I have to blog something quick, so I don't open my blog to that picture of myself. Nobody tell me I look "old", cause unfortunately, I think, I do (of course, I am old but let's not talk about that). Of course if you got past the picture and actually read the blog, you will know that Rick took zero time in setting that picture up (I just know he could have gotten me from a younger angle).

Anyway....let me tell you a little about my current writing class; "Write Like A Pro". Oh yeah! It's fun, exciting, stimulating, frustrating, maddening and exhausting all at once. It's really making me stretch, and I'm not necessarily fond of that. Oh, I like it fine when it's over and the finished product is limber muscles and or added brain power, as in a much better story, but the process it painful. To any of us, who read voraciously, we think, I could do that, and the fact is that we can, but it is not as easy as it looks. There are all these stories and bits of stories whirling around in my head (now, that's a scary thought) and getting them out in a coherent manner is a bigger challenge that I had ever thought.

This current class is great because it is forcing me to focus and take the overall story apart bit by bit and make it fit into a coherent pattern that the reader can and will enjoy and not want to put down ( I hope). I have also started following several literary blogs, one by a writer, one by and agent, one by a writer/editor, they all offer a lot of interesting advice and insight, while at times being incredibly helpful and at others, absolutely terrifying. Just like real life.

Anyway, those are my thoughts for this morning. They should be enough to get my picture off the "front page" and stop scaring me every time I open my blog. One more thing I wanted to mention, I know that there are a lot more of you who read my blog than there actually following it, so come on now, pony up, and follow me. It helps with the creative process to know that you are read and loved and that some people just can't go without looking into your life. It is amazingly exhilarating to see you have 100's of followers. It's easy, they ask for a google email address or something that seems intimidating, but you don't have to sign up for anything new, just use your current email address to sign up. I do all of this under my old AOL email address.

Was not able to blog for the last two days because I thought the computer was having problems, it turns out I was the one with the problems. Not exactly sure what they are or how I am doing it but I keep messing up the computer. Today I got on early, to look something up, when Rachel called me and after a few minutes my mouse "froze" in mid air. I would not move in any direction, I was absolutely powerless, that little arrow just hung helplessly in the middle of my screen. I had to do the ctrl/alt/delete thing to turn the sucker off. So through out the day I kept going back and turning the computer on again and again, and there it was that little arrow just staring back at me from the middle of my screen. I tried to navigate around using the arrow buttons and any other buttons that might work (Rick thinks this may be a big part of the way I'm messing things up) but absolutely nothing was happening. Well by the time Rick came home from work I had made an important discovery (no, not that I'm a few cents short of a quarter) but that there was a little screen in the lower right hand corner of my big screen with a red x in it that had not been there before. There was no way I could access this little screen, but I was convinced that it was the source of my problems. So Rick sits down at the computer touches a button that is deeply hidden right up front in the center of my keyboard and says; "oh year, you turned the mouse off, here this button turns it back on". So..........

I mentioned a few days ago that I got a haircut and immediately several folks started asking for a picture. Rachel even told me that Macy wanted to see a picture of "Grandma's beach hair", so Sunday afternoon I ask Rick to take a picture of me (head shot only, please). So he is standing over me getting my camera out of the case and it accidentally goes off, he looks at the screen and says; "yeah, that's good enough", and puts the camera away. So here is Grandma's beach hair in an accidental picture by RBB. (SCHEESH, could I get a little respect here and a decent picture taken).

Rained on and off here all day long today. We really do need the rain and I suppose this signals the end of the dry (winter) season here, hopefully we will not have damaging storms, just nice gentle rains to replenish everyone's cisterns.

Hoping for a better day tomorrow where I don't break anything.

I really did try to blog last night, but the computer was having issues. I have started to think that maybe all of the issues that I blame on the, network, browser, etc, etc, etc might be my computer. After all, we live in the tropics, and we don't air condition (ceiling fans work just fine for us) so that means that the wall of patio doors in our living room and bedroom are thrown open 24/7 so our computer which sits on a desk in the living room, is the equivalent of having it out on the deck (of course, it doesn't get rained on, but it gets a healthy dose of everything else). Unfortunately, this may take a few years off it's life.

Anyway.....Yesterday we had a new experience; a wedding at the Branch. Hopefully the computer will let me post a picture, but I'll tell you about it first. Sister Dula a long time widow (age 71) married an old friend whom she had somehow just recently reconnected with. It was a beautiful civil ceremony, the bride was radiant and so happy, not to mention giddy as a school girl. They had a great turn out and man oh man did these people ever dress for the occasion. The islanders love to get all dolled and duded up. I felt pretty shabby in my regular "church clothes". The dinner was a "pot-luck" and you would not have believed the food, it was incredible. A great time was had by all and the bride and groom really enjoyed themselves. They were in church today and will be leaving on a cruise later today, for their honeymoon. A new experience and a very pleasant one.

Had a visit with the Branch President today and he issued me anew calling. I won'd be sustained in that calling for a few weeks because of conference, so I'll save it for awhile, but it should be another new experience.

OK, here we go again, I'm just gonna call this payday follies. Yesterday, I talked about how we couldn't get our paycheck until today and the banks close at 3pm, so we couldn't have access to that money until Monday, well Rick talked to someone on the job site and they told him that they could give him his check before lunch, so he could go and+ deposit it. Looks like the problem is solved, right? Not necessarily, because he gets his check runs over to the bank, opens the envelope and low and behold, the check is not for the right amount, they shorted him $59.50, not the end of the world, but ARE YOU KIDDING ME? What does it take to get paid in this country, on time, and the correct amount? So is this just us? Is this some cosmic test to see just how frustrated we can be before someone snaps (probably me)? I mean we are grateful to have a job, and a good paying one at that, but is it too much to ask to know when and what we will be paid? Some things are just too crazy!

Today I'm working hard at my computer and every time I type the letter c, the computer sends me to some "help site", then every time I type the letter n the display is for nm, OK, I'm about to cry, I am so frustrated. I can't believe this, I try every thing I can think of, short of pitching the thing off the galleria (deck) with no luck. I ask Rick to take a look at it and who knows what he did (he claims he has no idea) but it starts working right, so he gies it back to me and says; "here, see if you can break it again", Ah, thanks honey.

I think I've had about enough fun for today. here's my final try at that picture of the Steeple Building.

"Oh what a tangled web we weave, when at first we practice to deceive." How sad a lie, whether those of omission, flat out, or avoidance. There is no such thing as a little lie or a white one either.

Watched the Documentary "Waiting for Superman" tonight, it was very good. There is hope, if only the world will latch onto it. Our children are our future, they cannot be sacrificed and we expect to progress as a society.

Working on a piece about "Godzilla" and unearthed some startling and sad information in my research. When will we learn not to mess with monsters?

Apparently, tonight is the night for "sound bites" probably because I'm tired. Much better if I just go to bed, before I say something really stupid. It's hard trying to better today than I was yesterday, but worth it.

Let's have one more picture from our visit to Fort Christian. This is what's called the steeple building. It's across the street from the Fort and was a Lutheran Church. Some incredible workmanship inside, but the really beautiful pieces have been removed and are in the newer (by not much) Lutheran Church a few block away. OK, according to this web site we're not gonna see that picture tonight, too tired to fight with it, I'll try again tomorrow.

Spent most of today writing, so much time on the computer that my neck hurts, but it was worth it. Enjoying my writing class so much I can hardly stand it. The ideas just keep coming, so the work on my book is going full speed ahead. Finally I feel like I have some direction. This class is all about structure and it is helping me tremendously. I am having a hard time concentrating on other things, because the story keeps presenting itself with new ideas.

Got my hair cut today, a lot. It's a lot like I have had it in the past only a little shorter, but the curl is back and I think it looks cute, at least I have some style again. This stylist is a little scissors happy, but since it grows so quickly down here, it gives me a few extra weeks before it will need cut again.

Finally today I can say I feel like the flu is gone. I actually feel good. I went and worked out in the pool and even took a walk and I didn't need to take a nap anywhere in there. It was almost a full two weeks before I could say any of those things. I was starting to feel as though I was never going to feel "good" again. But...I can testify, it does end, so take hope, if your suffering through it now.

Payday Cruzan style, or another just shoot me moment here in paradise. For six weeks now Rick has had to babysit his weekly invoice in order to get paid, now today they decide that they will pay him on Fridays (a change from the Tuesday that they originally agreed to)and they will deliver his check to the job site (no time specified). The problem is our bank, like all other banks down here, closes at 3:00pm, therefore that money won't be available to us until Monday, and only then if I take Rick to work so I can have the car and go to the bank. This won't be too bad after this week, but thinking we would be paid today or at least tomorrow, I had my haircut today and there is very little money left (not enough to get us through to Monday) with the price of gas it will be interesting. It's always something down here and it usually involves our getting paid. Are you kidding me?

For our Family Home Evening Rick and I went out, we went to the movies to see Rango. Interesting flik, not necessarily your average kiddie cartoon. We both throughly enjoyed it and the evening out.

Today my baby celebrated her 30th birthday, just exactly how did that happen. I can clearly remember the day she was born. I can clearly remember exactly how thrilled I felt when she was first placed in my arms, and what a joy it was to finally meet her. I can remember so much about those first few days with her, it seems like it was just yesterday and now she is the mother of her own two daughters, one who is almost 5 years old and one who is very new to this world. I am so grateful to see her be a good mother to her daughters and to know that she enjoys her life. From before she was born her father and I only wanted the very best for her and most of all it was our desire that she should find joy in this life.

Thirty years just went rushing by and although I can vividly recall so much, it seems like it went way too fast. Some days I wish that time would slow down, just a little, but that is not to be. I guess it's best not to blink but keep a weather eye on the horizon and your heart open to all possibilities.

For today I want to publish my favorite picture from Fort Christian. It is the corridor on the outdoor veranda to the commanders quarters. It was just a unique shot of doors wide open and that's the way I like to view life. I hope that my daughter will always view life that way, as well.

Today is the last day of a 30% sale at Gymboree, so I was trying to order some things for Macy's birthday and not sure if it's the site or my computer or a combination of the two but the frustration factor outweighed the 30% off. I'll try again tomorrow.

Cool day, mostly cloudy with showers on and off all day. Living here on an island you learn a whole appreciate for water and rain. You know the old saying; " water, water everywhere and ner a drop to drink", well here that's a fact. Although there are some wells on St. Croix (I'm still not sure how that works, where are those aquifers coming from) there is no other fresh water, unless it falls from the sky. Most people get their water supply from cisterns (large tanks, generally on their roofs for collecting rain water) when there is no rain the cisterns run dry. You have the option of buying water but many people can't afford it (it is really expensive). The condo complex where we live has a very sophisticated cistern system and they recycle most of the water for gray water use (like in your toilet bowl) so we don't have to worry about water, but that is not the case for most islanders.

This was brought home tome the other night after the Relief Society Birthday Party, everyone was hemming and hawing about who would take the tablecloths home to launder them (in the rainy season, it's no problem) when I realized what was going on, I snatched them up and put them in my car. It seems the least I can do, as I am fortunate enough not the have to worry about water. When I was visiting teaching last week and we asked one of the sisters what we could do for her, she said to pray for rain because her cistern was almost dry.

Another interesting aspect of this "dry season" (I didn't think that would be a problem in the tropics) everything is getting very brown. Even the golf courses are not irrigated and everything but the greens are pretty brown. The dense jungle areas where you couldn't see into the forest for more than three feet is pretty sparse now. Of course on the rain forest side of the island, it's a different story and it's still pretty green over there, but it is dry for them also, just not as dry as it is in my neck of the woods. There have even been brush fires in some places.

It's interesting what we take for granted and on an island in the middle of the ocean, I really didn't think water would be one of them.

I'm gonna try another picture from the Fort. This shot is a row of doors that open into the courtyard, they are cell door. The cells where pretty small and barren, no a pleasant place a all, but then again it was jail. The most famous prisoner that spent about three months in one of these cells was the mother of Alexander Hamilton (yeah check out a $10 bill, that's him), he was born on the island of Nevis and raised here on St. Croix, his mother was somewhat infamous down here.

Got over the writer's block and have been busy with my class. This one looks like it will be a good one, basic story and plot structure and character development. This should be good for me. I have a lot of ideas but need the structure to keep my characters from getting away from me and meandering around without really telling their story. I'm excited and can't wait for the next assignment. also, found a book by Orson Scott Card (one of my favorite authors) on the recommended reading list for the class and it's on Kindle, gonna get started on that one right away.

Lazy day today, did do some much needed cleaning (yuck!) and am down at the pool right now(computer giving us fits, so we thought maybe it would work better down there) the computer is working a little better down here but not much. Next step is to see if I can upload any of theose promised pictures from the Fort. May be you just get one at a time. I'll start with my favorite one of the courtyard.

Frustrating day on the computer. Yesterday's blog did NOT publish in green, pictures would not upload and today I tried three times to upload pictures and all three of my browsers tell me that that web page is not available. Alas, your left with my words. spent the day trying to accomplish things on the computer and reading, still don't have the get up and go that I had before this flu hit, now I have a cough (apparently this is the course this particular virus takes). Rick offered to take me out to dinner tonight, but we opted to stay home eat the left over crock pot lasagna and try to get out tomorrow night and have dinner and go see "Rango", hopefully it's still playing here. Not totally motivated to work on my class, so I'll leave it until Monday. It's only the second lesson and already I have "writer's block".

Well seein' as how it's St. Patrick's Day, let's see if this post will publish in green. Normally we have Corned Beef and Cabbage for St. Paddy's Day but tonight was the Relief Society Birthday Party and church so we at Cruzan instead. man oh man those sisters really can cook and they bring enough to feed an army. I'm stuffed.

I'll post a few more of the pictures from Fort Christian. these will all be interior shots of the various courtyards and ramparts and some outside the Commanders quarters. The enlisted men, who, by the way, signed on for six years, lived at the Fort is some really sparce quarters, the other officers generally lived in the town but the Commander had really nice spacious quarters on the second floor where they could really catch a breeze. Generally speaking he was the only personnel who would have his family with him and his tour of duty was probably much longer than the six years.

Personally felt kind of wiped out today and really didn't do much. did have two fun phone conversations and got to talk to both Rozi and Macy. In Rozi's case I did most of the talking but Macy and I had a fun conversation. Well I'm falling asleep, so I'll upload those pictures and call it a night.

Sometimes, I hate you evil blogger, who won't upload my pictures. Sorry, but I've got to go to bed, I'll try with those pictures again tomorrow.

I am seriously trying to blog everyday, and today this site has been giving me fits. On Saturday, Rick and I decided, since it was pretty cool that this would be a good time to take the tour of Fort Christian. It was fun, interesting and we took a bunch of fun pictures. Now for the problems with Blogger, I cannot figure out how to add my pictures with a caption. I know it's possible because everyone else does it, apparently it's not for the cyber impaired. Anyway, throughout this week I'm just going to post one or two pictures from that little excursion, along with my other ramblings.

So for today, Do you know what an 18 pounder is, well here is one and the second shot is a whole row of them. These babies at Fort Christian were never fired in anger,in other words they were only used for celebrations and special occasions. Apparently the Fort was so well placed and heavily armed that it was never attacked.

Today I gave a friend a haircut. Yes, me, I gave someone a haircut and unlike the cut I gave Rick, it was pretty good. At least my subject was satisfied, actually it is the third time I have cut her hair. Sometime, in the next two weeks I will have to tackle Rick's again, that should be interesting. More on that later.

My weekly television indulgence is about to start, so I'm done for now. Hopefully, I can download those two pictures, I promised.

I'm still here, just been too tired to talk (post) much. I do have some fun pictures I want to share and some things to talk about so...I'll be back.

Just want to briefly mention what an incredible Sacrament Meeting we had this past Sunday. One of the speakers, a sister, opened her talk by singing "Called to Serve", needless to say, I was sitting there balling, it was so moving. The Spirit in the Branch is growing, some still try to take away from it, but it is becoming so strong, it cannot be blotted out. That is definitely a good thing!

I have wanted to post this particular blog for a few days now and thank everyone who contributed to my Kindle for Christmas and my birthday. Here it is in it's new "Apple Green" cover with booklight. I love it! Thanks everyone!

Finally a day when I felt pretty good all day with nothing but a sore throat to complain about and let me explain about the sore throat. Hopefully, this won't be too melodramatic or anything, I was going to blog about it first thing this morning, but looked at AOL first and got caught up in the whole earthquake/tsunami thing (tsunami's have a whole different meaning when you live on an island. Anyway........

Last night I did something really stupid (yes stupid, I really hate to use the S word, but there is no other way to describe this event), I got in bed to watch a movie, and not exactly an action packed one, so Rick falls asleep in about about 20 minutes and I'm watching and sucking on a starlight mint, you know one of those round pink and white stripped candies, well the next thing I know I wake up with a terrifying start and I'm choking, and I mean really choking, not the something went down the wrong way kind of choking, but the absolutely no air is getting through kind of choking. So I fly out of bed and without even thinking about it, in all my glorious panic, I grab myself around the middle and "self Heimlich" and out pops my sticky, previously lodged in my throat, mint. At this point Rick rolls over over, looks at me and says; "what are you doing?" after which he immediately rolls back over and goes immediately back to sleep. For about three seconds I'm looking at this sticky piece of candy laying on the bed and thinking, I could just put this in your hair and explain in the morning, but it quickly passed and I picked up the candy and threw it out. I was pretty shaken up and my throat really hurt bad, it still felt like something was caught in there, but I could breathe just fine, so I figured I must be OK. Alright, I'm not OK; my heart is beating like when the phone rings at 2 am and wakes you out of a dead sleep, but I am breathing. Needless to say, I am not going back to sleep anytime soon, so I finish watching the movie and then read a few chapters in "The Count of Monte Cristo" (not your most cheerful read), before I can even think about sleeping.

Had a hard time waking up this morning, but I'm thinking waking up is a good think, my throat has a dull ache in the right side, I'm kind of hoarse and coughing and I have a little bit of a dull headache (probably from only a few hours of sleep). Got up with Rick and came upstairs, when I told him, he didn't remember waking up or anything,k I don't think he really took me seriously about the choking thing, so I didn't make too big a deal of it before he went to work. Got on the Internet and saw all the news releases about Japan and the impending tsunamis heading toward Hawaii and the US West Coast,this pretty much put the candy, choking and irritation at Rick out of my mind. As the day wore on, and the reports of the devastation in Japan and the people who were displaced in the US because of evacuations had me back thinking about how dumb decisions in a split second can be and are vital to our very lives.

I started thinking what woke me up. You hear horror stories about people choking in their sleep and not waking up, so what makes the difference. I do pray daily for the protection of the Spirit or Holy Ghost, is that what it was, or does that always happen, is it some function of your brain when your body can't breathe? I really don't know. I couldn't help thinking how dumb it would be to die after having done something so simply foolish. Never in my wildest dreams did I think I would fall asleep with that candy in my mouth, never did I think there was any danger in having a piece of hard candy in my mouth while laying in bed, watching a movie, never ever did I think such a simple action could be so dangerous.

On a day like today, everyone would have to admit that it has been made absolutely obvious just exactly how fragile life is, but who would have thought I would have my own personal experience with just how simple decisions that we don't even consciously make, maybe daily, can affect our lives in such a critical way. As I read the posts on "the social network" I subscribe too, and hear all of the people who are so grateful to hear form family and friends who have been in harms way today, when I read the posts that say they are so grateful to live where they do, particularly, out of harms way, I am reminded that life is fragile no matter where you live, no matter what seemingly harmless activities you pursue and that there is no way to know what dangers lurk in our lives. I have no doubt of the protection that the Spirit affords each and every one of us. I also have no doubt how often, so many of us, ignore the promptings, warnings and guidance that the Holy Ghost offers. No matter what scientific or physiological explanations might be offered for waking me up and the immediate reaction to dislodge this object from my throat, I will always be grateful for a most precious gift I received twenty-six years ago and that is the Gift of the Holy Ghost, the promise to have Him always be with me, as long as I remain worthy of His companionship and protection. On a day like today, who could argue with that.

Finally 24 hours of feeling good, may the siege be over. I even took a walk yesterday, outside. OK it was a short one down to check the mail, but it's all uphill, well downhill one way, but it's so steep that even the downhill part is hard; anyway...it felt good to be outside. Today the pool, don't think I'll try to work out, but I am going down there to relax and enjoy the sun.

Being sick always gives me a lot of time to reflect, that should be a good thing, but I am after all, the great second guesser. You would think in my life that I had learned to go with my gut instinct, to realize that to study long is to study wrong and finally and most importantly to recognize the Spirit, but in a effort to give everyone and everything the benefit of the doubt I review, rework and rewrite way too much. Then there is the old but very true adage that if you give someone enough rope they will eventually hang themselves, now, of course, this is only true of the thief, liar or otherwise less than noble person; after all the person who is doing their best to live a "good" life and harm no one, has no rope to hang themselves with. Along this line I have found that we judge from our own perspective, meaning that if those who are always lying, assume that everyone is lying to them, those who are a bully, accuse everyone else of bullying, those who engage in any sort of nefarious behavior, naturally assume that everyone around them is of the same character(sorry I'm reading Dumas) and slowly they begin a decent into a reality where only they are good and righteous and above reproach, seeing that this is such a sad state to be in, I probably always will be the great second guesser, giving the benefit of the doubt trying always to heed the promptings of the Spirit.

Not to change the subject.....I got my new Sketchers sandals yesterday and are my feet ever happy. I love their Tone Ups and my back loves them even more. You don't realize how important and integral to your feeling good, are every little body part, until one of them is either in pain or not working properly. Now I can't wait to walk, gonna try the mail box again today. To those of you who have been here...no laughing.

Being stuck in my apartment has made be realize just how glorious this place where I live truly is. From almost every corner of the place you can look out and see the beautiful Caribbean Sea, the cool breezes come in through every window and the air is always fresh. At this time of year (winter and the dry season) it is definitely not a lush but the plants that are in bloom are an incredible wave of bright fuscia, tangerine and vermilion with splashes of true red and brilliant white. The down side is that there are more people around, of course everyone wants to enjoy the dry cool weather free from the threat of hurricanes, so the complex is alive with absentee owners, not always the most pleasant breed. At any rate most will leave at the beginning of April and by the end of that month we should be back to normal.

In these next three months, March, April and May, we will have come full circle to experiencing a year on the island. I am excited to see exactly what Spring will be like, excited to start another cycle or another year in this new adventure. May I ever see it that way and not sink to the doldrums of taking this place for granted.

So much for my daily blogs. Was knocked flat yesterday with a relapse of this flu. Got the bad news from someone else on the island, that it's taking most folks a full week to get over it. Once again I feel pretty good this morning, but I promise that I will take it easy and just try to recover. Starting to feel a little cabin fever, want to get out, want to get back to the pool to work out, want to take a walk, want to do something other than sleep and read.

Monday night for our Family Home Evening Activity Rick and I watched the movie "The Social Network' it was scary, the supposed inside story of the people behind Facebook is a sad tale. I am on Facebook and I enjoy reading the "fun" posts of my friends. My cousins got me involved as a way to keep in touch and keep up with each others lives (since we are so far apart), but I have had to "unfriend" some people, as I was feeling low reading their posts. I know that there is a lot of negative in the world but you only attract more to it to yourself by being negative. Then there is the nasty stuff, calling people out, who they never intend to face in "real life", saying snide things about people and complaining about their benefactors. It's not fun to read or be any part of, but let me tell you something, unfriend(simply remove them from your page, so they can't see your posts and you can't see theirs) one of these people and they will take every means possible to make your life miserable. I suppose this is just a proof of the old adage that "misery loves company". These have got to be truly small unhappy people with small unhappy lives, who want to make everyone around them just as unhappy. It's sad, you have to feel sorry for them, but as sorry as I might feel, I can't put enough distance between myself and them and as fast as I can, I might add.

I'm currently reading "The Count of Monte Cristo", haven't read it in over 40 years, so it's like a new book, but I do remember one thing and that is that it's one of the saddest tales of revenge around. Doesn't anybody get it, leave revenge to the Lord, only He can handle it (actually I'm not sure He ever really takes revenge, but He does say that "revenge is His", so leave it alone, it will only bring you down).

There was a time in my life when I lived by the motto; "don't get mad, get even" and I am so glad to have left that long behind me, it is truly no way to live. Love is the answer, I once heard in a talk that if you truly love people, they will do anything for you. It's true, I am sincerely willing to do anything for those that I know truly love me and I can only hope that the reverse is true.

Trying really hard to get back in the swing of posting "regularly" on my blog (journal). Sometimes I feel as though I have to be funny or exciting or have something profound to say and when I don't I just don't post. Let's face it, I always have something to say, it just isn't always as interesting.

Trying really hard to get over the flu. I felt really crummy last Thursday and didn't do much of anything all day. Then on Friday, I took Rick to work and didn't stop running until we got home after dinner about 9 that evening. I woke up around 3 Saturday morning and was really sick to my stomach and had a round of coughing, sneezing and nose blowing. After my stomach settled down, I finally went back to bed around 5. Had a real hard time getting up on Saturday, I really felt crummy, but also felt bad, as this is Rick's only day off and a day that we can do something together. I felt like just going back to bed, but instead we went for a drive, it was pleasant and we did go some places that we had not been before, but I felt too bad to get out and walk around anywhere and I didn't want to go to lunch. We did stop as K-Mart, where I got half way through the shopping and just wanted to go lay down. Came home, went to bed where I stayed until this morning. Didn't go to church, didn't go out the door, only came upstairs three times yesterday. I made a nice dinner for Rick and was able to eat some, but basically still felt like I could not hold my head up.

So far, so good this morning, trying not to overdo it and taking is easy but definitely feeling much better. Getting some things done around the house. As is my usual way of doing things, I just tried to ignore the fact that I was sick and push my way through it, that really doesn't work out too well with the flu. At some point in time you either have to lay down or you fall down, fortunately I stopped just short of the falling down part.

Trying hard to find my stride with Rick working full time. We are both grateful for the paycheck and the work (he seems to be enjoying it) but we had gotten so used to spending so much time together that I have to admit I feel a little lost. There is plenty to fill up my time, I just have to get into a routine, maybe I should call it something else. I really hate the word routine, the idea of doing the same thing over and over again (at least that's what I think of as a routine), maybe that's what is keeping me from finding my niche and taking care of the business that I need to take care of.

Been checking airfare, trying to buy our granddaughter a ticket to come and see us and the prices have gone through the roof. It seems the middle eastern or north African crisis has had the oil prices and therefore gas prices jump over the moon. It certainly seems strange that the prices would rise overnight, do you really mean to tell me that the US has no oil reserves, or is this just one more way for the oil companies to "gouge" us yet again. Gas on the island is as high as $3.18 per gallon, but as of last Friday there was one station where you could still get it for $2.99 per gallon. A $.19 per gallon range seems a little strange, especially when you consider that here on the island all of the gas comes from the same source, somebody is making a killing.

Regardless of the conditions in the world the skies are sunny and the ocean is a beautiful blue here, the days are warm and the nights cool. It's kind of hard to complain in paradise, just want our loved ones to be able to come and enjoy it with us.

Trying to get back into the habit of blogging regularly. Took almost a full week off while I had some company. It was fun to have someone here from the states and to be able to show off the island but exhausting also. Every day I had to get up with Rick and take him to work and then go back at 4 o'clock and pick him up. The new job is about 2/3 of the way across the island so it was a good little trip twice each day. The up side to that is that I really did learn my way around the island and am now a whole lot more comfortable driving around and not near as worried that I will get lost.

My "just shoot me" day was last Tuesday (I think), just a few miles after we picked Rick up from work, we had a flat tire, was I ever grateful that this happened after we picked him up and not before. We spent Wednesday at home hanging out at the pool because Rick took the car in to have the tire fixed, well that didn't happen, we had to buy a new tire and have another alignment done, thank you St. Croix potholes. I may need to look into buying tires in bulk down here, the way we are going through them. The upside to that whole situation was that I didn't have to drive Rick to work that morning and go get him and we could just really relax, not sure if my guest was too pleased but sometimes, "life happens".

It's interesting how things change when you have house guests, for one we eat way too much. I suppose we all do that when we are "on vacation". We just throw abandon to the wind and all of our normal good eating habits and want to sample all of the delicious local fare and some of the things that we don't let ourselves eat on a regular basis at home. The trouble is that I'm not on vacation and aside from it not being good for me in general, I feel really miserable when we are eating that much. I am going to have to learn more restraint and just not eat everything and eat all the time, when we have house guests. We've also learned that we have to set a few ground rules when guests come, not that anything terrible happened, but people don't really understand that we are living and working here and that it is a big extra expense having people stay with you, it's not that we don't want to share what we have but sometimes it can cross over into being a burden. Unfortunately, for us with the way things have worked out with our employment situation, we seem to be having guests just when we are getting back to work after a rather long "dry spell" and the finances haven't quite caught up with the expenses. the bottom line is that no matter how much fun you have with your house guests, it's kind of nice to have you home back and fall back into your normal routine.

With Rick's new job we are still trying to develop our routine. He's only been working for two weeks and for one of those we had a guest so there was no routine. I find that I got so used to having him around that I'm a little lonely during the day. Yesterday, the first Monday after our guest left, we started having workmen here to do the tile project on our upstairs galleria (deck), so everything is kind of upside down while that is going on, supposedly only two more days of that nonsense and I can really have my house back. It's always something.

Just realized that today is 1 March, where does the time go, we have now been on St. Croix for 9 months, closing in on that first year. Sometimes it seems like we have been here a whole lot longer than that and sometimes it feels like we just got here. I actually hope I never get used to the beauty of this place, I certainly don't want to take it for granted. Well the first of the month, almost got the house back to myself, getting back on a healthier eating plan with plenty of exercise, taking another writing class this month and trying to develop a "normal routine". Working seriously on those three goals for the next three months, trying to make them "good habits".