We hope that, when the insects take over the world, they will remember with gratitude how we took them along on all our picnics. ~Bill Vaughan
I spend my life in Nicaragua sweeping up bug carcasses. No space is sacred, nothing is left untouched. We have regular infestations of termites, ants, spiders, and chayules (aquatic mites that swarm from the lake). See my life in Battling Bugs.
Herman, the master cabinetmaker, came into my life when I needed an enclosed space to put my collection of Pre-Colombian pottery pieces I find on the beach. The bugs particularly liked to nest in the ancient pieces. Master Craftsmen in Nicaragua
When the ants attacked all the food that was sitting on open shelves, Herman returned to build me kitchen cabinets. The Heart of My Home
Now, Herman is back with his latest masterpiece, cabinets for my office.
Again, I drew plans for wall to wall storage and Herman crafted this huge piece to fit perfectly in its new space. With the help of his family, they lifted, twisted, and scooted the master storage cabinets into my house.
What a joy it is to have all my books, papers, craft and art supplies neatly tucked into an insect proof storage area. Plus, I love organization and I feel lost in a disorganized world.
Thanks to Herman, our house is slowly becoming bug proof. All the cabinets are made of a type of Nicaraguan cedar, which is fragrant and repels bugs.
Now that we are in the dry, windy season, it is so much easier to clean my house with enclosed cabinets. The bugs still get into our house, even though everything is screened, but they have fewer places to hide.
I sure hope the insects remember my kindness, when they take over the world. They had the free reign in my house for seven years! No more, thanks to Herman, the Master Cabinetmaker.
Looks like home sweet home. 🏡 The cabinets are gorgeous and Herman really is a master woodworker. Anita
Absolutely beautiful cabinets! I was wondering how they would be bug proof until I read further and saw that the cedar wood deters bugs. Here’s to a bug proof home, almost 😉
Barbara, we just went through our first chayule swarm of the season. It was a grand test for my cabinets. They are so tiny that they can get into the house through the screens and when we open and close the screen door. But, my cabinets are definitely bug proof…and beautiful to boot!
That is indeed excellent woodwork! We too continuously battle insects. We got a set of plastic jars with screw-on lids to keep our opened sugar, rice, and flour etc. in when we first got here. Not good enough! We have learned. This morning I opened a new bag of oatmeal. Before putting it into one of the plastic jars I cinched down the bag with a clip and put the bag into a good quality zip-lock plastic bag – sealed that and then put it into the jar with the lid screwed on tightly. The little tiny bugs are perhaps more of a nuisance than the larger ones! Part of the price we pay for living where it is warm all year. JandM
Haha! Oh the things we have to do to try to keep the bugs out of our stuff. Living in the tropics is a trade-off for many things, right?
Lovely piece of work!
janet
Thanks, Janet. I love Herman! He is not only a fantastic cabinet maker, but a genuinely nice guy, too.
Great post and beautiful furniture! Wow, you pick up Pre-Colombian pieces on the lake shore? We too have found a master cabinet maker that we cherish – he has done some beautiful work for us at a fraction of the cost in the U.S. Isn’t Central American life grand?
Indeed life in Central America is grand…once we get the bugs under control. lol I need to write another post about my collection of Pre-Colombian pottery pieces. We have a treasure trove of shards and sometimes whole pieces we find on the beach, especially during the dry season when the lake recedes. It is incredible. I never buy or sell the pieces. Bad karma. I am only their protector, thus the need for a beautiful cabinet in which to display them. 🙂
Beautiful work and great positive people — it’s easy to see why you thrive there!!!!
Thanks, Lisa! There are so many talented people here. And we thrive a lot better in a bug-free or almost bug-free environment inside our home.
I was on a HFH Build near Managua in November 2016. My first time ever outside of the US. What an amazing experience.!! The country is SO beautiful. So much lush foliage and so many gorgeous lakes, just to name a few things. I hope to return on another build soon. I really appreciate your stories. And the cabinets are lovely too! God bless you.
That you so much Lisa for your kind comments. What a wonderful thing you are doing with HFH.