True Confessions and Celebrations

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My sincerest apologies. For the past decade I've been doing my best to publish a new blog entry every two months, but this time it's been a full three months since my last entry. Where does the time go? Full disclosure; I find that recently I'm spending several hours a day on facebook - I love keeping in touch with former students and old friends all over the world, but I also understand and have become aware of the so-called dopamine burst effect of addictive activities. It's not like I just sit in front of my computer to the exclusion of other activities, but many hours each week get gobbled up watching short clips of youtube videos and scrolling on facebook. I need to give myself credit for what I AM accomplishing ... twice weekly yoga classes, water aerobics, swimming, private teaching to individuals and small groups (English, Spanish and French) - both in-person and online. But I should be outdoors more, taking longer walks with CiCi, keeping up with writing blog entries, practicing yoga on my own at home - but then there's an old voice that says, "Don't 'should' on yourself" -> just live this chapter of life as it's unfolding.







For a second year in a row I volunteered to help serve at a Christmas Party for senior citizens; many of them living in extreme poverty in rural areas. The party is hosted by the family of two of my English students, Elizabeth and Ricky Reinoso. For over 20 years they've been offering this moment of joy to the oft-forgotten elders from nearby villages. This year there were about 60 guests in attendance and my favorite part of the afternoon was watching the old folks dance with Elizabeth's four year-old daughter,Selva and her young cousins. Selva was wearing an adorable mermaid skirt which we had to slit up the side so she could actually walk and dance ! Early in the party, I helped Selva carry around a big tray of snacks, greeting each person as they arrived.











When it was time for the meal I helped coordinate the efforts of a team of servers in the kitchen area. Last year I felt horrifed by the amount of plastic and styrofoam that was used and discarded in just a few hours. SO, this year I offered to purchase the containers and I splurged for fully recyclable utensils made from recycled materials (total cost just over a dollar per person as compared to about 30 cents if we'd used plastics). I realize that, like emptying the ocean with a teaspoon, this was one small act at one gathering on one afternoon - but perhaps it awakened someone else's awareness of the heinous waste of single-use plastics when they saw that alternatives exist and are available.









Maricarmen's birthday is the 24th of December so I made arrangements for Shana, Mari and I to have an elegant lunch at the fanciest hotel in town. Since I know the owners I was able to request the special five-course holiday menu for the three of us, even though it's usually only prepared for larger groups. We were seated at the finest table on the terrace facing the waterfall. We were treated like royalty and a delicious time was had by all. On the way home from our lunch we passed by the body shop where Mari's 28 year-old car was (and still is) being repaired and repainted. We noticed that the guys were there working, so Mari wanted to stop and check in and nudge them along. As I pulled up onto the edge of the curb right along the curve on a hill of the main road, my car´s motor made a thunk-thunk-thunk noise when I turned off the engine. When I started the car up again I had no power steering. We were less than four blocks from home so I crept slowly up the hill, steering with all my strength. I dropped the gals off at Shana's and limped past the last few houses into my own driveway with steam billowing out from under the hood....OY! What had I done?! I had to get the car home - there was no way I could leave it on that dangerous stretch of a busy road...









Just then our lady taxi driver, Ines, happened to be passing by my house. She had saved my ass a few years earlier, driving by just after my truck's front wheel had slipped into a roadside ditch and helping me up and out with a 2x4 and our combined strength. And now my guardian angel Inés informed me that a neighbor on the street behind mine was a mechanic. She drove me to his house but his brother-in-law (who used to be Shana's dog-walker) told us that he was out fixing a bus that had broken down. By now it was getting dark, so we left word for him to come to my house at 9:00 am the next day, Christmas morning. Fortunately, Xmas is mostly celebrated the night before here in Ecuador so it wasn't such a big ask. He arrived punctually (!) and showed me that the drive belt had shredded, but said he couldn't help me replace it. The evening before I'd made contact with another mechanic, recommended by a friend. Monchito the mecánico told me to just let him know if I needed his assistance - so I called him and he arrived at my house in 45 minutes (!). He told me that the guy who owned the local auto parts shop was out of town for the holidays, but he called the guy's cousin, got the key to the shop, and returned in 20 minutes with a replacement belt. Cost of the belt $30, labor $10. Work done in my driveway on Christmas Day, priceless!!









That same evening, Christmas Eve (Nochebuena), I'd been invited to celebrate at Ricky and Patty's house with about 25 of their friends and relatives of all ages. The house was beautifully decorated and Patty had even made table decorations that were our party favors. As is tradition here in Ecuador, a turkey dinner was served at midnight. I felt honored to be the only foreigner at this annual family gathering and we all enjoyed some spirited conversation and delicious food, but I'm afraid I was not a very lively party guest at that time of night. I declined to join in the dancing or the pass-the-balloon party games. I have never been a late night person and am even less so now as I grow older! Since my car had not yet been fixed at this point, I took a taxi to get the party and Ricky said he'd drive me home. Since I was dependent on someone else for a lift, I didn't want to be a party-pooper and bow out too soon...but YAWN! That was a very late night out for me!!









In 2022 I'd had some folks over for the last night of Hanukah, so I decided to do the same again in 2023. In preparation for this year's guests not only did I prepare dozens of latkes (traditional potato pancakes), I also made homemade apple sauce and substituted Greek yogurt for sour cream. There's a spinning top game that's played here around Christmastime and I asked around, searching high and low and I think I found the last three dreidel-like tops in town! It's funny, they even draw letters on each side of the tagua spinning tops -- not the Hebrew letters that stand for 'a great miracle happened there/here' (depending on if you're in Israel or not) but just some random letters that indicate if you have to put in or take out coins, depending on which side lands up. Then, there was the search for gold-covered chocolate coins, which luckily enough I was able to find at the main grocery store in town! I bought two big bags of them.









Elizabeth and daughter Selva came to the Hanukah gathering and Selva had such fun playing with the coins and tops. My Jewish sister from Argentina, Lila had just that afternoon met a Jewish tourist from New York, so she came along as well as my Israeli friend Chana. I invited my German artist friend with whom I do water aerobics each week as well as several others. Even though I have the traditional silver menorah candelabra that was my mother's, I didn't feel like whittling down the candles to fit safely into each branch, so with the help of Maricarmen we created a rustic menorah using a large balsa canoe-shaped dish that I had. We balanced a variety of candles in a bed of rocks and shells. It was truly a beautiful creation and looked even more lovely once all the candles were lit! I offered Mari the honor of lighting the candles and those of us who knew the Hebrew prayers sang them with gusto. Then we taught everyone the dreidel song and after chowing down on latkes and my homemade kosher dill pickles, we had some of Chana's honey cake and played several rounds of dreidel, eating most of the chocolate coins that were supposed to be used for the game!









I continue in my role as godmother to three brothers from the Amazon. I invite them up to my house for lunch at least once a month, and boy can these guys eat! When I first met the boys they were 10, 12, and 14 years old. Their mother had died two years earlier and they were being passed around from relative to relative. When my friend Purvi met them they were with an uncle who had pulled them out of school and forced them to work on his farm. That was 8 years ago and the two oldest have now graduated from high school. Right after the Hanukah gathering we celebrated Jimmy's 20th birthday with a huge lasagna (not a scrap was leftover!) and of course a birthday cake. I had also invited Adriana, my yoga teacher from Chicago who was staying in Baños for a few months. I could see that it made the boys feel special to have a pretty young gringa in attendance. After the meal we all played dreidel and the rest of the chocolate coins disappeared in no time!









The following month it was time to celebrate Cristopher's 22nd birthday. I've grown especially close to this eldest brother ever since he expressed his desire to learn English. I gave him a few private lessons to get him started and now he is enrolled in a young adult group English class four mornings a week. In the weeks between the two birthday lunches I had hosted a fund-raising taco party to help my chef friend Gabo get back to Spain. Twenty friends each kicked in $10 and we all enjoyed build-your-own, all-you-can eat tacos. Gabo is also an expert baker and he´d made extra desserts to sell. Of course I bought all of the leftover desserts that hadn't sold and at Cristopher's birthday party we had a big platter full of sinful brownies and choco-banana cake. We all gorged ourselves until bursting, and this time there were even some extras to send home with the boys (young men).









I was so excited to have a visit from dear friend Tamara. Mama T was my comadre when I adopted Chaco (my beautiful brindle boxer-pointer boy) in 2008. When one of us travelled, the other would take care of Chaco. At that time she was working as a research assistant for her sociology professor in a community about a half hour from where I was living on the coast, so we would get together most weekends for shared custody of our boxery boy! For a number of years now Tamara has been living and working in Vancouver and on this visit I was finally able to meet her gentleman friend, Tomas. When Tamara first came to Ecuador she was working in a small coastal village, helping them to develop a community tourism program. She has remained in contact with the community and keeps in close touch with her goddaughter, Vanessa, who is now a teenager. For this most recent visit,Tamara arrived in Ecuador the week before Tomas and went down to the coast to bring Vane up to Quito for her goddaughter's first ever visit to the Andes. They met up with Tomas and all arrived together to Baños. I'm so glad to have a home that's large enough to host everyone comfortably! Vane was thrilled to be staying in her very own room...something she's never had at home!









We bopped around together...I took them on my Gorgeous Gorges tour of rushing rivers, dramatic cliffsides and breathtaking waterfalls...all within 25 minutes of where I live. We visited some of the kitschy tourist sites -- first time for me to go to some of them; I was waiting for visitors to come before I went up the Crystal Walkway and the 'Poop Your Pants Swing' (my nickname). As it swings out from the steep hillside over the valley below, the chains lengthen and the seat drops...no thanks! I just watched! You may remember that when my goddaughter was here for her quinceañera we decorated a cake for her birthday at the Fábrica de Chocolate. Well, Vanessa had been assigned a demonstration speech for her English class, so we helped her create a simple script and we videotaped her showing how to decorate a cake. It turned out really well and we brought the cake home to enjoy after our dinner!









Just after Christmas I was planning to drive up to Quito to meet with my old friend Lupe and we had a 9-day adventure planned. She has a big 4WD SUV so the plan was for me to park my car at her apartment in Quito and we'd travel with CiCi in her car. As you may recall, on Christmas eve my car suffered a shredded drive belt and on Christmas day a local mechanic replaced it. About a half hour into the drive to Quito on the 26th I stopped on the side of the road to take a phone call and steam started pouring out from under my hood. I immediately called the Suzuki mechanic and asked him if he thought I should continue the half hour to his shop. The engine's temperature gauge was holding steady at halfway so I decided to try to make it to Ambato. It was determined that I should leave the car there (radiator leak causing the steam) and take a taxi up to Quito ($40 for a two-hour ride in a share taxi). There was only one other passenger so CiCi and I had the back seat to ourselves.









CiCi and I spent the night at my favorite hostel in Quito (Posada de Maple is my pied-a-terre whenever I come to the big city) and in the morning Lupe came and picked us up in her luxury vehicle. It was about a three hour drive up to her sister's farm (Finca Esperanza) where CiCi met Jackson and Lunita, the two old farm dogs that were included in the purchase of the property. It's a lovely spot with amazing views of mountains on three sides. Lupe gave me her house (a two-bedroom cozy cabin) and she slept up in her sister's suite in the big house where her niece Andrea lives on the ground floor. Andrea trained as a vet and is working in a clinic in Cotacachi, a lovely town full of expats about a half hour from the farm. We were given a behind-the-scenes tour of the animal clinic (Amici Cannis) which was started by a South African radiologist and his North American Veterinarian wife. Generally speaking, foreigners tend to spoil their pets more than the locals do their, and the expat community generously supports the efforts of Amici Cannis to help the street dog population with donations for food, wellness and sterilization campaigns.









While we were in Cotacachi we met my old friend Roger for lunch. He lives about an hour further north in a small village. After lunch Lupe went back to the finca and I stuck around the cafe to meet up with a guy I'd been corresponding with onlines but was meeting in person for the very first time. Luis Fernando is a retired Science teacher, almost exactly my age. He has four adult children and is helping to raise one of his grandsons (the child's mom in not around and the dad is living in New Zealand). Fernando's 27 year-old single daughter lives with him and helps out with the care of the nine year-old grandson. He and his ex-wife are on good terms and the whole family gets together regularly. We met on 'facebook dating' and we'd been corresponding on and off for over four months. Our first in-person meeting was very relaxed, the conversation flowed and there was mutual interest...but we do live six hours away from one another. He drove me back to the finca and it took Lupe a long time to come open the gate, so he asked if he could kiss me. I felt shy and reticent and he asked,"What are you afraid of?" It's been such a long time since I've had any romance in my life. Then he remarked, "At our age it doesn't really make sense to waste time!" Five minutes after he dropped me off he called - his car was stuck in the mud on the road out! SO, Lupe and I drove out and she contacted a local taxi driver to come and help him out. We ended up spending a few more hours together as night fell, holding hands and staying calm while help arrived. All ended well! We planned to try to meet up in Quito a few weeks later, but that was the weekend that violence broke out as the drug cartels tried to overthrow the government. It made the international news so you will likely have read about it. It was NOT a good time to be travelling or to be in Quito. So those plans were foiled. We will try to meet up again...I'll keep you posted if there are any developments....









One day Lupe and I went up to Chachimbiro Arcoiris (Rainbow) Hot Springs, about an hour and a half drive from her sister's farm. CiCi stayed with her new doggie friends, the three of them running and romping and enjoying free rein on the finca. Lupe knows the backroads in that area, so we took a leisurely, pastoral route on a beautiful, sunny morning.(sorry, no photos). We spent a fantastic day in the thermal mineral baths. The municipal government sponsors a physical therapy clinic onsite, offering free treatment. Two gals worked on the muscle in my right calf that had been causing me pain and stiffness, and they showed me some exercises to do in the hot pools. It really helped a lot! We stopped at a wonderful restaurant on the way back - El Arbol de La Vida (The Tree of Life) that was started by a retired Peace Corps nurse.









We were invited to spend New Year's eve with my friend Betti and her partner Dave at Dave's big, luxurious home in the Intag Valley. He built the 'castle' for his wife, but she unfortunately passed away even before the construction was complete. We followed Betti & Dave for several hours along a road in very bad condition. We stashed the vehicles safely in a neighbor's gated driveway and we took the tarabita cable car across the rushing river (didn't faze CiCi a bit!). We spent a wonderful two days cooking and eating and laughing and exploring the property and each other. Thanks for a very memorable New Year, Betti and Dave. When we finally crossed back to the other side of the river we went to the Nangulvi Hot Springs near the tiny town of Apuela. CiCi found some friends to play with at the baths (the local canine gang welcomed her right in and showed her the ropes...plenty of mud puddles to sludge and slime about in!) I had been to these mineral baths only once, about 15 years ago. In the intervening years the roads have improved somewhat, but not really that much. The climate in the Intag Valley is such that coffee plants love it, road conditions not so much! The Intag valley is also famous for its community resistance over the past 35 years to stave off copper mining operations. ( a 2 1/2 minute mini docu: https://www.facebook.com/watch/?v=761180952343281 )









And since we were in Lupe's high-riding Toyota SUV we took the back 'roads' up and over the Gualea Pass down through Tulipe to get to Cheryl's 'Above the Clouds' farm and retreat center. It was v-e-r-y rough driving (gracias Lupe) -- owch! my boobies hurt!! -- at one tiny roadside shop after 4 hours of rugged nature the lady was nice enough to let us use her bathroom! CiCi is a great car traveller - she loves to surf the bumpy bits in the road, standing up and leaning against the back seat. Sometimes she'll lie down for awhile - but she is generally looking and sniffing out the window! When I'm on the road travelling with CiCi if we stop at a restaurant I put on her long-ish car leash and tuck it under a chair leg. That's her cue to lie down under the table or in a cozy corner. She just chills out. Such a good girl!









So, over the pass on more than an hour of unpaved roads, through villages with old-style wooden houses and quaint chapels. Around every curve breathtaking inter-Andean mountain/valley views. Happy cows. Fresh cheeses. Pre-Incan ruins at the Tulipe ceremonial site. The nearby town of Mindo is known for some of the best birding on the planet - famous for its more than 100 species of hummingbirds. The Noroccidente (Northwest) Pichincha area has much to offer! So nice to see Cheryl again; she's one of those friends you feel like not a moment has passed since you last saw them. Cheryl and her five dogs live invited us to staying in their house with them. Her living room is all dog mattresses and one recliner chair! Alas, it was raining pretty steadily most of the time we were there. While I did some of the cooking for us all, Cheryl showed Lupe around -- the stunning guesthouse she built (where Toni and I stayed a year ago). I did some laundry (Cheryl has a dryer...oh sweet luxury) as they trudged through some muddy sludge in the pouring down rain to reach the neighbor's rock ledge where the elusive Cock of the Rock birds gather and exhibit lek behaviour - the colorful male birds strut their bright red-heads in a courtship display...the females are a dull brown color.









Bye to Cheryl and her pooches, back to Quito - chao y gracias to Lupe for the amazing aventures and her driving skill! Next morning the sweet managers of my Quito hostel dog-sat CiCi during my doctor's appointment! I paid the share-taxi fee ($15 for the two-hour ride to Ambato) but CiCi and I had the car all to ourselves the whole way to the Suzuki repair shop. Since they'd had my car for over a week, they'd had it detailed -- looks like new -- however the repairs cost over $300...ouch!) Left Ambato lickety-split and drove the last hour back home, arriving just before dusk (these days I'm not so fond of nighttime driving and avoid it whenever possible). If I've been away, even for a few days, there's that leap of excitement I feel as I round the last few curves dropping down into the beautiful valleys around Baños. I do live in paradise, and have such a wonderful community of friends.









If you first read the captions below the photos and were still a glutton for punishment to read more and you're now reading this - as promised I will tell you what HBH stands for. This fine group of lady friends has chosen to live in Baños de Agua Santa (Baths of the Holy Water is the full name of our town). When I asked Allison why she named the Monday morning knit 'n' crochet group HBH, without missing a beat she said, "We're the Holy Bath Hookers" Hahaha!! We sit around at Bloom (the cbd shop) and talk about anything and everything; pour our hopes and sorrows into whatever handiwork we're creating; our emotional sharing and artistic endeavors lead to what Janis calls 'twisted wisdom'!









The morning of my birthday I had a wonderful surprise...my dear friend Elizabeth showed up at my house with Bryan and Adolfo. All three of them are Colombian and they've all been my English students at one time or another.They sang the traditional Mexican birthday song (Las Mañanitas) as well as a Colombian song that they'd written (modified) especially for me. Their performance took me back 40 years to my 24th birthday when I lived in Mexcio and my boyfriend hired musicians to 'traerme gallo' (bring me rooster) -that is to say- wake me up at 4:30 am with a serenade outside my window. Back then I responded by leaning out in my pajamas to watch them play, but I was later told by my local teaching colleagues that I should not have let them see me in my jammies!









For the past two months I've had a wonderful group of English students. It was my biggest class ever - 11 students aged 14 to 62. Only a few of them had studied with me previously and I had a great time with this new, friendly, motivated group. Since the last day of the course was my birthday, they insisted on taking me out for tacos instead of having class. There were gifts and a birthday cake for me - a delightful celebration! This week we'll start a new cycle of classes -- I think most of them will continue studying with me!









On Februrary 16th, the night after my actual birthday, I gathered a dozen friends for a dinner at one of my favorite restaurants. Haycha has Amazon-fusion cuisine, a very creative menu and beautiful presentation of the meals. I was happy to be able to introduce some of my good friends to one another. Allison and Sasha are two of my younger friends (both still in their 40's) and they hit it off right away! Allison is the creator of the HBH crochet group, and Sasha is both my student and my teacher. I give her French lessons twice a week, and she invited me to join in the yoga class she offers to the spa employees at her family's hotel. We all marvelled at the size of the ribeye that was served to Allison and the fancy flourish of a smoky finish to her Negroni cocktail.









A great gathering, the first time at Haycha for many of these folks, and we were treated with exceptional service. Throughout the meal various groups of strolling musicians entertained us. My chef friend, Gabo had made me a traditional Venezuelan dessert called Marquesa. We got permission from the restaurant to bring along the birthday 'cake' (actually more like a chocolate mousse trifle). The waiter brought plates and cutlery for serving, as well as a candle! I felt very honored and blessed to be able to spend my bday with a group of fabulous friends!









OK - that's enough for this time! It's taken me weeks to get this blog entry written and published. I really don't know what's wrong with me...it's never before seemed like this much of a chore. Scroll to the bottom to see another half a dozen pics. And stay tuned for my next blog entry (hopefully with a shorter lag time than this one had!) - I will tell you about my new avocation as a 'matchmaker' of stray dogs with loving homes. Thanks for reading!

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Photos

Senior Citizen Holiday Bash
For the second year in a row I volunteered to help serve lunch to a group of 60 indigenous seniors living in poverty.

Dancing Girls
Selva and her cousin showing the old folks how it's done!

Passing Around Appetizers
Four year-old Selva and I brought chips and snacks around to each of the guests, greeting them warmly.

Maricarmen's Birthday
An elegant lunch at Hotel Sangay; dining to the music of the waterfall.

Nochebuena Tradtions
My students Ricky and Patty invited me to their home for a midnight Christmas Eve dinner - delicious and joyful!

Hanukah Gelt
Selva had a lot of fun arranging the chocolate gold coins. Later we played dreidel.

Hanukah Gathering
Fun to share holiday customs with friends of many nationalities. We were 4 Jews in attendance - two from the US, one from Argentina and one from Israel.

Mari Lighting the Menorah
My neighbor Maricarmen helped me to create this stunning rustic menorah. We positioned a variety of candles on shells and stones in a balsa wood canoe.

Jimmy's 20th Birthday
My 20-something yoga teacher, Arianna from Chicago, joined us for lunch and some post-Hanukah dreidel fun. We had to use up the leftover chocolate gold coins!

John Cristopher's 22nd
The oldest godson celebrated his birthday belatedly with a lunch at my house. I love to feed these young men...there's never a crumb left!

Mama T and Tomas
Dear friend Tamara and her Vancouver beau came down for a visit, incubating a baby! We had a wondeful visit!!

Tamara & Vanessa
Mama T's goddaughter, Vane lives on the coast -this was her first visit to the mountains! Here we are helping her with her school project for English class.

CiCi with Jackson and Lunita
Finca Esperanza - belongs to Lupe´s sister and we spent a relaxing few days there.

Horrible Road Conditions
The drive from Cotacachi to the Intag Valley is fraught with adventure. More holes than pavement most of the way! And then there was this delay...

CiCi and Paco
Dave's dog Paco was the perfect host - CiCi had a blast with her new friend!

Crossing the River
To get to David's place we were ferried across on his manual tarabita cable car. Lupe, Betti and I holding on tight!

CiCi on the Tarabita
She was only a little bit nervous about crossing the river. CiCi is an excellent traveller - very adaptable and well-behaved!

New Year's Eve
Dave and CiCi enjoying the blazing fire at David's gorgeous riverside castle!

Lotsa New Dog Buddies!
Cheryl has five dogs at her farm near Nanegalito. They welcomed CiCi into their pack and even let her sleep on one of their mattresses!

View from Cheryl's Kitchen Window
You can see why Cheryl named her farm, Above the Clouds!

HBH Sewing Circle
Allison started this weekly gathering to help others learn how to knit and crochet. I bring along my embroidery projects. Read the text to know what HBH stands for!

Musician Visit
My dear Colombian friend, Elizabeth showed up at my house with her compatriots Bryan and Adolfo. They sang birthday greetings to me in my garden!

English Class Taco Party
A group of my students arranged for a special meal out together at the best Mexican restaurant in town! They even brought a cake!

Allison and Sasha
I enjoyed introducing these two lovely ladies to one another. Allison's Ribeye was enormous! She and her son had two more meals from this hunk of cow!

Birthday Dinner at Haycha
I'd been wanting to go back to this elegant and unique restaurant for quite some time, so this was the perfect occasion to share a special meal with good friends!

So Grateful for Hilda!
My cleaning gal comes every Friday from 8:30 to 3:00 ($20) Here she's doing the upper windows. She keeps my house sparkling clean!! On Fridays I usually fix a special lunch & invite Shana & Mari.

CiCi's Plush Carpet
Under the lemon tree is CiCi's living room/dining room area. I have tried and tried to grow grass, but finally bought rolls of sod and she LOVES the soft cool lawn!

Who me?
No, I wasn't digging in the garden...not much! When she gets shaggy like this it's time for a grooming!

Ringing in the New Year
Lupe and I are cuddled up on the big-ass chair warming ourselves before Dave's glorious fireplace!

Newest Mosaic
How to handle peeling paint on a wall constantly pelted with rain? Cover it with a mosaic! It's a bit Mondrian-esque - using colored tiles scavenged from the antique dealer!

Shana in Elegance
All dressed up for Marshia's birthday party! Maricarmen loves to pick out fancy outfits and doll her up with jewelry!

Comments

[Debbie Chapman]

So many friends, so many adventures!
I'm sorry to hear that writing the blog was a drag for you -- I always really love reading your blogs and marvel at the many things you do!