Jinoturistica's blog

Stateside in tract homes, the properties are fairly compact and more or less square. Many homes here in the center are subdivided colonials giving very long narrow profiles. My office has a front door on the street, no windows and goes back some 240 feet.

About 5 years back it was prostrate then later it was polyps then a third scare. 3 diagnosis in 2 years, the writing was on the wall. My DNA was susceptible to damage.

Then there was the 'American way of death'. White, brightly lit, machines, tubes, strangers, forms, insurance, $15,000 funeral.

Is it legal to bury a (presumably dead) person on their own property? Is there a convention for head direction? Does the body have to be in a concrete box like in much of the States?

'everyone' builds block walls to about 8 foot then uses a massive crossbeam (With MORTAR? are you crazy?). Constructing the forms, waiting for the set all takes time and I have only 15 days or so to get all this finshed. Questions abound - is there someting magic about 8 foot, can I go to 16 foot? Can I put rebar across the top of the blocks at 4 block intervals?

On the average, if I terminate my lease 4 months early, will I be liable for the 4 months? If I am, how long would I be able to drag it out? I need every minute!

I want a privacy fence to screen out nosey neighbor kids and dogs. (Yes, I KNOW they´ll get through - thats life.). In USA I would plant leylendii but what is quickest here. Quick is the operative word.

The basics ... how it's done today. Nicaragua: Hole for the fire, pot of beans on top. primitive. USA: hole for fire, encased 'clay' lined hole for pizza. High prices, nice product, primitive.

Our house had a composting toilet out back, no longer used, roof and walls gone but base looks good. Question is, can we reuse this base as a vegetable scraps recyler and are there any tips on doing so?

The Jinotega tourist office will be permanently closing March 31st. Other roads were available and Veronica and I have decided a new direction. It was fun but el fue.

The http://jinotega.com web site will continue although, perhaps, a little less aggressively.

17 months back, I opened a bank account at BAC using a passport since I don't have a cedula. Now they have a red flag on my account - NO changes to this account without a cedula. ANY excuse and we will close the account.

The long arm of Homeland security has finally bitten me.