Author: doug

Quincho

The local “excitement” for the last few weeks has been the re-doing of the neighbor’s thatched (“quincho”) roof. They’re apparently doing it in two layers, so the next time the whole thing doesn’t have to be torn off, just the top half. New idea?

I would be more curious, but the last time that roof was done, in October 2011, Denise Glass did and exhaustive and exhausting account of the process “here in Uruguay.” After reading it again, I do not want to burden the fabric of the universe with even one more word about it.

New trash in the middle of nowhere

So, a new, bright pink dog food bag full of garbage appears in the middle of nowhere.

Even if brought from the closest house, someone would have walked half a kilometer to litter. All the houses to the southeast have regular trash pickup, and it would surprise me if that house didn’t have the same.

So what’s the “thinking” here?

What’s going on here?

A few days ago, I speculated on what might be going on at this house. I did not express the thought that they might just completely tear down the wooden house, but that is exactly what they did, creating a mountain of plastic trash and another even bigger (center right) of asphalt-coated wood that will, as far as I can imagine, be completely useless. The room to the left had a huge amount of fiberglass insulation from the previous roof. Today it was boarded shut, so presumably they’ll re-use the insulation.

For some reason, the image of a puppy chasing its tail comes to mind.

What’s going on here?

A year ago, I posted these photos of a most wretched and entirely shoddy little house being built. It is still unoccupied, but more money has apparently been found.

First they added a strange brick structure on the left (gray) with no way to enter it from the house (maybe changed?). Now they’re enclosing the thing with ticholo, which has better insulation properties than brick. So what will happen to the previously exposed pine boards now hidden behind the ticholo? Dry rot? Black mold? Termites? Other critters?

It will be fun to monitor. Throwing good money after bad….

Real books!

For the third time in twelve and a half years, I have power of attorney or house keys for someone not here. This time it’s keys for a guy who died and whose wife is a home with Alzheimer’s. A happy discovery was that they have a substantial number of books. Real, paper books like I rarely read anymore. I tried this one years ago but found it boring. Now it fascinates me.

The physiology of the eyeball and…well, then there’s this Post-it note as a bookmark:

Quarter them, steam a half hour. It’s umm, well, kind of…

…OK, maybe it’s just me.

Your chance to poison yourself!

Our neighbor Alvarito in his tiny house is quite the organizer. The park project, a children’s book swap (the refrigerator, and public service notices opposite our neighbors’ new and classy minimercado.

However, this puzzles me. Why would anyone, ever want a flu injection? We’ve had 20 minutes of sun in the last three days. What does your body do with sun exposure? Creates vitamin D. What does vitamin D do, among other things? Keeps you from getting sick.

The idea that health comes out of a needle is probably THE propaganda masterpiece of the Rockefeller-pharmaceutical-medical industry. Get injected with toxins designed for last year’s “strain” to get well.