Well, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks.
Happy 65th Ross!
We had a fabulous birthday celebration at our local watering hole (Jolly Roger) on the 21st. Lots of laughs and dancing...and of course, Red Solo cups! All was good until the Bird Dance...the Dominican's were looking at us like we were on crack...all the Canadians knew the Bird Dance and jumped up and were all over that one...better response than the YMCA! And our British friends picked it really quickly and are still talking about it! We went out for dinner with good friends and then headed for one or two celebratory beverages…okay, maybe more than one or two. Actually I know that it was more than one or two...I had the hangover to prove it!
Note to self: upon arriving home at 2:30 am and fumbling for your house keys, it is very important to NOT leave your interior dome light on.
Note to self: a new replacement battery for the one with a dead cell from leaving the interior dome light on for three days is a mere $3500 RD.
Actually, there is a little more to the story…Ross…generator…booster cables…installing new battery and having the door locks pop shut when car keys are laying on the front seat…but it’s all good now…the car starts! I wasn’t here for the final battery event but I am sure that a small amount of profanity took place.
We’ve had a really rotten winter/spring, well at least by tropical standards. I know I have reported that it has been cold and rainy. We had absolutely NO idea how much rain can fall in the tropics.
Last week (Tuesday the 24th), our area got slammed with the worst rainfall and flooding in 50 years. We received 8” of rain in two hours. Some of the downtown areas were under waist deep water. People living in low lying areas lost their homes and everything in them. Unfortunately, these were some of the poorest people in the area. We can count our blessings that we live on a hill. While our yard was like a river flowing, we were dry inside. We had a very small amount of water in our basement that dried up quickly.
I learned something about gravity. Gravity effects the flow of water. So, during the torrential downpour, I had to go out and close our basement bedroom windows. Ok, so I am soaked through in less than a minute. Our pool (yes, the damned swimming pool again…) is over flowing. Upon conferring with Ross (who is in the house…warm and DRY and watching me)…we decide that it would be a good idea to pump off a few inches of water. I start the pool pump and remove the water. I yell to Ross over the din of the rainfall that I have “shut off the pump and unplugged it and when you start the pump up again you need to remember to turn the filter back to ‘filter” as I left it on waste”. He says “OK”. I come in the house, put on dry clothes. Not another thought is given to the pool or the fact the filter is set to waste.
When we get up in the morning, I look out the window. I look at the pool that is missing about 10” of water. My first thought is…we have a leak. I say to Ross…oh, oh…we have a problem. It is like he had the 100 watt light bulb go on…he says to me…oh…you left the filter on waste…the weight of the water and gravity sucked out the water overnight…so, now…yes…after 8” of rainfall…we have to ADD WATER TO THE DAMN SWIMMING POOL. Ross puts in about 5” of water and yes, you guessed it…it started to rain again and brought the level up to almost overflowing…again. No, I didn’t drain any water…we just let the wind and evaporation take over.
On Monday the 23rd, we had a lightning strike on the hill we live on. All we lost in the electrical charge was our internet antenna. Others lost computers, televisions, internet modems and so on. So by the time we figured out what was going on, it was Saturday before we were back on-line and connected with the world!
Jack and Shelby do not like thunder and the thunder crack at the same time our kitchen lit up was deafening. Scared the poop right outta me…well, not literally but it did get my heart racing!
We got word on the weekend that an elderly lady friend who lives close by fell and broke her hip. Good friends found her and got her to the hospital. She had hip replacement surgery on Monday and by all reports she is doing well and up and walking already! It’s really good to know that there is an excellent support group of expats here. We wish Irene a very speedy recovery! Our good friends Patty and Kelly who own the Jolly Roger had a bingo fund raiser to help Irene with her medical costs. Just another example of the great people who live here!
A dog with equestrian skills: Boss can now jump a four foot fence with no effort. Ross was cleaning the neighbour’s pool on Wednesday. Our good friend Stu stopped by with said battery (see above). He left Boss in the neighbour’s yard to speak with Stu. Within seconds, Boss was greeting Stu. This is the same dog that weighed about 3 lbs and was about half the size of a small grown cat when we got him. He’s now six months old and weighs about 70 lbs.
Everyone has seen a stretch limo right? Right. I have seen a stretch motorcycle (aka moto). I had to look twice. Some local dude has extended the frame, mufflers etc and the seat on this thing has got to be five feet long. I am certain that at least seven or eight people could sit on this bike along with a half dozen chickens, a couple of dead pigs and at least four 40 lb propane bottles. Ingenuity at its finest!
In closing, I have some sad news to report. In an earlier blog, I reported that the father of my oldest two children had suffered a brain aneurysm. On May 1, Dale (age 50) passed away from complications with his wife by his side. We are all heartbroken that such a young man was struck down way too early. He had made some small progress in his recovery but I guess God had bigger and better plans for him.
Besides my daughters Krista and her boyfriend Darcy and Kaylen, he leaves to mourn his wife Stephanie, his mother, Hedy, his sister Linda and her husband Larry, his brother Jim and his wife Eileen and two nieces along with many aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends.
God speed Dale and may you rest in peace.
