Where I get my food: pineapples!

Ok so technically I just buy my pineapples at the market.  They cost US $1.50.  But I had no idea pineapples grew like this!  And all you have to do is cut the top part with the leaves off and stick it in the ground.  And then wait like 3 years.

Tropical Sunsets

There is just something about the sunsets in Belize--  or maybe the tropics in general-- that just blow away all North American sunsets I've ever seen.  This time of year for some reason are extra spectacular.  Our house was designed with a wall of windows on the west side so we can look at the sunset every day.  This time of year we step outside every evening and just stop for a few moments to appreciate the gorgeous variety of light. Here are some of my favorites.

I like goats.  They are inquisitive and friendly, and pretty smart.  We keep goats for milk, because I can’t drink cows milk but goats milk doesn’t bother me.  Goats milk is great- it is creamy and goes really well with oreos and chocolate cake, which really should be the main function of milk.

Goats, however can be a real pain in the neck.  They are seldom happy where you put them, they want to be on the other side of that fence.  I’ve mentioned before that our goats have eaten probably more then they are worth in decorative plants.  And a few weeks ago, our male goat got in the yard and wiped out two large passion fruit vines in a matter of 15 minutes.

This is Homer.

This is what Homer did to my vine. Notice the lack of leaves.

Homer is very, very lucky that male dairy goats are so hard to find in Belize.  Otherwise, he would have been barbeque.

My mother in law even has a story about how their neighbor’s goats got into their watermelon patch and wiped out about a half acre of watermelons and vines in an afternoon.  But I never believed the stories about goats eating random stuff like tin cans and laundry.  Our goats have had ample opportunity to get into out laundry or eat random tin cans and never seemed interested.

This morning, however, I heard some weird crunching sounds coming from the front yard.  This is what I found:

Notice the teeth marks

Apparently the goat decided a plastic pot was just the thing to satisfy her this morning.  Forget the nice green grass growing around it.  When I tried to chase her away, she just looked at me like WHAT is your PROBLEM? No shame whatsoever.  Goats are very entitled creatures. 

One more example of weird animals:

This is our cow.  In our yard.

Eating the dog food.  

Where I get my food: butter

Most groceries in Belize are fairly expensive given the average income, but some things are quite ridiculous, such as dairy products.  For example, 4 sticks of butter sell for about $8 Bz, or $4 US.  Luckily, Daniel milks a few cows.   For cooking when margarine really isn't an option ( I wouldn't use it at all, but it is cheap) I make small amounts of butter.  It's actually pretty easy as long as you have someone else to milk the cow.

The reason I don't make large amounts of butter is because we separate the cream by skimming the milk, rather then using a cream separator (which we don't have).  You just let the milk sit for a few hours then take a spoon and skim the cream off the top.  Then, put the cream in a tupperware and shake for about 15 minutes.  If you want to be high tech, you can put the cream in the blender and blend for 3 or so minutes. 

You end up with butter and whey.  I save the whey and use it in biscuits--so good!  Next you "wash" the butter- I just pour in some water and squish the butter with a fork.  The idea is to get the extra whey out, so keep squishing and changing the water till it comes out clear.

That's it!  I don't salt the butter, but if you wanted to you would add salt last.

Some tips:

-don't freeze the cream.  It won't make butter.

-it works best if the cream is somewhere between fridge and room temperature- not warm, but not really cold.

-it is faster to make butter in the blender, but you get more if you shake it by hand

I think the thing I was most surprised by is the natural yellow color of butter!  I guess I always thought it was added food coloring....

Sorry for the lack of pictures lately; due to some software issues I can't process pics on my computer.  Sadly, Macs just don't seem to be the thing in Belize-- as I was told by one computer store owner who did not have a mac version of the software, "Macs are 'special',"  kind of in the tone you use when someone is being a total dork.  But I should be getting the software I need soon. 

On another note-- a funny incident happened at the clinic that I thought I'd share.  We have some lovely doctors visiting from England, and the other day they saw a lady whose ears were blocked with wax.  With the help an interpreter (not me :) they told her to put some warm olive oil in the canals to soften and loosen the wax, and come back in a few days.

Monday, the patient returned saying the treatment had not helped.  Unfortunately, she had put oregano in her ears instead of olive oil (oliva in spanish)!  The doctors spent some time picking it out of her ears :)

Like Christmas morning.....

but not a grown up Christmas morning, but Christmas morning when you are 6 years old and get that doll you've been wanting for months.

That's what my day has been like
-- one of the two air-conditioned places within 20 miles happens to be an internet cafe- and I am sitting in it now.
-- I got an unexpected package from my friend Anne (you are awesome Anne!) filled with chocolate.  And peanut butter.
--Amazon and my computer software have now harmonized and I downloaded the Kindle reader onto my computer.  And then quickly realized that I will have to be very, very careful because the thought of all those books at my fingertips is quite overwhelming, and could be quite overwhelming to my credit card.  (There is one library here, and I've already read all the books.  There are no bookstores.  Kindle will change my life here :)

Really, when you live in Belize, small things can just make your day.

A day in our life

April is my least favorite time of year in Belize.  As one creole speaker succinctly put it, "sun HOT."  April is mostly about survival for me, which consists of long periods of lying in front of a fan drinking iced tea or lime juice.  We were brain storming at the clinic, trying to come up with any restaurant, store, or public venue within a 20 mile radius that had air conditioning-- and came up with 2.  TWO.

Anyways, here are some random shots of our life.

Sometimes our patients are a little unusual. 

This is what my cat does all day long, except when she is begging for food.

Any resemblance to the cat is purely coincidental 

When Daniel drives up, all the animals come running- because noisy white truck = food soon!

Line drying clothes: always a gamble when you have a cow who likes to scratch her back on the clothesline.

Easter in Belize: Monday Races

Easter Monday in Belize finds all horse lovers (or anyone in search of stewed....anything) in the village of Burrell Boom for the annual horse races.  The track is sand, and the grandstand is a wood platform with a zinc roof.  The horse stables are three- sided open air structures-- which means you can walk right up to the horses.  I wouldn't pet them though- they probably bite.

This guy looks disdainful -- "who are all these ugly hairless two leggers invading my space?"

"Yeah, get a little closer buddy and we'll see how  much you want those fingers"

the guy leading the horse is Daniel's brother.  The horse is his, and this was their first race- very exciting!

The horse finished 4 out 5-- but the 5th rider fell off his horse, sooo....

the starting gate

I just loved this jockey's shirt.

A note on stewed anything-  the most popular dish in Belize is rice and beans, which comes with stewed meat of some sort, usually chicken or beef.  At the races, your selection broadens to include deer, agouti (a small rat/rabbit creature), hecati (turtle), and iguana.  Yum.

Easter in Belize: Cross Country

The Easter Saturday Belize Cross Country bike race is a big deal here.  Every year Belizeans line the Western highway to cheer on their boys (even though for the last 364 days they have cursed the teams for taking over the highways to practice), and those who don't line the roadsides tune into the live radio broadcast.  And every year for the past 6 years, Belizeans have been disappointed with a non-Belizean winner.  Sadly, this year was no exception with a Venezuelan winner.  But there is always next year....

waiting for the racers - the whole highway (the only main road) is blocked to traffic

we joined my niece and nephew for their first race experience

the race approaches...

Wait a second.... police sirens and tv helicopters make really scary sounds!!!

everyone screams and cheers as all the bikers ride by- even for the very last guy trailing way behind

ok Tio let's go home.

Easter in Belize: Alfombras

Holy week is busy in Belize, full of processions and services.  I like to go into town on Good Friday morning to see the Alfombras.    These are brightly colored "carpets" made from saw dust-- a tradition that has come from across the border in Guatemala

A bottom layer of sawdust is dampened and then tamped down

brightly died sawdust is sprinkled onto stencils

The neat part about this is people from all faiths and backgrounds participate.  Some scary looking guys with tattoos all over were working on really elaborate designs next to a group of youth group kids whose design simply said Peace.  People work for hours together in the hot sun.

Then later that day, the processions walk over the Alfombras

and they are brushed away.