Ever seen a cat in a window box?

Now you have.

The worst time for your gas tank to run out...

...is when you have a pan of Ghirardelli brownies baking in your oven.

And you don't even realize it until you go to take them out, and you see with dismay that the gas flame is out and your brownies are only half-baked at best.

Thank goodness for neighbors who have full gas tanks and understand a brownie emergency when they see one.

Thank goodness, too, for friends and family who ensure that, if I weren't to get my brownie fix, I'd have a backup sugar stash.

Let's take inventory, shall we?

Tootsie rolls. The go-to sugar source. When I reach into my fridge, I hope to always find myself up to my elbows in these.

Junior Mints. Only the best movie snack in the history of the world.

Reese's Peanut Butter Cups = cups of love, whispering so sweetly, Sip from me...

Starburst. This, in liquid form, is what runs through my veins.

Reese's Pieces. ET phone home.

Mini cookie bites from Cookie Creations of Atlanta. Speaking of home...these are like little bites of TLC to me. You, too, can experience their wonderfulness by clicking on the link and ordering some. Just tell Donna that Jordan sent you.

These items are made all the sweeter because I cannot get them here: they are either unavailable or way too pricey.

So yeah, I'd say I'm well taken care of.

Things are looking sweet from here.

Who needs rose-colored glasses when you've got Junior Mints?

Thanks for keeping my blood sugar levels up, guys!

Cortar: To Cut

Ella corta la badea.
She cuts the badea.

Está cortada la badea.
The badea is cut.

Cortó la badea.
She cut the badea.

Ella no sabe cortar mangos.
She doesn't know how to cut mangoes.

Pero los sigue cortando.
But she cuts them anyway.

Corta el cabello.
She cuts hair.

Espero que sepa cortar el cabello.
I really hope she knows how to cut hair.

Echa la fruta en la sangría. Bien hecho.
She puts the fruit in the sangría. Good move.

Fríe las verdes.
She fries the green plantains.

La que trae para picar es mi mejor amiga del mundo.
She who brings the appetizers is my bestest friend in the whole wide world.

Aplasta los patacones.
She smashes the patacones.

Ella es muy de moda.
She be stylin'.

Revuelve los fideos.
She stirs the pasta.

A comer!
Let's eat!

Buen provecho!
Bon appétit!

Braised Goat Stew.

It's what's for dinner.

I started with this:

Goat meat in a cumin/oregano/garlic/beer marinade. Yummy.

Then I used these:

An onion. A pepper. And achiote.

Achiote is this seedlike, nutlike thing. It is frequently used as a colorant and flavorant in food (esp. with rice) and comes in many forms, including powder and oil.

Brown the meat and throw it all together in a saucepan.

Blend up a mixture of cilantro, tomatoes, tangy naranjilla fruit, and hot ají peppers. And more beer, which isn't pictured. A word to the wise, don't just throw in a bunch of the peppers without testing to see how spicy they are. Unless you're not afraid of picante.

Strain the mixture, then add it to the pot along with some cane sugar and spices. Let it simmer for a while.

Watcha doin'?
Stewin'.

Serve hot over rice.

RIP, Tomatoes

It's official: our tomato plants are no more.

Earlier this month, Mike and I realized that our tomato plants had suddenly taken a turn for the worse. Here's how we knew: they looked like this...

Common sense and the PC agriculture staff told us that this was brought on by the change in climate that's occurring with the onset of the rainy season. So we salvaged what fruit we could, and two days ago, with heavy hearts and mosquito-bitten hands, we pulled up the tomato plants.

We also pulled up the bell peppers. The peppers were getting smaller each time the plants produced, and the leaves were turning yellow (from lack of potassium, we are told). We will let the beds rest for a bit before replenishing the soil and having another go.

Meanwhile, our lettuce continues its valiant struggle for survival, aided by the bit of shelter offered by a nearby mango tree trunk.

We're rooting for you, little guys.

Reporting Live from Guayaquil

Let's go on over to Jordan and see what the weather's doing. Take it away, Jordan.

Well folks, today's forecast is RAIN, with a high chance of MORE RAIN and later on this week YEP, MORE RAIN. Take your galoshes for a nice walk in the park! Back over to you, Jordan.



That's all for tonight. Drive safe, everyone.

ENOUGH with the FRIENDS already

Sorry. We packed a lot in during the trip, and I just want to share it ALL with you. Okay, maybe not ALL-all. Maybe not the sunburns. Or the bugbites. Or the inordinate number of bathroom stops we had to make during the course of our travels.

But I digress.

TTDWFCTV #7, Bring them here:

A refreshing green space in the heart of the big city.

But wait.

For some reason, as you're strolling along, you can't shrug the feeling that you're being...watched.

Then, in one of those sixth-sense moments, you realize where the feeling is coming from.

You snap your head around to meet the source of whatever strange force this is...

And, lo and behold, THIS:

This is no normal park; this is Parque de las Iguanas.

PCV Whitni had no qualms about getting up close and personal. She picked one up by its tail.

Here, she is explaining how kids at her rural site will grab iguanas by their tails and fling them up into trees so the dogs won't get them.

Betsie, not to be outdone, picks her target and approaches from the rear.

And now I think I'll stop talking and let the pictures tell the story.

And the girl and the iguana lived happily ever after - separately.

Autographs will be signed after the show.

One more Christmas post...

I figured I had to get in the last Christmas post before January draws to a close.

The kids at the Casita de Chocolate wrote thankyou notes to Gram & Ril for the clothes they received as surprise Christmas presents.

I snapped pics of a few of the notes before sending them off via Carrier Friend-Traveling-Back-to-the-States. Some of them are pretty funny...

My name is Rosangela Alcivar Ponce: And I like the clothes. I think you spent a lot of money to send us these clothes, and they are very pretty. And I want you to think well of my card. Thank you: Gram & Ril.

Merry Christmas! Thank you for the bracelets, the clothes, and the sandals. May God bless you. May you have a Merry Christmas, Gram and Ril. This is all of my message. Well, "Happily ever after, The End!" Thank you. Yours sincerely, Sara.

Thank you for everything. I love you very much. I would like to tell you something: I love you, and I would like to know you. Merry Christmas!

Thank you for the dress I got. It's pretty, and I am grateful to you because it is pink. I wish you a lovely Christmas. I don't know you, but Thank you. From: Mayerline, To: Gram and Ril

Merry Christmas. We love you very much. Thank you for everything. We are grateful to you from Ecuador and Guayaquil. Merry Christmas and Happy New Year.

Moral of the story: Thankyou notes are the cornerstone of civilization, and they give you the warm fuzzies, too.

What Peace Corps Volunteers Do On Payday

Today was an auspicious day.

For one, yesterday we got paid. Let me give you some context for what this means to me: As a new volunteer, rolling in piles of the Sacajawea coins* that comprised our Moving-In Allowance,† I looked askance at the older volunteers, the ones with the worn clothing who would drop everything and dive for the ten cents lying on the sidewalk. Now...well, now, I am an older volunteer. Near the end of each month, when I run out of money, I start checking my bank account every day to see if Peace Corps has deposited our Living Allowance‡ yet. And when the magic finally happens - the account balance suddenly switches from one to three digits - I give a whoop and announce to the nearest group of PCVs, "We got paid today!" If they've been here as long as I have, they give a cheer. If they haven't, they look at me strangely and say, "So anyway, I was..."

Guess what? -- Yesterday, we got PAID!

Dear Law-Abiding, Tax-Paying Citizens of the United States of America, Here is what I did with your money: I celebrated by treating myself to a hamburger. It had an egg on it. And bacon. Then, I celebrated by treating myself to an ice cream cone. Finally, today - and this is what makes today so auspicious - I bought...

...something that caused PCV Whitni to have to stand on a stool on a desk on the terrace and tie rope to the rafters...

...something that caused her to learn to tie knots...

...check out this double figure eight knot...we looked up how to do it online...we're cool like that...

...A HAMMOCK. I bought a hammock. The ultimate symbol of slothfulness.

And I sat in the hammock, and I read my book, and it was good. Amen.

Don't worry, law-abiding, tax-paying U.S. citizens: the Hammock of Slothfulness may be easily tied up for the few moments each week in which I plan to be productive.

Love, Hugs, and Hammocks,
me

______________________________________________________________________________

*Ecuador uses U.S. currency. If you're wondering where all the Sacajawea coins ended up, the answer is, here.
†The allowance PCVs are given upon arriving in site in order to purchase clothing, furnishings, and other necessaries as we begin our service.
‡The monthly allowance PCVs receive to cover the costs of daily living (i.e., food, transportation, and personal sundries).