Sunday, February 3rd, 2013

Great party last night at the neighbor’s house. It was her 40^th birthday. Her Husband Brad had it catered and there was fresh salsa and guacamole and paella. Yummy stuff! What a fun time was had by all! It’s easy to get to know people a little bit better at such a casual setting.

Then today was the Super Bowl party in the street. Karl set up a huge screen and had a projector for us to sit in the street and watch the game. Everyone brought a dish and the food was amazing….ribs, chicken legs, roasted potatoes, baked ziti, ham balls, pepperoni rolls, deviled eggs, chili, jalapeno poppers, and much more. Double yummy. We got a chance to meet some new people that we didn’t know and made new friends.

I bought Pete a mosquito repellent device called a Thermacell through Amazon. We used it at our Super Bowl block party. It repels mosquitos for 225 sq. ft (15 X 15) and it worked great!!! We were getting bit and I turned it on and I didn’t get a single bite after that. I didn’t see anyone else scratching or slapping either. So, it is highly recommended. I HATE mosquitoes.

Friday, Feb. 1st, 2013

Yea. Today is payday and I got my first raise in 3 years. Whoop Whoop.

I have a new cleaning lady today. Her name is Flora. That’s Flow-ruh in espanol. She is doing a really good job, but it’s hard not to be a little either displaced or in the way in such a small place.

Wed., Jan. 30th

Come on end of the month. I need a payday.

Shopping for electrical supplies with a girlfriend - why oh why do the guys send us to a Mexican electrical store where nobody speaks English? Oh yes. I know why. Because we were able to get just what they wanted and they didn’t have to go shopping. Then they can complain about how much shopping we do and how much money we spend. Hmmmmm.

We have a Senor named David (pronounced Dah veed) who lives at the end of our road. He has a mini market and is also a great woodworker and concrete guy. On Monday we asked if he would build us a shelf and a set of steps (I’m too short to get up on top of the house from the loft.) On Tuesday he delivered them. Wow. He did a great job! I’ thrilled with both of them. Of course I haven’t stained them yet, but maybe manana. He’s currently moving our mini palapa on the beach about 4 feet. A big project that took 6 guys to lift it. It’s a much better location!!!

This afternoon was my first time volunteering at a school in Playa del Carmen. We get a group of about 6 students in grades 1, 2, or 3. Then we are given materials to read a story to them. Girlfriend Jaime and I were both assigned to the First Grade. We were given a book that had about 20 words in it. A typical first grade reader. However, I knew there was no way I was going to keep them engaged for a hour. I’ll have to bring a bag of tricks next week. But it was fun.

I also volunteered to pick up another girl at the mall and take her with us. She was a young, very cool kinda girl. Short blonde hair and athletic. And her name was Credence….as she said….as in Credence Clearwater Revival. Cool. Different. It fits her.

Oh but I forgot to tell you. I couldn’t find the place. Because I had no directions. Someone was supposed to send me directions, but they didn’t. We stopped at an OXXO (mini mart) and asked for directions, but they didn’t know…so I pulled up behind a police car and he said follow him. However, here in Mexico, the police cars drive around with their lights flashing. So I had a police escort with flashing lights. And then we had a police car pull behind us, so I was kind the middle of a police sandwich. Wasn’t that nice. Really, people here are so very kind if you are kind to them. I guess it’s that way most everywhere.

There was quite a crowd at one of our neighbor’s palapa. (Dennis from Gary, Indiana) One of our other neighbors (Rich) stopped over to say hi and found him on the floor. It is possible that he had a stroke. Security was called, an ambulance was called. And his friends rallied together to go with him and to secure his belongings and palapa. That’s just the kind of community we have here. I know he feels better to know that things are being taken care of.

Update: Dennis’ wife, Peggy arrived yesterday. Dennis is not doing well at all. The doctors said he had a double stroke. He was taken to the hospital in Cancun. He has been able to open one eye and squeeze her hand, but he remains paralyzed on one side. It’s very sad to know how life can change in the blink of an eye.

And Dennis is probably alive only because a friend stopped by to say hi.

Sunday, Jan. 28, 2013

Today we made our first trip down to Yan Ten, our private beach. We dipped our toes in the water only.

Then we made our way back to Yan Ten for a weenie and marshmallow roast in the evening. Our neighbors plan a weenie roast each month on/around the full moon. What fun. And it’s always fun to spend time with friends.

Sat., Jan. 26th, 2013

Wow. Today started out cloudy, but turned into a perfect day on the beach. And I opted for a massage, too. I have never had such a good massage…and for $30 (plus tip).

Tonight is the charity auction at our restaurant for a school in a very poor rural area that our community helps support. Many people from Paamul donated items for the auction - such as paintings & jewelry. It should be fun. I imagine Pete will be busy trying to put my hand down when I try to bid. Though I’ve already put my name on one certain jewelry set in the silent auction. Keep your fingers crossed. Though I absolutely don’t need it. LOL.

Update: I didn’t win any bid….but that is okay. The auction made $4000+ for the school. My only contribution was a donated necklace and earring set. Maybe it provided a window.

Friday, Jan. 25th

The day started out very rainy…pouring rainy….just like yesterday. Boo. But by the evening if was beautiful. A full moon or nearly full moon on the beach. It couldn’t have been nicer for a party on the beach.

I made Italian beef in the crockpot. It wasn’t Chicago style Italian been, like Portillos or Buona, but it was pretty darned good. Instead of au jus, it made kind of a gravy. Weird, but very good. Had a few friends over for dinner and enjoyed the camaraderie.

Thurs., Jan. 24th, 2013

A long day with a trip to the airport, Home Depot, & Costco. And what did I get when I got home? Why’d ya buy so much food. Duh? Cause you always want me to cook and home and never go out to dinner. And you will only eat meat from Costco. And Costco is an hour and 20 minutes away. Grrrrr. I steamed a little bit because I really wanted to hear a “thank you for spending most of your day getting the stuff we need for our household”. Is that too much to ask?

He did relent and say how brilliant I was to be able to make sloppy joes’ (from scratch) in the toaster oven. I’m getting good at cooking everything in that little baby.

I hate this rainy day. My satellite keeps going out. I’m so tired I don’t know if I’ll last through a movie….but I think I’m willing to try.

Wed., Jan. 23rd

We went out to dinner at a sea food restaurant called La Pesca.

The food was great. The atmosphere was great. And the service was great. I had fish and pecan shrimp. I think I prefer coconut shrimp to pecan shrimp, even though I usually love pecans. Our friends had the whole lobster. Pete had a lobster tail. It's definitely not the same as Maine lobster, but it was okay. Okay is not worth the steep cost, though. I forgot my camera/phone, so no pictures. Boo.
 

Tuesday, Jan. 22, 2013

If you haven’t ever tried one of the Betty Crocker pizza crust mixes, you should. They are really good. We made a homemade-ish pizza for supper tonight using one of the mixes and loved it. The first year we were down here, we could get okay pizza, but not good pizza. We have actually found a place that will deliver (via motorbike) pizzas to our door. It’s kind of a big deal. And they are really good pizzas. I guess I’m always looking for a reason not to cook.

Monday, Jan. 21, 2013

How could a whole weekend go by? I haven’t even laid in the sun and we’ve been here 2 weeks. But don’t feel sorry for me. I’ve felt the warm air on my skin and smelled the salt air, so all is good.

I swear there is no such thing as one stop shopping here in Mexico. (Sorry if I’ve ranted about this before.) Some things just stay on my To Buy list forever. I can’t seem to find picture hangers. Okay, I found one set at Walmart. But I can’t find any more of them - even at the other walmart. I just need another 4 or 5 more of them and then all of my picture hanging will be done and then I can take pictures. I am not driving all the way to Cancun (an hour) just for picture hangers.

And we decided to go to town Saturday for a roasted chicken because I am SO TIRED OF COOKING! And *stomping of feet* they were all out and wouldn’t be done for una horas. Grrrr. Finally we got one on Sunday. And it was really really good. Yummmmm. And today we had leftover chicken for sandwiches for dinner. Good the 2^nd day, too.

Wednesday, Jan. 16, 2013

Oh my Gosh. It’s already Wednesday. What happened to Monday and Tuesday? We spent them cleaning out the loft. It was a dirty dirty job, but now the things in the loft are put away where they are supposed to be. Mostly, anyways. We hired a local (Mexican) guy to smooth out the concrete, so it will be ready for a chair and the new, way cool king sized bed there. Just add a mosquito net and it should be very cool sleeping accommodations for a guest. And with a nice view of the ocean as well. The weather is simply beautiful for sleeping!

I drug Pete into town to run errands - Sam’s Club, Glass/Aluminum store, furniture store, Walmart, paint store, currency exchange. And he even treated me to an ice cream cone from McDonald’s. Yummy, especially after a hot day running errands. We picked out and purchased night stands at a Mexican furniture and appliance store. It’s amazing what you can do without being able to speak the language - and what you can’t do as well. Now they just need to be varnished. Then the bedroom will be officially done!

On Monday night, one of the guards tapped on the door and spoke to us in Spanish. No intiendo (I don’t understand), I said. We went outside and he was just asking if the old air conditioner was okay to take - was it basura (trash)? We said yes and Pete even delivered it to the guard shack so he didn’t have to carry it there. He mentioned to another guard (Rudy) that we also had some pans that we put out for the garbage. He asked us to put them aside for him. Pete signed a paper giving them permission to take the items. None of the workers are allowed to leave with any items unless they have written permission. We also gave some items to our cleaning lady on Sunday. So many things are re-used or passed along to friends or relatives in Mexico. Little goes to waste here.



We had (note the word…had) a large coconut palm leaning against our roof. It was absolutely loaded with coconuts and was located right over the walkway to the ocean. The guards came this afternoon and cut it down. They did an absolutely terrific job. If one of those coconuts dropped on anyone walking on the walkway, it would’ve done some serious damage.

Sunday, Jan. 13, 2013

My husband is so funny. He talks to the cleaning lady and says things like, “I need a sticko of woodo” in s Spanish accent and thinks she will understand him. LOL. The word for wood is madiera. She has no idea what he’s saying. It’s just so funny! Gotta love him. He tries.

One of the ways that we support the local economy is to hire a cleaning woman when we’re here. (Okay, if you believe that one, I have a palapa to sell you here.) The cleaning women are excellent workers and very trustworthy. We are lucky to have them. My cleaning day is Sunday. It’s not my favorite day because it means I have to get up early. Lucky for me I’m not a Saturday night party animal.

Saturday, Jan. 12, 2013

Today we’re down to the car - fuel pump fixed, keys programmed, now it needs a brake line

And food, too….

So when we found out we weren’t getting the car back, we decided we’d share a rental car with the neighbor. He ordered it on the internet and our other neighbor (Kathy) took us to pick it up. When we got there, the place was closed with a note on the door that said “went to deliver a car and will be back in a few minutes”. So they called the number on the door and the girl who answered said they were closed AND they had no car AND she couldn’t find any confirmation of the reservation. OMG, you have to love the Mexican way of life.

We were lucky that Kathy needed to shop at Sam’s Club and we got to shop with her. Got a few things on my list (and some not on my list). Rice is the big thing down here, not potatoes. So Sams didn’t even have potatoes. Surprise. Only cost about $120. Those warehouse clubs. They really get ya, don’t they?

Shelves delivered, so we have almost all of the kitchen stuff put away.

Friday, Jan. 11, 2013

Tonight was our first crab race. I promise to take pictures. Maybe even a video to show you what it’s like. We didn’t win a thing, but it was sure fun!

Betters put up $10 pesos to draw a number 1-35. That’s about $.80.

Announcer announces the order of winning - ie. 2^nd crab out of the rope wins the money and 5^th crab out of the rope wins a meal.

35 Crabs are dumped out in the middle.

Each crab has a number on its back.

Half of the money collected goes to the money winner and half to charity (our community is building a school and library here).

It’s not really complicated. It just sounds like it.

You know that wonderful griddle I talked about a few days ago? It still works, but somehow the leg got broken on it when we were gone. Maybe they put something on it. I don’t know. Pete tried to super glue it (kola loca), but it didn’t hold. Then he dropped the drip tray and it cracked in half. I’m gonna have to have someone bring me a new one during their next trip. Meanwhile, I’ll limp along with this broken one.

Today’s count:

Food - getting low on pop and beer - send help

Car - fuel pump fixed, now keys need to be reprogrammed - again

Phone - check - home phone AND cell phones now

Internet - Yeah baby!

Gas - we’re cookin’ now

Cable - Woo hoo. We’re connected now.

hot water - Showers from heaven

 

Thursday, Jan. 10, 2013

Woke up to no internet. Grrr. I found out around 10am that it wasn’t just me, but the area. Finally got it back around 4pm. Whee.

Food - running out of diet coke

Car - no

Phone - check

Internet - check

Gas - check

Cable - check

hot water - check

Thanks to the help of two neighbors, we got the cable TV up and running. Woo Hoo!

It’s weird down here, but we have to get our local channels from a different source, so we had cable tv, but no local channels. Lucky for me, that only took about 15 minutes to set them up via telephone. I love it when a plan comes together. Who made that quote famous?

You know those pork chops that we had last night? Well, tonight we tried doing the same thing with boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. And they were great. Pete doesn’t even like chicken much and he liked it and said yes - serve it again.

Brownies for dessert - I’m so glad I brought some mixes down. Pete and I both needed chocolate fixes.

Thurs., Jan. 10, 2013

Woke up to no internet. Grrr. I found out around 10am that it wasn’t just me, but the area. Finally got it back around 4pm. Whee.

Food - running out of diet coke

Car - no

Phone - check

Internet - check

Gas - check

Cable - check

hot water - check

Thanks to the help of two neighbors, we got the cable TV up and running. Woo Hoo!

It’s weird down here, but we have to get our local channels from a different source, so we had cable tv, but no local channels. Lucky for me, that only took about 15 minutes to set them up via telephone. I love it when a plan comes together. Who made that quote famous?

You know those pork chops that we had last night? Well, tonight we tried doing the same thing with boneless, skinless, chicken breasts. And they were great. Pete doesn’t even like chicken much and he liked it and said yes - serve it again.

Brownies for dessert - I’m so glad I brought some mixes down. Pete and I both needed chocolate fixes.

Wed., Jan. 9, 2013

We called the Ford dealer and he said the keys were programmed and the car started and to come in to the dealership. So I found someone who was going that way and caught a ride to the dealership. Yes, the keys are programmed and the car “attempts to start”. It needs a new fuel pump, which he cannot get because the van is 12 years old. So he suggests we get it from the US. Crapity crap crap. And no charge for programming the keys. Wow. Double wow.

I’ve always just been able to catch a collectivo on the highway and take it down to Paamul - maybe 50 cents or so. So I start walking (I promised myself I would walk more anyway, but these flip flops are definitely not my walking shoes.). I walk about 10 blocks and finally stop at an OXXO ( like our 7-11) for a soda. They tell me I can’t get a collectivo on the highway….What??? I’ll have to research this more. So I catch a cab, which costs me about $12. Grrr. Nice driver. The cabs and cab drivers are always clean down here.

When I get back with the van news, the guys decide to call a local mechanic and he will have it towed and fix it for about $600. Since we share the car, we split the cost of repairs. Great! It will be ready tomorrow. I hope that’s the American tomorrow, not the Mexican tomorrow or Manana (which actually means “another day”).

More clean, laundry, which no one wants to hear about.

We have a griddle here in Mexico (and at home). I swear I couldn’t live without it. I cook almost everything on it. Last night it was fried potatoes and onions and some awesome pork chops. I grilled the pork chops on the griddle with a teaspoon-ish of Marzetti’s garlic Italian viniagrette dressing. Man were they ever good!

So at the end of today,

Food - running out of diet coke

Car - no

Phone - check

Internet - check

Gas - check

Cable - no

hot water - check

Tuesday, Jan 8, 2013

Tow truck driver came right on time. Unheard of in Mexico.

Van towed to For Dealer. I can’t check that off yet since it’s not fixed, only towed.

Gas man came.

Gas - check

Hot water - check

Food and some dishes put away in cabinets - check

Hmmm. Can’t put away the pots and pans and cooking stuff because the cabinet refinisher took away the shelves in the lower cabinets. Rats. If I could only do that, the kitchen would look cleaned up.

The internet provider said they would send someone on Monday or Tuesday. Guess who didn’t show up. Grrrr, No tv and no internet makes me feel out of touch with the world.

Hamburgers, chips and beans for dinner on our new china. Looked pretty. Tasted good. The cat sat on the chair in between Pete and us. Too funny. And you think we spoil the grandkids, don’t you? Wait til you see how we treat the cat.

He managed to sit safe inside the sliding glass doors while the two neighbor dogs were on the patio. 4 feet away, separated by sheer glass. He has been such a good boy! He may not want to go home and he hasn’t even met a gecko yet. Speaking of geckos, we don’t have any this year. I guess we’re a gecko-free zone.

Early to bed….ibuprophen pm and NCIS. But this night we are treating ourselves to a small piece of chocolate….the only ones we have here.

Mon., Jan. 7th, 2013

My new neighbor offered her car to me to go get some groceries and I gladly accepted. We have “met” via face book and have lots in common (not age). I was proud to drive her Lexus SUV with the Obama 2012 sticker on it!!!

Another neighbor picked up meat at Costco and a huge bag of fresh oranges. See how the people are here! Everyone is so so wonderful! That’s why we love it here so much.

Our palapa was cleaned, but this “outside” stuff gets so dirty so quickly that we got just a little. Ou know how you just want to get stuff done and put away. Well, we worked on it. We had our kitchen cabinets repainted, so everything was out of them and it all needed to be washed before it could be put away. That’s definitely a job.

Arrangements were made to have the gas man come, to have the van towed to the Ford dealer,

Food - check

When the neighbors told us they were ordering pizza and asked if we wanted to order too, they got a quick yes….even though we now have $125 of meat from Costco. And it was good pizza, too!

Early to bed with an ibuprophen pm and an NCIS show on DVD. This is the life.

Sunday, Jan. 6th, 2013

Up early at 4am to catch the plane to Cancun. I have to admit I am a nervous wreck because this is the first time we have taken our 16 year old cat on a plane. He throws a fit just going in the car to the vet, so I wonder how he’s going to react to a 3 ½ hour plane ride. Tack on 3 hours before and about 3 hours after and now we’re almost 10 hours of him in a carrier. I hope they don’t throw us off the plane because he’s such a pain in the ass. Pete and I both love this kitty so much and we just can’t bear to leave him at home. Then maybe we’ll get there and he’ll be so upset that he’ll forget his proper bathroom manners. There are dogs and kids here and it’s way different.

　

Okay, the valium works like a charm. I was such a wreck that I needed one and ¼ tab for the kitty just mellowed him out unbelievably. He was perfect at the airport, on the plane, in the van with a dog and even here at the palapa. We are in shock. We think he needed a vacation just like us…he just didn’t know how to tell us. You just wouldn’t believe how purry and happy he is here.

We got in and unpacked (clothes only) and said quick hellos to a bunch of neighbor/friends. Then our little Princess Emma Sophia came over and asked if we wanted to go with her (and her Mommy and Daddy of course) to the restaurant for dinner. Yes to that! The garlic shrimp there is amazing. We came home and watched a dvd (thanks Alicia and Durin for the NCIS series), then went to bed early.

By the way, no food, no car, no phone, no internet, no gas, no cable, and no hot water. But life is good. LOL.