Climate change, but Merry Christmas 🎄.

 If you want to know if climate change is real, visit Colorado. For recently they have been having more or less, the same temperatures as Florida!

I still can't believe I lugged with all my winter gear across half of the North American continent to enjoy a white Christmas with my family, only to encounter this 🫢.

Instead of snow covered lawns and trees, above is a sample of what I encountered, leafless trees and dry brown grass.

No snow.

Even when you look up at the the Rocky Mountains in the distance, you see large exposed areas without snow.

 I hear that to accommodate skiers, they have more than 100 snow making machines running full time in places like Vail and Breckenridge, but because the sun is so hot, it's melting at a rapid rate.

Yup. Two things are certain: 1) global warming is real and 2)  Santa certainly didn't travel here by sleigh last night to deliver presents 🎁🎁🎁🌲🎄!

Anyway, hope you and your family have a wonderful Christmas 🎄 and 2026 will bring you lots of happiness, success and good health.♥️

https://youtu.be/eEOeaVpv3s4?si=YEG48gBfpYCC8WFg

Ps. The article below is about concerns Coloradans are having a out climate change.  

https://www.thecooldown.com/outdoors/denver-colorado-record-high-temperature-christmas/

Gun ownership

 Hmm. Interesting statistics.

And Jamaica was on the same trajectory as Honduras!

Dem nuh ready!

 I have now added frontier airlines to my list of undesirable Airlines that I will never use again.

Number 1 6, (American), number 2 Air Europa, (Spanish) and now Frontier (American).

The first leg of my flight to Colorado for Christmas was, FLL to Cleveland and it was a small airplane with tiny seats that  could not be adjusted, back straight up. Luckily I had paid $20 extra to get a seat in the emergency exit row, so luckily it had leg room.

But can you believe we couldn't even get a cup of water unless we bought it! 

That flight was over 2 hours long.

Denver airport has a kind of magical look to it.

Loved the sunset coming into Denver.

The connection in Cleveland was smooth and this time it was on to a large Airbus for the next flight which was scheduled to take more than 3 hours.

The seats on the aircraft were bigger and softer but like on the smaller plane, they were non-adjustable.  

I again paid extra for better leg room at an exit row.

On a three hour flight, not even a drink of coffee or a soda unless you bought it. I requested water and got a cup and expected to be asked to pay and nearly died from shock when told there was no cost!😁. 

The flight was smooth however. That is after we had to de-ice after taxiing in Cleveland, for it snowed as we waited for permission to take off.

Because of de-icing we reached Denver about an hour late. (Not complaining.) But would you believe that when my daughter who was picking me up, checked Frontier's web page, it showed the plane had landed early although it was a whole hour late because of the the de-icing!!!!

Then there was the baggage madness!

We patiently waited and waited at carousel 7 where the board showed the 3 or 4 frontier flights that came in, would be unloaded.

Then a lady touched me saying she recognized me from her flight and she had gotten her luggage at carousel 8!

We headed there and that's where my bag came out.

That capped it for me. No more Frontier.

No sah, Dem nuh ready.

Father Richard Holung

 Father Richard Holung is an amazing person. Not only because of his musical talents and humor but also because of how he has dedicated his life to helping people who many of us can't even look at, much less touch!

He performed in a humorous skit last night🤣.

I have been following his career for almost half century and though he is now 86 years old, he keeps going like the energizer bunny.

I had heard of his establishment of the Order, "Brothers of the Poor," decades ago in Jamaica, learning that they dedicated their lives to living with and helping the poor, unfortunate, indigent, physically and mentally challenged people, who mainly live on the streets.

However, it never took real meaning to me until I actually saw them in action.

This was when I was freelancing at the Jamaica Broadcasting Corporation (JBC) about four decades ago. Right beside our front gate at Half Way Tree, was a man living on the street without shelter and clearly, barely able to move. We called various agencies to try and get help for him, without success and one day I noticed that he had a cut on his forehead which had attracted maggots.

In desperation we contacted Brothers of the Poor and the very same day, two volunteers arrived, started to dress his wound then took him away.♥️

I have been an admirer of that organization from that day and had never missed their annual fund raising concerts until I migrated.

So when I heard they were performing nearby in Florida, I had to go.

The show was awesome, with singers and dancers as good as any you see on Broadway.

 And when you realize that these are all  volunteers who perform, most of their music is original, most are created by father Holung himself (who admits that he has never had musical training) and it's their main source of funding for the wonderful work they do, the amazing nature of the production sinks in.

(Father Holung is said to have written some 800 songs for the productions over the years!)

What is equally amazing too is not only has this dedicated religious Order established 8 homes in Jamaica for the poor, homeless, sick and indigent but unbelievably, they now have similar homes in 14 countries, from Haiti to the Philippines!

(My only disappointment was that flash photography was not allowed, for this story needs to be told in the clearest possible way!)

I learned last night that lead singer Wynton Williams has been with the group from 1983!

There was also another powerful singer with the group in the early years. His name was John Jones and he was the brother of famous singer/actress Grace Jones. I remember my shock and horror at hearing of his sudden death at a very young age. 

He was no doubt quite a loss to that troupe of very talented Jamaican performers!

Mary and Joseph 

I am by no means a religious person, but among the few persons who I know of and who I have nothing but admiration for are, the late Mother Theresa, Father Richard Holung/ Brother's of the Poor, and members of the Salvation Army, for they are there for the humans that the rest of us would prefer to ignore.

The old guard

 Jamaica has recently lost so many of the old guard singers who have rocked the world with great reggae music, the latest being Jimmy Cliff, that it's depressing.

And seeing how shaky the great Ernie Smith looked didn't help my feelings of unease.

Steve Higgins greets Ernie Smith 

In fact seeing him needing to sit on a stool to perform, reminded me of the last time I saw the late, great Pluto Shervington. He died about 3 weeks after I saw him perform (around 2years years ago,) while also needing a stool, as he was obviously not well. (JOAN, MY VIEWS.: A.J delivered! 💓)

The good thing about Ernie though is that although he looked very shaky, his voice was still powerful, so let's hope he will be around for many more years.

This event was the annual Christmas Carol service which I look forward to. 

This turned out to be much more than just regular affair though.

Apart from the pleasant surprise of having Ernie Smith appear, the Cuban pastor from a nearby church, also visited, all dressed in Jamaican colors and did a Bob Marley number.

 Not bad at all.

The other surprise appearance was by Father Richard Holung with some members of the 'Brothers of the Poor' and they too did a number.

Father Holung also looks shaky.

Father Holung greets Ernie Smith 

Bwoy, all my contemporaries are looking shaky, so I guess I am too.

Man I hate old age😡.

Well at least our Consul General is still young!😊

He loves to perform and did a decent job as usual.

And of course there was the performance from the regular choir, the South Florida Caribbean Chorale, and the organizer, Steve Higgins.

Steve Higgins always puts on good concerts and it's now a family affair, as his young son Matthew sometimes performs, and last night he brought on another son who plays the drums.

Steve Higgins in front on keyboard and son behind on drums.

I always enjoy his productions and saw many familiar faces, as we start gearing up for the Christmas holidays.🌲⛄☃️🌰

Pretty good start of the season.

Nb. Bernie Smith was buried Saturday 16th May 2026. Link: https://joan-myviews.blogspot.com/2026/03/reggae-supreme.html?m=1.

From Dancehall to Church Hall!

 I love Lady Saw. 

Her high energy, command of the stage, voice.......She has everything that makes a great performer. 

However, it's not simply her performing skills which have caused me to be a lifelong fan, but also the fact that she is such a generous and caring person. For ever since she declared publicly that she couldn't have children, she has adopted so many needy ones and even stray animals as well.

I have never seen or heard her since her conversion to Christianity, which caused her to turn to gospel music, ditching her moniker Lady Saw and performing under her own name, Marion Hall.

About three years ago, we went on our regular trek to Sumfest, hoping to get a taste of the transition of Lady Saw to Marion Hall, but she never came on stage until after 6 am and as we had to drive back to Trelawny, we had to skip her performance.

Well she is the main reason why I decided not to miss the fund raising concert put on at Faith Chapel in Florida last night.

It was billed as another fundraiser for the victims of hurricane Melissa where all the artists were performing free of charge.

These fundraising events are coming fast and furious. I only hope the people we are all trying to help, get the assistance!

See how many ways they tell u to donate!

The affair was anchored by Jamaica's Consul General, Oliver Mair and Bishop Hernandez, who is known for his fund- raising skills.

 He is even reputed to have raised funds in record time for his Lear jet, but that's for another discussion.😁

Bishop Fernandez And Oliver Mair.

The target for the night was US$175,000 and I am sure they met it, for I left immediately after Lady Saw finished her explosive performance and they were at $140,000.

There was a surprise appearance by Father Richard Holung who is often thought of as Jamaica's male Mother Theresa.

This is because, though born into wealth and privilege, he gave it all up to establish Brothers of the Poor, which operates in the ghettos, bringing relief to the poorest, the indigent and neediest. He has been doing this for perhaps more than 50 years!

Consul General Mair introduces Father Richard Holung.

Father Holung is not just a do-gooder but also a very talented musician and songwriter whose concerts I never missed while living in Jamaica.

His appearance at this event was to promote an upcoming concert they are having in Hollywood, Florida next week to raise funds for his organisation.

Three of his brothers showcased their skills for the upcoming event.

Bwoy, am I happy I attended for it exceeded my expectations or as we say in Jamaica " it sell off."👏🥳.

Interestingly, it kicked off with a dynamic performance by Omari, whom I had never heard of before, but he touched the nerve of Jamaican Christians by bunning (condemning) obeah.

Obeah is a West African ritual brought to Jamaica by our enslaved ancestors centuries ago.

Obeahmen use spirits and indigenous elements, herbs, oils, candles and supposedly supernatural forces, to heal or cast spells, give protection etc.

 It was banned by the slavers but recently in Jamaica there has been calls for the Obeah Act to be repealed. 

This is something objected to by many spokespersons in so-called Christian community at home and apparently in Florida too, as Omari certainly stirred up the passions.

A TASTE!

                                                                        Omari

                                                                      Carlene Davis

As expected, Lady Saw, sorry, Marion Hall, brought down the house.

Giving thanks🙏.

 On the last Thursday of November each year, Americans make a big hullabaloo about giving thanks.

 But it's something we Jamaicans were taught to do daily.

The thing I give thanks for none stop is good health.

I usually try to get some exercise  before going off to stuff myself😁.

Having a bicycle sure helps in that quest.😁

Anyway since I am unapologetic food lover, I head to Michelle's mom, Miss Norma, one of the greatest cooks on earth, on that American holiday.

Miss. Norms

But we don't do turkey as it looks too much like a creature that flies very high and nuh work pon Sunday, that we have at home.😁

That's mine😁

Michele birthday was the 22nd and her loving sister Melissa bought her a cake.

We had lots of fun as usual.

Yup, I got a stomach full and had lots of fun on America's Thanksgiving Day. 

So did DJ Shaddy, as he wrote the hilarious lyrics below and used AI to create this song about the day.

 It's on you tube at:

https://youtu.be/QMFQBtKuIVM?si=grq_PNg4db5wunBs

On Friday it was on to Sebring for more food and camaraderie with my best friend Sunshine and family 😁.

Sebring is a small, quiet city of around 11,000 people, where black bears roam at night. Yup they see them on their cameras but I have never seen one although I would love to. All I ever see are deers 😡

It's some 3 hours away in the northwest of Florida and on Friday morning before I got there it was 48 Degrees.  Luckily it warmed up before I arrived.

Houses are far apart in Sebring 

It's peaceful there.

Since I was in no hurry, I took a longer and more scenic route which I had discovered years before, while going to nearby Lake Placid to a caladium festival. :JOAN, MY VIEWS.: Caladiums galore https://share.google/d4UTWkhQucCSMI44O.

That area is a Trump red neck country and as if to remind me, there was a huge billboard with his picture on the road. Anyway that reminded me to keep within the speed limit as the last thing I need in life is to be stopped by a red neck police.

This route took me through area with campgrounds, fishing attractions and  huge ranches with thousands of cattle grazing peacefully.

It was nice to see them getting stung by the Trump economic policies they voted for as at least one third of the farms  had " for sale" signs out front.

Ribs by Cardiff.

It was a pleasant, quiet weekend with friends and although Cardiff is not a pork eater, he did ribs for me♥️.

That made the long journey even more than worthwhile.😋