My Little Cindy - my niece, my friend, the little sister I always wanted...passed away very suddenly today in her home in Mexico.  She was diagnosed with liver cancer only eleven days ago.
    There was no time to say goodbye and no time to fully prepare ourselves for the shock.  There are no words for how much I miss her.  At times, she was a lifeline for me and with only seven years difference between us, she was the pesky little sister I never had.  She meant more to me than I let her know – a big regret.
     I helped Cindy take her first step, she was my best buddy during summer stays at our home, I saw the Beatles with her, and I loved her fiercely.  Her laugh was contagious; her energy unsurpassed, and her love of kitties, birds, music, and puppies will always be an inspiration to me.  She was a huge part of my life.
     We loved her visits with her husband, Dave, to our home in the Texas Hill Country or Tuscany Terrace, as Dave dubbed our home.  I cherish those visits and wish I could relive every single moment.
     I miss our talks, our laughter, our little messages on Facebook.  I miss saying, “Oh, Cindy.”  I’m not sure what’s around after death – maybe we’re just in another universe, maybe a parallel reality, another life, Heaven, or just gone.

​Dear Cindy:  Wherever you are, say hello to everyone we're missing and give yourself a big hug from us.  I will always, always have you in my heart. - Your Aunt Pam

    Pueblo Edén is celebrating their 101st anniversary.  I so look forward to this every year.  Despite the tricky winter weather (it can be cold or rainy), the horse poo, the crowds, and dodging huge horses everywhere, it's the best event of the year.
   What I noticed this year was how I was seeing the young kids from years earlier growing up!  Some that rode along in their dad or mama's lap are now commanding their own horse.  It's a close-knit community and a wonderful place to visit.

   The U.S.A. was calling me to come home!  It was time for a trip to visit family and friends.  It's hard to visit everyone; they're all spread out in 3 different states.   On this trip I concentrated on a visit with childhood friends in Florida and a visit to family in Arkansas.  The rest will sadly have to wait until the next trip.   (Update - little did I know that would not happen for awhile with the outbreak of COVID-19.)
    I will have to say that the trip from Montevideo, Uruguay to Miami, Florida was the absolute worst.  The flight was fine; it left on time from Montevideo.  I sat with a group of 20 urologists all traveling to Miami for a medical convention.  They were a fun bunch and a delight.  Uruguay being small, of course my seat mate knew a mutual friend!  
   The problems started as we landed in Miami.  You must pick up luggage before going through Customs.  We were sent to an area with NO bathrooms, no seating, and no access to water or food.  And there we stood for 2 and 1/2 hours waiting.  I was hotter than a firecracker and needed to pee like a racehorse!  We then formed a very long line of tired, angry travelers, all of whom missed flight connections.  URrrgh!!!
   I'd love to say the rest of the trip went smoothly.  It didn't, with typical Florida thunderstorms, heat, and mosquitoes.  I did, however, love seeing my two best childhood friends and their husbands on Longboat Key.  I got up early every morning and watched the birds and fishermen on the beach.
   Getting to Little Rock was a breeze in comparison and I absolutely adored seeing our son, daughter, and granddaughter.  I love them all so very much.  They were the best hosts, ever!!!  We went out to eat all my favorite foods, we played board games, I read stories to my granddaughter, and we even had a pedicure!
    Visits are a reverse culture shock.  Everything in the U.S. is so busy and loud!  I hear English everywhere!  Gotta love these trips.
   Update:  I am beyond grateful to the Universe that I chose to see my childhood friends on this trip.  One of them passed away suddenly in 2022.  I'm so blessed that he and I had this time together in Florida.  We sat on the beach every morning drinking our coffee and chatting.  He was a dear friend for over 50 years and always there for me no matter what.  I will miss him terribly.  As destiny would have it, his grandson is staying in Uruguay this year (2022) on a college Study Abroad program!

     We went to a restaurant at the port in Punta del Este for my friend's birthday lunch.  After lunch we walked down to where the fishing boats dock (right near large yachts) and unload their daily catch.  You can buy the BEST seafood there and man, is it fresh!
     Sea lions are all around that area of the port, begging for snacks from the fishing boats.  The world's largest colony of sea lions is right off the coast at Isla Los Lobos - home to over 200,000 sea lions.  Appaarently, some of them swim up to the port for entertainment and snacks!
     If you go to Isla Los Lobos, you can swim with the sea lions, which is reportedly an interesting experience.  Unlike swimming with graceful dolphins, sea lions are chubby and blubbery, very loud, and nibble on your toes.  I think I'll stick with watching them from a boat or the docks of the  port.  They were very cute, if a bit rambunctious begging for food.
   One of the larger sea lions (600 pounds) is named Roberto.  He's semi-famous for coming around every day, then coming on land.  He once perched on top of a convertible in a nearby parking lot and had to be bribed with a snack to get off!! 
You can watch a video of Roberto on top of the convertible on Youtube.
And here's a link for more about ROBERTO ON THE ANIMAL CHANNEL. 

     Gracie and I are at it again - practicing our birdwatcher photography!    She's such an amazing companion, no barking, sudden movements, or any other shenanigans that might scare away our feathered friends.  
     The cats come and watch us for awhile, thinking we're sort of nuts to be sitting very still and not even trying to catch the birds.  After all, the birds are eating the cat food we buy!

     Once again, we were joined by dear friends at La Huella restaurant in José Ignacio.  Like every year, I got the grilled brotula fish, French fries, and white wine.  I'm so predictable!!!  We'll have ice cream for dessert - dulce de leche.  Somehow, I slipped into a birthday routine here in Uruguay!  Next year we need to shake it up!

   Uruguay has a huge amount of birds.  I like birds, but have to admit I'm a little bit scared of them.  Irrational fear, I know.  The old Hitchcock movie, The Birds, forever ruined me. This morning Gracie, our Border Collie, and I decided we were going to be birdwatcher photographers.  Gracie has a huge heart and an abundance of patience.  She's the perfect birdwatcher.  I, on the other hand possess a semi-big heart for birds, and little patience for waiting to photograph them.  
   We positioned ourselves on the side porch where there is a large bush with branches shooting upwards.  The birds love to perch there and swoop in to eat the cat food on the porch table.  The cats have become oblivious to them after the first 100 unsuccessful tries at catching one.  Gracie, being very intelligent, always watches the cats' attempts and saves herself any wasted energy trying to catch birds.  She prefers to watch.
   The birds didn't seem to mind that we were there.  The only hesitance came with actually landing on the cat food dish and eating.  They passed on that, but posed on the branches for photos.  They were secretly hoping that Gracie and I would get ever so bored and leave.
   And so - after all these years of taking photos, these are my first serious attempts at birdies!  Gracie agrees that we should to this again!  (We have no idea what these birds are!)

​     As this year comes to an end, I have to give thanks for our pets.  We now have 5 cats, 2 dogs, and 2 horses.  The horses just visit from next door, but we'll count them in!
     I was once a no-pet kinda woman.  I didn't even want a goldfish. Once I met my husband, he turned my way of thinking around 360 degrees. 
     Here's how we got our first pet in Texas:  Hubby (then live-in boyfriend) told me he'd seen a cat on our courtyard deck.  I said, "Gah!!!!  No cats; I hate cats.  I hope it leaves soon.  Whatever you do, don't feed it.  Then it will never leave!"
     "But it's a pretty neat cat and looks hungry," he said sadly. 
      A couple of days later, he suddenly needed to make a trip to the supermarket.  He looked suspicious, so once again, I said, "Don't you get cat food.  We'll never get rid of the cat."  Of course he bought cat food and milk and put it on the deck.
     A week later on a very rainy Friday afternoon, I came home from work.  I went back to the office to find Hubby.  Well, who was sitting on his lap at the computer?  That cat - all nice, warm, and dry.  At that point, I threw my hands into the air and gave up.  We had a cat!   We named him Franz and he was the best cat ever.  He was a Snowshoe - very Siamese looking with white paws.  His ears were very, very short, but we didn't know why.  Turns out most of the neighborhood knew him. 
      We took him to the vet, who lived 2 houses down from us.  She said, "Oh, yes.  This poor baby was left when the neighbors on the corner moved and deserted him.  Their teenage boys put firecrackers behind his ears one time and that's why they're short. The firecrackers burned the ends off."  Horrific - now i really fell in love with this little guy. 
     We installed a cat door in the garage at first, to let him venture in and out.  After we'd had him about a month, I came down with a terrible case of the flu.  As I was lying in the bed, half asleep with a high fever, I awoke to find Franz standing on my stomach with a note attached to his collar.  I thought I was hallucinating from the fever. 
     I pulled the note off and read it:  "Dear neighbors.  We saw his collar and want to thank whoever has him now.  We've been feeding him for months since his owners left him.  We named him Boots."
     Franz didn't seem to want to leave the house anymore, so we deemed him an indoor kitty and sealed up the cat door.  Instead of going out, Franz loved to sit on the sill of our front window and look out at the sidewalk and the park across the street. The cat ownership was real!
     Franz's first Halloween with us was eventful.  Two adorable little girls came giggling up to our door, yelling "Trick or Treat!"
     When I opened the door, they said, "You have White Socks."  Huh?  I asked them what they meant.
    "We see White Socks, the cat, sitting in your window every day.  We used to see him around the neighborhood and pet him.  We call him White Socks."
     At first, I was terrified that they wanted him.  I could NOT give up this cat.  Turns out they'd just loved to pet him as he roamed the neighborhood.  Whew!  Turns out Franz has many personas!
     After all his mistreatment by others, Franz was a people-lover.  When we had parties, he begged to be picked up so much that he would actually be sore the next day!  What a lover-boy.  He lived a long and happy life with us.
     Our pets are all blessings - they've taught me to be a better person, to love unconditionally, and to be forgiving.

   It's a low-key Anniversary and Christmas this year.  I'm not sure why, but it's my guess that we might both be a bit homesick for family.  Having a son and daughter-in-law, granddaughter, siblings, nieces, and nephews so far away is not for the faint at heart.  It's downright tough.
   Here's a scenario: 

• Walk up to me and ask, "How do you like your life in Uruguay?"
• I'll likely smile really big and say, "Oh, we love it here.  Everything is great."

   Um, not exactly true.  We do love it here, but I'm not sure that for me, it will ever feel like "home."  It's home in the sense that we have each other as a couple and we have our pets and friends.  In the bigger scheme of things though, it's difficult to feel totally at home in a different culture with a different language and no family or familial memories.  
   So yes, I'm a liar sometimes.  But then again, who isn't?
   On that note - be happy, be joyful, and be forgiving this holiday season.  Love is what matters in the end.  Merry Christmas, Happy Holidays, and much love to you and yours.

     I'm thankful to spend Thanksgiving once again at our friends' ranch, surrounded by old and new friends here in Uruguay.  I'm missing my family something fierce, but at the same time, I'm happy to be in Uruguay.
     We Americans, Canadians, and Ecuadorians somehow manage a Thanksgiving meal complete with everything but the turkey; we cook chickens instead.  We all gather and bring food.  There was dressing (stuffing for those who say that), sweet potatoes, pies, cheesecake, rolls, and more.  
       Here's the link to my ever so wonderful PUMPKIN PECAN CHEESECAKE - a bit of Thanksgiving in every bite!  It was a big hit!   I've also made a SWEET POTATO CHEESECAKE for our Thanksgiving celebrations.  Both versions of cheesecake scream fall and Thanksgiving!
​      Our hosts are always so gracious to have us.   This year was highlighted by the mighty men gathering together to move a coffee table and carpet.  No idea why - I was into the wine by that time.  It was our entertainment!  I swear they wanted to take measurements...