Curious and strange

I stayed in bed long after the alarm rang. I was having a dream. I was riding on the back of a truck and my suitcase fell off. So I got off to pick it up and it became two trombone cases. I wasn’t that far from home, so I carried them and walked. When I got there, a man was circling the carport with yellow tape. He said he was going to enclose it , or something like that. I asked if the owner knew about this, and he said yes. Then he put cardboard all over the floor. But he did not have enough so he started using my fabric. I told him no, no, no. I went out to pick it up and it had blown all over the yard. As I was picking it up, he was yelling things at me. Finally I yelled back, Shuuuut uuuuup! Then this couple came up to me and agreed. They had upwards of 10 kids with them, all the same age, about a year and half old. Talk about splitting an egg! I looked for their vehicle to see what could hold that many car seats. That must be when I woke up.

I got up with the idea of doing a vitamin C facial. I drank water and took a shower, and then spread one packet on my face and throat and savored another. I turned on the router and my laptop and read e-mail. I posted to Stitch-its that I wasn’t coming today. Facebook gave me the option of uploading a photo or video at the same time, so I chose one from the Mayan ruins. Sadly Blogger no longer has a video upload. I called Parker and left a voicemail asking her to call me back. I swished. I made a to-do list for today. I took my glutathione, had some colostrum, ate a piece of fish. Then I made breakfast and ate part of that. I watched a video on mental health and diet. I meditated, then fell asleep. I woke up when Parker called. She never got my e-mail answering her questions so I re-sent it. She had to go so we did not cover everything but she will get started on choosing a replacement sink and countertop on Monday. I ate the rest of my breakfast. I took some notes for my blog. I put in a load of laundry, and got the mail. I put new tags on cars, and scanned and e-mailed the old tags to Chris. Then I went downstairs to pick fabrics for projects. While picking purples, I found nuts and powder. Was it squirrels,or mice? I had to pull out all the purples, dust them off and reorganize them and put them back. I also reorganized the larger pieces in the ‘suitable for backings’ pile. I picked fabrics for the Tuesday project, and then planned out the hexecontahedron project. I wanted to stack-n-whack it, and had two pieces of the same fabric but couldn’t quite get 6 repeats. Five was enough though, so I sliced it into 5 12” strips, then cut a 3.25” strip off of one. I cut that into 63 degree diamonds. I had calculated that there was just enough for 12 from one row, but I only got 11. Still, it was a very good start. Then I needed to stabilize each piece so the final project would stand up. I tried freezer paper, but it didn’t stick well enough. I decided to come up for water and to check the pics online. Chris was almost done with his game. So I tried to answer an e-mail while I waited. But something went wrong and Yahoo wouldn’t cooperate. Then Chris and Michele were online to talk to me. We talked for more than 45 minutes. Chris suggested that squirrels brought the nuts in, leaving them in my fabric, and an insect bored it's way out. Michele asked how a squirrel could get in there. I wondered that, too. Then I needed to go to bed because I was falling asleep. After I hung up, I retyped my reply to the e-mail and sent it. Then I finished my blog and went to bed.

Fending off a cold (or something worse)

I was not feeling so good when I went to bed last night. I put hydrogen peroxide in my ears and gargled with it. I got up in the middle of the night to drink water with vinegar and swallow some probiotics. This morning I was feeling a little under the weather, not as bad as I thought I would feel, but I stayed in bed late. Then I got up to call Parker, but got her voicemail instead. I drank water and used the hydrogen peroxide again. I exercised and read e-mail. I worked another Sudoku puzzle. I took a piece of fish from the freezer and put it in the fridge to thaw. I sat in the sunshine in the guest room because it was too cold to sit outside. I made and ate breakfast. I walked outside and checked the mail. I picked and ate a few pieces of kale and chickweed. Then I meditated and fell asleep. I woke up and read more e-mail and answered e-mails from the people I met in the airport. I assembled my supplement bottles and discovered that the Wednesday bottle was missing. I e-mailed Chris but he did not find it. I substituted another bottle and made up a week’s worth. It was so sunny that I went outside to rake. I discovered that something had chewed off the back of my gardening glove. I wore it anyway to protect the front of my hand. I raked several wheelbarrow loads of pinestraw and cones. I noticed the budding daffodils. Then I went through both spam folders, and found some important messages. I scanned the tax documents Chris wanted and sent them to him. I cleared some e-mail. I called Dad. He asked me to look into the ups and downs of dental implants. I watched several tapping videos with Brad Yates. I drank hot water with vinegar and honey, and then hot water with licorice tea. Denise called, and we decided that it would be best if she did not visit me tomorrow. Then I worked in basement – putting fabric away from previous projects, and trying to work out floral repeats for a new project. Sadly the flowers are just slightly too close together. I guess I’ll have to pick another fabric. I came up to see if Chris was on skype. He was, so we talked for a while. Then I had to go to bed, feeling tired and some pressure in my sinuses.

Working on getting back to normal

It was after midnight when I went to bed. I awoke to the sound of my phone alarm at 8. I wanted to stay in bed, but then I got the idea to weigh myself. I could not read the scale so I took a pic and enlarged it on the laptop. I lost 5 pounds! Was it the high fat, high protein diet in Honduras? Eggs, chicken, beef, cheese, avocados, beans and rice? i noticed that the red spot on my forehead was gone. Was it also diet related, or due to not being in this house? I decided to do the Wednesday detox. That contained the usual swishing, and exercise with drybrushing. I listened to two audio interviews. I meditated. I put the remaining carrots in the Magic Bullet. I went out to water the kale and picked some to add to the carrots. I ate it outside, sitting on the patio wall with my bare feet on the grass. It was over 60 degrees. I got the mail, which was so stuffed in the box I could barely get it out. I opened the mail while sitting on the patio wall, enjoying the sun. I e-mailed Chris about the items in the mail. I meditated again. I made breakfast and ate it outside. I unpacked the suitcase. I folded the laundry from 2 weeks ago and put it away. I walked around the house, putting things back where they belong, including the food packed in the suitcase. I repacked my purse the way it used to be before I had to go on vacation. I turned on my car and drove it forward and back to make sure it was working. Chris was on Skype, so I talked to him for a while. I made notes of the things I did today. Then I changed my clothes and went to a Meetup. It was just one other lady, the leader, and me. We talked about what we wanted to manifest in our lives. He gave us dashboard signs that are only readable in the reflection of the windshield. Cool! He challenged us to take 5 $1 bills and leave each one anonymously in a place for someone to find. I drove home. I read e-mail. I found some extra breakfast in the fridge, but it seemed to have spoiled in the last two weeks. I felt something in my throat, so I gargled with hydrogen peroxide and put drops of it in my ears. I ate some kimchi. I filed the bills and put parts in the recycling. That reminded me that today was recycle day and I missed it. I got a message from Parker with pics in it. She said she showed the house to a couple who were looking for a fixer-upper. Itunes said it needed updating and wanted to reboot my laptop to take effect. While it was doing that, I worked some of the Sudoku puzzles that I missed while I was gone. Then I found out that the reboot wiped out all my blog notes. It was after 11, so I rewrote what I could remember, and went to bed.

Game over

It occurred to me as I went to sleep last night that the house will be 52 degrees when I get home and just want to go to bed. I wished I could change the thermostat from my computer. I slept, but woke up in the middle of the night. My right leg was feeling the RLS pains. I had to get up and exercise it. I tried to go back to sleep, but am not sure how much sleep I got. I was awake when I heard the 5am alarm but did not get up until 6:30. Chris took a shower while I brushed my teeth. He went to breakfast at the dining facility so he could bring me some nuts and berries to eat at the airport. I washed up, noticing how red my skin was from yesterday. I sucked on two packets of Vitamin C while I read e-mail. Then I ate my breakfast and took my Wednesday supplements. I checked e-mail one last time. I packed my clothes from yesterday and last night into the suitcase. Chris gave me a hat and scarf that he had bought at a craft fair. I put them in my carry-on and I rolled my luggage out to the EZ-go and Chris loaded it in the back. He drove us to the bus stop. There were a few other people getting on, too. We had to sign our names on a sheet. Ironically, it was a bright and sunny day, the kind I had wanted all along. Then the bus went to the front gate where a guard checked ID’s. And then we were on our way. Chris read his book while I watched scenery go by. I tried to get a pic of some houses that had fallen askew after a landslide or sinkhole. I noticed a man walking around cars lined up to pay the toll. He was selling food of some kind – 8” round discs in various colors. We ran into traffic in Tegus. But finally the bus stopped at the airport and we got out. We rolled my luggage into the airport and found the nearest bathrooms. Then we headed for the baggage drop. A man came to help us (even though Chris already knew what to do). He guided us to the check-in, then to pay the airport tax, and then to immigration. At that point we chose to sit and wait since Chris could not go there with me. He tipped the man and the man left. We sat and read our books. They were both library books, so I tried to finish mine before I had to leave. Chris bought me a bottle of water and got a coffee for himself. I tasted it and did not like it. Big surprise. Then Chris got up to talk to a man at a neighboring table. He was part of a group of 14 Americans who had spent a week laying blocks for a women and children’s hospital in Honduras. They offered to adopt me as part of their group. I went with them through Immigration, but then lost sight. I asked a man about gate 4 and he guided me to gate 5. So I asked a lady behind a desk and she guided me to gate 4.

I sat there for a while, and then the large party showed up. I meant to go to the bathroom before boarding the plane, but one of the men talked to me about his experiences with delinquent boys and laying brick and stone. I totally forgot and then the plane started boarding. Even though I had already passed all my items through an x-ray machine, I had to get in another line to have someone search all my carry-on belongings. Then I followed the guidance to exit the building and board the plane. I got settled in my seat and then the window person had to go potty. That reminded me that I had to go, too. So we made our way to the back, but the plane was loading from the rear as well, so we could not get there. The steward discouraged us from using the forward bathroom. But then I asked the stewardess if I could go back in the airport to potty and she said no, I could not get off the plane, but I could use the upfront bathroom. After I went, my seatmate went, too. We settled in for the flight. At some point I realized that we must have reached cruising altitude, so I took out my earplanes and hooked up the earbuds that Delta provided on the way over. I watched a movie called “If I came back” about a girl in a coma who had to decide whether to die or fight to stay alive. When it was over, I put the earplanes back in. I watched the numbers on the flight info screen for the rest of the trip. At first it said the outside temp was -80 F, or something like that. I watched the altitude decrease as well as the headwind. But the sum of the distance from origin and the distance to destination kept changing. It was approximately 1360 miles. When we landed, it said we had 3 miles to go. So the numbers were a little off. I took my earplanes out. When we got off the plane, I used the moving sidewalks and very quickly made my way to the escalator to immigration. I stopped to go to the bathroom. Then I got in line. It was short and the man directed people to go to any empty green carrel. I did not know what it was for, but when I found one, I just followed the instructions. The machine gave me a slip of paper with my picture on it. I had to give it to a woman sitting near the exit. Then I was directed to baggage claim. I was surprised to find that my suitcase was there already. I picked it up and pulled it to a baggage check station. And off it went. Ok, so I thought someone would rifle through it before it went on its way. Then I was directed to customs. My carry-on items were x-rayed and so was I. I collected my things and sat in the general area, waiting for the group to come through. It took over an hour. I thanked them for their support. They prayed with me and then some of them followed me to the train. But theirs was a different concourse. I got off on A and proceeded to the end of the concourse at A 33. I read part of a book on my tablet called “Staying focused in a hyper world” by John Gray. I paused it to get out my laptop and take notes for my blog. While I was typing, an announcement was made changing the Huntsville gate from A33 to A17. I did not realize how long a walk it was so I kept typing for a while, before packing up to walk the walk. I found a seat at the new gate and resumed typing up my activities for the day.

I called Chris’ skype number on my phone, but he did not answer. I turned off the phone in prep for the plane flight. Then I turned off the laptop, too and went back to reading the book until it was time to board. I read in my plane seat until take-off. Then I watched the pretty city lights from the sky. I wished my camera wasn’t in my carry-on in the overhead compartment. But then I remembered that the table can take pics. So I tried it, but not with great results. I even tried a movie sequence. Anyway, we landed and I got off the plane and sat at the gate to get out my phone, turn it on, and call my ride. She said she’d be over in 10 – 15 minutes. I knew where she lived and did not think it could be done that fast. I stopped at the restroom and then proceeded to baggage claim. It did not take long. Soon I had all my luggage together. I put on my jacket, and the hat and scarf that Chris gave me, and my gloves. I rolled it all out front and waited. I was not cold at first. She drove up after 10 or 15 minutes of waiting. I paid her and we put my luggage in her trunk. She chatted all the way back to my house. The talking continued in the driveway. I knew she had to go to work in the morning but she did not seem to care. Finally, I just opened the door and got out. She helped me get my stuff to the front door. After she left, I moved the baggage inside and turned on the heat. Then I fired up my laptop and turned on the router. I watered the plants, and then saw that Chris had skyped. I skyped him back, just barely catching him. Then he went to bed and I went to blog.
* the hammock: in the country; in the city *

All I need now is a drink with an umbrella

We heard the alarm at 7, and lingered long in bed because it was our last lazy morning together. We showered and I swished, and exercised. I sat out on the patio to catch some intermittent sun. Then I made breakfast. I ate it while reading e-mail. I followed a few tapping videos. After clearing a lot of e-mail, I put on my suit and Chris drove me to the pool. It was too windy and overcast to go in and the water was cold. But I was still able to read and catch some rays on a lounge. I gave it an hour. Then I figured I’d had enough and did not want to risk more. I checked e-mail and saw one from Delta, enabling me to check in online and print out the tickets. Actually Chris printed them out. I saw that I have a 3 hour layover in Atlanta. I made up breakfast for tomorrow so that I could pack all of the remaining food and supplement bottles. Then I turned my attention to packing the suitcase. I bagged clothing and underwear and shoes and purchases. I packed it this way and that, changing bags and rearranging. I figured packing to go home would be easier than packing to come here, but not by much. There were items that could not be packed until tomorrow. I set out some clothes for tomorrow, and hoped there would be enough room left for today’s clothes and nightgown. Then I watched some tapping videos. I did a lot of tapping on my own about tomorrow. Chris heated up some of the vegetable soup for us for supper. Since the ceramic bowl was in use holding tomorrow’s breakfast, he put the soup in a plastic bowl for me, and left it to cool. When I saw that he added some black beans to his, I asked for some, too. We watched the last DVD of Criminal Minds. The last episode was a cliffhanger. Will I ever see the end? I skyped Denise at her request. She wanted to be sure her skype was working. Then we watched an episode of Sherlock Holmes, the BBC version. Finally it was time to go to bed. That’s when I realized that we hadn’t picked up the hammock, which was supposed to be ready at 5.
* Yes, it's January and I'm sunbathing. *

A day at home

We ignored the alarm(s) and went back to sleep. I hurt all over. But after I got up and did my exercises, I felt much better. I read e-mail and ate breakfast. Then I meditated while Chris ran some errands. I also swept the floors with a broom. The day was cloudy and I was looking forward to sun. I put his bathroom rug out to dry so I could give it a good vacuuming later. I read e-mail and did some tapping. When Chris got back, we took the rest of the yarn to the hammock shop. I scuffed the top of my right foot. It stung while I wove in two balls and Chris did one and 2 rows of the last color. Then one of the MWR folks did the edging with the rest of the ball. He had us divide the loops on the poles into 20 segments which were then tied together with the clews, which he had made himself. We walked back in the strong wind. I was hoping for sun, but not today. I sat outside on the couch to read for a while, but it was too windy and chilly. I opened the blinds in the bedroom for better light and read on the bed until my eyes got tired and I felt like sleeping. Chris was alternately online and doing laundry. I brought in the bathroom rug and tried to vacuum it. The Hoover wanted to eat it. I also did the rug in front of the TV. When the laundry was done, we folded the clothes and put them away, and redressed the bed. Then he heated up some soup for supper. I disinfected my foot. We watched numerous episodes of Criminal Minds while cuddling on the couch. It took my mind off of the fact that my time with Chris is almost over. And then it was time to go to bed.
* This is an example of the beautiful grillwork used to protect homes and businesses from theft. *

As easy as falling off a horse

The alarm went off at 5:30.

We stayed in bed just a little while, then got up to take showers and eat breakfast. I figured it would be chilly out, so I wore my green jacket. Time was short but we made it to the van by 6:45, in the rain. But no one was there. However by 7, 5 of the 7 passengers were accounted for and signed in. I guess two stayed home because of the rain. We drove to the front gate so the three military women could sign out. Then the driver headed to Marcala, a two hour drive over some bumpy roads. We waited at a gas station for our guide. Our van followed him to his father’s ranch house. As we strolled the grounds of the coffee plantation, he made us breakfast: refried beans, guacamole, scrambled eggs with veggies, tortillas, and fried plantains. We had a leisurely meal. The neighbor's dog watched us intently whenever the guide wasn't there. The three women each bought a pound of coffee grown on the plantation. Then we got back in the van and followed his truck to a remote area that his business partner owns. The van pulled to the side of the road where a number of horses were standing. We got out and each chose a horse. I had been advised earlier to choose the smallest because he was the calmest. So I did. I still had trouble getting up that high. The stirrups had covers in the front so that one’s foot could not go all the way through. I was wearing running shoes and they hardly fit in there.

The horse was so calm that he didn’t want to go. We lagged behind everyone else. I had been told to squeeze him with my legs or kick him with my heels to go faster. I tried both, the second not so well, but neither worked. The trail was rocky so I tried to let him pick his own path, but he kept choosing the rockiest parts, or going near the edge. He was hard to steer because of the way he was bridled. A man rode beside me, urging the horse on. We stopped to walk down into a ravine to see a waterfall. We even walked behind it. It was fun scrambling over rocks. I found one that looked like it had toe prints in it. Then we mounted up again and rode on. Same story. The next time we pulled over, the guide asked me if things were going better. I said the horse didn’t want to move, so he rode it and lashed it with the tip of the rope tied to the bridle. He got it to gallop, but said it was reluctant. Anyway, the horses rested while we walked uphill to see a grotto. The climb to get in was daunting and I figured I would not be able to get down, so I did not go. The others all did. But then, they are younger and all work out every day. I just took pics of them. The guide had a sore ankle and could not climb it himself. So he talked to me about the property. He mentioned that the people they let live there did not clean up the trash left lying around. So I found a bag lying around and filled it with as much trash as I could.

Then the others climbed/slid down from the grotto. We walked back to the horses and rode on. It was slow going. Although the weather was dry and cool, the horses were slow. But then all of a sudden, they took off. I was jounced unmercifully until they all came to a halt (though at the wrong spot). So we turned them to the right and followed the road. They took off again. The bouncing was worse. My feet slid from the stirrups and there was nothing to grab onto. I tried to put my arms around the horse’s neck, but to no avail. I fell. I was certain he would run over me, but somehow he didn’t. I just lay there for awhile. The guide’s helper tried to get me up, but my legs had no strength. I could not tell if I was hurt or not. When I did get up, I could barely stand. Getting on the horse was impossible, so they put me in the truck with the guide. He drove me to the end of the line, what seemed like a long road to a hacienda where his partner was making lunch. They showed me into a bathroom with soap and water. I washed the contusions on my wrist and elbow. Thankfully nothing else got hurt. Then I realized that I had wet my pants when I fell off and there was no hiding it. I asked if they had a washing machine or a fan. He had a battery operated hand fan, that was all. He said their electricity came from four small solar panels. So I removed my wet clothing, washed them in the sink and zipped my jacket around my waist and tied the arms.

I hung the wet stuff on the railing to dry. I was self conscious and embarrassed. I walked around and spoke to the men as they worked on lunch. The party arrived and asked if I was ok. I showed them my contusions and that nothing else was hurt. When lunch was ready, we filled our plates from a table by the grill. We had filet mignon wrapped in bacon, a chicken and veggie dish, tortillas, rice, and mushroom gravy. All they had to drink was soda, but we had brought bottles of water so we drank that. We walked/sat around, enjoying the view. The countryside was beautiful. Chris gave me my wrap from his backpack. When we were ready to go, my items were sill not dry so I asked for his underwear. (Greater love hath no man...) We went into the bathroom to change. I took off the jacket and replace it with the wrap, which made a better skirt anyway. Then we rode two hours in the van to get back to post. I was glad to have dry underwear. We had to stop at the front gate to let the others sign in. The next stop was the J6 building where the easy-go awaited us. Chris drove it slowly so that my wrap would not blow open. I held it shut just in case. When we got into the quad, I put on my nightgown. I blotted my wounds with hydrogen peroxide. We watched three episodes of Criminal Minds. Then I posted to my blog, thinking how lucky I was. I could have been hurt much worse, and the truck ride saved me from being saddle sore tomorrow (I hope). And my back seems fine, which is kind of remarkable. I put some ice on my wrist as I typed to take down the swelling of the brush burn. And then we went to bed.

Sleepless in Honduras

It was a long night. I had that restless leg feeling in my left arm and leg. I also had waves of nausea. I tapped, cleared, exercised, and massaged. I don’t remember the symptoms going away, but I must have fallen asleep. I heard Chris leave the quarters just before my phone alarm went off at 7.

I stayed in bed a little, then got up to swish, exercise, make breakfast, read e-mail and meditate. He came back from running, and took a shower before going to the dining facility for breakfast. His plan was to bring back cranberries for me, but they were out. Instead he brought back something that looked like large raisins but tasted like prunes. I had a few. Then I put on my running shoes and took my purse. We drove the easy-go to the community hall to meet the others for the trip. We stood around and chatted for awhile. Then the vans were ready and we boarded them by name. At the front gate we all had to get out and go in a building to sign out. This was a new procedure and took a ridiculous amount of time. Then we got back on the vans and drove into Comayagua. It occurred to me on the way that the –maya- part of Comayagua might refer to the Mayans. We drove into town, seeing some of the same sights we saw Thursday night. We parked near the police station and walked to the town square. We just stood there for awhile, gawking at all the people and taking pictures. Then a man came up and offered to give us a tour of the old church – for a price per person. So we all agreed. I had trouble understanding him, but I think he told us about the building of the church and an old clock that had been brought over as a gift from the king of Spain. Its function now is to ring the bells every quarter hour. We walked up the narrow steep steps to the bell tower. I had an attack of claustrophobia in the stairwell.

We saw the clock and its workings. And then we climbed higher to see the bells. We took pics of the town from the tower. On the way down, Chris went in front of me and I rested my hands on his shoulders. There was no handrail. Not being able to see past him helped a lot. Finally we made it to the bottom. I rested against the outside wall and Chris disappeared. I followed the crowd into the sanctuary. There was a very old pipe organ. And lots of gilt ornamentation, and stained glass windows. Then we went outside and stood around for a bit. Chris disappeared again and then waved us forward to a cultural center. We saw a model of the town and pics of different seasons celebrated by the people. For Holy Week, they spread painted sawdust down the streets to make pictures of Jesus’ last days. The guide told us that Comayagua was originally 'coma y agua', which means food and water. After that, we went into a restaurant for lunch. We sat across from a missionary couple who lived in the city. They had fascinating things to say about the people and culture. They said they had never been sick, but were very careful about their food and water, where they ate, what they ate, and how they washed it. They told us that even the poorest people had smart phones because relationships were so valuable. Phones over food. But honesty was not a highly valued trait.

Coming out of the restaurant, a young boy asked for money to buy food. But when one of our group offered to get him food from the restaurant, he said no. We were told that his mother rents a baby so she can do better when asking for handouts. Finally we went back to the vans to go to post. I kept feeling a tickle on my leg, but never saw anything there. It occurred to me that I might not be alone in my skin – a creepy thought. So I used Chris’ pen to mark the location of the tickle. If it moved, then I would know. The tickle came and went, but always in one of two spots. When we got back to post, the others had to stand in line to sign out. Being civilians, we did not, so we walked back to the chapel to get Chris’ easy-go. We stopped at one of the bathroom buildings. (Some cabins have no running water so those people have to go to the bathroom buildings for toilet and showers). It was a short drive back. I took the chance to read e-mail. I got sleepy and laid down on the couch. Chris read outside and then came in to wake me up to see if I wanted to go out to dinner with the Wednesday crowd. I was too sleepy to decide so had to wake up first. I put on long pants and a long sleeve shirt over a t-shirt. When we went outside, it was cool and windy. Chris went back for an umbrella and a towel to wipe the easy-go seats. We drove to the front gate. The others were there, starting the check out procedure. They had called their taxi. Chris called ours and discovered that he was already in the parking lot out front. So we went on ahead to the restaurant. When we got there, the friars were already there. So the four of us went in and got a table for 8. We looked over menus until the other four showed up. It was hard to decide what to have when almost everything was meat and cheese. Chris ordered a chorizo sandwich and I got what sounded like veggies, but was a plate of rice with flecks of plant matter. Chris ordered me a salad. He also gave me half of the sandwich. I ate the innards and gave him back the bread. The others had ordered two anafrey’s which were bean and cheese dip with nachos in a container that kept it all warm. I skipped that. I talked with Chris on my left and Bobbie Jo on my right. I could not hear the others over the American music and general customer hubbub. At 8:10 Chris looked out to see if our taxi was present. It was, so we said our goodbyes and rode back to the post. Chris conversed with the driver in Spanish. We went back to Chris’ quarters to watch an episode of Criminal Minds before checking e-mail one last time and going to bed early.
* The third pic was a photo from the lunch restaurant. Apparently Chuck Norris ate there, too. *

Speechless!

We ignored the 7am alarm for a long time. Then this morning was a lot like yesterday morning. After meditating, I took the next two balls of yarn and put them in my sling purse. Chris drove us to the hammock cabin. He helped me cut and tie the ends of the gold and red and attach the next color, yellow. He left to go to the PX. I finished the yellow, but it was several feet from the next pole. So I borrowed scissors from the next building to cut off the extra from the last band of yellow and finish the row. Chris came back while I was tying it on. I finished the row and we tied the orange ball on. He read a book while I finished the orange. Then we went to the woodshop to return the scissors. The man there showed us the wood spacers with drawings of the things we had asked for. It was going to be very nice once they were carved in. He said it would be done by Monday or Tuesday, but it really didn't matter since I was not going to be able to get it in my suitcase. Chris had already driving the PX supplies back to the quad, so we walked back. Then I had lunch while Chris checked e-mail.
I put on my bathing suit and laid in the sun and read on the porch. Later we went back to the hammock cabin. I wove one ball and Chris did the other while I rested my feet. The man who bought the wood for the stretcher bars showed us the result of his carvings. They were wonderful! He complimented me on the center of my hammock. Then Chris and I walked back to the quad. I ate leftovers from last night. I changed my shorts for pants. I couldn't find my wrap and speculated that it was in the taxi. We went to the community center. The owner of the restaurant we went to the first night I got here was there delivering quesadillas. After saying the prayer, the chaplain invited me to be first in line. I was speechless. How could I explain that quesadillas were not on my food list with the owner right there? Chris explained that I'd already eaten. So then others lined up to take quesadillas with toppings and my embarrassing moment was over. I sat on one of the couches. Chris sat beside me when he had his supper. Then the movie started – The Good Lie”. It was streaming video and paused several times. People ate as they watched. There were sad parts and I tried not to cry. The chaplain held a discussion afterward. Then Chris went to help clean up and I talked to Jamie and then an ADHD air traffic controller who said coffee calms him down. We rode back in the easy-go. Then we walked to Chris' office to get 5 gallon jug of water which he carried it back. I rebooted my laptop and then we put in a disc of Criminal Minds in it to play on the large TV screen. After two episodes, it was time to blog and go to bed. We have a big day tomorrow.

I've got cojones!

Last night I found 4 mosquito bites on my right elbow. I put some of my essential oil concoction on them and the itching mostly went away. We stayed in bed past my alarm at 7. Chris got up to take a shower and make breakfast. I got up to drink water and swish and savor my vitamin C. Then I exercised, but I stopped when I felt a small pop in my back. But I was almost done anyway. I ate breakfast while Chris went to change out his Blackberry. I listened to an audio on finding a good relationship and it made me think of Kurt. I looked up wormwood. I read outside in the sun for awhile, then retired to the outside couch. Chris came back. I finished my book and had lunch. I took the next two balls of yarn to the hammock cabin and wove them together. Chris left and while he was gone, I read the teaser chapter at the end of the book. He came back and we walked back. Then we read e-mail, then rode to MWR to check out helmets for horse back riding. On the way back, we stopped at a souvenir shop to examine the wood carvings and t-shirts. We came home, and I listened to an audio, and read e-mail, I felt sleepy and laid down. My mind worked on the puzzle of the yarn ends and came up with a solution. I wanted to go over there to try it out, but my back hurt, so I laid down instead. Chris gave me a five minute warning. Then I put on pants and a little bug spray. We got in his easy-go and headed for the fire station. Mr. Gaekel was on the phone, but when he finished, we went out to his car. I rode in the passenger seat while we followed Chris in his easy-go to the front gate. Then I sat in the back while Chris got in the front. Mr. Gaekel drove us to Comayagua and drove us around the town before pulling in to a restaurant called El Torito. I took pics but they did not come out well in the dark. We sat near the back but only one family was there so we could have sat anywhere. We were given menus in Spanish. Chris helped me decipher the first appetizer which was eggs of bull – cojones! So of course I had to try that. The two men ordered jalepeno steak. A small jar of pickled veggies was complimentary. Mr Gaekel was a good conversationalist, and kept us entertained. At the end of the evening, Chris paid the bill. The owner took our pic with my camera. Then we got in a taxi that Mr. Gaekel ordered and paid for. We were taken back to post. We got in the easy-go and went back to Chris' quarters. We finished an episode of Criminal Minds and watched another whole one. Then we went to bed.

Iguana island

We stayed in bed past my alarm at 7. Chris got up to take a shower and make breakfast. So I did, too, but I swished and exercised first. I cut back a little on the ankle work though. I sucked on a packet of Vitamin C before making breakfast. After breakfast, Chris went to work for a little while, and I dusted the apartment and then sat outside to read until he came back. Then we got together two loads of laundry. I made a salad for lunch. Then we went sight-seeing on post. He took me to the fire station to meet Mr. Geckel. We made plans to eat out with him tomorrow night. Then we went to the alpha area to take pics of the cabins and large plantings. Chris also took me to where the Honduran academy was. We saw a monument to some soldiers that died in a plane crash. Then we stopped at the DVQ's to see the lagoon, but it wasn't a good view. So he drove me to another spot that was better. We were not sure if a certain branch held the monster iguana that Mr. Geckel mentioned having released there. Then we went to the hammock cabin to see the wood. The man asked us what we would like carved into it. We discussed flowers, palms trees, houses, geckos, and Mayan temples in addition to our names and the name of this place. No one took me seriously when I suggested the Mayan calendar.

Back at the quad (Chris' quarters), I watched more hammock weaving videos. None of them showed the method we were using. I folded my laundry. The lining was coming out of one pair of shorts, so I hand-sewed it back into place. Chris had a couple of shirts that needed buttons, so I did that, too. I selected the next two balls of yarn and put on pants. We went to the hammock cabin and put on the first ball of yarn. There wasn't time to do a second one, so we unraveled the second ball, tied it on and loaded the yarn onto the shuttle for next time. Then we went to the chapel fellowship hall. We talked to two other people there, waiting for the priest and brother from the monastery to arrive. Chris helped to set up the food. There were two trays of Subway sandwiches and numerous bowls of onions, peppers, tomatoes, etc. I made a salad and put mustard on it. I figured it had the least sugar of all the toppings we were given. Oil and vinegar were not there. At 7:30 Chris and Bobbie Jo moved some tables and couches so that we could sit comfortably to listen to Brother Ignasius talked the Catholic church's view of sex and marriage, including homosexuality and masturbation and birth control. Now I know why I am not Catholic. I spoke up some, but still bit my tongue a lot. Then we had vespers, and the evening ended with a chat about horse riding. We went back to Chris' quarters and had a long talk and fell asleep.
* Mr. Geckel told us he released several pairs of iguanas into the lagoon and they grew very large. We did not see one of those, but we did see a smaller one sunning itself on a wall. *

Fun in the sun

I was dimly aware of Chris getting up this morning. Then I heard the front door close and all was quiet. I tried to go back to sleep and may have dozed off. Then I got up to pee and suck down Vit C. I also put ice on my ankle. I could not find a note so theorized that he'd gone to breakfast. But the time was earlier than I thought so maybe he worked out. As it turned out, he went running. He returned while I was sitting on the couch, ice on my ankle, and reading e-mail. We made our separate breakfasts. My coconut milk had fermented on its own and it smelled like old eggs so we threw it out. I meditated. He chopped carrots and cabbage and cilantro for the crock pot and my job was to peel the garlic. Then we had some time together, and then he went to catch the bus to Comayagua for more coconut milk. I used the broom outside to brush down cobwebs and debris. I was going to vacuum the cushions of the outside couch, but there was no hose on the vacuum. So I took them off the couch and brushed them with the broom. I displaced a gecko who was hiding there, and a desiccated grasshopper. Then I swept the quarters with the broom, and used a piece of paper to pick up the dirt. I used the Hoover on the rug. Then I took out the dirt cup to empty it. I washed the plastic pieces, and sat out by the parking lot to knock dirt out of the filter. I was so covered in fine dirt that I took a shower. I washed the filter at the same time. The filter went out in the sun to dry. I sat out there reading e-mail. But for some reason Yahoo would not let me delete e-mail. I was surprised how frustrating it was not to be able to delete mail. I need that sense of satisfaction that it brings. Chris came home with a few groceries. I came in to get some ice for my ankle and drink water. I tapped, and read e-mail. I made a salad for lunch. I ate it sitting outside in the sun. I stayed in the sun after lunch was over. Later I came in and put ice on my ankle again. We both read e-mail. We responded to Parker's questions about unaddressed issues with the house. I put on my bathing suit and we went to the pool. I dipped my hand in the water and decided to sunbathe. It was so blissful to sit in the sun and read a novel. This is the life. When the sunset came, I went over to Chris who sat in the shade. We walked over to his easy-go and I remarked how nice the afternoon had been. He replied “ Not bad for January, eh?” and I regretted not getting pic of me sunbathing to post. Our crock pot soup was done. He had added chorizo purchased in town. I had to let mine cool down a little before I could taste it. It was alright but not as good as he has made in the past with access to a large variety of spices. And the chorizo was not as spicy as in America. After checking e-mail, we took the next three balls of yarn for the hammock to the hammock building. No one was there. I started the first ball which was dark purple. Halfway through I tagged Chris so I wouldn't spend too much time on my ankle. Not that it hurt, but it tends to only complain after the fact. We worked back and forth. Another guy came in to work on his. He had started a day ahead of us. Chris knew him and we had a good time conversing. One of his friends joined in the conversation. When we ran out of yarn on the last ball, it was time to go. The teacher was there, ready to help us tie on the next color, but we had not brought it. Chris drove me back to his quarters. He read e-mail while I looked at hammock videos. Then we watched an episode of Criminal Minds. We started a second one, but I was tired and needed to go to bed.
* this is the solar array on post *

Back to base

Sleep did not last because there was a conversation going on in the courtyard until late. I fell asleep again, but woke up to pee and then heard the rooster, who must have been confused about the time. Later the cat yowled. But not for long so maybe somebody through a shoe at it. We were awake when the alarm went off at 7. We took our showers and were in the lobby by 8. Jamie met us there, expecting the guide to walk her to the corner shop. When we did not see him, we walked there with her. Then the guide found us there. He knew of a shop that had fabric, so he walked us across the plaza, down the street and around the corner. It was a store that sold a little of everything. And I think he was related to the old woman in front of the counter. I chose what looked like a bolt of cotton quilting fabric on the wall. The price was $2, so I got one yard of the green, the blue and the red. When he got one down for her to cut, I could feel that it was stiffer than expected. But, for the price, I did not change my order, thinking that a good washing might make a difference. Then he walked us to a restaurant, (family owned) and left us there while he went to get the other three. Chris and I perused the Spanish menu, translating it as best we could. Then we ordered. I got a vegetarian omelet. It arrived soon after our party did. It came with beans, butter and cheese. We ate our meal and went to pay. Jaime and I left a little early to walk back. We stopped at a fruit stand so I could get some fruit for the trip home. Jamie walked on when Chris showed up. I got two peeled oranges for $.15 each and a small bag of watermelon chunks. We walked back to the hotel. It was almost time to leave, so we packed our stuff and went out front. My ankle was feeling better so I wanted to climb the stairs to the veranda at the hotel. But just then everyone was loading in the van. So we got in, too. Our driver, whom we saw at breakfast, drove us slowly out of town, through the amazingly narrow cobbled streets. The road was paved after the ruins, but not in good shape. It proclaimed to be an interstate, but we had to drive around two herds of cattle. When we stopped for the bathroom, I stood in the sun. It felt so good, but was so elusive. The second part of the drive was better in road condition, but there was still a lot of passing in the oncoming lane. When we got back to the base, we put our stuff in Chris' easy-go and went back to his quarters. I felt a bladder infection coming on so we went to the Px for rubbing alcohol, but they were out. So we got alcohol swabs instead, imagining them to be bigger than they turned out to be. I noticed mosquito bites on my legs and wondered when and where they happened. Most of my trip I had worn pants. And they weren't there when I rubbed mud on my legs at the hot springs. Chris started supper while I sat outside on the loveseat to work on my blog for yesterday and today. I had almost 300 unread e-mail messages. I sat in the sun as it went down, clearing e-mail. Then I went inside where Chris was eating supper. I had some chicken, rice and grilled onions, peppers and garlic. I changed into pants. Chris drove us to the hammock class. I thought the formal class might include details that were not considered important in the impromptu demonstration. But no one else showed up for the class and I was shown again exactly what the first man showed me. So I finished the purple roll of yarn and hung up the shuttle while Chris alternately chatted in Spanish with the teacher and helped me maintain proper tension on the cross string for each row. Not having brought the next color with us, we went back to his quarters. We downloaded pics from both cameras onto my laptop. Then I cleaned up my blog notes because I could not see the cursor earlier in the sun. Chris helped me download pics from my tablet. There were a lot of blurry ones from Christmas 2013, so I went through and deleted some. Then we watched 1 ¾ episodes of Criminal Minds. The second episode would not play through. Chris went to bed and I went through my selection of pics to choose a few for this blog entry. While waiting for the pics to upload, I looked up the symptoms of malaria.
* center motif in town square, painting in the breakfast restaurant yesterday *

History and heat

The alarm rang at 7:30 I think. I wrapped the library book in a plastic bag and put it inside a ziplock bag. In the shower it made a nice wedge for my left heel to support the ankle. After our shower we got dressed and met the others in the lobby. Our guide met us there and walked us to a nearby restaurant for breakfast. I got a typical Honduran breakfast of chicken, cheese, butter, beans, rice, avocado, and plantain. We walked back to the hotel. Jaime went to her room. The guide arranged a tuktuk to take three of us and himself to see the ruins. There were some nice t-shirts in the gift shop but I figured that was not the best place to buy one. The price of the ticket depended on what you wanted to see. I wish I had known ahead of time so I could think about it and maybe look it up online. We paid only for the ruins, not for either of the museums or the tunnels. With my ankle in dubious shape, I thought we could always buy more tickets if I still wanted to see the museums or the tunnel. On the walk to the ruins, we passed a colorful macaw. There were other birds high up in the trees.
Initially the site looked like a football field. But past the pyramid were more structures. The pyramids were burial places and past that were the royal living quarters.

A lot of what we saw was like a giant puzzle pieced together with the stones they have found so far. I think someday there will be an app to scan all the rocks and fit them together as they used to be. There was a gladiatorial arena for fighting panthers. The field we initially saw was for soccer. The winner got his head cut off so he could win again in the next life. It was a lot of walking and climbing so we did not see the museum. At one point, my camera memory got full so I had to switch to Chris' camera. We stopped by a nearby souvenir shop where I got a t-shirt, but not as nice as the one in the gift shop. The tuktuk took us back to the hotel, a ride of about 5 minutes. We met those who hadn't gone along and walked down the street to some souvenir shops. I got a jade copy of the medicine god. In the other shop I got a green t-shirt. Then we went to lunch at the place we ate supper at yesterday. I ordered a cheese sandwich plate. It came with french fries. I scraped the bread off and gave it to Chris. I gave my french fries to John who gave me his avocado. The food prep took so long that we were afraid we might not make our 1:30 appt for the hot springs but we were pretty close. A 4x4 truck picked us up at the hotel.

The two young guys in our group rode in back. I felt sorry for them because the road was all dirt and ruts. The 18 mile windy road took us 45 minutes. We passed cattle, dogs, people, a pig, and fields of corn planted on hillsides. Our guide brought his son along to help watch us. Apparently his family owned the hot springs, too. There were two pools, but they were two cool for me. So he took us into the woods to where hot water from underground made its way down through seven pools, cooling off as it went. We walked over a rope bridge, and through a rock tunnel with skull faces in the wall to get there. Also, they had cold water piped in to keep the top pool from being scalding hot. Areas marked in red were too hot to touch. There was a natural hot shower and a cold one. I sat in the second pool, enjoying the heat. Chris came with me and we talked to a German American travel agent on holiday. It started to rain. That bothered her more than it did us. But my shoes and clothes got wet. The rocks were slippery and I was afraid to walk barefoot because of parasites. With a bum ankle and slip-on shoes, it was precarious. At last I went to the bottom spring which had a carved rock container of special mud. The water wasn't as hot.

I rubbed the mud on my arms, legs and feet. In hindsight I wish I had done my face, too. The mud was slightly scratchy and made my skin feel smooth. The guide came to tell us supper was almost ready. I washed off the mud and got out. We went back through the tunnel and over the swaying bridge. I put my damp clothes on over my bathing suit as that was the best choice available. We were seated at a table under a roof. We were brought plates of food including beef or chicken as we had been asked when we came in.

There was also cheese, butter, avocado, rice, beans, and tortillas. Nearby was a chicken pen where you can actually pick the chicken you want to eat, like picking a lobster. In front of the chicken pen was a laundry line. The first thing on the line was a yo-yo quilt. When we finished eating, the guide brought me ice for my ankle. He said he had to send out for it. Then we all made a pit stop, and then piled in the 4x4. Since it had rained, the road was even worse. The German American lady came in a van and we figured we'd see it mired somewhere along the road. But we didn't. We crept along through puddles and streams, driving around ruts and washouts, and sharing the road with oncoming traffic (in the dark no less). I was glad when we made it back to the hotel.

We hung up our wet stuff and retired to the bed, each of us with a book. It was so pleasant that I just read until my eyes closed. Chris turned off the lights and we went to sleep.

the long and winding road

The alarm went off at 6, I was pretty sure my ankle had not recovered, so I washed from the washbowl instead of taking a shower so that I could wear my wedge shoes. I noticed a sunburn on my chest and shoulders. I also noticed a lot of gray in my hair. When did that happen? Ever since I got here, I do not recognize the face in the mirror. Then I got dressed and made breakfast. Chris went to the dining facility. I savored my packet of Vitamin C while checking e-mail, then ate my breakfast. I packed a few last minute things. Chris came back with a banana and some cranberries from the breakfast bar to take on the trip. My phone alarm went off and when I checked it, it needed recharging but I could not find the charger. So I turned it off. Chris found that his cord worked on my phone so he recharged it for me. It isn't much use in a foreign country, but I will need it when I get back to Huntsville to call my ride. I finished checking email, and we picked up our baggage and drove it to meet the van at the front gate. With our luggage stowed in back, we took a seat and waited for the others to arrive. There was a young lady and two young men. We started off on a six hour harrowing journey. Apparently using the oncoming lane for passing is common. We passed many ruins, but they were still inhabited. No point in fixing a place up -it is more of a target for thieves. I tried to get pictures of the cattle. They reminded me of the 7lean cows in the bible. There was plenty of grass though. We thought we were close, but the last part was so windy and full of potholes that I was getting sick to my stomach and it seemed to go on forever. At one point we had to stop and give a donation. Then the police stopped us to check our ID. When we got to Copan Ruinis, our driver got lost. But he made a call and soon dropped us at our hotel. The others in our group wanted to see the ruins today, but I was having too much trouble walking. So we went to a nearby restaurant for their cheese sampler platter. It was very good and we enjoyed talking to the people at the next table. A young girl approached us selling corn husk dolls to support a charity. We bought one. We were approached at least 4 more times while we sat in the restaurant. Then we went back to the hotel. Chris took some pictures of the hotel with my tablet. They gave us some ice for my ankle. The others returned from the ruins. Chris went out to eat with them. I wasn't hungry and I did not want to walk more than absolutely necessary. But I REALLY wanted to go out. Instead I sat at a table in the courtyard and read a book. Then I went back in the room to write to my blog. I had taken notes this morning and emailed them to myself, but I could not get the tablet to copy/paste it to my blog. Chris came back from dinner and helped me. The swearing must have made the difference. Then I finished my blog post and let him have the tablet to check his email. Can not post a picture with the tablet. Pics were posted 2 days later by laptop. Don't ask me why the pics posted differently than before.

Made in Honduras

Thursday Chris' alarm went off at 5:15. This time I heard it, but he shut it off and went back to sleep. We slept until my alarm went off. When we got up, he made coffee and took a shower. I did my exercises and washed up. He made his breakfast and I made mine. Then I posted to my blog for yesterday with a little help from Chris' memory. I got started reading my 200+ unread e-mails, and doing my pinky exercises. Lest you think them some form of lazy exercise, I am trying to strengthen them for typing purposes. The coffee smelled really good, athough not such that I would be tempted to drink it.

When I finished deleting e-mails that I did not intend to read, we went to Chris' office, and the chaplains office. Then we stopped by the fire dept again. Next door was the beauty shop, but it was closed. Near that was a juice bar. We stepped inside and I ordered a blackberry, strawberry, mango smoothie. From there we went to MWR, and saw chickens on the way. We stopped by the library to return a movie and get some books to read, and get more movies. We stopped by the PX to get veggies and bandaids because my nylon footies were digging into my ankles. We stopped at Chris' office again. He did something in his office while I sat, chatted, then started reading. We came back to his place to check e-mail. There was still no sun, although it might have been sunny before we got up. I looked up restaurants in Copan trying to find a Korean one with kimchi, but there was not one in the country as far as I could tell. I made a salad from tomatoes and cucumber. I sat out on the patio to eat. Chris brought out the laundry. I helped him water the potted plants. Then the sun came out, so I got a chair and sat in full view of its rays. It got hot, but I was loving it. Later we went out to sign up for the hammock class. We had a copy of Chris' orders. But no one was there, so we sat at a nearby picnic table and watched the roosters strut around. Then two hens came along, and later some chicks. They seemed to have run of the place. When we saw two men enter the building, we went back in. Chris signed me up for the class. We had to take the paper to two other people and get it signed. Then we went back. The man took me to a cabin where the yarn was stored. There wasn't much left so I picked the colors I liked best from the ones that were left. Then he passed me to another man who took me to another building where many hammocks were in progress stretched between poles. He showed me how to get started and did the first row for me so that the tension and stitch placement were just right. I took it from there. Chris watched. The man watched me make a few rows and adjusted the tension now and again. He did not speak English but Chris could speak a little Spanish and we were able to communicate. Making the hammock was a cross between sewing and weaving. At 5, I hung up the shuttle and we took the as-yet-unused balls of yarn back to Chris' quarters. I checked up on “Dawn of the Planet of the Apes” to see if I would like it. Inconclusive. I exchanged my shorts for pants. We drove to the chapel hall where numerous people were eating Chinese food from large tubs. Chris introduced me to several ladies. Then we got some food and sat down. There was a sort of farewell for one young man. Then the movie (Dawn of Planet of the Apes) started. It was sort of interesting except that the words of the apes were written on the screen and I did not have my glasses, so could not read them. When we had finished eating, we went back to Chris' quarters. We checked e-mail and then watched Man of Steel on my laptop. My ankle hurt so Chris left to go to the Px to get some ice. They did not have any so he went to the chapel and came back with two baggies. For the rest of the movie I had ice on my ankle. I do not know what set it off, but standing to work on the hammock probably did not help. I stayed off of it as best I could, learning from previous experience that ice and rest do the most good. Chris tried to help me pack for tomorrow. I shall post to my blog and then do what it takes to get to bed.

Honduran supermarket

Thursday Chris' alarm went off at 5:15. He shut it off before I heard it. My alarm went off at 7, thinking it was 8 because the last time it got signal was in Atlanta, which is an hour ahead. We took a shower and got dressed. Chris drove me in his Easy-Go to breakfast. It had rained during the night and the seats were a little wet. I teased him about needing to put up the windows. Inside the dining facility Chris greeted the cashier in Spanish and introduced me. My breakfast cost $3.50 so he said I was an expensive date. (His cost $2.50) We stood in line for omelets. He ordered for us in Spanish. Sadly he misremembered what I wanted so there was bacon in my eggs. Then we went by the toppings bar. He got almost all of them, and I got none, except some fried plantain which I think was a side. At the beverage bar I got vegetable juice. I also got fruit from the cereal bar.

After we ate and put up our trays, we took the easy-go to the gym. We walked through the gym, stopping at the bathroom, to go to Finance, but they did not open until 9. So he took me on a walking-tour of the old section of the base. Lots of cute cabins, and mature plantings. I wish I had had my camera. He introduced me to people on the way. We went back to Finance to get limpirah for our trip. We stopped by the firestation to meet Mr. Geckel, but he was out. Then we drove to his office for a 5 gallon jug of water. David asked him for the ignition key to get the easy-go gassed and washed. So Chris carried the jug back to his quarters. We caught the bus into Comyagua. We were dropped in front of a mall. We walked around inside. At a beauty salon, we stopped for me to get my hair cut. Riding in the easy-go always made my hair frizz so I wanted shorter hair. The lady gave me a book to choose my cut. Chris explained to her that I did not need it washed. I thanked her in Spanish and Chris paid. It was less than $10. Beside the shop was Payless. They had the same shoes I got at Goodwill but without the wear and tear. Since Faye had bought me shoes for Christmas, I did not need shoes, but the chance was too good and I didn't think I would be able to come back when I did need them. So I got a pair. Then we walked around the rest of the mall. Shoes, cell phones, and banks were really popular. Next to the mall was a grocery store. We checked my new shoes at the front counter. We shopped for vegetables, and looked for kimchi. Nope. But we did get local honey. And I was impressed with the way the veggies were stacked up. When we checked out, there was still half an hour before the bus came back around. From the bus stop I could see a restaurant advertising soup all day long. Chris helped me read the sign. One of the soups was snail soup. Chris didn't want any, but he ordered a bowl for me. At first it was hard to identify the snails because there were other types of seafood in there and something that had the mouthfeel of potatoes but looked like bananas. Finally I realized that the snails were what I thought were tentacles. They were chewy if not flavorful and the broth was delicious. It came with a small tortilla and rice which Chris ate for me. I left some of the 'potato' behind so we could rush back to the bus stop. We rode back to the base. We put the veggies away and Chris went to the tour office to get vouchers, etc while I stayed behind to sit in what little sun there was, resting my feet in the grass. I got tired of sitting on the pavement and gave up waiting for Chris. I came inside and laid down. When he got back, he laid down with me and we fell asleep for hours. When we got up, we decided to go for a walk. Chris wanted to show me his running path. But we did not walk the whole thing. I took some pics but it was getting dark and starting to rain. We saw wasp nests, a tree whose fruit is made into maraccas, a plant nursery, and military base stuff with alphabet soup names. He showed me a large pointsettia bush, and huge cactus, a cactus growing in a tree, and some epiphytes growing on a tree. We finally got back to his quad. He made himself a burrito and I made an abbreviated version of my breakfast. So many things left behind at home. I parsed my supplements into daily doses. I looked for the probiotic capsule that I brought to ferment coconut milk. But I couldn't find it. Maybe TSA spotted it and removed it? Then we hooked up my computer to the TV to watch a movie. We had rented BARK, which was supposed to be a comedy but it wasn't. We stopped it and played Master and Commander which I had sent Chris two months ago. Then he went to bed and I wanted to go with him, so I left blog posting for the next morning.

First full day - I promise

As I am going to bed early, I will not have time to recount here all that happened.  Stay tuned for the story of a hair cut, Payless, and snail soup.

Honduras here I come

Last night I made a list of what I packed and put it in my carry-on. I packed my laptop. I found my bag of underwear on the bed and quickly threw it in the carry-on since the suitcase was closed and strapped. I went to bed with a pen and paper so I could write down things I did not want to forget in the morning. I had a hard time getting to sleep. Because of all the water I drank during the day, I kept getting up. And all the excitement of going to Honduras. I tapped for the discomfort of getting up at 3am. I needn't have worried. Chris called me at 2:50. By 3 I was sitting by my HappyLight and had to get up to shut off my alarm. I turned on the CD player in the livingroom. I swished and then took my vitamin C. I checked e-mail and ate breakfast. I couldn't quite finish it. When Beverly called to say she was in the driveway, I threw the underwear in the suitcase, shut down the desktop and wifi, and moved my stuff outside. I locked the door and she helped me put my luggage in her trunk. I gave her some money. We talked as she drove and she took the wrong turn off of Memorial. So we had to turn around. We lost some time but got to the airport by 4:35. We made arrangements for my flight back. I waited in line to check my suitcase. Then I went through security. They showed me a picture of my laptop case with 5 dark cylinders and asked me what they were. I did not know, but they turned out to be rolled coins. I could not explain how they got there. But the guy did not care so I went on through. I stopped at the bathroom and the plane was boarding when I got out. It was an uneventful flight from there. When I got to Atlanta, I got on the train for Concourse F. I guess it wasn't the best train because it went to the opposite end (T) and then reversed itself. I went from sitting in the last car to sitting in the first car and it looked like no one was driving! Concourse F is ironically first in line. And short. I was planning to buy organic lip balm on the way down the concourse, but it was the first gate on the left. The only shops there were duty-free. I sat at my gate for awhile, and called William and Kurt to asked if they'd given me coins. Neither had. Then I called Chris, but he did not answer so I left him a message. Then I walked down the other concourse to look at shops. No lip balm, but the proprietor was nice to talk to. I sat back down at my gate to play Revolver on my tablet. A man near me was examined by EMS personnel and taken away. He was sitting in a seat and awake so I am not sure what the problem was. Finally my flight arrived. It was a big plane so it took time to board and get everyone situated. I was sitting beside a Honduran grandmother and her grandson. He was helping her to do everything so I tried to ask if this was her first flight. But she shook her head like she didn't understand. I put in my earplugs and waited for the plane take off and reach cruising altitude. I put the plugs away. I played the movie Frozen on the seat-back screen. The steward left three snacks on each tray table. I gave mine to the grandson. They seemed very grateful. I got out my seeds and berries to eat. After the movie, I put my earplugs back in. I remembered enough Spanish to ask her “your house, Tegus?” She said “Si”, so I said “me esposo Tegus, airport”. When she used the word Vivay, I mentioned Soto Cano. I think we had an actual conversation. The plane landed on time even though we took off a little late. I had to wait to get to my carryon and wasn't sure it was mine. When I got to the tarmac, I opened the side zipper and there were my gloves. I thought I was following the crowd, but a lady indicated another direction with a word I did not understand. When I said “immigration?” she nodded and I went the other way. We all had to stop in an hallway to let passengers get searched and board another plane. Then we went down stairs and I got in the diplomatic line. I was given a blue sheet of paper. I had already filled out the white one that we got on the plane. I tried to fill out the blue one while the man checked my passport. He also spoke to me in Spanish and only reverted to English when I could not understand him. A lady was waiting to get the blue sheet, but I wasn't finished filling it out. I had trouble reading it, so she took it and asked me two questions, wrote on the sheet and waved me through. I waited by the baggage carousel for my case. The lady who Chris asked to meet me greeted me. When I got my suitcase, she helped me roll it through the x-ray machine with my other bags. At her direction I handed over the white form. Then we arrived in the terminal proper and Chris was waiting for me. We rolled my luggage to the small bus down the street. But I had to go back to use the bathroom. Chris bought me a bottle of water and we walked around some since the bus wasn't ready to leave yet. I went back to the bathroom I was getting a headache. Chris lent me his camera to take a few pics. Finally we sat on the bus and he gave me some cranberries and nuts and a banana from his breakfast. I ate some and we chatted until the bus left for Soto Cano. I snapped pics through the window but they did not come out well. I could see that there was no safety inspection for cars to be driven. Many houses were small, with brick or corrugated metal sides. Very run down. It took us an hour to get to Soto Cano air force base. It was a cute place. Most barracks were like cabins, some without running water. A new dormitory had been built, but won't be ready until the week after I leave. The bus dropped us off and Chris put my luggage in a golf cart which he drove to his quarters. We took it inside and I had to lay down. One thing led to another, and … the afternoon was gone. Chris got me some Aleve and water. Then I got dressed and he drove me to the chapel to introduce me to the Wednesday night group. They were having subs from Subway. We walked from there to Trapiche, a hole in the wall restaurant. I ordered the curry chicken. It was very good but I could not finish it. Chris had no trouble. From there we walked to the MWR facility to check it out. There was a library there and we got a movie. Then we walked up to the swimming pool (which was closed for the evening). And what an evening it was: slightly cool, breezy, but oh so very welcome after freezing temps in Huntsville. Chris introduced me to more people as we went along. He showed me the hammock place with more than a dozen hammocks in progress. And the woodshop. And his office. When we got back to his quarters, we sat on the porch sofa and chatted. At least 4 people walked by and were a little startled as Chris intercepted them to introduce me. Then we went inside to read e-mail, and post to my blog.

*  This pic was taken right outside the airport.  The signs made me wonder if I had left the U. S, after all.  *

More packing, more panicing

I woke up early because the bed got too hot. The sheet wasn't enough without the comforter and the comforter was too much. Back and forth, until I began to see daylight creeping around the blinds. Chris called about 6:45, and I got up. I was sitting by my HappyLight when my alarm went off at 7. I called Beverly to confirm that she will pick me up tomorrow. I did my Wednesday detox. I tweezed my eyebrows and used a facial scrub. I put a hold on the mail. I exercised and took extra vit C. I juiced and meditated. I stacked the dishwasher. I printed out my plane tickets. I called my dad to tell him I wouldn't be in touch for the next two weeks. I made two breakfasts and ate one. I drank 3 glasses of warm lemon salt water. I got the mail and e-mail the bill amount to Chris. I added some essential oils to my neroli spray to ward off mosquitoes. I figured there will be plenty of chemical spray available in case, unlike American mosquitoes, Honduran ones LIKE these essential oils. The mixture smelled fine until I added the neem oil. I forgot just how bad it smells. Ought ward off every insect within miles. I added more items from my international packing list. I spent an hour choosing what to wear on the plane. I really wanted to wear my turquoise top, but the static in it was so bad that it clung like a second skin. Not a pretty sight at my age. I could not get the static out. I took a shower and then washed a load of laundry. I trimmed my bangs. I put the Christmas lights back inside the kale frame and covered them up. I propped them on bricks so they won't sit in water if rain comes under the cover.  I left a sample of fernented coconut milk out there for a friend to pick up.  It was the only place outside the house where it will be protected from freezing.   I packed and repacked the supplements. There were just too many. I decided to grind some chia and leave the grinder behind. I found an old chia seed bag to put it in so it will be properly labled. I packed my clothes in plastic bags. I skyped Chris to find out if I can buy flax seed and honey there. We did not talk long because I needed to finish packing and go to bed early. My laptop, which had been working fine, suddenly wouldn't cooperate. One window which wouldn't open, was titled “Windows Update” I wonder if that had something to do with it. By stopping some functions from running, I was able to get control back. Ideally, now I will post to my blog and go to bed. But of course I will likely think of something to pack and stay up a little later. Maybe make a list of what is packed in my suitcase? 

*  I believe this is a Linus quilt that Roberta was finished the binding on  *

Packing and Panicing

I got up at 7:12, having set my alarm for 7. I put Drano in sink, since it still wasn't draining well after the vinegar/baking soda treatment, and plunging last night. I sewed one red, white and blue block using the line method, then sewed the second by just cutting triangles to fit. I left the last seam off as it was getting late. I deleted e-mail, then exercised and juiced. I meditated, then made breakfast, and read e-mail. I uncovered the kale and brought in the Christmas lights because it was raining. I put the Netflix disc in the mail, and washed a package of sprouts to take to lunch. I rolled my sewing stuff out to Chris' car and went quilting. For once I got there before lunch started. For lunch there was a seven-layer salad, pasta and meatball soup, and carrot cake. I put my container of sprouts on the table, but not many got eaten. Walter came after we had finished. There was just enough soup for him. I gave him his jeans and he gave me $4. He misremembered how much I charged. He said he had some more pants, but I did not agree to hem them. $8 for an hours work is not enough. It was nice talking to the ladies and seeing their quilts in progress. I really liked Alice's 3-D quilt. Rebecca was working on a rug like the one I made. I finished the second block from this morning and worked on the red and green blocks from last month. One by one, the ladies all packed up. Finally it was down to Carolyn and me. When I finished making my second block from last month, I packed up too. We left about 3:15. It was misty but not raining. That made me think of the song “Misty”. I brought in the mail, and sent the info about bills to Chris. I listened to the song Misty on Youtube. I checked e-mail, but decided to pack before the daylight was gone. Then Maryann skyped me. We talked for two hours. Then I ate supper and Chris skyped me. We talked for two hours. I told him I had to pack. I used my international travel list (compiled in Korea) to add non-clothing items to my pile in the guest room. I opened the large box that I found on the front porch. It had nuts and seeds in it. Finally – chia! But it was time to go to bed. I took paper and pencil with me so I could jot down the things that will pop into my head in the middle of the night.

They don't write songs like they used to

I got up at 7, thinking that I would have more daylight if I adjusted my sleeping schedule. But although it wasn't dark outside, the sun had not yet risen above the horizon, and the sky was over cast. So I laid on the guest bed with a full view of the sun, except for the clouds that marred its light. When my alarm sounded at 8, I laid back in bed to warm up. Then I made breakfast, checked e-mail and took a shower. I wore flats so I could drive Chris' car to church. It seemed easier than before. Maybe because I only had to completely stop twice? Maybe because I only drove it once last week? Maybe my brain has finally finished making the neural connections? When I got to church, someone was in my parking space. I know it doesn't have my name on it, but people should know by now (lol!) Jennifer was practicing with the kids so I talked to Mary and Doris, telling them about my trip to Honduras. They said I should think of them while I was sitting in the warm Honduran sun, but I couldn't promise that. Jennifer Q asked me if I needed a ride to the airport because she likes to do that. I told her I would keep her in mind if the one I think I have doesn't work out. Then I practiced with the choir. I had to hear my part separately afterward for the octave jump. The sermon was about the baptism of Jesus so the congregation was invited to come up and use water from the font to make a forehead cross. The choir sang. I don't think I made the jump. The service continued. After the service, I told several people about my trip. They all wished me well. JenQ's husband was telling me about South American trees in the jungle that drop fireants on passersby, and another one that exudes a dangerous gas. Suddenly, mosquitoes sounded positively tame! Nancy asked me to bring her back some local currency if I could and she would reimburse me.

On the way home, I was able to avoid having to come to a full stop at any traffic lights so the trip home was easy. I would have gone to the store first, but nature called. So I went home for that, and to eat something so I wouldn't buy too much at the store. I ate a sweet potato and some figs. The figs were a mistake because the sugar made me sleepy. The whole afternoon was wasted. When they wore off, I put on another shirt and my coat and went grocery shopping. I did not get much fresh stuff because of my impending trip but I did get some frozen stuff so I will have food in the house when I get back. After the groceries were safely stowed in the trunk, my left foot cramped. I tried to walk it out, and just had to drive home carefully in spite of the pain. I browned an onion and added a package of ground beef and a jar of canned tomatoes. I had just finished eating my second bowl of it when Chris popped up on skype. I skyped with Chris and even Faye for awhile. When I hung up with Chris, I went back to reading Simon and Garfunkel song lyrics and then singing Barry Manilow songs. And then it was time for bed.

*  I did not unwrap my kale today because it seemed like it might snow before church.  But actually it ended up being close to 50 today.  *

Still not packed

I got up at 8 when I heard the alarm. I swished in the sun for 20 minutes. I ran the dishwasher. I watched a video on the toxic profits of shrimp farming and tin mining. I may never eat another shrimp. Not only are the local people and environment hurt by the farming practices, but dangerous chemicals are used as pesticides and some shrimp are injected with dirty water so they will weigh more. The tin mining also hurts the aquatic environment. It is used for making cell phones. Both practices are unsustainable so the fishers and miners are going further and further to get tin and feeder fish.

I did my exercises, and juiced carrots and the remaining celery. I got dressed, and uncovered the kale. I took a moment to breathe outside as I drank the juice in the sunlight. Then I cleaned the juicer, and started making breakfast. I called up an audio on tapping for weight loss. I e-mailed back and forth with Chris on how to get through the trip from Huntsville to Tegus. I finished the audio and a video while eating. Both seemed to be sales pitches at heart. I unloaded the dishwasher. I tried to finish a row of crochet with black yarn. I had to go outside to be able to see well enough. Even then, it was difficult, but I managed. I did a few more rows, and then went ahead and finished the project. I took out some of what Mom had done on hers so I could make it the same length. I think she left out a few rows. I took a pic of them. Then I forced myself to concentrate on packing. It was hard because so many things called for my attention and promised to be easier to do. I knew I needed to pack as much as I could before nightfall. Everything is harder after dark, especially making decisions. I searched all over for a certain dressy top that goes with black pants. I am not sure why I put it where I found it. I tried to put together outfits that would allow me to dress up or down, in weather ranging from 60 to 80. I wish I had taken a pic of what I packed to go to the beach last summer. I turned on all the lights in the house to stave off the encroaching darkness, but by habit I turned them off again as I left each room. I sat down to ponder my choices of footwear. What to wear to see Mayan ruins? So I looked it up, and they recommended deet or long sleeves– yikes! I looked up more natural repellants: eat garlic, no beer, tea tree oil, vit B-1 (thiamine), dabs of pure vanilla, lavender oil, neem oil, cider vinegar, oil of lemon eucalyptus, just to name a few. I felt tired, so I laid on the recliner in the den with the salt lamp. In the dark it looked like a campfire. Later I got up and stir-fried the second half of last night's fish. I covered the kale. I checked e-mail again. I realized I was still not packed. I decided to play the X-files disc from Netflix. When I realized I had seen it, I went to Netflix and checked my queue. I removed all those I had seen and added some new ones. How the others got back on my list is a mystery. I saw Kurt was on, so I skyped him. He did not project video so he could see me, but not I him. Then Chris got on and I got confused trying to talk to both of them. Chris hung up, called Kurt and then added me to the conversation. Kurt chatted awhile and then went to bed. Chris talked to me for awhile, and then he went to bed. I sang along with a few old tunes and then I went to bed.

under cover kale

I thumbed my nose at the alarm and got up at 8:30. I checked e-mail, then laid in the sun, swishing. Wearing my heaviest coat, I uncovered the kale so the sun could reach it. Parker called. She said more debris got caught in the sump pump, but no one is sure where it came from. I put a check in the mail. I picked up trash someone left in my front yard. I took notes for Chris. I exercised, and juiced, and meditated. The postman brought me packages, one was a 2015 calendar which I hung in the kitchen. I made breakfast and ate breakfast. I collated the bills from 2014, then went on to 2013 and then 2012 and even some from 2011. I generated huge piles of paper to be shredded or recycled. I listened to the audio book as I worked. I was also able to bake sweet potatoes for supper and defrost a piece of fish. I covered the kale for the night. Chris skyped me as I was taking a break to check e-mail. After he hung up, I went back to it. At 11 I had gone through the whole stack and collated most of it. There were still some things I did not know what to do with. It was time to go to bed.

*  The blue drape goes on at night to hold in more heat  *