Weather

Ok, we’ve moved to the tropics, right? It can get really hot and, of course, humid. Actually, the humidity hasn’t really gotten to us. It’s now winter in the States. In Oregon, where we still have a house, it’s been down to -23 F. Now that’s cold! Most of the States are having extremely cold weather this January. I’ve even heard that Mexico, El Salvadore and Nicaragua have had a little snow. It’s never happened before. Well, little Belize has been spared the snow, but it has been really cold. Now you’ll laugh when I tell you that it’s been down to 40, but until you’ve experienced that temp in the tropics, you can’t imagine how cold that is. For one thing, we don’t have windows, just screens. We do have shutters for strong winds and security when we’re gone. Well, we’ve been closing the shutters and doing anything we can to keep it warm. Of course, there’s no such thing as heating down here because it’s never been needed. The other problem is that most visitors, including ourselves, at first, bring down tank tops, light pants & sandals. When we made the move, we made sure to include warm jackets, sweatshirts and lots of blankets. This cold won’t last for a long time, but it’s really making an impression on everyone. The local folks tell us that this is the coldest they can remember. The difference is, that no one here is really prepared for the cold. Up north we have snuggly clothes, down quilts and a lovely stove or fireplace to back up to. Here, we just wrap up in a blanket and complain.
I also think I made a Gringo mistake by planting my garden now. Most folks had theirs in already. Hey, I have to give it a try. Not sure if it’s the cold or the seed we bro’t down, but not have a resounding success. I’m not giving up, just not patting myself on the back that we’ll be able to survive on the produce. Thank goodness for the market!

Yesterday I traveled to Ladyville to pick up our wonderful friend, Jane Beard, from the airport. She'd been in England for 3 weeks visiting her son and her gorgeous new grandson, Finn. She
told me that Great Britain was struggling under the worst snow and cold in 30 years. She had a series of awful flights to get here. From uncomfortable seating companions, to freezing cold with no blankets, to a 12 hr layover in Houston. What kept her spirits up was the tho't of finally being warm when she reached Belize. You can imagine her disappointment when she reach the door of the plane, took a deep breath and found it was horribly cold. Poor Jane & poor Belize. This is the first time I've had to turn the heat on in a car here.

The one who is truly enjoying this cold is Bailey. (If you haven't read my whole blog you may not know that Bailey is a 110# Akita, who came down here with us). He's actually wooled up a little, again and is feeling young and mischievous again.

We're keeping busy, building walls and keeping an eye on the solar. So far, all is well!