JAMAICA WEEK - OUR NATIONAL DISH

Ackees now bearing on the tree in our backyard

            All our lives Janine and I have lived on a farm in a rural area of Jamaica so ackee trees abound where we are. Right in our backyard there is a big ackee tree which was never planted by anyone. It obviously sprung up from a seed that had fallen there.  As a matter of fact it has weathered many a storm. In one instance it was badly damaged while heavily laden with ackees.  We even thought it would not survive but survive it did and my family and I have enjoyed our national dish, ackee and salt fish, at different times of the year.      

        This dish has always been a favourite meal for Janine and me.  For many it is a wonderful breakfast but we have enjoyed it for breakfast and lunch.  We have it with roast breadfruit, fried breadfruit, boiled bananas and green or ripe plantains.  Strangely enough we were never among persons who enjoyed it with rice.

       Above is a picture of a few ackees on our tree which has just started to bear again.  Ackees should only be picked from trees when the yellow fruit with a black seed is clearly visible in the scarlet pod.  There are a variety of ways to prepare it. Most times it is boiled and cooked with seasoning and salt fish. However some persons have even experimented with it by eating it with something other than salt fish. We have enjoyed some of these dishes but ackee and salt fish was always No. 1 for Janine and me and will continue to hold that top spot for me and my family.

An opened ackee as featured on a souvenir

JAMAICA WEEK - OUR NATIONAL BIRD

By Judy Haughton-James

     This week is what I call Jamaica Week here on my Blog as we celebrate 2 national holidays - Emancipation Day (August 1) and Independence Day (August 6). I will discuss some of the Jamaican things that number among favourites for Janine and me.


       One of our favourites is Jamaica's national bird, the Jamaican Streamer Tail Hummingbird. For several years he has not been seen in my area. I can remember the days when he was a regular visitor to our garden. Some years ago Janine and I were so surprised when we saw one sitting on the front gate of our verandah. Unfortunately he did not linger around long enough for us to take a picture. 


        I keep hoping that one of these days this bird will come my way again. Recently I have been lucky where hummingbirds are concerned as twice I have looked through my kitchen window and seen what seems to be the female of the species lingering near a papaya tree in our backyard. Again she was gone in the flash of an eye.


       I am sure in some areas of Jamaica others are having a chance to see this bird. Visitors to our island may not get to see him live and direct but for sure there is no shortage of souvenirs with this national symbol.  Above are two candlesticks that I have featuring this bird.


       If a hummingbird comes in close proximity you will have no doubt as to how he got his name as the vibrations of his wings make a humming sound. Wing-beats are said to range from 50 to 200 per second.  Interestingly his heart beats over 1,000 times per minute.  An unique feature is his ability to fly backwards and up and down like a helicopter; a skill attributed to his well-developed flight muscles.


      John James Audubon, the great American naturalist, described hummingbirds as "glittering fragments of the rainbow" and no better description befits our national bird. Popularly known as the "Doctor Bird" his plumage is vivid iridescent emerald green which shines gold or electric blue in the brilliant sunlight of our "Island in the Sun."  His head, beady eyes, small feet and 8 in. - 10 in. long tail feathers are all black, while his narrow wings are golden-brown.


      Like others in the hummingbird family he feeds on insects and nectar.  An easily tamed bird, it is a delight to watch him feeding from a tilted bottle of syrup set up by bird lovers. It is about 3 in. long excluding its tail and you will only find him in Jamaica.
     


         
          

MY SLOW RETURN TO PHOTOGRAPHY

By Judy Haughton-James


       I do not know how many persons have had a similar experience but I have noticed that the brakes on picture taking often occurs with the passing of a loved one. Anyone visiting this site can see that my twin and I took a lot of pictures over the years. However my mom and I have been searching through our many albums and we can't find a picture of Janine and me in our Marymount High School uniforms. If my memory serves me right I did see one some time ago but where it is, only God knows!


        I am here thinking that we did not take many pictures during those years as we lost our father in our early high school days. Since Janine's death getting my picture taken has been a real struggle as it is so difficult to see pictures without Janine.  When I went to my Aunt Prilly's funeral back in March I took pictures of just about every relative there and did not ask anyone to take a picture of me with other relatives. Anyway my cousin Courtenay whom I was meeting for the first time came up to me and introduced herself and asked if she could have a picture taken of us. I had on my eyeglasses and forgot to take them off! Anyway they concealed how much I was crying. 


         Thanks to a wonderful cousin Brigette Lindo from New Jersey I am getting back into taking pictures even if I am not yet eager to have my picture taken these days. She sent me a digital camera last Christmas and with the help of the booklet and my cousin Molly Chung who visited me from Canada I have managed to get the hang of it. I still have a lot to learn but I am well on the way. By the way, Molly recently reminded me that this camera can also take videos! Now that is something else for me to learn to do. So far I have been taking pictures of my relatives who visit, surroundings, pets etc.


          I remember that early in 2008 Janine and I said that it was about time that we got with it and bought a digital camera. She even wrote an early Christmas list and had a digital camera high on the list. Well, she died in October of that year so you know where that idea went, through the window. 


          I know that Janine would like me to continue taking pictures so I will always be armed with my digital camera to capture pictures. Actually some of the pictures on this Blog were taken with my new digital camera and the digital camera on one of my cell phones. 

Take the Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Happiness - on MedicineNet.com

Take the Quiz: Test Your Knowledge of Happiness - on MedicineNet.com


Thanks to my friend Carlene Morris for sharing this with me!  Very interesting! 

MUSIC AS THERAPY

By Judy Haughton-James


       Janine and I have been big fans of music over the years and like a wide variety - reggae (our national music), calypso, gospel, soul, disco etc. As a matter of fact we once had an article titled 'MUSIC AS THERAPY' published in one of Jamaica's national newspapers, the Sunday Gleaner. It showed the amazing effect that music has on human beings, plants and animals.  The science called Music as therapy has as its main aim the use of sound as a stimulus to treat, rehabilitate and educate the emotionally, mentally and physically ill. 


        I mainly get my good dose of music on weekends. I also get to enjoy music videos posted by my Facebook friends from time to time. I have even posted some on this Blog and plan to continue doing so.


       Right now I am just hoping that in the not too distant future I will be able to listen to the CDs that Janine and I bought over the years. Above is a picture of some of them. However they are usually safely packed away in a case as I still find it difficult to listen to them. They include some Christmas CDs that we would play at Christmas time every year.  Maybe one of these days when I am on my computer I could slip in one of these CDs and have it going while I am busy doing something. In the meantime I hope everyone gets to enjoy his/her favourite genre of music. As Plato once said "Music is moral law. It gives soul to the universe, wings to the mind, flight to the imagination, a charm to sadness, gaiety and life to everything." Of course our late reggae super star Bob Marley told us "One good thing about music, when it hits you feel no pain."

OVER THE FIRST HURDLE

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES

JAN ( LEFT) & JUD ( RIGHT)
IN TRANS-WORLD TUTORIAL COLLEGE T-SHIRTS

Some of the good times I had with my twin sister Janine were the times that we worked together as Freelance Writers. I can still remember how excited we were when our first article was published. Below is an article that we wrote about this with a few changes that I have made to update the facts.


OVER THE FIRST HURDLE


        English scholar and author Robert Burton once said "Hope is a good word.  Without hope we shall never reach the things that give life its true happiness above the changes of chance and time."  These are wise words which every would-be writer should heed.


        In 1980 when we left high school we envisioned a career in media but had no idea that we were destined to become jounalists.  Our interest in this profession was aroused when we saw an ad in our daily newspaper, offering a writing course from Trans-World Tutorial College, a British Correspondence College.  The minute we started the course our interest in journalism soared and we not only successfully completed it but went on to pursue an even more comprehensive course with the London School of Journalism.


          Having attained the Honours Diploma from the London School of Journalism we had our first hurdle to get over, that of breaking into print. We live on the Caribbean island of Jamaica and at that time there were limited opportunities for print journalists, when one takes into consideration the fact that there was only one national newspaper, the Gleaner.  Friends and relatives on hearing of our interest in Journalism kept saying "I hope to see your names in the Gleaner someday."  We would just smile and say inwardly "We hope for that miracle too!"


         It was our mother's wise advice that sparked us into quick action. She said, "Judy and Janine, shouldn't you be thinking up some articles to submit to the Gleaner? Remember that this is the time when other student journalists are graduating from institutions and there is only one national morning newspaper."


          After a few hours of deliberations we came up with a column idea, one which stemmed from our favourite hobby of corresponding with pen-pals from many countries.  Over the years, this hobby resulted in our developing an insatiable curiosity about people, places, customs, animals, buildings, monuments, etc. around the world.  All printed matter, radio and television programmes on such subjects would cause us to have our eyes and ears glued attentively to screen or paper.  We would take special note of anything unique and interesting.  We finally decided that we would submit a column titled "Around the World."


        Three days after the idea was conceived, we sent off our first submission giving information on Japan's unique wedding customs, Norways's midnight sun and the blind processionary caterpillars of Italy. We felt that this column would be accepted and continued to gather information. It was therefore a special thrill when we recieved a letter from the Gleaner's Managing Editor which stated, "We have decided to use your very informative article titled "Around the World" in our Sunday Youth Page and look forward to receiving other pieces from you for consideration."  What a relief! We had cleared our first hurdle. The article was printed on August 12, 1984.

QUOTATIONS THAT WILL LIFT YOUR SPIRIT

"Protect your vision
  Prevail over adversity
  Persevere in the midst of turmoil
  Passionately act upon your convictions
  Purposely walk into the day." - Mary Anne Radmacher


"It is not whether you get knocked down, it is whether you get back up." - Vince Lombardi


"Plant the seed of meditation and reap the fruit of peace of mind." - Remez Sasson


"I am not afraid of storms, for I am learning how to sail my ship." - Louisa May Alcott


"The greatest glory in living lies not in never falling but rising every time we fall." - Nelson Mandela


"Faith is taking the first step even when you don't see the whole staircase."- Martin Luther King, Jr

CONGRATULATIONS TO A VERY GOOD FRIEND

     From our  high school days my twin sister Janine and I had a very close friend Cecile and  she was among the few persons who could tell the difference between Janine and me.  Like me I know Janine would be very pleased with her recent success. Heartiest Congratulations to her on receiving the degree of Bachelor of Arts with a major in Psychology with a Sociology minor Magna Cum Laude from the University of Miami.  My family and I appreciate the fact that while she was pursuing her studies in the U.S.A, she took time out to journey to Jamaica and attend Janine's funeral. She also read the following lesson - John 14:1-8.  I would like to publicly thank her for the support she has given me since Janine's death.  Again Heartiest Congratulations Cecile Walter Chin from Judy and Janine (looking down from heaven!)


   

FACING WILD WINDS TOGETHER

BY JUDY HAUGHTON-JAMES


    Over one month of this year's hurricane season has passed and it is a relief that so far it has been a quiet one on our tropical island. Nevertheless we dare not forget that the season is not over until November 30.


    As I think about the storms and hurricanes that Janine and I have experienced over the years, I must say how much I will miss her if another one comes around.  She was always great company at that time. We would sit  and listen to the radio or move around the house together.  Our first real experience of a hurricane was Hurricane Gilbert on September 12, 1988.  It was one of the worst hurricanes to hit Jamaica. 


      Like so many persons who had never experienced a hurricane we kept asking the question "Can it be so scary?"  Our windows were battened down and we sat tense waiting for Gilbert to arrive. I can remember that Janine and I climbed up and looked through a high window and were so shocked to see how dark and desolate it looked outside although it was only about 11 a.m.  That sight kept us from looking outside until Gilbert had truly departed our shores.


       Packing winds of about 160 miles (265km) per hour it was not only content to let us hear the roar of its ferocious howling winds and pelting rain but left us with no doubt that it had a special thing for roofs. No wonder some Jamaicans called it 'Gilbert Roofus Hurricane.' As Janine and I huddled in our bedroom we looked through the door and after hearing a loud sound we saw the living-room ceiling take an awful dip with water pouring in. As we moved from room to room we could see that it had done damage to several areas. Luckily our room snuggled between rooms on every side was not affected.


       Electricity was dealt a severe blow and for many weeks there was no television.  Janine and I occupied ourselves writing, crocheting, playing board games, reading, listening to music, chatting together and spending time with family members.  We tried to be content as we gained light from candles and lamps with the familiar slogan 'HOME SWEET HOME.'


        The lack of light made us learn to appreciate nature even more.   As the moonlight shone around homes and on the streets the fireflies popularly known as 'Peenie Wallies' provided us with lights like flashlights to the rescue.


        Being on a farm we could not help but notice the widescale destruction of trees. For example our cherry, plum, Oti eati apple and other fruit trees were destroyed. The cherry tree was laden with big cherries. Throughout our childhood days we regularly picked cherries from this tree and even ate some green ones.


         It was a time for flexibility as we all had to contend with changes in the food we ate and the places we were accustomed to going.  Gilbert certainly reminded us of the saying "The branch that will not bend with the wind will surely break." In true Jamaican fashion culinary experts came up with some new ideas.  For example a restaurant in the capital city of Kingston served a special dish called 'Chicken Gilbert' while a bakery offered a new shaped bread called 'Gilbert.'


       Our ability as a people to look at the lighter side of things was also evident. Our musicians recorded songs on the Gilbert experience but not the terrifying things in a way that made people sad. Like so many other Jamaicans we laughed when we heard the song 'Wild Gilbert' by Lloyd Lovindeer.


        The community spirit displayed during and after the hurricane truly reflected our national motto 'Out of  Many One People.' When disaster strikes it causes a great deal of pain, destruction and death but as many countries came to Jamaica's assistance this quotation became one of our favourites -''The earth is one country and mankind its citizens."
    

Sons of Korah - Psalm 139

My friend Julia from Germany just shared this with me on Facebook. I had to share it here! Love it!