Dia mundial del medio ambiente

Turns out yesterday was World Environment Day.  We learned this after the fact, but as it turns out we had put out for the regular solid waste collection, a large container of clean plastic containers and tin cans we had been accumulating, and Carmen had also policed around the house and up & down the streets a bit, disposing of the scraps of paper and plastic trash blown out of passing vehicles or was discarded by sloppy passers-by.  Here, separation of waste materials takes place right beside the garbage compactor truck, which has bags and boxes strapped or tied to it for plastic, steel, newspapers and the like.  When a container is completely filled with a recyclable material, someone lifts it to the top of the truck where it is tied on.  At the end of the run the truck is quite a sight, covered as it is with bags and stacks of flattened cardboard. Only true mixed garbage goes into the maw of the compactor.  This seems so much more sensible than compacting everything and then picking thru the mess in some centralized recycling facility.

A hard rain again last night and steady all last sunday. However at this time of year the temperature only drops into the high 60s F with the nighttime tormentas. so we leave the windows open except if there are gusts blowing the raindrops thru the screens. Around here, when we get rain it's often accompanied by a bit of (usually distant, 9 seconds away or so) trueno y relampago (thunder and lightning, donner und blitzen).  This kind of sound and light show was very rare in Anacortes, WA, so we're kind of in awe of the spectacle here and beginning to like the dramatic, usually brief, tropical downpours.  At night we often smell the fragrance of whatever orchid is currently flowering.  We've heard that flowers which smell strongest at night are normally fertilized by moths.

We are reminded occasionally that we still live on the Pacific ring of fire.  Every so often we feel the ground tremble.  Not long ago we awoke one morning about 5am with our bed jiggling.  There was a tremor down on the isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca. No damage to speak of, but it's always unsettling when what is presumed to be solid underfoot, isn't. (It seems that most of the faults that are subject to underground movement are on the Pacific side of the country, most often in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.)  Then that same morning at 8am there was a tremendous boom, as a power transformer down the street blew up!   We expected a long period without electricity, but CFE had it replaced in about four hours. 

We finally put a bar along the bottom of our car gate where we saw the gray cat belly-squiggling under. Then a week later we found her sitting just inside our back door discussing who knows what with our own cats – very quietly. Shooed her out and discovered another place that she could squeeze thru. She surely is slender, and gets along well with the other two. We just do not need or can afford another animal, so we blocked that access point off as well.  The animals will just have to visit nose-to-nose thru the gate.

Seems that the zafra (cane harvest) is finished for this season, which means the air is cleaner. We have worked hard getting the black soot off from everything. We are busy “working” on jigsaw puzzles and reading, including the Harry Potter series, borrowed electronically from the Anacortes library, which we have not read before. Our bleeding heart Clerodendrum thomsoniae (flor de bandera) is blossoming beautifully this year.

Things are happening! First and most interesting – Gardi cat found us a salamander. Are they not just the cutest creatures? Long slender bodies with a bulbus roundish head and tiny short stick like legs with toes. This one was medium brown and in our back yard. Actually in a large empty flower pot which Gardi tipped over with a small crash of the ceramic pot. Carmen rescued it and hopefully saved it in some thick plantings.  She notes that american robins are out and about singing the songs we grew up with.  Since Mexico is as far as they migrate south for the winters, the ones we have seen must be stoking up getting ready to wing their way north!

The house construction across the street to the east of our house has been restarted after a five month break of no action. The work and daily progress keeps us entertained. One of the fellows working has a great voice and spends much time singing at the top of his lungs.

From our rooftop we saw some construction happening at the other end of the banana field to our east – well behind the house being built, just about a block away.  When it first started we assumed (as indicated by the city building permit nailed to the wall), that is was a large residence.  To our disconcertion it is actually a storage yard and bodega (warehouse) for storing chicken crates, usually loaded high on parked semi-trailers. No live chickens, but some of the odor is still there! So far we have seldom smelled anything at our house, but there are occasional hints or whiffs of "fragrance" on the breeze.

Our good quiet neighbor, Valentin, to our west has moved out. Bummer. The house is a rental and is now being spruced up. We hope the next tenant speaks English and is quiet, and perhaps this time with no barking dogs. Time will tell.  Also the house to our immediate south (actually used as an office), with which we share a wall, has had no visible activity in it since before Xmas.

Thanks to Homeland Security and Bernie Madoff, BanamexUSA has canceled all of the bank accounts it holds with folks living in Mexico, giving only a month's notice, so we have been scrambling to find the best new arrangement for our banking needs. BanamexUSA was so convenient, providing peso withdrawals by local ATM from our accounts held in California, and charging no international funds access fees. This also means that we must have our social security sent to a different location. Talk about frustrating!!!!

On the way home from our walk into town today, we purchased 17 manila mangoes for US$0.78. The time before we bought a bunch of fresh litchis.  We love the availability of fresh, inexpensive tropical fruit.  When visiting the bank, we walked past a nearby house in downtown Fortín, where we heard and saw two men yesterday sitting on the front porch and speaking english. We were in a hurry at the time so did not stop then, and they were gone later. Will introduce ourselves eventually.

We went to bed one night recently and discovered that part of our upstairs is now lit with a bright new halogen light. We could probably read by this light in the one bedroom. The new light is aimed down Avenida 21, but canted in such a way to illuminate our north wall from the power pole across the street. It will certainly give us more security, and at no cost to us except for a bit of glare! The bedroom we sleep in has curtains heavy enough that the extra light does not bother us, plus it is easier to see when we go to the potty in the night. So, what we first considered to be a bad thing, is actually all good!

We discovered the hugest paper wasp nest (about the size of a soccer ball) we have ever seen near our chimney high up on the north wall outside! We are getting up early in the mornings when the air is as cool as it gets, and spraying with a long jet of insecticide. We now see little wasp activity, and need to eventually get brave enough to knock it down, hoping that the wasps have all departed.

We are getting back into fix-up mode again. Dan put up the toilet paper roller and towel rods in our new bathroom, and also hung a full length mirror and installed a door stop in the tiled floor. Next we sanded off the deteriorating finish on our cedar chest. We have two power sanders, so we could both work at the same time. Had to mix a bit of special stain for some trim strips. Carmen gave the whole chest three coats of new nitrocellulose lacquer.  We also sanded some rough spots on the bed frame we had made for the guestroom, and restained and sealed that too. While we had the lacquer out, we disassembled our queen-sized storage bed John Janda had built for us, and attached padded galvanized steel channel stock on the bottom, to raise the structure about 3/4" off the floor.  When we reassembled things we touched up the surfaces where the shallow flooding coming inside from the terrace had damaged the finish.  The bed is now high enough that it stands completely off the the floor--so no more worries about damaging things from stormwater emergencies or wet-mopping the tiled floor.

We still have many small projects. Dan was going to paint a sealer on a bit of our wall that faces the house to west (where Valentin lived). There are some fellows working there getting ready to repaint that house, so Dan asked if he could go over with our ladder to work on that face of our wall while they were there. The fellow showed up this morning and suggested he could do the application of the impermeabilizante for us.  Dan was happy to pay him, and mark that job off our to-do list.

Una caminata a la caldera

Domingo 13 - Sábado 19 Octubre   Sunday morning we had a leisurely breakfast of rocky mountain hash. This is but a scramble of chopped potato, onion, sausage and egg. Ours also had nopal, which we have come to enjoy in many foods. Served on top of warmed corn tortillas and topped off to our individual liking with salsa picante.  No sooner did we have dishes finished when the telephone rang. It was Frank asking us if we would go on a caminata (hike) with them. It would only take two hours, and they felt that Dan needed a break from the computer where he had been helping a friend over a LogMeIn remote connection. After hemming and hawing for a few moments – this was of course after previously advising them that Dan could not afford the time until after 15 October – we scurried about changing clothes, rounding up cats to bring inside, locking doors, prepping our backpack, etc. Carmen had understood that Shattucks were picking us up, so she was straightening the house a bit – only to find Dan heading out the back door with the car keys. Oh, WE are driving! Off we happily go on this gorgeous day, and find them walking along their road near the autopista, with a backpack.

After driving on the highway about 15 minutes to the east of Córdoba, we arrived at the exit where the free route to Veracruz takes off. We followed a convoluted route onto increasingly narrow roads thru the dusty village of San Rafael, still roughly paved for the most part. Ania kept us informed of all the sights along the way. Ex-haciendas, fruit trees, birds we might see – soooooooo many interesting things to tell!  Next we turned onto a dirt road, and finally onto a narrow grass lane. This was our car's first experience with an overgrown grass lane. We expected but a short distance on the grass path, but it seemed a fair distance to us paved road travelers. Eventually, the other two got out and walked ahead to be certain that no large rocks had gotten into the track since they had last been there. It was difficult to travel in spots where the wheels had worn down into the surface, and we had to cant off to the side to avoid high-centering the car. Finally we got to a point but a few paces from what would have been the end of the road, providing an ample parking spot with ample turn around space, to find there were two trees down across the road. Dan's heart fell, as he imagined having to back out over the rough and twisting route when we headed back home. Luckily we found a nearby slight widening of the path with a bit less undergrowth, and were able to turn the car around, backing over the bushes between a rock and a tree to face more or less back the way we came. Hopefully no one else would come down the track to block it later...!

Now, with feet on the ground, at one of Shattuck's favorite hikes – off we go to explore the Caldera del Diablo (Devil's Caldron)!  Dan had insisted on bringing his Komperdell “trekking pole,” just knowing that at least one of us would find it useful. Okay, Carmen grudgingly took it out of the car, and Dan hefted our pack with water & snacks onto his back. Carmen soon discovered soon that she is no longer quite so stable on her feet. She had been expecting a well-worn sendero (trail), but after but a couple steps, she was very thankful to have the help of the staff. The ground was in fact a bit slippery from rains a few days before, plus many large rocks of many shapes and sizes littered the way up the slope. Seems that this site was over 1000 years old, where a small volcano had erupted,. It left an oval (when viewed from the air, as in Google Earth) open cone and an interior caldera (crater) about 960 feet across its longest width.

From the base, it looks like just another hill covered in forest greenery, and the inner caldera itself is accessible by a rocky trail up thru jungle liberally sprinkled with coffee bushes. Looking down from near the top it is revealed as a really deep hole with very steep interior walls, and a basin-like floor way below, now heavily forested. After getting near the top of the outside of the cone, there are two breaks in the rim of the vent, allowing access to a well worn rough path around a ledge maybe 100 feet or so down from the upper rim. Step off the ledge, and there is a steep tree and brush covered slop to the bottom of the big round hole in ground. In some places the ledge is large enough to set up a camp, especially in areas undercut back into the cliff-like vertical sides above, The only real problem here was that the path in places was only about a foot wide, or slick with a thin covering of slippery algae-capped mud. Not a “walk in the park,” by any means.

The views of rock formations were fantastic, rising high up the inner cone walls high above us! Carmen, true to recent form, kept losing her balance, so we kept one person near to stabilize her when she wavered. Unfortunately she mostly tips to her right – the down side of the trail. Dan slipped twice on the slick underfoot, and by the next morning he could hardly put weight on his left leg where a ligament in his left knee was complaining. We were too late in the day to see the parrots and parakeets, but heard a few. Saw lots of butterflies. The crazy thing about this cone, is that all the rocks are gray, the color of aged limestone, and the seepage from above has formed stalagmites on the walls and flowstone-like formations in the undercuts (almost caves) inboard of the trail we followed.  The rocks that littered the trail also were of this same material, and showed the clear effects of water erosion.  So just how can a volcano be made of sedimentary rock?  Is this an example of carbonatite, which we understand is pretty rare?

Ania found many plants for both herself and Carmen. At one point, we three enjoyed some banana muffins Carmen had packed, while Ania was scrabbling up a rock to cut and pull off some favored plants. She always has in her backpack a plastic bag and a knife for such gatherings, plus Frank's hands for carrying more. She is careful to only take epiphytes which have been blown off their perches by storms, or off of trees which have fallen to the forest floor. Ania also packed up a large plastic bag with loose soil, of the type some of her plants like.The walk around usually takes them a half hour. Took us about three times that long. What can we say? We walked slower, with so much to see. Our amigos had never seen a snake here, but we did! A large thick black one, moving quickly away from us out of the arroyo trail on the way back down to the car! We believe this 4+ foot specimen to have been a culebra indigo (Drymarchon corais, probably the orizabensis variety that is native here).

As we drove back home, roads here and there were closed or very busy, so they guided us through areas in the city where we had not been before, and interesting tour of Cordoba! At one point we drove by the huge cementerio with it's big panteon (mausoleum), with a fantastic multiple block-long cut flower market outside the walls, close by to where families come to adorn the graves of the departed loved ones. When we dropped Frank & Ania off, we were invited for lunch, but we really did not have time, thinking Dan's friend would be waiting for him to come back online.

Carmen got all the new plant stems into pots. Thankfully we had purchased another huge bag of soil and some new pots last week. We now need more pots! There is simply no more space outside in the ground, without digging up other plants or getting rid of a least some of our tiny plot of grass in the front yard. Dan tied the orchids that came off of fallen trees during out hike, onto branches in our bougainvilleas.  As it turned out, the friend Dan has been helping never came back on line after we returned home, though Dan tried to raise him. Bummer – we might as well have stayed at Ania and Frank's for dinner. While watching tv this evening, our cable went out, so we went to bed and watched some of the maratón of the last season of Breaking Bad, which Dan had recorded on the DVR last weekend. Good day.

One evening our Gardi cat told us excitedly, that there was something in the bag on the floor which was holding the miter box that goes back for exchange. He was right! We took a medium sized brown saltamontes (grasshopper) outside for him to play with. We believe it is the same one he was with in the hallway the next day, so he must have been the one to bring it in in the first place. He is so good about telling us, with a meow, when he has found something that does not belong in our house.  It was a pretty quiet week here. Four days with no rain. We saw two green birds flying at a distance. Probably parrots? Had to put another butterfly outside.

Work has begun in the lot across the street. With the ditches dug around three sides for footings, next huge piles of sand and rocks were delivered this week.  Then on each of the next days, eight bags of cement plus eight five gallon buckets of water were delivered first thing in the mornings. A single man has been mixing cement by hand, bucketing it to the trenches, and then rolling/placing huge rocks into the mix, creating a mampostería (rubble-concrete) foundation for the lot's perimeter walls. Hot heavy work for 8-10 hour days. Don't know how his body held up to it!  Dan walked across the street and offered that the fellow come to our house if he needed anything.

Dan stopped in at the MasKotas store, and was surprised to find two little bags of Temptation treats, to which our two cats have a long-standing addiction. We have been trying to obtain this product for over a year, and all the pet stores professed never to have heard of it, despite the company's email message to us that it was available in our area.  Unfortunately, our cats' favorite flavor is chicken, and Mexico no longer makes that flavor.  But, second best is salmon, and that is manufactured here by Whiskas. The government has just put thru new tax laws, so the prices we pay for some things will go up. This includes a 16%  IVA (value-added tax) on pet foods and sweets. Cat food was already more expensive here than in the US.   In the store, Dan saw a puppy that he would love to have brought home. No more dogs for us though. They are a problem when we travel. Be nice if they could be trained to litter boxes like cats. The cats thought they had died and gone to heaven when they received their treats that evening.

The little man that comes to the back gate with potted plants that cost 20 pesos each (US$1.50) has been here three times this week. His plants are always small, but well rooted, and we don't mind buying from his little enterprise--better than those that come by just looking for a handout. One day we bought a pinkish peach color thanksgiving cactus. It looks nice on our fireplace mantel. We also bought a dark pepper plant, so he told us. Its leaves are dark green with dark purple on the back. Can't seem to ID it one the internet, so we wonder what it will turn into. At present its leaves are a bit rolled up and look long and pointed.. We potted it with our pepper plant that a neighbor gave us – the one loaded with the hot piquin peppers. Carmen again has everything planted. She dug out all the local soil that we had planted our corn in, which was in the large Earthbox planter we had used for tomatoes in the US. Then she put regular potting soil into the planter for four new plants which came from the Home depot discount table.

Thursday morning we woke up at six am, so we got up half an hour later, showered, breakfasted, and drove into downtown Córdoba. We had once upon a time found an agro-chemicals store there, and we since have not found it again ( the yellow pages have been useless in this regard). The traffic is horrid in this area, with only overfull on-street parking. Our thought was that if we got there early enough, the streets would not yet be full. At 7:45am the streets were only three quarters full! We drove up and down the streets 'til we did indeed find the missing shop. Plus, there was parking across from it! We purchased the weed killer we needed, plus some sulfur for getting rid of those nasty little chiggers.

Lots more stops during the day.  Being that we were close to the east side of town at this time, we went to the Soriana hiper-mart. This store has the best oatmeal. This may seem a small item to visit a store for, however, we do like good oatmeal for breakfast! We started down the aisle for our oatmeal and soon Carmen admitted to Dan that they had best take a cart. The veggies looked especially good this day, also this is the only store that seems to carry good canned sweet corn. The fresh baked goods were very attractive, And there were some pies with real pie crust!  Crusted pies seem to be rare down here. We selected a pineapple one. It was good, but the surprise for us was that the filling must have been pineapple juice thickened with cornstarch. It's saving factor was that it was not over-sweet. Since we do not drive the distance to this store often, we strolled all the aisles. Yes, our cart slowly filled. We found some more ant-proof plastic containers at a good price, along with small milks and juices that we give to folks who ring our door bell or call at the gate for anything we can give them. Several come by each week.

At Home Depot we exchanged the miter box which was missing a part. Of course we always check out the plants, and often buy one. This time we bought four. Two from the discount shelf, plus another large bag of soil.  Onwards to IMSS where we stood in line for ten minutes and never saw the line of over a dozen folks ahead of us move. We will go back another day. Walmart for various items and we spied a whole roasted adobo chicken, plus for ten pesos more we got 500g ranch fried potatoes. They were delicious and the potatoes made three meals. Next the RG store looking for a vacuum cleaner. Finally got back to downtown Fortín, for a fill-up at the Pemex station and a stop at the supermarket for their local apples. Home again before 1:30pm. Kitties met us at the door, they like us to be at home with them!.

En tramite

Domingo 07 - Sábado 13 Julio )  To start off the week, Ania and Frank were here for a few hours sunday for an early evening meal and a round of RummiKub. Ania brought a bouquet of ginger flowers from home. What a fragrance! Much like gardenia, or perhaps jasmine.

Despite Carmen's earlier thoughts about not having any houseplants inside, we broke down and bought two large decorative feature plants for the corners of the dining room. A large Dracaena reflexa and a multi-stemmed Schefflera arboricola (aka “Dwarf Umbrella Tree”) – both need little care and presumably will cope with the indirect illumination from the skylight above. Each cost about US$12 and so of course we needed two more large pots from the ceramic store. With the pots, under which we put casters so they can be easily moved (as they are very heavy), they stand six feet tall and spread four feet wide. It's nice to have some greenery inside.

We seem to not be getting our electric bill inserted into our street-side buzon (mailbox) with any reliability, since it should have been read the last week of June and no notice had yet arrived. Dan went online to the CFE site and found we could print out our bill there. On the way back from a shopping trip into Córdoba, we stopped by and paid our two month bill of 250 pesos, or about US$20. Seems that there was a rebaja (reduction) for about 800 pesos of our bill because we are in the low usage bracket!

Dan was finishing up constructing the new storage area in the master bedroom and Carmen finished painting the window and door lintels dark brown. We also cut more bamboo from Frank and Ania's property, plus pulled up some snake plant and wandering jew ground cover. They were gone that day to Oaxaca city. Planted those along with much dwarf mondo grass, in our back two planting areas. The bamboo is for trellising the passion fruit vine on the upper patio.

We had no problem with mosquitoes 'til a week or so ago. Finally discovered that one can not keep trays under outdoors potted plants here since it rains nearly every evening. The rain keeps the trays filled with water to make perfect mosquito breeding areas. Also our close neighbor's roof was not draining and therefore it was another breeding area just level with our second story patio (his home is all on the ground floor). We told him about this problem and he did climb to his rooftop and unclog his roof drains. His roof dips a little in the center so there is still an ongoing problem there until dryer weather prevails. We bought some liquid insect killer and can now spray his roof de vez en cuando. We are tired of fighting mosquitoes and the itches from bites!  It all should end once the early summer rains are past.

One evening we were looking out the kitchen window when it started pouring rain, and there was Colyn stuck in rain standing under our portico in front of the house. We invited her in and she chatted with us until the rain let up. She then continued to the store for something for supper. We offered to give her whatever she needed, but it seemed that she really wanted the walk.

Monday, tuesday and wednesday went by with no one appearing from the water/sewer commission showing up to put in the new drain line they had scoped out late last week. So, thursday, Dan decided we needed to make another trip to the office to push things along. The architect was at his desk and there sitting on top, was our sewer line work order. He calculated the costs and said we could pay it in plazos (payments), but we chose to pay it in full, about US$250. Now there should be nothing left but for them to send out a crew. Wonder when we will see them?  (Here's a view to the north, from our rooftop mirador.)

We have heard nothing by phone or email from the immigration office, and the website where we can check things consistently can't find our paperwork which is supposedly en tramite (in the works). Our current permiso expires on thursday, so on wednesday we decided to visit the office in person to see what was up – maybe our cards were waiting for us! Turns out they were just holding everything, pending some additional information (which we had already provided the year before) before working on our papers. Can't say why they didn't ask those questions when we were in last time, or communicate with us in some way before this, as we could have come in at any time to move things along without delay. This time the documents were finished up, we signed on the dotted lines, and full sets of finger prints were obtained (again, they already had them on file from last year, so why was the new set needed?). All this could have taken place three weeks ago – now we will have to wait up to another month for our permit cards to be ready. This wait could make us late in renewing the car documents with the aduana (customs) office, which might prevent us from being eventually reimbursed the US$400 we paid for the car entry when we arrived here in September, since it is attached to our visa period. Plus, will we need to have those cards in hand when we go to pay up for another year of IMSS medical coverage, which we must do this month?

So, it's now a bit over a year that we have been Residentes Temporales here in México. All in all, it seems like it's been a very good thing for us. We're eating better, get more exercise and have no complaints about the health-care choices here. The climate at this elevation enables us to be outside in short-sleeves practically every day, and sleep comfortably every night. Windows are open most of the time, letting in the birdsong and the sounds of friendly community life around us. Flowers bloom year-round.  It's costing so much less money than it did in the US, for the same quality of life or better. Now if it only were easier for our relatives and NoB friends to drop by for visits, things would be excelente (copacetic).  Y'all come down!

When we arrived here last year, we learned that Fortín, as a community, had been celebrating Earth Day, for years, with a community-wide interpretive walk along the old railroad grade down and across the Metlac river canyon west of town. We learned that the “Melacton” this year wouldn't be on Earth Day, but instead would be celebrated on Arbor Day, so we wrote it on our calendar to be sure we would take part in it this year, joining the 1000+ neighbors who would make the walk in 2013. As it were, the day after Arbor Day, we remembered to look at our calender. We can hope we do better next year, as this is something we really look forward to doing.

Neither our welder nor our carpenter were here this week, although both said they would show up for some little projects that need finishing up. Bummer. Otherwise, life is oh so good. Well, Dan is concerned that Carmen is making little progress in learning spanish – so he will try to move forward on that a bit a little bit more each day, making it as painless as possible.

Cristales puestos

(Domingo 07- Sabado 13 Abril)   Not a good start this week. Dan started a headache saturday, which he just never has. Turned into a doozie of a head cold. He did not sleep at all sunday night. So Carmen sent him back to bed after he talked to the crew. He has them finalizing some interior painting, the two small bedroom windows, including building a curvy cement sill for each, and more tiling on the terraza.

A neighbor asked yesterday, why we built such a large mirador. It does rather stick out like a sore thumb at the moment, but it should look more nestled in when finished. Luís assured us that only a north american would build such a thing. However we first came across a high rooftop mirador at a hotel over near Xico – and we did enjoy sitting there in the evenings at a level with the birds soaring by, looking out over town and the surrounding green country and distant mountains.

We discovered a brand new Subway sandwich shop, sitting right next to our Banamex bank, when we went into the center of Fortín this week. Lots of business so far. Seems like this town is pretty small for a US chain such as this. People here do eat a lot of sandwiches though. Can't imagine that it will affect all the many tiny shops selling inexpensive sandwiches, as these subs cost the price of a whole meal, definitely a luxury item at this price level. Cost is MX$35 (US$2.75) to MX$59 (US$4.60) each. Someday we will have to have a couple to compare with the US. They smell just like they should.

We did make a drive into the city for building supplies at Home Depot and groceries at Walmart on tuesday. Dan was pleased that Carmen did all the driving – this is rare – since Dan was not feeling well yet.

The temps have been in low nineties in the shade this week. Unheard of except in may, so the locals tell us. Nights are only down to mid sixties. Carmen's favorite time of day is the hour after sunrise. This is the time to hang laundry out, water the outside plants and enjoy sitting on the bench out front while the kitties enjoy the area there. One morning the cats time was cut short by a large bird that did not appreciate their being outside in it's domain. The bird kept scolding and flying back and forth across the cats until they retreated into the house. Turns out that our beautiful blue flowers on the plumbago bush have sticky long stamens, which stick to the cats fur, which then get carried inside. There were a couple woodpeckers pecking away at our roof beams this week. Lots of birds around, which we can enjoy thru our opened windows every day.

Someone felt it necessary to cut the two large beautiful trees down from in front of the church, across the street and down a half-block from us to the north. We always hate to see trees cut down. What ever were they thinking? Surely God put those trees there for some good reason. Guess it could have been for the sole purpose of giving someone something to do. We had been keeping the street tidy from fallen leaves (using them for some of potted plants), so that was probably not why the trees were cut down.

Our crew took wednesday off for a memorial day for a brother of Heri who died a year ago. He had been out hiking by himself and apparently fell into a steep ravine. They searched for him for three days before finding his body. Work did continue at the house as the fence welding was finished, and then the welder attached the corrugated polycarbonate roofing up on top of the mirador structure with self-drilling screws with attached neoprene washers.

By 5pm the welders were finished with their two projects they were working on. We had thought the carpenter was coming, but no, so we put the car back in it's parking spot for the night. At six o'clock we got a surprise - - our cristal (flat glass) all arrived! That means one window, one aluminum door for the water heater alcove, one partition for the top of the kneewall at the end of the shower, and two domos (skylights)! Who would ever have guessed there would be two fellows, Lenny and helper, out there working this late. They got all the installations done before dark, leaving just some trim to be applied and sealed the next day.

Thursday at 7am Carmen was outside painting around the skylights, so that when the protective corner trim is put in, the paint there will be dry. This way when the house is painted, the workers will not get paint on the window edge. Carmen also painted our new house paint color around outside door frames before the trim went on. Dan's cold is much improved by now.

The crew of three is back today and worked on tiling, windows, and painting. David was missing and may be for a couple weeks. He got a bad leg sprain.

Friday we both had dental appointments. Two different dentists. Carmen for her new crowns and a bridge, which took three hours. Dan had cleaning and two fillings, then drove back to wait for Dr Soley to finish with Carmen. We rushed home, hoping to find the city engineer there. But it is another week that he did not show up. The carpenter was there, as he was saturday also. He installed the cabinets he had made for the bathroom. The designs Dan made look really good, now in place.

Saturday our crew was not here, because they had a family day cultivating their large garden plot of corn and beans. In the morning Frank had called and asked if we would like to go to Cosco with him. Carmen now had the cold so she decided to stay home and let the guys enjoy the day without female companionship, since Ania is still out of town for another week. Dan started cutting out the ceiling boards under the new skylight in the dining room, now that the glass was in place over the hole. The carpenter left by 12:30, after finishing on the cabinets, and then Dan cleaned up before walking over to the obra in Los Encinos, from where Frank would be leaving.

Frank's crew of three was just finishing up pouring concrete for the stairway incline running up the side of the new little bodega alongside the house. Heading north, we dropped the guys off for the bus to Coscomatepec, and first visited a country house Frank's cardiologist had built in the forest high above the Metlac river canyon, outside of Monte Blanco. Gerardo & Yvonne served up a bit of smooth tequila before a polite exit could be managed. Frank's purpose today was checking on both his properties outside of Cosco, and finding out whether Alejandro, the sawyer friend of our workers, was interested in some of the poles left from thinning out the pine hillsides near the Xaltenango hexagon cabin.

Past the huge cut-back hill of gravel and sand that gave the place it's nauahtl name, on the way up the road the car passed our three workers (Luís, Heri & Alfonso) trudging back from the milpa (cornfield) with their azadones (large-headed hoes). Their tools were put in the trunk and they were transported the rest of the way up to their little community of houses, beyond which Frank's hilltop property lies. Dan and Frank came back relaxed and happy from their adventures, sometime after 6pm. They had picked a quart of blackberries at the cabin, and some of the giant lemons, which will probably end up in another pie. In western Washington state, we always had ripe, flavorful, blackberries in the fall, but these were almost as good.

Falta de Drenaje?

Domingo 20 – Sábado 26 Enero 2013.  (Sun 20^th) Last night Carmen told the cats that they did not need to get us up early because the workers would not be here today. Well, there was a slight misunderstanding apparently. Gardi let us sleep only six minutes longer. Thereafter, he loudly told us, for the next hour, that it was his breakfast time. Dan somehow managed to fall back to sleep. At the end of the hour, the cat changed tactics. He got on the bed to give us pets and kitty kisses with purrs. Okay, we got up. After breakfast Dan had his hair cut. Actually Carmen was enjoying his hair longer, so she had put off the haircut for a few weeks.

After catching up on emails, Dan later started putting in the new electric circuit in the kitchen. This involved drilling thru the electric service box and the wall behind it, and attaching surface wiring elements to the wall behind where the refrigerator sits. The line will extend further under all the kitchen base cabinets and past the sink and range. In preparation for the drilling thru the cabinet walls, made of stuccoed brick, Carmen cleaned the contents off the upper shelves where the drill dust would land, Putting all the kitchen appliances on the one circuit for which we have additional space in the box, will leave all the remaining wall outlets in the house on another circuit. Carmen blogged and then caught up on some Spanish lessons.

Have you ever fried or charcoal broiled green onions that have a nice sized bulb on them? We fried them in olive oil for lunch today. We are especially fond of them. Yes, the green and bulb part. Other than cooking heat and hot water heat, we have no heat going inside our house during our cold winter spell. Temps up to 60ºF today outside and 66ºF inside. Looking forward to sun again. No rain today, just a white-gray sky.

Dan finished the day just as dark settled in, with a quick wacking of our tiny front patch of grass. Would you believe – a small dog had come thru our fencing and left its droppings on the grass, which of course Dan stepped into and then Carmen got it on the broom as she swept his shoes off. Nice way to end a day. Wasn't really the end. We read awhile before sleep took over.

(Lun 21^st) Another cloudy day. The sander was returned in full working order and all for about US$30, the cost of replacing the two main bearings. Our carpenter stopped by and removed the window that needs rebuilt. Left the glass with us to be put in when he returns with the frame. He took the cat door with him to be fitted into the bottom part of the window frame. Our fellows cut a piece of plywood to cover the window hole. They treated, sealed and stained the mirador decking planks today, and also plastered the wall where we had bricked in where we had removed two of the three laundry windows, narrowing the opening.

Carmen painted bathroom and what a horrible time she had. The paint ran down the walls, even with the tiniest amount on the brush! Never used anything like this before. Being that she is painting over a dark peachy pink, two coats will be needed. Dan installed his new printer, it's good to have scanning and copying ability back in-house.

Dan went to the water department to see when the engineer was coming here to tell us where we could tie into the sewer line passing by our back gate, that he had told us was there, somewhere. The city water department now tells us that there are no sewer lines on Avenida 21 where we planned to connect our new drain line for the new bathroom. How can there be a total lack of drainage (falta de drenaje) on a street with four lots (three occupied with houses) on one side, and the other side platted for at least that many more?  Our presumed options:  we can go up hill to Calle 11 (where there is a sewer line buried 12' below the road surface, so the slope would not be any problem, but the digging a major expense) or hope a new line is installed soon on 21st. We saw a new line installed a few blocks from here – so maybe. We have seen the plat for many houses the other side of the avenue, so surely the city will put a sewer line in to service them, and not let the sewage all run into the stream at the bottom of the hill. Right?

(Mar 22) Birds are singing. Carmen spent last night hanging over the toilet. No idea what caused the problem, but why did it have to be after eating peanuts? Thankfully Dan has been okay. Carmen did a second coat of paint on the shelving only today. If it will cooperate and dry before night time falls, we will be able to get the items out of the shower and back on shelves. Took nearly 24 four hours for the first coat of paint to dry. The can say the paint is semi-gloss, but in this small room it seems like full gloss! Carmen does not like gloss paint, but at least it's water cleanup and has little odor going on. Dan did his best at telling her how easy it will be to clean. The color is nice, nearly white with an ever so slight lime green cast. The hand-painted wall tiles in this bath are deep green with bright sunflowers.

Our crew banged away on the area above the laundry opening a vent in the wall for the water-heater combustion exhaust to go, and putting up the first deck planks on the mirador. Dan has started reading a new book just received from the Anacortes library. Carmen needs to get her trusty spanish dictionary and try to translate her way thru a book written in spanish.

(Mie 23^rd ) The crew was here earlier than usual today. Close to 7am instead of later...must have caught a quicker bus. We talked to Guy on skype and left our house at 8:45am. Drove into Fortín center and dropped off some recyclables at the grocery store, drew our daily quota from the bank and stopped at the post office to return the letter (from Germany) that was delivered to us wrongly—it will probably be some time to convince the postman that all letters from foreign countries don't necessarily come to this pair of gringos. Next IMSS again. There til 12:30pm. Carmen was finally okayed for a consult with the rheumatologist in Orizaba. Must go back again next wednesday for the appointment time.

We made a pastry stop at Chedraui, and also bought some veggies, fruit and cheeses. The specialty breads here are delicious, and in small loaves. There was also a new item today – a bran bar that was nice and moist and most flavorful, plus the price was right. On to Home Depot, where we purchased more electrical fittings, plumbing parts, caulk, and metal flashing for the roof edge. Spent much time looking at light fixtures for bathroom. Also Dan talked to an office person about restocking a specific screw we're using to put on the decking planks. At first she checked with another person and he said it would be two to three months. Dan's jaw dropped and he looked so appalled that she made some phone calls, and then happily told us they could be in next week, as they would raid their stock in Veracruz City for us. Which will it really be?

Drove our 4.8 miles home and arrived about 3:30pm. Dan immediately drove to the water department to talk to the engineer about where we must connect our sewer line. The techs were all in a meeting, so he was told to show up tomorrow first thing. Back home, Dan now called the tile store that was supposed to make a delivery this past monday. They are to check out the problem and call back. Had a quick bowl of soup before Dan left taking the crew to their bus. Phone rang while Dan was driving the guys to the bus stop, plus he was stopping at FortiFerre to place a large order of rebar, blocks and brick for tomorrow's delivery. Carmen did not answer the phone, knowing if it was anyone other than the dental assistant, she would be unable to understand a good part of the message.

(Jue 24^th) Dan went to the water-sewer department to learn that a crew was coming out to view the situation in about a half and hour. They, all seven, arrived an hour later than they said they would, and much discussion about locating where the present drain lines run. This happened just as the FortiFerre delivery was being made. Mass confusion all in the same spot. As a result we were nearly late for the dentist where Carmen spent 2.5 hours. A temporary bridge was put in, which Dr Soley made while we were there.

Since we were in Córdoba, we drove to the El Gigante tile store to see why our tiles had not arrived past monday as promised. Were told that they were being delivered today. Sure enough when we got home – there they were. Knowing that we would spend several hours at Home Depot, we got smart and took a snack with us instead of waiting until late late afternoon before we ate again.. Nine or more hours between nourishment is just too much for Carmen to handle. Finally decided on the light fixtures for several places. While we were gone, the crew dug ditches for footers and put the tied varilla (rebar) in the footings.

(Vie 25^th) Lots of activity today! Crew worked on the foundation for the new bathroom. Carmen put the second coat of paint in the upstairs bathroom. She still must finish the area above seven feet height opening into the bathroom, but that might get painted white like the ceiling. Also need to paint part of an outer wall and ceiling. These areas have not been sealed from possible water damage from outside, so they'll wait for awhile. Dan installed a light fixture we bought yesterday, in the living room, and completed the new surface-wired and below counter kitchen appliance circuit.  The light fixture looks so good, we decided we will buy more and replace all the white bare-bulb ceiling sockets on the first floor.

The fellows from the water-sanitation department were here again trying to figure out where the waste water flowed from the registros along Avenida 21. Oh horror of horrors, while Dan was speaking to the engineer he discovered that, no matter where we connect to any of the sewage lines here – they all drain into arroyos south of the city! There are plans for a treatment plant between Fortin & Villa Union, into which the lines will converge, but so far no funds have been appropriated, so that's many years away. Not quite the middle ages with open sewers along the curbs on the streets, but definitely a bad situation. So – this is why all toilet paper goes in waste cans instead of toilets. That way the paper goes into a land fill instead of into the creeks. We never thought to check where our sewage went to before settling here. We'll need to change some habits, and investigate some composting alternatives.

(Sáb 26^th) Our cabinet maker (ebanista), Melitón,  arrived with newly built window and kitchen cabinet. They look just like they were always here. Both look great now that he installed them, which took from 9:30 til 2pm. Melitón touched up a couple installation scratches on the cabinet and Carmen's hair got momentarily stuck in the fresh varnish. He also had to put the window together, besides drilling and screwing into concrete wall to hang the cabinet. We decided we will have him build the two cabinets we need in the bathroom. Our crew of abañiles (masons) laid up the rest of the foundation for the bathroom walls, with a stemwall of two rows of blocks, topped with a cadena (beam) bonding the stemwall together.  The also set up the rebar for the castillos (posts) that will tie the walls to the ceiling and floor.

Later Dan installed the cat door at the bottom of the new window, with Carmen's assistance. Did a quick bank run when we were putting the car to bed for the night. Was such a beautiful evening with many people in the park. Dan wanted to stay for a while, but Carmen realized she had dirty-fronted clothes on and would not wander about other people, looking like that. First evening as perfect as this in what seemed like a long time—Spring seems to have arrived (after less than four weeks of nights around 50F). Guess we made it thru the winter here with no problem...still we expect a few cooler nights for a number of weeks yet.

Anturios y Orquídeas

Domingo 11 - Sabado 17 Noviembre 2012.  (Dom 11^th) Before breakfast, we bucketed a few more cubetas (5 gallon buckets) of dirt from across the street into our flower pots. Dan carted the bugambila trimmings into the banana field along the avenida, as this seems to be how people get rid of yardwaste here. He kept a watch for spider webs, as this is start of the dry season when their webs start to be noticeable hanging from plant to plant in the fields. Of course he suffered a bit more from the bugambilia thorns in the process. Later in the day... what is this with it's web across the large opening of our remaining liftvan box? A huge banana spider, (araña) with a spread of about 5” on it's eight long legs. We selected our best spider spray and gave it a massive drink. Later it was upside down on the ground, holding so very still. We later learned there is also a non-venomous yellow one around this part of the world, and were glad we were so ruthless with this red, white & black one. We figure since we (mostly) stay out of the banana fields, they should reciprocate by staying out of our yard, it's only fair.

Next we picked up litter across the calle from us, along the edge of the banana field. Do not know why so much trash seems to land there, but perhaps it's because no one actually lives there. In general there is very little street clutter around here, and people keep the street in front of their home clean and swept. Afterwards, we went for a Sunday drive.

Dan has been virtually exploring with aerial views from Google Earth and had a drive circuit planned out, south to the town of Zapoapan. Went thru a couple of pueblitos on some paved and then some dirt roads on the west side of the Rio Metlac, with green, green hills all around. Saw many types of structures, even some with horizontal wood lap siding, which is pretty rare here, but most homes were of concrete block with corrugated metal roofs, and of course lovely tiles to dress things up here and there. Definitely we were off the main track.  Here are some trip pix.

When we were on the way back, north of little Villa Union, we stopped at a campestre (country) restaurant that serves rabbit, El Toxtli Jarocho. Toxtli is the Nahuatl word for rabbit, conejo in Spanish. Neither of us had eaten rabbit in years. We started with a bean soup appetizer and grill-crisped seasoned tortillas. We shared a half rabbit, prepared grilled over a wood fire, with pastor sauce, accompanied by soft blue corn tortillas. We splurged on dessert, flan for Carmen and peaches with rompope (rum eggnog) for Dan. The meal was delicious. When you walked out the off-street side of the restaurant, you could go down a sloped suspended ramp, over a steep defile with a bubbling creek at the bottom, the banks covered with huge leafy plants. On the other side were some penned deer and peacocks, a mini-zoo of sorts. Also they had two swimming pools and a selection of children's playground equipment.

A ten minute drive from the restaurant, and we were home. Another day that was good for the soul. Though we live with two banana fields across from us, we still have the need to get into real countryside, every once and awhile.

(Lun 12^th) Dan was told over the phone to be at the IMSS clinic at eight this morning for his prostate exam. We were there on time. He was then sent to the jefe for further info, and as it turned out he was here only to schedule his exam. Here he was told to come back tomorrow at 9:30am and bring a liter bottle of water. Next we walked upstairs to the dental consultorio, where the dentist would, sometime during the day, work Carmen in. Only had to wait til 10:30am. After looking and prodding the sorest area, and examining the full mouth panoramic Xray we brought in with us from a month ago, Carmen was sent downstairs for an Xray of the affected couple of teeth. Waited almost an hour for that to happen for her turn. We sat down, patiently waiting to be called to the desk to pick up the radiografía. Eventually Carmen noticed that the person Xrayed after her, went to the desk without being called and got her films. Thus we went to the desk and asked for Carmen's. Yep, they were sitting there waiting for us. Back upstairs for the dentist, where we waited for the door to open and the current patient to exit. We handed the dentist the tiny bit of film, which she immediately looked at, then called us into the office. She showed it to us, and informed us that Carmen needed to be back on a different antibiotic for another week, and then needed a root canal (endodoncia) done. This is better than having the tooth pulled, right?

It was now near two o'clock, when many places close for a couple hours. We had planned to stop at Walmart on way home, but road was torn up in front of it and we could not get in there. So we stopped at the Bodega Aurerra (also owned by Walmart), nine blocks from our house. No cat litter. Fruits, veggies, and bakery were poor looking today. However, the meat looked great, so we bought thin sliced beef and pork, a turkey chorizo to try and a mixture of meats described as “traditional” sausage, which we had when we got home and it was more flavored like sausage from the US. Meat prices are still between US$2.25 and $3.00 a pound, beef being at the higher end of this. Also bought some Gallo beer from Guatemala, which costs about US$3 per sixpack here.

Dan now felt he needs to accomplish something, so he crafted a new bigger, better positioned hook on our back gate. Here we hang our garbage so that the dozens of roaming dogs (and the one cat we've spotted) cannot tear into it. Rarely have we seen garbage dug into, but we do not want the experience at our gate. Actually we figure that the cat did tear into a bag of chicken bones when we had a garbage bag just out back on the ground, before our garbage can arrived. We do not put our can outside the gate for fear that it will leave our premises. We have learned that when we put out cardboard or aluminum cans, that some one comes along and almost immediately takes them for selling to a recycler. This is good.

(Mar 13^th) Back to the clinic in Córdoba by 9:30am for Dan, with his liter of water. We went to the wrong area and were sent upstairs where Dan was told he could now drink his water. Now, Dan is more of a sipper than a chugga-lugger of beverages. When the nurse came to get him, he had not quite finished the whole liter of water, but they checked him anyways, only to find that his bladder was not full yet. The test turned out to be an ultrasound. Dan walked around for about 20 minutes, willing the water to work its way down to his vejiga, then knocked on the door for another go at it, and this time the ultrasound now was good. Aah, how good it feels to use the bathroom -- then back once more for another scan with bladder empty to finish up the test.

Next we drove further downtown to the dentist who we've gone to for cleanings in the past. Since then Carmen has started up with the dentist at IMSS, but they do not do endodoncias and she must have it done at a private dentist. We stopped by to see Dra Gwen and learned that she does not do root canals, but she did refer us to Dra Rosalba who specializes in them – we'll make an appointment with her later today.

Next we drove right into the center of the city and found a parking spot only five blocks from the store where we bought our stove. Visited them and explained the problem with the oven not reaching temperature, and they promised to send a repair person out later this week to fix things, as the appliances we purchased have a year long warranty. Now since we are but a couple blocks from the dollar store, we headed for there. Oh goody, we pass a fantastic fabric store on the way. We needed white thread for the curtain hemming project and Carmen has been wanting to go in and ooo and aah over the fabrics. She is not a seamstress, but she loves to look at the fabrics. More than we have ever seen in the US – and such a variety of designs! We found the thread section – lots of colors but no white! How can this be, so Dan asked at the counter, and bought two spools from the huge stock of spindles on the wall behind the clerk.

Now on we happily walk to the Waldos store, where we could buy more of the wide mouth glass jars needed for kitchen storage. They have gaskets and wire snap bails so our little helper ants can not access the contents. We of course meandered thru the food section where of course we bought some cookies to put away for future use. Carefully carried our glass etc items back to our car. We've been extra cautious parking on the street in the city, using the “club” to provide a little dis-incentive to would-be ladrones. Next stop is the endodontist's office, located near the corner of Avenida 11 and Calle 14. Found a parking spot just around the corner – we have been really lucky finding parking spots today. Carmen got an appointment for next Tuesday afternoon, as Monday is a Día de la Revolución, a national holiday.

We are doing better at maneuvering thru the streets here. Going into Córdoba from Fortín, the calles (streets) start with high even numbers dropping down to Calle 2, and then as one goes further east from the center the numbers go back up with odd digits At the central plaza downtown the avenidas start from Avenida 1 incrementing odd numbers going south, and even numbers going north. Generally, avenues have the right of way, and both streets and avenues tend to alternate one-way directions, with a liberal addition of two-way roads intermingled. And, avenues north of the center have “Norte” tagged onto them, and to the south “Sur, while calles to the east are tagged “Oriente” and to the west “Poniente.” Fortín follows the same numbering logic. As we travel along, Dan watches for ways to move around stopped traffic (parallel parkers, buses halting ahead, taxis stopping for passengers, etc), while Carmen calls out the approaching red lights, topes (speedbumps), and huecos (potholes) and arrows painted high on the building walls at corners telling which direction street traffic goes and which color they are. Red arrow streets have the right of way. All the signing and conventions make for safer transit, but some learning time definitely is needed to get comfortable as a driver here.

We progress on to Walmart, and find the parking area accessible today. Lots of road work happening here. Lots of roads needing work too. Our main reason for stopping at Walmart was to buy the very expensive Scoop Away cat litter. Want to try it once to see if it in fact dries up tighter than the other brands here. Dan first looked for software, but found none in the store. Something to check on at Office Depot someday. Carmen first scoped out the pressure cookers. Nothing new of interest. But next!!! There was a massive fresh fruit and vegetable sale happening, all of it in prime condition. Our cart proceeded to fill up. Apples, pears, mandarins, swiss chard, spinach, beets, carrots, tomatoes, celery, on and on. Yes, we remembered the cat litter, which was on the shelf today. Three boxes there in fact. We took the one that not been damaged, and headed home.

(Mie 14^th) Today Dan installed inner upper shelves for glass fronted upper cabinets in kitchen. Carmen is still remodeling curtains. Worked on posting this blog for last week's activities. Meal was made with the fresh spinach we purchased yesterday. Eggs florentine, made without the white sauce, and added a small dollop of sour cream over top. Such a beautiful showy dish. Would be good for company.

The fellow who sprayed for insects outside was to show up about 5pm today to show us an orchid and an anthurium from his nursery north of town. Well, we can tell you that all Mexicans are not late. He arrived at 4pm with three anturios (anthuriums) and five orquídeas (orchids), expecting us to buy them all! Now, Carmen did not want to buy any plants before the roof is finished. And there are so many varieties of plants here, she certainly did not want more than one of each thing, for her small garden area. The fellow was not happy that she would only consider three of his lovely anthuriums, which were grown by his wife and proceeds for them had to go to her. He put on a good sulk. Carmen was unhappy that he was trying to force her to buy these plants. She made an offer for the three plants and finally agreed to take all of them, so that he would not have to carry them back home on the bus. Carmen does not like plants like orchids that bloom for a very short period of time, and has bad luck with them in the past in the US. Grrrrrrrrrrr. Poor Dan just had to keep translating for the two of them, and kept telling the fellow that Carmen knows what she wants and will not change her mind. In the end we got all the unwanted plants for half what he had asked. We affixed the little orquídeas on one of the front windows, as each was attached to a little stick of dead wood and provided with a wire hook for hanging.

Now Carmen was feeling that she might have done him an injustice. He and his wife did grow the plants. So we walked the 12 blocks to the local florist market, just to price similar plants, since we had really no idea of their worth. Oh yes, we had all but stolen them. Well, the fellow should not have assumed that we would want them. All three anthuriums were the same basic dark red. Carmen told him she would pay him something additional if he would bring others of another color to exchange tomorrow. The flower market had many color varieties. He is bringing a vanilla plant tomorrow - an orchid that perhaps must grows20 feet tall before it blossoms, and maybe then will give us vanilla beans. So now we have all these plants to do something with – sitting about on our front porch. We are hoping, since this is not the cold US but is in the prime Mexican region for growing orchids, Carmen's luck with them will be different.

While watching TV this eve, we thought we saw something on the screen. It then got in front of the caption area. Yep, it was a tiny besucona (gecko). Probably a good place to catch tiny insects. We were concerned that it might get cooked on the screen. We just left it there while we watched TV, being distracted by the cutie. By next morning it had traveled elsewhere.

(Jue 15^th) Today Cosme Rojas was to be here about ten. A cab pulls up out front at 9am, early again! And guess what - the cab was FULL of plants. Rather makes one want to hide and not answer the door. Out of the further back door bounces a smiling Cosme. He and cab driver proceed to unload the cab. There was the vanilla plant sitting on the floor in front of the front passenger seat! It was attached to a seven foot tree leaning into the back of the car, which provided a living trunk for the vanilla orchid to grow on. Certainly not what we had expected. Life is just full of new surprises! Also not only did he bring one other colored anthurium, but three. He only got the money for the two items we ordered, but ended up leaving all four. He planted the huge vanilla plant, which also has another variety of orchid on it. He wanted to plant all the other plants, but we insisted that Carmen likes to do that. After reading about anthuriums, we discovered that we needed to plant them in little soil with mostly leaf and bark medium. Now where to get that?

We were invited to Frank & Ania's for supper and games. Being that they have a really large acreage with many plants, we asked them if they had some leaf mold anywhere that we could dig up for our new plants. Turned out that their compost pile was at the wrong point to get leaves out of it. We had a luscious meal. Carmen was the winner after four hands of rummikub. Always enjoy our time with them. On the way home at the lower end of their driveway, we saw a large tlacuache (opossum) cross the road in front of us, eyes glowing in the car's headlights.

(Vie 16^th) Yesterday, Dan talked Carmen into climbing up a couple ladders to see the roof and view from there. The view is fantastic and the roof tiles are indeed in bad, bad shape. This will be a great place for a mirador (lookout) platform, if we can get a stairway up there from the planned second floor patio. While there Carmen pointed out a couple trees a few blocks away that might have the right kind of leaf debris for the anthuriums to be planted in. Later in the day we walked to these trees, but found few leaves under them at this time of year. We did however discover that the road edge in front of the church up the street had a lovely batch of dried leaves. Out we went with rake and garbage can in hand to clean the street gutter! What must our neighbors think? We did indeed get all the plants in pots and found at least temporary homes for them. Now, if only we can get the right amount of water on them. Not too much. In amongst the fallen leaves Dan picked up a soccerball-sized mass of the common epiphytes that grow high in all the trees and on the electric wires around here. He stuck on the top of our front garden fence, just to see what it will do there, down close to where we can monitor its progress thru the year. Does it actually bloom at times?

Today the two fellows came to check out our oven. Yesterday we finally leveled the stove. Had to lift the front up ¼ inch. Also yesterday we had our propane tank filled, though it was still 1/3 full. So – how did the repair on the oven go? Does it now work? How embarrassing, the darnn oven heated up for them when they tested it, just perfectly. Whereas the oven flames would not go above Low for us, for the three prior times we had tried it, the flames went up just fine for the repair men! Hope it works when we decide to bake again. What caused the difference?

When the repair men arrived, Dan went out front to let them in and Gardi cat took it upon himself to trot right along. He was scolded and shooed back inside, which he did peacefully. He does like to greet company, but he has always done it from inside before. Next we were all standing in the kitchen, Carmen turned around and there was Gardi happily lying on kitchen counter just being part of what was happening. No he is not allowed on counters. Whatever got into him? Took him outside on leash this afternoon to make him happy. He seems to get embarrassed and sulky, when scolded in front of others. The outing made him his happy cat self again.

Now Dan is snacking on lemony salted peanuts. Yummy. And he just indulged in a passion fruit (granadilla), happily crunching up the tiny seeds surrounded be the pulpy juice, which Carmen cannot bring herself to enjoy. What shall Carmen nibble on – ohhh, these peanuts are really good she discovers. No other items for supper, since lunch was at three.

(Sab 17^th) Got a bit of a late start today, with some scrumptious oat bran pancakes. Walked into Fortín, hoping to pay CASF water bill and see how much a discount we can get for paying 2013 in advance. Then to the CFE office to find out why we have received no bill since starting our power account in July. Discovered that both offices are closed Saturdays. Next walked further to the hardware to buy a refill canister for our long reach butane lighter, which we use for lighting our water heater and oven. Much less frustrating than stick matches. Stopped at the correos (post office), which was open even though this is a holiday weekend, but they were holding no international mail for us, undelivered, although we know a letter was addressed and mailed to us three weeks ago from Anacortes. On to the ATM for more cash. Stop by paint store, and no, our order has not yet arrived, so we made some changes based on a revised plan for refinishing our windows. We'll use brown paint on the exterior only, instead of trying to renew the varnish which just will never stand up to the rain & sun exposure. Grocery store for bananas and olive oil that was on sale.

Gone from home two hours. On the walk home, Carmen walked on home by herself with purchases and Dan headed on over to Frank's new place to talk to the guys who will be heading up our renovation crew. They arranged to come by after 1pm, when their Saturday half-workday ended. Frank & Ania dropped them off then and Dan took Manuel and Luís up on the roof for a quick scoping of the job ahead, to start in December when Frank & Ania's obra wraps up. An afternoon meal of potato chip crusted fish, buttered carrots, sesame-rye bread and fresh mandarins, washed down with sidral (apple soda).