February 28, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Clover the Kitten.

Kate has just gotten a kitten, a very cute little gray kitten whose name is Clover. Both Christina and Kate sent me pictures. There is nothing better than a little kitten. Kate will enjoy her company. Gray cats go back in our family to the late 70's. We lived on Old Spring Road and still spent weekends at our country place ib Pennsylvania. It was primitive but we had a good time. The folks who lived up the road stopped by to see if we wanted any kittens. Their cat had kittens and they were giving them away. Of course, the boys wanted two so when we were ready to leave for home, we stopped by and the young man put two kittens into the car. He assured us they were male. The kittens were terrified and raced all around the inside the car and finally hid in the back of the station wagon. At that point we discovered that those kittens were wild. When we got home we were concerned that the kittens would run away but what happened was the opposite. They would not get out of the car. Bit by bit over the next few days, the boys tamed them by setting out food. Eventually they would let us pat them. Ken is allergit to cats so he built a two story cat house, adjacent to the window in the basement. The following Easter, the two male cats gave birth to kittens so we were able to watch the kittens through the window. We gave away the kittens with no trouble and it was fun watching them. We had several litters of kittens born in the car house. Eventually we took the two original cats back to the country. By them we had the new farm. And we kept two kittens, one gray and one black, and we had them altered so we had no more kittens. Elvia our housekeeper, liked the cats inside the house, so eventually we had two house cats. And when we moved to Franklin Street, Elvia took the cats to her house. But for a long time, we had two gray cats. Kate is following the tradition.

February 27, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Real Estate.

The Real Estate market in Liverpool has always been slow. Houses might take a year on the market before the house was finally sold. Sometimes Ken and I laughed that the market was not slow at all but rather had stopped totally. The summer of 2020 saw Sold signs everywhere. And the activity has continued. The agents are short of homes to sell. And when a house is put on the market, the house is sold quickly. It is fascinating to watch. And very different than in the past. Halifax has always been active. The city is growing so folks transferring are hard pressed to find houses to buy. Now starting last summer the activity has increased. Lots that have been for sale for a couple of years are selling even in remote areas. The DC area is also active in the world of real estate. People are buying large home in the outer suburbs. And they are leaving the city, any city. I do not keep track of the market in the DC area but friends report that things are busy. I have read that in all cities in North America, the same switch is happening. People want to get out of urban areas and get to a home with more space. I think that being cooped together in their houses has caused people to want to find more space. Builders are also swamped with business. Evidently, when folks were at home looking at their homes all the time, they have decided that a new addition was in order. All this comes as a side effect of the quarentine. Who would have thought.

February 26, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Alone.

When Ken died, I commented to friend Butch on the phone that I needed to learn how to live by myself. He said,"I belive you will find some things that living alone has benefits." So I have been trying to find what those benefits might be. Here in Mexico, as I am really alone, I have had time to ponder the question. I have figured out a few things. I control the clicker to change the television. Of course, the chnnels are limited but I can still switch away at any time. With no one living in the condo with me, I use all bathrooms throughout the day. During the day, I use the two guest room bathrooms and at night I use my own in the master bedroom bathroom. I have a little game to use about the same toilet paper in each bathroom. It is a bit of a game for me. I use the washing machine as a dirty laundry basket. I am the only one using the washing machine so I just throw my dirty clothes into the machine when my clothes are dirty. Every few days I turn on the machine. The system is very effecient and saves me picking up the dirty laundry off the floor and carrying it to the machine. I eat my meals any time I feel like eating. Many times I eat dinner at 8:30. No guest will wait until that time to eat dinner. I eat breakfast slowly and read all morning. Sometimes I am not finished until noon so my lunch if often not eaten until 2 or 2:30. My meals are odd. Living by myself works fine but it would never work with friends or relatives living here. I have eated soup for four days in a row for lunch. And those are the only things I could think of that make living alone a positive. And you can see it was a stretch. My list of the blessings of guests here are limitless. I am just making a difficult situation more beareable when I list the benefits of being alone. The best thing is that I managed to live totally alone and was happy. Amazing really.

February 25, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Backyards.

Ken was a good gardener. He had what you would call was a green thumb. Our backyards were always beautiful although he was not much interested in flowers. He always had the boys work along with him although they were not always thrilled working alongside Ken, who was exacting. David learned the craft but it wasn't until he owned his own house that he realized how much he enjoyed working in the yard. Once David said to me," I enjoy working in the garden. What I did not like was working with Ken". The reason of course was that Ken was alays in charge. Now David's backyards are beautiful. And he is in charge and works very hard. David and Suzanne sold their home of 19 yers. The new owners were delighted with the backyard. The yard had lovely flowering shrubs and trees with flowers blooming in every month of the year. It was a show piece. But much to David's surprise, the new owners did not ask him any questions about the maintenance such as what planting needed protection when the weather approaches 32 degrees. With a period of time with temperatures close to zero, David commented to me that no planting in that yard were installed expecting for arctic temperatures. His guess is that 90% of all the plantings would have died, unless they were protected. David is resisting the urge to drive by to see what survived. Fortunately, their new house will have a full makeover both front and back so nothing has been installed. Next week a company will dig up the whole back yard and set out the areas for David to install the shrubs and tree. The plan sounds wonderful. There will be an outside kitched just off the main kitchen with patios and walkways and a gazebo. When I visit late in May the instation will be complete, I hope. I am keen to see another lovely backyard done by David.

February 24, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Count Down.

I play this little game every time I leave a house. Two weeks from tomorrow, I fly back to Mississippi. My task is to leave no food in the fridge and pantry when I leave. This time, if I run out of food I will eat at the beach restaurant but I should get pretty close. This is a task I have assigned myself. Ken and I were always leaving from a place so I have history on my side. The diffeence is that when leaving Nova Scotia, I could always put leftover food into the freezer but here in Mexico that is not an option. As I only own 10 weeks of this condo, someone else will be moving in, so the condo must be empty. I have fun trying to get rid of all my food before I depart. I hate to throw away food. Right now in the fridge I have one whole cooked chicken, one full large container of yoghurt, half a romain lettuce, a large piece of cheddar cheese, 2 cucumbers, 3 tomatoes, a small amount of mayonaise, half a cut up papaya and one and a half loaves of bread. In the pantry I have 4 packages of dry soup, a small amount of peanut butter and two small bottles of salad dressing. Oh yes, I have half a quart of milk and one can of beer, left over from my visit to happy hour. So I will have fun, eating my small amount of food and running out just as I leave. With any luck, I will run out of food the day before I leave. So here I go.

February 23, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Report Card.

Kashine, my helper in Mississippi, has power and heat but no water as she has pipes split. She is still living with her sister. Mary Frances is back in her dorm at Millsaps College even though the water is not perfect. She spent one night at my house because I had both power and water and Christina had neither. MF wanted a shower. Rumor has it that the water will be fixed at the college later this week. Christina and Molly were staying with Linda, Christina's mother who had power and heat but limited water. By Monday, the temperature was warm so all the ice disappeared. Mississippi was experiencing frigid weather all last week. The pumps in the water system were frozen so the taps had no pressure. And the power company was using rolling blackouts. Then on Thursday, a bad storm hit the whole state with high winds and freezing rain and slush. The temperatures femained in the teens. The whole city looked like an ice cube. Most people lost power so had no power. But by Monday of this week, the temperatures were moderated and all the ice departed. Now they have a mess to make repairs. In Texas, David and Suzanne were lucky. They are on the list for the plumber but only to replace a valve in the hot water heater. Even though the guest house water was frozen solid, they had no broken pipes, thus no gushing water. The temperature now is normal and all the snow and ice have disappeared. They have power and heat so are warm and comfortable. The water pressure is better but not perfect. They are still boiling water to drink. That is my report card from Texas and Mississippi. I am happy to say that all is well with everyone. Everyone in my family weathered the frigid cold and the severe storms. They were fortunate indeed.

February 22, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Peanut & Jam.

Before I arrived, Marlin offered to buy groceries for me just to allow me to function without going to the restaurant immediately. I gave her a short list, at her suggestion. When I arrived, sure enough, food was in the fridge and on the counter. But she must have forotten to take my list with her becuse I had no cheese or yoghurt. And she had left me strawberry jam, which I do not eat. I just left it on the counter, trying to figure out what to do with it. So I did nothing. One evening I was not keen to prepare a supper. I had eaten a full meal at lunch so did not really need anything big so I spotted the jam and decided I would make myself a peanut butter and jam sandwich. Along with papaya for dessert, I would be happy. I made the sandwich with lots of peanut butter spread right to the edge of the multigrain bread along with ample amount of jam. And I enjoyed myself while watching a hockey game. I had not eaten a peanut butter and jam sandwich for years. No wonder the kids love them. Ken's cousin, Ian, often makes himself peanut butter and jam on his breakfast toast. Whenever I watch him I try to correct him. He never puts the peanut butter and jam right to the edges of the toast. He just laughs at me. I tell him that as he is an engineer he should be doing the tasks carefully and cover the whole piece of toast with both the peanut butter and jam. He thinks I am way too compusive. Now I have eaten four peanut butter and jam sandiches and I have finished the little jar of jam. I enjoyed every one but it might be a while before I eat another. I have no jam in Mississippi.

February 21, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. The Weather.

Yesterday the weather in Nuevo Vallarta was glorious. The sky was blue with not a cloud in sight. The temperature was 78 degrees. The day was perfect. Lake Tahoe is a beautiful place. It too had wonderful weather. The sky was blue and the sun was shining. The mountains in the distance sparkled. The setting was beautiful, with the rink right beside the lake. Yesterday afternoon, the NHL planned to hold a hockey game at Lake Tahoe, the game to be played in mid afternoon. Unfortunately, the day was so beautiful that the ice got slushy. The full sun just ruined the ice so after one period, the game was delayed until the evening when the sun had departed. And that is what happened. The beautiful weather caused the game to be delayed. Not far away in California was a golf tournament, being played in Palisades. The weather had been fine for two days but on Saturday in the middle of the morning, the wind came up. And then got worse. The wind was so strong that the balls could not stay on the greens. So the tournsment was delayed. It continued later in the afternoon and finished the third round today. And the play finsihed late today. But once again, the weather interrupted professional sports, even when the weather looked great. The owners can control most things, but not the weather.

February 20, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Heat.

In the early years of living in Mexico for the winter, we had some cool weather. As we have no warm winter clothes we looked at the thermostats. They show a switch for heat so we turned on the heat but even though the fan was working, we had no heat. So we tried another control. Every room has a separate system, for a total of five but we were unable to get any heat from any room. I called the front desk and told the gentleman that our heating system was not working. He was apologetic and polite but told me gently that Playa Royal has no heat so we were not going to able to get heat in the condo. He did not even laugh. But we did. What were we thinking? We were here in the coldest month of the year and the temperature was 68. We went shopping and bought three jackets, which we still have. I just returned them to the lockers as I had not used them this season. Heat in Mississippi has been difficult. At the moment, Kashina my helper has no power and no water in her house. She is staying with her sister, who has gas. Christina has no electricity so no heat and very little water so she and Molly are staying with her mother. Even though Linda lives close by, she kept power. Mary Frances is in the dorm at Millsaps College. They have power but no water on the third floor, where she lives. Thus no showers. To use the toilt you must go to the firt floor. Tonight she is ataying at my house, where we always had power and water. So she will be able to shower. My Texas family now has power, so their home is warm. But the water is still just a drip. So far no broken pipes. The temperature is no longer in the freezing zone. Heat has returned to the south. I do not need to turn on the heat in the condo in Mexico which is fortunate.

February 19, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Getting Ready.

I am not able to get everything done at the last minute. My routine has always been to pack a couple of days before the day for travel. And I ususlly set out clothes a week ahead so I can pare down my stuff. Now that I have 3 weeks left here, I have decided to begin getting ready to leave. I have been here for 7 weeks and found many clothes I hve not used. After all, I do not go out for dinner in the evening so my clothes for dinner have now been returned to the lockers. Two Mexican blankes were not used so now they have gone back to the lockers. I do not use sun screen because I never go out into full sun, so all the sunscreen has now been returned to storge. On the dining table is a stack of shirts I have not used. And the same with shorts. I seem to have several pair of shorts and as I have only worn two pair, the others will go to the lockers. I am paring down to the clothes that I wear right now and will put everything back to storage. I will do it bit by bit in the hope that I will not leave anything behind. I have also started putting objects that will be returned to Mississippi. I brought 4 books with me, which are now safely into my black bag which will be checked. So I am getting ready very slowly which is a good thing. I was puttering around today so much that I forgot to do my walking. Tomorrow is another day when I will walk. And I will begin taking more stuff to the lockers. I am officially getting ready to go home to Mississippi.

February 18, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. A Canoe Trip.

The first full day of our canoe trip was cold and rainy. I mean it rained all day and heavily. Ken and I were on a weekend canoe trip with Ken's father, Tom. He worked in Burwash prison which was in the middle of the bush in northern Ontario. Our plan was to canoe on the Wanapatee(sp) River just north of Burwash. Now this was a long time ago, probably in 1960 or 61. Ken and I were in one canoe and Tom in the other. We travelled far up the river to find a good camping spot where we both pitched our tent and Ken and I made dinner. Tom set about making us a birch bough bed for us, which he did. The weather was fine and we went to bed. Our intention was to canoe up the river for half the day and return to our camping spot for the next night. Then head out on the Sunday. This was in the autumn so no bugs. The bed was amazing and Ken and I slept well, only to waken to pelting rain. Ken set up the door as a shelter for cooking and the three of us stayed in our tent all day. We had no choice. The three of us ate our breakfast in our tent. Then we started to play cribbage. I had never played it before but I soon learned. Tom had brought a cribbage board, fortuntely, and we played all day. And we had a good time. By the next morning we were all cold and our stuff was wet. Our gear was primitive and now it was wet so instead of more canoing we headed back to Burwash to dry out our stuff. It was a beautiful spot on the river. We saw no one for the whole weekend. But we did not do much canoing. Instead we played cribbage, which I have never played since. And I got to see a real bed made of birch boughs. I think that was the only time we ever had a good time with Tom who could be difficult. But I have a clear memory of that canoe trip. Ken and I often laughed about it. Bad luck I guess but we had a good time anyway. I guess we made lemonade.

February 17, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Avocado Toast.

Until last winter here in Mexico, I had never eated a piece of avocado toast but Wonderful Wendy figured out how to keep an avocado ripe, so one morning she prepared me a piece of avocado toast. I loved it. Along with fruit, my breakfast was perfect. The avocado was always perfectly ripe so I got spoiled. Rita also was able to keep a ripe avoado available so she also made me avocado toast for breakfast. No question about it, I was fortunate. This last grocery order came with 8 avocados. I put 2 in the fruit bowl and put the rest in the fridge. I checked every day to see if they were ripe. Finally I used the ripe one and made myself a piece of avocado toast. Much to my surprise, mine tasted good too. The other half I put into a salad for dinner. I have gotten over my old pattern which was find the avocado either too ripe so it is rotten or too hard and bitter. I used their system of keeping most in the fridge and only two on the counter in the fruit bowl. I check them every day. I am enjoying all those ripe avocados. And I have four to go. In 1954, I first heard the word avocado. A cousin of my Mother was visiting us in Toronto. She came for afternoon tea. She and her husband owned an avocad orchard. They lived n Colorado. I wish I knew her name but I don't. She had to explain to Mother and me what you could do with an avocado. She must have thought that we were bumpkins but neither of us knew anything about them. I never saw that lady again even though she was a cousin of my mother. Times have changed. Now a piece of avocado toast for breakfast is my favorite. But it took me a long time.

February 16, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Storms.

At 4;30 this afternoon, I received a call from the gentleman at the front desk. They had been notified that a storm was brewing just nort of Monterray which might knock out the electrical grid. We might be without power. What a surprise. The day looks fine but as I look out now I can see that the sky is getting black. And if I listen carefully I hear low rumbles of thunder off in the distance. So I decided to write my little web log now rather than just before bedtime. But before I sat down to the computer I checked to see what provisions I have to use when the power goes out. I have no candles and even if I have candles I have no matches. And if the power goes out what else cuts off? Does the water sill flow? and the toilets? For sure the elevators will not work. I know they have provisions for keeping emergency lights running for safety so I should be able to walk on the balcony this evening. They expect the storm might hit around 6:00 so I could expect no power after that time. The only thing I could find useful was one small flashlight, the one I carry with me when I travel. Once in the past, the electricity went out one evening and Ken and I were in the pitch black. At that time, we had no flashlights with us. So we stumbled into the bedroom and went to bed. I seem to recall that we purchased a large flashlight which we kept with our stuff in the locker. But one year the battery had corroded so we threw it away. Now I have only one small flashlight to let me function safely. I did laught. I felt like all those other folks without power in Texas. Except here it is 71 degrees. I think I will survive the lack of power.

February 15, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Cold.

Late this morning I had a call from my friend Carolyn, who lives at Hamptdon Sydney University jut outside Farmville, Virginia. She was phoning from her car with the motor running while she was sitting in a parking lot. She was trying to stay warm plus charge her cell phone. Her power went out on Saturday and has yet to return so she her house is cold. Her husband Tom died in November so she is all by herself. When David went down to take the dogs for a walk this morning, the living room was 42 degrees. He lit the gas fireplace so when he returned the living room was 46. After the bedroom fireplace was lit the bedroom was 50 degrees. His office is on the third floor, which turned out to be the warmest room in the house at 60 degrees. During the night, the San Antonio temperature dipped to 9 and when he went for a walk it was 19 and windy. The whole city has shut down. This is the coldest in history for San Antonio. Tonight the forcast is it to be 6. The power company is overwhelmed. Most people heat by electricity so they started to have a 20 minute loss of power for every hour. And many times the power is just not working. Their hot water heater is frozen as the units are outside. This house is 100 years old and this is the first time the hot water has frozen. The water in the guest house is frozen solid. Tomorrow afternoon the temperature will warm to mid 40's so David will watch for frozen pipes. He remembered to keep the taps drip overnight in the main house but he did not think about allowing the hot water to drip. This cold weather in Texas is the coldest in recorded history. They awoke to find 6 inches of snow on the ground. It looked beautiful but the dogs were confused. The storm has left Mississippi but the temperatures are still low. They did have snow and freezinf rain but now it is just very cold. The power is still working but the company has asked everyone to lower the temperature of the hot water tank and to lower the furnace thermostat. They too are struggling to provide enough energy. Tonight the temperature is supposed to be 10 degrees. In the south, the solution for ice and snow is just to wait. They have no equipment to clear up snow. People stay home knowing that warmer weather is coming. All of North America is like an ice cube. What happened to global warming?

February 14, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Tea.

My father taught me to drink tea. When I was very little, I would sit on his knee and ask for some of his tea. He would pour a bit of his tea in the saucer and add milk to cool it down. Then I would drink from the saucer. I did it often. And I learned to drink tea with quite a bit of milk, and still do. I do drink coffee in the morning but often I drink tea. When I was getting my caustic infusion of chemotherapy, tea was the only thing I could drink. Now that I have pods of tea for the one cup dispenser, I almost always drink tea in Mississippi and Nova Scotia. And of course, always with milk. But when I am out, I drink coffee. We left coffee from last year here so I was using up the old coffee. We also had plenty of tea, which I am now using now that I have run out of coffee from last winter. I have several options for making tea here in Mexico, none very good. I have no tea pot, neither do I have an electric tea kettle. I have been going through several methods to make tea. At first I used the microwave to boil the water but it takes too long. I ended up drinking my tea warm and weak. Next I used the coffee pot by pouring the water through the machine while keeping the ta bag in the cup. The problem is the coffee taste remains in the pot which I do not like. Today I used the little pot to boil a small amount of water and put in the tea bag afer the water boils. That system worked so I will repeat the process tomorrow. Today my tea was strong enough and hot. In addition I sorted the three plastic bags of tea so now all the real tea with cafeen is in one bag and the herbal teas in another. No fumbling for me. Tomorrow the cleaning lady will come tomorrow and will leave me a package of coffee which I will probably save for nex year. I have moved on to drinking tea for breakfast now that my system is in place. So tea with milk for me, just as my fathe taught me.

February 13, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Breakfast on the Beach.

On Wednesday I needed to take my grocery list to Marlin so I decided to take breakfast at the beach restaurant rather than have breakfast as usual in the condo. Before I went down with my list, I puttered with this and that. By the time I went down it was 11:00. After chatting with Marlin for a few minutes I went directly to the restaurant. The day was lovely. The first thing they did was to ask what I wanted to drink. They brought me a big cup of coffee, which was delicious. It was vastly better thn my own coffee so I tried to figure out why. The first thing I realized was that I use 6 cups of water when the little packages ae really for 4 cups. My coffee is weak which I do not mind. But I really enjoyed that big cup of good coffee sitting on the beach. Next I went to order breakfast. It turns out they no longer serve breakfast but when I looked at my watch, I realized it was past 11:30. So I ate an early lunch. And I ordered some breakfast like food: fruit plate and a Tab sandwich, which is made of avacado, bacon and turkey. I came back to the condo with half of my breakfast but it was delicious. I ate the rest for dinner. But the best part of my breakfast was the coffee. I had forgotten what good fine coffee could taste.

February 12, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Humor.

My friend Lahn did not understand American humor. On the way home from an event when a joke was told, she laughed along with everyone else. But on the way home she asked her husband Mark what was funny in the joke. Her parents are Chines and left for Vietnahm to avoid the Communists. Lahn and her sister were born there. The family emigrated to New York to stay ahead of the Communists. Lahn does not understand American culture and humor so she needs explanations for the jokes. Commentary, a Jewish magazine, wrote a joke each week and asked readers to explain the joke. Joseph Epstein, a Chicage writer, gave a short explanation on the joke in the next issue, giving the history and origination. The problem for me was that I never thought any of those Jewish jokes were funny. I enjoyed the responses and the explanations but I still did not find those jokes funny. Wonderful Wendy sent me a cartoon which she said was funny. I looked at the cartoon for a long time but I could not find the humor. After a few hours I went back to the cartoon. But I still did not see what was funny. The next day I finally asked Wendy. And she explained the cartoon. My problem was that in the South, people turn on seat warmers all the time. In the cartoon, popcorn started popping because the seat warmers were turned on because they were in an open car in a warm climate. My vision is not good so I did not notice the popcorn, which of course was the whole joke. I also think that the older I get the more jaded I am with humor. So perhaps I miss many jokes. This cartoon was beyond me but Wendy set me straight. Humor is tricky as both Lahn and I understand.

February 11, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Ten Weeks.

I thought I would be bored here in Mexico for ten weeks all by myself. And with no family or friends visiting me I thought I would be lonely. But much to my great surprise, I am neither bored nor lonely. In four weeks from today, I will be on a plane flying back to my home in Jackson, Mississippi. Marlin has made my life easy. She has ordered my groceries from Walmart. Today was the third time that the groceries have been delivered to my condo. I give her my list on Wednesday and on Thursday the groceries are delivered. When I put everything away I laughed out loud because she went beyond my list and added a few things that she figured I needed to have in order to eat a balanced diet. I have been eating rotissie chicken. Each time I order two, one to freeze and one to eat. One chicken lasts about a week. But today I received one chicken. In addition I found a large thin piece of beef steak plus three pieces of chicken breast all of which I must cook. And she sent me 6 avacados and one package of tortillas. I guess she decided I needed a bit of change in my eating patterns. Also I have four loaves of bread when I had two on my list. Of course I pay for everything I receive and I do not really know who put the additional items in my order. The people who make up the order may have decided to add to my order. But no matter. I did laugh out loud. I will say nothing to Marlin. I am hoping that this will be my last order. With only four weeks left, I must keep eating out of my fridge. If I run out of food I will eat at the beach restaurnt. My visit here at Playa Royale has gone by quickly. I am surprised that I stayed happy.

February 10, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Executive Orders.

They started with President Bush #2. He issued a few hundred. And no one did anything about it. President Obama took it to the next level and issues thousands of executive orders, always expecting for everyone would follow these rules or laws. And the Congress did nothing. Next came along President Trump who quickly cancelled all the orders written by the previous president and wrote a bunch more of his own. And now we have a new president who seems to think he is a King, ordering rules or laws and expecting everyone to dance to his time. I do not like it. The system is clear. The Congress make the laws and the president is charged with implementing the laws. That is what the executive branch is supposed to do. On his own, the president is in charge of the military and foreign affairs. He does not make the laws. My question is when will this foolishness be over. The President is not a King. He should not be able to make edicts and have everyone dance to his tune. But the Senate and House have had a dismal record these past 25 years. But perhaps the present president will overstep his boundary and the politicians will regain their senses. I do not approve of any president of any party issuing executive orders. It is not their job. Now when can it be stopped? I knew how it happened. The president was unable to get anything passed by the Congress so he took to making his own rules. The system does not work like that. If Congress is deadlocked and nothing gets passed, then nothing should happen. Now we have a president who thinks he can be a King. Not good.

February 9, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. My Friend David.

Gill suggested I ask my helper, Anna, to ask if she could accompany me on the cruise. This was last summer when we were discussing the two cruises. She knows I have difficulty in new situations so she was anxious that I would be travelling by myself in new situations. For Anna for her to come with me is not an option because she has other responsibilities, which I told Gill. But in the middle of the night I went through all the people I knew to see who might come with me. By then last summer in Nova Scotia, I had already taken two excursions with friend David. The next time he came for a conversation, I asked him if he would be interested in accompanying me on the two cruises. He was delighted to oblige but he had no passport. He assured me that he would work on getting it. I was thrilled and the next day I called Pearl Sea Cruise Line to see if I could get him a single cabin. Fortunately, Pearl Seas is one on a few ships offering single cabins. When Gill takes cruises she always pays double. Fortunately, I was able to book a single cabin for him. I was already in a single. We were set for 2021 to cruise from Portland to Toronto and then from Toronto to Milwaukee. And David was willing to wait another year until 2022. He is the reason I was comfortable booking for 2022 even though I will be 84. When we first met in 1999, David was a 41 year old curly haired skilled carpenter who was pleasant and loved conversation. Now he is a 62 year old curly white haired skilled carpenter who is still pleasant and still enjoys conversation. I feel fortunate that he is willing to accompany me. He is thrilled too with the prospect of the two cruises. And by then, he just might have gotten his passport.

February 8, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. The Telephone.

The telephone is importny to me, especially now that I am alone in Mexico. Today was an especially lucky day for me because two friends called me just to say hello. At least once a week I call a friends to chat but it is unusual for friends to call me. But I love it when they do. Who uses a rolodex these days? This afternoon I received a call. The first words out of him mouth was to say that he was flipping through his rolodex and found my cell phone. He called just to see if my number still worked. My first comment in my head before I recognized his voice was to realize that the voice must be someone old who uses a roldex. And I was right. The voice was Ed Quick, the husband of my good friend Colleen. They moved to Bethesday in 1970 just a few months before us. I met Colleen and their son Teddy at the park. We have been friends ever since. Colleen and I belonged to two book clubs. One still lives on and has been functioning for over fifty years. Every year, Ed sends a Christmas letter, often received in March or April. While Colleen was alive, she and I talked on the phone a couple of times a year but since her death in January of 2018, my only contact was with the Christmas greetings. I had talked to Ed after Colleen died but not since. We had a good old chat. My cell phone is the same number as the Bethesday days. He was impressed. I was delighted to talk with him. This morning my friend Marilyn called me while I was still eating breakfast and reading. She is a modern lady who seldom uses the phone. Instead she texts and e mails, which is what everyone else does. Marilyn has been a friend from the time we lived in Galveston. She and her husband were residents and had their three children during that time. We also had our children about the same time. Again we have stayed friends. She and Richard came on the horse back riding trip north of Banff along with Marilyn's son. And they have visited us at all our places except Mississippi and Mexico. I was delighted that she idulged me by phoning. Made my day.

February 7, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. The Super Bowl.

Perhaps this evening we should call it The Bust Bowl. I like a game with high scoring and good plays. I hate penalties. I like the game to be competitive so either team might win the game. Todays there was nothing to like. It looked as though the Varsity team was playing the Junior Varsity. The game this evening was a bust. Ken and I have watched every Super bowl. The first game was played when we lived in Galverstn, before the boys were born. We had no television so we were invited to the home of our friends Lenore and Bev Ittman. They had three children, all teenagers and all active. And they rented an old house in Galveston. I worked with Lenore, she as a teacher and I a recreation therapist in Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. Lenore and Bev were great fun as were their children. And they were busy. They also paid no attention to their house. Now in Galveston, in order to keep your kitchen free of roaches, you were forced to be fastidious. No one in that house paid no mind to the kitchen. During the middle of the game, I walked into the kitchen to get more food. I turned on the light. I could see the bugs scurring around trying to hide. And I could hear them, the same sound as you hear when scratching on the wall. I turned off the light and returned to the game and told Ken that we did not need more food. I never entered the kitchen again. I have seen every Super Bowl. I have been to big parties and small parties and in homes and restauraunts. The first Super Bowl was the most memorable, not because of the game but because of the roaches in the kitchen. I learned to make noise and turn on the lights before entering the kitchen of an old house. I still remember the noise and the motion. Yuck.

February 6, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Simple Pleasure.

Walking on the balcony in the evening brings me a simple pleasure. The lights are good so I have no problem seeing where I am going even thought it is dark. And the weather is cooler in the evening so I stay comfortable when walking. Walking in the morning is my least favorite time of the day due to the sun shining on the balcony. So I am more comfortable in the evening. And I like the night sounds. I can hear people chatting as they walk out for dinner. And I even enjoy the sounds of the cars and buses as they head down the main road. I play that game to try to figure out if the noise is a bus, a truck or a car. And of course, in the distance I can see lots of lights. The sight is lovely. But what brings me most pleasure is the live music coming from The Riviera Grill, the closest reaturant to me across the street. My building curves areoun and as I make the curve I can hear the music. And I smile. One lady sings twice a week. She has a beautiful voice, that I can hear easily from my balcony. Last year I was invited by my neighbors to have dinner in that restaurant. The lady started singing when we were almost finished our dinner. She was wonderful. Now I hear her when I walk on the balcony. A Mexican group plays twice a week too and I enjoy them too because I can hear them esily. But another man who sings and plays his guitar sings so quietly that I can not hear him well. I feel like calling them to tell him to put up his volume. Certainly, it is worth walking on the balcony for me to listen to the music. I will walk a couple of extra laps just to continue to listen. And it does not cost me a penny. It is a simple plesure for sure.

February 5, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Evaluation.

When falling asleep last evening, I evaluated my function, starting at my head and ending at my feet. I was trying to predict how I would be doing in May 2022 when I would be taking the cruises, first up the St. Lawrence River to Totonto, then to Georgian Bay and the Great Lakes. I start in Portland, Maine and end in Milwaukee, Wisconsin. I must make a decision so I did an evaluation of myself. My head seems to be fine with little changes in two years. My speech does not seem any worse. Since my stroke when I lost my words I have had troucle finding the right words but I have gotten better over the years. No problem with my head I thought. This past year I have developed a tremor in my right arm, but only when I am holding something. When I hold my hand in front of me I have no tremor but when I pick up a glass, my hand shakes. It does not seem to effect my function so I will ignore it. My eyes are not getting worse either. I still have issues, but nothing has changed. The cancer in my bones are out of my control. Ibrance, my chemo, has worked in the past so I assume it will work now so I will ignore the cancer. My legs still work. I walk between 5000 to 7000 steps every day. My legs are wierd but they work. Every morning I ask myself the same question:"Are my legs getting better or worse?" And of course, I have no idea. There is no objective way to measure the difficulty in my legs. They hurt, but they work. This morning, I called Pearl Sea Cruise Line and switched my reservation to 2022. I decided I was in as good a shape now as two years ago. And I am assuming that one year will make little difference in my function. I am counting that the third try will be the charm!!

February 4, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Cruise, 2021.

The Canadian government is on a roll. Last week they cancelled all flights in and out of Mexico and Canada. Today they calcelled all cruise ships in 2021 from entering Canadian ports. And the Nova Scotia authorities have canceloed the ferry to Yarmouth from Bar Harbour, Maine. Whew. Quite a list. My plans have been impacted. In 2020 I was booked on a cruise on the Pearl Sea Cruise line. My trip began in Portland, Maine and travelled in the Maritime provinces and up the St. Lawrence River ending up in Toronto. Then I was to stay on the ship and cruise the Great Lakes, stopping in Parry Sound, Ken's home town and ending up in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, where I was to fly to Halifax for the summer. But just a month before the date to leave, the whole thing was cancelled. I cheerfully booked the same cruise for 2021 and I went to Texas in May. Now I just received information from Walt tht all cruises are cancelled for 2021, to resume in 2022. Now I must make a decision. When I booked the cruise I was to be 82. This year I would have been 83. And next year I would be 84. Am I going to be up to a long cruise in 2022? That is the question. I am not aware that I deteriorate every year. I am still walking and talking, both at the same time. The cruise line will ask me so I must figure it out. But for sure, this year I will go to Texas in mid May, then fly to Nova Scotia from San Antonio. I am pleased to be able to see the new house with everything in place and looking spiffy. So good things happen in every situation. But this year, once again, I will not be taking those cruises in 2021.

February 3, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Pizza.

I have been eating the same food for weeks. When it came time to think about dinner, nothing in my fridge seemed appealing. Saturday night was the evening when I decided I needed a treat. I went through all my options and finally decided that I would enjoy a pizza. I love pizza. Several times in Mississippi I brought home a pizza when I had eaten lunch at Amerigo, the Italian restaurant. I even eat pizza for breakfast. A pizza lasts me several meals. I called the front desk at Playa and the young man was pleased to place an order for me. I asked for thin crust pizza with everything on it. Meat, vegetables, olives. I was pleased. I was even more pleased when the pizza arrived 40 minutes later, deliveed right to my door. The system is for the delivery man to arrive and stop at the front desk. The young man called me to say that the deliverery man had arrived. All I needed to do was to pay the 305 pesos to the delivery man and say thank you, which I did, along with a tip for the driver. I sat down and immediately ate my dinner. It was delicious. The crust was very thin and was coveed with lots of everything. I had pepporoni, sausage, onions, olives, totatoes. Just perfect. The interesting part was the taste, which was just different then I would eat at home. The pizza was a treat for me. Next I went down to the front desk to give the nice young man a tip, which he appreciated. Today I finished the pizza. I had eaten it for four meals and enjoyed it every time. I eat pizza cold which makes life easy for me. Even old ladies need a treat every so often and Saturday night was my night. Gold star for me and for the young man who ordered my pizza. I loved every bite.

February 2, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Agatha Christie.

I have been reading Agatha Christie all my life but I knew almost nothing about her, except I knew she was English. And I knew she wrote hundreds of books and was famous. PBS a few weeks ago showed two programs on her. The first was a biography and the second a few days later a program they called Agatha Christies England. Unfortunately I missed the biggining parts of both but what I did see I enjoyed. But I still do not know how this proper English lady wrote all these murders about blood and gore. They discuss this in the biography show but it still makes no sense. There was lots more going on inside the lady than ever showed on the outside. The second show was intereting to me because they showed pictures of all the houses she had lived. And they showed the customs that she used throughout her life that all show up in her writings. It makes sense but when you see it in the pictures and then you hear the words in the books everything comes alive. I would like to see both shows again as I missed part of both but I enjoyed them both. But perhaps because I am interested in real estate, I enjoyed that second show the best. I loved seeing all those old houses. Now I must watch for the shows when they appear again. But I will probably not read any more Agatha Christie books or short stories. Enough is enough. But she was a wonder for sure.

February 1, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. The White Road.

Edmund De Waal wrote this book, The White Road. He also wrote the best seller, The Hare With Amber Eyes, which was wonderful. This book, The White Road, is his second book, published in 2015. When I ordered the book I started reading it bit by bit bul life got complicated so I put it on the pile of books to read when life became less hectic. That would be now. No life ould be less complicated than mine right now living by myself in Mexico. My timing was perfect and I am enjoying reading the book now. The book tells two tales. The first is the history and story of the discovery and production of porcelain. De Waal is a potter living in London, England. He has always been fascinated with porcelain. The second tale is the story of his search, visiting the places in the world where porcelain was developed. I am enjoying both parts of the stories which are inter woven throughout. I am still in China, where porcelain was originally manufactured, in the 15th Century. The English tried for years to get the secret and finally they did. I was taught to put milk in the cup before pouring in the hot tea. I was told the tea tastes better that way. The real reason for putting in milk first had to do with the inferior quality of the English porcelain. In the early years of English manufacture of porcelain, the cup would crack if the tea was too hot. So they learned to put milk in first. And it became proper. I still do it. Firs the milk, followed by the tea from the pot. I am still in China in the book but am enjoying the book enormously. And I look forward to reading the other places the author will visit and learn about throught the rest of the book. De Waal is a famous potter who has won many prizes. Fortunately he also takes time to write and for that I am grateful. This book is a good read.