Chapter 13

Enjoying The Process 

October 11th, 2008 by Mark & Lori

 Mark writes:

It is August 25, 2008, and this morning I am looking at the weather very closely.  I have the roof rafters in place and will be continuing with that project, but will add more temporary cross supports in case this Invest 94L turns into a hurricane.  It is forecast to be a level 1 within 72 hours!  We do need rain for the plants and the cistern is low, but I really don’t want a hurricane!  Regardless of what happens, we will continue with the construction process.  

View of Rafters From Below

After the rafters are done, it will be time to lay the machimbre (tongue and groove) on the rafter frames and then the felt/tar paper and then the shingles.  I look forward to the roof for several reasons.  The first and most obvious is the shade!  The sun has been draining my energy rapidly.  Another reason is that the sun makes the lumber twist and warp.  So as soon as there is shade, the lumber will be moved.  Last of all, rainy season is just around the corner and it will be nice to have a dried in house before the downpour begins.

Machimbre Being Installed

Lori left for Florida a week ago.  She did call a couple of times to keep me informed about her expectant daughter (Yes, Lori is about to be a grandmother!) and her father had a complication with an old surgery and has to undergo another one to fix the complication, we all hope it goes well!  I went snorkeling with our neighbor, Mike, yesterday and the sights were breathtaking as usual.  For the first time, I had the opportunity to see a couple of cuttlefish doing the rapid color change, which is how they communicate with each other, and it was fascinating to observe.  Mike found a coral crab, which is about as big as snow crab, but doesn’t have quite as much meat.  But it was just as good tasting.

It is now August 28, 2008, and while Lori is running around dividing her time between her pregnant daughter and her father’s hospital visit, I am here dealing with a few issues.  For one, I totally forgot about getting the fascia lumber for the roof project.  A quick trip into town solved the problem; I was actually lucky this time and found it in one place instead of going to several.  Also, Maggie is in heat.  We have dogs circling the property and waiting for a chance to get at her.  Ziggy is going nuts, the place is becoming a zoo, and I am still trying to work on the house.  I am trying to keep everything clean and in place so when Lori returns I won’t get the evil eye from her!  I am also watching Tropical Storm/Hurricane Gustav.  He is going all over the place and doing exactly what he isn’t supposed to and going where he shouldn’t be going according to the computer models.  I’m having bunches of fun!

It has been awhile since I last wrote.  Today is September 10th, 2008.  Lori is still in Florida, and things have been going fairly well here. The roof is looking good and I have the Reverse Osmosis machine going together but not yet running.

I must say what an exciting world we live in!  The Honduran president, Zelaya, has aligned with Hugo Chavez (of Venezuela) in an agreement called ALBA, http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bolivarian_Alternative_for_the_Americas.  Presently Zelaya is trying to convince his public and Congress to ratify this into the constitution. I do not think this is good news for Honduras or the foreigners living here.  It could mean very bad things such as the nationalization of banks and business.  We have decided to pull most of our money from the local bank and have our lempiras changed back to dollars.  We will not make any drastic moves but feel it is wise to take some precautions.  I can only speculate at this time, but at the very worst, it could mean we would have to leave the country. Or ALBA may not amount to anything that will affect us or island life.  Time will tell.

.WOW, it's October already. I have to admit it has been hard to find the time to sit down and write (Lori accuses me of having "Island Disease".  She will tell you more about that).  The house now has a roof which is a good thing as September is the hottest month of the year and the shade has been a lifesaver.

Roof Before Shingles

Now, the first of this month, it is like someone turned on the water and it has been raining non-stop for four days.  I guess it would be safe to say that rainy season is now here.  Everything outside the roofline is wet but the temperatures are much cooler.  The house has no walls but I did begin the framing yesterday.  There will be no workers today as the rain will keep them away; it is too easy to catch a cold here this time of year.  I will continue the wall framing this week and then it will be time to apply the Forro, or siding, and then the windows and doors go in.  Lori and I are pleased we designed the house this way and our timing for completing the roof couldn’t have been better.

I have been following the ALBA progress here in the Honduras and this morning read the following excerpt. This is translated literally so you will find some strange wording and also look for my comments.:

Under pressure, Congress ratifies accession to the Alba

The deputies of the National Party refrained from participating in the adoption controversy

09.10.08 - Update: 09.10.08 09:56 pm

Tegucigalpa, Honduras

Under external pressure and the executive branch, the National Congress ratified last night the accession of Honduras to the Bolivarian Alternative for the Americas, Alba, denounced the liberal deputy Marta Lorena Alvarado.

The congressman warned that "with its policy through the Alba, Venezuelan President Hugo Chávez will try to fold to Honduras to its designs to extend its power to Central America with malevolent purposes."

"We are leaving it enters our people and our way of seeing the story of a Honduran man who has a bizarre ideology, nor to the same end specialists to understand," he said.  (Speaking of Honduran Pres. Zelaya).

"There is an external pressure of the executive branch for this to be given in a positive way. The Alba is a dark because it is not clear, because it was not consensual, has not even been published or studied, so it is an issue that is not can say exactly what it is and how far it takes us.

"The pressures that we have received is that it must approve before the elections. Why?" He questioned.  (Zelaya had threatened to withhold Money for re-election of congressman and also offered 100,000,000 Lempiras or about 52,000 USD per vote in congress to pass this.)

Nationalists abstained

The Dawn was approved in a single debate despite the abstention of the 55 deputies of the National Bloc Party, thanks to the 62 votes of the ruling Liberal Party. They also voted for the Democratic Unification of five deputies, four of the Innovation and Unity Party and two from the Christian Democrats.

The ratification of the accession of Honduras to Alba was passed by Congress in a session that was convened 24 hours before his execution Several congressmen from the interior of the country failed to move through the pressure of time, so that the quorum was completed by deputies alternates. The decree was passed fitted with all kinds of armor, locks and restrictions on the use of economic resources, and discarding any political and military results from the Alba. (They learned this trick from the US congress, create a “special Session” on short notice and ramrod it through!)

Were also reserved areas in the light of this agreement "contradict, distort or diminish the principles, property, natural resources, property rights and free enterprise, as well as others that are enshrined in the Constitution of the Republic".  (I find it hard to believe that a pact like ALBA can be modified and also acknowledged by the other participating countries. This is an all or nothing deal so how do they think this will help anything?)

The head of the bloc's National Police, Antonio Rivera, warned that approval of the Alba "is a sole responsibility of the government of the Liberal Party, making clear that the bloc can not oppose any measure that would supposedly go to benefit the poor."

"Permanently we will be vigilant that these funds actually reach the poorest. Monitor also that we are not carried over to military conflicts or positions that might jeopardize the democratic and pacifist tradition of the Honduran people," said Rivera.

Money Management

Through the Dawn, the Honduran government will receive $ 130 million, to be managed under a trusteeship by the Central Bank The funds will be deposited as an international reserve in the BCH. The law states that Congress shall appoint a special commission which will monitor the implementation of the Alba and require a quarterly report of the Executive on the use of funds. (Yea, sure and all those millions of donations from foreign interests for the poor over the last 50 plus years are all accounted for!)

So, now we are taking a wait and see attitude. Since the UK has nationalized part of their banking system and the US is driving to do the same thing, then maybe this all might turn into one big worldwide country after all… Sure!  And I am the tooth fairy!  Regardless of what might happen, we are continuing our house and want to get it finished so we can move in and enjoy life without having to rush through it.  Lori keeps telling me to enjoy the process, and I am finding this to be excellent advice and follow it the best I can.

Mark “Enjoying the Process” in His Hammock on Our New Porch

 

Lori Writes:

Mark and I are very ill!  Throughout our story we have illustrated the frustrating road blocks we encounter when trying to accomplish anything significant.  Everything tends to move in slow motion here and the islanders’ favorite mantra is, “Manana, manana, manana”.  This attitude (or sickness), is commonplace in Roatan.  Everyone seems to be aware of it.  People often discuss it, but I have never heard a specific name for this ailment.  There is a form if it out there called “Ex-Pat’s” disease but that usually involves heavy drinking.  What I am describing is more in line with what Jimmy Buffet sings about in his tune, “Living and Dying in Three-Quarter Time”.  I recently realized that Mark and I have succumbed to this sickness ourselves.  I suspect it is an airborne disease and is highly contagious.  It begins in the subconscious and by the time symptons are apparent, it is unlikely you will recover.  The first sign of this illness is a lack of motivation.  This leads to a heightened ability to make good excuses and postpone most activities (Why do today what you can put off until tomorrow, or the next day, or indefinitely?). Once you’ve adequately reasoned everything away, all of a sudden, the nearest hammock or lounge chair has a strong magnetic draw that is difficult to resist.  When the disease is full blown, you find yourself wiling away the days relaxing.  Your heart rate slows and without a care in the world, you sit and watch the clouds roll by and the fish jump out of the clear blue water.  This is all well and good unless you have a house to build, a trip to the States to make, and a chapter to write!  So, although our symptoms are quite serious, Mark and I snap out of it on occasion and make progress towards our goals.  It helps that we remind ourselves and each other that once the house is complete, we can be as sick as we want!

When I arrived in Tampa in mid August, I was not yet aware I had this island sickness.  In hindsight, I now understand why the transition was so painful. But at the time, the high speed maniacal drivers on the roads, the noise of planes, trains, and endless chatter of people everywhere, overwhelmed my senses.  I did adjust to all the activity (and the freezing cold air conditioning) after a few days.  But, I can say now that I do not miss the fast pace of my previous life.  But, even with the long travel days consisting of delayed flights, missed connections, and the subsequent adjustment to a different reality, my visits to Florida are always worth the hassle.  My family is very important to me and I enjoy spending time with them.  I thought this last trip was going to be two weeks but it evolved into five.  The first week was wonderful.  I was able to see my sisters and their families,

Lori with Sisters Leslie, Lynn & Nephew David

my pregnant daughter,

Savannah’s Baby Shower

and hang out with my son before his return to college on August 23, 2008. Then on the 24th, my Dad had an emergency and over the next three weeks the family camped out in one hospital and then a second hospital when Dad was moved.  It is difficult to express in words how trying a time this was for us all.  My Mom held together well, while my sisters and I huddled together and cried a lot.  On a positive note it was a great reminder of the importance of family and I don’t know how we would have managed without the support of each other.  More importantly, my Dad’s surgery went very well and he is now on his way to recuperating.  During his ordeal, when I wasn’t at the hospital with him, I went to pre-natal doctor appointments with my daughter.  I remember speaking to my unborn granddaughter, as I rubbed Savannah’s gigantic belly, and asking her to please wait a little longer to be born.  And what a sweet, gracious baby she was.  My Dad had just returned home when I received the call that the baby was coming.  So, at sunrise on September 16th, I raced to hospital number three.  After laboring all day, Savannah gave birth at 10:55 pm to a beautiful six pound baby girl named Amyrah Nicole (pronounced a-MEER-ah).  I was right there, holding my daughter’s hand, as Amyrah came into the world.  It was one of the most amazing experiences of my life and one I will never forget.  Savannah’s husband and father were also both present and I think they would say they felt the same.  I was also surprised by the boundless love I immediately felt for this child.  People can tease me all they want about being a granny.  I feel honored to be a grandparent and wouldn’t trade it for anything!

Granny Lori & Amyrah

New Mommy Savannah & Amyrah

I had rescheduled my return flight for September 19, 2008, so only had three short days with Amyrah.  The day I left, my daughter and I both cried our eyes out.  I had chosen the 19th because my friend, Kelly (also from Calabash bight), was returning from a stateside visit with her family.  So we made arrangements to meet in Fort Lauderdale and travel to Roatan together.  I could write an entire chapter about our two day trip from South Florida to Roatan.  It was that chaotic.  Suffice it to say, we were held captive at the airside of one airport for several hours in the middle of the night (where we proceeded to break the law and smoke cigarettes in the ladies restroom).  When we finally arrived at a little hotel in San Pedro Sula (on the mainland of Honduras) at 4:00 am, we were certain the smoky mirror that ran the length of one wall of our room was a two-way mirror and so we chatted and waved at our possible “Peeping Toms”.  The following afternoon, we spent half an hour at the airport ticket counter where the clerk was claiming my ticket to Roatan was invalid.  To our relief, she finally spoke to someone on the phone and I was allowed to board the plane.  When we landed in Roatan and walked across the tarmac, Kelly and I were both grinning ear to ear.  We were SO happy to be home!

I was thrilled to see the progress on the house.  Mark accomplished a great deal while I was away.

First Floor

Second Floor Joists

Loft Floor Being Installed

Lori Sweeps Observation Deck

View From Observation Deck

 And Maggie is definitely pregnant.  I am amazed that Ziggy finally figured out how to manage it (he is lovable but a tad slow witted).

Maggie 4 Weeks Pregnant & Daddy Ziggy

 

Also, Mark and I had much to discuss.  We had communicated while I was away but just in bits and pieces.  With ALBA in the works, we had some decisions to make.  What if we ultimately have to leave the country?  Should we keep pouring money into our house here?  Just with that question alone, I could feel the lack of motivation settling over us like a thick cloud. Then the rains came and we found ourselves rooted in our hammocks, overcome with the sickness again.  Okay, maybe I exaggerate a bit.  We have decided to move forward with construction.  I finally found a stone tile I like very much that is reasonably priced and available without importing from the States.  Most of the wood floor (all lower level and some second level) is completed and beautiful.  Mark is such a sweetheart, he got out the belt sander for me last week and claims the floor is calling my name.  I just keep telling him, “Manana, manana, manana”.

 

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