The Little Things

My Diary: September 26, 2023

Chuck and Pam own a lot in our development and hope to build a home here within the next year. They come to Roatan as often as Chuck’s business schedule allows. I wrote about them HERE the last time they visited.

Pam leaves me a gift of her collected treasures. Yesterday, we walked the .17 mile down to their lot and found that beautiful arrangement pictured above. She is so creative and said about herself, “I have a bit of Martha in me.”

Sea Treasure Crafting

I am excited to show you what I’m making with those sea urchin shells! Last May, Pam left me an equal amount of them, and I made this:

This year, I used 10 sea urchin shells, 19 wooden beads, 10 pieces of jute, and one string of fairy lights. Mike used a buttonwood tree branch to make the hanger.

Swallow-tailed moths

Early one morning, I walked on the beach, enjoying the gorgeous colors just before sunrise.

Suddenly, the sky was filled with moths! I swear there were millions. I stood up to my ankles in water, jaw hanging open, I’m sure, just watching hundreds of these beautiful creatures fly from the East to the West.

Makin’ Bacon

Following a blogger post recommendation, I fried two pounds of bacon. So easy! No grease splatters, either!

I used my cast iron Dutch oven. Set it on the medium-high burner of my gas stove and let it get hot. Using scissors, I cut 2# of bacon into thirds right into the hot Dutch oven. I did separate the pieces as well as I could using a wooden spoon. Covered the pot and checked it every three minutes. Mine took exactly 18 minutes! I put the bacon in a container to use throughout the week. The bacon grease went into a small mason jar and into the fridge. I’m sold. Does anybody else do this?

Great Finds!

Roma tomatoes are all I can ever find here on the island. Durable, aren’t they? But man, there are times I crave a nice, juicy tomato. Like this:

Our petsitter recommended a store called Disandy, which is down-island in Dixon Cove. As with most places here, you really have to know what you are looking for. There are no street addresses. Directions for Disandy are: “Right across the street from the Galaxy Wave (Ferry).”

In addition to those tasty tomatoes, I also found a bag of turmeric! They had American potatoes, so we got a few of those to taste-test. Compared to the Honduran spuds, American potatoes win! Both in taste and texture.

My only complaint is that no prices were posted. I was a little worried the reason was high pricing, so we bought cautiously. Including eight limes, two tomatoes, a bag of turmeric, and the potatoes, the total cost was 159.52L, which is $6.42 USD. Can’t wait to go back!

It’s the little things.

Caring Enough to Do It Right

Our housecleaner, Burlee, came one day with her (adult) daughter, Michelle, to “clean the windows.”

Remember: We have no glass.

While Mike and I removed all 29 screens (6 screws in each), they washed each one with Dawn dish soap and sprayed them clean with the hose.

Then they hand-cleaned every single louver, finishing with a red oil polish. Their attention to detail was superb.

The heat that day was oppressive. Mike ended up being quite sick with what we guess was heat exhaustion.

He spent the rest of the day in the air-conditioned bedroom. He was finally able to handle some saltines with peanut butter, so we knew he was on the road to recovery!

It was scary, but fortunately, his heart rate didn’t go crazy like it did the last time he had a heat-related episode.

At least now Mike knows his limitations for working in the heat, and I don’t think this will happen again.

I guess that was a big thing. I wanted to just talk about the little things today! Let’s get back on track.

I tried making mozzarella cheese this week. Little thing, BIG FAIL. I’ll try again next week! Is anybody out there with experience? I’d love to hear how you make it.

I did make some great Rosemary and Garlic Focaccia Bread two weeks ago and two loaves of Sourdough Sandwich Bread this week. It’s a small thing, but I love serving fresh, homemade bread.