A Lovely Fall Day

Today I am home early from DIF.
I am a little tired after 6 days in a row of walking down in the dark, to start beans, at 5:30am, and returning home around 2pm.

Don't misunderstand, I am just going to stay home tomorrow and do a few things I have neglected around the casa and I will return to DIF on Tuesday.
I also hope to get out later today and tomorrow and take some photos so you can actually see how things are progressing in Alamos.
And I intend to find time to answer some of the wonderful emails I have received from people that I don't know.......

I think Alamos residents are very concerned with health issues right now, but that is to be expected. Hopefully most folks will be able to follow simple hand washing routines and make efforts to clean their shoes if they walk through all of this mud. Things like that are very simple, yet very helpful.
The Dolisa water plant has been inspected and bottled water is said to be in perfect sanitary condition.

Dozers are still going all day and well in to the night. They stop for awhile, but fortunately, they are my alarm clock around 4:30am each morning.
Bank accounts have been opened for both DIF and the Amigos de Education.

Yesterday, I made frijoles my way. I opened cans and cans of frijoles and jalapenos, instead of just regular frijoles. AND I added habanero hot sauce and extra water and oil which make them creamier and easier to stir.... of course, I added the extras when the egg scrambler was not in the room. He did see the cans and I just shrugged and said, in english...you know, a bean is a bean, is a bean......he smiled and kept scrambling his eggs. I'm sure he had no idea what I was saying. But they tasted really good.

Today, I went back to the regular bean routine and a new cook came around 7am, a woman I have not seen yet. She may be the real head cook......I don't know, there are alot of cooks in this kitchen.... she took over the beans real fast and I was sure glad I had not made any changes this morning......later I noticed that she can take a whole chicken and with one quick whack of the only sharp knife in the cocina, she can cut the chicken completely in half. I did not think that was possible, but I have seen it. I was cutting vegetables right next to her and every time she brought that cleaver down I jumped out of my skin. When she was done with about 50 chickens, she used the cleaver to chop vegies so fast she would put PBS cooks to shame. Her hands were flying and after that, she put the cleaver in her huge purse and sat down in the only chair in the cocina for about 2 minutes and then she was up and working again....

More and more federales have arrived. There are so many here, they can't all sleep on the top of the clothes out under the tents. When I went in the door this morning, the floor was just covered with them. They were sleeping right on the cement, with tiny blue, baby sized blankets covering them. I almost cried...... no pillows, not pads......nothing between them and the floor. I had to step between and over their feet just to get to the cocina.
And there are hundreds more federales, out in the montanas and who knows where they have to sleep at night.

An American man and woman came to visit DIF and after introducing myself, I asked if they lived here. He said they had just arrived for a visit. I said....what a beautiful day it is to have just arrived for a visit. He hesitated, but then shook his head and agreed...well, yes, it is a beautiful day....

and so, the days go on and it really is a lovely fall day here, a light breeze is rustling the leaves on the trees, the sun has that golden glow that it gives off in autumn, the sky is a pale blue with soft puffs of clouds and there is a subtle scent of a cooking fire burning.......... which is perhaps what you have at your home today as well.......
And at the end of your lovely fall day today, when you lay your head on your pillow and your bed is soft and comfy, and you are cozy under your wankie, right when you close your eyes, think about all the people, wherever they are, sleeping wherever they have to, because that's all they have for the moment and think wonderful thoughts for them all.....