Dead Heads

Todays blog is just colorful! The Swell is redecorating inside and out! We have started landscaping the entrance, are adding lights to our outside beach dining area, and are revamping the great room with some color. This is the first of my contributions to the room. Seeing as we are a Mexican Restaurant, I chose the Mexican Day of the Dead design for my first piece, and there is another to come! I am really excited that it turned out so well and am kinda proud, seeing as I am not a real artist. It was super fun to do and gives the room some much needed color! Stay tuned for more to come...

Lanterns, Mint, & Insects...

Well today has been a mixture of good and ummm uncomfortable...and it is only lunch time!

First I woke up and had a wonderful hike to the top of Brio Hill with the puppies and Taj was so scared of a cow on the road that he ran and jumped into my arms like a little baby... sooo cute!Then when I came home I looked up into my skylight in the breezeway and saw the sun shining through the Beautiful Red Solar Lanterns my wonderful mother sent down for me! They are like a sunlit, red Chandelier blowing in the wind and it makes me happy every time I walk under them, and at night they send 6 moving rays of light into the hallway!

Then as I am cleaning out my room I shook out a towel that was in Junior's bed.... and out fell a small yet still scary Tarantula. At least I think it is a Tarantula cause it has fuzz on it and just, well, looks like one. I will post a picture because I know my brother is going to love it! He should be able to tell us all exactly the type of spider species he/she is too.... take it away Bowen!~

After that was all over and I snapped these few pictures I found this little guy... well, as far as Beetles go he is quite a biggie, but harmless. So I guess this is Nicaragua's way of telling me I officially greeted? I have seen every creepy, crawly thing possible and not just outside, but in my actual bedroom. Needless to say I do sleep with a Mosquito net.... tucked in!

When the excitement finally died down, although I know that is only temporary living in a thriving country like this one... I managed to capture a picture of my Cuidador Felix cultivating the Mint Pyramid. It has the bottom 3 layers teeming with mint and the top 2 with Culantro/Cilantro. It is his pet project of the yard and he takes good care to add bits of watered down manure to keep it fertilized and spreading. So next time you are THE SWELL BAR, you

will know that the mojito's are grown with love!

People...

I have been wondering for days what to Blog about next. I feel like nothing super interesting has happened lately, but just a bunch of small things.
1. I had a crew of 4 people (2 of which are friends of my parents from home) rent out my house, which meant sharing my space, which normally I am totally used to living down here with zero privacy, but since I have had my own house have been bathing in the luxury of having space to myself. However it was great to have Bruce and Marie here and made me miss home a little more than normal and of course my family.
then...2. I had a moral confliction with my best friend over pig wrestling at her Redneck Themed Bday party, which caused me an enormous amount of stress, but managed to go anyways and see my first episode of piggie in a barrel. I didn't want to be a hypocrite knowing I have had my fair share of meat in my life (albeit not much in my life these days), as well as I didn't want the ignorance of not knowing what it was I was against until I saw one for myself. Even though every animal rights group I am a member of is against it and trying to have events like this one banned. I managed to get through the festivities, with only one small outburst when I saw the little guy starting to limp and could no longer hold back. Ultimately I managed to get 3 teams to bow out and didn't completely f@%K up my friendship with my girly.3.

My new renters Ian and Melissa have arrived from Hawaii and it is great to be neighbours with such good people who you share common interests with and we now have a whole herd of doggies living up at Casa Swell. Junior, Taj, Macho (part time), Puna & Laya! Brad avoids the herd like a smart little squirrel and eats his breakfast on top of the fridge these days....
So overall, things are just plodding along day by day, without too much drama and I find myself happy & just living well!
Adios for now...

Oh Boy... Scorpions anyone?

Well todays Blog is a little nasty... as my House Fairy was out washing the laundry she was stung on the arm by a wasp. When she showed us, Jeremy went straight for the medicine bag to give Juanita a antihistamine. When he pulled the meds bag out he found the "MOTHER LOAD", literally, of Scorpions!!! A momma and about 50 babies just hanging out..... blech!!!

We took a few pictures and then proceeded to flush them down the toilet where hopefully they will rest in peace...
Sadly yesterday we found two big ones in the kitchen that while Jer was trying to kill them, stung my baby Taj and made him sick all day yesterday and the other one managed to sting Jeremy in the finger.
He did say earlier that he wondered what a sting would feel like.... so I guess now he knows!
I have now googled what the heck I am supposed to spray, sprinkle, wash or whatever with to keep them away!

Ok... so who wants to visit? hahah! they are not really that bad, but this picture is enough to give you the Hibi Jibi's!

New Additions!

Hey All,
Well it's Friday, which really means nothing here in Nicaragua other than I got to wake up for the second day with my TWO new additions!!! Taj & Charlie!
We took a trip to Managua to get Junior some antibiotics and just happened to go past the guy selling puppies.....and.... well I had already cleared the idea of getting a big guard dog for the house with my dad, so how happy was I to see a little Boxer puppy. He as huge feet and long legs and a big ol' head! His name is Taj and is a big gullump!!! He can barely run without tripping over his own feet and is a lickin' machine. He is buttery soft and is starting to show a new affinity for chewing what ever he can find... great : P
Then just by chance was THEE smallest dog in the world in the pen next door.... a Tea Cup Chihuahua!!! Another fawn colored little boy that weighs less than a pound and just might be the cutest thing in the world. You can hardly believe he is real he is so small. Like a toy. He is about the size of a pair of my sunglasses! His name is Charlie... aka Carlos.
So now there is Junior (top dog of course), Brad the squirrel, Taj the Boxer & Charlie the Chihuahua! My awsome little family and the farm begins...
Tomorrow we are off to buy materials to build the chicken coop and pig pen! Woohoo!!!

Retaining Wall 1

Sooo, for everyone who doesn't know already... I bought a house! Casa Swell! It was mostly finished, so I have been doing smaller renovations to the place, but what it was really lacking was a backyard. It was just a pile of dirt and there was no way to keep it held up unless we built a retaining wall. A BIG RETAINING WALL!!! Just my luck, 3 guys from Saltspring Island, BC were looking for a work/stay after new years, and they just happened to be STONEMASONS!
So far we are 1000 Piedras de Tierras into the job, the last 300 were delivered today, and only 1 man (Jeremy) is left from the original crew to finish the job! He def. has his work cut out for him, as he only has about a month left down here in Nicaragua. He does have help from the gardener/cuidador Felix, but still... each stone weighs about 90-100 lbs!
Here are a few pictures to get a better idea.... more on this to come...
Besos..xx

Brad the Squirrel...

This one goes out to my mom who is dying to see a photo of the newest addition to The Swell Farm.
My Nica "daughter" Jenny called me to tell me she bought me a present... which turned out to be a little grey & black Squirrel. His name is Brad and he is quite the new family member!
He eats anything and everything you put in front of him, drinks tea out of my mug, climbs your limbs to get up to your face to give kisses (& nibbles), fights Junior (the dog) for coconuts, and sleeps cuddled up in his house with a stuffed animal!
I thought at first that he was going to run away, but nope... he stays close to you and the house at all times. Follows you around like a dog and takes to everyone he meets like he grew up with them.
For anyone that knows me, they would know that I am ecstatic to have this new little guy, as I have always wanted to be surrounded by animals, like Snow White, Cinderella, etc...

Now I am working on building an area for some chickens and a new pet pig!
So here is a picture of the little guy...