Small truck with swimming pool.
Snoozing pool installer.
Reminds me of our pool delivery a couple years ago, at another house.
Spotted on the highway
Author: doug
Peaceful resting place
Our dog of twelve years, Karma, developed a tumor about six months ago, six months after I thought we would have to put her down because of a cyst forming on her spine. But she happily walked to the beach every day, and we watched carefully for any sign of discomfort, since we let the last dog Pandora hang on too long.
Last Friday, the tumor – size of a baseball – doubled (or more) in size, and the dog wouldn’t lie down or even sit, but stood all day, panting, or following us around. Our lovely country neighbor, a vet, came with her father in the evening, did an exam and announced that it was an edema which would rupture in a day or two – very ugly. It was our decision, but the dog actually made it. Calmly lay down on its side for the first time that day, eager for relief.
Digging the grave was hard – not emotionally so much as physically: clay.
Third pet buried in nine months:
How we do it in Uruguay (deadlines)
I don’t have an update, but in November the Chinese were to start building the world’s tallest building – in 90 days.
Meanwhile here in Uruguay, it’s unlikely this 3-house project near us will be finished within 90 days of the promised delivery date (November 2012). By then the summer will be over, and the rental market dead until the next season starts, 9 months later.
The backwards 9s of Uruguay
Something I’ve noted before, but the 9s of Uruguay still amaze me. for some reason, it seems a majority of the population writes them backwards.
I found this sufficiently unsettling that I wrote the number myself, so as not to have to decipher 0P1 08P 338 on the fly.
Starting the year with wildlife preservation
The cloying heat yesterday broke into a downpour, turning our road into a river. This morning, heading back from the deserted beach, I noticed that one stream had formed a puddle in the road, full of tadpoles, most less than a meter from a ditch full of water, but with no way to get to it before car tires crushed them or they died in the sun as the rest of the water drained.
Surprisingly difficult to catch them with a cut-off plastic bottle, but I managed to get 50 or 60 – most of them – into the ditch, where they at least have the chance to grow into frogs.
And eat mosquitoes.
Monsters in the yard
Our friend Gundy sent photos of a monster caterpillar in their yard. I had some incredibly camouflaged tomato hornworms a few years ago in my first garden here. I actually pointed to them from less than a meter away, and people couldn’t see them!
But this – wow.
She also sent a couple links about caterpillars:
Fotos de orugas (just learned a new Spanish word if you were paying attention 😉
Why you might not want to pick up that cute fuzzy caterpillar
Mushrooms
Awaiting the alambrador (fence guy), I pile old sheet metal on top of logs and other crap to try to convince the big dumb bovines not to enter the area where my garden will soon be, and eat the volunteer squash plants growing there.
Spot a couple of large, odd mushrooms. I know very little about mushrooms; certainly haven’t seen this type before.
Sky
Uruguayan parking
While in Connecticut in September, I picked my brother up at the airport. Driving back, I was amazed at cars driving inside the lanes on the interstate, and signalling to change lanes. Finding myself in the midst of a fairly empty stretch, I said, “I’ll show you how we drive in Uruguay,” and started to switch lanes, but only enough to perfectly straddle the line between two.
“What the hell are you doing?” said my brother – who, for the record, is legally blind.
“Driving like an Uruguayan,” I replied.
Today, shortly after an expensive car nearly clipped my fender in the process of creating a third lane in the middle of two eastbound lanes (hey, after all, it is Friday of New Year’s Eve weekend and we’ve got to get to Punta del Este!), I saw this car with Punta plates, which apparently left the highway at significant speed to travel so far and do such damage to the entrance of a children’s recreational area.
I don’t know the details, or what other vehicles were involved, but I can say with some certainty what happened was 100% the driver’s fault.
Star Trek kumbaya
A friend’s country place includes a octagonal building with a removable center piece which conceals a fire pit. Apparently they – whoever they are – held retreats there.
The last three chairs of six and coffee table I bought used a couple years ago needed to go somewhere to free up space for our Christmas day party.
