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Some of us plant trees. Others just chop them down!
It was reported in today's Daily Herald that young vandals hacked several coconut plams on Explorer Island.
Explorer island is a cute little island in the middle of Simpson Bay Lagoon. It is named after the excursion boat, which stops here during its daily lagoon cruise for about two hours. Passengers can catch some sun, play Volley ball on the prepared court or rent a water bike. The Explorer crew keeps the island and its beach spotlessly clean and has created a little gem for all others to enjoy.
A visiting yachtsmen, named Andy, reported to the newspaper that last week he saw a group of children from a visiting french yacht hacking the trees with a machete.
When he attempted to talk to the parents about it, he says he was cussed off by the parents.
Now is this disgusting or what?
You are visiting a beautiful little island with your yacht and you allow your chidlren to hack the coconut palms with a machete?
What kind of people are these people?
You have the luxury of owning a yacht and the freedom to visit our islands, and you have no repsect for the beauty you seek here?
This is so ridiculous!
The visiting yachtsman who tried to stop it apologized to all St. Maarten/St. Martin people for the thoughtlessness of his fellow yachties who have no respect for their natural surroundings.
Kudos to Andy and curses upon the thoughtless French people who are teaching their children to destroy the environment.
- Mood:
enraged
If only everyone here planted more trees, instead of cutting them down for more development..Ah, what a lovely world it would be.
On February 5, EPIC, St. Maarten Pride Foundation, Nature Foundation and the Seaside Nature Park planted 25 Button Wood Trees (plants found along St. Maarten's coast) at the Seaside Nature Park’s grounds in Cay Bay in commemoration of World Wetlands Day which was on February 2nd, 2010 and in recognition of the importance of St. Maarten’s wetlands and coastal zones.
Green Fingers gave a donation of many of the trees.
www.seasidenaturepark.com/
Even I got into the action!
There also was a beautiful natural pond there filled with the most lovely water lilies.
Too bad the area is slated to all be filled in for an industrial park.
Sad, isn't it?
- Mood:
tired
This morning, as a representative of SXM Pride Foundation, I was a judge at the Invention Convention at the Learning Unlimited School.
This was a school project for fourth and fifth graders, who had to design an invention, and present their finished project to several different judges.
It was amazing to see the creative ideas the students came up with and how well they presented their projects.
They were all very impressive.
It was so nice to see all those bright, articulate, imaginative young people.
There were so many really cool inventions and I couldn't possibly name them all.
I did like the no mess pet bowl and the adjustable tennis racket, and woof woof fresh bone that cleans your dogs teeth and breath.
Another one that I liked was
Then there was the
and Basurin, the robot who picks up your garbage.
I think my favorite though was the biodegradable license plates. St. Maarten makes us buy totally new plates each year and all they do is pollute the environment and this little girl has the right idea.
- Mood:
impressed
They need help too!
It's so sad, but there are organizations that are there in Haiti, trying to help the animals too.
Read this article and find out what they are doing and how you can help those organizations!
www.readersdigest.ca/pets/cms/xcms/anima
- Mood:
sad
It's located in Simpson Bay and it's bright new and clean and well stocked.
We even bought the gardener a plant there.
They have the strangest check out system though. It was sort of mass confusion when we tried to check out. The check out counters are all parallel to each other. You don't go through, you just stand in front, and it's hard to figure out where the lines are.
I hope they change that.
I probably won't be shopping there much anyway because I am a hop, skip, and a jump from Le Grand Marche which serves me just fine.
- Mood: awake
We went to Orient Beach yesterday for lunch. We ate at Kon Tiki and had pizza.
I love walking the Kon Tiki walkway through all the trees. It is so pretty.
I think Kon Tki makes some of the best pizza on the island. We sat, enjoyed our lunch, and had more than a few Heinekens.
There was a cool comfortable breeze and the water was the most incredible colour of blue.
- Mood:
bouncy
- Mood: impressed
Sometimes little things come into your life and make such a difference.
I bought this little thing last week in Grand Case at Harmony Night , but never used it until tonight!
Wow! I am so happy!
You are probably wondering what it is, right?
How many of you women have gone out to eat dinner and had no idea what to do with your handbag.
If you put it on the back of your chair, it falls off or someone could steal it.
If you put it on the floor, it will probably get dirty.
If you hold it on your lap, it's a nusiance. And then where do you put your napkin?
How many of you have tried to squeeze it along side of you in the chair?
I barely fit in the chairs myself usually, let alone trying to squeeze in a handbag too.
Well, this little thing solves the problem.
And I absolutey love it.
Whoever invented this is a genius!
I used it tonight when we went out to dinner and it works perfectly. Yes, little things do mean a lot!
- Mood:
happy
It's 2010 and will anything be done about Mullet Bay Hotel this year? I wonder.
It was in November when a petition was submitted to clean up and/or restore Mullet Bay. There were many letters to the editor including mine.
barcann.livejournal.com/146598.html
barcann.livejournal.com/144430.html
Since then we have heard nothing more. As usual, there is a lot of noise about something and then the issue dies. No action is ever taken. No one follows up. And we all drive through the hotel premises daily and don't even see it any more.
What a scandal. And the owner is still doing business on the island , and being celebrated by our government.
Shameful!
Below are some before and after pictures.
It once looked like this!
Now it looks like this!
15 years and counting!
Shameful!
- Mood: pissed off
I found this video on Jess's blog.
sxmliving.blogspot.com/
Thanks Jess.
I forget sometimes how pretty St. Maarten still is.
Don't forget to click for HAITI!
www.care2.com/click-to-donate/haiti/
- Mood: happy
Our Washingtonian Palm is looking mahvelous this morning.
It is sprouting a beautiful string of flowers, which will eventually turn to seed so more little Washingtonian palms can grow.
If you look closely at the pictures, you might be able to see that those little black spots all over the flowers are happy little honey bees.
Nature at work!
What a way to start the day!
- Mood: happy
This is Missy!
Now what do I have in common with a cat? We both like fish? We both hunt at night?
Nah, not really.
Give up?
Well, Missy and I both have knee replacements.
That's right...knee replacements.
I had both knees replaced a few years ago. I put it off for years until I could not walk any more without excruciating pain. The replacements were the best thing I coudl have ever done. I now have my life back.
Well, Missy had a knee replacement too. Can you imagine?
Vets found her close to death after she was run over by a car, but she made a recovery after undergoing pioneering new surgery to rebuild her limbs and fit a specially-made metal joint.
You can read the entire story here.
www.care2.com/news/member/951765832/1369
Watch out Missy! You will set off bells and whistles when you go through airport security!
By the way, the above web site, Care 2 is a great site. It's all about things like the environment, animal rights, and human rights.
Lots of great causes there.
And when you click on it daily, you give help to Haiti.
Do that now!
www.care2.com/click-to-donate/haiti/
Thanks!
- Mood: awake
Hold on to your hats and be careful out there!
Out where? On the sea, that's where!
Yesterday was a quiet day with absolutely no wind. Last night the wind picked up and it howled all night.
It's still howling. The Met Office at the airport says the winds are from the East at anywhere from 14 to 20 MPH.
I swear there are higher gusts than that around my house.
It sounds like an old haunted house with whistling around the corners, and creaking doors. LOL
I heard that the Tiko Tiko boat from Club O on Orient Beach broke away from its mooring and was beached and damaged.
So, boaters, make sure your boats are anchored well.
I also heard many boats "out there" are heading into Simpson bay this morning for better protection.
We are also experiencing Northern swells comign in with seas building to about 9 to 14 feet by tonight, so be careful boating out there today.
The full weather forecast is here:
www.meteo.an/
Don't forget to donate to Haiti! they still need our help!
www.wehaveweneed.org/
- Mood:
blah
and our newest addition!!!!
- Mood:
crazy
Last night we went to Harmony Night in Grand Case. It was the first one of the season.
www.grandcase.com/harmony.html
Harmony Night is a lively street fair which happens in Grans Case every Tuesday night during the tourist season.
It is always a lot of fun. there are tons of people, lots of food, music, and many artisnas selling their wares.
I'll let the pictures show you what I mean.
and one little boy was really having a good time, trying out his musical skills!
- Mood: awake
...or what people do on a rainy day in St. Maarten.
Duke has been playing with his toy all day since it has been too rainy for him to go outside much.
Unfortunately Duke is not a retriever so he won't bring his toy to you. Instead he likes to play catch me if you can. Ask him to bring the toy to you and he comes right up to you . When you reach out for it, he veers off and wants you to chase him.
So I have been bored today too, so Duke and I started a game of catch me if you can.
Now you might ask why an old lady like me is playing such a game with a young strong 100 pound German Shepherd.
amd that is a very good question to ask because it was a BIG MISTAKE.
Picture a football player running down the field with the ball in his hand and a guy tries to tackle him and the football player has to feint right and left to avoid being tackled.
That's what Duke was doing.
So I jump in front of Duke to get his toy. He tries to dodge me......toy in his mouth
But he sideswipes me. He hits my knee. My knee buckles and I go flying.
I hit the tile floor HARD.
I land on my right tush, my back, AND my right hand where the still sore wound is from my klutz act at Grand Marche.
Remember that?
I hit the tile floor HARD.
I land on my right tush, my back, AND my right hand where the still sore wound is from my klutz act at Grand Marche.
Remember that?
I hurt all over.
I wish I could take a hot bath in my jacuzzi tub but I have no hot water.
When it rains and there is no sun, the hot water doesn't heat up. Solar heat needs sun to work.
Why do I do these things to myself?
When it rains and there is no sun, the hot water doesn't heat up. Solar heat needs sun to work.
Why do I do these things to myself?
- Mood: okay
The past few days I have been obsessed with the news about Haiti. I wasn't able to blog anything about it because I was so stressed.
I mean what can you say? The pictures leave you speechless.
I have Haitian friends who still have no news about their families.
I remember when Luis hit St. Maarten in 1995.
I was in the States and for 3 days I had no word about my family.
It was the worst thing I have ever lived through. It is terrible not knowing.
The one good thing about this is that the world is coming together to come to the aid of Haiti.
This is a beautiful thing to watch.
I encourage everyone to donate whatever they can to Haiti.
Just make sure you do it through a reputable organizaiton.
Unfortunately there are a lot of scams out there.
Can you imagine? People trying scams in the face of such tragedy?
It boggles the mind.
St. Maarten, like everyone else, is coming together for Haiti.
There are fundraisings all over the place. Businesses are setting up drop boxes all over the island where you can drop goods.
The donations are coming in but the logistics of getting them to Haiti is currently a nightmare.
I just pray all those donations can get to Haiti quickly and go where they are much needed.
People are dying in the streets as I type and sit in the comfort of my home.
It is all so sad!
By the way, people have been asking me if St. Maarten coudl have a quake like that. We have mild tremors all the time.
I guess we could, but as I understand it, the risk is not as great because we do not lie directly on a major fault like Haiti does.
- Mood:
distressed
Tomorrow I am wearing blue for the oceans!
I'm breaking out the blue in my closet to show my support of the true blue national ocean policy the Obama administration is creating.
www.wearblueforoceans.org/
In June President Obama called for the nation’s first ever policy to protect our Ocean, Coasts and Great Lakes, which many hope to see finalized in early 2010 and made official through an executive order. At present management of marine resources is determined by 20 different agencies operating under more than 140 laws each with different goals and often conflicting mandates. In public hearings across the nation this fall the administration heard widespread support for a unified ecosystem-based policy centered on the protection and restoration of the sea’s living resources – much like the policy the administration is in the process of creating. Only a healthy ocean can help assure a sound economy, good jobs, maritime security and viable coastal communities.
“Wear Blue for Oceans”Day is Jannuray 13th.
Events and rallies will be held in 10 cities across the USA, including San Francisco CA; New Orleans, LA; Washington D.C.; Honolulu, HI; Cambridge, MA; Houston, TX; St. Petersburg FL and Anchorage, AK. Those who can’t attend in person are encouraged to wear blue wherever they are and upload photos of themselves to
http://wearblueforoceans.org.
Although I don't live in the USA, I fully support anything any government of any nation does to protect our oceans.
I hope that by some of us in St. Maarten wearing blue we can call attention to what's going on in the States and maybe wake up our own people to do something too to help protect our beautiful Caribbean Sea.
- Mood:
busy
Home is the place where it feels right to walk around with no shoes....and no bra.
Home is the place where I am surrounded by the gardener's garden and often the gardener himself.
I am surrounded by my animals.
I have my radio, my TV, and my computer, and am fully aware of what is going on in the world....all the while never leaving my house.
I think I like the arrangement.
So why ever leave home? That is the question.
If I leave home, I have to put on shoes and a bra.
Well, today I left home to go to Grand Marche to get some food. We must eat, right?
I took my camera along too because you never know when you might get a good photo op.
I actually saw something I wanted to take a picture of.
Damn! My camera battery is dead.
That should have been a warning.
Then I go into Grand Marche where I wanted to buy bread and grapes primarily.
There were no grapes. The bread I like was not there.
OK, things are not going the way I thought..
But I travel on in the store, thinking maybe there is something else I might want.
I'm in the aisle near the dog food and someone is blocking one side of the aisle with a cart.
The big bags of dog food are piled in the middle but there is an opening so I can cross to the other side, which I do!
Big mistake!
There is a board on the floor there because they pile bags of dog food on the board instead of directly on the floor.
I do NOT see the board.
I trip on it, and I fly across the aisle to the other side, into the wall of peg hooks holding various dog toys.
Peg hooks like these.
I put out my hand to brace myself because I don't want to knock everything down.
and I brace myself with a peg hook.
Yes, I do!
So now I have a hole in my hand shaped like the end of the peg hook and I am bleeding profusely.
Yes, I am!
Who would think a rounded end of a peg hook could puncture me like that, but it did!
At first I don't even notice I am bleeding profusely because I am looking around to see if anyone saw me. Talk about embarrassing!
Luckily no one saw me, but no one was there to help me either.
I had no tissue in my bag. Now blood is running down my hand.
I am ready to grab a roll of paper towels off the shelf and break it open.
I finally found an old tissue, pressed it to the wound, and literally ran out of the store with my hand raised in the air.
You are supposed to hold the wound above your heart to stop the bleeding, right?
So now I am home where the gardener took good care of me. My palm is hurting like hell and has a very large bandage on it.
I'm not sure I needed such a large bandage, but then again, why not?
Folks, I should have stayed home!
I couldn't take a picture, I couldn't get the food I wanted and I almost killed myself!
But feel free to come visit me anytime!
- Mood:
embarrassed
Today's walk in the garden.
I noticed the gardener's powder puff plant is in bloom.
This is the plant he smuggled out of Cuba many years ago. LOL
First it looks like this:
Then it looks like this:
and, finally...Powder Puff Perfect!
- Mood:
relaxed
