Heartbreak; Build Visit; Great Food & Grocery Shopping

Saturday morning, I dreaded getting out of bed. I expected to find our outdoor kitty deceased.

Nathan went outside first, and came back in, distraught - he said she was laying down under our neighbor's dock, and came out when he went outside. She tried to jump to an 18" tall sea wall to come over, but didn't have the strength, and fell in the shallow water, unable to get up. He hopped down and gingerly picked her up, placed her on a towel, and dried her off. We had to take her somewhere, but it was the weekend. The only vet on the island is closed. 

I messaged Sarah Smith of Paws Up Belize - I brought her some cat goodies last year for her rescue and thought she might have a suggestion. She was on her way back to the island but thankfully responded right away - she said SAGA would open at 9, just go there, ask for Ms. Ingrid. She may be able to give the cat IV fluids over the weekend and see if she improves.

We grabbed a cat carrier and put the kitty in it, with me driving the cart and Nathan supporting her. Thankfully with it being Saturday morning, there wasn't much traffic; I was trying to drive delicately to not injure our sick, skin-and-bones cat, but also, get to SAGA quickly. She wasn't fighting the carrier, just an occasional meow. 

We arrived around 8:50 and there was a staff member inside cleaning, plus a volunteer - they said Ms. Ingrid would be in around 9:30. I tearfully explained our situation, and said we would wait in our cart so we didn't stress out our kitty with the many dogs and cats that SAGA cares for - plus if she had something transmittable, we didn't want to get their animals sick.
One of many enclosures for adoptable pets abandoned at SAGA Humane Society

Fortunately, Ms. Ingrid arrived shortly after 9 and saw our kitty. She was FIV+, and there was nothing that could be done to save her; euthanasia was the only option. In less than two weeks on the island, we were already experiencing heartbreak. She wasn't our cat, she found us, but it still hurts! I am so angry at whoever put her outside - she was definitely a house cat at some point, but having to fend for herself, she contacted FIV, or "cat AIDS" - most likely from fighting another FIV+ cat.

Our next question was: are our housecats in danger? Ms. Ingrid explained that FIV is transmitted via blood (like human HIV) or via litterbox sharing, less commonly. We always washed our hands and removed shoes coming in and out of the villa, and kept the housecats away from the outside cat. Another volunteer had since arrived and tried to console us; she said they care for 27 pets, and have had FIV+ cats in their clowder before. If cared for, they can live for years. They had not experienced transmittal between cats, even sharing food and water bowls.

SAGA did not charge us for euthanasia, so I left a donation to help future pets that come in. Thank you Ms. Ingrid, SAGA, and the volunteers that helped us in our time of need. <3 

We were slated to meet Hilton and Alexis at a new-build property they were completing later that morning, so we went home to try to gather ourselves and look presentable, after a quick pick-me-up at Saul's - a coconut rum cream coffee soothed our souls a little.

Their project is quite breathtaking - the owner made a lot of selections that we would also want, and it was helpful to see in 3-D the quality of finish work their crews are completing. Like us, it seems they are figuring out the island's challenges and strengths. We'll continue our talks but haven't made any decisions yet, and I need to start focusing more on interviewing builders and progressing that process.

A bathtub! From Wayfair.

We were south of town, which we don't venture to very often, and hungry as it was now past lunch. I was craving comfort food, so we pulled into Sammy's Smoked Meat & Deli. I knew they had gyros, one of our favorite guilty pleasures! 

Located across from Ramon's, they have a lovely garden patio and second-story dining deck. I need to get better at asking names! Our server was so kind; she was curious how I knew about poutine and asked if I was Canadian...? No, I'm from Detroit, but close enough! The portions were large, their pricing was fair, and the food was excellent! Be sure to stop by - they have a very wide menu and serve breakfast all day, too.

After an emotional day, we relaxed at home - and didn't need dinner after Sammy's!

Sunday, we walked to Mesa Bistro for a late breakfast, with plans to head to Secret Beach after. I highly suggest the coconut french toast! I asked for syrup on the side as I don't care for maple syrup, but it was a delightful, light sauce that complimented the dish perfectly.

We rode out to Secret Beach as we bought a new machete, file, and gloves for two gentlemen that will clear out the underbrush from our lot, and we had to deliver them. We stayed a few hours and enjoyed the water, views, and dragonflies! Dragonflies eat mosquitoes, so Nathan rigged a fishing lure and some wire to look like a dragonfly, and put it on fishing line. We bring it in our cart when we remember, to ward off mosquitoes. It also seems to attract other dragonflies.

Monday, Nathan had to go back to work - he works remotely, so he commuted to our back-guest-bedroom. Save for leftovers, I have not yet prepared a meal at home, which is not sustainable, so I set out to grocery shop. I prepared a list of things we need for general purposes, like mayo and other condiments, butter, pasta...we're starting from scratch here, it's not like when you move 20 minutes away!

The advice we have received regarding shopping is: don't go to an all-in-one store - get your breads from the bakery, meats from the meat shop, produce from stands...so, many stops, with no trunk, in high heat and humidity.

In total, I was out for three hours, and hit three stores - starting with non-perishables and buying perishables at the last one only. I started at a produce stand, but their offerings were atrocious - not just cosmetically imperfect, but downright rotting. It was Monday, and I heard the Mennonites bring produce to the island on Tuesdays and Fridays, so what I saw was likely what was left from Friday. 

Another thing I have been told is to check expiration dates, and look for bugs. Even though this bag of flour was in a plastic bag, I could see beetles actively moving around in it. 

You can sometimes find American foods, but at a premium. 6 White Castle burgers for $12 U.S.

I am getting used to seeing eggs unrefrigerated, and sold in small quantities. (If they have never been refrigerated, it's perfectly fine for them to be at room temperature outside of the U.S. Why? other countries don't wash the eggs before sending them to market, so the cuticle is still on the egg, protecting it from bacteria.)

I've also learned that living here will sometimes net you a "locals discount". YAY! I'll take any help I can get, some groceries are pricey. Or, in the case of produce, look like they will give you E. coli on sight. I have had almost no raw vegetables in over 2 weeks. 

Tuesday, I started a new video series called, "Try It Tuesdays" - to further my commitment to try something new each week, I'll capture my efforts on video. Here is my first installment: Try It Tuesday

We had Eric and Rudy out from ProSolar Engineering to provide an estimate for solar on our villa. Renters are not at all cautious with their usage, and the grid is far from dependable on Ambergris Caye lately. They made some suggestions and asked us what our goals were; Rudy also identified an electrical short in our main panel that will have to be addressed. Wiring on the island would give any person in the States an absolute aneurysm; exposed wires abound, connections aren't capped, and more - all outdoors in tropical weather. We're starting to see the dollar signs accumulate...we'll have to insulate and add a mini-split in our bodega to keep the solar equipment protected and cool, and they strongly suggested 86ing our rusty TRANE central air system for much more efficient mini-splits. Then the can of worms opens - we could remove all of the drop-downs for HVAC ductwork inside, and taking out the air handler would give us an actual pantry. It's a slippery, slippery slope. We also know we will have to paint the exterior of the villa very soon.

Wednesday, I posted items for sale on Facebook Marketplace, mostly items left behind by previous owners and renters, that are taking up space in our bodega. I was straightening up outside and came in to wash my hands around lunch and....we had no water. I let Nathan know, and he came outside to look at our water pump. A line had blown off of it, so he went to Youtube University and watched a bunch of videos to restore water, while I feverishly messaged the few people I know on-island, and checked for recommendations online. Responses are slow; Nathan had fixed the problem before I had my first reply.

I restarted the dishwasher that was interrupted in the outage, but the pump continued to run, and again, failed. Fortunately, a responder from earlier was still available to come out. Mr. Wally took a look, and headed to the hardware store to buy replacement PVC. This entire villa was built...stupidly...? We have a water filtration system, water pump, and 100lb propane tank squeezed into a tiny, outdoor closet with no ventilation. It's endlessly frustrating, like we should re-do the entire building. Then again, it's not our "forever home", so where do you stop...?

I also learned I was accepted into a Home Composting Program, hosted by Implementa Sur, on August 29th! We composted in Phoenix, but this is a whole new ballgame. I'm excited to learn how to compost in a high-humidity, high-wildlife climate properly.

I'm relieved to be caught up to "real time" on this blog, and I'm sorry for the long gaps in time. With the boys here and then Nathan's second week of vacation, my updates suffered. Moving forward, I'll post frequently.