We often refer to our home in St Croix as “paradise” – and indeed it is in many ways. We have wonderful weather, beauty all around us, and a close knit community. All those things are wonderful, and help us in times like this…..AKA HURRICANE SEASON!
We all know the risks of living on a little rock in the middle of the sea. Fortunately, we generally have lots of warning before a storm hits us. That’s good and that has some down sides too. The anxiety of “is it going to hit or not” builds with each day. When to put up shutters? How much should we do to secure our homes and yards? It sux to go to all the trouble to get ready for a hurricane, just to have it veer north and miss us. But even worse is to NOT prepare and have it hit us!
There’s a lot of discussion about this at the bars. And the closer to “zero hour”, the higher the anxiety. That’s where the close knit community comes in. Ziggy’s, the best gas station in the world, is “the” hangout on the east end of St Croix. And on Tuesday, the day before Irma hit us, Ziggy’s was a hub of activity. Great guys helping out neighbors all day who had, shall we say, “put things off” till the last minute. Everyone was sweaty and dirty but eager to help anyone who asked. The store stayed open late for last minute provisions, and friends (and strangers) hugged and wished each other safe harbour during the storm. Beer was flowing freely! Many neighbors were staying together in the “safest” house in the area. In spite of the impending storm, spirits were high, and love was flowing!
So Irma hit with her fury early on Wednesday…the winds howled and rain poured. Power was shut down at 6 a.m. and as of this writing, has not returned. But we made it, and other than a mess to deal with, we’re good. Our friends across the pond in St Thomas (we can literally SEE St Thomas from here) got the brunt of the storm and suffered very serious damage, as did several other islands. We were very lucky this time….they were not. So we’ll spend the next few days cleaning up, hanging out at Ziggy’s and comparing notes on damage as we get ready for the NEXT storm…..which is heading our way this coming weekend.
Life on an island….never boring!! Productivity, certainly not soaring!!
