Thur, 13 Jan hummmm ... how can it be such perfect weather, and i wake up this morning to blowing wind and much cooler ? ....what is this...Michigan? i guess the weather is unpredictable everywhere. and, today was the day i was going to force myself to go for a swim/snorkel. i must admit this weather is much more conducive to working, and i continued to work. there is yet another area that has been patched and re-patched ... and a hazard as well, some of the wire stuck out and 'grabbed' you as you walked by, if you weren't careful. here is a before picture: and the after picture where i replaced the board and the mesh screen ... looks nice, huh? here are a couple of photos of the cats taking their afternoon nap. and the pelicans on Madi's dock.

11 Jan, Tues

11 Jan, Tues Jos stopped by with his cameraS and took a few photos of a couple of the cats, and left a donation for Madi. Every little bit helps. Once people come here and see the work (challenges) that Madi faces, they often want to help in some way. my maintenance duties are taking me forever coz we have few tools. i'm replacing latches, hooks, hinges, and screens on doors to the cat cages/rooms. no gloves, and my fingers are raw. plus i fell ice skating christmas eve and my wrist is pretty much useless.... hurts like hell when i try to use a hammer :) ...and forget about twisting it, as in using a screwdriver! poor me :) . and the wood that they have here is SO HARD that you can't get a screw into it without a pilot hole ...... and the drill (electric, with a long cord that is always somewhere else); doesn't even get through the stuff. i don't know what tree it comes from; when i ask, everyone just says it's 'hard wood' duhhhhhhhhhhhh ... do i sound like i am complaining? well, just a little. the things i am doing aren't that difficult and should only take a few minutes; but because of the above challenges, they end up taking hours. it is frustrating! before pic ... boards stuck every-which-way into the fence to keep cats in / or out .... and after pic of the same section of fencing ....all nice neat and tidy :) i've been working non stop since i got here, and have not even put my feet in the sea yet! do you feel sorry for me ?????????. but, after all of the above 'complaining' ... i am really happy here :) at dinner tonight, i am sitting on a balcony on one of the back streets of Caye Caulker drinking a new drink: rum and fresh ginger with a half of fresh lime squeezed and rubbed on the rim. and you're supposed to turn the glass around to keep drinking from the lime juice on the rim, ... this is high tech stuff !!!!!!!! it's good, not sweet nor sour, ...... just refreshing ! it's very quiet here on the back streets, no wild crazy drunk kids :)

12 Jan, Wed

12 Jan, Wed This morning i got to the Bakery in time to get some of their Ham and Cheese sandwiches, ... unusual, a little spicy, and very good. Madi hired a 'professional' carpenter/builder today to make 3 window frames and put double screens in them. Walter worked ALL DAY, did an excellent job, .... and charged her B$50 (US$25) ... what does that tell you ? i, on the other hand, continued my tasks in an effort to keep the cats from escaping from where the are supposed to be. tonight, i'm at a restaurant with Karoke :) "it's only words, and words are all i have....." about time to leave ... :) but, maybe one more drink .... and now some spanish song ... oh my .. ok .... what ???? Black Sabath ?????????? a girl with from San Fran with a bunch of "YOUNG KIDS" from around the world ... Black Sabath ?????????????? This island knows no generations barriers; an amazing collection of peoples of all life styles from all around the world. That's what makes it so unique. last night i woke up scratching my ankles and arms ... tonight i am slathering myself with pieces of an aloe plant that is outside my door. so much for keeping myself free from no-seem-ums !!!!!!!!! i really HATE this side-effect of the area ! i still wouldn't trade this for winters in Michigan :)

10 Jan, Mon

10 Jan, Monday up at 6:30 again, and continue my maintenance chores. i'll never be finished ... Madi keeps saying can 'WE' do this .......... ?????????? turn that 'W' upside down and you get 'ME' ! Many of the stores here, groceries and home supplies, and hardware are owned by people of Chinese decent. in fact, there is a China Town, which consists of a Hotel, Supermarket, and Hardware store. they are nice, but don't seem to be very friendly. but, the guy at the Hardware Store and i are becoming friends :) i'm not his biggest spender; but i am his most frequent customer, ... and probably his biggest pain in the neck! i go in an buy 4 hinges, or 3 hooks and eyes ... i think he's warming up to me ... or more likely, feels sorry for me, .... or thinks i'm weird! Weird ???????? why would anyone think someone dressed in this 'get-up' is weird? photo of me in my 'no-see-um' fashion statement .. holding my 'tool box' . Dinner time again. after walking the length of the north end of the island, i ate at the Happy Lobster. No, did not have lobster. i haven't eaten Lobster yet ... not sure why. it's everywhere, i guess maybe i'm 'saving it' ... you know, like that nice candle that you are waiting to burn for a special occasion. Tonight i had barracuda. i've had it twice before and have not liked it. but people have told me it is good, so i tried it again. It was like a tuna or shark steak, a little dry, but much better than the other 2 times i had it. i met a Jos who was sitting at the table next to me. another visitor from Holland (remember Peter from Holland from last year?) nice, sincere guy, has done a lot of travelling and shared some wonderful photos he took in Indonesia. i told him what i was doing and he said he may stop by tomorrow.

9 Jan 2011

9 Jan, Sunday one of the cats, Cookie, doesn't get along with any other cat, so he's in an area all by himself ... a LARGE area. being the judge and jury, i've decided that's not fair ...... and today one of the campers, Kyle from Minnesota, asked if there was anything he could do. Don't let him get away !!!!!!!! so i ask him what he would do to divide the area. Kyle works on a farm and he could do this job in an afternoon. Of course, we can't get the materials today, because it's Sunday, and he's leaving tomorrow :( IF i'm successful, this job will take me DAYS :( here is an example of a 'patch job' to keep the cats from escaping from a whole in the fence; but it's not working and they've figured out a way to escape. so, i tore out all the misc boards and attached some screening. it's not perfect, but it's better than it was. every night is the same. i need food (inexpensive) and i need to use the internet. tonight i choose a "Sports Bar" and they are playing Trivia. 4 nice young Asian guys from Canada join me at my table..... their Trivia name is "Can-Asians" ... cute, huh? now i feel something at my feet ... it's a sweet faced boxer-mix dog .... i am eating some fish that i'm not terribly impressed with. i normally DO NOT give animals 'people' food ... but .... i offered him a piece of the fish ... he took it so gently ... he finished my plate, and is now laying with his head on my feet. God, my heart goes out to all animals !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! ... and now i can't disturb him .... i'll be here all night :)

8 Jan 2011

8 Jan 2011 Unlike last year, the weather is hot and sunny. I packed extra warm clothes this year because it was so cold the first couple of weeks i arrived here last year. Not so this year, at least so far. The weather has been perfect, ... sunny, warm breeze, and i've not been cold. For those of you who know me ... that's amazing ..... and i LOVE it ! There are a couple young tent campers here. One helping Madi with the cats and the others just helping her cause by paying to stay here. Today another volunteer arrived, Stephanie, from New Brunswick, Canada. (That's just north of the Maine border. ) She works for the ASPCA there. I think she is going to be a great help; and i'm excited that Madi has gotten some reliable and responsible help. So many times, young people show up with great intentions to stay for a week; but the enthusiasm fades after a few days, and they leave. This is especially sad when Madi has spent considerable amount of time training them. But Madi always takes it all in stride; appreciating the time they've offered. i spent my day repairing and replacing .... i'll be at this for awhile .... :) The 3 of us went to dinner that night, an unusual event for Madi; since she rarely goes out. Madi is on the right. i have my "Bugg Off" shirt on ... i'm determined not to be breakfast, lunch, and dinner for the no-see-ums this year! If you notice the green peppers, this is obviously not MY dinner .... but looks good .... note the little 'umbrellas' and the Belican Beer ....

2011--Belize Again

7 Jan 2011: I'm in Belize ... back on the Barrier Reef for my second winter. I had so many fun and exciting adventures last year, I came back again. i like it here, i'm comfortable. so, at least i am starting my journey here. i've kept in touch with Madi, from PAW Animal Sanctuary, that i stayed with last year. For those of you who have just joined the blog, here is the web address, (www.pawanimalsanctuarybelize.com), it is located on Caye Caulker, off the coast of Belize. i really procrastinated in getting myself organized as to where i wanted to go this winter. I wanted to visit Madi and the cats again, i knew that much. And, as of this writing i still don't have my next plans finalized. So, hang on for the ride. I flew into Belize City this year. Last year, i experienced the 'adventure' of flying into Cancun, Mexico; successfully making my way via buses to Playa del Carmen, then south to the Mexican/Belizian border, and continued south and east to the islands. It took me 2 days to get there. And, i accomplished my objective: part of the adventure is in the 'getting there'. This year, i left Kalamazoo at 6am and arrived in Belize City at 2:10pm, quickly went through immigration and customs (nothing like Cancun). Madi arranged for a taxi to meet me at the airport. i felt quite special, with a sign with "Donna P" on it waiting for me :) Chester SPED to the Water Taxi, since he promised Madi he's have me on the 3pm water taxi. we arrived just in time to be 'wisked' onto the 3pm boat. Whew! That has to be some kind of a record. Maybe you think i'm getting 'soft', ... but please, don't make any judgments just yet. I am staying in 'my' room ... the one i stayed in last year. But it's been upgraded from a room with a bathroom and a bed. i now have a refrigerator, microwave, sink, and a 2-burner hot plate, table and chairs, easy chair and 'coffee' table. The refrigerator is especially welcome! We still don't make ice; but it's nice to have cool water to drink, and a place to store my vitamins :) oh, and some very cold wraps to 'ice' my wrist. Here are 2 pics: My initial reaction is that not too much has changed here. She has 'lost' a few more kitties; but has also gained a few .. so the numbers are still around 80 !!! There is lots of 'repair' work for me to do, hinges, latches, screens, etc. ... they all have 'my' name on them :)