The Seven Year Itch.

We’ve got it!  The Fisherman & I will celebrate 7 years of living on St. Croix November 4th.  Seven years ago we decided to take a chance.  It was easy back then.  No kids.  No “real jobs” (although my employer at the time might argue against that).  Nothing to tie a couple of twenty-somethings down.  We packed 4 bags total (mine had curtains in them), loaded up the Rodeo, drove to Florida with a 3lb Yorkie

(may she rest in peace), put the car on a ship and got on a plane (with a 3lb Yorkie). 

And never looked back.  I don’t think I could do that now.  It was our age.

Regardless, we said we would give it a year.  A year came and went…and so did two…and three…and so on.  We partied hard those years before kids.  This was OUR island.  Now, raising a family on our tropical land mass, we are experiencing a new St. Croix that we love just as much.  And we still find time to party.

All that mushy lovey stuff being said, YES!  I miss Texas.  YES!  It is harder than hell to live here.  YES!  I miss my family.  YES!  I miss all the convenience that comes with living stateside.  YES!  I miss the seasons.  YES!  I miss Target.  YES! I miss central A/C.  But would I give up what I have here  and move back???  Well, that all depends on the circumstance.  The Fisherman and I discuss it quite often, actually.  Its kind of hard for him to fish in Central Texas.  And fishing outfits are a dime a dozen in Florida.  He’d be a little fish in a big pond. Oh, and not sure where we would get the million dollars to buy a boat to compete on the banks of Florida.  And, I am quite certain that if (or when) we move back to the states, I would find just as much stuff to bitch about and miss living the good live in STX.

Here are a few honest truths I have learned about living on St. Croix…for the past seven, SEVEN years.  Remember, these pertain to MY (The Holley Household) lifestyle on STX; if you are currently a resident you may agree, disagree and have your own set of realities.  In no particular order, Here Goes:

• Conserve water, food and electricity.  Only flush after #2.  Turn off the fans and lights if you are not in a room.  WAPA will eat you out of house & home.  Food costs are high and the quality is low.  Make every bite count.
• Everything costs more (see above).
• Roaches & rats live in paradise, too.
• Always greet people with Good Morning (MOOR’ NIN), Good Afternoon (or AFTA’ NOON), and Good Night (as a greeting, not something you say when you leave, Texans).  And you don’t even have to be particulary cheerful about it.
• Never go grocery shopping on the 1st or 15th of the month.
• Plan on visiting 2-3 grocery stores to complete your grocery list.
• Enjoy every minue at the beach.  Most people dream of “this lifestyle”.
• You can have an open container (of an adult beverage) in your vehicle AND even be drinking it, but you MUST, I repeat, YOU MUST have your seatbelt on. (and not be talking on the phone).
• Centipedes are a f’in way of life.
• Plan on at least a full  8 hour day when dealing with a government office. Drivers license, registering your car, business license, taxes…
• Mongoose like to fight with iguanas.
• Coconut wata’ does not taste good.
• Bananas from my yard at the best!
• Never sleep under a coconut tree.
• Forcast for the past seven years has been Sunny, 88 degrees with a 10% chance of rain.

On my St. Croix, Today is the same as yesterday, and tomorrow will be the same as today.

The days are long, but the years are short.  Seven years have flown by.

Let’s give it another year.

footnote:  Thought you would enjoy this flier my M.I.L helped me put together for our “scouting trip” to STX.  We thought were so cool.  Can’t wait for our kids to see this a appreciate it:

Halloween In Paradise

Let’s just set the stage on a few issues re: Halloween.  Pumpkins, costumes, & trick-or-treating.  We just want our kids to have a normal state-side like spooky experience.  But, you see, its a bit hard when you live on a tropical island.  Oh, the joys of living in paradise.

Pumpkins:  Get them while their hot, because they don’t last long . There are lots of pumpkin carving parties on this island, and you don’t want to show up empty handed.  One year, The Fisherman showed up with an acorn squash.  BUT- don’t carve your gourd until a week before All Hallow’s Eve, because, well, the obvious.  It will just shrivel in this heat and humidity (tip- spray the meat with Pam after you have carved to keep longer!)  Lat year, I remember those gourds going for $15 at FoodTown.  This year, Cost U Less had them for $9 and Plaza for $8.  How does that compare stateside, I wonder? (yes, there are also watermelons in there!)

Costumes, My Way: My kids are still too young to understand the concept of trick-or-treating, , but not to young for me to dress up and send up to strangers asking for candy.  In fact, I live for this stuff.  And because I have WAY too much time on my hands (ya, right), I drive my family crazy trying to compile the PERFECT costumes for the least amount of money.  In 2007 when SC was 11 mos old, I just HAPPENED to stumble across a dog costume, YES a dog costume on clearence at StupidK for $3.  I just bought a red onesie and VIOLA!  She’s a Devil!

2008: I decided SC wanted to be a black cat.  Easy enough.  Black leotard fashioned with some white felt for the chest.  Felt ears adheared onto some hair clips, black leggings,a black boa for a tail and black eyeliner for whiskers.  VIOLA!  She’s a Cat!

       

2009: wait for it…wait for it…Little Bo Peep and YOU guessed it, SJ is her lost sheep.  His costume was super easy.  White onesie with a black lil’ felt tail sewed on.  White baby stocking cap with felt ears sewed on.  SC’s took some scrounging up.  Why couldn’t I just buy one,  you ask?  That would be way too easy.  And she’d end up looking like every other hooker-ish Little Bo Peep costume I saw online.  I ended up re-working a white dress in her closet with pink rick-rack.  Found a hat for $3 on clearance at StupidK.  Found ruffle socks and black tap shoes at the thrift store (I have a feeling I am going to regret those tap shoes when she finds out how much noise they make).  A little ribbon here, some bows there….I just needed a shepherd’s hook, aka, wooden cane.  I had been compiling this costume for several weeks and no luck with a cane.  Even had my thrift store friends be on the look out for one.  This week….the perfect wooden cane was presented to me at the thrift store.  It was smooth and super worn.  I thought about the person who it belonged to (dead or alive).  Bet they never thought their cane would transform into a beautiful shepherd’s hook with some bells and ribbon!  VIOLA!  Little Bo Peep!  (Lost sheep was sleeping when I took this.  Will post later)

And, finally, what to do with our costumed kidlets (not adults)?  Here is “a selection” of our Halloween  options, in no particular order:

1.  Trunk Or Treating at Country Day School:  (you’re gonna love this) Parents park their cars tailgate style in the parking lot of Country Day School while the kids go from “trunk to trunk” asking for goodies.  I have never been and am not knocking it.  Hope to go one day.  I have LOTS of goodies in my trunk, like jumper cables and empty beer bottles.  I think this is a very safe idea for the kids.  They get to dress up and have fun.

2.  AZ Fall Festival: We drove past this chaos last year and it looked like so much fun.  Like something out of a story book.  Kids running down a path underneath a gazilion twinkle lights.  Dressed like monsters, ballerinas, ninjas.  From what I could see from the road.  It looked like an old fashioned small town festival.  And it was PACKED!

3.  Haunted-ville @ Ag Fair Grounds:  Sounds like fun for the older kids.  There’s a chance here of it turning into a real life masacre once it gets dark and late. Hey, I am just sayin….

4.   Trick-or-treating at one of the compounds at Hovensa (compound=gated stateside-like neighborhood where every house looks the same and they have central AC.  Bitches).   You see, not just anyone can take their kidlets all costumed up begging for candy from strangers (which, again, by the way, seems to go against everything we teach our children, never talk to strangers who offfer candy…).  You have to know someone who lives in the compound, or know someone who knows someone…and they have to put you and your kids on a list.  Rumor has it it is the shiznit.  The residents go all out with decor.  Just like in America!  YEEEHAW!!!

When you live on a tropical island, you just can’t walk out your front door and go house to house trick or treating.  First, I think the local Caribbean population is not really sure what Halloween is and why Americans feel the need to dress up and stash candy.  Not a biggie.  Second, with the crime issue and leary-ness of masked people showing up at your house, NOBODY wants to open thier front door.  And third, houses don’t exist down a street in a nice straight line.  You’re lucky if you can even see down a street and even luckier if you can get up or down a driveway in your four-wheel drive vehicle.

Its not as easy as you think to have a “normal” Halloween when you live on a tropical island.  But, just like everything else that is a challenge and different from stateside living, isn’t that why you want to live in paradeise, anyway?  To get away from how things are done in the states????

We hope everyone has a happy and safe Halloween, no mater what your plans are!  We know someone who knows someone………

Here we go. Again. Dammit.

Thanks to Henri Marlin’s parents, we have four new tomato plants.  A gift brought to our fish fry in a pot.  “Well, they can’t stay there”, The Fisherman says.

 

 

 

 

The Garden Of Love, Dammit, has not been touched for…..at least 7 months.  And actually, the pepper plants have thrived on their own with all the recent rain.  Who would of thought?

So, this afternoon, we put SJ in the pack-n-play out on the garden slab and we started to weed it.  It was not that bad.  Even good enough for a hungry garden spider to make its abode.

SC named it Frasco.

Our big a$$ basil plant is still there and doing great. 

The Fisherman divied up the tomato plants (which already have flowers!), in the ground they went and sprinkled with happy water. Lets see how they do.  Henri’s parents are not sure what type of toms these are, so it will be a surprise.  Maybe cherries…maybe romas.

I am sure in the next couple of days, I’ll be buying some flower seeds, trekking to the Ag Dept for plantlets and asking King Of The Garden (father in law) for some more cow peas to try again…damn leaf miners.  But, now I know.

We’ll give it another shot.  Wish us luck.

Giving Thanks, a Month Early.

August 2009 marks the end of our fourth year of business and the beginning of our fifth.  It’s not that hard for me to believe that The Fisherman still fishes everyday, but what is hard for me to believe is interesting life we have made for ourselves is all based on fish.  And that can be super hard sometimes.  Lots of times.

We want to thank EVERYONE who have chartered Mocko Jumbie (both on and off island!), those who recommend to fishwithcarl, those who buy fish…and those who keep telling their fish stories.  With all of this, we could not stay on St. Croix.  Please join us for a good, old fashion fish fry.  Come eat our fresh wahoo.  Our way of saying THANKS!

Our Big @$$ Spider.

What started out as a “simple paper mache project” turned out to be Mommy’s mindless, stress outlet.  See, when we were in Texas, SC spotted an enormous bat hanging in the eaves at the Alecci House; a gift from a grandparent, who no doubt paid at least 80% less than anything I could do or figure out how to get it on island.  Not wanting to pay big bucks to buy/ship/ or give Kmart any more money than I possibly have to, I thought, We Can Make something like that.  Of course I did.

Trying to remember my 3rd grade art class and paper mache, I thought about the process, what creature we would make, and how to exactly go about it.  A SPIDER!  That would be easy enough….I thought.  SC and I spent a few minutes looking on- line at different spiders, learning about what spiders do, and of course, that all spiders have 8 legs (really, I have to MAKE 8 legs??)  Ask her.  She knows.  I described to her the paper mache glue of water & flour mixture…it was going to be MESSY and she liked that, but couldn’t understand why we din’t just use glue from a bottle.  On the cheap, water, flour, newspaper strips was what we needed to get started.

SPIDER TAKE 1: Our first attempt (yes, first) was with my stainless steel mixing bowls.  I thought 2 sizes for the head and body, and somehow attached legs.  I would figure that out later.  Well, apparently spraying Pam on the bowls to help the paper mache slip off was not a good idea because it didn’t work.  No pictures to prove this.  Just take my word for it.

SPIDER TAKE 2:  Balloons.  Good ol’ paper mache mold.  1 small balloon for the head, one bigger one for the body.  This worked perfecly…except the fact that it took a good 15 minutes to get everything set up, SJ down for a nap, table covered in newspaper to catch drips….a few strips applied…and then SC lost interest.  So I was left standing to finish the project.  But, I really got into it.  It turned out to be a several day project because we needed to let the layers dry over night, re-inforce parts, etc.  SC would start off helping me, but usually ended up playing in the bathroom sink to wash her hands.

Finally!  The body was dry and hard and ready for legs!  Hmmm….The Fisherman suggested baling wire, which I doubled and wrapped in paper…several times over to make hard.  Worked like a charm! Forward a couple of more days…a dining table I was tired seeing covered in newspaper…I was attaching legs like a mad woman before a Buck Island trip…and VIOLA!  We have a full fledge spider with 8 legs!

DRY DRY DRY!  I’d like to hang you before Halloween and with all the work I have put into you, you just might live in our living room permanently!

With a full can of cheap black spray paint, some fishing line (sure comes in handy sometimes!) and an empty corner in our living room, the spider is super spook-a-lish-ish. 

And Mommy found a new hobby.  What’s next?  A snowman for Christmas???

I Miss Winter.

I do.  Really.  But I don’t know how people do it with kids & babies.  That seems difficult to me, but I guess it happens because there are tons of families who live in cold weather, right?  To bundle them up…get them outside; cram them in a carseat only to hear a minute later that they have to go potty…and then start the undress, re-dress process all over again.  And nursing?  In public, as I am fond of doing mostly just to freak people out, how ever are you supposed to lift all the layers to attached baby to the boob?  This, I was thinking last night, nursing SJ pool side at a friend’s house; how easy it was to lift one layer of clothing.

I miss sweaters, jeans, boots.  It’s been a while since I have donned the fashion ranks in some aweseome new boots.  Now, my dogs bark when ever they are in close toed shoes for too long.

I saw a bag of winter clothes at my mom’s house in Texas recently and though about FINALLY passing them along, but still was not able to part with my classics.  One day, I tell soft, neatly folded sweaters, maybe one day you’ll wrap me in warmth once again.

Don’t even get me started on a “Caribbean Christmas”.  Yes, I am sure it is nice when you are on vacation, but I want a little nip in the air while slaving in a hot kitchen in a house with no AC!  And, NO!, a palm tree as a Christmas tree really is not as cute of an idea as you think it is. 

I miss the snuggly, frisky feeling The Fisherman and I get when we are in cold weather.  We had just a tease of it during our Texas vacay.  Big change from the “please refrain from pressing your sweaty skin against my sweaty skin because it is just too damn hot to touch each other” mentality we sometimes have.  Its a wonder we have two kids.

The Fisherman and I decided that our first “real” family vacation should be somewhere cold.  Where the kids can see and play in the snow.  His childhood vacations are filled with memories of snow skiing and wants to bring that to our kids.

I’m all for it as long as I can wear those cure furry boots and sit in the lodge sipping hot toddies.  Surely, by then, SJ won’t be nursing anymore!

So, while you might be daydreaming about how “nice” it must be to live where I live, I am daydreaming about how “nice” it is to live where you live.

I’M BAAAAAACK!!!!!

Well, where the hell have you been?  Let’s see…where do I begin…..

From the upper deep end of post partum..baby blues.  To Texas for a couple of weeks.  Back to Post-Partumville.  Back to Texas for a few more weeks, and now back amongst the living with only normal signs of a SAHM adjusting to life with a soon to be 3-year-old (holy crap!) and a 7 month old.

Yes, Tom Cruise, post partum depression is real, and I am the gazillionth mommy to prove it.  And not ashamed.  This shit is hard!  My husband was scared to come home.  He was not sure what he was walking into.  No wonder he drinks so much rum.  Like I always say, let’s meet for drinks, and we can talk about it as long as you want.  But, bottom line, 7 months after the birth of our son, I am feeling my self again…FINALLY!  Which is why I am back here….

Our 3 week vacation to Texas was amazing and just what this family needed.  The Fisherman’s Andaddy turned 100 years old and there was  a big party for him in his honor.  Lots of old people and lots of family.  The cousins got to run around together like cousins should at a ranch, and we got to see the younger solider brother who was home on 2 week R&R from Bagdad.    We were able to, visit our friends brewery in Ft. Worth, chek out the Dallas Word Aquaruim, tour some cool museums,

and eat yummy food for CHEAP every single day, and most importantly, spend time with friends and family on a daily basis.

Ahh…life is so much better.  I’m not saying that I still don’t have my days, I just don’t dread getting out of bed in the morning.  I am back to planning, organizing and project-ing our lives to death.  See?  Doesn’t that sound like fun?

…now, back to the big ass paper mache spider. (yes, Stephanie, you can have it when Halloween is over!)

Gallows Bay Pirates

For those of us who live on St. Croix, we have our opinions about the prices at Gallows Bay Hardware.  First, GBH is yes, a hardware store of the Ace variety, though we don’t get all the fun discounts, etc.  They also sell cool home goods, paint, tools, garden, etc.  No Home Depot here, so we do what we gotta do.  And yes, their prices are high.

How high?

I am in the market for a new water filter pitcher.  We were given a Brita several years ago that my mom got on super duper sale for next to nothing.  It has run its course, so I started researching different varieties to see what one I would go with.  Nothing wrong with the Brita, I just wanted to compare.  And prices.  Amazon is my fav place to compare.  I can get pretty much anything on Amazon.

Well, turns out Brita & Pur are pretty comparable in price and productivity.  After reading the reviews it is about 50/50.  So, next step, let’s just SEE what the price is here on island at GBH and KMart.  I do try to keep the money here when ever it is financially possible.

But not this time (and frankly, not many others).  People, paradise is expensive.  And most of the times, no service with a smile, just fyi.

So, I wanted to document the comparison, and in all fairness, KMart prices not included because I was in such sticker shock from Gallows Bay, that I came right home to blog this.

8 Cup Brita Riveria Filter from Amazon $27.99 and even qualifies for FREE SUPER SAVER SHIPPING.

8 Cup Brita Riveria Filter from Gallows Bay Hardware: $59.99

 Pur 7 Cup CR6000C 2-stage filter pitcher for $19.99 at Amazon and even qualifies for FREE SUPER SAVER SHIPPING.

Pur 7 Cup CR6000C 2-stage filter pitcher from Gallows Bay Hardware: $39.99.

And what is even more infuriating is that GBH obviously has to purchase in large quantities & has agreements with shipping companies, so why is the price DOUBLE?  Look, I understand mark up, but this is ridiculous!  I am not even wasting my time going to Kmart to compare when I can purchase from the conveneince of my own home and just be done with it.

So, what would you do?  Paradise.

In The Press: Captain Carl Holley

Aka, The Fisherman.

After our friend Omar came un-expexcantly and un-invited last September and took away our dock and the boats that decided to stay on the dock, we moved the Mocko Jumbie to Jones’ Maritime Dock, just a few yards away.  It was a fun dock with lots of live-aboards.  And they LOVED having The Fisherman on the dock with fresh fish at the end of the day. 

On one live aboard is Ellen Sanpere.  A travel writer who composed an excellent artile about Captain Carl Holley and how fishing in STX became his livlihood.  You can read the article on-line here, (page 26 in the pdf) or pick up the latest edition of All At Sea (@ Jones Maritime, St. Croix Marine, sometimes at The Caravelle breezeway, STX Yacht Club).

Thanks, Ellen, for writing a great article.  To me, the last line says it all.

In The Press: Buck Island

I am a self-proclaimed magazine whore.  I love magazines.  Recently, I am addicted to home decor and food titles.  One of my favs is Coastal Living.  Love seeing how people “live on the coast”.  What the magazine does not address is how to ret rid of mosquitoes, rats & roaches:  the REALity of living on a Caribbean island.

Our U.S. Post Office just returned from their USVI Emancipation/USA Independence Day 4-5 day holiday weekend.  I seriously think some Crucians/St. Thomians and what ever people are called who live on St. John purposely planned their emancipation the day before a US holiday so they get longer holiday weekends.  Well, it worked, didn’t?

SO- at the post officve today was the July/August 2009 Coastal Living.  Get home, put the kids to nap and plop on the comfy chair for a little look-see.  I usually thumb through, and then go back with a fine tooth comb, paper, pen and sometimes even little tape flags to flag something I want to come back to…but almost never do.

With a bit of time on my hands, I decided to read the first article: Top Spots to Snorkel.  Ok, interesting.  #1 sounds like a pretty cool place in the Bahamas.  Turn page to #2 and dropped my jaw to read BUCK ISLAND, ST. CROIX USVI.  Not because I don’t think it is awesome snorkeling, but was surprised at the press.  I always am.  Great little write up about the incredible snorkeling trails at Buck Island, turtles, and of course the beaches.  And then the icing on the cake- they direct readers to www.gotostcorix.com/buck_island.php.  LOVE IT!   When I produced GoToStCroix.com, I was all over the press sending them info even if they didn’t request it, and LOVED seeing my efforts turn into a bit of press for this island who is always in the need of a little push.

So, congrats to Buck Island for once again claiming the heart of a dreamy travel writer, to Coastal Living for their large viewership and GoToStCroix.com for continuing to provide the rest of the world with quality, up to date information about our little island.