Ivan is doing very well, this post op day 1 (Sunday, the 20th). He was able to sleep some last night, though not a deep sleep. He told me this morning that he had been too hungry to sleep! Poor guy. Yesterday, all he got was a scrambled egg before his surgery, then ice water, and pills the rest of the day and night.
Today, however, he got up, I made him a scrambled egg, and Paty warmed up a cup of chicken broth for him. Now, this afternoon, she made him an apple shake. He is still hungry, however, we do not want to give him something that might get lodged in the implants, and become infected.
But, he is, for the most part, pain free, taking his meds, and doing his mouth rinses as directed. We will find out next week what the next step will be.
Dental implants, people! Dental implants. Ivan is having his top dental plate implanted this month. Saturday, the 19th, he has the 4 posts implanted in his top ridge line, at the office. Then, after that has had time to heal, he will have the prosthesis to use. We cannot wait- me more so than him, probably, if you ask us! But I do not care. He has the nicest smile, and I miss seeing it.
He had a top denture plate that was not fitted properly, and made him gag. The next one, that was made here, did not stay tight, and kept coming loose, so he would take it out, and not wear it. So, the last alternative was to have it implanted, so that is what he is doing.
Here is Ivan, with the denture plate he had made here. It should be what he will look like with the implants. Love that smile, especially when it is visible in my direction!
I must say that I cannot wait for him to be able to actually chew food decently again. There are so many things he cannot eat that he always enjoyed; soon he will be able to do so again. That, and to smile again, teeth showing.
We were so pleasantly surprised tonight by what we saw when we stopped by the apartment to drop off a few things that we received today from Amazon.MX. The bathrooms are close to being finished; the handicapped bathroom door has been hung; the thick glass block wall is almost done in there as well; both vanities have been built, and ours installed, with our sink.
I just knew Martín was building stuff; I just did not know what. Here are some photos to show you how things have progressed, just since Monday. Luis said the other day that the cabinets and countertops should be ready next week for the kitchen. You will be the next to know.
The sliding door to the first bathroom. The door was widened about 6” to accommodate a wheelchair. Everything inside will be wheelchair accessible as well. The glass wall in the shower is for privacy. We will put either a glass door or a shower curtain to close it up, again, for privacy.This is the vanity that is going in this bathroom, in the corner, as you first come in. These two gentlemen are part of the team working with Luis, and Martín to remodel.Here is our new”floating” vanity and sink. The blue is protective covering. It just needs handles. Here it is from the other side. Martíns own design for us.
In the photo, up above, with the two guys on the team? They had placed a large cardboard piece over the vanity, and were eating their dinner. When they started to remove it, (I thought they were trying to be polite), I told them that we did not mean to disturb their dinner. They smiled, all the while knowing what was under the cardboard! Needless to say, I squealed like a like girl.
I have seen plenty of very pretty vanities in the past few weeks, but to have something like these two, made by hand, just for us… it was unbelievable! They are both just exactly what we hoped for.
Well, that is it for today’s update. I hope you are enjoying the transformation as much as we are. He project should be finished in the next few weeks, and I will show you everything as it comes to completion.
Every day we seem to be drawing closer to our moving day, however, it continues to elude us.
We stopped by the apartment last evening to see what progress had been made since last week. To our anxious eyes, very little. We are thinking that Martín is possibly fabricating the cabinets, so very little can be done, now, until they are ready. They cannot bring the granite countertops until they have the cabinets on which to place them. Same with the sink, faucets, and drains. The bedrooms, on the other hand, are all but completed. The kitchen, and the bathrooms are all that is left. The washer and dryer are in place; they need only to make a small hole in the window behind the dryer for the vent.
So, I suppose we will just have to keep our hopes up, and not get discouraged. We will be in the apartment by the end of November, and, hopefully, be ready for family by the Christmas holidays.
Speaking of the holidays, there is a Mediterranean dish that has become quite a Mexican tradition, being served at the Christmas holiday season. It is called Bacalao, or, Bacalao a la Viscaina, (Basques style Cod fish Stew). And there are as many versions of it as there are families, all over the world, that prepare it.
There are a few “must haves”, however, such as salted cod, potatoes, romeritos, (similar to rosemary in the North), olives, tomatoes, red peppers, capers, onions, and garlic. The key to using the salted cod, versus fresh, is the desalination of it. And that takes several days, so one needs to plan accordingly.
This was our version of Bacalao in 2017. I cannot tell you how delicious it was. We traditionally eat it with a loaf of crusty bread to soak up the juice. We even froze some for January.
I am finding more, and more receipts to try, and now that we have new appliances, the wait is getting overwhelming. We are going to live without a microwave, however, for as long as possible, because, I think, we have the ability to function without a coffee warmer!! It seems that is the only thing we use a microwave for- reheating a cup of coffee. Now, we have a new Breville Espresso machine, and, a new multifunction Breville Smart Oven, that also has air fryer capabilities.
The last toys I bought were two new attachments for our Kitchen Aid mixer- a vegetable sheet maker that came with a noodle maker. How cool is that? So, maybe you can see why I am so anxious to start cooking on our own again. It seems like forever, but it has only been 5 months. I am not sure where to start, or, what to make first, but I am sure it will come to me. I am frequently inspired by what we find in the stores. I will let you know, of that you can be sure.
I must say that, for the first time since we arrived, we went out to eat, and had the most tasteless tacos I have ever had the misfortune to eat.
Normally, the food here has such incredible flavors that they stay with you, if not in your mouth, at least in your memory, for hours. Not yesterday. We went, (because I remembered going there 40 years ago), to a place very close to Juan’s first house, called Los Güeros. I tasted absolutely nothing except the textures of the different cuts of meat I had ordered. I could not taste the different salsas I used, nor the onions and cilantro- nothing. I had a taco of steak, one of “al pastor”, and one of longaniza, which is quite spicy, not hot spicy, but flavorful spicy, similar to chorizo.
When we left I had absolutely no idea what I had eaten as I had no flavors in my mouth whatsoever. Since tacos here are only 12 pesos, about $.55 each, we did not break the bank. However, the expectations were….. well, as can guess, rather high.
A lesson learned, and no harm done, but what a disappointment. We will have to go somewhere else, and soon, so my tastebuds can get recharged.
Yesterday, (Sunday, actually) was our cousin Juan’s birthday. Everyone celebrated, con gusto, on Saturday, however. And I mean everyone.
Several family members come from an hour, or so, away, but there are several that live here “in town”, or close enough to be considered in town.
One cousin, Armando by name, comes From a bit farther than an hour, and brought a huge vat of grilled goat, called cabrito, along with a huge vat of consommé de barbacoa, a very rich, Delicious, but greasy soup. Our contribution to the event was, for the most part, all of the disposables, several different refrescos, (pops), plus a huge tres leches cake.
Here are a few of the 75+ pictures I took throughout the afternoon. (I never said they were good photos).
This picture is of the two ping pong tables, end to end, with about 10 people on each of the long ends, and 2-4 people on the short ends. This is in their garage, which, when none of out totes are there, holds 6 cars, 2 side by side, and 3 deep. Here are a few of the family members that I have mentioned in prior posts. From L to R: Pepe, Arturo, (son #2), Pepe(ito), (son #1), and Paty. In front is Our cousin, Juan, the celebrant.
Many people came, and went, throughout the day, and I was unable to get photos of everyone. As in any family gathering, there were a few that were unable to make it, for personal reasons, but those that were able to come, had a great time.
I have been giving more and more attention to knitting lately. Un fortunately, all of the things I am knitting are in a tote, in Juan’s garage here. I am unable to get to them until we get moved into the apartment.
I was telling Ivan last night about the free “yarn” I got from some women in India after purchasing wrap around skirts from them. (I will try to find the name of their website in case you wish to help them out by purchasing things from them as well). So, every skirt I purchased, or it might have been buy a few, get the “yarn”, I can not remember, I received a skein of completely different colors, and textures of “yarn”.
The “yarn” is in “” because it really is not yarn, it is silk, left over from the skirts they make. Each skein is prettier than the last one. I have no idea, at the moment, what I am going to make with them, but, currently, I think, I have four to six skeins of silk, waiting patiently for me to rediscover them.
Of course, I am still working on my Celtic shawl, so that will have to take priority once we get to the apartment. Here is where I am thus far.
My Celtic shawl.
I really have not had a moment to start this up again, because it takes so much concentration, of which I do not have much of at the moment. But I will get started on this again, as soon as I am settled.
I really cannot say how proud I am of the work I have done this far- it has been a labor of love, I can tell you that much. Every day I see it, sitting in its zippered pouch, awaiting the day that I have time to take it out, and start knitting again. I absolutely love knitting! For me, it is part relaxation and part therapy. It helps keep my brain active, reading the charts, and, more intense, the diagrams of the pattern. Reading the diagrams was something I never imagined I would be able to do, because they are so intricate. But I taught myself, made myself, learn how to read them, and because I did, there really is no pattern that I am unable to read or use.
Once we get settled, I will start knitting again, and I will update a more recent photo. Until then, this is as far as I have gotten.
I know you will be as excited as I am when I tell you that I am finally able to drive around the area, locally, from the house to our apartment, to the grocery store, or to Enrique’s apartment. All of that on my own, without getting lost, even. Ivan and Enrique have been letting me sit up front so I can see, and learn, the routes we take everywhere, and it has made all of the difference in my confidence level.
There is also this terrific app here called Waze that is specific, I think, to México, though do not hold me to that. The maps are in Spanish, (which has helped me increase my knowledge of the language), and, they are interactive. If you drive over a pothole, of which there are thousands, (no tax pesos at work here), you can touch an icon, and report the pothole so others can avoid it later. Or, if the traffic is heavy, or at a standstill, you can help others avoid the congestion, and they can go a different route if they want.
Most days, when I drive, the traffic is light, but I do not drive by any schools. They “break” for lunch from 1-2 pm, and leave school around 4 pm, so during those times of the day, Ivan, or Enrique, does the driving.
I have always enjoyed driving, and I mostly enjoy driving fast. Here, however, that is close to impossible with all of the speed bumps, called topes, (pronounced tóe pez) every 20 feet, or so it seems. Below are a few photos I took recently, looking for topes. These are not the speed bumps like in the US. These are varying sizes, varying heights, and depths, some are painted, some are not, but they are always the width of the street.
This tope is just outside Juan’s house, and not painted yellow, so you really have to be paying attention. This tope is just outside out apartment. Notice the bright yellow and white paint.This one is not far from the apartment as well. I think you get the idea.
When one is driving the Mercedes, which is very low to the ground, one really has to be aware of the weight distribution inside the car, how high the bump is, and how deep. Once you can calculate that, in a moments notice, you will be able to go over said bump, tope, either straight on, or at an angle so you do not bottom out going over the top. All of the topes have scrapes, and scratches, on them from all of the low to the ground automobiles that drive over them. It is no wonder that muffler replacement is such a lucrative business here.
I am fine, just being able to find my way around the “neighborhood” so to speak. And for now, that is accomplishment enough. Once we get settled into the apartment, I will be able to learn more ways to get around town. Downtown we save for those that have lived here all of their lives or we take the Metro.
For now, I drive when, and where I am comfortable.
There are many songs that clearly reflect the journey in this life that Ivan and I have made- as individuals, as lovers, as partners, and as friends. The song- And Then He Kissed Me, by the Crystals, pretty much sums up how everything started for us. In fact, it is almost exactly how it all started. If you do not remember the song, look it up on YouTube. It will make you smile, I hope. Until then, here are the words.
Now, mind you, I was 15 years old, and a sophomore at Moline High School, the first time we met; 16 years old, and a junior at MHS, when we first started “dating”, and 17 years old, a senior at MHS, when we knew, someday, we would marry.
This song became “ours” somewhere in the area of 16 1/2 years old. I knew nothing about love, or lust, or anything, except how I felt when I was with Ivan. The world, as I knew it then, revolved completely around my feelings for him. He, on the other hand, knew a “good thing” when he saw it, and decided to “take a chance” on someone as naive, and inexperienced, as me.
I must say that we both thank God, daily, that he took said chance. Neither of us can even begin to imagine what our lives would have been like with “someone else”.
After 49 years of “knowing” each other, we are still in love, still in lust, and still best of friends. We wish everyone felt this way, but we know we are blessed, as fewer and fewer couples are these days.
I had the opportunity tonight, to program 6 automatic timers for Juan’s three condominiums in Cuernavaca, MX. No one is living in them at the moment, so it is necessary to make it look like someone is living in each of the condos.
Arriba is upstairs, and Abajo is downstairs. Upstairs is closest, and downstairs is in the back.
It was a lot of fun programming each condo to vary the times that lights came on, stayed on, went off, came on again, for how long, went off, came on again, supposedly “while getting ready for work”. Then, in the evening, each condo comes on within a half hour of the others, stays on while someone is “downstairs watching TV”. Then someone goes upstairs to get ready for bed, while others are still downstairs doing something amazing. Each condo has its own occupants, doing what comes naturally to those people. It was great fun, and I hope it will serve its purpose- keep intruders out. I had to show everyone here how they are set, why there are set the way they are, and how to make each one work properly, because no one here has used these before. Ivan and I, however, used these every year, when we came down to México, in October! Now they will serve as watchmen of the condos in beautiful Cuernavaca! If you have never tried them, I encourage you to use them this holiday season, to make intruders think someone is home when you are not. Automatic timers- once you use them you will be hooked. Let me know what you think.
