Rummi Kub Group

My lovely guests from left to right: Marta, Sylvia, Mary (sitting) Pilar (standing) Leti, Cecilia and Mercedes

One of the things I love about La Paz are the many varied activities one can get themselves into if they have the inclination.  Recently, a friend invited me to play in their Rummi group.  Needless to say, I felt very flattered as these groups get formed and they stay the size they are. The people (in this case, ladies) get comfortable with each other and know what and what not to talk about.  These get-togethers are like therapy sessions you might pay a lot of money for!  Problems are hashed out, peoples lives are up-dated and general goodwill is performed.  One of the ladies in this group has had health issues for a while, so the ladies of the group decided they would gather all the clothing items, kitchen gadgetry, appliances, furniture and general "stuff" they didn't use any more and have a huge garage sale to raise funds for her surgery.  The garage sale was so successful that it has turned into an on-going money raiser for her.  I had the pleasure of volunteering some time at the garage sale and I not only contributed "stuff", I brought home purchases!  I call that a win-win. 

Another thing about this group is that they serve a full dinner before they play, not just little snackies like chips or nuts!  Last Friday was to be my first time hosting and I was stressed. What to serve? What will they think when they see I am furniture challenged but actually like it this way? Would they be able to relax with someone they've only met on a couple of occasions? And, none of these ladies speak English, or if they do they keep it to themselves!

Well, I am happy to report that all went well!  The ladies arrived at 8:30 p.m. (normally my bed time, but I had prepared at 3:00 p.m. with a cup of black coffee and a chocolate cupcake)! There were about five women that couldn't make it.  I decided to make something the ladies may never have tried, so I made Spring Rolls, Jaye was kind enough to come over and help me make Chicken Curry, I steamed up some rice and made lemon pies for dessert!

Dinner was a hit, the ladies were kind, gracious and ate everything!  I can't wait until it's my turn again, but next time I won't be so stressed about it.  Yeah, right!  I might mention that the party ended after midnight and I stayed awake for the whole thing!

Snacks

Spring Rolls

Jaye's Chicken Curry

Lemon Cream Pie

Sixty Four Years Old! Wow!

This morning I woke up reflecting on what all has happened in my sixty-four years of life on this earth.  It has been a pretty great run, much sadness but also a lot of happiness.  While some people refuse to share their age, I am happy to be 64!

Birthdays are strange, aren’t they?  When we are young, we can’t wait to be older and when we are older, we want to stop counting the years. We wish we didn’t have gray hair or laugh lines or flabby arms.  We get to be this age and we start losing our moms, dads, spouses and friends to old age and diseases.  Our memory takes a trip to, who knows where! And we get hitches in our giddy-up’s, as my father-in-law used to say. 

Sometimes I can’t understand why I am still on this earth.   What freak thing happens that allows someone very sick to live on and others that are healthy to not survive?  We don’t have the answers to these questions, wouldn’t it be great if we did? 

But, I’m here. I have gray hair, many laugh lines, flabby arms and a few other things that weren’t there when I was 20!  Just so you know, I happen to love my gray hair, I’m even okay with the wrinkles that we call “laugh lines”, and about those flabby arms………3/4” sleeves!   Great invention!

Thank you all for wonderful birthday wishes!

From left to right sitting are Julie, Mai, me with the pool hair, Mercedes. Standing from left to right are Linda, Ginger and Lorraine.

Paulette Comes A Visiting!

On Monday, July 2nd, Paulette arrived in La Paz.  Looking for a life change, she was thinking maybe La Paz would be the place to do just that.  The first couple of days were unusually cool for July in La Paz, we ate at outdoor restaurants and indoor ones as well. We never did make it to the hot dog cart.  We went to the beach on a couple of occasions, the water was absolutely delicious!  On Thursday we had a party with about twenty ladies. It had been a while since Casa Ana hosted a party but everything went well and we had great pot luck appetizers.  I'd have to say the winners were Jaye's  little quiches and Fern's Mexican egg rolls.  Don't get me wrong, it was all great!   We also went to an Awards dinner on the 4th of July given after the sailboat races in the bay. 
Being the interior designer that Paulette is, she started rummaging thru my cupboards to see what she could find to decorate with.  It amazes me that she could turn a plain room into something that would appear in House Beautiful!
I think Paulette got a pretty good idea of what life in La Paz can be like.  She made instant friends and has decided to take the plunge!  We look forward to having her in our community!



Lovely Paulette

From left to right, Penny, Sheryl, Fern and Jaye

From left to right, Lorraine, Mercedes, Sandy and Linda

From left to right, Terry, Ana, Yvonne and Corrine

I'm sorry I didn't get photos of the ladies that were visiting in the kitchen, we will get you next time at our next party! We all decided it was great fun and that we should do it more often. 

This morning, as usual, I headed to the kitchen, in my morning fog, to get that first and much anticipated cup of coffee.  A couple of sips later I was sitting at my computer ready to catch up on world events.  Nothing serious, we’re talking about “my” world. 

The first thing for me is to open my email.  This morning, I opened my mail and you can’t imagine what I felt when I saw an email come thru from “Steve Hall”.  I froze and stared, wondering and trying to conjure up how many Steve Halls’s I knew.  Of course, I hoped it was a long delayed message Steve may have written before he died.  I cried, I blew my nose and as stupid as it seems, I opened it hoping that I would not be disappointed.  I didn’t click on the link, I’m not THAT dumb!

But, no, it was some STUPID, STUPID person that hijacked Steve’s email contacts. 

I would like very much to know what these people get out of sending these links.  I don't understand. 

New Beginnings

Steve and I had a favorite restaurant called “Café Maria’s”. A year and a half ago, Maria’s husband, Jorge, suddenly passed away.  Maria, an older Mexican lady, conformed to tradition and wore dark colors for the appropriate length of time.  Soon after that, Maria began to repair her restaurant – she painted and laid new flooring and generally spiffed up the place. Steve and I tried to figure it out.  Why do some people wait until the loss of their mate to change their surroundings?

Is it a financial decision? Or lack of time?  Perhaps couples become so comfortable with their lives they aren’t motivated to make changes.  Possibly, they’re so busy enjoying each other that repairs are postponed to manana.

It’s true that Steve and I were so busy enjoying our lives together that we didn’t notice that the frames around our bedroom doors had wood putty on them since we bought the house five years ago!  Steve would never hire a handyman since he planned to do the work himself – tomorrow. But women like Maria and I can’t do the work ourselves so we merely need to pick up the phone and a worker will come today. . Also, I think we just need to keep moving, keep moving to forget.

But Steve and Jorge are no longer here.  Today I watched the painter transform “our” house into “my” house using bright and bold colors and I had an “aha moment”.  It was time, it was time to let go, move on and start a new life full of color.  Color, I might add, chosen by (in alphabetical order! Donna, Judy, Linda, and Victoria).  My Victoria, always at the end of the alphabetical line-up. 

Would Steve be happy with my choices? A periwinkle and chartreuse kitchen? Or the chartreuse, margarita lime and cinnamon living room? And the sea foam green and dark chocolate bedroom?  I know, exactly, what he would say.  Steve would say, “Whatever you want, Ana”, because that is what he always said!

A new mirror adds a splash of interest.

What the mirror reflects.

I love the "new" living room, it's cheerful and light!

Measure of a Man Part Two

Well, Friday will mark a year that Steve has been gone.  It has been a very tough year.  It is very strange when you get too this point, I’ve been here before with my mom and sister.  It seems like yesterday that we were walking, hand in hand down the Malecon,  yet, it seems like an eternity since I’ve seen him.  I still wait for him to come back and hope that this has all been a big fat joke but I know he won’t and I know it isn’t. 

Everyday I’m asked how I am doing.  It was the right decision to come back and stay in La Paz. Our friends here have been phenomenal, always checking up and including me in their plans.  It is difficult, looking around a dinner table and seeing three couples and me.  But, even that is getting easier.    I talk to Steve every day, many days I still cry and there are those days I don’t.  

My card making has kept me very busy,  and Molly (the dog) has been a true blessing. 

So, when you sit down to dinner on Friday night and you have your glass of wine or margarita in hand, please raise it for Steve, I know I will.

Thank you everyone for helping in this transition. 

Happy Birthday to Marc!

Okay, I know I'm the mom but you all have to agree that this is one good looking guy! Marc turns 42 years old today!  Funny how your kids grow up in a blink of an eye. Before you realize it you are finished with diapers, potty training, sleep-overs, and school.  One thing is for certain, a parent never stops worrying about and loving their children.  It is a wonderful place to be when your baby talks to you with the concern of a parent.  That is when you know you have done a decent job and you can sit back and relax and grow old in peace, all is well.  

I love you Marc! Happy Birthday

Molly Is Here To Stay

Back and forth, back and forth I went on Molly.  One day I was giving her back the next I was keeping her.  I've had Molly for four whole days and yesterday was the turning point.  She must have heard me speaking on the phone, complaining about how she eats, I have to clean up her poop, and she wouldn't bark at anything but birds!  I'd look at her and say "Molly, what am I getting out of this?" 
Molly doesn't have one favorite piece of furniture, she spends equal amounts of time sleeping on all of the chairs!
Day before yesterday I was heading out for the evening with friends and decided to leave Molly in the house.  She wasn't too happy but settled down after a few minutes.  About five minutes went by while I was waiting for my ride and I decided to peek in the window to see which chair Molly was sleeping in.  Ha!  Molly wasn't sleeping at all, in fact, she had used the chair I left by the table, climbed up and was walking all over my computer on top of the table!  That was not good!  She was going back for sure!
I made her go outside where she spent the evening until I returned.  When I did get back home she was so sorry and so glad to see me that I thought "how can I make her go back?"  And then, the next morning the door bell rings and Molly barked!  Real barks, not sissy dog barks!  That is when I decided that Molly was staying.   Molly and I are a pair now, she finally has a home that she can protect and call her own and I have a companion, AND a watch dog.  I still have to shovel poop but she loves me, I know she does.

Good Golly Miss Molly!

Meet Molly, not sure if she has a last name, but it may turn out to be Hall!  No one is quite sure how old Molly is, the concensus is she is somewhere between two and three years old.  Molly is a Schnauzer, has silver gray coloring with very light brown eyes and a tail that never stops wagging.  Molly also has this "thing" she does with her leg, putting it up in the air as though she is asking for something but other than affection I haven't figured out what that can be.  I think she will be a good walking buddy and I'm pretty happy she likes my cooking, although, how hard is kibble in a bowl! 
I've committed to keeping her for a week, that should be enough time for me to fall in love with her. A week should also give her enough time to run and high tail it away from me like Willie did! 

Remember Willie? Well, he left the nest

I called and called, I think you know the rest

Crazy dog, he had it all

I thought he loved that yellow, rubber ball

But even that he left behind

He didn’t even seem to mind

Now I’m left with food, treats and toys

I don’t know about those fickle, fickle boys!


Okay, you made it thru that, the rest is easy!
After Willie ran away, I decided that he was just too much dog for me so he has become a ward of the La Paz Dog Whisperer and tomorrow I will meet dog number two, Molly. 

Molly is a Schnauzer, I think she is two years old and a dear.  We shall see. 

I shall keep you posted on the dog thing, everything else is great! La Paz is beautiful as always and today was a sleeveless day! 

Happy Holidays to all of you!

Willie Saves The Day

Let me start out by saying that Willie has become very possesive of me and our home!  He doesn't seem to like men, especially Mexican men. 
Now, for the story:  Judy R. told me time and again "be careful with those metal doors you have in the kitchen because if they close on you they lock and you can't get back in."  Well, that is exactly what happened just l/2 hour ago!  I went out to the laundry room to hang up clothes and "WHOP" the door closed!  My first thought was "no problem, the guy that made the doors said they wouldn't lock on me". After I finished hanging the clothes I went to re-enter the house and......you got it.......door was locked! My heart started pounding and I started to get that claustrophobic feeling one gets just before they know there is no escape!  As Victoria would say, I thought "what the f---k"!  Then I started to think rationally about my options:
1) The Alamo guys were next door, but Willie won't allow anyone in the yard. By the way, where is Willie?
2)  I could call someone, but wait, I didn't have my cell phone.
3)  I could wait until someone missed me but that wouldn't be until  tomorrow, at the earliest, when Crit comes at 11:00 a.m. but when I don't answer the door she will figure I forgot and she will leave!
4)  I could use the hidden key, but wait, there is NO hidden key!
5)  I could break the window between the laundry room and the kitchen but there are bars on the window to keep people out!  Maybe if I broke the glass, my arm would be long enough to reach the handle on the door. Nope, arm isn't quite long enough.
6)  Okay, think Ana, think.
A Plan: 
1)  Get some rope ready.
2)  Call Willie and make lots of noise so he will come running.
3)  Tie Willie up and yell for the car wash kids to come and walk into my house and open the door for me.
Well: 

1) I made a lot of racket and Willie, bless his heart, came running.
2) I had a nice length of rope that Christina had left for me to tie a tarp onto her car when it gets here.
3) First, I tied Willie up real close to the outside bars of the laundry room, I knew he would have a fit if he saw one of the Mexican kids from next door in our yard so I tied and held him real close to the bars.
4) Next, I yelled my fool head off and finally one of the kids climbs up the wall and says "whatsup"?
    I asked him if he could climb over the wall and into the house and open the door for me, which he
    did.
5)  Just as I suspected, I thought Willie was going to have a heart attack watching this kid climb over the wall!  Poor Willie!  Oh wait, poor me, I'm the one locked up!

You know what?  Willie came when I called, he stood real close to the bars so I could tie a length of rope on him and he let me be rescued!  He barked because he was supposed to bark, he just wanted them to know that he's vicious! It would have been easier to be rescued without the stress of thinking he might maul someone to death, but we did the best we could and it worked out.
Thank you Willie!  Thank you Mexican kid next door!

New Man In My Life

I know, I know, its only been eight months but I couldn't stand the lonliness!  Meet Willie, he isn't as tall as Steve but seems as gentle and loving.  Willie is here on a trial basis, I know nothing about dogs but hopefully we will live happily ever after. 

Home Again, Home Again!

As Victoria and I pack up the car and get ready to head South I can't help but think the first thing I am going to do when I walk in the house is look to my left and see if  Steve is sitting in his big ole Papa chair grinning that special grin.  If I do, I think I will have died and gone to heaven or maybe I will finally wake up from a really bad dream. 
 
The No Worries is clean, spiffed up and listed with a broker, all is well on that front. 

I look forward to a friend-filled year ahead! 

Sarah and Nate Get Married

Port Townsend, Washington, September 3, 2011 a beautiful day for a wedding.  This was probably the quickest wedding I've ever been to, but it was beautiful.  We ate, we drank, we danced, we met people we knew only by name.  What a great day!  These are only the pictures I took, I understand the photographer took over 1000!  Perhaps Nate and Sarah will share and I can do something with those later.

Contratulations Sarah and Nate!

Summer Travels

They say (not sure who) that time heals all wounds.  I'm not sure about that, but life definitely goes on if you want it to or not.  I've spent the last month in Sedona with Mark, Christina and my grandsons, Rylan and Keenan.  I found a photo of the three of us and thought it was time for another.  These little boys are so full of life and energy there is money to be made in bottling it! 

Keenan, Ana, Rylan 2008

Rylan, Ana, Keenan 2011

Next week, Seattle! 

What Do I Write About?

I find the easiest way to catch up on all the blogs out in blog land is to come to the "Casa Ana" blog to see who has updated their blog and then I just click away until I am caught up.  I'm sure you've all noticed that my "Casa Ana" blog sits alone and unattended.  Nothing seems right about it, the description is of two people, the parties and social functions they attend, the colors so bright and cheerful.  I've sat a few times strumming my fingers on the table trying to come up with something interesting to write, but nothing comes.  Another problem is that by adding new posts, my "Measure of a Man" moves farther and farther down until finally it will disappear and become a thing of the past and, for now, I'm just not ready for that.

So hang in there with me, I am making progress thanks to my wonderful bio-family and friend family. Thanks to David and Michael for doing chores on No Worries which I hope to get sold this fall. And, thanks to Bernd for taking on the challenge of selling No Worries for me.