Ants, Ants, Ants!

Ants. Islands ants are not the same are regular ants. Island ants come in different forms. Some are translucent and others are much bigger than any ant should be. Then there are fire ants and those aren't really ants at all but the devil disguised as ants. Being bitten by a fire ant is worse than poison ivy. When I first moved to island I thought I had stepped into poison Ivy and it took me a few years to realize that what had actually happened was that I stepped into a fire ant mound and I was bitten several times, the effects of which I felt for about two weeks and it was extremely unpleasant. 

Today, we were dealing with non-biting ants but still a problem for sure. Usually when I see ants in the house, they are tiny and we have Terro liquid ant bait which I use to eradicate the problem within a few days. This has worked for the last ten years, until today. It has been extremely dry the last couple of months and I'm not sure if that's the reason why they have started appearing more and more, but there are a lot of ants. They prefer our dog's premium dog food as their target of choice but then they also spread out into our sink and our kitchen table. 

After lifting up our dog's ant infiltrated food dispenser by the wrong part and having all her food go all over the place for the third time too many, we realized we had more ants than is an acceptable amount inside our island home. I asked my husband to take care of the problem as soon as he came home. And he did, because that's the only way living on an island with island problems like these works. 

He was great and vacuumed absolutely everything first (if medals were given out for vacuuming, he'd get the Olympic gold). Then we took out the peppermint oil that we had gotten a few years ago to counter the fire ants in our back yard and our front porch, and sprayed every spot of ingress around the outside of our house and even some spots inside the house. Since peppermint is natural, our dog may lick it but it won't hurt her which is why we got the oil in the first place since poison is not an option with pets that lick absolutely everything.

As I write this, I have not seen an ant in hours and hopefully they stay away for good this time. Also, my husband is available for ant eradication consults. The dog is already writing letters to ASPCA because her food dispenser is in the sink and her food is on the other side of room now and not on the carpet in front of the television where she prefers. 

Island Hobbies

I've been trying to find a hobby recently and it has been very challenging. We probably have just as many interest groups here as in any other area. However, after work and getting everything that a seven year old needs (today's need were shorts for gym class but that's a different blog post), all I really want to do is watch This is Us (my husband hates this show with a passion for some reason). But watching television isn't really as satisfying as it was a million watching hours ago so the search goes on. 

There is a radio amateur club that my husband really wanted to join but it usually occurs at the same time as his MUFON meetings (if you're interested in MUFON, come see us at 1 p.m. on the first Saturday of every month at VI Coffee Roasters in Christiansted). There are also organizations concerning the environment, boating, clay, painting and pretty much anything. Last year we joined the Orchid Society which has been interesting but summertime means we don't really have meetings. Through the Orchid Society, I found out that there is a Bonsai Society. I've also recently heard about a cigar club and of course, we have a Rotary Club. There are also the Freemasons, and if you want to invite us, let me know!

So tons of clubs but so hard to decide on one or even two and make time for it. And obviously there are a ton of hobbies that don't even require joining a club but I can't decide on any of those either. So after a lot of consideration, I decided to reinstate my Mensa membership and see how many other members there may be here on island. This may be a failed restart but it's the first one that I have been semi-excited about so I am going to give it a try and see what happens. 

When the lights go out...

The power went out again this morning. It feels like it goes out at least once a week now, which is better than a few years ago when it happened at least three times as often. The nice thing is that we have an automatic switch generator. I don't know much about generators, but I do know that when our power used to go out, our lives would literally stop. It's a huge difference in a place that is extremely warm all the time when you don't have an AC or fan running.

When the local electric company shuts down all the power, often island-wide, it gets hot very quickly. Now we're lucky that the generator automatically goes on, so we don't really know that we don't have power except that the lights flicker a little and the loud generator noise is tough to miss, even though it's not that close by. There used to be a time that we couldn't even use the toilet because of how the cisterns and sump pumps are situated in most houses on this island, but not anymore. The worst was after the hurricane when the shower wouldn't even work unless a generator was running.

Life has gotten a lot more comfortable than it used to be here. A decade ago, everything was so new here, and we were so young, that we didn't mind the heat or having to leave the house during the day on the weekends because it was just so hot. Now, with the automatic generator and the ACs, it's not that different from living stateside as far as summer indoor temperature.

Yesterday I also realized that the sunsets and the moon on St. Croix look so much different than in the states. I don't remember seeing the moon in Chicago very often, but here it looks like it was painted anew almost every night. We can even see it during the day. It’s really magical, especially when it’s full. The sunsets are also something to write (or text) home about.

Winter weather is a completely different story. I haven't seen snow and I haven't felt my face freeze in over a decade. I hated the cold when I lived in Chicago. Of course, all my daughter wants now is to see snow, but snow is hard to order on demand. One day she'll see snow and probably ice and frost, and the excitement will be short-lived. Until then, we'll all enjoy the bright moon and the warmth of the sun all the time.

Back to School

When I was a kid, school always started the first week of September or somewhere pretty close. In the Virgin Islands, school starts August 13 this year for public school. I used to try to get all the school supplies by ordering early online because I didn't want to pay $7 for a box of colored pencils. But this year is different. I have seen great deals at local stores lately and for very reasonable prices. 

The local OfficeMax has all the essentials priced for a few dollars in the back of the store (there are no signs, just keep walking until you can go no more). Cost-U-Less also has some good deals and if we didn't already have a backpack, I know my daughter would want the Hello Kitty backpack I saw featured online in the circular. I actually may go there next weekend to check out a few more items. Both stores also have the primary journals that every public school requires on island and that I used to spend a fortune on in the past. They are all priced at a few dollars a piece and I purchased the basic primary journals for .50 at OfficeMax. 

Other items that we always need throughout the school year are school snacks, especially for after school care time. We're trying to go healthier this year and avoiding the chips and cookies (ask me in a month how long this lasted). So far we have settled on assorted nuts like cashews, peanuts and almonds and crackers. We are also planning on sending loose fruit in a container. I found a great nut assortment pack and they were individually packed at Plaza East. I know it's more waste than just putting it into bags ourselves but if we're using our own plastic bags anyway, it does seem like a bit of a time saver and less of a chance that the nuts will go stale. 

I am still going strong on my quest not to order online so last week my husband and I drove the whole island while he entertained me with is jokes and went into every feed and grocery store in our search for a dog food feeder and dog vitamins. We did finally find a dog food feeder and glucosamine as well as other dog vitamins at Gallows Bay Hardware. They were very reasonably priced and the dog is very happy with both. She has an extra pep in her step since she started taking the vitamins. The utensils in the photo were my husband's idea but I have to agree that the Downton Abbey of it all is very fitting for her and she seemed to enjoy it. 

So it's August and that also means we're about to hit hurricane season pretty hard. On the calendar, the season goes from June to November but everyone who lives here knows that it's not really serious until end of August and through September. Then we hold our breaths for a few weeks and hope for the best. So here we are. Our propane tanks are filled for the generator and we have some canned food ready. Everything else is really up to the weather

I will try to make this blog a regular thing again and I will try to post every Sunday. See you next week!

I'm back!

It's been almost five years but I'm back. I still live on St. Croix. The baby I had is no longer a baby. She's seven. My husband and I are still happy here and we can't imagine living anywhere else.

Other things have changed though. I am now a partner at my law firm. I work a lot more and I spend a lot less time on the beach (the beach bum days are officially over). And my new island goal is to shop local. 

Ever since my daughter was born, we have been ordering a lot online, especially on Amazon. It's not as easy as in the states and we get nothing shipped same or next-day but it does work to a certain extent. However, I think I'm ordering a lot more than I need and I'm creating a huge carbon footprint by placing separate orders for each little thing. So here is my attempt to substitute all of my online purchases by only shopping at the stores we have on island.

So the first item we needed was a new Ring camera. The old one was okay but it wouldn't hold a charge anymore and taking it off and charging it every couple of days was no longer a fun activity. This one was pretty easy because we do have a Home Depot (even though our Kmart just closed... yes, you read that right, we still had a Kmart but it literally just closed less than a week ago). Home Depot was selling a doorbell Ring camera along with an indoor Ring camera for $99 which is actually less than what you would spend for a new one of these online. Also, if you want to review the video that your Ring camera captures (not mandatory for using this camera), once you have at least two devices, you can pay $99.99/year and you can install unlimited devices. The indoor camera is perfect for watching your dog when you go on vacation as well!

The next items on my list were paper towels. I had to do higher math for this one. I usually get Bounty 6=15 rolls (select-a-size always but I still will tear off at least two pieces so not helpful at all... but my husband will ask for three once in a while and then it's all worth it). I like this size because the rolls are thicker and I have to change them less often.  I go to Home Depot and they usually have these but sometimes they throw in a 12=24 and my husband buys them and then I don't have enough energy to return them so we just deal with it. But this time I went two weeks ago and they had 12=30 and they were only $10 more than the 6=15 which were about $21. Again, I had to really figure this one out because it's not obvious and they just do the paper towel people just do this to screw with you. But 6=15 is the same as 12=30 and while two 6=15s should cost $42, the 12=30 was only $31 so it definitely made sense to buy the 12=30. 

Liquid hand soap was next and Home Depot had Mrs. Meyer’s which is one of my favorites. They didn't have basil which is my favorite Mrs. Meyer’s scent but they did have lavendar (not a favorite but my husband loves it) and they also had lemon verbena scent which I can live with. They had a size that was double the size of the ones I usually buy online but cost exactly double what I pay online so it was pretty much the same price per ounce. I usually use mason jars with pumps for my soap dispensers and ever since my attempt to make liquid soap failed, we still use liquid soap that comes from plastic containers. This scenario doesn't help anything at all but at least we're not ordering the soap online anymore.

Next I went to Plaza Extra East because I needed to find detergent pods to substitute for the sensitive Dropps pods that I get online. I didn't think I'd find it but I found Seventh Generation Sensitive Skin pods. I had almost purchased these online years ago. The cost wasn't that much different from what I pay online now so it's all working out.

The last thing I needed was dog food that had no blueberries, corn or peas in it. It sounds easy but it's extremely difficult. My dog has developed allergies to the strangest things and apparently all dog food has one of these three ingredients in it. I picked up and turned over every single bag of dog food at Plaza. I found one and only one that didn't have any of these ingredients. It is Taste of the Wild Raw. It has very few ingredients and even though it only comes in an 8 lb bag, it's really our only option right now. 

While I was at Plaza, I also realized they have a whole Mrs. Meyer’s section at the end of the aisle in cleaning products and it's pretty reasonably priced. Something I will need in the future but didn't get yet was contact lens solution. I don't use it but I think my husband drinks it. I found a comparable one to the one he uses at the pharmacy at Plaza. It's a bit more expensive than online but I think if it prevents me from ordering things I don't need, I'll spend less overall and that makes it worth it. 

I can't make any promises and it may very well be five more years before I make another post but hopefully not! See you soon.

The shot of hope

My last post was about our magical life on St. Croix with our new baby who pooped a lot more than I thought was previously advertised about babies. Since then, 2020 happened, and just like the rest of the world, we have been shut down and dealing with the effects of Covid-19. But not even a week ago, there was a silver lining. My husband was one of the first individuals on the island and in the world to receive the Covid-19 vaccine. He's a behavioral health front line worker and last Wednesday when the territory received its first shipment of vaccines, he received his. 

This year, I also had a year-long breast cancer scare that finally culminated in an excisional biopsy three weeks ago that thankfully resulted in a benign diagnosis. For being a small island with one hospital, my husband and I have really gotten a lot of use of all the doctors and medical facilities on island over the last five years, and this from two people that rarely needed medical care when living in the states. While the island is small, there are some exceptional physicians and nurses who have taken great care of us. This has allowed us to continue living here and rarely consider moving back to where we used to live.

Island life also makes social distancing a lot easier than in many other places. The population is under 50,000 sprawled over about 84 square miles. Masks are mandatory and tourism has significantly dropped off since March. Although in the beginning, working from home with no daycare was challenging. Now, we have settled in to eating at home and spending most of our time with each other.

Our baby has grown into a toddler and is now a very assertive and early-rising two-year old who loves to swim. She knows what she wants and along with her sidekick, our dog, knows exactly how to get it. They both share a love for cheese... one asks for it constantly with no intention of eating it and the other one eats it off her nightstand. Our baby also has the most unforgettable laugh. She laughs like the whole world is laughing with her, and she is completely ignorant of a global pandemic going on around her, which is the best part of this story.

I hope for a 2021 that sees the vaccine free the world to being what we once knew as normal. I want a future for my daughter where zoom isn't the only way to see the people that she cares about. I want us to remember what it was like during this year and to use that knowledge to work harder to avoid this happening in the future. I wish for many more memories that makes my life on a tiny island in the Caribbean the best life that my family can have, especially during this time.

A magical life

Babies take a lot of time and it has been a major life change since our baby has come into our lives. My husband and I used to have tons of free time- going to the beach, exploring our island and just doing absolutely nothing a lot of time the time. Now, that has all changed. We do baby, baby and dishes. The amount of dishes that we do now has increased exponentially. Any free time we have goes to doing dishes and we live on an island so using paper plates seems wasteful.

The baby part of our busy lives now is magical. She's like a mini version of my husband and I put together. She smiles and laughs and eats and poops (a lot more poops than they tell you), and it's all exhausting but really great. Every day brings a new experience for our daughter like sitting, standing, waffles; and she experiences it all like she was put here to do so, and she was. Watching her experience new things in life makes all the mis-steps and decisions that brought us to this point of our lives worth it.

I've been thinking a lot lately about the last four years. Four years ago, I came to St. Croix for the first time. I had never even heard about this island before then. When I came here for my nine day pre-move visit, I realized that the possibilities here for me were endless.  I had absolutely nothing to base this on but I can tell you from experience that this premonition was true. I got more from my move here than I could have ever imagined. 

I also thought about the things that happened on this island while I've lived here that I probably wouldn't have wanted to experience when I planned my move. My husband broke his arm in an unfortunate incident, which canceled his last boat trip and our trip to Spain; we got burglarized; and we went through a major category five hurricane, living without power or internet for months. I thought about what life would have been like if none of these unfortunate events ever happened. But then I realized what most people probably realize when they think of such things; that the life that we have now would not be what it is without all of those life experiences. It has led us to where we are  and who we are today.

We live on a beautiful island with the sweetest baby and the most magical views. I get to share my life with my best friend and our daughter and our dog. And while we may not agree on everything (especially when it comes to throwing stuff away- I'm trying to achieve a minimalist lifestyle while raising a baby which is impossible and my husband doesn’t love throwing things away), we do agree on our love for the life that we have and the experiences that have brought us here together.