season openers

I have internet this morning but who knows for how long. I discovered why it goes off. Javier's mother runs the town laundry (the antenna is on its roof) and every time she needs to run the dryer she unplugs the modem . . .

OK, it's now 6:30 and we've been without internet since I started my last post. Now that everyone's clothes are dry, we're back. So let's move on.

Today's excitement included discovering that the washing machine will not "agitate." It will fill, spin dry but not wash. So I took my wet and soapy wash to Marie (see above) and asked her to rewash everything but not to put it into the dryer. I would hang it out in my drying yard. So far, so good. She did as I asked and an hour later she showed up with a basket of wet clothes. It was clear from the scent that she had used a huge amount of soap that had not really rinsed out of the clothes. Plus they were gritty, as if there had been sand in the water. So we refilled our washer and tried to agitate the clothes by hand to get rid of both soap and sand. I spun them dry and hung them out. When I brought them in there was a fine dusting of sand all over everything. I have no idea where she gets her water or how many cups of soap she uses, but she told me her repair guy is coming on Tuesday and I asked her to send him on over. I am hoping he can figure out what's wrong with our machine, a real work horse for the past 10 years.

Let's go back to Friday.



We had dinner at Dago's on Friday night. Delicious as usual. Dago was his usual cheerful self, happy to see his contingent of winter gringos back for another year of good food and fellowship. It was a bit foggy so no great sunset photos. But they will come.

Saturday was spent doing what Saturday's are for; relaxing and reading. The pool at Jack's is not quite ready for swimming. He is still treating it after refilling it a few days ago. That will come soon, too.

Today we drove out to El Paraiso for lunch at the San Angel hotel with friends Helen and Linda. We had ferried down for them a 45 lb. box of "necessities" and they very kindly treated us to a lovely lunch as repayment. Beautiful setting right on the beach, delicious seafood, fine fellowship.

Tonight will be a light supper of salad and bread. Tomorrow is the market, plus in the afternoon we will go up to Colima to order a new round eqipal table and will take one of our chairs to be repaired. A quick stop at WalMart for things we can't get anywhere else, such as good butter. Then home. Tuesday the repair man comes to diagnose the washer; new or fix? Wednesday Rene comes to do so repair on the sliding screen doors; the little wheels have rusted and won't roll so we can't open them. Rust never sleeps.

This is how the time goes here. There's always something that has to be done to get the house back in working order.