So Bodacious!!

Buenas tardes!

It is cloudy here and the wind is picking up.

I asked Senor about that because he always seems glued to the weather radar screen.

He said he didn't know anything, so to be more clear about it, i said......is it going to rain..............no, i don't think so, there is no activity showing any rain...............

Maybe he just likes all those colors on the radar screen.

I don't know, but I know you have to ask the question just right or it was not a question in the first place.

Back in January it was freezing cold here forever. I don't mean like thirty-one, isn't that freezing?

Several times when I went for my fiveam walks it was around thirty-six.

Senor put this tower heater in our bedroom and he had it going all day and night.

 We have never had such cold days and nights.

But then one morning we woke  and the tops of the bouganvillea were crisp and brown and the baby leaves on the papayas were wilted.

The leaves of the figs had fallen off as had the beautiful green leaves of the red hibiscus.

The Tecoma bells were crisp brown and the fuego trees, usually lush and green, had turned dark and gray.

The tomatoes were all mushy, peas all squishy.

And all sixty-seven of Senor's sweet corn plants were wilted and lying on their sides.

They were...........'gone plants'.

We had a freeze.

That freeze was the talk of town and if you listened long enough, no matter the language, you could learn who lost what and how they were reacting to it.

Mexican gardeners told us to water, water, water, but do not cut anything.

So, this is what we did and as soon as he was able to Senor got his hands on new sweet corn seed, bodacious is his favorite.

And the other night he made his first foray into the 'corn field' so we could have sweet bodacious corn for dinner, 

It was worth every succulent bite!!!

We never did replant the tomatoes, it was just too late by then. 

Carrots, onions, peppers, lettuce and a large variety of herbs all survived.

And the brussel sprouts are just coming out on the huge stalks.

The papayas are bright and green, the bouganvillea is covered with flowers the fuegos are filling out and starting to flower and the Tecoma's are covered with their bright yellow flowers.

 Everything is coming back bright and green and colorful.

But, oh, the sweet corn!!!

So bodacious!!

Adios!

Linda Lou 

I Want Cute

Hola! Buen dia!

If you read my post about changing plans in the bathroom, then you know I just want the sink in a different place than we had planned.

Well, I don't see this as such a big deal, but the guys, all three of them did make a big deal out of it.

First, Senor and Rosario and Marcello discussed it together in Spanish. 

Then Rosario and Marcello discussed it.

 Then Marcello discussed it with himself.

 And Rosario just went out and took a walk around the yard because he figured, correctly, that he would be the one doing the work.

Then I discussed it in English and nobody paid any attention to me, so I basically discussed it with myself.

That's okay, no problem, I know how to talk to myself.

I just want the sink to be in a different place. No big deal. What do I care if the plumbing is already all put in for it to go in a different location. I don't want it there. I changed my mind.

So in the photo above, obeying my wishes, and two times referring to me as the jeffe (boss), Rosario is digging up the floor for the second time and getting ready to let Senor come in with his saws and blow torches and whatever else he needs to re do the plumbing.

The photo below is of the shower stall wall. 

Now I had to make some minor adjustments there as well.

Senor had Marcello making very large niches in the adobe. 

Well, I don't want that. I explained that I want cute little niches that will hold candles and other pretty things.

I don't want big openings that will hold towels and toiletries and stuff like that.

I want cute.

 They all three stood there and stared at me like I am absolutely crazy. 

So now I am jeffe loco.

But, see that candle burning in the niche?

Now is that cute or what?

Que le vaya bien!!!

Linda Lou

The Back of the Bus

Hola!

We have just returned from a lovely little beach excursion for the Easter holiday, Semana Santa.

Some friends invited us to come and stay at their beach house with them and their wild nephews and nieces, all of whom were in their early twenties and going in twenty directions and I'll tell you, I want to adopt all the nieces and nephews and have them come and live here with us.

Of course, it reminded me so much of the times that KD or Ian would have a gazillion of their crazed friends over for crazed times and I miss that, like most moms do. So, it was just great fun.

 Above, the beach house and below, the beach food on the grill and finally, Senor relaxing and reading in our upper story beach room.

• 

But I am writing you to tell you about another recent trip I took.

KD called me back in February to tell me she got us two tickets to 'Lord of the Dance' in Colorado, in March.

Now if you are unfamiliar with 'Lord of the Dance', the male Irish step dancer, Michael Flatley, who used to dance with Riverdance (and you must know what that is), broke off from Riverdance several years ago and began his own Irish theatrical production, 'Lord of the Dance', starring him, of course, because he is the Lord of the dance. 

'Lord of the Dance' is more choreographed and has a story as its theme, while Riverdance is a wide variety of Irish dancing.

Well, my first inclination was.............what!!! i can't come all the way to Denver just to see Michael Flatley dance.

But I went.............I would see KD and who can really pass up Michael Flatley without his shirt on no matter where your seats are.

We had a lovely time. Colorado weather was beautiful. Michael Flatley was beautiful. Just a great time.

I flew back to Phoenix and caught the midnight bus to Navajoa.

 I asked for a seat in the very back of the bus because I know seats don't exchange passengers very much and so it is easy to lay down over two seats and sleep. I was exhausted.

I slept through the night and woke when the sun crept up around 6am.

We got to Navajoa around two in the afternoon.

My luggage was not on the bus.

Finally the driver and I determined that I had slept through the border crossing in Nogales and that aduana (Mexican customs) had detained my bag.

The drivers had switched at the crossing and when the new one came on board he did his walk through of the bus but didn't see me in the last seat, sleeping.

Aduana always walks through the bus and collects money for voluntary tax claims on purchases, and I have no idea why they did not see me or wake me and ask me for my voluntary money.

The driver assured me he would contact aduana and they would send my luggage the next day.

Senor was not at the bus station.

We do not have cell phones and this is becoming a problem for us.

I waited and waited.

After two hours I decided to walk down to Albatross and take the bus into Alamos.

Right as I was going out the door someone brought my luggage to me.

 It had just come in on another bus.

So I went to Alamos and walked up the hill to our casa.

And it was nice and quiet there because it turns out that Senor was indeed in Navajoa. When my bus did not come in at the time expected, he was told to come back around four, which he did, most likely right after I walked out the door to the bus station for Alamos.

So he continued to wait at the bus station for a very long time and finally came home without me because I was already home wondering where he was.

Several lessons learned, OMG, we need cell phones

and

No more sitting in the back of the bus.

adios!

Que le vaya bien!!!

Linda Lou

A Little Change in Plans

Hola!

I just spent the morning moving everything out of what will be the master bathroom into the plaster finished laundry room.

It took three hours. 

I am pooped.

And Senor is perplexed and cranky with me.

Seven years ago when he put in the plumbing and electrical in this room he wanted to put the bathroom sink here, under this window.

I said.............no, i have to have a mirror over the sink.

 So all of his designs have been for an L shaped counter here in the corner with a sink and a mirror.

But, see, I have been thinking about this.

I think I want it under the window and today, after I cleared out the entire room so it can be plastered, I decided I definitely want it under the window.

So, first, he was a little annoyed when I interrupted his work.

Then when I told him why I was interrupting him he just stared at me.

Then he got up and walked off......................into the room where I could see he was noticing that he is going to have to re do all of the plumbing and the electrical in order to have that.

Well, I just stayed away from him for awhile and finally he came to me and said.........well, good, just how i told you it should be in the first place seven years ago.

He sure likes to be right, even if it takes seven years......

o

 So instead of having the sink to the right of the door and an L shaped counter top, it will now go under the window.

Below you can just see in to the laundry room which is completely plastered now. It and the master bath and bedroom had been plastered once, but it wasn't done correctly and it all peeled off in layers.

 So now we are getting it done right.

A room full of stuff. I do not know where this stuff came from.

Senor's new electrical panels he just completed. Before this I could not have the toaster oven and the hot plate on at the same time.

 Now, poof, it's all good. 

I am a happy cooker.

I am also happy to get all this plastering done. And soon, the floor. When? Don't ask me!!

Okay, so gotta go.

Adios!

Linda Lou

The Quinceanera

Buenas tardes!

I thought I would take a moment to explain who the beautiful young girl on our profile page is.

Her name is Kathya and she is the daughter of a friend of mine.

And we were so lucky to share a beautiful tradition with her.

Her quinceanera, or fiesta de quince anos, a celebration a young girl may have when she turns fifteen.

It can be and often is a huge celebration for the young girl as she passes from childhood to womanhood.

In the old traditions of Latin American countries at this time a fifteen year old girl needed to be prepared to marry immediately or become a nun.

Luckily things have changed and Kathya, like most other fifteen year old girls, continues her school work and hanging out with her friends and family. 

It was just so special to be asked to attend her party, which began at the church at the Plaza de Armas, because she is from a Catholic family, and continued later at a party event place in town.

Outside, before the mass, she is already celebrating with her entourage of handsome young men.

Inside the church, the priest is giving mass for her.

These boys were with her practically everywhere she went, all handsome, all well behaved and all wanting to be right by her side.

Below, at the event, where there was lots of food and drink and music and dancing, she is still with the boys.

Each boy stood around her in a circle, with a flower behind his back and then when it became his turn to dance with her he gave her the flower. They danced to the theme song from the 'Titanic', a beautiful Spanish version. When they were done she had a beautiful bouquet.

 After she danced with the boys, she danced with each of the older male family members.

 She also led a long procession that went around in a circle so we could see everyone.

This was pretty awesome for us, but we didn't last long, our bedtime in Mexico comes just about the time the party kicks into high gear.

As we were leaving I noticed that she had removed the lower portion of the gown and was wearing only the top frilly flouncy section. 

It was so cute and I had no idea that she could take that gown apart.

And by then I was out of batteries and grumpy with Senor who forgot to put the other batteries in his pocket.

So, it was a good departure time for us!

Okay, just seems like I am interested in sharing traditions for a few days. 

The farioses are in town and you know how I can go on and on about those handsome men.

So stay tuned for an update on that.

I need to go and feed the birds. We have a family of orioles coming in for oranges and the hummingbirds are back and so are the bees!!!

Que tengas un buen noche!!!

Linda Lou

New Baby in Town

Buenas dias~! What a beautiful day it is here.

I am still up around 4:30am and leaving for my walk around 5am. As it gets lighter I will go even earlier.

 January was a very cold month here and I was getting pretty tired of bundling up in cold weather gear just for an hour walk. So, it is warmer now and more enjoyable.

In January, on the 6th, we were excited to be asked to the El Chalaton Barrio, to our friend Modesto's house for a Dia de los Reyes fiesta. This is Kings Day, when the wise men brought their gifts to baby Jesus. In the photo above Modesto, surrounded by children, is making certain they understand the significance of the day. The children are most likely thinking about the toys they will be getting.

 But they were polite and very respectful and they listened to what he said.

After a meal of sandwiches and salad, the parents are beginning the drawing for the toys. Every child's name gets written down and each child is promised a gift.

 The parents read each child's name and a gift in the box was given to that child.

 Modesto told me each gift was hand picked for each child. He knows these children well.

After the gifts we ate tres leche cakes and suddenly Senor said................oh, look what i got..................he got the baby Jesus in his cake.

And that means that he has to host the party on Dia de Candelario, which is February 2nd.

Of course, I am really the one who hosted this party. I did all of the work, the preparation, the cooking, and the research about the day.

 Not being Catholic I did not have a clue.

This is the day that you are supposed to take down your nativity scene, so I immediately put mine back up. 

You are also supposed to have a new born baby laying around to represent baby Jesus and since we did not have one of those handy I went to the Mercado and bought a baby doll for the occasion. 

I dressed it up in white and as you can see, I put it on display.

You are also supposed to walk to the church and take the baby with you to get it blessed, but I figured we could skip all that stuff and no one would be too upset.

 I consulted Modesto on a lot of this and he basically told me the party is more about food than messing around with the baby,

So, he and his friends made guacamole, 

We did not have the traditional Dia de Candelario tamales, (they are so expensive when you are making them for sixty people). Instead we had potted meat mixed with salsa and mayonaise. This is a favorite treat for Mexicans in Sonora, but is just like spam, if you ask me. 

Below you can see how I set up the baby and the nativity. Each parent had their child come and take a look at the baby and I heard a lot of children giggling, so probably there was something not quite right, maybe just the fact that it was a doll and not real.

I don't know. I asked Modesto and his favorites sentence is.....oh, don't you worry about it.

So, I didn't.

Below people are starting to settle in for the potted meat, but the big crowd was out around Senor's raised garden beds. I did not get a photo, but I think the garden was much more popular than the baby doll and the nativity.

I decided to give the children candy even thought Modesto told me that is not important on this day. Well, sometimes traditions just have to be changed.

We had the children decorate small brown paper bags and then loaded them up with candy.

Below is one of the tables where the children colored their bags.

This was a very unique experience for us. 

Not only a Mexican day of celebration, but a religious day as well, it put a new meaning on the word fiesta for me.

Of course, it is not always about the tecate and the loud music and the dancing. 

There are so many wonderful celebrations in Mexico and at the end of the day, we were very happy Senor got that baby in his cake.

Adios!!!

Que tengas un buen dia!!!

Moving Day

Hola! Buenas dias! Hope every had a wonderful Christmas.

We sure did.

We recently moved........a new old baby grand piano to our casa.

The move itself was eventful. 

We started out with our two guys and 2 of their sons and then, went to the Alameda with a call for help and ended up with 7 people, all of course, being bossed by Senor who had spent the previous day googling 'how to move a piano.'

 After he realized no one in Alamos was going to be able to supply him with a piano dollie, he calmed down and proceeded to just be the jeffe and let the guys do the best they could.

 Somehow we were able to get Marcelo's truck parked right outside the front door of the house we were moving the piano out of.

 Remarkable piece of luck especially since by that time we had about 10 guys hanging around, all excited and wanting to help and while Senor was trying to figure out how they were going to lift it up and onto the truck, I made the mistake of suggesting they just carry it all the way to the house. When that was repeated in Spanish to the workers I was dismissed very quickly. 

 Senor had promised me they would not turn the piano on its side.

 The tops of the legs are encased in brass and they insert inside a carved out area, which is also surrounded in brass, so there are no nails or screws and as a result, the legs kept falling off.

 At one point they attempted to just remove the legs, but the piano was so heavy they needed to set it down every few feet, so they needed the legs. 

Senor did the leg work, placing them back into their inserts whenever they fell out.

By now the crowd has thinned and we have lost some of the guys who either found the work too exciting, or strenuous, or not exciting enough. But the 5 guys say they have it under control.

 We took the lead and drove off. A little way up the street I asked Senor to pull in back of the truck so I could take pictures................. he said.................. NO................why not.....i want to take pictures of it going up the street.....you really don't, he said.................yes, i do, pull over.

He did as I asked and we were behind the truck just as Marcelo drove over a tope and the entire bed of the truck lurched to the left. I was watching through my camera lens and believe me, the photo does no justice to the lurch. I almost had a heart attack. The workers all scrambled to the left to support the piano and then back to the right after they cleared the bump.................I covered my eyes,................omg #+^*%$#@*!~^*_+............ is what I said to senor....................well i told you you would not want to be behind the truck, is what he said to me.

 Upright again and back in control we are almost to the house.

 And my first little concert on our new old baby grand piano.

Adios! Que tengas un buen dia!

Linda Lou