Free Food and a Driveabout - It must be Culebra Wednesday!

Wednesday means getting up at dark thirty to meet with a driving friend, then heading to the Ecological School to line up and wait for the ferry, bearing the truck full of boxes of food for the island population. Volunteer workers gather, the first question asked is "How many families?" There are those who are a family of one, those who take extras for distribution around the island to those without vehicles. These boxes, containing everything from onions, potatoes, meatballs, tomatoes, butter, cheese, and more - and bags (canned goods ranging from pears to tomato sauce, tuna to varieties of beans and more) along with juice and usually some extra surprise, picked up at the old school, are available to all who live here. 

We sort through what we might use and then drop off items that can find a needed use at the Senior Center, where meals are prepared for those who can't cook their own. Most everyone I know does this kind of sharing, some for individuals they know who particularly enjoy some weekly offering, some to family friends with plenty of mouths to feed. No member of the community is going hungry here; it's pretty spectacular and has been going on for months, each box containing something a little different each time, our own surprise box. How long will it last? I have no idea, I only know to be thankful for what is happening now.  

Volunteers up early and smiling while doing the literally heavy lifting.

Thank you, those who week after week show up to help out!

After dropping off food at home and the Center, it's driveabout time. We head down long unvisited roads in the country where ongoing changes are happening or nothing is going on at all, probably looking much the way Culebra looked long before I ever heard about it. There are a lot of stories hidden in the hills and valleys; I know a few but there are so many that remain a mystery. Some of those places are gone forever, but the stories live on and they matter. Poco a poco.

A little rainbow magic over town

From far up a hill

I'm not sure what's going on in the above photo, I only know that beehive boxes and a vine covered shelter, citrus and breadfruit trees with sugar cane in the back are enough to make smiles. Yes, my curiosity is piqued, in the best way!

While it feels much later, having gotten up hours before, all of this is usually done by 9 o'clock at the latest. Heading back past the school, the line is gone, the extra boxes going wherever they go. For some, the day is only starting, for some their work is done for now. Cheers to the volunteers!

If I wrote about all of this earlier, chalk it up to my foggy brain. I'll catch up to myself soon enough.  

Have a warmhearted Wednesday. Do something weightless. 

What? It's October?!

I'm not sure how this many months have gone by without a post, and I mean that. But I'm not sure how many months have even gone by, so a bit of mind slippage isn't something I'm going to belabor when, overall, my life is very good indeed, compared to so very many. 

Today reminded me of Funday Sundays, a long while back. Visiting a couple of beaches, taking a good walk with a couple of friends, the sun shining, the breeze blowing just the right amount, it ranks right up there with oh what a beautiful morning! What lucky duckies are we!

Patterns in patterns can be a little dizzying, in the good way.

Water dance

Under the boardwalk. Boardwalk.

On this ride through the pandemic, there are millions of individual stories out there, from every extreme of possibility  Depending on place, opportunity or lack of same, resources, attitudes I don't think very many people around the world could say 'THIS is what we went through' and have it be a one size fits all. 

Here on Culebra, I can only speak for myself, though of course there are a lot of other local stories with most concluding the bubbleocity of the positive. My experience has been, though not without the emotional ups and downs most have experienced, one where to complain would be the height of rudeness to the Universe. I've lacked for nothing, except being with my family in California. I live in a beautiful place, I've been able to be in as good a situation as I could imagine, including the companionship of a funny cat, which is pretty perfect as far as lack of demands go. 'Pet me, feed me, repeat' is not a demand. 

A part of what makes Culebra Culebra and me heart happy.

More beach purple

Yes, I do see a prehistoric bird getting ready to browse on some purslane

Mental health clinic

It's all about perspective.
Standing in the same spot as the above photo,
but looking the other way. 

I'm always happy to see this, in one of its many forms, still remains

Without posting for so long, there is a temptation to try to describe so much of what has happened, from my own perspective - but in going through this now months long situation, my worldview is pretty much grounded in the day by day, so for today, this is the story. To go too far back or too far forward when I'm just full of beach time would be to take off a bit of the still sparkling glitter. So I won't! 

Have a scintillating Sunday. Do something shiny.