this moment

La Ferme des Papillons

We went to the butterfly farm on the french side of the island today. After experiencing the island's zoo "St. Maarten Park" and seeing mostly ducks, chickens, tortoises and a whole lot of parrots all along a path trodden with heavy bird droppings, I wasn't expecting much from the butterfly farm today.

But, much to our delight, it was a clean, well run, magical little place where there were several different species of butterflies floating all around you in a lush well cared for garden.

We enjoyed a little bit of the daughter of the owner's guided tour of the farm. She grew up on the island and at the farm, and was very well versed in her butterfly knowledge. She even called herself a "butterfly professional." She made many attempts to involve Ezra in the fun of finding caterpillars and touching them, but he has always been squeamish around them and didn't oblige.

We all just enjoyed watching the butterflies flit and float around us in the warm tropical air.

Lately...

Because of my accident with the mandoline,

Michael has been helping in the kitchen

making raw vegan california rolls.

We've been starting our days with green smoothies

and taking time together to watch Ezra do things like this...

Life is good, with or without the tip of your middle finger.

feeling grateful...

today i am feeling grateful for the following things:

the fact that my brother's girlfriend survived a fatal car accident

my left hand

my life

a new raw foods diet even though it led me to buy a mandolin vegetable slicer that i misused and cut the tip of my middle finger off. other than the mild throbbing at the end of my finger tip and the recurring visceral memory of slicing said finger tip off, my body feels lighter and energized and my head feels clear and bright.

the new market that opened five minutes from where we live - no more having to drive a minimum of a half hour to get what we need at the grocery store.

michael being home

ezra's happiness

oops...

cut my finger using my new mandoline today... turns out i wasn't using it correctly.

after spending the day at the hospital to get it cleaned up and bandaged only (we brought the tip that i sliced off - thank god it was on the thin slice setting - but they said it was too small to put back on), i'm glad we spent yesterday doing this...

after cutting my finger and spending the first 5-10-15 i don't know how many minutes in shock, ezra said, "i'm sorry you hurt your finger," to which michael told him, "oh, it's not your fault ezra," who then said, "it's all your fault mama." when i got hold of alexi to come over and watch ezra while we went to the doctor, i asked if he wanted alexi to come to his house or if he wanted to go to alexi's house. he said he wanted to go to the doctor's house. finally, when we picked him up from alexi's house four hours later and praised him on being such a big boy and michael asked him how old he was, he said, "i'm 3 daddy. and mama's 4, and you're 5!" ezra is always the highlight of my day.

this moment

Inspired by Soule Mama... "A Friday ritual. A single photo - no words - capturing a moment from the week. A simple, special, extraordinary moment. A moment I want to pause, savor and remember."

Fort Louis and Friar's Bay before Finals

Last week was the week before finals and Ezra and I had some fun with friends to get out of the house while Michael studied all day in his office (our guest room). We went to Fort Louis with our friends Adrienne, Fay, and Hanna and to Friar's Bay with Alexi. We are coming to the end of Michael's second semester at AUC here on St. Maarten. It has been a wonderful experience enjoying the beaches, bakeries, and island lifestyle. But, at times it has been trying not having Michael around. Even though he studies at home, he is unavailable. He comes out for meals and quick interactions with Ezra, but most of the parenting falls on me. I miss his help. Not to mention, I just miss having Michael around as my best friend and usual cohort in our daily adventures. Fortunately, I have made friends with some lovely ladies here who share this medical student tag-a-long experience. There's nothing like a friend who is nice to be around, but who also totally understands what you are going through.

When we got to Fort Louis, Ezra was excited to walk up the mountain and find the ruined 'castle' we talked about on our way there. It is always more fun for him when there is another little person to share in the adventure.

I think the feeling was mutual.

The view from the top allows us to see the thin strip of the island on which we live. I remember the strange impression the topography of our new residence made on me when I first saw it from atop the hill descending from Philipsburg. Our island is 37 square miles and we live along a narrow stretch of land facing the Caribbean Sea known as the Lowlands. If you look at the big buildings in the distance in the above picture, we live in the second one from the left.

Ezra the Explorer!

Friar's Bay with Alexi was a good day for us all. We start by stopping at Sarafina's famous bakery for croissants and Ezra's new favorite cookie - a macaron. I will have to take a picture next time. They are adorable little meringue sandwich cookies that come in several different colors. Lately, Ezra always chooses "Percy" green. He also always gets his favorite Pain au Chocolat and I usually opt for an almond croissant sometimes with chocolate.

At the beach there are our own castles to be built...

and warm lapping waters to wade in and out of.

Alexi and I talk and talk while taking in the brilliant view and warm sunshine.

We finish eating our pastries under our umbrella before heading home.

Starting tomorrow we have Michael to do these wonderful things with us for 12 days! I will be in and out of here posting some of the good times we hope to share.