The north wind doth blow,*
And we shall have snow,
And what will poor robin do
then, poor thing.
Do you remember that
poem from childhood? There are a few more verses, but those are the lines I
recall from childhood. Today I particularly empathize with the robin…poor thing…because I am
just not liking the effects of this nor’easter here in New Jersey! (My computer
tells me this is poor sentence structure, but this is exactly how I feel. I'm not liking it!)
On a day like today my thoughts turn to sandy
beaches, flip flops and a plateful of ackee. Yes, ackee, that delicious
vegetable cooked up with salt fish (dried, salted cod), onions and hot peppers.
And of course it must be served with bammy, avocado, and maybe a slice of roasted and fried breadfruit. On a day like today I am extremely jealous of my sisters and cousins who live in tropical climes. Oh to be on a beach.
You could say I'm island dreaming again. That would be true. Unfortunately, since I have a full schedule for the next eight weeks, a trip to Jamaica or any other Caribbean island before spring arrives is out of the question for now. So I will settle for making my own version of island fare, turn to the travel channel on TV, crank up the central heat and dream.
As I warned my husband again this morning, There’s an island in my future, dear. (He just smiled. He's heard that song before).
He'll sit in a barn,
And keep himself warm,
And hide his head under his wing, poor thing.
*The Robin, nursery rhyme, origin unknown.
