Before we moved here full-time we planned to visit the end of October, five years ago. We had to reschedule our plane tickets because so much of Belize was flooded, including the bridge over Roaring Creek. There is one spot on Paslow Falls Rd that was also under water for a short time. Well, here we go again. We haven't had flooding here in Bullet Tree Village, but much of the savannah area along the coast is suffering. I also just heard from some folks in Succotz that the lower bridge there is under water. I was also told that a man drowned after losing control of his kayak.
I am so happy that I was worried that I wouldn't be able to get any laundry dry, so on Monday I took our laundry to town to have Sylvi wash & dry it. Also took advantage of the trip to stock up on some groceries and gas for the generator. We're now happy to be sitting on top of our hill, away from all that water. Riverfront property doesn't look so appealing now.
The Mopan is running fast, high and very brown. Looks like the chocolate river in the Willie Wonka movie. Lots of debris, but, so far Paslow Falls Rd is fine. One blessing we can be thankful for is that both Paslow Falls Rd and our road up the hill have a rock base. They might be rough, but are nearly always passable with 4 wheel drive. Have been down in both the truck & the old Trooper and both did fine. I just don't dawdle, but put the peddle to the metal and climb up our hill.
The forecast is for continued rain all week. We'll be fine but I pray that the rest of the country gets some relief. Even if the rains subside here in Belize, we have to be concerned about the rains in Guatemala. There has been so much deforestation in the Peten and that's where most of the Mopans flow originates. The Mopan starts in Guatemala, crosses into Belize at Benque, past Succotz, to Bullet Tree and then joins with the Macal at Santa Familia to become the Belize River.
The little ferries at Central Farm and Xunantunich aren't running and the low bridges across the Belize River are under water. That leaves the only access to Spanish Lookout via the "back way" which is thru Bullet Tree. The stream of huge trucks lumbering thru the village is upsetting as much of the road is dirt and the heavy traffic is causing major damage as well as being extremely noisy.
This is indeed the jungle and we need the rain to maintain the green, but enough already.
Wednesday, October 30, 2013
Monday, October 28, 2013
Dog fence report
It was with a lot of hesitation that we installed the electric dog fence, a SportDog inground system. One of my big concerns was that, being on a fairly small solar system, the system might use too much power. After talking with Elvis, our electrician, he said that it should take less than one of our small wattage light bulbs.
I took all the dogs out on leashes to let them see the flag that alerts them that they're near the fence. At the flag line they hear a chirp. If they continue they will feel a zap. It gets stronger if they continue towards the fence line. I had to let them go to the line and allow them to feel the jolt. It breaks my heart to have them be hurt and afraid, BUT it would be much worse if they roamed into the bush to get bitten by a snake or some other creature, or get trapped in bushes and vines, because they all wear collars, or have someone pick them up. They are all so beautiful.
Well I finally told the weeny part of me to toughen up and I let them loose. I started with the two pups. Shannon wouldn't even leave the porch. They all seemed to recognize the flags and realize that they were the cause of their pain. I let Bailey loose and he was very hesitant also, but walked around a little, so I turned all three out together. It turned out to be perfect. Bailey's calmness reassured the pups, who now are doing exactly what we'd hoped. They run and tear around the grass area, never going near the fence line.
Bailey is a big concern right now. He's so heavy and our best guess is that he's nearing 10 years old. He doesn't want to play with the pups and when turned loose now he just goes out ant lays down. Art is continuing to take him on his short walk twice a day. To cross the fence line, which goes across the drive, we take off the SportDog collar and then Art just tells him that "it's ok" and Bailey will walk across. He's so smart!
I did research on various systems and settled on the SportDog system because we could set the collars themselves to different levels, thinking that Bailey would need a stronger deterrent. As it turns out, all three collars are set on the lowest setting that gives the chirp signal and the lowest zap. The SportDog collar also came with a set of longer posts to allow for Bailey's very thick coat.
It has made it so much easier for me to get up in the morning, turn on the system, put the collars on the dogs and let them out. No more getting up at 5:30am and taking the pups out to the enclosed fence in my pj's. (Good that we don't have close neighbors).
It's still new, but I have to give the whole thing high marks as it's given us all more freedom.
I took all the dogs out on leashes to let them see the flag that alerts them that they're near the fence. At the flag line they hear a chirp. If they continue they will feel a zap. It gets stronger if they continue towards the fence line. I had to let them go to the line and allow them to feel the jolt. It breaks my heart to have them be hurt and afraid, BUT it would be much worse if they roamed into the bush to get bitten by a snake or some other creature, or get trapped in bushes and vines, because they all wear collars, or have someone pick them up. They are all so beautiful.
Well I finally told the weeny part of me to toughen up and I let them loose. I started with the two pups. Shannon wouldn't even leave the porch. They all seemed to recognize the flags and realize that they were the cause of their pain. I let Bailey loose and he was very hesitant also, but walked around a little, so I turned all three out together. It turned out to be perfect. Bailey's calmness reassured the pups, who now are doing exactly what we'd hoped. They run and tear around the grass area, never going near the fence line.
Bailey is a big concern right now. He's so heavy and our best guess is that he's nearing 10 years old. He doesn't want to play with the pups and when turned loose now he just goes out ant lays down. Art is continuing to take him on his short walk twice a day. To cross the fence line, which goes across the drive, we take off the SportDog collar and then Art just tells him that "it's ok" and Bailey will walk across. He's so smart!
I did research on various systems and settled on the SportDog system because we could set the collars themselves to different levels, thinking that Bailey would need a stronger deterrent. As it turns out, all three collars are set on the lowest setting that gives the chirp signal and the lowest zap. The SportDog collar also came with a set of longer posts to allow for Bailey's very thick coat.
It has made it so much easier for me to get up in the morning, turn on the system, put the collars on the dogs and let them out. No more getting up at 5:30am and taking the pups out to the enclosed fence in my pj's. (Good that we don't have close neighbors).
It's still new, but I have to give the whole thing high marks as it's given us all more freedom.
Friday, October 25, 2013
Family visit
We have been having a wonderful time as my cousin, Roger, has been visiting us since Saturday. It's so seldom that we have family visit and Roger is very special to me. Even tho' our families didn't live really close, we grew up seeing each other fairly often. As adults, Roger moved to New York and our visits were very infrequent. I'm so thrilled that we've been able to reconnect so strongly and this is his third visit to us here in Belize. This trip he came alone, telling us that he didn't need to tour and see the sights, but wanted to relax and visit. Boy have we been doing a lot of both. We've been talking non-stop and doing a lot of nothing special.
The weather has been perfect, up until today. Scattered clouds and not too warm. We had a sprinkling of rain last evening and Roger asked if it ever poured rain all night. Not really. Well last night it didn't rain all night, but it felt like it did. It dumped off and on all night. Now for us, all growing up in the Northwest, rain is soothing and just means you don't have to work in the yard today (which I didn't plan on doing anyway). I checked the satellite weather channels and this isn't a particular storm, just lots of rain for the next couple of days. Roger heads back to New York on Sunday, so I predict lots more visiting the next few days.
The only real downside I see to this rain is the dogs. Of course, they all hate the rain. They're also still very afraid of the new inground fence so I'm having to lock them in the regular fenced area a couple of times a day. I'll write more later about the electric fence experience, but I'll say here, it's going to work great, but does take training and time.
Well, it's back to reading, visiting and eating. What a delightful, loving time we're having. Love you lots, Roger.
The weather has been perfect, up until today. Scattered clouds and not too warm. We had a sprinkling of rain last evening and Roger asked if it ever poured rain all night. Not really. Well last night it didn't rain all night, but it felt like it did. It dumped off and on all night. Now for us, all growing up in the Northwest, rain is soothing and just means you don't have to work in the yard today (which I didn't plan on doing anyway). I checked the satellite weather channels and this isn't a particular storm, just lots of rain for the next couple of days. Roger heads back to New York on Sunday, so I predict lots more visiting the next few days.
The only real downside I see to this rain is the dogs. Of course, they all hate the rain. They're also still very afraid of the new inground fence so I'm having to lock them in the regular fenced area a couple of times a day. I'll write more later about the electric fence experience, but I'll say here, it's going to work great, but does take training and time.
Well, it's back to reading, visiting and eating. What a delightful, loving time we're having. Love you lots, Roger.
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Truck, dogs & new fence and tree
I very seldom plan much ahead because my plans always go awry. Today was a perfect example. I had planned to go to the market this morning and then grocery shopping with my good friend Diane. Well, first thing this morning I had a call from Bedo about our truck. He had the body work done. He'd ordered a new tail light assembly, but they sent the wrong one. He got it yesterday (which was a holiday here, Pan American Day) he finished painting the fender and installed the light. Of course, the light didn't work. This morning we picked up the truck, had to notify the insurance company of the problem and then took the truck to an auto electrician. Yes, there are some fellows who specialize. Since we were across the river anyway, I did my grocery shopping first. Times like this make it great to have the old Trooper. Art & I each had to drive a vehicle. We left the truck with Mr. Matus and drove back home to put away the groceries and have a bite of lunch.
Now came the hard part. Yesterday I finally got up enough nerve to introduce each dog to the fence. I hate it so much. They each have a collar with a control box. The fence is a buried wire and then we put flags at the edge of the warning zone. A tone signals the zone, then they'll feel a shock if they continue. I have all of them at the lowest shock level. I led each of them around the perimeter to familiarize them with their new area. Each of the pups, Shannon & Rusty, got a jolt and then wouldn't go near any of the flags. They figured it out immediately. It was a little slower with Bailey. He got hit three times and then I had to stop. I couldn't stand to have him hurt any more right then. I was very satisfied with this first session and felt sure that it's going to work.
Today, after we got back from town, I took each dog back out. I was surprised to say the least, that none of the three dogs wanted to even go out into the yard. I finally was able to get the two males to walk around, but poor Shannon was totally upset and wouldn't go with me. In reading I find that there is a lower setting that doesn't shock the dog, only emits the chirping sound. I'll now reset all the collars to this level and
work with them the next few days to get them more comfortable with the area. In a few days when I hope they'll be more comfortable, I'll set them loose and then I'll reset to the slowest shock level. I'm so impressed by how smart all the dogs are and how sensitive. I do talk to them constantly and feel that they understand everything I say. Wow!
Then it was back to town to pick up the truck from the electrician. Problem was a broken wire, bulbs and who knows what else. Now it's off to the insurance company to clear up the paperwork. The victim here ends up doing much of the running around. The truck looks great again. Hope that the third time is a charm.
Art got home ahead of me as I had forgotten a couple of things at the store. When I drove up the road, there was the truck, stopped midway. My first tho't was that it had broken down, but when I pulled up behind it I saw the big goombalimba tree that fell across the road. We had to get the chainsaw, cut the tree up and haul it off before we could drive into our place. We were just happy that we had the tools and the strength to manage the task.
An unexpected, but full day for a couple of old codgers.
Now came the hard part. Yesterday I finally got up enough nerve to introduce each dog to the fence. I hate it so much. They each have a collar with a control box. The fence is a buried wire and then we put flags at the edge of the warning zone. A tone signals the zone, then they'll feel a shock if they continue. I have all of them at the lowest shock level. I led each of them around the perimeter to familiarize them with their new area. Each of the pups, Shannon & Rusty, got a jolt and then wouldn't go near any of the flags. They figured it out immediately. It was a little slower with Bailey. He got hit three times and then I had to stop. I couldn't stand to have him hurt any more right then. I was very satisfied with this first session and felt sure that it's going to work.
Today, after we got back from town, I took each dog back out. I was surprised to say the least, that none of the three dogs wanted to even go out into the yard. I finally was able to get the two males to walk around, but poor Shannon was totally upset and wouldn't go with me. In reading I find that there is a lower setting that doesn't shock the dog, only emits the chirping sound. I'll now reset all the collars to this level and
work with them the next few days to get them more comfortable with the area. In a few days when I hope they'll be more comfortable, I'll set them loose and then I'll reset to the slowest shock level. I'm so impressed by how smart all the dogs are and how sensitive. I do talk to them constantly and feel that they understand everything I say. Wow!
Then it was back to town to pick up the truck from the electrician. Problem was a broken wire, bulbs and who knows what else. Now it's off to the insurance company to clear up the paperwork. The victim here ends up doing much of the running around. The truck looks great again. Hope that the third time is a charm.
Art got home ahead of me as I had forgotten a couple of things at the store. When I drove up the road, there was the truck, stopped midway. My first tho't was that it had broken down, but when I pulled up behind it I saw the big goombalimba tree that fell across the road. We had to get the chainsaw, cut the tree up and haul it off before we could drive into our place. We were just happy that we had the tools and the strength to manage the task.
An unexpected, but full day for a couple of old codgers.
USA?
We've been delighted to meet several new friends who found us because of this blog. Delightful people, but all with a sad viewpoint. As with so many folks I read about on the news, they are upset with the direction the US is moving and are looking for a haven away from the government control in their lives. We've enjoyed discussions about what's happening in our beloved US and how we view living here in Belize.
I've put off reading more in depth about Obamacare because I have no control over what's happening, but it does seem that it will be the death knell of small businesses and change the spending habits of the poor and middle class (is there still such a group?).
We've been informed by our bank that the US is now demanding to know about all funds Americans have here and making us accountable for monies made here. For us it's not an issue as we don't have a local income, but it shows that the long arm of the US is everywhere. How arrogant!
The quandary this has created for Art & I is that we feel we must sell Dreamer Farm as it's too much property for us with Art's failing health. I seem to be able to do less and less of the outside work. We had decided that, if and when we do sell we would return to the NW to be nearer family and the VA facilities. These discussions have made us wary of our being able to survive financially if we do return to the US. Altho' life here isn't fancy, we can live on our small income comfortably. We're now also thinking of how things would be if we bo't a small place here in Cayo, still making our annual trip to Oregon. For now it's only a problem that keeps rattling around in my head, but I have to admit that it makes me so sad to feel that our beloved country may exclude us and so many others by dictating how and where we live our lives. This isn't the US that we grew up with.
I've put off reading more in depth about Obamacare because I have no control over what's happening, but it does seem that it will be the death knell of small businesses and change the spending habits of the poor and middle class (is there still such a group?).
We've been informed by our bank that the US is now demanding to know about all funds Americans have here and making us accountable for monies made here. For us it's not an issue as we don't have a local income, but it shows that the long arm of the US is everywhere. How arrogant!
The quandary this has created for Art & I is that we feel we must sell Dreamer Farm as it's too much property for us with Art's failing health. I seem to be able to do less and less of the outside work. We had decided that, if and when we do sell we would return to the NW to be nearer family and the VA facilities. These discussions have made us wary of our being able to survive financially if we do return to the US. Altho' life here isn't fancy, we can live on our small income comfortably. We're now also thinking of how things would be if we bo't a small place here in Cayo, still making our annual trip to Oregon. For now it's only a problem that keeps rattling around in my head, but I have to admit that it makes me so sad to feel that our beloved country may exclude us and so many others by dictating how and where we live our lives. This isn't the US that we grew up with.
Wednesday, October 9, 2013
Truck
After almost two months we've finally gotten permission from the insurance company to get our poor Tundra repaired. Took it to Bedo today, but of course it's been raining like crazy, so not sure how long repairs will take. None of the bodyshops I've seen, including Bedo's is enclosed. They work out in the open, so hard to get the paint job done. He does a remarkable job anyway. Hope I'll have good photos to post when done. Want it to be done before my cousin Roger gets here. I hate to take him around in the trust, old Trooper.
Tuesday, October 8, 2013
Now a painted cottage
Well I've worked like a Trojan to get some of the painting done. I'm extremely pleased with the change it's bro't to our little house. It's brightened and lightened it up so much. Previously we could barely detect my Jaguar carving or the TV set. They hid in the shadows. Now there's more color. The disappointment for me was that when I went back to Melchor to get the rest of the material for the cupboard doors, of course, it was all gone. Diane was with me and we visited every little shop that sold fabric and were shown some really dreadful pieces. They now seem enamored of the big eyed children so popular with the Japanese. Ick! I wrote to the big fabric distributors in Guatemala City, had a long email discussion with the large fabric store in Belize City, checked Spanish Lookout and the couple of places here in Cayo. Nada. I had already finished painting the walls, so settled for a somewhat trite print with a hint of jungle and a little thatched hut on it. I made the curtains and find that I really don't like the print, but it will remain for now. Once it was up I could see that the blue dominates. At least it's clean.
I had more luck with our bedroom. I found a wonderful bed cover in turquoise and white and pick a light version for the walls and a medium turquoise for the screen frames. It now looks more like a comfortable little beach house here in the bush.
My last project, at this point, was to paint one of the guest bedrooms. My cousin, Roger, will be visiting in a couple of weeks, so I wanted the room to be fresh and clean.
It feels good to get some of these projects done. It's such a sweet, comfortable place and now even more so with the addition of light and color.
I had more luck with our bedroom. I found a wonderful bed cover in turquoise and white and pick a light version for the walls and a medium turquoise for the screen frames. It now looks more like a comfortable little beach house here in the bush.
My last project, at this point, was to paint one of the guest bedrooms. My cousin, Roger, will be visiting in a couple of weeks, so I wanted the room to be fresh and clean.
It feels good to get some of these projects done. It's such a sweet, comfortable place and now even more so with the addition of light and color.
Thursday, September 5, 2013
Ruminations
As I get older I'm finding that lots of things get harder, so I find myself in auto mode, just doing what needs to be done and trying not to overthink anything. Getting the two pups has been a blessing in so many ways as they are so happy most of the time. My stress there is that we've had a lot of rain, thus the fenced area that we worked so hard to create, is now a mud hole. I hate to put them out there as they come back up filthy and they're very clean dogs by nature. I'm struggling with should we put in an underground electric fence to allow all three dogs more freedom. It's a budget stretcher, as so many things are, and I'm not convinced that it's going to work. I imagine, with a little effort on my part, that I can train the Setters to stay within the fence, as they have thin, fine hair, but Bailey has such a thick coat. I also worry about how much the shock will affect them. Worry, worry!
We still haven't heard from the insurance company about repairing the pickup. Everything moves so slowly here. I phoned the office and found that they're still waiting for the owner of the other car to turn in some paperwork before it goes to their main office for approval. In the meantime we can't lower the tailgate on the truck, which is inconvenient. Patience, patience.
I've tried to manage to do some of my artwork, but it just isn't in me right now. To keep busy with more mindless work I'm painting the interior walls of the house. We intentionally built without finished interior walls. We only have the studs and the exterior siding. In such a tiny space, it's given us more room and there isn't an interior hidey space for bugs to nest. Ants, bees and other icky creatures. The downside is that it's dark and we don't have a lot of lights.
I found some terrific Mayan themed fabric in Melchor, Guatemala (which is just across the border from here) and am using that as my focus. I'm picking up the greens for the kitchen and a lighter green for the living room area. It's brighter in here already. A friend suggested that I use exterior paint because the house gets so much air and the exterior paint has a mildew resistant ingredient. It sure goes on great. I haven't spent much time on a stepladder for quite a while, so giving me a little exercise. I'm using a tough enamel on the window screens as they really take a beating.
A bright spot for me has been my friends. I look forward to our ladies luncheon once a month and a few of us met yesterday for lunch at a lovely new place in San Ignacio called the Guava Limb Cafe. What a sweet place it is. So many restaurants open here, last a month or two and close. They don't get the concept of having several months operating funds put aside ahead of time. We're all thrilled that a couple of new places have opened that are operated by successful resort owners. They are stressing quality and moving outside the usual Belizean offerings. I enjoy stew chicken rice and beans a lot, which is the typical Belize fare, but I yearn for some variety. The cafe where we ate yesterday is in a charming wooden house that was totally restored and updated and they offered a nice bistro type menu. The food was terrific and the company was delightful. I'm excited now that Art & I will be able to enjoy a lunch out in such a comfortable place.
All-in-all we're doing ok. We miss family and Art desperately wants to be back in Oregon, but we're still taking it a day at a time up here on our hill.
We still haven't heard from the insurance company about repairing the pickup. Everything moves so slowly here. I phoned the office and found that they're still waiting for the owner of the other car to turn in some paperwork before it goes to their main office for approval. In the meantime we can't lower the tailgate on the truck, which is inconvenient. Patience, patience.
I've tried to manage to do some of my artwork, but it just isn't in me right now. To keep busy with more mindless work I'm painting the interior walls of the house. We intentionally built without finished interior walls. We only have the studs and the exterior siding. In such a tiny space, it's given us more room and there isn't an interior hidey space for bugs to nest. Ants, bees and other icky creatures. The downside is that it's dark and we don't have a lot of lights.
I found some terrific Mayan themed fabric in Melchor, Guatemala (which is just across the border from here) and am using that as my focus. I'm picking up the greens for the kitchen and a lighter green for the living room area. It's brighter in here already. A friend suggested that I use exterior paint because the house gets so much air and the exterior paint has a mildew resistant ingredient. It sure goes on great. I haven't spent much time on a stepladder for quite a while, so giving me a little exercise. I'm using a tough enamel on the window screens as they really take a beating.
A bright spot for me has been my friends. I look forward to our ladies luncheon once a month and a few of us met yesterday for lunch at a lovely new place in San Ignacio called the Guava Limb Cafe. What a sweet place it is. So many restaurants open here, last a month or two and close. They don't get the concept of having several months operating funds put aside ahead of time. We're all thrilled that a couple of new places have opened that are operated by successful resort owners. They are stressing quality and moving outside the usual Belizean offerings. I enjoy stew chicken rice and beans a lot, which is the typical Belize fare, but I yearn for some variety. The cafe where we ate yesterday is in a charming wooden house that was totally restored and updated and they offered a nice bistro type menu. The food was terrific and the company was delightful. I'm excited now that Art & I will be able to enjoy a lunch out in such a comfortable place.
All-in-all we're doing ok. We miss family and Art desperately wants to be back in Oregon, but we're still taking it a day at a time up here on our hill.
Sunday, August 18, 2013
Tundra hit AGAIN
Friday was a nice day and Art decided to go to town with me. Just had to stop at the post office and then to the market. I parked the Tundra (pickup) near the post office, across from Shopper's Choice with a car behind me and one in front. No big deal, but I was glad to find a parking spot so close to our destination. We took our time, enjoying not being in a rush. When we got back to the truck I went around the front to get in and a traffic officer knocked on my window. I hadn't seen that the back of the truck had been hit - again. Poor truck. Luckily, the officer had seen it happen and they were hunting for us. The damage wasn't severe, but took out the back lights and put a big dent in the fender and bent the bumper.
This is the third time our poor truck has been hit since we moved here four years ago. The first time a taxi passenger opened her door into the side of the truck just as we drove by. Taxi owner's insurance covered the damage. Over a year ago Art parked the truck to go into a restaurant to pick up dinner and when he came out, it appeared that a large truck had sideswiped the passenger side, leaving a large, black dent the full length of the side about chest high. Since you can't buy coverage for your own vehicle if it's over 7 years old, we had to pay for this one. Anyway, it was hit and run.
Friday we were glad we didn't have a lot to do because we ended up spending over two hours in the police station and then in the insurance office. The poor fellow who hit us was pretty shaken up. We still don't know how he managed to swerve to hit us as we were tucked in between other vehicles, but it was just an accident. He was extremely apologetic and the police were very helpful. The other car was a nice newer SUV and his right front fender was totally demolished along with his front bumper. The poor guy is from Orange Walk and had to drive back with the mangled fender dangling. The police seemed to be worried that we might collapse in an upset heap or something because of our ages. I guess we've been thru it enough times that it's ok as long as it wasn't our fault.
We stopped by Bedo's body shop and I'll have to take the truck in Monday to get an estimate, as well as go to a mechanic to be sure that there wasn't damage underneath. We just had new tires put on the truck, so were glad to see them intact. Bedo told us he doesn't think Belize likes our truck as it sure seems to be a target. Since this will be the third time he's repaired and painted the sides, I told him should stock up on our paint color. We're just happy that none of these accident's were more severe and really only caused cosmetic damage. Maybe we should just have him paint a big target on it. It probably isn't a cause, but we don't plan to buy another gray vehicle as they seem to blend into the road.
This is the third time our poor truck has been hit since we moved here four years ago. The first time a taxi passenger opened her door into the side of the truck just as we drove by. Taxi owner's insurance covered the damage. Over a year ago Art parked the truck to go into a restaurant to pick up dinner and when he came out, it appeared that a large truck had sideswiped the passenger side, leaving a large, black dent the full length of the side about chest high. Since you can't buy coverage for your own vehicle if it's over 7 years old, we had to pay for this one. Anyway, it was hit and run.
Friday we were glad we didn't have a lot to do because we ended up spending over two hours in the police station and then in the insurance office. The poor fellow who hit us was pretty shaken up. We still don't know how he managed to swerve to hit us as we were tucked in between other vehicles, but it was just an accident. He was extremely apologetic and the police were very helpful. The other car was a nice newer SUV and his right front fender was totally demolished along with his front bumper. The poor guy is from Orange Walk and had to drive back with the mangled fender dangling. The police seemed to be worried that we might collapse in an upset heap or something because of our ages. I guess we've been thru it enough times that it's ok as long as it wasn't our fault.
We stopped by Bedo's body shop and I'll have to take the truck in Monday to get an estimate, as well as go to a mechanic to be sure that there wasn't damage underneath. We just had new tires put on the truck, so were glad to see them intact. Bedo told us he doesn't think Belize likes our truck as it sure seems to be a target. Since this will be the third time he's repaired and painted the sides, I told him should stock up on our paint color. We're just happy that none of these accident's were more severe and really only caused cosmetic damage. Maybe we should just have him paint a big target on it. It probably isn't a cause, but we don't plan to buy another gray vehicle as they seem to blend into the road.
Friday, August 16, 2013
Selling property in Belize
The housing market seems to be in a funk all over. I hear that it's supposedly improving in the States, but talking to friends, they don't see it. It's much the same here in Belize. Property prices are all over the place, but we don't hear of much moving. We've talked to most of the realtors in this area and, just like in the US, they want to list your place, but that's the last you see of them. There is supposed to be a multiple listing service coming to Belize, but seems to be all talk. Also, I don't like to give anyone an exclusive listing, because then they REALLY don't do anything.
Another route, which we've also tried, is to sell our place ourselves via internet sites. We tried several of the free sites, but they seemed to attract the bogus interest of "I'm really interested in your place, can give you cash, but first I have to find a way to get the 17 million dollars I found while in the service in ___ fill in the country." We haven't had a lot more success with the paid sites, but continue to work it.
Our property is titled and fenced with a home and additional buildings, all new 3 to 4 years ago. I've been very frustrated with some comments about price as tho' you should sell for the price of the land. Until you've tried to build in a country such as Belize, you have no real idea of the hurdles you must cross. It sounds wonderful that, in the country, you don't have to get permits and have an inspector looking over your shoulder for everything. The other side of that coin is, who do you trust?
We were extremely fortunate to have researched and found a wonderful Belizean man who contracted to build our houses. He's honest and knows a lot about building. His hobby and obsession is reading books about building. Almost everyone we talk to who has built here has horror stories of being ripped off by a person who claimed to know how to build, or one who charged them huge prices for inferior materials. We've watched a neighboring property where a huge crew seems to be taking forever to do very little work. Just had a discussion with a couple who are trying to have a place built and nothing is as they want it, and some of the rooms aren't even square.
Besides the work, the materials can be difficult to find. We went thru a couple of concrete block suppliers before finding ones that would hold together and being square made it easy to plaster. There isn't anything like a "licensed" electrician or plumber. Here again, you have to talk to a lot of people to find one who can handle your work. We have several DC appliances and even the solar people didn't really know how to wire in our AC and DC circuits. We eventually found "the" guy who has helped us tremendously.
It can seem wonderful and exciting to find a piece of property that's back-a-bush and makes you feel like a pioneer. That's just about what you have to be. Something that can seem easy to get to in dry weather can be impossible in the wet, which is much of the time. Finding a reliable person to bring in bulldozers, graders and rollers to put in a decent road and then bring in rock that will withstand the weather conditions can be a huge challenge. We have seen neighbors have loads of white gravel dumped on their road and then during the wet weather, the gravel just disappears into the mud. We had a lot of prep work done and then had about 20 loads of heavy rock brought in for our road. It was then rolled. I treat it with roundup periodically to keep it clear and after four years it's still great. It just took a long time to find the right person to do the work for a price we could afford.
Once you get your place cleared, it's important to find someone to help you keep it that way. We've been blessed with Rene, who has worked wonders for us. But, most Belizeans don't work as hard or efficiently as Rene. Previously we had a crew of three do clearing work for us before we moved down. We paid a huge price and they took a week to clear a strip about 30' wide and they only chopped it to about ankle high. Wonderful. Walking thru was a great way to break an ankle with all the debris. Before we moved down, we saw Rene working at another expats property and he was working all the time and the folks weren't even in the country. We'd found our treasure.
I guess my point of this diatribe is that this challenge isn't simple, or necessarily cheap. You have to have patience and be willing to ask lots of folks for their help and recommendations. You have to be willing to LISTEN. For Art and myself, it was the reason we came to Belize. We needed new challenges. Boy did we find them. We don't regret the struggle, but do feel badly for folks who talk as tho' it's all going to be skittles and beer and that they can naively trust everyone.
Another route, which we've also tried, is to sell our place ourselves via internet sites. We tried several of the free sites, but they seemed to attract the bogus interest of "I'm really interested in your place, can give you cash, but first I have to find a way to get the 17 million dollars I found while in the service in ___ fill in the country." We haven't had a lot more success with the paid sites, but continue to work it.
Our property is titled and fenced with a home and additional buildings, all new 3 to 4 years ago. I've been very frustrated with some comments about price as tho' you should sell for the price of the land. Until you've tried to build in a country such as Belize, you have no real idea of the hurdles you must cross. It sounds wonderful that, in the country, you don't have to get permits and have an inspector looking over your shoulder for everything. The other side of that coin is, who do you trust?
We were extremely fortunate to have researched and found a wonderful Belizean man who contracted to build our houses. He's honest and knows a lot about building. His hobby and obsession is reading books about building. Almost everyone we talk to who has built here has horror stories of being ripped off by a person who claimed to know how to build, or one who charged them huge prices for inferior materials. We've watched a neighboring property where a huge crew seems to be taking forever to do very little work. Just had a discussion with a couple who are trying to have a place built and nothing is as they want it, and some of the rooms aren't even square.
Besides the work, the materials can be difficult to find. We went thru a couple of concrete block suppliers before finding ones that would hold together and being square made it easy to plaster. There isn't anything like a "licensed" electrician or plumber. Here again, you have to talk to a lot of people to find one who can handle your work. We have several DC appliances and even the solar people didn't really know how to wire in our AC and DC circuits. We eventually found "the" guy who has helped us tremendously.
It can seem wonderful and exciting to find a piece of property that's back-a-bush and makes you feel like a pioneer. That's just about what you have to be. Something that can seem easy to get to in dry weather can be impossible in the wet, which is much of the time. Finding a reliable person to bring in bulldozers, graders and rollers to put in a decent road and then bring in rock that will withstand the weather conditions can be a huge challenge. We have seen neighbors have loads of white gravel dumped on their road and then during the wet weather, the gravel just disappears into the mud. We had a lot of prep work done and then had about 20 loads of heavy rock brought in for our road. It was then rolled. I treat it with roundup periodically to keep it clear and after four years it's still great. It just took a long time to find the right person to do the work for a price we could afford.
Once you get your place cleared, it's important to find someone to help you keep it that way. We've been blessed with Rene, who has worked wonders for us. But, most Belizeans don't work as hard or efficiently as Rene. Previously we had a crew of three do clearing work for us before we moved down. We paid a huge price and they took a week to clear a strip about 30' wide and they only chopped it to about ankle high. Wonderful. Walking thru was a great way to break an ankle with all the debris. Before we moved down, we saw Rene working at another expats property and he was working all the time and the folks weren't even in the country. We'd found our treasure.
I guess my point of this diatribe is that this challenge isn't simple, or necessarily cheap. You have to have patience and be willing to ask lots of folks for their help and recommendations. You have to be willing to LISTEN. For Art and myself, it was the reason we came to Belize. We needed new challenges. Boy did we find them. We don't regret the struggle, but do feel badly for folks who talk as tho' it's all going to be skittles and beer and that they can naively trust everyone.
Monday, August 12, 2013
Another day with the pups!
Wow, this rain is really dumping. Keep losing the satellite. I made a
rash move tonight by letting the pups go from their fenced yard to the veranda
without leashes. Dumb! They've been doing fine if I keep one leashed. Anyway, they
veered off and took off like a shot. It was getting dark and they were gone for
about 1 1/2 hrs. We could hear dogs barking in all directions. Art was taking
one last pass down Paslow Falls Rd and I was starting the generator when they
finally showed up. I suspect they got scared as she was quite a ways behind
him. They're dirty and full of burrs. They both threw themselves on the ground
in front of me and flipped onto their backs, as if to say "I know I was bad." I
didn't even care, I just pushed them into the fenced yard and didn't trust
myself to not spank them soundly. I was also worried about Art as he headed out
back to hunt for them. When all was said and done, we're all alright, if not a
little frazzled. Anyone who gets two pups at a time should have their head
examined. They're 8 months old today, so they're just dumb kids right now.
Patience, patience, patience. I know they're going to be wonderful dogs when
they're grown, but for now I'd like to strangle both of them. I just have to figure out how to teach them to honor the boundaries. May have to resort to an in ground electric fence, but expensive and not sure I'm up to the learning curve. Tomorrow will be another day and all will be well, even if a little wet.
Wednesday, July 17, 2013
Homemade dog food
We're on a fairly limited income, so I do everything I can to stretch those Belize dollars. When we decided to buy our beautiful little Shannon, we knew it would stretch our budget a little, but we really couldn't resist those beautiful brown eyes and her crazy personality. The unexpected was to have a little boy pup placed in my arms with the request that they really wanted good homes for their precious babes. How could I resist, but woe to the food budget. We'd already gone thru the trauma of seizures with dear Bailey and preservatives. We discovered a local food that stated it uses vegetable preservatives and haven't had a repeat of the seizures, but with puppy food for two added, I could see $200 per month being a stretch. We have a wonderful friend with four dog who makes her own food, so I decided to do some research of my own. I came up with something that is working well and the dogs all seem to be thriving.
This may not possible in the States because of food restrictions, but I have an arrangement with a local butcher to get the scraps from their blade when they cut meat. They grind this and sell to me for $1 a pound. My friend who also uses this adds things to the meat, makes into balls, bakes and then freezes them. I take another approach. I cook this meat product in a large frying pan, breaking it up into bits as it cooks. When done it looks like hamburger. (I make fairly small batches of food because it can get heavy and hard handle).
A batch lasts for two feedings a day for three dogs for two days.
Two cups of uncooked rice in 4 cups of water.
Add approximately 4 cups of meat mixture
Slice three to four large carrots, cook and then run thru processor.
For the pups I give them one cup of dry puppy chow with 8 to 10 ozs of the rice/meat mixture. Sometimes I'll add a raw egg to each dish. They get this twice a day.
For Bailey, who is grossly overweight, I was feeding him just once a day, but he would watch the pups eating and it didn't seem fair, so he gets a small feeding twice a day too. He get about 1/2 cup of adult chow with 6 to 8 ozs of the rice mixture. I can't really say he's lost weight since we've switched to this mix, but he does seem more alert and has more energy.
I'm still working to determine exact amounts, but it looks as tho' we'll use about 15# of the meat mixture and 10# of rice a month. That would translate to about 25$ BZ. With dry dog food at $80-$90 for 50#, that is a significant savings for our meager budget. I add whatever cooked vegetables that I can find, but really like the carrots because they have a sweetness that the dogs all seem to like. By processing them, they're not faced with hunks of vegetables to spit out.
This may not possible in the States because of food restrictions, but I have an arrangement with a local butcher to get the scraps from their blade when they cut meat. They grind this and sell to me for $1 a pound. My friend who also uses this adds things to the meat, makes into balls, bakes and then freezes them. I take another approach. I cook this meat product in a large frying pan, breaking it up into bits as it cooks. When done it looks like hamburger. (I make fairly small batches of food because it can get heavy and hard handle).
A batch lasts for two feedings a day for three dogs for two days.
Two cups of uncooked rice in 4 cups of water.
Add approximately 4 cups of meat mixture
Slice three to four large carrots, cook and then run thru processor.
For the pups I give them one cup of dry puppy chow with 8 to 10 ozs of the rice/meat mixture. Sometimes I'll add a raw egg to each dish. They get this twice a day.
For Bailey, who is grossly overweight, I was feeding him just once a day, but he would watch the pups eating and it didn't seem fair, so he gets a small feeding twice a day too. He get about 1/2 cup of adult chow with 6 to 8 ozs of the rice mixture. I can't really say he's lost weight since we've switched to this mix, but he does seem more alert and has more energy.
I'm still working to determine exact amounts, but it looks as tho' we'll use about 15# of the meat mixture and 10# of rice a month. That would translate to about 25$ BZ. With dry dog food at $80-$90 for 50#, that is a significant savings for our meager budget. I add whatever cooked vegetables that I can find, but really like the carrots because they have a sweetness that the dogs all seem to like. By processing them, they're not faced with hunks of vegetables to spit out.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)