It's Been A Crazy Week

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

The last of our mole almendra (almond mole) we bought in February in San Miguel.  Thanks to the internet and technology we are able to order some more and have it shipped to the house.  It's really good.  Made with fresh pork and vegetable over rice with asparagus. 

For starters, I never reported back about my dentist's visit.  As I said, I went to IMSS which is no charge for cleanings, fillings, and emergency repairs.  It turns out, there was a mild infection under my permanent bridge.  The dentist gave me a prescription for antibiotics, pain killers and hydrogen peroxide (agua oxigenada).  The antibiotics were for five days and a mouth rinse with the peroxide three times a day.   I went back last Wednesday and she said all is well.  I asked about my dental appliances, of which I have many both removal and permanent, as I wondered if they needed changing out.  She's a smart cookie.  She said they all look fine and only get them replaced if you suffer any breaks or pain.  Dentists love to redo what's already been done, they don't make their money from x-rays and cleanings.

Tuesday I went to our U.S. mailbox in Monterrey.  I had ordered some vitamin C from Costco.  Costco Mexico doesn't sell 1000mg 500 capsule vitamin C.  No one else in Mexico does either.  GNC has 1000 mg but it costs four times as much.  No one has been able to tell me why vitamin C is so hard to come by in Mexico including Costco and why they don't carry it.  I parked and went in for my package and when I came out, the VW was dead as a doornail.  I looked up and unbeknownst to me, I had parked right in front of an LTH battery franchise.  Great!  Well not really.  They were closed for COVID.  You can see my car in the window's reflection.

The mailbox office is in the middle of Del Valle, the richest city in Mexico.  I was surrounded by BMWs and Mercedes so I knew no one would want to give me a jump (pasa de corriente).  There is a bank across the parking lot and I saw a guy with an ordinary car and shirt with a SEAT emblem.  He offered to give me a jump.  I drove to the next LTH about three miles down the avenue and got the new battery in less than 10 minutes.  They tried to sell me a supercharged battery with a million-year guarantee for 4260 pesos but I settled on what had been in the car for 2190 with a three-year guarantee.  BTW, if you ever see a car with the hood open, and someone with their hands held midway making fists, they are asking for a jump but probably don't have cables. 

I think the blue light is really cool.  What an inexpensive special effect!

The pool is now back in working order.  The water had turned green from the hurricane and heavy rains.  I had to add a clarifier.  If you are not familiar with how pools work, a clarifier is added to green pool water and filtered for 45 minutes.  After waiting 24 hours, all of the algae settle to the bottom and you vacuum it out.  This green water bypasses the filter and goes down the drain.  In our case, I use it to water the grass.  It has been exactly one week and we have not had to add any water, the water level has remained the same.  That means the replacement of pipes was in order and solved the problem.  

I cleaned out one of our sheds.  I found two pet carriers, a very nice cat basket with cushion, brand new, some medicines that are still good and cat and dog toys.   I am taking them tomorrow to a rescue center in town in hopes they will be a useful donation.   I also joined a pet-sitting FB page.  If I can't have a pet that doesn't mean I can't babysit one!   So I am offering short term pet-sitting here at home should someone have to take a short trip or for ex-pats drive to the border for something which would be convenient as they would pass by here going to Laredo or Reynosa. 

Cut the grass and trimmed so that is all done for the weekend.  I'm off to the town office to see why they haven't cut the grass along the road although I reported it over three weeks ago.  Then to buy pool supplies, chlorine and acid, and a quick trip to Allende to see if the worker has cleared the lot.  We may have a buyer but they want to see it cleared.