Earthbright Inn

We FINALLY completed the ribbon driveway from the road to the plateau of the Oliviere trees! (I didn't know this style of twin concrete tyre paths was also called "Hollywood driveways")

So now, cars can drive up to the house more comfortably!

One morning, Naz tells me there are men picking the mangoes behind the house - she could hear the mangoes falling.

Nobody is walking four miles to steal mangoes, especially since the coast here is overflowing with mango trees. If you want to find a mango tree in Toco, throw a stone into the bush - it will hit a mango tree. I told her it was most likely parrots eating and dropping fruit.

She goes to look, and sees a family of Red Howler monkeys stuffing themselves with mangoes. They proceeded to come every morning between ten and eleven o' clock for their breakfast for the next couple weeks.

Notes from the Toco bush...
I haven't written anything for a while as I have been quite busy!

Oliver the cat has discovered that a four foot long Machete lives somewhere behind the house. I have met this snake repeatedly much further from the house, crossing the road (twice!) and down among the Oliviere trees. Oliver has chased this native twice that I know of, and on one of those days, the snake later approached the house, clearly looking out for the cat - head up in the air, rather like a periscope.

The last time I saw him was a bit closer than I cared for. Naz said, "There's a snake in the kitchen!" I came, expecting to find some small Annulated Night Snake brought in by Oliver and then abandoned out of boredom...
I find Mr. Machete on the counter, four feet of indignance! Oliver must have cornered him outside and he came in through the window - note to self: move temporary woodpile from outside kitchen window.

Machetes puff out their throats when they feel threatened. They rattle their tail when they are threatened. And they bite the broomstick you point at them when they refuse to take a hint.

In the end, I tossed a pair of jeans over him while distracting him with a well-chewed broomstick. Grabbing him through the jeans, I hauled his irate self outside and let him go in the garden.

I hope he stays outside from now on!

Speaking of visitors of the unwanted persuasion, a porcupine climbed into my parents' bathroom a good few nights ago. While I could laugh about it, I hope I never have to deal with that particular variety! Why? One word: quills!
My sister, using her mastery of the dark arts of animal control, got the pickery imp into a crate and later released northward of their house. She told me it headed off into the bush towards my house...

This afternoon, I was working on the outdoor kitchen when I noticed one of the trees behind the house shaking animatedly. The tree had more than five Red Howler monkeys moving around in the crown of the tree. One had a baby on its back.

They moved through the tree very casually. I realize the movement I noticed was the after-effects of one of them having jumped from the upper branches into a nearby cajuca tree. The rest of the troop took their time moving towards the cajuca, while one sat on a lower branch, watching me!

We always hear them - every morning like barnyard roosters, Naranjo's morning wake-up call - but this was the first time I saw them.

My updated cleaning rules. 🧹😅

Did you know the history of April Fools?

Outside in the pink poui (that was supposed to be a gate post) there is a creature.
This is Oliver the cat. He was a stray in Central who adopted a home that unfortunately was in the domain of a large tomcat, who proceeded to employ Oliver as a chew-toy and a punching bag.
(A Fresh Prince of Bel-air story) So his adopted mum got scared and sent him to live in the country!

He is quite happy here, climbing and hunting.
The bats, lizards and Lily are not pleased with this arrangement, and I expect some strongly-worded letters of complaint soon.