Nicaragua in Crisis – The Compound

Just a brief up date on what is happening in our little compound. So far no-one is leaving, not even for fishing. Nights have become to dangerous to venture out. We hear gunfire behind the compound almost every night. On the nights we don’t it is mortar fire.

Daniel has almost fully recovered from his meet up with the boat propeller. We removed the stitches last week and the infection is gone. He just needs some exercises to strengthen the muscles now. He has no excuse not to work in the garden now.

Our little mama is still hanging in there. It looked like the baby was all gungho to be born and then...nothing. Obviously, this baby will be born when it is good and ready. Her original due date is June 30th, so maybe she will have the baby on Friday. Time will tell. Can’t rush these things…At least she will be having it here and not at one of the blockades!

We lost one of our guard dogs, Caesar the Rotwieller, last Thursday. He will be sorely missed as he was our Alpha. We still have four large dogs and it looks as if our Great Dane has taken over as Alpha. I wasn’t expecting this be, who am I to argue?

As expected, our food supplies are running low. With 21 mouths to feed we went through most of the supplies, even rationing the adults. So this means we will have to make a supply run, probably tomorrow. My son, Will and I will leave in the early hours. Part of our treck will have to be on foot because of the blockades.

Granted, we will not be able to carry the full amount that we will require, but the plan is to scout out what is available and the logistics of getting there and back. When we return we will have a better idea who to send out and what they will be able to bring back.

As food supplies become more scarce, our compound will become a target as it is common knowledge that we have gardens and fruit trees. Last night we heard noises against the back wall. Our guys put up a ladder to see what was going on and a homemade wooden ladder was propped up against the wall. They saw people running away when they looked over, so tonight we will be doubling the guards.

We do have a milk goat now, so the children have milk. I think we will have to see about getting a few more chickens as well. We have some about to hatch but they won’t be producing eggs for a long while. Lets hope the conflict doesn’t last that long.

The children aren’t aware of what is happening outside the walls and life for them has been pretty normal except they don’t go to regular school. We have set up homeschooling instead and have enough to keep the occupied.

I don’t know about anyone else in the compound, but by the end of the day, this granny is pretty tuckered out!