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.

Friday, January 31, 2014

This is a complaint

I do realize how annoying it is to have spammers leave messages in your comment box.
But the way Blogger has come up with these 45 random numbers to put in the little box every time you leave a message, is just as annoying.
When I want to leave a 3 word comment, or a long paragraph, I don't want to end it with trying to type out that long string of numbers and letters.

I got rid of mine.
I got wild and crazy and said to myself... So what if a spammer leaves a spamish message, I can delete it.
I would rather get messages/comments and I know people are being turned away by not wanting to go through the stupid 30 number password game.

So this is to my fellow bloggers also .. I can't leave messages the way I would like to because I just get defeated by being stopped and having to type in all those squiggly numbers in the box.

Maybe we can just turn off the security for a day or two and see if it is really that overwhelming ?

I did .
I say come on spammers, I am more stubborn (crazy)  than you are.

**Sorry - Since I posted this, I have gotten the most Spam on a thread ..
Therefore SPAM GUARD is back On **

Friday Foto

They are walking down the street, right past my front door. At the end of the next block are the miles of Parks where we used to wander, Pup used to play, hummingbirds were a common sight and we were Happy.
Wishing you a Happy Friday.

Wednesday, January 29, 2014

A Mighty Long Winter

It is 77 º in Buenos Aires right now .
It is 2º here in NY State, ... I am wearing flannel pajamas, my husbands fleece top and a blanket wrapped around me.

The birds are wearing little down coats and fuzzy hats and I think I saw a chipmunk wearing mittens.
What ? Yes ! Really !

It is bright and sunny... thank goodness for small favors.

I am considering driving somewhere .. finding something ... perhaps a kitten.
Perhaps a pair of warm boots.
Perhaps I will just visit friends and sit by a fire with a dog holding my hand.

This has been a mighty long winter.
I used to think that about Summer in Argentina .. at the end, it was just so hot and humid and I wanted to wear Fall clothes and sleep without an air conditioner.
Now all I think about is Summer .. being able to walk outside .. check the mail and not worry about frost bite.
Take out the car and go somewhere without worrying about being stuck in the cold somewhere, ice, bad drivers on snowy roads .. ( no matter where you go, there they are ) ..

I would like to take some nice long walks, go exploring and perhaps do some gardening.
Or house hunting.
Or just go to a town like Hudson and enjoy wandering up and down the street, looking in all the windows and browsing the antique shops.

Or have tea at the Red Lion Inn in Stockbridge , shop at the outlet stores in Lennox .. anything but sit here and wait for Spring.
It is pretty sad when the birds are getting out and doing more than I am.

I promise not to complain this Summer when it gets hot. Promise .
Now can we have some warm weather, please ?


Tuesday, January 28, 2014

Musique!


Manuel De Falla ..  La Vida Breve


Enjoy the music.
The snow is high but the roads are clear  and I am getting out of here !

If I am not back by dark, send the sled dogs.



Monday, January 27, 2014

On a Summer day

This photo was taken last Summer .. which would be last Winter here in the US.
It was a block from my home, in Buenos Aires.. we would walk across the street, up a tiny one way street that was home to a wonderful hidden cafe and then at the top of the block, there was this massive building with these flowering vines.
It was across the street from   the British Embassy to Argentina.
It was "our" neighborhood, where "our" parks were located and where we spent time almost every single day .. especially when Pup was with us.

That last sentence sums up Everything I am missing, on this cold winter day in New York.
Our neighborhood, Pup, the other person who made us We instead of just Me... and warm weather

Actually Warm goes with it all... Pup was the best creature for snuggling with, he was this soft, warm, curly haired boy.
My husband was not so curly haired but he was definitely the best warm man to snuggle up to ... and then there is the small matter of it being Winter here and snowy and cold and right now in Buenos Aires it is Summer.

If I cannot go back in Time and be with them again, I think I might have to just Go Back and Be There again.

That is my New Years Resolution .. since I haven't made one yet ...
I have to go back to BA soon.
On a Summer Day .. or a Winter Day , or a Spring or Fall Day.
 I won't be picky.









Saturday, January 25, 2014

My New World

I had all these plans for going out today and doing things like Look for a Kitten.
Or Shop for Snow Boots.
Or even Buy Soup.

But for some reason, silly me, I forgot the part where I live in a Place Where It Snows .... OFTEN .

Yep, you know who   has been so bold as to come right up to the doors and look in and see what's cookin !
Somehow, the word is out ... The Lady in That House Feeds Birds.
That is all it took ... they are out there, having a good ole time.
I refuse to buy another bird feeder. 

I refuse to put out hay for deer or whatever and I really would like refuse to believe that not only are there Deer out there, behind my property but now I know there are ... are you ready ? 
Bears. 
Don't forget the Foxes, Coyotes ... yes, someone took the wrong turn at the Wild West intersection and ended up in New York State.
And while I have your attention ... you are paying attention aren't you ? 
I have been informed that things have gotten so nice up here for certain creatures that we now have Wolves . 
Foxes, Bears and Wolves, ... My World is Complete.




Friday, January 24, 2014

verification

Shhhh ... I removed the comment verification thingee so people can comment without being hassled.
IF spammers find out, then it will go back on but for now, maybe people will feel like leaving me a comment with none of that filling out little numbers in boxes thing.

besos ..

See People

Someone , the wonderful (DumbWitTellHer) , wrote this amazing post ... go read it next...
It is titled Dear World.
Almost every single thing she wrote, rang a bell, felt like she was talking about my life, felt true in my life also.

But the part where she says See People ... that is what is wonderful.

How many times do you pass someone on the street, someone who might smile at you or hold a door , 10 minutes later, would you remember them ?
If you remember, would you be able to describe that person ?
When you checked out of the store today, did you speak to the girl/boy  at the register ?
Did you look at them ?
Can you remember what they looked like ?

I look at people.
For all sorts of reasons and for as long as I can remember .. I like to look at people.
I look at their clothes, their faces, how they move.
How they sound is important too ... but over all, I am just interested in Other People.

I have lived in quite a few different places with different sorts of people and not just in the language or way they dress ..
People in , say, North Carolina, sound different from people in England .. they dress differently from people in Hawaii, they like different music from the music in Buenos Aires .. yet, I have lived in these places, I  have been one of the people in all  these places.

So how can we look at anyone and think they are different from us ?
Aside from the obvious, we all want the same things and enjoy the same things and have the same dreams ..
So yes, See People. ... and think of this ... How do they see you ?




I must be feeling very philosophical today .. don't worry .. it will pass.
well, you can see non-people too .. 

Thursday, January 23, 2014

It Is So Cold Out .....


The birds are wearing overcoats.
 I am considering learning to knit, I will make them all tiny little scarves.
Maybe little mittens for their feet.
It is so cold out, I wonder if their feet stick to the metal bars on the feeder ... similar to stories my husband told me about being in Siberia, if you came in from the cold and drank warm tea, your teeth could break kind of stories.

The roads are clear and the sun is shining, I am going shopping.
I am going to buy large bags of bird seed. ( and yarn ? )

I will get ready-made food from the cafe in Chatham so I won't have to bother cooking for just one.
It is fun if it is for two, it can be creative and interesting but so far, for just one with little appetite, it is a waste of energy.

I will see how the roads are, probably fine, and drive farther away and visit a Pottery Barn or Pier One and find something things for the house .. for me.
Mostly I need something for my kitchen windows.
Due to childhood trauma ( another story-another time) I have this "thing" about uncovered windows at night.
They become mirrors.
You can't tell if Godzilla is on the other side of that glass.
Actually, Godzilla would not frighten me as much as something else ..but you get my point.
And one of the good points about this kitchen/house is the windows.
Panoramic giant windows at the end of the kitchen, the part where I cook, prepare, wash , everything.
So at night it is wide open to the peepers out there ... I know, bears are not interested in what I am wearing but still, it gives me the creeps.

I also want to find a Starbucks.
I want to sit somewhere with other people around and not feel like I am the only person on this frozen planet called Upstate .

Maybe in all my wanderings, I will discover a kitten place .. you never know what I might come home with.


Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Stay Warm

Today was a day of waiting and dashing,searching and driving, shopping and talking, cooking and eating ... then  trying to think of what to do next so I don't just sit here and feel   alone and sad.

The exterminator was due today to check on the traps, to see if he accomplished the promise of giving me a mouse / pest free home.

I didn't sleep well last night and then as we all know how it goes, this morning I could have slept for hours .. snug and warm and sleepy.
But noooo, I had to be ready for the exterminator.
Who was late.
But he  declared the house Mouse Free ! yay.
No signs of pests, I can breathe easy again and not lie there in bed at night, wondering if every little noise was a mouse in the attic or walls or god forbid, my bedroom.

As soon as he left, I got ready and took off for Massachusetts, where my Bank is.
Smart, huh ? Move to New York and get a bank account in Massachusetts.
There were reasons ..
The drive is quite beautiful and kind of fun.. hills , dales, forests, beautiful homes and gardens and you can Go Fast.


I was going to walk around Great Barrington after the bank but unfortunately, my blood is still thin from Argentine temperatures. Living in the Frozen North is going to take a while to thicken my blood.
Or freeze it... whatever.

So I scurried to my favorite grocery and did all those daily chores, then zipped back to New York .
I know it is cold.
But then someone told me to stay inside and be careful.
What ?
It is going to be around Zero Degrees tonight. And 7 Below with the wind and all that ...

Would someone in Argentina please adopt me and let me come back and live with you ? bringing my children and grand- babies  with me ?
Gracias !!

So here I am ... loving the sound of the furnace going on .. worrying I will run out of oil or something , wondering if there could be a blackout because of all the power usage ( it happened in Buenos Aires!) and wondering what I would do  ... sit in the car with the heat on I guess .. wrapped in a blanket... they would find me the next day , frozen in my comforter in my car with Tango music playing.

I think I need another cookie.

Stay warm everybody ..


Monday, January 20, 2014

If I were in Buenos Aires

If I were in Buenos Aires right now, this would be the view.
I would be walking everywhere in light summer clothes and enjoying the cool breezes in the shade of the massive trees in the parks.

I would take the walk that we took at least once a week ... from our house down an avenue, to a street where we would stop for fresh baked scones.
Then with our bag of scones, we would walk on to the park.
Where we would sit in the shade of one of these massive trees and share a scone.
Planning the day ahead.
Figuring out if we are eating in ( gotta shop for that ! ) or where we would eat out.
Or ... do we want to just be lazy and order Take Away ?

Pizza ... thin, crisp, not too much sauce or cheese.. perfecto.
I have yet to adjust to New York pizza..
 
Or Qiero Mas ... the pasta place .. they only deliver or have Take Away ..
Pasta Putenesca on rigatoni was my choice, every time.
They were also good because they delivered within the 20-30 minutes you ordered, so you got it very hot and fresh.

Needless to say, things are different where I live now.
The view out the window is one of snow.
A lot of snow.
Everywhere .... Snow.

I can't bear to walk out the door to check the mail. Forget about go out and to a store !


I sure would appreciate some Buenos Aires heat wafting up our way soon.






Sunday, January 19, 2014

Possibities

The little family unit has gone back to NYC and I am once again, all by myself.
There should be a little cat here with me but I was unsure , as I often am now.
I didn't know if it was a good idea, the kitten was older than I planned, has a bit of an illness and needs antibiotics .. I don't think I can deal with that right from the start. 
It might be a much better idea to get a healthy kitten and enjoy that first , being nurse to a kitty can come later, if it ever has to come.

Yesterday it started to snow and we all watched big fat snow flakes falling, faster and faster, this morning was bright and sunny and there is a lot of snow. 
A Lot.
The boy child shoveled, like a pro ! 
I am so impressed ! and now I have a clean driveway, the street is plowed, I can leave the house .... but ... there is nowhere to go.

It is Sunday and I don't want to go far .. it is a bit too freezing cold to take a walk up the hill to spend a few minutes chatting with the sheep and horse.
The Highland Cattle are very clique-ish lately, they stand apart and just stare .. uppity cows... see if I care, I can talk to the horse and the sheep and even the goat .. 

My memory seems to have suffered a major blow when grief slammed into me.
I find myself looking in the closet for something, like a twit I see a bright shiny object and get distracted then I stand there and try to remember, what am I doing here in front of the closet ?

I have to find something ... but what ?

If I don't know what it is, I certainly can't know where it is ! 

Time for tea and some chocolate, I say !!

In the middle of the night, I will be lying alone in that huge bed ( it got bigger , I swear it did ) and everything I forgot today, will pop into my mind ... 
Then I am faced with the dilemma, get up and do it / find it now, or wait til morning and risk forgetting again.
If I lay there long enough and consider it, I fall asleep and forget it the next day anyway.

It will be interesting to see how I fare this winter ... who / what will come stumbling out of my house in the Spring ?

A shaggy headed old woman wearing mismatched socks and her husbands old sweater ?
A manic blonde wearing too much perfume ?
A shuffling old woman who looks around dazed and confused and then goes back into the house ?

The possibilities are endless.



Friday, January 17, 2014

Getting Catty

Today was one of the sad ones.
I have things that are cheerful to look forward to , in a matter of an hour maybe, that will happen.
But when I woke up, I was sad and it didn't get better.

So I forced myself to get dressed and get the hell outtahere !

I decided as  I drove, to go to Hudson, New York and look at cats.
They have a very nice cat rescue/adoption agency.

I hoped it might be one of those Meant To Be stories coming along .. I pulled over and asked a parking policeman where the shelter was and he pointed across the street.
The parking spot was right there.
I took this as a good sign.

I walked into this little Victorian house , re-born as a vet/adoption/shelter/home for cats.

Of course, as most people know already, Cat people are kinda crazy , in all the Best ways .

I was sad.
Looking at the cats made me more sad.
I kept thinking this is what my husband and I were supposed to be doing together.
He wanted to do this, he wanted to pick out the perfect little pussycat for us.
And now here I am, surrounded by all the cheerful young people, with their arms full of cats.
It should have been cute or funny, but I just got more sad.

I looked at what was available, older, large , depressed kitty cats.
Then I said I was hoping for a kitten, to raise, with few bad habits and possibly a bit of bonding and snuggling would develop.

So they brought out this little cat.
Pitch black, not a speck of white or any other color but huge yellow eyes.
Not purring but snuggling a little.

Then they told me he was sick and on antibiotics .
He was very thin.

I immediately thought that if I adopted him, I would name him Lucky.
(because black cats are bad luck .. but his good luck would be that someone took him home )

But as it went, so far . . he hasn't got a new name yet.
I was just not sure about bringing home a sick cat.
What if it cost me a fortune in vet bills ?
What if he got worse, what if he died ?
We all know that at this point in my life, a new pet dying on me would probably  ... well, let's say ... it would not be  conducive to my own good mental health.

So I told them I would call them.
I thought possibly my son would go with me to see him.
But now I am thinking , maybe not.
Maybe the Right One will just come along, I don't have to make it right, it just will be.

So for now, I am still alone, no cat, but there are still the cows up the hill, with new babies by the way and the horse still stands there and stares at me ..
He wants me to go for a ride with him.
Yes, I speak horse.






Friday Photo

Where would you rather be ?

Recoleta, Buenos Aires, Argentina ..

Tuesday, January 14, 2014

Soup

First it snowed. Then it melted .. then it rained.
Then it rained buckets and my property began to look like a moat and the house was my castle and I had better get a boat !

Then it all soaked into the ground and I was saved from having to learn to use oars.

It is nice that it is sort of mild out during the day .. although rumor has it that it will be very cold again.
Cold I can deal with .. I have all these lovely coats and scarves, given to me by a husband with the best of taste.
But I don't want to be snowed in or have to drive on scary roads .

So I can see the grass and the rain lakes are soaking in and tonight the fields beyond our tree line went from golden to a white mist  .. very eerie and very very beautiful.

The exterminator came back this morning.
I "heart"  my exterminator.
While he is telling me about what he is doing and why, he is telling me stories about mice and spiders and then he will tell me a story about a celebrity that he knows who lives up here .. it is a bit of interesting cheer  in a day of bad weather, boredom and sad  .

I made a pot of soup.

I need someone to feed.

I might bake tomorrow.

If the weather is dry and driving is safe, I might venture to an Animal Shelter somewhere close by and see what the kitten situation is looking like.

If the weather is dry and driving is safe, I might just drive to Hudson (NY) and look at the antique shops and have coffee at the little French cafe.
IF it is not freezing cold.
Which is probably will be.

Or ...... maybe I can tempt my nice neighbor lady to go with me and we can explore the little towns north of here ... ending up in a huge mall with a Pottery Barn .. yeah, that's the ticket.

This is all so  hard.
I never thought my happy life would be so abruptly and shockingly over.
I was spoiled.
I wish everyone could be so happily spoiled as I was.

I hope someone would give me a new recipe for soup without meat in it.

The sad will go away in its own time or maybe never.

But I still want to make soup.

photo  Framed Cooks






Saturday, January 11, 2014

Rain

If I see a big boat go by, with maybe a couple of the cattle and or the sheep or horses up the hill, I will know that it is time to pack my bag and get on that boat too.

I woke to Rain.
Hard , can't see through it Rain.

It got very dark, creepy .... it was raining when I woke up and it got darker and rained more ..  my property has little lakes all over  .. I expect to at least see a family of ducks, if an Ark doesn't come by instead.

Should I expect ducks to visit my pond ? that is an island now.
I have to buy a boat.
The fog is coming too, just in case we need more of a "creep" factor to the story.



Friday, January 10, 2014

Have a Good Weekend !

The exterminator came today and said that yes, there are mice but there is no sign of being over - ridden with mice and creatures. He put down some poison today and will be back next week to do more and that will be that.

I am so relieved and he was just several hundred dollars Less ! than the quote from the other person.

It is snowy and very cold out.
That was a surprise ! waking up to snow ! I have not adjusted to this Living Up North business yet.

But the roads are clear, I will do some errands and maybe stop at a cafe ... I will try not to shop at the boutique next to the cafe ... really ... I will try hard. Promise.

Wishing everyone a good, safe, warm weekend .. or cool if you live in Argentina.

I want to look out my window and see my old view :



Wednesday, January 8, 2014

A Mouses Tale

I have been sleeping OK these past weeks, once I can actually fall asleep.
This being the first time in over 40 years that I have slept at home alone every night.
But lately I have awakened and noticed an itch.
An itchy spot on my right ... breast.

It looks like something has been biting me !
Of course, I changed laundry detergent, soap, lotions, everything that could possibly be causing me to have what look like bites or a rash on my ... chest.

Then I woke up one morning and there were more bites.
Something  is dining out on me as I sleep !!
I am by turns, horrified, angry, disgusted, wanting to run through the house screaming, and well, puzzled.
What in the world is coming into the bed in the night and dining out on my ... chest and then leaving no trace. Not even a note .
No sign of anything during the day ... puzzling.

So I did what all the Smart People do, I called an Exterminator.

Then I washed every sheet and towel and pillow case in the house.

This   nice man came  to the house and inspected it better than the Home Inspection guy.
Then he told me I have mice.

No, the bites on my b**bs are not mouse bites, they are bites from some kind of mite.
A mouse mite.
Are you disgusted yet ?
I am and I already know the end of the story !

For many thousand dollars and a contract that will probably be passed down through my great grandchildren, I can have them exterminate.

I was almost doing it , he was writing it out ... when the neighbor from Heaven came over to see how I was doing.
I told her the story, she discussed it with the exterminator and I ended up telling him I have to think about it, I will call you.

Tomorrow the neighbor is taking me shopping.
She told me I have to get up early and be ready, we have a lot of ground to cover.
I really love her.

We are going to buy mouse traps, the kind that are Black Boxes and Decon.
All for the basement.

For the house ....     I am getting a cat.

Yes, I will soon be the happy property of a cat.

Who will sleep on the bed and eat bugs and mice and keep me company and entertain me and
travel with me.

To the next house .

Yep, I told the realtor to come see me soon.
We have things to talk about.

For now, I am going to be a cat mama again.

Photos as it happens, promise !



Tuesday, January 7, 2014

Checking back in


For those sweeties who asked me to let them know how my expedition to the market and out into the Arctic cold went :


It warmed up to 16 .. I was tempted to throw off one of my scarves, but changed my mind.
2 pairs of socks and warm boots, my toes are still frozen.
1 pair of leather gloves with cashmere lining ( last year present from my husband) and my hands did not suffer at all. Warm as toast... which makes me wonder - how are cashmere socks ?

I wore a coat that is too big on me and has sat in a closet for years because it was never cold enough to wear it ... I didn't care if it was too big, I was warm in it ! And if you get bored sitting at a traffic light, it is good to pet . . soft ...soft ......

The roads are clear and dry and the sun is shining .
The drive through the countryside to the market was lovely and coming home I saw that a couple of neighbors nearby have deer in their yards.
My yard just has birds in it at the moment, the deer come along early early in the mornings....

Now to snuggle down in a corner of the sofa where the sun is shining in from the big front window and start a good book ..




3 degrees ?

So I woke to bright sunshine,  blue skies ... it was cheerful !
The house is warm and cozy, a bit empty and someone is missing but it is not terrible here right now.

I took my time with several cups of coffee, reading blogs, looking at photos on my tumblr blog.

Then I made my grocery list .
Time to get the day started !

Now it is after Noon and I am dressed and ready to go out.
I got a phone call.
Telling me to stay inside, it is too cold out.

How cold is too cold ?
Well, apparently 3 degrees F is too cold.

Ha ! I laugh at 3 degrees !
Feh ! I say ... the sun is shining, cars are driving, people are out and living, even if it is 3 degrees out there ...
(I don't know how to make the little degree thingee on the computer)

But then the seed was planted :(
What if the car breaks down, a tire flattens, 3 degrees might not ffffffeel sssooo gggood :(

What to do, what to do ?

I am wearing my warmest clothes, several layers of them and I am going to the market.
I won't go to my favorite store .. it is in Great Barrington, I will go to one that is more local.

Feh .. 3 degrees .. spoils all my fun :(

Monday, January 6, 2014

Memories

The last year we were in Buenos Aires, I spent my days walking all over the city with my husband and taking photographs of the buildings and parks and streets.
Now and then I would take a photo of a dog or a person , a young man walking his cat on a leash in the park, musicians in the park, sweet old couples sitting on a park bench ... that city is brimming over with photo ops !
But the architecture and those cobblestone streets, the old buildings next to the new modern ones and the parks and trees, those were the stars.
None of them ever looked bad.
They were there for so very long, they will hopefully still be there a long time from now.
I often wish I were there now.
I miss the streets, the sounds and the sights.
I miss the people.
Quick to share a laugh with a stranger they might be passing on the street, taxi drivers who will tell you a funny story or sing along with the radio in a beautiful voice.
A young man, helping a very , very old woman cross the street.

I miss walking Pup in the parks.
Stopping every 10 feet for someone to pet him, to ask me what kind of dog he is and can they take a photo of him.
There are photos of my dog, all over the world. Japanese visitors , French, Italian, Israeli and British, they all wanted to pet him and talk to him.
That dog had more people kiss him than anyone I know !
I miss the statues in the park !
I miss walking to the bakery , the one by the park.
We would get our weeks worth of scones and a couple of extras then walk over to the park, sit on a bench under one of those amazing Ombu trees and have a scone.
We would get our veggies and fruit at the produce market on our corner.
We could get sweets at the bakery across the street from our home.
We could walk in the park a block and a half from our front door.
We were in the most perfect location.
And then there was the Belle Artes Museum,
the Palais de Glace and the Recoleta Cultural Center, 2 blocks from our door.

Two  blocks from my door now , a farm, cattle, sheep and some goats.

Across the street is the little lady who reminds me of a sweet grandmother in a fairy tale, she made pea soup for me today.
Next door is her daughter, she just checks to be sure I am okay and delivers the soup.

If I have to be alone and lonely and sad, I guess these are about the best neighbors I could ever ask for.

My children need to move closer, or even better, what if I move back to Buenos Aires and get a really big apartment or a house and we all live there together !
I will babysit ... I think that might be a plan.
yes... I like that idea.












Sunday, January 5, 2014

Real Estate


Real Estate
Funny how it used to mean nothing to me and now it has become so much a part of my life.
Not that it is my job ( my job is being here, annoying people) but it sort of evolved, in our lives.
We waited and saved and looked and searched and found a house.
It was the house of my dreams. We made it more special, we loved it and enjoyed it then we sold it.
Then we moved to another state and bought a house.
We made it special, we liked it but we were not in love with where it was, so we put it on the market and sold it.
We decided to move from the East Coast USA to the West Coast ..
We rented there while we looked for a new home.
We really just loved the apartment we rented, a loft style fabulous views brand new apartment.
While we were living there, enjoying the city, my husband decided that we should take a vacation, go somewhere different. I was sad that he did not say let's go back to Paris or London.
We went to Buenos Aires instead.
The Paris of South America, if it makes you feel any better.

And we fell in love .. with the city. With the people. With the life there.

We went home after a 10 day vacation and all we could talk about was What If ? What if we moved there ? What if we bought an apartment ?
It took us 4 months to decide, pack, ship and move to Buenos Aires.
We lived there for 6 years.
I kinda wish we had stayed there.

On days like this when a person is alone and snowed in and bored and refusing to bake another cookie, Buenos Aires looks even better !!

I was "talking" to a friend. He is a nice man, a kind man, a very polite man who would never say Please stop whining !!
He told me about this ... yep ... real estate... But in the USA.
I guess I should give it a try. Make myself believe that there is somewhere besides a ranch house in the country , that might appeal to me .. right here in the USA.
I will share it here .. We can look together .. see what happens.
Watch out, we might be neighbors some day !!

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Friday, January 3, 2014

In front of a Farm Truck

I am not quite buried alive.
But any more snow and we might have to send out for the search party, dogs, sleds etc.
The birds don't have to bother with steps anymore, the snow is up to the top so they can now look in my dining room doors while they eat the seeds I threw out to them.
So far, none have asked to come in.

Again, I give Thanks for the neighbor next door.
Before I even woke up, she cleared my driveway.
She calls to be sure I am okay and chats with me.
She has kept me from throwing myself in front of a farm truck a few times now.
Yes, can you picture it ?? me, wailing, running into the street in front of a mucky farm pick up truck, full of god knows what in the back ....  maybe I should re-think that .. if I am going to do something stupid, it might as well at least look good.

(kidding ! kidding !!!!)

If it doesn't snow anymore, I might have visitors this weekend.
This will keep me from throwing myself in front of the farm truck also.

I might have a frenzy of baking though ..
I will end up so fat by the end of the winter, I will have to waddle out to the street and the farm truck will be more damaged than I am.

I will now waddle into the kitchen and see if there are any more  croissants filled with chocolate ( a little something I threw together yesterday) and have the last drop of coffee.... then I will go check the mail.
I will wear a red hat so they can find me when I sink into the drifts.

Does UPS deliver in snow storms ?
I just remembered, another reason why I can put off throwing myself in front of a farm truck ..

PS.... it is 5 degrees F out there .. Five degrees ... why ? why ????




Thursday, January 2, 2014

Days like this ....


So I am currently being buried alive in snow.
It started in the night, there was already a little bit of snow leftover from the last little storm but this morning, there is one lane open in our street, the plows go by constantly and the snow looks like it is winning that race !
It is very beautiful.
I look out the window  and all of the evergreens have snow on each branch, making them look like perfect Christmas trees .. all they need is lights !

My bird feeders in the back are very busy and I worry they will eat everything and then sit at the window, staring at me, willing me with their little bird brains to brave the snow storm and get out there and feed them more !
This could lead to nightmares, I just know it.

My son is at work, he takes the subway and barely has to walk ..
I am hoping he will be able to bring the family and come visit this weekend.
I don't care about how much or how long it snows now but it had better be good driving conditions on Saturday or someone is gonna hear from me.

Yeah, I know, empty threats.
But I have gone all week alone and bumping around in this empty house with only a radio or TV people to keep me company and that is about a week too long.

Days like this I long for Buenos Aires !
It is Summer.
It is hot and probably a bit humid and you don't have to have someone dig you out in order to go to the bakery or browse around the shops or while away a couple of hours at the Cinema.

I know we came back to the US, mostly because we missed our children and certain things that we only would have in the US ... but now - my husband is gone. .. my heart is broken and I feel that I need to go back to where I was so happy.
Where we were so happy.
Where it is not snowing.

I think I will bake cookies.
Something I never did in Buenos Aires.
It was useless when I liked the baked goods (scones and croissants and chocolate cakes) better from the bakery ( L'epi , I miss you , mon ami !! )

Adieu , time to make some tea and find some chocolate chips.



**
as of 3:48 EST I have been told that we are expecting a foot of snow overnight.
if you don't hear from me ....
send chocolate.





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