Check this out.

We’ve been bringing our own Tervis Tumblers to beach bars and restaurants for the past 5 years, trying to encourage friends to do the same (with, of course, little result since most people here are so clueless).

Maybe, just maybe, now more people will start to be part of the “I Get It!” club.

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.

In her radio show, Dr Laura Schlesinger said that, as an observant Orthodox
Jew, homosexuality is an abomination according to Leviticus 18:22, and
cannot be condoned under any circumstance.

The following response is an open letter to Dr. Laura, written by a U.S. man
and posted on the Internet. It’s funny, as well as informative:

Dear Dr. Laura:

Thank you for doing so much to educate people regarding God’s Law. I have
learned a great deal from your show, and try to share that knowledge with as
many people as I can. When someone tries to defend the homosexual lifestyle,
for example, I simply remind them that Leviticus 18:22 clearly states it to
be an abomination … End of debate.

I do need some advice from you, however, regarding some other elements of
God’s Laws and how to follow them.

1. Leviticus 25:44 states that I may possess slaves, both male and female,
provided they are from neighboring nations. A friend of mine claims that
this applies to Mexicans, but not Canadians. Can you clarify? Why can’t I
own Canadians?

2. I would like to sell my daughter into slavery, as sanctioned in Exodus
21:7. In this day and age, what do you think would be a fair price for her?

3. I know that I am allowed no contact with a woman while she is in her
period of Menstrual uncleanliness – Lev.15: 19-24. The problem is how do I
tell? I have tried asking, but most women take offense.

4. When I burn a bull on the altar as a sacrifice, I know it creates a
pleasing odor for the Lord – Lev.1:9. The problem is my neighbors. They
claim the odor is not pleasing to them. Should I smite them?

5. I have a neighbor who insists on working on the Sabbath. Exodus 35:2
clearly states he should be put to death. Am I morally obligated to kill him
myself, or should I ask the police to do it?

6. A friend of mine feels that even though eating shellfish is an
abomination, Lev. 11:10, it is a lesser abomination than homosexuality. I
don’t agree. Can you settle this? Are there “degrees” of abomination?

7. Lev. 21:20 states that I may not approach the altar of God, if I have a
defect in my sight. I have to admit that I wear reading glasses. Does my
vision have to be 20/20, or is there some wiggle-room here?

8. Most of my male friends get their hair trimmed, including the hair around
their temples, even though this is expressly forbidden by Lev. 19:27. How
should they die?

9. I know from Lev. 11:6-8 that touching the skin of a dead pig makes me
unclean, but may I still play football, if I wear gloves?

10. My uncle has a farm. He violates Lev.19:19 by planting two different
crops in the same field, as does his wife by wearing garments made of two
different kinds of thread (cotton/polyester blend). He also tends to curse
and blaspheme a lot. Is it really necessary that we go to all the trouble of
getting the whole town together to stone them? Lev.24:10-16. Couldn’t we
just burn them to death at a private family affair, like we do with people
who sleep with their in-laws? (Lev. 20:14).

I know you have studied these things extensively and thus enjoy considerable
expertise in such matters, so I’m confident you can help.

Thank you again for reminding us that God’s word is eternal and unchanging.

Your adoring fan.

James M. Kauffman, Ed.D. Professor Emeritus,
Dept. of Curriculum, Instruction, and Special Education
University of Virginia

PS (It would be a damn shame if we couldn’t own a Canadian.)

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.

I had never seen anything like it. So I stopped, and there was a man sitting on his porch, so I said, “Good evening and what amazing flowers you have!” And, of course (since this is Saba and everyone is happy and friendly), he told me where he had gotten them and that he had forgotten what they were called.

He went on about what they need to propagate, which isn’t much because here, the soil is so fertile and there is constant moisture as we’re frequently in the clouds. But whatever he did, it worked, because he had a row of them above the wall by the road.

His house is on the high side of The Road between Hell’s Gate and Windwardside.

I introduced myself after he asked if I was a tourist, and found out that his name is Alfredo Hassell.

He found an extra bulb and graciously gave it to me to plant in a pot, making sure to tell me that it wouldn’t flower if kept in air conditioning.

My first Saba plant!

Its common name is African Blood Lily, but I think I’ll call it  Alfredo!

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.

We will not own a vehicle on Saba, since everything we care about is in walking distance and hitching a ride is an acceptable and safe way to get around.

So, to be sure the dogs and cats on St. Croix are properly cared for until we can buy a house on Saba and bring them there, we need a few extra dollars for their food, lodging and regular meds (like heartworm prevention, arthritis meds, etc.).

Know of anyone who wants to take advantage of a great deal? Both rovers, plus a twenty foot container full of spare parts for only $13k.

Call Michael at 340-773-6174 for details or email ambrosia@massagestcroix.com.

Hurry before the world ends tonight or in the coming weeks!

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.

Seriously, this is TOTALLY Big Brother watching us, kids.

I have started doing stuff on tripadvisor  (which I also hate by the way, since they would not let us have a page when we were on St. Croix), and they AUTOMATICALLY got my profile pic from FB without my doing anything….

It’s Way Too Scary for me. After Michael gets here and can deal with it, I’m divorcing both TA and FB……

UGH!!!

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.

Usually, they fall way behind as far as I’m concerned. They generally spotlight places that are on the beaten to death path. Although I must say that we found out about the most incredible place on St. Vincent because of CT&L .

Anyway, in the most recent issue, they discuss the best Caribbean beaches for snorkeling.

And, one of our favorites – Cane Bay, St. Croix, USVI is number TWO on their list!!

I LIKE!!!

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.

We will miss them all, but we’ve got to move on. Business on Saba will probably be slower than on St. Croix, but our bills won’t be as high, so it should work for us.

For a mere $10k, an energetic massage therapist or two could take over this successful endeavor on this beautiful island. Our web presence is strong, we have a 13 year reputation, regular clientele and name recognition.

Interested parties should contact us either at ambrosia@massagestcroix.com or Sabas.Spa@gmail.com.

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.

Speaking of shallow and hypocritical. It took “Team Bush” eight years of wasting trillions of dollars, eroding Americans’ freedoms, devastating the economy, chasing phantoms (and bolstering terrorism) in Iraq, earning the scorn of the world over water-boarding, secret overseas prisons, Abu Ghraib and Git-mo snafus, to NOT “Accomplish the Mission” that Obama did in less than two and a half years. But I’ll lay 10 to 1 odds that Republican blowhards will waste no time justifying Bush’s blunders, patting themselves on the back for a “job well done”, and blaming Obama for not doing it sooner, better, more gracefully, more violently, more conservatively, more Republicanny, more Tea-Partishly, or whatever nonsense they can come up with  this time.

Michael is the owner of  a solar-powered sustainable home for sale on St. Croix, a massage therapist specializing in out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix, and currently opening a spa on Saba.

Freecycle is a group of Yahoo Groups, organized  and moderated on the local level, where people can post offerings of items they have but no longer need, or requests for items they need, but can’t afford, or think other people may have but no longer need. When it works well, its a system by which functional, but un- or under-utilized items can be transfered to a new owner who has a use for them. We have a fairly active Christiansted Freecycle Group.

Its particularly useful for items that almost everyone needs on an occasional basis, but not everyday, and that don’t have enough inherent value to bother bringing them to the flea market, or trying to sell at a garage sale or on ebay. Things like extra plastic hangers, or cardboard moving boxes. I’ve given away extra computer keyboards or speakers. I ‘ve also found it very useful for placing recyclable materials that I don’t want to throw in the garbage, but I don’t have a specific use for: empty paper towel and toilet paper rolls, shredded office paper,etc. There are teachers, and artists, and camp directors, and organic farmers that have a use for these things and can’t always find enough of them when needed. And who wants to go out and BUY cardboard toilet roll innards for summer camp craft projects?

Its also a good alternative to the “East-End K-Mart” phenomenon, where people leave used but functional (or mostly functional) appliances and such outside the dumpsters out in Cotton Valley. I have friends who have scored a large Sub-Zero refrigerator on Freecycle that only needed minor repairs!

But I’ve noticed an annoying trend lately. I mean, from the beginning there seems to have been a few more “I Want…” posts, than “I’m offering…”, but lately posts are getting a little ridiculous. There are people looking for TVs for their kids, computers (not an odd computer accessory, but a functioning laptop!), livingroom furniture, bedroom sets, a stand-up piano, and now car parts… very specific car parts. Someone needs an automatic transmission for a 1976 Izuzu Rodeo. Someone else, a transmission for an ’89 Geo Tracker. Oh yeah, I have one of those in my closet. I was just gonna throw it away, but I’m glad someone can use it.

Myself, I’m thinking about taking up a stringed instrument. Anyone have a spare ’61 Fender Stratocaster, maybe in orange, to go with my old Land Rover? How about a Stradivarius? And I think some nice art on the wall will help get the creative juices flowing. Someone have a Van Gogh or two they don’t need anymore? No? Thats OK. How about a Picasso?

Michael is the owner of  a solar-powered sustainable home for sale on St. Croix, a massage therapist specializing in out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix, and currently opening a spa on Saba.

After discussing Earth Day in my last post, I went back to this draft of a post I started a few weeks ago after I massaged a young guy living in a tiny, spartan studio apartment with his new bride.

I was very impressed with the fact that these young people were living without a TV, and with just the bare minimum of furnishings and “stuff”. On their tiny bookshelf sat this book among a few other interesting ones. They gave me hope for the future of the planet.

The only thing possibly wrong with writing a book about buying less stuff, is…. she’s trying to sell the book, right? So she wants you to buy this one more piece of stuff.

Well, maybe this one purchase will help to keep you from buying useless stuff in the future, so it’ll be worth the inconsistency.

Maybe….

Terry Chretien is the owner of Ambrosia Body Care, providing out-call massage and spa services on St. Croix. She rescues homeless dogs and cats who reside with her and become the four-legged hosts of SunDog House, a St. Croix sustainable vacation rental villa.