Islandtyme---

Are you back on the island yet? Hope your family is doing better! (as an only child with two elderly parents I can relate...)

Paula

Paula..............thanks for asking!
Nope not back on island................not sure when nor if I'll be back...............
Family is doing better health wise................but many other things going on that will prevent my return.
At least we all have this board & the web cam!

Chef............you are right bouts Richie................he's styling!

I'm glad to hear your family is doing better, but sorry your return back to St Croix has been DELAYED. (be positive!) I left and it took me 29 years, but I made it back. Not permanently-- YET. (trying to practice what I preach)

Yes, thank God for the webcam,internet, and this board!

Paula

Anyone notice the WE BUY GOLD vehicle moving through STX again this weekend? Ironic story this time. I saw them going through the Princess area, pulled over and called the police. I got a quick answer and gave the vehicle info and the police seemed thankful for the tips. They said they would investigate. Not sure about their response, but I heard the guy moved onto Estate Glynn where he drove slowly shouting WE BUY GOLD through the neighborhood. Apparantly some thugs came up like they were going to sell some gold only they pulled a gun a robbed the driver of all the GOLD he had bought on the street that day. maybe this will shut him down for good!

They can always mail the stolen gold to those places constantly advertised on TV, postage paid,

~Trade~

Wow Trade-- that's true...
Back in 72 as I was going through the Puerto Rico airport (and being a dumb teenager) I had my jewelry lifted from my carry on bag they 'screened'. Several rings, good gold cross on chain, beautiful gold rose with diamond in center necklace (grad present from my parents) and a pair of ruby earrings my dad had picked out for me on my birthday-- the only jewelry he'd ever picked out for me personally. They also took my new Lady Schick razor and my radio for some bizarre reason. But I've always wondered what Pawn Shop over there had my jewelry! Or who had bought it and was wearing it. Like I said, dumb teenager. Now they could take what they want and mail it off for the money....

Yeah, it makes me sick. How terrible that you lost that stuff, not only for the value but for the sentiment & they probably got 10% of the worth, if that.

~Trade~

we have had the "we buy gold annoying guy" screaming at us for days in town on STT....why cant we stop that ? It just screams tacky to the tourists, whom are not going to say "oh, hey lets get rid of our unused gold today".

Yeah, it was the sentiment more than anything, but it sure leaves you feeling 'violated'...

Last year while waiting in a doctors office I overheard a conversation between two women. One was LOADED down with jewelry and when the other complimented her on it she smuggly replied,'' Thank you. It's all pawn shop. I NEVER pay full price for jewelry!" When I got over the shock of someone actually bragging about shopping at a Pawn Shop, I wanted to tell her to stop being so smug, what she had on her was other peoples keepsakes, dreams, sentimental pieces handed down, etc-- Plus it was so.... tacky. And she didn't look the type at all. Odd.

As I type this my employees and children are trying desperately to empty my house back in Virginia trying to save everything they can as a nor'easter tears through coastal Virginia. Last night at high tide about an inch of water came in the house. This afternoon at high tide they are expecting 2 feet in the house. Anybody want to buy 2 acres of waterfront land?

Tami, I hope it doesn't get to bad up there, Good thing you have some people there to save your stuff. In 78 I lost everything in a coastal Maine. I still miss stuff I lost.
Hoping for the best for you

Thanks Bombi, the poor kids are wading through thigh deep water at low tide. The tide is starting to come up again so I just told them to grab what they could and get out of there. They got my mom out last night and she is safe in a hotel. It is just stuff. That is my mantra today. It is just stuff.

Anyone hear about a robberies up in Little LaGrange? I have heard a few different versions and was wondering if anyone had details?

Geeze, Tam I didn't know you had that kind of problem up there, Best of luck with that mess.

~Trade~

Yes Trade, we have a little tiny cottage on the Chesapeake Bay. It has a huge suck factor when there is bad weather. The kids got most of the stuff out but we can't get any info right now as they evacuated the area.

Good news is that I now have a nice new fresh water well here on STX. Yea!!!!!!!!! Solar and water. By By WAPA.

Good luck with your VA home. Hope it's salvageable. Glad you got your well and solar up and running. Start saving a bundle!!!

Tammy,
How did you make out with the storm?

Not good. Almost 2 feet of water in the house. We got most of the stuff out but stove, fridge, washer, dryer everything in the garage, shed and greenhouse pretty much destroyed. We are trying to decide what to do. We can fix everything but the next storm will do the same thing. We need to jack up the house so it doesn't flood anymore. Fema gives grants for that but not until you have made a claim 3 times. We alway fix things ourselves so we have only made a claim once. The governor hasn't called fema in anyway. So, we are trying to decide whether to go for a quick fix or rent another house while we fix things correctly.

Tammy,
Do you ever wonder when the test is suppose to be over. Well at least everybody was safe. Good luck on your decision and God Bless.

So funny Lizard. I just got off the phone with my baby sister. Well she is 40 this year but still my baby. She is having a truly tragic time in her life right now. She and I were talking and she said in her little quiet southern voice, "I reckon we are just being tested right now but when do you think we will pass the test?" We laughed and told each other how tough we are. No worries. My little problems are just life. I cannot remember who said this, but the quote was, It isn't what happens to you in life that matters, it is how you deal with it. That is my mantra for today.

AHHHHHHUUUUUUMMMMM!

Sorry for your loss but as my old pappy always said: "KEEP ON KEEPIN ON!"... Good luck!

I spent the day with a man of Danish decent and learned more about St. Croix today than I could ever imagine. Amazing stories this man had to tell.

I have encountered a few elderly people who were born and raised on STX (Danish and otherwise), and I'm always dying to sit down and talk with them, but the opportunity has never presented itself, and it's not something I really want to force. So I'm quite jealous of you, Tammy. I'd love to learn more about what he had to say. (Taking another spin on this... I hope that someday I will be old enough and cool enough that people will want to hear my stores. And I hope I'll have stories. )

roadrunner, he mostly told us stories of how St. Croix used to be. How truly welcoming, hard working and honest "real crucians" are. He told us how no one would ever steal from another and how if a child failed to greet an adult if they passed by their mother would know it before they got home and she would be waiting with a stick. He told us stories of his grandparents and how he was raised. Hubby and I listened for about 3 hours, mesmerized. He spoke of teachers who refused to let a child fail in school and they would work with a child no matter how long it took. He kept talking and we kept listening until the rain started pouring. He left. If it hadn't started raining I would have sat there in the dark listening. He teased me a few times speaking in a perfect southern redneck accent. That amazed me.

Update on my flooded house back in the states. We hired serve pro to get out there and start working because it is taking a while to get the insurance adjusters out. Serve Pro said the floors, walls, wiring, cabinets and bathrooms have to be replaced. Now we will see what the insurance co. says. The governor finally called in fema and hubby is going to try and get them to jack up the house like they did for all our neighbors after Isabel.