It is summertime here, but it is still quiet. The hotels say they are at 60 percent occupancy, but I think that’s a bit of wishful thinking. Paul and I had lunch today (Monday) at a nice hotel in the golden zone and the hotel and beach seemed pretty empty to us. I can never get over that in a few minutes drive we can be having lunch on the beach – either a casual palapa or a fancy hotel. I love it… and today it made our trip to Home Depot and Sam’s Club less of a chore.
At the top of the post is a picture of the birdcage, and its occupants, Poncho and Lefty (and a piece of bamboo.) These are the two conures who were part of the bunch we had hand fed when they were tiny. They love their home on the back terrace, but I was getting pretty aggravated with the little wild birds helping themselves to their food!
They fly over, slip through the bars, and help themselves without Poncho and Lefty doing a thing! They’d scatter seed, poop everywhere and in general were a pain in the neck. Well, as you can see from the picture, we attached wire mesh to the cage and now it is a no-sparrow zone! I think the first day it was on, Poncho and Lefty did nothing but eat… they were hungry!
The picture above is Henry in his favorite spot, the corner behind the birdcage. And since I can’t play favorites, below is Lucy in her favorite spot, underneath the table on the terrace.
I think I may have solved the problem of the irritating bugs in pasta and rice, etc. I had been coming straight home from the store and putting the dry food into zipper bags or screw top containers. But things were still buggy! I was pretty ticked off the other night when I went to make pasta and a whole container of penne was bad. But I asked a friend and she said it has to be kept in the cool, and said she puts hers in the bedroom where the air conditioning is. I think I am going to only buy small quantities and store it in the refrigerator or freezer. Learning to live in this climate is many faceted, for sure.
I haven’t yet finished the dress I’ve been knitting for Consuelo but I am getting close. So the other day I went to the merceria and bought four buttons and some embroidery thread to applique flowers, I think. You want to guess what the buttons and thread cost me? Five pesos. Thirty-eight cents.
The last thing going on around here is a tease picture. (below) That’s all I’ll say at the moment! Ha!
Jonna
July 6, 2009It’s not something you want to think about too much but if you put all flour and pasta in the freezer for a day when you first bring it home, you’ll find a lot fewer bugs in it later. Freeze for a day and then zip lock baggie.
Zoe
July 7, 2009Even though I don’t know you well, it is fun to check in every few days to read your take on Mazatlan. I miss it..even THIS weather. Have almost finished de-personalizing our house for renters so we can head back mid-August. Weird about the bugs in stuff …haven’t run across that problem yet, but thanks.
1st Mate
July 7, 2009I don’t seem to be getting bugs in my dry staples up here in Sonora, I wonder if it’s because your climate is more tropical. You get them even in your pasta?! I’ve heard before of the freezing idea, that might work for you.
Love the yellow buttons.
Chrissy
July 7, 2009I think Poncha and Lefty will get more territorial about their cage as they get older. Tango used to just let the wild bird fly into his cage and gorge as well. But now, if they even try to clean up after him on the ground, they get screamed at.
Nancy
July 7, 2009Jonna, I can’t think about it at all…they sell us food with eggs or whatever in it already??? I think I am going to make my own pasta instead of buying it if I can just find a source for semolina.
Zoe, Good luck with your house renting, you must be renting it out furnished? The first few times I ran into the bugs was in pasta and rice. It looks totally regular and then you pour it into the boiling water and all of a sudden there are black things everywhere. So I figured they got in because it wasn’t zip locked, but no, there they are no matter what. Bleah. I need to move where I keep the stuff, too, since it is right next to the dishwasher and that is probably warmer than other places.
mindy
July 8, 2009That totally makes sense about the bugs. i have been having a really hard time too. I will probably keep things in the fridge most of the time. We do buy really small quantities which helps.
laurencancun
July 8, 2009ohhh i hate teases!!! LOL!!
Bugs suck! All i can do is spray, spray, spray!!!
jennifer
July 10, 2009Yesterday, I was having a serious thing for popovers. It took me an hour to decide that I was actually going to turn the oven up to 450 in the middle of the day, but I couldn’t get the popovers out of my head.
I turned on the oven, oiled the pan, started to mix the ingredients…and discovered my flour was full of thousands of tiny light orange bugs. Bleck. I keep my flour in a stainless steel container with a rubber seal. First time I have had a problem with my flour here.
Then I opened my backup flour, and it was full of bugs too. I think I will have to stop keeping a backup.
I don’t want to think about the reasons, but at least with my fabulous new refrigerator, I have room to store my flour in the freezer.
Nancy
July 11, 2009Mindy, I am doing the same thing, but I am keeping the flour in the freezer.
Lauren, I don’t think these are the kind of bugs you spray for – they hitch hike in on the pasta and flour etc. Unfortunately.
Jennifer, I can’t tell you how many times that has happened to me. I have been keeping my flour and masa in the freezer lately but I couldn’t believe my eyes when the penne was FULL of those black bugs. Bleah. Glad you have room to store stuff in the freezer, but I still can’t handle the idea that all those icky eggs are still in there :^{