Shooting Stars & Making Wishes

I'm writing about "shooting stars" or "falling stars" because I see them everyday & every night when I walk the pups on their early morning walks or evening walks on the beach. I usually walk them around 8:30-9:00pm and sometimes as early as 5:00am prior to leaving for work. Obviously our walks are in the darkness. These walks are different than those during the day when I'm home. I don't recall seeing such beautiful falling stars at anytime when I lived in the states. For me, living on St. Maarten, I know that with every walk, for the most part, I will see at least one falling from the sky. Most of the time, I can see up to 4 or 5 during one walk.
Why am I writing about stars one might ask because it is a strange topic to write about some might say. Well, with the New Year almost here, we have a tendency to make New Year's Resolutions; "out with the old and in with the new". Making wishes for dreams to come true.
As children, we're taught that everytime you see a falling star, you have to make a wish & someday your wish will come true.

I guess I make hundreds of wishes during the year because I see so many falling stars during the year. Lucky me? I'm not sure yet! But, I know that I have what I've always wished for during my life. I guess maybe my wishes do come true and have come true over the years or maybe I'm just fortunate.

I've known people to make wishes for money, prosperity & material things that money can buy. People have a tendency to wish for a "good life" and an "easy life". duh duh!

I guess I fell into that when I lived in the states. For me now....I wish for my health, my happiness, my security with Phil as a couple, my life with Phil for the future, and the happiness of our families & friends as well. I don't wish for "the things" that people think will make our lives happier or more money that will buy us a "better life". That is not what wishes are for in my opinion. Wishes for me; are for Dreams, Life, Future Expectations, Anticipations of the unknown, Simplicity, Wishing for Peace, Security and Happiness of a Couple, Good Health, and most of all, Wishing for the Best of our Family & Friends! This New Year 2009, I have so many wishes already. I won't reveal them, but a little advise for all of us. When we wish upon a star, we all need to stay positive when we are down, keep our dreams close, have few expecatations so we are not dissappointed if they don't happen, wish for other people rather than for ourselves and hold our wishes close. I will say that I Always wish for positive things to happen in our lives & I wish for good things to happen to people. I end my Blog today in this way:

Starlight star bright poem

Star Light Star bright,
The first star I see tonight,
I wish I may,
I wish I might,
Have the wish I wish tonight.

To all who read my Blog & to All those who don't, I wish a Happy and Healthy New Year 2009.

"Le Petit Prince" - A Story about Life.

This time of the year, I become sentimental to things in life that I've encountered, What I've been taught, What I have learned through my life's experiences, the people that have come into my life; one way or another, the way I see the world including the people.

I can't help but think of a wonderful story that I read as a child, which may have been one of my mom's favorite stories as I think was passed onto her from my grandpa also and she passed it onto me so long ago. It was more than a bedtime story; I realize that now. At the time, I didn't analyze the story, but through memories as well as going through life and getting older, I now understand that there was a reason behind the story.

The story, "Le Petit Prince" or "The Little Prince" was written in 1943 by Antoine de Saint-Exupery in a small town on Long Island, New York close to where I grew up called Asharoken in a home that was rented by the author called The Bevin House. The book has been translated into 180 languages and has sold more than 80 million copies.

It's a story about a Little Prince from another planet who meets a pilot who has crashed in the Sahara Desert that has 8 days of water and has to try to fix his plane.

The Little Prince makes several profound and idealistic points about life and human nature. Saint-Exupéry tells of meeting a young prince in the middle of the Sahara. The essence of the book is contained in the famous lines uttered by the fox to the Little Prince: "On ne voit bien qu'avec le cœur. L'essentiel est invisible pour les yeux." (One cannot see well except with the heart, the essential is invisible to the eyes). Other key thematic messages are articulated by the fox, such as: "You become responsible, forever, for what you have tamed" and "It is the time you have spent with your rose that makes your rose so important."

The Characters:

The King who can "control" the stars by ordering them to do what they would anyway. He then relates this to human subjects; it is the citizen's duty to obey, but only if the king's demands are reasonable. He orders the Prince to leave as his ambassador.

The Conceited Man who wants to be admired by everyone, but lives alone on his planet. He cannot hear anything that is not a compliment.

The Drunkard/Tippler who drinks to forget that he is ashamed of drinking.

The Businessman who is constantly busy counting the stars he thinks he owns. He wishes to use them to buy more stars. The Prince then goes on to define property. The Prince owns the flower and volcanoes on his planet because he cares for them and they care for him. Because one cannot maintain the stars, he argues, the Businessman cannot own them.

The Lamplighter who lives on an asteroid which rotates once a minute. Long ago, he was charged with the task of lighting the lamp at night and extinguishing it in the morning. At that point, the asteroid revolved at a reasonable rate, and he had time to rest. As time went on, the rotation sped up. Refusing to turn his back on his work, he now lights and extinguishes the lamp once a minute, getting no rest. The Prince actually empathizes with the Lamplighter, who is the only adult to care about something other than himself.

The Geographer who spends all of his time making maps, but never leaves his desk to explore (even his own planet), going on the pretext that it is the job of an explorer to do so. Even if an explorer were to visit the Geographer, the Geographer is very doubting of any explorer's character and would most likely disregard the report. He does not trust things he has not seen with his own eyes, yet will not leave his desk. Out of professional interest, the geographer asks the Prince to describe his asteroid. The Prince describes the volcanoes and the rose. "We don't record flowers", says the geographer, because they are only ephemeral. The Prince is shocked and hurt to learn that his flower will someday be gone. The geographer then recommends that he visit the Earth.

We can learn a lot about life if we read this book carefully & understand the message behind the writer. As adults, we sometimes forget what it was like to see the world through a child's eyes. The beauty, the naivete', the trust in people, the love that we knew so innocently as a child, the aspirations and the inspirations we knew & wanted, the joys of who we are and who we wanted to become as adults.

During this time of the year, I think back to all of the memories I had as a child, the values and teachings of my parents as well as my grandparents. My grandpa mostly because I loved him so much. (my mom's dad) He loved life and people and he always told me to "Believe". He left that open as to what he wanted me to "believe", but, maybe his message was like that of Antoine de Saint-Exupery; "To never forget what it is like to see the world through a child's eyes". He taught me so much as a child. I was even named after him.

I end this Blog Posting today so that we never forget what life is, don't take it for granted and that we remember that we have a limited time on earth and that we need to make the most of it while we are here. I wish everybody a Merry Christmas & Happy Holidays & Remember how Important & Prescious Life is to ALL of us!

Fun with the kids.

Today was a day with the kids on a trip. We went Kayakking in the Simpson Bay Lagoon and then out into the ocean. It was a calm day to be on the water;very little wind, the sea was flat like a lake. It was a great day for the kids. Not all of them showed up today for some strange reason, but, overall, we had a great time. Kyakking was first and then to the beach & then I treated them to lunch at Marc's Place Restaurant. It was my gift for the holidays to them. I'm going to "eventually" buy myself a Kyak so that I can enjoy the water on the weekends when I have time to enjoy the sea. It's quiet & tranquil as well as see the island from the water.

This week was a long week for me due to meetings, preparing for next week parent meetings and the list goes on & on....In any event, today was a nice way to end the week for the kids as well as myself. A few more days & I'll be on vacation for almost 2 weeks. I'm tired, so it'll be well deserved to just sit back & relax & read some books.

Here's a piece of my Daily Paradise...

I just wanted to share a piece of my Daily Paradise with those of you who think that Island Life is "just peachy". Believe it or not, I wouldn't change my life right now for anything. Yesterday, we decided it was time to see what the students carried on them to school. So, the Police were invited in to conduct a search on both boys & girls because most people "assume" that only "the boys" are the problems. Below you will be able to read about what was found & what was taken by the Police to get the things out of the hands of these kids.
Remember, I'm dealing with 14-21 year old students each day and there are 220 students enrolled at my school. The students were not informed that the Police were going to arrive, enter every classroom and search bodies as well as back packs that the kids use to carry their ummmm, books! Weapons were found, (no guns) mostly knives, machetes, double edge knives used for "slicing" in both directions-left & right on the swing up and then down.
Why would the kids carry these weapons you might be asking yourself? Alot of these kids have Societal Pressures that if they aren't fighters, then they become the Victims of the Stronger Ones. We do have gangs on the island and I know that I have Gang Members in class. I've been confronted a few times, challenged, had a student put his chest up to mine and was looking for a reaction. He was suprised to see that I actually put more pressure on his chest with mine and advanced towards him rather than him advance on me. We stared each other in the eyes for about 1 minute, (it felt like and hour & felt it wouldn't end positively) still maintaining the pressure on each other's chest. Eventually, through (I think) Respect that the other one wasn't going to back down, he sat down and kept his respect as I did mine. Had I backed down, eventually I would have had to deal with the other 12 boys in that class at some point in the future. The last thing I could do was to not back back down and lose all of their respect. On the way out, he shook my hand and patted me on the shoulder. Since then, no probem and he started to work on the assignments.
I can honestly say that I have "almost" ALL of those kids Respect in the entire school. There are a few who still want to challenge, but, most of the kids warn the individual that I won't back down from them if they start something.
I am not a bulley by any means and I am certainly not stupid. But, I do know that these kids need somebody to watch out for them, show them that I care by a pat on the back and a Good Morning at the gate and entrance Everyday! These kids now shake my hand, give me a Boop, (which is where the kids touch knuckles to your hand in a closed fist). Some kids will even give me a hug around the shoulders and ask me if I'm doing okay?
I honestly care about these kids and I think, (I hope) they know it through my actions. They know that my door is Always Open for them, to come in and speak to me if they have something to talk about because most of the time, nobody listens at home. They know what is said, stays with me unless it involves something where they could get hurt or somebody else. I've even had kids that I know are in gangs, come in and cried like a baby because someboy at home told him outright that he was "worth nothing in life" the night before.
I Love these kids believe it or not. I'm learning about what these kids have to deal with in their private lives at home and what they have to deal with each day.
Weapons is NOT the answer. We've had discussions about the weapons in school and hopefully they will choose another path, rather than a path of aggression and crime. I can only try my best to let them know they have "other options" in Life!

Trivial Pursuit

Last night the satellite was down for some reason, possibly a storm interfering with reception. Here it was another Sunday night, Phil is off and the satellite is down. ugh! So, we decided to play Trivial Pursuit 25th Year Aniversary Editionthat we ordered a few weeks ago from Hasbro Toy Company. Those of you who played the Old Version of Trivial Pursuit are in for a BIG surprise as to the rules of the new game. Questions are well thought out and a lot of research went into the making of this game, questions as well as the rules. We played for a few hours, laughing and joking about some of the questions & their answers. I'm not a Wings Band fan, so of course I answered those wrong. Phil, not knowing who Axel Rose is from Guns & Roses answered those questions wrong. on and on, laugh and laugh....Did you know the World's Top Ten Largest Mountain Ranges are ALL located in China? Questions range from 1-6; 1 being the easiest & 6 being the "more challenging" questions. Of course, after rolling the dice, most of mine landed on a 5 or a 6 giving me the more difficult questions. Overall, there are a few hundred cards and thousands of questions. The end result is that Phil won the game on a question from the 1 category. lol
Those of you who like games, challenges and a night of laughs, go out and get yourself the new edition of Trivial Pursuit 25th Aniversary Edition. It's a good night to share with your best buddy! lol

Travelling Dogs

Being an American Indian, throughout the Mohegan Tribe, our dogs are known as "The Travelling Dogs." They've made the front page of the Mohegan Newspaper. (click on the pictures to enlarge)

Caramel as you can see from the picture was a puppy when we found him on the side of the road near Baie Rouge, a beach on the island of St. Martin. He had a strong character as a puppy & it carried over into his adulthood. Piccola was found abandonned on another beach called Cupecoy as an adult dog. When we found her, we didn't even know what color her hair was because the mainge was taking over her body to the point of "almost death". Well, as you can see, both are doing well and have been on both sides of the ocean as well as the states. .

Caramel & Piccola (to the right) on a river
in Upstate New York.

Phil with Piccola & Caramel on the Champs Elyses

Paris, France

For me, Paris is a special place, the magic, romance, history. It is absolutely magic. (to the right)
Me, Phil, Piccola & Caramel at the Eiffel Tower, Paris,

France.

Me, Piccola, Caramel sitting on top of a 7,000 year old Dolmen, which was used as a temple before the Middle Ages. Located in the Cevenne Region in the south of France.

Beach is La Grande Motte on the Mediterranean

Sea in the south of France. (to the right) One of my favorite beaches.

Me sitting on a wall with the pups in the Cevenne Region Southern France above the town of Florac on the way to the plateau called The Causse Mejean. It is divided by a canyon going through the middle.

On Phil's family property dating back to the Middle Ages. The river runs through the property that flows under a bridge from the Middle Ages that was made with no cement or concrete of any kind. The bricks fit together like a puzzle and is still standing. The bridge is arched in the center. (below)

Le Pond du Gard Bridge-Aquaduct that dates
back to over 7,000 years built by Augustus. It
carried 1 million gallons of water per day to the
city of Nimes to water the gardens & for drinking.

This is Caramel on the Via Domitia which is the Roman Antique Road built about 118 BC between Rome and what is now Barcelona. If you look closely, you can see the indentation of the horse carts in the stone. Did we step back in time for this or what? Caramel & Piccola had a great time in this area this day. Built in the south of France above Montpellier.

Notice that we spend alot of time in the south of France because Phil's family is from this area.

Rusty & Bobby Lee

I was reading through my Blog and realized that I didn't include two of the "little ones." The two that I hadn't added to my Blog are Rusty & Bobby Lee. (if you click on all of the photos on this Blog, you can enlarge them.)

To start out, Rusty (a cat), imposed himself on us. One night, we were having dinner, watching tv and this little rusty colored cat came onto the terrace having no regard for Caramel or the other animals. We had never seen him before, never heard him; he just arrived from somewhere. Meow, Meow, Meow and he was basically telling us that he was adopting us rather than us adopting him. Caramel being the Sheik of the Animal Kingdom of our house was a bit confused with the situation because normally animals sense Caramel's presence and go the other way. But, not this little cat. He stayed at the house & the next day he rubbed himself against Caramel, grabbed Caramel's neck, (Caramel still confused as to what was taking place), played with Caramel and even Caramel had no choice in the matter that this cat was here to stay. Well, his name became Rusty, (so original) & he became part of the family. He loves Phil & even speaks to Phil when Phil is home. The interesting thing is that when I come home from work, Rusty is nowhere to be seen or heard of. As soon as Phil arrives & Rusty hears his voice, this cat comes running, meow, meow, meow. He loves Phil, and is just starting to take to me, (almost a year later). Phil & I always say that he must have been born around the time that our cat Clyde died. He has a very similar character as Clyde. Clyde was the only animal that Caramel would allow to be so close to him. Caramel lets Rusty do whatever he wants to do and they are very close. Caramel, I think, knows that Rusty will do whatever he wants so he's adjusted. He's with us since 12th Sept. 07

The next little one that I didn't include in my Blog is Bobby Lee, AKA-(also known as): "Piglet". Why Piglet? She loves to eat and makes the sound of a pig. When she runs, she sounds like a pig. When she is dreaming, she sound slike a pig. It's true!

Bobby Lee was another abandoned dog that was left in Oyster Pond, where we live. I had seen her on and off, but thought that she belonged to somebody because she's a Britney Spaniel. After about 2 weeks, because she was surviving and seemed to be alright, I realized that she was abandoned. One night she came to the restaurant to eat. Well, she too imposed herself on us because she followed us home and never left. The next day, we took her to the vet, gave her shots, some medicine for the beginning stages of mainge, and an ear infection.

We didn't plan on another animal, but, island life doesn't give you a choice if you love animals. She's been with us a year this Nov. 9th 07. She has this fascination for the sea and she loves to chase birds and crabs on the beach. In all of the years that we live here, (10 plus years), I will never get use to the neglect, mistreatment and abandonment of animals. It has gotten better, but, still exists. I can honestly say that I don't want to adopt anymore animals, but, if I need to intervene to help out for the short term, I will. But, in all honesty, I've done my part in my life in adopting animals. So, above you see recent pictures of the little ones. In order: Bobby Lee (name comes from the movie; "To Wong Fu, Thanks Julie Newmar"), Happy, Caramel & Piccola. The picture was taken on the beach in front of the house 2 weeks ago.