Idas y vueltas

(Domingo 23 - Sábado 29 Junio ) 

Not much happening around here this week, but it seems like there were a lot of idas y vueltas (comings and goings, literally goings and returns). Sunday, after hanging up a full load of laundry on our new pullied clothesline off the terraza, we walked to the nursery where we bought a couple plants, to take another look and ask the name of one of the plants we had purchased last week. Then later we walked into the center of Fortín for a pineapple paleta for Dan and a arroz con crema (rice pudding) one for Carmen, and to enjoy the spectacle of families enjoying Sunday evening in the park.

Monday morning we were at the Córdoba hospital shortly after 6am for labs for a thursday doctor's appointment. All labs are done between 7-8 am., first come, first serve. So no matter what time you arrive, you have a long wait. Next we waited for the x-ray department. Here Carmen went into the x-ray room after Dan had talked to the technician. She could certainly handle that by herself. The technician asked her if she spoke Spanish, to which she replied no, and he made a quick dash back out the door to haul Dan in to support him. It seemed rather comical from Carmen's point of view. Usually she is the one to panic over language issues.  We noticed that all the Hoja santa bushes are flowering now, and sure enough, when we checked ours the long white spadix, a floral spike similar to those on anthuriums, at some of the leaf nodes, were there.

Tuesday we visited Home Depot and spent quite a long time there buying odds and ends for various planned projects. When falling asleep that night, Carmen suddenly remembered that we were supposed to pick up the lab results, so we made an extra trip into Córdoba the next day. Fortunately they were still filed at the same office, and hadn't been mailed out somewhere. We shopped at Walmart and tried to stop by the place that sells large ceramic items, but it was closed up tight (vacation or illness in the family?). Hope we find it open soon, since we expect to buy some large flower pots there.  The views this week of el Pico de Orizaba, freshly snow-covered, 40 miles northwest of us, were spectacular.

Thursday we had a long day in Orizaba, the city to the west. We go there the "back way," the old road which avoids the tolls on the autopista, enjoying the green vistas that the route affords.  We were at the Soriana store by 9am, right in the center of old Orizaba, hoping to find some molasses. We had read on a Mexico forum that one could buy it there. None there today, but their annual big sale was going on so we slowly walked around, checking prices and items available, and stocked up on things. Walked to a small store catering to carpenters, but did not find any oil-based (“Danish”) finishes, so I guess this is another thing impossible to purchase SoB. Not many stores around here where one can buy materials for projects made of wood, and selections of hardware, even with what Home Depot stocks, are just not what Dan is used to having available for his projects. We left our car parked in the underground parking at Soriana, where two hours were free when you shopped there. Parking is at a real premium in the narrow streets of Orizaba.

Next we drove to the Chedraui supermarket, where we parked under the store. Grocery shopped for staple goods since we are now a bit ahead of schedule. Leaving our car there, we walked out looking for a restaurant, since the foods offered in the Chedraui cafeteria looked like yesterday's. We planned to eat at the Chinese restaurant a block away, but it did not open 'til 12:30p, so we walked on. Another block was a nice bright clean place, Yam-Bo's, with a good sounding lunch menu posted up in the front window. We sat down at 11:30a, planning to have lunch, but all they served until 12:30p was breakfast. So, another breakfast was what we had. Next Dan drove to the hospital for Carmen's appointment with the rheumatologist. We found a parking spot but three blocks away. Pretty lucky. We arrived at the hospital waiting room two hours before the doctor arrived, and still there were two people there before us! We do like Doctora Alma, who is monitoring Carmen's health with very apparent professional interest and knowledge about her condition and its treatment. She is one of the few rheumatologists in the area, and has a private practice with offices in both Córdoba and Orizaba, as well as serving with IMSS.

Stopped by the Chedraui supermarket after leaving IMSS, for stuff that would have heated up in the car during the afternoon: frozen, produce and meat. While we were there, we picked up a roasted chicken for supper, a MX$70 deal complete with fixings (rice, tortillas, sliced jalapeños and a 2 liter mandarina pop). When we got back we were astounded to find 41 tortillas in the package—enough (for us), for a LONG time.

Friday Carmen noticed that a small chirping bird has a nest under our corner capping tile on the roof. Should hurt nothing there and we will get mortar into that spot eventually. This morning we mounted a staghorn fern on a board with bark behind it, held in place by hardware cloth, then prettied up with some coconut fiber. Hope it will be happy. Artemio, who would like to be our gardener, gave us a heliconia about six feet tall a week ago and after seeing it rather wilted today and after comparing our planting to another similar, we dug part of the dirt away. We think we do not understand these tropical plants and their wants yet Guess roots do not go as deep here with all this heat and moisture, as they do in cooler dryer areas.  The bloom from this plant is sitting in a vase in the living room.

Dan is starting to build a closet area in our master bedroom, a project that will take several days worth of cutting, fitting and designing as it progresses. Lots of sawdust and dust from the anchor holes in the wall. Noise too. Carmen gets to paint it when finished.