Lindsay and Johanna Depart

We were all up by 5 a.m. getting ready to leave.  Very sad.  We actually left the house at 6:15 and arrived at Leon in plenty of time.  We could not accompany the girls to the gate but they did not have to go through security until board start time.  Lindsay had an airline escort so both girls went a little after 9 for their 9:30 departure.  All went well and we sadly drove out of the airport parking lot only to realize that we had a flat tire.  Fortunately there was a good spot to pull over and John changed the tire.

Now we are home missing Johanna and Lindsay and hoping that all is going well with their flights home.  Boo-hoo.  But, it was a wonderful month and it went way too fast.

Monday - Last Full and Busy Day

The girls each bought a pretty scarf for Clara, our housekeeper, to thank her for helping them in the house - laundry, dish washing, changing sheets, etc.  Here they are about to give her the presents.

We headed out to the ranch bright and early.  I rode Molly and she was quite energetic today and the rain made it too wet to ride in the bull ring so I used caution and did not give lessons but just gave Molly a good work out.  But, each girl had a turn sitting on her for pictures and I talked to them about the importance of wearing a safety helmet any time you get on a horse - even if it is to just sit there for a picture.

Lindsay aboard Molly

Johanna aboard Molly

Then we headed up to Las Clavellines with Carol and Beverly to visit with the sewing ladies and also to see Esperanza's house that is under construction.  Then we drove quite a ways to the very small village of Colorado where there are only 30 families and a small primary school with 19 children and one teacher - grades 1 to 6.  These families are poor and our Outreach is going to pay for 1/2 the cost of the uniforms which will be pants and jackets of the sports variety which will help keep them warm in winter.  Many of the children showed up to welcome us (summer vacation is on right now) and it was quite heartwarming to meet them.  They had a big bottle of Fresca to share with us.  Then we had to drive all the way back to Las Clavellines to take the teacher and his wife.  By the time we got back to Carol's it was after almost 3:00 and we were all starving.  Carol provided us with gazpacho, bread and fruit with a cookie.  The girls had never had gazpacho before but they liked it and thought it tasted like red salsa.

The Sewing Group in Las Clavellines

Johanna, Beverly & Lindsay Looking at Uniform

Esperanza's New House in Las Clavellines

Esperanza and Some of Her Children

Esperanza's Old House

On the Way to Colorado

School in Colorado

Teacher/Principal of the School

Some of the Colorado Children

More of the Children

Back at home, the sun was out and the girls headed into the pool for their last swim (after they did most of their packing).  They had a lovely time and I did a video of them singing "De Colores" in the pool - very sweet.

We had our last dinner together of chicken, baked potatoes and carrots with strawberries and cream for dessert.  We all retired a little early because of our early departure in the morning.

A Beautiful Sunday

We headed off to church where the choir sang "De Colores" and the girls did a great job - even memorized the words.  Harold gave a good sermon which the girls said they enjoyed.  Back at home the sun was shining and they had some pool time.

Last Sunday at Church

Chloe Visiting with Johanna & Lindsay

Lindsay & Johanna

The Sun Dresses Made by Grandma

But, then it clouded up and we had some rain.  It was a perfect afternoon to make dresses.  We bought some fabric at Parisina which had elastic in the top so all you had to do was sew up a seam and add straps.  I made one for each of the girls - same fabric - and they loved them.  Not too difficult to make either, even though I am pretty much out of practice with the sewing machine.  I made spaghetti for dinner which is their favorite.  Tomorrow is their last day - hoo-hoo.

Saturday - A Busy Day

Master Class - Escher Quartet Teacher & Student String Quartet

This morning grandpa drove us down to Juarez Park for the first organic market - they will be every Saturday from now on.  It was quite interesting and the girls bought a few things there, like organic soap, earrings and scarves.  From the park we walked to Bellas Artes to watch a Master Class taught to a young (20's) string quartet who are students there for the Chamber Music Festival.  The teacher was a member of the Escher String Quartet and he was excellent.  They played a Haydn piece and he critiqued it and made suggestions on how to improve their interpretation.  They played each section over several times while the teacher worked with mainly the first violinist.   It was very interesting. We also walked around the Bellas Artes and looked at the unfinished Siquieros mural that is there.

From there, we walked around so the girls could do some more shopping and ended back at the Artisan's Market.  We stopped to visit with Patricia who played with Beth Ann when we lived in San Miguel in 1972-3.  She is now married and has 3 children - the youngest is 16.

From there we took a taxi home in time for Johanna's final lesson with Turkkan.  Lindsay had lots of computer time during the lesson.

I made schnitzel for dinner and everyone seemed to enjoy it.  There were more signs of rain and we did have quite a lot.  Between the last 2 rains there was about 3 inches.  Great for the poor farmers.

We played cards and Sequence for evening entertainment.

Back to Normal Friday

Johanna and Lindsay both woke up feeling 100% again this morning so we went out to the Ranch for riding lessons.  Grandpa went along because after riding we planned a trip to the village of La Campana to meet and visit with Eusebia and Juan who the Community Church outreach committee is planning to build a small room for their kitchen to replace the stone one which is entirely unsuitable.  It was a very heart rending experience to see these poor people and how they have to live due to lack of money.  Eusebia and Juan are 73 and 75 yrs old but look much older.  She told us they had 10 children but 5 of them died in childhood.  Now Eusebia has arthritis and a bad back and cannot move around very well.  Carol brought some food for them as their diets are mostly limited to beans and tortillas.  They had quite a few little great grandchildren around and a couple of grandchildren (mothers of the children) and two men who are relatives - one an abanile - who are out of work.

Eusebia in La Campana

Fields in La Campana

Eusebia's Old Kitchen

Lindsay &; Johanna in the old kitchen

Door into kitchen - no windows

Corn field in La Campana

We came home for lunch and it was beginning to look like rain.  And it did rain quite a lot.  The girls watched "JULIE AND JULIA" on the computer but we had to unplug because of the thunderstorm - they'll watch the rest tomorrow.

A Better Day

I checked on the girls around 8:00 and both said they were feeling pretty normal again - yea!  I went to ride and the girls stayed home and had a leisurely morning with Grandpa in charge.  After riding I ran a bunch of errands and was home in time to warm up the soup for lunch.  Both girls were hungry and enjoyed their lunch.  The weather was sunny and warm and the girls once again headed into the pool for an hour.  I had made crock pot boneless short ribs for dinner with baked potatoes and asparagus.  The girls were starving but I wouldn't let them overeat.  They did have a lemon bar for dessert - I think they would have liked more but I sure did not want a relapse of what ailed them.  We are thinking they got sick from eating carnitas Tuesday with all the salsa.  No more carnitas.

They watched "Penelope" on streaming Netflix and then retired to their room.  I'm very happy to have them healthy again.

Sick Day for the Girls

Lindsay was not up to par this morning.  Johanna said she was o.k. so she went out to the ranch with me and had a riding lesson.  I rode Molly first and she was feeling quite energetic - hadn't been ridden in 3 days.  We had a nice time. 

Got home for lunch and Lindsay still was not up to snuff and suddenly Johanna was feeling feeble too.  They watched a movie "Narnia" but they were all covered in blankets looking pitiful on the sofa.  Late afternoon and Johanna had a fever so she went to bed and I got her some baby aspirin and both girls had some Pepto Bismo.  By bedtime, Johanna's temperature came down and she was feeling better.  I had made chicken and rice soup - Lindsay was able to eat but Johanna was just too sick.  Not a fun day.

Playing Catch Up - Saturday, Sunday, Monday & Tuesday

We've been busy and I'm behind on my Blog.

Saturday:

The girls decided to stay home while I went to ride this morning.  They kind of like to sleep a little later.  Johanna practiced her violin while I was gone and Lindsay relaxed and read a book, I think.  When I got home we headed down to the Instituto Allende where there was a arts and crafts fair going on.  There were a ton of vendors and the girls really enjoyed it and bought some gifts to take home and each girl found a pretty scarf we bought to give to Clara to thank her for her help around the house so the girls didn't have to do dishes (except on the weekends) and they didn't have to do their own laundry.

Back at home we had lunch and the girls did some swimming.  I made chiles rellenos for dinner which everyone loved and then we watched the rest of "Fiddler on the Roof".

Pool Fun

Sunday:  Time to go to church and sing in the choir.  There was a big crowd today - 79 people all together.  Deacon Ida gave a wonderful sermon and the girls both said they enjoyed it.  After church we went to Bove Restaurant with the Weicker's and had a nice lunch.  It was a beautiful day again so the girls spent a long time playing in the pool.

Johanna & Lindsay in the Choir

Monday:  Today we went to Queretaro.  We walked all around the Historic Center - the girls did a little shopping and then we ate lunch at the 1810 Restaurant on the Plaza de los Perros (there is a fountain there with the water spouts coming from dogs' mouths).  Everyone enjoyed their meals - grandpa had traditional Chiles en Nogada, grandma had arrachera, Johanna had lasagna and Lindsay had spaghetti with Bolonesa sauce.  Afterward we walked and shopped a little more and then headed back to the car and to Costco to do some grocery shopping.  By the time we got home, there was still a little time for the girls to get in some pool time.

Arcos in Queretaro (Aqueduct)

Lindsay, John & Johanna in Queretaro

Lindsay, Johanna & John in Queretaro

Lindsay & Johanna in Queretaro

Johanna

Lindsay

Grandpa, Lindsay, Johanna and Grandma

Chilies en Nogada

Tuesday:  I had a board meeting this morning so grandpa took the girls to the Tuesday market - their last chance.  They bought carnitas to go and I got home just in time to participate in the feast.  After that Lindsay and I went to buy some ant powder and weed killer while Johanna practiced her violin.  Unfortunately, the store was closed but we returned library books and stopped at the fabric store to buy some supplied for a girls' sewing project.  When we got home, it was swim time again.  There's nothing but blue skies and sunshine now.  After oven fried chicken dinner, we played a game of Joker which Johanna and I won - yea!

Fun Friday - Mostly

John drove the girls to their last Spanish lesson while I exercised my horse.  I picked them up and they were all smiles -said they had a final fun lesson with a mini-fiesta.  Of course, they will not remember a whole lot from their lessons but I think it was a good introduction to the language and they can build on what they learned - if they try.

After lunch I had a mini meeting about Outreach and then we went to a bigger meeting at Al & Chris' house.  Meanwhile, grandpa was in charge.  The girls played at home. 


When I got home,  John said that Gisela called and invited Johanna and Lindsay to go to their house in Los Frailes so I took them there, came home and prepared meatloaf and went back to pick them up a couple of hours later. After dinner we all watched the first 1/2 of Fiddler on the Roof.  We missed a few scenes due to scratches on the DVD but it was fun and Lindsay had never seen it although Johanna knew it by heart.  We'll watch the other 1/2 Saturday night.

Thursday - Weather Improving

Yes - I know, sounds like a weather report but since we normally have such fantastic weather in San Miguel, it's been a bit disturbing to have all the rain.  But - change is here and things are looking more normal. 

The girls had their morning Spanish lesson while I went to exercise my horse.  I picked them up and we came home for lunch, violin practice, etc.  I had a meeting here at 1:00 so while that was going on the girls spent time outside and in the pool and generally enjoying life.  Then it was time to head off to choir practice where we had a record 14 people show up.  The girls were a big help to the soprano section.  We stopped at Mega and bought a couple of already broiled chickens and made a dinner out of one of them. 

Evening entertainment for the girls was watching old episodes of the Addams Family on Netflix streaming. 

Wednesday - Sun and a Little Rain

Grandpa took the girls to class this morning so that I could ride early with Carol.  We had a very good ride and the footing was excellent in the bull ring despite all the rain.  Afterward, I went home and changed clothes and then went to pick up the girls from school and on the way stopped at the new organic gardening store where I got a good deal on some seed for the Sosnavar gardening project.  Picked up the girls and we went home to have lunch and since the sun was out, the girls did about an hour or so of pool time - until it was times for Johanna to get ready for her violin lesson with Turkkan.  And, guess what, it rained again.  But it didn't last long.  Looks like just scattered rain showers now.

After her lesson, we all packed into the car and headed out to Arno's to see the recently purchased Amigos de Animales RV to be turned into a mobile clinic.  And, the girls had a tour by Arno of his 42 rescued dogs and 4 rescued burros.

Arno with One of His Favorites

Big Fella

Johanna, Lindsay and Leigh

Johanna & Lindsay with the Burros

Back home for hamburgers which were quite good - purchased from the Aurora Carniceria.

Tuesday - A Little Sunshine

Another morning of Spanish class for the girls and riding for me.  Then I picked them up and we came home, ate lunch and the sun was out.  So the girls headed for the pool.  Grandpa stayed home in charge while I headed to church for a committee meeting and then I had to give Harold a ride home.  When I got home - the girls were STILL in the pool.  So they were in and out for over 2 hours.  They finally got out and it was getting cloudy again.  Johanna had a little fainting spell - too much sun, altitude and exertion, I think.  But she was fine in just a few minutes so that turned out o.k. but a little scary at the moment.  She had quite a sunburn on her face.

We decided to try out a brand new restaurant nearby - "Chicago Style".  They had Chicago - hot dogs, Italian beef sandwiches, Corned Beef and deep dish pizza - sounded really good.  The Weicker's decided to join us and we had a really nice time and had extra samples of things on the house as it was the first week and their Grand Opening wasn't going to be until Friday.  Harold had a hot dog, Carol a hamburger and the 4 of us shared a deep dish pizza - half Italian sausage and half pepperoni.  In addition they gave us an Italian beef sandwich in 5 pieces, to sample and some french fries.  We shared a couple of pieces of chocolate chip cheesecake for dessert.  Everything was pretty good - not as good as the real thing in Chicago but not bad at all for the middle of Mexico.  We all left stuffed and brought home part of the pizza.

Monday - More Rain

Yes, another rainy day - light rain, though.  Today was the first day of Spanish classes at Josefina's Language School.  Josefina came from humble roots in San Miguel but through hard work and perseverance, she obtained an education and eventually started this school where Mexicans come to learn English and Foreigners come to learn Spanish.  The school has an excellent reputation and lovely facilities.  Since the girls were the only teens starting as beginners this week, they had a teacher all to themselves for two hours.  When I picked them up at 11 they were both pleased with the class.  They will continue every day this week with a 2 hour class every morning.

On the way home we stopped at the MEGA grocery store and picked up more supplies.

Back at home we had lunch and then grandpa helped Johanna a little with math.  Then she practiced her violin and Lindsay worked on some crafts projects.  For dinner I made Egg Foo Yung - neither Johanna or Lindsay had it before but both said they liked it - and, indeed, they cleaned their plates. 


For entertainment tonight we played a game of Sequence which Johanna and I as partners won. 

Weekend Activities

Well, the weather is not all that much better but we will make the best of it.

Grandpa arrived home Friday night around 10 - he reported that a good and relaxing time was had at the Weicker's home in Merida.  The girls were happy to see him.

This morning the girls and I went to the Aurora Carniceria in La Luz (that's a meat market) and bought some chicken legs and a couple of kilos of ground beef.  I wanted a pork loin roast (Johanna offered to make a roast with Lindsay's help for dinner tonight).  Alberto did not have one on hand but he got on his cell phone right away and jabbered with someone for about 5 minutes and then reported that he would have our roast around 11:30.  He gave me his card and got our phone number in case there was a problem getting it.

John and I had to buy some fencing materials for the gardening project in Sosnavar so we left the girls home (not enough room in the car) and went to Don Pedro for the supplies.  On the way back we stopped again at the meat market and Alberto had a lovely roast ready for us.

Back at home we made chocolate chip cookies and later on the girls prepared the pork roast with vegetables - all in one roasting pan.  When it was almost ready, they did a lovely job of setting a "fancy" table include place cards.  We enjoyed a great dinner - Thank you Johanna and Lindsay!

 Table Set for Dinner

The Roast & Veggiesd

The Diners Minus the Picture Taker (Grandma)

SUNDAY

This morning we went to church and sang in the choir.  We all enjoyed singing and listening to Rev. Harold's sermon on The Lord's Prayer.  Afterward, we visited with our church goers and then went home.  It was still, unfortunately, rainy.  But, I had heard from my friend Betty, that Peppa, the red heeler, had her puppies Saturday and she invited us over to see them.  So off we went to the Canales Equestrian Center where Betty lives.  We had a tour of the facilities - meeting all the horses and giving out carrots and we went in the stall where Peppa and her puppies were.  She allowed us all to cuddle her puppies while Betty changed the bedding.  Well, it was still rainy so Betty suggested we play BINGO - she even had some little prizes.  We played 3 or 4 games and everyone went home with a prize - including grandma.

 Peppa & Puppies - 1 day old

Betty & Sissy with Johanna & Lindsay

Secreto - Stallion at Canales Equestrian Center

Geek Girl at Betty's

Another Geek Girl at Betty's

After dinner, the girls had computer time and watched a streaming Netflix movie.

Rain! We Needed It.

Well, activities are a little slowed down because we had rain all day. I had to make a run out to the Rancho but the girls stayed home. It rained just about all day. So, we found home activities like baking chocolate chip cookies and finishing up the dog bed. The dogs love their new lounge. The girls watched "My Big Fat Greek Wedding" - Johanna had seen it a number of times before but Lindsay hadn't.

 Baking Chocolate Chip Cookies

We left early for Turkkan's concert so that we could eat at the Dragon Restaurant. We all had Moo Shu - shrimp, beef and pork. We brought more than 1/2 of it home but it was really good.

Got to the concert in between rain showers so at least we did not get wet. The concert was a benefit for Katie Walsh who is 99 yrs old and now staying with Maggie Hutchins and her partner Gene. She is out of money so the concert raised a little to help pay off her previous 24/7 help she had at the Quinta Loreto. Anyhow, about 75 or 80 people (rough estimate) were there. The concert was very good - two singers - soprano and baritone, accompanied by Ann Riley on the organ. Plus, Turkkan played two pieces accompanied on piano by Liz Stone. They had the pews turned around to face the organ loft and singers so we sat right in the front row so we had a good view of the loft and were right there by Turkkan. Fortunately, it was not raining when the concert was over and it was not dark yet. Grandpa wasn't home yet - probably the rain slowed down the bus from Mexico City.

Hoping for better weather tomorrow.