It takes a lot of courage to release the familiar and seemingly secure, to embrace the new.
But there is no real security in what is no longer meaningful.
There is more security in the adventurous and exciting, for in movement there is life, and in change there is power.
Alan Cohen
"Outside of a dog, a book is a man's best friend.
Inside of a dog, it's too dark to read."
Groucho Marx
The doors we open and close each day decide the lives we live.

Monday, April 30, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !

 Cashmere Lover

I just found this blog by accident, by happy chance, by good luck.
If anyone needs me, look here first, I am sure to be found somewhere, lost in the beautiful images, day dreaming, enjoying.
It was Meant to be ~ ~
Go .... look ... enjoy too ~

Saturday, April 28, 2012

And she called me an Adventurer !

Upon hearing about our travels and how we decided to move to Argentina and how we have  managed to live here as long as we have and still love it here, she called me an Adventurer !
Well, she called us Adventurers !

At first I laughed at the thought, then I was glad that someone regards it in the same way as we do.
Upon the first idea , the first discussion, we knew how it would be ... "what if we just pack up everything and move to Buenos Aires?" ... This could be a Grand Adventure !
So we like to think we are on an Adventure, we have seen it all as an Adventure but then ...

I live in a beautiful apartment, that used to be a private home.
I live in a very nice part of town with huge parks stretching for miles just steps away from my door.
There are several museums close to my home, a few Embassies and quite a few fabulous buildings and monuments.
There are restaurants on every block.
 If you buy a bag of oranges, they will deliver it to your door.
If you want a cup of coffee, they will deliver it to your door. . with a little glass of water and a cookie on the side.

There are 10 million gazillion taxis here in town and one of them will screech to a halt in front of you if you just raise your arm half way out .. as if you are pointing to the spot where you want that black and yellow car to stop.
They will say hello, how are you and wait for you to answer them and then tell them where to take you.
They will not accept a tip.. well, sometimes one will but it is rare.

If you go to a restaurant once, they will remember you when you go there a second time.
They will treat you like an old favourite customer.
The waiters will not write down your order, they will get everything right the first time.
Sometimes, they will remember what you had last time.
Sometimes they will kiss you hello and goodbye .

The shop people will recognise you if you come back more than once or twice, they will treat you like an old valued customer even if you just look around.
They rarely come to you and say Can I help you ... they allow you to look at your leisure then you can approach them for help.

If you bought something at the hardware store and need another and when you get there you suddenly forget what the Thing is called, you tell the man at the counter and he will remember what you bought last time and tell you what it is .. and find it for you.
This does not happen every time but if it happens just once, you will appreciate it.

Our days used to be determined by weather, previous engagements and where does Pup want to go today?
Some days if it was too hot or too cold, Pup was fine hanging out in the park, saying hello to his horses and generally making friends with one and all.
Yes, the Police horse loved Pup.
No, that person was not lying when they said they saw a horse kiss a dog one day in the park.
Pup had that effect on everything and everyone.

Often, if there was just no energy and nowhere we had to be, the park, then a cafe would be the days activities.
Pup was welcomed at all cafes and invariably had his own bowl for water and would  get the best table in the shade.
Waiters were known to slip him something when his Mama wasn't looking .
No, that person did not lie when they said they saw a waiter kissing a dog at the cafe one day.

The weather turned cold and windy the past couple of days.
This is a three day weekend ..  again. I think there have been 4 or 5 so far .
There was terrible traffic last night, lots of fussing and fighting over who got to run the red light and who had to stay behind.
All accompanied by a chorus of horns .. which reminds me, the huge building that is home to the Law School here, has classical concerts on weekends at night, in winter.
It is about that time.
I want to go sit in that huge room with the old very comfortable velvet seats and listen to a fantastic orchestra play Mendelssohn's Violin concerto and I will try not to cry.
( the beauty of it brings me to tears every time )


We are at the point now where a New Adventure is calling and we have begun that transition.
But for now, here we are , striking out each day, still discovering new things and finding new places.
It is all a lovely Adventure..

Friday, April 27, 2012

Thursday, April 26, 2012

Neither Here nor There

The days are growing shorter, the weather took a sudden turn towards winter chilliness and there is not one cloud in the sky, the sky being that incredible blue that I admire every day.
I never get tired of the skies here, whether they are bright blue , full of amazing clouds  or glowing with fantastic sunsets.
It seems there are more people out , walking, shopping, on their way somewhere.
The parks were full this  afternoon, students with notebooks open, older folk sunning themselves in a warm spot at the base of a massive statue ..
We were expecting someone this morning who never arrived.
We had to stay in to do a few things then we took off for Nowhere in Particular.
One of my favorite destinations !
We ended up sitting on a park bench, watching the people, the dogs and admiring the massive statues and the skies.
The park is situated at the top of a hill so we can look out and over more parks and streets and homes.
It is a place where we spent hours each day with  Pup.
There is not a day that goes by that I don't miss him, it has been a test for me to be able to go to these parks and sit and not weep ... it seems that there are few places in the city that don't have his ghost sniffing about .. it is hard to go anywhere that does not remind me of our loss.
Today I managed okay.

I want someone to buy our home now.
The decision was made, the sign is on the balcony, our lives are in suspended animation now.
We must be available for viewers, we cannot pack yet, we are neither here nor there.
I know that someone will look, suddenly the call will come that they want it, that we must call the shippers, make flight arrangements and pack.
It all gives me butterflies in my stomach and yet, I want to hide in bed with the covers over my head.

So for now, we enjoy the people and the place, imagine what it will be like Somewhere else and try not to think of ourselves as being neither here nor there.

Wednesday, April 25, 2012

One of Those Days

Yesterday was beautiful and cold.
Not cold as in Winter but cold as in Autumn ...  when you still haven't gotten your warm clothes down from storage and all you are wearing is a Summer sweater .. when even your really cute and very comfortable boots don't keep your whole body warm, even though your toes are toasty...when you should beware of the brilliant sun which shines without any interference from any small wisp of a cloud and you are not wearing sunblock.
Yes, it was one of Those days.

We walked and talked and glanced at this and that .. much of it has become too much of a Been There Seen That sort of a thing. But we walked through the Design Center because it was warm .. not outside in the cool wind.
I did glimpse some nice sofas and chairs at Thonet.
I doubt I will be looking for Thonet furniture when back in the US .. although one should never say never.
We plan on living in an area of NY where there is an entire town dedicated to Antiques.
I should live there.

Once out in the sun, we were warm enough, as long as the wind did not blow and we were directly in the sun, so we sat on a bench, in the full sunlight and People Watched.
One of my favourite activities.
It requires so little energy on my part and my Husband is the perfect companion for my snarky / admiring/joking remarks.
He gets me.

We debated buying ice cream.
I figured I would warm up eventually, once back in the apartment, I could always turn on the heat and eat a bowl of Chocolate Suissa with a dash of maybe Chocolate Volta ..
But in the end, we just walked past and kept on going.
Not so much a matter of will power but a matter of a case of the Blahs .... we found we couldn't really get that excited over Ice Cream.

Everyone has days like this, I think.
If so , I will tell them this ... those days are necessary.
If you have every day crammed full of Things to Do and Places to Be and People to See, your mind begins to unravel .. slowly, sometimes you don't notice until it is too late.
Not that I would know this personally or anything !
But if you are lucky and you notice in time and you do something about it ... like move to another planet where the people have things to do and people to see but they also stop for ice cream, then you are in luck.
So while it was one of Those days, we enjoyed it and look forward to more.

Today ?
Something is sure to come up .. there are closets full of winter clothes calling me every time I walk past the dressing room and I have to change an appointment that can only be done in person, not by phone.
They believe in making you work for your appointments here.

I wish everyone a lovely day .. unless you read this tonight then I guess it is too late.

Monday, April 23, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !

People I Want To Punch In The Throat



I promise you, if you only have the tiniest possible funny bone, she will manage to find it and make you laugh. Satire, rough, some would say mean but not ... not at all, she says what a lot of people think but says it funny.

I wish I could sit down and have coffee with her .. I imagine I would probably have trouble not choking on my coffee from laughing the whole time.

Go look, tell me how you laughed .

Saturday, April 21, 2012

Me and my memories

I am not a patient person.
I never was.
I doubt by now, that I will change.
Some people know this about me and have adjusted quite well.

I also, for all the moving and changing of locations that we do, enjoy staying put somewhere .
Not that I won't wish I were going here or there but sometimes it is comforting to know that Here is where I will be.
Here is where I will stay.
Here , is the place I love.


I sort of had that feeling as soon as we saw our apartment, when we were house hunting here in Buenos Aires.
Walking into the high ceilinged rooms, the shiny old wooden floors, the French doors everywhere, my heart gave a little pitty pat and I thought, This is it.
I sort of expected to live here forever.
Or at least many many years.

We made it exactly the way we wanted it and the way my imagination thought it should be according to all the images stored in my memories of rooms in French homes.
Paris and France were all I had to think of when imagining how the rooms in our new home would look.
My husband has an amazing eye for chandeliers and he often sees things much better than I .. in his mind, as working or not working.
We make a good team.

We had 3 realtors look at the apartment for estimates.
Each had different ideas.
We are using the realtor that we used when we bought it.
It only seems right .. we will come full circle with him .

I am looking at homes in the US .. houses.
Private houses on properties where there are trees and some have brooks or ponds and all have privacy and you cannot see the neighbour, often you cannot see the street.
But what you can see is trees, sky, mountains, and green.
It will be a nice change .
The quiet will also be nice.
I imagine myself lying in bed the first nights, twitching at every strange sound, wondering if someone is breaking in, is there a bear in the kitchen ?

In our building, you must have a key to get in the front door, then 2 keys to get into the apartment.
No one lets you in, if someone comes to the door, you go down the elevator and let them in.
Security is of the utmost importance here.

How will it feel to be in a house with no Porter ?
Just a door between me and Out There.

I miss Pup every day, I am sure I will miss him there too.
We will have to get a new dog.
We like to have a dog and I have the feeling that a dog is a good thing to have when you live in a house in the woods.

So now we just wait.
People come and look and admire and one of them will want to live here too.
Then we will go.

Until then, every day we go for walks and sit in cafes and parks and soak up the atmosphere and enjoy the place and always, the People.
If only I could bring them all back with me and my memories.





Thursday, April 19, 2012

The Best Laid Plans and All That

We like to be out of the house when the housekeeper is here.
She is adorable, we love her but it is difficult to find a spot to be out of her way and to have any peace and quiet.
When Nely works, Nely whistles.
This tuneless, little airy sound through her teeth that starts to grate on a persons nerves quite quickly and along with the other noise, it is guaranteed to drive a person out of the house.

We usually go to the cinema on Thursdays, one of our little habits.
We went to see an American film, bought our tickets, went down the escalator , following the carpet covered in stars and entered our theatre.
Big soft easy chair seats and carpeting and everything smelling clean and unusually quiet .. we were the only people there.

The movie began, all the children's films were being previewed, in Spanish.
This gave me a thought .. which turned out to be correct .. we were sold tickets to the film being shown in Spanish.
Our Spanish is pretty good in an odd way.
Somedays we understand more than others.
It also depends on who speaks and how slowly.
Well spoken Spanish in a film is often easier to understand.
Ricardo Darin is easier to understand, if I can stop staring at his face and pay attention to what he is saying.

So today we had to leave, we were not sitting through the film and going home wondering, what was it about ? what happened ? was that a good ending ?

Nely was here when we got home.
We got our kisses and listened to her stories ... I rarely understand anything Nely says.
But she loves us and we love her so that makes everything okay.

Now while everything is clean and orderly and quiet .. I am blogging about nothing much.
Hoping someone will come view the apartment and fall in love like we did and buy it immediately.
I saw a house.. somewhere .. that I really need to walk through and see if it is for us.
I can't do that from here , internet house hunting is not good enough ..
But if the views are truly as spectacular as they are online, I might manage to suffer through not living in a town, being a bit out in the woods and having to worry about deer in the garden instead of traffic at 6:00.

Wednesday, April 18, 2012

It's Wednesday, it must be Go to the Hospital day

Here's the story.

If you are blonde, red-haired or just fair skinned and live anywhere that the sun shines , at any time ... start wearing sunblock.
If you were one of those children like I was , lived in sunny places, lived at the beach, never wore sunblock, get a great looking tan,.. you will find yourself , one day, where I found myself today ... sitting across from the Dermatologist who was telling me about the Plastic surgeon I was going to see next.

The Good News:
It is tiny, superficial and on my ankle.

The Bad News:
It is still cancer and has me going through another surgery.

So if you have been anywhere near sunshine lately, start wearing your sunblock and be safe.
I don't want to have to tell you again.

Tuesday, April 17, 2012

Autumn in Buenos Aires

Autumn in Buenos Aires is such a treat.
The nights suddenly go chilly, you are surprised that you need a sweater.
A blanket goes on the bed and you can sleep like a baby without the air conditioner droning on and on. This is especially nice for a couple who have different temperature needs.
 One of us gets cool easily. One of us has unexpected increases in heat easily.

Some trees are drying up and losing leaves.
Some are turning yellow, but most are still full and thick and green.
It will be months still of shady trees in the parks before it all falls and the bare winter look is here.
Which is not so bad when it is sunny, the trees are so amazing, they look good naked too .
We took a long walk today.
Stopped at our favorite outdoor restaurant and had a naughty lunch.
He had Malbec, She had a Bloody Mary and they shared a plate of French fries.
Told you ... Naughty.
Then a long walk, through the neighborhood, taking photos of everything .. trees, doors, windows, houses.. what will I photograph when we leave here ?
The Plane trees just get dried , yellow/brown and fall.
But the bark is so amazing, they are just as beautiful bare.
Soon we will need jackets and the smell of woodsmoke will be strong at night ..
Autumn in Buenos Aires, it will last forever in my memories.

Monday, April 16, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !

And old favorite ...



I have featured Vodka Mom  before.
 I heart Vodka Mom.
So imagine my delight and one that I have to share, when I received this little tidbit in my email box.

Vodka Mom

Fantastic, I loved it, I am sharing it !
Be sure to read the link   and bookmark the link   .. so you too can Heart Vodka Mom ..



Sunday, April 15, 2012

Today was a day of rest

We did just about nothing. Which is something I enjoy doing.
We did walk ... quite a long way.
We went to the park and sat.
We walked more in the direction of bakeries.
We admired the architecture.
We window shopped.
( Everything is closed on Sundays here except for food shops)
We enjoyed the fact that it was a quiet day with hardly any traffic.
We came home full of scones eaten along the way and I have edited and stored more photos.
Someday there may be a book, full of photos taken while wandering the streets of Buenos Aires.
Stranger things have happened.

And now the age old question is asked ... what do you want for dinner?

Saturday, April 14, 2012

Baking a Buckle in BA

The weather has cooled off, it is so pleasant walking around the neighborhood, doing errands, getting Things done.
All Summer ( which seems to have lasted about 13 months) I have hidden from the sun, the heat, the too-much-sun-headaches and now I feel like we have been released from our cave !
We walk miles again.
It feels good!

We did our weekly Bakery run ... plenty of scones in the house, plenty of L'epi rolls for sandwiches.
On to the market where we bought avocados, tomatoes and  2 little boxes of fresh Blueberries .
I decided to bake a Blueberry Buckle.

I have not baked in a year, I don't remember Celsius/Fahrenheit conversions and there were weevils in the flour .
But somehow, I managed to get it done, we will see what comes out of the oven soon.
I had flour with leavening in it , this might be great or the Buckle will be a flop.

We then watched an episode of Grimm on television and I am overwhelmed with how much like a typical Saturday at Home this is, even when home is in Argentina.
If you don't count the early morning loudspeaker man on the corner and the ever present ( but we don't know why) helicopters hovering over the British Embassy.
We don't know exactly why, but we know why.

In the words of Julia ... Bon appetit !

................................................................................................

ANY - BERRY BUCKLE


Fruit
2 pints ( 4 cups) berries
1/4 to 1/3 cup of sugar ( depending on tartness of berries)
1/4 cold water


Cake
1/2 cup ( 1 stick) butter, softened
1/2 cup sugar
2 eggs
1/4 cup milk
2 teaspoons vanilla extract
grated peel from 1/2 lemon ( I leave this out all the time)
1 cup all-pupose flour
1 teaspoon baking powder
Ground cinnamon


Heat oven to 350º F.
Lightly coat a 10-inch pie plate or shallow baking dish with vegetable cooking spray.
(I just rub some butter on the bottom )


Combine the berries, sugar and water in the dish.


Using an electric mixer, (I used a big spoon) beat the butter and sugar until light and fluffy.
Beat in the eggs, milk, vanilla and grated lemon peel.
Mix the flour and baking powder just until blended.
Spoon onto the berries, leaving the center uncovered and sprinkle lightly with cinnamon.


Bake 30-35 minutes or until a toothpick inserted in the cake comes out clean.
Remove from oven and let cool slightly.


Serve warm with ice cream  (optional)








Friday, April 13, 2012

Friday Photo !

The view from one of our Living room windows.
A glimpse of sky, a bit of green, sometimes there are little green parrots in the tree.
You might have trouble seeing them, they blend in so well, but you can definitely hear them!
The skies here are always an amazing color. .. although there are blue skies elsewhere, I will miss these .

Thursday, April 12, 2012

Laugh

I have a friend who has a great sense of humour .. I love to make her laugh.
Don't tell her but .. she is easy.
I can say just about anything mildly goofy and she will laugh.
She is my best audience.
I have forgotten what the subject was but I once answered a remark about something, with the statement that I was in my room.
This made her laugh.
I now try to find a place in a conversation about anything, to insert that sentence, I am guaranteed to make her giggle.
You might not find this funny, but she does, and she makes me laugh at the thought.


Maturity is a bitter disappointment for which no remedy exists, unless laughter can be said to remedy anything.” Kurt Vonnegut

And my point being .... sometimes it isn't what you say, or the subject or how profound your remarks, you will say or do something that will just tickle someones funny bone and there you have it .. you have that lovely ability to make someone else giggle.

I love to laugh.
I think men who laugh are sexy.
I know one man with this wonderful dimple and when he has a good laugh, you see that dimple .. oh my~

My children have great senses of humour, they make good jokes, they laugh easily and they see the ridiculous in everyday things.
One of them might be a bit stern and say, Mom, it's not that  funny ... but then I see that twinkle in the eye .. it might not be that funny but it was funny, go ahead and admit it.
“The most wasted of all days is one without laughter.”- E.E Cummings

Speaking of humour ...
I am stressed.
We are selling this beautiful apartment and moving back to the United States.
To live in a part of New York that we have never lived in.
Actually, we have never lived in this sort of place in any state !
And once the decision was  made, we just want to be done with it, these long goodbyes are horrible, we want to start the next chapter !

Today our neighbours doctor said hello, gave me a kiss, went on his way.
We are not good friends, we are not even friends, we see each other and say hello.
Here, in Buenos Aires, that is all that is needed.
Say hello, get a kiss.  Bueno.
I will miss that.
Not just the actual kisses but the idea .
Total strangers greeting you with a kiss just starts things out on the right foot.
It can only go uphill from there.

So for now, we have lots of time to find someone to take all the books we want to sell/donate.
We have time for me to make countless lists that will be lost when the time comes to use them.
And nerves will get stretched and patience will get thin and I will get bitchy and my husband will say something totally ridiculous and make me laugh and I will write to my friend and tell her I am in my room and there will just be laughter..and there will be that moment .. you know

Wednesday, April 11, 2012

A Horse is a Horse, Of Course ...

In case no one has noticed, my husband and I like horse racing.
My husband because he likes horses but enjoys the racing.
Me ? because I used to wish if I could not have a horse, that I could be a horse.

I was raised in a land where I could spend an afternoon lolling around with a horse, riding off by myself when I was about 10 and no one questioning where I was , other than, Oh, she was in the barn with Star last time I looked.


I rode with my Uncle on horses in the desert in Arizona, I rode alone with my grandfather watching with pride when I was maybe 5.
I would sneak out of the house and go over to the neighbours house, going into the paddock and just hanging out with their horses.
One day my mother was searching frantically for me, I was around 10-11 years old  ,  I finally heard her calling ... I was down the road at the neighbours house, riding his horse, bareback, in the paddock.
No one was home.

Little guardian angels rode with me in those days, no doubt in my mind.

My dad would drop me off at the Riding Stables when I was 12- 13 and off I went .. on my own, down the trail, on a full size horse who usually remained calm and would run if I asked it to, I always rode back in time for Dad to pick me up.
Then one day I did not show up , they waited, they wondered, they started to get annoyed, then they worried.
Then the horse showed up, saddle hanging upside down, my little riding boot stuck in the stirrup, scratches all over the side of the horse, bleeding in places.
Needless to say, there was a flurry of activity, men jumped on horses, out to search for the little skinny kid with one cowboy boot.
As they headed down the main path, here came the little skinny kid.
Annoyed as hell.
Never mind everyone was imagining me dead or worse, I couldn't find my boot !

The horse had been one of those stubborn sorts that liked to brush people off against the nearest tree, walking through thorn bushes etc.
Apparently he liked to bite the stable boys who were supposed to be strapping on the saddle and making sure it was tight and did not slide around... with its less than 90 lb rider and only one boot.

The story came to a good end, no one was killed, only slightly scratched and some parents were relieved.
But the love of horses continued ...
This is my horse for the Kentucky Derby.
Meet Hansen. ( yes horses can run with no feet touching the ground )

photo:forbes.com

Tuesday, April 10, 2012

I think I am ready


When we moved into this ancient old apartment in this ancient old building, I was delighted.
I loved the ugly mess that it was because I could see those beautiful old bones, waiting to be shown off to their fullest again.
I knew that I was just the right new inhabitant of this old place, my husband and I would manage to bring it back to it's old glory.
We started with gutting the kitchen and bathroom, ancient old fixtures, rusty , leaky, old pipes and put in new floors, walls and and all new fixtures and appliances.

I didn't knock down walls and put in ultra modern, I wanted new but I wanted it to all blend in with the old rooms.
The 100 year old, French style rooms with their ancient wood floors and wonderful moldings and all of those French doors.
Every room has French doors and windows.
Light comes in all day long. .. you can open them all like doors and let the fresh air, the scents and the sounds of this huge, loud, jam-packed city , into the rooms.

In the back, you will see old trees full of doves, if you look down, you see the garden and the plants and the massive hibiscus, which at various times of the year are full of red flowers.
I haven't seen them, but the possibility of hummingbirds is down in that garden.


My plant that my husband bought me one year is down in that garden.
We had no idea it was an Agave , that it would send out a shoot many feet high and flower .. there is something almost obscene about it at certain times but it also has cactus leaves that have long sharp needles so we were happy to move it to the garden.
I was tired of getting stuck every time I tried to water the ungrateful thing!

When we leave here, my other plants will join it, in the garden, to live out their days with the nice lady on the ground floor who gets to use that garden and who will water and tend the plants.

Just since we have moved here, things have changed.
Aside from our making our apartment Like New, the building itself is a bit crumbly and will be getting some updating.
The balconies will be made more secure, the front of the building will be power washed and it will sparkle again, one hundred years later.

My apartment has all new pipes and electric and it has been working okay for these past years.
The only problem we have had is the Lady Upstairs.
Her pipes are as old as the building.
Her pipes need work, they leak.
They never leak where she can see them though.
They leak where I can see them.

We are showing our home to prospective buyers.
I am keeping this place in perfect clean , dry condition.
I walk around all day, wiping things down, dusting things off and straightening pillows.
I am my grandmother.

So.. imagine, picture my face when I walked into the laundry room last night and for some reason, looked Up.
Up at the very high ceiling where my Chinese lantern hangs, over my very nice stack washer and dryer.
Which is  big selling point in this town .. and what was that on my ceiling ? mould ? black mould ? like the ceiling is wet ?
That ceiling has already been mouldy, been repaired, re-plastered, repainted and now , there it is again, black and mouldy and ugly .
My heart broke .

Today a plumber was called.
He looked up and knew where to go . ... to that woman upstairs.
Now we get to call our painter and have the whole mess bleached, washed then dried, then painted again.
For the third time.

I think I am a little more ready to move.

Monday, April 9, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !

The Visual Vamp


My Monday Look At This Blog is Valerie Hart's Visual Vamp.

A feast for the eye, a pleasurable way to start the day .. go look, then come tell me how you enjoyed the Visual Vamp.

And be sure to tell Valerie I said Hello ~

Friday, April 6, 2012

Friday Photo !

Aside from the wonderful people here, I will always remember the amazing skies of Buenos Aires.

Thursday, April 5, 2012

So... Our Home is For Sale

With much thinking and figuring and  sad/happy anticipation  and a tiny bit of apprehension ( on my part) .. we are selling our home in Buenos Aires  and moving back to New York.
We will not be in the City, we will head up along the Hudson River, a short drive or train ride from downtown Manhattan.

Which will make it a short ride to the Met and the Museum of Modern Art and Central Park and Soho and The Village and the Theatre and Metropolitan Opera House and Ballet and Family.

While we still have the energy, we want to live in a way that has eluded us until now... Life in the Country.
We want a house in the woods, with land, where I will be the only one making noise ..
I will not hear a car or a bus or a taxi or a siren at night (hopefully) and when I look out the windows, there will be green out there.. sky and green things.

We will have a car again and drive places.
Mario Andretti aka the Husband, is looking forward to driving.
I am just looking forward to sitting in the front seat !


Eventually a dog and probably a cat will come along.
What is life in the country  without a dog and a cat ?
We will have a fireplace, there needs to be a pup and a pussycat, napping by the fire.
The pup and the cat can sit with me while we watch the Husband rake leaves.
See, there is always entertainment when living in the countryside.

It doesn't need to be huge, just enough room for two people and their pets to live and grow old, to entertain family and friends and of course, rooms for family to stay , for grandbabies to play and grow and make memories of When we used to visit  grand-père and grand-mère..
Or whatever they choose to call us.
You know babies, they never name you what you expect, they will call us something like Grammy or Poppy .. I don't care, I just want them to call us !

For now though, we keep the apartment looking perfect and we go about our days as if there is no huge change about to happen.
As if there is no household to pack up again, no movers to contact and no wondering how can we leave this amazing , wonderful, beautiful place that has been our home for the past 5 years and that has made us so happy.
Why can't those kids come live here ???

And yes, I will continue blogging .. wherever we are, you can come along~

Wednesday, April 4, 2012

Things to do, People to see , Hurry Hurry

I am a slow person these days.
No, not that kind of slow, just slow moving.
It takes more than one , okay, more than three cups of coffee to make me feel like I am up and awake.
It takes a while to mosey into the shower and make the bed.

It is not unusual for us to just get out of the house around 2:00 pm ..
Of course I can blame it on the fact that we rarely go to bed before 1:00 am, we have no Pup who needs to be walked or given breakfast ... if he were here, things would be different.
So it is after 11:00 am and I am just getting ready to go make the bed and think about where to go and what to do.

We are going to visit our realtor today. He is a friend so it is a double treat.
Our apartment is for sale.
We want it to happen fast.
We need to find a shipping company.

So I sit here every day and blog, read blogs and email friends.
That is when I am not out taking photos and blogging those and doing photo editing.
I am a busy woman !

So let's all slow down ( and make me feel better) and remember that everything will be there tomorrow, you can do it later .
Or in the words of a brilliant woman, Tomorrow is another day.

Tuesday, April 3, 2012

Just an Ordinary Day

Today was a mixed bag of very pleasant things to do and ordinary things to do.
But what makes it all a tiny bit more special is that after 5 years of living here, even the ordinary things that we do, seem a bit special.
Walking to the Bakery, standing in line, paying for scones that we pick out ourselves , the girl takes them from us and wraps them just so in paper and sends us to the cashier.
They have probably done this in this same way for 100 years.

Then off to the Market for produce.
Yes, supermarkets are everywhere and very nice but the pleasure of shopping for fresh from the farm that morning eggs ( some with little feather fluff still stuck on them) , avocados,  teeny tiny cherry tomatoes and whatever else looks tasty, is still very appealing to me and   one of the things that I expected to do and to enjoy when living in another country.


I like how the owners of the markets know us, always give us at least a nod of the head, or a Buenos dias when we come in.
How the boy that weighs things and puts them in bags always gives me this shy smile.
Never says anything, just the sweet smile.
We go to one market  where the owners are Chinese.
One day the owner was sitting at the register ..
If I were casting a movie, he would be a Gangster in one of those good Chinese movies with Gong Lee . He was sitting at the register, ignoring everyone, listening to the music played in the store ( Chinese of course ) and singing along with it.
He has an amazing voice, almost operatic..
I just stood there  .. listened and clapped when he was through.
He barely smiled but I know he liked it.
He tries to be a tough guy but there isn't one yet that I can't break down sooner or later ...
I get smiles from him now, even when I am not giving him applause.
I wonder if they will notice when we are gone.

We had to send a fax and we had to go to the Post Office.
In the US, this would all be done by driving to the places and having someone do it.
Here we walked a couple of blocks to the man who does faxes then to the post office where we took our number and waited.
People watching all the while.
When you don't do things by car, you see so much of the world you are in .. you look at the faces of the people you pass, the people you are dealing with , you are right there in it.
I don't know how much I will miss that or not .

We now have over a dozen scones from two different bakeries ( minus the two that  I ate while wrapping them up in saran wrap) , many avocados and a roast chicken.
I think we are set for the week with groceries ~ and scones.
Maybe we will go to the park now ~

Monday, April 2, 2012

Not A Usual Day in Buenos Aires


There was a large demonstration today.
Regarding the British and the  Malvinas, Argentina.
For some it was just a good opportunity to put some new graffiti on old homes and set fire to a neighbourhood bakery awning.
You could sort of say that it was Demonstrators 0 - Federal Police 1

Today was a holiday.
It should have been peaceful and a good day for people to enjoy the parks and take walks with their families and remember those who are no longer with them.
Instead homes were vandalised, tiny babies were brought along by clueless mothers and I cannot even imagine how those little tiny ones fared on a day like today.

Not a usual day in Buenos Aires.
Thank goodness.

Sunday, April 1, 2012

Monday .. Look at This Blog !






Jacqueline at home .. 

This blog,  should win awards for  beauty alone.
Go look, tell me how good it made you feel.
You can thank me later~

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