Last week, on friday at 4am in the morning, we were awoken by the sound of a live band playing in front of our house. We could hear the tuba, drums and the sad melody of the trumpet. Unusual music, because usually the street band plays lively Nicaraguan beats. We quite enjoyed the tune, still half asleep and not ready to jump up and see what was going on in the street. Our curiosity was addressed by our neighbors who told us that this procession would be a weekly event between now and Semana Santa (Easter). That means a very early mournful wake up every week for the next four weeks, because yes, our neighbors confirmed that it is a sad procession and is one that remembers Jesus’ death. While we were in bed, most of the street, were up and watching this wooden effigy of Jesus being carried through the streets.
So.. different topic, but still relates to the street. Something most unusual occured last night, which is that the sidewalk next to our house, got stolen during the night. There is a large chunk of outdoor tiles that have been chiseled away leaving a gaping rough surface where they existed 24 hours ago. I asked my neighbor if he had concrete to put into the area where the tiles once were, and he said yes, but he was waiting for the police to come and see the evidence. Hmmm, given how unresponsive local police are to thefts of such items as computers and cameras etc, he is going to have a long wait. No doubt they will be back to chisel a bit more tonite. Now, you might think that they would hear the noise of the sidewalk being removed. However, Nicaraguans are so used to noise, that naturally, they sleep right through it. As luck would have it, I had asked the gardener to plant a tree in front of the sidewalk, so my neighbors woke up to a good luck, bad luck scenario. The side walk had been stolen, but a new tree graced the street.
One more tiny kitten was brought to my door by one of the neighborhood kids who is good at being a kitten “savior”. I delivered the tiny little ginger kitten to Lucy down the road, who runs a hotel and is a wonderfully good foster parent to many dogs and cats. She now winces when she sees me walking her way, with a box in hand.