On Poseidon & Procrastination

Pendants I make with my sea glass finds (www.fromthecjewelry.com)

Last night’s swim was an afterthought…that morphed into unfettered joy.  More about that in a moment.  First, a note about procrastination, a favorite hobby. 

Turns out I can procrastinate about anything—even things I LOVE to do.  Swimming is the perfect example.  One thing you’re accustomed to stateside that you give up here in the Caribbean is the notion of twilight.  We just don’t have it.  We go from sunset to full darkness in what seems like the flip of a switch. 

After 21 years here, I’m used to that & don’t really miss it…until I’m taking my after-work swim.  If I start for the beach at 4:45 I’ll have a full hour to swim & search for sea glass before I’m plunged into murk & everything I pick up looks like or is a rock.  I live 12 minutes from the beach, door to shore.  Sunset now is at 6:10, & I’ll be able to see my quarry for exactly 6 minutes after that & before everything that brushes my leg as I swim becomes an imaginary eel.  I love all sea creatures, except eels.  They are basically big-mouthed snakes underwater, some with the added fun of being electrified, & who needs that combo? 

I keep my towel, suit, mask/ snorkel & collection bag on a hall tree I painted aqua to go with the other craziness on my porch.  I like to have them all together & ready, like a firefighter’s gear…except I’m going to water, not fire.  I’d always be early to swim, if it weren’t for Sun-dried Tomato flavor Wheat Thins.  I work through lunch & I’m hungry when I get home, hence the allure of the aforementioned.  Crackers lead to water, then to mouthwash & tooth-brushing before I jump in my gear & head west. 

Non-Judgy Mu, Happy I'm staying home

And when I’m running late & my dog looks at me judgmentally for thinking of leaving her again after being at work already, I sometimes lose resolve & end up staying home.  Of course I never know what I missed at the beach, but it is human nature to think that you’ve missed something great by being a slacker & staying home…& I am human despite my gills. 

So last night I answered the Wheat Thins & was about to (literally) throw in the towel on my plans to swim when the beebeebeep of an incoming text sounded & there was a picture of my first boyfriend Chris, standing in a snowdrift in North Carolina.  He had taken a snow day from work & that picture gave me the required shove to get out the door & head West. 

The surf was doing the regular push/pull, but the unusually strong undertow from last week has left the building & Neptune & I are buddies again.  All last week’s churning unearthed some wonderful sea glass, & I pulled in several pounds of good pieces in an hour, in about a 25’ stretch of beach.  There was a lot of ‘live entertainment’ as well, in the form of many huge schools of fish, seemingly organized by grade order.  First I swam in a ‘herd’ of neon-sized (Kindergarten?) sprat & three graduated sized schools later, I was with a bunch big enough to be working on their post-grad studies. 

So thanks, Chris, for the arctic motivation.  Hope you & NC thaw soon & you have an early spring.  That’s the best I can wish for you, while I’m paddling about in the surf & watching the sunset.  Sorry!

Unexpected Treats

My orchids, always a wonderful surprise!

I’ve been vending sea glass ornaments & jewelry by the sea (fromthecjewelry.com) for a few years now, & you’d think it would be more predictable…but it isn’t.  Seems every day & every ship there is something or someone new & different.  Some come with a little warning.  Others… BLAM & there they are. 

A year ago I had some warning in the form of a few emails leading up to a day visit (she & her husband were on a cruise) by one of my dearest childhood friends, Anna.  I was set up & vending that day, but she spent some time with me & we got a chance to catch up.  WONDERFUL, after not having seen her for well over two decades. 

Last week I stepped out of my booth to stretch, glanced across the waterfront park between my booth & the cruise ship pier, & thought ‘WOW, there’s somebody with Anna’s face!’  And then I realized it was Anna! This year she opted to just surprise me & show up, which was almost as much fun as anticipating her arrival. 

Other recent surprises weren’t as personal (& didn’t come off a ship), but pretty wonderful anyway.  Around the Christmas holidays, we had another unexpected visitor here on St. Croix—none other than Martha Stewart.  She had a great visit here & even spent considerable time in a friend’s coffee house (among various other restaurants & attractions).  She wrote several glowing blog postings with loads of photos & we were thrilled to have her here.

But back to the ships.  In the middle of a vending day last week with cruise ship passengers milling all around, I glanced at the coral stone steps leading up to the clock tower in front of my booth...and noticed something unusual.  There were three gentlemen in white suits standing there looking rather twitchy & expectant.  A moment later we knew why.  Here came the bride!  She was lovely, with a gown that appeared to have been designed for her.  The short ceremony was all in Spanish, & there were a handful of attendants & a few more guests. 

Some surprises come in smaller packages.  This little guy is the youngest of the flock of shore birds Ms. Joan, my neighbor vendor refers to as her ‘children.’  She feeds them crushed crackers & they are quite tame.  The adults are much darker in coloring, but the babies are mostly white, like Jr. here. 

Pictures that Speak for Themselves?

I love words.  I like the way they feel & taste, their nuances & hues, & frequently I'm guilty of using too many.  So here I will give them a rest & let these pics of my orchids speak for themselves.  Enjoy!

Carnival Colors & Home Decor? by Lea Ann Robson

Moko Jumbies (stilt dancers) at 2013 Crucian Carnival

In an earlier post (Fabric (of my Being?) I vowed to tackle my second bedroom décor with zeal equalling that which I applied to the first.  As you can see by this photo,  Iappear to have done so with wild abandon. First, let me state that this room is more evolutionary than planned.  At least that’s my defense & I’m stickin’ to it!

New bedding...Same dog!

The irony here is that despite the aforementioned zillion or so yards of upholstery fabric languishing in my closet, I succumbed to Anthropologie’s irresistible offer of an additional 50% off clearance, & purchased instead of made most of these linens. 

Regret?  Not one iota.

Back when our cable provider offered Sundance Channel in our lineup, I was addicted to ‘Man Shops Globe,’ the episodic saga of the head buyer for Anthropologie & his travels around the world. He had perhaps the one life I would trade mine for…Naaaaa.  But I loved Anthropologie & their quirky, arty, none-too-informative but delightful catalogues long before I caught that show.  Bits & bobs of their merchandise crop up all over my house, & I have never been disappointed in anything I have purchased from them, from my 3D white floral shower curtain to my happy Portuguese ceramic baking dishes & rolling pin (someday I’ll make a pie…really I will).  They are one of the best satisfiers of my Mom’s sage advice: If you’re going to interact with something on a daily basis, make sure

1. You love it &
2. It is well made.  

Seems simple enough, but too often (& I’m guilty, Lord knows) the temptation wins to settle for bargains (that aren’t) or mind-numbing generics instead of flair, pizzazz, & quality.  I can say, most enthusiastically, that Anthropologie purchases never fall into those categories. So on to the bedroom & the aforementioned clearance sale.

It started with this plaid throw (on the footboard) that at once unified & electrified the first bedroom design, like a big fat cherry on an already delicious sundae (can you tell I skipped breakfast?).  Since the final price reduction brought it to under $20.00, it inspired me to go through the clearance items again to see what new finds were lurking.  I was just looking for a throw to put at the foot of the second bed, to incorporate the colors of the mod print burnout velvet drapes I made for that room (to cover the rolling chrome racks full of craft stuff) & the bold cushion covers I had already paired with the white down comforter.  I found this one (pic at the head of this post), made from recycled silk sari strips.  The saturated colors thrilled me, & though it was substantially pricier than the first throw, it appeared to be (& turned out to be, upon delivery) absolutely worth it.  Since I had addressed & dressed the foot of the bed, I also found & ordered 2 euro shams for the head.  Their patterning & color palette reminded me of my Aunt Effie’s quilting from years ago & also had a bit of a Hawaiian quilt feel, which worked for our tropical setting. 

After adding two sets of my biggest Anthropologie weakness—their amazingly diverse jacquard woven dishtowels (that frequently incorporate the quirky orange of my kitchen cabinets), I had finished my order…

And then I saw the quilt that went with the shams…& it featured hand embroidery & appliqué, & was so reasonable after the discounts…& you know the rest.  

This summer I’ll probably go with my original plan to use the white duvet & just accessorize with the color & pattern at either end.  For now, I’ll use the whole shebang & every time I glance at that room in passing, I’ll feel the joy & excitement of the ‘carnival’ that is the décor in that room.  My Mom just scheduled (after much wheedling & begging on my part) a visit in April & I’ll let her take her choice between the ‘sunrise’ room & the ‘carnival o’ color’ option.  If she questions my palette inspiration, I offer these pics of this year’s Crucian Christmas Carnival as my defense.  On second thought, my choices may ‘pale’ by comparison?

Moko Jumbies in a sea of feathered dancers