Those who know me know I live in Nicaragua in, well, the middle of nowhere. Ok, almost 30 minutes by private car from the nearest place with a paved cross-street and 45 minutes from the nearest town of any size. (Adjust the travel times appropriately for walking, horseback or bus.)

I happen to like living here. I'm in a pine and oak forest with year-round good weather. My utility bill is for a VSAT Internet connection. Electricity is from solar panels. Water from our own well (with an electric pump). Our nearest neighbor is about 300 meters and within a 1 km circle, maybe there are 10, maybe not.

Sometimes I forget how amazing year-round good weather is. Sure, people get two or three bean crops a year but beans are something that at least I buy rather than grow. But, how about year-round fresh fruit? Bananas and plantains are here all year. Oranges and sweet limes maybe half the year. It was mango season a couple of months ago and there were avocados for a few months.

I am not talking about what you can buy in the market. I am talking about what you can walk out and pick. Today I was reminded of this. After breakfast I walked out to the compost bin, maybe a 15 meter walk. On the way, I passed a guava tree. On the way back I was eating a fresh guava.

It's this sort of thing that makes me think I live in another world. Or, more accurately, you live in another world. I think I live in the sane one.