Master Gardener

We took advantage of the lovely sunny day and the fact that for the first time, Denise and I are mobile in a little car. We went to our favorite vivero (nursery) in search of a plant that Denise needed and we would (for the first time) be able to bring it back easily.

Vivero Myosotis is right near the well known PachaMama's vivero. While PachaMama's excels in fruit trees and food bearing plants (as well as a few ornamentals), Myosotis specializes in landscaping plants. I have never seen a more complete display of such plants, here, before. The vivero is worth a visit, if not to buy plants, simply to wander through the parklike setting. What makes this place really unique, though, is the proprietor, Horst. Yes it is a German name and while he was born in Uruguay to German parents, he has lived here all his life.

Horst knows just about everything there is to know about plants. He is like a walking encyclopedia of plants, and loves to talk about them and explain their uses. Beyond that, however, he is quite the character. He speaks Spanish, German and English fluently and understands about 11 languages. During his working years, he worked for a German company that exported wool from Uruguay and travelled widely to service their international customers. So, besides speaking English and German, for example, he also can mimic the dialects. He does a great Brit, a tolerable New Yorker and a very funny Chinese guy speaking English- beside many of the German variations.

We only went for one plant, but came away with 1/2 dozen. Besides anything else, he is quite the salesman. It is a good thing he doesn't sell dogs- or we would be maxed out.

Hell Week

No, I am not pledging a fraternity, this week, but we have finally started on the rest of the floors in the house. This means that for the next week, our finished living areas will be confined to the domestic wing of the house, namely, bedrooms, hall and bathrooms (glad we have the bathrooms). But the office, dining room, living room and kitchen will be in various stages of construction, so we (including the pets) are confined to smaller spaces. We can use the kitchen to cook (for now), but we eat on plastic chairs and folding wooden tables. However, it will be worth it to finally have all of the house completely tiled, removing the last of the old asphalt tile squares. The photo at the left is our floor after the tiles have been taken up.

At least we have our bedroom finished and can use the TV and DVD player to keep ourselves entertained, while work goes on. If the weather were better, we would love being outside, but this weekend was dreary and wet. In fact, last night we had the most severe lightning storm (though brief in duration) that we have experienced, here. One strike came so close, that it might have actually hit some house circuit. Can't be sure, but after the lightning had moved on, Denise noticed a weird crackling sound and light coming from inside the stove. She got me out of bed and I unplugged the stove, after finding out the the electric element for the broiler in the over had melted! Can't actually figure out how that could work, since the electrical outlet showed no visible darkening and nothing else was affected. However, we did unplug everything immediately. I will have to figure that out later, but for now, I was able to disconnect those wires in the stove and we can still use it (actually never did use the broiler, so it wouldn't be a big loss if it never gets fixed). The photo at the left is our pet's cramped quarters in the hallway. Still, with lots of fluffy pet mats and loads of sticks and chew toys, they seem to be adjusting well.

The Fusca (VW beetle) has finally come back from the 2nd mechanic. The first mechanic that we used (at the recommendation of our vet who owns a superb show quality beetle), was good for brakes, bearings, new tires and such- but was sadly lacking in expertise on motors. He rebuilt the carburator without finding the broken acceleration pump and never mentioned the fact that the choke cable was missing. When I got it back from him, I was barely able to start it and it ran horribly. However, the 2nd mechanic we found (Steve in La Floresta gave us his mechanic) was a master worker. The owner was a trained VW mechanic who set up a small shop when he retired. He, his son and another mechanic work there, in what might be described as a hole in the wall. Very out of the way, with little indication of the business. A very large work space, but off the ruta. When I got it back from him- the motor was noisy, it had little power and a very rough ride! In other words, it ran like a proper VW Beetle. He fixed everything the first mechanic had missed. I would heartily recommend him.

The pets are getting along wonderfully. Nate (the cat) has integrated with Barney (the black dog) and Shila (the brown furry, cute dog). They enjoy playing together, and it was a wise idea to get a 2nd dog- to keep Barney company.

Our tile guy says that we will have the house back together after this coming weekend. Tomorrow we will actually see some tile going down.

This will be our second summer. Last summer we had workers here every day for 5 or 6 days a week. No privacy and little chance to enjoy the house. This summer should be different.

Hell Week- your days are numbered.

That's Why I Hate Doctors

We are members of Medica Uruguaya, a local health care provider. Many people cite affordable health care in Uruguay as one of the reasons to retire here. Being relatively healthy, I have mostly looked at health insurance as "catastrophic coverage", only to be used in worst case scenarios. In fact, I had probably only gone to a doctor a few times in my life, until the last couple of years, and then only because I had contracted pneumonia. I had a hernia operation just before leaving for Uruguay (getting that taken care of was mandated by my wife), and other than that, I have not had much use for doctors. So, while health care insurance is wise, it probably would not be the highest consideration from my standpoint.

My wife and I receive complete coverage for 1,363 pesos/month each or about $128 US for us both. That entitles us to consulations and major surgeries such as hip replacements and heart operations, etc. Several expats that we know have had full hip replacements, very successfully. The doctors are knowledgeable and the facilities are modern and well kept. Interestingly, when you are hospitalized here, there are a few things different than the US. For instance, there needs to be a family member (or you can hire someone) to care for your patient needs during your hospital stay (water, helping you to the bathroom, etc). That is considered your part in the process. They also make an "in home" inspection of your living arrangements before admitting you to surgery, to make sure that you will receive sanitary health care after leaving the hospital.

In the outlying communities, health care needs are met by smaller clinics, where doctors rotate through the week. We see an English speaking doctor who was born in the US and returned here after medical training. Medical tests and visits to specialists cost extra. I recently went in for a complete blood analysis. The battery of tests costs about $10 US, and was very thorough. When I went in next week to get the results, the doctor went through the various parts of the report. Hemoglobin- OK, Platelets-OK, etc., etc. In fact, most everything, including the urine sample, tested out OK- except the cholesterol levels. I was at 226, while 200 is the target here in Uruguay. I have been told that the US is now wanting to see a cholesterol level of 170 achieved (bad news for holders of MacDonald's stock certificates).

Anyway (and here is the reason that I hate doctors)- she wants to improve my health. She actually wants me to do something about it. That is because Uruguay is very much into preventative medicine. I assume that most of the world's medical profession is into preventative medicine, I just never took much note. She wants me to cut out butter (using plenty of olive oil), whole milk, fats, etc. Then I have to come back in a couple of months, let them take another blood sample for tests and see where we stand.

I DON'T WANT TO GET BETTER! Oh well, having said that, I am starting to cook better meals. Avoiding fats where I can, not using salt. Boy if this trend keeps up- next thing I will be exercising. But lets not get carried away. Let's see what happens in a couple of months...

Tug O' War

Well, it has been less than 24 hours and Barney and Shila have learned a new trick- tug o' war. This is going to be the best ever! Right now Barney has the height advantage, but at the rate Shila eats, and her current girth, she will outweigh him in no time. While Barney goes bounding across the yard- Shila follows at an accelerated waddle.

And Nathan has warmed up to Shila, almost on first sight. She is still feisty and can put both of them in their place (more a brave show of teeth and growls, rather than a true threat), but she is much more submissive than Barney, so Nate has even slept this close, something he's never done with Barney.

Today, Nate , is going to the vet- not to get tutored , but you know what.... We hope this will mellow out the mix. After having the cat for about 6 months, Barney for 2 weeks, and Shila for a day, I don't know how anyone who works does anything. Being retired, with nothing more to do than care for the pets (and trying to train them), cook, sleep and eat- I can just barely get through the day. How do people with pets, jobs, children, social and religious obligations do it!? Seriously! My hat goes off to the valiant working men and women of the world who manage to care for their families, jobs and personal life and remain sane.

New Puppy on Board

Yes I am writing about a 2nd puppy. After berating Denise for getting a puppy, last week at the feria, without any input from me and being railroaded into taking the puppy over mild objections. I thought it best to accompany her, there, myself, to keep these things from happening. Anyway- could you really turn this down? This guy came through the feria with 2 puppys, one male and one female. They were sooooooo cute. Anyway, I melted. So much for toeing the line.

We took the one with the pink ribbon (either she supports breast cancer or she is a female- either one OK) and are planning on calling her Shila (pronounced Sheila). Let's see, now- 2 weeks ago Denise got Barney, today we got Shila. At this rate we will end up with 26 dogs by next year. So we also got 2 more roses for Denise's rose garden and several pet rugs with varying designs. We will have tile floors probably carpeted with these wooly throws.
We've got to stop going to the ferias.

On the car front, we had almost everything we could think of done to the Bug. The list includes rebuilding the carburetor all new ignition parts, front brakes and some rubber sleeves on the axles and many other things. Along with the 2 new tires, the bill came to $600 (US). We did discover one other minor problem that needs to be fixed (a bearing that requires the motor to be pulled), so another couple of hundred and we will be on the road.

Nathan and Barney are getting along well. A little too well. Nate has begun to look at Barney as his little "boy toy", and we are going to have to get the cat fixed tomorrow, to keep him from completely brutalizing Barney (Barney- don't bend over to pick up the soap!). The new puppy, however, should provide quite an interesting bit of entertainment. Who needs TV?

Krispy Kreme on the Road

Well, we finally finalized our purchase of that VW fusca (Beetle) and thought we would say goodbye to some memorable times on the Uruguayan bus system.

For almost a year, we have enjoyed the buses in UY. For the most part they are clean, and if you don't travel during rush hour, they are spacious. During rush hour, the buses operate on standing room only, and Uruguayans do not have a "space" requirement. They are happy to stand packed (and I mean packed) back to back, side to side and every which way for up to an hour. And more space can always be found for the new arrivals.

During a bus ride, you may be treated to: guitar music, offers to buy candy, gum, band aids, socks (among other things). On one trip, 2 local actors played out a scene from a local melodramatic production (very badly, I might add- way over acted). We won't have that type of entertainment in the VW.

The bus drivers decorate their own buses in their own style. Here you can see fuzzy dice. Hmmmmm- apparently there are no revue boards for decorations.

However, now, we will probably be doing more traveling in our little Fusca. We found the car on MercadoLibre (UY's version of Ebay). We saw the vehicle and agreed to a price of $3600 for the '87 bug (we did get $100 off the price). That was over a month ago. At that time- we turned the deal over to our escribano. Escribanos handle all kinds of title transfers, including houses and apparently, cars. You would be hard pressed to do the paperwork yourself. They get certificates from police departments, tax offices and other offices to certify that the car has no liens against it. In fact, the process is almost exactly like transferring a house (and almost as complicated).

Because the car was registered in another county, the escribana had to pay an agent to do the paperwork up there, and it took shy of 4 weeks before that paperwork was sent back. Then, since it had been so long, our conscientious escribana ran the documents a second time, in case the situation had changed in the last month. Satisfied they set up a meeting last night, and the title document was read and signed and the keys were turned over. The deal was not completed, however, since the papers need to be sent back on last time to finish it up.

The cost of the transfer was higher than anticipated. I had thought $200-$300 would be expected, but it cost over $575 for the fees. A good portion was the notary fees. We might have saved some money using another escribana, but this is the one who did our house sale and we were comfortable using them, so we have no complaint, merely a mild surprise.

The seller drove us back to his house, which was close to the Rambla and we took that home, since driving in Montevideo, at night, in a new car (or any car during the day for that matter) is a hazardous affair. I am happy to say we arrived home safely, and after freeing the dog and cat from their enforced confinement (and cleaning the floors)- we turned in for a good night's rest.

This morning, after making a thorough inspection of the Krispy Kreme, I am pleased that it is basically in good shape. I took it to a local Gomeria (tire store) for 2 new tires (Pirelli's for $70/each) as well as a basic tune up and oil change. It was kind of strange driving around. This is only the 2 time I have driven in this country and we plan to be doing much more, now that Denise and I can travel together with ease. I am putting the motorcycles up for sale (I think the mechanic who is working on the car my put them in front of his shop) and we will be happy to be able to drive without helmets, gloves or other safety gear. Hey- with traffic in Montevideo being what it is- maybe I should keep the helmets to wear while driving in town.

It was a dark and stormy night......

This is just a brief update for Friday's activity. Nothing to report on the remodel scene. Barney and Nate are getting along famously (the new dog and our cat). It is quite entertaining to watch them play.

I have noticed over the last few days quite a difference between cats and dogs (duh!). I have always been a dog person. In fact, it has been over 35 years since we had a cat in the house (prior to Nate, I have been mildly allergic to cats), while we have had dogs several times we never have had a dog and cat at the same time. While I am still a dog person, I may be shifting slightly to the cat side because of these differences. For instance the cat's idea of cleanliness is a thorough tongue bath over his entire body (including head), using his paw as a wet comb. Very impressive. The dog, on the other hand, is satisfied if only his genital and anal areas are thoroughly, and I do mean thoroughly, licked down. The cat carefully buries it feces, then checks carefully to make sure it is completely buried without smell, while the dog merrily takes a dump wherever it wants and does not even bother to think what might happen to those coming behind him. The cat can manipulate just about anything with it's very agile paws. The dog can bite things. Now, this might not be great revelation to animal enthusiasts, but it is the first time I have been able to observe cats and dogs head to head (in a manner of speaking).

The last few days has been rainy, progressing to cloudy and rainy and tonight we are experiencing a typical Uruguayan storm. That is to say it is windy. And windy here is very windy, it doesn't come and go- it just stays blowing for hours and hours. Now surprisingly a few blocks from the beach, the wind abates significantly. But it rages here, tonight at the coast. We've battened down the hatches. Got the fire going, the shutters pulled over the windows and we are settled in for the night. Barney just woke up and took his nightly constitutional, seemingly undisturbed by the howling winds (he's Uruguayan). But we are warm and snuggled up on this dark and stormy night....