In the Middle of the Mess

Ten days before Christmas and yes, I have boxes all over the place.....but alas! they are not gift boxes nor are they wrapped. They are packed boxes or boxes waiting to be packed. I have made 11 trips to Raymondville with an assortment of stuff. And, I cannot really tell the difference....except for the mess....in my old house! Please note the picture of my temporary bed!!! Last week, I started checking about phone service and I found out that I don't have a lot of choices for internet. I contacted Sprint, my cell phone carrier, and discovered that I can use a "card" or whatever it is called and get internet service for my desktop. And, the little connection piece costs $300 + tax...however, it was a promotion until Friday of last week. It was free with a two year contract. So, I got it. Now, I am getting ready to take my computer apart and put it in the van. I will take it to Raymondville tomorrow and try to get it set up and working! I am so thankful that I called when I did....now during the 30 day trial period, I hope that it works and I will have good internet service and just use my cell phone, no landline, at least for now. Then also I contacted the moving company about the moving date. It cannot be scheduled until after January 5th due to heavy traffic on the international bridge and the company's vacation! And, the price for a medium sized U Haul type trailer is now up to $750. Oh, dear...I hope it doesn't keep going up in January. Well, it is back to packing and getting my computer ready for the trip to Raymondville. In about 1 month, I should be contracting the movers. But will this mess ever go away?.......

Moving On Again!

Well, almost all the blinds are up at the new house. Opie and I spent the night in Raymondville on Friday night after our Ladies' Christmas Celebration in Lasara. How nice it was NOT to have a long, dark drive to Reynosa. We slept on an inflatable mattress....not the best, but we did sleep. On Saturday, we went back to Reynosa and got the mirror for my chest of drawers. It would be hard to bring with other things. And, we slept in Raymondville for the second night. It was unbelievable to take only 15 minutes to get to church on Sunday morning. In the afternoon, my uncle helped me take the middle seat out of my van so I have more room for furniture. So, this will be another week of moving stuff to Raymondville!!! And, there are not many days before Christmas and NOT NEARLY ENOUGH days before I should have all my things in the new house. Thus begins another week of moving!!!!

Picking Up Speed.....as I Move!!!

On Monday, I went to make my last rent payment for the house in Reynosa. My deposit will cover the rent for all of January and I can use whatever time I need in February to finish up the cleaning and moving the cats and dogs in exchange for a window unit a/c and my gas stove. I am satisfied with our arrangement. Yesterday, my uncle and aunt who winter in So. Texas helped me get all the windows in my new house measured. Then we had a great lunch of Mexican food! Finally we went to Wal Mart and bought blinds for all the windows. Bro Balde from my church is scheduled to come and put up all the blinds tomorrow. I will be taking the first huge load to the new house tomorrow. Today, I will be packing....packing.....packing. So I am picking up speed as I move!!!!!

And The Moving Goes On.....

Another week has gone by and a glance at my countdown shows that as I write I have less than 48 days to complete this move. Wow! That is getting a little scary.

This week, I was able to set up accounts for gas, water, and lights and as of Tuesday everything will be in my name and I will be paying for the services. The wonderful news is that I did not have to pay a deposit for my electricity. I am so very thankful for that. I also met with the landlord, went over some things about the house, got the keys and paid the first month of rent. Then I was able to measure the windows for blinds and curtains. And, I looked again at how my furniture will fit. I have now taken four small loads of things to church and left everything in the office until I get the windows covered at the new house. I have another small load ready to go tomorrow.

Now, on Monday, I will get my retirement check so I will be doing the regular errands. On Tuesday, I hope to take my van to the dealership....it is making a funny noise I want them to check. On Wednesday, another load goes to Raymondville and I plan to buy the blinds and any curtain rods or brackets that I will need. Then one of the men from church is going to put up the blinds and curtain rods. I want to start playing Christian music and praying for protection and blessing in the house and for everyone who comes to visit. I will take another load plus Opie on Friday morning and hopefully, I can clean out the church office and set up for the Ladies Christmas Celebration that we will be having that night. On Friday night, Opie and I will be sleeping on an inflatable mattress in the new house for the first time. In the morning, we will go back to Reynosa, feed Chiquita and the cats, load up the van.....and go back to Raymondville to spend the night.

Well, those are the plans right now. I am so thankful for those who are praying for me during this rather stress-filled time. .....and the move continues...........

Another week passes....closer to my move

Well, another week has indeed passed. Mostly, I have been packing, boxes and bags and plastic tubs. They now decorate my living room, waiting for their trip to our new house. Then, there is the list-making! I have so many lists and so many items/things to do......but not one of them has been crossed out this week. I guess I am kind of in a holding pattern. I have all the information for connecting the utilities.....and will start working on that next week. Also, I will be signing the lease and getting the keys on Friday or Saturday of next week. Hopefully, things will start to speed up in another week or so.....especially since my countdown shows that the days are passing!!!! And, I keep on moving on........................

A Last Rose in Reynosa

Well, this morning, I trimmed bouganvillias and rosebushes.....I couldn't finish because there are still some rosebuds and I want to give them a chance to open and decorate my yard. I took a couple of pictures, realizing that this is the last time I will do the fall trimming here. I will have to leave behind my rosebushes. And, it makes me sad.

I will be leaving behind a lot.....really special friends, freshly made tortillas just down the block, a church that I spent lots of time attending, ministering in, and decorating. I will leave behind the real Pollo Loco restaurant,La Naranja--my friend Sara's restaurant, garbagemen who still use carts and horses, all the sounds of street venders, the extra slow, complicated way of doing things. I leave behind three lane highways that become five lane highways during rush hour. We (Opie and I) leave behind Maxie's husband and Opie's father, Carolino and his sister Carola. And, we leave behind two little graves...one for Chula and one for Maxie.

Tomorrow or the next day, I will consider all that I am taking with me and I will feel richer, blessed, and happy. But, for today, I am shedding some tears as I think about what will be left behind.

And, yes, I am moving on.......and it is okay.

Moving On Update

Just look at my countdown and you will see that I am approaching "two months" till I am moved to Raymondville. That is both encouraging and frightening....encouraging because a long drawn out moving process is tiring and frightening because there is so much to do. Right now, I have open boxes all over the house and I am organizing and packing in pieces while carrying on somewhat normal life here. Then, I have notebooks started....one has addresses that I will have to change and the other has measurements so I can see how things will (or will NOT) fit in the new house and lists of things that I will need to DO and BUY! NOTHING has been checked off BUT LOTS of things are being ADDED almost daily. I now know the mailing address of the house, that it is going to have a white hood for the stove (meaning that I need to buy a white stove which is fine since my refrigerator is white), and that I will need a shower curtain for the bathroom. I know that my living room curtains are too small for the new living room windows and that each bedroom has two windows. There is also a patio door which will need a curtain, two small windows in the laundry room, and one small window in the kitchen. I think I have decided to cover the one window in what will be my office/craft room with my entertainment center so it will only need blinds. It is the room that has patio doors so there will be windows or a way to have light in the room. Well, that is what I am thinking now. I am pretty sure that all my furniture will fit in the house....but I still need to get measurements to be sure. I learned that cats only need a current rabies shot in order to cross the international bridge....so I have to start updating their shots. Even though there is a terrible mess here (and Christmas decorating is probably not going to happen this year!), I am excited about my move. So that is where I am now.....and I am moving on.............

COUNTDOWNS!!!!!!!!!

My friend Tracie has a countdown to Christmas on her blog. Well, I am going to let her keep track of that for us.

I will do the countdown to my move: RIGHT NOW THERE ARE THREE MONTHS TILL I PLAN TO BE COMPLETELY MOVED!...November, December, and January!

THREE MONTHS TILL I LIVE IN RAYMONDVILLE, TEXAS!!!!!

Moving On!

Well, last time I tried to post, the lights went out and only the first paragraph of my post "made it." However, it is kind of prophetic since I talked about getting caught up and then moving on!

As for getting caught up, I had a wonderful time in Illinois. I shopped at all the stores I wanted to, ate at my favorite Rockford restaurants, walked on the Sinissippi Bike Path with Opie and my brother David, spent lots of time just talking with Mom and Dad, went to the Edwards Apple Orchard three times, had time with my brother Jon, sister in law Gwen, nephew Allen and his wife Anne when they came to Rockford for a weekend, had a family dinner at Rick and Jan's, had some time with Ben, Eric, and Lissa (Jan's three), had lunch with my Aunt Shirley,took a trip to northern Wisconsin to see my Aunt Myrtle, cousins Arvid and Gailon & Peggy, my Uncle Arnold and Aunt Gladys and cousin Grant, stopped at Norske Nook (wonderful food!) twice and MORE!!! It was a great time!!!

Soon after I got home, I learned about the remodeling on a house in Raymondville which will be ready to rent on Dec. 1st. SO I have decided to move. It will be hard to leave Reynosa as I have lived here for over 13 years and have some very strong ties here. However, it is important for me to be near the church I pastor and Raymondville is only 10 miles from the church. Also, I am not getting younger so it is a reasonable time to come back to the States, especially since I "retired" from my involvement in the church in Reynosa last December. In addition, this house meets my needs and some of my wants.....it is fenced, I can have my cats and dogs, it is big enough, the rent amount is about right, etc. I will start the process by packing here in Reynosa, having yard sales and celebrating Thanksgiving in Reynosa in November. In December I will bring van-loads of stuff to the "new" house, get lights, gas, and water turned on, get blinds and curtain rods put up....and celebrate Christmas. In January, I will get the large pieces of furniture moved and bring the cats and Chiquita the guard dog to Raymondville as well as finishing up packing, moving boxes to Raymondville, and cleaning the "old" house. In February, I will get my landline phone and my internet service in Raymondville and buy a new stove....an electric one since the one I have is gas. I also have to put up more secure fencing for Chiquita and pay off my computer which is a package deal with my phone, internet service and the computer here in Reynosa. SO the next blogs will probably be chronicles of the holidays and my move!!!!

So, yes, I am MOVING ON..........

Catch up

Well, I have neglected my blog for too long.....everytime I start to write something, I see all the pictures of Maxie and I get sad all over again. So, it is time to move on and catch up!

Maxie's farewell picture

At 2 a.m. on Thursday, Sept. 18th, Maxie had her final seizure and her little heart stopped beating. She was planning to go to Illinois with us to visit her Grammy and Grampy but she didn't make it. Her little body is buried in the church pet cemetery with a single rose on top of the grave.

I still cry when I fix only one plate of food...when only one set for four paws accompanies me through the house....when I get to sleep on my pillow all night because no one borrows it. I can't get rid of her clothes...she has lots of them. Memories of Maxie are all around me. She was my first "inside" dog, a real little snuggler, thought the vet was a spa, loved to have her tummy scratched and she was a great Mom to her 6 babies. I am so thankful that she left me Opie, even though he is sad now too.

We leave tomorrow morning for a trip to Illinois as we had planned. I know it will be wonderful to visit with my family and see the beauty of Illinois and Wisconsin. And maybe our hearts will start to mend. Maxie will always have a special place in my memories....along with Chula, Tiffany, Canela, Nicolasa, Heidi, Preciosa, Semafaro, Priscilla......and even Tippy, Trixie, Snookie from my childhood.

I have added lots of pictures and some comments about Maxie....they are in reverse order but you can enjoy them, if you wish.

Next to the last picture of Maxie

We had a picture-taking session because it was Mexican Independence Day on Sept. 16th and because Maxie had a balloon for her birthday which was on Aug. 15th. She was 5 years old. Maxie did really well posing with me, but she was doing a lot of trembling. She slept well that night and had a good day on Wednesday....she did the neighborhood watch, enjoyed eating chicken, and even went out to the fence to greet Mariela, our neighbor when she came home from school.

Mama, please get well!

Opie was so worried when his Mom, Maxie, stared having seizures. He would watch her closely and come for me if I wasn't right by her. When she went back to sleep, Opie would curl up right beside and take a nap too...but always with one eye open.

Neighborhood watch

Maxie loved to join Opie at the gate and watch the traffic on our street. They took their job very seriously and did a lot of barking and checking out the people who walked by our fence.

Confetti filled eggs

Maxie loved to find hidden confetti filled eggs and break them open. She enjoyed playing in all the bright colored pieces of confetti.

Pillows

Maxie loved pillows....all sizes and shapes. She loved to make a big pile of pillows and then snuggle down on top of them all. And she loved to take pillows away from me to add to her pile

Christmas, 2005

Maxie always loved dressing up. She wore dresses and fleece shirts or jackets and loved it!

Grammy with Opie and Maxie

Aren't we darling???

Opie is the black puppy with the most white showing. The other black puppy is Wendy Lou who lives in Minnesota and has turned almost white. Two of the other boys are Samson and Stryker who now live in Panama. Kiara lives in Veracruz and Carolina lives with her father down the street from us.

Proud mother of 6 puppies born on June 7, 2005

Maxie chose my bed for having her puppies and she wanted me right there beside her the whole time. The last little black boy puppy was not breathing when he was born. The vet told me how to help open his airways and start him breathing and then let Maxie take over. Between us, Opie was always the smallest of the batch, but he made it.

Tomorrow is my due date!

Well, I can't walk up the steps alone! All I can do is sleep, eat, and wait. The vet says I am having 2 or 3 puppies, but I think there are at least 10 babies about to be born. And he says I have another week to go. I will explode first.

Two and half weeks to go.

Yep! We are going to be parents!

Carolino and Maxie's wedding, April 1, 2005

Maxie's second Christmas

Maxie sees snow, Christmas Day, 2004

First trip to Illinois

I DID IT!!!!!!

I really did it!!! If you read my blog for the end of July/beginning of August, you will find the long list of things that would happen in August! EVERY SINGLE ONE HAPPENED!!! (of course, I didn't have a lot to do with Mom's surgery, Melissa's birthday, Allison's move to Albuquerque! LOL!!) But I don't have any carry-overs to September. I just thought you would want to know!!!! And since today is Labor Day, I won't even make a list for this month.

Just Didn't Work!

My list of things to do for today was done last night. I had direction for today! But at 5 a.m. I was awakened by Maxie's cries....another seizure and a bad one this time. So, I had to give her attention till she calmed down and then went to wash the quilt she had been laying on. Opie was ready to go outside and snoop! When he came in again, he even talked Maxie into having breakfast. I decided to go back to sleep for an hour or so....but of course, after doing all that, I just couldn't get back to sleep. Well, first on the list was a load of laundry, but there was no water! Okay....well, then I decided to go outside and work in the lawn for a while, but it started to rain. Well, then I will make chocolate chip cookies...except I didn't have any butter. By then, it was already noon and time for Mariela to go to school, so I went outside to wait for the bus to pick her up. Mariela is 14, my neighbor's daughter, and has afternoon classes. I was going to make a hotdog for lunch so I decided there was time enough to walk down the street to the little store and buy some potato chips to go with the hotdog....the store was closed! Mariela and her Mom came out and we walked back to the store which was now open and I bought my chips but Mariela wanted a bottle of water and they had NO water. I went back in the house and heated my hotdog, got out the mayo and mustard and .....you probably guessed it.....no hotdog bun or white bread. Well, just a hotdog and chips had to do. No water for laundry, too hot and too many mosquitos to work outside in the afternoon, no butter for making cookies.......well, I will work on making pictures for albums and calendars which will be Christmas presents. And, the printer for the computer ran out of colored ink! So, I used the stand alone printer for a while....until I needed a picture that is in the computer files before I can use the stand alone printer. Do I dare try to do anything else today????? I guess I have made progress, though, in learning one lesson. When my plans don't work out just like I want them to, I just change my plans without getting upset!!! After all, my list of things to do can be revised......at least, this time!!!

Really teeth-less and money-less

Here I sit in front of the computer.....with less teeth and less money! The surgery was fast and easy. I was well able to drive home before the pain started. I did have lots of pain all day yesterday and through the night. Since I have just taken some Tylenol, it is much better right now. The only problem is that Tylenol takes about 30 min. to start helping and then begins to wear off after about 2 hours. I am thinking that the pain will be less and less now that we are through the first 24 hours. The other problem is that I am really hungry.....but can't eat much. Juice and jello are not very filling. I am going to try chicken broth later on but it has to be cool....doesn't sound really good. Tomorrow I can have mashed potatoes if they are made extra soupy. I am sure that by next week when I have my follow up appointment, I will be well on the way to recovery from this. It is really quite minor.....but ouch!!!

Teeth-less and Money-less

Well, the date has finally arrived for me to have oral surgery! Ugh! Tomorrow morning (8/12), I will have two extractions, imbedded roots removed and the jaw bone scrapped. That doesn't sound like fun! My temporary partial plate will be put in before I leave the office to protect that area....about 1 1/2 inch incision. I will be able to drive home and then will spend the rest of the day and probably Wednesday, resting and letting my mouth heal. So, the bottom line is that when I leave the oral surgeon's tomorrow, I will be three teeth-less and definitely money-less!!!! (Oh, yes, I will be quiet and not eating a whole lot for a couple days too!)

A Little Bump in the Road

Well, we have a little bump in the road at my house. Maxie had a slight seizure yesterday. She seems to be fine today, just a little sleepy. She is alert, eating well, checking out all the house and neighborhood activities. I hope this is just a little bump in our road. It will be her 5th birthday on August 15th and we are planning an ice cream party for her! Also we have presents...actually a new outfit for Maxie and for Opie as birthday presents.....and as something new to wear when we go to Grammy and Grampy's house in Illinois!

What a Month!!!! July, 2008

July, 2008 will be in my memory for a long time. This month holds an unusual amount of note-worthy happenings. I think I will just make a list!

• July 1--paid bills with my retirement check. had extra bills because I had to pay renters insurance this month and am saving for my dental surgery
• July 2--took the Reynosa church ladies to Sam's, City Club, and Soriana here in Reynosa
• July 3--my favorite brother in law's birthday
• July 4--took Opie and Maxie to be groomed
• July 5--prepared for church, it was really raining!
• July 6--started on my way to church in pouring down rain, soaked before I ever got out of the yard, the engine light came on and I decided to go home. There was church in Lasara, the members took over!!!
• July 7--checked on what to do about the van, made an appointment for early Tuesday morning
• July 8--spent the day at the Ford agency, the throttle body needed to be replaced, also the main coil, etc etc. and the van had to spend the night in McAllen. My neighbor Lupita met me at the international bridge so I could get home.
• July 9--Lupita, the girls and I went shopping at Wal Mart, I picked up lunch, and waited till late afternoon...and got the van back. It cost me all my dental savings and the amount the warranty paid. Now I am back to square one for the dental surgery.
• July 10--took Chiquita for her flea/tick bath and shots
• July 12--I performed a wedding for Nueva Vida church family members
• July 13--good services at church even if attendance was some down
• July 14--took the marriage license to the county courthouse and visited Sis Diana, our assistant financial secretary and praise and worship leader
• July 15 to19--the only normal days this month
• July 20--super wonderful, blessed services at Nueva Vida
• July 21--it looks like Tropical Storm Dolly might hit us, went to McAllen to get some supplies
• July 22--spent all day getting cats and guard dog cages, etc into the house, all the yard stuff into the cathouse/utility room, preparing for Tropical Storm Dolly which is heading our way (it will be the third direct hit of a hurricane I have experienced, although I have been in the edges of several others)
• July 23--all day, we waited and watched. Dolly became a hurricane, winds and rain picked up, it hit land near Padre Island and headed toward Raymondville and Lasara (our church) and the side bands started to hit here about 3 p.m. We lost power off and on. Around 8 p.m. a tree fell on my van. The lights went off for good at 10 p.m. We laid in bed and listened to the storm.
• July 24-- Lights came on at 4:30 a.m. and the wind and rain slowed down and almost stopped by 8 a.m. I can see the windows and the tires of my van...they are good. My garbage collector, Don Ebodio, is coming to remove the tree. Well, by the time he got here, I realized that I would have to remove three trees, branches from the others and I had a leak in the laundry room. The tree came off my van early in the evening...finally....and it has just a small dent. Angels were holding that tree, I am sure. After all the work we did, I was so tired, I could hardly sleep.
• July 25--I checked on the church and the church members. There was damage to some homes, some trees down, some without lights and telephone service, but no one was injured. The church sign blew down and one side (we have a two-sided sign) is gone but no other damage. Praise the Lord! Don Ebodio worked on removing trees and I cleaned the mess in the yard in parts. It is too wet to try to get the cats and guard dog outside yet.
• July 26--due to flooded roads, no electricity, people having to clean up, we decided not to have services on Sunday. It seems there is not even a safe way for me to get there from the south!
• July 27--A big VICTORY..Maxie has been free of seizures for one month today!! I went to McAllen for a newspaper, my mail, and a few groceries. And I rested my weary bones. I found out that my nephew Allen quit his job and he and his wife Anne are moving back to the DesMoines area from Bolivar, Mo. with NO JOB...a big step of faith.
• July 28--had people come to give me estimates on the repair of the fence for the dogs' kennels (it was damaged when the trees came down) and for the roof repair. This is getting expensive....$300 for tree removal, $150 for fence repair, and the owner of the house will pay for the roof repair. The fence cannot be fixed until the trees are completely removed and the roof repair will be scheduled probably for Sept because of all the work that is ahead of mine. The police came and dragged (literally) away two of the men (check on the parade posting from back in May, I think) from the houses behind mine! Pretty noisy and exciting for about 10 minutes. Will it mean more peace for us???
• July 29--My nephew Eric had his 20th birthday. I got the guard dog and the cats back outside...what a stinky presence they have left behind, Franklin (my neighbor's not house broken poodle) and Charleton (their fish) came to spend a week with us while their family is vacationing in Cancun. I made muffins, fixed red grapes, cereal/raisins/almonds/M&Ms in ziplocks and juice pouches for their breakfast and the first part of the trip. We learn that Timo, the 13 year old son, of my dear friends who are missionaries in Malawi, has meningitis. I stayed up all night praying, watching for email/blog information on his condition, praying that an air ambulance will get there and take him to Johannesburg, So Africa to a better facility.
• July 30--the plane finally arrived and he and his parents are in Johannesburg. We have to constantly keep prayers going up for his soon recovery. Meanwhile, I am juggling feeding and walking one guard dog, my two poodles who are very possessive of me and jealous of any attention given to Franklin, my 4 cats, the neighbor's cat Esquishi--they moved to Veracruz 2 years ago and couldn't take him so he lives in the alley and eats at my house--, Franklin, and Charleton the fish. And I am reading and forwarding emails and praying for Timo and the family.
• July 31--Same routine with feeding and walking all the critters, still cleaning up the yard...and it looks like that will go on into next week. Timo is stable but very serious, so we still have to keep the prayers going up. Another friend might just have found a house to buy, a big answer to more prayers.

Tomorrow will be August 1st and I will go to McAllen to get my retirement check and pay bills and do errands. August does not look like it will be a particularly uneventful month either. We have some major events coming up:

• Sis Tammy is having her baby
• Mom is having a little eye surgery on Aug 8
• I am having dental surgery (and afterward will have NO money!)
• We are having a July/August birthday luncheon at church. It was postponed due to Hurricane Dolly
• Franklin and Charleton will still be here for a while
• We are having a back to school service and picnic for the kids at Nueva Vida
• We are also having Reunion Sunday over Labor Day Weekend
• The tree removal will hopefully be finished
• The fence repair will be at least scheduled
• Maxie will celebrate her 5th birthday on Aug 15th
• My niece Melissa has an 18th birthday on Aug 16th
• My niece Allison will be moving to Albuquerque, New Mexico to work with the Navigators in college ministries
• Of course, Timo will be well on the road to recovery!

And God is good! I must remember to cherish every single day!

Victory for Maxie

What a big victory! Today Maxie has been without a seizure for a whole month. We are so excited that we are celebrating with chicken and cake...two of her favorite things!!!

Hurricane Dolly

Hurricane Dolly hit Reynosa and the Rio Grande Valley! It seemed to go on and on and on as the rains came and the wind blew. I felt pretty secure inside my house with Opie and Maxie, the guard dog and four cats. It wasn't too bad while I had electricity and could use my computer.....and then we were in darkness....and silence, except for the constant groaning of the trees and the banging of sheet metal and the pattering and beating of the rain. Opie would see the shadow of a tree blowing and would bark at it. Actually, it did look kind of scary through the curtains. During the early evening hours, a tree in my yard was plucked up by the roots and tossed over my van. Another tree was pulled from it place in the dirt and was leaning on the tree that was on my van. I had to wait all night and till after 8 a.m. today to actually look at my van and see what the damage really was. I could tell that the windows were fine and the tires were good. But how about the roof? For that, I had to wait until Don Ebodio cut the tree away and took it off the van. You would think that we were unveiling an expensive painting or a magnificent statue......and it was just my dirty, leaf-covered van. And there it was! One very small dent!!! I think I will just leave it there to remind me that angels were holding the branches and the trunk as the tree gently fell on top of my van!!! Our God is mighty in the wind and rain but gentle as He cares for His children!!!!!!!

Maxie Update

Maxie has been seizure-free for SIXTEEN days!!!! We are partying with sugared flour tortillas!

A Stolen Bicycle!

Chiquita, my guard dog (and now I only have one guard dog. Sigh!), was barking quite a bit this morning. Finally, I stopped going to check on every person that walked by our gate. And, then the phone call came! Had I heard all the excitement and commotion outside? Lupita, my neighbor, has had a handy man working for her for the couple of days. He needed something from the hardware store and Lupita needed drinking water, so she took him in her Jeep, dropped him off at the hardware store, bought water, and went back to pick up Don Octavio. On arriving back at her house, Don (a polite term for an employee or gentlemen, not his name, by the way!) Octavio noticed that his bicycle was missing. Lupita who is pretty vivacious and easily upset went goofy asking the neighbors about the bicycle. The lady in the yellow house (we don't know her name) which is next door to Lupita's saw the drunk from the last house in the row, take it and ride off. So Lupita stormed over to his house and gave them 5 minutes to produce the bike or she was calling the police. Since the drunk somehow escaped from jail (where he definitely should be), he started yelling and running around like a rooster with its head cut off, blaming his woman. One of the other drunks who hang around that house got all bent out of shape and promised Lupita that if she gave him 10 minutes, he would get the bicycle back. She said he could have 10 minutes and no more. So the guy takes off running, leaving the others yelling and ranting and raving!!!!!!! In less than 10 minutes, the bike was back although it was covered with mud.

Things have quieted down. Chiquita ate her chicken and rice and went to sleep. Opie and Maxie never knew what happened. And, I only heard the story from Lupita as I was safely in my house, talking on the computer to my friends in Africa and Texas about tortillas!!!!!!

Another Update on Maxie

Maxie has been seizure free for 11 days now! And she is a whole lot more active. Opie and I are so happy that she is more like herself.

Maxie Update

Maxie is doing great! As of today, she has been free of seizures for 7 days! She was groomed last Friday and did well. I am so happy!

Things you find in Mexico

* the local homeless mute/deaf guy directing traffic around potholes

*the neighbors stealing my large plastic garbage bag and adding their garbage to mine

*the city garbage truck (very undependable) and the garbage collector with a cart and horse (or mule) racing to get to the garbage FIRST

*roasted corn venders selling in front of the church during the service AND people in the congregation going out to buy their corn AND coming back in to eat it as church goes on

*bottles of beer left on tombstones for the dead

*minibuses running red lights....and the traffic cop is right behind them, watching

*vehicles making left turns across two or three lanes of traffic, acting like the other lanes are "in the way"

*people going through other people's garbage and carting home stuff to then "pick and choose" what they want and/or need and putting the rest back in the garbage so someone else can go through it and cart some more of it home, etc etc etc

*people making steps with stones, bricks whatever so they can reach over your wall and help themselves to lemons and cactus,etc....it is "legal" as long as they are not actually in your yard!

*real siestas from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. during the hot summer weather

*Imagine living in two worlds, this and Texas, both unique and exciting!

Bible, (note)Book, Black pen, and BLANK!

I have collected all my materials....my wellworn, much underlined and marked Bible, a noteBook for collecting references and jotting down thoughts to turn into an outline, a Black pen (since it begins with B! ), and now everything is BLANK. I need to prepare a sermon.
I have no beginning thoughts........
no catchy stories.......
no list of possible texts.......
no themes......
nothing I "feel" led to talk about........
well, just a big BLANK!!!

Now, I wonder...... If I went to church on Sunday morning, we had a regular praise and worship time, collected the offering, ran through the announcements for the coming week, took prayer requests and prayed..............and then, I said, "Well, my sermon for this morning is BLANK. I have nothing to say. I guess we will just dismiss............... would the congregation rejoice and hurry to get somewhere to eat? would they decide to withhold the tithes since I hadn't delivered? would they sit in disappointed silence or shock????? I wonder what would happen.

Sometimes, I do have blanks and almost panic as Saturday evening gets closer and closer. But God is the "Sermon-Giver". He always comes through with a fresh Word!

Putting My Money Where My Mouth Is!

Yes, I am going to be putting my money IN my mouth! Fillings are what you put in doughnuts or pies and cost under $5.00 for sure. But, in my case, fillings go in teeth and cost well over $100. I would much rather wear a crown...like Miss America or at least Queen for the Day at the Senior Citizens' Center.....but no! I get to have several in my MOUTH! They each cost about $1000 and do NOT have diamonds or any other kind of jewels. And then for plates....temporary, well that should be a cheapo paper plate, right? No, mine is going to cost $200 and will only help me to have teeth when I smile and not be toothless! And as for the permanent plate....well, I think I could find a beautiful, expensive one to use when dining.....and it certainly would not cost over $1000. (I will not even mention the oral surgery! No little teeth are worth that much just to get rid of them!) So now you know, my precious retirement money will be PUT in my mouth over the next few months!!!

Tribute to Dad

Today is Father's Day!

And my Dad is awesome!

Dad is a SURVIVOR! He had cancer as a boy and again after 70. He also had a heart attack. And that doesn't count a number of injuries while he was working! At 87, he is still going strong!

Dad is INVENTIVE! He can figure out a way to make something or do something when everyone else would have considered it an impossibility.

Dad has a TERRIFIC SENSE OF HUMOR! He can tell good jokes and funny stories. He has been known to play some practical jokes on a lot of people!

Dad is a GOOD TEACHER. He taught me how to drive! He has taught his sons and grandsons all kinds of useful skills. For a long time, he was a Sunday School teacher for the adult class at church.

After Dad had his right arm and shoulder amputated due to cancer, he developed a new CREATIVE SKILL. He began to do intarsia....working with wood to create pieces of art. Not only has he made and sold and given away many pieces of intarsia, but he also shows his work at senior citizen groups, church groups....well, all kinds of groups. And, he was a "profesor" for continuing education at the local junior college, giving a class on intarsia.

Dad, Mom, and David were PRESENTED THE T. W. ANDERSON AWARD at the Covenant Annual Meeting in Denver, Colorado in June, 2005. This award is presented to a layman or in this case, a family team, for outstanding contributions to the local church, the denomination, their community and their workplace. Dad, Mom, and David each addressed the entire gathering at a special session where they received the award and were honored at a private dinner.

Dad is a WISE COUNSELOR. He shares his wisdom with his family, his church, and church leaders. Many of us have been saved from making mistakes or bad choices because of Dad's wisdom.

Dad is a CARING FRIEND. You can find him doing all kinds of things: driving people to appointments and shopping, greeting visitors at church, giving sound advice to the pastor, taking a crippled friend (wheelchair included) out to eat with the guys, fixing things for others, taking his grandkids places (not anymore as they all drive!), making hospital, nursing home, and home visits to the sick and shut-in, making a special piece of intarsia for a child, and on and on!

Dad ENJOYS ANIMALS....he feeds the birds in special feeders he has set up in the backyard, has peanuts and dog food ready for the raccoons and takes time to make a fenced-in area for Opie and Maxie when we visit in Rockford.

And although I don't really want to let the secret out, he MAKES THE BEST KROPKAKKOR in the entire world. I won't even dare explain what that is because we don't really want to share when he makes it.

Dad is an AVID READER! He reads historical novels, well written mysteries (not the murder/horror type), magazines, a wide variety of reading material. I love to share good books with him. He recognizes good literature.

And, this is just a peek at all the wonderful things my Dad is!!!!!! His deep love for God and desire to serve Him and his love for his family make him.....well, just AWESOME!!!

(**Just a note: After 64 years of marriage, it is very hard to talk about Dad without mentioning Mom because she is a part of everything Dad does and is. That's what ALL those years of marriage have done!!)

Chula

Chula came to me 11 years ago. She was homeless and pregnant.....and vicious. I was actually afraid of her. She stayed around and then had her babies at the very back edge of my property. I felt bad for her because she was nursing all those little guys and no one was feeding her. I started putting food out for her....at first, close to where she had the babies and then closer and closer to my back door. After almost 6 weeks, I found her waiting for me at the back door. I touched her for the first time!

After that, our friendship grew. She was always waiting for me when I came home. She brought her babies over for me to see. And then all but two of them disappeared. The neighbor told me that she carried them away. The prettiest two stayed by my back door.

I was worried about what would happen after I gave the two puppies away, but she only became friendlier. It was time for me to go to Illinois.....so I left wondering if I would ever see her again.

But she was there waiting for me when I returned. And by this time, she was very protective of me and my house.......no one could come close. In case she decided to bite someone, I thought I had better take her to the vet and get her shots. She surprised me by jumping right in the front seat and being a wonderful passenger in the car. The vet determined that she had been abused because of her fear of people and her protective ways as well as evidence of a broken front leg. I needed a name for her records. Since I had always called her Chula (meaning pretty), I gave her that name and Chula she was.

Chula had two more litters of puppies and her daughter Chiquita stayed with us to keep Chula company. Together, they became guard dogs....ferocious to everyone except me. They were sweet and loving with me always!

After the 2nd litter of puppies, Chula developed cancer and had chemo. She lost lots of weight and didn't have much energy, but the cancer was gone and never came back. She got her energy back and was a great mother to her last litter of puppies.

However, this past winter Chula started slowing down. She became very fussy about her food, only wanting chicken or beef with rice and turkey hot dogs. In the late spring, I had to start feeding her or she would usually just leave her food. She stopped barking at strangers and didn't want to run and play with Chiquita any more. But she was always ready for me to rub her tummy or sit and talk to her.

On Tuesday afternoon, she was less energetic than ever and I noticed that she had a lot of ticks and fleas. I took her to the vet yesterday for a bath......and the vet suggested an iron and a vitamin shot to give her a boost. Chula got back in the front seat of the van and we started for home. We had no even gone a block when she looked at me, gasped for breath 3 times, and shook all over. And she died.

Chula is buried in the pet cemetery at the church here in Reynosa...with her daughter, a granddaughter and a granddaughter as well as other "church dogs". Chiquita, Maxie, Opie and I will miss her so very much. Eleven years is a long time to love a dog.....I will always remember her!

Baking soda, powdered sugar and peppermint!

Okay! I hate cockroaches and mice! I hate them more than snakes and tarantulas--those big, black hairy spiders that can jump a mile at least!! Snakes...well, you don't really see them up close too often and tarantulas don't hurt people much and if you are fast, you can kill them pretty easily. But cockroaches multiply and multiply and get in everywhere. Mice...if I put out poison, I might kill them, but then I run the risk of having them die somewhere and stink up the whole house OR have one of the dogs find them, try to eat them and maybe get poisoned too. Usually, you just manage to see the hind legs and tail as they run and escape. So, yes, I hate cockroaches and mice!

Well, I found some help for getting rid of both cockroaches and mice! I am willing to try just about anything. So, I hear that peppermint chases mice away. Supposedly, they hate peppermint. I put peppermint candy around in the kitchen.......and yes, mice seem to be gone. I haven't seen any in a long time.

Now, I am also told that if you mix equal amounts of baking soda and powdered sugar and put it around the baseboards and other places where cockroaches hide, you can get rid of them. AND LET ME TELL YOU ABOUT THAT IDEA! You can try it if you'd like...but the roaches that were in my kitchen have multiplied and now spread to the bathroom. I put the mix in the bathroom and they appeared in my craft room. I do NOT dare try it anywhere else. I guess it does make them leave one area....but they move somewhere else and multiply. I really should have known that because when the neighbors have the exterminators come, they are suddenly roach-free and then all the rest of us are suddenly generously roach-endowed. I guess I will be going back to insect sprays and exterminators. (Sorry, neighbors!)

Yes, I still hate cockroaches and mice.

Caring for Maxie, my sick poodle

Maxie used to be a very active Mama poodle.....but for the last 6 weeks, she has been suffering from seizures. She looks at me with big brown eyes, asking me why she hurts....why she shivers and trembles, why she is afraid of noises and sudden movements, why she potties in the bed without even knowing it has happened. Then, sometimes Maxie seems to be almost back to her old self. She runs to the fence to greet the neighbor girls and asks for chicken drumstick treats and snuggles on a pile of pillows in bed with me. We sit in the rocker on the porch and she watches the world go by....not happy if another dog or cat walk by, happy when things are quiet and we can just rock as the sun goes down and the heat is less intense. I wish I could make Maxie feel better but I just hold her and hope she knows that I will take care of her and protect her as much as possible. If God cares for the sparrows, so tiny and so nondescript, will He not care for my little Maxie?

Water, water, everywhere water!!

It was 9 p.m. and was just dark outside. The guard dogs, Chula and Chiquita, were barking from their kennels. I hurried to the front door, turned on all the porch lights, unlocked the door and stepped out on the porch with Opie. I thought I heard raindrops...but I didn't see any falling to the ground. I listened for a while and then with Opie to protect me, walked out to the gate. And there it was!!!!! Water spraying out of the ground. The spray was over my head!!! Someone had stolen my neighbors' water meters and copper tubing.

Well, we called Lupita, my neighbor and we had a pow wow at the gate as the water came up and up making the entrance to their houses into a river. The water dept would NOT come out at night so what could we do? We wedged some chunks of wood into the underground tube and it slowed the flow of water. Now the other neighbors with stolen copper tubing...yes, well you met them in the "two parades and a show". They came out to join us at my gate. We had done what we could so Lupita and I along with Opie went back inside.

Now the second phase of excitement began. The neighbor collected some of the same guys that make up the parade, plus a few more. They came on bikes, on foot, and in a beatup car and they "fixed" the water leak. They used an old coat hanger, a foot long piece of an old hose, some more chunks of wood and stone.....and reconnected their water supply!

My observation....well, they may not have much formal education, may not hardly any money.....but they make things work one way or the other!!! I wanted to take a picture but was afraid they would be angry....so you will just have to imagine green garden hose about 12 inches long stuck in the murky muddy water till it connected with the remaining pipe and then "tied" to the other half of the pipe going to the water supply with pieces of coat hanger and all of this held up with chunks of wood and stone! They had water.

Lupita had water too....mine. We fixed up a hose from my back patio, over the wall and through a small opening into her back patio and she filled her water tank with that!!!

Now the water pipes have been replaced with PVC pipe and my water meter will be locked in with security bars and a padlock sometime this afternoon. Soon, I will just have a security box made my size....everything else is already protected by cement block walls and burglar bars!!!

And the river....well, it will be around for a week or so till it all dries up (and mosquitos have a good chance to repopulate the area!)!!!!!!!

Two Parades and One Show

Every day, two parades go by my house!....for real!

The first one starts around 7 a.m. A truck with a container that looks like a large plastic water jug on its side drives by with a peppy little tune telling me their water is the only pure purified water in Reynosa! Next a truck comes along with a nasal voice calling GAAAAS! They are selling propane gas. Then, a pickup drives by announcing the vacancies and requirements for employment at one of the local factories. Soon another pickup comes by selling oranges, brooms, dust pans, mops, honey, peanuts in the shell and caramel candies.
Following that pickup, a horse drawn wagon comes by yelling BA-SU-RA....he's the garbage collector and a very useful fellow at that because he can also trim tree branches, put up sagging laundry lines, hang Christmas lights, oil the track the gate slides on, and give community news! Next there is a sucession of men looking for jobs as handy men, plumbers, carpenters, electricians, gardeners, etc etc. Following them another pickup comes along selling bananas, poison for rats, tonic to make children grow and old bones work, liquid to kill ticks and fleas, freezer pops and maybe onions and cabbage. Soon, a man comes offering strings of garlic and behind him comes a young man pulling what looks like a metal suitcase on wheels. He wears a pink and royal blue outfit...cap, shirt, and pants.....and rings a little bell. He is selling Bon-Ice, natural (who really knows!) ice pops. Then comes a man balancing a plastic box (the kind you store blankets in and put under the bed)....he yells PAAAAAN! and is selling bread, rolls, sweet breads, etc. with a few flies put in for good measure. Soon a backwards bicycle comes along....in the front (on top of the two wheels) he has a small fire made with coals and corn on the cob roasting as he drives. He will fix it for you with dubious mayonaise or sour cream or white flakey cheese or chili powder or any combination of the above. Then a really old scrappy truck comes along wanting your old metal....refrigerators, stoves, cars, washers, and anything you want to get rid of. And, then it is time for the lady with a kettle full of tamales to stop by and offer you a variety of tamales....hot sauce included.
and around 2 p.m. this parade disappears for their midday rest.

But alas it is time for the second parade to begin......this one goes past my house too, but on the driveway leading to four houses behind my house. And, it originates with the last of the four houses. First of all, a half awake woman probably wearing what she slept in, comes out with 2 or 3 small bags of garbage and puts them out by the street. She goes back to the house. Soon she reappears with some coins in her hand and she goes to buy tortillas....and comes back to her house. Next one of the men who I assume lives in that house comes out and goes to the little store and comes back with Pepsi in bottles...and goes back to the house. Next, the man the woman supposedly lives with comes out and goes to the store, yelling into the air most of the way...and comes back to the house carrying a bottle of whiskey or tequila. Then the woman comes out and stands at the street and looks both ways for a while and returns to the house. Soon a taxi comes flying into the driveway and screeches to a stop. The horn adds a little noise to the atmosphere and brings yelling people out into the driveway. Apparently, he comes to either eat or pick up some food....he stays a little while during which time a man in a wheelchair comes down the driveway, stays for about 15 minutes and comes back out. Then a guy with slanted eyes, long gray ponytail, open shirt and torn shorts comes in on a bicycle.....he leaves with a bag or a package containing who know what. Then with lots of flying stones and racket, the taxi leaves.....someone yelling things to him as he backs the taxi out into the street. Next the woman and her "husband" come out and he is holding her hand, she is carrying her lunch....and he accompanies her to work. He returns around 5 p.m. after obviously having had something besides water to drink....several other men accompany him, the music gets loud and the doors slam shut. The second parade is over.

And the show......this is a once a week event which starts on Thursday afternoon and ends sometime after midnight or in the early morning hours on Sunday. The woman gets paid on Thursday, so the husband has lots of money for his drinking. He drinks a lot and wanders in and out of the driveway with an assortment of "friends." When the woman comes home from work, she is MAD and yells at him, he yells back and this goes on for a couple of hours before they slam the door and things are muffled. On Friday, he is so mad that he and his friends and the music and the drinks are locked in the house when she arrives. He will not let her in....so there is MORE YELLING and pounding on the door and the music gets louder. Finally, he lets her in. On Saturday, she locks the door when she leaves for work....he is so drunk, he doesn't really notice....so the men have their party outside, until he gets really angry about being locked out. Then he climbs on whatever to get on the flat roof of the house, bangs around and eventually breaks into the house from the back.....when the woman comes home and finds the mess and the husband inside, there is more YELLING, but by now he is soooo drunk that he passes out.....and the show is over until next Thursday.

Okay.....two parades and one show......and they are free!

An Ordinary Trip

Wednesday is church day so I have to cross the international border between Mexico and the US two times. Ordinary people just drive across town to church....but then, what fun is it to be just ordinary? So, leaving Mexico, I have to be sure I have my passport, my bridge toll ( 24 pesos) and anything that I will need for the day. (I cannot cross most fresh fruits and vegetables, plants, birds, eggs, any kind of pork, raw poultry or beef, etc etc ). Then, I get to sit in line waiting for my turn to cross. Today was a breeze...it only took about 20 minutes. Of course, two solid lanes of semi trailers are to my right and I have to watch carefully since they pull out in front of me anytime they want to. I must be invisible to them. At the border inspection, it helps to have my doors unlocked, the radio volume turned all the way down, sunglasses and checkbook put away, and the cell phone turned off. They asked a variety of questions: what was I doing in Mexico? where do I live? where was I born? do I own my van? where am I going? why am I going where I am going? what I have to declare? Then they smile (I hope) and say "have a good day!" ( I really hope) and I am free to drive into the US.

Now I have to remember to speak English, stop at all stop signs (not just slide through), pay for things in dollars and cents not pesos and centavos, to measure things in miles, feet, and pounds (not kilometers, meters, and kilos), stay under the speed limit (instead of ignore it while trying to drive faster than the car behind me), be on time or a bit early (not a comfortable 15 to 30 minutes late), to eat with a fork and spoon instead of a tortilla. ......well, in short, I have to change languages and customs!

Now for the trip back to Reynosa, this time the guy in the toll booth wants to visit. How was my day??? Do I still like my retirement? Its a slow night. I drive halfway across the bridge and have to turn off my cell phone. You could be thrown in jail for talking and driving. Now the same line of semis appears but it is dark so I am seeing lights, red and clear, flashing and steady...and some of the lights are turned off making the trucks really hard to see. They try to be invisible. Stuck (literally) in between the trucks are pickups towing junky looking cars. They are on their way to central America. Now, I have to carefully stay to the left, put my flashing lights on, or suddenly be headlight to headlight with an oncoming car which is in the wrong lane but acts like the owner of the whole bridge. Now come the red and green lights. You drive slowly toward the signals. If the green light comes on, you drive on through, smiling. If the red light comes on, you go into customs for an inspection. There the car is checked for whatever the agent happens to want....that becomes suddenly "illegal" to take into Mexico. On most trips, the agent just says, "Pasale" or "Go ahead." And I do. However, this is not the end. Next you have to go through the federal police stop. They are looking for guns and drugs. They flag me to a stop. I have to get out of the van (being sure to take the keys, my purse, and my cell phone!) Several police swarm the van, looking in the side pockets, under the seats, under the floor mats, in the glove compartment, etc. Disappointed, they tell me I can go ahead! I still have to drive through an obstacle course of cones and police with flags telling me to go right then left then right then straight (no commas intended!).........and finally, I can step on the gas and get on home.

Now as you drive 10 minutes on a good highway with dependable signals and no double lanes of semi trucks, remember that I have probably been on my way for a least an hour already and am just getting to the border inspection!