March 13
Life in the jungle: Considering how hot yesterday morning was I didn’t not see this morning’s weather coming. This morning was cool and overcast. I started the morning chopping in the coconut field. Instead of focusing on the Sensible weeds as usual I am starting in one corner of the field and going from one coconut tree to the next cleaning underneath each tree and the surrounding area as I go.
After breakfast I was so motivated to continue in the coconut field I did just that even though I knew physically it wasn’t really a good idea. My right arm/elbow can only take so much and it is exhausting work. It didn’t take long before I found myself in my hammock for a few hours. When I finally did get around to getting back to work it started to rain.
This rain is probably a good thing as my renewed ambition to get something done had me focus on overdue housework. I started cleaning in the master bedroom and made my way part way into the living room.
But this rain has me confused. I don’t think we are getting a proper dry this season. Which on one hand is really good for my coconut field. I noticed this morning that so far most of my transplants from December are looking pretty good. But for some other projects that are overdue this rain is really bad.
This evening dealing with a slow internet signal I was looking at some websites and YouTube videos on aquaponics.
March 14
Life in the jungle: Another day of rain today. I did not see this weather coming. Good thing that yesterday I got myself into the house cleaning mood. I spent the entire day house cleaning. First the loft (my bedroom), then the kitchen, then the living room and lastly the bathroom. Today was the most extensive full day of house cleaning since arriving in Belize. As much as I am a clean and neat freak I wonder how long before I need to do another such cleaning.
March 15
Life in the jungle: I started my morning chopping around and de-vining my coconuts. It was a hot one today. Derrick showed up later in day. He is pulling Jacks electric power poles out of the ground and off my land. He needs the poles and wire to hook up his electricity to Wayne’s house now.
I realized today that in about 2 months I turn 49. When I look in the mirror, I don’t feel a day over 25. How can it be that old that I am about to turn 49? And my body has been sore. I feel like I am 65 most days. But how can that be? I am physical everyday all day. My physique is better than it’s been in years.
Again, this evening I spent a few hours before bed reading and taking notes from the Belize aquaponics Facebook group.
March 16
Life in the jungle: Belize immigration took an hour this morning which is still 50 minutes longer than necessary. Fortunately, I had no drama like last month. The rest of my time in the city was hot but uneventful.
After getting back to the house and doing some yard work I found a 4ft male boa. This was an awesome discovery. I have also noticed that the black Howler monkeys are hanging out closer to the farm now. It seemed like they have been keeping their distance for the past months.
Boa Constrictor found in some debris behind the house
Match 17
Life in the jungle: I started my morning in the coconut field de-vining more coconuts. After breakfast I could not decide on my next job so I napped in my hammock. When I eventually got my butt in gear, I did some yard work in the river lot. Just like yesterday finding the boa constrictor with my rake I uncovered a mud turtle.
March 18
Life in the jungle: I slept in a bit. After getting myself in gear I headed to the coconut field. After breakfast I couldn’t get motivated. Also, over the last week I have noticed that the heat is “on.” I am not sure if that is why I am not feeling very motivated all of a sudden. I decided to take a jungle walk. It didn’t take long for me to get lost. I was only partly lost. I was between the river and the road but there is a lot of jungle between the river and the road. In a sense at any given moment, I could come out on the road in 10 minutes or 3 hours. And until I stumbled on to the road, I would have no idea where I was. It’s definitely important for me not to wander aimlessly in the jungle as it would be very easy to get myself in trouble if I tried this on the other side of the road.
Towards the end of the day after much of the heat had disappeared, I weed wacked a section of the yard. This job really sucks when its hot out.
March 19
Life in the jungle: I was up before 6am. And started my morning in the coconut field. After breakfast I did a bit of yard work at the river lot. I burned one pile of brush and later in the day burned a tank of fuel with the chainsaw cutting out small stumps. In the middle of the afternoon, I did my grocery shopping.
Lots of brush at the river lot
The last few days there has been a flock of vultures that are gliding/ circling with the wind. I thought it was a one-off event the other day but this is the third day in a row I have witnessed this event.
For a few days a massive flock of vultures have been gliding with local winds (Vultures are the black specs in sky)
Lo moth caterpillars found on my coconut tree
March 20
Life in the jungle: First day of spring 2022. Two years ago, the Covid pandemic started (for me) and I woke up in Kingston, Ontario after pedaling 4,900 kms through the 2019-20 winter. I would spend the next 2 months in Kingston. Last year I was in Las Vegas taking 2 months off for the third wave of Covid and waiting for warmer weather to arrive in Utah. Today I am in Belize.
I slept in a bit. I heard it raining first thing. I figured there was no point in rushing to work. As usual I headed to the coconut field to work. But this should be my last day in the coconut field for a while. I have completed an entire inspection and cleaning of the coconut field except for a large branch off a tree that I need to use my chainsaw on.
After breakfast I took a nap. It’s Sunday and I can’t help but find myself still not very motivated to work even though I have tons of work to do. After my nap I cleaned/dug dirt out of my rain water drain ditch. It’s been 10 years since I dug dirt out of it. I used the dirt to complete a new path from my front yard to the road. After that pathway was completed, I started leveling the ground behind the house. I did that until dark. Overall, the morning was very hot but the rest of the day had a nice breeze.
Digging out my drainage ditch and using the dirt to make a path to the road
Belize Part 15 (March 5 to 12)
Belize Part 16 (Feb 19 to March 4)
Glossary
Glossary of words or people that may or may not be part of this blog post. This glossary will be at the bottom of every blog post for Belize.
Jack & Jill – These are my ex-property managers (names changed). They are Canadian, they introduced me to Belize in 1997, sold me their house in Belize in 2003, and rebuilt my house from 2014 to 2018. I have known them for over 30 years. After almost 20 years of me supporting their life here in Belize Jack decided quite unexpectedly to declare “war” on me right before Christmas 2021. They live on the farm, but not on my land.
Wayne – He is the son of the original owners of the farm (both owners are deceased). The original farm was 2 – 30 acre pieces minus 2 – ¾ acre parcels for my house and 2 – ¾ acre parcels that Jack & Jill own which were all originally purchased from the original owners. In 2017 Wayne sold me 40 acres of land from the original 60 acres (30 acres plus 10 acres). Wayne lives in his parent house and has a few cows on his remaining 17 acres of land.
Nery – a local in the area that helps me with certain projects when needed. A very knowledgeable guy originally from El Salvador. He teaching me a lot about farming and tree.
Derrick – a local in the village that helps me with certain projects when needed. Mostly he helped early on after my arrival to Belize. He doesn’t help me so much into the future.
The ponds – I have 2 large (300ft long x 50ft wide x 10ft deep) ponds on my 30 acre parcel of land which is basically jungle. I have about 60 coconut trees (mostly mature) around the ponds. I have plans to plant a few hundred papaya trees here plus other fruit bearing trees around the ponds.
The coconut field – I have about 400 coconut trees planted (various growth states) on about 3 acres of cleared land of the 10 acre parcel. I plan to add various fruit trees to the same field as soon as I can.
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
The dry – Belize has 2 main seasons. The rainy season and the dry (no rain)
Chopping – using my machete to clear brush and unwanted trees
