All our traveling is over for a while and we are settling in to the rainy season here in Mazatlán. This September has been incredibly rainy so far, pretty much every day lately.
I love the big crashing thunder and crazy lightning shows and I love it when the rain pounds down so hard you can’t believe it. It feels like Mexico when it is raining hard like that! Lately, though… it has been drizzly day after drizzly day and I am getting a little tired of it. Can you tell I am from the Pacific Northwest? Below is a 1 minute video of the rain a couple of mornings ago.
So what have I been doing? Not too much. We swapped the bedroom and Paul’s office -TV room again. We gave away our tv room couch since it just seemed like a giant dog bed and once it was gone we could move back to the smaller room for the office-TV. Paul and I get restless – we need to change things up now and then. Plus it gave me a chance to do a good cleaning.
I’ve been cooking and baking a lot. I made quiche in my new quiche pans – one was caramelized onion and mushroom and one was roasted vegetable with gorganzola. I made a blackberry pie since Paul didn’t get to eat the one we made in Tacoma. I made bread a few times, once a nice half whole wheat sourdough and once ciabatta bread. The ciabatta bread was a treat because I had damaged my Kitchenaid stand mixer somehow and had to take it in for repairs. I was thrilled to have it repaired in one day by the nice guys at Camacho on Zaragoza just East of Serdan. You can’t make ciabatta very easily without a stand mixer, so I was glad to have it fixed. A picture of the ciabatta bread is above.
I’ve been working on my fabric collage and doing a bit of knitting. I’ve been reading a lot, as most Kindle users seem to report. Cristina Potters of Mexico Cooks recommended The Power of the Dog by Don Winslow. It is a fictionalized but very real sounding book on the drug cartels in Mexico, and takes place both in Mexico and in the US. I recommend it, too. It was written in 2006 but it feels very up to date. There is no one who can tell me that the drug violence in Mexico is only Mexico’s problem, and I felt even stronger about it after I read this book. China, Europe, South America, the US and Canada – lots of countries share the responsibility and blame for what is going on down here.
Our housekeeper has two weeks off, so I have been cleaning today. I vacuumed the whole house and cleaned three of the ceiling fans before losing my interest in the project! But I will admit that it was warm enough while I was working that I was dripping off my elbows and the end of my nose. Thankfully it was time for lunch by then.
So, can you tell I have the blahs? Don’t worry, I’m sure I’ll feel better when the sun comes out!
Zoe
September 21, 2010Hmmm, I just said to John today that I want to make a bunch of quiche and freeze them like I did the faux raviolis. We ate the last of the 13 meals I froze last night. Yup..I still like ’em, too. So, if the blahs create the sort of baking, cooking, cleaning environment you just hopped out of, bring it on!!! You have the tools, the room, the appliances and mixer to keep those blahs at a distance. In MY case, I begin thinking of a new four footed addition. I am used to having a pack, so don’t scold me…I get that from others. ‘-) We are looking at a little chihuahua this evening from a “thrown away” litter and if we get her, the new name is Cha-cha. Better I should bake, whisk, stir and freeze but on the other hand….puppy breath.
jonna
September 21, 2010Your rain looks like ours. It looks like you have really good drainage though, even the streets. We haven’t had another incident of the street flooding but now we worry and put the sandbags out if it looks really heavy. Plus, we have to pump the ponds down and check the betta’s bowl. I do need to get these things more self sustaining, I don’t think I can leave someone to watch the house when there are so many things to check on.
The bread looks scrumptious!
Chrissy
September 21, 2010ooo, I cant wait to get the book from the Library. I totally agree. The world drug abuse has everything to do with the drug trade and the affliction on Mexico. Pisses me off.
Chrissy
September 21, 2010oh, and was good to glimpse the conures. When My conure heard them, he talked back.
Nancy
September 21, 2010Zoe, I just know you have added another to your pack by now, at least I hope so!
Jonna, Yes, we’re lucky with the drainage – only once has it rained so hard and so long that it put our lawn underwater. I think we got 6 inches in just a couple hours that time. And we are in a good location with everything draining downhill pretty rapidly. But I have to make sure all the doors and windows are closed just right and some need to have towels, etc. so it is hard to leave for us, too.
Chrissy, I look forward to your take on the book, did you notice Pico was taking a bath, all that water must have inspired him. He is our third rescue conure, a Macaw got mad at him in the aviary they shared and ripped his lower beak off. So we decided we could take on one more. The other two pick on him so he’s in his own cage.
Chrissy
September 21, 2010Nancy, I thought he looked like he was bathing. When ever I spritz Tango or if it is raining, it inspires him to bathe. Must be a autobathing thing with our birdies. Dang.. and the picking on the down and out animals seems to be a auto response thing too. Whenever one of our cats have an issue, that is how I spot it. One starts picking fights with the one that is sick. It makes me think if us humans are not that much different. Pisses me off. (AGAIN)
1st Mate
September 25, 2010I’d trade you for some of those blahs at the moment. Oh, don’t mind my whining, I’m just jealous. Didn’t know how good I had it before this awful week.
Nancy
September 25, 2010Chrissy, I think the picking on them trait has to do with not drawing attention to the group from predators. Probably makes sense, survival-wise, but it does seem mean.
Bliss, I think you have entirely too much excitement lately, and not the kind you want! Take care, amiga.