• 27Oct

  Fifteen days…..

  Household details, maz house 2 Comments

  

  Our 120 year old home has some wonderful old features, and four sets of these lovely cedar doors are some of my favorites.  When we bought the house they had been cleaned and restored, but had no hardware!  And since three bedrooms need their privacy, we had been looking for the appropriate type of hardware.

  It’s hard to find hardware that would look right on these doors.  We didn’t want to use normal locksets & handles since we didn’t want more keys to keep track of (that’s a whole other story) or to have to use top and bottom bolts on the doors.  They’re so tall you’d have to get the ladder to open the top bolt!

  There’s a hardware store here that had a line of hardware we liked, and we inquired about it a number of times, being told endlessly that the shipment would arrive in “fifteen days.”  After a number of times we finally realized that in México, “fifteen days” means either “I don’t know when” or “forget about it” or something in between.

  

  When I was up North this summer I went to Rejuvenation in Seattle.  There I was able to find elusive casement window hardware as well as the door hardware of my dreams.  Well, almost, I guess, it could be a little bigger.  If you’re in the market for hardware, they told me they will ship to Mexico, but you should call to order.

  

  I really like the mechanism.  Very simple, keeps the dogs off the beds, and the air conditioning in.  Fifteen days?  More like three hundred!

  
• 24Oct

  It’s a dog’s life

  health 5 Comments

  Now I know what it’s like to be a dog….I have been sleeping about twenty hours per day for the last couple of days.  Today I am much better, not napping as much and I actually ate!

  So here’s what I’ve learned:

  • You don’t want to get salmonella if you can help it.
  • You can survive on four crackers and a couple of spoonfuls of yogurt for several days.
  • You can really stretch yourself when you have to speak Spanish.  (Oh yeah…the doctor said he would give me medication to help me sleep tonight came out just fine when I needed it to)
  • If you have long hair, be sure to put it in braids or pigtails or it ends up a snarled mess from being in bed so much.
  • It really helps to have a partner who is solicitous and patient.

  I am actually feeling well enough today to do a little knitting, so I’m off now to knit and nap on the couch for a while.  See you later!

  
• 22Oct

  Uh oh. Salmonella

  health, worries 10 Comments

  So about two weeks ago I started feeling a bit crummy.  I had a grumbly stomach but it was easy enough to ignore.  Or sort of.  When you choose your wardrobe by whether the shorts squeeze your tummy, you probably shouldn’t ignore it.
  

  Then Adam and Martha came for a visit and after a day or so my stomach was really giving me problems.  I described it accurately to Doctors Adam and Martha and they decided it sounded like I had salmonella.

  So we went to Dr. Simi and got some Cipro.  It made me feel better right away, and I enjoyed the rest of our visit.

  Then Sunday night I hardly slept for the chills and sweats.  I felt much better during the day.  The same thing happened Monday night, and Tuesday morning I could hardly move.  My body ached everywhere.

  We headed to the clinic and they put me on IV antibiotics, and a whole bunch of other drugs.  I had to stay overnight.  The headache was mind numbing.
  

  But this afternoon I am home again, with a bag full of drugs to take and a healthy respect for salmonella.  They said it probably came from cheese or vegetables or salsa since when it comes from fish it is usually more violent.

  I’ll be on meds for the next two weeks.  Right now I am very tired but I hope after a good night’s sleep in my own bed I will feel much better tomorrow.

  We used my insurance for the first time, so I can’t even tell you how much it cost, as we just had to pay our $1300 peso deductible.

  

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