I found this year to be one with quite a few changes in the way I am living, the way things are done and the new “normals” in our everyday life.

First, I have visited a Veterinarian’s office quite more often than any doctor or dentist. Now that the kids are teens, they don’t get as sick as when they were young – little sponges that brought home all kinds of nasty bugs from school . As for myself, I have been fortunate to enjoy pretty good health overall. As of today, I have never contracted COVID-19, or any of its variants.

Our 5 year old Yorkee-Poodle though, seems to be going in and out of different health issues, from stomach problems to skin conditions. Every time I take her to the Vet, and we have to wait to be seen, she gets impatient and antsy and she always reminds me of those endless hours at the Pediatrician with the kids during their toddler years: a total nightmare… bring Cheerios to get them distracted, , bring toys, don’t forget the diapers and a sippy cup, like a day trip carrying so much junk, just to see the doctor for 10 minutes. I sure don’t miss those years! Expensive Vet visits and all, she is still the reason I walk daily and the one that puts many smiles on my face every single day. Every walk we take, I enjoy, I see different things, hear different birds calling, and every single sunset on our evening walks is different to the next. They still make me want to take a picture…like this one:

But with every age come different concerns, so now my concerns are…Are they driving safe? Are their friends a good influence? Have I taught them well to make healthy choices when they eat? When will this “hating salad” stage end? How much longer do I have, to enjoy them here at home before the leave and start their new life as young adults? Have I planted enough good seeds in their hearts and minds to be good people, good citizens? good friends?

Often lately I feel like I am approaching the ending part of a milestone in my life. That point where my job as a parent ends; it is not that I will stop being a mom once they leave the home, but my job as a “teacher”, as an important influence in them, as a decision maker in some aspects of their life, will end.

This has meant that I have been frequently finding myself questioning and analyzing the past 17 years of my life, ever since this amazing parenting adventure began. I have to admit I have made several (big) mistakes as a mom, I have learned several lessons, some of them taught to me by my own children as they grew up. Those lessons, along with a lot of advice from my parents and the unconditional support from my husband, make me feel today like I have honestly done as best as I could. I have very few regrets (as a mom), but then again, who doesn’t.

Another change is my Telecommuting. I now work only once a week on site, and from home the other 4 days. I am grateful that I am one of those people that have been able to work this way. I feel for those which telecommuting is not an option; all those working in the Hospitality industry for example, hotel clerks, housekeeping staff, cleaning crews. Or basic services like trash collection, supermarket staff, Auto Maintenance, restaurant cooks, not to mention the millions of people in the Transportation and Cargo industries that make ensure that our zillion Amazon purchases get to our doorsteps in a day or two. A lot of these workers probably wish they could stay in the comfort of their home and make a buck, and can’t.

2022 is also the first year in which my son found a job (at Papa John’s Pizza). Making minimum wage and working hard doing anything assigned to him, from folding boxes, to slapping dough, answering calls or cleaning the ovens- work has surely taught him the value of money. He now has a totally different perspective about spending and saving. He frequently translates prices into the number of hours it would take him pay for this or that. Soon he will start as a full time Community College Student so it will be interesting to see how he balances time making pizzas and studying for his exams. I never ever had to work as a student, so I already feel overwhelmed for him, but I trust his capabilities as he is a very determined kid who will not loose focus on a goal once he has it. So much, that he was able to skip the whole Senior year of HS through the CHSP Exam (because High School was a “waste of time”).

Another life changing event: my daughter now drives as well. This is the first school year in which she drives herself to school, and despite the HUGE relief it is to not make the twice-daily 25 min trips down the hill anymore, I cried a little bit that August morning when I saw her drive off at 7 40 am precisely. It was a heavy marker of independence, and since she is the youngest of my 2 kids, it felt like even heavier in my heart. She has a whole system of alarms now as part of her morning routine: one to get up, another one to REALLY get up, another one to start breakfast and the last one to remind herself that if she is not out the door that minute, she will be stuck in traffic. She is extremely organized with school activities, reminders, waivers for day trips, homework, extra academic activities, jeez. It is exhausting sometimes just to watch her unpack and pack her backpack. And to top off her days, she got into serious reading. Over 50 books just in 2022. I absolutely LOVE that, since reading is the one habit that my mother always tried to instill in us. Books, museums, concerts, theatre and travelling. I still get up early, make her breakfast and pack her a lunch, then collect hugs and kisses before she goes to school and say a little prayer so that she doesn’t cross her path with a jerk on the freeway and comes back home safely.

As I look back through all my 2022 photos, I almost relived some of it’s highlights: A visit from my sister and a trip to LA together where she pampered me and treated me to some exquisite restaurants and most importantly, gave me all true quality time and attention to do what sisters do: laugh, reminisce , shop, eat, drink, and then shop some more. We visited The Broad Museum, experienced the Immersive Van Gogh Exhibit and window-shopped in Rodeo Drive, where to my surprise, a lot of the stores are closed now, probably courtesy of COVID-19.

In April 2022, my daughter joined me for an excellent dose of good live 80’s music: Journey and Toto in concert. It was incredibly fun, plus I loved being there with her for her first ever live concert. Now she believes me when I say that listening to a song in the car or a speaker will never be the same as going to a concert. My brother and his wife joined us for that one as well. To my surprise, my daughter had been practicing the lyrics to most of the Set list, so she was next to me singing form the top of her lungs to the beat of Roxana and Africa when Toto opened the concert and she got as hysterical as me when Journey sang Don’t stop believing, Faithfully, Send her my Love and Girl Can’t Help it among other favorites.

In the summer she turned 16, so we had a party for her, the first one where boys where invited. That was a change too…It was all good fun, lots of music and dancing and terrible singing, as any Sweet 16 party should be. We served a Taco Bar, the kids loved it and my husband was the official played Barman making the kids all kinds of colorful fun Cocktails.

As part of the celebration, I took her to New York City, her first time too. I enjoyed watching her take it all in- the tall skyscrapers with their top-floor decks, the many parks from cute little ones to the grand Central Park; the randomness of people and things happening on the streets all at once. The tremendous amount of shop lines streets and boutiques, the delicious overpriced restaurants and most of all , the talent on the Broadway musicals we saw: Hadestown, Chicago and Wicked. We had such a good time and I hope she also got more comfortable moving around in crowded busy streets: when to play it safe and when to her out of her shell to get things done and help when needed.

I also made a trip to Joshua Tree National Park with my friends from my hometown, whom I have know for 35 years now. We rented a 5 bedroom house and spend 3 full days together. There was plenty of hiking, eating, drinking and lots and lots of laughing.

A much needed vacation to remember how important friends and what am important part of my life they have been all these years.

In the fall, after MANY years of having this destination on my list, I was finally able to visit the East Coast during the Fall Foliage. My husband and I flew out to Boston. We spent a couple of days there in very wintery wet weather, but loving it just the same, since California doesn’t seem to grant us that. We took a historical Walking Tour (Freedom Trail) where my children’s History lessons from Middle School came alive in images, words and beautiful buildings that have surely seen so much since the colonization until today. This is not my native country so I didn’t know most of the information we heard, but the similarities to Mexican History – its colonization and horrible abuses to our native population by the Spaniards, was almost like listening to parallel stories.

We rented a car and drove along the coast driving through Massachusetts, New Hampshire, Vermont and Maine. I was not expecting such abundant beauty. Foliage so bright and thick, never ending. I couldn’t stop taking photos. Those little coastal towns reminded me of the many Hallmark movies I have seen where there’s always a small town so quaint and friendly you just want to jump in there and believe it is real. We visited several bars and Delis where you could tell people knew each other. I even purchased some postcards to mail back home for the kids ( I am old school in a way). I walked in the tiny US Post Office in Boothbay Harbor, Maine, and the Postal worker asked the customer in front of me “How is your Dad today? Doing better?”

Like I said, like a Hallmark movie scene. I don’t believe I have ever made a trip with a looser agenda, empty days with absolutely nothing planned but driving, exploring, taking photos and walking on the small streets of these towns.

It felt liberating, no plans, often times not even dinner reservations. A 9 day vacation that was truly that: a vacation. I have imprinted in my brain those bright yellow oranges and reds that I will never see in California. I even brought home some leaves with me for a Collage that reminds me of that beautiful coastal land.

This year also, I joined a local Book Club. I was lagging in my reading habit thanks to Netflix and Prime Video, so I decided to put more commitment to it. I has been very interesting and educational to read books I probably never would have picked and more importantly, to hear other people’s opinion and interpretation of the same book I read. I have learned by listening to each member of the group of people just as much as I learned from the actual books. I wish I had done this years ago, but better late then never!

As we take turns seeing my side of the family every other year for the Holidays, this year wasn’t one to see them, and because of COVID, we have spend the last 3 Christmases here at home, just the 4 of us. While it is nice not to travel during such a hectic time of year, this year I really felt like I missed a family gathering, a larger cheerful group. Being part of it and feeling the love and happiness that these events make me feel. So I am looking forward to a larger Family Christmas in 2023.

Yesterday, Jan 1st, as I started taking down all the Christmas decorations, one by one, every tree ornament, every candle I thought about 2022.

The year ended well: we are all healthy, we have jobs, and we live in a country where so much is taken for granted and yet millions fight for these things every day: freedom, education, or as simple as clean water at the turn of the faucet or electricity at the flip of a switch. Listening to the news about the continuing war on Ukraine and how the people are enduring a tough winter with no heating due to the bombing of the Russians, makes me think of these simple things every day. So yes, the year ended well, very well, was my conclusion as I put away the last of the Christmas Ribbons.

I am hoping 2023 will be a year of enjoying the children as much as they let me, of resting more and reading more and blogging more- and enjoying my husband’s Christmas present:50 First Dates throughout the year- pottery, chocolate tours, movie nights, candlelight dinners, auto shows and even volunteering in some local charity or non profit group.

Happy 2023 everyone.

I am not referring to Taylor Swift’s song, but the absolute blank space when it comes to choosing a title for this Blog Entry. There are so many thoughts moving inside my head that it is hard to choose a topic. But I can start with this recurring subject: parenting.

As our kids get older, well into their teen years, I realize how little we know when we decide to start a family. When we grow up and watch our parents from a distance -raising us- or watch movies and TV shows, it seems so ..doable and even easy at times. It would seem sometimes like a story told over and over. You marry, you have babies, they cry a lot but are so very cute, then they start talking non stop, asking many questions. Then they get pimples and tempers, but not too bad, just a phase. Then they decide what do study, which route to take; they date, they drive, they get jobs and maybe marry one day. Then they give us grand kids and come apologize for being mean when they were teenagers. Then the Christmas gatherings get bigger and bigger, like in the movies, where its all a bunch of people overeating and having a good time.

But I had no idea how hard it can be to exercise patience, to not take things personal when your teenagers are rude, to bite your tongue when you are dying to give them a piece of advice but they didn’t ask for it and definitely don’t want it. To take a super deep breath when all you want to do is wring their neck! To hold back tears when they just hurt you so bad with a single word.

How mortifying it is to see them drive away at night and pray that they will be back safe without crossing their path with an idiot or a bully on the road. To see them crying when they are hurting inside, because it hurts almost as much as a parent to feel their pain.

We are now approaching the time when the kids start thinking what they want to do after High School. I had forgotten how overwhelming that can be. I switched majors twice until at last I found my place in College. And now that our kids are headed that way, I realize how immature (generally speaking) kids still are at 18 to be deciding what direction to take for their near future. I now live in a country where kids are almost expected to leave the house and start on their own at this early age. Whether as students or employees or both.

I am having a hard time (still) getting that into my head; in Mexico, in the late 80s, we went to college and lived with our parents almost until we married. That was the norm. So there is conflicting cultural differences between my upbringing and what I see now in 2022 in my own family.

We recently got some good advice from a professional on how to prepare our kids for Independent living; after listening to the reasoning and some examples of failed attempts of teenagers at “leaving home “, I realized how many mistakes I -as a mother- have made. Ironically, while trying to “help” them throughout their childhood, I have also been limiting their capability in problem solving and developing basic skills for life!

I believe these mistakes are the result of:

a) being a mom, which comes with some instinct to protect, to provide, (and we mexican moms are VERY intense at this) and

b) a subconscious need for them to need me, to stay home and not leave the moment they turn 18

The “Empty Nest” terrifies me, that is the truth. I have seen it all too often (my sister and several close friends). The emptiness and the quiet home. The meals for two. The void , in general.

But that is not our kids’ fault; they need support and help to make that transition a good one, a successful one. They deserve it and I am committed it make it happen, no matter how sad it makes me feel to see them growing up and being more independent.

I know I have other things to gain; and I trust they will all come in time.

So I am trying to walk this troublesome and tough time of their life with them, next to them , and not in front of them. I am trying to listen more, to understand their digital humor, their videogames, their language, the music they listen to.

This sometimes proves to be as hard as being a parent! I am sure I am not the only Mom that just DOESN’T get the jokes and the memes on Tik Tok, Instagram etc . Just like theirs….it’s an every day battle!

One day at a time…

Days go on with a Pandemic that seems to linger more than anyone would have thought-or wanted. There is so much information AND misinformation out here, causing people to be so divided in regards to vaccines, masks, mandates for certain employees, Government heads and CDC rules and recommendations… it is all one big hot mess, with conditions varying tremendously between countries.

Even though we all got vaccines at home, as many others, we still live with that uncertainty: the possibility of getting sick or of seeing this Virus change into something else that could be more dangerous. I wonder sometimes of wearing a mask to the store or to a concert is here to stay…

I find myself feeling muted in a way when I try to express my attitude while half of my face is covered. Body language sometimes is not enough or inappropriate with strangers. Like smiling at someone so it doesn’t look like you are staring. Or giving someone a dirty look because they are standing way to close to you at the bank line. I feel myself exaggerating with my smile or eyes to get the message across. I might need more wrinkle cream soon!

Also, I feel like my skin is absolutely gross after 10 minutes of breathing in and out with the mask, so I have great respect for all those who HAVE to wear it 8 hours to work. No wonder it takes months to schedule a facial these days.

Most kids are back in school; I went back to work and things have taken a more “normal” course for a lot of people. A lot of companies that have survived so far, have allowed or implemented the “work from home” model; I guess they finally realized that working remotely is not a crazy idea after all. For many, it is actually more productive than being on site.

I called a Medical office a month or so ago to schedule an appointment, and the lady that answered, had a parrot in the back ground, making very loud noises- probably attempting to mimic its owner. It was hilarious. Some other times, I hear toddlers talking or kitchen pans clanking in the background. Just the echo of the call tells you if the person is working form home. Not to mention the zoom calls, where you can see everything from family members in the background, pets, or even worse , someone changing or getting undressed in the back. There is definitely some etiquette and fine tuning to be done by some.

At least I don’t feel so bad when our dog decides to bark non stop while I am on a call. Thank goodness for the Mute button.

Last year my son started riding his motorcycle with my husband. Just short rides, here in the neighborhood. It took me months to relax and think positive and not be sick out of worry. Now, he is 16 and a half and after months of practicing driving, he got his drivers license.

A day which I was looking forward to and also dreaded. The drop offs and pick ups at 2 different schools with two different schedules meant that I had to spend at least 2 hours a day doing just that. So now that he can drive himself to school, that cuts my “soccer mom” time in half. It has only been a week of this new way of moving around, so I am still living with my cell phone glued to my hip in case something happens. Then I remember I started driving at 14 and realize that 16 is ok. Except in Mexico we didn’t have freeways where people drive 70 – 90 miles an hour. So I try to relax and show confidence. We have discussed all the things that can happen when you speed, when you text or talk while driving, etc. My daughter can’t wait to start driving too; she just enrolled in Drivers Education, and I am still processing that her brother already drives.

Letting go, that’s what these years of being a parent to teenagers is about. Oh but it is hard sometimes to no longer feel needed! A sense of freedom mixed with emptiness. This too, will pass.

My daughter had her very first Home Coming Dance at school, an event much awaited, since Freshman Year pretty much disappeared from that class (2024), when students really looked forward to the many experiences that one lives in High School.

Dance, makeup, and a whole look that makes girls look so grown up, and my son driving on his own- all on the same weekend. I felt like I aged 10 years in 2 days.

And speaking of aging…I turned 50 on August this year. Considering vaccinations have been available for almost 6 months now, I decided to celebrate my Birthday with a small party- girls only.

Our back yard is perfect for entertaining and I hired the catering and the music, so there was little to be worried about. Also, I hired my daughter and 2 of her best friends to tend to the guests and make sure things were tidy and running smoothly. They learned how to make grapefruit margaritas and how to pour wine -with measure, haha.

The theme for the party: the 70s. A good friend asked me “why the 70s? We grew up in the 80s…”

The real answer was so long, I decided just to answer “the clothes were way nicer in the 70s”. But here, I can spare the time and provide more detail about why the 70s represent some of the best times of my life: I have no more than 3 memories of my mother when she could still walk without aid, and speak loudly. Those few memories, all took place in 1973 and 1974. My most innocent years when I played with a small oven (that made the most gross cakes, with the heat of a light bulb), I learned how to ride my purple bike, and mostly, when I pretended to be a DJ and recorded many many tapes with my double cassette boom box, all happened in the 70s.

My favorite childhood shows- all in the 70s:

The Bionic Woman, Charlie’s Angels, Wonder Woman, The Little House of the Prairie, The Six Million Dollar Man, Land of the Giants, Fantasy Island, The Love Boat, Gilligan’s Island, Cometo-San (Princess Comet), and of course- my beloved Mexican Novela “Mundo de Juguete”. My favorite cartoons of all times: The Smurfs, The Jetsons and The Flintstones.

It was also the time when I made my first true friends, some of them which I still have in my life, very close to me even though they are thousands of miles away.

In 1974 was the year that my mom had a stroke, but I was only 3, so for the rest of that decade, I really had no idea how that event would change our lives, my Dad’s and my siblings, every one of us. I never knew her life was in danger until many years later. I don’t even recall what it felt like to have a mom that walked and talked like everyone else one day, and the next have her in a hospital in Intensive Care for days completely paralyzed and speechless. They were happy days, I adored her and probably missed her, but thats is all I remember. Not the pain or sadness.

I remember spending many holiday breaks in Chihuahua with older cousins who were in their teens. Watching them get dressed up and putting on their make up and curling their hair (Farah Fawcett style) was so much fun. That is when I started discovering ABBA, The Bee Gees, Journey, Earth Wind and Fire and Supertramp. That’s what my cousins listened to and I just loved the music. I added all those bands to my Mixed Tapes and boy where they mixed! In those tapes you could find anything from Parchis ( A Spanish kids group that I absolutely loved), to Mexican Balladists that my Mom loved like Camilo Sesto, Napoleon, Emanuel, as well as the American bands that teenagers listened to.

So the 70s to me are all memories of fun, naivety, true friends, afternoons playing outside at the park across the street from our house, making prank calls, and really, not a care in the world. I was such a nerd back then, that even homework was never a burden.

The few weeks I spent planning my 50th Birthday party, every single day was flooded with all these memories and realizations of the huge influence the Disco Music had in the 80s Pop Music, and the 70’s gorgeous fashion still has in today’s trends. It was a very happy day, I spent it with friends I care about, and that have known me for many years, some of them even met my parents when they were still alive. My brother and sister in law surprised my the very day of my birthday – despite the US-Mexico Border closure to land traffic, they managed to fly in and just appeared on my doorstep on August 20th. I cried of joy, of surprise and of so much love felt through their embraces. My husband supported my “All Girls” themed party and made our back yard look amazing. He was smiling big whenever I looked at him.

These (almost) two years of non stop bad news and disease, have definitely changed my perspective about the value of life, health, of waking up every single day feeling grateful for all that I have, not the things, but the people that surround me -near and far- and that make me feel so loved and appreciated. And when things get tough or too dark I remember…like they say in AA meetings. ONE DAY AT A TIME :).

Tsunami. Tsunami is the word that came to mind when I found out that my good friend’s husband has COVID, and another friend’s mother died due to COVID yesterday.

Eight months ago we were sending messages and news links about Tom Hanks and his wife, getting the virus. They were one of the very first well known people that got it. Throughout the following months we have all seen the spread get closer, and closer and closer to us. It seemed so far at first, we felt safe and unreachable, at least I did. But today ,… I don’t.

This morning I received a link to participate (virtually) in the mass celebrated to say good bye to my friend’s mother that recently passed. She had been sick for over 3 years, Alzhaimer’s Disease, and all the complications that come with it. She was home bound, under care and supervision around the clock towards the end. I don’t know many details about her condition, but I do know she got infected with COVID, most likely through one of the caregivers, or any family member that visited.

I clicked on the link not really knowing what to expect, it was the first time I participated on a similar event online.

I saw a near empty church. The service was limited to 15 atendees max. I saw family members with half their face covered by a mask, and even if the camera was placed atop and far from the attendees, I could almost feel the sadness, the emptiness, the loneliness in there. The husband, now a widower, stood on the first row, distanced from his two sons, in a suit that he seemed to once have filled and today looked big because his body had shrunk from sadness and emotional exhaustion. He looked small, so small. When he walked to the casket to say good bye to his beloved wife and placed a flower on it, he dragged his feet and seemed almost unwilling to go on.

When the service ended, the husband and his two sonds held each other, surounding the casket. It was, hearbreaking and painful to watch.

When we say good bye to our parents, we want to see a church that is full, completely full and overflowing with friends, family, to pay respects and show their admiration, their love, their support. To hug us, to hold us, to assure us that everything will be ok. To tell us that our dearly departed are resting peacefully. But in Covid times, the ones left behind get nothing like this. Not even close. It must be enfuriating to be deprived of a respectful and dignified ceremony. Deprived of a homely Wake to celebrate their lives, their moments that will forever be remembered.

These times are hard in so many ways, for the sick, for the families that have lost loved ones, for the unemployed, for struggling parents that cannot go back to work, and for young struggling students who are suffering from this both academically and emotionally. Hard for teachers and school staff trying to please all parents, even if they ask for the impossible.

People are stressed, people are being tested and a lot of them, wearing thin. Holiday season is here way sooner than it normally comes.

I visited the mall last weekend and it was almost sad to hear Christmas songs the first week of November in the stores. It is almost like shoppers need to be soothed into calmer environments and better moods. In the end, they want us to shop, of course! It just seemed almost like a “pretend world” built to keep the economy moving, and keep people employed.

This will be a very hard Christmas for millions of Americans, with no jobs. I hope all of those who- like me- are fortunate to still have jobs, find a way to lend out a hand, to volunteer, to donate, to share.

Changing to happier matters, I have learned to make bread this year. It is still a mystery to me why, during this pandemic millions of people went crazy buying toilet paper and baking. I am guilty of the latter, not the first.

I made my first loaf of bread, I also learned how to make (and can) jams and jellies.

I also came to know some exotic fruits that grow close to our home, they look beautiful and taste delicious. Dragonfruit is one of them.

My husband and my son worked together more than usual this year. He set his mind to teach him different useful skills; woodworking being one of them.

Together they worked on several projects, one of them -by request- is my new scarf holder. It is nice to see teenagers do something other than sit in front of a screen.

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Well, lives are changing, and so is the way we perceive and appreciate simple things, like not wearing a mask at the store, feels like you forgot to put your shirt on! Also, I have found myself more than once, leaving quite a bit of space between my car and the car in front of me on a stop light. It is like my brain is now trained to social distance without even thinking. Even when I drive!

I am still taking my daily morning walks with our dog, Cinder. She has become dangerously attached to me, to the point of having separation anxiety even if I go out to water plants. Walking her daily down the hill and up again has definitely helped me stay more active. Not just that, but I really enjoy the fresh air, the silence, the birds singing and chirping like crazy. Not much changes on our route. Same scents, only the citrus blossoms come and go with the season, but same friendly neighbors, dog walkers, noisy beehives, grumpy neighbor than never waves , our dog’s favorite spot to sniff on. Recently the only change I have seen is that one of out neighbors took down their TRUMP 2020 flag…

This Pandemic has lasted so long, that the days have changed in their dusk and dawn times during these 8 months we have all been home.

Tomorrow I will take out my winter clothes again (if you can call it a winter when temperatures drop from the 80s to the 60s). I put them away in March and now I am getting cold in my own house again. 2020 really has seemed like a breeze to me; even though for others it seems like an endless nightmare.

We are planning a trip to the desert for Thanksgiving. It will a different holiday for sure. But we all need a break, change, fun times. Hope we get it all!

It has been almost 8 months since COVID 19 has severely altered the way the world functions, the way people behave, communicate, work, and nowadays…sleep. And I mention sleep, because I can only assume millions of people world wide are loosing sleep or sleeping poorly due to all these changes, which have mostly been changes for the worse.

As I said before in my previous post, I am fortunate enough to still have my full time job and I am able to perform all my duties from the comfort of my home.

I live in an agricultural area some 8 miles away from lights, noise and traffic; here, space is a given. Almost every night we can see the starry skies, hear nothing but nature sounds (coyotes mostly!) and enjoy cool air even in summer’s hottest nights. During the day we get to see the most beautiful sunrises and sunsets, when the sky has a palette of oranges, pinks and blueish purples. Traffic on our street (dead end) consists of the 7am-8am rush hour when maybe 5 trucks pass by . Mostly landscapers and orchard workers that are picking the Season’s fruit from surrounding orchards.

So, overall, we are so very fortunate to feel free and not secluded, relaxed and not overwhelmed by the tensions of hysterical neighbors who are desperate to get out, frustrated children kept inside against their will. Or overwhelmed by super busy sidewalks flooded with dog walkers and parents pushing strollers when the evenings come. Not a day passes by in which I feel thankful for this. Neither do i take it for granted.

Ever since we cancelled the TV service a year ago (Satellite TV) we have been more disconnected from the everyday news channels, and for months it was fine. When the Pandemic Started, I felt the need to reach out and “connect” to News Websites (mostly NPR and the BBC, since I have no patience for the politically charged US networks). After all, I need to be in the know regarding the governor and mayor’s mandates which keep changing every couple of weeks, depending on the epidemic trends.

Usually while I am working I will listen to an hour of news or so in the morning and then disconnect. That will get me the thick of it, if I missed something big later during the day, I always end up finding out through my husband, friends or quick Memes that are already making fun of this or that.

In the beginning I tried not to listen to too much, because it is all so negative and depressing, so I mixed it up with Podcasts about movies, books, art, or anything else. Nowadays, it is impossible to hear any channel or podcast without the content being about the world today or at least, content that is greatly influenced by current events: COVID and Elections.

The thousands of business closures and the massive job losses, have changed the way we look, the way we move, the way we communicate. It is totally normal and fine to see women with inch-long roots of grey hair, or wearing flip flops showing off cracked dry skin on their heels, and a haircut that leaves a stylist wondering what exactly did it look like 5 months ago, ’cause there’s no form left at all! No one cares; for many, grooming stopped being a priority, for others, it stopped being affordable. (I personally have tried at least 4 different colors/brands of hair dye this year, so under the sun, my hair looks like I volunteered for a “browns and coppers” sample wig…but like I said…who cares.) Having money for groceries, gas and hopefully rent or the mortgage became sacred priorities for millions of people around the world.

Children have found new spaces and moments with their otherwise super-busy working parents and young teenagers have learned to feel connected in a variety of ways; for some, a birthday celebration these days is a family dinner and a home made cake. For others it is a small gathering on a front porch wearing masks and keeping a safe distance. Or a 12 car caravan parading by the front of the “Birthday Home”. Goody bags went from candy to a bag with puzzles, coloring paper and Do It Yourself Hand Sanitizer. Who would have thought?

I have seen the most awesome home made videos of Dads and daughters dancing together and Moms doing Yoga with toddlers; it seems like 2020 will see the birth of Zillions of new bloggers and You tubers. Everyone has the tools and the time, so You Tube has evidently been saturated by everything we can think of- not all great- but, we choose what we want to watch, right?

In June we had planned a trip to the Ozarks, in Arkansas; a Family Reunion, under works for 3 years, and the majority agreed it was best to cancel. Families from Iowa, Illinois, Arizona and California were all coming together, adults and kids of all ages, from 72 to 2 year old. Too much risk, specially considering we were flying there.

Instead we cut the group small and decided to drive to Zion National Park, Utah. The park was partially closed, shuttles where out of service to avoid crowded buses, but we still enjoyed it quite a bit. The views were gorgeous. And it was nice to see my in-laws.

On our way there, my daughter and I spent a night in Vegas, which had just reopened some of the hotels. The city was deserted: Vegas as I had never seen it. Most restaurants were closed and more than half of the casinos too. It was nice to avoid crowds and long lines though. I just wish people were more empathetic and wore masks just like employees were required to.

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Other than that 4 day trip, we have only been out to the beach a couple of times. Beaches in California are crowded and whenever public Parking Lots are closed, it is quote the challenge to find a spot. But it has been worth it. The feeling of openness and the constant reminder of how tiny we are standing next to the water is refreshing in a way.

These past moths I have gotten very close to my daughter. We spend several hours a day together, in the evenings specially. We watch different series on Netflix and Amazon, we worked out at least 3 times a week in the summer and now that she is back in school I miss her company.

Our grapefruit trees had a goos season. I picking as much as I could, and froze several gallons of juice, but ther where so many left, and eventhough I shared many with friends, it was impossible to pick it all.

Our Avocado trees did pretty well this year too so I was able to share dozens of this precious delicious fruit too. In California buying an Avocado is like buying a luxury item at the store, so..they are, really, priceless!

Between my street neighbors and us, we have traded Lemons (tons of them!), limes, oranges, Raspberries, Blackberries, Mulberries, Passion Fruit, Kale, grapefruit and avocados. This summer I learned to like Eureka lemons (I was always partial to limes). I have made lemon bundt cake, many many pitchers of lemonade and one of my new favorites: lemon bars!

More recently, I have gotten lots of pomegranate and guavas.

The smell of guava is extremely strong- I admit it. A single guava can make your whole house smell like it. But its scent reminds me of my home, in Mexico. My mom used to love guava (Guayaba, in spanish). When it was guava season, our fruit basket never failed to have at least half a dozen. We learned to eat them fresh since we were little, and also boiled in syrup with condensed milk, it was a super tasty treat. My dad loved them too.

Guava scent marks the begining of Holiday Seasons, Christmas, Punch, family gatherings, delicious desserts with nuts and dulce de leche. So I didn’t mind at all that our whole ouse smells of it. But one day after I go tthem, everyone at home starting complaining about the smell! I couldn’t eat them fast enough by myself, so I googled a recipe to turn them into jam, and ….wow. Mindblowing. I made several jars, and the next day, I made chicken pot pie and had leftover dough, so I made a few turnovers filled with jam. Wow again….I gave my neighbor -the one that gave me the guava to begin with saying she was not very fond of them- a jar and a large turnover and she loved both. It made me so happy to share that with them! One has to acquire the taste. Its really not a popular fruit in the US.

I am slowly but surely recovering still from my wrist surgery, I can slice and chop now (yey!) and open most jars too. It’s incredibly empowering: opening a brand new jar of Jam or pasta sauce without asking for help.

A lot of uncertainty has passed- elections passed, schools started, although most with distance learnign programs only, the markets are pretty unstable still, . There is a lot up in the air still, the approval of a vaccine, it’s mass production and distribution, and the questions of…how will our new president handle all these crises that he will inherit in Jan 2021. But at least in my case, I am handling this way of life better than I was a few months ago, despite the uncertainties. I am learning to live a day at a time. I am learning that it is OK not to always have a plan for everything. I want to transmit this peace and calm to my family and my friends because the last thing we need is fear, panic and negativity.

Thankfully, I can afford to be calm in the midst of this crisis, but I will not let my guard down and I will follow as best as I can what the experts and the authorities are asking of us : wear a freaking mask, wash your hands and keep your distance. It is not hard, I really don’t understand the thousands of Californians and Floridians (among manyothers) that are so very offended by the simple face cover request. COVID-19 deniers and the like…it is truly embarrassing. The US showing its true colors to the world. It is no surprise that we haven’t been able to get the spread under control, like dozens of Asian countries already did…I pray that our leaders get a grip and guide us through this quickly and successfully. Well, …most leaders, I know there are some we can definitely not count on. But we can not leave it all to them…what we simple citizens do everyday counts…each aeveryone of us.

Stay safe everyone.

Time – again – has flown by and I have struggled to find quiet time to  write a small entry about this trip with the kids, mid July this year.

The purpose of our 10 day vacation was to visit my in-laws; have the kids spend some equality time with their  grandparents and some of the cousins they almost never see. The plan, also, was to spend the last 5 days in Chicago, a city that I had been to before with my mom and sister, and where my husband used to live for a couple of years.

We mentally prepared for some hot sticky and humid weather; coming from the desert, I was not exactly looking forward to it, but the words trip and vacation made the weather loose priority in my short list of travel inconveniences.

When I found out it might rain a little, I  actually looked forward to it. This California drought has made us change our perspective towards rain.

The only big cities our kids knew before going to Chicago where San Diego and Los Angeles, and L.A. not so much the chaos of downtown, but rather the surrounding areas and of course, the endless stop and go traffic.

So the extremely tough traffic,  the dozens of people honking horns, the endless streams of homeless people walking down the busy streets,  even at the fanciest areas of downtown Chicago, were a bit overwhelming for them at times.

We stayed at a hotel in the middle of everything, right by  Michigan Avenue, so we saw the many stores, restaurants and hotels, museums mixed with this large population of homeless mixed in everywhere, from the subway stations to the doorsteps of Department Stores.

I told them, “this is part of your travelling and learning experience. You need to know how other people live, what problems other cities have , even the challenges that the weather presents for them”.  In our home town we don’t really have “weather”, it is mostly the same year round, except for 3 or 4 months where the heat can reach -and pass- triple digits.  Other than that, it is actually boring weather -and too dry.

To think that traffic, pollution and homelessness gets worse with feet of snow or inches of rain is also something to consider -and maybe even value when we get tired of our Perfectly Sunny California Days.

My daughter was excited about  shopping and about the different stores she saw there – like the Nutella Cafe and the most adorable Candy Store, a big two story shop dedicated entirely to candy.

My son said that one of the things he liked the most about Chicago was the diversity of its people. He said, “I see Asians, Hispanics, African-Americans, people from India, and the middle east, Europeans, etc”

I had meant to make this a trip that was cultural and educational  as much as it was fun and entertaining.

So my husband and I had come up with a list of places we did not want to miss:

The Art Institute of Chicago.  The place is big but safe enough for the family to disperse, so my son went on his own most of the time; I took my daughter to the most interesting and popular exhibits (for a 12 year old). She had asked if there were any paintings by Degas, with Ballerinas in them, so we started the tour at the Impressionism Wing. She took many pictures of the pieces she liked. She had never heard of pointillism, so when she looked at the magnificent masterpiece by Georges Seurat (A Sunday afternoon on the Island of La Grande Jette) she stood in awe in front of it, for a full ten minutes – maybe more.  We had arrived early to beat the crowds so we had a lot of room to admire the art from different angles without a rush.

 

Clearly uncomfortable with nude figures still, we breezed through the exhibits of the earlier European Art and the Greek, Roman and Byzantine Art.  Towards the end, we visited the  Modern Art wing, where, no matter how hard I tried to be open and appreciative, I had  a difficult time finding pieces that amazed or moved me.

 

Millenium Park:  we walked along this park and it’s different sections. The Symphonic was practicing for an evening performance at the Jay Pritzker Pavillion, so we sat for a while to listen. It was strange to see an orchestra playing in jeans and T-shirts, and abruptly interrupt their playing, cutting off short their pieces as the director indicated to restart or skip to another piece that needed polishing.

As my daughter observed the structure of the venue, she said to me “Mom, this place looks a lot like the Walt Disney Symphony Hall in L.A. Maybe the same Architect did it?”  I had to agree , it was exactly the same style and material used. So I quickly googled it and found that , in deed, Frank Gehry had designed both venues.

 

I felt proud of her , of the fact that at age 12, she noticed and pointed out  these things.

I realized then, that I was doing the same thing my mom always tried (and accomplished) with us: made travelling both didactic and entertaining.

The Museum of Science and Industry

We hesitated a bit about this visit, because it is not near the city center and the majority of the other attractions, but I am so   glad we went. The place is huge, big enough to be there a full day or even two.  So we had to pick and choose the exhibits that were not appealing the our kids.

There was everything from Climate and Weather,  with a very cool tornado simulator, airplane simulators, exhibits related to the human body:  the development of an embryo into a fetus and finally a baby, as well as other exhibits explaining the benefits of exercising and healthy eating;  optical illusions (mirror maze), Oceans , Coal Mines,   Ships and Train Galleries, it went on and on.

In my opinion, it is a must see for any family with kids in Elementary or Middle School, we left that museum out of tiredness, not lack of interest.

 

Chicago Aquarium

We have seen pretty decent Aquariums here in Southern California, but none of them compares to this one. The location is prime, the views of the lake are amazing. The exhibits are so well planned and designed and the live show we watched was an amazing learning experience for all – kids and adults.

This was probably the most crowded site, there are dozens of field trips , we could barely walk at times, so we had to be super patient getting places.

Even though I had already taken the Architectural Tour with  my mom years ago, I took it again and enjoyed it quite a bit. Chicago’s landscape is unique and beautiful and a lot of its buildings carry many years of important history. We saw what once was Marshall Fields, the Stock Exchange, The Wrigley building , the Tribune Tower . The contrast between the old and new is dramatic, yet it pleases the eye. There is nothing better than to see it from the river.  I highly recommend it.

Chicago was fun, wet, colorful and delicious. I want to believe that the kids are old enough to remember this trip for many years to come and also that it helped them appreciate our weather, drought or not, as well as the many  blessings they have:  having a warm home and a full stomach when they please, after seeing so much misery in some of the streets of the windy city.

Next up: Alaska!!