Shanas garden is much more lush and overgrown than mine. CiCi always finds a soft, green patch for relaxing.
Greetings from Baos de Agua Santa, Tungurahua, Ecuador! As things are starting to open up, Ive been getting out a bit more and seeing a few friends. Ive continued to attend yoga classes faithfully three mornings a week. It has been SO important for me to have this time JUST for me. My body feels strong, my spine, hips and shoulders are virtually The deep, rythmic breathing is an exercise that I carry into all aspects of daily life. My instructor was supposed to move back to Per, but for me its been a silver lining that Peruvian borders have remained closed. SO - she ended up staying in Ecuador two months longer than planned, for which I have benefitted greatly.
Now its definite - Adriana is leaving in two weeks and I am gearing up to consistent with my own personal yoga practice at home. I know it will and ongoing motivation, but I hope that acknowledging its many benefits will help me to embrace this challenge. I plan to put on a mix of Deva Premals chants and require myself to stay down on the mat
Maricarmen came down from Quito for a visit and we ate Italian food on the outdoor terrace of Bella Italia.
through them all! Also, I may continue to meet up once or twice a week with the other two people who have been taking the class. Well see how it works with my classmate leading the sessions. Ive really enjoyed Adri as my teacher, and was glad I had the chance to invite her and her Argentine partner, Martin, over for lunch one day.
We had a weekend visit from Maricarmen, Shanas friend from Quito who has been promising to move down here to help her out. Mari had not seen Shana in a number of months and was stunned by her physical and mental decline. Ive been seeing Shanas dementia progress day by day (which is heartbreaking enough) and Ive grown used to helping her out as her mobility and physical capabilities decrease, but it was a shock to Mari to experience it after a long absence. The reality of Shanas diminished capacities struck Mari hard and catapulted her into action to finally make move down here permanently. This will be a huge relief for me, allowing for a major shift in the rhythm of my days. I
I finally got to meet Fabian and Hildas med student son, Jonathon. He is borrowing an old laptop of mine because his finally died after multiple repairs.
have been Shanas sole cargiver for the past 7 months -- its not a job for the faint of heart. I am grateful to Mari for stepping up and will gladly take over from time to time to spell her from the responsibility.
I have continued to find jobs both at my house and at Shanas for my workers, Fabian and Hilda; in the garden, painting, tiling, bricking up a garden wall, cleaning out our bodega storerooms, & / during our two excursions out of town (keep reading for details). They are such kind, humble, hardworking people and really want to work as much as possible. Their son, Jonathon, is currently in his 4th year of medical school, doing all of his studies online. His laptop died and I am loaning him an old one I had stored in a closet. I wanted to meet this dedicated young man, so I invited him and his parents for breakfast one day. He took an hour out of his rigorous study schedule meet his benefactress. A lovely young man, he is quite serious and clearly highly motivated.
I love to stage all of the varied ingredients that will be rolled up in a soft rice wrapper. I´ve just about run out! Will need to bring some back from the states.
I continue to enjoy being creative in the kitchen, so I invited friends Flo and Karl to join me and Shana for an lunch and Scrabble afternoon. Its fun to assemble a variety of fillings for spring rolls. We placed our two deluxe Scrabble boards side by side, trading partners after each game.
