Ending 2020 With A Bang

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com 

Sometimes blog titles can be hard to come by and also misleading.  I've seen some that really attract my attention only to find out it's not what you would have thought.  The year has come to a close and I have to say, all things considered, it has been a good year.  I retired in March and received my U.S. pension.  My Mexican pension is only eight months away and it's almost a double bonus as I will not be making those additional contribution payments.  

We've done a lot of maintenance around the house, mostly painting and small repairs.  We remodeled our kitchen and the pool and resodded areas of the yard with still more design work to go.  I read a lot of books and watched many, many movies.  My conclusion on movies is that I am a film noire fan.  We have really enjoyed watching movies from the 30s through the 50s along with Alfred Hitchcock Hour, One Step Beyond and Boris Karloff's Thriller series.  

Lots of aromas have come out of the kitchen including new dishes, cakes, cookies and most of all whole wheat breads.  We beefed up our spice cabinet and tried new recipes.  Even with my 10 km power walks and weight routine I managed to put on 8 pounds.  But, that has always been a yo-yo thing for me ever since I was a kid.  Some are born thin, some are born chubby.  There's always that one person who says, "I can eat whatever I want and never gain a pound".  Well good for you!  

One interesting yet puzzling thing that happened recently is the stimulus check coming from the U.S. government.  When I applied for social security they interviewed me via telephone from the U.S. consulate in Cd. Juarez.  I started receiving direct deposits and have not had an issues with my account.  Two weeks ago, I happened to see a letter in our mailbox by the gate.  It was from the U.S. government saying that I was approved for a stimulus check.  

Tell me if my logic is right or wrong.  The letter dated November the 6th (Mexico has a lousy postal service and it took seven weeks to arrive) states that I was approved for the stimulus.  It also states that they will be sending me a check in the mail to my Mexican address.  WHAT?  I've given up on all government, doesn't matter what country it is.  Amazing. 

We've been zooming with friends and family lately and that seems to work out well.  We find though that one on one works best, be it individuals or couples.  Too many screens and too many people wanting to talk at the same time.

As for Christmas, we don't usually buy gifts anymore.  We have everything we need and we don't buy much in the way of clothes.  I did buy my yearly supply of underwear and socks and that will work for another year.  However, I couldn't resist ordering online.  It's nice when someone rings the doorbell and delivers a package.  Juan received an Adidas jacket and some airpods for his phone.  I got a Smart watch to track my exercise, blood pressure and pulse among other things.  It works really well and the blood pressure matches 100% to our BP machine.  Our caravan to the south of the state took off without us because of the virus.  We did manage to send clothing we collected along with lots of groceries and water.  That's the best we could do this year. 

One more homemade pizza to make for dinner tonight and that will be it for a while.  I have to admit, my big downfall the past few months has been cheese.  It's not good to have it in the house.  Another rule we are trying to put into effect is for Juan not to go get the newspaper, or stop for something "essential" and then walk in the door with all kinds of evils we don't need to eat.  

I could go on and I guess posting every couple of days would be better but life at Quinta Aruanda doesn't change much from day to day.  

Have a wonderful New Year, this one's been good but it will get better.  We're looking forward to the vaccines and getting out on the road as time heals the pandemic.  Be safe, wear a mask and keep away from others.

Mexico now has 125,000 COVID deaths as I had predicted and the U.S. 335,000.  The globe is at 1,800,000 and we are still in the beginnings of the second wave.