This Winter In Bahia

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 3^rd 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!!!