IT'S A JUNGLE OUT THERE

Behind my building is a block wide vacant lot.  There are the remains of what must have been a couple of small brick or adobe houses, but no one lives there except the cats.  Many people here complain about the roosters that crow at dawn every morning.  If there ever were chickens out there, the cats long ago took care of them.  Of course  with those G.D. bells, who would notice a rooster.    If you ignore all the junk that has been dumped in the lot (including an old truck), all you see is a jungle of trees and vines.  Once the summer rains start, it will be much prettier as the rain washes all the dust away.  I kind of like it because it means no neighbors. It also affords me a clear view of the mountains.  A strange jungle vine crawled up the wall  from three stories below that I have trained  across the beam on my cabana.  It is growing out of a crack in concrete.  Since it has not rained since October, I have no idea how it lives at all, but I am hoping it will have some kind of flower on it before it dies.

There are a couple of huge mango trees, a couple of lime trees  and some papaya trees as well.  Unfortunately the area is completely walled in by ten foot brick walls. so I can't get to the fruit.    There are iron gates at each end which would open on to the two streets, but they are always locked.  One day I saw two kids somehow wiggle through the wrought iron gates into the property.  One climbed the mango tree which must be 40 feet tall and either ;picked and threw down the fruit, or just knocked if off the branches.  
  It is all owned by the Rizo family who own my building as well as huge blocks of land all over the South Side (south of the River Caule).  Rumor has it that they are property poor.  They either won't sell, or ask too much money for the land.  Some of it may be tied up in legal battles, as my apartment is actually owned by a woman who has been dead for ten years.

You may recall my story of the cat who ate my coffee cake from a few months ago.  Now that summer is coming I have started leaving  the guest bedroom window open for the cool breezes that waft down from the mountains.  Yes, I am occasionally visited by one of the cats.  I have not seen him (or her) but I periodically have to clean the dirty paw prints off the wall below the window.  I could just close my door and turn on the air conditioning, but I am trying to keep my electric bill low.  It has been running about 250 pesos a month (about $20.00) as opposed to the 7,000 bill I got at my previous apartment.  Only a small animal could crawl through the wrought iron grill and the cats don't seem to do any damage anyway.

One night I got up to pee.  I leave a small night light plugged in so in my sleep (or drunken condition) I don't miss the ten inch step going into my bathroom.  I suddenly became aware of something black and large just a few inches from my toe.  Slowly I backed up and switched on the lights.  There was a hairy spider almost as large as my hand.  People have told me that it is not a tarantula, but it is a very scary looking creature.  It too must have crawled in through the open window.    I carefully removed one sandal and tried to swat it.  I could not believe how fast it could climb up the tile wall.  Then as I continued to swat at it, I found that it could also jump.

If I hadn't been half asleep, maybe I would have been too cautious to continue going after it.  But then on the other hand I do not think I could have slept knowing that thing was crawling around in my apartment.  I finally got it, but not before grabbing my camera and getting a picture to it.  I also carried in my yard stick to show how big it was.  After knocking it down and crunching it again with my sandal, I got some bug spray and finished him off.  Oddly, I went right back to sleep, leaving the carcass to be carried out the following morning. 

I have previously commented on how surprised I am, at the lack of insects here.  Now I know that we not only have iguanas here eating them, but huge spiders as well.  Yes, the window is still open  Perhaps I like living dangerously.  It seems that all my life I have tempted fate, but I am still here!


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