Jo’s Jovial Jolly Jocular Journal

Today´s nature adventure on my run was an encounter with 14 vultures sitting on the wall at the end of a road I usually run up. I got close, but not too close. Those are big and very ugly birds. They look good when they are flying, from a distance…but up close…a different story.

A couple of days ago, as I was lying in my bed, looking out the window, a squirrel jumped from the tree to our neighbour´s roof, ran across the roof, all the way up our wall, did a number of droppings on the top of the wall right outside my window and ran away again. What does that mean in squirrel language?

My final nature story is in regards to our pool, which apparently was doing very well producing same wildlife. One morning last week I went to have a look outside and noticed that the top of the pool was covered in little moving insect-type things. When I showed Victor later he said they were mosquito larvae. I decided it was time to drain the pool, as I had noticed that the percentage of mozzie bites I was waking up to in the morning was increasing. We drained the pool. As it was draining out we discovered that it wasn´t home to only mozzie larvae but a whole range of other water living animals. After the pool had fully drained Victor came inside and commented that it was sad to see all those little creatures running for their lives as the water rushed towards the plughole. Now we just have to find a way to maintain a pool so that we don´t breed or have to kill small bug types.

I have been wanting for a while to pay a tribute to the guards at the gate of our colonia. Always cheerful and ready to open or lift the gate with a smile. Lerae and I started off with one favourite, a young guy whose silver tooth shines as he gives us our opening gate grin, but we are now confused as to who is our favourite, with another older, shorter guy, who is even more eager coming in ties with smiley guy. This one runs quickly out the door of the little cabin as soon as he hears us coming, greets us with a huge grin and even did a full army salute the other day as I passed through. Who wouldn´t want to come home to that?

Wedding preparations are full go ahead now, with the waiting time for guests to arrive diminishing at rapid pace. This week I also begin my despedidas, which are like hen´s nights or kitchen teas, with them starting in quick succession Thursday, Friday and Saturday. If you pray, keep us in your prayers, Victor is still waiting to hear about a job and this close to the wedding it is putting a lot of extra pressure on us. But, we will choose to keep hoping, praying and waiting.

‘Love always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.’ 1 Corinthians 13:7