5C's Que Pasa

I found out today that if you have a test where you are injected with radioactive material you will set off alarms crossing at the US border, even up to 14 days later!  Apparently since 9/11 they have embedded detectors within the road and before you even hit the border the alarms are going off.  You need a very special letter from the proper authorities or you may not be allowed into the US.  Who knew?

The girls are definitely spooked with daylight savings.  I guess we have always avoided that darkness by 4:30PM by being in Mexico when it occurs.  This morning we had them up early and it was still dark and they would not eat.  Then tonight once again at 4:30PM they wanted dinner.  Actually I am not enjoying this time change business.  Just not use to it.  It has been at least 10 years or more since I have experienced this.  It really is different being here at this time of year.  I am use to more light and sun.

And then there are the stores and all that Christmas stuff happening.  We are normally long gone.  While in a few stores today I could feel that pull of commercialism, telling me to 'spend' !!!  Oh how I was tempted, really really tempted but I said no.  I use to buy presents for at least one hundred people, send cards to hundreds more, put up 3 trees, each with it's own theme.  No more.  MInd you there are those that say that I do overdo the decorating even on the Isla.

Thanks for all your great suggestions regarding good compact travelling printers.  Colin came home with this one…

...an HP Deskjet 1050 for $38.00 thanks to Walmart. Good deal. It prints, scans and makes copies.

Of course Robert who is in Palm Springs for the winter came up with a Canon printer for $28.00.  It is was he bought and he plans to chuck it out in April.  Now had things been reversed, Robert would have returned the $38.00 printer for the $28.00 one.  We can't be bothered.  Maybe ours will last for years!!

More comments on the rain chain so here is the link I used to chose ours.  It is an American product so a Google search should turn something up for you US readers.  Sandy asked how many we have?  We only have that one downspout right now but in the spring we may put another in closer to the lake.  Currently we don't have gutters on the other side of the house but we will add those in the spring plus more rain chains.  And Susie….Colin thought about the pot breaking so there is a dog tie down attached to the chain that goes thru the hole in the bottom of the pot and into the ground about 12 inches.  Had to be real careful about not hitting the newly installed irrigation system.

So it is 8:50PM Thursday PM and as one cannot live on vino alone I must go make a late meal for us.  There were just a few too many appointments in town today.  Have to say seeing all those Christmas lights and decorations earlier this evening kind of turned me off the holiday.  Maybe I just need some surf and sand to get into the mood.

Tags: friends, Funny, health, Isla de la Piedra, Mazatlan, Stone Island, The girls, vino

These girls seems to judge snack time with an inner sense.  And as soon as it gets dark at 4:30PM ( which is just 2 hours past snack time ) they think it is dinner time!!  I try to hold off till closer to 6PM as we feed them closer to 6:30PM – 7PM when on the road.  We travel from 8 AM to between 6 & 7 PM.

Life has a way of interfering with the to do lists!!  The phone rings, the printer stops working, it starts to rain outside, appointments get changed to take it or forget it,  an email needs to be answered right away, etc.  Really hard to stick to a plan. Neighbours come to the door.  I did get the medical travel insurance ordered and that was good.  I have made some progress collecting money but not done yet.

I had wanted to complete our HST rebate on new house construction but I need prime uninterrupted time. Hopefully by the time we get back from Mexico the cheque will be in the mail ( if I get it completed ).   Maybe tomorrow!  Found out that our RV printer is kaput so now we need to pick up a cheap one.  Anyone have any suggestions, it is just for basic printing while in Mexico.

The American election is over but this blurb I read online made me sad.

…………….”The campaigns of both President Barack Obama and Republican challenger Mitt Romney have long assumed that the heavily Democratic region would support Obama, but determined voters were taking special election shuttle buses from storm-hit areas and voting by affidavit from any polling place they could reach after officials put emergency measures in place.

Early turnout appeared high, despite some malfunctioning machines and confusion over where to go. At least one polling site with power was lit with flares. Some voted by flashlight.

Some polling places were in tents, and some voters were in tears.

“Oh my God, I have been so anxious about being able to vote,” said 73-year-old Annette DeBona of hard-hit Point Pleasant Beach, New Jersey, who was there at dawn. “This is the happiest vote I ever cast in my life.”…………………….

At least those people got out and made a huge effort to vote.

We were in Indiana in 2008 in the midst of all the election coverage when President Obama was first elected.  It was electrifying.  Not as exciting on TV last night but we still felt a part of the process.

We got the girls all completed at the vets today.  Actually all 3 of us girls got shots today. Colin says he has to work to keep us ladies going.  Tomorrow is another huge day of to do's, for me personally and things on the to do list for the winter.  Then a few days of paperwork, packing and whatever else comes along.

We had a lot of rain yesterday as you can see.

This is how the rain chain is secured. Now we need to build a water drain so the cement does not lift. Always something to do.

The pot is from Mazatlan and the rocks are fossils my father collects from areas around Drumheller, Alberta.  He was born in the area and is officially allowed to collect the fossils.  The rain chain is a 25th wedding anniversary gift from my parents.  Something to remember them by in the years to come along with the fossils.

It is getting so busy around here that I have to book an appointment to talk to my sister by telephone!!  We leave in a week!!!  Ready or not!  I do know that not all will be done before we start the engines.  Such is life!

Tags: Family, Mazatlan, The girls

Thank you for your votes.

We support your decision!!!!!!!!!!!!

CONGRATULATIONS!

Ingredients, frozen perogies, tomato sauce, left over cooked veggies and cheese.

Spray your casserole dish with Pam, makes for an easier clean up.  Decide how many perogies you each want to eat and place them on the bottom of the dish and cover with 1/2 can of tomato sauce ( ? 14 oz  size ).  Chop up left over veggies from last nights dinner, I planned ahead and pre cooked extra.  Here I have added cauliflower, broccoli, green beans and butternut squash which were all fresh and steamed.  You can use a bag of frozen veggies also.  Cover with the rest of the tomato sauce and add shredded cheese on top.  Bake @ 350F for 30 – 40 minutes.

Serve with a side salad. I almost forgot to take the 'cooked' photo, I was hungry. Very filling meal.

No trades people yesterday nor any return phone calls.  Today I am moving on to collect outstanding monies owed.  I am good at that and persistent.  Besides we need the money to pay the bills so we can head out.

Lots of geese still hanging around here.  Love listening to them and seeing them fly around us.

A flock of common Merganser ducks are hanging around for a few days. Photo of painting by John James Audubon from Finecomb.

I also wanted to share this photo taken in Patzcuaro during the Day of the Dead festivities by Bill & Dot Bell and posted on their Jaltemba newsletter this week.

Tags: Duck Lake, food, Mexico

You have no idea how much you miss it until it returns and warms you from the inside out.  Even my mind is lighter and happier.  We awoke to sun and a forecast of more sun over the coming week.  Excellent, Colin will be able to get his jobs completed before we leave and we will be able to dry things out to store them for the winter.  During the past weeks of drizzle, rain and overall greyness even our gate would not close, the wood just swelled and swelled, today, no problem, it closes perfectly.  Suppose to be a high of 11C today and already at 10AM it is 13C!!  Of course that means cooler nights down into the minus area but that's okay.  Lots of bodies in our bed to keep it warm.

Both the fireplace and the furnace have been working overtime and now they are off as the sun pours through our walls of windows.  I had forgotten how much dust a furnace generates.  At least the RV is clean, not sure how much I will get done in the house before I run out of time.

The girls have been huddling under the laundry that comes out of the dryer!!

Or under the fireplace....Caeli looks pretty content here.

Still having trades in...this guy was replacing a board in the floor that the installer had put a hole in....don't ask, lots of aggravation and back and forth but it is fixed and I will finally pay their bill.

Colin was under the house a few times during the past week and there are some details that need to be dealt with before we head south.  Things that we had paid for, like extra insulation, which is there but not done properly, you can see holes.  So now we have started a new to do list of what must be done before we leave.  It never ends.  I wonder how we ever thought we would have time to hang pictures.

Good news from the Isla, 7 RV's have arrived and I believe another 3 are arriving today.  Tres Amigos RV Park is looking great and it is hot and the ocean is warm for swimming!!  Not so sure about 'the road' though, I have to do more checking but it has been graded but what we need is for the branches and bush to be cleared from the sides and overhead.  We have good friends and neighbors on the Isla looking after the things we need to be doing re our stored belongings there right now but can't of course and I do thank you all.

I made some very excellent borscht which disappeared quickly. Not always easy to get beets on the Isla.

Lots to do today, only 10 more sleeps 🙂

Tags: Mazatlan, repairs, The girls, Tres Amigos RV Park