Mixed Bag of Emotions!

March into April has been a mixed bag of emotions. So many charity events continued in the first half of March which meant we attended various dinners and other activities. Finally, the day that we’d been eagerly awaiting arrived when Stef, my middle daughter, arrived for a week-long visit.

Steve and I ordered loads of things that we can’t get here in Mexico and had them sent to Stef the week before she left. We thought if she gets stopped in customs, we’d need to allow some extra time for her to come through. Our order was an entire selection of very weird stuff most jewelry making supplies and watercolor paints but we were nervous. I knew she could say these were for workshops while she was here. Steve ordered some electronic equipment for our hi-fi and some glue to mend one of his speakers. She had no real excuse for carrying either of those but she’s a resourceful girl so she could come up with something.

Of all the luck – she did get stopped by customs but after they thoroughly looked at the glue, she was passed through. This was after we spent more than 2 agonizing hours of waiting for her. Steve went to the Delta desk to ask why she hadn’t come though yet. He said that his daughter was on a flight and it had been 2 hours since the flight landed but she hadn’t come out yet. The lady at the desk was very concerned and sympathetic and wanted to help. She asked Steve what flight and how old his daughter was. He was so embarrassed when he had to admit that she’s in her forties so old enough to manage customs! Oh well, we just had to wait!

Stef finally arrived through the exit and we were on our way to a week filled with more than enough activities to fill 3 weeks. And then there’s still more to do when she comes back. We started off with Champaign on our balcony while watching the sunset. What a welcome!

Sunday, we walked into town and had lunch on the beach and then wandered old town where Stef was amazed at all of the little tiny shops who sell all sorts of things from t-shirts to absolutely anything you can imagine. Sunday night we had a light snack on our balcony because we’d had a large lunch. 

Monday morning we met Carlos on the pier – never saw him before but had talked to him on the phone but he found us. He has a boat that takes you out snorkeling which was one of Stef’s requests. Carlos took us out to los Arcos – 3 big rocks in the bay about a 45 minute boat ride where the snorkeling was fantastic!! We all 3 snorkeled until we were exhausted and then headed back all the while watching for sea turtles. We had lunch on the beach again before heading back to the condo to collapse for a couple of hours.

 Stef went into town on her own one day and ended up on the beach and she texted us that she would be out paddle boarding when we walked down to meet her. An hour later, she was completely exhausted so we replenished with yet another lunch on the beach – ceviche this time. This was pretty much the theme of the week – lunch on the beach with lots of margaritas and then a siesta.

I had to attend a final event for my English students Thursday afternoon so Stef went into town with me but went shopping in the surrounding local markets. The day before we’d found a shop that we loved and she wanted to go back. It was Steve’s fault that we spent so much time and money in there because he’s the one who pointed it out. It’s become one of my favorites now – I have a wonderful top and necklace from there.

It was so sad to see Stef go home, I wish she could have stayed longer but she was very anxious to get back to her two young sons. We are now just waiting for them to come down this summer.

 

 We had blocked all activities the week that Stef was here but the last half of March and first of April was again crazy with events and meetings. The PURR Project sponsored a spay and neuter clinic in the center of PV on the 3^rd of April. The first Sunday of every month, an animal group sponsors a free clinic to get pets (and street animals) spayed and neutered. The culture here is that they love their dogs – especially their male dogs, but they let them run loose and because they run the streets so there are a lot of street dogs. With cats, they let them run free too, so there are a lot of street cats and the island in the middle of the city has become a place to dump unwanted cats. This means that there are a lot of street dogs and cats that no one pays attention to. The animal organizations are trying to educate the locals that it’s wise to neuter them so there aren’t so many strays.

 

I took the early shift, it was the weekend of our day light savings time change so I was at the clinic location at 6.45 (this means that it was really 5.45am). Steve dropped me off with our 2 cat carriers and some boxes that would be used after the surgeries. The set up was major confusion to begin with because the coordinating vet forgot about the time change. By the time he arrived and we had the tents and tables set up (yes, it was outside and not exactly what you’d call clinic sterile), we had long lines of people with pets and I was trying to check them in and filling in forms in Spanish!!! Yikes!!!

Steve took the late shift to help clean up and take down the tents. Actually, I had the whole day there because there was a cat that I wanted to be sure his owner knew that he probably has a heart problem. I was exhausted – I can’t imagine what the vets were feeling. We processed nearly 50 animals!

Marilyn who never steps into a kitchen makes a chili relleno!

But just a couple of days later, I had a fun activity - a Mexican cooking class. There’s a lady who cooks traditional Mexican food who treated us to a cooking class in my condo. I invited friends from two of the charities that I’m involved in but they didn’t know each other. We had a great time and also had many comments on Face Book about one of the group who never goes into a kitchen. She actually made her own chili relleno.

Sadly, to wrap up, my father-in-law of 25 years passed away last week.  He was an amazing man who never knew his real mother or father, but was lucky to receive the love of a woman who took him in as a baby, and whose name he took when he reached adulthood. He raised 5 incredibly amazing children who are all independent individuals, living in 4 different countries. He achieved many things in his life and will be remembered for his love of racing (bikes and motor cars), his love of painting, his love of music but most of all his love for his children. Oh – and he had an incredibly wicked sense of humor (humour)! (Wicked for those of you not British, means that he loved a joke and especially a joke that made you feel silly!)

I'll miss you!