Ups and downs

Some things are finally coming together, we seem to have worked out what days the water delivery trucks come, the grocery shopping has almost normalized (as much as I think it will here, we joke that I need a list that shows the product and where to get it from) and I have made contact with the newcomers club.

One day last week I went half way across the city in search of framed (or not) canvas to paint on, paint and cotton string.  I had some success, check canvas and water color paint but not enamel paint or cotton string.  On the way home I pondered the juxtaposition that you see in many places around the city - walled courtyards that provide an oasis of calm away from the crazy traffic, roadworks, and noise.  I am particularly drawn to the courtyards and walled houses, the secret gardens that may or may not lie within and the mystic that comes with not knowing what is behind the wall.  I also laughed at the crazy street vendors.  Now there are street vendors that have their stands set up on the pavement (the taco and torta stands) and then there are street vendors that brave the bumper to bumper traffic, standing in the middle of the road (or highway) to sell drinks and candy.  

Last week I also noticed that things were blooming, hints of purple and flashes of bright red popping out of bare branches.  I can't wait for the full explosion especially as it looks like our street is lined with jacaranda trees.  I really wanted to find out what the trees with the red flowers were, so with a little help from Google I found an article a tree survey performed on Mexico City and with a little guess work (reading the tree names in Latin) I believe that the trees with the red flowers are Erythrina Coralloides (Naked Coral Trees).  Pictures to come.  

And then......on Saturday I wanted to send a text message to my Grandma to tell her we got the birthday card she sent for Dylan's birthday.  So I went to the drawer where we have been keeping cords and ipods and such in to find my US phone to get the number.  I couldn't find the phone so I spent about 45 minutes looking for it before I logged on to Verizon to confirm my suspicion - STOLEN.  Both my ipod and phone had been taken from the drawer.  I was angry and p$)# d off.  The pool of possible thieves was three but I have no way of knowing for sure which one of them took the items.  I suspended the service to the phone, changed passwords for accounts that were accessible from the phone and on Sunday we got a Caja Fuerte (a safe).  In the afternoon I logged in to Skype to talk to my sisters, they were both visiting our parents for the weekend to scatter the ashes of our Grandad and Nana Campbell.   They had the tough job of telling me that Grandad Joblin had passed away.  I am very sad as I really had hoped to make it home to see him.  To top off my day I then managed to pull something in my back as I bent over to pick Dylan up.  Oh, the ups and downs.