Happy News–Progress !!!!!!

I am SO delighted to report that by mid-April, my house will have a complete roof! This week I bought 2000 cuñas (red bricks smaller than regular ones) for the dome roof over the living room; AND all the materials for the roof over the bedroom and the bathroom. I will be buying the materials for the roof over the kitchen/dining at the end of March.

For next week, Yvonne and I have worked out a schedule for 3 days of intensive work. The cost of 3 men for 2 days then 5 men for one day will be identical to having two men for one week. And the work will be much quicker and more satisfying. On Monday and Tuesday, one mason and 2 helpers will install the traverses (viguetas) and special blocks (bovedillas) over the bedroom and bathroom. On Wednesday, 1 more mason and 1 more helper will join them to pour the concrete over the bedroom roof and that of the bathroom. Benjamin, the Maestro de Obra (construction superintendent) for Yvonne, thought that 6 men should be needed. But I’ll have to be content with 5. Already, I have rented a gas powered cement mixer that will speed up the process. I will have to be ready with the camera to catch it all before it’s done.

Then on April 2nd (my birthday…) we’ll repeat the process for the roof over the kitchen/dining room. On Thursday the 12th and Friday the 13th the bovedero will erect the dome roof over the living room and the whole house will be roofed. And on Friday the 13th we’ll have a party! Whenever the highest part of the house is finally up, it is traditional to raise the Mexican flag on the highest part … then to celebrate with the whole crew. I can hardly contain my excitement over seeing in three dimensions and in metres the drawings I had made in centimetres. I’m practically jumping with joy! The house that I saw in imagination is becoming a reality.

I’m fully aware of how peculiar it may be, but I’m not the only woman with a certain quirk. Yvonne shares my peculiarity. Our favourite store is… Home Depot. If you propose that I go shopping for clothes with one or two women, I’ll probably nix it. Boring… But tell me we’re going to Home Depot or to a greenhouse, and I’ll jump right in, no questions asked. I had feared having to live in the RV next winter. Guess I won’t have to, after all.

Life is great!

LiveJournal Tags: Construction in Mexico

Veering Away from Construction Woes

In my last post, I wrote that I’d post on anything other than construction. An anonymous reader commented that I wasn’t getting any breaks. But I am! To wit:--

1. My health is very good. I can’t recall when last I had a cold, much less the flu. When I had this little crisis with LP gas, I was told at the hospital that I had high blood pressure. Only, it was their lack of belief in what I had related that made the staff argue that it was the case. It was NOT. My blood pressure is around 135/80—except when I’m dealing with unwanted stress. Then it shoots up to anything like 143/81 or even 159/82 as when I was at the hospital.
2. At my age (73 in a month) I find that I am living quite a creative adventure. In spite of my “construction woes”, I seldom stay down. Somehow, I’m able to stretch my month’s end enough to meet my living AND construction expenses.
3. Sometimes, I get unexpected help from an incognito angel who provides an infusion of cash when things get too tight. He must have a sixth sense because it arrives when I need it most. Thanks!
4. After 2 years living in Mexico, I can now read books in Spanish. My vocabulary is growing in leaps and bounds. But I have to admit that I know more terms on construction than on any other topic…
5. I have 3 wonderful dogs who (yes, they rate a who not a that) bring me joy and at times amusement with their antics. And their lessons in unconditional love when I’m grouchy or down.
6. I have my family, and the wonderful friends who are so connected to my life that I seldom feel that we may be separated by a whole country in some cases!
7. Last but not least, I feel a grateful connection to my readers who inform my efforts in relating my little adventures, Thank you for your interest. And there’s more but the list would be too long.

So you see, I do have lots of breaks.

From time to time, as I click on all kinds of links, I end up viewing a YouTube video about talent and get blown away. Then I go on to find out more about this (new-to-me) discovery, only to be further blown away. That’s when my gratitude for being here, doing what I’m doing, becomes a soul-filling warm feeling that seldom quits.
Here’s the link to the first one that I have viewed many times:

An incredible story of hardship and determination

The sweetest boy all mothers want to hug:-

From far away Inner Mongolia

A tiny girl from China with a gigantic talent:-

Child prodigy, no less!

Have a great day! Have a grand life! And enjoy them both!

LiveJournal Tags: Talent from the other side of the world,Getting breaks,Blessings