Parrot Tree – Mermaid on a Raft

Beep Beep

11215884_10154476808529523_9160429391532110080_n

06/06/2016 Obviously my absence indicates that I’ve been busy living the island lifestyle. And, oh what a life it is. I am so happy I figured out how to live this life I have been blessed with.

My BFF from WA. arrived the 19th, it is her 5th trip here with us. I went to Nadia’s in Sandy Bay to do something about my wretched roots (I went brown with blonde highlights, we’ll see what this looks like when it grows out) and when I was done there I had a meeting at the airport and was there to meet Teri when she arrived. We made a few stops before we got home. Teri was tired so we hung out here and just chilled. She had not see the house yet so we had a few (sic) drinks and caught up on life.

Teri is a cancer survivor and a tough lady. I have not seen her since her diagnosis and surgeries. She has been through a lot in the last 2 years and I feel bad I wasn’t closer so I could have been there for her. She does have a great family and lots of friends so she didn’t go through the cancer and surgery alone. Still. She is now cancer free so this trip was a celebration for sure. Celebrating seeing her and the fact that she is cancer free. Like I said, tough lady. A survivor.

Teri was staying in our downstairs condo for guests and along with the condo you got a dog for a companion. Frito was living downstairs because she wanted to rip Lola’s face off. Frito is a survivor too, pregnant, found by me and rescued, leg amputated and 1 month later has 7 healthy puppies. Survivor to the max. They bonded instantly and Bam! Frito was sleeping with Teri. OK, back to the other story, this one will be competed in another blog. (you know you’ll have to see what happens)

On Friday morning as soon as Alexi got here we went to the soccer field at Froylan Turcios, a school in our area. We had 2 sets of soccer jerseys to pass out to the kids there. We had been in touch with the coach and he was very eager to have them. Many thanks to Dave and Trish Symons for ALWAYS bringing things to the island for the kids and the clinics. They have brought (and given to me to distribute) so many soccer uniforms, many of the island kids have been blessed with their gifts. They also gave me some soccer balls, almost new. Brand new compared to what these kids have.

OLYMPUS DIGITAL CAMERA — Their eyes got huge when Alexi kicked the new ball onto the field.

We took Alexi with us because the coach doesn’t speak English, always nice to have an interpreter. The coach was extremely grateful for the uniforms and said that he would keep them in his possession and only pass them out at games. There was even a coach’s uniform for him, I doubt he has ever had one. Thank you Trish and Dave!

I am a firm believer that if kids are involved in extra-curricular activities, such as soccer, they are less likely to go down the wrong path that seems to be the easiest path on this island to follow. We are keeping a close eye on Alexi, the 17 year old who has adopted us. He would much rather be here than home (I tell myself it’s not just because of the wi-fi) and has told us that many times. I am always buying him clothes at Mega Paca and he is very grateful for anything we give him. We spend time with him, encourage him, support him in his school endeavors and tell him all the time that he must learn to read and write English (that’s what he is going to school for.) He speaks English and Spanish but can barely read or write Spanish and has no English reading or writing skills, he is another lost soul due to the inadequate education the island kids receive. What the hell will these kids do when they finish school? Where will they ever find a job? Manual labor is their only option, we want more for Alexi. We are encouraging him to learn to read and write English in the hopes he can get a job on a cruise ship and do some traveling. It’s much better than the job situation here and the only way he will ever get off of this island.

Recently my car horn has begun randomly beeping. It happens mostly when I’m coming up our driveway. The other day there was a good sized Monkey LaLa lizard running up the drive and I stopped so I wouldn’t hit it. Every time I started to go, my horn honked. I felt like the damn road runner, beep beep beep beep. By the time Teri and I made it home we were laughing our butts off. Bill can disconnect the fuse but then I won’t have a horn and driving on Roatan requires a horn, turn signals and brake lights are optional.

Friday afternoon Teri and I made our way to BJ’s, of course. Marilyn’s daughter was there and she was singing with the band. She was very good! We hung out there for a few hours and visited and danced. Well, I danced but I didn’t take any pictures.

We got home in time for Teri to go to Cal’s Cantina with Mr. John. Bill and I stayed home because the pool was being delivered and I didn’t want to miss another grand island ingenuity episode. I was not disappointed.

Yes, we are the only people on the whole damn island with a 20′ pool tied to a stump on our hillside. Really, that sets us apart from the others. No slouches here, we go for the opposite of ordinary.

Saturday Teri and I were meeting my friends Mike and Liza at their rental in West Bay and spending the day together. We snorkeled and then went to Bananarama for lunch and snorkeling. It was a gorgeous sunny day in West Bay and the beach was empty.

We had a great day with them and didn’t get home until dinner time. I had planned to take Teri to Mega Paca on Sunday morning but she was sick, as was Liza and they both had the same dipping sauce with their meals at Bananarama. Not pointing fingers, just saying. Teri was pretty much down and out on Sunday. I messaged my friend who is a nurse and she said to start her on Zithromax, which I had on hand. She felt better in the morning. Liza was sick too and she was traveling. UGH…

We spent another one of our days at Parrot Tree pool and got eaten alive by the bugs there, it was as bad as being at their lagoon. It was still a good day because a day in the water is better than anything else.

I’ve been trying to help Nidia finish the TOM’s shoe deliveries. Teri and I went to Alexi’s English school in Politilly and I measured the kids there. We also got the list of sizes needed at El Higuero, a kinder near me and I measured all the kids at Miss Norma’s school in Jonesville.

IMG_20160525_131556 — I brought all the shoes home and separated them so they could be distributed to the 3 schools.

IMG_20160525_131601 — Checking my list..And when I was done, I went down to John’s pool.

Teri and I spent a lot of time in her future pool (Mr. John’s, the neighbor), it felt so good and immediately lowered our scorching body temperatures. I think we were in there almost daily because the temps have been HOT! In between dips we delivered the shoes to the kinder and to Alexi’s school. Marcia and Dennis picked up the ones for Jonesville and delivered them since they live out that way.

Teri and I got a little pre-occupied the last few days before Olivia came, in fact Wed. and Friday mornings we were taking care of business. (to be disclosed later) Once business was done we went to BJ’s again Friday and visited with the gang and ate some french fries, yums. There was a good crowd there and we danced a little bit and got a little crazy.

Sunday Olivia arrived so Teri and I headed to the airport to pick her up. We took Frito with us. She was the center of attention and she ate up every second of it. She is such a good dog and is so easy to have around. Frito was great at the airport, very well behaved, she let a few kids pet her and even some adults wanted to visit with her. She is an attention monger for sure.

It was nice to have Olivia join us, it’s the third time the 3 of us have been together on Roatan. Never a dull moment.

Olivia, Teri and I headed to West Bay beach on Monday so we could have a beach day together. We parked ourselves at Bananarama again but this time, no dipping sauce for anyone.

While at the beach we saw the crowd of people out on the boats watching the Caribbean Cup Freediving Championship. After West Bay we stopped in West End so Teri could do a little shopping before she went home the next day. We even made a stop in Shawn Jackson’s gallery, always a pleasure.

After we got home and washed the sand and salt water off of our bodies we had dinner and sat on the roof talking and thinking of fun things to have on up there. Like an ejector bar seat that would catapult you into the pool, unless we didn’t like you, then it would set you down on the main road to get a taxi. I need this in my life.

On Tuesday Olivia and I took Teri and her companion (not telling you yet) to the airport and said a tearful good-bye. After that we ran some errands, stopped at Mega Paca and then came home and floated in John’s pool. Again.

It is absurd to me that I have a pool that can’t be used. It’s like a big freaking tease.

After hammering out 2 blogs in a few days, I’m going to go chill and watch them hook up the pipes for the drains and skimmers and jets on the pool. It’s getting closer, I can’t wait to be the first one in.

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….

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

Psycho babble

11/16/2014 I had the pleasure of riding with my buddy Jurgen a week ago Friday. He drives the bus for the Cattleya school, which is a school for physically and mentally challenged children. The regular schools on the island can barely educate a child with normal needs let alone one with special needs. Once all the students were picked up he dropped them off at their school in French Cay. I spent the afternoon at the school with their sweet teacher Erica. There were 7 kids and 2 of them were the younger siblings of the special needs students and only were there for something to do. The one little girl was a huge helper with her older sister. These kids are awesome, I fell in love. They are so happy to be there and to have things to do. My only issue is the huge handicap I HAVE. I don’t speak Spanish and I really need to work on that ASAP if I want to be a part of this. I planned to go back this past week but Scarlett (my wretched poor white trash car) is in the shop AGAIN. This time it’s her rear end. Hopefully next week.

I learned another new lesson this week, fresh coconut is not always the best thing to bake with. I mean FRESH, cut from the coconut that fell off the tree and shredded finely. I planned to take some coconut macaroons to Chuck and Nancy’s for a get together on Sunday. Yeah, well, not going to happen. I did not drain or bake the coconut and that was stupid on my part. I should have GOOGLED, “How to bake with fresh coconut” first. I did not. I got the cookies made and in the oven and all the coconut milk cooked out and all over the pans and it turned into a congealed mess. I needed a machete to get the freaking things off the pan. They were not cooked but were a gooey expensive mess (full of almonds) that I threw in the garbage and vowed never to make them again, especially NOT with fresh coconut.

The coconut thing kind of pissed me off so I went to Parrot Tree pool to while away the afternoon. I was the only person there until the silence was broken by a screaming child. I don’t mean crying, I mean full on screaming because her damn flip flop came off while she was sitting by the side of the pool. It didn’t piss me off that she was crying, what did piss me off is that the 2 older girls with her ignored her and just LET HER SCREAM. Annoying. Finally they put her damn shoe on her. I noticed as they were entering one of the condos that they left their trash floating in the pool. First a screaming child, then litterers. I got back in the pool and got their cups and water bottles out and threw them in the trash cans. Man, I hate people who expect others to clean up after them. It seems to be the mentality around this island and it infuriates me. Every day I see people throw shit out of their car, RECO (electric company) trucks, cabbies, tourist vans, you name it, just toss it. Someone else will pick it up for you. PMO, BT. (piss me off, big time!)

After 4 hours at the pool I decided to go home and think of something else to bake. On the way I swung by Walter’s to say hello. He and QuiQay were there, Walter was making stew and QuiQay was cleaning out the fridge. I sat and chatted with them for a bit and Walter invited us to dinner that evening. I came home, showered and made a salad and dressing for the meal at Walter’s. We got there around 6 and were surprised to see 2 other vehicles there. I hoped I had enough salad! Nancy and Chuck were there and Myrt and his wife Edith. We had a great dinner and sat around the table talking for quite awhile. Myrt and Edith were telling us some stories about the crocodiles on the island. Edith was pretty hysterical to listen to and their stories are right out of the “you can’t make this shit up” book. All in all, a very fun evening.

10710274_809367365787806_5133960461299437761_o — Walter took this photo celebrating his official “housewarming” dinner party.

Sunday morning I decided to bake apple nut bread so Bill ran to the store for me to get what I was lacking for the recipe. It turned out yummy so I took a few slices down to John while it was still warm. At 4:00 we rode over to Chuck and Nancy’s with Craig and Cleo and a plate of apple nut bread. Nancy was making her killer Margaritas and Pina Coladas and had a variety of yummy snack items for us. We sat out on their deck overlooking Milton Bight and talked for several hours.

Chuck, one of the hosts, on the left, Craig on the right.

Bill kind of unknowingly photobombed this one.

My favorite chairs from Umbul Umbul, I wish they were mine.

A view of Milton Bight and my friend Annie’s home.

Have I mentioned that I stopped drinking alcoholic beverages? Contrary to popular belief, I never drank that much. I am too much of a control freak and I don’t like not remembering the night before. (Yes, I have experienced those things in a previous life and once at Parrot Tree pool recently.) I usually only have one vodka per night, on a rare occasion I would have 2 and never finish the second. If I’m drinking wine, I drink more. This, I believe, is because it’s easy. Just pour, or in the case of me being lucky and having some Bandit, just sip out of the carton. Anyhow, the night Stef and Jurgen came for dinner was the last I drank and that was 10/30. It doesn’t bother me not to drink and I like that. I have been chugging copious amounts of water though, which is not a bad thing. Despite the fact Walter had wine for me and I love Nancy’s Margaritas, I stuck with water. I don’t plan to never drink again, just not nightly.

Since it is the rainy season it has been kind of cool, like in the upper 70’s. Don’t laugh and make fun of me. If you are used to 88 degree days and then have the temp drop 15 degrees, it’s cold. We went to the store to get stuff to make a crock pot of chicken stew, some French onion soup and I wanted to bake pumpkin muffins with cream cheese icing. I actually put on a pair of capris and a cotton sweater. By the time we got out of the grocery store the sun was out and it was hot. So much for chilly soup weather. We made the onion soup and the pot of stew anyhow and I was back in a sleeveless dress in a heartbeat.

My legs were almost covered, a real rarity on the island.

The baking bug has bitten me in the ass recently. When my boys were young I baked all the time. I was skinny then, it didn’t matter. Then I stopped baking because if I bake it, I eat it. Not a good thing. The other day I decided to bake an old favorite, a recipe Cathy Hurvitz gave me years ago, pumpkin bread. I made cupcakes instead and also made a from scratch cream cheese frosting. I’ve since gained 7.5#’s in each butt cheek. But, OMG, they are yummy.

I drug some of my scrapbooking stuff upstairs the other day. I’m not sure why but I ended up making a few things; however I no longer have the overwhelming desire to do it. I think it’s possibly the lack of available supplies here and if I use what I have, I won’t have any more. It is the reason there is still one box of Bandit still in the pantry. If I drink it I won’t have any more. I know, it’s a mental issue thingie. Just another to add to the sordid list that are my brain malfunctions.

We took the boy dogs to the vets for their shots. The Doc was not there yet so we had to wait for quite awhile. Lucky of course, was polite and well mannered. Then there was Highway who is such a blundering idiot that I am embarrassed he is mine. See the little red spot under his eye? He gets these pustule sores every now and then and we have to put him on Cephalexin for 5 days and they go away. This is also something that the vets in the US couldn’t figure out, even after we spent $5000.00. So he gets sores, he gets meds and they go away. Most expensive pot licker dog in the universe, and he’s mine. Yippee shit. Lucky has been chewing his paw and he has a sore there. The vet gave me a scrip for a spray for it. That one is healing but now he has one on his butt. I’m not sure if they are hot spots or what. I’ll keep treating this one too and if it’s not better he goes back to the vet on Wed. We have to go anyhow because Dooce and Emmy need their shots too. Three dogs and a cat is too much for one trip. It took 2 people to hold Lucky on the table for his shots and his heart worm test. I could barely contain Highway who couldn’t understand why Luck was on the table getting attention and he was on the floor. He had already had his shots but he kept trying to get back on the table with Luck. I had to take him outside.

Both of the boys, Highway has fits when he sees another dog and barks and growls and slobbers. Luck is all, so what, it’s a dog..

I took half a dozen cupcakes to the vet too. Kevin, the one assistant wasn’t there so it was just Bethany and Dr. Calderone who got the treats. She said they were “finger licking.” I need to do that more often because I really appreciate the fact that he comes over here weekly to doctor our animals. He’s a great guy! Kevin, his assistant is trying to raise the money to attend veterinary school on the mainland. It will cost him around $6000.00 a year for room and board, he also has a partial scholarship. He is from Roatan and his family does not have the means to send him to school. The Roatan Humane Society is trying to help him as much as possible. His dream is to come back to the island and be a full time vet and it is so needed. Kevin has a heart of gold and will do an excellent job, here’s hoping he can raise the money!

I have been allowing Emmy to get into the routine of jumping out the window in the morning and exploring the porch. That is until the other day when I forgot she was out there. When I went to look in her normal spot, she wasn’t there. Luck and Dooce were on the porch but Highway wasn’t. That meant one thing, Emmy was where he was. Sure enough she was down in the grass laying and he was jumping, like the fool that he is, around her. The look on her face was kill me now. Or better yet, KILL THIS IDIOT. I don’t want her down there because she can get out through the gate and she would take off and in no time at all be Vulture food. Plus, she doesn’t have fleas or ticks or bugs and she sleeps with me, I would kind of like to keep her pest free. Now she is not allowed out and she is pissed. I could put a collar on her and leash her out but the last time I did that (in the early 70’s) friends came to our second floor apartment and asked why my cat was hanging from her neck off the porch. Well, I guess it’s because she jumped. No leash for Emmy.

On Thursday I went to another lunch at Cal’s, the restaurant that is right down the road from us. I thought it was going to be a small affair, half a dozen women, but it wasn’t. There were at least 15 women there, too many to have a conversation with. I had eaten a few pumpkin cupcakes in the morning and by the time I got there, I wasn’t hungry in the least. I wasn’t going to eat anything but decided on a salad so I didn’t sit there with nothing to eat while everyone else was eating. I did get to chat with a few people I don’t get to see often, so that made me happy!

On Friday I banished the dogs from ever setting foot in the house again (this lasted about 36 hours) and I cleaned the huge amounts of dog hair from the shelves, floor, upholstered couch that it sticks to like glue, OMG, it was everywhere. Add to that the filthy screens and windows and this place was a pig sty. I busted my butt cleaning and once again, hurt my back. I hurt it enough that at 4 PM I went to bed with my laptop and stayed there the remainder of the night. I didn’t even get up to eat anything. (Lie, I ate another cupcake) AND, I missed the damn safety meeting about proper safety head wear. I can just imagine my punishment for this infraction. This is the email I received due to my non-appearance.

Following are the minutes from yesterday’s safety meeting.

1. Attendance SUCKED!

2. There were no presentations on Safety helmets. Members are at great risk with no protective head gear.

3. Meeting was adjourned due to dark clouds.

4. Several members drank to much and had to go to Cal’s for dinner.

Next meeting agenda item will include but not be limited to Safety Footwear. Locally made here on Roatan, the discussion will center on whether to endorse this product line with the SCM Stamp of Approval.

These minutes are hereby approved for distribution.

This is the kind of shit you have to put up with to live in a PWT hood.

I bought this skirt when I was in the states. I really liked it but it was too long. I bought it anyhow. I decided to remove the bottom ruffle and then hem it, Viola’, a short skirt. I know, don’t tell me, I’m not 14. I’m too old for short skirts, blah blah blah. I don’t care. I will not lie, I like short skirts and I will wear them until I die. WOW, a rhyme..

I then hemmed the ruffle’s raw edge and made an infinity scarf.

I saw this truck when I was with Jurgen in Coxen Hole. It’s a fruit truck and to advertise their wares they have random bags of fruit tied ALL AROUND THE TRUCK. Only on Roatan.

Yesterday Jeanie and Roger came over for brunch. We decided to eat dinner early because they have a long drive back to their house in Camp Bay. Bill once again made his semi famous pizza on the grill and I made a salad. While at the ladies lunch the other day Jeanie, Annie and I were talking about sewing and I said I had one needle left for my machine and that Susan was going to bring me some when she comes down. Jeanie shows up with needles, chocolate and this cute metal sandals wall hanging.

I have the perfect place for the sandals, the needles will be on my sewing machine and well, the chocolate will be in my mouth.

Jeanie knew I hadn’t been drinking but she informed me I would have a glass of wine with her, and I did. In fact, I had 2 glasses, 1/4 full each so not really even a full glass. We had a super time hanging out with them. I sure am happy we met Jeanie in 2012 while we were planking at Camp Bay. It was destiny.

One last “you can’t make this shit up picture” and I’m going to go fold laundry. I know, the excitement of it all. Going home the other day we followed this truck. It had a huge box that was tied with a rope in the lower 1/20th of the box. Like it would stop it from toppling out of the back of the truck.

Nothing over the top, nothing higher up on the box, just this little old rope and the Incredible Hulk laying his strong hand on the box to steady it. Only on Roatan.

I’ll leave you with this cuteness. Emmy was laying alongside of me on the bed, kneading. She did it for about 10 minutes, but in this clip, if you turn your sound up, you can hear her purring really loud! She still loves me.