January 31, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Walking.

Fortunately, I have been walking all my life. Ken and I walked tremendous distances every Sunday morning while the boys were at college and befor we bought the new farm. Because of all that walking, I have had no problems with either my hips or knees. And my bone density is good. Of course, one positive in being overweight is that your bone density is better than those ladies who are extremely thin. One good aspect of living at Playa Royale is that you walk naturally. We always walked to the Plaza or to the hote/time share. And we walked to restaurants. But now I am not able to do that by myself. I need friends or family here. So now I walk to be walking to keep fit, not to get someplace. This morning I decided to try walking downstairs on the parking area surrounding the five towers of condos. After one trip I decided that walking on the balcony is easier and safer and does not give me any additional pleasure. I must keep watching the pavement right infront of my feet so I can catch the changes in pavement. And I must keep track of cars driving in the parking lot. On the balcony, I can look out to see the mountains and the birds because I know the floor is level. I do not need to watch my feet. So after one loop of the parking lot, I walked to the beach restaurant for lunch. I did the rest of my walking after my afernoon rest, all on the balcony. I have never understood why sometimes exercise is easy and sometimes everything feels bad. I have heard even elite world class athletes say the same thing. I do not know if it is the mind or the body. I walk at least 10 laps a day on the balcony but never moe than 6 at a time. Some days when I start I think I will have trouble walking 2 laps. But I kep going and soon I have finished 4. When my legs give up, I go inside and come back to finish. Walking for me is not easy anymore. I feel as though I am walking on stilts, except my legs hurt. And they get numb. But the best part is that my legs work just fine even though they feel odd. So I am walking and singing most of the time. Pretty good for an old lady.

January 30, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Moving Day.

Yesterday was moving day for Suzanne and David in San Antonio. All their belongings were moved into their new home. The renovation is complete. Now the fun begins. Earlier in the week David started to bring the art from the temperature controlled storage unit so they started hanging paintings all week. This evening Allion sent me a video of the new spots for their art. It looks great and I was pleased to see it. They were clever by making up the beds immediately so they all stayed in the new house last evening. Sarah and Abigail are at school but Samantha and Allison were there to help. Both of their bedrooms are set up. David and Suzanne have ordered a new bed frame so they are sleeping on a box spring and a mattress on the floor. But they were pleased for the four of them to sleep in their new home. Samantha goes to school tomorrow but Allison willbe home to help the unpacking next week because she leaves for school next Sunday. I could see from the video that books are on shelves. But lots of boxes are ready to be opened and put away. Allison said that they were surprised that the four of them working all day accomplishe more than expected. And according to Allison, the dogs are happy in their new home. They did not particularly enjoy the Tiny House so the dogs stayed at the lake when the girls were there for Christmas. They did like being at the lake with the girls who walked them every day. Now the back yard work will begin. David is not sure what to do with the dogs when the men are working in the yard.Maybe doggie day care. Or the kennel. But no matter what, my Texas Family has made the move into their lovely new home.. They are excited. And so am I.

January 29, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Another Day.

And today was another day when I am still wearing my night shirt. First thing this morning I pulled on a pair of pans under my night shirt, which I am still wearing. No walking at all. No structure in my day. I have no idea how this happened. The system here with fractional ownership is that you request the weeks you want on line one year before the month you want. At 8:00 Pacific time I was able to request the month for February, 2022. At exactly 10:00 here, I needed to be at my i Pad to send a request to Cindy, the lady in charge. I had already been approved for January, 2022. I could not shower before the deadline so I prepared my breakfast, which I ate immediately, then read until the correct time. I was right on time and was approve for the month shortly after so it was worth getting organized. But I just kept reading until it was 2:00. And I am still in my night clothes and have not yet showered. After my nap I decided to make the pasts sauce, which I did. I had thawed the groundbeef so it needed to be made into sauce. I cook very sendom but the directions came back to me quickly. I sauteed onions and browned the meat. I had three different types of tomato sauce so I mixed them together and added a salsa can. Then I added everything together after the sauce cooked a bit. Tomorrow I will cook the pasts and eat it for dinner. The rest of the pasts I will mix with the left over sauce so I will have many meals ready. And I read sgain before sunset and the orange drink. Still no shower and still no walking. No structure in my day at all. And I have no idea why. My day just got away from me.I watched a bit of a hockey game between Chicago and Columbus. But then PBS was calling at 8:00. I did watch a PBS special from years of concerts at the Holluwood Bowl. The first hour was jazz and the next hour was Broadway tunes sung by new singers, which I loved. Tomorrow I will shower, I promise.

January 28, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. My Days.

I am alone here in Mexico. I suspect no one is going to visit me and no friends who normally are here for the winter season will be here too. Usully I chat with people at the poot and the hot tub but everyone is required to keep their distance so getting to know people is impossible. Only three people are allowed in the hot tub at the same time so you must be so far away that conversation is impossible. I don't even try. Much to my surprise, I am content. And I am enjoying the weather and the condo. All morning I read while I eat breakfast. And if I am likely to talk on the phone that will be the time. I like to get half of my walking before lunch. I walk on the balcony because it is a safe place for me to walk. And it is pleasant. I eat lunch around 2:00. Then I put my feet up and take a nap of 30 to 60 minutes. Next I walk again. I walk between 5 to 7,000 steps every day, not as many as Gill or Rita but pretty good for me. Next I read and responf to e mails. Next up is the orange drink and susnet, which I watch every evening. PBS has prgrams I enjoy t 7:00 so after sunset I watch my favorites: Antique Roadshow on Monday, Finding Your Roots on Tuesday and Nature on Wednesday. Next up is dinner at 8:00. My chores are done bit by bit. I have just started the dishwasher and tomorrow morning I will run the washing machine. At 9:30 I take me evening medications and then write my wee web log. Finally I eat crackers before taking my chemo. I like to get to bed around 11:00. My days have a structure and much to my surprise I am doing just fine being all by myself here in Mexico. With good reading material, my i Pad and my phone I am happy, along with a limited amount of TV. I always watch a hockey game with dinner. So that is how I spend my days all by myself at Playa Royale in Mexico. Surprising me for sure to be enjoying my solitary life.

January 27, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. My Meals.

I have just finished my third rotissere chicken. My main meals nclude chicken. Fortunately I like them. One chicken lasts me a week. For dinner tonight I ate the last of the chicken and a salad, made with the last of the bag of greens and a cut up tomato. Last evening I ate a piece of chicken plus two small potatoes, cooked in the microwave. I have one more chicken in the freezer ready to get out tomorrow to thaw. Fortunately I am happy to eat the same thing day after day. Odd but true. For lunch I eat either a sandwich or a cup of soup. I order sliced turkey and ham with every order of groceries. I make myself a sandwich of sliced meat and cheese along with romain lettuce. I freeze one type of sliced meat and use up the other. Rita left packages of dried soup in the locker so I have used two packages in the pot and cook them. Then I use the leftover in the fridge for the next time. I pay no attention for what they are. These soups taste good and last for several meals. Then I must make more. For dessert I eat fruit, either a tangerine or grapes. My breakfasts are boring. I make coffee every three days. I drink one cup every morning and leave the rest in the pot. Next day I just heat up yeserdays coffee, which tastes perfectly fine to me. I eat toast with either cheese or peanut butter on alternet days. And I always eat fruit, a banana until I run out of bananas or another piece of fruit, either grapes or a tangerine. My grocery list always includes more fruit but I never get anything but bananas, tangerines and grapes. But I am pleased to get them. And that is how I survive here in Mexico. Tomorrow I will cook a meat sauce for pasta. I will cook the whole package of pasta and keep the leftover in the fridge and eat on it until the pot is empty. I order groceries every two weeks with Marlin. So all is well. And I am not fading away!!

January 26, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. "Biloxi."

Many months ago I watched a program on PBS called Conversation where the guest was Mary Miller. Marshall Ramsey is the host although his day job as a polical cartoonish, headquarted in Jackson. He is a good interviewer. Most guests are writers. Most writers live in Mississippi. I always enjoy the half hour show and after the Mary Miller program I ordered her latest book, "Biloxi". But I put in the pile of books I want to read. I did not read it until now. For the past few years I have been reading non fiction. I am not sure why I have rejected fiction but I did. This Biloxi book was fiction. During the interview they discussed the humor in the book and the plot seemed interesting so I thought I would enjoy it. The author lives in Oxford but when she was writing this book she lived in Biloxi, a small city on the Mississippi Gulf Coast. I have taken four books with me to Mexico along with unread magazines, Commentary and The New Critrion. I have now finished three books. I was not much interested in this Biloxi book until the middle. I kept looking for the humor and the plot. I was interested in the fact that the main charachter was an 63 year old man who lived alone. His wife had left him 6 months before and when his father died he retired because he thought he would inherit money. But at about the middle of the book I wanted to be able to read faster. I ended up enjoying the book. I discovered humor and I appreciated the huge detail of the interior dialog. All is well as ends well. This is the third book by Mary Miller. Another is in the mill. Finally, I could recommend this book but it took me awhile!

January 25, 2021. Playa Royale, Mexico. Dredging.

Across the street from me are two huge containers of water. These huge tanks have plastic linings. Sometimes the tanks are full and some have less water. Last year was the first time these huge containers were installed so I asked at the front desk and was told they are holding tanks from the dredging in the canal. Ever since we have lived here the dredging of the canal has always been a fixture. At fist the big pipes carring the sand was dumped beside the rock groins but I suppose the areas were full. Now they bring the water and sand in big trucks which are empties into the tanks. Evidently evaporation takes care of the water, leave the sand behind to be used for construction. I paid no attention last winter, but this year I have paid more attention. I have spotted large white birds fishing for their dinner in those big tanks. I did not think about this before I spotted the birds but as they suck up the sand and water, fish also get brought into the big tank. And the big white birds have spotted them. I watch the action every day. Huge pipes spew the muddy water into the tank. When the tank is full, that tank is left alone while the other tank has other workers who remove the sand. I do not know where the sand goes next. But it is an interesting work. There are lots of other birds over fishing too but they are too small for me to see without binoculars. Unfortuntely I do not have any here. Grrr. On the plans for this area, the large lot across the street was to be a rehabilitation facility. But the owner was never able to obtain the permit. Now half of the lot is taken up by parked boats and the other half has these monster tanks of water. Now it is a great spot to watch birds too. I see them every afternoon when they come for their evening meal. They keep me amused.