October 10, 2010

happy thanksgiving

welcome to my world

when you don't have family near by you have to make family

this is my roatan family

carlos, the young man in the green shirt is our gardener

and we have definitely 'adopted' him

and have grown to love his family too

we had such a wonderful time together

sharing, laughing, stumbling through spanish/english together

but all the while extending our hearts and hands to each other.

it was a very special time

with too much food, lots of cake (not pie as they don't like that as much)

and lots and lots of laughter!

kendi the girl in the front came to the house a few hours early 

and helped me stuff the bird, peel veggies

and we made name cards for everyone

i taught her to stamp and emboss and she loved that!

we put a bible verse on the inside of each card 

and during the dinner everyone read it

we expressed what we are thankful for

i was so overcome with emotion that tears welled up in my eyes

those of you who know me well, realize how hard it is for me to not have family nearby

so to have these special people gathered around my table was really wonderful.

i realize that class, language, color doesn't matter one bit when 

love is expressed and shared.

it really doesn't matter at all

i am thankful

so thankful

for His unending love,

for my family across the globe

for my family near at hand

for friends who know me and still love me

and for a husband who still whistled at me when i dress up nice.

i am blessed.

happy thanksgiving.

October 9, 2010

a green jewel

this morning while out walking with brandi she pointed

out these little green squishy balls

that were all along the edge of the sea,

nestled in the seaweed.

i was quite curious as to what they were

i went out again in the afternoon to get a better photo of them

and  i asked a number of local people

what the squishy green balls were

most didn't have a clue

but some ventured a guess:

a flower from the coral reef,

or maybe planktin,

i had to go online to find out what they were

i had never seen them before so after doing a bit of research

i found out that they are called codium bursa,

which is a type of algae

the one i found is quite small but apparently they can

grow to be the size of coconuts

they typically grow at about 11 metres deep 

 here is an  underwater photo of them in their natural habitat
(the algae is the second photo in the gallery, just click on it to see it large)

i guess with all the high winds churning up the sea 

that these little bits of algae have broken off and are

now littering the shore.

there is so much to learn everyday about life isn't there?

i find it fascinating to learn new things.

it is a wonderful world we live in

absolutely incredible

i hope you continue to enjoy small wonders

in your corner of the world!

glory glory glory
hallelujah
all around me
i am blessed

October 8, 2010

windswept seaweed

i love the rainy season here!

we don't have snow to shovel but the beach does

get awfully messy with seaweed, driftwood, and tons of garbage.

i am trying to recondition carlos because he was told he 

didn't need to clean the beach except when the owners come down

but i say...

yes you DO need to clean the beach

it is part of our property and it needs to be cleaned

so i guess there is some shovelling but at least it isn't cold!

 today is a lovely day for us in the rainy season

ahhh blue sky, mild temperatures, and a vigorous wind blowing

if you look at the photo you will see the waves in the background

usually the sea is very calm but i love the fringe of white caps

that are roaring over the reef these days

so picturesque 

before coming here i was concerned about the rainy season

since i read on the internet that it is from october to february

and i imagined days and days 

and months and months of rain

with dreary grey skies and depressing weather

we do get alot of rain

but often the sky breaks, the sun comes out,

and it is just a beautiful day with wonderful moderate temps

in fact i love the rainy season!!

it is a time for drinking tea,

reading books,

and turning on the oven without turning the house into a sauna.

an adjustment to the rainy season is learning to drive in the pouring rain

many of the taxi drivers don't slow down, and with their balled tires 

they are more accidents due to slippery roads.

driving in the rain is like learning to drive in the snow

you need to slow down and be a bit more cautious

one of the highlights for me 

(other then the cooler temperatures)

is gardening!

everything grows at a phenomenal rate in the rainy season

carlos and i have been planting like crazy.

this is how you do it here:

you take a branch of a plant 

(hibiscus, plumeria, ginger.. whatever!)

you prune it back,

you stick in the ground,

and within a week it starts to sprout!

amazing!

i know alot of people put their tender plants in plastic bags 

and transplant them

but we just put them right in the garden and hope the dog doesn't

run them down.

it is a joyous time for me!!

this weekend is canadian thanksgiving

we are having carlos and his family over for dinner on sunday.

that ought to be interesting since none of his family speaks a lick of english!!

haha..

oh the joys of living cross culturally!  

i am thankful for this wonderful opportunity to blend, and love and learn here 

on this island

the only thing that would make it better:

  YOU!

October 7, 2010

white caps!

today i went to see laura

at turtle crossing, west bay

i had to stop when i got a glimpse of this view

out the corner of my eye.

amazing isn't it?!

the winds are picking up

normally the sea is calm here but lately it has been rough

i think it looks so majestic!

had a wonderful visit with laura

 she is the type of person

 who makes everyone she meets feel special

when i got out of the car she told me my hair

looked like i just got out of the hairdresser!!

i had to laugh because we all know that one of the drawbacks

of living in the caribbean is that our hair is dry, and very windblown

but i did blow dry it and she noticed my 'attempt'

we had a wonderful time together catching up,

laughing, sharing, eating salad together.

as we were cleaning up i asked if she used compost

and she told me she didn't but sometimes they throw it out in the yard

for the turkey vultures

she told me to toss it far

okay!

well i tossed it alright but forgot to take in the wind factor

and the next thing i know all the bits of salad were

sailing through the air  and landed in her pool!!

it was hilarious.

i then imagined her having a pool party and the surprise it would 

have been for her guests to have a 'spray' of wilty salad in their hair

and stuck on their expensive sunglasses!

it is good for the soul to laugh

and...

you should see my toes!

she gave me a french pedicure.

yes i was spoiled rotten!

it was a belated birthday present

was a wonderful way to spend the day.

so thankful to be able to spend unhurried beautiful time together.

blessings to you laura

xo

October 6, 2010

a posie

anyone know what these are called?

i am not sure

i love them!

they also come in yellow too

so cheery

i am doing a week of autumn colors 

through
flickr 

todays color is orange

i am keeping this short because my back and elbow is still

really sore and typing irritates it alot.

i think tomorrow i will get an xray of my elbow just to 

make sure i haven't fractured it

the pain is unbearable!

October 5, 2010

sold!!

we spent the day at the shop today

and it was slow due to all the rain

yes it poured almost all day!!!

i had just said to bob,

"honey let's go home"

when a couple came in from australia

i showed her around the shop.

i showed her this piece.

it wasn't cheap

cost 35.00

i told her the artist, yourgin, had said that it was really a show piece

and he couldn't budge on the price 

just wanted people to see how beautiful it was.

she said,

it is lovely 

so lovely

in fact 

i want it!

sold!!!

the proud new owner!

it is lovely isn't it?

to be honest i am sad to see it leave the shop as i would often

walk to the window, hold it up to the light

and admire the colors of the blue and the streaks of iron pyrite

weaving its way through the stone

this was handcarved and polished by yourgin..

one of the many beautiful pieces of work 

in the made in roatan shop.

on a personal note,

i slipped and fell down zenola's wooden steps today

they were sooo slippery

as i was going down

i just prayed

'oh Lord please help me not to break anything'

i am happy to say i didn't break anything

but i have a big bruise on my back, elbow and i basically feel

like i was run over by a truck.

i wish i had a bathtub

because i would soak all the aches away.

so tonight if you have a bathtub (which is highly likely)

i hope you will give thanks for it

there are so many conveniences in north america that it 

makes it easy to forget that they are luxuries in most places of the world.

a tub...

a hot sudsy tub...

ahhhh.. i wish!

October 4, 2010

from the top

this morning brandi and i hiked up to the top of lawson rock

she hiked,

i huffed and puffed!

the view was soooooo worth it!!

can you imagine waking up to that view?

wow!

hey have lots that are for sale up there.

what a nice place to build a house ...

i wore shoes for the first time in months 

and i got blisters so decided to hike up in bare feet
i am becoming more and more and more

'island' every day

brandi and i had such a good time

sharing together, laughing, and as i stood

there looking at that view i had to stop

and just thank GOD!

so blessed

i am heading to coxen hole to get my sandals fixed

since my feet are rebelling against shoes.

there is a man in the market who can fix any type of shoe

and he is cheap.

it is hard to get good sandals here so i am happy if they can be fixed.

i hope you have a beautiful day

beautiful inside and out.

xo

October 3, 2010

house on a hill

i went for a beach walk this evening

it had rained literally all day

no, not rained:  poured!

but i am not complaining

i love rain

and we need rain so badly here

but it was delightful to see the sun come out 

just as it was time to set

so i took the dog and headed to the beach

i loved the light on the house

such a warm hue

so i thought i would show you where we live

we are renting this place

and are blessed to live on 2 1/2 acres

with every imaginable tropical flower and

fruit trees like quava, avocado, plaintain, lime,

orange, papaya, bread fruit, and mango

plus coconuts and bananas in abundance

we enjoy sharing it with our island friends

this rain has been wonderful

things are growing so rapidly

i can literally see the growth from day to day

no, i am not joking!

and to top it all off

we get to enjoy this view

as you can see.. there was ALOT of rain earlier as we were coming home from church!!

church, by the way, was awesome!!!!!

October 2, 2010

breezy blue

for the past for 7 months

we have had sun and heat

and the occasion trade wind blowing.

today the weather is sunny and coolish

HA!!

am i loving it?

yes.

the rainy season is coming

it has been raining every night for the past few days

and today the sun came out, yet the wind remained

so it was sunny and not hot!

making it, literally, the perfect day!

i  gardened,

practiced spanish with carlos,

got caught up on correspondence,

shared my birthday cake

with carlos, candy and of course bob,

ran some errands with bob,

wash floors,

cleaned the bathroom,

did laundry

and hallelujah.. i didn't sweat!!!

i know you might be thinking that is more information that you need

but truly after 7 months of almost constant heat i am 

thrilled about the change in the weather.

delighted

truly

delighted!

October 1, 2010

his thoughtfulness

i woke up to this sight

what a beautiful birthday greeting!

i guess bob did this after i had gone to bed

isn't he sweet?

he is!

bob is the best surprise giver ever.

he has given me many surprise birthday parties,

once surprised me with a trip to florida for our 10 anniversary.

he got me to the airport and i didn't have a clue that we were

going on a trip.

in the 28 years of marriage we have learned something

those who give surprises like surprises

but those who receive them often don't.

that means:

i should surprise BOB!

but i can't keep a surprise to save my life.

bob has learned to consult me more before

throwing parties and whisking me away on trips!

he asked what i wanted this year.

i didn't want a big party

i gathered together some of my island friends 

and took them out for dinner to a local dive..

oops i mean favorite restaurant.

it was fun to bless them!

we had a good time together

brandi surprised me with flowers picked from her yard!!

and then in the evening we had a few couples over for

a time of sharing, singing and support spiritually

and yes..

we had cake!!  

a lovely lovely day.

one thing that did surprise me was that

the kids are arranged to all meet up and skype together

THAT WAS WONDERFUL! 

mmmm cake!
looks like a small piece but that is because..
ahem..
that was my third piece!!!

:-)

Sept. 30, 2010

a little light

my day starts early

i am usually up at 5:30 am

while it is still dark

but within a half hour the light is dawning

it is the sweetest time of my day

i watch the light kiss the clouds

i watch the birds come to feed

i listen to the sound of the morning with joy

and 

i am in awe of the beauty that behold my eyes

i try to grab my camera when i get up

for moments such as this

the door on our bedroom is warped so it makes quite a racket

upon opening and closing so i hate to go back in the bedroom

for my camera

as i don't want to wake up bob

(sleep is precious)

thankfully i had grabbed it before leaving the room

i was drawn to the deck by the light in that one cloud

it wasn't til i was standing there that i saw the cruise ship 

coming in bathed in early morning light

light in the clouds

light shining 

through the dark cloud

always hope

always

always

it stills my soul

knowing He is there

no matter what is all around us there is always light shining

as i write this i am listening to kari jobe

and i want to share the lyrics to a song 

that is so fitting

BE STILL

He is here for the broken and life to the one who is undone
He is peace to the wounded and hope for the helpless one
He is here, He is here

Be still my soul, be still
Be still my soul, be still
Wait patiently upon the Lord
Be still my soul, be still

When the waves rise against me and the wind tries to draw me away
I will stand on the mountain, safe in Your arms I will sing I will sing

Be still my soul, be still
Be still my soul, be still
Wait patiently upon the Lord
Be still my soul, be still

Be still I know He is God
He is here, He is here
Be still I know He is God
He is here, He is here

no matter what you are facing

today 

may there be enough light

for you to be still

and know 

that 

He

is 

God

Sept. 29, 2010

a gift

last night we had chuck and tia over for dinner

i was so surprised when she handed me this beautiful candle!

wow
i wasn't expecting anything other then a lovely evening together
connecting after too long


a pleasant surprise

you know how much i love hummingbirds.

how beautiful is this?

it got me thinking about the art of being thoughtful

i believe in some ways it is becoming a lost art

the art of thinking of someone else

and doing or saying something for them

tia is thoughtful
and caring
and alive
here is a quote off her fb page:

Love through me, Love of God.
Make me like thy clear air
through which, unhindered, colors pass
As if it were not there.
--(Amy Carmichael)

i encourage you to do something for someone tomorrow 

or today

whenever you read this

write them a note, give them a call, 

buy them a cupcake,

make time for them in your busy schedule

practice the art of thoughtfulness

it is such a blessing

i am blessed by my little candle

it's soft glow warms my heart 

because i know the heart who gave it to me

what about you?

who are you going to be thoughtful towards?

go for it!

Sept. 28, 2010

homegrown

this is one of my favorite tropical flowers

it is called pride of barbados

i can see why they would call it that

we have a beautiful tree on the far side of the property

i got tired of making my way over there just to see it

or pick some flowers for the table

so i decided to try to grow some from seed.

i am happy to say it worked!!!

today the first flower bloomed.

small joys.

life is full of small joys.

was it worth the wait?

absolutely

most good things are worth the wait

i am also happy to say that the wind is blowing,

rain is falling and that heat that plaqued us is now

a vague yet real memory.

there is a huge storm all around us

a tropical storm

so far it doesn't look like it will be bad

but truthfully i love a good storm

i feel terrible about the terrible mudslides and flooding 

in mexico

please lift them up in your prayers

many lives were lost, 

many homes were destoyed

sorrow prevails for them

on the topic of prayer please pray for our gardener carlos

he had a severe migraine today

he has the aura flashes, vomited twice

and  yet still resisted me taking him to the clinic

but.. i won and he went!

he has special meds to take and the doctor ordered some bloodwork 

to see if it might by acute malaria or anemia.

thanks for sticking with me as  i blog blog blog away.

i am on day 271 out of 365

less then 3 months til the project is done.

Sept. 27, 2010

crabby

the blue crabs are out in full force these days

you see them in the garden
(destroying plants.. argh!)

on pathways

on the road

i knew a gringo here who hated the blue crabs

so everytime he saw one on the road he would run it over

it was a sadistic pleasure of his

'ahha got another one!!'

but the problem was that they 'got' him in the end

when one of their pinchers put a hole in the tire of his car

i know it wasn't nice but i laughed when i heard that

it isn't just gringos that hate these little critters

but so do dogs

today moto, our dog was going crazy barking at it,

nipping at it, and basically trying to eat it

it is strange

can you imagine a north american dog trying to eat a crab??

i can't

but island dogs enjoy the crab meat.

strange eh?

who told the dogs that crab meat is good eatin'??!

:-)

i am happy to say that no crab was injured in this photo shoot

carlos managed to pick up the crab and throw it over the fence

i was proud of him because the local people love crabs..

in their soup!

i am glad he didn't kill it and take it home to mama

it isn't easy being a blue crab here in roatan

tis a dangerous place..

and for the record...

this blasted heat is making me crabby!

september is unbearable here because the trade winds stop blowing

and it is just HOT

the good thing is that in my crabbiness no one tried to run me over,

no dog tried to eat me

so i guess it is okay

i just regret not going out to run errands with bob in the a/c car today

instead i stayed home and roasted to death

yes i am complaining.

unashamed

crabby

moto get away from that crab mister!

Sept. 26, 2010

liquid light

sunday is "west bay day"

we usually visit with friends and snorkel

alot of friends are off island right now (sigh)

and today i tried to snorkel but, my back was too sore after

stupidly trying to take a hibsicus out of the garden yesterday.

i think i did a real number on my back

so instead of snorkeling i went for a nice beach walk

poor bob had to snorkel alone

i know, i know.. i should have left the hibiscus for carlos to deal with

but sometimes i just like puttering in the garden

removing a large tree is a bit more then puttering though.

 anywys, as i was walking i saw a friend in the water 

and so i meandered in

(with my camera in hand, of course)

as she was talking i couldn't believe how beautiful the light

was on the water 

i was listening to her.. yes i was, BUT

i was also thinking 'man, i need to get a photo of this before the light changes!'

i am glad i did

isn't this gorgeous!?!

i am so blessed to live in such a beautiful spot

now in case some of you are having thoughts of envy

let me also share this:

the sand flies were terrible today on the beach

and i got eaten alive.

but you have to take the good with the bad in life

it is all about that.

i hope you had more good in your day then bad...

blessings

xo

Sept. 25, 2010

all he left behind

tropical storm matthew

was scheduled to come right over roatan at one point

but it veered over the mainland instead

we got some rain in the night

not even alot of wind

i got up this morning 

the air was still

the sea wasn't even turned up like the usual storms

i am grateful it wasn't too bad

but i must say that i wished we had more rain

many people on the island don't have water in their cisterns 

right now

so a good downpour would have been helpful

last night they put a curfew out saying no driving at all today

in case of heavy rains

but that has been lifted

so everything here is back to normal

the sun is shining

the sea is calm

another beautiful day on the island

Sept. 24, 2010

flowers bay

we are expecting a visit from matthew,

a tropical storm

sometime tomorrow

it was supposed to go right over roatan

but now it looks like it has veered off towards the mainland

i took this while out walking with brandi 

along flowers bay

you can say the bank of rain clouds in the distance.

rain... oh glorious rain!

please come

we have gas for the car, lots of water, stocked up on food,

bob is fixing some drainage pipes,

carlos cleared off the leaves and fallen branches from the roof

we are ready

bring it on!!

i love a good storm

but i think as i just checked the hurricane centre 

that it will be about 3 days of bad weather.

i welcome the coolness though.

i hope wherever you are that you are safe, sound and happy

Sept. 23, 2010

behind the scenes

not pretty huh?

this is the garbage dump on mud hole road

the word is they are planning on paving that road

and thinking of shipping all that garbage to the mainland

both would be great!

i hope they actually do this because it is quite an eyesore!

not to mention the smell.

but on the flip side

there are people living off this dump

they sort through it and take out all the recycleables.

you can read an article about that if you want from the 

'bay islands voice'

our local magazine.

bay island voice 

you can't tell from the angle that i shot this photo

but in most places the garbage is as high as the wall.

this has kept the north shore from being developed 

because we stupid (oops) north americans don't like

driving by a dump to see God's beauty.

we can be so fickle at times.

so what were bob and i doing out there?

well we drove out to blue harbour lettuce farm to see

if they would have some space on their land to plant 

some moranga seeds.

it was a no to that request 

oh well

but on the flip side i am happy to say that we got a bag of lettuce 

the best lettuce ever!

hydroponically grown!

so delicious!

Sept. 22, 2010

taking a rest

there has been a butterfly invasion

it's been about 4 days now where we will see 100's of them

flying around

they seem to fly primarily along the beach

this guy was resting in our yard 

i wish i could have got a better photo

but he was in a tall tree and this is the best i could do

as you can see his right wing tip has been broken off

i think they have migrated here from up north

that is a long trip and alot of flying

poor little fella

i'd need a  rest too.

Sept. 21, 2010

 

hello again

at the beginning of september i had a wonderful visit 

with this young man in the shop

we had such a good time talking together

i was impressed with his charm, wit and compassion

it was a joy to see him again

i admit though i didn't remember him at first

(i know, tsk tsk.. must be my age!)

but once he started to speak i remembered him well

i blogged about him in my other blog

you can read it if you like

i confess that it is a long blog

 because i wrote out his story and anyone

who loves stories knows that the long ones are the best!

make some tea and settle in for a good long read

speaking of tea i would love some tea

but it is TOO hot to even think about tea

yes i know

the chill is coming in the air where you are but here:

OY!  this is our hottest month

i have a fan blowing warm air on me

and the sea is even warm these days

so a swim isn't the most refreshing thing

plus:  the warm, calm seas bring with them jellyfish!

so i am staying on shore

for now

okay enough complaining!

it is what we canadians do:  complain about the weather

sorry.. some habits die hard.