The Tortilla Delivery Bike Of five banana trees, four are now in fruit. Once ripened, there will be just a couple of weeks between each bunch to eat, freeze, or give away the long (regular) bananas and the short (apple) bananas. Meanwhile, we'll start watering the trees every few days to be sure the current dry season doesn't overly affect quality.
Months of heavy rains or "wet season" (which normally ends around October/November) extended through December and into January and literally put a damper on tourism and traveling, not to mention complete villages isolated due to flooding and impossible to navigate roads. Now it appears the dry season has set in. Here in the Yucatan Peninsula it is normally hot and humid, especially June thru August. If you don't live along the coast, it can be to be swelteringly hot, with monsoon-like downpours of rain in the early evening that usually pass within a short time leaving the night dryer and cooler. Hurricane season (June-October, sometimes extends into November) usually brings wetter weather and makes weather forecasting less accurate. The high season in this part of Mexico is December through May - the months with the most comfortable and driest weather. We live a block from Chetumal Bay and as long as The Easterlies (winds traveling east to west) are flowing, our weather,though humid, is tempered by the fairly constant ocean temperatures.
Mexico is a big country and there are many local climates. From the shore to deserts to mountains, there's enough variety to please any traveler.
We are of the opinion, when it comes to plants, that no special life support measures will be attempted. Everything going into ground has a DNR on file: Do Not Resuscitate. If it has the will to live in the tropics, it best do so on its own. Needless to say you'll find neither tulips nor crocuses in our yard. We'll help with soil amelioration and supplemental watering for newcomers (transplants) and fruiters (the banana trees for example) but that's it. So far, I don't think we have killed anything though the dogs,
always looking for a cool, comfortable spot, do their share of damage in some of the plots. Fancy rock borders will have to be replaced by sturdier fence. Annie,the Black-Mouthed Cur, is the prime offender. As I write I see she's digging a spot under the
banana trees. Her equivalent of the hammock.
The pack has seemingly settled down after two weeks of "getting to know you" following Amy's arrival. Amy and Khan are playmates during the day as they are closer in size and attitude. At night, it's Khan and Joey guarding the yard whilst Amy and Annie are the inside guard dogs. Annie, as the dowager, gets special attention and remains number two in the pack, followed by Amy who loves to roam all the property, then Joey, who remains adverse to grass unless necessary to stop the garbage men from "stealing" our stuff. Joey is not especially attentive to either of the humans unless one of us is in the kitchen. Then she sits smack dab in the middle of the room, patiently waiting for some bit of food to drop. Sometimes, but not often, her patience is rewarded. After all, the little hussy appears preggers and is, I'm quite certain, eating for more than one.
We have a new Gringo in Calderitas who has just moved in to his very nice waterfront property a bit north of town. As we will soon be losing another good friend and his family to a new life in USofA, the status quo ante shall be preserved. A few properties either for rent or sale now have their advertising signs removed - there is less available inventory than before but still some nice properties for those interested. The lot next door, for example, is looking for someone other than me to care for it. Comes complete with lime and orange trees. You know, in case you're interested...
Alas dear readers, I have no recipe to share this week. Not even a "This is on the menu for sometime soon" forewarning. I have been quite busy in other endeavors and the evening meal seems to catch me by surprise. Perhaps the next few days will prove different and I can squeeze in a surprise for you. Until next time...Buen provecho!
Months of heavy rains or "wet season" (which normally ends around October/November) extended through December and into January and literally put a damper on tourism and traveling, not to mention complete villages isolated due to flooding and impossible to navigate roads. Now it appears the dry season has set in. Here in the Yucatan Peninsula it is normally hot and humid, especially June thru August. If you don't live along the coast, it can be to be swelteringly hot, with monsoon-like downpours of rain in the early evening that usually pass within a short time leaving the night dryer and cooler. Hurricane season (June-October, sometimes extends into November) usually brings wetter weather and makes weather forecasting less accurate. The high season in this part of Mexico is December through May - the months with the most comfortable and driest weather. We live a block from Chetumal Bay and as long as The Easterlies (winds traveling east to west) are flowing, our weather,though humid, is tempered by the fairly constant ocean temperatures.
Mexico is a big country and there are many local climates. From the shore to deserts to mountains, there's enough variety to please any traveler.
We are of the opinion, when it comes to plants, that no special life support measures will be attempted. Everything going into ground has a DNR on file: Do Not Resuscitate. If it has the will to live in the tropics, it best do so on its own. Needless to say you'll find neither tulips nor crocuses in our yard. We'll help with soil amelioration and supplemental watering for newcomers (transplants) and fruiters (the banana trees for example) but that's it. So far, I don't think we have killed anything though the dogs,
always looking for a cool, comfortable spot, do their share of damage in some of the plots. Fancy rock borders will have to be replaced by sturdier fence. Annie,the Black-Mouthed Cur, is the prime offender. As I write I see she's digging a spot under the
banana trees. Her equivalent of the hammock.
The pack has seemingly settled down after two weeks of "getting to know you" following Amy's arrival. Amy and Khan are playmates during the day as they are closer in size and attitude. At night, it's Khan and Joey guarding the yard whilst Amy and Annie are the inside guard dogs. Annie, as the dowager, gets special attention and remains number two in the pack, followed by Amy who loves to roam all the property, then Joey, who remains adverse to grass unless necessary to stop the garbage men from "stealing" our stuff. Joey is not especially attentive to either of the humans unless one of us is in the kitchen. Then she sits smack dab in the middle of the room, patiently waiting for some bit of food to drop. Sometimes, but not often, her patience is rewarded. After all, the little hussy appears preggers and is, I'm quite certain, eating for more than one.
We have a new Gringo in Calderitas who has just moved in to his very nice waterfront property a bit north of town. As we will soon be losing another good friend and his family to a new life in USofA, the status quo ante shall be preserved. A few properties either for rent or sale now have their advertising signs removed - there is less available inventory than before but still some nice properties for those interested. The lot next door, for example, is looking for someone other than me to care for it. Comes complete with lime and orange trees. You know, in case you're interested...
Alas dear readers, I have no recipe to share this week. Not even a "This is on the menu for sometime soon" forewarning. I have been quite busy in other endeavors and the evening meal seems to catch me by surprise. Perhaps the next few days will prove different and I can squeeze in a surprise for you. Until next time...Buen provecho!
