November 26, 2010

look who made her appearance!

how many of you have been given plants from friends

only to have them not grow or bloom?

that happens to me alot

i try but for some reason they just don't 'take'

and it is discouraging

well back in october i went to see brandi's friend 

on the beach and she gave us LOTS of plants

and i am happy and thrilled to say that they all survived

mind you, this is our rainy season and everything is growing

at a ridiculous rate

this flower was given to me by emilia and

both carlos and i often go on 'flower patrol'

by that i mean we wander slowly through the garden 

looking for plants that have bloomed

well today carlos exclaimed

'oy, la flor es que bonita!!!'

(oh, the flower is beautiful!)

and i can't agree more.

so lovely isn't it?

this morning carlos and i did some serious work in the garden

the one bed is 'rather empty' so with bob and brandi's advise

we decided to fill it with some big plants

it meant alot of work for carlos, digging and lugging huge plants 

around 

while i said, okay just turn it abit, maybe a bit more, over a bit...

until we got it 'just right'

but this is excellent for carlos to learn to plant and design a garden

it is a work in process

or as carlos says 'poco a poco' which means little by little

we put in the plant with the 3 spiky things, the tall red one beside it,

the little reddish green bush on the left and a huge hibiscus (which you can't see)

next step:   medium plants and small floral plants along the edge.

November 10, 2010

rain's a comin'

as we were driving home from the shop today

(which was ridiculously s.l.o.w)

i saw the tips of those clouds above the trees so i asked bob

to drive into seadancer so i could get a photo.

it was a short walk across the beach

and i was blown away by the dramatic, heavy

and yes, rain filled clouds!!

and yes, we barely made it back to the car

before the rain fell!

November 2, 2010

the cigar man

when the cruise ship docks in coxen hole

the street comes alive with vendors of all sorts

this guy sells cigars on the street

his hat is new so i couldn't resist taking his photo!

i took a taxi to the cruise ship at 3:00 and spent an hour

sitting in a chair at the shop

was a wonderful change for me!

it was great to interact with the tourists,

answering their questions, telling stories, selling things...

all while sitting down, of course!

it was good to talk to our other 'vendor' friends

getting lots of hugs etc.

there is a young man who lives nearby who is mentally challenged

i can barely understand him when he speaks

today he was saying something to me 

but i couldn't make it out

a few min. later he came to the shop holding a pair

of brand new white anklet socks

and smiling!

i was so appreciative and touched!

i need to wear shoes now and my socks are rather.. ugly..

so it was kind of robin to share one of his new socks with me

i thought.. 

oh 

it 

is 

good 

to be 

out and about again

just a little outing

not much strain on my foot at all

but it was so good

i wish you could have heard bob's voice 

when i called him while in the taxi.

"you are what?

coming to the shop???"

"yes just for a hour or so

it will be fun"

and it was!

November 1, 2010

pure genius

can you do the rubix cube?

i can't

our daughter emily can do it in less then 2 minutes

this t shirt is so tiny ... i got it second hand

i wish it was bigger so i could send it to emily

but as it was i gave it to kandi

she is carlo's sister

every day she comes to the house around 9 am 

and brings him breakfast

homemade tortillas, rice and beans

his mom makes them fresh everyday

imagine that!!

and kandi walks about 40 minutes to bring it to her brother

since my injury i have been using kandi to help me around the house

today she swept, and dusted

and helped me finish making my photo cards.

she is meticulous and i know she is proud of the good work she does

i love their family!!

so

much!!

they are such a blessing

when i told her what the tshirt said

she smiled broadly

pure genius??

without a doubt!!

October 31, 2010

after the rain

sometimes i just take too many photos to choose one.  this afternoon i went for a short walk around the yard and decided to make a video.  you can view it here..video

hope you had a great weekend!
xo

October 30, 2010

 

my page turner

i was laying on my bed 'trying' to read my book

(yes i am being a good girl and resting my achilles tendon!)

i thought it would be nice to have buddy with me

but he had other plans:

being a royal pest!

let's see ... what did he do?

he would climb on my head,

sit on my lip,

crawl on my hand and kept chewing the pages of my book

ran up and down my tummy chirping loudly

you guessed it:

i put him back in his cage!

do you think it is possible to teach a bird no?

i hope so!

he normally is good company but not when i want to read!!

no means no buddy!!!!!

i took a wee walk around my garden this morning

such a lovely day

not hot but still sunny

everything is growing so beautifully!

October 29, 2010

yes you are!

they say that every person needs to know two things:

am i loved?

am i significant?

well tonight i will say it to you

yes you are..

you are loved

deeply

profoundly

without question

unconditionally

daily

in the dark times

in a circle of friends

when you are alone

He knows your name

you are loved
yes you are
zeph. 3:17

xo

October 28, 2010

eye candy

isn't this lovely

i saw it this morning standing so straight and tall and beautiful

i waited til this afternoon so the light would be just right.

to me,

the background (light)

is as important as the subject

i was trying to explain that to carlos, our spanish gardener.

i wish you could have been a fly on the wall for that conversation

i don't know how to say words like:

focus, subject, bokeh

in spanish

so i gave up and weakly smiled and said,

que bonita si?

that's pretty yes?

that's pretty yes!!

i call this eye candy

something sweet for our eyes

hope your thursday has been a sweet one

i was so happy to spend the afternoon with laura and sebastian

went for a drive

then came back here for lunch

we had one scare though!

she had brought lola her Chihuahua with her

and as we were gathered up sebastian, bags etc

suddenly, moto, our crazy island dog came barging in the house

(which he never does!!)

with full intention to rip lola to pieces

i was so scared that i lunged to grab moto, 

and stepped on sebastians hand!!

laura grabs lola who was quivering madly in her arms

sebastian is crying!

total mayhem and chaos!

we were all shaken up

such is life when you own a guard dog

that is why it was so nice to go for a quiet stroll through the garden

after they left!

October 27, 2010

my soul is free

look at that view!

i guess if you have to put your feet up this is a great place to do it!

i moved my chair out on the deck 

beckoned sweetly by the breezes

and the azure blues of the sea

i am happy to report that my achilles tendon seems

to be getting better

i don't have a sharp execruiating pain shooting up my calf anymore

that is good right?

but my heels are still numb and they throb 

so i am trying to be 'off them'

even my computer time is limited

because even the pressure of sitting with my feet on the floor is irritating

oh well

one thing i have been doing more is praying

i can do that

so i guess that would be the upside of all of this

yesterday brandi brought her friend over to help me clean the house

bless her heart!

her name is blanca 

how beautiful is that?!

she is a quiet, gentle hearted woman

who is just trying to make the ends meet

she normally works at a hotel in west end 

but times are slow on the island so she is laid off

well she knows how to clean i tell you that!

i have uploaded some spanish worship music for carlos so i put 

that on for her.

oh my!  i am growing to love spanish music more and more!!

it really blesses me!

we listened to marco witt all day long!!   

can anyone tell me why it makes me cry?

it does!

perhaps it is just the beauty of the language but i think it is 

the intensity and the emotion of which they live and sing about the Lord

either way

i had a good day 

watching blanca work, laying around, listening to music

bob went to the 'made in roatan' shop

*sniff* i wish i could have gone

it was a slow day there

 in the evening we met with brandi and yourgin for the evening.

that too was a blessing.

so...

all in all

i may not be running around hither and yon

(whatever that means)

but my soul is free

and you can't beat that!

October 26, 2010

i think i can

buddy, my budgie is getting so tame

i found him trying to get water out of my glass

fortunately i had my camera nearby.

since my tendon injury i have my chair set up

with my phone, water, books, camera, tv remote

everything handy so i don't need to get up

buddy is truly the best bird ever!

picking a budgie is no easy feat

because you can't tell if they will be a good bird or a dud

i have had 4 budgies:  2 were good, 2 were horrific!

but buddy is right up there in the 'best bird' category!

he is so friendly and his one claim to fame is this:

he doesn't bite

that is remarkable!

as birds typically like to bite,

but he hasn't bite a soul

and because he is friendly and tame 

many people have held him

sometimes he makes a little 'clucking' sound

as if to say...hey you, leave me alone!!!

but bite?  nope.

the night of the hurricane we lost power, he was nervous so i kept him close by me

the other thing is that he LOVES human food

yeah he is a little spoiled

because i basically chew up my dinner and put it on my hand

and he gobbles it up

if i try to ignore him he flies over, waddles across my shoulder

and tries to take the food out of my mouth.

i know, i know.. i have created a monster!!!

his favorite food?

i'd say lettuce

but he will eat pretty much anything.

except guacamole because it is toxic for birds and he could die 

so, of course, i keep that far from him

he is starting to talk

he can say pretty bird, hey buddy, and once he said 

how ya doin'?

he loves to have showers instead of baths

i just run the water in the kitchen sink 

and say, hey buddy you wanna have a shower?

and he fluffs up

so now when i say that he responds with a fluffing and 

then i put him on my open hand and he runs back and forth

under the water stretching out his wings

it is adorable!

so mr. buddy,

thanks for being such good company

and yes

i gave him a drink of my water.. he likes it cold!!

:-)

here he is trying to figure out how to get the water from my glass

October 25, 2010

storm? what storm?

we woke up to beautiful clear blue skies,

a calm turquoise sea

and temperatures in the low 80's

that is one of the good things about the tropics

the storms come in with all their fury and next day

it is back to business in beautiful-ness!

it was a perfect day for a snorkel

bob went with ron as i am still not able to snorkel 

due to this achilles tendon problem

but i don't mind

i could see the sea from my chair

and i read, dozed, played with buddy

and spent some beautiful time being quiet in prayer

p.e.a.c.e.f.u.l

i am a no nonsense, high energy girl

i enjoy being active, visiting people, helping out where i can

but when i need to stop i can stop.

it isn't easy but i don't fight it (much!)

my goal:  heal up!!!

so bob said hi to the sea turtle for me 

and told me that the fishies weren't out in mass

i think maybe they might still be in hiding due to the storm

 a note from my garden:

this is a ginger flower that is sprouting babies!

how cool is that?!

now we will have over 6 little  ginger plants to start.

i am excited because tomorrow

nabisha is coming over to look at my garden

she is a landscaper on the island
and i am excited to have her input!

October 24, 2010

after the storm

well hurricane richard has come and gone

we are thankful that there wasn't more damage

on our property we lost a number of banana trees, and a papaya tree

the place was littered with branches and leaves

it could have been alot worse

basically rain and wind

and we lost our power in the night

it was off for about 18 hours

so we did alot of reading, sleeping, playing games

once the rain stopped 

we went for a drive and saw alot of power poles broken and lines down

trees cracked in two

evidence of some flooding in the flowers bay area

apparently the people of oakridge got hit hard

i am thankful to reco, our electric company for working hard to get 

the power restored so soon

i haven't heard how people made out in the colonia

i will find out tomorrow when carlos comes to work

it is now at belize with winds up to 90 mph

many people have been evacuated

i am praying for their safety and that the storm passes quickly.

October 23, 2010

first signs of richard

yup them clouds have rain in them!!

bob and i went to french harbour to buy a new tigo stick
and go on their plan

and we encountered some interesting weather on the way home.
heavy heavy rain!!

we have been watching richard make his way towards us

many have told him that he isn't welcome on our little island but he isn't listening

hurricane richard 

we expect him to go right over roatan around 7:00 am

at about 65 mph

we are as ready as we can be.

extra batteries, extra water, phone cards full, food in the cupboards,

outside furniture inside,

the gutters have been cleaned

my concern right now is that they are predicting between 6 -8 inches of rainfall

which will mean flooding and flash floods.

alot of people live in flimsy little homes on the sides of hills

and i pray that they will be safe

this morning we handed out food, and sheets

to some people in our immediate neighboorhood.
there weren't any blankets donated but i think the sheets will be better then nothing
this weather is getting cold.
i am grateful for the cruise ships who donate sheets, pillows and blankets

and so...
now we wait

and pray

October 22, 2010

taking it easy

as i mentioned yesterday 

my achilles tendon has a slight tear

so i have been taking it easy

i have been moving from the couch,

to a lazy chair, to my bed

trying to rest up

it is interesting what we notice when we are stationary
like the light on the arm chair
and the detail of the wicker.

today it rained heavy and as i laid on the bed

i was so grateful for the coolness that the rains bring
 the sound of heavy rain is so soothing
i dozed off  feeling so blessed

tonight we are having a games night

i had thought about canceling since i am not supposed to be 

on my feet

but bob said that i can just rest

and he will help

others have offered to help as well

so i will be lounging instead of playing hostess

i love games and look forward to having a good time tonight

happy friday!

:-)

October 21, 2010

torn but believing

the last couple of days i have experienced a lot of pain while walking

and numbness in my heel.

i went to the clinic today and was diagnosed with a torn achilles tendon.

it happened when i fell down the stairs.

it was initially very sore and painful

i am not sure why it just flared up a couple of days ago

but it did

so i will be resting.

i admit

that isn't easy for me!

so i need to get that foot elevated.

i will try to keep up this blog but it will be short as even just sitting here isn't pleasant.

thanks for any prayers on my behalf.

October 20, 2010

exotic

one day last year sometime our neighbors climbed up a tree

to get me this flower

here is a 

photo i took at the time

today while i was at the kiln with bob in french cay,

i spied it for myself

i wasn't able to get the flower but i climbed up a bit to get a piece of the branch,

to plant, of course!

but i couldn't get it to break off so i went in search for a machete

i saw a couple of spanish guys

working on a truck so 

i asked if they had a machete

yes, they looked at me strangely

it is a rather strange request!! 

haha

then i explained that i wanted a branch from a tree

one brave soul followed me back to the tree

now this guy is a pure saint

because he climbed up to get me a good thick branch!

apparently the thicker the tree (like a small trunk) the better they plant

or maybe he just wanted to show me his expert climbing skills!!!

at one point another man came over and started speaking in spanish

i heard him say,

she is crazy!

i laughed, and in spanish

i am not totally crazy just a little crazy

i really like plants!

i wish you could have seen the look on his face when he realized

i could understand him.

was priceless!!

so not only do i have a couple of big branches to plant

but we found some little seedlings near the trunk too.

i will be patient

i will be patient

and wait to have these flowers in my yard!!

imagine that!!

October 19, 2010

a gardening peril

as i was walking down the garden path i ran into this guy!
i called carlos screaming loudly.
spiders and i don't mix that well.


i asked where he found it and it was resting quietly
in amongst my plants.


oh no.
i always thought that tarantulas stayed out by the bamboo
i think i will put up a sign that says
'no tarantulas welcome!'


you don't want to know what happened to him...

October 18, 2010

Water Hyacinth

today my friend brandi called to see if i wanted to go

to her friends house to get some plants.

we both brought a couple of plastic bags

we weren't prepared for the ladies generosity!

emilia, a lovely spanish lady who lives by the sea 

in sandy bay

has the most amazing garden!!

she got a shovel and her machete and began

wacking and digging huge plants out for us.

it is overwhelming.

i counted about 40 plants that she gave me

and the same for brandi

i tried to pay her for the plants but she kept saying

it is a gift, it is a gift in spanish

i said, yes it is a gift from you,

and may this be a gift from God to YOU!

but she wouldn't hear of it.

so kind

so so so kind.

brandi and i  were both so overwhelmed

we could barely get all the plants in the car!!

 i almost cried on the way home

~~tears of joy~~

i am so grateful

for the generosity on this island

so grateful

i am going to get someone to come and help 

me to prepare the soil, and help to arrange the plants properly.

what a big job!

but one that i am thrilled to have on my plate!!

October 17, 2010

 

 

a confession

i admit

i have a bit of a problem

nothing serious really

but it is something i need to constantly deal with

i could be a potential plant thief!

it's true.

i love plants, and there are sooo many wonderful plants here

and things grow so easily so all you need to do is get a little slip,

stick it in the ground and it will grow.

do you think it is wrong to simply take a piece?

i don't really.

but if won't take the roots without asking

i got this piece from anthony's key.

i have it in water right now waiting for roots to form.

usually i just stick it in the ground but i don't want to

take a chance of it not 'catching',

or the dog running over it,

or it getting drowned in the rain

so i am babying it a little bit

yes i asked for a piece!!

what i am looking forward to!!

October, 16, 2010

 she's crafty!!

last night was our first official 

"she's crafty" night in roatan

it was hosted by laura

above me,

far right

we had a flip flop decorating party!

what fun!

we enjoyed munchies and good chatting together

and then got down to business

making the funkiest, coolest, snazziest flip flops ever!!

laura provided us with flip flops from the states

as well as many different accessories like

ribbons, beads, shiny sequins, sea trinkets,

silver leaves!!

what fun!

we just rose the bar in terms of flip flops didn't we??!

super snazzy!!!

mine are the 7th flip flop in 

(someone else modelled them as i took the photo)

the next "she's crafty" night?

i will teach them how to make stamped christmas cards!

oh yeah!!