Pic-of-the-Month for February 2023

 Hola Amigos,

Happy February everyone!  That includes greetings for Valentine's Day, President's Day, Flag Day and Constitution Day (here in Mexico), my brother Rich's birthday, grandson David's birthday, Rebecca (our daughter) and Tim's 15th wedding anniversary, Super Bowl and Zoey's 12th birthday.  It's been a busy month!  Flag Day was today here in Mexico, and I actually caught the huge Mexican flag up on the flag pole, evidently just as they were taking it down.  They have a celebration at the Flag Monument here in Buena Vista every year, and as I took my walk this morning said to myself, "I have to look up on my calendar and see what day Flag Day is, so I can get a picture of the flag."  Well, when I was coming home from a trip into Los Barriles later in the morning, there it was, blowing in the breeze!  I hurried on south to the entrance to Rancho Buena Vista, and got a few shots of it.  By the time I turned the pickup truck around, they were already lowering it.  Sure wish they'd keep it up there all the time!  

This has been a "stay at home and get things done" kind of month.  No special trips, other than Vet visits for Zoey and to the tax office in Santiago for us to pay our annual property taxes.  This year, we paid about $143 US for the lot with our house on it, and $870 for the lot next door with no buildings.  Yes, that's correct.  You pay less taxes when you have a house on your lot, because then you're a family contributing to society.  Our tax payment includes free garbage service by our house 2 days a week all year long.  We got the tax payment done early enough that we had time for breakfast at Palomar Restaurant in Santiago before we had to go pick Zoey up after her blood tests at the Vet's office.  It's always fun to go there, and the food was very good.  (Palomar for the food, not the Vet's office!) 

I've been working on a project for my friend Janet, who has a clothing store in Sisters, Oregon (Gypsy Winds).  When I helped her at her store during the Sisters Quilt Show last year, she saw a lady with a quilt square sewed on her top, and got the idea that that would sell really well, then turned to me and said "would you like to make quilt squares for me?"  Well...long story short, I did.  I have a few more to do, and there is a possibility of more in the works down the road.  She decided she'd like a butterfly motif, so I bought a template, then figured out I needed some fusible webbing, and these turned out to be different than any quilt squares I've ever made!  Here's a sample of some I've done of the 10" squares.  (I did the flower in the corner, which is regular cut and piece and sew, before I got the fusible webbing). 

So far, this is the only "quilting" project I've don't for a while.  And I might just make myself a small blanket with this theme.  I only have 2 packages of the fusible webbing, so I'm somewhat limited.

I've also done a much better job this month with my walking goal.  I've already reached this month's goal, so I'm adding to the yearly total and this will make up for the months in the summer when I don't always get out there.  This is a task that I enjoy doing (most of the time), and you can't beat the scenery!  I'm currently at almost 120 miles.

Ben has been making his occasional trips to La Paz.  He took our '56 Willy's Jeep up there a while ago to get the brakes re-done.  They needed a lot of work, as someone told him "You've got more engine power than brake power!"  Hopefully, that will be done soon.  He's also going to meet with our car insurance provider, who is being a lot sticky about paying out for parts to repair our pickup truck front bumper, where Ben hit a BIG PIG (he thinks) on one of his earlier trips to La Paz.  Fortunately, he's done his homework, and he will have a good Spanish translator with him who is a real go-getter.  

The garden is doing amazingly well this year.  We don't know if its the TLC that Ben gives it, or the good dirt and cow manure, or the cooler temps, but we have tomatoes coming on nicely, I've picked my first handful of green beans, we are giving away lettuce because we can't eat it as fast as it ripens.  We've been enjoying radishes, spinach, cilantro, squash, beets, cucmbers, beans, and he'll soon plant our first crop of corn.  Thank goodness, the cows have not returned to our garden since last month.  

There's at least one very interesting project going on in Los Barriles.  There has been much land moving / clearing going on the property on the street into town, just past the barrels.  However, there are two huge boulders sitting there, waiting to roll down and crush some unwary person.  They've been hovering up there on the dirt ledge since October, I believe.  Today as I drove by, I couldn't believe my eyes.  There were two men drilling holes in one of the boulders and driving rebar in it (and one jefe watching), supposedly to break off pieces a bit at a time??  Anyhow, you wouldn't catch me standing on top of that thing, not where it's perched!  Yikes!  We've all been waiting for it to roll down the hill, across the street, and into Chapitos Mercado (grocery store) for months now!  I imagine there are betting pools around town on when this thing is going to fall!  Hopefully, no one will be injured in the downsizing of this thing.

I found out that my brother Rich has been ill with Pneumonia, and that his lung cancer has returned (he had radiation and chemo last summer).  Fortunately for him, an old Junction City classmate of mine, Donn D, has been helping him by taking him to VA appointments, getting him food, and trying to straighten out his VA paperwork, and supporting him in any way he can.  Another man, retired military Chaplin John S, has also been visiting and helping him.  I may need to make a trip up to Oregon in the near future, but right now, I think these men have it under control.  Please remember Rich in your prayers, and if you're close by, I can give you his address and phone number.  He can always use some easy to fix food items, or maybe someone to get his propane water heater fixed.

Here in Baja, we're looking forward to more garden goodies, good times visiting friends, and enjoying the warmer weather, which will be coming any day now, we hope!  It has been noticeably cooler and windier here this winter.  Our little heater has been running a LOT!  Today is a nice sunny day, but the temp is only 71F.  

Look in our February 2023 album for more pictures of our activities.

Hasta el proximo mes,

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey