When is one of something too much?
There is a phrase in the US that says, “He (or she) had one too many” and it refers to alcoholic drinks. For example, “David had one too many at the bar last night,” in essence, he was drunk!
In Barbados there are times when having one too many has a different meaning.
Take the case of J Herbert who was remanded to HMP Dodds prison for 200 days. His crime? He was guilty of having a .380 bullet. Not a weapon that fires .380 bullets, not a cache of bullets, a single bullet. To further aggravate the case under the Firearms Act, Herbert did not have an appropriate license and the bullet was concealed. The judge warned him after hearing his plea, “I suggest in the future if you see a bullet on the the road, leave it there for somebody else to pick up. If you come back before this court you may not be as fortunate as you are today!”
One snake is too many! A snake was discovered hanging from a fish net in the parish of St. James last month. A 73 year old woman reported that it was the scare of her life because she had never seen a snake before! The snake, a 3 foot long boa constrictor, had the neighborhood on alert searching for a possible mother boa. An all clear in regards to the snake was made later in the day. The snake made the national news on radio, television and newspaper! The last time a snake was spotted on the island was in 2020. Prior to that there were snake reports in 2012, 2013 and 2014.
One volcanic eruption is too many! On April 11, 2021 thick plums of smoke fell like snow all over Barbados and the smell of sulphur pervaded throughout the island. The eruption of La Soufriere in nearby St Vincent approximately 120 miles away, left Barbados in a dusk like darkness that forced everyone to keep all doors and windows closed for over a week. The last eruption that affected similarly was in 1902.
Hurricane Elsa the first hurricane to touch Barbados in 65 years was one to many when it bombarded Barbados on July 2, 2021. The hurricane blew roofs off homes, toppled trees and sparked flooding throughout the island. The last hurricane, Janet, hit the island on September of 1955.
The doors and windows to our home here in Barbados are normally open the entire day and we get all sorts of critters in the house. Lizards are routinely seen around my house in every room. Birds fly through the house from time to time and will pick at fruit if we leave it uncovered on the kitchen counter. We’ve even had a frog and a crab inside the house. Other than the land crab, and an occasional flying roach, there is one thing that we cannot tolerate, a centipede!
One centipede inside of any house in Barbados is one too many! My neighbor nearly called the police on their neighbor one night when they heard a scream and furniture pushed about. They found out the next day that the woman of the house spotted a centipede and the man of the house was moving beds and dressers trying to kill it. The screams and commotion was merely the collateral damage of killing a centipede.
Probably the biggest news since my last blog, 17 months ago, is that Barbados no longer has one queen too many. In November of 2021 Barbados became a Republic and no longer has the Queen of England as the Head of State. Barbados now has two women leading the government with Sandra Mason as our first President and Prime Minister Mia Motley.
Barbados is still under curfew from 12am to 5 am (until February 14, 2022). The curfew was lifted temporarily to celebrate becoming a republic, New Years and for the elections. For the most part, people are wearing mask when outdoors. All stores require a mask and sanitizing of hands for entrance and some do temperature checks. Mask are mandated on Public transportation. Banks and credit unions require lowering your mask for the cameras before sanitizing. The cleaners wipe down the tellers station between each user. Churches are limited based on size including width and ceiling height and by ventilation including widows, fans and air conditioning. Some stores check temperature along with sanitizing. The ever popular Cheffette restaurant requires a temperature check, sanitizing and the recording of name, address and phone on the Covid Contact Tracing Register unless you use the drive-through. To date, the status of CropOver the most popular event in Barbados remains uncertain.
The COVID situation in Barbados is 281 casualties with many in the hospital, isolation faccilities and home isolation.
When is one of something too much? One bullet, one snake, one hurricane, one volcanic eruption, one queen or one centipede are all one too much! I must conclude with even one more death from COVID is one too many. Let’s hope and pray that an end will soon come to this dreaded pandemic.