Back home....

Here I am at last..a new blog after my sabbatical ( Lynda- tell your sister I just used the dictionary..) in Portland where, as usual, a whirlwind of activity went on for the entire two weeks. I was reading the last blog and noticed that every food request I had was filled including Chinese. I also got to go see Mission Impossible with my friend Jane. Tom Cruise is not one of my favorites but i must say it was a GREAT movie! My palms were actually wet and at some point Jane flung her arm and and sent the popcorn toppling. I highly recommend it as a great escape. Was sad I didnt get to take my grandson to see Hugo, nor did i see Sherlock Holmes. There is just never enough time.
Speaking of not enough time, i was seated next to a Delta airlines pilot between portland and LA on my trip home. Interesting, funny guy. i was a bit stressed because they are remodeling the LAX and it is like a scavenger hunt trying to find your terminal and gate. you have to ask several people who each contribute a piece to the puzzle which is fine when you have time to kill. I didnt. I had 45 minutes and he was kind enough to run me...well, fast walk me, through the terminal and got me to my terminal with enough time to drag my bags to the bathroom before boarding. Life can be really good..points to Delta for really helpful pilots!
So, I got in around 9:30. caught a cab to the hotel, checked in, got welcomed back by Danial the desk clerk. After taking my bags to the room I walked the 2 blocks to the store and bought a bottled mineral water and a pack of cookies then returned to watch ' A Gifted Man' then shut it down. Morning- went up and chatted it up with Dorismar who fed me fresh melon and toast while we talked. I was anxiuos to get going so said goodbye, emptied my room and headed for the truck. it was parked where the owner usually parks ( he's kind enough to let us leave the truck there when we go to portland). Well, as soon as the desk clerk opened the door, you could see there was a slight problem- there was a VW bug parked directly behind me blocking the drive. She left to go ...do something..look for the owner? a cop? at any rate, she returned after a few minutes. Now Dorismar joined us...and the cleaning lady...and the guys across the street at the parking lot...and the people up at the corner at the bank..oh yes, it was quite the diversion. After 5 minutes or so of speculation, a police officer arrived. he parked, came over and walked around the car. I pointed out to him the door was unlocked ( i noticed this right away and had thought perhaps i could just push it out of the way then put it back..that was a fleeting thought). he was on the same wavelength. He was a burly, rotund man who easily pushed it forward and back. I suggested turning the wheel ( seemed too obvious to mention but it wasn't being done...) he said he couldnt because he didnt have the key (? it is an old VW..) Around this time, he called a couple of the guys from the parking lot over to assisst him in lifting the back of the car as they rotated it. This too was unsuccessful. Now, I really believe i could have moved this thing myself, but it is a very macho society so i just watched silently trying not to laugh. It was really quite comical. Like a 3 stooges episode or maybe a Marx brothers movie ( I played the part of the silent Harpo). After about 15 minutes, a tow truck arrived and after a bit of finagling the troublesome blue bug was vanquished. The officer had a tablet in his hand and asked my name. Dorismar told him ( she had been handling the situation for me) but there was difficulty in the spelling of my last name so i asked him if he'd like me to write it. he handed the official spiral notebook over to me and after writing "Kahnert" in the 'document' (great, now Im on paper...) the crowd dispersed and i was on my way. Ran into Wal mart for dog food, wheat bread and flouride mouthwash then i hit the road. Stopped in Dzidzantun at the fruit/vegetable tienda, second stop- Rositas bakery for mennonite cheese, onto the Telcel office for a phone card and last stop the tortilleria where i got tortillas and eggs. When i got to santa Clara, the first stop was to pick up Lucky who ran out to the gate when he heard the truck approach then froze, astanding in disbelief until i called his name at which point he barked and howled, pranced in and out of my path as I pulled into M.'s driveway...what a happy boy. She wasnt home so i talked to marciel briefly and took my boy home. spent the rest of the day getting settled in. M. and another woman who spends a few months here a year were out to lunch and stopped for tea sharing cake they had just purchased at the same rositas bakery. it was a n ice visit and shortly after they left, Lucky and i shut the gate and settled in for the night.
Now, one more story and i'll let you go...so the next day, lucky and I are out doing some yard work. A little raking, watering, trimming...then I decided to finish up by cutting a few dead palm leaves, a couple are laying on the ground so i carry them to the back where i deposit them in the burn pilr. I cut a couple more and do the same. Now i approach one that is dead but still attached, with machete in hand , i realize it is right next to a bees nest thats been there for probably...6,7,8 months. john has wanted to remove it but ive said 'they dont sting, leave them alone. Its true, theyb have never been a problem. they've landed on my many, many times and i merely swat them away like flies. So, as i grab the palm in one hand, ready the machete in the other i think " Im glad these bees dont sting or this would be a bad idea" at the same time i pull and realize "oh this is gioing to come right off' instantly my next thought is " AAAAHHHHH!!! What is shooting me with firey needles?!!" actually, it wasnt even a thought it was a primal response to intense pain that is wordless. I dropped the machete and limb instantly throwing both hands to my face knocking off my glasses while i ran to the pool where i started splashing myself for all I was worth. well, after afew seconds i said ' shit lucky!" out loud. he didnt know what had transpired but was really curious about what i was doing at the pool...I went to the bathroom and thought...what do i have to put on? I believe ive mentioned the ointment carol gave us that burns like gasoline? well, i put that on. it didnt burn and within a few minutes, they bites quit hurting. Ok time to appraise the situation...one on my eyebrow, chin, right forearm-underside-, left shoulder/neck, right armpit, 3 on the back of my neck and 3 on my chest. A little while later i went to visit a friend and told her. After examing me she said she could only see a small red spot on my chin. Ok, adventure over, all is well. No, no..that night around 2:00 i woke up digging at my flesh. I had the sense to stop using my nails and sort of vigorously rub the sheet all over me. The welts were enormous. When i got up and looked in the mirror it looked like someone had given me a beatdown. My eye was swollen shut and the size of a hardball, my chin was just as swollen making my mouth look like it had been put on by a blindman. Well, that was the night before last. The next day i took ibuprofen (anti inflamatory) and alternated smearing on cortisone cream and aloe with a numbing agent. Last night i woke up again at 2...today im going to a friends to get some benadryl. i'll take that before i go to bed tonight. So, the swelling is down a bit today and the itching isn't nearly as fierce. Never a dull moment here at the Kahnert hacienda...Im listening to new music I got while I was up- new Black Keys, Foster the People, Florence and the Machine, an African collection-2 actually and some Macy Gray, PJ Harvey and people chanting "ommmmm". A nice variety. The clouds have cleared away and Lucky and I are going to go for a walk on the beach. After that, a bath for him and who knows/ maybe a nap for me. So i got stung..oh well...its all part of the deal. Thats life right? A lot of really cool stuff and every now and then some pain, which passes....some itching, which is incredibly annoying, then that passes too....and all the while i dance with the dog and he smiles and barks with me because he too has pain that passes, like missing his mom....

holey moley!

Howdy doody neighbors- its a COLD one here this morning...clear, blue sunny skies but I'm in jeans, flip-flops and a corduroy jacket..with the collar turned up..brrrrrrr..mucho frio! well, it is january after all.

Big celebrations goin' on here in merida...3 Kings Day. You know, the three kings....of orient..bearing gifts...traversed afar (from far?) field and fountain, moor and mountain something like that. Anyhoo, looks like there will be a big parade. last night there was music in the streets and throngs of people cavorting about . it all started at midnight. Most things happen later here. Dinner starts around 8:00 or 9:00. Christmas Eve really gets going with dinner at 11:30. Well you see, they have the whole siesta thing down. you go home- all the businesses shut down- from 1-5. people go home, eat lunch and take a nap. So of course they can stay up late. i'm doing good if i make it to 11:00. No siesta for this gal. Even when i feel really tired, I just can't seem to go to sleep during the day...goes back to the old days.....just doesnt feel right to lay down while the sun is up.

So, in a few days we will be heading toPortland for a visit. guess its good that its cold here..."warming' me up for the weather change...I have nothing heavier then my little corduroy jacket and a hoody here but my winter clothes await me in my old attic. Lucky will be staying with the hip patient. We took her to the doctor the other day. She got an x-ray of the hip ( for about $60.00) and after inspection of said x-ray, the doc pronounced that things look good. He told her she could put 30% weight on it now ( with the walker still in use of course...). How does one gauge 30% weight bearing on a limb? Is there a meter one can attach to the walker like a tachometer? Or possibly an alarm of some sort could sound if you were leaning too heavily? More then likely, excruciating pain shooting from hip to heel like a bolt of lightning might tell you that you've exceeded the limit.......

We bid 2011 adieu, we have rung in 2012, the 3 kings have arrived with due fanfare and the weather is brisk. The bags will soon be packed and we'll head for Portland where we will get to spend time with family and friends. Trips to Goodwill, the Greek Deli, Nicholas's, Thai Thai, Burgerville for a delicous turkey burger, many, many meetings, movies ..ahhhhhh.. and poor Lucky will miss it all. As he runs the beach embroiled in the chase of shore birds or scavenging dead fish from the shores ( or fresh ones he actually stalks and catches in the shallow waters), he'll feel a bit guilty as he thinks to himself " I'm not telling them about this. I wouldn't want them to know what they were missing..."