Cosiendo y Cociendo

Domingo 06 - Sábado 12 Octubre   Our planned hike for sunday did not happen. It rained the night before, and we felt the forest would be too wet and footing would be slippery. None of us work after all, so we can do it any day of the week that might be dry and not too hot. Weather conditions are supposedly going to be such, by later this week.

Some fellows from Honduras stopped at our gate today, asking for anything we could help them out with. Dan gave them an old tee shirt and underwear, plus a juice box. We have decided to separate some of the extra clothes we brought with us to give to the needy at our gate. Too bad it is always men, as Carmen has some clothing that she now admits she will never wear again.. There seems to be a store in downtown Fortín that is for only second hand clothes. Every day there are fellows on top of the trains traveling across Mexico from south of the border.

We got a start on the big piece of fabric for our new futon cover. Just the cutting on sunday. Monday Carmen sewed three sides of the futon cover and tuesday she put in the two zippers. The cosiendo (sewing) all finished and it fits the futon very nicely. She had not done a zipper in forty years, so Dan found a site on the internet that had a video of exactly what she needed to do. It was so easy! Our sewing machine does have a zipper foot. This project went so well, that she took the stitching out of a triangle couch pillow to wash the cover. She now has to re-stuff the pillow case and stitch the opening back together. One by one perhaps she will get all our pillow covers cleaned.

Most of the schools are back in session, but there are still a few teachers on strike and the manifestaciones are still closing the highways all over the state We are hoping to go to Orizaba before Carmen's scleroderma doctor appointment the first part of November. There is a small foam shop in Orizaba where we want to have the seat cushion for the closet seat in our bedroom made. Carmen is happy with the painted wooden cover of this center chest unovered, but Dan had in mind when he designed and built it, that it would have a cushioned seat, and he still thinks it will be better that way.

It's been awhile since we shopped at Home Depot, after being regular weekly or more frequent shoppers there for so long. Our foreman from the crew we had here building for us, called a few days ago and asked if we would check on the price of a pump for his little community water system. Oh yea! We now have a reason to drive to Home Depot for something other than a couple small items. It seems to be true that Carmen wants one of every plant available, but Dan seems to want one of everything at Home Depot. We each have our toys!

Dan bought a Stanley miter box to replace an almost worthless wooden one he's had for years. He wants to cut some accurate 45º angles to make some picture frames, and the old box just is too inaccurate. When we got home, he discovered that it was missing the two cam pins that hold the wood in place while sawing. Bummer. Now we must return it for an exchange. Maybe Carmen will need some more planting soil soon, and some lightweight tezontle (lava rock) which works out well for pot drainage. Perhaps some more slug bait too! In the US we were happy to see plants grow. Here they grow so fast! We are frequently pruning back. So far, we can put the prunings in the banana field to the north of us, but they will become a problem when that field someday turns into houses.

Rooster dear, from down the street to our west, has been crowing at two in the morning. Is this not a bit early for catching worms? But, the guinea fowl, that seem to live in the forest a block west of us, seem to be waking up later than usual – about 9am. They used to wake at 6am and do their cackling, as only guinea can do. If you are not familiar with their unique call, listen to them on the internet.  Saturday morning we woke to a woodpecker tapping away on our roof beams. We looked out the window, hoping to be able to see the bird as it flew away, but we were given a surprise as two landed on the telephone pole just outside our bedroom window! They appear to be Smoky-brown peckerwoods (Picoides fumigatus, locally named Carpintero café). They rattat-tap-tapped a bit, then flew off.  Just a little evening rain now, just enough to leave a few glistening jewels on some of the larger plants' leaves.  Our papaya tree is getting quite substantial--glad we picked a big pot for it.

We now have purchased enough tightly sealing lidded plastic containers that our friendly tiny ants can no longer get into our foods. Everything that is in the kitchen and not in a sealed can, is now in one of these containers.

Smij cat likes catching butterflies. We have seen her let them go after she plays with them awhile, as cats will do. Our deck outside our upstairs bedroom is a great place for catching such things. The best place to just admire them fluttering by is on the rooftop mirador. Now we can attest to the fact that black butterflies do not settle well in a cats stomach, and they have many parts, which are very visible when thrown up.

Carmen spent a full day cociendo (cooking) in the kitchen, which she has not done in a long while. She did catch up things such as pie crusts to freeze and cobbler topping, and hummus to eat for our supper and freeze. Then beef liver with bacon and fried onions with yams mixed with the extra cooked garbanzo beans. Topped off with a two person banana cream pie. On a crust of crushed coconut cookies. The next day she baked a two person portion of apple cobbler. The apples are so good this time of year. Inspite of these goodies, Dan is managing to lose a few pounds simply by serving up smaller food portions. He has a bad habit of always cleaning his plate, even if over-served. Carmen is just trying to keep her weight where it is.

A fellow has discovered that we are suckers for buying new plants. He does have nice starts. Lots of herbs, which we might now have all we will use. Also some flowers that we do not have yet. Our passion fruit now has eight fruits at least, and Dan figures his efforts at pollination are beginning to pay off. Dan can hardly wait for them to ripen. The flowers, of course, are magnificent, but only last one day.

The lot across the street to our east has been graded flat and a trench dug around it where we assume the perimeter wall will go. So, it seems that our wish for one large house, most likely on one level, will be built there. How exciting. We hope it will have a beautiful yard for us to enjoy, and it looks as if it will face us. A man with crutches just walked by on the calle. Many people here walk on the road instead of using sidewalks. Often the sidewalks have vegetation growing out over them, or perhaps a utility poles inset there (with no widening of the walkway around it,) so that little sidewalk space is actually available.

Oh woe is me, says Carmen. She counted the jigsaw puzzles she brought here, and she has already done seventeen of the 37. However, she has done the 500 and 750 piece ones and has the 1000 piece puzzles left. She also has to take the time to clean and repaint the upstairs bathroom shelves. We were going to leave them stained & varnished, but have decided they will look better if they are painted the same as the walls. In the past, whoever painted took little care to cut in the paint edges, leaving sloppy paint on the shelves. Also, as she considers herself the painter of our family, she will eventually scrape and re-paint many inside wall areas where the paint is loose. Dan has a far longer list of little things that need accomplished around the house, some definitely more pressing than others. However, since the pressure to complete renovation tasks while our crew was here is over, he doesn't want to rush into things, but would prefer to putter thru these things de vez en cuando, as the inspiration strikes and there's nothing more interesting to spend his time on. After all, isn't that what retirement should be all about? Plus, we really need to venture out by car and do some exploration of the surrounding countryside. And travel to some of those places that we have not visited by bus in the past is definitely in the cards.

Our spanish lessons on the mirador still are a looked-forward-to time of the day. Many of the folks passing by give us a cheerful wave. Gardi cat especially enjoys his time up there with us, as he walks the wooden counter-height shelf around the structure, and purrs to us. He also enjoys the mariposas (butterflies) that chance by. This week there have been more of the little Turquoise Emperors. Also a yellow variety with vertical black stripe patterned wings.