It. is. hot.
It's currently about ten thirty in the morning, and I am covered in dirt, sweat, bleach water, dog hair, soap, more sweat, and more dirt. It's also a blistering eighty degrees in the sun. At ten thirty in the morning. In December - nearly January. I am more and more convinced that I picked the perfect timing for this trip - I don't even want to know what July feels like here.

Yesterday was a lovely day - we were all lethargic and dizzy from the heat and deserving of a day off, so Elaine and I went to the beach in the morning. The water is bathtub warm and I finished my book in about an hour. Feeling quite accomplished, I figured a nap was in order. We dozed and woke, dozed and woke, stirring only to take the occasional sip of water, and spent three sun-drenched hours doing absolutely nothing.

We made our way back to the ranch around mid-afternoon and decided to cook a bit. Elaine made a really yummy banana bread with raisins, and I called up Mom to refresh my memory on her outta-this-world quiche recipe. I handmade the dough for the pie crust, rolled it out, and then chopped up peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic and brocolli. Stir-fried the veggies with some spicy chorizo sausage, then mixed in the sharp cheddar cheese, eggs, and milk. We put both pans in the oven to bake and went for a nice long sit on the rooftop balcony, tanned and sleepy and covered in handprints of all-purpose flour.


This morning, elaine and I have been beating/washing/bleaching/wringing/drying the dog blankets and doing a bit of clothes washing too. This is my first load of laundry since I've been here. :) Hopefully that gives you some olfactory insight into what my aroma is like these days.
I suppose 'healthy' is a good term. Although 'smelly', 'stinky', 'ripe', 'sour' and 'hippy' are also all applicable.

What else...
I planted jalapeno, habanero, and serrano peppers a while back, along with a full packet of cilantro seeds, and they're shooting up like weeds. Hopefully I'll get to reap the rewards of my efforts before I leave here. Nothing like saying, "I think I'll put some basil in this pasta primavera", and then stepping outside to snip a fresh bunch from the basil plant!

I'm heading to Belize tomorrow for four days (!!!) ... Happy New Year to all - be safe and be merry!
Love,
Suzy