May Fires and Saharan Dust

-
Smoke and dust over Lagoon Valley, western Spanish Lookout.

A friend of ours recently encountered a brief snowfall as she travelled across western Canada, and posted it on her story. Typical of us humans, we watched, wished and jokingly wondered among ourselves that perhaps snow could be packaged and shipped in containers overseas since it appears that somewhere along the line, the weather forgot that the Mennonite crop farmers in Spanish Lookout confidently expect rain by the 21st of May. We are now on the eve of the 26th and still no sign of the usual thunderstorms. Instead, a yellowish haze caused by the smoke from uncontrolled burnings coupled with a layer of Saharan dust (yes, dust all the way from Africa) hangs above our heads night and day. Daytime temperatures remain over 95° for most of the day, rising as high as 108° sometimes.

Rolling Hills, Spanish Lookout

Behind Duck Run 2

  My nieces developed a respiratory infection due to the smoke and dust. I’m sure they’re not the only ones. My own children have contracted some slight allergy while I myself am dealing with intense heat rash, which I’ve never had much before.
  The Spanish Lookout fire team and owners of outlying farms have certainly been busy, struggling to contain wildfires. Based on the amount of pictures that friends have posted on Whatsapp, it appears that many acres of pastureland have been converted to blackened ground; in some villages the fires even threatened homes and the villagers had to call the fire fighters.

Spanish Lookout fire truck in Duck Run 1 village


















A. Mendoza

Popular posts from this blog

Mennonite Foods

-
Image
         The Old Colony, Kleine Gemeinde, and Old Order have a diet which mainly consists of homemade bread, cottage cheese, noodles, pork, potatoes, and stewed beans. Milk is used in many of their meals, such as casseroles and faspa foods. Some dishes from the Plautdietsch groups are:   nuddelsuppe:  noodle soup made with home-made noodles    werenaki:  (perogies see picture above ) made of pockets of flour with  glums  (cottage cheese) filling,  schmaunfat  (white gravy made of flour, milk and black pepper), and  formavorscht  (pork sausage). The perogies are then boiled and served. I recommend it to anyone who wants to try out Plautdietsch foods although I prefer the fried ones.  Cheesy or creamy casseroles: often it will contain meat and cream with potatoes or macaroni   borscht:  a vegetable soup with bits of meat sometimes added to it    Clops: patties from either ground meat or potatoes   And then there is that unique Mennonite meal known as faspa, a late afternoon snack or earl
Read more

Mennonites and Music

-
   Music, the comfort of the soul, the way of sin to some, a sign of true worship to others.   Within the Mennonite family in Belize music to some degree is used or listened to, with each branch viewing it based on their understanding of the Bible.                          The Kleine Gemeinde   Used to consider any musical instrument as wrong. But after acapella recorded music was approved, it introduced a need for tape recorders, then slowly over the years other instruments were approved. Church singing is still acapella, and radio and TV are still not accepted. However, instruments such as violins (which is often played by KG youth girls) and guitars are used during youth singing, community concerts, and personal entertainment or family singing. The organ is also used sometimes in such events.       The Beachy and Conservative Mennonites     Also sing acapella style during church services and other singing services. While musical instruments such as guitars and violins are not
Read more

Mennonite Houses

-
Image
 Mennonites in Belize have become famous for their custom-built wooden "Mennonite houses". The two main  house builders in the country,  Plett's Home Builders and Linda Vista Lumberyard , both located in Spanish Lookout, have become reknowned for their prefabricated houses which are built in Spanish Lookout and shipped countrywide. Houses are built from lumber or colored sheet metal and prices will vary of course based on the amount of details a customer wants. A small house with 2 bedrooms and a bathroom and kitchen may cost you an estimated US$12,000 to US$15,000. (Check directly with the company for up-to-date pricing and delivery fees.)    A "Mennonite house", custom built by Plett's Home Builder's; photo via Facebook   Plett's Home Builders offers both metal and wood siding with a variety of porch and window designs. Linda Vista, which is just down the road from Plett's, also offers excellent building options. Also inside Spanish Lookout i
Read more