Category: Initial post

This post saddens my heart. It is to let you know that the Delta variant of the CoVid19 virus, is quite virulent, and is taking victims in my hometown.

My sister in law, Mayra, contacted me yesterday, telling me that a very old family friend and neighbor, Cindy, and her son, are in medically induced comas, having contracted the Delta variant of the CoVid19 virus. Cindy’ son, in his early thirties, is morbidity obese, and not expected to live. Cindy is in her fifties; her prognosis, unknown at the time of this post; the “old” is in reference to how long we have known her.

She was a little girl, as was Mayra, when Ivan introduced me to that family. They were neighbors of Ivan’s family, having been very helpful to the Cavazos family when they first moved to Moline; into the family home. As neighbors, they all grew up together, sleeping over at the other’s house, eating with the other’s family, being in each other’s pockets, the whole neighborly thing.

In defense of Cindy, Mayra reminded me that Cindy runs a daycare in her home, and has for years, and that she keeps a very clean environment. She has even been awarded for keeping it thus. As Mayra said, “it’s just that everyone has to do their part. And we can’t trust that they will.”

EXACTLY!! That is exactly why you need to wash your hands, at every opportunity. Keep your mouth covered; dispose of, or wash your masks frequently. In fact, buy a dozen, or so masks, so you have a clean one every time you need one. Keep a couple with you at all times; in your car, in your purse, your desk, your jacket pockets. It only takes one time to slip up; the virus is simply waiting for its chance. It knows how to do only one thing; find a host and multiply.

At the end of our texting, I suggested that she go have a good cry, but remember that others we both know, will probably succumb to this horrid virus before it is all over. The other thing I reminded her, was to WASH YOUR HANDS.

Covering your mouth certainly cannot hurt, unless you are purposely in a place amongst obviously ill people. Not even sure hand washing will help then. So, stay away from those that show obvious signs of a cough, or fever, keep your mouth covered, and touch as little as possible. Then, wash your hands. It really is the first line of defense in this fight.

I, personally, Ivan as well, will not put ourselves in that kind of environment, knowingly. We stay as far away from people wherever we go, and wash our hands frequently. Has this made a difference in our not having contracted the virus? I do not know, nor do I care to know. Maybe we have developed an immunity to the strains. Who knows?

I will not say anymore, but I post this so those of you that are follow me, understand that this is not just taking place in some other part of the world, and, does not affect you. It is everywhere, and affects all of us, period. Defend yourselves, and your loved ones. Defend each other. Be one of those people that others can trust.

Did I mention that I found, on YouTube, of course, a different way of folding some clothing items so they fit in smaller spaces? Well, I did.

I must tell you that I have done this for years with the Lula Roe leggings, and, the Pico bamboo tops (above photo) I wear, but never knew I could do this with my sports bras, and undies. What a pleasant surprise.

Folding all of Ivan’s underwear, there are quite a few pair, (why is a single item of clothing, such as underwear, called a “pair”, do you suppose? Most people only wear one at a time!) took me about thirty minutes, or about one minute each, to fold this way. Now they fit in a smaller area of his drawer, and are much easier to get to. I will put half of them away, so, when those he is using wear out, he will have “new” ones to wear. I know; I am so smart, am I not?

And then, I learned about towels, and, sheets, and, bedding. Oh, my!

It is so easy to do, once you find the time to do them this way. I have no problem with that part of the equation at all. My biggest concern was the space required. When I decided to use the bed where J, L, and G sleep, poof; problem solved.

I have never had what one would call a laundry room, or space to fold clothes, or, cut out fabrics to sew. Now, after reallocating said bed top, I now have the space I need, to fold clothes, anyway. Also, the bed is high enough that it does not hurt my back, overly, to bend over it. Well worth the time, I assure you.

While you contemplate where you will start folding your clothes, towels, and bedding, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay safe. Do not forget to wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

A few weeks ago, I bought a new keyboard/cover for the new iPad Pro Ivan tried to buy me. Unfortunately, the iPad did not come, but the keyboard cover did.

I just started using it, and I love it!

It is so much easier to type with this keyboard; almost like using the slightly bigger iPad, with its keyboard cover. Ivan stills wants to buy me an updated iPad Pro, but I am not ready for that yet. Maybe as a Christmas present?

Did I mention that the screen swivels three hundred and sixty degrees? Amazing! I used to have another portable computer cover that rotated like that, but it died a violent death. The computer somehow got stuck in a stuttering mode that I could not stop, nor could the tech assistants that I contacted about it. Too bad. We have, thankfully, progressed quite a bit in computer acquisitions since that happened.

The new coffee maker came, and has found a lovely spot on the counter. I must say, it takes up a relatively small space on said counter. I thought it would be bigger than it is, but I was wrong.

The first pot of coffee is very good, not too strong, but, actually, not quite strong enough for our liking. I made the first pot as it was suggested in the information included with the pot, but will add a few more scoops of grounds tonight, for tomorrow’s pot.

Until we talk again, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

The other day, when Ivan went to the store with Jesús, I made a small shopping list for him. Really! Here it is.

I asked him to get milk, bread, Mayo, instant coffee, a couple of chunks of ham, and, a yellow orchid, a small one.

They came back with a few of those things, as well as about a dozen other things we probably did not need, but had to have. What was not in the bags? The Mayo, the ham, and, the yellow orchid.

“Did you buy anything I asked for” I asked? “Sure. Why,” he asked? “Where is the ham? Where is the orchid”? “They were out of ham” he said. And, with, what I could only hear to be a straight face, he asked me, “What’s an orchid”?

I could not believe my ears. What’s an orchid? We have three of the lovelies in the middle of the table under the windows in the living room. Had he not been in the shower at the time, we would have had a bit more of a conversation. As it was, however, I simply thanked him for the groceries he did buy, and left it at that.

Later, when he came walking down the hall into the living room where I was sitting at the table, he had the silliest grin on his face, and I knew!

“So, you don’t know what an orchid is, hm”? He just chuckled, and gave me a quick kiss. That is what I thought. He forgot.

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

What’s an orchid? What a funny guy!

The new coffee maker comes today. That probably does not excite anyone but me, but, there it is.

We have been making instant coffee most days; that is the way it is drank (drunk) in most homes here. (I tried to look up which form of drink to use, but, as the internet is so slow at the moment I decided I did not care anymore. My hair grew a centimeter while I waited.)

The sourdough starter is off and running, well, bubbling, actually. It still has a very immature smell to it, so, I need to let it mature for another week, or so, before I start using it again. I am just so thankful, and, amazed, that it keeps rebounding so easily. Feeding a thing appears to be quite helpful! Who knew?!?

As I said the other day, the first batch of kombucha has been made, yesterday, and another will be made in three, or four weeks. That way the supply will be continuous, and not full on, in your face, hurry up and drink me. Besides, the last batch was too sour, just short of turning into vinegar, and not very pleasant.

That is what happens when one ignores a fermentation for too long; it just changes into something else. Usually vinegar.

I always feel that I cannot make a mistake with these kinds of things. I took on the responsibility to feed, and care for the SCOBY, then, because I was lazy, I ignored it. The same goes for the sourdough starter. I started it, got lazy, and put it in fridge prison for two months. Who does that?

That was in the past; done. I will do my best to keep all of this going, plus the plants, making sure I do my best for their benefit. Actually, the symbiosis of this relationship will, as it implies, help any of us; those of us that drink the fermented kombucha, or eat the sourdough bread. Therefore, it is in our best interest to keep all of these wonders alive, and healthy; percolating nicely on the countertop, not in the fridge.

A little secret: I do keep some starter, once it is mature, in the fridge as a “backup” should something go wrong with the starter on the counter. Plus, I have dried a batch of the original, and have that in a zip closed bag in the cupboard. That one is the backup of the fridge backup. It took so long to get it started, I cannot even think about having to start all over again. It was painful.

Enough of that. The new coffee maker is on its way, and I am anxious to make room on the counter for it. We have been drinking Red Bull’s, which are great, but expensive. As we have been off of our sleep schedules, it sometimes takes two RB’s to wake up. To pour another hot cup of coffee, already brewed, right out of the pot, and enjoy it, well, I am sure most of you know what I am saying. Simple joys.

While I patiently wait for said coffee maker, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Wow! I have gotten so much work done today. It was amazing.

I waited until Ivan went to the store with Jesús, about two fifteen this afternoon, then got started. I just finished, and it is about eight o’clock in the evening. Long, but productive day.

Of course, I always listen to an Audible book while I am working, so that helped. I started out putting in a load of laundry in the washer, then, sweeping and mopping all of the floors. I have to confess, that when they are clean, white, and sparkling, I get so neurotic about any little piece of anything that I can see on the floor. I was telling Ivan, when he got home, that I cannot even think about what was on the floors up North! The floors there are medium brown, and could hide a multitude of what not. Yuck.

After that, it was on to moving some of the bigger plants from Jesús and Lizbeth’s room, out to the living room, after ginving each a big a gulp of water. Several of the leaves on the Xanadu, and the Diffenbachia are turning brown, sunburn is my diagnosis. Hopefully, out in the living room, they will have enough, but not too much sunlight. Ha! Famine to feast. Just have to pay attention to each plants needs.

I am finding, though, that drier is best. I am spraying the new succulents, not watering them, for now. They all look great, though it has only been a week. I am hopeful.

I dumped all of the kombucha from in the fridge last night, then both of the large containers today. I have kept both of the SCOBY’s, as well as some of each batch, to make a fresh batch tomorrow morning, and a second batch in three weeks. Doing it that way, we will have alternating batches, not both batches being ready at the same time. Five gallons is way too much for us to drink, especially if it does not taste as good as you would like.

I also fed my sourdough starter, for the first time since June! I am in the mood to start baking again, since it not quite so warm in the afternoons anymore. Plus, I miss the time it takes to actually make the dough.

I will be using the sprouted Einkorn wheat, however, it needs to be ground, then sifted, and that is a big job in itself.

Oh, I made black beans too. I forgot those. They smell so good, and I love the flavor of them. I made a truck load but will send a big part of it upstairs with Jesús.

So, make beans, sweep/mop the apartment, move the larger plants, water said plants, three loads of laundry, (wash/dry/fold; I need to save the put away until tomorrow!), get rid of kombucha, make new starter. I think that is enough for one day.

Plus, my book finished about ten minutes ago, and I do not want to start the last book of the trilogy until tomorrow morning.

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

As I am still without electricity, but without any other means of mental exercise, I will tell you about the beautiful succulents we bought in Altolonga the other day. (I feel fairly sure that I have already told you about this, however, I must finish what will be the conclusion of a nice tale, once told.)

I believe one of the most beautiful, and my favorite succulents is this one. And, as soon as the electricity is restored, I shall endeavor to find the name of this beauty. Just look at the intricacies of its petals, its colors, its symmetry. There is no way that this is not the hand of God at work here. Who, or what, else could come up with such as this? You answer that question for yourself.

I am going to stop for now as it is very difficult to do this without being able to add photos, or retain the ideas that I wish to convey, without electricity; batteries only do so much. Without the almighty “internet”, very little, anymore, seems doable. How awful is that?

I, for one, have come to rely so heavily on the internet for this blog; and, at what cost? As we have no electricity, I cannot find any of my books to read, although, I probably could not read them in candlelight, or the light from my cell phone for very long. (To be honest, it is really quite dark in the apartment at the moment.) Perhaps, if I was able, or had prepared for such an event beforehand, I could have read a book by candlelight. I hope not to put it to the test anytime soon!!

However, to put my ideas down, in a form of any sort, for me to reread, correct, reconfigure, then accept, and post, in some form, especially on an internet source, is nothing short of a miracle.

My ramblings are just that; ramblings. Ideas that come to me when I least expect them. When I finally get them down, on my computer, I find them almost magical. There are so many things that I want to tell you, show you, let you experience through me, that I do not always have the ability to do so.

Think about what things make you happy, healthy, and safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones; they need you as well as we do.

Post script: it is two o’clock in the morning, and we finally have the electricity back on.

Here is what I ended up doing with most of the succulents.

We were staying in LA a few weekends past, and were driving outside of the main city of Perote.

Why? So I, “la Reyna”, (the queen), could purchase succulents, from a good source. A reliable nursery that Jesús’s dad, Ramon, knows. They grow, and, sell their own plants. Can you imagine, driving twenty to forty minutes, just to buy plants? I am more than willing.

I am not one to look in the mouth of a gift horse, so I bought as much as I could, to make this long trip worth the time, and energy. Here is what I bought. (I will, definitely have to go back and buy more.)

The circled succulents are the ones I gave the ladies here. The two smaller ones, top left, I gave to Lizbeth, and Sari, wives of Jesus, and Juan, respectively. The larger ones are for Maria, Jesús’s mom, Alicia, Lizbeth’s mom, and me, of course. Now I have to find what each of them is called.

The tiny ones were $10 pesos/$.50 each, the middle sizes were $20 pesos/$1.00, and the larger ones were $30 pesos, $1.50. I paid $350 pesos total, or $17.

While we were looking out the window, on the way to the nursery, we passed a few different areas that were, each, digging the necessary dirt, with which to make bricks.

Also, a bit further along, there was a small area where they were cutting down trees, planing them into boards, some going to pallets, some stacked for sale.

Next to this operation was another area where there are hundreds of small trees growing. I will get photos if we return the same way.

We did, indeed, go back the same way but we were going too fast for a photo shoot. So, of course, I took multiple photos of both the cement/brick building, and the wood shop. It was an amazing area of conscious reforestation. Here are the photos I could use. The first on is a part of Altotonga, the city we went to, to buy succulents.

Who needs it, I say?!

Gosh. Come to think of it, we do. Ours was disconnected, you read that correctly, disconnected at the ignominious hour of eight o’clock this morning!!! And has not chosen to resume its duties even as I type this; it is six thirty six of the same evening!!!

It helps, exponentially, if one pays ones bill when said bill is due; not two weeks after said bills due date. Just thought I should pass that along should anyone not understand the meaning of due date. I, obviously, need to add this type of thing to my already packed calendar of events, do you think? (Do NOT tell my husband that, indeed, it was entered into said packed calendar of events, (further to be known as PCOE), and was, evidently, missed.

I could (probably) not be more sorry if I tried. However, our schedule is such that, each evening, I receive all of the messages for the multiple nothings that need be done the following day, on my cell phone, my Apple watch, my iPad, and my iPad Pro. Consequently, I read, or see, none of them. Actually, as we rarely have anything to do the following day, or any day, as it happens, there is rarely anything to read.

Hence, the missed notice of the electricity bill coming due. As it is all in Spanish, I can, safely, still say that I cannot understand all that is on said bill; such as the date the bill needs to be paid. (Limite de pago). Evidently, one has about two weeks after the payment limit before one wakes up without electricity.

I want to say that this happened to us, and I wrote about it, sometime shortly after we moved in here. (Another memory blocked, thankfully, by the invention of liquid anesthesia.)

Please, while you check your bills for their due dates, make out your checks to the various companies to which you owe money for the use of their utilities, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We learned, just the other day, that our friends, Jesús and Lizbeth, are pregnant again. (She said it was okay to tell you.)

Excellent, because, as you may remember, they had a stillborn baby girl just before this Christmas past; at six months gestation. They go to the cemetery to visit her every time we go to Los Altos. Very sad.

She has been depressed every since, but has, over the past few months, slowly come out of the depression. We do not doubt that, living in that tiny cell upstairs, has played a significant part in that episode. Now that they are down here, with us, they all three seem to be thriving. Amazing what a bit of human touch, love, kindness, and understanding can do for people!

That said, they give as well as they get; they help us remain human as well. In fact, when she returns from Los Altos in two weeks, she is going to teach me how to make sauces for the meat we cook. Already, she/they help us around the apartment with anything that needs to be done. Liz came downstairs yesterday just to help me fold, and put away, all of the Pico tops I have, (and I have close to three dozen of them. Check them out on eBay! Most are made of bamboo!)

Anyway, we folded them, then put them back into the felt bins I had taken them out of; that was when I thought I was going to use the drawers in the newest cabinets, just inside our bedroom door. Alas, there are too many of them, so into the bin they went. Now, they are all back up on the shelf in the closet, where they started last year;)

In fact, she inspired me to redo my half of our closet, moving all of my blouses up to the top pole, and put whatever slacks, or leggings I have yet to fold, on that second pole. Oh, it also allows me to have plane sight of the shoes I am currently interested in wearing. (Normally, they are under the bed, fighting with the dust bunny population. And losing.) Here is what I mean.

Day before yesterday, we cleaned in our bedroom, Liz, and I. What a chore that was, let me tell you. Yikes! I should have saved all of the dust bunny population to make throw pillows! Hahaha! (No. Seriously!)

I am off to put together some of the things we are taking to LA with us tonight. We are driving up to leave Liz, and Gabi, with her folks for two weeks, as I mentioned earlier. I am very sure that she will be sorely missed here, but greatly enjoyed there.

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