One Month Down

So it's been exactly one month since we walked off a plane from St. Kitts and started life in Key West. And I'm still ordering stuff, emailing sellers when we receive the wrong or broken items, am fighting with the bed person who decided we didn't order a headboard, and putting things together or away. At least the mattress and the frame finally arrived (and they put it together!) so Michael was able to move in yesterday and we're all one big happy family again.

The moped got looked over (all the plastic bits are broken or warped) and the insurance company has been in touch and is staying neutral at the moment.

 

I've been walking to my destinations, which has been a good thing as I found the library today while I was on the way to the Post Office, as well as a grocery store and a deli nearby. Michael knocked his moped over while we were at the Home Depot and broke one of his brakes - so he might be walking with me while our bikes go back to the shop for awhile. Jeez.



I did run the other day - probably made it about 3 miles before I decided it wasn't the greatest thing for my bruised hip and then walked the rest. I went around the whole island, curious about whether I'd be on the water the whole time, have a sidewalk, etc.  Well - 1/2 the island was nice, despite being along a busy road.

Me and My Invisible Bike

You just know it's not going to be a good day when you have to return some oversized boxes on your moped and it's raining (lightly).

Both of us had our boxes fall off once, the roads are rather lumpy, but I had a really nice guy help me put mine back on. And then we were off again. Once we realized that yet another internet source was outdated and there was no post office where indicated, we headed across the street to go to a vet clinic for Jack's prescription cat food (seriously, it's never ending). And guess what?

A pick-up truck ran into me.

Coming Together

Ok, I plan to make this the last post that's about home-making in Key West, instead of activities in Key West. Not that homemaking isn't an activity, but that's not what the blog is supposed to be about; and well, I'm no homemaker (not that there's anything wrong with that). I took off September to get us settled, but am hoping to find work next month to pay bills and replenish our savings. The posts won't normally be this long either.

Observations: You know your place is small when you can vacuum the whole thing without unplugging the vacuum. And your living room is so small, you have to put the bigger tv you bought into the larger bedroom...The good thing about a tiny place is that it sure is quick to clean! * We have to relearn how to grocery shop. We typically wait until we run out of just about everything and then do one big trip. With 2 mopeds, that's not going to work. I'll be better prepared with my new moped basket though (it's not on yet). * For the first time so far, I went somewhere new yesterday and didn't get lost. Wahoo!

Jeez

Now you'll recall that on Sunday, we let the cats out on the deck to see what would happen and Zura had disappeared. All day. I couldn't figure out if she'd gotten down to the main floor or not. If she had, she would have been pinned down there by a huge white & black Key's cat. Part of our floor is actually raised from the story below us (which is cool as we can clomp around and not bother anyone). This lattice work covers a large under-space that goes under 1/2 the house and under the entire deck. I had a feeling that's where she was at, but it was too dark to see. Jack was going in and out of that space without any problems, so I just wasn't sure. Later, when it poured for 2 hours, I knew she couldn't be happy, but figured she was dry somewhere. Then it was starting to get late and I was getting worried. Normally hunger will drive her out of her spot, but noooo.  She didn't even peek her head out when I called. I had even shoo'd the Key's cat away.

So after his football- game watching outing, Michael mooched a flash light and sure enough, she was squeezed as far back under the house as she could be and looked frozen in place. She didn't respond to anything that would normally woo her so we weren't sure what her problem was. Thunderstorms were on the way and we didn't want her to be out there by herself  (Jack could care less, but Zura's not a fan) so Michael took it upon himself to slide into the crawl space. It's a good thing we're little people.

Are We Done Yet?

Mo' shopping, mo' shopping, mo' shopping. We've now got sheets, a tv, a printer, a vacuum, garbage cans, laundry hamper, broom, sponges, bath mat, glasses, pots and pans, pastel Adirondack chairs, and..and...and...Seriously - have you thought about all the things you need to live day to day? I'm so tired of spending money, but we still need a microwave, an outdoor dining table/chairs, a clothes-drying rack, 8-qt pot, a mattress, and other odds and ends. We also need a new kitty litter box; the one we have is too big and doesn't fit in the space we planned for it. We've had to call each of our credit card companies several times now to tell them that some stranger has not gone off on a shopping spree.

Oh, and we picked up our first piece of street trash. We really liked the use of mirrors around the pool at our temporary home. So when we saw this, we decided to grab it for the mirrored pieces. I think we've done the best we can with the big-box retailers around here. The rest I'll have to get online (or at flea markets). I'll do that after paying down some of our puny balances though, because after not using our cards for so long the creditors actually lowered our credit limits as punishment. Nice.

Time to start assembling. One thing Michael & I have learned after living together for 24 years is that we're great at assembling things together. Just not the same piece of furniture at the same time. While I was trying to get the cable/modem stuff set up for the new tv, Michael tackled the couch, since I'd be sleeping on it later. That encompassed two boxes, and no instructions. After some trial and error, he finally got the thing together and realized that it was sitting awfully low to the ground. Grr. Obviously, the floor model was showing a different set of legs on the thing, and what comes with it is hardly worth the effort. Sigh.

Happy? Birthday Mikey!

Let's see what Michael did for his birthday. He had off to attend to a bunch of moving-type affairs and we had our favorite borrowed truck until noon Saturday. Around 9am we went to the DMV where there was the usual line, so we moved on (darn it, my hair looked so good). Then it was off to the water company, cable company, and cable/internet.



Everyone was very nice, although things took a bit more time than they should have because of an issue with the lease, and then it was time for lunch - a bag of chips and a bottle of soda.

Ok, now we were fortified for our trip to Ikea. Well first, we stopped at Fred's Bed's in Big Coppitt Cay and ordered a king-sized platform bed frame (we still need a mattress). I can not tell you how excited we are to be able to get a king-sized bed. We rented a place for a month that had a king bed and have never been the same since. You have to admit, this place didn't look too promising, but they can order cheap-ish stuff and deliver fast, and free.

Sun through the Rain

So Michael got his first dousing on his moped this morning. A thunderstorm, no less. But that didn't put a damper on the fact that we were putting down a deposit (another deposit) on our new permanent home today (pics are of the new place). Yippee!  

I have to say this was quite an expensive learning curve and I'm not sure what exactly we could have done differently. You'll remember that when we first arrived a little over 2 weeks ago, we had no place to live. Michael's boss (and friend) was able to finagle a cute temporary abode for us until the 27th and we paid for that. Then we talked to over a dozen realtors who told us that the pickings for long-term places were slim. They weren't just slim, they were depressing. As a matter of fact, if a nice one came available, we should expect lines for the apartment. We started to panic.

First Key West Hash - Oy

You remember how I said I thought they did things differently here. Um, yep. I'd say this hash group probably did it the more "correct" way and could get away with a lot of the raunchier aspects of the ceremonies because it's a pretty young crowd - no kids. These guys were hardcore - with necklaces made with their hash names and socks bought from the Haberdashery. Interestingly, because many times people like to see pics of themselves during the hashes but don't necessarily want their bosses or certain friends or family to see them, there's a website just for them. The site is called HashSpace and you must be invited by another hasher.  I'll try to be careful about what I post on the blog, but I definitely want to get an invite to the other site.

Anyway, first up - the hash. This was a pick-up hash, or a live hash, that just gives these guys another excuse to get together. Many work on the weekends so can't make the Saturday hashes, so this is for them. It's also free. We started at Higgins Beach, which was just 4 blocks from where we live.

Road Trip

Curious about some of the outer cays, we borrowed a truck and headed for Marathon, which turned out to be a longer version of Key West...The drive was pretty with bridge ruins and glacier-colored water.

Even a turtle popped up.

Comparisons

Is it still okay to miss St. Kitts? In full disclosure, I have to admit that after four years in St. Kitts, we were getting tired a few things: the lack of "stuff" to replace things that had broken; the clothing choices that were either too expensive, too limited (especially in sizes), or too gaudy/cheap in many cases; the difficulty traveling to/from the island thanks to limited flights and high airport fees. We figured we had another year left in us. Just as we were thinking that, circumstances changed, and three weeks later, we were in Key West. I seem to adapt slower than I used to.

 Since we've left, St. Kitts has had a tsunami watch issued (and canceled)! Wilbur the pig, the huge mascot of Reggae Beach Bar & Grill died. The Brimstone Fortress Fit & Fearless (uphill) Run is coming up - that's where I got my first running medal ever! I already can't wait to see the video of our friends on the upcoming hash. Should I give it up cold turkey?

Welcome

Do to popular and surprisingly vocal demand, I have decided to start my fourth blog. I hear the cheers from my Island Babble fans now. Thanks for the push guys.

For those of you who don't know me... in 2006, my husband and & I sold everything we owned, bought a boat we didn't know how to sail, and took off for the Caribbean (with our cat). The point was to find a warm island to live on and to find jobs on one we liked so we could stay as long as our sanity allowed. Believe it or not, our plan worked and after three years, we ended up selling our boat and living on the wonderful island of St. Kitts. Once on land, I started to convert my sailing blog to a printable keepsake for family and boater friends, and realized I had a fun story to tell. There aren't too many books that are honest about what it's really like to cruise for three years, nor were many from a female captain's point of view. The next thing I knew, I had A Sail of Two Idiots, and McGraw-Hill made sure it got out on shelves around the world (and online and in ebooks). My Babble fans were invaluable, not only by buying the book, but also making sure that their local bookstores stocked up as well. I will be forever grateful. If you haven't read it yet, I think you'll have a good time with it, whatever your background. Here's a video to give you a little taste.