Everything You Need for a Beautiful Garden, Part I

Living in the tropics is a wonderland for gardeners, but I am beginning to believe that a beautiful garden can be had by anyone who looks closely at the plants that grow close to home. Developing a garden that reproduces itself is a gift from God. You don't need fancy plants from a nursery or to buy plants every year to fill the beds and this blog series will show you several examples of plants that are in my yard that self propagate. I mean think about it, how did the earth flourish without Home Depot Garden Center?
I am by no means an expert and have a simple common sense knowledge of gardening, but it works for me. Plants reproduce by way of seeds, roots and many will re-create themselves from just a section of a branch in the right environment. Lets look at flowering plants in my yard that reseed themselves and no I do not know their botanical names, all ya'll flower experts can do the identification if you like. Me, .... I call them what they look like to me.

This looks like a Zennia to me, but someone here called it a Marigold. Anyway, they can grow multi-colors on the same plant and are long lasting clipped & brought in for vase arrangements. They are beautiful in the yard and butterflies LOVE them, so if you like flowers that bring you butterflies plus can be used in cut flower arrangements this one is perfect. As the pollen is removed from the bloom, what's left will go through these stages: 

This is when the butterflies like it best. Note the mount in the middle, it produces the little yellow flowers that are like candy to butterflies. As they are all used up the petals then start to dry out as well as the mound in the middle as seen in the following 3 pictures

 

Petals fall off, center mound dries and starts to separate. At this point I clip it off and spread the seeds that are inside the mound where I want them to grow, Versus letting the wind carry them away. as in this last picture. 

I do not seed them in little pots or any of that silly stuff. They were designed to lay on the earth and with water & sun they sprout on their own. How much easier and just think, letting nature do what it was designed to do, .................. amazing!!!
Sometimes if I want to plant a whole bed of them I will pick the buds as the petals start to dry and put them in a little uncovered container on the porch until they are all dried and spread them in a large area all at once. I love how nature works! Oh & identifying the new sprouts is easy, just look closely at the leaves.
Full Grown

<Young plant

 <Seedling



Next in this series will be my "Morning/Evening Bloomers" NO I do not know what they are really called. Stay Tuned!!

A Most Unique Mexican Vacation

Tourists visit Mexico for a variety of reasons: Beaches, Water Sports, Wildlife, Hiking, Mayan Ruins,

Historic Sites, and some just to escape the cold winter. In the Midwest of the United States, Dude Ranch Vacations have become a popular destination for travelers wanting a unique experience in wide open spaces with horseback riding. What if you could combine the best of both of those worlds? You would then find yourself at Num Kaan Ranch, a jewel of the south between Bacalar & Chetumal, Mexico.

Num Kaan Ranch is situated on 40 hectares of land, much of it still jungle. Right off Hwy 307, the ranch property stretches all the way to the Lagoon. Our lagoon is the same body of water as the well known Bacalar Lagoon (The Lake of Seven Colours) although our section of the lagoon is considered Xul-Ha, part of the nearby village of Xul-Ha. On the ranch we offer affordable lodging from economical palapa roof cabanas to air-conditioned family suite casitas boasting full kitchens, TV, dining room and sleeps up to 6 people.

We are about to open Num Ka’an Bunkhouse consisting of 8 air conditioned rooms for a total of 32 beds and capacity to sleep 36. All total Num Kaan Ranch can lodge up to 62 people. The Jungle Horse Restaurant & Cantina is a favorite spot for a great meal & refreshing drinks for our guests hailing from all corners of the worlds as well as the local community and surrounding area.
On-site amenities for our guests include a beautiful, pristine multi-level pool, volley ball court, horse shoe pits, access to the laguna, kayaking and, of course, our horses. A favorite for the kids is the rodeo paseo, spending 20 minutes in the corral riding or being guided by one of our wranglers. We also offer a paseo to the laguna, which is a 2 hour ride through the jungle stopping half way at the laguna for a refreshing swim. Num Ka’an Ranch is currently home to 15 horses, 7 of which we use routinely for the paseos. In the near future we plan to offer horseback riding lessons and we may be acquiring additional horses to add to the herd, so stay tuned for more

on that.

While staying with us, we can also arrange for local tours of the Mayan Ruins, Historical Sites in Bacalar and Guided Wild Life tours, so be sure to bring your camera. A 3 to 7 day stay would give you time to experience the sites that draw many to the Yucatan peninsula, all the while enjoying western style hospitality on a ranch. What a fabulous vacation for your family. There is something for everyone at affordable prices.

Num Ka’an is a perfect location for groups. Upon request we can work with you to package lodging, activities & meals for groups of 25 or more to fit a reasonable budget. Num Ka’an works perfectly for company meetings, tour groups, family events and special occasions. Our large event hall can easily seat 60 people for meals, meetings and other group activities.

Contact us for more information by emailing us (inquiry@numkaan.com), calling us 983-157-7483 (English), 983-139-0493 (Espanol) or visit our Facebook page (Num Ka’an) 

and website (www.numkaan.com) You can find us on skype, just search for Num Ka’an

Happy Trails,

Catherine Thomas

Num Ka’an Guest Services

Num Ka’an Ranch km 5 on Mexico Hwy 307 Xul-Ha Quintana Roo, Mexico

Joey's Birthing Story

I have been in on many births of babies, but NEVER puppies and let me tell you, I have a whole new respect for female dogs. Holy Moses, it was AMAZING!! Humans go to all this reading of books, buying the latest in birthing & baby equipment, take classes on breast feeding. Then we moan, scream & groan during labor and it takes a team of people to deliver one child (more if there is a multiple birth). Having had children myself I am in awe of the tenacity, spirit & strength of a birthing female dog. Attribute it to anything you want, doesn't matter, plain & simple they go through the process with dignity & strength!
I knew Joey was going to deliver last night. She was being snippy with the other dogs and staying away from them. I went up to bed, but I couldn't fall asleep, I kept going down stairs to check on her. Finally she followed me upstairs to the guest room where I had a pad & bowl of water set up for her, but when she saw Annie laying there she growled & barked at her, as if to say, "Hey, get the heck off my birthing pad", but Annie was not going to budge, so Joey went back down stairs. 
A little while later Annie did move to the other room & Joey nested down on the pad next to the bed. I watched her for a while  then dozed off to sleep.  I figured I would hear Joey when she started laboring. She never made a sound.
Long around 4:30 am I awoke to the sound of whimpering, I looked over & she had already pushed

out 2 puppies. The whimpering was coming from the puppies. I got up and sat next to the pad. Joey didn't seem to mind, she almost seemed to be pleased. I rubbed her back and could tell she was about to push out another. The process was nothing short of astonishing. 
They come out in the sac, she tears it open, eats the sac, slurps up the fluid and then thoroughly cleans them, drying them in the process. They find her nipples on their own and start nursing. She lays

back to take a break and 20 min later here comes the next one, the next & the next. I felt around her belly & knew there she wasn't done. 30 minutes go by and she starts contracting again. I thought maybe this was the placenta, but no she had one more to birth. 6 pups in all.
So for 3 - 4 hours she is contracting pushing, birthing, cleaning and feeding puppies ALL AT THE SAME TIME and then eats the placenta. Amazing!! 
The first 2 were white with black spots (obviously looking like the heathen that got our little Joey

pregnant), then 2 black with bronze/white feet & a little spit of white on the chest (looking like Joey), then the last 2 looking like the first two. I named them Uno, Dos, Tres, Cuatro, Cinco & Seis. Uno & Dos were determined because one was wetter than the other.

Joey cleaned up as she went along, other than moisture on the pad, you would never have known puppies had just been birthed there. (But I will send that out for cleaning)
I got a few pictures and left Joey to rest with her puppies. Since she is upstairs she is safe from the

other dogs nosing around her puppies. After she rest a bit, I will take the birthing box up and help her transfer into that. That way when Joey needs to go out or eat, her pups will not be able to "roam around" while shes gone. We won't really know how

many males & females for a few days, but the lines are open for anyone wanting to lay claim to their favorite (hint hint).
 

Many of you have probably witnessed this with dogs or cats and think I am making too much of it, but for me it really had an impact. I guess animals escaped Eve's curse, so nice for them. I had planned all kinds of projects for today but I think I will just let the house stay quiet for Joey, she deserves it after all that work. I love how she has them all snuggled up together and lays her head over the top of the group to keep them warm & safe. 

Stay tuned for the Chronicles of Joeys Puppies.

 

Reconnecting after Deployment

Many of you know I have spent the last 3 months in Hopkins, Belize managing a guest house. Well I have returned home and have such a deep appreciation of all those years my hubby was in the Navy and what it meant for him to come home. I knew he was so happy to be home and we were excited too. In the early years I had to adjust to him not wanting to go anywhere right away, as the kids & I had done so

many fun things while he was gone (I had to keep them occupied, so we would just go & do stuff all the time), we wanted to share some of it with him, but he just wanted to stay home. We developed the practice of the 3 day honeymoon. For at least the first 3 days it was tabu for anyone to call or come over. This was family time!!! It worked very well, we would reconnect and slowly emerge into society and our outside activities. The other adjustment was relinquishing responsibilities that during the deployment were all on me.
I remember one time (it was a  lengthy deployment) I had been very spontaneous with the kids. Just on the fly I would say, "Hey lets go to the pool, or lets go bowling", things like that. I guess hubby was home for maybe a couple hours and one of the kids said, "Dad, when are you going out on the sub again?" Hubby said "Why do you ask?" "Because mom takes us to do FUN stuff", said the innocent child of truth. That's when hubby & I discussed moderation in what life is like during deployment compared to post deployment.

The new found appreciation I have for what it was like for hubby has probably left some of our friends wondering "What's up with her?" Well it's like this for me:
I am the social butterfly of our marriage, but after being a hostess for guest 24/7 for 3 months I am very much enjoying a few days of solitude. Getting to know my house again, my life again and forming a plan to re-engage in all the things I did before. It's like running at 150mph and coming to a screeching halt. There needs to be a buffer zone while the gears shift.
It was also hard during the last 3 months to find uninterrupted time to spend chatting with our children & grand children. So for the next few days if the only contact I have is with my family that will be the buffer zone I am in most need of right now. Be patient, the social butterfly you all know & love will emerge from her cocoon soon!

The Busy Bee

Which is a much better thing than being a busy body. Staying busy keeps me happy. A project here & there, our monthly BBQ's, or participation in a worthy cause, our life as retirees lends to being able to do as much or little as I like but, doing nothing drives me crazy. In my career life I had limited choices in "as much or little". Goals & Objectives set by bosses meant that to do well you gave it your all, ........ all the time. The rat race of success is for the young (I get tired just thinking about it). Yes, we could have a discussion about the meaning of success and work/life balance, but we'll save that for another time. However, I will say this: My dad always said & I have said many times that a parents deepest desire is that their children be an improved version of themselves. Since our daughter is in the same career field I was in, it makes a good comparison and she definitely is an improved version of me as she does a much better job of life/work balance.

Rainy season makes it easy to do yard projects, the earth is soft from all the

rain but sometimes the challenge is finding sunny days to do the work. Upkeep is a busy project during the rainy season, weeds grow rapidly and on rainy days I think I can hear them laughing at me, not to mention being able to literally watch the grass grow. I have a few more plants to get in the ground yet but, pretty much the landscaping is near complete. Well, maybe a few more flowering plants. I would love to have some "flowers for cutting", so I can get back to flower arranging. Until then, Mexico has a vast supply of cut flowers available, so I think I will start frequenting the flower venders until I define which ones will be easy to grow in my yard. I still have plans to do some indoor painting, so that's a project to look forward to. YES, I love to paint!!

I just about have the monthly BBQ's down to a science. Papi does all the

cooking and I get to do all the organizing, set up & clean up. Don't cringe, I love that part!! It was said of my mother that when people came over she couldn't sit still. She was always washing a glass or wiping a counter, etc. I think I inherited those genes.  There's a couple reasons for that. First, I really do have trouble sitting for hours on end. I am good for about 20-30 minutes and then I have to move around. Some people might feel that's rude, but I'm sorry it's just the way I am.

Secondly, at the end of a long day (our BBQ's joyfully go for 6-8 hours easy, sometimes longer), I dislike very much having to do the clean up all at one time and my OCD doesn't allow me to "leave it til the morning" I am just not built like that. Cleaning as we go works much better for me. By the time the last guest leaves, the food is put away, dishes are done, the counters & tables are clean. I work in stealth mode as our guest are there to be simply that - GUEST! I will slip into the kitchen, wash up a few dishes, refill my glass & return. The biggest improvement I would make to our BBQ's is to convince people that the roof top patio is so much more comfortable. One of these days I have to convince Papi to try doing the BBQ up there or screen in the downstairs porch. The flies are atrocious. But even with a screened in porch it would be so nice to get everyone to migrate to the top to eat & relax for the remainder of the BBQ. OK, off my soap box, maybe after rainy season is over, I will have made some progress on that.

The good causes down here that I have had the honor of being involved with, many of you are aware of: GLOW (Girls Leading our World), CWF (Corozal Womens Forum) & doing PR for CBSC. I have recently been invited to participate in a long standing passion of mine, Ultrasound Education. Being retired from my career in Diagnostic Ultrasound my credentials are in retirement but the knowledge & skill are still there. It grates my last nerve to know that truly good diagnostic ultrasound is not as readily available as it should be in Belize. A fairly new clinic has been established in Patchakan (Presbyterian Medical Clinic). They now have a full time female family practice doctor (with a specialty in OB). They have acquired an ultrasound system. It's an older model but a die hard, work horse that will serve them & the community well. The need for training led them to a gal who is the Director of Ultrasound Education at Presbyterian Mission Hospital in Cincinnati, Ohio. Wendy Skates, RDMS is a good friend of our daughters and introductions were made.

The exciting part for me was when I was asked if I was interested in being a local educational resource after the training was over. I think it took me a split second to say yes. A future blog will fill you in on how it all goes, but can I just say that it amazes me how the out pouring of love & generosity over this mission is allowing Wendy to bring a SLEW of supplies & equipment with her, but the BEST thing she is bringing is her amazing ability to educate!! I truly believe this is just the beginning.


Evidently, the weeds are laughing again, ........... gotta go silence them!!!

Roof Tops and Patios

A Sunday afternoon BBQ to thank our friends in Mexico for their hospitality

& help when we moved here, has turned into a monthly gathering. The August gathering was quite a success! Honey once again "Q"ed up some outstanding chicken & beef, the side dishes were great (Doug got the best side dish prize for his potato salad) and Ana topped it all off with delicious coconut pie. The kids got their hot dogs and we remembered the tortilla's.

Seems most places we have lived we have established this type of event. In

Maryland, it was the "Battle of the BBQ's" starring the neighborhood menfolk who enjoyed the challenge of trying to out do each other. In Singapore they were called "Under the House Parties" as we lived in a British Bungalow on concrete pillars that left a wonderful patio underneath suitable for this. In Guam they were Cabana Parties at Polaris Point (a recreation area), in Florida they were Tiki Hut Parties and in Mississippi the menu was expanded well beyond BBQ type food to include Shrimp & Crab boils and mostly took place at our neighbors house.

Once we hosted a gathering in Mississippi and I got the bright idea that I would put "Gumbo" on the menu. Well I am a southern girl but I wasn't a Gulf Coast native. I knew that because I would often hear people say, "You ain't from around here are ya?" But they said it in the most loving way, ...... kind of like

the old saying, "If you are gonna criticize someone it's ok, as long as what you say, is followed by, God bless their heart or God love em"   It's a southern thing. ANYWAY, so I, not being the sharpest knife in the draw, go to the store and Lord have mercy, my prayers have been answered. They sell gumbo already made in the frozen food section!!! So I buy it, bring it home, thaw it and put it in the crockpot. Yeah I know, that is some serious "faking it". But it smelled great and I was sure it would be a crowd pleaser. Our invited guests arrive and when its time to start the buffet line someone asked me, "where's the rice?". Rice?, you're supposed to serve rice with it? And with the most loving look they say , "You ain't from around here are ya?" We gladly accepted invitations to the neighbors outdoor events and I learned a whole lot about Gulf Coast Cooking (not that I do much cooking in any geographical location)!!

Here in Mexico, there is a distinct cuisine but our BBQ's, boast the backyard

American BBQ menu. Some form of dead animal goes on the grill and the side dishes include Baked Beans, Potato &/or Macaroni Salad, Deviled Eggs, a dessert and of course BEER. At the first BBQ someone asked, "Do you have any tortillas?" My reply, "Lo siento, no tengo" (I'm sorry I don't have). This last one someone said, "I thought about bringing beans & rice". And even though I remembered the tortillas I could still hear that echo in my head, "You ain't from around here are ya?"  But don't worry, nobody left hungry and a good time was had by all.

We had 10 adults and 4 young people attend the BBQ. The boys were happy watching TV & our friend Rosa's teenage daughter was happy updating facebook on her phone. Thank goodness for her though, otherwise there would not have been any pictures. She saw the camera on the kitchen counter and captured the event with a few photos. Now, you know how it goes in a lot of cases, the guys end up in one room & the gals in another. I had set up the dining room with plenty of seating because although the back patio is a great place, until it gets screened in, the flies will

drive you CRAZY, but because the cooler of beer was there, well that's where they guys hung out (God bless em for putting up with those flies). On the other hand I think the gals showed the most common sense. We went up to the roof top patio where shade was plentiful and the breeze was heavenly. So next time I am hoping for one of two things, either the back patio gets screened in or we have it up on the rooftop patio. The only thing we would need if we held it on the roof top are safety spotters on the stairs when everyone departs OR maybe, us gals will just keep it to ourselves- LOL!!

Meeting New Friends and Savoring the Old

I wrote in an earlier blog about leading a host of lives within one life. Being a military wife meant I could put to good use my chameleon skills. Honey would

come home & say, "Guess what? We're moving to, ..............". This meant it was time to meet new friends and enjoy the adventure of a new place and that is exactly how I viewed it. The kids on the other hand went through a lot more turmoil and adjustment, but they never had trouble making new friends. Well, there was that one time I got tired of their moaning & groaning and kicked them out of the house telling them to return when they had met a new friend and had their mothers name & phone number. CPS would probably lock me up if I did that today, but back then it was a different world, sad to say.

Our move to Belize meant leaving our good friends in Mississippi (not to mention all our family & friends from previous lives in the states), but I can still smell the bayou & imagine sitting on the Grafe's back porch or upper deck sipping some delicious beverage, watching nature unfold in the afternoon. I can

still feel the excitement of having all our kids arrive (as a surprise to me) for my 50th birthday. Of course no one will forget our daughters wedding taking place during one of the worst electrical storms & monsoon rains in the history of Moss Point. Note: for those of you not in the know, it was suppose to be a backyard wedding & reception, but that's a story for another day, but the overall success of a potential disaster was due to the love & help of GREAT FRIENDS!!!

In Belize it was easy to make friends There is a fairly large expat community there and being the "new kids on the block" opened the doors to making many good friends. A central hub for this is the Purple Toucan that host the "Friendship Luncheon". Belize (or Central America) is not for everyone, so some stay, some leave and some enjoy many years but later return to their homeland. Circles of friends change too (in high school we called these "clicks"), but when you are older you just call them circles of friends because these circles have different interests and what you don't find in one circle you can find in another circle. I was never part of a click in high school, I tended to socialize with many different ones at different times. That has not changed. I enjoy the friendship of many people for many different reasons or activities and I try hard to not burn bridges. I learned a long time ago to not say, "We'll never see these people again", because inevitably we do. In Belize I have met people that I either crossed paths with in previous places or should have, because we were in the same places at the same time but didn't meet. It's fun to discover how small the world gets the more we travel.

Now we live in Mexico although not far over the border from where we lived in Belize. Which makes it really nice because along with meeting new friends here,

we still see our friends in Belize. Either they come over for shopping & fun or visa versa. It's not uncommon to get an email that says, "Hey are you gonna be around on such in such a day. Want to meet up for lunch?" Works out great, they can store their cold goods from the store in my fridge while we go to lunch. So much gratitude we owe to those who also offer, "Hey would you like me to bring one or two of your boxes that are stored at Colleens?" By the time we finally receive our license to import our household goods, it won't take but a pickup truck.

While visiting this area before we moved here we made friends with several of the owners of restaurants on the waterfront (many of which are related to each other). We re-kindled friendships with a couple folks that had lived in Belize before Mexico. Then when we rented our house, the sister-in-law to the owner became a good friend and very helpful finding what we needed once we moved in. So far all these friends are spanish speaking so I get lots of practice with the language. Then we met a couple (husband is American, wife Mexican), who have become good friends. BBQ buddies he & CT are. And our latest introduction has been to a couple who we are still getting to know but seem delightful. They raise chickens, ducks, & pigs, he is a carpenter, & she is a massage therapist. Both of the last 2 couples are bi-lingual, so now I have lots of help learning Spanish.

I was looking for a good quote for this blog entry and found this:
“People come, people go – they’ll drift in and out of your life, almost like characters in a favorite book. When you finally close the cover, the characters have told their story and you start up again with another book, complete with new characters and adventures. Then you find yourself focusing on the new ones, not the ones from the past.”
― Nicholas Sparks, The Rescue 
 NOTE: I agree with the first part, but not the last. I believe that the best old friends are like a great novel, enjoying it once is great, but being able to pick it up again and enjoy it time & time again is FANTASTIC!! 

"I have been very fortunate to have friends that I may not see or talk to for long periods of time and when we have the good fortune to see or speak with one another,  its as if it was only yesterday." - Catherine Thomas, Aug 2013