Feeling hot! Hot! Hot!......

and does it ever wear you out!
It is our summer time in Cayman and all I can say is either I'm getting older or the temperatures are getting hotter. Last week, the outside temp at 1pm was 97F and the humidity made it feel like 110! To drive anywhere you needed air conditioning. Riding my bike into work in the mornings was not too bad as I took it easy and still had the morning coolness. But coming home in the evenings at around 5pm, after riding about 4 miles, I would get a bitter taste in my mount which means that I need water. Knowing the end was not to far away, I would just finish the ride. When I get home, it's hit the cooler and drink myself full. But I guess it is better than having to shovel snow from the driveway for 4 months of the year.
The good news is that once the September rains come, things will quickly cool down.
On the economic front, lots of rumors and but real action as yet. A new budget is supposed to be presented in late Sept and there have been calls for ideas on saving money as well as making money. In my department, many proposals have been made and time will tell which ones are undertaken and what is discarded.
Our chicken population keeps increasing (because of trapping) and I am currently build a larger coop and pen. I have also ordered 12 Rhode Island Red chicks to add to my brood. I was discussing my chicken situation with a gentleman from the Department of Agriculture (DOA) and he says that with the number of chickens I have, I should be getting about 6 eggs a day! The Reds are layers instead of broilers.
The hen with the 11 eggs, only 6 hatched and we are keeping a close eye on them for protection as well as feeding them regularly.
Mangoes are finished but guavas are coming in with a vengeance. Time to make juice, jam (really nice) and ice cream as well as eating them just like that!
When talking with Agriculture, an interesting bit of information was gleaned by me. The DOA is pushing for people to start small vegetable gardens to not only feed themselves, but to also provide a source of food should disruptions happen to the supplies from the US. They provide all the information, and will have an agronomist come and visit your garden to give advice on whatever problems you have. One of the garden centers even sells everything you need to build the garden! The problem is that only the older people are interested. the young ones either don't want to get their hands dirty or don't care.
It was determined that a small 4'x16' boxed garden could provide two people with most of the vegetables they would need year round (we have no winter to stop us planting) - assuming crop rotation and staggered planting as well as choosing high yield, low space needs like carrots, beets, onion, etc. That's the footprint of a car!
Anyways, I'm off work today so time to get outside a finish one chore or the other!