Hace mucho tiempo

Ok, so I'm long overdue. Sorry, but I just haven't felt in the blogging mood much, but I have been busy and have plenty to write.
First, an update in the Cucaracha Chronicles (this is what Lauren and I have taken to calling the unavoidable cockroach stories). Sunday night (well I think it was Sunday night), I was in th shower cleaning off a day full of dirt. There is a lot of dust here since it is so dry in the dry season, imagine that. Anyway, I was having a lovely time, when I looked down and there was a black smudge moving around the shower floor. I had not yet recieved my contact package so I was pretty blind, but I knew it was moving and therefore, had to be a cucaracha in my shower. I tried to get it to run out, but it was afraid of the water and every time I moved it charged towards me. Trying another strategy, I turned off the water hoping this would encourage him to get out of the shower. All of this was done with lots of those funny little hops people make when they see a bug or a mouse, as if this helps keep the bug from seeing you or being able to predict your next move- although they always do, as well as with me coaching the cucaracha, "Pelase leave...Please....Get out, please." I am very polite with bugs.
Ok, so finally it left. I finished my shower but then realized I had to figure out how to get the cucaracha out of my room without having to crunch it's little body below a shoe. It decided to crawl all the way up the wall as I chased it and rested behind my bathing suits that are hanging on the shower pole. I figured it was safe there for a while so I went to go talk to Nadine and Clemence. I returned to my rom after a few minutes with determination. It crawled even farther up the wall when I exposed it from behind the swim suit so I had to throw my shoe at the ceiling while yelling at it. Nadine thought it funny I decided to talk to the cucaracha, and we all had a good laugh as I climbed on the toilet and treid to get it to come down far enough for me to do something about it. And then it fell form the ceiling and disappeared. We looked everywhere for it, but the sucker had just vanished.
A while later, I was thinking about going to the bathroom (yeah I was thinking aobut it- you would to if there was a large funky looking bug lurking somewhere in there) and had an idea. Maybe the cucaracha had fallen into the toilet paper roll that was sitting on my toilet bakc. And sure enough there it was. So I slid the roll between two books and let it back out into the wild so that it may return someday to delight you all with another story.
And while we're on the topic of bugs, I saw my first scorpion yesterday. Nadine called me downstairs while I was reading to the children to help her with something. When I got to the bottom of the stairs she was standing there with a shoe in her hand. She told me there was a huge scorpion. Now being form the suburbs of New Jersey, I have not seen a scorpion outside of a museum or the televsion. I am picturing a monster with claws beared ready to eat my hand off. We get ot the laundry room, and there's this scorpion hanging out on the wall close to the ceiling. The tail was curled in and it was probably about an inch and a half long. I was less than impressed. But Nadine assured me that this little bug could kill Louis and cause serious problems for all of us if it bit. So she bravely killed it, with me standing behind with a shoe in case it should fall before being completely obliterated. Then we had to look for the "other one" because according to everyone they always come in pairs. When we did find the other one I realized why she said this one was huge. The second was tiny, probably the length of the word second. So then we searched everything.
Last night was interesting. Besides the scorpions there was a lizard in the house (good thing, because they eat the scorpions). It was cute with really buggy eyes. The power also went out for a while and we sat in the candlelight until it came back on.
Last weekend was good. Again Nadine said something about my effort, which, after working hard the whole week, really hit me hard. But she explained that sometimes Juan Carlos doesn't ask for things because he just expects you to do them and when you don't he gets annoyed. This is hard, especially because I am coming into their family and most of the time I am taking care of the children with their parents present (ok all of the time they are present) so I sometimes feel I am stepping on toes. However, just hearing that helped, and I am working harder and I do believe that Juan Carlos is making an effort to aks if he thinks I am not doing something I should.
Saturday we went to a botanical garden. It was beautiful and cool which was nice because sometimes it really is very hot. Anyway, we saw monkeys and ducks and some funny animals I don't know the name of. wE also went to the petting zoo they had with exotic animals such as cows, sheep, chickens and bunnies (which were soooooo cute and you could hold them).
Sunday we got up early and went to an hacienda. It was built in the 1500s and was beautiful (pictures soon, I promise). The kids, Juan Carlos and I rode a horse in a boring little circle, but Clemence loved it so much it was worth it. We ate breakfast on a really old deck of a really old hotel. After that we walked through teh gardens and took pictures and such. At around noon we left and I assumed we were going home until we didn't return to the highway. I got really confused but figured they knew where we were going.
We ended up going to visit Juan Carlos's aunt and cousins at their weekend house in Cuernavaca. They all live in Mexico City, but a lot of people there have houses out in Cuernavaca. Anyway, we spent the whole afternoon eating and playing and talking (well I mostly listened, but it was a good time in Spanish).
Monday and Tuesday were pretty uneventful. Yesterday, an accountant came from Mexico City and Clemence had a play date, so Nadine asked me to make some special food. I made oatmeal raisin cookies, which turned out good because I learned on Monday that you do have to adjust for high altitude when baking. I also made a fruit salad, fish, and a tomato and cheese salad. I started at 10:30 and wasn't finished until the kids walked in the door at 2 something. Then I had to go right into watching the kids. I didn't sit until like 4 or something and then after that I was going and going and going until the lights went out at 8 something. It was a long day to say the least.
So I am happy that Amelia is here today. I went to the pool and swam and read this morning. It was relaxing. Then I helped Amelia with the food. We made chipotle salsa again, but last week Nadine broke the blender so we did it the old fashion way, with a mojate. It's something like a mortar and pestle, made out of heavy stone. Because most of you have never done that, let me just say, crushing tomato and onion skin between two stone surfaces is not easy. Be happy we have blenders.

So sorry that was so long. I just did do a lot in the last few days. Hope you didn't give up on it.

Jenn

Oh and because I'm bitter, here's an article about how Europe also contibutes to Global Warming...Europe sucks too! Let's move to the moon...