Catching up

It's hard to believe it's been over a month since I update the blog.  Things have settled down for us since we completed the projects we could handle, here at Dreamer Farm.  Of course, there's lots more we could do, but budget constraints dictate that we enjoy what we have.

Art's doing much better.  He rides his stationary bike every day.  He's much more disciplined than I'll ever be.  I've really enjoyed painting, but have trouble managing to find the time.  We did make a short trip to Springfield, which is a little Mennonite village down the Hummingbird Highway past Belmopan.  There's a wonderful fruit tree nursery there where we discovered raspberries, strawberries and mulberries.  How fun!  I have to buy bags of river soil to build a bed for the strawberries, but since I only bo't 6 plants it doesn't have to be very big.

I've been really excited about my little hibiscus plants.  They're still very small, but valiantly blooming.   This bottom one is the Sunset.  The blooms are almost as big as a dinner plate.  All these blooms only last one day, but are spectacular while they last.  My tiny little plant produced 4 blooms in a row.

We're also starting to see some of the migrating winter birds show up from north of here.    We've missed them.   I must try to be more diligent so the few of you who read this know we're still here and hanging in there.    Blessings,    Gale

A great tractor story

I guess we're weird because it gave us both a tug to finally sell our little tractor.  I know, it's just a thing, but we seem to get attached.  Art really got a kick out of driving it, but without the flail, it lost it's usefulness to us.  It did give us one final "tractor story" as a farewell.  We had a terrific rainstorm today, which always does lovely things to the bottom of our road and it turned out that today is the day the new owner wanted to pick it up.  We were waiting for him when I got a call that he was stuck at the bottom of the road, in heavy mud, with his full-sized pickup and trailer.  What to do???  Well, Art drove the little tractor down and they hooked it up to the truck and she pulled it out.  Took some back & forth, but finally got them turned around and she pulled them back down to Paslow Falls Road (ick!) where we finalized our deal and off they went.  She may be little and old, but she's tough.  We'll miss her, but maybe the money can help us fix some of the road.  I am a dreamer!

Kubota diesel tractor for sale

Before moving to Belize we purchased our small, older Kubota tractor from a neighbor.  Dennis is a tinkerer and had totally gone thru the tractor, replacing parts and putting her back to nearly new shape.  We shipped it, the blade and an old flail that we purchased separately, to Belize and paid the duty.  We paid $4k US for the tractor & blade & $500US for the flail.  

The tractor is a B6100D (yes it's old, but in beautiful condition), diesel, 4 wheel drive with a 3point hitch & PTO.  The flail is even older and since we're not mechanically inclined, it's been a struggle to keep it functioning, even tho' it's a fairly straightforward and simple machine.  We have all new blades and connectors for it.

We're asking $5k BZ for the tractor and we'll throw in the flail.  I must say that the flail does a fantastic job of mowing, with the loose blades.  It just needs some TLC.   Contact:   gahubbe@aol.com    or Belize 636-4403.

Bullet Tree Falls land for sale

Yes, we're back in Belize and it's HOT.  This is usually the time of year that we get rain as the storms pass on their way north.  So far this year, not much relief.  It's hard for me to adjust to the change from the heat of the NW, which is very dry, to this hot and very humid.  I can barely put one foot in front of the other.  

We returned to find all well here at Dreamer Farm.  Rene did a wonderful job of watching out for our place and taking care of Bailey.  He was very worried when we first left as Bailey wouldn't eat, but he finally won him over by adding eggs to his food.  We did get a warm welcome from our big boy, but now he's just lying around, panting and wondering why we don't take him to a cooler climate.  Poor woolly bear.

I've been meaning to put in a note here about a beautiful piece of land that Rene has for sale on the fringes of Bullet Tree.  It 23 acres and is titled land.  There is a road to the property, but it is off the grid.  Thru the years Rene has planted various fruit trees and there are several large timber trees on the land.  The pieces around him have mostly been sold and seem to be to folks who want year-round homes.  He's asking $80k US, but I know there's room for negotiation.  Rene is an extremely honest, hard working Belizean, who is looking forward to being able to retire before too many years.  He can be reached at (Belize 501) 661-1840 or thru my email of     gahubbe@aol.com.  We are only doing this because we love Rene and want to help him.  We don't get anything from the sale.

Blessings,    Gale

Ready to return home

We've had an extremely hectic couple of weeks, running from Dr. to lab to my brother's and back again.  Got lots of answers, some good, some not so good, but we're doing ok.  Weren't able to get everything done, but decided to head home anyway.  We've been staying with my brother and sister-in-law in their wonderful home in Sisters, Or.   Great to have a place to stay while we dash around, but two weeks is a long time to have someone invade your home - even family. Was great to spend a little time with our two grandsons here, see our daughter and now will head up to Washington to spend a couple of days with our son & kids and then head for home. 

I love Oregon and it's diversity.  We raised out kids in Astoria, which is at the mouth of the Columbia River, just a few miles from the Pacific Ocean.  From the ocean you travel over the Coast Range, to the Willamette Valley, which is a very fertile, beautiful, busy area.  Then there's the Cascade Range.  If you haven't seen them, they're spectacular.  When traveling from our son's, south to Bend (which is in the center of the state) you get a view of several snow-capped from a single viewpoint.  What's left of Mt. St. Helens, Mt Adams, both in Washington state, Mt. Hood, Mt Jefferson, Black Butte, Three Fingered Jack, Mt Washington, The Three Sisters (three spectacular peaks just south of Sisters Oregon, Broken Top and Mt. Bachelor.  Wow!  The center of the state is known as the high desert, where they grow lots of hay and cattle.  So much to do and see and remember.

Both, heading south into Oregon and back to Washington, I wasn't able to take photos of the mtns. as there were forest fires on the Warm Springs Indian Reservation and at Mt. Jefferson, covering most of the mts. in a layer of choking smoke. 

Will be comforting to get back into our rut on our little place in Belize.   Sure have missed our Bailey.  So thankful that Rene could take care of him and our place while we're gone. 

We made it to Oregon

I've been dreading this trip to Oregon, but Art's health has necessitated it and this time I feel I needed to go with him.  All the long walking in the airports had me worried for him.  We ended up hiring a shuttle for the trip to Ladyville as no one was going on the same day as us.  We have to start coordinating our trips to save money.  One neighbor left on Tues., two left on Wed., we traveled on Thurs. and another left on Friday.  I'm hoping on our return on Sept. 6th we'll be able to ride-share.  We flew United (the old Continental) and had a fairly successful trip, by today's minimal standards.  By that I mean that they don't even offer free snacks any more.  Pay please.  We flew to Houston/ San Francisco/Pasco, Wa..  I arranged for a wheelchair to get Art thru the terminals.  He really objected and felt he could handle it, but the reality of Houston made him agree.  We were awfully glad.  He was treated with great kindness and courtesy and we were freed from waiting in long lines.  The glich that gave us a lot of concern was that we only had a 50 minute turn around in S.F.  The flight from Belize was  smooth and we arrived about 20 minutes ahead of schedule, but then our next flight, to S.F. was delayed as they had to wait for the flight crew, which was coming in on a flight from the east coast.  Ouch!  We were delayed over 1/2 hours, which really caused me a lot of stress.  Even tho' this wasn't an international flight, we still had to navigate the terminal.  The flight attendant requested that passengers remain seated so that all of us with tight connections could get off first.  Didn't work!  I plunged my way thru the aisle and dashed to the desk as I could manage and, hallelujah, the next plane was also delayed, waiting for a flight crew.  Art followed me with his faithful wheelchair and we actually had time to sit and catch our breaths before our next flight.  I felt badly as our son was waiting for us in Pasco and we ended up one hour late, arriving at 11:30pm.  He had to go to work early the next morning.  It's wonderful to see him and his three kids, Rex, 15, Charley, 13, and Jessie, 10.  We're visiting here for 3 days and then head for Oregon to my brother's and the VA visits.  

What storm?

Ernesto was heading towards Belize so we all buttoned up our places, businesses closed and the farmers worried and prayed for their corn crops.  We didn't close the shutters on our house because it would get too warm.  Tho't we'd jump up and close them when the wind started.  Before heading to bed we had a couple of very short rain showers, but little wind.  We were so surprised to wake up and realize that something must have worked because the storm veered to the north and then west again and totally missed Cayo.  Ernesto wasn't interested in us and passed us by.    The Mopan river is muddy, but hasn't risen much, which means that Guatemala didn't get much rain either.  Rene was here today and all smiles.  He said their prayers were answered and they're now hoping the corn will continue to grow towards harvest.  We appreciate our blessings. 

Ernesto-tropical storm or hurricane

I'm so pleased that we made our trip to San Pedro last week.  What luck!  The previous week Betty hadn't felt well and this week, well, here comes Ernesto.  We've had sunny and fairly mild weather, for Belize, but starting last evening, we're starting to get clouds and occasional rain.  We've all been watching the progress of this tropical storm, either via radio or internet.  It's really helpful to be able to track storms thru the National Hurricane Center or several weather sites.   A few days ago it looked as tho' Ernesto was heading NW and would take the usual course of hitting the Yucatan and Cuba.  As of yesterday it's changed to a westerly direction which puts Belize at the edge of it's path.  By the time it leaves Honduras it is expected to reach hurricane status. 

There isn't a lot we can do and we hope that the projection of 65mph winds holds true.  If so, we'll be fine.  The real worry is the rain.  The edge of hurricanes brings about 12 inches of rain in a short time.  If this continues to Guatemala, then the Mopan River will rise to flood level.  Most gringos want to have river property.  It's an obsession.  For us, we wouldn't trade our hill for riverfront.  Our main concern will be Paslow Falls Rd.  The government hasn't seen fit to work on it and it fronts on the river in a couple of places.  That could mean the road will wash out.  As a precaution, we sent the old Trooper (car) home with Rene.  If we can't drive out, we can walk over the hill and have a car to get to the store.  We closed the shutters on all the window in the guest house and will close the ones in our house tonight or whenever the wind starts blowing.  Right now it's calm and very muggy.  

Most businesses have closed or will close at noon.  All government offices closed until the storm has passed.

For us a storm can be an adventure or a worry, if strong, but for the Belizeans, it's heartbreaking.  Their diet consists mostly of carbohydrates in the form of rice and corn.  The corn crop right now is nearing harvest, with cobs just starting to fill.  This storm will wipe most or all of it out.  Corn isn't strong and the wind will knock it over and the rain will rot it.  I asked Rene when they can replant and he said probably in early November for a Jan. or Feb harvest.  In the meantime, they'll have to pay dearly for imported corn.  We'll see what happens. 

Trip to San Pedro

I've drawn and painted some, most of my life, but never really allowed myself to give it much energy.  Mostly out of fear and being a chicken has caused me to keep it to myself.  I've finally quit finding excuses and am having a ball just dabbling away.  Once you get started it gets a little addictive.  I love the children and the "faces" of Belize and am trying to capture them on paper with watercolor.  It's a tricky medium here in the tropics because of the humidity, but what fun I'm having.  

Art's been encouraging me to try to sell some, but it's daunting to decide how, where and how much.   I decided to take some where the prospects seemed the best, which is San Pedro on Ambergris Caye.  I asked two of my dear friends to go with me as I hate going to Belize City and don't know my way around.  I read that the water taxi's dock is by the swing bridge, which I'd never seen.  Turns out it's next to the route we take to make our annual trek to the Tourist Board to renew our retirement status, so now I know.  The funny thing is that in six years, neither Betty, Peggy or I had ever been to San Pedro, so we were off on our adventure. 

I was worried about leaving my truck overnight in Belize City.  There's a parking lot across the street from the taxi, but when I told them we'd be staying overnight, I was told they would take my truck to a secure lot.  It was the owner of the taxi service, so I took a chance and agreed.  Good choice as it was at his house and surrounded by a concrete wall.  I'm tired of being hesitant about things, so am trying to plunge ahead.  Hey, we moved to Belize, didn't we?  Get a grip girl and GO!  The water taxi is a small jet ferry that can probably seat about 40 to 50 people.  We headed out to sea with a short stop in Caye Caulker and then on to San Pedro.  This is where most of the tourist money goes.  It's funky, touristy, but fun.  There's water, sand, snorkeling, fishing and diving to attract the energetic.  We found Ruby's which is a reasonably priced, clean hotel, on the beach with a room that would accommodate the three of us.

 I had researched galleries and decided on one that sounded promising.  I wanted to walk around without my portfolio to check things out.  So glad I did, as I didn't like the gallery I intended to visit at all; neither the look or the philosophy.  How disappointing.  Continuing on, we did discover a beautiful gallery which looked professional and perfect.  The owner was out of the country, but I showed the sales fellow photos of my work and he encouraged me to bring my paintings in the next day.  Cutting to the chase, I did and ended up leaving a few.  Prices won't be good, but it's a start.  I'm hoping that others will enjoy my faces of Belize so that I can afford to buy more supplies.  


Getting this settled, we had a blast visiting most of the small shops, ogling the beautiful things that we don't see in Cayo.  We all agreed that those shops probably wouldn't prosper in San Ignacio as we're more a destination for trekkers and the hiking boot set.  We ate seafood and had expensive, but fantastic ice cream and had a ball.  I forgot to mention that there are very few cars in San Pedro.  The streets are narrow, but golf carts are everywhere.  There is definitely "traffic" it's just smaller vehicles.  We walked and savored everything.  


When we got back, we had to take a taxi to get the truck, but it was safe and sound.  We headed back for home with a short stop for lunch.  The trip really flew by with continued conversation and laughing.  We had such a great time.  I can't imagine better companions for my quest.  Besides having so much fun together, they were so supportive of my work and pushed me to jump in and approach the galleries.  These two ladies, along with our friend, Diane, who is in the States, are the core of my friendship family here in Belize.  We all agreed that we'd hate to live on the Caye, but it sure was fun to visit.  

Now it's back to painting.  (Just a note - I've decided not to post photos of my work until I can figure out how to do it in such a way that they won't be copied.  I've learned from experience that you can put so much of yourself into a work to have it stolen.  It seems to get easier every day).

Jobs for Belize

When we moved to Belize we were told that, as retired folks, we can't work or volunteer our services, but were to just live and of course, bring down US dollars.  By US standards we're quite poor, but to Belizeans I know it appears we may not be rich, but we have more than most of them.  We see that most of our neighbors don't have work, or if they do, it's only day work, usually building a little house or working with a machette.  There is almost no industry here outside tourism.  We hear about funds being donated to Belize by various countries, for varying reasons, but note that there's usually no noticeable sign of where the money went because it usually ends up being siphoned off into political pockets.   How foolish is it to send money to a backwards country like Belize without demanding accounting and proof that it's being spent generally as specified?  Twice in my working life I was responsible for US government grant reporting and would expect at least that same level of responsibility to accompany third world grants.  


 There are a few wealthy, generous, thinking folks in the world, such as Bill and Melinda Gates, who give so much to the poor of the world.  My view tho' is that giving computers to people with nothing is worse than nothing.  I see parents and children struggling here to pay for schooling beyond the primary grades.  Some who pay for and complete "college", which is the US equivalent of high school, go on to Galen University or the University of Belize.  They sacrifice so much, but just like in the US, there aren't many jobs waiting for any of them when they finish.  The computers and cell phones give them a hint of what is out in the world, but has very little to do to with helping them survive right here.  


What they really need (and I think this probably applies to the rest of the world too) are jobs.  Belize needs industry.  They've lived with promises, but the machette is still their best survival tool.  They're definitely not lazy, just have little hope of a better tomorrow.  In so many ways they're barely into the 20th century.  I pray that the outside world will help Belize to develop and help her to survive as a beacon of hard work in an environmentally sane direction.  

Wall of rain

We were just changing into our work shoes when I went out on the front veranda.  It has been somewhat overcast, but some sun and comfortably warm all morning.  There's a phenomenon here that I had never heard in Oregon.  Off to the east it sounded as tho' a freight train was heading for us.  No wind, just sound.  I'm getting somewhat used to it, but it's still interesting.  It was a wall of rain coming thru the bush right at us.  When it arrived we were hit with an instant downpour and wind.  I looked out at the open area across the drive and could see occasional hail bouncing.  This took about 5 minutes and now it's stopped.  We can hear thunder off in the distance, but only getting the rain dripping from the trees.  We'll wait for a bit to head back outside where I want to chop at a haleconia that is taking over the front and under the house.  Art's doing what he can to try to help and it's wonderful to be able to do things together.   

slow motion

It's frustrating that, when there's illness in the home that things seem to move in slow motion.  I don't get nearly as much done and time and dates seem to lose their importance.  I just try to keep things going by doing the basics.  It's actually good to have tasks to occupy my mind and hands.  Art's vertigo keeps him from being able to do much that's physical.  He is able to take Bailey for his short walks, which is wonderful for all of us.  I've pretty much given up on any gardening, except for a few new hibiscus and bougainvillea.  I'm additionally frustrated right now as the heavy rains that come periodically have beaten off the new little blooms on my hibiscus.  It's probably better for the plant, but I'm so anxious to see the blooms.  I've planted two Sunsets, which are a large singe bloom of bright red with splashes of bright yellow.  I did get to see one before it fell.  Actually, the blooms only last a day anyway.  I also planted a double yellow and a double orange. 

We just had a wonderful gift of a visit by one of my nephews from Oregon.  He went to Cancun for an intensive week of studying Spanish and then took the ADO (Mexican bus) down to Belize City and then the local bus to San Ignacio.  He was only here for a few days, but we had such a lovely time.  His wife and younger daughter went to Colorado to help his brother move and their older daughter was on a school trip to Spain (isn't that cool?).  We visited some of the ruins and he took a cave trip to Jaguar Paw.  Time passed way to quickly, but the family hugs did more good than any medicine.  It was hard to drop him off at the local bus depot (what a hilarious term for a muddy parking lot).  As I told him, my family worry gene kicks in and I'm not totally comfortable until I know that everyone is safely in place.  He emailed that he arrived back in Mexico safely, so I relaxed again.  

I hope that some day our daughter and son & families can come down, but the economy has made it very difficult for all of us.  Our two family guest rooms sit vacant, waiting to welcome them whenever they can come.  

I'll try to be more diligent about posting.  I enjoy this connection with family & friends.         Blessings,    Gale