It was sunny most of the time and warm all year
Easter was usually dry, fires all over the place
Summer we´d go to Annaly to fetch the best tasting kidney mangoes
Always a fruit in season:
Remember hog plums? Locusts? Keneps? Jojo plums?
And when the sun was too much
The beach was always close by and a swim would always be welcome
The rainy season would fill up Pan Bush
The gut by St. Patrick's School would become a river
We'd bathe in the murky water
We'd catch crabs that were trying to avoid their water filled holes
Or we'd go out on Mahogany Road and find the falls caused by the heavy rains
Hurricane season? It was more like the rainy season!
While living on Queen Cross, I remember being taken to a shelter, the Fort
Gale force winds, some roof shingles came lose but nothing much
While in Harrigan I remember another storm that passed the island
We couldn't wait to get to the beach, check out what the waves had done
Fish traps on the shore, lots of dead fish, sand where none had been and vice versa
Fewer storms back then? Less "global warming"? Fewer people on planet Earth?
We'd walk to school, church, the supermarket
We'd walk to or families and friends
We'd walk to Annaly, we'd walk to Whim
Not too many cars around
Some people even got around on horse or horse and buggy
We were never in a rush, Crucian Standard Time
Pin (Pablo) was one hell of a mechanic so most of the times
We rode around in a car he was working on
We'd sing songs as we drove around the island,
"How yo panty geh wet?"
"Michael be a man, Michael do not touch..."
Some of us would be embarrassed to be seen sitting in the back of a truck!
St. Patrick's for kindergarten through 8, originally to 12
Mother Leader, Mother Alyde, Mother Alban, Mother Robertine & more
After the 2nd Ecumenical Council, I think, they became Sisters
The boys always with their games
Mirror on shoe laces to see up the girls' skirts
Sister Ingrid jumped rope with us and also rode bikes
It was strange to see her do all this while wearing the cumbersome habit
She was very strict and yet lots of fun
She left the island, later left the nunnery, now resting in peace!
We gathered in the school hard every school day
We'd ring the bell when assembly done
The bell got stuck in the up position one Friday
It rained during the weekend
On Monday, when the bell was rung everyone under it got wet
We laughed, we screamed but the nuns saw no humor in it!
As always they thought it was a set up. Was it?
Went to church often while at St. Pat's
The high mass during Lent
Was very intriguing
Though the mass was in Latin
It felt better, meant more
Sanctus, Sanctus, Sanctus
Not too many people had phones
The ones that had, used what was called a party line
It would ring once for one family, twice for the next, etc.
Everyone knew their ring
No text messaging then, no fax, no wireless, yet we were closer
And who can forget the outhouses?
One prayed not to have to go at night
Scared of creepy creatures that may be lurking in the dark
No light in the outhouse, other than a "quinquel" (kerosene lamp)
If not you'd have to use the indoor "escupidera" (spittoon) or "palangana" (washbasin)
No Charmin, no Cottonelle, just brown paper, newspaper or who knows what else
And don't forget the "showers"
Mostly a bucket full of water
And a container to throw water over our bodies
Wet, soap, scrub and rinse.
We wondered who removed the full canisters from the outhouses
No one knew
Could they be angels, ghosts or midgets?
We tried to stay up late at night but had no luck
It appears the late night crew was part of a secret organization
Who did their work secretly in the dark of night!
We had Frederiksted and Christiansted
And a few towns in between
The hills were dressed in green, not dotted with million dollar homes
West hardly went East but everyone knew of each other
Cramer's Park was in the east and visited a few times each year
The ride seemed like an eternity...But we never asked, "Are we there yet?"
And remember the picnics at Sandy Point? Remember the coco plums?
Don't eat too many 'cause you'd get constipated!
That's what the grown-ups said.
Did we have fun?
We made our own toys
Show someone a toy in Sears, Aldens or Montgomery Ward
And before you knew it, a wooden replica would be made
We made our own go cars, our own wagons
And down Mars Hill we would race
Talk about having fun!
Were we scared of being hit by a car? What car?
Remember Touch the Post? Spin the Bottle?
Hide-and-go-seek? Massah, you it!
Someone once went home and to bed and
Since he couldn't be found, the game ended abruptly
We'd play games with marbles, like 3 holes
Then there were jacks. And with the locust seeds we'd play "cack"
Friday nights we played till we were exhausted
We looked forward to the next day or next week for another match
Games played, like fruits, were seasonal
At other times, we went hunting for birds
We looked for ground doves, mountain doves, sin-sin, and cradles
Cradles I think are now extinct
We used catapults we made, others used BB guns
But what did we do with the birds?
Can't remember eating any!
And remember María Monell and her San Juan Day trips?
That Sunday in June we'd walk to Ham's Bluff with a pot and pan
Maybe we took along a loaf or two of bread and some water
What we fished, we ate - including wilks (whelks)
The best fisherman in the group was Marcial/Charlie!
Seems like there was more sand on the beach and more trees
Hugo and his friend changed the landscape over the years
Some Sundays, we visited Titi Guilla in Coble
She was my second mother
We would only go when someone could drive us there
It was always a fun filled day
I can still smell the coffee
Seemed like everyone in the area were Puerto Ricans!
Lots of good food.
We had no malls, so where did we hang out?
We visited families, friends, talked to each other
We went to Jacaranda on Strand Street or the beach
The grown-ups had Plantation Club, Vicky's, Eve's Garden and other places
There was a theater in F'sted another in C'sted
Eventually there was only Alexander's in C'sted
Did not get there often
Few people had TV's
But who needed all that when we had each other to talk to?
There was no CNN, no cable, just an antenna on the roof
Most stations watched came in from PR, in black and white
No 24 hour TV
After 11 p.m. all you'd get was static and a circle on the screen
This to let you know the station was off the air
We would watch "novelas" (Spanish soap operas), dubbed movies or Alfered D. Herger
His show as the Puerto Rican version of American Bandstand
There were stars like Lucesita, Julio Ángel and Chucho
We'd dance to Salsa, Calypso and Quelbe
We had El Gran Combo, Sparrow, Mil and the Kings, Archie and Wesley
And then there were the blackouts
They occurred often and lasted hours or days
But life continued
Today brown and black outs are annoying, an inconvenience
Back then we didn't have that many electrical gadgets to worry about
We didn't even know what surge protectors were!
What the lights went out, one could see the heavenly sky lit up
We'd try to find the Big and Small Dippers, the North Star and more
Navy ships would come in: the Seventh Fleet wasn't it?
Open House would be on Sunday
Movies were shown on the "new" longer pier
The sailors were willing to share with locals
Cruise ships were few, but the island was not dependent on tourism
Remember the sugar cane fields?
Remember the big trucks bringing big black rubber containers?
Filled with sugar slowly coming down Centerline Road headed to the pier for shipping?
Businesses were on Queen Street, King Street
Queen Cross Street and Prince Street, etc.
Miguel, Don Domingo, Suarez, Johnny Belardo, Chanchin, Peter Christian
Appears most of the stores were owned by Puerto Ricans
For a good meal, visit Chico's on King Street
Or for a burger one could go to Jacaranda
Shoes on King Street, Gustav "Good Fit" or Bata
We'd go to Titi for clothes are Cinderella
Or we'd buy from the "Arabs" selling out of suitcases and/or vehicles
Most of the time, we bought things "fiao" (on credit, trust)
Every store kept a "libreta" (note book) with a running tally
And more could be bought even if there was a balance due
Store owners trusted buyers
There was no finance charge, no late fee added
Ma paid as she could.
Give some ladies a catalog like Sears, Montgomery and Aldens
Show them a dress or shirt you'd like
And before you knew it, you're wearing an identical copy
No pattern needed and the ladies had little or no formal education
But they were talented
Titi Catalina, Titi Paca, just to name two
Fish at Fish Market, vegetables at the Market on Queen Street
Good pig tail would be in barrels with salt water
And don't forget the "bacalao" (cod fish) in crates!
Not too much to choose from but it wasn't really needed
We shared more, and some people grew their own stuff
Ye sah, no sah
Miss this or Mister that
Mama and Papa were names used for the Puerto Ricans
La Madama or El Ingles were the Cruzans, later Crucians
We'd cuss, we'd argue
Who didn't like a good melee?
But the next day, we were all friends
Then in the 60's St. Joe's opened its doors. grades 9 to 12
East met West in the center of the island
We had to be bused to high school
In the country, no more walking to school
Every classroom leaked when it rained
More lay teachers than nuns
But the education was the best
July 4th we had the games
On Strand Street around the small dock
We'd have bag races, egg races
Some would try to get a prize
Hung on top of a greased pole
Many fell into the sea trying to get to the top
And then we had the fun filled donkey races
"Donkey want watah, hole e Joe"!
The holidays were the best
Around Thanksgiving we'd begin to get in a festive mood
St. Patrick's would have their annual bazaar
Another place to meet family and friends
All kinds of games would be played for prizes
There'd also be food on sale and dances at St. Gerard's Hall
Remember the nuns dressed in their white and black habits?
"Noche Buena" (Christmas Eve), Christmas, Boxing Day, January 6th
And there was the Village, where we'd again meet family and friends
The parades were smaller but still a lot of fun
Christmas Village began before Christmas and ended after Three Kings
We had tramps, not j'ouvert
Who can forget Paddy Moore?
We had steel bands, not amplified music
The bands walked not driven around in big trucks
No generators to operate the instruments
Police never stopped a tramp 'cause people were there to have fun!
And then the food around the holidays!!
"Arroz con gandules" (rice with pigeon peas), "lechon" (roasted pig), "arroz con dulce" *
"Coquito" **, "pasteles" ***, and "turron" (nougat)
Or it could be kallaloo, red peas soup (sweet) or souse
Then there were the Johnny cakes (journey cakes), we had "arepas" (fried & baked)
Fried fish and Johnny cake, stew or boil fish with foongee (corn meal)
Sweet bread, Vienna cake ^, fruit cake, sugar cakes, tamarind (tambran) and tarts
Remember Ms. Delita with her lasinja ^^ and dondosola ^^^?
And don't forget the guavaberry!
My favorite time was getting together at La Granja (farm, homestead), Estate Whim
If there was a visitor from off island,
Papá Leo (Grandpa) and Mamá Lola (Grandma) would have a special feast
Family and friends from all over the island would meet
Even when there was no visitor, we'd always have a good time
Pin and Piano would tease the kids
Papá Leo would tell us to stay in the yard
I remember once seeing a pig killed, hung from a tree and skinned
The blood was drained to be used with the intestines to make "morcillas" ****
The pig was slowly roasted over coals
Through my mind's eyes, I can see it, smell it and taste it!
What happened to the good old days???
Explanation: * Puerto Rican style rice pudding
** Puerto Rican style eggnog with liquor.
*** In Puerto Rico, Pasteles are a cherished culinary recipe that has become a
Holiday tradition to make and eat together with family and friends. Puerto Rican
Pasteles are much more labor intensive than any other. The masa (dough) consists of a combination of grated green banana, green plantain, taro and calabazas (pumpkins), and is seasoned with liquid from the meat mixture, milk, and annatto oil (annatto seed infused with olive oil). The meat is prepared as a stew and usually contains any combination of pork shoulder, ham, raisins, potatoes, chickpeas, olive and capers seasoned with recaito. (Eryngium foetidum is a tropical perennial herb in the family Apiaceae. Common names include culantro, recao, shadow beni, Mexican coriander, bhandhania, long coriander,
and ngo gai), tomato sauce, adobo seco (dry) and annatto oil (food coloring derived from the achiote tree (Bixa orellano)). The pork shoulder can be replaced with chicken.
**** Blood pudding. Blood sausage.
^ A layered cake made with various preserves, including guavaberry. What makes it different than any other layered cake? The green lime and guavaberry preserves.
^^ A creamish peppermint candy, hard, a few inches long, swirled
^^^ A nougat-like candy with peanuts. Candy amber color.
