Arrival

This year we got off to a slow start, due mostly to the terrible condition of the roads. The hill coming up out of Grange was so bad that very few drivers would attempt it, and the lane coming in to our house was even worse. As a result we were unwilling to ask our drivers to come in for anything less than getting us here in the first place.

But the rains that had damaged the roads were wonderful for our plants! It seems that three years is the magic number for plants here. It takes them that long to get their roots established, but then they really take off. A lot of our plantings are now that old, and grew spectacularly over the summer. Tai Jean has continued planting strange and wonderful plants, some of which none of our Jamaican friends had ever seen before.

Once the roads were patched to at least a minimal level of usability we were able to get some supplies in. Tom got another load of wall building stone and has started building more walls in the front garden. He also got tiling supplies and has done a little mosaic work on the porch.

The kids are of course delighted to have us back, and Barbara has had them over several times to cook and play. A couple of them are getting old enough that she dares try them out on her sewing machine, which will be exciting for them (and for her).

Although Jamaica - especially where we are - is definitely a third world country, sometimes it can be surprisingly advanced. A definite example of this is the fact that we now have faster internet service at our house here in the boonies of Jamaica than we do at our Ithaca home, seven miles from Cornell. Strange...

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