We were playing progressive rum at the kitchen table when we heard the doorbell ring. Two of the cutest neighbors brought a Welcome-to-the-Neighborhood gift. The best kind of gift -- DESSERT! Miguel and Sebastian were the sweetest emissaries and treated us to a pretty in-depth discussion of where to buy the best candy. They are…
In between crushed lampshades and ridiculously wrapped rocks, we uncover items that bring back memories. Beds are sporting quilts made by my grandma and my mom. Glassware I bought when I was 25 and travelled to Prague to work for an English-language newspaper (Prognosis). These glasses have survived the '94 Northridge Quake, a couple Santa Clarita…
We just keep unpacking. It's a weird sort of Christmas -- brown-paper packages taped up in green. Sometimes these are my favorite things... All our stuff is new again. Though sometimes the "gift" isn't quite as expected. That's right, we unwrapped a button, 2 business cards, a rubber band, a couple paper clips and 14…
We waited so long for the container and then to open it to find this. It was disheartening to say the least. I might have hid in the kitchen and cried. A corner of the kitchen because there are so many windows in this house, there are very few hiding spots. Our container sat in…
The water stopped working about midday yesterday. Was it the water bill? Was it the issues with the water heater again? When you don't speak the language well it's not easy to call the water company up. And truthfully, I have no water company information. We haven't seen a bill, a company name, nothing. We…
I'm thankful for whoever at the Post Office in Florida figures out our mail is going to the wrong address and somehow gets it to us at the right address. Today we received a book we thought was lost to the great void of undeliverable mail. Suggested by Arthur Edwards, my high school Spanish teacher…
The doctor will not only see you, but open the door for you, greet you by name and ask you to call her by her first name. I take medicine for asthma. I have allergy pills and two inhalers (one for every day and one for emergencies), and they are pretty vital to my wellbeing.…
Want to know how I use the restroom now? I'm sure you do. It's mostly like you do, but I have a very careful approach. Too many times I've sat myself down on the porcelain throne and realized I was not alone. Geckos usually, a lizard here and there, maybe a bug. My response is…
We need a field guide for the back yard. Looking out my kitchen window yesterday, I found these guys enjoying a little shade and keeping guard on the back yard. Look carefully at their feet. Not exactly claws, but ... There may have been heart palpitations on my part. And I may never go in…
This is actually a Facebook post of Dean's but I thought it blog worthy. I might steal more of his posts and add them here to document our adventure. Dean used to take the 14 to the the 5 (with plenty of trips on the 210, 134 and 2). Dean's words: So day four of…
The Yerems in Panama 