It's Raining, It's Pouring

On days like these, I would follow our black lab, Lightning into the laundry room and curl up until the lightning and thunder passed. I was much younger then.

It's still terrifying to hear the rumble and see the flashes... especially at night, and in a new house. The house leaked quite a bit on the SE side, especially when the wind blew sideways. And every time the thunder rumbled, the house shook.

I started out in the RV, which sways quite a bit in a rough storm like this. The giant bamboo booster tower is tied to the RV and it pulls the vehicle in all directions. It's quite like being on boat in bad weather! I lasted about a half hour, but my bones started to tremble, so I moved to the house.

Tetra was still asleep, and had been sleeping since we got home from town around 7:30. I honestly wanted to just curl up with her, but knew I would sleep better if I finished some aspect of work. So, I set up my old laptop by the bed so I could do both. Matt joined us in bed, and we fell asleep quite easily.

Speaking of wind and laptops - if you hadn't heard, I had to send in the new computer for repair. It was Friday. The day was calm, calm, calm. I sat at the table at the palapa working on the laptop. The wifi, I had placed in the hammock. A giant gust of wind came, and I heard the wifi drop. Matt and I locked eyes, and he gave me the look I give him when the baby drops; the "you know you could have prevented that" look. I raced for the wifi, lest it drop in the lagoon. Next gust of wind. Computer down. It tumbled and rolled. It was a terrifying sight. There was silence. They waited for me to curse, but I did not.

I let it rest. We ate breakfast. I tried it again and it worked except for a glitch on the right of the screen. Over the next few days, the display deteriorated. I copied the essential files to a flash drive on Matt's recommendation. Less than an hour later, the machine was done.

I sent it to Ava on Monday, and Apple is sending Ava a box for repair. It's a convoluted system because Belize is not a big Apple market, and there are no resources for repair, including mailing service. So, hopefully it can be fixed, and hopefully, my little 2006 MacBook will keep me going until then.

So - the rain is here - the baby is good - the work is good, but the tools are broke - the house is good, but the plumbing is shabby - the dogs are wet, and I met a baby iguana yesterday.

END.

Seasons Change

The water is calm, and has been calm since the rainy season began on June 1^st. We’ve been observing lots of changes after the shift in the season. One of my favorites was the hatching of the fairies. I also love watching the black cat birds (although they were active before the season too). The flamboyant tree went into bloom right before the rains, and watching the storms pass is always a joy.

When the first big rain came, on the first day of rainy season, I had just started my walk with Tetra to the front bathroom. The rain had calmed quite a bit, and I took her into the bathroom with me. While inside, I noticed a few small flying creatures which I had never seen before.

When we exited, I noticed they were all around us! …tiny creatures with long narrow wings, fluttering around as if dancing, socializing, and enjoying a sense of freedom. I told Tetra they were fairies, but I don’t think she was nearly as moved as I was.

Soon after, Matt approached and said, “There are these awful bugs flying everywhere around the RV!” He looked them up, and consulted Luciano. Sources suggest that they are termite queens or ‘wood lice’ queens. Regardless, I think they’re beautiful to watch and insist they must be related to fairies.

The black cat birds are described in our 101 Birds of Belize book as “secretive,” yet, we see them daily in the clearing by the cabana. There have been as many as 4 females and one male. The dance the male performs is quite a sight. He poofs out his feathers and puffs them a few times. Eventually, he may jump into the air and hover over the female for a good length of time. Then he returns to the ground and makes one circle, pivoting from the female at about a 3’ radius. We never see any copulation after that, but it’s quite a fun dance!

Our Flamboyant tree has minimal leaves, which are thin and fernlike. It produces giant pods of seeds, and a gazillion persimmon colored flowers. It is one of the most flowery trees I have ever seen, and is quite a sight to see.

And, in regards to the weather… well, I’ve always enjoyed watching the weather. It gives me a sense of motion, of motivation. I may have mentioned that I feel I can see the Earth move at Honey Camp. The clouds and lightning roll past above, as the water flows below and the trees blow all around.

With all that, I’ve not even mentioned the butterflies, which are varied and frequent, or the house, which is coming along.

Yes – we are sleeping there now, and it feels sooooo nice.