Livingthedreamwithdiana.com

Thanks for asking.

I have been cleaning. Yup. You read that correctly; cleaning. Down, and dirty type, spring type, deep cleaning.

Now, I’m done.

I have been filled with an exuberant amount of energy these past few days, so, instead of sitting, for hours, in front of my laptop, mindlessly surfing the proverbial web, I started

Wait. You’d better be sitting down when you continue reading; it may make some a bit faint.

I started sweeping, and mopping the floors, in all three bedrooms, bathrooms, living room, kitchen, and laundry areas. Three days running.

Yesterday, I pulled out the dryer, then the washer, and cleaned behind them both; repaired the aluminum tubing for the dryer vent, (it was torn, and crimped); and, broke the hose to the cold water supply for the washing machine. Oops! It was a busy afternoon. 😉

Fortunately, Liz had come down with a bit of dinner that her mom, Alicia, had made. I needed another set of hands; working hands. She jumped in, and helped me with the hoses, and, got Ivan’s attention, requesting that he quickly order another pair of hoses for the washer. (They are going to be here today.)

In my defense, with regards to breaking the water hose on the washing machine, the connection from the hose to the spigot, was not done properly, and I was simply trying to “fix” it. The “guys” had cranked them on the spigot, but they were not on the correct threads; they were crooked. I tried to make them rethread, and, snap, one piece actually broke off on the hot water hose connector, and the cold water hose was just “not right”. I ended up pretty much mangling that one.

No worries. Everything is nice, and clean behind, and beneath both machines; good for another two years, I suspect. Plus, I finished washing clothes the day before, so I can sit back, relax, and wait patiently for the hoses to arrive.

We have lots happening today, so I won’t keep you any longer. While we are waiting for groceries to be delivered, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Holy Week.

Not much doing this week; most people are off work for the remainder of the week. As we. Haven’t been to church in an eon, it is hard to keep up with what’s what.

We have groceries being delivered in an hour, so that will be the excitement of the week for us. Dividing them up, putting them away, contemplating the usage of each item. It just doesn’t get more exciting than that.

The weather is quite lovely though. Just the right temperature today. It is not yet into the rainy season, but it’s coming.

The plants that have survived, in spite of me, are all doing well. The bromeliad has two offshoots now, not just the one.

Really, not much to tell you today. I am going to close my eyes until the phone rings, for us to go down and get the groceries.

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

No longer.

I bought new pillows for us about two months ago, the shredded foam that you can adjust to your liking. I’ve not had another night of my legs jumping since then.

As it turns out, I need a fairly firm, full pillow; I’ve been using one just the opposite for years.

Another thing I’ve noticed is that I haven’t had any dizzy spells for quit some time. I am not going to believe in jinxes so I am not going to worry about it. I’m just enjoying the freedom of it.

While I am enjoying life, and hope you are too, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I use an online app, naturally, to play puzzles; the kind like you would put on a card table.

However, I have added 100 photos of my own, more or less, so I can do the puzzles I want to do.

It was simple, actually. On the app, there is tab to Create Puzzles; you can take a photo, add a photo from FB, or add a photo of your own. So, I did. 100 of them, as I said.

While most were taken, at various times, while watching various shows on YouTube, taking place in Europe, there are also, quite a few, that are black and white. Here are a few photos that are now puzzles.

Just a few examples of the different types of photos I have made into the puzzles that will keep me occupied for some time to come. There are only 95 others.

While I am doing the puzzles, you stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Post script: (below,) finished this one, yesterday, in 3 hours, 42 minutes. Had to get out my trusty magnifying glass!!! 😉

Nope. Still not a go.

Did you have any thoughts that I could do this in only 2 visits to the INM? Surely not.

Now, after the 2nd visit, the government wants me to clarify that, having, unfortunately, signed our marriage license as Diana L. Nelson, my maiden name, I have to find a notary, with I have no idea what paperwork, to have them document that DLN, and I, are the same person.

It was the first marriage for me; I had no idea that I was supposed to sign my married name. Sue me. The license is 46 years old, next month. What am I supposed to do about it all these years later?

Anyway, we have to find a notary here, I have no idea where, but we will persevere, because that is what we do. All of the other paperwork was accepted, however. That was a miracle in itself.

So, I asked the nice young lady, why the license was acceptable for the issuance of my temporary residency 2 years ago, but not today. I was told she didn’t have access to what was filed 2 years ago. BS. All she had to do was look in my digital file, on her computer. Argh!!!

While we are scaring up a notary public, (sure wish I could still ask a former coworker, or go to the Administrator’s office at the hospital where I worked, and get this taken care of,) stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Post script: I have 2 days worth of sunburn on my shoulders, arms, neck. Quite a dark red, especially for such a delicate member of the species such as myself. Good start on a tan however.

Pants on fire.

I had to stop reading Moby Dick. I couldn’t even begin reading Atlas Shrugged again. I went, instead, with Frank Herbert’s Dune.

Wise decision on my part.

Please, understand. Each of the books, classics by others determinations, is approximately 20-60 hours of listening commitment. To start a 60 hour book, such as the aforementioned Atlas Shrugged, and to get bogged down after only 2, or so, hours, leaves one a bit forlorn. Do I continue, and hope for the best; do I start something else, also hoping to get hooked?

I have discovered, after trying to listen to these 3 books, that it is heavily dependent on the reader of the book. I enjoy listening to British readers, most especially; male or female, equally. There are a couple of American readers, also, both male and female, that I enjoy; conversely, there are 2, in particular, that send me over the edge. We all know what a short distance that can be, at times.

I won’t mention their names, as I do not want to prejudice anyone’s desire to listen to the 2 of them. One male reader is one that I listened to some years ago, reading a series of dramatic espionage thrillers, and he excelled at them. Listening to this same voice reading Atlas Shrugged just didn’t cut it.

This same reader is reading a certain character in Dune, but, as there are several other readers, as well, I can tolerate his time at the microphone. But, just barely.

As the book is as interesting now, as it was when it was published, I have been able to go about my boring existence, listening, with interest, at the other planets, and solar systems, that make up the environment of Dune.

While I am traveling existentially, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I am listening to this “classic”, and, fairly soon, I am certain, I will, by the grace of the Almighty, understand …

Well, I am not really sure exactly what I am supposed to understand, but I have learned a ton, a small pun intended here, about the myriad differences in the whale species. Why I need to know these things, I have yet to understand. I am going to finish it, as I have only 24 hours, of the 31 hour book left. Then, on to Atlas Shrugged, by Ayn Rand.

Actually, I started listening to Atlas Shrugged first, but almost cut my wrists. It is so incredibly “out there”, so “art deco”, so difficult for me to listen to that I had to switch it up, and decided on MD. Not sure how I ever got to this age without ever having read so many of said classics. Yet, here I am. Maybe it’s the reader.

I am determined. I am going to read/listen to as many classics as I can before I die. (Hoping that is far in the future, as I know there are several).

While I am struggling to listen to all of this culture, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

It’s 4:38am.

I cannot sleep.

We went to bed hours ago. Neither of us could sleep. WTH?

So may nights we sit here, in front of our computers, watching videos on YouTube, Vimeo, Prime video, something.com. I have become like a reverse toy doll; when I am watching a show my eyes start to close, so I go to bed. As soon as I lie down, I am staring at the ceiling. What is up with that?

So, after staring up for an hour, or so, I get up and start the entire cycle again.

Usually, by 5 am, or so, I can finally fall asleep, only to get up around noon. What a waste of a day. I enjoy the mornings, and I miss having that quiet time to myself. Now, though, with an apartment teeming with people, that isn’t an option at the present.

Who knows what the future holds? I certainly don’t. We are enjoying the company for as long as they are willing to stay. Liz is recovering from the cesarean section she had last week, getting around quite well. Baby Brandon is nursing now, and has gained a bit of weight, though it is hard to tell as he is still engulfed in blankets.

Jesús, Gabi, Alicia, Ivan and I are all clicking along quite well. Time to get moving, and start the day. Have a great one. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

It came, and was gone without a single April fool’s day joke.

No pranks, no nothing. I do believe it was the second year of such a thing happening. It is, sometimes, the little things in our lives that define them. April fool’s day used to be one of those. No longer.

From now on, April 1st will be just that; the 1st day of April, heralding the dawning of Spring. Down here, it means the heat is coming. Yesterday’s high was 28ºC; I tried, unsuccessfully, not to convert it to Fahrenheit. I saw, briefly, the 82º and about stripped naked.

Oh, I wouldn’t do that; not with an apartment full of people. But I did give it serious consideration.

Today, well at the moment, it is only 23º; I am starting to “glow”.

We have to go to Costco in a bit, and I get to drive. Lucky me. It has been about 2 years since I have driven. I can’t wait. Oh, that reminds me; in order to be placed on our bank account, I have to have a drivers license from here in México. Another thing to add to our list of things to do.

In the meantime, you know what to do. So keep doing it. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.