tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-14744252994105131522024-03-05T17:48:50.773-08:00Dominican Republic and moreMrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.comBlogger61125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-57820252291534177192018-05-06T12:02:00.000-07:002018-05-06T12:02:04.476-07:00Rats
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We’ve
had several encounters with rats but the battle today was the best
one yet.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
was cleaning the kitchen last night and could hear strange noises. I
wasn’t exactly sure where they were coming from but was sure it was
somewhere by the refrigerator. It was late and I really didn’t
want to investigate too closely, so I just left the noises. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">This
morning, I went to make my coffee and discovered poop on my counter
tops. This was not the little kernels of gecko poop that we find
stuck to the walls. Yes indeed, we have a rat. I’m not sure where
the little bugger is but I’m hoping at this point that the rat is a
he and not a she with a family (that was our last rat incident). I
also found poop inside my oven. Now, I’m getting a little
concerned. There was rat poop on my new frying pan!</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ross </span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">says that we need to set traps and who am I to argue. I have
some tasty morsels of chicken to load the traps with. I cleaned my
counter tops with bleach and I am scrubbing everything like a crazy
woman on a mission. While I am not scared of rats, I don’t like
the possibility of them spreading diseases to the humans and dogs in
our home. We set a trap behind the microwave and one behind the
oven, leaving the oven about a foot from the wall.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
decided to bake a carrot cake to serve to friends that are coming
over for coffee tomorrow. I gather all the ingredients that I need
and start to mix. It is time to light the oven. I can imagine you
can see where this is going. Oven starts to heat. Suddenly, I hear
a loud thump and I now know exactly where the rat is. </span>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
peek behind the oven and sure enough, there is one large, grey rat.
He’s a little stunned at this point as I would imagine a 350 F oven
is not a fun place to hang out. He’s having a sauna. Except this
rat does not have his towel and slippers. He’s looking a little
stressed out.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ross</span><span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">, being the mighty hunter that he is, grabs a golf club.
Meanwhile, I’m taking a picture of the rat which unfortunately did not turn out. Seven dogs are locked
in the TV room as I don’t need one of them getting hit with a golf
club. </span>
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<br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
slowly slide the oven forward and the damn rat goes running across
the kitchen and is now behind the fridge. Ok, enough. Time to get
the ratter dogs out. Shelby is a good ratter. I also bring out my other big gun, Xena who is a
Dominican Cocomutt which are also excellent ratters. Now, both dogs
know that there is a rat behind the fridge. I slowly start to slide
the fridge forward, Ross is wielding the golf club and the dogs
are ready. We are going to get that rat!</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
get the fridge far enough forward, Ross taps the back of the
fridge with the golf club (there is a good reach with a golf club so you don't have to get too close) and now the rat is on the move. The rat heads
straight into Shelby’s kennel. Score! Shelby heads into the
kennel and grabs the rat. The rat is having none of being in a dog’s
mouth so he breaks free, runs through the house into the room that Ebony, Gaby and Titch are in. This rat is not going
to see the light of day. Surely the three big dogs are going to get
the rat and kill it.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
rat is now behind the entertainment centre. The five dogs are going
crazy trying to get at the rat. Ross is still hanging onto his
golf club. This rat is going down one way or another. Finally, the
golf club comes in handy. Ross slides the golf club under the
entertainment centre, gives the rat a gentle nudge and once again the rat is on the move. The rat
manages to make it past all five dogs, bolt out the back patio doors
and down the steps into the back yard. </span>
</div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">The
rat is gone.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
have five loser dogs that couldn’t catch one rat and a husband that
packs a golf club who is taking credit for getting rid of the rat.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
am shaking my head, laughing and grateful that the rat is gone. He’s
probably moved into the pool room now.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-3935719964751527762018-03-19T13:49:00.002-07:002018-03-19T13:49:58.468-07:00Driving in the Dominican Republic
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Blog
day!</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Today
I was asked to pick up a friend from his mechanics. Of course I said
yes. I’m just a helpful kind of gal. I was asked to meet my
friend at the Playero at 10:30. While I have lived in the DR for a
while now, I’m still on Canadian time which means on time, not
Dominican time which can be any time.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">I
arrive at 10:20. Great! I have a couple minutes to run inside and
grab a few bits (things for anyone not British). Park the car, put
the car in park and turn the car off. Not going into get my bits
cause the damn key won’t come out of the ignition. Now
what.........ok, re-start car and turn it of. Nothing. Damn. Ross
is not going to be happy. Start car and drive to where my friend is
parked. So, my car is running and I say, alright, let’s toodle. I
follow my friend to the mechanics shop (more about the Russian
compound later). I turn the car off. No, the damn key will still
not come out. Now’s the time I start to sweat. I silently utter
several curse words. OK, who am I kidding, the words spewed out of
my mouth like a drunken expat. </span>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Now,
let’s discuss the Russian mechanic’s compound. Tall, slim,
shifty looking guy. Cigarette hanging out of his mouth. Not sure if
he was packing but I wasn’t about to find out. There is something
entertaining about a Russian that speaks Spanish. Strangest accent
ever. My friend honks his horn when he pulls up to the 10 foot iron
gate set it a 12 cinder block wall that surrounds the compound. The gate opens and my friend
drives through. I’m wondering if I’ll see him again or I’ll be
paying his wife a visit with bad news. Finally, my friend’s
business is conducted and the gate slides open. The Russian dude
takes one look at my chariot and his mouth drops open. Ok, my car is
not in the best of shape but the look on his face was not necessary.
Further, he began to laugh....so does my friend. Seriously guys?
I’m more worried about the damn key stuck in the ignition then the
fact that the paint is a little rough.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Well,
the trip from the mechanics did not get any better. Driving down the
road, I notice the fuel light is on. Damn. So, now I need to stop
at the Texaco for 500 rd of gas – at 214 rd per US gallon so I got
2.34 US gallons or 8.85 litres. Today 500 rd is 13.19 Cdn. So my gas
was $1.49 Cdn per litre. Don’t you just love this side story? Ok,
time to get back to the real story.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">We
are driving down the narrow road to get to the gas station. Cars
parked on both sides. Off in the distance I see a small white car
coming towards me. I have more than enough time to make it through
the cars so I proceed and if I don't, the car will stop and let me go through. Ok, stupid little white car suddenly
accelerates and meets me head on about half way. I now have four
cars behind me so I am not going anywhere. Stupid Russian woman
climbs out of her car and begins to yell at me to back up (in Spanish
but my friend speaks Spanish so it’s all good.) I just would have
told her to take a flying leap. She is adamant that I am in the
wrong and I should back up. What? Over four cars? Stupid Russian
woman tells me I am in the wrong again...what the hell?? How is it even
possible? So, I put my car in park and tell her I’m not going
anywhere once she magically changes to fluent English. Then she asks
me if I am stupid. Hey, I’m not the one creating a traffic jam.
She finally gets in her car and backs up. I drive by and give her a
Trudeau salute. My friend called her a really nasty name which I
won’t repeat here. Can you say road war? Oh, and where I come
from, the biggest tires always win, so I won!</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Still
need gas. Gas light has been on all this time. I still can’t get
the damn key out of the ignition at the gas station. My friend asks me what I’m going
to do about this problem with the key and my response is that I’ll
let Ross deal with it. He just laughs and laughs.</span></div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Driving
today in Sosua was like driving in a video game (arcade game for you
old-timers). I needed to get from the Texaco turning left back onto
the main road. Traffic was seriously backed up. I wasn’t the only
one needing to turn left. A van with a local driving pulls up on my
left. SCORE! He pulls into traffic blocking it. I slide up beside
him and YAY! I also cut off traffic but I’m outta the damn gas
station. Rules of the road you ask? Well, yes there are but most
take them as suggestions unless there are legal implications such as
a traffic accident. Then the rules of the road are most important.</span></div>
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<br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, sans-serif;">Oh,
and the damn key came out of the ignition when I got home. Ross put the car all the
way into park, looked at me and rolled his eyes.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-69459066827915134812018-01-17T11:50:00.002-08:002018-01-17T11:50:41.981-08:00Laundry Day at the King Casa
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Xena puked on
Hailey’s zebra print blanket about a week ago. Today she decided
that the blanket better be washed so it wouldn’t be stained – dog
grass green puke and all. I should also point out that this blanket
has been tucked away and not being used (out of sight, out of mind.)</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, being that
today was an extremely busy day, this was perfect timing to wash the
blanket. Except the blanket didn’t fit in my washing machine. So,
bless our neighbour, she has an extra large twin tub. This twin tub
is large enough to bath a six year old child!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We got the blanket
(probably weighs 20 lbs dry) into the tub, filled it with soap and
water and the green, grass, dog puke stained blanket. It’s
on its way to being fresh and clean.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is while the
bread is rising and I am gardening because it’s not raining.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, I’ve mentioned
that the dry blanket weighs about 20 lbs....add 30 gallons of water
to that. Add to that the fact the blanket does not fit into the
spinner.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Two women must now
man-handle the soaking wet blanket and try to get as much water out
as possible.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">But, wait, it still
needs to be rinsed.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Repeat above but add
this mental picture:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hailey grabs one end
of the 50 lb blanket. I grab the other end of the blanket. She
says, “run so we get outside before it drips all over the floor”.
Ok, I’m in flip flops, wet floor and am having flashbacks to my
broken leg in August. But, in keeping Thing 3 happy, I run.</span>
</div>
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</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We make it from the
neighbour’s yard to our car port. We are both soaking wet. We are
hanging on for dear life to a 50 lb wet blanket because Hailey tells
me, “don’t you dare let my blanket touch the ground”. Gotta
keep Thing 3 happy.
</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, we are trying
to twist this 50 lb blanket to get as much water out as possible. I
can hardly hang onto this blanket. Hailey has one end, I’m
twisting the other. Hailey has a moment of brilliance. She
straddles the blanket while hanging onto one end and I hang on to the
other. With her thighs of steel, she begins to squeeze the water out
of the blanket. There was a bit of jump and squeeze – it seemed to
be some sort of yoga/gym type exercise. I can’t be sure but she
did have to go put on dry clothes. </span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">She also wanted to have us
squeeze the blanket out by pushing our butts together with the blanket between but that just
seemed wrong on so many levels.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1X2tp2d1Gaf2l6vErVrP77MrPkCyv8TbSpGiywEcDvWY-pa75lBKWssbRZWKf_-YbX6ldu7h4nqTGRFfSHz_zY23iMrMxIqGkPWA5t4wK3BvB7D2nFf4jKu2Qf4DTnfBl14Mc4yNDuU/s1600/hairy+hailey+from+blanket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="960" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjp1X2tp2d1Gaf2l6vErVrP77MrPkCyv8TbSpGiywEcDvWY-pa75lBKWssbRZWKf_-YbX6ldu7h4nqTGRFfSHz_zY23iMrMxIqGkPWA5t4wK3BvB7D2nFf4jKu2Qf4DTnfBl14Mc4yNDuU/s320/hairy+hailey+from+blanket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<br /></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">T</span><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">his is a picture of Hailey's wet, hairy pants after the thighs of steel workout.</span><br />
</div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I think I peed
myself because I was watching this from behind. I haven’t laughed
that hard in a long time and it is a true blessing that no one
witnessed this event to make a video recording. So to all my special
readers (the two or three of you), you will have to use your
imaginations.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0cm;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyUVjRTNosZqSwvLbkl0ejhMkExyg320yIgNxIVXJ4QH-5dNqF0o4W7adhmngnF_gYz6SPzmCZEl7FK-MkfTsRi244IvQqCAWRNvSfT1fjP-JpOhdeQYnUoZbLzwU8hVBBDgT3XWyqRg/s1600/wet+blanket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgUyUVjRTNosZqSwvLbkl0ejhMkExyg320yIgNxIVXJ4QH-5dNqF0o4W7adhmngnF_gYz6SPzmCZEl7FK-MkfTsRi244IvQqCAWRNvSfT1fjP-JpOhdeQYnUoZbLzwU8hVBBDgT3XWyqRg/s320/wet+blanket.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHZjKHBjJa5VKhM7Xcc6udFNXAg2ZuD_Ecz3Zya7090aFR5MKWDMphKatNsf42pg9fV3HOwsnuqVfTUR1gDGPerZ_sOM_nWgpWQftbr9KinanvqWABcR3c6e6sOYrZFKC30dhIRT7SiU/s1600/drying+blanket.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="540" data-original-width="960" height="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCHZjKHBjJa5VKhM7Xcc6udFNXAg2ZuD_Ecz3Zya7090aFR5MKWDMphKatNsf42pg9fV3HOwsnuqVfTUR1gDGPerZ_sOM_nWgpWQftbr9KinanvqWABcR3c6e6sOYrZFKC30dhIRT7SiU/s320/drying+blanket.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The blanket is clean...will probably take a week to dry but it is clean.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></b></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-52350261988172825792017-12-16T04:35:00.000-08:002017-12-16T04:35:15.261-08:00Tis the Season<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">For the last few years, I haven't been real good about writing my "annual" Christmas letter.</span><br />
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">You will note I said "Christmas" and not "holiday".</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I saw a good Facebook thingy (is that even a word?) that talked about Christmas being a celebration and a holiday is something you take and go somewhere tropical or wherever. Also, going on holiday means that you get a break from making beds and cooking. Someone is paid to do that for you.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, back to Christmas. </span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We have a tree up, some garland, a few lights, a wreath on the door, and dog hair is settling on the tree for a nice fuzzy affect. We've bought the required "Barceló Cream - Licor de Ron" which is lovingly added to my morning coffee. Does it feel like Christmas? A big NOPE here. Why? NO SNOW. This is the one time of year that I really, really miss the snow. Not the bitter cold or shoveling but the cliché "Winter Wonderland". I dumped a part of a gallon of paint on the lawn when I was painting the fence but I don't think that counts. However, if not for the cost of paint, which is getting stupid expensive, I seriously might consider getting out a roller and painting the lawn white.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, December 19, my sister con troop will be arriving from Canada - now, having family for Christmas (and she will be on holiday having someone make her bed and cook for her - and it's not me) will definitely improve my spirits regarding the Christmas season. It's been almost eight years since I have seen my only sister - my liver will recover in time. I've booked several Presidente trucks to swing by on the 20th. Hope one trip will be enough!</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">I have been busy sewing doll clothes for my niece's doll. Didn't clean the house for over a week as I was in production mode! King Ross was starting to make a bit of a stink but I reminded him where the vacuum was kept. That shut him up. I haven't sewed in a really long time and forgot just how therapeutic it was.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Yesterday (Dec 15) was our 10th wedding anniversary. Thing 3 (aka Hailey) went out of her way to cook us a lovely dinner and of course, wash every dish in the house that she dirtied. My goodness but that child is becoming a very good cook - guess I didn't fail at everything in parenting! Next week might find us making pyrogies. All depends on those Presidente trucks.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Now, on to the year in review:</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Weather was sunny, cloudy, rainy, sunny, cloudy, rainy, freaking hot, sunny, cloudy and rainy. A couple of hurricanes thrown into the mix made for some excitement.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">We made new friends, lost a few friends to illness and lost a few to whatever pissed them off. I'm always sad when either of these things happen but it's something that can't be changed so you move on with life. Each day of living is a true gift so make it the best it can be.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">So, with my random thoughts, it is my sincere wish to everyone who reads my blog, to have a Merry Christmas or whatever you wish to call this season (depending on your religious or non-religious affiliation), and a Happy New Year. All the best to you in 2018 and may you be blessed with health and happiness.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Cheers from the King Casa - Ross, Colleen, Hailey (aka Thing 3), Jack, Shelby, Boss, Ebony, Gaby, Titch and Xena.</span></div>
<div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div>
<br /></div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-38667829066208880892017-11-30T04:36:00.000-08:002017-11-30T04:36:00.289-08:00Seven Year Itch
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have now been
living in the Dominican Republic for seven years. Well, the
anniversary date is actually December 2 but close enough.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We have seven dogs.
I hope this is only a coincidence because I refuse to continue to add
to the pack.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What do I miss about
living in Canada other than family? Not much but the following: Big
Macs, Coffee Crisps, sunflower seeds, wine gums, the smell of fall,
first snow fall, and a whole host of other things that I can’t
think about right now. The coffee hasn’t completely kicked in yet.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I miss being able to go to one store and buy something knowing it will always be there. For example, frozen peas. Not rock hard pigeon peas, but sweet, green peas. For anyone who knows me well, I do not eat soft green things but I will eat green peas. In seven years, I have only found really good frozen peas twice. Seriously.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial;">Alberta Beef.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I also
miss normal driving. Driving with rules of the road. I have always
had road rage but driving here has taken it to a new level. Yes,
there are traffic laws here but I always say they are “suggested”
laws. Not many people actually follow the laws. Green lights do not
necessarily mean it is safe to go through the light. One must always
check and make sure no one is running the red. I now pass traffic on
the right shoulder because that is acceptable here. A two lane
highway can very easily be made into a four lane highway and no one
really gives a rats ass about the possibility of a head on-collision
because inevitably, someone will try and pass in this mayhem.</span></div>
<span style="font-family: Arial;"><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br /></div>
<br />
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What don’t I miss? A few things come to mind but specifically shoveling snow. Frozen boogers from shoveling said snow.</span></div>
</span><div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We drive an absolute
piece of crap looking car. It used to be a good car but the last
year has been interesting. We have had to replace the water pump,
alternator, starter, and tires. Ross found this handy little hole in the
wall place to get things fixed at a very reasonable rate. Love it
when we go somewhere and upon return to the car, we have paint and
body shop business cards stuck under the rusting windshield wipers.
Ross is now demanding seat covers as the leather has now cracked and
unless you are really careful getting in, you are going to need
stitches for unauthorized surgery. You don’t want to have a fancy
smanchy car here – cars are stupid expensive and you just never
know what you are getting as most cars are imported with a host of hidden problems. And the nicer the car, the more likely it
will look like a piece of crap from parking lots, four lane highways,
livestock on the road, motos on the road and the sun.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, about a month
ago, Thing 3 (Hailey) moved to live with us - she's having a gap year. Gap from what? We'll get that figured out. </span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been interesting
to be empty-nesters for seven years to suddenly having another being
(or alien hormonal female) living in the house with us. Kind of like getting another dog except
this one is completely house trained. Well, kind of. This one eats
about eight times a day/night. This one likes to accumulate dirty
dishes. This one has made me realize that floors aren’t just for
dog hair. They are for clothing! I never knew that. I am still
learning things at this stage of my life.</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Thing 3 is starting
to make friends. Well, mostly friends with my friends and that is
perfectly ok. For anyone familiar with the lay of the land here, any young,
attractive, white female is fair game for the local man population.
Well, the man population can think whatever they want – this Mama
Bear is on over protective drive! She has even had the garbage man’s
crew of guys cat whistling and calling at her. We didn’t get our
garbage picked up yesterday and I’m secretly wondering if it is
because she wasn’t standing at the gate.
</span></div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"></span><br />
</div>
<div style="line-height: 100%; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So seven year itch –
the only thing itchy here are mosquito bites and seven dogs with dry skin.</span></div>
<b></b><i></i><u></u><sub></sub><sup></sup><strike></strike>Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-60027849277961851242017-10-29T11:16:00.001-07:002017-10-29T11:16:57.871-07:00How I Lost Weight with Ross<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Once upon a time, there was a bold, handsome King named
Ross.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ross ruled his castle with a firm but gentle hand. He was particularly enamored with his kitchen
wench and was it was smiles all around when the kitchen wench provided him with
an assortment of tasty, sweet treats, hearty meat and potato dinners, cakes,
pies and fresh baked breads.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">King Ross with his love of sweets and rum began to
experience a hearty barrel about his midsection; and that barrel of belly, grew
and grew larger over the years. The
kitchen wench pointed out on numerous occasions that the barrel of belly was
going to cause some serious health problems.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The kitchen wench finally threw up her hands one day, wiped
the sweat from her brow, and put her calloused feet on the ground firmly and
said to King Ross, “Your diabetes is out of control and you simply cannot
continue to eat like this.”<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ok, fun fairy tale enough aside, my darling husband is on
the road to recovery. We’ve been working
incredibly hard over the last few weeks and the fruits of our labours are
beginning to show. He’s losing weight,
blood sugar is now within the normal, healthy range. Meal planning is still a chore but it is
starting to get easier.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Those of you that are close to Ross, ask him about his love
of salads! He’s got a few choice words
about each lunch salad he is presented with.
The best thing about this new diet I have Ross on, is I am also losing
weight. I must admit, I miss my mass
doses of carbs. We are surviving on
mostly protein, fruits and veggies. For
me, I can make a meal out of mashed potatoes and gravy (this is a food
group). I love rice, bread, and
potatoes. Cake. Pie.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ross is going to be a lean, mean……well, we’ll just leave it
at that!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, in other news, my Thing 3 has moved to the Dominican
Republic to live with us. She’s been
here for three days now. Boss is her
personal body guard. As I write this
blog, Thing 3 is in the pool, Boss is in the house lying beside the door that
goes down to the pool and whimpers. As
soon as Thing 3 is done with the pool floaty, he will be allowed to join her
along with the rest of the pack and the noise and insanity of four dogs in the
water will begin!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We went out for a lovely dinner last night to support a
friend with her new CD Launch. There was
a good sized crowd there to show their support.
The organizers had a draw for six CDs as well as six meals from the
restaurant. Staff handed out the draw
tickets to all the attendees. When they
began to call out numbers, excited winners were claiming their prizes. My friend and I were anxiously looking at our
tickets and she’s calling out her number to be drawn. After about five draws, I looked at her and
said, “You have the same number as I do!”
She looked at her ticket and mine, and lo and behold, the gentleman that
was handing out tickets, did not put my half into the draw box but gave it to
my friend instead. I thought this was quite funny. Thing 3 called over a staff member and tried
to explain what had happened so he very thoughtfully went and got another
ticket for us. But, in looking at he had
done, we now had two sets of tickets, but neither of us had a ticket in the
draw!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC0C4Loio1XEODnS-nJuG_mk0-gzRwQ2rEjDw5xgIub4vOEHOl44CwFoF6o66RPH-uZ8WHpOcn4IMrU3mtyG6rkiy-24GWi08HPX0ObEQzGYdVD2J5zHZaFnGZWdbguUyjqr-Mt51NLo/s1600/tickets.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="720" height="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLC0C4Loio1XEODnS-nJuG_mk0-gzRwQ2rEjDw5xgIub4vOEHOl44CwFoF6o66RPH-uZ8WHpOcn4IMrU3mtyG6rkiy-24GWi08HPX0ObEQzGYdVD2J5zHZaFnGZWdbguUyjqr-Mt51NLo/s320/tickets.jpg" width="240" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, after the draws were complete, we went to our friend who
was giving away the CDs and she began to laugh when we explained what had happened. I thought it was really funny. She was so very thoughtful and gave us both a
CD for what had transpired. And, we got them signed so that when she becomes rich and famous, we can flog them on Ebay and get rich too!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Well, enough excitement for now. Off for my sacred afternoon nap and then
NASCAR!</span><o:p></o:p></div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-21822672640893582762017-10-05T05:58:00.001-07:002017-10-05T05:59:49.354-07:00<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Jarabacoa</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For the first time, we have taken a vacation on the
island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last weekend, we travelled to
Jarabacoa which is in the mountains of the center of the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crazy roads driving through the mountains…hair
pin curves climbing uphill and downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I almost thought I was in British Columbia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tall pine trees, cooler mountain air, white
water rapids on the river…and then, a copse of pine trees with mango trees and
palm trees!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We went with our good friends, Bruce and Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent quality time enjoying beverages and
golfing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an absolutely gorgeous
golf course hidden in a really beautiful setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very lush and green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The quench wench drove around the golf course
following us with a cooler on his scooter selling us ice cold, frosty
Presidente.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy had everything for
sale:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hats, beer, and food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really didn’t matter what we wanted, he
would run and get it for us.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Let’s just say that I really, really suck at golfing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, that’s all I have to say about that.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">We stayed at the Hotel Gran Jimenoa which was a very nice
hotel right on the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, if you
have ever read my blog, you know I complain about the heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, we were in a hotel with air conditioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we turned the air conditioning on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left the air conditioning running at
18C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke up at 4 am absolutely
freezing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My nose was cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved every minute of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two heavenly nights of being cold and
sleeping under blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that
was almost the best part of the vacation!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The hotel restaurant served good food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breakfast was the only meal that was so
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dominicans really, really like
mashed things for breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mashed
potatoes, mashed plantains, and mashed plaintains with mango and onions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plaintains with mango and onions was a
lumpy grey/brown looking mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross was
brave and tried it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you say, “wall paper
paste?”</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This area of the island rarely sees gringo tourists and as a
result, everyone speaks Spanish and very little or no English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing Bruce and Mary were with us as they
both speak pretty good Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t
realize how much Spanish I have learned as when we went for breakfast Monday am
(no buffet), I had to order breakfast in Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did pretty darn good because everything I
ordered, we actually got what we thought we were going to get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you say queso frito?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Fried cheese is to die for!)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ross ate beef both nights and enjoyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had chicken one night (very, very good
cordon blue which they call “Gordon Blue”) and pork medallions in passion fruit
the next night. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were fantastic.</span></div>
<span id="goog_1688469728"></span><span id="goog_1688469729"></span><br />
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">The trip home was rather uneventful until we were
approaching Moca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area around Moca
and La Vega is a rich, agricultural area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Large potato farms, corn farms and of course banana and plantain
plantations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were almost at Moca when
we came upon a truck hauling what we think was corn feed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, when transport companies in Canada haul
loads of feed, there are height restrictions, weight restrictions, proper ways
of securing a load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, not in the
Dominican Republic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This guys load was
very slowly slipping sideways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would
hit a bump and the load would shift some more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was an accident waiting to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We knew this was rather unusual because as the guy drove through town,
even the locals were watching, pointing and laughing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were scared to pass the guy because we
knew that if that load finally went, the truck would roll and the highway would
be blocked for hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally managed
to get past him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there ever was a
time for a cold beer, that was it so we found a Colmado on the side of the
road, pulled up and the dear fellow working there sold us cold beer and we
carried on our way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(No cold beverages
for the driver though!)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ticks</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">This blog is from about three years ago.</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I forgot to publish it.......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">my bad......</span><br />
<span style="font-family: "calibri";"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I hate ticks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
been enduring an unbearable outbreak of ticks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The hot, dry summer has been the perfect combination for these little
pests to breed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our dogs have been
banished to outside..tough life for a dog!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have been sleeping in our basement bedroom which isn’t so bad because
they have their own ensuite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
going through weekly baths and tick treatments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Try bathing a 80 lb dog that hates water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack and Shelby have cooperated extremely
well but Boss has his own thoughts about having a bath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross has to hold him with every ounce of strength
he has while I give him the bath and treatment.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For the better part of three weeks, we have been fumigating
and vacuuming up hundreds of these little blood suckers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so sick of tick patrol but we think we
have things finally under control.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">For the first treatment (we didn’t really know what to do),
we packed up all three dogs in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh, how the boys love to go for a car ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think they thought they were going to the
beach for a run….Oh, I don’t think so…not on my watch anyway…horses, runners….not
a friggin chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, we head off to
Judy’s Pet Lodge for a bath and tick treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Upon arrival, I take Jack first to the bath area only because he is
quite cooperative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the tub Jack goes…Ross
is still in the car with Boss and Shelby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By the time I have started back to get the next dog, Ross is being
dragged across the parking lot by Boss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, when we arrived at Judy’s, I had left the back window open about a
third of the way so they wouldn’t bake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Boss can climb out of partially opened car window.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">There is a Dominican family living next to Judy’s who has a
number of free range chickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Boss really likes to chase chickens.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Ross almost had heart failure trying to catch Boss as he
chased the chickens and scared the life out of the family that lives
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boss is a big baby but looks
pretty intimidating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross is yelling at
the family to catch Boss’s leash (we learned from the beach experience that it
is a good idea to leave the leashes on the dogs) and they are backing up from
Boss not really giving a rat’s ass that he is scaring the chickens half to
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">I think Ross was angry…..</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "calibri";">Our dogs should have movies made about them…..</span></div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-42358863472965205642017-10-05T05:56:00.001-07:002017-10-05T05:56:19.040-07:00Pothole, Fire and Cement<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">It has been an interesting week at the King Casa so I thought I would share my experiences with my three followers of my blog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The black cloud of doom hanging over our heads started on Saturday morning. As everyone knows by now, I broke my right leg and have been unable to drive the car. My husband has been dutifully driving me everywhere and so it was off to the bank at 9 am Saturday morning.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I hobble to the bank to take care of business. I came out of the bank to see my husband and several Dominicans standing around the car with the hood up. Ross is holding a small, plastic cup and at 9 am, they are't having a friendly Cuba Libre. We drive a piece of shit car so I know that they aren't admiring the horsepower of our fine racing machine. Our car had been on fire! Holy shit is all I can think. Ok, I will admit my response was a little stronger than that.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what an alternator looks like after having caught on fire:</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASolZt_KjqCr2FYxVFcjaavh7pjGxGy_oaqRt7MR80qK7WbboA148WILQAT4sWmhtoBFb2HquBLPsprmN9yeBz2thCg42ALEQ1vBWJ9bFP0DZUJJldr3Vy7xq0ODV7Br7eXn82up3E_I/s1600/DSCN1719.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiASolZt_KjqCr2FYxVFcjaavh7pjGxGy_oaqRt7MR80qK7WbboA148WILQAT4sWmhtoBFb2HquBLPsprmN9yeBz2thCg42ALEQ1vBWJ9bFP0DZUJJldr3Vy7xq0ODV7Br7eXn82up3E_I/s320/DSCN1719.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Ross drives the car home with a friend driving along with us in his car to ensure we make it home.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">We get home at about 9:30 to discover that we had been robbed. Some enterprising thief decided that it would be a good idea to pry the iron bars off our spare bedroom window and relieve us of some of our earthly possessions. We discovered a missing television, hammer drill, Ross's Kindle, Wii, mini laptop computer, and Ipod. It should be noted that the laptop, Wii, and Ipod were all broken so we kind of got a good laugh about that.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IGggWiiVIm1NW8Ll7YiJaAn5TCeC_WXCa7KeupLW7CmTmnBrRYzyxyYnffCf0BGpi52bYg-CTP0VmDciLzLklJlgr4ie1P9rr52vQJtWv-FiZo1c7Cd8t5JsZ_wjzJSkPNocOOt0TAk/s1600/DSCN1720.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9IGggWiiVIm1NW8Ll7YiJaAn5TCeC_WXCa7KeupLW7CmTmnBrRYzyxyYnffCf0BGpi52bYg-CTP0VmDciLzLklJlgr4ie1P9rr52vQJtWv-FiZo1c7Cd8t5JsZ_wjzJSkPNocOOt0TAk/s320/DSCN1720.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Through process of elimination, and a huge bump on the nose, we know which dog finally got the thieves out of the house. Gaby saved the day! We are pretty sure that they must have tried to fight her off by hitting her with a golf club. She's absolutely fine but insists on checking the bedrooms everyday to make sure all is well.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The damage to the window was just about the most irritating part. Now we have major repairs to make and with the help of recommendations and talking to people, we have workers!</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOLiHkqGqYGw7J-dmA1iyaGGcJM1lQ0yrOGYyglUVsvEPVHCYs8fwAjuRTMSEhA3v5x26ZiqnqP3szreiVPS5Q9GfWUxYVwTF2sUqWs3ruvIm7w9r9M0KWXF8qU0BG3CWemC0gaNChj4/s1600/DSCN1721.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqOLiHkqGqYGw7J-dmA1iyaGGcJM1lQ0yrOGYyglUVsvEPVHCYs8fwAjuRTMSEhA3v5x26ZiqnqP3szreiVPS5Q9GfWUxYVwTF2sUqWs3ruvIm7w9r9M0KWXF8qU0BG3CWemC0gaNChj4/s320/DSCN1721.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7ctz-c5zkxSVGRN5wTYAHcuzHjNQQDR0cxBiu2WRAwbbyNuLHtUrGlC-CBkxPs67DI0NGbcdlD2KEqYHCnolLLdUZ6EMa6S5Q8Fnh2lsPcTwFgd1pKg4Fc6qkRrGWN6Ymx6E1R0cvYM/s1600/DSCN1722.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjX7ctz-c5zkxSVGRN5wTYAHcuzHjNQQDR0cxBiu2WRAwbbyNuLHtUrGlC-CBkxPs67DI0NGbcdlD2KEqYHCnolLLdUZ6EMa6S5Q8Fnh2lsPcTwFgd1pKg4Fc6qkRrGWN6Ymx6E1R0cvYM/s320/DSCN1722.JPG" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Prior to having the welder arrive, Ross had to take a hammer and chisel and finish knocking off all the window frame. Damn thieves couldn't even do that right!!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">First we have to hire a welder to reinforce the two other vulnerable windows as well as put the iron bars back in the damaged window. These men were amazing on how well they did the work and how quickly. We were most suitably impressed.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now for the cement repairs. I must admit this was a bit of an entertaining show but the guys that did the work were very, very good too. I have a cement frame around the window again and it just needs to be painted in a few days after the cement cures and dries.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I started this event feeling absolutely violated (they even went through my underwear drawer!) and incredibly angry. This didn't help change what happened so an attitude adjustment was required. When anything crappy happens in my life, I always try to find a lesson to learn or something positive/humorous. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is what I learned: We have great friends that offered emotional support. We have great friends that went out of their way to help us find the proper people to do the work that was required to fix our house at a very reasonable price. Everyone who helped us in anyway (large or small) knows who they are and we can't say thank you enough times. That's what good friends do, they help each other in times of need. Not all Dominicans are nasty thieves and that there are those that genuinely want to help you without looking at you as a wealthy gringo/gringa. (We have met many lovely Dominicans and my statement is a general one that is in no way intended to insult the great, good people that live here.)</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This is just another huge pothole in the day to day challenges of living here. I guess the most important thing is that we are unharmed (maybe a little emotionally scared) and our dogs are all doing just fine.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The car will be dealt with in due course.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Onward......and upward......</span><br />
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Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-53359930676558424982017-09-19T06:00:00.000-07:002017-09-19T06:00:41.387-07:00Inspiration, Hurricanes and a Broken Leg<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I have made a new friend. Her name is Meems. While I believe that Meems is not her real or full name, she has inspired me to do something I have not done in a long time - blog. So, this morning, blog I will! I might add that the inspiration from Meems came at 3:30 am this morning as we were chatting........</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">I checked out the date on my last blog entry and low and behold, it is almost two years since I blogged. My bad. I re-read some of my old blogs and there is a theme there - long periods between blogging. I'm lazy and blogging makes me make my brain work. Brain work lately seems to be a very tiring activity.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">What has happened in two years? What hasn't?!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Let's work backwards cause my long-term memory isn't what it used to be! We'll work with three recent events.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hurricane Maria is bearing down on us as I write. I don't believe Maria is going to be all that bad but what the hell do I know? Preparations include putting a few things away that could potentially be flying projectiles. That's about it. What do you really do when the wind is forecast to be 125 km an hour? Duct tape the house to the ground? Side note: I love my generator! Our beloved/hated Edenorte will most likely cut the power as they did with Irma.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Hurricane Irma left a swath of minor but annoying destruction in my already trashed yard. Irma blew its way in, knocked down trees, blew leaves everywhere especially into the pool from hell. Holy windy! Didn't enjoy that experience one little bit. We went 42 hours without power but what really drove me insane? NO internet for almost 12 hours. How does one stay in contact with the outside world with no internet? Might as well cut off my right broken leg!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, I should not make light of Category 5 hurricanes. While we were just brushed by Irma, there were many on this paradise island that did not do so well. Many lost their homes and belongings. We lived in a concrete tent and were just fine. Those that lost everything will struggle to rebuild.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">This next story isn't even a good vodka story!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">38 days ago (yes I am keeping track - I have scraped marks into the wall like one would in a prison cell), I broke my leg. I am the queen of shuffling on a "walker lawn chair" and hobbler on crutches. What a stupid ass thing to do. I slipped and fell in the mud and wet grass. I'm lying by the carport, rolling in the mud, hyperventilating and thinking, this can't be good. I heard the crack. But, I convinced myself that it was only a "bad sprain". Finally, my loving husband looks out the door and says to me, "are you ok? Do you need help?| No dumb ass...I'm counting ants running towards me because I might be rotting meat. WTH? Yes, I need help. There was a lot of grunting and groaning (and not the good kind), but Ross did get me out of the mud and into the house.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Good friends came and picked me up at 9 pm some four hours after the incident to take me to the local hospital. My loving husband would have taken me but with the pack of dogs, he would have never helped carry/walk me to the car without further injuries occurring to me and to him. We would have had dogs in the ER and that would not have worked out well for the staff.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, no matter what happens in life, I always try to find something positive and/or funny with every shitty thing that happens - here it is: I'm in the x-ray room. I've been filmed. I'm waiting. I look at the air conditioning unit in the room (I think it was -10 C in that room as I was shivering uncontrollably because I have been living in 35 C temps for so long) and that unit is being held up by a couple of 2x4s. Now, I'm laughing. X-ray is done. God love cell phones. The x-ray tech is now taking a picture of my x-ray. Guess that's better than porn or a road side accident. I know he's going to take it home to show all his friends what the dumbass gringa has done. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now, back to see the doctor who has arrived from consuming his dinner cause he's got bits of something stuck in one of his teeth. I didn't think it was a good idea to point it out as it was rather late and I probably disturbed his fine dining of chicken, beans and rice. Anyway, x-ray dude proudly shows him my x-ray and everyone surrounding me confers and declares that my leg is indeed broken.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">The verdict: immediate surgery or a cast for six weeks. Decision made - cast for six weeks as dude, there is no way you are operating on my leg with food stuck in your teeth. Dude I know you want to get back to your dinner and there is no way you are rushing through my rebuild!</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">My husband has taken on cooking, cleaning, yard work (including the dreaded picking up buckets of poop with minimal gagging...every day), laundry, assisting with shopping (Super Pola has the most awesome electric scooter/cart that I've tried to figure out how to steal without success...damn security guard keeps a close watch on me like he knows what I am planning), driving (have lost several years off my life as I am a control freak and hate to be in vehicles operated by anyone else) and most important, looking after the dogs. While Ross is generally a very patient man, his patience has been tested. The man can yell. Not just raise his voice, he can yell really, really loud. The dogs know it. </span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Now with all this going on, just prior to the leg event, we ended up with a seventh dog. Funny how shit happens - karma decided to take a vacation and bring us another dog.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Friends were on a road trip by Cabrera. In a condensed version, they found a five week old puppy on the side of the road eating her dead brother than had been run over by a car. They took the puppy home after a visit to the local vet. Landlord sees puppy, says you go or puppy goes. So, we ended up with a seventh dog that was a foster puppy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">Who the hell am I kidding - I am a failure. I am a foster failure. Xena is thriving and growing like a bad weed. She's a Cocumut. Smart little thing and this morning as I write, she has figured out how to jump up onto the dog ottoman. There is officially no safe place for the big dogs to hide from her. She was pretty proud of herself.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">So, my loving husband has also been house training a puppy.</span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif;">And how has the last two years of your life gone? Anyone want a puppy?</span><br />
<div>
<br /></div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-53815334331948165252015-11-30T04:09:00.000-08:002015-11-30T04:09:25.487-08:00Five Years<div class="MsoNormal">
Five years…….</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
It’s hard to believe that we have been living in the
Dominican Republic for five years. Five years ago today Ross and I were sitting in a hotel room with Jack, Shelby and all our worldly possessions. Where
has the time gone? The days seem to run
into each other with a constant flurry of activity.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
I’ve been reading back on some of my old blogs and can’t
help but laugh at some of the things we have experienced. Watching the “locals” doing things we just
can’t contemplate as being wise or safe.
We thought we were seasoned – boy were we “green”!</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve experienced tropical storms, hurricanes, earthquakes
and have decided wholeheartedly that these are events that not only should not
be taken lightly, but we really don’t want to go through them on a regular
basis.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve made some amazing friends, made a few enemies, lost
good friends whose health just gave up.
We have laughed and cried (well maybe more crying by me than Ross). We’ve had our hearts broken a few times too.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve missed family gatherings, and lost contact with a few
family members for reasons we can’t begin to understand – but, we still think
of them often with a variety of emotions.
We can only control our thoughts and actions and not those of others.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
People often ask us “what is it like to live where you are
living?” Well, it is sometimes a daily
challenge but isn’t life a challenge wherever you live? What makes living in Canada right compared to
anywhere else in the world? Life is what
you make it – so make the best of what you have and make each moment count. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Living life in the DR is sometimes like living in the Wild
West. Lawlessness sometimes is the
lesson of the day. Petty crime and
sometimes not so petty crime abounds around the world and it is not different
here. One of our biggest challenges is
trying to figure out the concept of guilty until proven innocent. </div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
Weather was a big factor in deciding where Ross should spend
his retirement years. Who can complain
about warm temperatures 365 days a year?
No snow although I must admit I do miss fall and early winter. The aches and pains are not nearly as
exaggerated as they are by cold temperatures but as we age, they are there.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
One of the funniest questions I think we were asked was “so,
what to you guys eat?” Keep in mind,
this came from someone who had never been to the DR. My initial response wanted to be “bugs and
grubs”. Well, to live in this country,
you must love chicken! Fast food and
convenience foods are not practical so you are forced to make a lot of
“homemade” things. You eat healthier. We cook healthier as almost everything here
is not fed antibiotics or sprayed with toxic fertilizers.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
We’ve added to our dog family – thanks to a dear friend who
lost his battle way too early in life introduced us to the love of Belgium
Malinois. We have a pack of amazing, intelligent
dogs who keep our lives interesting to say the least.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
The end of the first five years brings many emotions. Where do we go from here? Well, I would say to the beach but for anyone
following my blogs, the beach isn’t always a good idea when you take dogs with
you! We will just keep on the path we
are following and enjoy each day as a gift.</div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-12770854885364649782015-07-15T04:27:00.000-07:002015-07-15T04:27:20.515-07:00I have a dogNo, actually I have six dogs.....There should be a self-help group for people who have more than two dogs........<br />
<br />
I have one dog who has an over-active bladder....she won't sleep more than five or six hours and begins to bark because she needs to pee. I can sleep for seven hours before I have to pee. A dog should be able to do the same. I am tired. Ross is tired. You can not continue to sleep when this dog barks at you. The dog should learn to use the toilet.<br />
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<br />
This is Gaby who is seven months old. Gaby needs to learn that 5 am pee times are not appropriate. Her sister, Titch, can hold her bladder for 10 hours.<br />
<br />
My dogs like to eat. They eat clothes, linens, trees, grass, rocks, five gallon water bottles, the fridge, bugs, dirt, money, cardboard, whatever is made of anything chewable and naturally their food. It must be noted that when picking up poop in the yard, it is easy to find after they have consumed any colourful type of plastic.<br />
<br />
We have the neighbours from hell. They have 14 dogs. Their dogs bark and howl 24/7 most days. They are ugly dogs. They are stupid dogs. Our dogs hate their dogs. You can probably see where I am going with this. They need to join a self-help group. This will make them and their dogs leave....permanently.<br />
<br />
Our neighbours from hell are also deaf. They yell, they don't talk. They yell, their dogs bark. They have their TV outside. When they yell over their TV, their dogs bark and howl. I think living close to the airport would be quieter than the volume on their TV. They watch cartoons on Italian channels.....sometimes until midnight. Our bedroom window faces their terrace. I am learning Italian whether I want to or not. <br />
<br />
I noticed that it has been two years since I blogged. Where does time go? Well, the obvious answer is that it flies past, and fast. The days seem to run into each other and with our insane social calendar, life is flying by.<br />
<br />
We are going to a Dominican Style Pig roast this week. We have a birthday party invitation this week. We had a going away gathering at our local colmado earlier in the week. I have my volunteer work two half days a week. Ross is busy trying to entertain the dogs from hell every day - Ebony Gaby and Titch are Belgium Malinois x German Shepards. They are working dogs. they need constant exercise and brain games or they wreck/eat things. <br />
<br />
At some point we try and find time to clean the house. And I forgot about the swimming pools that need to be cleaned by Ross three or four days a week (our dogs like to swim). Oh, and there is my English Muffin sales plus a small bookkeeping job. No rest for the wicked as they say.<br />
<br />
About two weeks ago we had our second annual Calgary Stampede breakfast. We showed our friends once again exactly how to have a great breakfast party.<br />
<br />
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<br />
I guess I should be grateful that our health is relatively good and we can enjoy each day. We take the punches that this country gives us and we just keep on going. Chin up and all that (I am learning to speak British - we have a lot of British friends. They are learning to speak Canadian although I must admit, they don't learn very quickly). We wake up to sunshine and warm (OK HOT) days as it is summer here. The pool from hell keeps us sort of cool. We are blessed with family visits occasionally. We have great friends who offer a support network when times are tough. We are alive and kicking!<br />
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<br />
and they sleep.......sometimes.....<br />
<br />Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-52267823166605148262013-07-15T05:29:00.000-07:002013-07-15T05:29:47.400-07:00Spanky’s and Shat
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We found a new bar – Spanky’s.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You get free pour drinks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My limit I think is three but who is
counting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Actually my head is pounding
and not counting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t believe Ross’s
limit is much different than mine.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>You
can attempt to play pool after a few drinks but in my case I had difficulty
trying to even hit the white ball.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What
a fun bar to go to though…lots of laughs.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now as I start writing this blog, I have come to realize
that I haven’t blogged for a very long time.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, I don’t have many blog fans but hey, someday someone might find
some humour in what I wrote.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Oh, and before I forget, don’t let anyone forget that when I
leave this grassy paradise for greener pastures, I want to be buried with my
pruning shears!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I have sort of a mish/mash of thoughts running through my head
(might be a result of those three, free pour vodkas from last night), so bear
with me…or is that bare with me…whatever.</span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Swimming pool - *****ing pool isn’t fixed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chantel messed with that little process again
so we are in drying mode again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>But,
that’s ok…gives me more time to cut down the shit that is growing because of
Chantel.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Chantel was a bit of a
disappointment…all talk, no action…LOL<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We got a ton of rain, a little bit of wind and three very unhappy
dogs.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The thunder and lightning was
spectacular.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Some of the lightning bolts
were so close to us we could feel the heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Guess that’s not a great thing when your electrical isn’t grounded and
you have iron bars on all your doors and windows.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Rain makes things grow…you have no idea how fast things grow
in the tropics.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I swear that it rains
and the grass grows an inch a day…you prune something back and a week later you
can’t tell you pruned.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have also discovered
that it is just about impossible to kill a plant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I pruned back some hibiscus trees and took a
couple of branches, stuck them in a pot…and they are now growing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I’ll get my free hibiscus hedge yet…oh wait…that
will have to be pruned.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I’m attempting to grow a new plant – moringa.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This will be my second attempt…Ross killed
the first attempt but I have forgiven him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Supposed to be the next plant to save the world…you can eat it, drink
it, feed it to your dogs….and get this….the more you prune it, the faster it
will grow…see why I LOVE my pruning shears.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We have evil cats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They are six months old now and may not see seven.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They have attempted to flee to the outside
world but Boss and Shelby have discouraged that behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have had bathing suit strings eaten off, a
bedroom screen pulled out (that encouraged a number of creepy looking bugs to
move in but gave the evil cats something to do before Ross came along and
killed them – the bugs…not the cats).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>These cats are like crows…if it isn’t fastened down, they will carry it
off and destroy it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Their newest toy is
a stick and several cardboard boxes taped together.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There are a lot of strange people in this world.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I have come to witness some of them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>When you people watch (national sport in this
country – not baseball as everyone assumes), you have to seriously think ‘are
they opening a Walmart here?’<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And the
way some of them dress…you just know that they didn’t look in a mirror before
they left the house or in the case of the men…they simply don’t have a wife to
correct their bad dressing behavior.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
must say that everyone has his or her story as to why they are here and it is
kind of fun trying to figure out their “story” and then finding out your vision
of that person was completely wrong.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, I don’t like to admit I have been wrong but I’ve been
proved wrong in people observation once or twice.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Oh well, shat happens…..</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Now, speaking of shat…I’m still rotflmaopmp…</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So, we were invited to an impromptu (well for us anyway)
birthday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>All started innocently
enough.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Met up with some friends for a
quick beer and then off to another bar for the birthday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Grown-ups drank at the bar, kids were
swimming in the pool having a blast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Little ones running around nekid…kind of cute in the nicest way…</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The food (pig roast) and sides were fantastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dominicans know how to cook a pig!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I enjoyed it until someone made some comment
about it being chased around the field this morning and now, here we are
enjoying it…</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Anyway, the shat…so one little girl (about three years old) is
running around nekid…stops….gets a real serious look of concentration on her
face…standing BESIDE THE SWIMMING POOL……and….out pops a poop…not a big poop…but
non-the-less…a poop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, don’t fret, the
poop didn’t make it into the pool, her dad came along and picked up the
poop.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If I had had one of my dog park
poop bags leftover from Canada, I would have given it to her Dad to use.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">So after the pig and the poop, we were off to Spanky’s and
thus my rambling thoughts.</span></div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-47860918125214789252013-01-03T14:53:00.001-08:002013-01-03T14:53:05.864-08:00
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Happy New Year</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I was going to write in my blog on Christmas Day but we
ended up having a really busy day of phone calls to my girls and a lovely
Christmas dinner with good friends.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Then, I was going to write on New Year’s Day but that didn’t work out so
well either because of the fondue with good friends, cards, and too much wine
(wine will do that to you every time), so I decided that today was the day!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I looked back to see when I last blogged and can’t believe I
haven’t written since September!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, I
have to rack my brain to try and remember everything that has happened.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I found out that I am going to be a Great Auntie.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My niece, Megan, is going to have a baby in
May and she is really excited.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Of
course, I had to bug my brother and Megan’s mom about being grandparents!</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Many of you have read about my love/hate relationship with
our swimming pool.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My relationship with
the pool has deteriorated again.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The
pool has several holes in the bottom concrete and our pool is empty, trying to
dry out so we can begin the repairs and repaint the pool.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boss is still going to obedience lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves to run on the beach before
lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He loves the car ride to and
from lessons.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He does not like being
told what to do.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He is a very strong
dog.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He’s learned some of his commands
both verbal and hand.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>“Stay” really
isn’t working all that well for us yet…</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ross is a stalker.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
don’t know what it is with Ross and Russian women.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were in the grocery store shopping.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross doesn’t usually come with me but for
some reason he decided to make the trip with me.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was pushing the cart for me as I was
getting the things on my list.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I turned
to tell him something and he was gone.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I
saw him pushing the cart looking at things he would never look at…shampoo,
soap, tin foil…I couldn’t figure out what he was doing until I saw the
“woman”…she was stunning (I don’t usually check women out).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He was following her around the store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Finally I told him I was finished; actually I
was getting tired of following him around the store.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to the checkouts were the “woman”
was…she walked up to two of the nastiest looking old Russian men, one of who
was holding a toddler…she picked up the toddler…Ross’s fantasy was crushed!</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had a Christmas tree this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross and I decided to take the plunge and
decorate the house this year.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We went to
La Serena (Dominican version of Walmart) to get our goodies.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We came home with a Charlie Brown artificial
tree and assorted lights and decorations and I think I would have made Martha
Stewart proud with my decorating abilities.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We even had some garland and lights on our door arches.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We had our usual string of lights on the outside
of the house.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boss ate the electrical
cord one night so Ross had to make some repairs to the cord.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boss ate the electrical cord a second night
only this time the lights were plugged in…he doesn’t bother the electrical cord
anymore.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We had another first sighting of something that just makes
you shake your head and ask why.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In
December, Ross and I were going to Puerto Plata.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It was raining.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dominican’s don’t like to get wet.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dominican’s love plastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Dominican’s are very resourceful in avoiding
the wet and utilizing plastic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A grown
man is driving his motorbike down the highway in the pouring rain.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He has a very large sheet of clear plastic
covering his ENTIRE body.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plastic is
molded over his face as he is driving down the road and all we could see was
his mouth open wide as he was gasping for air.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The plastic was flapping in the wind behind him as he went down the
road.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I don’t know about you but one of
the first things we teach toddlers is to NOT PUT PLASTIC BAGS OVER YOUR
HEAD….this guy obviously put some thought into this.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Last night we went to a Dominican birthday party.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>A group of friends rented a tourist bus/van
to take us all to Puerto Plata to a hall.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We were among the first to arrive.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We all got our drinks set up and were sitting around visiting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>As family of the birthday lady began to
arrive, every one of them (young and old) greeted each of us individually and
really made all of us feel welcome.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They
love their loud music…holy but it got crazy after a while!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Lots of dancing, laughing and then the food
arrived at around 9:30 pm.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I made eight
dozen homemade buns to be served with the meal.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We were served first as the guests of honor (I would have
thought that the woman, Rebecca, who was having her birthday would have been served
first).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>They made a traditional
Dominican soup/stew called sancocho.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, everyone who knows me really well knows how much I don’t love
vegetables.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am also not really into
mystery meat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I googled sancocho before
we went so I knew what we were in for.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Good thing I did – if you are curious, and I know you are, google
it!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, let me say on a positive note
that the broth was lovely! LOL<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Today is January 3 – only three more days…50.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We’re having a dinner party with friends at
favorite restaurant.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Should be a fun
night and I am looking forward to it.</span></div>
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<span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"><span style="font-family: Calibri;"> </span></span></div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-57618733318388969282012-09-16T16:44:00.000-07:002012-09-16T16:45:17.650-07:00Good Times<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Jarabacoa</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the first time in almost two years, we have taken a vacation on the
island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Last weekend, we travelled to
Jarabacoa which is in the mountains of the center of the island.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Crazy roads driving through the mountains…hair
pin curves climbing uphill and downhill.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span></span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I almost thought I was in British Columbia.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Tall pine trees, cooler mountain air, white
water rapids on the river…and then, a copse of pine trees with mango trees and
palm trees!</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We went with our good friends, Bruce and Mary.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We spent quality time enjoying beverages and
golfing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>What an absolutely gorgeous
golf course hidden in a really beautiful setting.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Very lush and green.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The quench wench drove around the golf course
following us with a cooler on his scooter selling us ice cold, frosty
Presidente.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The guy had everything for
sale:<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hats, beer, and food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>It really didn’t matter what we wanted, he
would run and get it for us.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Let’s just say that I really, really suck at golfing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>And, that’s all I have to say about that.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">We stayed at the Hotel Gran Jimenoa which was a very nice
hotel right on the river.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>So, if you
have ever read my blog, you know I complain about the heat.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Well, we were in a hotel with air conditioning.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Yes, we turned the air conditioning on.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We left the air conditioning running at
18C.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We woke up at 4 am absolutely
freezing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>My nose was cold.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I loved every minute of it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two heavenly nights of being cold and
sleeping under blankets.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think that
was almost the best part of the vacation!</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The hotel restaurant served good food.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Breakfast was the only meal that was so
so.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The Dominicans really, really like
mashed things for breakfast.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Mashed
potatoes, mashed plantains, and mashed plaintains with mango and onions.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The plaintains with mango and onions was a
lumpy grey/brown looking mass.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross was
brave and tried it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you say, “wall paper
paste?”</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">This area of the island rarely sees gringo tourists and as a
result, everyone speaks Spanish and very little or no English.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Good thing Bruce and Mary were with us as they
both speak pretty good Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I didn’t
realize how much Spanish I have learned as when we went for breakfast Monday am
(no buffet), I had to order breakfast in Spanish.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I did pretty darn good because everything I
ordered, we actually got what we thought we were going to get.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Can you say queso frito?<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(Fried cheese is to die for!)</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ross ate beef both nights and enjoyed it.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I had chicken one night (very, very good
cordon blue which they call “Gordon Blue”) and pork medallions in passion fruit
the next night. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Both were fantastic.</span></div>
<br />
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">The trip home was rather uneventful until we were
approaching Moca.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The area around Moca
and La Vega is a rich, agricultural area.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Large potato farms, corn farms and of course banana and plantain
plantations.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were almost at Moca when
we came upon a truck hauling what we think was corn feed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Now, when transport companies in Canada haul
loads of feed, there are height restrictions, weight restrictions, proper ways
of securing a load.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span></span> </div>
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"></span>Well, not in the
Dominican Republic.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>This guys load was
very slowly slipping sideways.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>He would
hit a bump and the load would shift some more.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>This was an accident waiting to happen.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>We knew this was rather unusual because as the guy drove through town,
even the locals were watching, pointing and laughing.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We were scared to pass the guy because we
knew that if that load finally went, the truck would roll and the highway would
be blocked for hours.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We finally managed
to get past him.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>If there ever was a
time for a cold beer, that was it so we found a Colmado on the side of the
road, pulled up and the dear fellow working there sold us cold beer and we
carried on our way.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>(No cold beverages
for the driver though!)</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ticks</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I hate ticks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We have
been enduring an unbearable outbreak of ticks.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>The hot, dry summer has been the perfect combination for these little
pests to breed.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Our dogs have been
banished to outside..tough life for a dog!<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>They have been sleeping in our basement bedroom which isn’t so bad because
they have their own ensuite.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We are
going through weekly baths and tick treatments.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Try bathing a 80 lb dog that hates water.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Jack and Shelby have cooperated extremely
well but Boss has his own thoughts about having a bath.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross has to hold him with every ounce of strength
he has while I give him the bath and treatment.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the better part of three weeks, we have been fumigating
and vacuuming up hundreds of these little blood suckers.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I am so sick of tick patrol but we think we
have things finally under control.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">For the first treatment (we didn’t really know what to do),
we packed up all three dogs in the car.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Oh, how the boys love to go for a car ride.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>I think they thought they were going to the
beach for a run….Oh, I don’t think so…not on my watch anyway…horses, runners….not
a friggin chance.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Anyway, we head off to
Judy’s Pet Lodge for a bath and tick treatment.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Upon arrival, I take Jack first to the bath area only because he is
quite cooperative.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>In the tub Jack goes…Ross
is still in the car with Boss and Shelby.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>By the time I have started back to get the next dog, Ross is being
dragged across the parking lot by Boss.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Now, when we arrived at Judy’s, I had left the back window open about a
third of the way so they wouldn’t bake.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boss can climb out of partially opened car window.</span></div>
<br />
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<span style="font-family: Calibri;">There is a Dominican family living next to Judy’s who has a
number of free range chickens.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Boss really likes to chase chickens.</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Ross almost had heart failure trying to catch Boss as he
chased the chickens and scared the life out of the family that lives
there.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Boss is a big baby but looks
pretty intimidating.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ross is yelling at
the family to catch Boss’s leash (we learned from the beach experience that it
is a good idea to leave the leashes on the dogs) and they are backing up from
Boss not really giving a rat’s ass that he is scaring the chickens half to
death.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">I think Ross was angry…..</span></div>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin: 0in 0in 10pt;">
<span style="font-family: Calibri;">Our dogs should have movies made about them…..</span></div>
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-34993642735752234232012-07-15T12:24:00.000-07:002012-07-15T12:24:19.593-07:00Skateboard ParkDead grass.<br />
<br />
Holes dug for landmines.<br />
<br />
What do we need? A patio!<br />
<br />
Two Dominican labourers (one is a golf caddy and one is an accountant) + sand + 14 bags of cement = one paved driveway pad and a patio aka skateboard park. (Not really priceless but it is good entertainment to watch the process!)<br />
<br />
Okay, there needs to be some explanation here. We had a patch of lawn in the front of our house (great afternoon shade) where Boss had dug several holes and the grass would no longer grow. We decided that it would be nice to have a small, slightly raised patio to enjoy the wind and the shade in the afternoons. We talked to friends who suggested we use a Dominian friend of theirs who "knows concrete and is a hard worker". So, we get a price for the patio and we decided that we would get the job done.<br />
<br />
We decided in this process it would be a good idea to cement in the pad on our car port. <br />
<br />
The job is beginning to take on a life of its own now.<br />
<br />
With the language barrier, we describe in great detail what we want the patio to look like. The guys start the project (remember we have a golf caddy and an accountant). Cement is not brought in by cement mixer truck nor is it mixed in a small portable mixer. Cement is mixed by hand on the ground with a couple of shovels and a garden hose for water. They mixed the dry sand, cement mix, kitty poop (Saleen decided the pile of sand was her new royal kitty box) and whatever else happened to be on the ground. So, once all the cement was "poured", the remains also helped cement our street in front of the house. Kinda like a gift with purchase.<br />
<br />
The guys are using all the required safety equipment...flip flops, dress shoes (the accountant), one glove (a golf glove for the accountant), ball cap (caddy dude)...and Ross got the building permit (6 jumbo bottles of beer). <br />
<br />
The ground prep included breaking up the soil with a pick. We only lost our propane line into the house which needed a small fitting to repair so I can use my stove again. The guy who cut through it announced that it was "a good thing I wasn't smoking at the time".....YA THINK???<br />
<br />
They poured cement in the dark until 9 pm last night with the light from the front of the house and a 100 watt bulb in a small lamp. This morning we have a look at the "patio" and Ross is slightly sarcastic when he declared that he will need a 4 x 4 to walk up the patio as we insisted that the patio have a light slope for water drainage. I think a rope on a post would be fine...he's so fussy...LOL Believe me when I write that the patio has a good slope to it. I think that a few additional modifications will be necessary so we aren't running downhill or climbing uphill.<br />
<br />
The job should be complete next week...sometime...<br />
<br />
Today, we had this brilliant idea that it would be a good thing to take the dogs to the beach for a run. I now remember why I don't like to do this sort of activity.<br />
<br />
The drive to the beach was uneventful. Beautiful sunny day, nice breeze blowing, waves from the ocean not life threatening....all is good. <br />
<br />
We get the dogs down to the water and decide it is probably a good idea to leave their leashes on. The dogs start tearing around having a blast. Boss decided he wasn't scared of the water after a half hour or so and once he decided it was a good idea to go in, he really didn't want to get out.<br />
<br />
Until the guy running along the shore came along.<br />
<br />
Do you know how fast a Belgium Malinois and a Lhaso Apso/Maltese can run and bark? They chased down the poor guy who was now running for his life...remember how I said it was a good idea to keep their leashes on? Yup, we managed to catch them and get control. So, off the guy ran and he was forgotten.<br />
<br />
Back to playing on the sand (Shelby is digging holes and rolling in it) and running in the water......<br />
<br />
Until the Dominican riding his horse came trotting along the shore.....<br />
<br />
Horse + Boss + Shelby + Jack = mass hysteria...I'm yelling at Ross...Ross is yelling at me and Shelby is chasing the horse down the beach with absolutely NO intentions of letting that horse get away from him. He is a mighty horse hunter/chaser!<br />
<br />
So, Ross hangs onto Jack and Boss...I'm now also a runner, running along the shore by the ocean, except I'm really not dressed to be an athlete...I'm wearing flip flops...and Shelby isn't listening...about a km later, the guy on the horse FINALLY realized that Shelby is chasing him...I seriously can't believe he didn't hear him barking...OMG...I'm gonna have a heart attack by the time the guy on the horse comes riding back toward me so I can catch that leash I left on Shelby. By this time, Jack has broken away from Ross (the one km back) and he has joined me so now I have two dogs to take back.<br />
<br />
We get back to our little piece of paradise...I drop Shelby's leash by the water bowl...the little ****** decided he is not done chasing that horse AND RUNS BACK DOWN THE BEACH TO WHERE THE HORSE IS. I am on another run down the beach...Boss is trying to get away from Ross to run with me...Jack has made a break for it again too.....<br />
<br />
My legs feel like jello....<br />
<br />
Ross needs physiotherapy for his shoulders from hanging onto Boss.....<br />
<br />
So, this time after my jog, I announce that it is time to go home. We make our way to the car where Ross is waiting with Boss who is tied to the hitch on the car.<br />
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The ****ing horse and rider decide to make one final pass...<br />
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Boss breaks his choke chain when he leaps for the horse and rider....20 minutes later, we finally have all three dogs in the car...we are covered with sand...hot...cranky.<br />
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Time for a beer and a nap!Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-30344140086286487942012-05-02T16:18:00.000-07:002012-05-02T16:18:38.181-07:00Water and more waterWell, it’s been an interesting couple of weeks.
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Happy 65th Ross!
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We had a fabulous birthday celebration at our local watering hole (Jolly Roger) on the 21st. Lots of laughs and dancing...and of course, Red Solo cups! All was good until the Bird Dance...the Dominican's were looking at us like we were on crack...all the Canadians knew the Bird Dance and jumped up and were all over that one...better response than the YMCA! And our British friends picked it really quickly and are still talking about it! We went out for dinner with good friends and then headed for one or two celebratory beverages…okay, maybe more than one or two. Actually I know that it was more than one or two...I had the hangover to prove it!
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Note to self: upon arriving home at 2:30 am and fumbling for your house keys, it is very important to NOT leave your interior dome light on.
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Note to self: a new replacement battery for the one with a dead cell from leaving the interior dome light on for three days is a mere $3500 RD.<br />
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Actually, there is a little more to the story…Ross…generator…booster cables…installing new battery and having the door locks pop shut when car keys are laying on the front seat…but it’s all good now…the car starts! I wasn’t here for the final battery event but I am sure that a small amount of profanity took place.
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We’ve had a really rotten winter/spring, well at least by tropical standards. I know I have reported that it has been cold and rainy. We had absolutely NO idea how much rain can fall in the tropics. <br />
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Last week (Tuesday the 24th), our area got slammed with the worst rainfall and flooding in 50 years. We received 8” of rain in two hours. Some of the downtown areas were under waist deep water. People living in low lying areas lost their homes and everything in them. Unfortunately, these were some of the poorest people in the area. We can count our blessings that we live on a hill. While our yard was like a river flowing, we were dry inside. We had a very small amount of water in our basement that dried up quickly.
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I learned something about gravity. Gravity effects the flow of water. So, during the torrential downpour, I had to go out and close our basement bedroom windows. Ok, so I am soaked through in less than a minute. Our pool (yes, the damned swimming pool again…) is over flowing. Upon conferring with Ross (who is in the house…warm and DRY and watching me)…we decide that it would be a good idea to pump off a few inches of water. I start the pool pump and remove the water. I yell to Ross over the din of the rainfall that I have “shut off the pump and unplugged it and when you start the pump up again you need to remember to turn the filter back to ‘filter” as I left it on waste”. He says “OK”. I come in the house, put on dry clothes. Not another thought is given to the pool or the fact the filter is set to waste.
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When we get up in the morning, I look out the window. I look at the pool that is missing about 10” of water. My first thought is…we have a leak. I say to Ross…oh, oh…we have a problem. It is like he had the 100 watt light bulb go on…he says to me…oh…you left the filter on waste…the weight of the water and gravity sucked out the water overnight…so, now…yes…after 8” of rainfall…we have to ADD WATER TO THE DAMN SWIMMING POOL. Ross puts in about 5” of water and yes, you guessed it…it started to rain again and brought the level up to almost overflowing…again. No, I didn’t drain any water…we just let the wind and evaporation take over.
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On Monday the 23rd, we had a lightning strike on the hill we live on. All we lost in the electrical charge was our internet antenna. Others lost computers, televisions, internet modems and so on. So by the time we figured out what was going on, it was Saturday before we were back on-line and connected with the world!
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Jack and Shelby do not like thunder and the thunder crack at the same time our kitchen lit up was deafening. Scared the poop right outta me…well, not literally but it did get my heart racing!
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We got word on the weekend that an elderly lady friend who lives close by fell and broke her hip. Good friends found her and got her to the hospital. She had hip replacement surgery on Monday and by all reports she is doing well and up and walking already! It’s really good to know that there is an excellent support group of expats here. We wish Irene a very speedy recovery! Our good friends Patty and Kelly who own the Jolly Roger had a bingo fund raiser to help Irene with her medical costs. Just another example of the great people who live here!
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A dog with equestrian skills: Boss can now jump a four foot fence with no effort. Ross was cleaning the neighbour’s pool on Wednesday. Our good friend Stu stopped by with said battery (see above). He left Boss in the neighbour’s yard to speak with Stu. Within seconds, Boss was greeting Stu. This is the same dog that weighed about 3 lbs and was about half the size of a small grown cat when we got him. He’s now six months old and weighs about 70 lbs.
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Everyone has seen a stretch limo right? Right. I have seen a stretch motorcycle (aka moto). I had to look twice. Some local dude has extended the frame, mufflers etc and the seat on this thing has got to be five feet long. I am certain that at least seven or eight people could sit on this bike along with a half dozen chickens, a couple of dead pigs and at least four 40 lb propane bottles. Ingenuity at its finest!<br />
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In closing, I have some sad news to report. In an earlier blog, I reported that the father of my oldest two children had suffered a brain aneurysm. On May 1, Dale (age 50) passed away from complications with his wife by his side. We are all heartbroken that such a young man was struck down way too early. He had made some small progress in his recovery but I guess God had bigger and better plans for him. <br />
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Besides my daughters Krista and her boyfriend Darcy and Kaylen, he leaves to mourn his wife Stephanie, his mother, Hedy, his sister Linda and her husband Larry, his brother Jim and his wife Eileen and two nieces along with many aunts, uncles, cousins and dear friends.<br />
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God speed Dale and may you rest in peace.Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-55985355359817681492012-03-29T13:43:00.000-07:002012-03-29T13:43:38.296-07:00I am Stressed!!!!I am stressed.<br />
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The last few days haven’t been exactly good ones.<br />
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I have decided that I am not friends with our SUV. It has seriously pissed me off. I hate fuel filters and I hate water.<br />
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So, we have been having torrential rain storms. Saturday, last week, I had to drive through about two feet of water to get out of downtown. I guess our fuel lines and fuel filter didn’t care for water much. So, the car started to run quite poorly. (Doesn’t that sound proper…guess I’m hanging with too many Brits…starting to call toilet paper “loo rolls”…..ANYWAY….Ross makes a “mechanic” call and announces that we need a new fuel filter after he has taken the old one off. This is Tuesday. So, off I scoot on the quad as now we no longer have a running vehicle. I take the old fuel filter and go to the “automotive store” and I use this term quite loosely. I have the “automotive service dude” sell me a new fuel filter of pretty, shiny, clear plastic with evidence of a paper (?) filter inside…what can possibly go wrong?<br />
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Well, let me tell you what can go wrong……….<br />
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Wednesday, Ross and I head to the Jolly Roger Bar to do our Wednesday opening. After we are done our morning, we hop into the car to go home and get stuff done before we head out to our friends for a BBQ and pyrogy dinner. <br />
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Car doesn’t start.<br />
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Gas is ALL OVER the road and running down the gutters. Dominicans are standing and pointing at the running gas…bending over to smell it….ALL WHILE SMOKING. I kindly point out the fresh gasoline and am politely told that it is “no problemo”. Okay, just blow us all up…..that’s ok.<br />
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Ross is becoming very “Dominicanized”. He pulls the blue tarp out of the car, crawls under the car (remember we are still parked on the side of the road in front of the bar) and pulls off the newly installed fuel filter which has come apart. Note: pretty, shiny plastic does not make a good fuel filter especially the ones made in the People’s Republic of China.<br />
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Off I go back to the “automotive store – God I miss Canadian Tire” to show the “automotive service dude” the defective fuel filter. I don’t speak enough Spanish so after some guy hopping on his moto and going to find someone down the road who does speak English, I finally can communicate that I need another one. <br />
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Ross installs the new fuel filter and we are good to go! Well, not really but we did drive away from the bar.<br />
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Today is Black Thursday. I drove the pissy car to work this morning because it appeared that it was going to rain again except it didn’t. I got almost all the way home and the frickin car died. I had a ten minute walk up hill (no there isn’t any snow and I wasn’t barefoot). I get home and my loving husband is looking at me panting like I was going to have a heart attack and gently asks me, “where is the car?” I wasn’t all that polite when I responded to his inquiry.<br />
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So, he determines that we probably have ANOTHER ****ing broken fuel filter. Gee…….really???????<br />
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We lock up the house and get the quad out for a trip into town to get another fuel filter. We decided that perhaps we should try another “automotive supply store”. We found a metal fuel filter!!!!!!!! YES! Our problems are solved…….<br />
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The car is running much better now….except…..<br />
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Well, we had a small issue with the quad when Ross drove it home from where the car broke down. He blew a tire…not repairable but we knew the tires were on their last bit of tread. <br />
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So, off to David Tire Store and we are now the proud owners of two new front tires for our quad….Happy Birthday Ross….lol<br />
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I am drinking beer now….and starting to unwind.Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-42603358007884451132012-02-23T16:56:00.000-08:002012-02-23T16:56:56.154-08:00It's Winter I ThinkOkay, so it's winter. It's cold. I have to wear pants. I have to wear a jacket in the mornings when I drive the quad to work. I have to sleep under a blanket. I guess on the upside, it's not raining anymore and the sun has come out. I know it's been cold because Ross has put pants on too.<br />
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Well, as of today, the swimming pool is sort of fixed. The leaks are fixed we think and the painting repairs have been done. Ross started refilling the pool at 10 am this morning and after eight hours, it is about half full. By tomorrow, it should be full, chemicals can be added and we are good to go. The only work left is some exterior cement repairs which Ross and I decided we would do ourselves instead of waiting for warranty work. For something that should have taken a couple of weeks at most, it's now been two and a half months. <br />
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Doggies<br />
Not many new developments with the dogs. Boss is growing like a bad weed. He is now 18 weeks old and weighs about 50 lbs. I can't pick him up anymore and if he decides to be stubborn and not move, Ross has to intervene. He really is a good natured dog and hasn't been very destructive. His only real claim to fame is up-rooting a few trees, stripping leaves of the banana trees, chewing up one of Ross's shoes and picking green tomatoes off the tomato plants. He loves to go for walks and is behaving nicely on the leash. His ears are now standing up completely which this picture from about two weeks ago shows his ears still flopping down. He's getting a really big bark too!<br />
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We're planning a Chinese potluck night at our home next month with some friends. Ross and I are going to be doing all the cooking (Ross makes a mean chow mein). Should be a good time..last get together we had at our friends house had several people taking a midnight dip...I was extremely well behaved and didn't get into any trouble!! Ross would probably say that was a first but I have to admit it was only because I've been sick with a bad chest cold. Tourists are bringing so many cold and flu bugs to the island that everyone is getting sick.<br />
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The doors are in! Ross has got our fabulous mahogany doors installed. They look great! He's got some finishing touches left to do but they are functional. They have really changed the atmosphere of the house...really nice finishing touch. He's got a few talents I didn't know he had!<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt36yqutzXybAa0EA0v0LpMgxOoDcJol1KOtucQxURx2i4uwgHaYI21NGE1oxsYY1pWfqx3Ub1xdnAfXBd0AcWawil3ehhRMh1UvIv-b77ZuFjxOlxDy9cEudnAMF4uBzcHeeCrE22Irs/s1600/024.JPG" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgt36yqutzXybAa0EA0v0LpMgxOoDcJol1KOtucQxURx2i4uwgHaYI21NGE1oxsYY1pWfqx3Ub1xdnAfXBd0AcWawil3ehhRMh1UvIv-b77ZuFjxOlxDy9cEudnAMF4uBzcHeeCrE22Irs/s320/024.JPG" /></a></div><br />
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A couple of weekends ago, a family friend named Allison Sade Rivera performed her singing along with her band at the Jolly Roger to a full house. What a talented young lady. I think she has some of her music up on You Tube so if you are interested and have the time, search her music and enjoy! We wish her success!<br />
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Ross had a run-in with a wasp last weekend. Fortunately for Ross, the wasp lost this round. Thankfully, we had an Epi-pen handy and there were no ill effects. We are working on getting a new supply of Epi-pens from Canada as they are not available in the DR. Strange because I am sure that people have severe allergies in this country too.<br />
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We got some bad news about a week and a half ago. My ex-husband, Dale, has suffered a brain aneurysm and had to have emergency surgery. He hasn't yet woken up from the coma he has been in. Krista and Kaylen have made a couple of trips to Saskatoon to see him. Dale's wife, Stephanie, and the rest of his family have been with him and remain hopeful that he will begin the long road to recovery. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of them at this difficult time.<br />
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We are awaiting the arrival of spring and some fantastic thunderstorms. I love a good thunderstorm! The weather should starting getting much hotter soon too. Gotta get that suntan back!Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-31112909527612401442012-01-25T11:40:00.000-08:002012-01-25T11:40:49.225-08:00OMG....againWe have had alot of experiences since we have moved to the DR...however, I can honestly say that after experiencing a hurricane, my next least favorite experience is an earthquake..<br />
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Earthquakes make you feel like you have had a cervesa or two too many...a floating feeling...your stomach isn't quite right...I have a friend who described the feeling as being on a gently rocking boat...that's a very good description. The first one we experienced made me think that the dogs were running under my lawnchair and moving it around...but....no dogs...<br />
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The strongest tremor we felt was 5.1, we have also had several aftershocks which gave our windows a good rattle.<br />
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I don't like earthquakes.<br />
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The pool isn't fixed yet...and that's all I'm going to say about that.<br />
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Ross has a new project. Friends gave us some fabulous mahogany doors. He is going to install them into one of the door arches in our house. <br />
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I am going to move away until the work is complete (won't be any arguing that way...safer for everyone...lol)<br />
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Oh...and Ross can keep the dogs while I am away! LMAO<br />
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The sun has finally been shining again...poop is drying so now I have a project too....<br />
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Life is moving at a frantically, leisurely pace...wow...an oxymoron if you ever had one!<br />
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Work is good...life is good...who give a rat's *$$ is my pool isn't fixed!<br />
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Cheers!Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-53866378771244632362012-01-04T16:35:00.000-08:002012-01-04T16:35:32.456-08:00OMGI have four dogs and I'm retarded.<br />
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Dog #1 - Jack<br />
Jack desparately needs a nail trim. Jack won't let me touch his feet because when he was young, I cut one of his nails too short and I hurt him. He tried to bite me. Ever tried to hold onto a 45 lb washing machine agitator that is trying to bite you? Ok, I decided it just isn't worth it so I have a special treat for Jack that I picked up at the animal shelter.......no, it's not "THE" shot, I picked up a nice little pre-op sedative for him...hehehe...I'm gonna knock him out and cut his nails!<br />
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Dog #2 - Shelby<br />
Shelby thinks he is a cat and a racoon. He hunts small crawling things and sometimes eats them too. He chases the cat over the furniture and makes everything like his own personal jungle gym. He also excels on gathering up all of the dog toys and makes a pile of them on the couch so the other dogs can't get at them. He also has an obession with NOT getting his feet wet...now, this is a bit of a problem right now because it has been raining so much.<br />
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Dog #3 - Chip aka Devil Dog<br />
Okay, so Chip isn't really that bad of a dog anymore now that he spends quality time in his own sin bin when we go out. No more chewed furniture, dishes, towels, pillows etc. However, I did learn a difficult lesson...don't place the sin bin under clothes hanging to dry because Chip can pull clothes through the tiny little spaces on the side of the kennel and chew them up. Lesson learned: place the kennel in the middle of the room where he can't reach ANYTHING!!<br />
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Dog #4 - Boss...the baby<br />
So, we have had Boss for about five weeks now. When we got him, he was smaller than the cat..maybe four lbs. Boss is now 10 weeks old and weighs about 25 lbs. He is a mean, lean, pooping machine who has discovered the joys of tormenting the cat and the older dogs. He is developing this huge deep bark which he loves to use constantly when playing, and even more so when he is being ignored.<br />
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Okay, so when you have FOUR dogs barking, you simply want to hide in a dark space and suck your thumb in the fetal position. Now, I don't mind when the dogs are barking outside at something they are supposed to bark at, but seriously, it just isn't necessary to bark just because you can. We are working at this terrible behaviour, but dogs are like kids...they just won't listen.<br />
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Ever played Balls??<br />
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What a riot. Ross and I played Balls at our friends, Bruce and Mary's house. Now, playing balls outside can be somewhat dangerous expecially if you aren't looking at what you are doing. Teams of two work best. Balls is a game of skill and mostly luck when there is a small quantity of alcohol involved.<br />
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Now, GET YOUR MINDS OUT OF THE GUTTER!!!!!<br />
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Balls is two drilled out golf balls tied on a length of rope ( O-------O ). You hang onto one ball and carefully swing the two balls towards a plastic frame about four feet high that looks kinda like a ladder that has three rungs. If you are skilled, but more lucky than anything, and managed to get your balls hanging on the rung, you score points. Distracting the other team is allowed.<br />
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Swimming Pool Repairs<br />
Well, the time finally arrived to have the warranty work done on our swimming pool.<br />
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This work started in the middle of December.<br />
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Step 1 involved a Dominican pool expert (LMAO) plumber type guy showing up to assess the situation. <br />
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FYI - he speaks almost no English and saying hello doesn't count.<br />
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Step 2 involved a jack hammer and our shovel. This guy proceeded to break a hole in our concrete/rock patio and dig a hole down to the pipe work. THERE WAS NO LEAK THERE.<br />
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Keep in mind we tried to tell him where the leak was.<br />
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Step 3 involved digging up the grass in each location of the water circulation jets around our pool. THERE WAS NO LEAK THERE either. Now my yard looks like land mines have gone off and the dogs (remember the thing about me being retarded) are really loving the piles of dirt (and remember it has been raining quite a bit) and they love the muddy dirt. The cat is loving climbing into the bottoms of these holes which are about two feet deep.<br />
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Step 4 involved digging up the lawn checking the line that run from the pool into the pool house. Guess what? He found a small, insignificant leak but to look on the positive side, he finally found something!<br />
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Step 5 involved smashing another hole in our patio. No jack hammer this time, just a hammer and a chisel and friggin conrete flying EVERYWHERE! Finally....SUCCESS! He found a major leak where the pipe ran through the pool wall right where we tried to tell him it was leaking. Just like one of your kids...they just don't listen to you.<br />
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Safety equipment?? You have got to be kidding me. <br />
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Step 6 involved this big hole being broken into the side of the pool. What a soggy slopping wet mess of mushy concrete. So, now all this wet sloppy mess has to be broken out and guess where the bulk of it is landing? In the three feet of water still in the pool. We decided it would probably be a good idea to drain the pool at this point.<br />
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Step 7 involved repairing all the holes the land mines made. <br />
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Don't get too excited, we were far from done. One major leak found, one yet to be discovered. Only, the non-english speaking dude doesn't understand. So, we have to talk to his boss who is an a**hole to the nth degree.<br />
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Step 8 involved digging a trench around the outside of our pool to install a brand new suction line. Now my yard really looks rough. I have rocks, concrete and more crap laying around my yard (now this isn't only the crap from the lean, mean, pooping machines). We went out for a few hours and when we arrived home, the lawn was put back...well sort of. The dude had a few extra pieces of sod, chunks of concrete and rocks left over but he was nice enough to save them for me.....all over the yard!<br />
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Step 9 - dude comes back to finish filling the hole in the pool and pick up one or two rocks but not the sod.<br />
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Step 10 - I spend approximately two hours crawling on my hands and knees and picking up the mess he left behind.<br />
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So, the painting isn't done yet, partly because of the rain, partly because the guy will show up when he is ready to and we have no idea when that will be. We really don't know if the pool leaks are fixed yet.<br />
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So, there might be a part 2 to the swimming pool saga. On Christmas Eve, we were invited to a friend's home close to where we live. They have a really pretty water fall beside their pool that runs back to the pool. <br />
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I'm getting a water fall.....Ross is going to build me one....he dug up my lawn AGAIN.....lol and I have this great two foot hole at the end of the pool and a pile of dirt! He's assessing the job...I'll report back as it progresses.<br />
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We had a very quiet New Years this year. Ross had been fighting a terrible cold for a couple of weeks so we decided it was probably best to stay in. We were treated to the most awesome fireworks display from our deck at midnight.<br />
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(Remember the barking dog thing....dog's don't like fireworks)<br />
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We couldn't hear ourselves ohhhing and awwwwing over the barking but the fireworks really were spectacular.<br />
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That's enough of our continuing saga for now....stay tuned!<br />
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OH....OH.....OH!!!!!!!!!!!!! My passion fruit (chinola) finally began to have flowers and fruit....the fruit is ripe when it falls off the vine and lands on the ground. I gathered them up as they ripen, cut them open and was draining out all the juice and freezing it. Once I had enough...I made Passion Fruit Jelly. OMG what a spectacular tasting jelly! <br />
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I have to be quick...the lean, mean, pooping machines like passion fruit and the little ********** are pulling the passion fruit off the vines and using them for chew toys!Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-75975707015335240222011-12-08T09:40:00.000-08:002011-12-08T09:40:37.209-08:00Merry ChristmasOur annual Christmas letter to our friends and family is now in a new format! I decided to make it our "blog". Sending out Christmas cards in the Dominican is a no-no. We do not have a true mail system here.<br />
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To get a complete recap of our past year, please feel free to read my old blogs posted. I'd give you a recap, but that might put you to sleep!! LOL <br />
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<b>We want to wish all of our family and friends the very best Christmas and and a very happy New Year. You all know where we hang our hats and if you are going to be in our neck of the woods, give us a holler!<br />
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Feliz Navidad!<br />
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P.S. Is it to late to be good? I want Santa to arrive on a motoconcho this year that doesn't spew black smoke from the muffler!<br />
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Ross and ColleenMrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-87139397622240333632011-11-30T16:57:00.000-08:002011-11-30T16:57:52.955-08:00One year is complete now!Well, one year ago, I was sitting in a hotel room in Winfield with our dogs, six suitcases, two laptop cases, two carry on bags and Ross. Shelby was wearing his little plaid sweater because he was SO cold. Now, we are sitting in the tropics...freezing our butts off..It's only 20C and has been raining for over a week now. It is damp and cold at night and we are wearing PANTS...yes, pants and I have a hoodie on!<br />
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It is crazy how fast the year has gone.<br />
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What have I learned in the past year?<br />
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1. Patience<br />
2. Rice is good<br />
3. Puppies will eat anything<br />
4. Dominican drivers are the worst drivers on the face of the earth (yes, worse than Calgary drivers!) There are no real rules of the road here...biggest tires win...ok, that's kinda like Alberta! LOL<br />
5. You can make alot of things with 200 lbs of bananas.<br />
6. Ross is grouchy when he wakes up from a nap<br />
7. Beer is best frosty cold<br />
8. Frogs can lay thousands of eggs in a freshly cleaned pool through the course of a night<br />
9. Puppies will eat anything<br />
10. Laughter is completely necessary<br />
11. Hurricanes are not fun<br />
12. Grass grows quickest when the lawnmower is out of gas<br />
13. Gringos throw some mighty fine potluck dinners<br />
14. Don't light fires when the grass is brown and dry and it's windy<br />
15. Ross can change a lightbulb on a 20' ceiling without a ladder or chair..can you say broom handle, tongs, and rubber gloves?<br />
16. Driving a quad in the rain isn't that bad<br />
17. Puppies will eat anything<br />
18. Four dogs and one cat poop lots<br />
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So, you might have noticed I said "four" dogs. Yes, in a blind moment of stupidity, we got another puppy. "Boss" is the newest member of our family. He is a Belgium shepard and is now seven weeks old. Boss is a "man" dog. He is showing very strong personality traits and is going to get some obdience training/guard dog training when he gets older. Since we got him he has almost doubled in size. He loves to play tug-o-war with Jack. He torments the cat endlessly but I think the cat secretly loves it.<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI13t9wYWGwzQF2DEV_lFH5b9GXvF6r4x-eo8qNAIFv6YNjjL5EwHjMyGWWQPK_XuKUJbxsxyrw7uxLeHicMv0bRrS6gXZCeiASGcpBUqeU0xbjgxo8wazgMHnZRhjcLi9eztnKJcyY0/s1600/Boss+at+five+weeks.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="135" width="180" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPI13t9wYWGwzQF2DEV_lFH5b9GXvF6r4x-eo8qNAIFv6YNjjL5EwHjMyGWWQPK_XuKUJbxsxyrw7uxLeHicMv0bRrS6gXZCeiASGcpBUqeU0xbjgxo8wazgMHnZRhjcLi9eztnKJcyY0/s320/Boss+at+five+weeks.jpg" /></a></div><br />
The dogs are getting along really well and have accepted Boss into the pack. Here is a favorite pass time:<br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZgA0SShcMDkwZls0CCEUBS-5JFs7zrNCzJOLurVurOr7dxCi1K96YaLPuNXhN712or25aRAhYRrKEEnYpuHm1RoTieifmKlVJpw3vMXLgCFyTZtJxnjBQvDRl-jNwxMLtrLNnYl53uA/s1600/Butt+sniffing.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="240" width="320" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6ZgA0SShcMDkwZls0CCEUBS-5JFs7zrNCzJOLurVurOr7dxCi1K96YaLPuNXhN712or25aRAhYRrKEEnYpuHm1RoTieifmKlVJpw3vMXLgCFyTZtJxnjBQvDRl-jNwxMLtrLNnYl53uA/s320/Butt+sniffing.jpg" /></a></div><br />
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We are into the "rainy season". In the last week or so we have had at least 12 inches of rain. Ross is waiting for someone to come and fix the leak in our pool so he had drained about half the water out of the pool. He is going to have to re-drain the pool as it is almost full again.<br />
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So, what will Year 2 bring? Probably lots of the craziness that Year 1 brought except, we are a little wiser (notice I didn't say older??).<br />
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To all our friends in the motherland, ENJOY THE WINTER!!! Keep warm, happy, and healthy!Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-8627657727156105432011-11-05T12:48:00.000-07:002011-11-05T12:48:19.506-07:00Another month in ParadiseWe are well into month #11!<br />
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When we moved to the DR, we thought there would be lots of time for fun, sun and cervesa...were we wrong!<br />
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I have a part-time job now. I'm working as a breakfast cook at the Jolly Roger. Great hours, great employers and I am having lots of fun with it. I have never had a job quite like this before and it sure beats sitting at a desk for nine hours a day!<br />
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We are busy looking after our two neighbour's yards and pools as well as our own yard and pool. Did you know that frogs can lay thousands of eggs in a very short period of time and the little suckers hatch really quickly? Now, the cat seems to take care of quite a few frogs (we hear them screaming when she kills them - sounds like a small child crying) but clearly the cat isn't doing her job well enough!<br />
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I am becoming more and more "Dominicanized" as time passes. My primary mode of transportation now is our quad. I'm ripping around everywhere on it. I can drive for about two weeks back and forth to work on about $10 worth the gas. Can't complain about that. Now, the "winter" rains haven't started yet but I am sure I can figure out how to hold an umbrella when I drive it...I will truly look "Dominican" if I can manage to do that. Either that or I will just wear a black garbage back with holes cut for my head and arms...lol Ross put a little red basket on the front so I can stop on my way home everyday with the few groceries I pick up. I even pick up one of the neighbours and give her a ride into work one day a week as we are going to the same place.<br />
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Ross is spending some time at the golf course every week or two. He complains about having to use my golf clubs because his are still in Canada. Now seriously, do we think that is just an excuse for his bad games? LOL In any event, for less than $20, he can golf and have a couple of beer, have a caddy and cart. How can you complain about that?<br />
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Devil Dog: Ok, devil dog is STILL chewing. Actually, I have decided that it is separation anxioty. He only seems to eat things when we aren't home. I no longer have any bed linens with out small holes eaten in them. So, if anyone wants to bring us a house warming gift when they visit...we have queen size beds... <br />
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The wicker couch must be particularly tasty...<br />
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Last night the cat's plastic dish went missing. Not sure were it ended up but no great loss, there wasn't much left of it anyway. I'll probably find little red plastic pieces deposited around the yard when I next do poop duty! That's how we found Ross's brand new white leather golf glove...but we won't talk about that anymore.<br />
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And...sigh....the dog pulled the six month old laptop onto the concrete/tile floor...smashed the hard drive. Ok, laptop is working with a new hard drive but I don't think the keyboard will ever be quite the same. Yes, the dog is still alive.....for now.<br />
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My middle daughter, Kaylen has been working very, very hard the last year on an excersize and diet plan. She's lost an incredible amount of weight and inches and has recently competed in a fitness competition. She looked wonderful and if you want to see pictures, check out my facebook! She is an inspiration as now my other two daughters (Krista and Hailey) are using the same personal trainer that Kaylen used. I think it would be very cool if all three of them were in the same competition next year in May!<br />
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Did you know that Ross is a retired Chippendale dancer? LOL Actually, that was his Hallowe'en costume this year. He sure charmed the ladies...great time was had by all at the Hallowe'en party.<br />
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On another note: CHRISTMAS DECORATIONS ARE NOW IN THE STORES HERE. I thought it was just North America that was retarded but clearly the shopping bug is here too. Mind you, the prices for mini lights are REDICULOUS...Over $20 for a small string of lights...NOT!! There is even one hotel downtown that has had their Christmas tree up for almost a month already.<br />
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So as our first year winds down, we are looking back and thinking...'what a great move!'<br />
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If you are going to be down our way this winter, please let us know so we can show you our little piece of paradise and have a cervesa or three!<br />
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Cheers!Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-80021958155727332852011-09-26T09:59:00.000-07:002011-09-26T09:59:22.925-07:00Good Times!Time flies when you are having a good time!<br />
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Where to begin?<br />
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Our neighbours from Pennsylvania have been here twice. They had such a good time, they came back for another week! Unfortunately, they had to leave this morning.<br />
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We have had a few great dinner parties with friends. Great food and great friends and the odd hangover.<br />
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Our friends, Patty and Kelly (owners of the Jolly Roger Bar), took a short vacation and left the bar under the care and control of us....what a lot of hard work running a bar. We had some long days, but with the help of our friends, Bruce and Mary, the days passed quickly.<br />
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This past weekend, Patty and Kelly threw another one of their fast becoming famous parties. This was a theme party...Cross Dressing. Well, the women had it easy this time...we threw on some shorts, tank tops, and ball caps and we were ready to go. The men had a little more work involved. Ross went as a ballerina...If you really want to see the entire event, check out my facebook page and find the pictures.<br />
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I'm starting a job next week...morning breakfast cook at the Jolly Roger. It will give us a little extra pesos and me something to do. Living in paradise, not to mention having a good supply of cervesa and rum, costs pesos.<br />
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Well, fall is upon us here. The trees are shedding a few leaves and the grass is brown. The nights are starting to cool down to 25 C which is a welcome break. The swimming pool is cooling down as well. We are told we are entering the "rainy" season. The rain would be welcome at this point as things have started to dry out again.<br />
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Last night we had a really wicked thunder/lightening storm roll through at about 2:30 am. There was a crack of thunder so loud that we though someone shot a gun inside the house. Car alarms and house alarms everywhere were going off. The dogs were barking. Ross jumped out of bed screaming, "WTF!" Scared the crap out of us. The rain was coming down like cats and dogs.<br />
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I love a good thunderstorm!<br />
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So, now that fall is here, we are looking forward to having friends returning for the winter and lots more social occasions.<br />
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It's hard to believe that we have been here for 10 months already!<br />
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PS Chip has eaten another bedsheet and another plastic bowl. Said bowl contained an entire can of peanuts. On the upside, he now has his adult teeth so hopefully his chewing will start to slow down. We are going to get him a cocoanut for a chew toy.Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-1474425299410513152.post-86925919205156533142011-08-12T17:37:00.000-07:002011-08-12T17:37:19.979-07:00Quadding<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXguXqfUlyBg1qZ0yxznjDKkwYsKwhnzktw6NB6NLUDOjI5AGUoCTaObwKeWMAkAWu83mhqmBNCNwiXQwA6JpZoS7zVzFhQ0GXrh9tzDP4pj5alKZ6c-ajhjtsFU0xZcLm620ZD-mhB0/s1600/Chip001.png" imageanchor="1" style="clear:left; float:left;margin-right:1em; margin-bottom:1em"><img border="0" height="320" width="307" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjGXguXqfUlyBg1qZ0yxznjDKkwYsKwhnzktw6NB6NLUDOjI5AGUoCTaObwKeWMAkAWu83mhqmBNCNwiXQwA6JpZoS7zVzFhQ0GXrh9tzDP4pj5alKZ6c-ajhjtsFU0xZcLm620ZD-mhB0/s320/Chip001.png" /></a></div><br />
Chip...aka Devil Dog<br />
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On Aug 11, we took our first official quad trip with some friends, Patty and Kelly.<br />
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We headed out on the highway for about a half mile until we turned onto El Choco Road. This is the road closest to us that goes up into the mountains. Our first beverage stop was about half way to the Monkey Jungle. When we stopped, there was nothing but jungle, birds, and really, really loud tree frogs. No traffic, no people…we were one with nature. <br />
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We continued on because nature was calling to Patty so we made our way up the road (aka rocky path) to the Monkey Jungle. We took a short break for a beverage and a snack.<br />
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All I can say about the day, was absolutely fabulous scenery. Once we crossed the top of the mountain on the rocky path we were following, the view was absolutely amazing. Pristine jungle, no logging roads and messes made by industry. It was stunningly beautiful to see.<br />
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We encountered a couple of young Dominican men moving a herd of cattle/horses/goats. We had to stop by the side of the road. Brahma bulls are quite large when they are up close and personal with you. One was getting really, really up close and personal with a cow. I don’t think she was in the mood.<br />
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We were really sorry that we didn’t take our camera. It is a good thing we didn’t (I’ll explain in a bit). There were a few small villages that we encountered where the Dominican’s lived. One particular old gentleman was sitting in a beautiful old mahogany rocking chair on the front step of a typical Dominican home. He was grey and weathered but had a huge toothless smile and wave for us as we went past. He would have made an amazing picture. <br />
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At the same time we were really sorry we didn’t take our camera, I was glad we didn’t. Because we weren’t in the “tourist” areas, I didn’t want to offend anyone by taking pictures and disturbing anyone. We saw little boys and girls, naked as the day they were born, playing in the street. Everyone was smiling and waving at us.<br />
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We stopped at a small colmado (corner store type place) and grabbed another beverage. That is when we discovered the present that the herd of cattle left us. Can you say shit all over the quads, our legs and Kelly even found some on his helmet. More about the shit later.<br />
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We were invited into a small Dominican bar…there was music playing, people drinking cervesa and dancing. Because we were so far into the mountains, we weren’t sure how long it would take us to get out, we didn’t stop. I’m sure if we had, it (singing) would have been a party.<br />
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My butt is SO sore today. Ross built a seat out of lumber for me to sit on. I bounced on lumber for about six hours. I can’t sit down. My legs are stiff and sore but still am so glad we went.<br />
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Shit dries in the heat.<br />
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We finally made it back to the highway and ended up on the other side of Cabarete. The highway was such a god send because my butt was getting so sore. Patty and Kelly took us through the back side of west of Cabarete to a place on the beach where a river empties into the ocean. We rode the quads on the beach and on the sandbars. Get this: we found a place to have another beverage! The bar had a sand floor, dogs running around, music, food…it was awesome.<br />
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After the beverage, it was time to get going as the sun was getting low in the sky. Back over the sandbars in the river….Ross turned the quad into a seado. I saw the patch of dark water coming and before I could say what I was thinking…it happened. The water was about 2 ½ feet deep. Down we went into sand, sea water and muck. The seado stalled. I was absolutely soaked. My brand new running shoes with the cow shit were soaked and sandy. Patty and Kelly were laughing hysterically at the huge splash that we made. Kelly helped Ross get the quad running and out of the muck. Good thing we didn’t have the camera with us…would have been nice and wet!<br />
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We continued on our way to Perla Marina to visit with friends and have a beverage. After sunset, we finally headed home. Quadding on the highway in the dark is a little nerve racking but we made it in one piece. We got home at about 8:30 and I had a shower to remove the sand and remains of the cow shit from my legs. Didn’t take long and I was sleeping.<br />
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So, while we were gone, the dogs had a party. We came home to a huge mess. Chip discovered how to pull the table cloth off the table to get everything off to chew up. He broke a beer bottle, pulled stuffing out of the chair cushions that were piled on top of the table. He got the basket of clothes pins scattered all over the floor, chewed a bunch of them up too. So, we got to vacuum up glass and do a clean-up. Our guard must have heard the commotion because when we got home, he knew that the place was trashed! Must have heard the beer bottle break!!<br />
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It was an absolutely fabulous day. If you ever have the opportunity to travel to a foreign country, don’t stay exclusively in an all-inclusive hotel. Find a way to leave the resort and really experience the country. I am so moved by everything that I encountered yesterday and can’t wait to explore another part of the countryside.<br />
Mrs Silver Foxhttp://www.blogger.com/profile/01685837360025738703noreply@blogger.com0