Gerry the caretaker comes through for The Kano. The custodian at “The Farm,” where we currently reside as the construction continues on the building of our new home, is an invaluable helper to both my wife and me. Gerry takes care of problems at “The Farm” and is part of a construction crew at our new property site on his days off from our current location. He also works as our security guard at the new site. He’s one busy guy.
caretaker
Lolo’s Nipa Hut in the Philippines is Completed
Lolo’s nipa hut in the Philippines is completed. It took my brother-in-law Joery and his two man crew eight weeks to complete the project at a cost of 4,000 US Dollars. I’ll have a breakdown of the construction costs in a future post. While the building took longer than I thought it would, it occurred during Christmas week and New Year’s Day. Delays can be expected during those two major holidays in the archipelago, but we’re not on any specific time table so time is not really of any concern to me; we have a lease on our current residence, “The Farm,” until the end of October of this year.
Shocking News as Electrical Work is Done at the Nipa Hut
Joery’s electrician contact was on site. My asawa and I were at our new property site in Guimara, Western Visayas, the Philippines, when my asawa and I walked up to the new nipa being built for my father-in-law who will live on the premises. I absolutely did not want to be seen by the electrician as I feared the price he was charging to sign off on my brother-in-law’s electrical work, 350 pesos, would substantially increase once he saw a “rich” foreigner. But it was shocking news as the electrical work done at the nipa hut was approved without any additional charges. The dreaded kano “skin tax” was not implemented. My brother-in-law had contracted the services of an ethical man. Unlike Diogenes I did not need to carry a lantern in the middle of the day to find an honest man.
Lolo’s Nipa Hut in the Philippines Nears Completion
Lolo’s nipa hut in the Philippines nears completion. Foreman Joery, our brother-in-law, along with three other employees are hard at work underneath the blistering tropical sun. The exterior walls of my father-in-law’s new digs are almost done. The interior walls, consisting of plywood purchased from the New Guimaras Traders, will soon be installed.
Nipa Hut Progress on our New Property in the Philippines
Here’s the latest nipa hut progress on our new property in the Philippines. For few weeks now, our brother-in-law Joery, Cousin Doening (whose daughter Mera works for as a domestic helper), caretaker Gerry and Joery’s neighbor Jon, have been busy constructing a new domicile for my father-in-law, Lolo, who is afflicted with dementia and loves to converse with dead relatives and belt out silly songs all hours of the night. Yes, I know that the poor guy, who recently socked me in they eye and gave me a shiner that lasted three weeks, cannot help himself. But have you ever lived 24/7 with someone that has dementia? The fact that he cannot control his actions doesn’t make his behavior any less annoying.
Lolo’s Dementia: He Punches Me in the Face!
My 83-year-old father-in-law, Lolo (Grandpa), has dementia. From early morning to night he carries on a running conversation with dead relatives, particularly Fernando Gange, and sings gibberish songs that make Justin Bieber look like a genius. He can be extremely violent at times. The other morning he punches me in the face! The lead photograph shows the shiner he gave me. I haven’t had a good fight in decades. At 62 years of age I’m too old for that crap. And unlike Kim Kardashian’s fat ass, my shiner has not be Phot0shopped.
Survey on Guimaras Property Finally Yields Sketch Plan
After an initial setback, in which I believed a new survey could spark a turf war with one of our new neighbors, the survey on our Guimaras property finally yields a sketch plan. But it wasn’t easy as the crew from Iloilo had to work under rainy conditions for most of the day and convince the owners of the lot to the east of us, that the initial survey which revealed we owned 7,020 square meters, was, indeed, correct.
We didn’t have enough umbrellas to go around, so my resourceful asawa cut down a banana leaf to provide me with some cover from the nasty weather. I’m wearing a fashionable tank top that my spouse bought for me at the SM Hypermarket in Iloilo for 129 pesos, 2.89 US Dollars.