Lace up the skates!

Santa Cruz has just opened an indoor skating rink! So our next family skate night will have to be here if not in Gladwin. It was so hilarious skating with the girls during our holiday visit! So now we can do that in Santa Cruz.
It has been quite cool in the evenings and I have to confess we have been using a small heating pad to get our feet warm at night rather than pile on the heavy blankets!
We have been working on the yard; finally got the thatching done for the bbq pit and are anxious to get the grill and chimeny built, but now that'll have to wait.
The first thing I do every morning is step out into the patio and back yard to greet the sun and visit with my flowers and bushes. The yard is starting have a pleasant homey look - homey meaning that some of my plants are hopeless, while others are pure delight. Impatience grow well here as do marigolds, daisies, and begonias, but we have been putting in some other tropical plants as well. When I make my weekly trip to market for fruits and vegetables if I have any loose change left I spent it at the plant stations, sometimes only buying one or two plants, or a pot or more potting soil. Daniel's question is always, "Now where are you going to put that?" I pretend I know while he nods that not -so -sure smile, but complies helping to load the purchases into the car. So little by little my garden is growing, "Mary, Mary, quite contrary, how does your garden grow?" With Santa Rita, Pedro Segundo and Pingo de Oro all in a row.

My tongue hurts!

Ive been holding my tongue with a tweezer it seems as I was asked to wait to proclaim the good news. But now that the word is out I can let everyone know how very excited I am!!!!! Miguel and Kate are having a baby!!!!! The little one is due December 28. So this will be another very exciting holiday season for the Centellas family.
And here in Bolivia we will be having a baby as well, near the same date, I believe. David and Veronica are also expecting.
Our prayers are with both couples as they go through the upcoming months ahead. Our best wishes.

Strumming again

About 31 years ago I got a beautiful brasilian guitar from Daniel for Mother's Day. It was carried back and forth to church for solos and group singing and travelled to the States to be carried around for so many preschool and library programs and to my classroom for its use in teaching Spanish with music. It finally gave out so I didn't bother to bring it to Santa Cruz as it needed serious repair.
Once again I am singing with children in church and have been borrowing a guitar from someone.
We have been looking for a good guitar at a reasonable price. The Yamahas are beautiful, but not at the price I'd consider for the type of use it will get. I was being patient trying to wait and find the right one.
Then last night we went to a guitar concert, pure Bolivian folk music, mostly cuecas, but such beautfiul arrangments with guitars, violins, flute. It was pure delight. So I was again itching to find a guitar. Not that I could ever play like those musicians, but I knew I really wanted one

After checking out several stores we finally found a small shop, not sure you can even call it a shop, rather a stand in a popular market that had guitars made in Cochabamba and La Paz.
So tonight I have been strumming away. Fingers need to get more in shape, but I'm hoping to use it for a song I have been working on for Mother's Day here in Bolivia, which is May 27. Thanks, Daniel, this is another Mother's Day gift and I hope it lasts as long as the previous.

Baby it's....what?

The old familiar song 'Baby it's cold outside" was a popular tune last week here as we had our first real 'suraso' or cold snap of the fall/winter season. Yes, the temperature did drop our 20 degrees in a matter of a few hours, the wind blew fiercely and it did rain. But cold? We laughed as we meandered downtown watching people in scarves, gloves, winter coats as if they were in Michigan in the midst of a snow storm. Daniel and I were both wearing only long sleeve shirts and enjoying the break from the heat and humidity! This cold snap lasted about 3 days and yesterday and today we had lovely "Cochabamba" weather - just right and with clear blue skies like we seldom see in Michgian.
Yes, it does get cold during some of these surasos. I remember when Miguel was just a baby the temperature hit 35 degrees and you have to remember we used a motorcycle for transportation - MIguel wrapped in a blanket, and people here do not have furnaces to turn up (nor do they have outlandish heating bills!) So people do pile on the sweaters and blankets for a few days of cool weather and then gradually shed those layers as the sun returns to warm this hemisphere.
We have a blanket ready for Kate and Miguel's room when they come in a couple of weeks. We're excited to see them and are hoping for good weather; at least it shouldn't be quite as hot.