Wed. Sept. 24
Since Beryl threw down most of the fencing around this place I often have to chase cows out. If I don’t they leave their deposits all over, mash things up as they step on stuff, and break things when they rub against stuff.
Dawn and dust are cattle herding time …around 5:30am Wednesday morning I saw about 6-8 cows at the top, so I grabbed a few pelting rocks and went up the hill. I chased 1 bull through what was left of the fence on the south bound while the rest went down toward the sea.
Thu. Sept. 25
Thursday morning I was able to get a few loads of laundry done and hung before I made a run to town to see Dr. Davis to go over my latest lab reports as something of a 2nd opinion, and from a doctor without a heavy Cuban accent.
Sat. Sept. 28
Sometimes nature calls a little early like Sat. AM when I went out to take a leak and found 6-8 cows in front of the house. I was able to chase 4 out the front gap but 2 went up the hill and out with a flashlight. Got winded & too sweaty and I had to rinse off afterwards …another early morning start.
I had printed my Calif. special election ballot & oath documents last week and this AM I faxed in my Yes vote …yes we still use FAXs to vote from overseas. I also spent the morning collating all the medical records & reports I could find into separate file folders by year, and tucked them into a ziploc in my hurricane/suitcase ‘go-bag’.
When I went out for my pre-bed time piss call just before 9pm I found about 4 cows in the yard. So I grabbed my flashlight & some pelting stones and went after them …in my boxer shorts. Bad move, even though I tried to avoid the nasty zuti stinging nettle, I got stung. Not having any vinegar to quell the pain & itch, I tried lime juice which kinda helped. Next night time cow herding best be done in long pants.
Sun. Sept. 29 - Sat. Oct. 4
Besides a couple of runs to town, the next week saw me herding cows night and day. Following are some notes I took during those days.
Sunday 9/29
0730 saw 1 cow at the top – gone by the time I got up there – likely to the south
1930 chase 2 cows maybe 3 back up the hill – hope they go back south
2005 2 white cows chased back up the hill – they’ll be here in the AM I’m sure GRRRRRRR
Monday 9/30
0300 piss call – see cows in front – toss concrete block chunk at em
0528 cows at the top – too dark to chase
0540-0555 – chase about 6 cows up the hill and then over the south bound
0720 chased 1 cow back down & across road into the bush across from Kieth’s gate
Tuesday 10/2
0535 find cows in front chase out front fence gap / chase about a dozen from top of the hill toward the sea and a last calf out the south bound by the old house
0610 chase a calf out the font gap and down the road w/ mama & brother
0620 chase 1 cow out up at the top
1810 chase 4 cows out the gap on the front fence
1910 chase 4 cows out the front fence gap
1950 chase about a dozen + cows in front chase up the hill
2020 find another or more maybe cows in the front yard – too late to chase WAH!
Wed. 10/4
0500 cows seen up top
0550 chase 6-8 cows out front gap
0610 chase 1 cow out of front fence gap / then check up top and find 12+ cows behind the house, they went down toward the sea and then likely south and then back to the road and the pond for watering
0625 prop up fence post at front fence gap
1840 chase 2 cows out of front gap
1910 chased 4 cows in front of gate down the road toward the pond
1955 chased 2 cows & 3 calves out front gap
Sun. Oct. 5
Some folks here are struggling with real poverty. While my neighbor’s family across the road has a small concrete block house (still in need of more post-Beryl repairs), and have current, they cook always on an open fire. And sometimes, Casema, the mother comes by asking for a bit of cheese or flour or cooking oil. This AM she came for some cheese. I help them out with whatever I can.
Mon. Oct. 6
Monday after a couple of cow herding excursions I made a quick run to town for some groceries. I was somewhat thankful that my sandals waited until I got on the bus to break.
When I got to town I found a short piece of string on the ground and was able to tie my broken sandal together long enough to find a shop where I got a pair of flip flops so I could finish my shopping.
Tue. Oct. 7
I’ve had to use contact cement to glue the soles back on my sandals several times, but this was the first time a strap let go. Contact cement won’t work here where I have to poke the strap into a narrow slot, so it was time to break out some JB Weld epoxy.
Thanks to my dear sister Sue, this should be the last time I need to repair my Tevas, because she’s sending a care package with a new pair and a few other goodies …Thanks Muchly Sue!
Later that afternoon I started looking at if I could upgrade this laptop to Windows 11 before Oct. 14, when updates stop. Heavy sigh, it didn’t look like it would be doable, so I best think about getting a new laptop. I think that’ll be the 4th or 5th laptop I had to buy since I’ve been here, but this is the first time it wasn’t due to sea blast making them unusable.
Wed. Oct. 8
I had to make another run to town for a few groceries and to refill a prescription. I was pleasantly surprised when rather paying typically $100ecd for the refill, I was given $45ecd because they had over charged me the previous month. When has that ever happened to you?!
That afternoon when I got home I went ahead and ordered a new windows 11 laptop for $330usd. That’s what I’m using to write this update, and I gotta say I really don’t like this new windows OS, but I guess I’ll get used to it. I could have opted for a better one with a detachable battery that didn’t need to be recharged 4 times a day :o(
Thu. Oct. 16
Besides a couple of town laps and chasing cows out twasn’t much happening until this AM when I went over to Dave’s and took some measurements of a sink I might be able to install into my kitchen countertop somehow. My current fantasy is to mount it just below the countertop where I’d cut out a couple of covers for each basin. If I can doo that and plumb the drain, I’ll be able to get a pump and have running water in here.
Wed. Oct. 22
Tuesday AM I got an email from the Post Office saying I could pick up my new laptop Wednesday morning at the customs house in Harvey Vale. I would first have to make a $85ecd bank deposit to the Post Office for their fees & shipping from Miami & send them the receipt on WhatsApp. That done it was off to Harvey Vale where I paid another $110ecd for customs duties, for a total of $402usd to get a new laptop.
By the end of the week I had most of this new laptops settings working the way I want, but I’m sure there will be more to do.
Geeze, that’s a lot of damn cows!! 🐄