SAINT LUCIA

One completely sleepless night.  The mind felt like an egg beater...stirring up things from the past,  mixing them with stuff of the present, with sprinkles of stuff that might happen in the future.  Talk about a recipe for a mental collapse!  

This is the day the underground garage gets cleaned.  All fifty units have their cars parked out in the parking lots so the project can get started at 8 a.m..  The sun is rising, and I'm yawning.   

Okay, let's pretend we're contestants on Jeopardy.  The answer is Saint Lucia.  What's the question?????  What is the only country in the world named after a woman.  

• It's an island nation in the Caribbean, geographically included in Central America.  
• Saint Lucia is home to the world's only drive-in volcano, the Sulfur Springs.
• Legend says that French sailors were shipwrecked on the island on December 13, the feast day of St. Lucy, and the island was named after her.
• St. Lucy is the patron saint of the blind and vision impaired.

Saint Lucia
Light in the Darkness

Often pictured with her eyes on a platter, she is the patron saint of the blind.  Her name means 'light.'  Legend says that her eyes were removed through torture, but they were miraculously restored when her body was buried.

Another tradition on St. Lucia's Day is the baking of St. Lucia rolls, known in Sweden as Lussekatter.  These saffron-flavored buns are shaped into an S or an 8 to represent the saint's eyes.   (Recipes can be found online.)

Lastly, let us not forget one of the most beautiful songs, Santa Lucia.