Saturday & Sunday, January 29/30, 2011

Saturday & Sunday, January 29/30, 2011:

   

Since there's not much to report for each day lately, I'm just going to combine Saturday and Sunday of this week.

Saturday:

Still working away on the “Big Top” tent back there.  I am so curious about it! There is a pretty good sized dance floor or platform.  But no other activity other than that. Wonder what it could be for? Argggghhh!!

Ate some of that yummy leftover Smugglers Cove pizza for lunch today! Mmmm…so buttery!

Gerald took his walk on the beach this evening. He met up with some locals that were casting for bait-fish and fishing.  So naturally he had to bring some of the bait-fish back to the condo.  After my prompting...he put it in a zip-lock bag in the freezer (goodie).

I’ve been working my foot and ankle today and boy is it hurting now!  I’m going to put some ice on it and go to bed!

Sunday:

It rained off and on all night…and most of the morning. Sometimes coming down pretty good. Didn’t stop till about 3pm today. 

They were trying to work a little on the Big Top today and even had some speakers set up for a little while, but a good sized deluge came, and I think ran them off. 

I woke up this morning to see normal sized toes…which is a good sign. (They actually looked a little like raisins!  Guess they had been puffy so long, when the swelling went down they got a little wrinkly! weird!)   I’m also seeing some signs of ankle bones! YAY!!! The swelling is definitely going down! There is hope!  I still have a little bit of a green/yellow colored “ankle sock” but it’s getting better too.  It’s not hurting this morning as bad as it was last night anyway.  Movement is getting easier – going front to back anyway – but side to side or putting pressure on it is still not a possibility.  I can put my foot down and it can hold the weight of my leg as I’m sitting, but walking on it is still a ways away.  But I gotta keep pushing it so I can get out of here sooner!  I’m really getting cabin fever! And I’m in the Caribbean! 

Friday, January 28, 2011

Friday, January 28, 2011:

Still not sure what they are doing in the tent next door.  They’ve laid what appears to be a floor now – on top of cinder blocks. ??? The “floor” seems to take up almost the entire tent area …so I’m anxious to see what it is! Maybe a pageant? A revival? …oh boy!  

Gerald went fishing for a little bit today.  He didn’t catch anything … except for sea grass. He was using cooked shrimp for bait that he picked up at the grocery store.  I guess I can always eat what he doesn’t use! =)

We decided to order a pizza and a salad for dinner tonight from Smugglers Cove next door.  The website says the pizzas are hand tossed so they sound great. (http://www.smugglerscovevi.com) Gerald called ahead, but they don’t start making pizzas until 5pm, so he went ahead and put our order in for a pepperoni pizza and Caesar salad for pick up as soon as we can.  They told us it would be ready at 5:45, so Gerald went and picked it up.  The salad was good and the pizza was even better! They hand toss the crust, use a homemade sauce, layer the ingredients (sauce, pepperoni, cheese, pepperoni) and then when it comes out of the oven, they brush the edge of the pizza with garlic butter! YUM!  It was SO good! Not too thick…not too thin and was just delicious! Can’t wait to have leftovers tomorrow!

They try to have music at Smugglers Cove every weekend, and tonight they have some scheduled. Gerald went over to check it out.  He said it was a girl singing to a karaka machine, and she was ok.  He saw and talked to one of our neighbors there.  He said the place was pretty crowded though…lots of elderly people enjoying themselves.  I think the Mill Harbor complex has lots of elderly people who reside there – which makes up the majority of the crowds at Smugglers Cove.

Well, that’s it for today anyway. I’ll keep you posted on the progress of the tent! =)

Thursday, January 27, 2011 – To see the Doctor!

Thursday, January 27, 2011 – To see the Doctor!:

The good news: this morning I get to see Dr. Pederson about my ankle.  The bad news: I have to haul my fat butt up and down these stairs again.  Ugh…

Big John picks us up at 8:30am.  With the help of Gerald “behind” me…I manage to get in the big van without incident.  Dr. Pederson’s office is next to K-Mart.  John’s route takes us right by the hospital, which only took about 10 minutes, if that, to get to.  When I hurt my ankle…it felt like it took forever to get there! 

There are these square strip mall buildings next to K-Mart, and Dr. Pederson’s office is in one of those buildings. There are other doctors too, the Island Board of Education etc. Most of them are kept secure, and in order to get into these offices, you have to hit a door bell and they will let you in.  Interesting.  But I guess because they probably have supplies and medications in there, it’s a necessary evil.  We are the first ones there, and in true doctor’s office fashion, we waited a bit before we got to see the doctor.  But that gave us time to answer additional questions and sign more forms.

Dr. Pederson is not an old doctor.  Probably around 62.  Handsome, distinguished features.  A little white in his hair.  He is a local, with lighter skin than most, and he speaks eloquently.  Once he started speaking, I was immediately mesmerized by the soft tone of his voice, with a slight proper accent.  In fact as he spoke and described the x-rays and injury, I immediately thought of … Victor Newman from Young and the Restless! (played by actor Eric Braeden – fka: Hans Jörg Gudegast)!  OMG…am I staring?  Should I ask for an autograph? Snap out of it Tina…pay attention to what he is saying! HA!

Ok…enough of that!  Dr. Pederson was able to pull up my x-rays directly from the hospital. No wonder they didn’t call me back – but a courtesy call would have been nice. Oh well - gotta love technology in these instances! He looked at my x-rays and showed us how he could tell where the trauma and swelling was.  He also asked if I had done this before because he saw and showed us some scar tissue calcification that had formed – but it apparently was an old injury. He also showed us another little bone chip or calcification at the side of my foot. Don’t know about these pieces … they have never bothered me before, but I have twisted my ankle in the past – just never this bad – so I wonder what kind of scar tissue is going to form now? Yikes!  

Dr. Pederson confirms that it’s not broken, but said he can tell by the bruising that I’ve got some tears. He gave me an ankle brace and said I could do movement and walking as tolerated.  But if I’m walking … I have to use the brace.  Unfortunately I don’t have any closed tennis shoes … only open Crocs or ones that slip on! Guess I’ll have to find a pair. Other than that, keep it elevated, ice it as needed. Then he asked about pain pills and what I was taking.  I told him the ER wanted to give me vicodin, but I don’t tolerate that well, and just used my own Tramadol and Naproxen.  He said that he could write me another script if I needed in case I didn’t have enough.  But I told him I had plenty…and usually only have to take the Tramadol at night now, and take the Naproxen during the day.  What’s the deal?  Everybody wants to give me pills!?  Are you sure you have enough?  Will that be good enough?  Can I give you some more? PLEASE!!!  At least they’re offering I guess!  We go back for follow-up in 3 weeks.  I should be walking by then! (cross your fingers!)

When we came out from seeing the doctor, the waiting room was almost full. Amazing!  They could definitely use another orthopedic doctor on this island.  I’m sure they could use lots of other doctors too! We had to wait to finish the paperwork and pay for the co-pay and brace ($82 – I would have picked a cheaper one!), but eventually we got done and then waited outside for Big John to pick us up.  It was COLD in that office!  We came back to the condo, and I heaved myself up the 3 flights and went immediately to bed for a nap.  I was worn out and hurting from the doctor bending and poking my ankle.  Gawd I’ll be glad when this is all done!

Wednesday, January 26, 2011

Wednesday, January 26, 2011:

Today I cancelled my doctor’s appointment in St. Thomas and called Dr. Pederson’s office here in St. Croix to try to set an appointment … on THIS island.  His office agreed to put me on a waiting list – and said I would have priority since there was bruising.  Gerald called Big John and had him take him over to Dr. Pederson’s office to pick up the paperwork I needed to fill out and then stop by K-Mart to pick up a few things.  According to the girl I talked to, the paperwork was extensive…but when Gerald brought them back, I didn’t find them too bad at all. Pretty standard stuff really – basic medical history and description of current injury.  I needed to complete them quickly because Big John is taking Gerald to return them at 3pm today. 

Gerald came back from dropping off the forms and said Dr. Pederson will see me at 9am in the morning. YAY!  I’ll keep you posted!  

Tuesday, January 25, 2011

Tuesday, January 25, 2011:

Slept in late today. Not much else to do. 

I look out the bedroom window and see that there is a lot of activity going on in the back of the resort next door.  They dropped off a big trailer yesterday and they’ve been getting boxes, tables and coolers out of it.  Looks like they are putting up a big tent too.  They must be having a wedding reception or maybe some big shindig going on this weekend.  They clang all day, pounding steaks in the ground till about 8pm, but they get it up.  There are 4 flags flapping in the wind…so now we will hear that all night.  But at least it will help to drown out the noise that the dogs and roosters make all during the night.

The doctor’s office called today to confirm my appointment and get some information.  She gave me information on who to contact to get my x-rays quick since I haven’t had any luck. Unfortunately I discovered that my appointment was made for the St. Thomas office…not here on St. Croix.  They only come here once a month…and the next available time is in March.  Ok then.  So I either fly to St. Thomas tomorrow, go back to Dr. Pederson to see if he can get me in or I just don’t go period.  I don’t think they are going to do anything anyway. But Gerald thinks I should go just in case, and maybe it wouldn’t be a bad idea. I don’t know.  The swelling is starting to go down…but not all the way yet, and the bruise is coming out so it looks worse, but that is normal.

Gerald is starting to call me Peg Leg.  He can hear the crutches and the rhythmic clanking of me “walking” from around the corner and knows I’m coming in!  As soon as he hears me, he gets up, ready to gather all my stuff and bring it to me!  

Hard to believe we’ve been here two weeks already.  ‘Course, a lot of it has been spent in the condo…and not in a good way…because of my ankle.  It’s getting a little better.  But, I’ve been pretty good about not putting pressure on it, keeping it iced down, wrapping it, and elevating it. I’ve been moving it more too, trying to work out the soreness and get it loose. It hurts at first, but it does help. I can't seem to get rid of the swelling at the bottom of my foot...my toes don't touch the floor.  The bruise is really coming out. Yellow-green from my toes to about 4 inches above my ankle, with the dark purples where I probably tore the tendons & ligaments. If I didn't have some tan, it would probably be even more colorful!

Hopefully in another week or so, we’ll be out exploring. I hope so, because I’m not getting any better with these crutches.  If I have to rely on them much longer…I’ll probably injury myself worse!   

We put some chicken and rice in the crock pot for dinner and it turned out pretty good. Other than that, our day was pretty boring. Gerald took his regular walk on the beach looking for bait. So far he hasn’t fished once!

Monday, January 24, 2011

Monday, January 24, 2011:

Boy am I getting tired of sitting around having my leg propped up! I suppose this is when the frustration sets in.  That and cabin fever.  But, at least it’s warm and sunny. The only chance of frost bite here is going to be on my ankle from the ice packs!

Nothing else much happened today either. Other than me occasionally hobbling from room to room. Moving my foot. Bandage on – bandage off.  Frozen veggies on – frozen veggies off.  But for the most part, everyone was on their best behavior. Which also means no catastrophes.  

When Gerald went walking this morning, he also looked around to find an ankle brace that Will, the PT, said to get.  I bet he walked about 5 miles! He even went to a medical supply place and they didn’t have anything!  

I’ve tried to contact the hospital several times today to get my x-rays for the doctor’s appointment on Thursday…but no one ever answers the phone and I have left a few messages. They are not very responsive here – despite the fact that most of them get their higher education in “hospitality” because of the tourism industry. HA!  

Cooking dinner we heard the new neighbors that came in the night before.  Four women.  And boy do they cackle. Early in the morning and late at night. It’s already getting on my nerves…especially since I’m not one of the cacklers.  And of course, with all these new women, the fog of cologne from the guy next door wafted over and has permeated the condo. MAN! How much cologne do you think you need to apply for it to go through concrete and choke the neighbors? Unless he was standing out on his deck spraying it…but either way…  There are two new guys that came in yesterday too – so I guess it’s hard to tell who the scent was coming from. Got a feeling there’s going be fun had somewhere on the premises!

Well, that’s pretty much it for today.  Till next time! 

Sunday, January 23, 2011 - My First Day Out - Out is Overrated

Sunday, January 23, 2011 - My First Day Out - Out is Overrated:

I met and talked with a physical therapist about my foot.  His name is Will.  He took a look at it for me too. Said it didn’t look too bad. If it were broken or ligaments/tendons totally torn and disconnected it would be a lot more swollen and bruised. I asked him if he thought it might be a high sprain and he said not from what he could tell (Thanks for the info Nicole!). He said I would just need time to heal and I should probably start trying to move it at least a little front to back so it doesn’t freeze up. He said I could take the big cast off, but I still needed support for the ankle, I should wrap it with the ace bandage to help push the swelling out, keep it elevated and ice it down (which helps with pain). He said elevating, wrapping and Aleve will help with swelling and the ice and Aleve will help with the pain. He said it would probably take 2 weeks or more before I could walk on it, but to keep trying to see how far I could go with it.  He said to continue to use the crutches too – and gave me additional instructions for using them and resized them for me.  Glad to know I’ll be ok.  =) 

He came back later today and brought some pads for the ankle bones to use the next time I rewrap it, to protect and support the bones.  He also brought a picture of a stirrup type brace for us to go get at K-Mart or something and said to use all the time to stabilize my ankle – since I didn’t bring any shoes … nothing that would support the ankle anyway. House calls!  Just like Royal Pains (no pun intended!).  

The wrapping has really help to take and push the swelling out. The bruising is coming out…nice pretty colors of the rainbow! Those bags of carrot and peas are working great for icing it down!

We decided to go down to the pool today.  This would be my first time out of the condo since the accident. I’m not looking forward to traversing those stairs…down or back up. Plus there is a little bit of a downhill slant in the ground walking to the pool.  I can just see myself tripping and taking another tumble!  Gerald gets all the stuff in the beach bag and we head out the door.  Gawd…3 flights is a LONG way down!  I try sitting and taking each step that way…but the steps are too wide and it’s more trouble than it’s worth.  So I grab one crutch and hop down a step and use the crutch as support.  That works better, but I have to stop every once in a while because heaving this bodyweight is not something I’m used to. 

We get to the bottom of the stairs – finally – and now it’s smooth sailing to the pool! HA! I have to be careful. Going downhill with these crutches you can build up some momentum … that’s what I’m afraid of … so I have to stop myself occasionally. I’m still not too skilled with these big sticks either. Will said the crutches should not be out wide, but almost perpendicular with my body and to take small steps.  That’s fine for him…but my hips are as wide as my shoulders and when I keep the crutches close to my side and try to swing through…my wide load derriere gets caught between them and I can’t swing though! Not good. Momma has to keep the wide stance so the booty has room to swing freely! I’ll just have to keep traversing the hallway sideways … like a crab!   

Well, we made it to the pool ok without further injury or incidence. We get all the stuff out and settled in, Gerald gets in the pool…and guess what?  I have to go to the bathroom. Seriously! I’m like a little kid! I couldn’t’ have gone before I left? And the worst part is…there is no restroom down here…so I have to go all the way back up to the condo … up hill…up 3 flights of stairs! O…M…G…!  PACK IT UP GERALD…WE’RE GOING BACK! I can’t believe this!

So I make it up the hill ok…but cringe when I get to the stairs. Gawd…3 flights.  Once again scooting is more painful that it’s worth…so it’s one crutch, hop, heave – crutch, hop, heave.  I was absolutely worn out by the time I got to the top of the stairs.  Sweating, breathing heavy… I could hardly move and I still had to make it down the narrow hallway!  Ugh!!!

Well, after that ordeal, I’m not going back down. Instead I choose to take a shower and then a nap…I was just worn out!  And I don’t think I’m going back out until I have to go to the doctor’s office. Those 3 flights are killer!

Well, it’s suppertime now and we’re going to watch the football game tonight.  I feel like I gotta root for the Bears ... but I know my Cheesehead nephew Justin it watching too! Good luck Cheesehead! 

Saturday, January 22, 2011

Saturday, January 22, 2011:

Well we only argued a little bit about the re-wrapping of my leg last night, but finally got it done. I was exhausted!

Apparently our neighbor went out last night too. Well, we assume he went out cat’n around, because his cologne went through our condo like a gas cloud. Peeeeeuuuuu! He makes lots of noise every time he comes and goes and he has his condo cleaned every day!  So far, all we have seen is him – no one else. He’s been here since about Tuesday.

It rained this morning, and is a little cloudy.  Not sure if I want to risk going to the pool because if it starts raining again, I’m just going to have to lay in the rain … not like I can move fast or anything.  It would be over before I even got up and out of the pool area. So I guess I will just stay on the deck today. Now it’s raining again…up here is probably going to be a better idea until the sky clears up!  Don’t know what else I can do.  Guess I’ll just wait and see what Gerald gets into!

I hear home is going to get more snow…I think we picked a good year to get out of Dodge!

This morning, Gerald is going to the store to get some frozen peas or corn, or something, to use as an ice bag.  The one we got from the hospital got wet last night so it must have sprung a leak or something. I’m not exactly sure, since Gerald didn’t seem to want to get up and check it out last night…so I took it off and threw it in the trash can while it melted so it wouldn’t ruin anything. This morning we tried a regular Ziploc bag, but it sweats too much and it’s just as bad at getting everything wet.  But before he left to the store, I had him make me another bag of ice in the wrap we got from the hospital, thinking that maybe it wasn’t sealed right last night or something. As some background, the hospital wrap consists of a rectangle shaped zip bag that sits inside of a felt like pouch with ties, and with two snaps to close it. Gerald has filled this one several times before and it hadn’t leaked, until last night that is … and again this morning.  After he left, I checked on the bag and sure enough, it was wet again, along with my cast and the pillow.  Since Gerald was gone, I just went ahead and got up to take it into the kitchen sink and check it out myself.  Besides, I heard some noise outside the front door and wanted to see what was going on.  Seeing the door secure and that it was only the cleaning lady next door, I went to take the ice bag to the sink. Standing at the sink, I opened the snaps to the outside pouch and quickly discovered the problem. There was the ice…not in the zip bag part…but in the pouch itself.  Gerald had put the ice in the pouch (which is not waterproof) instead of the zip bag. Well it makes sense now why it was dripping wet and getting all over me and the pillow! Oh boy…it’s going to be a long couple of weeks……

Hopefully if he gets the bags of frozen veggies…I won’t need to use the ice anymore.

Gerald comes back from the store and he has bags of peas and carrots.  Should do fine.  Makes me hungry for soup though!

I talked to Kirby today about an ortho referral. She confirmed (from her info gathering) that we made the right decision in making the appointment with another doctor. I’ve look up the injury on the internet and I don’t think I’ve hurt it too bad.  There isn’t much they can do for a sprained ankle anyway and only time will tell how bad it is (if the swelling doesn’t go down etc) and it just takes time to heal.  It has been suggested to fly to St. Thomas to see an orthopedic/radiologist over there for an MRI cause you can get it done in the same day, but I don’t think that will be necessary. I think I will just play it by ear, and see how I’m doing in a couple weeks. If it doesn’t get any better in a couple weeks, I’ll consider doing something else. Kirby has really been a life saver.  Going above and beyond our leasing agent! She has definitely worked hard and earned her fee on this one!

I’m getting better on the crutches, but these narrow hallways and doorways make it difficult to maneuver. I end up hopping a lot.  Plus, to make it more perilous, the floor is tile and if the crutch hits a rug, sometimes it slides – that’s always fun.  Then, because the end of the crutch has a rubber cup like tip, it sometimes suctions down on to the tile and yanks me back when I’m walking, and I have to stop and jimmy the crutch to get it unstuck.  Always something! 

I haven’t left the condo yet, and I’m starting to get cabin fever…even sitting on the deck.  Hopefully I’ll get to go down to the pool tomorrow to get some sun and soak my foot in the cold pool!

Well, Gerald and I made some pasta salad for dinner. It tastes pretty darned good! Guess I’ll finish that and head to bed. If anything else happens tonight…I’ll let you know tomorrow!

Friday, January 21, 2011

Friday, January 21, 2011:

I was more restless last night than the first night. I just can’t get comfortable and my leg won’t stop hurting.  I didn’t have ice on it last night…maybe that’s one reason. My pectoral muscles are sore from holding up my body and using these crutches.  (Scott … another exercise plan please?)  My arms are ok, probably from constantly picking up my 800 lb purse, but the pecs are sore for sure.

I can’t get in to see Dr. Pederson until January 31…so I’m looking for another orthopedic surgeon to go see. Dr. Peterson’s office recommended a Dr. Appleyard, but he is at the “Fast Tract Clinic” or something, which is at the hospital…so that makes me feel a little nervous for some reason.  There are a few other orthopedic doctors that have sports injury clinics here…so I may try one of those. I’m checking around for some referrals too. But I need to get in to see a doctor so I can do whatever I need to do.  And the sooner the better, cause I’m getting tired of this soft cast.

And can I just say for the record that bamboo furniture is very pretty, but sucks for long term sitting and comfort?  Especially if you’re short. So if someone can send me some nice soft, cushy, comfy furniture…it would be appreciated.

Gerald is working in the shower this morning.  He bought a hand held shower extension and is putting it in. The water pressure is not very good here, and it doesn’t come out very strong.  I can’t stand, so I’ll have to find a way to sit, so that means being farther away from the shower head. I might as well have someone spitting on me then, from that distance with that pressure. I also can’t get in the tub in the other bathroom because it has the old fashioned glass shower doors and no plug for the tub.  When he went to K-Mart yesterday, he bought an extension so when I sit in the shower I can have the sprayer closer.  The quest now is to find a stool of some sorts for me to sit on. He said he couldn’t find one at K-Mart and I need one a little taller and stronger than a mop bucket.  We see some 5 gallon paint buckets from our bedroom window out where they are doing some maintenance to the complex here.  That would probably work.  So Gerald is going to go see if he can get an empty one to use for a while. But all I know is I’ve got to take a shower soon…the green fog is starting to get to me! The ER doc didn’t want me to take the cast off originally until after I went to the orthopedic surgeon.  That would have been at least a week (and now we find out till the 31^st)! Yuck! She finally did concede as long as I agreed to keep it on for a couple of days first.  Well, it’s only been a couple of days…but I need to take a shower! Bad!

 The cleaning lady was next door cleaning and when she was done she called in on me to see if I was ok or needed anything!  Isn’t that sweet! They are nice – they just need more skill in cleaning! (which is usually more indicative of a problem with management and training)

Did I ever tell you I bought a little safe to take with us for our valuables? I wasn’t sure if the places we stayed at would have one (which they didn’t) so I bought this disguised safe that looks like a can of Dr. Pepper soda. Heavy as one too. (and I wonder why my suitcases were over weight?)  We couldn’t use it in Belize…cause there was no Dr. Pepper there, except in San Pedro, but it was so expensive it would have stood out, so it would have been the first thing they grabbed! =)   But here, we could use it. We also got some real Dr. Pepper at the grocery store to drink, so in order to tell the difference, I put a black “x” mark on the top of the can with a Sharpie pen.  The lid was also a different color so that helped.  And I put it on the lower shelf in the fridge, way in the back…behind the extra 6 pack of real Dr. Pepper that we couldn’t fit in the door shelf.  And outside of attaching a note to the can that said “This is a safe…do not try to open it…GERALD!” it should have been reasonably safe (pun intended).  

So, while I was taking my nap today…trouble was stirring. And by trouble…I mean Gerald. He got up from his nap and was thirsty. Of course, he wanted a Dr. Pepper.  So he gets in the fridge and instead of taking the one in the fridge door, or pulling one out of the 6 pack on the lower shelf … yes, yes, he did.  He reached all the way in the back and got the safe. But the fact that it had an “x” on it…the fact that the lid was totally different from the others did not deter him. Nor did he remember it was the safe.  So, he tried to pull the tab, but of course it didn’t work – it broke off.  But that did not stop him.  He then got the bottle opener and proceeded to POKE HOLES in and PRY the top of the can off. Then, and only then, when he saw that the can did not contain SODA, did he realize what he had done.  

…and I was worried that with my hurt leg, and not being able to get out, I wouldn’t have anything to write about! Ha!  Well, at least he did tell me about it when I woke up.  Kind of like a little kid confessing to his parents…he said “I messed up…”. And you know that’s not a good sign. Oh well. Gotta be careful about laughing too much at him.  He is waiting on me! =)

     

Gerald made some pizza for dinner.  It turned out pretty good. Afterwards I took my first shower since the accident. Without going into detail…it was … interesting. And if you know Gerald…you know what I’m talking about.  He tried very hard to help me… but I managed to get the job done…without incident.  He was amazed at all the beauty products (conditioner, shaving cream, moisturizing oil, eye cream,  foot cream, hand cream)…and still it doesn’t do any good!

Got to take my soft cast off. Still pretty swollen and bruised. It better hurry up and go down soon!

(ACK!)

I cannot have a skinny ankle and a fat ankle!  Gerald has to put my cast back on (as directed by Dr. Williams – the ER doctor) but not before I enjoy some more foot freedom! (This ought to be good.)

I was a good girl today, so Gerald made me some ice cream. So I’m going to eat it and then dry my hair … using a few more beauty products, that will most likely do no good (but I gotta try).

Till tomorrow’s adventures…g’nite! 

Thursday, January 20, 2011

Thursday, January 20, 2011:

Well, the night wasn’t too awful bad I suppose.  I took a pain pill, which helped, plus I was pretty worn out too.  Uncomfortable to be sure, and when I moved my leg at all, it hurt like crazy. 

Gerald went down to the office and got the FedEx package with our temp credit card. Yay!  So I got all the auto-pays changed so we are good to go there. None of our utilities will go unpaid! 

I get tired of lying in the bed, so I go to the living room, but by the time I get there, I’m worn out from the trip and need to go lie down again! The halls aren’t very wide so they’re a little hard to negotiate with crutches.

Sent Gerald to the grocery store today and then he went to K-Mart tonight. He called Big John to pick him up again, then John got another call about taking some people to Christiansted.  Gerald didn’t care really, especially after we had to cancel our fare last night.  And they were just down the street at the next resort anyway.  On their way into town, Big john was playing some music in the van and Gerald said every once in a while there would be this odd noise come out of the back of the van. He said it almost sounded as if it was in rhythm with the music playing. None of them could figure out what it was! Curiosity got the best of Gerald and he finally asked Big John what that noise was.  Apparently, and I’m not making this up, Big John had a goat in the back of the van. No Really. An actual, live, furry, bleating goat. Driving around with it in the back of his taxi van. Making some sort of bizarre goat noise while riding in the back of the van.  I asked Gerald if it didn’t stink up the van and he said no.  I just can’t imagine that it didn’t!  Goats are not known for their sweet-smelling odor.  Gerald said he asked John why he had a goat in the van and John said he was going to take it home to eat the grass and make baby goats.  Sounds reasonable. Doesn’t it?  And I missed it!

The cleaning lady came while Gerald was at the store. She mopped the floor (didn’t sweep first – just mopped), changed the towels out and the sheets. I think she took a rag and wiped the glass top tables off.  They sure need some instruction and direction here!

   

“Did I tell you that Gerald……”.  (..ok..I started to write something here, but I was under the influence of Tramadol and fell asleep…but when I woke up, I don’t remember what I was going to write! Something wonderfully funny I’m sure!)

Well, after going back and forth from the bedroom, to the livingroom to the deck trying to find a comfortable place, I was unsuccessful in my quest.  So I gave it up, and finally just went to bed. Tomorrow will be better I’m sure.

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 – NIGHT OF THE FULL MOON!

Wednesday, January 19, 2011 – NIGHT OF THE FULL MOON!:

Today is going to be laundry day.  The washer has a teeny tiny tub, so it won’t hold much – a pair of shorts, 2 T’s, socks and a couple drawers…and that’s about it! Pulled a buck seventy-three out of the bottom of the washer after the last load.  Finders keepers – loosers weapers!  It’s going directly into my jewelry fund!  

I’m also scrubbing the burned on food rings off the glass-top stove. They’re annoying me and I can’t stand it anymore. I also found a pitcher shoved in the back of a cabinet when I was reorganizing them. I had no idea it was back there until I pulled everything out of the cabinet. (I know…I know.  A little bit of OCD? =)   The pitcher still had tea droplets (or something) in there. Someone emptied it out and just shoved it in the back of the cabinet. Could you not have at least rinsed it out? It has mold around the ring now, so I’m soaking it in bleach water.  I’m also going to put it in the dishwasher and hope it survives the heat cycle – but it needs to be sterilized. What is wrong with people that they would do that? Huh? No dignity or consideration whatsoever - with the manners of pigs. Why would you do that?

They’re grooming the bushes, hedges and trees in the gardens - both yesterday and today.  Right now they are right under our deck and the chainsaw noise is so loud we have to keep the doors shut. So it’s getting a little stifling in here. (Don’t hear any screaming…must be a safe machine … eh sis? AAAAAHAHAH!!!)  

Young Frankenstein…one of my all time favorite movies…is on TV. It’s such a funny movie! Gotta stop and watch it!  Plus I can warm up my leftovers and enjoy that YUMMY mac-n-cheese again! Mmmmmmm! (ooops…I’m drooling!) =)

I think that will be a quest of mine. Finding the best Mac-n-Cheese. Some of my favorites are:

-          St. Louis Bread Company/Panera’s.  Their Mac-n-Cheese is so good! When I worked in Clayton, I used to get two containers! Sometimes 3 and I’d take one home to Gerald for supper. So rich and creamy! Such a good winter comfort food too.

-          Toppers (used to be Banana’s) in Simpson Bay, St. Maarten.  Oooozy cheesy goodness.  We go there every year and get it!

-          My mom. She made it for me when I was a teenager.  I wanted the “box” stuff, but she made the good stuff! She would just throw leftover cheeses from the fridge in the pan and it came out so good.  I do that and it tastes worse than the box itself!

-          Anthony’s Mom.  He brought some in for Thanksgiving one year…yummy! Wish I would have gotten that recipe!

-          And now - Salud Bistro. Yummy creamy goodness with mushrooms and truffle oil. (sigh!)

We hadn’t received our replacement credit card yet, and it was supposed to have arrived Tuesday night.  Gerald checked earlier with the front office, but nothing came yet.  I called the credit card company and we checked the FedEx tracking # and apparently it was delivered at 4:35 this evening (not yesterday like they said).  Unfortunately it’s now 5:30 and the office closed at 5.  We’re going to go see if the guard can get it for us, then go to K-Mart to get some stuff.  Well, unfortunately, the guard can’t get in the office so we will have to wait until tomorrow morning to get the package.  So we call Big John, the taxi man, to come pick us up to take us to K-Mart.  So we walk out to the front road and wait for him at the corner.

Let me begin this next part by making this statement:  There’s a full moon out tonight.  And you know stuff happens when there is a full moon.  There’s a Bad Moon on the Rise would be more appropriate. And since this is me…you know something happened! While I didn’t turn into a werewolf, grow fangs (my dentist cut those off already) or do a Jekel/Hyde thing (thank goodness I’ve been taking my hormones), I did get hurt.  Would you believe that I was surfboarding this afternoon and while riding in this gnarly tube, I lost my balance when I hit a great white shark surfing in the wave with me (you’ve seen those pictures on the internet right? of a shark in a wave next to a surfer?) and consequently crashed and rolled in the water? Or what about: a giant Caribbean Yeti was on the loose, kidnapped me, took me to the jungle and while we were swinging from tree to tree on the vines screaming like Tarzan, he spotted his Yeti wife and dropped me like a hot potato to the jungle floor? No? Ok…but either one of those stories sound better than what really happened. While waiting for the taxi, I stepped off the rock I was standing on because I was going back to the room to get the list of things we needed from K-Mart, when I stepped down, my foot hit a hole and I twisted my ankle, lost my balance and hit the ground like a moron. The pain was excruciating, I couldn’t move my foot, I skinned up my other knee and cried like a big fat baby. Happy now?

Yes…not to be outdone by Judy always breaking an arm before vacations, and making it impossible for her to carry any luggage, dress or do her hair (Bob has to help her), I had to hurt my leg, so now I can’t even walk. Thank gawd I’m not working and wearing my stiletto heals!  Yes, yes.  Pick yourself up off the floor laughing. Hilarious – I know.  The “fickled finger of fate” flipped me off big time!

So here is the story.  I fell off the rock, I fell off the rock, I fell off the rock. (that’s an old Bill Crosby record reference there…)   It was about 7pm.  Gerald and I were waiting for Big John to pick us up to take us to K-Mart to pick up a few things.  I thought we had forgotten the list and so we were going back to the room to get it. I stepped off the rock, and my foot hit the side of a hole and unfortunately my foot went sideways and my leg went straight down.  I heard and felt the snap, crackle and pop.  I lost my balance and fell to the ground, which caused me to skin my other knee.  A guy (his name is Rick Colette) was getting ready to pull into the street and saw the whole thing. He stopped because he knew it wasn’t going to be pretty. I tried to be brave and not cry, but it was no use, eventually I let it out and just bawled.  My gawd it hurt so bad. I knew I was in trouble because the pain was so bad and it was getting worse, not subsiding.  Another guy stopped and took a look at it and said I need to go to the hospital.  Great.  Just where I wanted to be on the night of a full moon…in the emergency room! Rick offered to take us to the hospital which was only about 10 minutes away, but it felt like it took hours to get there.  Every movement and bump hurt like crazy…and I cried the whole way there. 

We got to the emergency room and of course they were busy. It’s a full moon remember? As with everything else, no one moves fast, but I wasn’t bleeding (except for the booboo on my other knee) and the shooting, stabbing, little boy with broken arm and domestic squabble took priority over my wimpy twisted ankle! So we waited. We got to x-ray and apparently interrupted his dinner, but he did stop to take my picture. Gerald was standing right there with me! He didn’t even make him leave! So Gerald is glowing right along with me! Then back to the waiting room. Triage finally put me in a temp room right at the intake desk, because if I waited for a full emergency “room” it would take longer.  So I took the temp room.  Luckily, the ER doc said she did not see a break but because of the visual bruising, swelling and noises I heard, I probably tore some ligaments and tendons.  She said I am absolutely not to put any pressure on it at all until I see the orthopedic surgeon so it will have time to heal. She scolded and said that if I did not follow her advice, and allow the ankle to heal before I saw the doctor, I would surely need surgery, then would be in a cast and it would take 6 months or more to heal. (she had done the same think and did not let it heal – so she was speaking from personal experience).  Unfortunately the orthopedic surgeon – Dr. Pederson – is off island until next Thursday.  So it’s going to be a long week. 

Here are my glamor shots.  These are the pictures that Gerald takes...he always takes them when I look my best...

 (see my booboo!)

(I have a kankle now!)

She put a soft cast (splint) on my leg and then pushed my foot up to form the cast properly so I would not freeze my Achilles tendon. Which hurt like crazy and turned me into a cry baby again.  Then she had Gerald hold and push my foot until the soft cast formed.  Now I can blame him. She was going to give me some vicadin for pain, but I can’t take that stuff or I’ll ralph. Besides…I brought my own (you know I did).  She then instructed me on the ways of using crutches, told me of the sores and scars I will have if I don’t use them properly and again expounded the consequences if I walk on the foot at all before it heals. I GET IT!  Here is the problem…our condo is on the 3^rd floor…and there is no elevator. I told Gerald he is going to have to carry me up the 3 flights of stairs, and he blankly said…I have crutches and can walk myself! =)       

Being treated and then released, we called Kirby to see if she could come pick us up.  It was 11:30 pm and we know about taxi service this late.  She thankfully agreed and she and Andy came to deliver us home.  The tricky part was the stairs.  It was something out of a comedy. There was no way I could negotiate those stairs with crutches – I’ve never even used them before.  And there is no way Gerald could heave my hog butt up all those stairs! So we compromised.  I held on to the handrail and Gerald took my other side and one step at a time, we negotiated the 3 flights.  That alone wore us out! And while Gerald was holding on to my waist lifting me up the stairs, my shirt was riding up, my shorts were falling down and poor Kirby and Andy were behind us being traumatized by the view! Oh gawd!

After all that hard work getting up here…I don’t know if I want to even leave the condo again! It would have been better to sit on my butt and scoot up the stairs that way.  As a matter of fact…I think that is exactly how I will do it! Otherwise, I’m going to take a tumble, and instead of tearing ligaments, I’ll be plummeting down the stairs!

Finally in the condo, I just head straight for the bed.  Going to the bathroom is tricky though.  It’s hard not to put pressure on my foot so balance is key. Plus it’s difficult to negotiate shorts on one leg.  I had to go before we left the hospital.  That was hilarious. Both of us in a small hospital bathroom with my purse, crutches and a wheelchair. My life is just full of funny isn’t it?! =)

The good thing is, no more cleaning and organizing for me.  I’ll just have to nervously watch Gerald do it. I better make sure I have enough Xanex. I can’t walk, so I get waited on. That’s good too. At least I have both my hands and Gerald doesn’t have to fix my hair (looking at the bright side Judy! =)  

But I’ll be ok. I’ll be healed up in a few weeks, shopping like crazy…I’ll have lots of catching up to do you know! =)

But this is  what I will be doing for the next couple of weeks! =)

Tuesday, January 18, 2011

Tuesday, January 18, 2011:

The weather was great today … again. !! =)  Maintenance came and fixed the kitchen door that wouldn’t lock (even though we had been locking it all this time!) and worked on the drain in the bathtub.  My sister and I are working on a merchandising product…but I can’t really tell you about it – just yet. Suffice it to say…we got our fill of laughter today.

We went down to the pool this afternoon - got to catch up a little more on my tan.  I made sure we were outside of the “bombing range” of the birds drifting by.  Today I saw one of the birds get a little target practice in, but luckily he missed the girls laying there.

I wore my lucky St. Louis Cardinal Swarovski crystal hat to the pool today. A couple came by and commented “Go Cardinals”. Turns out they are from St. Charles! There are actually 3 couples in their group and they are all from St. Charles.  One even used to live up in Lincoln County! How funny is that?!  Their group has been meeting down at the pool and BBQ area pretty much every night.  They make some noise when they get together (mostly laughter), but they are having fun and they don’t go late into the evening. (sounds familiar =)   They are going home Thursday and are hoping the weather holds off until they can get there…and not be stranded up in Chicago!  Down here wouldn’t be so bad…but not Chicago! Brrr.  I would imagine they have kids to get back to as well.

Headed back to the condo to get ready for dinner with Kirby and Andy. Looking forward to that. We’re going to a place they recommended - Salud Bistro – with Mediterranean cuisine and good wine. (think Gerald will like it? Probably not.) They said it’s not too far up the road.  But we’re waiting for our replacement credit card to arrive. It’s supposed to be sent via FedEx and arrive by 7pm.  But it never came. As Gerald would say….GOODIE GREAT!

Kirby and Andy pick us up at 8:15p. We talk about the condo a bit and head up the street to Salud Bistro. They’re right.  It’s not too far at all.  It’s actually in a strip mall and doesn’t look like much from the outside – just like Kirby said.  Inside it’s quite different. Very nice, chic and intimate. And it’s crowded! Apparently very popular, so the food must be good!  And it’s won some Island awards!  Bonus – Tuesday night is 2 for 1 on bottles of Spanish wine. NICE! And the BEST part is that if you don’t finish the wine, you get to take it home! Isn’t that fun! We only ended up drinking one bottle of wine, so we got to take the other home! But I did keep the cork as a souvenir.

We are seated and take a look at the menu, and while it’s fairly limited, it covers pretty much everything. Burger, spaghetti, lamb, ribs, beef, duck, vegetarian but all with a different – Mediterranean – twist.  In the appetizer section they list Truffled Macaroni and Cheese with mushrooms and truffle oil. Sounds yummy and Kirby and Andy highly recommend it.  I love mac-n-cheese, so we order two to split.  Gerald is having a harder time with the menu. But he finally makes a decision. Usually it would be the spaghetti, but the menu says it’s spicy, so after his last experience with “spicy” spaghetti in San Pedro, he stays away from that and orders the Wagyu burger (I think I spelled that right).  I get the vegetable crepe. In the mean time they bring us fresh hot homemade bread and a saucer of olive oil, honey and spices.  They swirl the honey and spices in the oil into a pretty little “S” on the saucer. How divine! (I would have taken a picture, but I didn’t want to embarrass us!) And it is so delicious! Unfortunately, I don’t get to eat enough of it because our entrees come.  My crepe is huge – filling a little more than half the plate. It’s presented more like an omelet, with a side of lettuce greens and this cool foamy garnish atop the crepe. It was very good and I would order it again.  Gerald even likes his fancy schmancy burger, except for the bacon.  He took it off.  It did have somewhat of an odd taste and was mostly fat. But he ate the rest of it, so that’s a good sign. It came with a load of homemade truffled potato chips – which I thought were yummy too! (you know I love the taters!)  

But the very best part of the dinner had to be the macaroni and cheese.  It was TO DIE for! OMG!  It came in this cute little croc (like with onion soup) and had tons of little roasted mushrooms in it. Gerald hates mushrooms so I tried to fool him again and let on like they were they “truffles”…but he didn’t buy it! (I guess after the ceveche incident, he doesn’t trust me!)  And although it came in a small croc, it was a very generous portion.  We couldn’t finish ours, so I brought it home with the rest of my crepe. It was so good, if there had been one noodle left, I would have brought it home! I’m so looking forward to tomorrow afternoon when I get to eat the leftovers!

A wonderful night all in all. Good company, a great location (island and restaurant) and scrumptious food.  Salud Bistro is definitely on my list of recommendations and favorite places for sure.  So if you ever make it to the island…be sure to visit them. Come on a Tuesday to enjoy the Spanish wines, homemade bread and be sure to have the Mac-N-Cheese. You won’t regret it! (Here is their website www.saludbistro.com.) 

Monday, January 17, 2011

Monday, January 17, 2011:

We heard a big boom this morning…then the electric went out.  UH OH… not a good sign! It wasn’t out long though. Except internet is down again. I’m having flashbacks from when the internet was young and it was down all the time.  How did we survive!

Having conversations with my sister about paths crossing and strange coincidences yesterday and today. Which have happened to me a lot lately.  When you open your mind to the things around you, and really look, you would be surprised at what you see and discover how interconnected the world is.  And, the more you look and see, the more things happen.  It’s a strange phenomenon.  Try it.

Not much else was done today. Fixed dinner. Organized some of the dishes in the cabinets. Looked at properties on line. Talked with friends and family.  Not a bad day! =)

Sunday, January 16, 2011

Sunday, January 16, 2011:

Looks like it’s going to be a pretty nice day. Hardly any clouds.  Don’t know what we are going to do yet, but whatever it is…it will be sunny!

Got a newsletter about St. Maarten (our next stop).

Cold Wave Hits St. Maarten; Nighttime Temp Plunges to 73 (With Wind Chill): Sweaters, hoodies, and scattered winter hats were reported on the island last week when nighttime temperatures here plunged to an unseasonably bone-chilling 73 degrees when you factor in the wind chill. One tourist was even seen wearing socks with his Sketchers. "I wish Dunkin Donuts was open here already," said one woman from Boston, where some Dunkin Donuts are a stone's throw from others. "I can use cup of steaming hot coffee. Brrr."

I am concerned about it being too cold there and if we should change our plans! (we are such babies!)

After breakfast, Gerald takes a walk to get a paper and I start cleaning the kitchen.  In between inspecting dishes, putting the dirty crusted ones in the dishwasher, washing down cabinets and the microwave, I take little breaks to hang off the deck and take in the breeze and view.  It’s so beautiful.  My concentration on the view is broken though by the squeaks and squeals of the mongoose down in the bushes. I’ve heard the noises many times, and have tried to run to see what the clamor was about – assuming they were fighting or playing. So of course I glance down hoping to get a quick view of the mommies, daddy and little babies playing and romping. But, no.  That is not in the cards.  What I do get to see is daddy trying to “get busy” with mommy. Nice. I didn’t mean to keep staring, but I couldn’t help it.  Then I started to chuckle. It was so typical.  Poor little guy.  There he was trying so hard to do his duty and get his business done, and she kept moving and looking around for food (or malls). Totally oblivious to his amorous advances or plight caused by her constant moving and inattentiveness. Very unromantic indeed. But he never gave up, persistent little critter that he was, he just kept trying.  That is, until she caught a lizard and then he had the audacity to try to steal it from her. But she was too quick for him and she gobbled it down before he got the chance to take it. He sniffed around in the grass to see if any scraps might have fallen in her haste to swallow it whole, but it didn’t appear that he found anything.  Defeated at his quest for the food, he quickly returned to the task at hand.  Courting the lady mongoose and plying her with his charms and suave ways. HA!!  Good luck little buddy!   ppfff…it’s a wonder that any of the species survive! =)   Well, I can tell you one thing, I will no longer try to run to see what the noise is about when I hear it again, and will try to keep the vision from popping into my mind again! Now back to cleaning.

Talked to my friend Theresa today.  She had a wild story to tell me. Suffice it to say, it’s a small world indeed.  Apparently her son Nolan has been spending time with a friend (Matt), whose mom (Trish) and dad (Ron) are long time friends of mine but I haven’t seen them in a long time. Theresa also has known Ron for years – albeit only by phone. Matt and Nolan have been playing ball together for a while now and Theresa and Ron have talked and seen each other at games, but they didn’t realize who the other was – until today.  How funny is that!  So a big hello to Theresa, Nolan, Ron, Trish, Matt and Josh too! Hope you guys are well! How funny the world is when our paths cross in such a way!

Gerald got up from his nap and said he wants to go to Smuggler’s Cove for happy hour, after that we can come back and make dinner. Might as well do something, so we get ready, walk over, sit down and have a drink.  The football game is on and there are some hard-core Jets fans in da house – with one poor Patriot fan, who eventually got run out! I believe I heard a few of the guys throwing out some BS, but no fights broke out so everything was good.  We finished our drink and came back home. I made sketti for dinner and that was pretty much the highlights of the day. See you tomorrow!

Saturday, January 15, 2011

Saturday, January 15, 2011:

Waking up in the Caribbean again… how boring! =) (That is sooo mean! Sorry!)  Gotta figure out what to do today.  We decide we are going to go to the pool this afternoon.  So I get the beach bag ready and head down.  We settle at the pool, since the wind is pretty strong, and I hate being sand blasted! The sun is intense and it doesn’t take long before I can tell it’s cookin’ me! PASS THE SPF 50 AGAIN!  Gerald is sitting under the Royal Palm Tree, in the shade. Chicken.

Of course, baking in the sun makes me hot, so I go to get in the pool and the water is ICE cold…not just cold, sister….I mean it is ICE COLD!!  I could only get one foot in and had to take it out before hyperthermia set in.  BRR!  What are they doing? Piping this in from the North Pole? Is that an iceberg I see floating in there?  OMG it’s the Titanic!  (uh…naw…it’s just my reflection in the pool…phew!) Gosh. You can’t even get cold water from the faucet, how can it be this cold in the pool when it sits in the sun all day! Wow…that was a shocker! So I just splashed some on my face and arms and thawed in the sun some more.    

Now I’m lying in the warm sun getting toasty again, thawing my foot, reading my Nook when I notice birds in the sky.  We are right on the beach, and there is a reef out there, so it would be natural to see birds flying and fishing. We’ve seen the pelicans diving in the water from the deck. It’s so cool to watch.  There are gulls, frigates and pelicans just hovering over us, gliding in the air currents coming in from the Atlantic Ocean, perusing up and down the shore for fish to catch. They are just floating in the air, hanging there with no effort whatsoever.  Ummm… now that I think of it…they are hovering right over us!  Directly over me actually.  …   That can’t be a good thing.  I hope one doesn’t decide to let loose and make a deposit in the general vicinity of my lounge chair. Maybe I should move! Just to be on the safe side!  

We meet some people at the pool who are leaving this afternoon, and are taking in the last few minutes of sun before they head back home to Up State New York! I’d say! I would too, with all the bad cold weather you are getting up there…they’ll be lucky to make it past Florida!   Not long after that, we pack up too. 

So we get back from the pool and I check my computer.  I’ve received an e-mail from my credit card company about a possible fraudulent transaction.  We get that sometimes when we travel, but I thought I had called them and told them of our travel plans.  But, better call just to be sure.  Unfortunately, someone tried to make a $2,000 purchase with our credit card from an electronics store online. Wasn’t me…and you know it wasn’t Gerald. This means we have to cancel it and get another one. It makes it difficult and a little complicated when you are out of the country.  It took me about an hour, but we got the new card approved to send it here to us. Now…I have to remember all the automatic payments I have scheduled and update them with the new card information when I get it.  Hopefully none of the bills go delinquent…like the water bill. =)  You know how this credit card stuff makes Gerald grumpy… he LOVES credit cards! HA! (he’s mumbling about them already!) Oh well.  I’m just glad they caught it.  They are usually really good about identifying strange or out of the ordinary purchases.  Yay CapitalOne!  Plus, letting them know where we are helps them identify odd purchases too.  It’s been a while since we’ve had anything like this happen. So as long as you stay on top of it…it’s just mostly having to endure some inconvenience for a little while. Better that than paying for purchases someone else made – against your will and/or knowledge. And only I have the right to make purchases against Gerald’s will and/or knowledge!

Well…better get a shower and get the SPF scraped off.  The internet is down…so I can’t post until it gets up and running again…probably tomorrow when the office opens up in the morning.  Until then, we’ll make supper and I’ll update my blog or play with my phone (which I still love!). Till the next adventure! I’m signing off.

Friday, January 14, 2011

Friday, January 14, 2011:

What to do today.  Nothing I suppose.  I really need to clean the drawers out so I can put all the clothes away and organize them.  That way it will feel more like where I’m living…not just where I’m staying, so it will be more comfortable.  While I was doing that, Gerald took a walk up and down the street to check out the area.  That’s good.  No questions! =)  He found another grocery store (but didn’t pick up anything).

During occasional breaks out on the deck, we see the mongoose again.  There is a whole HERD of them.  Ok, technically herd is not correct.  Several or a group may often be called mongeese, mongooses,  mongaggle, mongi, business or trouble (which sounds more appropriate) or even the related meerkat that live in a troup,  but whatever they are called, there is a WHOLE BUNCH of ‘em down there!  They live in those bushes and busily crawl around in them, up, down and around and they chirp and chatter.  Quite entertaining. They remind me of my cousin Machelle! Busy busy busy – moving all the time!  =)    Sometimes they make noise and they sound like a cat fight! Weird! (oh…and the noise isn’t like my cousin Machelle…except for when she and I get together, we chatter and make a lot of noise)

There is a rooster in the distance that constantly crows.  I hear him at all hours of the day, and all hours of the night.  This rooster is apparently STUPID because he can’t tell when the sun is coming up, or going down.  He needs to be a chicken dinner, and I may make it a quest to find him….and have a chicken dinner.  At least he is not outside my window, otherwise I would have a chicken dinner today.

There are also water planes that fly in and out of Christiansted.  We hear them too, but at least they wait until after sunrise to make noise…! (unlike that stupid rooster)

Well, I’m done organizing and working around the “house” today.  I’m going to rest and watch a little TV then go to bed.  ‘nite!

Thursday, January 13, 2011

Thursday, January 13, 2011:

Rainy again this morning. But hopefully it will clear up in a while. (But who cares anyway right? I’m here and not working!)

I got a surprise this morning.  The cleaning lady came! HOW EXCITING! A CLEANING LADY EVERY WEEK! I’M SO THRILLED!!!  Big bonus points for St. Croix! =)  We’ve hardly dirtied the place really – only been a couple of days.  But we decide to change the sheets and exchange the dirty towels anyway and begin the regular cleaning, sweeping and moping next Thursday. The ladies’ name is Agnes…and she is my new best friend! Of course I was in my jammies, so I apologized to her and said I didn’t have the place ready to be cleaned (isn’t that stupid)!  But she said that our place was excellent compared to others…you gotta wonder about that huh?  I guess I shouldn’t be surprised anyway, with the condition that people have left the condos we’ve stayed in. Some people are just inconsiderate pigs. (ok…enough rant!) 

We decided to walk up the beach to Smugglers Cove to hit their happy hour and eat dinner.  Before we go, we are on the deck and spy the Mongoose in the garden.  Apparently she is a mommy with a little baby.  My picture isn’t good…couldn’t get it focused before she saw me and ran off.  They are cute aren’t they!

 (Mommy & Baby)

 (these are the bushes they live in below our deck)

(awww...)

We head over to Smugglers. When we got there, there weren’t too many people but business eventually did pick up.  Apparently it was trivia night … and everyone seemed to be psyched to vie for the $25 bar credit – that you couldn’t use that night.  Gerald and I didn’t actively participate.  We were busy eating.  But watching the others around us…we sew a few that were very competitive.  It seemed to become a life quest to win that bar credit.  Some questions were pretty difficult, especially at the end when there was a tie-breaker. For instance…if you are standing on the equator, how fast are you going in miles per hour.  Now, if it was in relation to how fast I could get to a sale at the mall, and how much money I could spend…I’d have it in the bag…but it doesn’t, so I had no idea.  Gerald said he was working feverishly on the answer…!  But apparently 2 people did know – 1038 (+/-) miles per hour is about how fast you are going if you are standing at the equator.  Now, I’m guessing that if you know that information you are either 1) someone who has never had a date, 2) Stephen Hawking, 3) you are using your iPhone for reference (cheating), 4) or you have been victim to another trivia night elsewhere and have assimilated this seemingly useless information by accident.  By the looks of the two guys involved in the tie-breakers, personalities #1 and #4 seemed appropriate. After another tie-breaker question – how fast are you going on the equator in relation to the Milky Way galaxy in miles per second (OMG!) – personality #1 won the price.  Imagine that!  It was something to watch.  He paced and paced and appeared to be calculating this problem in his head (in much the same way that I would be calculating how much I could save in relation to how much I could stuff in my Explorer).  SOMEBODY GET THIS BOY A DATE!  This poor guy! But he was very excited to win the prize. He would be wise to use the bar credit for good…and buy girls lots of drinks to reap the possible rewards…but I doubt he will! Too bad.  I bet he would clean up nicely.

We also learned from trivia night that it is possible to get salmonella poisoning from a turtle.  Ewww! I’m not touching a turtle ever again!  I’ll have to research that further…because that is just gross!

We meet 2 young guys (in their late 20’s) who introduce themselves and gave us some information on the island.  They have been here about 4 days and have apparently had lots of fun.  They are from Philly and their names are Tony and Joey (go figgah) and they are very cute. Mr. Nerd boy should take some notes. Tony was very chatty and it was fun talking to him. He also told us about another couple that lives at the condos there…Loraine and Bill … they are from New Jersey. (oh moi gawd)   Apparently Loraine has a reputation of being lots of fun. 

Loraine and Bill show up a little later and Tony is right. They look like fun. Loraine is already bopping, dancing and walking to the music and goes right to the bar for a drink! She seems to be a very happy person and she and Bill walk around and talk to everyone!

There was a table with a small group of people that Loraine visited. One of the ladies at that table (I didn’t get her name) had brought in a tiny pet.  From a distance, you could hardly tell if it was a cat or tiny dog, but it turns out it was a itty bitty black dog. A Chihuahua.  She was SO CUTE!!! (and I want one) 

Her name was Lilly and she was 2 months old.  The lady was passing her around and everyone was holding her. It would have made me nervous, but she said she did that because Chihuahuas are not necessarily sociable dogs (true), so she wanted the dog to get used to lots of people and noise.  She said that’s what she did with her last Chihuahua and she was a very friendly dog – not a barker or biter. She has lived here for about 20 years and apparently hangs out at Smugglers Cove quite a bit.  We will see her again I’m sure (and I will get her name!).

With dinner finished and the trivia competition over, we pay the bill and walk the beach back home to the condo.  Thankfully either the idiot neighbors are gone or they have made up, but at least it’s quiet.