A Mexican Masked tree frog
The day before, I went to the village to arrange for multiple deliveries of cement blocks to complete a greenhouse floor expansion. During the rainy season, it’s only by fluke that the road dries out enough for a medium-weight (not dump truck) truck to be able to come down our road. The problem is that the window of opportunity can close at any moment with a rain shower. And if that rain shower is heavy enough, the road could be closed for weeks or months.
I needed at least three deliveries of blocks. My hope was that if the local hardware store came first thing in the morning, then there would be time for a second delivery later in the day, as long as there was no rain.
As a result of the hardware store having problems getting their cement block factory started, I have been waiting way over six months for blocks. The road will finally be dry enough for these critical deliveries, but at any hour, it could rain during the rainy season.
August 2
Life in the jungle: First thing I brought five cement blocks (to use as fill) with the wheelbarrow halfway down the road to fill a bad spot. I was anticipating a load of cement blocks this morning. Getting back to the house, I was exhausted. My allergies were really bad yesterday and this morning. I think that contributed to my exhaustion. I took a nap, thinking it wouldn’t be long before a load of cement blocks showed up. Except it never showed. After lunch, I shovelled dirt. I spent the whole afternoon filling trenches and filling around the greenhouse floor expansion. My allergies did improve after my nap. For some reason, my body is really feeling it.
I found today to be very mentally frustrating. I have been waiting over three weeks for a surveyor about my land titles to get back to me. He won’t return my messages. I also set up my website for coaching and consulting, but I don’t have a phone for video chats. (My camera lens is cracked.) I have been waiting almost five months for one that was promised to me. I have been waiting over six months for these cement blocks.
I messaged multiple times about my cement block delivery with NO replies and no communication. I need about 1,000 four-inch cement blocks ASAP. If Andy didn’t need this greenhouse expansion floor so much, I would just cancel the whole order and wait until the dry season and buy from someone else.
Finally, at a quarter to six, a delivery truck finally showed up, and we unloaded 300 4-inch cement blocks. The million-dollar question is, will it rain between now (Saturday night) and Monday?
I was too exhausted to even bother to make dinner tonight. I went to bed at 8 PM.
August 3
Life in the jungle: Even though today is my down day, I still do a little work on Sunday mornings. With yesterday’s block delivery, I finally got back to working on the greenhouse floor expansion.
At about 10 AM, I hit the hammock for my Sunday nap. Before I could determine the remainder of my afternoon, my youngest brother called me for my birthday, which was actually on May 18th.
No rain today, hopefully I get a cement block delivery tomorrow.
A few interesting birds recorded on my Merlin app today
August 4
Life in the jungle: First thing, I mixed half a bag of cement to fill in some gaps in the greenhouse expansion floor. I was then quite shocked to have my (second) cement block delivery. I was exhausted and extremely tempted to take a nap afterwards. But instead, after lunch, I laid about 250 cement blocks on the floor. At the end of the day, a second (or the third in total) cement block delivery showed up. That was two deliveries of 300 cement blocks each that I had to unload with the driver today.
I have been overwhelmed lately with my workload. Also, my right-side chest has been sore for the last few days. I think it was my allergies the other day. I was sneezing so hard I think I bruised my ribs. Raking the gravel (greenhouse floor base) and lifting cement blocks with a sore chest isn’t so much fun.
It was a very long day. About an hour after the blocks arrived, there was some light rain and thunder. My prediction is that there will be rain tonight.
Finally, get some cement blocks laid
August 5
Life in the jungle: Sure enough, there was rain in the night and later on this afternoon. I would have been frustrated beyond words if both those cement block deliveries hadn’t been delivered yesterday. But that is how the rainy season works here in Belize. With my road in the condition that it’s in, I just wish the hardware store would show both consideration and common sense. But if I make my thoughts known, I am just an entitled foreigner.
First thing, I headed to the village to pay for said cement blocks. Because of the rainy weather and recent workload, returning home, I decided to hit the hammock. If I fell asleep, then I needed it. If I didn’t, I would get up and get back to work. I fell asleep.
After lunch, I wrote Belize Parts 175, 176, and this post.
August 6
Life in the jungle: There was some rain in the night. So, this morning, I published Belize blog Parts 168, 169, and 170 before lunch.
After lunch, I wrote and worked on a new Belize jungle lifestyle blog post called the Do’s and Don’ts of Living in the Jungle. I got it written, cut and pasted into my website drafts, along with all outbound links added. All that’s left is picking photos and SEO optimizing the post.
August 7
Life in the jungle: First thing, I headed to the ponds and replanted 10 baby papayas and did some chopping. I found myself extremely unmotivated.
After lunch, I knew the only job that could keep me motivated was laying cement blocks for the greenhouse floor expansion. Something about the repetitive and simplistic nature of the task would keep me on autopilot for the rest of the day. I worked until dark and got 210 blocks laid. I’m exhausted.
I checked on the Morelets crocodile nest at the ponds.
It seems very flat. I’m not sure what to make of it.
August 8
Life in the jungle: I spent the whole day laying cement blocks. I only got about 240 laid today. I was a little slow with progress because I also had to add gravel and sand mix to the base in the area I was covering with blocks.
Not even a breeze today. By the end of the day, I was totally exhausted as usual.
Getting closer to done!
CatGPT upgraded today
August 9
Life in the jungle: I spent the whole day laying cement blocks. My last 235 blocks. I’m now out, and actually about 100 blocks short. Today I had really bad allergies.
Jamie, my internet tower guy, showed up for some minor tower maintenance. I have been waiting for him since February. He only lives about four miles away.
Internet tower maintenance
Glossary of Terms
Glossary of words or people that may or may not be part of this particular blog post. This glossary will be at the bottom of every blog post for Belize.
Wayne – He is the son of the original owners of the farm (both owners are deceased). The original farm was two – 30-acre parcels minus two – ¾ acre parcels for my house. In 2017, Wayne sold me 40 acres of land from the original 60 acres (one 30-acre parcel plus 10 acres from the second parcel). Wayne lives in his parents’ house and has a few cows on his remaining 18 acres of land.
The ponds – I have two large (300ft long x 50ft wide x 10ft deep) ponds on my 30-acre parcel of land, which is basically a jungle. I have about 60 coconut trees (mostly mature) around the ponds. In my first two years of living in Belize, I also planted about 250 assorted fruit tree seedlings (Lime, jackfruit, custard apple, pomegranate, and avocado).
The coconut field – I have about 400 coconut trees planted (various growth states) on about 3 acres of cleared land of my 10-acre parcel. I have planted about 350 assorted fruit trees (lemon, starfruit, mango, soursop, cashew, lime, orange), all raised from seed since my arrival in Belize in 2021.
The river lot – my house sits on a ¾ acre lot. I have a second joining ¾ acre lot that allows me river frontage on the Belize River. I call that my river lot.
The dry – Belize has two main seasons. The rainy season and the dry season (no rain). The wet is obviously the rainy season.
Chopping – using my machete to clear brush, vines, weeds, and unwanted trees. Generally, when I chop, I am removing unwanted vegetation around my baby fruit trees.
Andy – A fellow Canadian who rode his dirt bike from Canada to Belize at the end of 2023. When I offered Andy the use of an apartment that I recently built and the use of my greenhouse, Andy decided to stay in Belize permanently and start a hot sauce company here.
