And finally......

Hola! We came home late yesterday afternoon after an overnight in Hermosillo.

There was a cloud over Mt. Alamos and within an hour, the sky was filled with boiling clouds.

The clouds seemed to stall right over our casa and the wind pushed from all directions and the sky filled with lightning and all we could hear was wind and thunder and the cats ran for cover as the rain fell. It was wonderful!

Because there was so much wind, the rain could never really decide where to go. Very little came into the garden room, so we were able to sit there, under cover, and watch all the excitement. Long after the rain stopped, there was lightning for hours in the distance.

There is a tropical depression off the coast of Sinaloa, perhaps it has moved farther north. It was not expected to reach the coast until early Saturday morning. I have not checked the weather today but there is an large, dark cloud over Mt. Alamos this morning and some darker clouds on the western horizon.

A little cloud has finally been lifted off our shoulders......we have our FM3's back.

In Alamos, we met with an accountant and asked him to file our Mexican Corporation taxes. In Navajoa, it was neccessary to meet him again and go to SAT, which is like the USA IRS. We received an identification number for our taxes. The accountant then filed our 2008 and 2009 taxes (through June, 2009). We did not owe any taxes afterall. We only needed to pay him for his time and work. So, finally that was taken care of......................

The tax identification number and the proof of filing the taxes were what immigration said they needed before they would give us our FM3 renewal.

So yesterday we went back to immigration, in Hermosillo, and gave them the information they needed. Before going it did not occur to me to make a copy of the filing, about 30 pages worth.

After the woman behind the counter finally gave us our FM3's she gathered up all our paperwork to keep in her file. I asked if she could make copies of the filing for me.

WHOOOO_WHEEEEE! Always, make your own copies of everything before you go to immigration. I know this, but I just did not think she would need to keep those papers.

Well, I may as well have been her child who got caught staying out past curfew, or did not do their homework, or went out with the wrong boy. She was not happy.

She made the copies, slammed them on the counter and said something that sounded nasty and senor said................get going now before she takes the FM3s back.

So we went to Wal-Mart and finally............................ I calmed down enough to get out of the truck.

When we got back to the casa yesterday, we opened the back bedroom door and Ashes rushed out. Somehow she had snuck back inside when we were not looking. She was madder than the lady at immigration and would not stop meowing and even clawed me once. Of course, it was our fault she got locked in without food or water for over twenty-four hours. I told her she was lucky we weren't gone for four days and finally..............she quit meowing.

And speaking of being gone from home. We have been gone now, for a little over a year. It has been an incredible experience so far. I think we will stay.

But remember this old house? Here is a photo from a long ago snow storm. See the snowman in the lower left?

And here is a photo below of the new deck and windows we added during the remodel.

The house was put on the market late last August. During May and June, we have been in negotiations with a buyer, and through the realtor, we have been faxing papers back and forth, to the tune of forty pesos per page. The lady at the internet store, who does our faxing, is so nice. One day she even offered me a cup of tea while I waited for about eight pages to go through. She also calls me by my name and has never slammed anything down on the counter in front of me. I think she likes me.

While in Hermosillo, we learned the house is finally a done deal. We need to be in Tucson on Tuesday of this upcoming week, to sign and notarize the final papers.

So when I look at these photos, of the house, it is with both happiness and sadness.........so I won't look too long.

It is a relief to have it sold, especially in this economy, and we feel fortunate. But, I will miss this house and the family who lived here together, and is now, spread out across two countries..................finally, I have to look at it with some humor as well, because I never got to cook a meal in the new kitchen, never got to use that new stone tiled shower, or sit out on the new deck with friends. I never got to really squish my toes up in that plush new carpet or hang my clothes behind the new closet doors.........never got to slide across the shiny new wood floor in my skivvies, didn't even do a load of laundry after the new tile went into the laundry room.

Soon, I may remove the Northwest photos from the blog, I may take the old studio photos of the shed off the website, even though I don't yet have a new studio to replace it with. I don't know, I guess it's time for those photos to go...........

so, as i say adios this morning and finally, enough of that...............bring on the next rain.