Pic-of-the-Month for October 31, 2021

 Hola Amigos,

We have been back home since October 10, and are getting "in the groove".  We had a good, uneventful trip back here, and are very happy to be here to enjoy our comfortable bed and big kitchen!  And Ben is appreciating all his nice tools as he works on repairing things that have broken over the summer!  

We dealt with a lot of smoke from forest fires on the way down, and have been enjoying the extremely clear and clean air down here.  A bit hot and humid when we first arrived, but it is starting to cool down nicely, with highs in the low 80's.  Today, October 31st, is the first day of Standard time in our part of Mexico.  We're not sure if we'll get Trick or Treaters tonight.  COVID is still an issue in Baja, but it is getting much better.  Evidently, the state is GREEN, so you are allowed to do gatherings, but people are still very conscious of wearing masks when out and about.  

We arrived to a very green Baja, since Hurricane Olaf went through in September, and Hurricane Pamela skirted by in early October, shortly after we arrived.  All rain is very welcome here.  The livestock are fat and happy, including our local "wild" burros!

I had a bad experience one Sunday morning at breakfast two weeks ago, when a dishonest man stole my wallet out of my purse.  I didn't even realize it was missing until I got home and about an hour later, got a fraud alert on one of my credit cards.  I went to look for it in my wallet, and the wallet was gone.  I went back to the restaurant, and they didn't know anything.  Fortunately, they have a good security camera system in the area, and on Monday, the owner sent me a video of the man stealing my wallet.  I made a police report, canceled all my cards, and ordered new replacements, including my driver's license, Medicare card, and I gathered all the information I needed for my Mexican Permanent Resident card.  This morning, we got a telephone call from a local Mexican lady, and her mother had found my wallet (minus all money and credit cards, but with all the very important ID) about 5 miles from our casa.  Wow!!  Was I ever happy and grateful.  She received a generous reward from us!  A friend is flying in tomorrow who is bringing my replacement debit and credit cards, and an "extra" driver's license (which is always nice to have!!)  Other than losing about $3000 pesos cash (about $150 US), I am good to go!  

Ben has been very busy fixing things that broke.  We had a water leak on our front veranda, and he was planning on breaking up the tiles there and digging down to repair that line.  He was finally convinced, after we saw an existing line that was visible, to just bypass that line, and two faucets next to the house (that we didn't use anyhow).  The pipe on the right in this picture now has a valve so we can shut off the water to the faucets on the corners of the veranda, and a new one he added out of this picture.  He completely cut off the line with the leak.  Here, he is relaying the pavers.  

He's also had issues with getting our little Honda Tiller to run like it should.  After much tinkering and repairing with spare parts, he thinks its in pretty good shape.  He has already started corn in our garden, and squash and cucumbers and tomatoes, as well as radishes, lettuce, carrots and cilantro.  I told him after living in Mexico for over 20 years, he's almost "official" Mexican the way he can fix things with available bits and pieces!  

We have taken a ride in the '30 Roadster and got many appreciative looks and waves.  We've also taken the '56 Jeep for a couple rides, and it seems to be running well (after Ben remembered the special plug that it needs to start!)  We are trying to get the new little camp trailer in shape for a trip sometime soon, but we're having issues with the propane power for the fridge.  It works with electricity, but not propane.  😕 Hoping to have "expert" help soon.  

So far, we've stayed pretty close to home; no trips to La Paz or San Jose, although we are planning an exciting trip to Costco this next week in Cabo San Lucas!  At least I don't have to go to Immigration like I was going to have to until my cards were returned.  

Zoey and I have been walking, but not going very far yet as the weather has still been pretty warm.  We're working up to it!!  I have seen some pretty wildflowers and some gorgeous sunrises.  You can check out the photos in the October 2021 photo album.  

Pitahaya cactus blooms above, I think the one to the right is Tree Cotton.  

This is the year of New Neighbors.  We will have new ones on the east AND the west.  The music is loud and constant for the work crew on the east.  I told Ben we're going to have to get them to coordinate their music selections when the crew starts on the west, or we'll get a bit of overkill!  I might have to set up my own speakers and play the music of my choice!  

I'm going to be short and sweet this time!  The photos tell the story of all I missed telling you about.  Enjoy!  Again, you can check out the photos in the October 2021 photo album.  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey