RUST!

One of the disadvantages of living near the beach is rust, the second is sand, carried by the wind it tends to cover everything. The sand I can take care of by dusting and sweeping daily. The rust that corrodes anything metal is a bigger problem for us because both Wally and I hate to paint!

So, instead of painting our old garbage can, we arranged to have it replaced with a  55 gallon drum (the garbage can style of choice here) with a new one. That project was way overpriced, I feel. A new can from the feria costs about 800 pesos and the Louis pair wanted 2500 pesos. Still, my old can would have to be removed, un-welded from it's stand and a new one installed. I also had upgraded the design years ago by having another Hierro guy add a lip or flat rim around the edge so that the can would close firmly.  This way I wouldn't cut myself on the thin edge having a rim installed. This new Hierro guy said he could use my old rim and give me a new installed drum can with it.

I wish I had asked the iron worker if he could have made me a new rim as well but I was trying to save money by having him use the old rim, (it was newer than the original can). I would have liked to have known, what he would have charged me for "my design" totally done up new. Most cans here, don't normally have that type of edge added. I guess I'm feeling kinda of petty right now because although the people of Uruguay are not particularly materialistic in the same way as back in the States (USA) I just noticed that today, my next door neighbor just got a "new trash can" from these same guys and they added "my trim design" to their new can. I don't know what they paid for it but because their can included a new rim, right from the beginning, not a cut out version, re-tacked onto their can. Their can looks so much better than mine does! The edge seams are not as ragged looking as mine. My neighbors also unknowingly have me to thank for another upgrade that I probably paid for them.

A few days after my can was installed, I went to dump my trash bag into it and I noticed, the title of this post, "RUST!" Again! This time the rust was inside the can. If unstopped I'd be right back where I started from. The workers had painted the outside green and I thought that the inside was coated with a silver paint as it was mat-like and looked painted.

I waited for a few days, after some rainy weather passed and bought some paint for rust prevention, a red paint sold here and also a spray can of silver paint to spray over the red paint when it dried. Remember, that I hate to paint! Well, when I went out to finally do the deed, that's when I saw my neighbor's can being installed, the neighbors were at work during the install. Well, I called the workers over, this time Louis the father was with his son and I showed them my rust problem. I said that the same thing would happen to my neighbor's can and that "they should have theirs also painted inside". The workers mentioned that they should "up the price" in the future to include that. I showed them my tiny can of red paint and the father offered to paint the inside bottom of the can with it. I then offered them 100 pesos if they could go and buy a bigger size can of red rust preventive paint and completely paint the inside for me, top and bottom. I mentioned that the neighbor should have their can painted as well. So off the father went to the store. Apparently, the bigger size can and his labor, cost me 150 pesos more (about $8) but it was worth it to get everything done. I asked if they had change for 200 pesos, they said they did, but then, could only find 40 pesos in change to give back to me. Then they painted my can and the neighbor's can completely inside. Something that I know, they had not intended to do for the neighbor as I saw the can installed and it was without paint inside of it, like mine was.

1) My neighbor's new can. 2) My can. 3) A  3rd. neighbor's can, standard original sharp-edge, rimless design. 

It's the weirdest thing how my mind works. I can be oddly generous and petty at the same time! How sad! I don't mind that I actually payed for the inside paint job of my neighbor's can, unbeknownst to them. I am glad I stopped a big future problem for their can. I am only "kind of miffed", that their can is so much more, better looking than mind is because of "my design" being incorporated new from the start into theirs. Their old can did not have this design feature. However, the really "petty thing" on my part is that I'm actually mad that I got shorted 10 pesos or .50 cents! Go figure? However, I guess if I really put things into perspective, it's really all just rust and garbage in the end. I think I'll go to the beach and remind myself of why I enjoy living here in Uruguay!

***July 20th, COLD, COLD, COLD!

This isn't worth adding an entirely new post about, so I'm linking it with this one.

Starting Thursday, July 18th, we were put on "Orange Alert" through Tuesday, because of an Arctic Cold Blast of weather. I sometimes forget, how close we are to Antarctica!  You can click on the link and read the newspaper in Spanish about what's expected to occur each day (Good practice if your moving here). I decided to load-up on my indoor firewood stock, so I wouldn't have to go outside during the night.  Normally, I just keep a few logs under the stove, not on the entire living room floor.

My fire keeping me warm. The sky at 10 am. Saturday!

It's going to be "the coldest week of the year". although 43 degrees F. to 46 during the days doesn't seem cold there will be frigid Polar cold waves. Seeing that it is now Saturday the 20th, I can attest to the fact that the nights are indeed not just chilly but biting cold! The sensation feels like 6 to 10 degrees below 0. Of course, that is 0 Celsius which means only from 24 F to 26 degrees F. Still, If it rained that would mean snow!  Argentina had snow one day about 5 years ago, Which was really big news!

I've used up 1 and 1/2 ton of firewood so far this winter as shown by the empty space.

I awoke to frost on my lawn. Even my cat who dashes out the door to escape whenever it opens decided he didn't need to go away today. He didn't even step on the frosty grass! Even Shila, my dog couldn't believe Nathan wasn't coming!

So this is what's happening weather-wise in Uruguay this week!