Wow...the last 4 weeks have flown by so fast! I guess it's true that time flies when you're having fun. It doesn't even seem possible that it is May already and May is half over. We’ve been in Belize for 3 months now and it’s feeling pretty comfortable!
Things here have been moving along nicely with home construction and continuing to get settled into our new routine. We usually travel into town (Orange Walk or Corozal) at least once a week and have been to Belize City a couple of times in the last month, too. We have chosen paint colors, tile samples, light fixtures, fans and bathroom faucets and sinks. The inside walls are up, the slabs are poured and the next step will be the plastering and the ceiling. Hope you have been able to follow the progress with our photos! No work today due to rain off and on for the last 15 hours (the parrots are partying this morning in the cool damp air).
We applied for and have been accepted to the QRP (qualified retired persons) incentive program. This required dealing with red tape here in Belize as well as over the phone/internet to AZ, but finally, with a lot of people's help, things were accomplished. Now we can return to the U.S. to pick up some more of our "stuff" to bring back to our new home duty/tax-free. We will fly to AZ sometime in the next 2 weeks, buy a truck, trailer and appliances and drive back to Belize through Mexico in the middle to end of next month. Scott, the guy who sold us our lot, has agreed to meet us in Brownsville, TX to show us the ropes through Mexico. We've heard some borderline horror stories about gringos in that country, so his experience will be invaluable. I’m sure there will be more adventure to report!
Our house in AZ is currently on the market, but Janessa will continue to live there and care for it for the time being (she will be starting her new job as a cake decorator in Phoenix sometime in the next couple of weeks. Yeah!)
Rick has been working right along with the crew or on odd jobs around the lot. He continues to drop weight (maybe 30 pounds now) and will need new clothes or at least a new belt soon. Linda suffered a rib injury a couple of weeks ago, so exercise has been limited, but things are starting to heal now and her clothes are starting to hang differently, too. We moved from Ed and Dee's guest house to our RV about 10 days ago thereby giving up Dee's excellent Italian cooking for dinner every night. That, in and of itself, will help encourage our weight loss!
There have been a couple of incidents that have kept us on our toes lately. A few days ago while the crew was pouring the patio slab for the house the electricity went off ( a common occurrence). Because the well water pump doesn't function without electricity, Ed decided to connect to the water tank on the RV. They were able to finish the slab with the water from the tank and shortly after completion the electricity came back on. Only then did we realize that the buttons that were pushed to change the water flow also affected our toilet. OMG! What a mess!!! That was definitely an adventure I could have lived without! Then, this morning I was making breakfast (french toast) and opened the kitchen drawer to retrieve the pot holders only to come face to face with a tennis-ball-sized mouse. I actually screamed! Rick is headed into the village now to see if there are any traps available. Ewwwwwwww! Other than those two episodes, the only negatives have been the heat/humidity (unusually high for this time of year) and the mosquitoes (in the early am and late afternoon we have to be vigilant with monitoring our outdoor activities). We purchased a couple of tire inner tubes recently and when we get a chance we're going to use them to float around on the lagoon...the water is perfect temperature for cooling off on all of these hot days.
Dee and I spent a couple of hours last week in the “Entertainment Center” in Orange Walk. This is basically a small establishment with slot machines. I found out I am no more lucky in Belize on slot machines than I am in the United States…lol! It was a fun way to spend some time though. Yesterday Ed and Dee threw another poker game and this time Rick and I both came out ahead. A few of the players were people that we met at the last game and a couple of people were new friends. Everyone seemed to have a great time. Besides poker and slot machines, we also have been spending a lot of time playing cards and/or dominoes. There were a couple of days last week where my luck was incredible and nobody could beat me at anything. I often wonder how that works…nevertheless, my luck has returned to normal now.
Gracie’s puppies are 7 weeks old today and are as cute as ever. Not sure if I already mentioned it, but I named one of the puppies that Ed and Dee are keeping...“Diablo” because she is a little devil. She is the runt of the litter but thinks that she is in charge. The other puppy that they are keeping has been named “Goldie” in remembrance of another dog that they had in the past. The puppies and Gracie will be in charge of security on the property as the lots continue to sell and the boundaries are extended. A guy arrived last night from Hawaii to survey the lots that are available and to report back to friends/family at home for possible future purchase. Our community may be growing! Will keep you posted. Thanks for following our adventures!