My Angel’s Trumpet plant is finally blooming – highly poisonous
February 16
Life in Belize: First thing, I wrote Belize blog Part 206. After feeding the chickens, I dug and prepared three forms for footings for a new trellis that I’m making for two grape vines I acquired a few months ago. I also planted 130 Mahogany seeds.
Feeshly planted mahogany seeds
After breakfast, I chopped in the coconut field for a few hours. Today was probably the hottest day so far this year. It was hot and no breeze.
Later in the afternoon, I started building the passion fruit trellis that I just finished making the footings for yesterday.
Yellow-billed Cacique birds like to hang around my chicken coops
February 17
Life in the jungle: Waking up this morning, I couldn’t help but notice that this was the first morning this year that I didn’t wake up cold. This year, the mornings have been unseasonably “cold” for the Belize I have become accustomed to.
I shared my What It’s Really Like to Live in the Jungles of Belize blog post to Facebook groups. Every week for over six months, I share a blog post to about 25 Belize Facebook groups and 10 off-grid groups and reptile photos to 15 photo groups.
After feeding the chickens, I mixed half a bag of cement and made three footings for my two grape vine (yet to be planted) trellises. After breakfast, I chopped in the coconut field for a few hours.
While chopping in my coconut field, I was thinking about how realistic it is to get bitten by a Fer-de-Lance snake on any given day. And then I thought, while it’s not in my behavior to necessarily panic, I wondered if I would actually remember what to do or not do in the moment. I realized that writing out the essentials and sticking them to the fridge might not be a bad idea.
In the last part of the afternoon, I started framing a small greenhouse to grow/start seeds for vegetables. I am determined to start growing my own vegetables. Back in December, I planted a lot of seeds in cups, and then we had heavy rains, and it was impossible to protect the seeds as they had no cover. I also learned that for better results, pots/cups should be watered from below, not from above. So, I’m building a small greenhouse (8x6ft) to be able to better control rain and watering.
Snake bite instruction stuck on the fridge, just in case.
If you live in an isolated area with venomous snakes, this might be a good idea to do.
February 18
Life in the jungle: This morning, I published my Coconut Water Benefits: Why You Should Drink Coconut Water Daily in Belize blog post. This post is part of a new series of posts to help create a new habit of adding new superfoods from the jungle to my diet. [Since writing the post, I drink a coconut water every day after feeding my chickens.]
After feeding the chickens, I continued framing the new seed greenhouse. After a fairly late breakfast, I chopped in the coconut field. Later in the afternoon, I returned to framing the seed greenhouse. It’s mostly framed.
A new seed-rearing greenhouse
February 19
Life in the jungle: This morning, I published my Pioneer Trees of Belize: Nature’s First Responders in Rainforest Recovery blog post. After feeding the chickens, I worked on the various trellises I have started recently. I framed my grape vine trellis, and then I started framing my passion fruit/greenhouse trellis. After breakfast, I chopped in the coconut field. Later in the afternoon, I continued with the trellis until I ran out of lumber. I’m 4 – 2×4’s short of completing this 60-foot trellis.
My grapevine trellis – photo taken a few weeks later, after being totally completed
February 20
Life in the jungle: First thing, I worked on some SEO tweaks on a few blog posts. After feeding the chickens, I did some clean up after all the weeks’ projects. I then bagged 63 mahogany seeds. My greenhouse is filling up quickly with Mahogany seed bags.
More mahogany seeds being planted
After breakfast, I chopped in the coconut field. The coconut field is completed and ready for the bushhog. It just so happened that the road got bushhogged today, and it looks like a whole other road. In the afternoon, I went to the village for supplies and delivered eggs.
The inside of my greenhouse is starting to fill
February 21
Life in the jungle: First thing, I figured out the blogs I need to write for March. I now have quite a few (and new) series where I plan to write/add one new post to each month. After feeding the chickens, I mixed half a bag of cement and poured the footings for my seed greenhouse, plus four patio stones.
After breakfast, I cleaned up the larger cabana and had a small job finishing the recently installed windows. I’ve been distracted by other work, and it’s time to get back to work on the cabana. In the last part of the afternoon, I worked on my recently started grape vine trellis.
This morning, the bushhog showed up and cut the coconut field. It was in desperate need. The last time it was done was earlier last year, before the heavy equipment work was done last May.
Footings for my new mini-greenhouse
February 22
Life in the jungle: On a spontaneous impulse, I started a new blog post about Black-tail Cribo snakes. After feeding the chickens, I mixed half a bag of cement and made 13 patio stones.
I took my Sunday nap in my hammock. There was an unexpected (heavy) rain shower that dumped a fair bit of rain this afternoon.
I had pretty much no motivation to do much else today. Which is my prerogative on Sundays. If I’m not motivated, it means that’s how much I need a break. I did do some reading as I’m attempting to spend time reading on Sundays, but like last week, I found the book boring.
February 23
Life in the jungle: First thing, I continued working on my Black-tail Cribo snake post. It’s basically written and will be called Black-tailed Indigo Snake on My Farm in Belize: An Ecologically Important Snake You Want Around.
After feeding the chickens, I chopped and worked in the coconut field. I pretty much did this all day until I had to run up to the village to drop off some money for insect cloth and poly plastic for my new seed greenhouse. Because the coconut field was bushhogged yesterday, this was a perfect time to do a walk around and chop any areas the tractor missed or couldn’t reach.
It was overcast and cool all day and evening. That’s why I chose to work in the coconut field all day.
A freshly cut road
It’s hard to imagine how challenging it is to use this road in the rainy season.
And it’s crazy to consider how many jaguars and mountain lions cross this road in a year.
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 Life in Belize blog post.
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.
Top-Gallon – The local term for when the Belize River floods its banks during the rainy season.
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 rainy season starts around June 1 and goes until the end of the year. It seems June, November, and December are the wettest times of the year.
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.
I arrived at my home on November 25, 2021, by bicycle from Canada. I have journaled my daily adventures every day since. Since I have arrived, I have built a 1,000 sq-ft shade cloth greenhouse, a tiny apartment that I refer to as my greenhouse apartment. I also started and am close to completion of two small cabanas that I refer to as my smaller cabana and my larger cabana. The apartment and cabanas are for visitors and people wishing to move to my farm. I’m also getting close to completing an additional 1,600 sq-ft shade cloth greenhouse.
