How do these things happen so fast!?!??

Yesterday (Oct. 9th) we celebrated Rebeca's birthday with a special Paella dinner here at home, followed by some little fruit tarts. It was all really delicious and we were grateful to have her here CLOSE to her birthday to actually celebrate with her.

When dinner was over, Rebeca and Jason packed up the car and were going to drive possibly as far as Ozona, to make their drive back to Tucson on Saturday just a little easier. We picked up the last of their stuff and walked out to the car, when all of a sudden Diablillo makes a beeline to the far side of the yard, growling and barking. It was dark already, so we couldn't see what he was after, but we figured it was an opossum (nod to Fernando) or maybe a cat or something.

Imagine our horror when we saw a skunk with its tail raised running out of our yard! We were all horrified and Jason used his best stern voice, trying to get Diablillo to "Come here!!" Of course Diablillo, reconfirming that he IS an "energumeno", wasn't listening at that point. We were all desperately hoping that the skunk was "just running away without doing anything", when all of a sudden Jason recoils exclaiming that he can smell it now and he's sure Diablillo got it. So, no, Diablillo didn't escape being sprayed. We were all in shock. Here Jason and Rebeca were, just about to take off in the car on a long trip and now their little dog was a stinking mess. At first we all just stood around, sort of paralyzed and trying to avoid being touched by Diablillo but then we finally swung into action. Out came the tomato paste, tomato puree, vinegar, gloves, little tub, shampoo. These pictures tell the rest of the story.

ANYway, before all that happened, here's a glimpse of what the day was like earlier.

It was so nice to be able to have all of them here for a little while. We miss them terribly.

Quote:
When you look at your life, the greatest happinesses are family happinesses. ~Joyce Brothers

Taking it easy

Quote:
In true love the smallest distance is too great, and the greatest distance can be bridged. ~Hans Nouwens

Relaxing day

Guillermo and I took off this morning around 8:30am headed for Lake Buchanan, where we are going to pick up Rebeca. We had a leisurely drive in the cool morning air. Duke spent most of the drive with his head out the window, and Diablillo spent most of the time with his head on our arms between the seats. One time, he was looking out the window on Guillermo's side of the car, and got stuck between the door and the seat, and, while Guillermo was driving, I had to try and dislodge his trapped little body. Guillermo was WONDERING why Diablillo was digging his legs into his side. He thought he was just trying to get closer to him!!!

Both the dogs were delirious to see Rebeca and Jason, and we were so happy to be there at Canyon of the Eagles with them. It's a beautiful place and the view from their porch was just fantastic.

Dogs love balls

Looking through stuff on the top shelf of a closet, a tennis ball just "happened" to fall to the ground. Well, Diablillo grabbed it and it's his constant companion now. I don't dare try to take it from him, but sometimes the ball is lying next to him and I'll flick it with my feet and he runs after it. I'm still not sure if he enjoys that or not. When we go for walks out in the field, Duke loves having a ball thrown so he can chase it. And it's absolutely hilarious to see Diablillo chasing after Duke chasing a ball. Wish I could get video of that!!!
Content knowing my ball is by me

Although I better hold on to it, just in case

Rebeca called as they were leaving Houston and on their way to Burnet, TX, where they are going to stay at one of their favorite places for their one-year anniversary. Guillermo and I thought many times today about one year ago on this exact date. What a wonderful day that was, and how happy we were to be celebrating their wedding with family and friends.

On Wednesday, we are going to meet them in Burnet! We will drive Rebeca back to San Antonio, and Jason will be going up to Dallas to see his family and friends for a day or two before returning back to San Antonio. Guillermo and I are looking forward very much to the drive up to Burnet. We will probably take many of the same roads that we used to drive on quite frequently 32 years ago.

Quote:
There's one sad truth in life I've found
While journeying east and west -
The only folks we really wound
Are those we love the best.
We flatter those we scarcely know,
We please the fleeting guest,
And deal full many a thoughtless blow
To those who love us best.
~Ella Wheeler Wilcox

Busy day

By this time, Jason's presentation should have been given and done with in Houston. And we're sure it went just fine! I'm sure he had a rough night last night, but it should be all behind him now and he and Rebeca can hopefully enjoy the rest of their week here in Texas.

Making the best of their time here

Quote: We have to learn to be our own best friends because we fall too easily into the trap of being our own worst enemies. ~Roderick Thorp, Rainbow Drive

Rough

Well, Rebeca and Jason got in at 5:45 this morning. We let them in and they went straight to bed. They both were very obviously tired. Jason got up again at 9:45 and started working on his data for his presentation. There's no way I can fathom how tired he must be, since he says he's only gotten about 3 hours of sleep every night for the last several nights. When Rebeca got up around 10:45, she was also still very tired and not feeling well. We had a good "Taco Cabana" breakfast and I also made crepes for Jason. We had originally thought they would leave from here at around 11:00, but Jason worked straight the whole time on his laptop, eventually taking off at around 3pm. So, we got to spend a little more time with them than we had thought, and we look forward to them coming back (so do the dogs!!), so that we all can be a little more relaxed without having a presentation looming over their heads.

Here's what the dogs looked like right after Jason and Rebeca left:

He seemed to be in shock and just stood there as if paralyzed for a little while.

If I keep my eyes closed, then I won't see that they're not here.

So close, but still so far

The last time I posted, I said that Wednesday was my last day to work for awhile. Well, the following Tuesday, Accounts Payable called me TWICE, asking if I could come in. By that second call, I realized they were pretty desperate for someone so I went ahead and told them I'd work half a day. So, I worked 1-5 that day, and that's not too bad. But before I left for the evening, I made sure they understood that I am NOT available again until October 13th. They said they'll call me then.

Rebeca and Jason took off from Tucson today much later than they wanted. When they called us at around 5pm Friday, we were hoping they were calling from El Paso. Sad to say, they were just leaving the outskirts of Tucson at that point. So, if they are with it enough to drive all night long, then we'll see them probably at 6am Saturday morning. They'll sleep a few hours and then they have to take off for Houston by around 11:30am that same morning. But we'll get to spend more time with them when they come back from that conference in Houston. :-)

Here are a few pictures from the garden. It's looking good since the weather has cooled off a little bit.

So, what do we have growing here??

These beans are from some seeds that Guillermo's brother Eugene gave him. The plants are so healthy!

It's constant, trying to keep up with the garden. Here Guillermo is getting rid of spider-mite infected tomato plants.

We eat peppers one way or another every day! In the background is a novel "tomato cage" that Guillermo and Fernando put together.

Quote: People gather bundles of sticks to build bridges they never cross. ~Author Unknown