Saturday, May 30, 2009

Ratzo's New Do





Ratzo is sooo cool. She's so mellow that she'll let you do anything to her. I was looking at her and thought...she has perfect mohawk hair! I trimmed the top of her little head and left a patch long and natural. Can you see her mohawk? The tips of her hair are white.
Even our cleaning girl, Juanita, noticed the dramatic cut and said it looked very "poonk", which to us Gringos means "punk." That really made me laugh- And also amazed me at how observant Juanita is.
In other news, today Bob and Carlos will begin screening the front and back gates, just in time before the rains. The last three nights have been almost chilly which I think is a good indication that the heavens want to open up. Dengue Fever is a very real threat here, carried by mosquitoes. If someone in this house is unfortunate to get bitten and sick, it will be me. The dumbest things have happened to me since in Mexico. I'm a marked woman.
Today, I'm doing Luly's nails as she goes to San Diego for a week on Tuesday. Tonight, we have our weekly Domino game at Ed and Luly's. Bob and I have yet to win. But-- I´m feeling lucky today...Later

Wednesday, May 27, 2009

Pelamis Platurus

Also known as the yellow-bellied sea snake, these critters have been washing up on the beach the past couple of days. Luly and I spotted four yesterday and two today. The locals say that they are a month late in arriving and are beaching to die. I am also told that a bite from one of these babies will make you sick with fever for several days, and a fatal bite is rare. They're quite beautiful, and this photo does not truly capture the vibrant yellow of this serpent. Let's see...hum...well, I've been fearful of the water since my encounter with a manta ray last summer. Then we had an invasion of jellyfish just recently, and now we have snakes. Will I ever enjoy boogie-boarding again?
Here's a real digustus maximus that we found at the water's edge just about a month ago. Look at the size of this gross creepy-crawlie!! Is it any wonder I had a nightmare two nights ago of giant flying spiders?
Today, the girls are going to Sam's Club, Appleby's for lunch, and then to do some major sniffin' around Liverpool which is actually Zentralia, a very nice mall. It's so nice to have a group of girlfriends. It just makes living here that much more special.
Later.

Sunday, May 24, 2009

Lazy Days of Summer

I haven't posted in a while as there's not much to tell. The days are getting hotter and the nights more humid. There's a thick mist that blankets the playa every morning and burns off as the sun rises. It's getting hot, Folks. I consider myself to be handling this quite well as I always have hated being sweaty. I average three cold showers a day. And, the cold water isn't cold anymore. I've been told this heat will get worse. Thankfully, the mosquitoes are not out yet. They appear with the first rains that I bet Bob will hit around June 3rd. Finally, he and Carlos went out and bought materials so we can screen the front and back gates. I'm still at a loss as to how we're going to screen the huge doorways out to the terraza.


As our esteemed landlord has not returned with the new bedroom air-conditioner he promised us over two weeks ago, I have been sleeping downstairs in the guest bedroom with Ratzo. It gets frigid down there, and that's how I best sleep. Bob sleeps in our sticky, humid bedroom with Luna, who we now call "Devil Dog". Bob says he's very comfortable at night sleeping in the sauna. I say, "OK, but my door's always open":)


Devil Dog is a force to be reckoned with. She has a major attitude, does what she wants,(even when she knows she's bad), and is absolutely tyrannical when it concerns her rawhide bone. Initially, anyone who'd get close to her bone would be assaulted with a barrage of snorts, snarls, and nasty ass growls. I saw a show once about Australian Tasmanian Devils. She sounds exactly like one of those crazy things. She settled down yesterday, finally, as Ratzo shows no interest in Luna's nasty dirty bone which she buries out in the sandy yard repeatedly and then immediately digs it up to move it to a different spot. I saw it on the bed earlier this morning! Yet, Luna's the best thing for Ratzo as they are good chums, always playing and chasing each other through the house and out and back in and around the furniture. Their little toes can't get a grip on the slippery tile and poor Luna bit it this morning and went full speed into the front wooden door. It didn't stop her though. She's also much faster than Ratzo. Yet Ratzo is smarter as she has realized she can nail her inside the house, laying in ambush behind the sofa.




Luly and I walk almost every morning with the dogs. We walk over a half mile in the sand and turn around at the house that Bob and I refer to as the "Hansel and Gretal Beach House". It's tough going and both Ratzo and I are dripping with sweat and full of sand. Luly doesn't seem to perspire much. (Huh, must be nice... ) This is the picture of H&G House. Isn't it fabulous??



Luly, Carol, and I had a Girls Day Out last Wednesday. We drove up to Cd. Colima for facials and shopping. What fun. And, I'm proud to say that I didn't dent our budget much. It was a long day though. We left at 9:45 am , and I pulled into the driveway at 5:45pm. It will become a monthly ritual, I suspect.
Today, we will go to the beach in front of the house early today with our chairs and umbrellas in tow and a couple of good books. We have to make some calls this afternoon, then we're off this evening to Luly and Ed's for a game of Mexican Train Dominoes. We played for the first time two Saturday's ago. They are patient teachers, and we had a super time.
Our little beach town is so quiet. I haven't spotted but a handful of weekend day-trippers. PERFECT, just how I like it...
Later.

Sunday, May 10, 2009

Mother´s Day Outing

We went to Hotel Paraiso with my buddy Luly, Ken and Carol, Patty, and Dawn and Sharon. What a killer time we had!!! Lots of fun talk, more laughs than should be allowed by any group in the short time we were together.
After our Mother´s Day buffet, (which was plentiful and good, but nothing out of this world), we all ended up at Ken and Carol´s house, minus Patty. They have a lovely home with lots of outdoor space and a killer pool. I´m a huge sucker for pools.
Ken is hilarious as he reminds Bob and me of an another Manager from work, only Ken is a bit more mature. I was just smitten with Dawn who is just so special due to her love of animals, (and of course, like me, she won´t turn any stray away. We´re kindred spirits, in that sense.) Plus, she´s funny as all hell. She killed us with her quick wit. She´s an exceptional lady. I thought how nice to meet someone that you say to yourself, "Wow, how cool is she?" No wonder Sharon loves her so. Who couldn't?
Luly has some zingers as well. Luly is quite a lady, but will lay back, take all the conversation in... then watch out! Luly surprised me. She's really funny too. (We meet up together to walk our dogs at 8am every morning-well, almost every morning. I suppose that I talk so much and ask her so many questions, that I never realized how humorous she really is. What a truly yummy person she is.) She's a nice friend--- how nice for me. I love being around her.
So-- ANYWAY---came home to the girls...
Ratzo ate like a little pig, Luna not even a quarter hot dog. We could not do anything to make her eat. (Vet tomorrow). Yet---Luna follows Bob around everywhere like a stalker. She's always there, you just don´t know it. Anyway, Luna lived outside and does not have "house dog"manners. She pooped in the master bedroom last night. I got up to go to the bathroom, and thought I had stepped on a beetle. Not so--- it was a Luna turd. GREAT!! By the morning light, she had managed to pee by the sliding glass door as well. Her urine is very dark which leads me to believe that she doesn´t drink enough water, and her kidney´s aren´t working as well as they should, and if her tonight´s poops were evidence, she needs to be wormed. I found another slimy surprise in the bedroom. Nice... Oh well. She'll learn to do her business outside soon enough. (I hope). Bob's in charge of taking her to the vet tomorrow. She'll be like Ratzo was, as it took a few weeks to make a healthy and happy pup.
All for now...

Saturday, May 9, 2009

Luna Manning

This is Luna. She´s the newest addition to the Manning Clan. We picked her up this morning, a gracious gift from Don Perro, our friend of the Abarrote store. As he has seven more chihuahuas and he knew we had just adopted out Rey, he seized the opportunity to nail me during a weak moment. Actually, we did this for Ratzo mostly as she had cared for a little kitty we found abandoned in the dunes across from the house last Wednesday morning.. Kitty obviously thought Ratzo was her Mom as she suckled on Ratzo´s dry teats all afternoon. Ratty looked like she was loving it and was very protective. BUT- as we don´t have the house secured for a tiny kitty, we brought her to the Police Station where the officer assured me that he would find her a nice home.

Ratty was acting depressed the next two days, so we decided, what the heck?? Maybe she´ll take to Luna as she did to Kitty. Well, not quite. They get along just fine, but Ratty is not quite so smitten with Luna as she was with the baby.
Other news:
Our computer finally bit it last Saturday. We went to Manzanillo for a new one. Big problem- everything is in Spanish,: instructions, the keyboard, etc. Massively royal pain in the ass. Bob got everything up and running. I was pretty useless with all this boring computer jazz. I just don´t like electronics, connector things, wires, programs, blah, blah, blah... All that stuff is a real snooze-fest for me.
Also, went to the doctor for a full physical. We´ll be getting my blood work up done and hopefully Dr. Lupita will give me something to thwart off these nasty hot flashes, a new cycle of insomnia, memory problems, anxiety, and general bitchiness. Bob wants back that fresh, young, corn-fed chick he met five years ago. I don´t blame him. I do too.
All for now...

Friday, May 1, 2009

Here's What You Can Have For $290 US/ Month

Since some of my family has been curious as to what our home must look like since our rent sounds so cheap by US standards, I took photos and will show you. It is 4 bedrooms, 3 1/2 baths, maybe 2500 square feet. We have 2 bedrooms downstairs with 1 full and 1/2 bath, kitchen, dining area, and a large odd-shaped living room area. Upstairs, we have 2 bedrooms, 2 full baths, a large living room area which opens up to the terraza which looks out over the ocean.

This last photo is of the back and our laundry area. No dryer, just a washer and clothes line. Our "backyard" is sand with two poles needing a volleyball net. Our kitchen is tiny, but workable when I have the patience . The 2nd bedroom downstairs is storage, the 2nd bedroom upstairs is our office, and the one picture of a jacuzzi is actually our master tub, which is unused. (What a waste of space. We have an outrageously large shower that almost rivals the tub.)
BUT- nothing beats living here, and it's not just "a money thing." It's funny what you can do without, and the getting down to basics and just the necessary, has been cleansing for our souls. We splurge now and then, but nothing like the obnoxious pigs we were in Vegas, (far from it.) It's just a kind of peacefulness that you feel, and sometimes, sitting out on the terraza, I truly wonder what I have done to deserve such deliciousness.