Author: iagardener55

I discovered, a few minutes ago, that I messed up on the pattern of the baby blanket I am knitting for baby Brandon; Jesús and Lizbeth’s baby, due in March.

So, now I have to pay the consequences of not finishing a row before stopping to make dinner. I have to unknit, or, take out the rows of incorrect stitches by knitting them off the needles, or knitting backwards. A) it is annoying, to lose the progress one has made over the last bit of time, and B) it is time consuming, and I cannot unknit and watch my show on the computer.

I have made excellent progress over the passed few days; this is a definite setback. Should not take me more than an hour to remove the five hundred plus stitches, and redo them; it is the principal, as Mom always said.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Post script: as it turned out, that was what the pattern looked like after the four row pattern was completed. It is not until I start row one again that it pulls the stitches into the hole that is made. I unknitted it twice before I figured it out. Why? Because, normally I knit the four rows of pattern and put it away, so when I pick it up again, I check my row counter, and continue on my merry way. A lot of needless work.

Ivan, and I, wish you, and your families, a very Merry Christmas.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

It is a CD of music we bought back in 1996, that we listen to every year, about this time.

It is supposed to be a “natural experience in relaxation”. We always played it when we saw the snow falling outside our front window. Obviously it will not mean the same now, as it did in years passed. We may not ever experience snow again, which is a thought better left for another day. We will, however, always have the memories.

And we will not have to shovel the stuff!!! My back considers that a win.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Remember good body mechanics if you have to shovel snow.

Have we talked, yet, about dried bugs? Eating them, that is.

I feel as if I have already written about cooking with dried bugs, grasshoppers (chapulines), flying ants (chicatanas), and the worm found at the bottom of a bottle of Mezcal (gusano de maguey).

We bought a small bottle of each, online, of course, and are enjoying them immensely. Each contains one of the aforementioned dried bug, plus salt, and, to top it off, chile de árbol. Wow. It lights up a salsa even more than adding more chiles. It also raises the taste to the next level. I just wish I could buy the bugs, dried, by themselves. Not yet. Maybe in the future.

I only use a quarter teaspoon, probably less, in each of the preparations I add a salsa. I just sprinkle a bit on top, the mix it in. It ends up being one of those elusive flavors that you taste, but are not able to identify, yet it makes whatever you are eating just a bit better, somehow.

Right now, I am boiling some cactus (nopales), with multi colored grape and cherry tomatoes, and burning the outside of four poblano peppers, to add to my already cooked red, yellow, and orange bell peppers, with onions. Yum!!

As I need to do one thing to completion, I need to say stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We had entertained an idea of taking Juan to Los Altos with us, to end his days there. That did not happen.

We were going to build an addition on to the existing house of Jesús’s parents, and spend the rest of our lives there. That will no longer be the case. Now that Juan is gone, the dream is gone as well. We will stay here, visiting Veracruz from time to time, nothing more.

It is such a shame that he/we will not live in one of the most beautiful states here in México; to be so close to the Gulf of México, as well. We had high hopes, even loftier dreams. We are back on planet Earth now, in our own little spot of terra firma.

Thank you, everyone, that shared with us their lovely memories of Juan; they meant so much to us. And, most especially, to our family, here, and friends, that helped us in our time of need, anxiety, and grief. Things will never be the same.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We woke up, the other day, much lighter of heart, and spirit.

It was an actual physical feeling of having more room in my chest to breathe, the ability to feel a sense of joy. It had been several weeks that I had the feeling of my chest, filling to capacity, with doom, and gloom; then, it seemed to fill even more. Last week, it finally exploded.

I wondered if the feeling would ever go away. It did. It is gone.

It has been replaced by a sensation of calm, healing love, and joy.

We have adopted the most incredible family here; not replacing our families up North; able to fill the incredible void our moving caused. They are far more expressive with their love, for example, as emotions seem to come more easily here.

Good for us, for sure. We have needed the love, and support the Garcia’s have given us. They are the most wonderful family we could have chosen; they chose us as well. We could not ask for more.

They were with us through the entire time of Juan’s passing, even afterwards; far more important, in our estimation. They were able to help us when we had no idea what to do after he passed. Where to go; who to call, etc. The whole of the Garcia/Galicia families took us up, and helped us figure out everything. We cannot thank them enough.

We will try, however.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Post script: our Christmas table as it is, for now. The other tablecloth has not arrived yet.

It has been a difficult week; obviously.

Today, however, we are filled with joy; and the wonderful feeling of life.

We had been “in the dumps”, so to speak, all week, after the death of my father in law, Juan. He lived a blessed, joyful, though, sometimes difficult life for ninety three and one half years. He was in intractable pain, would no longer eat, then, could no longer say more than a few words to us. He passed, while sleeping, the night of the tenth of December. He is pain free.

We are not going to put up the tree this year; it is too late now anyway. Plus, our hearts are not in it. We are going to put up a few strands of lights I think; tomorrow, maybe. We shall see.

We have no earthly idea where our ornaments are anyway. Here in the apartment, upstairs in the storage unit? Heaven only knows. They are not divulging the whereabouts.

I did order a couple of festive table runners, and a holiday tablecloth, or two, so those should be here within the week. That might brighten the place up a bit.

In the meantime, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

This past weekend, December 12th, was the pilgrimage of the Feast of Our Lady of Guadalupe throughout México.

Because of said pilgrimage, it added a bit more than one hour to our travel time. The highway was stop, and wait, traffic the entire time. It was vert slow going but it was quite spectacular to behold.

I have no idea how many cities and states were represented; there were hundreds, possibly thousands, of trucks and cars, all brightly adorned with statues and different religious icons, flowers, banners.

Alongside the highway, safely guarded by trucks and cars, were the runners; they ran in relays, each running a prescribed distance, carrying a lit torch. Most runners were about a quarter kilometer apart, though some were more than several kilometers apart.

It was all done by noon on Sunday, after a Saturday night of celebration and another whole night of what sounded like a war zone. What I found out on Saturday night was that the noise was made by smallish explosives, bound in newspaper and mounted on long sticks. The sticks were thrown several feet away, and exploded on impact. The noise, explosions, sometimes shook the house. No sleep, but a resounding display of religious faith. Quite a sight. Quite beautiful.

Several making a pilgrimage to the local cemetery went by the window this morning, so I took a short video. Here are a few photos of the participants.

The sadness of our recent loss is easing; the recent memories are starting to dim, never to be forgotten, however. El esta en paz.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I am going to make this quick: my father in law passed away the other night.

We have followed the promises we made to him, so we, too, are at peace. We know he is with his Yola, and no longer in pain.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

You may be interested to know that our remodeling adventure is coming to an end.

We have ordered what we believe to be the last pieces of furniture to be made, which will, in theory, be delivered sometime before the holidays. If not, then, after the holidays. All the same to us. Done is done.

Meanwhile, we have some neighbors, upstairs, two floors above us, that have just begun their remodeling. The construction noise, from eight thirty in the morning until six in the evening, is incredible. I hope our remodeling did not sound this loud.

That said, Ivan has been shuffling the contents of totes back and forth, from this tote, to that tote, only to be put into another tote altogether. He has, magically, made a much more livable space for us to ….. wait for it….. live in.

Our biggest problem with that is trying to remember where everything is, or was, or might be. Jesús has taken at least a dozen totes, large, and small, up to our storage space on the roof. We have only, more or less, a dozen more to empty, or, rearrange, and we will be tote-free. Everyone should be tote-free. They are useful things, but take up so much livable space, and look terrible. It should tell you something that we have gotten used to the “look”; I am calling it “hardware chic”. 😉

Conversely, it is so quiet here, after construction stops, without Lizbeth, and Gabi; you could hear a pin drop. (If I was lackadaisical about such things; but I am not). I will be right back. Do not go anywhere.

Sorry for the interruption; I heard knocking, which I thought was the front door. But NO! It was the construction workers upstairs. The funnier thing was that two other apartment dwellers, on this floor, opened their doors as well. Now that was funny. (It has been a difficult two weeks. One laughs at whatever one can find about which to laugh.)

I will end with a simple note: I would like you to understand that Juan’s health is continuing to decline. He will not be leaving us physically, but will do so spiritually, sooner than I expected. I am not going to keep updating you, as I had hoped to do, but will let you know when he leaves us. These were his wishes, and we swore to him that we would respect them. We have.

You, however, need to stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.