2014 Dear Mishka. Cows!

Dear Mishka.

Well, we knew this would be an adventure.  Parrots as ND homing birds and lizards and iguanas and the damned cows on The beach.  Well Something Else Usually travels along with cattle. No I do not mean a million flies. Nor do I mean did not just little birds that pick the flies off the back, no I don't mean mud. I mean it least one big black bulls! Big! And usually planted smack in the middle of the path that we walk down. In past weeks we have simply waited for him to move so that we may walk. 

While walking a friends dog though I lost lost my temper with this animal, picked up a large size palm frond and began waving it at him and yelling and occasionally smacking him in the butt. Mr Bull got out of my way and sauntered off the side of the road. Since then he always avoids me to get out of my way and we walk along quite merrily ignoring each other. 

Well today was a lovely sunrise, we were laughing and we could hear the sound of the waves rolling and smoke still turned up from a night and party before. We were quite enjoying ourselves in the silence. And then I heard a familiar sound, eats. Horses? One of the riding stables is down here? I'm so excited I turn around to see the horse and said I see a charging bull approximately four feet away from me. OK in approximately half a microsecond my brain said I have nothing to wave at him, I am too close to run, open beach on both sides and open water behind.  This is going to hurt a lot if I don't do something. So I have on my arm with a little bitty picnic basket my other arm holding a student coat that I am sewing and yelling.. Matthew was also yelling and trying to wave his umbrella but the bull was so close to the umbrella could not be extended or it would've actually hit him. I really don't know how long the standoff lasted.  It was probably a couple of seconds but in my mind approximately 4.5 days.  He finally turned and wandered up the beach sauntering quite arrogantly. We watched him every step of the way and then kept looking over our shoulders as we booked along as fast as we could. And all of this before 8 a.m.! 

How did your morning go? That will get suggestions from my friend to make some nice big juicy steaks using the s*** that I come from a few. No one else seem to think I was serious. That bull hit me and almost knocked me down hopefully into the water and if he does it again I'm having me a real good dinner. They can deal with it, it's called American justice its called Detroit justice kill and eat them or get killed and be eaten.  The first time I saw a t-shirt with a picture of a handgun and the phrase "Detroit where the weak are killed and eaten" all I could think was "you know that's perfect I want one." Now when people ask what it is like I tell them you know every news article you read? Almost all of those movies in the scary scenes? All the horror stories on the news? They were almost all true and personally I refuse to go any further into Detroit then I have to because I've had to turn my car around and run red lights to get out twice. 

Someday ask Kristin Swihart about the day that she was supposed to be navigating and would up on Mac in a burned out the area of town.  I think we both peed the seats before we got out of there. And it's still not the worst area I've been in. Don't trust GPS units in Detroit. Let's ship that bull to 9 mile and see what happens to it there.  I once got off the WRONG WRONG exit and at a red light scary people came out of shadows and started walking toward my car, the only car on the street, first time in my life I've ever run a red that fast and locked all the doors at the same time..  Damned google navigation systems.

Well there's the latest cow story.

3/25/15 Dear Mishka. Cookies and bread

Dear Mishka,

I'm so sorry I've been away so long.   But this one ought to make up for it, because I'm going to floor you with "What the great and powerful Oz-Pam has been up to" in order to keep my sanity

I've started  selling cookies on occasional days in front of the library.  I have Matthew tell me when exams are so I know when the students will all be camped out and need to get food fast.  Bring on the molasses cookies and the classic chocolate chip!!  Next week I'm going to try a brownie I'll sprinkle with toffee chips and maybe caramel.  These I'm gonna ask a decent price for, maybe cut them small but charge 5ec each. That is a nice price for a short time of work.  Cookies take awhile because I cook about 6-7 dozen at a time and package 2 at a time.  5ec each.

Are you ready for this shocker?  Since the bread here is all white and SUCKS, I've learned to bake.  I do honest to god, all day long, honey wheat for us and now have someone asking me to sell to her.  Yup, Ms. Never done anything more complex than chocolate chip cookies only is actually baking bread.  I never thought I could.

I feel guilt about this but, I have a maid here ("cleaning lady") 3 days a week.  I have this shiniest floors and kitchens you've ever seen.  I felt guilty until a neighbor pointed out that there are so few jobs on the island and pay so little.. so I remind myself of this when I'm feeling bad.  And Zona is a dear dear woman.

I've gotten more involved with the spouses organization.  Thursdays  it's a speed shopping trip to Roseau... mom's have to be back by noon to pick up the kids for lunch so we don't even park the bus.  he stops in front of one of the many shopping stores and charge in like panicking sea otters.  I've earned to have a list, store by store, and stick to it.  If I need to go off list I worry that bus is going to blithely drive off without me.

Prices still astound me, even with the exchange rate so I have to watch those pennies.... and worse, the people here with cars can go at leisure and find the niftiest shops and want to take me.  That will not help the budget.

That's Thursdays with student spouses (Ross Spouses Organization - RSO).  I'm a bit older but more comfortable with them.  Wednesdays the faculty wives group goes out on an all day excursion, some sort of adventure, we go to waterfalls, lakes, restaurants, and especially beaches and bars.  And once a moth Roseau but the older women kind of tow the rest of us around.  Most of these women have been here over 15 years so I have little in common with (grandchildren, lives in multiple continents, children dying, cancer, etc.) but recently 3 more wives have arrived (with their husbands of course) that are closer to my age so it's becoming more exciting.    They also arrange Saturday trips every other week for the whole faculty.  Last trip was emerald pool and waterfall where you were allowed to play in the water.  We also stopped on the way back to photograph hibiscus falls as well  We stopped at one of the villagers homes where they had a grill outside on the sidewalk and bought up all the grilled corn..  Yummy.  I should mention, this particular trip Matthew was the only man and since I have to sit in the front of the bus to avoid barfing,, Matt was in the back with the women.  I just tried not to think about it.

You can also catch Saturday morning shuttles to the farmers market in Roseau or Portsmouth.  The markets are wonderful.  You can't beat a market for fresh food.   You just have to wash it carefully.  But on an island like this you don't have to worry  about organic!  I try to cook more than I do now.  Too much take out!  Not great, but easy. Sigh... my poor waist..  Did you know I've put on 10 lbs since arriving here.  Gack.  I found out when we headed to Michigan and I couldn't get my jeans over my hips  I informed Matt that after landing we were going straight to Old Navy or the next size up... damn.

I've taken to tailoring well, keeps me busy in bits and spurts.  So of course I've taken on more.  I am learning to quilt, first by finishing one I've had in storage about 8 years.  And a woman named Dawn is a quilting maniac and has convinced me to teach a quilting class.

Just to add one more thing for me to forgot to work on, I've taken to making jewelry of seaglass wrapped in gold and silver wire.  its being sold on the side at a new restaurant.  I was stunned it sold.  I mean, I like it a great deal but then we know my tastes are not exactly conventional..

God, cooking, baking, sewing, quilting, jewelry making.   Who the hell is this and where did Pam and her dented couch from watching movies go to?

Great, now I need chocolate... and I don't mean the double shot of Bailey's I have at night.  Oh, and I've gotten good at raspberry Martinis and lemon drops.  Matt likes them as well.  We've both developed a taste for vodka. Matthew of all things has a double shot of whiskey almost every night.  Cinnamon infused whiskey or (if he can get it in the US) Jack Daniels Tennessee Honey.  Is that odd or what?  We discovered a bottle Jack Daniels markets as Winter Jack and it's about the best thing either of us have ever tasted.  Regretfully it's a winter edition only and we won't be back until July maybe.  Damn.  Maybe when we buzz through Miami in November we can find some.

Oh quick mental funny picture.  My hand tremors have never gone away so some things are aggravating, like not being able to write with pen and paper, but then there's breakfast.  Egg whites, a fork, and tremors.  Tah dah! Egg white everywhere..... The cat loved me.  I finally gave up and since no one was looking snarfed it up with my fingers.  NOT the first time, I've become eccentric with my finger eating.  Soup I just go Japanese and pick up the damn bowl.  With two hands I'm almost stable.  With one hand it's like my own personal 8.5 on the richter scale.

Well, there's more adventures to tell of but I'll save that foro another letter.... I just have to say.....Whales and volcanoes under water.

Love
The Blonde