Summer Activities - A Lot Going On

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

Recovered from our month-long trip and visitors in May, we have been just as busy now that we are back home.  On my part, I've done some minor repairs and painting.  Like any house, ours moves with the temperatures.  Concrete and cement block aren't quite as forgiving.  

The wall in the hallway developed a nice crack that started about 40 centimeters up from the floor and ran for about a meter and a half.  I chiseled it out and attempted to spackle and paint it.  The paint matches perfectly but the two spackles I used were less than perfect.  Ond small area was pretty deep, so the spackle had to be applied in layers.  In the end, it required some sanding to get it 90% smooth, but it will do for now.  I now want to take a class on how to mix and spread plaster.  It's an art for sure.  

We are planning on having one of the bedrooms semi-remodeled.  That will include moving some outlets around and using some with USB connections.  The flat screen has a canal strip to hide the cord.  It was originally used to bring the cable down from the dish years ago.  We haven't had cable tv for over 15 years.  For me, it was just a waste of time, all that clicking with no satisfying results.  YouTube and Netflix work fine for us, and we watch live television on YouTube as well.  Also, replacing the closet.  When we bought the place back in 2001, we were tight on cash and installed cheap. So every closet has sliding mirror doors.  Enough with the mirrors!  I'm so old now I don't care to look at myself.  Especially getting dressed, uff!

I don't want to jinx myself, but we may have a buyer for the travel trailer.  While we were gone during the month of May, I took the ad down from Facebook Marketplace.  It's back on, but a lot of squirrelly people contact me.  One guy was a bit mysterious at first.  It turns out he is in the Frozen On Ice show that travels around Mexico and Central America.  He is looking for a small trailer for his son, who is in the troupe as he is getting married.  They need their own pad.  Hopefully, it will come through.  I wasn't going to post anything, but I couldn't hold back.

Hurricane Erick was supposed to strike with vengeance, but it has petered out.  Today is the last forecasted day of rain.  We had two short showers last week, and it gave us a slight sprinkling while I was out for my exercise yesterday.  Every little bit helps though, and the grass remains green considering the heat has been pretty intense.

A family party yesterday.  Juan's nieces and nephews from his oldest sister came along with their kids and grandkids, as well as his little brother and two of their kids.  Makes for quite a bunch.  They made discada, which is a combination of chorizo, salchicha, shrimp, bacon, beef, bell peppers and onions cooked on a shallow wok-type disk, hence the name discada.  Everyone brought something.  We also had hamburgers and hotdogs for the kids.  They get tired of carne asada.  Turns out, the adults wanted my delicious homemade hamburgers, and the chili I made for the hot dogs.  Go figure!  Pool time and lots of conversation.  

Juan with one of his great-great nieces.

The cardiologist is still trying to figure out what is up with my non-existent heart (yes, I don't have one!).  I don't know if I told you about my hospitalization event before we went to Italy.  That passed and we took the trip.  Back home, there was a stress test and then last week an angiogram.  That was something new.  I get those results on the 3rd of July.  Heart disease is in my family history.  With ten siblings, three have had the bypass, and my oldest brother, who is 85, just had his fourth stent inserted.  Still going strong after that and his shoulder replacement surgery.  He's back to gardening and driving around with his girlfriend.  

Mexico news will be in another post. We're going downhill fast.  I have also written a post on deportations, both legal and illegal, but it seems too controversial to post at this time.