Pic-of-the-_Month for January 2022

 Hola Amigos,

Good grief!  The month is over today, and I haven't got the POTM done yet!  You were probably wondering if I was finally going to give it up in 2022, or was sick or something.  None of the above.  As long as you read these (and send us an occasional note back!) they will continue to be posted.   :-)  

I'm sorry to start out with some sad news, but our lifelong friend Ellis Seifert passed away January 21 from stage 4 cancer.  He fought long and hard, and was able to spend his last days here in the place he loved, and introduced to Ben in 1985.  He was my neighbor growing up on Coburg-Harrisburg Road, and our neighbor here in Baja since 2000.  He will be missed.  (If you'd like to send condolences to Marsha, check with me for her email).  

The good news is that we have continued to stay healthy.  People all around us are getting sick, but we've tried to keep a low profile, and have avoided Covid-19 so far.  (We're really glad we were able to get our booster shots last month!)  For instance, we celebrated our 54th wedding anniversary out at Campo Crabb at Los Frailes, way out in the boonies, with Katie and Mel.  She ordered a dinner for us from Sandra, who lives at the ranch up the arroyo.  She and her husband Ivan delivered Chili rellenos, rice and beans, and homemade tortillas!  Ben served a lovely bottle of Oregon wine (Tannat from Troon Vineyards near Medford).  It was all delicious and very much appreciated. 

Sandra and Ivan delivering dinner.

Speaking of Covid-19, we are still helping families who contract the disease here in the local area by giving the vouchers from the local grocery store worth $50.  When they are off work, there is no sick leave, or government assistance.  No work, no pay.  The $50 is greatly appreciated, and can go a long way.  Since July we have helped over 200 families, and the month of January has been very busy since so many are getting sick after the Christmas holidays.  Our friend Dalia has been a huge help contacting the families and getting all the information we need to get the vouchers out to them (she speaks Spanish and English).  Ben then creates a file of every family so we can better track them, and sends that information on to our friend Gordon Blackie, who packages the vouchers and labels them, and delivers them to the distribution point, a local business.  The family then sends a friend (who is not sick) to pick up the vouchers and the groceries.  It has been working quite well.  If you're interested in helping with this project, you can get a US tax deduction by giving through leaders2give.org  Click on "Donate Today", then select "Feeding the Hungry" from the drop down list.  Every dollar helps!  Thanks for listening.

Ben is still working on the trailer house remodel, but it is getting very close to done.  Mel helped him out a bunch, and it was great to have him here for that project!  The floor is amazing.  It looks really pretty, and very easy to care for.  And we don't feel like we'll fall through at any time!!  Ben also built lift up wooden cutting boards for each end of the very short counter space.  That addition has been extremely useful!  Now he's putting a shelf in the cupboard above the sink which will enable me to store my dishes better.  

We harvested the first corn crop.  The cobs were not picture worthy, but the little things were delicious!  Ben is taking a bug sample from the next crop to an agriculture store in La Paz today and he hopes they can get him a good, safe (for us) spray to kill those critters that are invading.  The rest of the garden is doing well.  My green beans are up and ready to be strung.  The beets are looking healthy and starting to form globes.  The lettuce and radishes are bountiful and delicious.  

I am continuing to walk, although not to the Flag Monument.  I'm getting in my miles anyhow, just taking different routes.  I decided to set goals for myself.  The goal for the year is 600 miles, and I've surpassed January's goal of 50 miles by doing 65.6. No, Zoey hasn't gone that far.  We do a short loop of .6 to .7 of a mile whenever we walk, then I drop her off at the house, and continue on. I've started going down through Vista del Mar below us to check out our new neighbor's construction project.  It's pretty amazing.  He won't block our view, but he's building way up there in what looks to me like a pretty precarious position. In the picture below, what looks like the roof, is actually the floor, which will be held up by the pillars and the wall.  Yikes.  Did I tell you we've been having earthquakes in the area lately?  Some quite close, and around 4.0.  I think he'll feel the earth move in this house!  (I haven't felt one yet, but guests did feel one upstairs in our house).  

We have been enjoying getting to know our new neighbors, Brian and Hope.  We recently went to Brian's retirement party.  He retired from the Army as a Lieutenant Colonel after 34 years.  (He is the same age as Ben was when he retired from ODOT after 34 years!)  They are very generous and thoughtful, like to get together at the drop of a hat, and even took us out to dinner for an early Anniversary celebration.  Brian created a WhatsApp group for us called "Vecino Perfecto" (Perfect Neighbor)! Hahaha!  We've been spending lots of evenings visiting either around their firepit or ours.  So, we had to build a "Caracol" (pass way with no gate) through the fence for easy access.  We're looking forward to many more times visiting with them and helping each other as neighbors.  It's pretty convenient, too, that Hope is a Nurse Practitioner!  Currently they are living in a cute little container home on their property while they figure out how to build their permanent home.  

So, until sometime in February, salutations from us in Baja, and we hope to hear from you!  Stay healthy out there!  

More cool photos (including some cute grandkids) are located in our January 2022 album.  

Hasta la proxima vez,

Tus amigos de Baja,

Harriet, Ben & Zoey