogate mom. They are eating a formula made up of evaporated milk, egg yolk, water, yogurt and Karo syrup. I mix powdered baby rice cereal and a dog food gruel of a good puppy chow. The gruel is tiny little puppy chow nuggets softened to mush in water. They go through one whole can of evap. milk mix a day. All I do is make puppy food, seriously. Well, that and clean up puppy pee and torn up newspapers and wash their bedding.

These guys and girl are big healthy puppies and they are active and OMG, they are so loud. The loudness proof follows, and if you think to yourself, “oh that is so cute” imagine it at 1 AM and again at 4 AM. NOT CUTE. Click HERE. We have a huge pen for them on the covered and protected downstairs concrete porch. They love it down there. They also spend a lot of time in the grass chasing each other and climbing on Lola but they are only in the grass if we are there to watch them. I wish I weren’t such an anal dog owner, but I am. I’m afraid to have them downstairs after dark because of the Boa Constrictors. Granted we have never seen one at the house but one is all it takes and I could never live with myself if something like that happened. This may no longer be paradise. When it gets dark we bring them upstairs and they run and pee all over the living room. I may as well just keep my steam vac out here and filled. We have a wooden pen for them up here too but they hate it and howl when we put them in there. Hence, the sleepless nights and I can’t stand to let them howl because #1. They are loud (have I mentioned how loud they are?) #2. They get so upset from crying I’m afraid it will hurt them. No sleep sucks.

Last Friday evening a new friend and her husband came over. We had never met except on Facebook. She and her CHIROPRACTOR husband are considering moving here. YAY for a chiropractor! They came to the island for a week and drove down to our house Friday afternoon. The 4 of us went to Cal’s for dinner and then came back here and hung out for a bit. Michael was kind enough to give me a treatment for my upper arm that has been bothering me for almost a year. He did acupuncture, cracked my neck and taped me again.

Saturday was my airport gig day. I got there at 10:20, first flight was due in at 11 but it came in @ 10:30. EARLY??? It was a busy day however we did get an hour break in between flights so I had some time to chill. All the other times I did the greeter thing I came home and could hardly stand up my feet hurt so bad. This time I wore my Crocs sandals and my feet and body were fine. I could have danced that night! If only. I really enjoy volunteering there, I get to talk to people from all over the world, some making their first visit to the island, some returning year after year. Once we get all the passengers in the immigration building and sorted into the proper lines we then ask them to have their passport ready, get all the papers out of it, and we talk to them about the areas they are staying. We do this because the Immigration officers are from the mainland, they don’t know the island. One of their questions is “where are you staying?” Parrot Tree Plantation or Anthony’s Key mean nothing to them, they don’t know where they are on the island. We get everyone ready in hopes we speed up the process and then we just chat with them and try to keep them from realizing how long they are waiting. Sometimes a LONG LONG time. It’s fun, I like to talk to new people and always hope I display the persona that the visitors wish to see when they get somewhere new, a friendly face. I’m filling in for someone again this coming Saturday.

Sunday the pups had been so active that Bill went and got groceries alone. I stayed home to keep them in the pen. The whole week was filled with puppy care, feeding, cleaning up, playing with, kissing holding and snuggling and that’s pretty much it. When Nidia from Because We Care messaged me to see if I was up for a school drive on Thursday I said, HELLS YEAH! Bill was home working on re-making louvered shutters for Craig and Cleo’s house so he was in charge. Unfortunately I was up until after 11 with the pups and they had me up again at 4:44 AfreakingM. I was zombified the next day.

Sherri was here at 7:30 in the morning and we met Nidia @ 8. The first stop was mid island at Santa Maria, I was there with Because We Care for the Christmas food drive and TOMs shoes deliveries.

After there we went to a school in Brick Bay, we also delivered shoes there. It is right down on the water and there are mangroves and I am sure mosquitoes in the standing water.

When we were done there we went east to Politilly. This is a school that my good friend Janice and her husband Don do so much for, it is in their ‘hood. These kids probably don’t know how lucky they are, the view from the school is absolutely amazing.

When we were finished there we headed down to Crawfish Rock. I was also there during Christmas doing the food and Santa drive. This school is situated on the water too and Sherri and I were getting eaten alive by the sand fleas or mosquitoes, they liked us, I couldn’t wait to get in my car!

After we left Crawfish Rock we traversed the mountain (hill) to the last stop of the day, Hottesparrow. I had been spelling it Hottest Sparrow but I was wrong. The road from Crawfish to there was bad to say the least, thankful for my AWD car.

We got a lot accomplished in a few hours Thursday morning. After we had handed out all the supplies we loaded all of the backpacks and supplies I had in my car into the truck Nidia was in. Next Friday we are headed to Helene with 20 more desks and LOTS of school supplies for the students there.

Sable and Bandit’s future parents came over on Friday to see their babies. It makes me feel so good to know these two will have a good home. Last night we had them all inside and they were really good, we put them in their box as soon as they woke up and had no accidents on the floor. They all slept until 5 AM when Highway barked. Then they were up, we fed them all and took them downstairs. I went back to bed for awhile because I could and I like to sleep.

I had to do my airport thing again today, I really enjoy that except I sweat like a freaking pig. I am going to invent and patent some sort of under boob deodorant, I’ll be rich in a few months, rolling in the dough with dry boobs. I mentioned earlier that we are asking people where they are staying; well today I asked a young girl and she said, “with my dad.” I asked where her dad lived but she didn’t know. I asked who her dad was. She told me and I said, “Oh, XXXXX, the Lionfish Hunter?” She said “yes, do you know him??” I told her no, only on FB and that his birthday is the same as my son’s, Sept. 17th. I also told her where her dad lived. Small island.

IMG_20150516_133159 — See, I’m official!!

We just fed the pups for the umpteenth time today and now they are running all over upstairs. I never wanted puppies, never in my life. I have owned dogs my whole life and aside from my mom breeding her toy poodles, we never had puppies, we always had our dogs fixed. This is new territory to us. We are both busy enough as it is, add in 3 dogs, then #4, who has 3 legs then 7 puppies and this house is sheer bedlam. But at the end of the day I can sleep (when they allow me to) knowing we are giving these pups the best start at life that we can. I kiss each and every one before I feed them and after, they are ALL held several times a day, they are used to people and other dogs. We are trying our best to be responsible puppy parents and can only hope and pray that the new owners of these dogs love them and give them the care that they deserve.

IMG_20150516_161452 — Barrio, chilling, not a care in the world. We love this guy and all 5 of his brothers and his sweet little sister Sable.

It’s been a busy fulfilling week and I’m fried. I’m signing off with a fresh glass of wine in my hand and am headed to the couch, that is until we have to feed the pups again.

P.S. I was messaged this morning by my friend Stephanie about a dog with mange and starving that she saw near our house. I had to leave for the airport early but told her I would go look tomorrow morning. Bill ran to Oak Ridge today and said he saw the dog also. Stephanie set some wheels in motion and some fabulous people will take this dog and rehab her. Bill and I are going to go look for her early in the morning and bring her back here until Marc can come and get her. Hopefully another dog saved by the fabulous people willing to shelter them. Thank you so much Olivia and Marc, you two are amazing!

Adiós Amigos!

Magical Saint Helene

The island of Helene is part of Roatan but is separated by a narrow mangrove channel. The only way to get there is by boat. Once on the island there are no roads or cars, only walking paths. The homes have no running water and up until a year ago there was no source of water on the island. Since then a well has been drilled giving the people a source for fresh water. There is no electricity at all, anywhere. Anything powered is run by a generator. You may wonder, what’s so special about this place; I think it is the people. They are the happiest, most grateful generous people I’ve met in a long time. The woman who requested desks for Helene is Darla and I got to meet her and her daughter on Sunday also. She is from Helene and teaches on the island but lives on Roatan. In other words, she spends weekends on Roa w/ her husband and daughter but during the week she and her daughter live with her family on the North shore of Helene. She walks over the mountain every day to teach. The other ladies we met brought us chairs to sit in, cake, drink, they hugged and kissed us and thanked us many times. It really meant something to them that we were trying to help. It is hard to believe that a government has no interest in the school system, that there is no money allotted for furniture or books or teaching materials. It’s like the teachers are told, here’s the classroom, there are no supplies or desks for the kids to sit on but make it work. Education DOES NOT MATTER IN HONDURAS. It is not a priority.

Sunday morning we were delivering the rest of the desks that were finished to Helene. I left the house @ 8 and met Nidia and Linda and Janisha at Oak Ridge. I finally got to meet my friend Linda. We have been FB friends for awhile so it was nice to meet. Linda is the awesome lady who paid for the desks that we delivered a while ago to the kindergarten near us. This trip down here Linda brought bags of school supplies! We had to wait for Kiveth to come with the boat. Once he arrived around 9:15 AM we loaded the boat, got fuel and headed to Helene. It was a nice day on the water, the seas were pretty calm.

We got to Helene, carried the desks and school supplies that Linda brought with her up to the school. Luckily there were some students to carry most of the desks, it’s a dirt path up a hill to the school.

After I took photos of all the name plates we walked down into the village and hung out. The kids were playing Dominoes and it seemed like quite a serious game! I don’t think you could go anywhere in the US and actually see a Dominoes game going on!

Oh yeah, we’re sitting there talking, Nidia is eating, of course, {she always is} and this boy walks up with a BOA CONSTRICTOR WRAPPED AROUND HIS ARM. I asked what he was going to do with it and he responded, “let it go.” I calmly said, “Please don’t get anywhere near me.”

After sitting there for a little while watching the kids play and the intense domino game, Darla and Nidia decided we would walk to the other side of the island. I honestly envisioned myself crawling up the side of a mountain on my hands and knees, blood running down my legs, scorpions in my hair, the whole drama scene. I was sure I needed a machete!

We set off for the “other side of the island.” They CLAIMED it would only take 15-20 minutes, taking into consideration that everything runs on island time, 3 days to get there. We walked back up the hill to the school, I was out of breath already but I persevered. It was either that or hang with the kid and his BOA. Onward.

Before leaving the village we passed a mango tree, absolutely laden with fruit. Nidia asked for permission (always ask, it is not your tree and since you asked, they will say yes) to pick a mango. Janisha went in the restaurant and got salt and pepper on a piece of foil to dip it in and she and Nidia ate the mango while walking over the ~~Himalayas~~ hill. Next we came upon a cashew tree, it had so much fruit and they smelled so good. Once they get over ripe the smell is not that pleasant. The fruit of the cashew can be eaten but the nut on the end must first be processed before you can eat it. It is quite a time consuming process, hence the cost of cashews.

The above photo is why I live here. I love the colors of the sea, they just make me happy. I’ve always wanted to live on an island and being surrounded by this water all day every day is a dream come true.

After we walked around and looked at the stunningly gorgeous waterfront we decided to head back OVER THE MOUNTAIN. It seemed shorter on the way back, but just as hilly. On the way we saw several pineapple plants, one had fruit.

We hung around in the village awhile longer. When Kiveth came he was talking to some guys who were fishing and they had lobster and lion fish for sale. The lion fish looked pretty good size. But, eww, fish.

It was a long day with wonderful people, I’m so glad I went along. Meeting the people of Helene and seeing how grateful they are for everything you do for them makes this all more than worthwhile. I went home that day, hot and sweaty, my hair was a tangled rats nest and my skin was parched from the sun and the salt air.

What a wonderful way to spend a day, I love this island life!

And they called it puppy love….

05/04/2015 Click here if you want to listen to Paul Anka croon Puppy Love while you read. Thanks Marilyn for the blog title.

We are living in Puppy Central. It’s a special kind of neighborhood, one where you don’t get shit done all day long because all you do is PUPPY STARE. Yes, we sit for hours and watch these little creatures develop before our very eyes. Their eyes opened and they are all a milky blue color, they really can’t see very well yet but that is coming. Cuteness abounds in this household, so does puppy pee and poop. We have lots of both!

My friend KP arrived on Sunday, she had been bumped to first class so she was off the plane immediately and in line. It only took her about 5 minutes in immigration, a record for anyone I’ve picked up at the airport! We haven’t seen each other for at least 20 years but once together, there was no time space. We went to our house, unloaded suitcases, visited puppies then went to Parrot Tree to float in the lagoon and drink some beer.

It was an oppressively hot few days with the “real feel” temp well over 100 degrees. The sweat was abundant on every square inch of the body. We didn’t get out of the water except to get more beers. Bill had dinner ready when we got home and we had drinks on the roof.

The next morning we got up early and waited for Nidia’s call. We were headed to Pandy Town to deliver desks and school supplies. We met the crew at 8 and followed them down into Pandy Town. School wasn’t in session but they had the students from Pandy Town and Calabash Bight waiting for us to arrive. This is the school we went to the first day I helped with the TOM’s shoe delivery. The classrooms are in bad shape, there were desks with sharp pieces of rusted metal sticking up in the air still being used! Desks were very needed here. There were only 6 in a room that has 23 students.

This was the last time I was going to see Addy, Brian and Nancy before they headed back to Canada after being here 3 months working in the schools and the clinic. Actually those 3 worked almost every day of their 3 months here. So happy we became friends, hope to see them again!

Later on Monday, KP and I went to Lady Lee and bought some toys to take to the kinder. We got a set of big Lego blocks, a few puzzles and a small interactive toy set. That evening we made cupcakes for the students in El Higuero, we were going there Tuesday afternoon.

On Tuesday we went to Big French Key for a few hours. There were several cruise ship people there but it wasn’t too crowded. We spent the majority of our time there on rafts in the water. It was just too dam hot to get out.

We got home about 2 PM and Bill and Alexi loaded the desk and the whiteboard up, we grabbed the cupcakes and the juice packs KP bought, the school supplies and toys and TOMs shoes and went down in the valley. The teacher was in the midst of a lesson but was very happy to be interrupted by us. The students were excited to get new shoes. One of the little boys needed a smaller shoe and we didn’t have any but luckily I had a pack of new socks and put a pair on him and the shoes were fine. There was no way we could leave one little boy without new shoes. KP brought little Koala pins from Australia for all of the students, They loved them and were excited when she clipped them onto their shirts. We had Alexi tell the teacher about the donations, (she doesn’t speak any English) who paid for the whiteboard and toys and they showed the teacher which markers to use on the whiteboard and how to flip it over. When we left the kids were digging into the cupcakes and juice. These students are so sweet and it felt really good to give something to this (pregnant) teacher who volunteers her time. Thank you again Walt and Judy Kaiser, I still have lots of $$ left to spend, just finding the biggest needs.

When we got home we rushed around getting showers before Dave and Lynda came for dinner. They were leaving on Thursday and we wanted to get together one more time. I’m so happy we finally got to meet them!

On Tuesday afternoon I got a FB message from a friend. She and her husband have the Free Radical catamaran that I’ve been on a few times. They had 28 backpacks and several bags stuffed full of school supplies and needed to get it out of their boat. I said I would come and get it so Wednesday morning KP and I met them at BJ’s. They were not kidding when the said they had A LOT OF STUFF. OMG!! It’s like an office supply store in the downstairs living room.

That was a hot sweaty job that required wine and lots of fans. It’s so exciting to get all of this stuff for the kids. Thanks so much to all the teachers who took the time to buy and transport this to Roatan and thanks to Ed and Julie for storing it.

Wednesday eve we went to Cal’s for dinner. Fabulous meal as always, never disappointed there!

On Thursday it was raining and gray, not much to do outside so we headed to Camp Bay for lunch. It was drizzling on and off, not pouring by any means. There were 6 people there when we arrived, Joe and his brother were 2 of them. We had a good lunch, talked to the other people and Joe and Pete. We always run in to interesting people at La Sirena.

Friday KP and I were beach bound, gloomy or not. It was Labor Day here on the island which meant that a lot of places were closed and there was a big ~~riot~~ parade in Los Fuertes. We knew before we left that traffic would be ugly and that we would have to take the Bahia road. It was ugly on the Bahia road but we really didn’t have to wait all that long.

KP wanted to do some shopping so we went to West End, hoping that the stores would be open. There weren’t many people in West End, not like there usually are. We wandered around, went in a few stores. I bought some things for the house (downstairs.)

When Cis and Cheryl were here we were looking for a place called Eataly in West End to grab lunch. We walked way down the road, but not far enough. Today KP and I found it and we fell in love. Their pasta is home made, sauce is too and it was a delicious and filling lunch!

After our stomachs were full we went to West Bay beach and parked our butts on chairs at Banarama and drank beer while watching people on the Jet Boards. Looks like fun but extremely hard work to actually stand up. We made a quick grocery stop on the way home. KP had to pack tonight as she was leaving on Saturday.

Saturday I took KP to the airport for her 1 PM flight on United to Houston. I left the airport and went home to get Bill, we were doing free skin cancer checks at Barefoot Key. We got there @ 1, left around 2:30, got groceries and came home. I started making my breakfast for the week, got that all cleaned up, washed all the dishes and decided to sit down and relax. Just as I did I noticed a message from KP, she was STILL at the airport, flight canceled. I put my bra back on and drove as fast as I could to the airport. We left there at 5:30 after realizing it would be easier and faster to call United from the house and get the flight re-booked. Plus, it was going to get dark soon and I have NO HEADLIGHTS still. She got booked on Avianca, leaving Roa @ 11AM on Sunday. Bill was going to have to take her to the airport because I was headed to Helene with Nidia and Because We Care.

The Helene trip will be another post because this is too long and I don’t even have any puppy photos, so here we go. PUPPY CENTRAL! You may want to play Puppy Love again, just saying…

So there you have it, cutest puppies ever. Funny, none of them look like Frito and they don’t all look alike.

Twenty eight little paws

04/23/2015 What a week it’s been. I have not had a full nights sleep since the ~~dwarfs~~ puppies were born. The first night Frito woke me several times to go potty. At that time we had her and the pups downstairs. I thought being away from the other 3 barkers would be better for the first few days. After running up and down the stairs hundreds of times a day my knee begged us to move her upstairs. OMG, so much easier. While they were downstairs I had to follow her down, take her out the front door and wait until she went to the potty. Then, back to bed for both of us. Me? Once I’m awake I don’t go back to sleep very easily, it’s the curse of an overactive mind. I spent the last week functioning on a few hours sleep and several hours long naps during the day. Sometimes only 2 hours after I first woke up I found myself back in bed. Having 7 puppies is not easy.

Now that Frito is upstairs with the kids we are wondering if we are going to have problems in a week. When these 28 feet decide they are hungry, all HELL breaks loose. They are so loud, screaming and crying and making all these weirdly amazing noises, a few of them can already crawl out of the bottom of the dog crate they are in. They are now blocked in by cardboard and clamps. Bill will soon need to build a structure to contain them.

We were afraid Frito had mastitis, a common problem among nursing females, human or dog. It’s an infection in the milk ducts so we put her on Amoxicillin, a very low dose so it won’t affect the pups. I was also doing warm compresses and wrapping the swollen teats in soft red cabbage leaves. YES, I was doing that. If she had it, and I don’t know for sure (I am a hypochondriac animal owner) that she did, she is now fine. Saggy teats and all. I’m so freaking happy I don’t have 8 boobs. OMG, I would cut them off.

Aside from the puppy incident we have been busy with friends coming by. Sam and Chelsie were here for dinner the day Frito gave birth. These two are really special to me, just love them. On Saturday evening Brian and Addy from Canada came for dinner. We met them doing Because We Care with Nidia @ Camp Bay. We have worked together several days doing TOMS shoes too. On Saturday night after they left Bill didn’t feel good and he went to bed. He felt awful most of the morning on Sunday, causing me to cancel our plans for Sunday company. He was feeling better late on Sunday so we rescheduled our company to Monday. Lynda and Dave came on Monday but the dinner we served was blah., less than stellar, blech. It wasn’t good. Need a pizza dinner do over.

I am trying to get the downstairs cleaned up before my friend K.P. comes from Sydney Australia on Sunday. I keep thinking that being here won’t be any different for her than Australia, I mean, they’re both islands, right?? Totally forgetting the fact that Sydney is a hugely modernized developed city in a very large educated prosperous country. So unlike Roatan.. We are going to do desk delivery on Monday to Pandy Town and also school supplies to Pandy Town and to Calabash Bight. Bill and K.P. and I will deliver the school supplies and desk and whiteboard (and cupcakes) and new TOMS shoes for the kinder down in the valley near us. I recently was given a lot of brand new school books, math, science, health, workbooks, reading books, teacher manuals, all in English. Nidia and I are deciding which school will benefit the most having these books.

We were supposed to go to friends for dinner tonight but Frito has been weird all day, kind of freaking me out. She keeps taking one pup and trying to carry him downstairs. The problem is, he’s too fat for her to get him in her mouth. She seems very panicky about him and has tried numerous times. I even carried him downstairs and she once again tried to get him in her mouth. She seems distraught and has been under all 3 beds at one point or another today. I don’t know if it’s because Alexi is here helping Bill or not but she is not the same dog she was yesterday. Maybe it’s hormonal. So, we are staying home to keep an eye on the family and they are happy to reschedule too because they have workers there and don’t know when they will be done. It all works out just fine.

Last Sunday we took Highway and Lola to the lagoon for a swim. Highway starts whining as soon as we turn off the main road and head to Parrot Tree, he knows where he is. Lola doesn’t like the water. This has not changed. She hates it!!

Bill got one of the upper cupboards done and hung, still a few more to do. I didn’t want doors, I like the simplicity of not having to open them. Sheer laziness? Maybe. Who cares?

I apologize that this post is centered on puppies but that has been my life for the past 10 days. Next weekends’ post should be more exciting because I’m sure KP and I will be on the move once again.

I have a few more things to do before I can call it a day, I pick KP up tomorrow @ noon and plan to pick up school supplies before I get her. This saves me a trip in to Sandy Bay on Monday to get the school stuff we’ll deliver out here on the east end. I hope the weekend is good to all of you. I’ll be back next weekend when I recover from another week of puppies and fun!

A little soundtrack for you, this is what our days sound like.

https://youtu.be/zW2pQP3jF4I

Frito Bean and the 7 dwarfs

04/15/2015 It’s been HOT HOT HOT in the tropics. Boob melting sweatiness. I mean, mine feel like they’re melting off but every time I look, they’re still there. Sunday morning I baked for several hours, making coconut macaroons for a dinner party on Sunday at Chuck and Nancy’s. I think I even sat in the sun for awhile that afternoon. I know I was being ultra lazy because when Bill told me it was 3:30 I freaked. I still hadn’t showered or anything. and we had to be there by 4. It was a fabulous evening, getting to meet Lynda and Dave and spend time with Chuck and Nancy and Annie and Charlie. Nancy made a wonderful meal for all of us, as usual. We didn’t stay very late, we had 4 hungry dogs at home.

I absolutely did nothing except some sweeping and cleaned up the kitchen on Monday. It was nice to not leave the house, makes up for all the days that I run all day long. On Tuesday morning Marilyn came to my house @ 8 Am and we were off to Sandy Bay to pick up more shoes. Sarah, who also lives here, Addy and Brian and Charlene and Nancy (all from Canada) were helping for the day too. We loaded up a truck and my car and went to a big school in downtown Coxen Hole called Juan Brooks. There were over 1000 kids there to be fitted. Then Natalie, a director, Marilyn, Sarah and I went to a kinder in Spanish Town to fit the kids. I was fitting that morning so I didn’t have time to take many photos but I did manage to snag a few hugs!

11161346_10205700414645712_4751832435179766525_n — This is my beautiful friend Sarah. She snapped this fabulous selfie with a gorgeous little girl at the kindergarten in Spanishtown.

Sarah lives here on Roatan and is from the Pacific Northwest, Oregon to be exact. She too writes for Women Who Live on Rocks and has her own blog at BellaGypsySol. Check out Sarah’s blog while you’re at it. Sarah is a diver and she recently posted a photo of her wearing a BangWrangler and I had to have one. It’s a wide elastic band that doesn’t slip and holds your hair back out of your face.

Sarah brought one for me on Tuesday and she happened to have an extra, which Marilyn snagged. I love my BangWrangler. I just want to keep saying Bang Wrangler over and over again. Thanks Sarah, you and my new Bang Wrangler rock!!

When we were done there we headed back to Coxen Hole and Juan Brooks school to help the other volunteers fit the 1000 kids who go there. It was a steaming HOT day, we were on the open stage, no air moving at all. At one point Addy had her cold bottle of water stuffed in the front of her shirt.

It was a long hard day but over 1000 children got new shoes. I got home around 4 PM and was ready to crash right then and there. Thankfully I thought ahead ( a very rare occurrence when it comes to meals) and dinner was a no-brainer.

Shortly after we got Frito home from her amputation we were feeding her several meals a day because she had been so malnourished. You all know our dogs eat like royalty, minus the 11 piece place settings, real china, crystal and fine linen napkins. Frito started gaining weight F A S T. We assumed it was because she was finally eating regular meals. When we took her to the vet to get her stitches out we said, she’s preggo. He said, no, she’s “gordo.” FAT. So we cut back a little on her food but she still continued to expand. We had Weight Watchers on speed dial. HMMM. Now, I have had dogs all of my life, always. I’ve never had a pregnant one though, mine were always spayed. This was uncharted territory for us. AND, the vet said, No preggo, GORDO. So we continued to feed her 1 small and 1 large nutritious meal a day. Soon it looked like she swallowed an eggplant WHOLE.

About a week ago we determined she was pregnant, not fat. We could feel and SEE the puppies moving around in her belly. I was convinced there were only 2.

On Wednesday morning (the only day we have a vet on the island) I was taking Frito to find out about her impending delivery and when it would be. While there, she had 2 puppies so I brought her home and away from the craziness that is the vet office. She had one more puppy in the car and then 3 more after that.

And we have 7!!

Just when I thought she was done she popped out another one. All soft and shiny, fat and squeaky. Frito is a good 3 legged momma. She hadn’t eaten much in the morning so after fritito # 6, I fed her some yogurt, then she ate some dog food, then she had another pup. Just like it was a walk in the park, no biggie, I just had 7 puppies. We think her timeline went something like this:

B. C. W. (Before Crazed Woman) A night of unbridled passion with a handsome neighborhood lothario

B. C. W. May be still in a stupor from the passion, passed out in the aftermath, paw gets run over

3/10/2015 Scavenging for a morsel in the schoolyard of Barrio Los Fuertes school when a Crazed Woman offers me cheese and apples. Next food offered was Fritos to lure me to the car for the snatch and grab. Crazed Woman names me Frito.

3/11/2015 Go to the vet to see if he can save my paw (bone was sticking out of the foot) He could not and said I had to go to the mainland for amputation. WTH is that?

3/11/2015 I get stuffed in a dog crate with a bleeding paw and put on a ferry for a long ride to La Ceiba.

3/11/2015 I’m met by a vet employee and taken to the clinic.

3/12/2015 The day begins by being bathed 4 times to get rid of the fleas and ticks. Doc prepares the room to be sterile for me.

3/13/2015 Off with the leg. Crazed Woman drives vet assistant friend Bethany bonkers with repeated questions about me ALL DAY LONG. Crazed Woman is told I am fine and awake and maybe Bethany just told her that to shut her up. She is persistent.

3/14 & 3/15/2015 I spent the weekend recuperating in the vet clinic.

3/16/2015 I’m back on the damn boat for the trip home. Wondering if when I get to the other place they’ll chop off the other leg.

3/16/2015 Extremely excited to see Crazed Woman @ the ferry terminal. I cried, she did too.

3/25/2015 Back to vet to get stitches taken out. Ask vet if I am preggo, he smiles and says “No, just GORDO.”

04/15/2015 I give birth to 7 gorgeous little puppies, 2 girls, 5 boys. I am no longer “GORDO.”

So there you have it. A month plus in the life of Frito Bean.

I sensed Frito was upstairs at 4:45 this morning. I got up and she was at the top of the steps. I asked if she wanted to go potty and she ran down the steps. I let her out and she took off running to the grass for her morning potty. As soon as she was done she tore back in to those puppies. She is never away from them. She has certainly proven to me what a miraculously strong dog she is. To go through all that she did and then give birth and be totally chill, I am in awe of her. She is one special dog and we are pretty blessed she is ours.

This morning I was to meet Nidia at the bodega in Sandy Bay at 7:30. I don’t think I went back to sleep between Frito’s potty break and 6 AM. I left home at 6:45AM. We lugged 12 boxes down the steps and into my car and set off for the Kinder Nicolas Villeda in Coxen Hole. We had 4 mothers to fit the shoes this morning. The kids were adorable and totally fascinated with me taking pictures.

After that we went looking for a kinder teacher in Las Brisas. It is down the road to Steel Pan Alley, near the cruise ship terminal.

I was home by 10 and still had dishes to do from last evening when Sam and Chelsie came for dinner. I really love those two, such a sweet couple.

I was so exhausted after giving birth with Frito yesterday there was no way I could have washed the dishes last night. In fact, I only washed part of them today, Bill just now finished washing them, I took a 3 hour nap with Emmy cat. I’m pooped, birth is a bitch!

I’m off to check on Frito Bean and the 7 dwarfs again and then settling in with a glass of wine and catching up on The Voice.

Anyone want a puppy???