Curtain Sew-a-thon

My current sewing machine.

At the age of ten, I was allowed to sign up for Singer sewing lessons at a department store in Toledo. I wanted to take ballet and be a Girl Scout, but my Mom said, "I've already been through all that with your brothers, and they always lost interest halfway through...so NO!"

She never learned how to sew and wanted me to have skills. I made my first dress in teh fifth grade, and I continued to make many of my own clothes throughout high school. Oh, she sent me to charm school too, but its results, as you may know, are questionable.

Since then, however, I have only sewn by hand. I´ve repaired thick sailcloth while underway at sea on our South Pacific Adventures. I´ve made all kinds of curtains with needle and thread. But when I had to make ten pair for the "cuartos" we built off on the Periférico that are almost ready for habitation, I decided to break out the old machine.

I bought one of the old Singer machines that has been motorized. It is a very popular machine in these parts, but most of the locals use the basic foot pedal. My machine hadn't been used since Lynne came from Alaska and made me curtains, back in October of 2007. I called in a home service mechanic, and 140 pesos (ten bucks) and an hour later I was ready to roll.

I went down to Parisina, one of many mind-boggling fabric stores in el centro to seek out fabric. I dove into the giant pile of remnants on the floor, which all happened to be the size I needed for panels. I was pushed around and whacked in the head with purses, knocked to the floor a couple of times. But I knew that would happen so I went prepared mentally. I got them back by smiling and laughing as if they were all accidental hits, and before I knew it the same women were helping me find matches to the fabrics I had in hand. All in all it was not a bad fabric store experience, and I had enough fabric to make ten sets PLUS new curtains upstairs and in my office.

New sheer curtains in upstairs guest room.

Of course I can do no project without the help of the commando. You can see how helpful they are. One more project finished, now we wait for the workers on the construction project who have a mysterious FLU to finish the last details, and voilá! We will be slum lords!

Guest Room Renovated

It has been nearly two years since my Mérida home found and captivated me. I remember walking through this massive all-white house taking tons of photos; my head swimming with ideas. When I returned to Kona to close out my house and affairs, I spent those three months with gel pens in hand dreaming about how I'd work with color in the new place.


I was starving for color. In Hawaii both men and women wear bright and often flowery clothing, but their homes are typically boring beige, white, or some other neutral shade. Inside and out. Our house in Kona was barely yellow outside and icy ice blue inside. The house was small and wouldn't have handled midnight blue, orange or gold walls.

By the time the albaniles handed me swatches of paint options I went completely wild. In my state of overwhelm, I had the upstairs guest room painted bright aqua. I think I forgot to actually go upstairs with the swatches, because the aqua clashed with the sage green tiles in the bathroom. It was fun for a while, but it eventually was too much to look at. I posted photos of the guest room back in Nov'08, if you'd like to compare the changes it underwent this past week.

Last week I painted the room white. It is now the ONLY room inside or outside the house that is white. And it seems larger, fresh, and refreshing. Here is what you see when you walk in the door.

I decided the cubby hole of a closet could remain aqua as a memorial to the room, and it alone in the corner is enough aqua for anyone. You can see why it took four coats of paint to cover.

The new curtains I made are quite sheer but I liked the fabric. If we need privacy or to avoid the sun, we'll have to use the venetian blinds.

And although it took a year and a half, I finally replaced the medicine cabinet that had no mirror. My sister-in-law felt that was the only thing the room was missing.

The Mermaid

This year my birthday fell on Easter Sunday. It brought back memories of Catholic Mass, which we attended daily at St. Hedwig's Elementary School in Toledo, Ohio. We kids got bored going to church every day, so we'd read the indexes in prayer books and find other ways to occupy our minds. I noticed then that my birthday would not fall on Easter Sunday until I was 45 years old. I could not imagine ever being 45 years old. Well, in 1998 my birthday fell on Easter. And 11 years later, on my birthday, Easter Sunday 2009, I realize I'd be quite happy celebrating my 45th birthday, but instead.....


I have learned that I like to celebrate my birthday for about a week before the actual date. I used to have panic attacks right before my birthday. I am not sure what that was about, I guess just the getting old factor and not having achieved all I want to do with my life. Now that I have accepted this aging process, I don't panic, instead I like to do things for ME....buy something I have been thinking about, go somewhere I have wanted to go, etc. I have trouble with the concept of putting ME first........but around my birthday I am pretty bold about it.


By the time my birthday arrives, I am done celebrating. The pre-birthday anxiety is gone and I can relax. Sunday I was doing just that. Relaxing in the hammock watching a little morning TV. The doorbell rang and my three women friends here, Jill, Theresa and Julia surprised me with a drop in visit. They sang to me and brought me a beautiful mermaid piñata. I have never had a piñata before. I don't plan to destroy it with a bat, instead I want to hang it on the wall.


The mermaid piñata.

Backing up a bit, on Friday Pablo and I went out to accomplish two things: obtain pool chemicals and have lunch. Everyone was out of pool chemicals, but we shopped our way through several places to find that out. I bought a jigsaw puzzle, new pants, picture frames, a raft to float in the pool, a little bambu fountain to zen up my office, another fan to keep the hot air circulating, etc. We looked for a place to have lunch all along the way. It was Good Friday and everything was closed. Everyone had gone to the beach. We then decided seafood sounded good and headed up to Progreso.


I know better than to go to Progreso on a holiday weekend. But we were just cruisin' so we went for it. It took us 20 minutes to get there, and 45 minutes to get through town traffic to Eladio's Restaurant on the waterfront.

Cars cruisin' the malecón and thousands of people enjoying the beach. (By Sunday there were over 100,000 visitors there!)

By the time we got to Eladio's, most of the lunch crowd was leaving. It was 4pm. We enjoyed a couple of tequilas, delicious fresh shrimp and octopus. It was at least 10° cooler at the beach, and we ate our lunch watching people play in the water. While at the restaurant, we bought a pile of pirated movies so we would have entertainment for the weekend. They sell movies that are currently showing at theaters, however they are pirated and you never know about the quality. Sometimes the recordings are bad, made in theaters with people's heads in the forefront, or the movies are in Russian with Spanish subtitles. But at $1.50 US each, it is worth the gamble.


On Sunday, after chatting with my visitors, Pablo got the new grill going. We decided to have carne asada and bbq'd vegetables poolside. He treated me like a queen all day. He got the fire going, seasoned and cooked the food, and brought me tequila and Coca Cola. I was in the swimming pool most of the afternoon. Pablo and I had lunch IN the pool. It was a very relaxing day. Later we watched two movies and went for a little drive around the ghost town Mérida.

All in all it was a good week and weekend. I allowed myself many liberties, including an occasional shot of tequila. This week I am seriously down to the grind, writing in the morning and working on repainting the upstairs room in the afternoon and sewing curtains in the evening. I have ten sets of curtains to make for the rooms out at the property, which should be completed this week (mañana). I have a function here on Friday. Our students are back this week, and life is back to normal.

This is the new keg style bbq. It reminds me of the giant kegger bbq we had on the sail trip from Hawaii to Samoa, Tonga and Fiji that our friend Homer made especially for the trip. We not only prepared some great meals on that grill, but we made lots of friends at anchorages. Above, I took the photo too late to show our beautiful grilled meat and veggies so all you see are a few overcooked tortillas.

Easter dinner in the pool....the only way to beat the heat.

Miscellaneous Ramblings

It is the second week of April. I've been concentrating on the book project, but I forgot to post any news or items of interest here. I promised no more cat photos, but I am indulging myself since my birthday is Sunday. Mokito is sitting behind the basil bush in the ground cover that looks great thanks to Pablo's diligent watering and constant care of the entire patio area. He is so cute I can't stop photographing him.


I was inspired to do some gardening on Sunday. It was still very hot this past weekend, and I spent three hours in the pool. As I read my book, drank my Gatorade, etc, I felt cooled off enough to plant some flower seeds, the new jasmine plant, prune the papaya tree out front, and generally do more work in the yard than I usually enjoy or tolerate. (Gardening is NOT my thing!) When sweat rolled into my eyes I decided to jump back into the pool.

Here is what is new.

Yep! Another kitty. I have a sinking feeling this is the fourth kitten from the litter that Momcat had....the ones we took out to the property. He is desperately seeking residence here. He made friends with Mokito, who loves everyone. Of course Moka wanted no part of him in her pride, but he is sweet talking even her into accepting him. He is a talker. Not a screamer like Sak Boox, but sort of an out loud purrer. Above he is wondering if he can come in to eat or if he should hit the high road.

Here he is wondering if he needs to scurry up the tree and vacate the premises. He is very cute. I imagine we will have him fixed and take him in, since we sent away his mom and siblings. We haven't named him because we are trying to avoid adopting another cat. I have to admit if I were a cat, I would want to weasel my way into this cathouse too. Even when it is over 100° outside, the cats find places to stay cool. They particularly like to sit poolside. Maybe we'll name him Weasel.

There are lots of flowers blooming in the patio. I wish I could remember the name of this mini tree, but I am brain dead and energyless today. They say it's the cold. Last week they said it was the heat. The real problem is that I am getting old. I have this love/hate relationship with my birthdays. I generally get stressed out about having one, but I always want to celebrate it anyhow. We didn't make plans to go anywhere for my birthday since it falls on Easter. The local people all head to the beaches and ruins and cenotes over Easter week, so if we go somewhere it will be after the holiday.

This is how I work at the computer. I have to set up chairs next to me for the cats. Moka prefers sleeping on top of the printer because she can attack it if it acts up. The others stay away from the desk and keyboard if I keep them close by and pet them enough. People who think cats are not loving must have weird cats. My cats require lovin' every day. They demand it. I work in some head scratching and sweet talking to allow me to take little mind breaks while struggling to think through this enormous project of writing a book. I think I have a name for it, and the project seems to be leading me in a specific direction now, which I see as a good sign.

Sak Boox drinks more water than any cat I've ever seen. They all drink from the swimming pool, and though we thought it wasn't good for them with chemicals and all, it sounds better than any standing water they might find in the bush. What Sak Boox prefers is to drink straight from the faucet or the 5 gallon jug spout. She will position herself and tell me, "I am ready!" Although I prefer to NOT allow cats on the kitchen counter, I usually let her come up and have a drink.

There are other things going on. The construction at the property is almost finished. I will post on it once we have it done. We have the bloggers Meet and Greet next week, and I look forward to meeting the other bloggers. An old friend of mine will be in Cancún next week and I would like to visit him and his family. I have known Lothar since I was about 12 years old. He is one of my oldest friends. Unfortunately, of all the cool places there are around here, the place I least enjoy driving to is Cancún. The toll road is hypnotizing as well as expensive, not to mention four hours of driving with nothing to see but road. So I am working that in my brain.

My pool exercisers are back. Once we topped the 100° mark last week, interest was peaked again. Now they are talking about evening swims in addition to morning swims. If we have the hot summer they are threatening, we will all have to live in the pool. The weather is confused right now. I may be brain dead today because of dehydration....again. Last week I was suckin' down all the liquid in sight, and this week I am not thirsty again. It was only 68° this morning. How's that for extremes? Anyhow, when it is cool outside we don't feel the thirst sensation but we still need to drink three times our weight in liquid every day.

This is all the rambling I will subject you to today. Mostly I wanted to say hi, I am still here plugging away, stumbling through life. Happy Easter to all of you from the Conejita de Pascua (the little easter bunny...me)!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I am searching for my brain cells and when I locate them will post a bitchin' story. Adios.

I tried four times to separate the paragraphs, so if they are still all stuck together, it must be a sign that this really was meant to be just a ramble!

Life in Paradise: Narcolepsy and Dehydration

Today is the second day in a row that I 've had what feels like narcolepsy in the middle of the day. The temperature reached 105.8°F, also the predicted high for the rest of the days this week. April is not quite here and we already feel the intense heat. As I write this at 8:30 pm it is still 95°F. According to Weather Underground the humidity is only 46%, but it's sticky humid. I have been anxiously awaiting the return of the hot weather, and after only a few days of high temperatures I find I need to re-acclimate myself.



This afternoon I was diligently editing my story in the comfortable new space and my eyes got heavy. I felt like a bobbing head doll. I was literally falling asleep at the desk and saw my concentration flutter like a dead leaf through the house in the hot breeze. Eventually I gave up and closed the file. I had no choice: I couldn't make a full sentence or hold a complete thought. I settled into a hammock with two fans blasting and completely zonked out. It would be three hours and nightfall before I could function again. And as I try to communicate this right now I would still rate my brain function below par.



This will be my third summer here. I'm no stranger to this heat. The way to beat the heat is to start all physical activities super early, allowing for a drooling nap or a good read....in a hammock...surrounded by fans, in the blazing hot afternoon. Tasks can be attempted again after sunset and some caffeine intake. Last week I dehydrated myself. How could I do that? I know I have to consume massive amounts of water and other liquids. Ok, so I had a few beers one night, but I thought for sure I drank enough beverages the following day to compensate. Once you have dehydrated yourself, it takes a few days to get right again. It is not a habit one wants to start.



I easily downed three liters of water a day the past two summers without giving it any thought. Over the winter months, however, water just wasn't appealing and I got sucked into the Cokes. They deliver cases of returnable bottles, which we all know contain the best tasting Coca Cola, and I succumbed to temptation. I limit the Cokes to 1 or 2 a day, and even so ONLY if I have been chugging back plenty of water, gatorade, lemonade, watermelon or other fresh juice, and/or iced tea.



I wondered if the swimming pool had anything to do with it. When the sun is high and heat is blasting, I get into the pool and move around. I take some sun with my exercise but also move into the shady half of the pool. Whoever put the roof over the pool was a genious. This is the first year the pool is heated. Now that the air temp is so high we probably don't need it, but even the water we pump into the pool is bordering on hot, so it is now heating itself. I like the warm water because it seems to change its texture into a thick silky velvety liquid. I can spend a long period of time in the pool when the water is just below body temperature. Then I am not thirsty, and yet I am refreshed. That can be dangerous.



There are a few hours every night when it cools down, but it calls for minimal sleepwear and a sheet instead of sweat shirts and the blanket we craved during our winter. Even regular t-shirts feel too hot and heavy in this heat. Mexico will spring ahead this weekend, and that will confuse the issue a little. I need to psyche myself up for the long summer in the steamy heat. It is extreme, but I have always preferred a tropical climate. The humidity makes my skin actually feel smooth and not like the wrinkled leathery mess it really is. Laundry is a bit of a hassle when we change our clothes a few times a day after sweating through them, but a dip in the pool, a cool shower and a generous sprinkling of talcum powder freshen us up so we can keep on going. I can work with all this if I just go with the Yucatecan flow. But I am going to have to trick myself into staying hydrated, and change my schedule so that I can pass out in the afternoon when necessary.

Spring Cleaning

Spring is in the air. The sun is in Aries. For whatever reason, I had to rearrange my surroundings.. I didn't want to buy anything new, but my desk was bugging me. It is a giant gray steel military size desk. It is the wrong height for me to type on the keyboard. My neck hurts. I don't think the chair with four pillows piled up was helping my back. After 10 hours writing the other day my feet and ankles were swollen.

I have been searching for a better desk for a while. I found the most practical and reasonable one at WalMart, which speaks for the quality of the piece. No matter! It is great. I now have my ergonomic work station. And I broke down and bought a chair. If I am ever going to finish this book and move on to other projects I have to like my workspace.

I made my office more comfortable by bringing the couch set from upstairs in here. The removal of the mammoth desk made room for plenty of other stuff. I feel like I have a place I can comfortably hang out, even if there are screaming kids in class outside. I reorganized all my beads, pens, papers, tools and materials. I always feel renewed when I get my shit in order. My mind feels less cluttered.

It was a great spring cleaning. I organized the cd's and put them on the shelves where the CD player is! Sounds simple, but I had the cd's in drawers across the room. I could never find what I was looking for because the cd's are not in their original jackets. Now they are labeled and handy.

We moved the big desk into the dining room. Everyone needs a place to create new piles. The desk attracts them. It was collecting too many distractions for me in the office. The dining room is big enough to handle it, and I think it looks good in its new location. I have high hopes that we can keep the kitchen table clear so we can sit down and eat without having to move miles of piles first.

I realized recently that other than tables, chairs and hammocks, there isn't anywhere to sit in this house. The living room furniture which was not comfortable to begin with, was taken over by the cats long ago. Yesterday I put some temporary slip covers on it and cleaned it up. I moved furniture around in the living rooms to accommodate the cats' toys. Pablo reinforced and improved their play station. They had toys all over the house, scratch blocks, etc. Now it is all in the living room and they can run and play and climb....and soon, roll in catnip.

Play Ball! Lions and Tigers!

The baseball stadium at the Parque de Kukulcán, home of LOS LEONES DE YUCATÁN.



Wednesday, March 25th was opening day for baseball....or beisbol....season here in México. Our team, the Leones de Yucatán played against the Tigres de Quintana Roo. It was an entertaining game. The Tigre opened the first inning with a run and the Leones followed with five runs! Off to a good start.

The last time I went to an inaugural baseball game was the LA Dodgers in 1979 (I think) where Fernando Valenzuela was the star, and thirty years later I watched his son, Fernando Valenzuela, open the season for the Leones in Mérida. Fernando hit a grand slam in the first inning, but slowed down considerably as the innings wore on. Hey, first time out for the season so I see it as a warm up game. We hope to have a strong season. We have some great players who last won the national championship in 2005. Wednesday The Tigres beat the Leones 10-8, but we put up a good fight.


The stadium reminded me of the days my brother Jay took me to see the Mudhens play in Toledo, Ohio. I don't remember the exact size, but it looked like a similar layout. Above the teams are being introduced. The Leones, whose colors are green, orange and white, on the left, and the Tigres on the right. We didn't catch any foul balls but we had great seats near the first base line.



A few differences I noted: They do not stop selling beer after the 7th inning. What if there are extra innings? A fan needs his beer. I noticed they were selling beer even after the game ended.

They have cheerleaders! For me that was a first at a baseball game. They didn't lead any cheers but they kept the male fans entertained during inning changes with their sexy salsa dances.

Although they have bat boys, they have ball girls. Good looking girls in short shorts and tight tops bounce out to the umpire with new balls every other pitch.

They eat different foods at Mexican ball games. Below is the kibi/piedra salesman. In his glass box he has the Lebanese treats ready to dress up with their repollo. Below him is the pepita, pistacchio and cacahuate (peanut) vendor. The vendors walk around with hot pizza in individual boxes, platters of fresh made tortas (sandwiches) on bolillos, tamales, corn on or off the cob with seasonings, candied apples of some sort, probably tamarind, air puffed chicharrones, cotton candy, frappuchinos, strawberries and cream, something that looked like Chinese stirfry but was actually Mexican nachos, home made potato chips and fried banana chips, candies, gum, cigarettes, etc. Also they walk around the stadium tossing out promotional items. This week I got a new pen and a handful of new cookies made by a local cookie producer. There was a lot going on, the atmosphere was light and happy, the spectators were good sports, and we had a lot of fun.