Between the new job and the family arriving, there hasn't been much time for writing. Standing in line at the bank, I get to watch the television suspended from the ceiling, which perpetually broadcasts news from the mainland. Apparently it is cold there, very cold, iguanas falling from the trees in Florida cold. The t.v. set at the bank is the only television I see, since I don't own a t.v. set anymore. Luckily, the people I left behind in New Jersey gladly text me pictures of the lovely job they've done shoveling their yards.
Good Job, Kirk!!
Snow-shoveling Victim
But this is not about freezing your ass and having to scrape ice. Everyone has had enough of that. Let's get away from the cold. To hell with the oil bill.
St. Thomas Snowman
It feels odd to know that by the calendar, it is January. Time here doesn't move like it does in the states. Everything operates on "island time", which is dictated by the weather, traffic, number of cruise ships in, and personal predilections of the person you're expecting. Get used to it.
No Hurry
So far, life here has been good. It's hard to not be happy when the weather is in the 80s and your ride to work includes views of islands in the Caribbean or your trip to your P.O. Box includes a steel pan band. Most everyone gets a P.O. Box. Some people have mailboxes, but there are roads where the mailman won't go...but then again, only seeing bills once a week, when you make time to go to into town, is a stress-reducer.
Rising Stars Steel Pan Band, Emancipation Garden, Dec. 24, 2009
New Year's Eve was a treat. Supposedly, ammunition is difficult to obtain in the U.S.V.I. but you wouldn't know it on New Year's. Everyone goes outside at the stroke of midnight and fires off as many rounds as seen fit. Celebratory gunfire could be heard from one end of the island to the other.
Hermit Crab
Flowers
Mr. Egret, Hanging Out on a Dingy
People ride around with "Positive Is How I Live" bumper stickers. I thought this was nice until someone told me how rampant HIV is in the islands and how the stickers can take on a whole different meaning considering the public health epidemic.
Hull Bay, St. Thomas
Sailor Valentine
Donkey Hill, Destroyer of Transmissions
I thought I'd left Virginia, but I found myself living near Donkey Hill. The test of any used car bought on-island is to see if it can climb Donkey Hill. Last week, we had a garbage truck crash and overturn on Donkey Hill, taking out the power lines. For a white-knuckle good time, take your beater up or down Donkey Hill.
A.J., the Permitless
When you want to move your pet bird to the USVI, you need to obtain a permit from the Department of Agriculture. Fair enough. Just try getting that permit. It's really a process designed not so much to keep smuggled birds out, but to prove to them how much you love your pet bird. I went through months of trying to just get the application. When I finally got it, it was days before my husband was leaving with A.J. Delta flies pet birds, as long as the carrier fits under the seat. We had the certificate of health for A.J., just no permit. The internet stated that if a bird arrived without the permit, it would be quarantined at customs. My husband was not waiting for the permit to move, he was in a furious hurry not to leave me unattended in the Caribbean and booked a flight and that was that. I scrambled here to get the Department of Agriculture to hurry the permit to no avail. In the end, it didn't matter. A.J. arrived here unquestioned and no one stopped my husband at the airport. The Department of Fish and Wildlife called the other day. The permit is ready to sign.
Hawksnest Bay, St. John
Coral Pebbles
Lovey-dovey
Tillet Gardens
Pillaged Coconut
View Above Charlotte Amalie
Sparking
mypsyche
john walker
MrsRaptor
Wendy Elf
Owl_Says_Who
Salon.com
Comments
I adore your snowman.