I survived Jova

Not literally ... but early the morning after neighbors were waving to each other from their second floors just like you see in the flood disaster videos.

The wind woke me about 4am, I checked my car and there was only about 6 inches of water around it. I went to the unfinished upstairs to watch the storm for about an hour and a half and when I came downstairs I noticed water in the patio. I thought the pool had over flowed but then noticed the water was brown. Took another look at my car on the street and water was up on the hood ... too late to move it. Headed back to the bedroom and noticed water coming in from the garage. Since I had not prepared my pile of sandbags I had to sit and watch the house fill with a foot and a half of water and mud. I spent the rest of the night upstairs waiting for daylight. Closest thing to a flash flood I can imagine without a wall of water. Only took two hours for water to overflow the canal by 5-6 feet.

About 9am a few families started to walk out when the water had reached waist height and the bridge was passable. I waited till noon and headed for Vern and Elke's where I am to this day. My car got towed to a auto cleaning place yesterday and will head to a mechanic Monday. The neighbors are cleaning the house I was "sitting" and most of the houses in the area have cleaning crews in them.

So I'm actually quite lucky but many home owners NOT. My house in Pinal Villa was not affected except the access road is pretty bad. Lots of road closures in Jalisco and Colima. The Marabasco river overflowed and flooded Cihuatlan ... and actually cut a channel to the Barra lagoon which became a river mouth.

 

 

Cleanup efforts are massive here and emergency food is being brought in by the military. Spirits are surprisingly high and the sun is out

Families walk out as water receded

What the area looked like about 9am

Hurricane Jova experience in Melaque

Living on the cheap in Mexico

This is where my neighbors live. You might say: 'well they have an RV' but it's very small for two people. Especially during the rainy season when the whole yard is mud. Truck is broken with no money to fix and had to use a tractor to move the RV in. Next door is a little out building where they cook to keep the heat out of the trailer.

Things are looking up now since we haven't had rain for almost two weeks and it's drying out ... but it's still hot as hell and humid.

No these neighbors are not Mexican ... but a 50 something American woman and her 20 year old kid.

Tough way to go but they seem to keep spirits up pretty well

Surprising what you can get done in this heat

Looking at each day I don't think I get much done but looking back at the last two weeks ... actually quite a bit. Just like today, my battery died for the second time and this time it was fatal. After working in the sun with the help of neighbors we decided it was dead. What are you going to do on a Sunday in our area ... so after a jump I drove to Cihuatlan and Bodega Aurrera. They had the battery I needed so I changed it in the parking lot SUN. While I was there I noticed they had the matrimonial (double) sized mattresses they were not supposed to have for two more weeks ... I got one.

Then my Canadian neighbors arrived for their six month stay and welcoming them back took the rest of the afternoon.

Yesterday I finished painting the kitchen. Only white primer but that's the way it will stay for quite awhile. That is the last of the house painting for awhile. I also delivered my unwanted agave plants to a fellow in Barra de Navidad. I just don't have room for very many spiny plants.

Friday morning I flagged down a gas tank truck to fill my new stationary tank on the roof. Spent the rest of the afternoon getting my stove and hot water heater working. It was a combination of figuring out if valves were open or closed, all the stove parts had to be installed for the burners to work .... and gas was surprisingly slow coming thru the pipes.

The week before I had a plumber make the connections to the water heater, the stove and install the first bathroom. I also bought all the identical fixtures for the second bathroom.

The heat makes me feel like not working ... but somehow things get done. It may be because I have no real deadline and time means less when you are retired ... and in Mexico

Kitchen is painted

First bedroon that looks like a bedroom

Corn and the unhappy iguana

Picked my first two ears of corn a few days ago and realized growing corn really does work. Also learned that the earth/dirt has to be better than most of my yard. Not sure if some areas have too many rocks, sand or maybe construction debris. Anyway the next crop will be better planned.

Asked my neighbor when they were ready to pick and he said now before they become 'cow food'. Not sure he is familiar with northern sweet corn which I think has a longer season and still be tender and sweet.

These were pretty small but very tasty and bugs had munched on the tops a bit so glad I didn't wait much longer. Decided to ad them to a tuna fish mix for sandwiches.

This guy has a habit of falling out of the palapa roof where I live. Today with a large thud ... and then the head-bobbing meaning he is mad.  I think he was unhappy enough to stand his ground while I took the foto

My first crop of corn

Some friends brought down some Peaches and Cream sweet corn seeds from up north and I was given a few. I really didn't expect much as I've never grown corn before. I usually grow green veggies, fruit or flowers.

So I was surprised to suddenly see the male tassels pop out on top of some of the larger stalks and the very begining of ears forming off the large leafs. The male seeds/pollen will drop onto the silk of the ear below and growth will begin. These fotos are at a little over 4 weeks and if I'm lucky like the article below I may have the first ear by week 9 or 10.  I planted in other places around the garden and they are all moving slower.   I assume the soil condition makes the difference but we'll see.

The male seed tassels that will pollenate the ear below

Ear starting to form off the large leaf

Foto from another article on Peaches and Cream corn

Due to the hot and muggy weather this summer, my corn was ready to harvest 9 weeks after I planted it. I originally estimated my corn would be ready on Tuesday, September 5th, but I picked my first ear on Thursday, August 12th. The ears did not get as big as others I have seen, but the corn is fully developed inside. The signs of corn being ready, is that the silk turns brown, and when you push on a kernel with your finger, a watery white substance comes out. If it’s more chunky, than it’s too early, if it’s clear then you waited too long.