Creepy Crawlies

My constant struggle: Cockroaches and Mildew

I am in a perpetual battle with both.

It's true.  'Roaches will survive any holocaust, apocalypse, Armageddon, nuclear bomb, spray, trap and me. 

I have learned to live with the roaches, but I am not willing to let them run unfettered and will not succumb to their bullying and arrogance.  I am not sure which species we have, American or German and it doesn't matter.  They are all nasty.  Just when I think I have them under control I find them living comfortably in the oven door.  I light the oven, and with a spray can in hand,   attack as they scurry in retreat from the fire and heat.  They also like the toaster.  Same deal.  I put the toaster on empty, they run, I spray, and then toast.   I find them in the freezer of the fridge.  I believe they live in the insulation in the freezer door.  Both my oven and fridge are very old so the seals are corroded and coming away and they can slip in.  I have chased, smacked, poisoned and tried all the various remedies.  Borax is good.   I arduously prevent their proliferation keeping everything as clean and dry and off the floor as I possibly can.  Everything is in sealed containers and stored in the fridge. I do not allow cardboard boxes in the apartment, and I make McDowell shake out his bag when he comes home from the Bar where they abound!  I am somewhat paranoid about them and see them even when they are not there.  Several weeks ago I chased one around the counter only to realize that it was a raisin, not a roach! They are under control, but troublesome.

Mildew is a fact of life in the humid tropics.  The bathroom never really dries out and black mould grows between the tiles in the shower stall. I scrub with Clorox once a week.   Clothes in the closet and drawers get musty.  There is a wonderful product called Damp Rid that keeps this from getting out of hand, but I have never seen it in Dominica.  I usually bring half a dozen boxes when I come.

💪

UPDATE, May 22, 2019

Boiling water will kill them.  I turned out the kitchen, emptied the cupboards and drawers, pulled out the stove and fridge and threw scalding water in the corners.  It kills the eggs.  It was a pleasure to clean up the mess.  It is wonderful to open a drawer and not see scurrying horrors.  However, I am not so naive as to think they will not be back, or that there are not a few who have escaped, or that the neighbours don't harbour them,  but for now it is quiet.

The mildew and mould march on but we have come to a detente.

October , 20.......

Still fighting the good fight. 

UNDERGROUND ART

Well, the bug finally bit and I am returning to my "artistic" beginnings and first love:  zines and mail art and artist trading cards (ATC).  Maybe large watercolour paintings will follow in time.

Mail art is usually decorated envelopes but can include postcards, package wrapping, faux postage.  If you have to mail it to complete the creative experience, it is mail art!

Artist trading cards is a conceptual art movement initiated by the Swiss artist M. Vanci Stirnemann in 1997.  Any medium is acceptable but the card must be 2.5x3.5.  Artists trade or swap these mini works freely with each other all around the world.

This may be difficult from Dominica because the postal mail is weak and material (envelopes of varying sizes and paper) are not readily available. But this only adds to the challenge.  I may end up making envelopes!

Zine ( pronounced ZEEN; short for magazine or fanzine) is a small-circulation self-published work of original or appropriated texts and images, usually reproduced via photocopier for circulation. Zines are usually the product of a single person. 

As a distinct form, zines originated in the 1930s in the United States when fans of science fiction began to publish and trade their own stories. In the 1970s, when punk rock music emerged punk zines appeared. The Do-It-Yourself ethos found fertile ground in zines.

Many major libraries house collections and archives of underground art, especially zines.  Toronto, Vancouver, Halifax and Regina are notable. there are annual conventions now in some centres.  Does that render it no longer "underground"?

SO…IF YOU WOULD LIKE TO BE ON MY MAILING LIST, SEND ME YOUR EXACT POSTAL ADDRESS.

Some of you are already on of course: Judy, Peter, Sarah, Jennifer D...son, Ann S., Barry, Loni, Lene.

Art supplies are always welcome: Prisma coloured pencils, fine tip black drawing pens .03, washi tape, origami paper, envelopes of any size or paper

Several of the early ones are lost

APATHY

I might have been more traumatized than I thought I was by Hurricane Maria.  This morning I had a slight urge to go through my ephemera, or rather what was left of it, and got somewhat excited as I riffled through it.  I have been waiting and waiting for the muse to find me, and I thought maybe she had,  but she didn't hang around.  I couldn't get going.  I have some ideas, but I just couldn't be bothered.    The memory of the Little Old House and the 4 friends who revitalized it, the thought of all it could have become, the visual and olfactory memory of the destruction of everything in the Gallery, and still, one year later, the sight of the damaged house, materials and art supplies, warped paper, and the hairless brushes that survived didn't help and just knocked me out.  What would I do with what I make anyway? I guess I'll wait some more and blame it on Maria, the heat, and lack of space. I could do something if I really wanted to, but creative apathy has set in.

Mait, Lene, Loni, Marian

A Scary Moment

So here I am after a scary moment at the Ottawa airport.  The Air Canada agent refused to allow me to board because he said I needed a visa to go to Dominica.  I was dumb founded at his adement declaration.  Smiling all the while, the little sh*t said that the Dominicans had made a mistake on my passport, dating my resident permit 2008 instead of 2018.  True, but I have been using this passport and this permit for 2 years with no problem.   I stamped my little foot, bared my teeth and gave him the evil eye as I loudly announced that it is the Dominicans problem, not his.  Time passed and I was now in danger of missing my connecting flight.  I was prepared to drop my luggage (too heavy anyway) and make a dash for it when the agent next to him told him to let me go. The rest of the trip was uneventful but uncomfortable.

Some advice:  go West Jet to Barbados, not Air Canada to Antigua...then on to Dominica

What a relief to land in Dominica, to see McDowell and have him take over and take me home.

A week later and I have settled back.  Nothing has changed much.  It is hot.  I have cleaned up the apartment.  The back garden became a jungle in my absence, the shelves in the shops are still bare except for the essentials, day to day living is a struggle, but the internet now seems strong and reliable, and I have seen my friends, Mait, Traci, Annika and the ladies in the market have heartily welcomed me home.

Being Home - Going Home

My time here in Brooke Valley is coming to an end.  I am going back to Dominica on July 21. Yes, Canada, Ontario, Perth, Brooke Valley, this old house  is lovely, clean, fast, efficient, pretty, friendly, familiar...all  good.  The variety and abundance is truly awesome. But it is not 'home'.

This stay here has been a miasma of resurrected, long put away memories as I have talked to people and packed up, thrown out and given away much of my stuff.  I have also spent a good deal of time sorting out and organizing .  When Nick and Samantha moved back here to Brooke (from the West), they brought their complete apartments with them, so there were (are) 2 complete apartments being stored in the space downstairs.  Plus Nick did a wonderful job of decluttering this household and its collection of 50 years of accumulated detritus.  I have gone through it all.

I took a friend's advice as I was doing this: handle each piece and make a decision about it and acknowledge the pleasure it gave.  Don't just toss it in a bin.  It is all important. Often it was heart tearing and difficult, but I am glad I took her advice.  Thank you Jennifer.  It took me a full year to clean out my mother's house and much of it ended up in a country auction and the land fill.  I do not want this.

I have not been able to move Hans to do the same, so his filing cabinets and book shelves remain dusty and crumbling monuments to the past and will be a burden on those who come after him. I understand his reluctance though.

I have not   been able to deal well with Rachel's various collections, photos, writings, drawings, cards, notes, diaries, stuffed toys,  a few clothes but I have strongly suggested to Anthony, Nick, Samantha , and Hans to have a ritual, cleansing  fire and send them on their way. They agreed.   It's been 23 years since she died, that would make her 39 today, and as Anthony said, she would not be happy to know that we (I) was hanging on to her through her material belongings. 

I have spent happy hours with a few good friends here in BV; Sarah, Anne, Jennifer, Barbara and Judy in Montreal, .  While I was in Montreal I renewed a dormant friendship with Barry.  I hope this relationship is now up and functioning again. 

I went with Peter and Karen to visit Harold and Jan. Not only was this a pleasant road trip but it was also a trip down memory lane.   It was good to be with them.

I see that Anthony, Nick and Samantha are doing the best they can and are making their way.  Hans is as healthy as he can be at this stage and continues to be wholly engaged in his projects, thinking, reading and writing.

I came back early May to do whatever I could for my family.  My intention was to stay for the BV reunion in August.  That's 4 months.  Can't do it and the family is OK.  I was making myself sick and everyone around me unhappy.  So...off I go.  I'll be back next year for my annual visit.  This being a family there are, of course, things pending.  Stay tuned!

Post Script:  When I googled what to do with unwanted CD's & DVD's google answered, "cut them up and make a disco ball". I'm sill laughing

My garden is gorgeous, Nick has revitalized it and I did a lot of work.  He has good landscaping plans for it.  It is now his to do what he wants, keeping the special peony, iris and daylilies

Avocado

One of the good things about Gardening in the tropics is that you can garden all year 'round.  When the post office opened after the passage of Hurricane Maria the first thing I received were some seeds from Spring and Doug Norman.  All the tomato seeds germinated (planted October 21) and   I was able to give some seedlings away.  They are bearing now. 

Before the Hurricane I had planted, in pots, 2 large avocado seeds.  They were sprouting nicely on my veranda.  Then Maria hit.  She brought down a piece of twisted galvanized roof on them, but the piece got caught on the wall and so sheltered them. The day after the storm  I climbed over someone's old wet mattress and broken furniture that had been deposited on the veranda  to rescue them .  The leaves were torn, I nursed them, and they survived. One of them was a big, creamy, purple avocado. By December I saw that the roots were coming out of the bottoms of the pots. They had to go into the ground.  Usually we would take them up to McDowell's farm and plant them but the road is still clogged and not easily passable so I thought I would plant them in the back yard behind the old house.

Well, I didn't plant them myself.  I couldn't lift the pots, and I wasn't sure how close to the Bay I could put them, so I went into the Bar to find someone who could carry them for me.   There was a little old gnarled farmer from Pennville, (a garden gnome actually, big ready smile and one tooth, lower right) who was happy to follow me into the yard.  He found a huge dasheen plant behind the house that Maria had planted, fix it up, took its sprouts and put them in the ground, saying, "Oh, look, she has babies, I will plant them for you".  Now I have 3 dasheen.  Anyhow he quickly dug holes for the avocado trees (avocado are called pear), explaining why he choose to put them where he did. "Don't do anything (duh do nuffin')" was his advice, "She knows best".   Then he stood back, looked at them and said to me in a very serious voice, "She will be sad for 2 days because she doesn't know where she is now.  We moved her, but then she will find herself and stand up straight."

Dasheen

Avocado - 1 meter high. Will bear in 7 years

Tomato - I have a dozen plants

We have almond trees growing like weeds in the back.  His pronouncement on them was, "Dey doh give no profit, dey belongs on de beach".  True , but they do provide wonderful shade.  When the beach gets cleared up we will put some there.

This almond tree was 5 feet tall before Maria.  The hurricane cut it down, It is now 2 feet and will soon be tall and wide spread.  The bare tree behind is a St Peter's Tree (Flamboyant) and will be flaming red at the end of June. 

The Aftermath - 3 months later

The Aftermath

Now comes the hard part. The next months will be difficult.  They will be difficult because the shops are empty and savings have been used up and we are tired.  Jobs are scarce, few tourists are expected.  Most people are still living under leaky tarps and there will be no mangoes, bananas, or citrus this season.  Also the building materials, and the builders needed to withstand another force 7 hurricane, are way too expensive or simply not available.  

For the weeks following Maria there was so much to do.  We were overwhelmed. Just drying out was a big deal.  Although the days were warm and sunny, every last thing was wet and getting moldy.  Whatever Maria left for us was sodden, grimy, muddy, tattered and ugly.  But that is what we had and it became treasured. Keeping clean was a challenge. I was constantly amazed at how well turned out, pretty and well presented the women were.  How did they do it? I was always frumpy and dishevelled! Then there was the frantic scramble to communicate with family and friends, around the Island, in the other Islands, in the UK, USA, Europe and Canada. We managed that as best we could.  Messages were sent with people leaving the Island.

I have no home, but I am here

15% of the population left quickly. Ross University evacuated 2000 people within 3 days. Hundreds of children have been sent to Antigua and Barbados to go to school .The Sister Islands were quick to respond.  We had drinking water right away.  Relief food packages began to arrive soon (distribution was so badly organized it was almost not worth the effort, here in the North).   The international aide people were here, mostly medical personnel, I think.  The Jamaican army and the Antiguan police were here as looting and malicious vandalism were rampant.  Keep in mind that the local police also lost everything in the hurricane and were in no shape to do their jobs as they would have liked. They too had families, homes, aged parents to look after.

The memories I have of those days are of lines of drying clothes everywhere, helicopter noise  over head, the Bar over loaded with drunken men, hard physical unending work, no music, what's for supper, worrying about those with no roof, staying safe and long lines everywhere.  And it was ugly. My life became very small and preoccupied with work, cleaning and standing in line.  However, not once did I lose heart because I knew Anthony was on it, organizing, trying to make contact, doing what needed doing, and I knew my friends were behind him, and out there behind me too.

Portsmouth found itself quite quickly. Clean up started right away.  We had running water (not potable) and central Portsmouth had electricity by mid October.  By early December we had internet!  Portsmouth is busy and a happening place.  It is not what it used to be, but it is in amazingly good shape all things considered. The small 'mom and pop' shops were (are) the sustaining force. 

I rarely go into the old house that was once our pride and joy.  The art gallery and gift shop were devastated, the house is gloomy, damp, dilapidated, smelly, leaking and now serves as storage for cases of empty beer bottles.  It's just way too distressing.  The patio has been cleared and I have managed a small garden.  Spring and Doug sent some seeds and the tomatoes are growing in an old chest freezer!  I see baby animals all around; the post-hurricane generation - baby iguanas, chicks, lizards of all varieties.  The parrots, hummingbirds, banana quit (sikiye), bullfinch, and the ubiquitous brown pelican  and the magnificent frigate birds are fishing.  I saw a flock of egrets the other day.  I haven't seen any moorhens.  They tell me that the corals suffered but not as bad as it could have been.  The ocean is still dirty, but certainly clearing up.  I am continually surprised at what was left standing, what small thing was spared and what succumbed and was lost.  The bouganvillaea, oleander and hibiscus are blooming!  I can't find any poinsettia, but I am sure they are there.  Among other things, we lost our sour sop tree, but the sour orange, right beside it, stood the battering, and even hung on to some fruit.  Amazing.

Maria's Patio

The Patio

Dominicans like to use the word 'resilient' to describe themselves.  Absolutely no question: they are that in spades. But there is another dimension to this resilience and it is a bred- in -the -bone, quiet determination to survive.  Dominicans will not succumb to hardship, devastation or evil forces. 

                                                          

By Christmas it will be 3 full months.  Those who went through Hurricane David in 1979 say that Maria was worse, but recovery is faster.