How to survive in PARADISE!

A typical week just completed...hot and humid, requiring more air conditioning use. We are still transitioning to wet season, and May seems to be the most humid ever...95% humidity! The pool is barely cool most days, registering a warm 90 degrees F. Just getting wet, and drying off in any breeze does help.We are having thunderstorms all around and sometimes overhead. Unfortunately, they don't relieve the mugginess.

Electrical outages continue; they are more frequent than we remember from last year, and very annoying, as is our current issue with not having consistently hot water for our morning showers. Chris can stand the barely tepid shower, but I need to steel myself for that first onslaught of cold! BRR! So this is paradise you say? Maybe, and maybe not so much. The frog visitors in the pool come and go...a new species, folks: Lewis Pool Frog:

Some other "visitors" were killed off this past week. We had been watching the "leaf-cutter ants" with great interest, despite knowing their herbivorous reputation, and they have already devoured two of our white gingers at the front -TWICE! These industrious little critters work all day back and forth on their trails - dubbed the "Ho Chi Minh" by us, carrying petals and leaves to their nest(s). They sometimes looked like they were paragliding on the patio when the breeze caught their petals! We went from two nests to about 14 in less than a month! We were so fascinated we didn't pay much attention to their antics until we were told by Don that they had devoured two hibiscus belonging to neighbours Tim and Cathy. OOPS! Connie came by with powdered "hormitox" which she sprinkled liberally along the trails and around all the anthills. Within hours...no more ants. Strange as you may find this, we were saddened by the demise of these wee creatures! Fortunately, hormitox is biodegradable, and non-toxic to humans and larger animals. It is used quite liberally in this country of non-awareness of ecological concerns. There is a movement to be more "green" but it hasn't caught on. Garbage is open-pit/dump, and plastic bags are used like they may not last. When we shop, we are the only ones in the checkout using our cloth bags from Canada! We still hope we can inspire others to think about this, and make a bit of a show with filling our bags. El REY sells cloth bags for about $1.05!

Our neighbours-to-be, Paul and Marilyn, have lost their adoptee, "Paya" who was a sweetheart of a big pup. She wandered too much and hasn't been seen for about two weeks now.They came to view the progress of their house today, carrying a little guy they call Buster...

Buster and Marilyn

He is still a bit wobbly, but so adorable. At least I will get some vicarious fun from this little fella! Mitzi would like to play with him no doubt.  We shopped a few days ago, and she noted that Chris had left the bottom of the beer carton on the counter, so adopted it as her nap bed. We can't throw it away now...

Mitzi...15 months old

Friday evening, we went with Tom and Theresa to Segreto, our latest restaurant discovery and had another super meal. They are here for less than two weeks this visit, and we so enjoy their company. I need to have a small get-together while they are available. My second book is dedicated to Theresa and Bogart - she was moved by this when I gave her a signed copy! Love this little lady -my lil' sis...