Happenings in the 'hood

To say that the lane we live on is off the beaten path, would not be an overstatement:

While there are six houses flanking the entrance to the lane from the highway, our stretch is sparsely populated. For instance, this interesting looking house is to the left of our property on about ¾ acres:

To the best of our knowledge, no one has ever lived here, but a yard crew comes in every few weeks to keep the bush at bay. 

To the right of us, lives Delia with her mom and five children:

The rest of the lane, in front and behind our house, is covered in brush and some palm trees:

We can count on one hand, with fingers left over, the number of vehicles and people that go by and pretty much know the daily routines for the cars and folks who do wander past our house, including the Seventh Day Adventists who occasionally come to call on Sundays.

So you can imagine our surprise last weekend when we heard the sound of machetes thwacking away nearby. What made it all the more curious was that it was a three-day holiday to celebrate St. George’s Caye Day, and everyone was supposed to be off from work.

We ambled down the lane and saw a crew of three guys going hammer and tongs with their machetes and a chain saw on the property right next to Delia’s. Boy, had they been busy:

As an aside, a machete (pronounced ‘muh- chet’, no long ‘e’ at the end) is the tool of choice in these parts. From whacking back bush and weeds to chopping down smallish trees and cracking open coconuts, the machete can do it all. And you frequently see men and boys of all ages walking the roads with one, including our neighbor Delia’s younger son, Dandre. He comes by from time to time to hang out with Fernando when he’s working on our yard and together they chop away. 

So where was I? Oh yeah. With all this work going on, might we have  new neighbors on the horizon? To get the skinny on the story, we spoke to Fernando. He is very well connected in the community and knows all there is to know about local happenings.

It turns out that he was speaking to Delia and happens to know one of the guys clearing out the lot. They shared with him that a lady doctor from the States bought the four parcels next to her house (we estimate about ¾ acres). The new owner made up a contract with one of the workers, the guy Fernando knows, to clear the land and get it in shape to have it look like ours. I’m sure when Fernando heard that it made him proud or at least I hope it did considering all the work and care he puts into our place.

I asked Fernando what his best guess was to accomplish the doctor’s mission and how it will happen. His estimate is about six to seven years. Now that most of the bush and unwanted trees have been hacked down, the next step will be to burn all the stuff they cut. (Am keeping fingers crossed the wind will blow the opposite direction of our place when that conflagration starts.) Once the initial burning is over, then the crew will need to burn out all the tree stumps, all the while keeping the bush cut back. After that, black or red dirt may need to brought in to make an even grade, then the grass seed can be put down and whatever plants and trees the doctor has in mind.

There was no mention of a house being built, but I can’t imagine someone going through all the trouble to landscape without building something. 

Guess we will just have to wait and see.