Fun Fun Fun

It's been 3 weeks and I have to apologize for the lack of information. It's not that there no are items to post, it is just that it is mainly repeats.
Chickens - this morning , we managed to trap a hen who had 9 young chicks (guess about 3 days old). It was a dilemma - leave them alone and she will lose most of the young'uns or catch them all. Early this morning, I though they we all in the trap but it turned out that the mother was eating and the chicks were behind the trap. Going to the trap, the 9 young ones scattered. I caught two by hand but the rest ran off. I placed the two in with the mother but they just slipped through the holes in the trap and left. No problem, I leave the mother there and catch them again. This time, I got a large cardboard box, placed some feed inside and started to catch them one by one. By 11:30, we had all 9 safe and secure. They wanted mother but I did not want to take the chance of them being injured. And no, this is not the hen sitting on the 11 eggs. She is still working on hatching those.
Of course, this presents a problem. I now have in various boxes and tractors, 8 hens (we let the rooster go because he was not being very nice to the hens) 6 pullets and 9 chicks. Solution - build a larger chicken coop! Not a real problem as there are many ideas on the all knowing internet.
Mangoes- we have 5 left on the tree, but are and now up to 15 sprouted trees from seeds. I have been buying some from the farmers - our largest to date is 2lbs 4oz (1020 grams) and it was called a Springfeld. It tastes like a mango but the aftertaste is like a pineapple.
Weather is still hot and sticky.
Economy - They have had some figures out in the press recently. Seems like our Government is running about a $75 million deficit. pretty amazing when you consider the population is about 65K - about $1150/person. We are a two pier economy - banking and tourism. There is no other base for government to obtain funds from except for duty on imported items. While there are no personal taxes, something will have to be done. The forecast is for an even greater reduction in Government income as well as increases spending.
They also published a short article in the Cayman Compass about the politicians salaries. It seems while they have been giving us a pay increase of about 8% over the last 4 years, they also gave themselves between 25 and 35% increase in the same period. But, there are calls for cutbacks, and other economy measures. Time will tell what the result will be.
There was a talk at work about how things are getting cheaper in Cayman. You can get discounts on appliances, building materials and other items you don't always buy on a regular basis, something that did not happen before! Hotels are offering local resident specials as are restaurants. On the other hand, supermarket food, fuel and other basics continue to rise. I have noticed more people riding scooters and a couple more bike riders in the mornings. Probably the best thing going is that it is damn near impossible to freeze to death in Cayman - naturally!
Hopefully, someone with a practical mind (on a politician?) will take a look at Government and cut all unnecessary spending. One item that came out in the newspapers was that Boatswain Beach (formerly known as the Turtle Farm) was being subsidized at a cost of 17 million a year. For turtles?
Bike - I have finished testing the randonneuring bike and all I can say is that it rides nice. My average speed on it is about 2 mph more that the commuting bike. A little fine tuning to do then I will take it all apart and powder coat the frame and other items.
On the commuting bike, I finally gave up on the cheap tires. I now have a Schwalbe 700x35 Smart Guard on the rear and the Vittoria Randonneur on the front. I just got tired on flats in the rear and my first tread separation in the front tire from the Kendas. I am looking forward to dependable riding now.

Busy busy busy...

Time sure flies fast when you are doing things.
In the interim, I was ill with the flu for a week and I still have traces of it. It is hot outside - we are now getting the day of 90F+ with 90% humidity. Really makes one enjoy and appreciate AC!
Chicken tractor - made a bulk feeder for the tractor. Now, they have about 1 week's supply of corn and grain to supplement their other food. The reason is that on some days, the chickens seem hungry when you go to feed them and on others not interested in the food. I am not sure what is happening as they do get a steady supply of fruits, grain and other stuff. But I prefer to err on the side of caution. Working on a bulk watering system now. During their scratching in the grass, a lot of junk gets into their water supply. No eggs for a couple weeks. Believe that a lot of it has to do with the heat.
Mangoes - Mango season is in full swing. Everything from small to large - tasty to just a little less tasty. I have spent the last week looking for the smallest and largest ones I can find - based on type not size. Picking an average unit of each, I weighed them. The smallest is the common round mango at 4 oz (110 grams), while the largest so far is at 29 oz (800 grams)for a Valencia Pride. Both are very tasty and I planted the seeds after enjoying the fruit. I now have 11 seeds growing - common, Nelson, Bombay, Valencia Pride and East Indian to name a few. I am going to try growing dwarf fruit trees to get more species in my small yard. I did manage to get hold of a seed from mango called Madame Francis from Haiti. A mature tree is supposed to produce up to 1,000 mangoes - that right, 1K! Of course, with the lack of good soil in Cayman, I am sure that 200 would be an achievement! There is a saying in Jamaica that when mango season starts, put your pots away! They are not kidding!

With the rains, the grass started to grow and it now has to be cut every week.