Thanks for the Suggestions

Buen dia! I received some very interesting suggestions in response to my last post and the difficulty I am having moving pictures around in the post. I then went and messed around with a pretend post and discovered that I can actually move pictures by moving the ones I want to reposition to the far right, all others to the far left and slowly drag the ones on the right to their new positions. Headache! No wonder a few folks suggested switching to Wordpress. But, for all I know I will have some other silly roadblock there, so we will move along and see how things evolve here.

Imagine my surprise when I returned home yesterday to see both water jugs empty......hmmm, and Senor off having lunch and playing bridge with the ladies........when he got home he suggested that we might need water............might? might need water? 

Senor has played bridge three times this week. Like I said, I do not mind as long as he gets work done on the casa in the mornings. However, when he has done three days in a week before, after day three he has told me, Never, never, never again. I think this is only the third time he has done it, again.

He and Umberto did work non stop this morning and I really liked that. I was gone most of the morning, but I saw changes when I returned. They were working away on all this electrical stuff and pouring concrete. The electrical wires will go through all of those orange tubes. I think we will have a lot of electrical outlets.

 

 

 There are a bunch of them right there. I can't imagine what kind of switch plate cover will take care of all that mess. I have already decided a big bushy palm tree will go there, or a pretty carved and hinged box to cover all of it up. We will be opening, shutting, opening, shutting. I think a palm will be easier.

 Below they are putting the wood form against the ladrillo wall and will fill it with concrete.

 They put wires through holes in the wood, attach triangle pieces of rebar which they twist tightly to keep the boards secure and in place.

 

I am just happy to see stuff happen, it tells me SOMEDAY, this might be done.

New old bike and I have been hanging around town a lot lately. We went to the clinic on Wednesday where I learned the results of the urine test and started a whole new round of antibiotics, so you can guess the results of that test. Again, I saw way too many Mexicanos I know there, I am sure I am supplying them with plenty of gossip.

Yesterday we were off to History Club which will soon wind down for the summer with so many people leaving town. New old bike took a little topple when the tequila delivery truck got a little too close. By the way, tequila is delivered to the restaurant there, and not to History Club.The conversation was very relaxed and casual, with people just remembering wonderful old things about Alamos, things like ghost sightings.

New old bike and I left the house at dawn this morning for a ride out to the new sports complex and a long walk around the soccer track. After a fruit snack and people watch at the Alameda, we went out to La Capilla to the little bazaar there. I bought a lace curtain and a swirly long wood thing that you hang outside. It rotates when the wind blows. Riding back to town I tried braking and holding onto it and it fell out of new old bike's basket. A few wood pieces flew off but I was able to retrieve them all while traffic stopped.

Then we were off to my friend Dolores's home where her maid, Armida and I toasted her with a Starbucks bottled frappuccino. Dolores, who was in her mid eighties and had lived year round in her beautiful casa in the historic district for over twenty years, passed away at Christmas. She and I enjoyed many coffees at her table

under her lovely, flowery portal. For our little party Armida served banana bread and arranged a shrine for Dolores. We raised our glasses and said......Salud, Senora!

I am happy to say Armida and I sat and talked in Spanish for almost an hour and I am pretty sure we understood each other. It was nice to share that time with her.  

There are definitely some strange things going on with blogger. I am now unable to move any text. I am a fairly flexible person, but when it comes to the computer, I do not like change. I can't handle it, it causes me too many problems. You can laugh but I don't even know what a tab is. I don't even know how to make a file. It is a wonder that I can even post to this blog and keep four online glass shops operating.

I guess it is a real good thing I went on the blood pressure medicine.

Well, sweet Cookies has something brown in his mouth. The screen door is closed so he can't come in with it, but definitely time for me to investigate. 

Que le vaya bien! linda lou

Such is Everyday Life

Hola. The other day I went to town.

When I left the house Cookies did not even bother to say goodbye, have a nice time, bring me a treat. So I just left.

I went on new old bike to meet a friend at a lovely little new bistro, Teresita's.
Calle Galeana was completely blocked off due to filming of the Telenovella, but I got through just fine.


Teresita's is a wonderful little bakery and coffee shop. She serves super cappuccinos and lattes. I am so hooked. Her music is good, too, she is bordering strong competition with Starbucks.
Below are a few photos of Teresita's. Huge windows, beautiful tiles, lots of ovens, espresso machines and sticky buns.






On my ride back home I noticed a parade of cars and trucks coming up our street. It turns out that our street became a major thoroughfare for Alamos drivers because of the street closure over on Galeana. It was a huge mess, especially when one of the TBC bus drivers decided he could make the sharp turn at the top of our street. He finally did, after about twenty minutes of backing up and adjusting this way and that. The long line of cars behind him had to back up, in turn, to allow the driver to make amends.

Cookies did not seem to mind. He snoozed through the whole mess.............didn't even say, oh, hi, you're back.......... have a nice time??


Just when I thought Galeana would surely open, Jesus, from down the street, brought his bulls up to a different field. His little boys, riding their burros, swinging their coiled ropes in their hands, herded the bulls in and out of the line of pick ups and explorers, as if they did this every day. I was so in awe of the sight I could not break away for the camera.

Twilight came and the trees and the sky over Galeana were lit up with huge lights for the cameras and the traffic on our street got worse. Another TBC driver attempted the turn in the dark and had to back down and try again. Motorcyclists and bicyclists moved in and out of the cars. Then the little red tourist train decided to come up the street.

Shown below in a rainy photo from last year, the train normally runs every twenty minutes and its route is up Galeana, among other streets, but never ours. The conductor blows the train whistle every few minutes and from our house we can hear it all over town.

The little red train ran until eleven that night.
That's a lot of train whistle.............. right outside our window.

The Telenovella finished early this week and has taken its huge trucks and equipment and directors and actors away for awhile. But this is something they have been doing regularly and I am sure they will be back soon as they have decided to continue filming the show here indefinitely.

I am really hoping they will be done on our side of town.
Ah, well, such is every day life in this small beautiful town in Mexico. I wonder what tomorrow will bring.
Brazos.........linda lou

It's All About Preparation

Buen dia. This is what had the birds all up in a tizzy yesterday.......cat in the tree.

I was very surprised to see Cookies up there and even more surprised that he eventually found his way down. He thinks this is his new secret hiding place, but he is just a big fat yellow blob of a sitting duck up there. All the birds can see him. A big cardinal kept flitting from one branch to another in the next tree, almost mocking poor Cookies......you're too fat to go any higher, you're too fat to go any higher.

The silly cat is actually up in the tree again right now.

After he came sliding down yesterday, I stepped back laughing and nearly stepped in this.

I knew it was there. When I walk near it I watch it to make sure it isn't following me.

Then I went to fill a nearby birdfeeder and got a little to close again. It makes me very nervous.

It is one of Senor's many latest projects that begin and don't always end.........right away.

All about preparation, he says.

Well, I should just prepare some bricks around it, something to remind me to stay clear.

This is what will go in the deep hole. Another tinnaco. A friend did not need it, so Senor took it.
It is going to some day have a pump in it, like the one in the backyard and it will hold water for the wall fountain that will go right beside the front door. That's the front door right where the window is.The one in back is still all prepped to be used some day. So, now we will have two tinnacos prepped to be used some day. But Umberto and Senor are working on vigas.

I think the hole will be around for awhile.

Meantime, the air is fragrant with the scent of lime, lemon, grapefruit and orange blossoms. Everyone in this town must have at least one of those trees because this wonderful smell is everywhere.

Here are the tiny blossoms on Senor's lemon tree.

And here is one of his lemons. I believe it will stay green until it is picked and then turn yellow.

We are visiting a friend's orchard today and hoping to come home with bags of grapefruit and oranges. All the fruit in town is so ripe. You can see it hanging heavy on the trees, just preparing to drop.

Cookies is back in his tree and he looks all prepared, hiding his fat yellow self under the dangling yellow flowers, twittering in his throat at even the flies buzzing around him.

Time to go. adios! linda lou

Choose Your Day

Hola!
You know it is hot when you see this..........................poor Cookies, he is roasting. We may have turn on the mini split for him. Look at this! It defines the entry steps to the front door of the casa. Of course, there is no front door, there are no steps, but you will get the idea, I think. I believe Senor said the steps from the front door will be flush with this new little wall. But then, there are a lot of times when I think I know what he said, but it is just the opposite.

The passenger door to the street will be in between the two concrete columns on the right.The front door will be where the first space is in the wall, hidden there behind the branch of a fuego tree. In the lower right you can see the little wall. Senor is cutting the tiles and Umberto is doing the rest of the work.

A bucketfull of bouganvilla oversees the project.

I have decided to have a give away.....you have 48 hours (until 6pm PST on Monday night)
to guess the day the rains will begin here in Alamos.

The person coming closest to the date will get the earrings below. They are from my Wildflower Collection and are called Rocky Mountain Lilly.

The official day of rain is on every Sonoran calendar and it is June 24. It is called Dia de San Juan. Please read the comments and try not to guess the same day as someone else because then I will have to have some kind of square-off.......................like what time did the rain start, how big were the drops, how many inches fell, which tree grew a foot in an hour...........you know, that sort of thing.

You have to have a blogger account to comment. It is an easy account to set up and you do not have to divulge any information about yourself.

You choose your day................ adios for now................linda lou

For the Love of Cookies

buenas dias..................it is cool and cloudy this morning. It is going to rain. I feel it. Mt. Alamos is obscured by fast moving thick clouds. The wind is whipping leaves everywhere and blowing the sweet smelling blossoms off the limon tree. Cookies will not go outside. The tamale boy did not come today. It is going to rain. Manana we go north. We will go visit KD in Colorado, get in some skiing, and among many other things, watch some tv, go to the picture show and go shopping, and restaurant hopping.


I am very excited. We have not been to the states since August. Senor is not as excited as I am. This is prime casa working time.

Back in November, I said............................i want to go to the states for Christmas, to see KD (we had just seen Ian in November)......................................you need to just cut loose, let's stay here, let's have christmas here.....................said senor.
So, I cut loose. We stayed here. You read the post. It was just okay, not my best Christmas. I think on Christmas Day I said it would have been nice to go to Colorado and Senor said, yea, maybe it would have been nice.

So, in January, I said...........................i want to go to the states in March and see KD. Senor did not really say much, but I could hear him thinking ..................... March is really prime casa time, good weather, not too hot, good breezes, longer days, should've gone for Christmas........


So, there has been a great deal of preparation before we leave tomorrow.

The first and biggest concern is the cat. The second concern is dogs.

The coyote fence is complete across the back and it is two thirds finished down the side, which borders an empty lot. The empty lot is of great fascination to Cookies and he likes to spend time out there, often returning with a small mouse or other creature.

Taking care of concern number one will be our wonderful neighbor. She will visit with Cookies everyday and make sure he is safe and happy. When we return we will have a Trader Joe's goodie bag for her.

To eliminate concern number two, I have put chicken wire from the adobe wall at the road, all the way down to the completed section of the coyote fence. Sturdy, and reusable, the chicken wire is attached to rebar and old barbed wire with baling wire, and rocks placed here and there will help keep a few loose edges down. I have walked one street over and checked for any places in the wall surrounding the empty lot and I do not see any open areas to the street. Since the fence was completed in back we have not seen any signs of dogs in the yard.
I think our cat is secure.

I don't think he likes it, but he will be safe. I will not worry.

Oh, what won't we do for the love of Cookies.

Adios! Que tengas buen dia! linda lou

A Cat's Tale

Hola. We are back from the Copper Canyon. What a spectacular trip! Tomorrow I will take you there.
Today I am going to tell you a little story.

When we began planning our move to Mexico, we had two cats to include in the adventure. Of course, we could not leave them behind and KD and Ian were in no position to take over the responsibility of THEIR cats!

So, they traveled with us, for many days, in the truck. They practically lived in the truck while we spent a week in Colorado. They were snuck in and out of many hotel rooms. Ashes could fit into a small bag while Cookies was a little more difficult to conceal. They meowed in the rooms, they scratched to get out. They jumped every time they heard a door slam down the hallway.

They were fed from little dishes on the truck floor and forced to rely on a kitty litter box that sat on the back seat in the truck. Coming from a comfortable environment in the northwest where they romped and played and caught little birds and garden snakes and lounged on a carpeted floor in the sunlight, it was a time of adjustment. They were not used to such living conditions.

Upon our arrival in Alamos, they were not pleased. It was hot. It was dusty. Water and food tasted different.

We rented a small casita for awhile. It became a nightly routine for Ashes to jump up on us as we slept on an air mattress. She did this all night. The mattress, of course, moved with her bouncing and jumping.............we could not sleep. If we put her in another room she meowed all night long. We were cranky. Cookies was cranky. No one was getting much sleep and we had some difficulty keeping our tempers in check.

During the daytime, we took both cats to the new casa hoping they would start adjusting to it and we would be able to leave them there at night. Cookies would plop down in the first patch of shade he could find. Ashes would not come out of the truck. She wedged herself into a tiny little compartment way in the back and we could not reach her.

Around noon she would decide to come out for food and we closed the truck door. She promptly climbed under and up into the truck where she crawled into a small area near the tire.

Later in the day she came out and we put the truck out on the street. After running inside the casa, she discovered a hole in the wall and shimmied her way deep inside it where she sat and whimpered like a puppy. It took Bill forty-five minutes to get her out of the wall. Once out, she discovered she could hide up in the fireplace chimney. Bill spent alot of time trying to reach her, but he could not get her out.

So, that was the first night we decided to leave the cats alone at the casa.

The next morning Ashes was gone.
We were convinced she was just mad and would be back soon. We checked the wall and the fireplace over and over. By day three we were beginning to shed a few tears. By day five we hired the local announcer to drive through town announcing by loud speaker that a cat was missing in the Colorado Barrio. He gave a description of Ashes, gave our address and also said there would be a reward.

People came to the house regularly. One man said, i saw your cat.......she is up the street. I followed him to look, but no cat......................we have your cat, said a family...................I went to look, but no cat.

The announcer man brought an old, bent-over, wrinkled man to us...................this old man has your cat in his house, the announcer man told us........................the man has scratches all over his arms. The old man rolled up his sleeves to show us.........................he has your cat, but he had to fight it to catch it, said the announcer man.......................we will all go to his house and you can get your cat, but this man is worried about his scratches..............

We got in our truck and followed the announcer man. The old man went in his house and brought out a large bird cage. Inside was a white cat. That is not our cat, we said................. and we went home.

Eleven days passed. Now we were shedding alot of tears. I knew she was gone. We went to Navajoa for groceries and a bed. When we returned, CFE, the electric company, was hooking up our electricity. The bed was delivered. The next night would be our first night at the casa.

Sometime in the afternoon, we realized Cookies was missing. I had begun to adjust to Ashes not being with us anymore, but losing Cookies, too, was unbearable. We stayed at the casa well into the night, and continued to search for him, but did not see him.

The next day we cleared our belongings out of the little rented casita and moved into our casa. The electricity was on, the fans in the two livable rooms were working, the radio played and we should have been happy, but now, we had lost two cats.

Very late in the day, Cookies returned, after being gone for over twenty-four hours. He came up to us and just fell to the floor. He could not raise his head and was panting heavily. He was completely exhausted. We had to hold up his head to get him to drink water. He could not eat any food and just laid on the floor, all four legs splayed and head down for hours. We watched him closely and were so glad to have him back from wherever he had gone.

We did not have any lights or lamps yet, so we sat out in what later became the Hilton garden room, with lanterns glowing, watching Cookies and feeling excited to actually be living in our casa.

Not too long after dark set in, we heard a little meow. Ashes came walking across the yard and into the glow of the lantern. We were shocked. We picked her up and argued over who would get to hold her. It was very emotional.

This happened well over a year ago and I think of it often. I am convinced that Cookies went looking for Ashes. I believe that he traveled a very long distance and left a scent for her to follow so she could return home to us.

Sometimes our cats spatted with each other, sometimes they laid side by side and slept together. Sometimes they turned their backs on one another and other times, side by side, they stalked doves almost as big as Ashes.

When we returned from our Copper Canyon trip, it was raining again here in Alamos. We could not find Ashes or Cookies. There was a note from our neighbor asking us to call her as soon as we returned.

Very tearfully, she told us that Ashes had been killed by dogs that came in to the yard one night. She and her husband had lovingly buried her in the yard and kept her collar for us. They made a star out of seashells to place on top. She told us Cookies had been hiding in the field next door.

After calling him for a very long time, he came through the fence right beside Ashes's little grave. He has not left our sides since then.

So, as I tell you this cat's tale, it is impossible to not shed a few tears over a pretty little kitty that our kids named Ashes, ten years ago, because she reminded them of the ashes in the fireplace.......a pretty little kitty who had a tail like a husky dog, a fluffy tail that curled up and over her back.

The tale is not meant to make you sad. Remember, you saw her last as the roofing inspector!! And what a good inspector she was, she also inspected fireplaces and walls! She had experience.

I like to imagine the wild adventure Cookies must have had throughout the night, when he went to find her!
Where did he travel? Up to the montanas? How many miles did he walk? How far did he run? What creatures did he see on his journey? Did he follow a path? Did the moon light his way?

We will never know where she went, but we know she is now off on another adventure........................adios, little Ashes.

The Roofing Inspector

Hola, we had a great storm yesterday.

It started at three in the morning with alot of lightning and then came the rain. Around six thirty I hopped on new old bike to go to my yoga class and as I went around the corner near the Chalaton barrio a huge crack of lightning came down and the rain started again and I went home as fast as I could. The entire day was overcast and breezy and very comfortable.

Late in the afternoon some boiling clouds appeared to just remind us that the monsoon season is not over yet, but there was no more rain. Okay, so you already know where I am going with this post, but do not get in a hurry and scroll down to see the roof inspector. Just go with me here.................

Senor is so sweet. The other day he brought me a present..............a huge container of paint.
Then he said......................the sooner you paint the vigas in the two side rooms, the sooner we get the roof on. Well, I painted those vigas for those rooms in a single day. I only stopped for a few little breaks. When I was done I noticed a rash all over my arms where I had leaned against painted concrete. I hope I am not allergic to the paint and the vigas.....................

The paint is called espresso and looks great on the vigas. I will have to wait until the light is right to get a good photo of the vigas for you, but the wood forms Senor used for the vigas have made all the wood indentations in the concrete and it is very impressive. Standing below the vigas, you cannot tell they are concrete. It took me a while to get a system down, but after trying a roller and then a paint brush, I discovered that a sponge and a smash, squish and scrub technique works best. It is pretty messy, but that system gets the paint down into any holes caused by air bubbles.

So there, if you are planning to paint any concrete vigas this weekend, remember smash, squish, scrub and you will be done in no time.

Senor has been concentrating on his wiring and junction boxes, both of which need to be done before the roof goes on. Below is his diary of what all these wires are. He usually leaves this out in the Hilton Garden Room overnight. I guess he has it all memorized in case it gets blown away or rained on in a big storm.

Now, I am going to show you all of his wires. They are everywhere..................................

See the styrofoam stacked below? That will be on the roof. But, do notice the wires hanging there, captured in the photo.....................................

The electrical box and alot of wires in the laundry room below..................................

The cute little wood forms used to make the concrete junction boxes are leaning against the wall.....................................

Wires coming out of the tubes........................

Wires and tubes coming out of the beams......................

Wires on top of the vigas and tubes filled with more wires.............................

More wires and wire filled tubes.................................

Some very scary looking wires and tubes are surrounding the painted vigas.........................

Okay, okay, I am done with the wires.....................

So, here is the story.....................

Senor came to me and said.......................the roofing inspector is here........................and knowing the routine now....................................i said..........oh, my, the roofing inspector..........................i did not know we had roofing inspectors here........................what did he say........................

he said.............it's a good thing we aren't in king county anymore...........................

adios! linda lou

Golden Glow Light

Hola!
We had some beautiful light the other night.
We also had a huge windstorm and thought we would get rain, but didn't. The light was a very pretty yellow. It was just like the golden glow of a fall day.

The hillsides are rolling green carpets.

Senor has been out alot lately with the camera and caught the cats in the following situation.

Ashes had a friend over for a play day........................

Soon, she got bored and fell asleep......................

And, while she was sleeping, Cookies snuck up and took her friend........................
They played for awhile ...................
Eventually, Cookies went to sleep also, and the lizard ran away, so if you are a lizard lover.....no worries, he is safe and sound somewhere, hiding out, hoping to skip the next play date.




Well, we have the fence posts and the barro blanco, finally. Here you can see the posts are on the ground. Our stable is in the background. Umberto has been given the job of digging the post holes. I am so glad Senor wasn't thinking I could do that. But, I will be making the fence.

The first portion of the fence will begin where the screened gate is below and will go north-south.

To the right of the little screen gate there is an old adobe wall, which we will keep.

The fence will travel all the way to the edge of the property line between us and the little house you see in the second photo below.

A little old senor lives in that little casa. During the daytime, he stays in his sister's house, which is also on the property and in the early evenings, around 5pm, he comes to his casa, where he has a tv.

He watches telenovas for hours and hours. If I walk back there I can hear the television and I can also see his outdoor toilet........once, he was on his toilet, which is actually a real toilet, over a hole in the ground. I do not think he saw me, but I don't plan to see him there again. So, we are starting back here with the fence.

Someone is building a new casa right behind his casa. But he will not be boxed in. He will be able to get to his sister's casa and from there, out to the street.

A few times Senor has been driving past the sister's house and the old senor will be standing on the street. The cranky old senor yells at the sweet younger Senor.......................ALTO!!

He wants Senor to give him a ride to town and Senor does. When the old senor gets out of the truck, he slams the door and walks off.

Soon the weeds between the little senor's casa and his sister's casa will be over his head. Last year he got very mad about that and once I saw him beating the weeds with a stick and could hear him yelling at his sister.

The sister's son came with a weed eater and cut a pathway for him between the two casas.
Sometimes, he will yell at us to bring him water. If we don't respond, he yells at his sister to bring water.

This morning was very overcast and cool, a good day for me to have a project.
I began taking the old yellow paint off the fireplace stones. Underneath the old yellow paint, I found old turquoise, old red, old orange and old light blue paint.

Most of the homes in Alamos are white on the outside. Inside is where you can find all kinds of color. We can tell that the old section of our casa (maybe 100 years old), went through quite a color scheme.

There is turquoise paint on some of the walls, a bright pink on others, a section where a wall was orange and alot of yellow. So, over the years someone certainly had the insides of this casa looking very bright and cheery.

In the photo below, you can see some of the turquoise on the front of the fireplace.

We have decided we like the colors of the stone and will be keeping it the way it is.

It has been kind of a lazy day since the unveiling of the stone. I painted my cake pan cover white. So, I am preparing to paint it now in a talavera style. Even if this does not look good when I am done, I promise I will show it to you. I will even tell you how I did it.....just in case you want to make one. You just never know when you might need a cake pan cover...................