Stuff with Lida and Diana

I post with some infrequency about some of the things we do with friends Lida and Diana.

This past Wednesday was Lida's 3rd 29th birthday.

So I made a special lunch and had them over;

they also brought with them their friend Vanessa who owns a ScrapBook Crafts Store here in Merida. Scrapbooking and Crafting are passions for Lida and Diana, as are their rescue pets. You can read a great story about their rescue pets at yucatanliving.com.  And you can check out their own blog about the animals here.

So, back to my story - There is a big crafts fair at the convention center this weekend; Lida and Diana are working there at Vanessa's booth for her store ScrapBook It. We went to see them on Friday morning. L y D also have a corner of their cat and dog theme crafts available for sale to help them with the expenses of all their beloved beasties. Of course I picked up a few things.

We strolled around a bit and then on our way out we noticed another fair in another of the big salas and stepped in. There were items from states all over Mexico. I was drawn to a display of absolutely gorgeous tropical birds.

And just couldn't help myself - I now have 2 pairs of Zebra Finches.  

We have a large cage that we used in a display on the patio; it is now being made bird ready so for a day they will need to live in this little jaulita, which by the way resides in the trunk of the car, because you just never know when you might need to transport a bird or 2 or 4.

While living in Colorado I always had finches and canaries.  Tom would build me fabulous flight cages and I would breed and sell the birds.   I see a new project for Tom in the very near future.   I already have a few ideas for small flight cages; 

What do you think of this?  I could be sure it is wide enough to wheel inside in case of storm/tormento/huricane...

Oops, my bad!

It was recently pointed out to me that I had neglected to do something. This in and of itself is of no surprise to me. I find myself forgetting or neglecting to do more and more things.

Fortunately, for me, this one is quite easy to take care of.

I apparently have not updated on the completion of our grilling station.

Recall the post about building the grilling station?

So here it is in all it's glory - It's gorgeous, it works, and I couldn't be happier.

Now we just ned to add proper lighting, exten d the roof line to create a cover, a couple steaks and some fish, a few beers, maybe a margarita, some veggies on skewars, ....

Bugs and Beasties Beware!

It was a Wild week in the sanctuary.

After my mom departed (I started out calling her 'the momster' and then thought Oh some might equate that to monster and think I was being mean or negative. And really I was was thinking it in an affectionate way. How odd) Anyway, after she left on Wednesday morning it was back to business as usual.

Gaby, the lovely woman who comes every Wednesday and helps, actually does most of the housekeeping was here. And for some reason we decided to move all the stuff in the pantry, you know fridge, well fridges, yes we have 2, wine cooler, storage bins, etc. Underneath one storage rack in a pile of dust bunnies we found a black scorpion.

No, not this one.

I didn't think to take a photo, which I really should have cause Tom killed it with his pink flyswatter.

Then next thing you know there goes a mouse and the hunt is on. Tom with pink flyswatter, me with the broom, and Gaby with the dustpan. We even brought the puppy in and she let us know exactly where it was, she is truely ruthless.

Let's just say - we were victorious and the house is currently free of 1 scorpion and 1 mouse. Oh and the bodega is missing 2 rats. We are ruthless hunters of little creatures. Oh and one large cockroach drowned in the pool.

Bugs and Beasties Beware, we have a pink flyswatter and we are after you!

She came, She shopped, She toured, She left

I just dropped my mom at the airport for her return to the USofA.  She'd been here a week.

Unfortunately I told her it would be cool in October and it wasn't - well except for the last 2 days.

She was visiting us from North Carolina where it is probably equally as hot and humid However up there in the good ole USofA a majority live in A/C, drive in A/C, and everywhere you go is A/C. 
Sadly, for our visitors, we only have A/C in the bedrooms.

Without regard for the heat I believe we kept ourselves engaged and entertained. 
We were busy quite a bit but as she has mobility issues it was a bit of a challenge to find things to do that don't require significant walking, and/or stairs. 
 I think we found a variety of amusements, we even found a drive-by ruin so she could see some Mayan ruins.   

Xcambo has ruins right along side the road and parking area. 

So it was good to be able to pull up and she could get a peek at a bit of maya history.  

We saw FLOCKS of flamingos,

we went to the symphony, we ate out,  a lot!

we visited museums and the Municipal Office where they have the most incredible mural paintings depicting the history and struggle of the Yucatan

we drove the ruta de los conventos,

She  met a great many of our friends as we had two evenings of entertainment at home planned.

 We saw the beaches at both Telchac and Progresso,

We got to see some traditional dancing.
She tried panucho's but was not impressed with our local favorite!
She is actually the first person I know of that didn't like a panucho,  but then she also proclaimed our FAVORITE torta de cochinita, just OK? egads! que horror!

We bought some pots in Ticul for my patio, then had lunch under a huge rain storm where the weather cooled off nicely.

And we shopped; oh she is a shopper, I must have missed that gene!

Fortunately two separate fairs passed through SantaAnna.

She was also able to find the perfect gift for Techie,

 who by the way I think is what convinced her to visit Mexico.

and then of course there were some of the unusual street scenes

In spite of the heat I think she enjoyed her visit.  We enjoyed having her here, It's always fun to show people what we love so much about this place; the art, the cultural activities, the sights, the beach, the people.

I must say I'm glad to have a day to rest, I was getting plumb tuckered out!  But oh wait, the gardener and housekeeper are here today.  Maybe I'll rest tomorrow!   But wait, tomorrow we've got a doctor appointment, school, an art auction, and something that I just can't remember at the moment, maybe Friday, but wait....oh my gosh there is just no rest for the wicked!

The Great Wall of Changus Kuhn

You may recall a year or so ago, July, August, and September of 2008, I posted about the construction of a wall in front of our house.  Well, that wall has been in place just over a year and oh my goodness what a difference it has made!

The house is so much cleaner, cooler, quieter than before, and the little front garden is so cute and makes such a pleasant transition from street to inside.

So this is from when we bought the house -

 

This is during the renovation -

 

And this is after the building of the Great Wall -

We are now able to keep the doors and windows open most all of the time.  The additional air flow has decreased the interior heat by a huge amount - so much so that this year, the hottest, driest year in over 25 years has been cooler than the past 2 years.  All because of the airflow.  Add to that the decrease in street noise, and the decrease in dust and dirt.  What a difference!  Money Well Spent.

Our wall, much like the successes of Ghengis Khan although they may appear astounding, they are explainable by ordinary means.

I'm starting to think of starting another long overdue project,  I must be crazy!  

We want to replace the roof on the bodega out back, increase its overhang to cover the terrace beside the pool, and renovate a bathroom that's there for use while outside.   I also want to add passsive solar heat for the pool.  The pool temp is already to the point where I don't like to get in,  it's a frosty 80degree fahrenheit.  What the heck am I thinking.... another construction project - workers here, banging, chipping, hammering, dust, noise, lack of privacy,  I must be out of my mind.  I think it's the heat, it's affecting my head, someone thhrow a bucket of cold water on me!!!!!

La boda de ''María José''

I don't get in to "Centro" very often, even though I love to walk around there and just window shop the people, events, and sights.

Yesterday I had cause to be in "Centro" about 6pm.  Not a great time, it was hot, the light was not great, there were THRONGS of people. Actually an unusual amount of people, and as I got closer to the zocalo and the cathedral there were cheers, and festive whooping it up sounds.  In fact there were hundreds of people piled up around the cathedral, and even more in the zocalo.

 There was also a stage set up in the zocalo, it was surrounded with people and there were dancers milling about as if waiting for something.  Some special event.  I did stop and ask some young workers at a nearby store who were leaning against the doorway and watching the activities.  They said it was a novena. 

Anyway, back to the hoopla at the cathedral and in the zocalo.

Yesterday was the wedding of Maria José and Alejandro.

Maria José and Alejandro are popular TV caracters of the telenovela “Sortilegio”.  Unfortunately I don't watch the telenovelas although I should just to help me with my spanish, else I'd have recognized the names on the backdrop of the stage.

Here's a link to the story in today's Diario.

It's odd,  isn't it.  I rarely get to Centro, and then yesterday I'm there for la boda de Maria José.