- Updates from the Islands -

- - St.Thomas (USVI) - -

- - - 2007 Hurricane Season - - -

- BIG SWELLS SOON COME

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 18 Mar 2008 10:46:50 -0400

Looks like some big BIG BIG swells are forecasted to come into NW and NE coastlines. Keep us posted if you start to get some

wave action near you. I am watching it cloud up here on the Atlantic side, and hoping for some rain.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- SAILING WEATHER

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sun, 30 Dec 2007 12:23:17 -0400

What glorious weather we have now. We are starting to see the yachts cross our view to the north. We were up in a helicopter

on Christmas Eve Day and the view from the top of the mountain of the entire Virgin islands archipelago was spectacular.

The dogs have been barking ALLOT over the last few days and looking at the earthquake report I see why. Looks like

the BVI has a whole lot of shaking going on.

Looking forward to a GREAT 2008. Happy New Year, and have a good Old Year's Night.

Jane Higgins

jhigginswear at islands.vi

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- How does the Christmas bush know?

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sat, 15 Dec 2007 09:44:48 -0400

The orchid from Culebra is spectacular ; here is one of our happy bloomers from our East side courtyard. This one has been

in bloom since early November and we have 2 more coming on now. The Christmas bush was right on time again this year;

starting to look like snow on or about December 3. How does the Christmas bush know what month it is?

We have had loads of rain for December ; and the wind is above and beyond normal Christmas winds. It has been the coldest

I remember it in 15 years; all the way down to 68 degrees some nights. Socks and sweaters are normal wear now.

The holidays are so lavish in the islands considering our many hues of green. Last night our town was lit up and festive

for our annual event; steel pan rhythms levitated all. On Sunday night our largest steel pan band will be performing a Christmas

play in an open theater. Making snowmen out of sand at the beach on Christmas Day is a splendid way to celebrate winter!

The seas have calmed down allot and we are sure to see the neighboring boaters come for a visit soon. The holidays really

take off here around December 18 and last at least until Three Kings Day.

Hoping for Peace on Earth, someday, in this lifetime.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

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- That Old Feeling.....

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 10 Dec 2007 17:24:08 -0400

The wind is howling enough now to stir up some old feelings ; you storm veterans know what I mean. That whistling "whew"

and the sound of something suddenly falling over or getting knocked by something. My husband closed the storm shutters

on the North side and some of the larger potted plants are already laying down along with the big umbrellas. Yesterday around

2:30 pm a huge gust picked up the 9ft rectangular umbrella off of the deck out it's secure weighted stand (?)

and carried to the top of the roof.... by the time the ladder had been

put up to retrieve it , the umbrella came back down almost in the same spot with a ferocious pounce; glad I wasn't standing under

it at the time; being impaled does not sound like a cool way to go.

We are blustery, gusty, cloudy, cool, with spits of moisture. The Atlantic looks intimidating and cold; very choppy. I guess

I would have passed on that wedding invitation in the BVI if I would have received one. No matter how rich you are you can't

control the weather and I bet their was some "cleaning" up to do on some yachts this weekend. The helicopters and

charter planes are very busy getting guests out from the big event and my husband pilot/mechanic just said he was glad

to not fly today. Thanks so much to the Mermaid for keeping us up to date on the event.....the sites she posted are

great! I may actually play the lottery in hopes of week at Necker Island.

We have every window and shutter rolled shut and the storm shutters closed on the North side and I can still feel the

wind moving around my ankles all thru the house.

Stay safe and dry. I'd love to hear from our friends in Anguilla, where this wind is almost normal on any given day,

can't imagine what it is like today, hope you guys get some rain.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi
340-774-7071 ph/fax

- THE HANGAR DID A HULA

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 29 Nov 2007 16:48:45 -0400

My husband the airplane mechanic said that their hangar at Cyril King Airport in St Thomas was wiggling and dancing ;

everyone came out of the offices to see when it might stop. He claims it was the longest and strongest

earthquake he has experienced; and we have allot of little rumbles all the time. I was on the road home

and drove up to a house of dogs acting anxious, and one in particular up on the bed where she never goes;

they flew out of the house the moment I opened the doors.

We are hoping the trembles pushed the cracks in the pool back together from the last one that caused the tiny

leak....oh to be so lucky. Please give us any updates of aftershocks.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Thanksgiving cool down

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 23 Nov 2007 03:22:28 -0400

For the last two weeks we've had plenty of rain, and have really been cooling down. Showing temperatures below 70 at night

means another blanket, wearing socks and sweats; not running the fans. The air is dryer tonight; but looking

to the East we're wondering where that big blob of moisture is going? Dave.....any advice on that? Looks like we have some

dust over us...and maybe that will keep the next wave of rain in check; not sure. Hopefully the DR can dry out abit so they

can recover. We just may put off the pre-holiday pressure washing now until this next wave passes thru.

Thanksgiving is the beginning of our favorite time of year in the islands. The holidays are splendid here; the air is getting

crisper; and we all work on getting our yards and houses ready for company. The star fruit tree was loaded for Thanksgiving;

and we grilled them as usual. The peppers and tomatoes are still happy, and the new batch of arugula loves this weather.

The asparagus beans in the hanging planter are starting to bloom so hopefully we'll have foot long beans for holiday dinners.

The orchids love the rain forest effect of the last few weeks and are really showing off. The Christmas bush is starting

to show signs of turning too. Statesiders wonder how we do without "seasons", we don't!; we have seasons in the hues

of green, with splashes of gorgeous florals thrown in changing waves. A fireplace on the deck for the next few months would

be quite welcome.

Thanks again to the universal trends that kept the storms away from our little rock in the sea. Seeing the light at the end

of the hurricane season is such a relief. We can't say it is over; because we remember some named storms in later months

than November, but we can say thanks; and so far so good.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Yes, it IS October

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sun, 28 Oct 2007 08:52:46 -0400

I saw Weatherman Dave last Sunday at a local doggy fest, and told him I thought it felt more like December than October

in the last few weeks. Well, it did and now it feels like normal October weather, that is for sure. We've had at least

6 inches of rain in the last few days;most of it has been absorbed, we don't have the usual flowing rivers in the nearby guts so we must

have had abit of dry spell a few weeks back. It has been a very noisy week, with lots of sleep disturbances; some weather related

some critter related; Wednesday night a loud scurrying sound woke me out a dead sleep, I thought it had to

be coming from outside, but it was the kitties chasing a scorpion in the kitchen. I have had other scorpion experiences in years past; but never

have really heard the shell like tapping sound they make when giving a warning! My brave husband took care of the situation

but the thought of wondering where the "mate" was kept me up for a few hours. Then Thursday night when the storm started

to form right over our heads...and I mean above the bedroom I'm sure, the very loudest clap of thunder I think I've ever heard

shook the house, woke us all up and brought on pouring rain, flying ants and the neighbor dog whimpering to our gate. My

neighbor was out with the flashlight looking for the poor old deaf dog and our dogs were shaking and slobbering for a few hours

during the storm. Friday night almost the same kind of scenario for the canines and even the kitties give out a few long meows

questioning the applause of thunder (clap is too small a word for what we heard). Past experience has taught us to recognize

when something is really forming; the temperature drops like crazy....down to 66! one night, the power of the electricity in the

air puts all of our senses on alert and the rain keeps coming and going. I do appreciate that we had some time between showers

to absorb moisture, we did not get the flooding down the hill behind us or the usual pool in the courtyard. Of course October is

not over; so we will be prepared for more. Looks like P.R. and D.R. are really getting it now, take care and stay in. I'm thinking

that lobster bisque may be the soup of the day at our house. I also envy those with a fireplace today, could use it to dry a few

things out. Thanks to our power company; so far so good.....and Dave DON'T JINX it please.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- RAINY DAYS

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 4 Oct 2007 16:38:00 -0400

The map shows it all, loads of rain, but we'll take it over an "h" anytime. The plants are loving it. We are constantly amazed at how

we can say "so far so good" about this storm season. Keeping our fingers crossed and using the dryer allot these days.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- No News is Good News

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 28 Sep 2007 16:29:15 -0400

It has been a while since I've written, I seem to write more when I'm anxious about what is coming from Africa.Being prepared and always looking to the

East makes storm season more bearable. We are lush and green with plenty of rain. Yesterday I had to download pool

water back into a cistern, that is like money in the bank! It feels like fall for sure and if I didn't know better I'd just say that we are in rainy season.

After experiencing storms as late as November 18 in our neck of the woods, I won't relax yet. Recently one of my friends that had to

leave New Orleans for good after Katrina said he was glad to see that storm season is over; I had to say not really.

The critters of the night have been singing up a storm with under the big moon this week. This remains so far the best summer for

weather that I've experienced in 15 years here. Let's all hope that we can fly right thru the remainder of "H" season without a care.

We continue to be the lucky ones.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Blustery day

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Wed, 26 Sep 2007 08:45:29 EDT

Just a blustery day around here. Sun's not out and of course since TS Karen is hundreds of miles away and heading north, people think this is part of it! This keeps them prepared I hope! Have a nice day!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- TD 8

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Thu, 13 Sep 2007 08:28:03 EDT

Good morning. Announcements being made for us to watch out for TD 8. Looks like things are picking up out there and TD 8 is taking a Northern track. Looks like it will pass North of us. We around her look forward to September 15th as the unofficial end of hurricane season as both our bad storms hit during that time in the past. We will be keeping our fingers crossed.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- HOLY BAT POOP

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sat, 1 Sep 2007 09:10:41 -0400

I know the islands to the south have allot to handle today, hoping that my friends in the A,B,C 's will be fine.

The bats held a moon party over our pool last night ; I was out on the deck around midnight and there were more

bats than I've ever seen at one time and I have to say they were real big. I've been cleaning bat poop off the deck

and out of the pool this morning. This is the most bat scat I've ever seen. Am going to assume they

feasted on the mosquitoes that have been flourishing from the intermittent rain showers this week. It was

VERY STILL early this morning; as it always seems to be when a storm is anywhere in the Caribbean.

Please send reports from the A,B,C's . Hoping Felix is wimpy.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Afternoon and Rain!!

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2007 15:14:53 EDT

The rains finally came. Around 2:30, a very hard downpour. Has slowed a little now but there should be more later as I see there is a huge band passing this way.

Her are some pictures taken by a friend, Terrie Pantusco of Caribbean Saloon fame over by Secret Harbour.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com.

- Saturday morning

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Sat, 18 Aug 2007 09:18:37 EDT

Now Dean is safely South West of us building up to a Cat 5 unfortunately.

We have sunny skies and wind today. No sign of the rain promised.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- 11 PM

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 23:15:49 EDT

Still windy but not as much as expected. Business pretty much as usual around town. Dean in now a Cat. 4 hurricane. That is too much. Hopefully he will slow down and downsize before Jamaica and Cayman!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- Take care Jamaica and Caymans

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 21:10:46 -0400

We are very windy, mbs are 988, 83degrees, 72 % humidity....we are THE LUCKY ONES...we are so very worried for our

brothers and sisters in Jamaica and the Caymans....TAKE CARE, OVER PREPARE NOW NOW NOW NOW.....

let us know asap about what your needs are when it is over. Mean Dean is taking us all on . Are there any recent reports

from MARTINIQUE? And yes, I agree with the Culebra report, it drives me crazy when the weather channel can't pronounce

the names of our islands...did anyone take geography? I heard them report today that once the storm blows thru the windwards

it won't effect too many people?????? what? are you kidding me....they are only concerned with U.S. interests,and if I were

in the U.S. right now facing MEAN DEAN I sure wouldn't count on FEMA. Be ready. We will all be ready to help you; just

let us know what you need.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Afternoon

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 14:45:31 EDT

Really breezy now! Lots of wind for sure. No rain as yet. Several gusts. Really gray and visibility down to a few miles. Water kicking up and hitting the seawall over ay Hassel Island. Blowing much more over by Mahogany Run a friend reports.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- Friday morning

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 09:06:21 EDT

Blustery, still windy. Small white caps in the harbor. People are still worrying. Prayers for those in Dominica and Martinique. We know first hand what they are experiencing. I am still getting emails from friends wondering how we are weathering the storm! It looks like we are in for it I guess.

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

Get a sneak peek of the all-new AOL.com.

- Flashback Gusts

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 17 Aug 2007 05:20:48 -0400

The first good gust thru the coconut palms at 4:25 a.m. woke me with that flashback noise of wind rattling thru the fronds. We have been much

windier on any normal December day; but knowing that our Southern neighbors are feeling it now brings back that tightness in your gut. You

don't ever want the storm to come to your house; but feel guilty when it visits your neighbors. The St.Lucia

report about Almond Morgan Bay Resort taking care of folks reminds me how we all jump in when we need to. I'm hoping my friends in St. Lucia,

Grenada,Barbados and Dominica are faring well. We've all had allot of practice. Remembering the huge calabashes in

Dominica; wondering if they hold true on the trees or do you experience flying basketballs? Please keep us informed; and as soon as

you can access any needs broadcast them..

80% of the population on St. Thomas is from other islands; allot from the ones under the spin of Dean right now. We

all know someone from down island; it must be horrible to be here and not there when your kin need you.

There have been some "D" storms in the past that have left remarkable memories; let's hope Dean is not one of them.

We're showing 79% humidity, 83 degrees (that's hot for 5am!) and pressure is 29.18 lower than normal. The wind speed indicator

here is not working; the wind is gusty; not steady and circular. Our elevation is about 640 ft from sea level, I can hear the sea beginning

to build up abit, I'm sure as day breaks we'll see the chop.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Thursday afternoon

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 16:33:46 EDT

Been a wind day. Not as pretty as yesterday. Bright and sunny, wave action in the harbor. Dean is so far away and we are hardly on the outer edge of the rim!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- Caribbean Summers are cooler than Stateside

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 16 Aug 2007 08:30:55 -0400

I think Gert has it right vacationing in the Caribbean in the summer. We get hot during the day like most

stateside vacation spots; but the we always cool down at night. I've had the best summer weather for the 15 summers I've

spent here; cooler than my summers in Maryland, Nebraska, Ohio and warmer of course than those very short Colorado summers.

The beaches are not busy with high season cruisers; the restaurants are eager to please and traffic is lighter all summer long.

The visitor may get to go back to their homelands not targeted by hurricanes; but storm season keeps us on our toes; and the

road crews are cleaning up and we all pay attention to the extra things laying about the house. I'm concerned for our friends

down island and thinking already of what I can send them after Dean plows thru. All of the island people consistently over the

years rush to take care of their neighbors as soon as the storm is over . Looks like Dean is on high speed this morning; so

much better than hanging around too long. Take care and stay ready. I think all of us in the island chain should pay attention.

Dave, wondering how it looks for my trip to Aruba on Monday morning? The /4 inch shower early this morning was very well

received by the veggies. A young bright green iguana found himself inside the house this morning and was quite shocked by attention

given by 3 dogs and the few cats around. He was rescued and laid in a tree. The lack of Sahara dust has left a trail of

sparkling blue skies, and fabulous sunrises and sunsets.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Wednesday afternoon

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 18:21:45 EDT

Island still buzzing about whether or not Dean will visit us! Stores still jammed with people shopping for supplies. Dean should pass more than 100 miles from us. Hopefully he is the only 'almost' visitor we have this season!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- Further South

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Wed, 15 Aug 2007 06:43:08 EDT

It looks to me like Dean is stilling going to be even more South than yesterday. Good news for us I suppose, bad news for Martinique who seems to be in the path. Still need to wait and see. Looks like another beautiful day around here!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- Dean

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 18:53:33 EDT

Dean looks like he will be heading further south that originally forecasted. Will keep my fingers crossed for the next updates! Was a beautiful day all day today!

Cost U Less(one of our big box stores like Costco) was running out of water, folks were shopping there like mad!!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- Tuesday morning

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Tue, 14 Aug 2007 06:57:37 EDT

It's a beautiful morning! Crystal clear and hope to see St Croix today. It's been so hazy lately. Nice to see it clearly again. Chatter around town is of course TD 4. The local experts have already stared to say where he will pass. Even though I am included in this group I prefer to wait until tomorrow to begin to even worry!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- TD 4

From: RonUSVI at aol.com
Date: Mon, 13 Aug 2007 18:34:30 EDT

Time to start racking this one I guess. Looks like it will be heading pretty close to us. Been hot these past few days, don't like that at all!!

Ronnie Lockhart
The Crystal Palace

The Crystal Palace
The Villa Fairview

The Villa Fairview

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- DRYER AND DUSTIER

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sat, 11 Aug 2007 13:32:33 -0400

Looks like more Saharan dust has moved our way today, it is very hazy and gray and hot. The humidity has dropped to 68% making it

seem dryer than normal, and temp is 88 right now. Hoping the closer movement of the dust will help us with anything coming our way.

The sea water was very warm at Magens Bay yesterday,I think the warmest sea I've ever been in. The peppers sure love this weather,

had some great home grown roasted pablonos last night. Stay cool.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- too hot

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Fri, 10 Aug 2007 08:50:14 -0400

After reading Dave's new blob news I know why I didn't sleep much last night. It is roasting hot this morning 81% humidity and 84 degrees,

pressure is 29.23 here in the rain forest. We have so much mold from recent rains that it makes it difficult to breath. I always take Dave very

seriously and we all should. So those last small shutters for the bathrooms and the pool generator will be installed by this Sunday.

Of course reality always kicks in this week of August every year. PREPARE, PREPARE, PREPARE....

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- WATER MON CAME, BROUGHT LOTS OF RAIN

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Tue, 7 Aug 2007 07:44:12 -0400

I may be personally responsible for the 3 inches plus of rain we've received in the last few days as I bought water on Saturday

morning after topping off the pool and realizing that echo I was hearing was coming from the cistern. The white clothes on the

line are on their third day of rinsing out and the rainwater does make them so much softer. It is always a dilemma; do I wait

to see if they will really dry out or do I wash them again and maybe use the dryer to finish them up? Using the dryer in this

household is almost criminal; about the same as forgetting to turn off the hot water heater. Our electric bill has tripled in the

6 years we've been at this house and there is allot of turning things off constantly to see if we can bring the bill down. It has

become quite the competition in our marriage to see who can use less power! We replaced all of our light bulbs about 45

days ago (I know...we are way behind the times) with the fluorescent kind and sure enough our bill went down $50 in one month.

That $50 paid for the light bulbs and then some! So PLEASE DO IT IF YOU HAVEN'T ALREADY.

All this rain has really cooled things down; showing 77 degrees, the coolest it has been in a while, 89% humidity(the mold is

showing under the leaves of my favorite plants) and pressure is showing 29.18 so looks like more disturbed weather to come.

The sea was like glass on the Caribbean side yesterday morning in town; makes you think of water skiing on a lake up north.

Now seeing a little chop on the Atlantic side here at home this morning. The north horizon is not clear, hoping it is more dust.

The dust map looks like it is clearing out; so keep vigilant about your preparations.

The foliage and vegetables are so happy now, and it is cool enough that the new cilantro is looking perky. Any Caribbean gardeners

that would like to send advice on keeping the cilantro going please do. Cilantro is far my favorite herb and my most temperamental.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Gusty

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 2 Aug 2007 16:56:48 -0400

I'm sure the pilots for the Seaplane earned their pay today. Their landing strip; the town-side harbor was rough, rough, rough

this afternoon when I was in Frenchtown. If it was that wild in the harbor can't imagine what the seas are like further out in the Caribbean.

We live on the northwest Atlantic side and seas are choppy here too, plenty of white caps. We are hoping the edges of this (Dave)

"blob" brings some rain or we will be calling the water mon soon. I've secured everything on the deck and assuming the neighbors have

too as I haven't seen anything blow by. We live backed into a hill in the rain forest and to see the trees bending in the wind like

this is kind of a flashback, just really gusty, like Christmas winds; nothing more. We are dry at 62% humidity now, 88 degrees

and pressure shows 29.23....so lower then normal. One of the pilots that works for the charter company that my husband works for

had to fly one passenger to Grenada today and back; we'll hear his report on his return. Hoping that the majority of the

dust stays intact as long as possible; as we get into the thick of things just making flight plans now thru November becomes a guessing

game. The skies are cleaned out by all of this wind; it does freshen things up. Any reports from our friends on the SW coast

of Puerto Rico?

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- Parakeets visit

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Wed, 1 Aug 2007 10:58:17 -0400

We've had a busy noisy morning with these wild parakeets visiting our

genip tree on the Northwest edge of the property. They send out one scout looking for fresh fruit;

(the genip is a large hard seed about the size of a key lime when opened tastes exactly like that

candy called sweettarts) the scout then calls back to the rest of the flock and they all fly in and

gab and crunch ; they also do fly bys into the pool for a sip of water. Yesterday was exciting, Max

the shepherd dog brought in a young iguana and gently laid it on the oriental rug in the living room.

He was very proud of himself and after scolding him I recruited the neighbor for help in the "evacuation".

Then last night a visit from a mouse in the kitchen and one big cockroach in the bedroom before

lights out. Living in an wide open house sometimes is more critter friendly than I can stand. We are reading

86 degrees, 68% humidity and barometer is showing 29.23,looks like a stormy wave is coming up thru Barbados this week,

we are hoping for rain. We've had about 1/2 inch in last 48 hrs in two short downpours.

We have very clear skies for August, (our safety net called Sahara dust is really dissipating now) and

a small chop on the Atlantic side, I see a few local fisherman out there taking advantage of the

near full moon schooling going on now.

Jane Higgins

jhigginswear at islands.vi

Attachment: IMG_0210.JPG
Description: JPEG image

- WOW WHAT A MOON

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 30 Jul 2007 11:38:13 -0400

Thanks to Marcus in Curacao for that fab MOON pic.....we are also watching the dust clear out.....makes for a beautiful sky,

but ominous map, let's pay attention to the waves coming thru now. When I heard my husband call the generator guy and

pull up some boards to make (the last!) small shutters for the bathrooms; I knew I had better start looking at the maps

a little closer. He never says anything; just continues to get ready. He now has a fleet of charter planes out of Tortola

to baby-sit during storm season. We'll see how the drill goes. We are currently feeling DRY at 68% humidity, 87 degrees

and pressure showing 29.23 and falling? hum....we received a few traces of moisture overnight, after completely emptying

out the first cistern yesterday, 2nd cistern is at about 25%....so a wave bringing some good rains would be welcome; as

long as they are not swirling too fast. I'm guilty of giving the tomatoes TOO MUCH WATER....you know, the $60 homegrown

kind.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- parallel lives

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Mon, 23 Jul 2007 08:17:33 -0400

I had to laugh again when I saw Ms Mermaid's report; as both subjects were on my mind this morning. I read the

earthquake report every morning on weatherunderground ; usually re-confirming what I thought was a shake or two.

We have had allot of small ones, easing Earth's pressure I guess; but leaving little cracks here and there on the tile

deck, where walls join and now again a hairline at the tile line of the pool. The dogs always know first and just

get outside as fast as possible or they bark, the cats sleep thru the heaviest shaking and I see it in the ceiling fans

and the pool water has a quilt like shaking pattern for a while after a good one. Sometimes a quake that later

measures over 3.5 gives a boom way out on the horizon.

We had a few gentle showers yesterday; the veggie plants are much perkier this morning. I felt some almost

cool air around 6 this morning.

Maybe all the island kitties are having a competition;as my brattiest one brought a bird body into me and laid

it carefully on the bath mat; while I was in the room this morning. Monday morning wake up call!

It is very humid,80% at this writing, 82 degrees and pressure is 29.26, looks like passing showers today and

a build up to a another wave coming thru. The Atlantic seems to have calmed down, and it is very hazy.

The dust map looks like it is dissipating abit, not good news for us, there is no horizon line from my deck.

Jane Higgins

jhigginswear at islands.vi

- can you explain this? windy umbrella implodes glass table

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sun, 22 Jul 2007 13:26:49 -0400

The wind is up, the sea is up, and a really good gust just took my dining table umbrella on the deck and smashed it thru the glass top!

It really imploded....good thing it was safety glass. So.....that will of course be my last glass top table. I can't count the number

of times I've had sunbrellas cartwheel into the yard, pool and over the deck. It was a deja vu moment all over again, the last words

out of my mouth before the crash were "looks like it isn't a great day for deck umbrellas". I'm slow on the uptake of actually

listening to myself. The pressure is dropping 29.23 now, humidity is 72% and 82 degrees, about perfect weather for the lizard

in me. I'm moving onto wooden deck furniture right after storm season is up. At this point most of my plans for home improvement

and gardening work, starts with these words; "when storm season is up".

It is looking very choppy out there in the Atlantic for all the big fishing boats crossing to the North to the BVI for full moon Marlin fishing

this week. Best of luck to all of you, I'm just glad I'm not motoring to fight that chop today.

A note to any correspondents copying my email with attachments, etc...I'M ON VERY SLOW DIAL UP...YUP, IT'S THE 21ST

CENTURY and on the Northwest Corner of St Thomas you still can't get DSL...so PLEASE no attachments, I do appreciate the

thoughts but my patience when the server disconnects continually while downloading could not be anymore transparent.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- practice practice practice

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 19 Jul 2007 12:42:01 -0400

As our St Johnian correspondent reported, the power plant accident on St Thomas this week gave us all a reality check.

We are lucky they were able to fix the problem as quickly as they did. The government predicted via radio

(the storm radio worked!...has batteries and a hand-crank) that we could possibly be without power over 24 hours,

so the drill started in my house. I have to admit complacency ; as sundown was near, I was looking for what

should have been readily available, the right batteries to match the right appliance. I re-learned the rule; DO NOT

LEAVE batteries in your flashlights for too long....they will seep and corrode and ruin them, I had to dump 1 flashlight

and a little camping lamp. I filled every outside torch with citronella oil, lit the mosquito coils and re-checked

flashlights and small fans to make sure they worked and that they had fresh batteries. Luckily the power came back on

here about midnight, but it was a good test, and made me buy fresh batteries yesterday. I can handle many hours without power,

with candlelight and battery lights to read by; it's the buzzing in my ears from our little flying friends that drives me crazy.

I let the torches burn most of night and they really helped keep the flying critters away. The drone of the fan at the end of the

bed is what is dearly missed during an outage, and I was thrilled to hear it again after hours of not. Since our last "h"

experience, we have installed a gas stove and a new energy efficient fridge. I keep thermometers in the fridge and freezer

to make sure the food doesn't get into the danger zone, and sure enough the modern fridge held temperature within 2 degrees

over 6 hrs of power loss. Looks like the wave coming thru now will re-enforce the need to practice, practice, practice how

to live without depending on a public utility.

Once again, thanks for all the extra charts and maps. As we watch the Sahara dust change and move , you can see where

a storm can form and move on. In the case of Caribbean weather, more information creates less stress for this island dweller.

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- formula for rain works again

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sun, 15 Jul 2007 15:20:03 -0400

After topping off the pool, transferring water from one cistern to the other, and filling the clothesline with clean white clothes....

the rain came! Early this morning several nice rain showers brought us about an inch in the (wine) rain bucket. We needed this

rain, and looks like plenty more is coming our way. Thanks for the Culebra sunrise picture, I saw it too from here but it was too

early for me to fiddle with the little buttons on the camera. Right now the weather station on our deck says 29.26 barometer,

87 degrees, and 68% humidity. That 68% is LOW compared to the %'s in the last few weeks near 80% humidity.

Thanks to Gert for the new maps, the Saharan dust picture is our friend as bad as it looks; it has started to change abit, but

we can only hope it will stick around to suppress the storms coming. The rain always cools us down and clears the sky.

Today is the Northside Bastille Day Fishing Tournament hosted by our French community. Looks like the seas are perfect for

a smooth ride and big fish. Summers in the Caribbean have been the best of my life (for the last 15 yrs) , we cool down at night

and the crowds are gone, and the smarter tourists that love "beaching it" find out how our slower summer life is manifested .

The second round of houseguests always comes between end of May and late July, a perfect time to

enjoy our islands in their quieter mode. Please continue to over prepare for storm season, just to make sure we don't have

one....kind of like the clothesline mojo!

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi

- SPECTACULAR 4TH

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Thu, 5 Jul 2007 09:37:39 -0400

After all the dust in the last few weeks, it was spectacular to see very blue clear skies, a cool breeze and razor's edge

horizon on the northwest side of St Thomas on the 4th of July. We are the lucky ones, that is for sure. It almost felt

like January instead of July on the deck last night. Now this morning it looks like the sea is building abit, with some

white caps starting to form. Hoping for some rain. Take care and stay prepared.

Jane Higgins, Fortuna, St Thomas

jhigginswear at islands.vi

- WE LOVE RAIN AND DUST

From: "Jane Higgins" <jhigginswear at islands.vi>
Date: Sat, 16 Jun 2007 10:40:54 -0400

Don't think we are crazy , ( knowing it doesn't make for the perfect vacation) but we locals LOVE rain and dust.

We are ready for more rain in our cisterns, having a few brief showers this week and seeing the plants begging abit.

The Sahara dust is not pretty , but it sure makes me feel better having dust out there hopefully holding down any

storm formation. The dust also brings us beneficial elements for our soil, to keep these fruit and veggies going, so

it is "all good" as we like to say. Otherwise looks like clear sailing this weekend. Hey Super Dave, great to see you

back on TV, can you LOSE that suit and tie? A tropical shirt is really more like us, don't you think?

Jane Higgins
jhigginswear at islands.vi