Happy New Year

A rainy Monday morning but a bright start to the New Year. We have had two days of solid drizzle interspersed with heavy showers. For a sunny Alberta boy, such grey weather is a challenge. The humidity is obviously sky high and papers sitting out on the desk are very limp and bedraggled. Origami sculptures would have a tough time I think. At night, the bed feels rather damp as well until it warms up. The good news is, though, it is delightfully cool ... almost cold.

Students are obviously stuck at home because only a couple have showed up so far this morning. Many homes are not in a fine state of repair and these cold, several days of rain stretches find all the cracks and holes and leave homes rather miserable. One of my walls is showing the effects of heavy rain as all the mortar joints become damp and show through the paint. I have no idea how the street people fare in such weather.

In early November, we had an attack of leaf cutter ants in our compound. Overnight trees were stripped bare of all leaves. How they can strip that much foliage in one night is truly amazing. We took the occasion to prune back a bunch of the ornamental shrubs. Finally, I notice, the leaves are beginning to fill out again and our yard is looking prettier.

At about 10 p.m. on New Year’s Eve, it began pouring so the party I was invited to basically washed away. I headed home when the downpour settled into light rain feeling that a five minute wetting was easier to face than an hour or two huddling under dripping eaves. Fortunately, the rain let up for midnight firecrackers to be set off and the artillery barrage let in the New Year in fine style. Thanks to Skype, I was able to phone a few friends and family at the same time.

Saturday, I took the bus into San Pedro Sula. My shopping list was to find earrings and necklaces for the girls on my daughter’s soccer team. Of course, sending someone with my complete lack of skills in jewellery shopping on such an errand is laughable. Fortunately, there was not a lot to choose from at the tourist market so the chance for error was slightly lessened. One of the artists featured in one shop is an interesting case. He suffers from some sort of schizophrenia which is controllable by medicines. However, when he has been on the medicines for awhile he begins to feel better and stops taking them. Very quickly he is back on the street until his family can find him, return him home and get things under control again. He does lovely work but at such a cost to himself and his family.

It is time to make new spreadsheets for the bookkeeping. Fortunately, friends in Canada give me a helping hand with design and formulae. It truly seems miraculous what these spreadsheets will do and all the calculations that can be made instantaneously. Having taking my High School accounting classes before the advent of calculators these spreadsheets are a never ending source of amazement and warm fuzzy.

May you find satisfaction and joy in the upcoming year.

Peace,
bb