Month: December 2019

Picture in your mind, (you will have to, because I cannot upload photos yet), large groups of poinsettias, (Noche Buena), so many, in fact, on slightly mounded berms of black dirt, that you can see them more than a block away.

These are planted all around the neighborhoods here- interspersed around the palm tree bases, around the lilies, and around, and among the other, indigenous vegetation as well.

If you read the post around Halloween, where I had photos of the mounds of marigolds, now, those same spaces are filled with beautiful red poinsettias. Everywhere you look the beautiful red color is there, to be seen, and admired.

There are beautiful, huge decorations in all of the malls, as well- inside and out. The tree inside Liverpool is something to behold. It is a huge teepee-shaped “tree” with a sweater-like decoration for the face. It has reindeer, and zigzagging, as well as huge snowflakes on the façade. I really hoped I could show you in photos but, alas, not yet. I know- it looks like a beautiful knit sweater that your favorite person bought, or made, for you. It is simply…… amazing.

I hope you enjoy getting your personal places ready for the holidays and, in doing that, it brings you the joy of the season.

Ten years ago, more, or less, I went to “try out” at Augustana College, to be part of the Messiah Choir. I was accepted, as most volunteers are, and started going to practices once a week. Best time ever.

Unfortunately, as the evening of the program came upon us, we had a family crisis. I was unable to perform with the choir, something I had been looking forward to for quite some time.

I mention this because I know that several of you love to sing as well, and I encourage you to go, try out for the choir. I cannot remember when they started practice, I believe it was in October, actually, so this year is too late. But, it is an amazing experience, one that I will cherish forever, and never forget.

It was probably just as well that I was unable to go because, more often than not, I was unable to even finish the score without tears in my eyes. On that night, I would have been the alto, in the middle of the section, blowing her nose, sniffling, with tears running down her cheeks.

I am that way any time I am in the presence of greatness. You should have seen me watching any Olympic challenges! I had to stop watching. Music, especially, makes me cry when it is done well. This was no exception.

I memorized all of the music, the words, even took notes on things that were important to remember, about such things as having to abruptly sing softer at this certain place, etc. It was great.

Please, if you enjoy singing, and there are many of you that do, next year, consider trying Handel’s Messiah. It gave me a whole different meaning to the holiday season. One I will never forget. Happy Holidays everyone.

I have mentioned the Liverpool malls in several posts now, but one of the many things I have not told you about it is that many of them have colored lights that shine on the building, after dark, which change the color of the exterior of the building. The buildings are all white during the day, but change color after dark.

Mind you, these are three, or four stories tall, enclosed malls. I have not discovered if each exterior is a different color, or if they change for the season, or what. But, the two malls that I have been to, lately, both turn purple at night. And, wow, it is beautiful to see.

The first one I went to was pretty far from the house, and it changed to multiple colors. Gorgeous. The one we went to the other night was only this intense purple color. Do not get me wrong- intense purple is beautiful. Made even prettier with the huge Christmas tree out front.

As we are sitting here, listening to our two favorite musicians play the accordion, and the bass, I am reminded how much we enjoy coming here.

Here, it is very much like “Cheers” where everybody knows your name, and, remembers what you had to drink, for the last three months that you have been coming here.

For us, this helps relieve some of the stress of having to impose ourselves on our family. They make us feel no guilt at having to be here so long, in their home, and, as family, we feel no guilt- we would do the same for them. (In fact, we did so for our family, in the states, a few years ago). Nonetheless, the stress increases weekly.

Of course, here, the botanas (hors d’oeuvres) are plentiful, (a bowl of soup, then a meat dish) are free, so no one needs to remember those. Also, there are two shots to every order, not one. They are about one hundred pesos per”order “, which is about five dollars. So, what is not to like.

PLUS, (bonus) on the third Friday of every month, they have a buffet of the most mouthwatering food imagined. It is by “propina”, or, tip/donation, so you pay what you want. We have yet to be disappointed. Well, I must be honest- I am not a fan of “manitas”, pigs feet, cut in half, and cooked in a red sauce. Or any sauce, actually. That has, thus far, been my only “give it to Ivan” dish.

Tonight, Chef made “caldo de verdolagas”, vegetable soup, and “cochinita pibil”, pork, slow cooked, in an amazing red sauce. Down here, to cook a decent pibil, or, more importantly, tortillas de harina, is the key to getting married. If you are not able to make tortillas de harina, no go, no marriage.

Ok, slight license taken there; of course you can marry without knowing how to make those. However, your in laws will look at you with the stink eye until you are able to do so. Learn now, and avoid any embarrassment. 😂

At Liverpool, they have put up some of the most beautiful decorations of any I have seen. Ever.

Going up the escalators, there are multiple strands of tiny white lights, with thin, transparent white leaves just next to the light bulb itself. It reminds me, so much, of scenes from The Lord of the Rings, the elven folk, specifically. They are nothing short of magical.

There are almost a dozen shallow bowls, low to the ground, and about a foot and a half in diameter, filled with white, and pink, and red poinsettias set about at all of the major entrances to the stores in the Liverpool mall.

There are huge Christmas ornaments hanging in obvious places, but not so many as to be gauche. Above the bridges, which are two stories up, hang huge, round ornaments that have lights on either side of them. Mind you, the ornaments, themselves, are strung from the ceiling, which is one third tiles, in the middle of the ceiling, with glass on each side of the tiles. When the sun shines down through the ceiling windows, it shines on the ornaments, and is breathtaking.

I keep wishing that I could upload the photos, but, actually, without them, it makes me describe all of the details I get to see. I hope you are able to see these things through my words.

The kitchen is almost completed. The cupboards are all up, the granite countertops are in, and as beautiful as we had hoped. The contrasting black counters, with the white tiled walls, is, I must say, quite striking. Only a few things need to be done – glass cabinet fronts, pull handles for everything, and, for Luis, and Martín, to decide on the proper size for our garbage “drawer”.

If you can find a photo of the kitchen, there is a large “drawer” that, when you open it, it looks like they put the bottom of the drawer on top- upside down. I sent the photo to Luis yesterday, to inquire about its validity. He assured us that this would be a drawer you pull out and has two recepticals in it- one for organic materials, and the other for non-organic materials.

You know me well enough to realize that this, along with that extra “spice drawer”, next to the oven, was enough to send me over the edge. They have laid out the kitchen just as we wanted, without even asking for the extras. Unbelievable.

Luis is here, as I type this, going over the new beds, what they will look like, and the cost of them. To have all of this finished, it will be a miracle come true. When I am able to update these posts with photos, believe me, I will. So much to do.