March 7, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Raising Money.

All this past week, PBS has been raising money. They put on specil shows which are supposed to keep you intereted enough for you to call and donate. My issue is that they kick off their regular shows, the ones that I enjoy such as Antiques Roadshow, Finding Your Roots and Nature. All this week I check at 7:00 to see my favorite shows, only to discover they are not being shown tonight. So I am irritated with them. Sometimes, the fund raising shows are excellent but this station is from souther Florida and all they showed all week were either reruns of My Music programs, such as Music fom the 50's or people trying to tell you how to run your life or your finances. I do not like to be preached at even when they may be teaching some new gospet of finance or fitness. Tomorrow evening I am hoping they will be done, so I can watch Antiques Roadshow. My fingers are crossed.

March 6, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Crackers.

I was not used to eating before going to bed. For years, Ken brought us a mug of Ovaltine to the bedroom where we sat in our chairs reading before going to bed. But we never ate anything. Then in the Spring of 2015, I needed to eat somthing while taking the chemotherapy Ibrance. The instructions were for me to take the Ibrance just before going to bed, along with something to eat. Up until that time, I had no trouble with indigestion but as soon as I ate before sleeping, I began to have stomach pains. I tried all sorts of different foods in an attempt to rid me of the indigestion, but nothing helped. Then I discovered crackers. For several years now I eat plain crackers while taking my Ibrance. It is plain and does not seem to make my stomach hurt. I use plain soda crackers. In Mexico, crackers are sold in small packages. I bought a large box of saltine crackers. Inside you find little packages of crackers. With the heat and humidity, crackers left in an open box leave the crackers soggy, so the individual packages are wonderful. While I have been here, I have gone through two big boxes of saltines. Now I must eat plain bread as I have only half of loaf in the fridge. My saltines are gone. The first few evening using a slice of dry bread was not appealing but last evening I ate a piece of toast. I eat half before the meds and eat the rest right after taking the meds. So far no problem. But crackers are the best.

March 5, 2021, Playa Royale, Mexico. My Stupidity.

I know better but somehow or another, the day got away from me and I drank my orange drink very late in the day, followed immediately by dinner. By the time I get to the computer it was after 11:00. Then of course I had to take my Ibrance plus crackers just before going to bed. I was very late getting to bed. And I went to bed with a full stomach which is never a good thing, especially after the large orange drink. The directions with the orange drink tells you not to drink it before or just after a meal, which of course is what I did. When I realized it was already 9:45, I should have just skipped drinking it but I did not do the sensible thing to do. I was stupid and I just proceeded with my routine. Once several years ago the same thing happened, with the same results. But I only recalled it after it was too late. Next I ate a very late regular dinner. I could have skipped dinner, it was so late. But no, I just proceeded with dinner. No wonder I had troubles. I do not suffer with acid reflux so do not keep Tums or any other acid reduction, but Wednesday I had an upset stomach all night. Ken always travels with stuff to help his stomach but he could not help. All night I considered my stupidity. Now I am sure to take my orange drink at 5:00 so I am well over it before dinner, which generally is 7:30 or 8:00. Once again, I got a taste of humble pie. But I will never again be so stupid.

March 4, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Travel Shows.

I enjoy watching travel shows on TV. One of the problems is that Rick Steves programs are almost all about Europe. I like more variety. But yesterday his show was on Egypt, which surprised me. The program as also an hour while most of Rick's shows on PBS are thirdy minutes. I especially like the show because I have never travelled in Egypt. Of course I have read lots and lots of the country but I really enjoyed the program and wished I had visited there myself. Most of the programs I see on TV are old so I assumed the filming was in some earier to travel time. But it was actually done in 2020. I always watch for the year the filming was done, which is always posted at the very end. Rick may be launching out into a new world. I hope he continues. Joseph Rosendo I just discovered last year in Mississippi. I enjoy his shows because he visits places all over the world. Today I watched his show on Southern Alberta, a place I know well. The photos are beautiful and the history was interesting. The Blackfoot tribe lived there for hundrds of years and they still have centers for educating the young folks. And Joseph visited Waterton National Park, which is a beautiful place just on the border. The Prince of Wales Hotel is an old and lovely resort. Ken and I stayed there for a couple of days and the caterer from Liverpool took a job there as the executive chef, much to my sorrow. A month ago Joseph did a show on San Antonio which I also enjoyed. Travelscope is the name of his show. I am glad I found him. Now that I am unable to roam the world, travel shows are the next best thing. I gain information along with beautiful photographs. Works for me.

March 3, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Lunch Today.

The Beach Restaurant is a beautiful place to eat lunch. The ocean sparkles and the sun shines but I sit in the shade, watching the world pass me by. Most of what I see is familiar. People walk up and down the beach. Vendors walk up to people to try to see any interest. Boats near and far. And always the waves, which today were high. But almost always something unusual happens. While waiting for my food, a large iguana came onto the beach. The papapas just the other side of the restaurant were empty so the iguana came onto the beach and headed toward the water. He was big and thick with a long tail and he acted as if he owned the place. I have never seen one of these big guys on the beach so I watched him as he sauntered towads the water. I knew it was a male because he had a large ridge down his back. Also he was big, perhaps 14 inches long in his body and his tail double that. I thought that these guys do not go into the salt water but I actually do not know. As I watched, he disappeared but after watching I realized that there was a small hill down to the water. I suppose he was going to scavenger food on the shore but mostly they eat foliage and flowers. I did wonder what all the people would think with that very large iguana sharing their beach. I never did see him come back off the beach. I always look for the flag when I first sit down. They have three flags, that fly on the beach just infront of the restaurant. Red to warn you not to go into the water, yellow to use cution and green all clear. In all the years I have come here, I have never seen a green flag. Once or twice I have seen a yellow. But mostly the red flag is flying. When I first sat down today I noted that the red flag was faded but while I was eating, a maintenance man installed a new bright red flag, which was double the size. It took him several minutes to remove the old flag and install the new one. He tied it at the top and bottom of the pole. Then I realized why the red flag is always flying. The flag was difficult to install. All along, I thought the management was protecting themselves by always flying the red flag. It is not their fault if these stupid people go into the water even when the red flag is flying. Now that may be true but I suspect it is just practical.. It is easier to leave the red flag flying every day. And that was what I observed while enjoying lunch at the Beach Restaurant..

March 2, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Don & Doreen.

Last week on the phone, I noted that Doreen seemed weary which was certainly unusual. The day before, early in the morning, Don fell off the side of the bd. He had fainted. Doreen called 911 who took him to the ER. Doreen was not allowed to accompany him. Several hours later, Don came home. He was sent home because they could not find anything the matter. His blood pressure had fallen and he fainted. By the time he was at the hospital his blod pressure was normal. Doreen felt helpless and told me that they were talking about moving to an extended care facility so she would be able to get help. My immdiate thought was the question of availability but I said nothing. Today I called her to see how she was feeling. She ws excited. Yesterday, daughter Sandy and her husband Don accompanied them to visit three different facilities who all had spaces for them. As they were visiting the first place, all four agreed that they were just looking. But when they visited the last place, Sandy commented that the place they were looking at had everything. So they signed up. Turned out that no one is movinto into retirement/extended care facilities. The covid has scared everyone off. And family members were taking the elderly family members home to avoid infections. So for the first time in years, space was available. The place they selected is lovely, according to Doreen. Their unit is about the same size as their condo. It is a rental. They pay each month, which includes all meals plus cleaning once a week. To sweeten the deal, the manager allowed Don & Doreen to take posssession in a week but begin paying May 1. Now they will get their condo on the market tomorrow, hoping to sell quickly. They take their own furniture and kitchen stuff but the facility provide towels and sheets. which are changed every week. Doreen is thrilled not to be cooking three meals every day. Now in the middle of the night she is trying to figure out what to take and what to donate. Both Don & Doreen are pleased to be moving on. And I am pleased for them. They are both older than me so it is time to get more help in their life. Time marches on.

March 1, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Mexican Carrots.

Carrots grown in Mexico taste better. I have no idea what makes them taste so good. Rita decided a few years ago that the carrots were delicious and they are. They are moist and sweet. They are grown just over the mountains from where we live so one reason may be that they are fresh from the ground. I have always enjoyed the humble carrot. One of the best smells remaining in my memory bank comes from the Sunday dinner. My mother put the roast beef in the oven along with the vegetables of potatoes, onions and of course carrots. When we returned from church, the smell in the house was delightful. One Sunday we returned home only to smell nothing. Mother had forgotten to turn on the oven. What a disappointment. I ate carrots in stews, in soups and all by themselves. We were always told that carrots were good for eyes but we all had bad vision except my sister Carol. I cooked carrots today. My favorite was to eat carrots is just plain. I boil them with a bit of salt. I never peel them. If the carrots look old I scrape them but these are new so I just cut off the ends and scrubbed them, then cut them into pieces of about two inches. I cook 4 at a time, eating half each time. I still have four in the fridge which I will eat with the chicken. I eat them with nothing on them, even butter which I have. This winter the only vegetables I have eaten were potatoes and carrots slong with lettuces, totatoes and cucumbers. Fortunately, I like carrots, especially the carrots in Mexico. I cartainly have eaten a lot of them this winter. Maybe my vision will get better. Hmm.