Winter has arrived in
Bahia!!!! Well winter for us is cold winds and the temperature
inside the house drops down to below 60. I think the coldest was
about 54. For here that is cold. I know I am not getting much
sympathy as it is way colder in other places. I am just thankful it
doesn't go on for months. I have had an opportunity to wear a lot of
my winter clothes which is nice for a while. We had a couple days of
rain, just a steady rain day and night and then some strong winds.
The sun came out again and it is chilly during the day if the wind is
blowing from the north, otherwise it isn't bad. It's when the sun
goes behind the mountains that it gets cold and all the doors and
windows get closed to keep what heat we have inside. We have a
portable heater but haven't found it cold enough to use yet. We just
add layers and then we are usually in bed at 10:00pm and that is when
you can really feel it getting colder. So all is good. We know it
won't last long and then there will be enough hot weather to wish the
cold weather back!!! Ha!
The best thing about this
month is we finally have hot water. When we tore down the structure
in front of our house and got rid of the trailer, we had to
disconnect the hot water line that came from there up to the house.
We had a water heater in a shed by the structure and when we had a
leak from the house to the structure a while back, we had to tap off
the hot water line to the house. So it wasn't a big deal as we just
took our showers in the bathroom by the bamboo room. We don't keep
the water heater running all the time because it uses up the propane
too fast so we turn it off when we don't need it. It only takes a
few minutes to heat the water up so it isn't a big deal. Well now
that our shower downstairs is no longer there, Dave has to reroute
the hot water line so we can have the water heater in the garage
below the house. There were several things that had to be done
before we could do that so it took awhile to get it completed. But
now I can say we have the water heater in the garage and it doesn't
take long at all to get hot water upstairs now as the flow doesn't
come from far away. Before the water heater was hooked up in the
garage under the house, we heated water on the stove (which I do when
I wash dishes) and poured it into a container; took it to the shower
and I guess you would say, took a sponge bath. So it was nice not
having to do that anymore.
My back is getting better
and I am careful not to lift, pull, push anything with weight to it.
I've been trying to do some walking but can't walk far. I will have
to build up to my 2 and 3 mile walks again. The cold weather isn't
helping but like I said, it won't last for long. I did finally
finish the trim on the east side of the new garage and was able to do
it in a day. Dave moved the ladder when I needed it and now I am
done.
My next painting project
will be our bathroom.
We made a trip to Guerrero
Negro to get money, but only one of us had our debit card. I left
mine in my other wallet. I was so mad at myself because I didn't
think about checking to see if I had it and didn't realize it until
we were at the bank. So we could only get half the amount we usually
get. That will cut us short for the month. Dammit!!! Well at least
we could get some money and I will just have to be careful on our
spending. I had a friend who was going to Guerrero Negro with her
husband to do some shopping, and asked if I would like to go. They
would take me to the bank. So I told them absolutely!!! Well the
night before it rained all night and I was wondering how the roads
were going to be and if we were going to go. Mex 1 is filled with
potholes and some deep ones, and when filled with water you can't
tell how deep they are so it is dangerous. Well I didn't sleep much
and when 6:00am came around I got up and got dress as I was supposed
to be at their house at 7:00am. I finally called around 6:30am and
asked if they were still going and they said no. They didn't want to
travel on that road with the big trucks and potholes while raining.
I told them I didn't blame them and told them I thought that was
wise. So I didn't get to Guerrero negro. But I figured we would
make it to the end of the month without any problems. The only thing
I was concerned about was that a yard sale is coming up on March 3rd
and we are selling a bunch of stuff and I need to make change. But
we will deal with it when the time comes around. Needless to say it
rained most of the day and thank goodness we didn't have any flooding
in the neighborhood. We did have standing water but that was all.
Now the dessert is going to bloom and look beautiful and the allergy
season will start with a bang for me!!!! Yeah!!!
There was a work party at
the Museum in town so Dave and I went to help. My back wasn't the
greatest but I figured I could do something light. I really didn't
want to go, but since I use the Museum salon for displaying my arts
and crafts at the November show, I figured I should help. So we went
and Dave and I ended up cleaning a case that housed an old pair of
binoculars, an ink well and a woven basket that was used to carry
those items. Very delicate work but it was fun. Then I moved on to
clean a clay pot and then the outside of a display case that had a
dead bobcat skin inside. The museum is really great with a lot of
history of the area. The director of the museum ordered in lunch
which was Mexican, and we had a great time visiting with the people
and eating a warm lunch. Dave and I left after lunch and did some
grocery shopping and as we were finishing we noticed the sky had
turned cloudy and it looked like it was going to rain. We were
hoping it would hold off until we got home. There was no rain
foretasted so it surprised us. It had been sunny and warm in the
morning. The other reason we hoped it wouldn't rain was on the old
truck, which we were driving, doesn't have workable windshield
wipers. Oh boy!!!! We headed home and were just a little ways out
of town when it started to rain. It didn't rain hard but it was
steady and didn't help see the road too well. But we made it home
safely. Once the groceries were put away I sat down and put ice on
my back. I think I would like to do the work party again next year
and maybe be able to take on some bigger jobs. Oh I also put up a
paper towel holder in the bathroom which was fun as I got to drill a
hole for a molly and then put the holder up. Love working with
tools!!!!
Gas prices are getting
high here and I have noticed grocery prices going up, but the
groceries are still cheaper here than in the states. Gas is about
the same here as in the states but the Mexican people are struggling
from the high price of gasoline and diesel. We don't know how they
manage but somehow they do. They are amazing people.
We are making another trip
to Guerrero Negro. It is the last day of the month and 3 days before
the yard sale so we thought it was a good time to go. No rain so it
was a fairly good trip. The pot holes are still there getting
bigger. Dave is such a great driver as he can avoid running over the
holes most of the time. Some holes are so big they are in both the
south bound and north bound lanes. It is only 2 lanes. Yes!!!! I
did have my card with me!!!!! Yahoo!!! We got our money and came
right back home. So now we don't have to watch our money so closely
and we will have some change for the yard sale.
Waiting for warmer weather
so hope March brings it!!!
