New skill

LA PESCADORA

Rebecca has been reveling in her diving.  Twice a week has been routine.  Unfortunately the water has been very cold and she can only manage one dive of about an hour; that zaps her for the day.  Even Alex, her dive master, has been cold.  But she has become adept at another activity along the way - fishing.  As she relates below, she has been quite the success.  Between writing this story and its distribution she has been out a couple of more times and has routinely caught several edible-sized specimens including a couple of Spanish mackerels which were very challenging to reel in.  With a slight detour to her least favorite activity, on to Mrs.T's story:

Well today I went to the dentist, again. I go and they torture me untiI I can't stand it and then they make appointment. Today was the third or fourth one and I am tired of the whole thing.  Dan thinks I am a wimp but he has good teeth.  I told the dentist to tell Dan I was very brave.  The dentist told me I was very brave and strong men were much worse than I.  But if he told Dan, I don't think Dan believed him.  The dentist says he wants to save my tooth but after about an hour I told him to yank it out!  (She has a mouth full of bad teeth. -dt) My philosophy is if my teeth don't bother me I won't bother them.  I brush them twice a day and that is it.  Rita says she won't go to a dentist who doesn't put her out or at least give her laughing gas.  (Nitrous oxide; not used much these days. -dt) I'm not sure what laughing gas is but I'm willing to give it a giggle.  (Rebecca has at least one more visit.  -dt)

Recently I have been fishing.  Alex and his family often fish either before or between our  dives.  We troll with the fishing lines hanging behind the boat as Alex drives along.  If a fish is on a line either Alexandra or Manual, reels it in and then the other one grabs the line and pulls it in.  Eva, Alex's wife, can reel in the fish but she doesn't unless no one else does.  I think her attitude is, 'If I catch a fish I'll probably have to clean the darned thing'.  As I recall Mama had a deal with Daddy: She would cook any fish or animal he caught or hunted but he must clean it.

So one day Manual had caught a fish and so had Alexandra when a third line dipped.  Alex called, "Give it to Rebecca".  Well, nothing loth (Look that up -dt), I stood at the back of the boat and began to reel.  I reeled and I reeled.  Then I reeled some more.  How far away was this fish, I wondered.  I reeled and I reeled; I was beginning to get tired.  I turned to see if I could give the pole to Manual without disgrace.  "A little mas", he said.  I reeled a little mas and Manual reached over the side of the boat and pulled in my fish.  The fish was about 8 inches long.  A keeper but nothing great.  Still, everyone was very pleased both with the fish and with me.  It went into the fish box.

When another line dipped, Alex said that was mine too.  Well I was on a roll.  I took a deep breath and started reeling.  I could surely do it again.  I reeled and I reeled.  I reeled some more.  Then something unexpected happened.  The fish jumped out of the water.  When this occurs you are supposed to reel really, really fast - I am not sure why.  Then I went back to regular reeling for a while until the next jump.  It seemed to me that this fish was a lot heavier than the first one.  Not only that but the nearer he got to the boat the heavier he became.  Every so often he would jump and I would reel frantically.  But finally, just when I thought I could not reel once more Manual pulled him over the side into the boat.  

He was enormous, he was huge, he was -- well actually he was about the size of the fish the kids had caught -- about 2 feet long. (You can look at the picture and judge for yourself. -dt) Alexandra said she would take a picture.  This was necessary because Dan was going to doubt every claim I made especially regarding the size of the fish. (Correct -dt)  It is possible he is justified a wee bit because I might have a tendency to exaggerate just a tad.  (Rebecca is often spatially challenged. -dt)  But Dan should not discount all my claims out of hand.  Manual took a hold of the head because the fish kept trying to bite me.  It had very sharp teeth.  If you look at the picture of me with the fish it looks as if I have three hands.  All of these fish were barracudas also called wahoos and they were good to eat.  My fish was a very respectable size especially as I had not fished for many years and considering my advanced age.  But these guys are used to fishing in the bay or the open ocean for large fish and were only mildly impressed.  (Mrs.T can now converse with the local fishermen from experience. -dt)

After this Alex and I went diving.  There was a lot of surge.  The waves would toss you one way and then another. There are two different things you can do in this situation.  If you want to control the direction you go when the waves take you in the right direction you swim very hard with them and then dig in the tips of your fins or your fingers and hold on against the opposing waves.  In certain conditions when the waves seem to move in random directions this is very difficult,  The other option is to go completely limp and let the waves take you.  Then you can give an occasional kick to control your direction a bit.  I used both methods. The surge was very extreme and I was getting quite a bit of water in my mask and in my regulator.  I used my purge to clear my regulator a couple of times, something I rarely do.  It was nonetheless a very good dive with lots of interesting fish and invertebrates,

After the dive I was very tired.   While we were down Manual had cleaned the fish and Eva had cooked them in the teeny tiny kitchen on the boat.  We had barracuda tortas.  They were quite good.  We had mandarinas and cookies for dessert.  (Mrs.T's usual contribution -dt) We were packed up with the anchor lifted and ready to go back.  Suddenly an absolutely huge fish jumped right in front of the boat.  It was a Spanish mackerel.  (The editor is happy we are not catching anything for the taxidermist. -dt)

"Lines!", Alex commanded quietly.  I figured the fish was at least 4 feet long.  When I got home I looked in my fish book and Spanish mackerels can get up to 7-1/2 feet long.  Alexandra and Manual put out four heavy lines, one in front and three in back.  Manual went to the front line and Alexandra and I covered the back. Alex began to drive the boat in slow circles.  "Get ready Rebecca," Alex said,  "If we can hook him I am going to teach you how to fish!"  I should explain Alex is a good fisherman and guys pay him lots of money to take them fishing in the ocean.  I was a little scared and not sure I was up to it. I sat in the fishing chair breathing slowly and drinking Pepsi.  "Well",  I thought, "I will try."  I took another deep breath and thought fishing thoughts,  We drove in circles for quite a while but we got no bites.  And then we went back to the dock.  (Soon Rebecca will be bragging about 'the one that got away'. -dt)

Just a few pictures, including the fish:  https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUTP3hM

Rita is down with us now - or will be in a few days.  She came and promptly went on a planned birding adventure up the coast a short way at a sanctuary near San Blas.  We thought that was a splendid idea for her.  We will have one full week with her; she and Rebecca are very close.  We look forward to her visits every year.

Soon we will be returning to Philo.  Several doctor visits, real and video, await as well as COVID vaccinations.  And we have our usual turnaround which we have down fairly well - few surprises.

We hope the weather there will be cooperative and be turning into nice spring days.

See many of you soon.

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

Sent from Outlook

La Sirena returns

TRANQUILLO

This season is very quiet and calm.  COVID was already keeping many tourists away.  And then the new edicts from Canada, along with airlines stopping flights, encouraged many of the few Canadians to depart for the north ahead of schedule.  So we have seen more internal tourists and a few US visitors.

We feel for the local business people who are dependent upon tourists in a short season for their livelihood.  Many of these are vendors that are almost strictly seasonal and cater, some literally, to tourists.  Others are year-round, mostly hole-in-the-wall, stores that look to 'the season' for concentrated income.  Unfortunately this year is going to be a crash course in how to do more with less.  We do our best to help out, but we cannot support the entire economy.

One thing that has not slowed down has been construction.  For those of you not familiar with the area these comments will not mean as much.  Bucerias has become a northern exurb of PV.  Condominiums and apartments are going up like crazy, including the units directly behind us.  The pictures will be relevant to those who know our city.  The orchard/goat yard project is going up.  The banner on the corner announces Coradiso - apparently a made-up word combining heart and home.  The tower across the street has residents.  And these are projects mostly just around our block.  We are becoming urban for certain.

Rebecca has persevered in working on puzzles with a little help from Edgar and Jose.  One particularly interesting puzzle is included in the pictures.  After the puzzle was finished, secret instructions told how to exchange two corners, and, voila, the puzzle now had a hole in it.  Extra pieces were included with the secret instructions and another puzzle ensued.  Very clever.

Mrs.T's health has improved approximately to the point she was physically before October.  She is off her oxygen except at night.  She can manage routine activities.  She is still challenged cognitively.  But she is working on that, including taking Spanish class three days per week.  Which brings us to her story for this newsletter.  

This past year has been a year of disappointments.  For me there was my health; I am not as invincible as I had thought.  Dear friends had moved to a higher plain.  And on top of this there came this dratted virus.  It was not only scary; it was extremely annoying. (When out we always wear our cubrebocas. -dt) One bright spot in this mess was Dan.  Dan was not only brave he was intelligent, analyzing our world and our life and calming my fears both rational and irrational. (Thank you! -dt) Then just when I thought I might be able to cope the world turned sideways.  One of the foundations of my world collapsed.  A mob of misguided idiots attacked the capital. These people, often white supremists, wanted to overthrow our election.  I was shaken.   I was very angry.  I was afraid.  Dan was overwhelmed as well. (Mostly disgusted. -dt)  For the last month I have been sulking and mourning and then it happened.  (Definitely in a 'down' mood. -dt)

I am at home finally.  No, not in Mexico.  I am at home in my second   world.  I am diving. (In Mexico -dt)(We needed to wait on her health and boat repairs. -dt) The Pacific was slightly cold but the visibility was good.  At first I thought it was going to be a desert dive - all you see is sand!  But then, cautiously, the little sea people began to creep out.  The shells were what I noticed first.  Tiny limpets shaped like Chinese hats creeping along the ocean bottom,  You hardly see them move but then they do, eating tiny bits of garbage and moving on like tiny vacuum cleaners.  Now I notice bright red and white crabs scuttling back and forth on lots of legs.  Waving their claws threateningly at I- don't-know-what.  I think they should be more cautious; the sand is littered with tiny crab remains.  Then suddenly the crabs rush to tiny holes and stuff themselves and all their legs into safety. A medium sized - maybe six-inch - fish cruises by.  It is a good sized Sergeant major.

Everybody except me was concerned about my return to the underwater world. I knew I would be fine and I was.  My trusty divemaster Alex clutched my hand firmly just in case.  (Mrs.T has been diving with Alex for 10+ years. -dt) This occasioned a few tug of wars as one of us wanted to watch the morays - there were a lot of pink tiger eels with brown spots - while the other wanted to see the stingrays.  But we managed to work it out. 

As we approach piles of rocks we see more and more fish.  They weave in about and behind and under; they dart and they glide. There are several of the same kinds of fish but they are not really schooling.  Most of the fish are familiar.  I do not know the names of a lot of these fish and I have forgotten many names I once knew.  But still the fish seem like old friends.  (They probably were wondering where Mrs.T was. -dt) Around and upon the rocks we see corals, sea urchins, and sand dollars.  Conches are attached to rocks and the sea floor.  

When Alex and I dive we like to do our part to help clean up the ocean.  So while we dove we collected trash.  Most of it was fishing line, weights and lures, with the occasional beer bottle, tennis shoe, and cell phone.  We both collect it and Alex wraps it in a neat bundle.  (There is especially a lot at Mismaloya.  -dt)

So we were swimming along looking at fish and collecting trash when suddenly Alex stopped.  "Stay here for five minutes", Alex signs. Under water we communicate with each other with hand signals.  "I am going to try and catch an octopus."  (Dinner for Alex. -dt) Well, fine by me.  Alex gives me our package of trash to hold.  When we pick up trash from the sea floor there are little corrals and plants growing attached to it.  Just the perfect tasty snack for a Parrotfish to munch on.  

So here is the thing.  The octopus lives in a cave under a big rock.   Alex sticks his hand in and tries to get a hold of it.  The octopus, hereafter referred to as Legs, retreats to the far side of the cave.  Alex goes around to the other side of the rock and sticks his hand in the back door.  Legs retreats to the main entrance.

I am watching this and a small Parrotfish approaches me shyly. He looks at the corral and plant life dripping from the package of trash.  'Would you mind if I had a little of that?', he seems to ask and takes a tentative nibble.  I am surprised but hold the trash out and the fish takes another bite.  

Meanwhile Alex is lying flat on the ocean floor so that he can get more of his hand inside the cave.  Legs starts chucking shells and small stones at Alex's hand.  Then he retreats to a hiding place behind a large stone.  Meanwhile the Parrotfish has finished one string of fishing line and is starting on a second one.  Alex starts excavating the main entrance so that he can see Legs.  Legs peeking over his hiding place inks Alex.  The Parrotfish has finished eating coral from the second string of fishing line and is looking to see what he should start on next.  Alex gives up.  Legs just did not want to be caught, Alex told me later.

You may think it is sort of mean to eat Legs.  But we must remember that Alex and his family are fishermen.  This is how they live.  This has been a very bad year as there are few tourists to take diving or deep sea fishing.  For a while they even closed the port and the guys were forbidden to even catch fish to feed their families.  I am in fact a very valuable commodity for Alex.  When we were making our way down to the boat one of his friends called out to Alex, "Who is that?  Your grandmother?"  "This is my customer", Alex replied proudly. (Mrs.T essentially is Alex's business. -dt) 

On the way back to the dock we caught two goodsized Spanish jacks so that was supper for Alex's family last night.  When you are raising two teenagers it takes quite a bit of food and Alex's son, though he is very skinny, eats an incredible amount.

Howsomeever, we go back to swimming around underwater, picking up trash, and looking at the plant and animal life.  We are followed at a distance by the Parrotfish looking hopefully for more handouts.  I am happy to note I am quite competent, equalizing my ears, maintaining my buoyancy, and controlling my position with one finger tip stuck in the sand or on a rock.  There is not a lot of current here today.  All too soon Alex signals it time to go back and we slowly make our way back to the boat and up.

Our day of wonder is not over yet.  We cruise around to see what we can see from the top of the water. The sea is pretty calm but as we look out we spot several small boats gathered in one area.  We know what that means: whales! As we approach we see a couple of whales surfacing.  The animals are so huge; they are impressive even from a long distance.  The whales are generally cavorting about on the surface and blowing and making shallow dives.  Before we get very close they go down.  We know they are going down because when they dive they go vertical and you see their whole tail sticking up in the air.  These whales are probably mating.  When they dive they usually stay down for about twenty minutes.  We will hang out and wait for them to come up.

While we are waiting Alex tells his family about Legs.  Of course like any good fisherman story, Legs grows bigger in the telling.  Now a couple of dolphins show up.  They are playing, jumping in and out of the wake of all of the boats. The whales resurface and we watch them jumping and playing together.  I never get tired of watching the gentle giants.  After they dive again we start back to the dock.  We are cruising slowly back when just ahead two hugh mantas rise majestically out of the water, float gently through the air, and disappear beneath the waves. Our day is over and I am replete.  

By the time you read this Rebecca will have completed several more dives; she could even be diving now.  Alex has started her out slowly but each time she is down a bit longer and a bit deeper.  She is going twice a week and will have most of a normal season's worth of dives done by the time we leave in April.  It is obvious that diving makes her very happy..

Some photos as promised:  https://flic.kr/s/aHsmUc9ryW

://flic.kr/s/aHsmUc9ryWhttps

At the time of this writing we observed the snow and plunging temperatures to the north.  Sorry folks, we do not miss it.

And we hope the vaccine situation has been unscrambled by the time we return.

Keep warm.

Keep healthy.

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

Sent from Outlook

Winter 2020 begins

MISCELLANEOUS RAMBLINGS

As you might guess, we are at our winter home in Bucerias.  About now the weather in Ohio is heavily trending to real winter - we don't miss it.  We have not been there for more than fifteen years in the winter and have grown quite comfortable in the warm sun of our winter residence in Mexico.

Getting here was only a slight challenge really.  Although COVID was beginning a second season in Ohio as well as Mexico, the bigger issue to departure was Mrs.T's ongoing treatments for cancer.  During her last one in mid-October she did not awaken well from the procedure and needed to be hospitalized for a few days.  Part of that incarceration involved examination of a substantial kidney stone - she was even slower to wake up from that exam's anesthesia.  We nearly had to forcibly extricate her from the hospital to board the plane.  But we made it here, although with Rebecca now on a dose of oxygen.  She is disheartened that for now scuba is off the agenda.  We are currently debating whether to have her next endoscopy here - we did last spring - or postpone it until we return, a bit beyond the protocols.

As noted, COVID is a dire situation in both the US and Mexico.  However, our little corner of paradise appears to have been spared the full brunt of this scourge.  Masks are required at stores, restaurants, and other indoor establishments.  Temperatures are taken upon entry, even at most smaller venues.  We try to restrain our adventures.  We eat out occasionally but not much.  Our shopping is mostly at our neighborhood  minisuper Mary Paz.  When we do go out we are prudent - we wear masks and keep the distancia in stores.  And some of the Wednesday market vendors are kind enough to deliver every few weeks.  [Nick's presence upped our consumption of sweet goodies for a couple of weeks!]  Thanks Sasha, Alejandra, and the Argentine guys.  And Juan Carlos has started delivery of fresh fruit to our front door!

Your editor nudged Mrs.T into putting together a newsletter.  Here are her random thoughts,

When I look in the mirror my grandmother looks back at me.  How weird is that?  I remember when Mama having Alzheimer's thought that I was her Mother.  I of course had never seen my grandmother's younger self, but with family resemblances and or reincarnations or some kind of connections anything is possible.  When my grandmother was thirteen her mother died of measles.  I remember the photo of Leah Humphrey (Great-grandmother  -dt) and I also see my resemblance to this strong woman who died many years before I was born. (We have that photo of her; she looks tough as nails. -dt) When I was about seven my Mother was very sick with measles but she came through it.  My family is full of strong women. (Including Mrs.T  -dt)

When I was thirteen my grandmother taught me to make bread from scratch.  Making bread of course is a very basic part civilization.  When many peoples welcome you to their land or homes they offer you bread or sometimes bread and salt.  I have made bread with my daughter and  with my son and I wonder what their memories are.  (Mrs.T has not baked in a while and not attempted bread here.  However she does make Buckeyes; yum, yum.  -dt)

Dan is going up the steep hill to the bank to get money. He watches the exchange rates and changes our dollars to pesos like an arbitrager.  (The rate is way down from last spring.  -dt)  Lately we have to step over Lucy who has stationed herself outside our door like a private watch puppy.  I think she has adopted Dan but she pretty much resents me.  Her attitude is:  What do you think you are doing going in my door?  Humph!  

I am working on a Christmas jigsaw puzzle.  Nick helps me a little. Edgar, our handyman, and Jose, the gardener, help me a bit.  When I begged Edgar to help me he looked at the puzzle and took out four pieces I had put in the wrong places.  It actually helped a lot but was disconcerting.  Estella does not help but does give advice. " Necesssito Yudy," she  says.  Of course she is right.  I need Judy!  (AKA The Puzzle Doctor -dt) My friend Judy is from Canada and their government has advised them not to come to Mexico.  I miss her a lot.  Of course our government wasn't too crazy about us coming to Mexico but we pretty much ignored them.  (A couple of puzzles have been completed.  -dt)

They sold the lovely little property behind and are turning it into condos.  Bam!  Bam!  Bam! All day long except for half a day Saturday and all day Sunday. (Most weeks, but not always.  -dt) We have two small black iguanas whe live in the walls behind us.  Fred lives in the wall behind the kitchen and Alfonzo lives in the wall behind our bedroom.  Fred and Alfonzo and I disapprove of the new construction.  I am worried about where Fred and Alfonzo will go when the building is finished.

Nick has been visiting us for a couple of weeks.  He and I spent a lot of time going down to the ocean and watching the waves.  We picked up little shells and trailed our toes where the waves washed ashore. We both have always been beachcombers.

One day I rode a horse along the beach.  Mounting was something of a challenge.  I somehow managed to get my foot in the stirrup but after two or three failed attempts the guy took over.  "I will count to three and then you jump," he said.  I obediently jumped on three.  He gave me a shove in the butt which surprised me so much I jumped a little higher and ended up on the horse.  The horse turned his head and looked at me sarcastically.  Well you got up there I suppose I will have to carry you, he thought.  

The beach has been mostly deserted.  A few Indian children wandering aimlessly around selling trinkets.  A few gringos skipping stones along the tops of the low waves rolling in.  A few shore birds chasing the waves out and back - or are the waves chasing them?  The sea returns back and back until it meets the distant sky.  We (with Nick or Brenda -dt) sat at a little restaurant drinking lemonade and coke.  Speaking of nothing in particular.  And then we walk back. 

________________________________

While here one of Nick's major activities is the consumption of orange juice.  He thought he would provide some thoughts on that topic for the newsletter.  -dt

Ode to Orange Juice:

You are sweet and fresh

Cold and pulpy with vitamin C

Totally unlike the grocery store sour imitation.

Squozen every morning at Mary Paz

Ready to refresh and make me happy

One bag at a time.

 

 

Also, the ice maker - I - will be getting a bit of a break.

_________________________________

 

And here are a few photos:  https://www.flickr.com/gp/9151458@N07/f15C7t

 

 

May the Christmas message of hope give you strength for 2021; it will be a better year.

 

Hope you are staying warm. 

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

 

 

Sent from Outlook

An Update

BATS

It has been quite a while - March - since we distributed a newsletter.   Shortly after that the COVID-19 situation began and the entire world has been in a tizzy.  Several personal health issues for Mrs.T also developed which occupied much of our time.  So this newsletter will bring you a bit more up-to-date.

We were scheduled to return to the US for a small reunion with Ruth, Rebecca's oldest sister, and some of her progeny at the beginning of April.  Then came COVID and Ruth canceled that get together.  And the airline canceled our return flight.  So we decided to stay at the condo for a while longer especially as the airline canceled another return flight rescheduled for later in April.  By then the situation in Mexico had also begun to deteriorate with many shops and restaurants closing in response to the pandemic.  But we had plenty of food and the virus had not reached our corner of paradise.  Most of the Canadians had already deserted.

Simultaneously we needed to follow up on Rebecca's cancer.  A couple of newsletters ago the good news was that Rebecca was cancer free.   As part of the ongoing followup of those treatments was the necessity to do routine endoscopies.   One previously scheduled in Columbus after our expected return at the end of April needed to be canceled because our flights were also canceled.  So we had the endoscopy done in Mexico by Dr. Carlos who had removed the stent.  Unfortunately this time it came back positive; Mrs. T's cancer had returned.  Fortunately a PET scan in Guadalajara (A BIG thank you to Dr. Victor for taking us there!) showed that the cancer was still small and had not spread.  We began to plan treatments in Mexico.  However, a subsequent video visit with Mrs. T's GI doctor convinced us to return to the north.

We finally managed to get a flight back to Columbus; actually the pandemic aided us here as the airports were nearly empty and we could speed through.  And even though we returned to Ohio fairly soon after the video visit, the endoscopy could not be scheduled for another couple of weeks.  At that time another nodule was removed and the biopsy came back clean; Rebecca was declared cancer free for a second time.

Now we have been home for the summer with the same pandemic doldrums most of you are enduring.  I cajoled Mrs.T into finally putting together a bit of a newsletter.  You should find the topics a bit more light hearted than this introduction.

Several years ago Dan and Nick bought me a wonderful present: a bat house.  I was very excited.  They nailed it together and I painted it black.  (Recommended to keep the bats warm  -dt) After much discussion we found the perfect place to hang it up on the back of our storage shed.  Bats like their privacy you know.  I called the Ohio Department of Natural Resources to ask about getting our bats,  Some little brown bats I thought would be nice.  You won't believe me but they laughed at me.  "You cannot buy bats", the lady said after she stopped laughing at me, "You put up the bat house and wait for them to move in."  Well I waited and I waited.  My enthusiasm waned.  Every month or so I would go down and peak up the little entrance.  No bats.  As the years passed I pretty much gave up.  But one evening this spring I was sitting on the front porch admiring the black locust tree when I noticed a couple of birds flying funny.  They are drunk, I thought to myself - birds do sometimes become intoxicated from eating over-ripe fruit.  No I decided those are bats!  Bats!  At last!  There came some more.  Bats do fly in a jerky way. I don't know if it is because the wings are different, because of their sonar, or what.  I didn't count but I think there were at least 6 or 10.  The next afternoon when they should be sleeping I crept down and peaked in their little door but it was too dark to tell for sure,  But I am optimistic.  And bats do eat mosquitoes.

Dan has been in a buying mood recently. (Therapy  -dt) One of the first things he bought was a Roomba vacuum cleaner.  The thing fascinates me. It toddles around going from one room to another making little squeaks and whistles.  It goes under the furniture. It goes over the rugs.  Sometimes it takes two or three tries to humph itself up onto the carpet.  Sometimes it gets stuck and goes umm, umm, umm, and I go over and give it a little nudge with my toe and away it goes. (Actually it does fine without assistance  -dt) After a while it gets tired and goes and plugs itself in to rest and gets more electricity.  It seems to do a good job sweeping and it is very entertaining.  I haven't tried telling it what to do yet for fear of an untoward event, something like the sorcerer's apprentice.  But Dan seems to have it under control.  When he is tired of it he pushes the 'go home' button and it toddles off to its electric plug and turns itself off.  I said we should call it Jeeves but Dan thinks that is not quite the right name.

After buying Jeeves or whoever Dan moved on to buy a power washer.  We will really like this. (At least we hope we will when we use it.  -dt) It is easy to use and we will save a lot of money by washing the house ourselves.  I was getting rather suspicious about all of these 'we's' having been through this before; sometimes 'we' really means me.  It sounded like I would end up power washing the house.  I like to play in the water as much as anybody but this might involve quite a bit of work.  Also suppose I didn't mind doing it but I very much did mind doing it while Dan stood around and told me how to do it.  Be that as it may, Dan went ahead and bought the thing and put it together.  Now he has figured out how to mix the soap.  So far I have limited my comments to a noncommittal  "umm" (Sounds like Jeeves.  -dt); we will see what happens next.

Dan's next purchase was a red wagon to pull stuff around.  In our place we have two outbuildings, the shed and the art shack, plus the various woods, pond, waterfall, and paths.  I used to tote things around in the back of my four wheeler but Dan sold it to the neighbors.  It is true I hadn't driven it since my stroke but I planned to if I got better. (Actually she had not used it for at least a year before that. -dt)   When I complained Dan promised to get me a new and improved model, maybe a John Deere.  We did really need something to haul heavy stuff around.  The delivery person took the wagon to our nearest neighbors.  Ken told her where we had a box for deliveries but she got confused and took it to our other neighbor,  This neighbor brought it to us.  By the time the next day we finally got it the box was all banged up and one of the side panels of the wagon was bent. (Difficult whom to blame.  -dt)  Dan called UPS and their customer service person told him to contact Amazon. The virtual assistant from Amazon was no help either.  Dan came to complain to me and as I suggested something he had already tried; at least he would yell at a real live person.  I suppose it made Dan feel better anyway. (Not really.  -dt) After giving it some thought Dan took the bent panel to a metal working place. (We have used them before with great success.  -dt) They banged on it a few times and now it fits.  No charge.  Everybody is now satisfied except me.  And I am annoyed. (But she has happily used it.  -dt) Sigh!

When Dan starts buying things eventually I start buying things in revenge.  (Mrs.T tends to buy in large chunks.  -dt) This is silly I know, but I cannot be adult and reasonable all the time.  Well maybe I could but what fun would that be?  In any case I had been fed up with my recliner in my office for quite a while. It would lay down and refuse to sit back up. (An operator problem.  -dt) I am not going to put up with insubordinate furniture.  I decided to pitch the recliner and get a nice chaise lounge.

In the past I found that I was not very adept at estimating size.  More than once this caused problems when I purchased furniture that was too big to fit through the doors.  I had just finished choosing my new chaise when I remembered these unfortunate events.  Careful measuring told me I had done it again.  I went through the online catalog and selected a chaise that would actually fit. I found a lovely chaise and it was even purple.  Dan agreed to help.

Well the first problem was to take the recliner out.  It is logical to suppose that if we got it in we should be able to get it out.  Well, yes.  I turned it this way and that but I could not figure it out.  Dan looked thoughtful for a couple of minutes and then he said, "If you lay it down flat and turn it sideways it will go out."  Of course it did.  Sigh!  We got the chaise boxes in my office and with a minimum of wrenches and screwdrivers we got it together.  I put on the feet, mostly.

About my health.  I have gotten both of my eyes decataracted.  (A new word?  -dt) Now I can see without glasses. Hurrah!  Last check said the cancer was gone. I have another check soon.  I am slowly recovering from the stroke. I have been riding Jewel, the large horse, rather slowly.  (Jewel has also had health issues.  -dt)  I still can't remember things or words and my math skills are greatly diminished.  This drives Dan crazy, especially the forgetting. (Indeed!  -dt) My right arm and leg still act funny.  Sigh!

We have stopped going to church in part because Dan did not like the new time schedule and in part because of the virus.  I had suggested that we could become Lutherans but Dan vetoed that idea.  When I brought up the alternative of Presbyterians he retorted about being ridiculous.  Well I don't know what is so ridiculous about Presbyterians but I gave up on the idea of trying some other sect.  The truth is although I am not terribly religious I did kind of miss church.  For one thing I like the singing.  And for another I liked the quiet times when I could think thoughts.  I explained this and told Dan that I was going to build a meditation labyrinth.  He agreed to this readily enough; I think he may have thought I would never actually do it.  Well he was wrong. (Another $$ idea.  -dt) I am in my second year and working with the second landscaper but it is nearing completion.  As it approaches reality Dan wants to become involved, having  ideas abouts how it can be  improved. (She requested comments.  -dt)  I feel that this is a test of my character.  And the fact that I have not hit him on the head with a large stick is a moral victory.  The labyrinth has four paths outlined with river rocks surrounding a silhouette of the Greek wildflower nymph.  The paths are planted with white and purple violets of various species.  I hope that by next spring the violets will be in bloom.  (Rebecca continues to fiddle with the stones.  -dt)

That should provide you a good idea about what has transpired in our isolation and self-imposed quarantine of a sort.  Rebecca has had another endoscopy and still is cancer free.  We are thrilled about that.  And we hope to return to the condo in October.

Here are a few pictures:

https://www.flickr.com/gp/9151458@N07/m8K814

Hope you all have been able to maintain your physical and mental health.

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

Sent from Outlook

MrsT's Adventures

GIANT RAYS AND GIANT PILLOWS

The editor is happy to report that Mrs.T decided to compose this newsletter.  As you know the editor did the last couple of issues while Rebecca has been recovering from her cancer treatments and her stroke.  With the cancer cured rehabilitation from the stroke is ongoing. While she has progressed significantly in physical aspects, other issues still remain and there will be long-term challenges.  She has improved sufficiently to put this piece together, a nice milestone.

One activity that Rebecca has been able to resume is scuba diving, something she has been doing for about twenty years.  She greatly enjoys diving at our winter residence in Mexico near Puerto Vallarta especially as it is not an option in Ohio; diving in the Muskingum River is not recommended.  Doctor Oscar, her excellent rehab doctor here, had a good discussion with Alex about easing her into diving with short shallow dives. She has made great progress and by the end of the season will be nearing normal dive activities.  So she was quite enthusiastic as described below.  

Memory is one of the challenges Rebecca faces.  That is one of the reasons events are in reverse chronology.  And although she refers to 'Saturday' that could be the last Saturday in February or the first Friday in March; she dove both days and the experiences were quite similar.  On to some recent events:

Saturday the bay was quite cool which appeared to cause a plankton bloom.  These tiny sea creatures are one of the basics of sea life. All kinds of life depend on eating plankton.  We were driving the boat along when we saw two giant mantas gliding along the surface. They were turning and diving in a graceful dance.  "What are they doing?" I asked Alex. "They are eating," he replied. It must be a challenge for mantas to eat because their eyes are on the top of their heads but their mouths are on the bottom.  They glide along scooping up things they saw before, but somehow they manage. Fascinated, we watched them for several minutes, taking pictures.

We proceeded to our dive site when we saw three more mantas.  These mantas can grow to be 22 feet or more across. (Mrs.T reported that some were bigger than the boat. -dt) They were swooping and jumping around the boat.  We were not afraid; we were enthralled. Alex convinced his son Manuel to jump in and swim with them trying to take their pictures. The thing is they swim quickly and he couldn't keep up with the mantas,  Manuel would hold on to the side of the boat while Alex would drive close so Manuel could paddle over to take their picture.

As we drove across the bay we saw mantas everywhere.  I had to wonder where they were when they were not flying about on top of the ocean.  We also passed two large pods of dolphins. I don't think that they are filter feeders but maybe they were trying to chase other animals who were.  (Dolphins eat fish. -dt) Or maybe they liked the cold water.

We saw lots of interesting fish but the diving was VERY COLD.  I had on a 3mm wetsuit and my shark pajamas. My shark PJs, so called by Alex, is a dive skin with pictures of sharks all over it.  Alex thinks it is pretty funny. These are available online from divegoddess.com The cold current is either El Nino or La Nina which has to do with winter in Canada and the US. (No comment on MrsT's understanding of meteorology. -dt) But even with two layers I was still very cold. 

(An excellent article about the giant mantas can be found here:  http://www.vallartasource.com/eco_manta_ray.php  -dt)

My Sister Rita and her daughter Sarah came down to visit and I went diving with them.  Rita goes diving every year but it was the first time Sarah went with us. Because of my stroke Alex is very careful with me and he is always careful with Rita who, although quite enthusiastic, is inexperienced.  Sarah is a certified diver but has not dived for several years. So poor Alex was holding me with one hand and Rita with the other. We each saw lots of things we wanted to check out and show to each other and Sarah.  I tried to behave and follow Alex but sometimes he had to give me a little jerk to tell me to keep me in line.

One of our favorite animals was the jawfish.  The fish makes a hole in the sand and backs into it so that only its head is sticking out.  It looks like a little dwarf with big eyes and a huge mouth with sharp teeth.  After we went home we used my fish book to try to identify the fish we had seen.  I knew quite a few of the common ones but there are zillions.

Going backwards in time, when I had my stent removed they told me I should sleep propped up in bed.  Okay, no problema. (Mrs.T still recalls much of her Spanish. -dt) I piled two king size pillows on my side of the bed and a whole lot of little pillows on top of them.  A pillow mountain! I plopped down on top to try it out. Whoops! Maybe plopping was a bad idea. Pillows were slip sliding everywhere. I rearranged everything to try again.  I gently eased myself into position on top. First one little pillow escaped then the second one. I grabbed a pillow with each hand but too late - a veritable pillow avalanche and they were all on the floor but the last two.  Sigh! 

 

Well when we moved into our condo many years ago I made two large stuffed geckos, each about four feet long, one for each bed in our guest room.  I named them Eliizardbeth Taylor and Richard Burttongue. (Burton and Taylor resided in PV while he was filming "Night of the Iguana". -dt) So I took Liz and Dick and curled them around each other in a large gecko lump.  Did you know they are called kissing geckos because they make smoochie sounds? I thought I finally solved the sleeping problem; well no. I slept pretty well in a semi-reclining position but Dan reported he hardly slept at all.  "How can I sleep when I am being watched by four large reptilian eyes?" he asked. Well I could see his point and I didn't have the heart to tell him I believe that geckos were amphibians; still I could be mistaken. (They are reptiles. -dt) This was easily solved by throwing a blanket over Liz and Dick.  I must report that I spotted Dick peeking out to see what was happening.

Just a few pictures.  Thanks to Sarah for several of them. :  https://1drv.ms/u/s!Ar_LTkWEqhbYnwdIc4Tt60DFvJLj?e=A8MciN

Hope you enjoyed those vignettes.  It was quite an effort for Rebecca to put them together and marks another step in her stroke recovery.  As we return to our northern home we anticipate further improvements. Perhaps she will be able to compose a couple of newsletters over the summer.  We have lots of events and travels planned. Mostly she wants to visit her favorite horse Jewel and resume riding.

 

See some of you in April and May.

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

We invite you to share our newsletter with friends and visit our blogspot to see previous postings.  

Sent from Outlook

At Last

FINALE

This will be a very brief newsletter.  It is Valentine's Day and Rebecca has had her stent removed last Friday!  The operation was done by Dr. Carlos at Clinica Santa Rosa and went without a hitch.  She was home later the same evening. You can see a picture of the gizmo below.

After a few days of soft food Mrs. T is back to essentially a normal diet and on the road to recovery for this phase of illness.  As stated last newsletter the cancer is gone. She will need to return in April for a routine exam and probably treatment for her Barrett's.  We still need to work on rehabilitation for her stroke; she is improving each day.

The stent:  

Well, that is it.  Maybe Mrs.T will get inspired enough to write the next newsletter.

A special thanks to Kathleen and Rita for helping make the Buckeyes.  Yum!

Stay warm and dry.

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

Sent from Outlook

FREE!

 GREAT NEWS!!

This has been quite an eventful last six months for us as Rebecca's health has been in question.  As you are aware she had a stroke and has been challenged with esophageal cancer. We have some great news which I will get to below; you can scroll to the end to read it.  But first I thought I would recapitulate the events of the past several months, especially for those of you who may have been just added to or missed an edition of our newsletter due to my error.

In the middle of the summer Rebecca had a routine endoscopy by her local GI specialist.  He spotted something that he thought was not quite right in her esophagus and referred her to a specialist at the OSU Wexner Center.  When we finally saw him in August a biopsy revealed carcinomic cells. This was not totally unexpected as she has suffered from the pre-cancer condition called Barrett's Esophagus for a number of years due to her GERD.  But it still was jarring news. The GI / cancer doctor at OSU scheduled her for another treatment with radiofrequency ablation in mid-October.

At his second treatment in October the doctor removed more cancerous cells but was unable to get all of them due partially to Rebecca going into Afid during the procedure.  The pathology report showed that some cancer was left. Yet another session was scheduled for mid-January.

 We knew this would be an inconvenience for our stay at the winter home in Mexico but we were certain we could handle it with minimum difficulty.  It would be a quick week back up to Columbus and return to the sunshine. We don't have many winter clothes at the condo but enough for a short trip.  We had prepared for our departure to the condo at the normal end-of-October time shortly after the procedure but the doctor said it would not be a problem.  

Then unexpected events intervened.  First Rebecca complained of pain around her neck as if she had mumps.  A trip to the ER in Zanesville and an overnight stay showed she did not have mumps - they were not certain what caused the problem - but that she had some ventricular arrhythmia; a small pill seems to have taken care of that.  The reason for the neck pain, perhaps some swollen glands?, was never determined but seemed to subside. So off we went to the airport for our annual trip south.

   

At the hotel the night before our flight I needed to arouse Mrs.T for some medications.  For a few seconds I thought she was not awakening from her nap quite normally. After trying to get her to respond and her falling down I realized that something was really wrong.  I went to the hotel desk and they summoned the airport EMTs who took her to the nearby Mt. Carmel Hospital. Indeed she had had a stroke.  

She remembers very little of her time at the hospital.  Initially she was somewhat disoriented and could not recall many basic things, especially with dates, birthdays, etc.  She isn't always too clear about those things but this was obviously abnormal. I could tell that, although understandable, her speech patterns were not quite the same.  And she struggled for words more than normal. Worst of all she could not swallow properly. An MRI confirmed that the stroke focused on the part of the brain associated with speech and related actions.  The right side of her body was somewhat weaker. They started physical, occupational, and speech therapy. But swallowing was still the big issue. If that reflex did not develop properly there could be major consequences.  But overall she was recovering quickly.

Initially they installed a feeding tube down her throat but it did not work properly.  They attempted to insert throat tubes multiple times without success. And there was worry that they might further exacerbate her cancer.  Other alternatives were considered, mostly unpleasant ones involving outside feeding tubes and so forth. Finally her swallowing started and discharge from the hospital was possible.  

 

Unfortunately there is no good inpatient rehabilitation facility in or about Zanesville.  And the nearest such place was full. So Mrs.T was placed at one of the Ohio Health hospitals in Columbus. There she received the full range of intense rehab services.  She continued to progress rapidly, but not completely, physically. Her 'occupational' skills also progressed nicely. Finally her swallowing and eating went from a diet of soft / mushy food to almost regular fare.  After two weeks she was discharged with recommendations for additional outpatient therapy - which is available in Zanesville.

 While we were still in the north we thought it might be possible to do the third cancer procedure so we would not need to make another trip.  However stroke protocol directs a three month wait until a significant medical procedure. The anaesthesiologists in particular declined to authorize Mrs.T's procedure short of that timeframe.  So we were back to the original schedule. Rebecca was distressed that we would need to wait.

We arrived at the condo mid-December about two months later than normal and all was well.  We prepared for our return to Columbus in mid-January. We found a great doctor and therapist in Bucerias for Rebecca to continue work on her post-stroke problems.  She has continued to make steady progress to the point that she was able to scuba one day although essentially as a beginner. She is working on her balance so she can return to horse riding.

We returned in mid-January, a week before this newsletter, and  Rebecca's treatment went fine with one hitch. She had an excess of scar tissue which made it somewhat more difficult for the doctor to remove the remaining cancerous area.  He was not sure he removed everything and said we would need to wait for the pathology report. We started thinking about what other types of treatment might be in the offing.  And the doctor inserted a stent to keep her constricted esophagus open. This put her back on a soft / mushy diet again for a month. And unfortunately scuba is out until the stent is removed.  We scheduled another trip back to Columbus to remove the stent in February.

THE NEWS:  The pathology report came back negative; Rebecca is cancer free and does not need any more treatments at this time.  And we can have the stent removed in Bucerias saving time, money, and lots of stress. She will go back for another exam when we return in early April.  We will continue to work on stroke therapy which is still a long-term situation. 

That should bring you up-to-date regarding Mrs.T's health issues.  We are grateful that everything is turning out very well. Perhaps this was a bit more information than you needed but many folks have been asking about her and I thought too much would be better than too little.

We want to thank everyone for their support and prayers.  The folks here at Jacarandas have been especially helpful.  Most special is fellow Pool Princess Brenda - a big thanks for the mashed potato 'Cancer Free Cake'  (R, Luis, Brenda)

Hope you all are in good health and enjoying your winter.

Greetings from sunny Bucerias.

Dan and Rebecca

www.casa-de-terrible.blogspot.com

Sent from Outlook