Mariposas

Domingo 04 - Sabado 10 Noviembre 2012.  (Dom 4^th) Started today like a true Mexican. Did something we would never have done in the US. There is a large pile of dirt, kitty-corner across the street, where the new street has been started at the edge of the banana field. Don't know if this is church property or city right of way. Well, you see, we brought all these empty flower pots with us and have found no potting soil with which to fill them. Sunday mornings is the time with the fewest passers-by, so we took advantage of the opportunity. We carried buckets, two at a time with our shovel, across street and proceeded to fill many flower pots on the front porch. People walked and drove by with saying nothing but a “buenas dias”. Then a police vehicle went by. This rather frightened us, thinking we might be doing something illegal, although we had seen someone take dirt from there a few weeks ago. Police did not stop. Since that went so well, maybe will get a bit more next weekend when there are fewer others about. After all, all we are doing with the soil is “beautifying” the town.

Carmen has had this swelling on her jaw for a couple days and it got much worse today. She had been hot salt water rinsing and applying hot compresses every two hours for past day and a half. The pain and swelling now is thruout her face and throat. She looked at her face in the mirror when she came out of the bathroom and saw that her lip was also grossly swollen. Dan said to get ready and he would take her to the IMSS clinic that we are assigned to, if she wished. Worried that she would be far worse by the next morning, and it might be hard to get in to a doctor, we hurriedly got ready to leave, as it was nearly 4:30pm, not knowing if the clinic would be open, or how long. We got there by 4:45, the “Urgencias” section was open, and the nurse did her triage thing immediately, taking screaming babies first, thank goodness. She set us up for the doctor. Still no fever, so we probably got it in time. Thereafter we waited for two+ hours 'til our turn came. But we paid nothing for the doctor, an antibiotic/analgesic shot and two packs of meds. It is a big abscess. After the week of meds is finished she is to make an appointment with the IMSS dentist - also free. Isn't it amazing to get all this for only $260 a year? If only the US were on this system, we would still be there. So she had high hopes of less pain by morning. Still no fever yet though, so we're lucky she got in before that happened. She had kept thinking it was just a salivary gland clogged up - but was bigger than the other clogs she has had. So glad we went to the clinic tonight! All is well otherwise.

(Lun 5^th) Dan is being frustrated that he has not been able yet to repair a remote for the Philips HD-DVR. Otherwise, Carmen sort of slept the day away, having had almost no sleep past two nights, and Dan tried to stay out of her way and quietly read. Carmen says that at least when her face is all swollen, there are no wrinkles! Always a good side to all.

(Mar 6^th) Cat walkway panels got a couple coats of white paint. Carmen made migas, in Andalusian (Spanish) style (not Texas-style) for lunch with fresh green beans and olive bread from Chedraui's bakery. Dan tried to make oven heat above 325ºF, with no luck, so we will have to ask for some service under the one-year warranty. Got laundry mostly dry before rain started. Tried a last time to fix the HD-DVR remote, but one of the buttons seems to have failed, despite the foil pad replacement trick. No visible failure on the printed circuit to explain the problem, so Dan programmed a complex generic remote to access the menu functions we need to reach on the setup menu and the programs already recorded on the hard disk and any DVDs. Still trying to get thru to clinic to make appointment for Carmen's dental exam next week, and after several attempts Dan got thru to learn that she'd have to just show up next Monday and they would squeeze her in, as all the appointment times were booked already. Dan finally got hold of the Xray department to make an appointment for himself, and was told to call back Thursday, as they have not been authorized for another block of appointments yet.

(Mie 7^th) Eventful day!!! We stayed up 'til early this morn, watching the presidential election results. And yes we did vote, by email, and most of our wishes were answered. While breakfast was in the making, Dan came into the kitchen very excited. He wore high top work boots today, and he felt something moving in his boot. Before getting out of bed, we had noticed Smij cat looking into the same boot, so he figured she had been watching a gecko. In horror, thinking he had squished the little thing, he took off his boot and shook it good. Nothing came out. Then he felt a movement in his sock, which he had taken from his stack of clean socks, which lay on an open shelf at the head of our bed. EEEks! Ripped the sock off and gave it a shake, and what should appear? Well it was not Santa Clause and his reindeer. Nope – it was a small cockroach. Those things have no respect for us!

We were just about to sit down at the table for Swedish pancakes, when Frank arrived. He indulged in a couple pancakes, bacon and coffee with us while chatting. He told us he had stopped by to see us Friday and there was a fellow at our gate trying to get a hold of us. We were in Córdoba. We figure it was Alex trying to deliver the tamales. Frank needs to use Dan's drillpress. Nice to have someone to exchange use of tools with.

After he left, Carmen was peacefully sitting on the downstairs toilet, when Dan yelled, “Earthquake – get off the toilet now, and outdoors.” Carmen never felt it, and the floor in the bathroom is a step down from most of the rest of downstairs. When Carmen finally moseyed out, thinking Dan was being silly, the hanging objects in house were still swaying a little bit. Turns out that the sismo was a 7.5 off the northwest coat of Guatemala, about 550 miles from us.

Next? Our doorbell rings, and there is a fellow there, wanting to spray for insects around outside and inside our house with his backpack sprayer. We have been thinking about doing a thorough spray outside and figured it was better to let someone else inhale the poison, who was used to working with it. Also he would like us to buy orchids from him and ship them into the US, which of course we can not legally do. As retired, we are not allowed to make any income here in Mexico. And?? Yes, he would like to trade some orchids and other plants for plywood. We have several people each week trying to buy or trade for our plywood, though it sure is crummy stuff. It is but 1pm What will come to us next on this eventful day?

Our garafon of agua purificada was delivered just after 2pm About 3pm we made our every other Wednesday walk four blocks from our house, to the restaurant that sells two outdoor-grilled chickens for the price of one. Also includes tasty rice, tortillas and a two liter bottle of pop. Price? 100 pesos, US$7.60. Makes at least three meals. Beautiful outside for a walk, though the sky looked ominous. Really looking at all the flowering bushes along the way. After eating we proceeded to work on the cat walk. Should be finished tomorrow. Dan did the final designing, sawing and fitting together today, while Carmen filed her nails. Gardi sat nearby being hopeful.

Wondering what the proper thing is to do about the few beggars we get. Are they really in need or just earning a living that way?

Jue 8^th) Took all day, but we did it! Got the cat walkway done. Hopefully they will show us how much they enjoy it. We put Gardi up on it and he dutifully maneuvered it. Later we put his ball that he carries all over, up there. Then put him up on the shelf. He got the ball and carried it back down through the hole onto the next lower shelf, onto the fireplace mantel, down on the chair and deposited it on the floor, where we were then expected to play ball with him. It is a game he started, of rolling the ball to us and we roll it back to him and on it goes 'til one of us gets tired. Smij on the other hand, when put up on a shelf, just gets big eyed and can't wait to find the fastest way down. The walkway looks really good. Dan did a fantastic design and finish.

(Vie 9^th) Carmen's birthday today. And what did she want to do? Go for a walk down this dirt road that is at the edge of town, five blocks south of us. First we looked at Google Earth to get an idea of where we were going. What a perfect sunny day, but not too hot. The route we took crosses over the old railroad right of way a few times, had a few houses back in the greenery off the road, some just being built. It also had electricity and city water all the way down there. Lots of wild glorious countryside. Saw a small stone church. Few dogs and a burro. Saw literally thousands of butterflies (mariposas) of all descriptions. At one point there were a couple dozen on the road basking in the sun—we figure they were out because there was still a little moisture in some drying muddy spots in the roadbed. As we walked by, they flew up and around Carmen – her special present. There is nothing like being in amongst many butterflies fluttering about you! Seem to be more butterflies here in winter months. Flowers, oh my goodness!!!! Huge sections of tiny yellow blooms on bushes, and then tall tall large groups of large sunflower types. Some flowering plants we had not seen around here before. Came to a point where we simply did not know which road to take and feared the possibility of getting lost, so we backtracked a bit and chose the road less traveled for the trip back – the railroad grade of years gone by. We continued to follow it north and finally managed to get above a paved road which we knew to be only a little southeast of the end of Calle 11. Only problem now was that we could see the pavement, but not how to get to it. Needed to cross a deep ravine. Backtracked a bit and found another road going down hill. This connected with the road which crossed under the railroad route we had been on.  Here's a link to other pix taken on this little excursion.

Now along the paved road, we stopped to gaze at the stream below, in a bit of shade. Along came a long black car and stopped beside us – always makes us nervous. Turned out to be a man who had lived in Minnesota for eight years, and he was merely saying hello to some English-speaking folks. After we got home (the walk took about two hours), Carmen prepared leftover chicken, sweet & sour cabbage and made from scratch mac and cheese. Dan got to work building a riser/shelf for under the microwave, giving extra storage on counter top. It's now ready to varnish tomorrow.

Josefina, Alex's mother, saw Dan out front and stopped to talk to him. She was pleased to see that Carmen had planted the three pepper plants she had given us Wonder if she will come by with more plants for us, seeing all the pots here on the front porch we have filled with dirt, with no plants occupying them yet. We are very much enjoying the friendliness of so many here. On our walk today, we passed many houses where we saw some of the people (and dogs) who have been walking by. Not many cats around, but we did see two today. Gardi wanted to go outside for awhile so Carmen put his halter & leash on him and they went out into the gated front yard. One young lady would have loved to pet him, but he was afraid when she reached out for him. Never saw him afraid of anyone before. Have we kept him inside too long, or, maybe, long enough so he'll think twice about trying to get outside if a door inadvertently opens in front of him?

(Sab 10^th) Dan worked on creating some extra shelves for our kitchen wall cabinet, and used some of the liftvan plywood, dressed up with wood filler and some iron-on birch veneer he had brought down with us from NoB. Then he proceeded onto varnishing the stand for the microwave, plus the shelves and their supports for the china cupboard. Carmen continued to work on curtains. Dan trimmed the bougainvillea from the porch roof area and over our sidewalks. He cut it back where it had draped itself over the concrete column that is at the outside corner of the lot, with the thought of eventually painting the calle and avenida numbers on it. As drivers in an unfamiliar area, we know how helpful they can be. However desirable it is for its beautiful and cheery flowers, bugambilia is a bear to work with, full of hard spines, and he got pierced and gashed almost from head to toe.

While outdoors, a delivery person stopped and asked Dan for directions. Actually Dan was able to direct the delivery person into the correct area of town. Always helpful to know the numbering system of towns, and where the colonias begin and end.