Yes three surprises. Let me go on record here that surprises are not always positive experiences 😳
Carlie started to feel better about 3 to 4 days ago. I stopped the Gabapentin about 4 days ago, actually she decided to stop taking it and kept spitting it out. Also the other prescribed liquid gels. Then 18 hours ago I stopped the Pepto Bismol. We are working on a new routine based on frequent small meals to help keep the stomach pain at bay. She also likes to wake up and eat and then sleep for a hour or more before heading outside. She has had food and stomach issues since she was a puppy. In this photo she is digging a hole and has dug further down than the plant roots. Every few days the hole gets filled in and she does it all over again.
After a wonderful end of day on December 25th, I went to bed very happy. I can’t recall having had so much fun for a very long time. I had my usual shower Friday morning the 26th. For some unknown mysterious reason my ears became filled with water. No matter what I did I could not shake the water out nor dislodge it. I was deaf. Quite seriously I could not hear. I could barely hear the dogs bark and if Colin called me I would not have heard him. I could not listen to music and as it turned out I could not watch a movie later as my ears were indeed solidly blocked. I could only hope that sleeping on my ears overnight would dislodge the water.
But first surprise #1!
Who is that knocking at our door? Colin heard the dogs barking, our security system. No it could not be but it was. This is Mario ( he belongs to Lusana who remained back home in Chihuahua ) and he was accompanied by four reindeer – oops that is wrong. He arrived with his four teenage children at about 6:30PM. They have been driving since 8AM. He exclaimed that he was seeking food and shelter!
At this point there was a great deal of confusion due to five new people in our yard and out of control barking guard dogs. Plus I could not hear any words. I tried to figure things out but I really was deaf. Very long story short Mario and his children had come here to enjoy the Isla after Christmas. I did not even think about taking any photos. We did get re acquainted with Sebastian( 12 or 13 ) whom we met in October. I had a brief conversation with the two daughters who may or may not both be 14 and they were very sweet and I was looking forward to seeing them the next day. And we met Santiago ( 16 ) whom we had heard a great deal about. I was amazed at the quality of English these teens were speaking. I vaguely recall that they might be in private schools. On the last day I found out that 3 of them live in Monterrey. Such a small world as we have friends there.
My first question was, where are you sleeping? Mario had booked the upstairs apartment next door to us but it only had 2 beds ands he wanted to sleep in the RV. We just could not do that. Too complicated with a sick dog and Colin as well as me not sleeping at night. And no I did not have any food to feed them 🙁 I only have enough for day to day, never mind to feed five hungry travelers. We gave them a chaise cushion for someone to use to sleep on the floor with. I could find no restaurants open at 7:30PM and sent them off looking for some open taco stands.
Lusana sent us a huge homemade carrot cake. It was excellent and the spices were so fresh that you could really taste and enjoy them. Thank you so very Lusana. Wish you had been here.
Santiago showed up early in the morning of the 27th ( Saturday ) saying that they were off to buy milk and would be back. We never saw them again until after 4:30PM. Turns out they spent the day at the beach here on the Isla.
Mario and Santiago came by just after dusk for a short visit. Sadly I never saw the other three kids again. At 16 Santiago is extremely intelligent and accomplished. He has done so much at his young age including starting a few businesses including a theater group. Colin was very tired from Christmas Day but he eventually rallied when he saw how talented this 16 year old was. HIs playing picked up that evening.
Needless to say Santiago really enjoyed playing Colin’s special guitars.
Everyone had a good time except me! I could not hear any of the conversation and barely the music. I was becoming extremely frustrated.
Colin enjoyed sharing some tips with Santiago. I honestly can’t recall but I think the music went on till well after 8:30PM. Colin was smiling and happy from the visit and the music. We said adios to our friends and had our dinner and were in bed by 10PM. The plan was for the family to hike El Faro at 8 AM and then we would go to El Velero in the afternoon and listen to Los Cryps.
About 8:30 the next morning ( Sunday the 27th ) Santiago returned the cushion he had used to sleep on and said that they were leaving! Leaving 😳 Turns out they were going to Mazatlan to find another location ( apparently there were jelly fish in the ocean and Sebastian likes to swim in a pool ) for the night and would decide Monday when they were driving to Chihuahua and / or Monterrey. Hugs and adios. A few minutes later Mario stopped in for his farewell hugs. It was a quick visit. We have not heard from them since. It was spontaneous and fun. I wish that I could have done more for them all.
Surprise #2!
Between Santiago’s adios and Mario’s we discovered that our kitchen floor was flooded next to the fridge ( about 2 -3 inches of water ) covering the carpet under the table that our two desktop computers sit on. Finally figured out that the water line from wherever to the fridge ice maker had broken and was creating a huge mess. Doing the night I often use the toilet and I could smell a sour dirty smell. I even sat at my computer for a bit early Sunday morning and only noticed the odor. The wet was on Colins side of the table and he soon discovered it. So he figured out how to shut the water to the fridge off. First he made calls to the RV tech, Erik and to our neighbor. Meanwhile I started laying towels to soak up the water. You might liken it to wine grape stomping. Thank you Glenn and Amy for all your help. I heard none of your conversation as I still could not hear and was becoming increasingly deaf and upset. I truly could not hear any conversation. Yet again no time to take photos.
Used lots of heavy thick towels to soak up the water and Glenn used his shop vac. Then we set three fans out for 36 hours. But there was still that smell. So yesterday afternoon we dumped two large sized boxes of baking soda on the carpet. Vacuumed that up today and then I lightly spritzed with a 50/50 solution of white vinegar and warm water. That is drying now. I may have to do it yet again tomorrow.
Surprise #3!
The fact that my hearing is getting worse is beyond upsetting. I last had my ears checked by Dr. Garcia de la Rosa on November 20th as I was having problems with my left ear. He said that my ears were clear! He was annoyed when I asked him on November 25th to check them again. I have a very small ear canal with a sharp bend and do check my ear canals often. In fact Colin used to candle my ears and I his. Google if you are interested. More cons that pros but we have been doing this for over 20 years with positive results.
I ended up texting my new Dra Jocelyn at 10:30PM on Sunday the 27th! And she replied. Best doctor ever. We both agreed that I needed to see a specialist. However they are all on vacation until early January and I am unable to book an appointment.
Monday morning the 28th, I was about to start screaming. Finally I reached out on an expat Facebook page for someone who does ear candling. I got a reply and the lady came with three hours. Yes she came to the Isla, cost 900 MXN.
She did what needed to be done. She also does other alternative medicine. Her technique does not meet my standards. When Colin and I do this ( and we have done this to many others over the years with great success I might add ) we have two bowls of water nearby, often a fire extinguisher, towels to cover the pillow and the hair and shoulders. We are just very cautious.
She does not cut the soot as the candle burns down and lets it fall and fly everywhere. Colin was right beside me supervising every step of the way. We cut every few inches of soot. She was the professional and so all he could do was be on standby. I think he had cut the candle at this point.
She really did not speak English but that is no longer a problem for us, however I simply COULD NOT hear her. Even after she did both ears 😡
The left side represented the amount of ear wax that was removed by her ear candling and the blob of the right shows what came out of the right ear. That is a lot of wax. The candle residue is the light yellow flaky stuff.
She said that my kidneys had low energy and that she wanted to do acupuncture. No gracias, take your money and leave! I did give her a good ( not excellent ) review. I was so upset. Maybe I do have low kidney energy but at my age and with the knowledge of how my body functions, I knew what I needed. So I spent the next few hours holding a warm compress on each ear and by the end of the night I could hear a bit out of my left ear. But it did not get any better than that.
Totally surprised that I had that much wax.
I went to bed early last night while Colin just played and played and played.
So today, Tuesday, December 30th, I asked Colin to candle my right ear. One has to be steady and I did not want to have him to something like that with a hand in the recovery process nor put any pressure in him but I really needed help. He did a great job with my right ear and in fact he did it a second time. I can hear bits and pieces from that side now. This entire hearing thing has caused lots of stress and I am napping a lot.
This is a total of what has come out of my right ear in 24 hours. The very thin long piece on the left was from the second candle today. That shows me how deep my wax is impacted and for it to come out in one line is unheard of. The middle section was from the first candle we did today.
So I will use warm compresses tonight and likely we will candle both ears at least once more tomorrow. Hopefully I can see an ear specialist the week of the 5th and have a camera sent in and check out the Que Pasa of the situation. I did not enjoy surprise #3 for even a nano second.
Earlier today we had a visitor who is a new friend, join Colin for some music. Jim also helped us with a few chores. It was great to have the help. Thank you so much Jim for helping to flip the carpet. Colin and I could not have done it without you. Your muscles were greatly appreciated. Not to mention your delightful music.
The girls were on the far side of Colin and I watched them snuggle into the bed together when he started to play, They have missed his playing as well.
A wonderful end to a few difficult days.
Hmmm – I don’t care what you think :))
