Thursday, February 19, 2009

Why I Don't Use Public Showers

This is the giant water bug. http://tinyurl.com/cd8vby Apparently they have wings, though I haven't seen one flying, thank goodness. I did mention that they bite, didn't I? When I swam this morning, I eyed every spot on the bottom of the pool with great suspicion. They all turned out to be places where the paint had peeled away, but I got lots of exercise, not putting my feet down.

The rest of the day has been frittered away in a positive orgy of reading and web-surfing, looking out the window at a sky that keeps threatening to rain.

Chica, the little black and white puppy, started barking and screaming this morning, and I went rushing outside. I saw a medium-sized black dog and a big black Lab, but not Chica. It turned out that she was under our rig, cowering. The woman in the next rig over explained that Chica is terrified of the Lab. We managed eventually to get rid of the Lab. He has a collar. I think he belongs to the park, or at least Antonia was calling him from up by the office. Then Chica came out, unhurt, all waggy and cheerful. Sheesh. I thought she had broken her leg or something. The middle dog is Chica's mother - and I was wrong. They don't have any people. They are feral. Woody, the park manager, left money to have the mother dog spayed, but it turned out she was already pregnant, and she had five puppies - in December, the lady said, though I think she may have her dates wrong. So some time soon, I guess she will be spayed. Meanwhile, Chica is the last of her five puppies, and she's still too young to be spayed. By the time she's old enough, she will probably be pregnant, and the cycle will continue. Mom has taken to hanging around here, along with Chica, because I have put out a water dish, and because things like smoked salmon and roast chicken have been known to appear outside the door.

At the moment, Robin is struggling to pull down all the vent screens for cleaning, while we still have any air coming through them. He's the only person who is exhibiting any kind of ambition. I, obviously, am firmly seated, and I can see that our next-door neighbours are sitting around, reading, as they have been doing all day.

Just typing that was enough to make me feel guilty. I got up and helped Robin with the screens. Cleaning them isn't a big job. The big job is getting them down for cleaning, which involves dismantling the entire ceiling - at least, that's the way it feels. Ah, well, it's done now, and the screens are going back up, looking a whole lot better.

Now, it's my turn to go do something ambitious. There's not a thing in the house for dinner. I discovered yesterday that the town's bus system consists of an endless stream of taxis going up and down the street, picking up anybody that flags them, until they're full, charging six pesos per person. I rode uptown yesterday with three other passengers. So in a minute, I'll wander out to the street and take a ride to the grocery store.

That's it. Another exciting day in the tropics. The sun isn't even shining, today!

6 comments:

Unknown said...

That bug is a serious-looking customer. After you go a certain ways south, even in the States, insect life just seems to take on unnatural proportions.

Sad story about those dogs.

Angie Ledbetter said...

You're living the good life! Enjoy a day or two for me, eh?

The Unbreakable Child said...

Oh, noes, ugh, I hate those type of bugs!!!! Sorry about pups!

Sandra Leigh said...

I do go on about those bugs, don't I? Sorry about that. They gave me the heebie-jeebies. The good thing is, they're MUCH too big to come in through my screens!

Yeah, the pups. It's always like this in Mexico. The dogs are everywhere. Having them neutered is generally considered stupid, but letting them starve in the streets is regrettable, but somehow okay. Culture shock.

Sandra Leigh said...

Angie, I hit Submit too soon. I meant to say yes, I shall do my best to live big enough for you and me too. That actually sounds like a lot of fun! Today, I'll go for a walk in the rain and watch the whitecaps on the Gulf, okay?

Debbie said...

The bugs are a big downfall to the tropical life!

Blog Archive