Repairs and Improvements

We have been super busy! We all had a bad sinus cold, but we could not get it all at once, no....we went from our son, to me, to my husband. We each had a few days were our energy level was low and our sinuses were not behaving. However, the work did not slow down much and we are getting back into the groove again.

First, the entry to our road from the bottom of the hill was getting pretty bad. Rick was leading the fixing crew because he had the truck and the most of the tools.  That was Rick's first experience with heating asphalt and fixing road holes. :) I don't think it is his calling.

Then, tropical storm Nate came. Tons of rain and our driveway was muddy and flooded, which means the dogs were muddy and there was no stopping the mess all over! I am not sure if the pressure from all of the rain is what caused a water line to break or if it was a mudslide and a tree fell on the line, but Rick, Simon and Hector went searching for the leak. After lots of machete chopping to follow the water line, they found one and repaired it. Rick is out again today with Simon to find another one, since the first repair brought some water to our tanks, but not enough to be normal.....must be another leak somewhere. :( Last year at this time, we did not have water tanks up and running. It was nice that we continued to have access to water, even if we did have to ration our usage for awhile.

There were also a few mudslides on our road that had to be dealt with. I am just so glad that it is over and we are back to our normal rainy season weather!

Our backyard monkey (Homer) has been actively watching us, he loves to watch the kids outside playing, but we also have some Toucans that are joining the party. Below is a Fiery-billed Aracari (Toucan) who is with her mate. However, the leaves were covering any good pictures we could get of the mate.

We finally got our Country Coffee Store area finished. Below is the before and after pictures. We have added a covered sitting area that will be nice to enjoy all year. :) There are still a few minor things left, but it is functional now. Yay!

My youngest son and I went to the States for the semester break. We were able to see family and spend time with my oldest son, his wife and both of the grandmas. It was nice to see family and see that they were all doing well, but I was ready to go back home by the end.

The boy dog was missing us or maybe just my youngest son. He would stare at my son's bedroom door or just lay his head on the couch while we were gone. He is very happy that we are home again!!!

Last, but not least, the coffee harvest has started. The coffee cherries are turning red and this marks the beginning of the busy season for us! We will be picking cherries every 7-10 days through January now.   :)