The rains start - sort of

We finally got a day and a half of rain to the point of having puddles! Already the parched grass looks better!  The air is humid plus as there is little wind right now, but I greatly hope there is more rain to come for those poor cattle. The cattle here are quite unique looking, a tad on the lean side, but otherwise rather nice to look at.

The lovely cow you see in the field this morning could be on your plate for dinner, as once slaughtered, beef is not aged as in North America and is immediately shipped to to the various outlets for sale. This makes for some tough beef, and apparently slow cooking is the only way to cope with it. The ground beef is very lean, and makes wonderful burgers with no shrinkage. When I see them in the fields like this, I tend to waver back towards vegetarianism. Chicken here is absolutely delicious, probably because all chickens are free range. This also provides us with lovely dark yolks in the eggs. Sadly, there has been virtually no fish to buy - a huge disappointment as we enjoy white fish.

Yesterday,  Larry and Kimi, whose house is finishing on lot 64, stopped to say hello. They live in Southern California north of Los Angeles, and will be coming and going over the next few years until retirement. More delightful folks - Kimi has the greatest laugh! Without air conditioning, appliances, or any furniture, they are camping out in their living room for now. Don and Connie lent them some lawn chairs, and we plan to feed them a home-cooked meal this coming week. After the visit, Chris and I took off for Pedasi and spent a pleasant hour photographing various buildings and sites in and around Pedasi for me to put on my Playbook and take on my trip to Canada. We followed the photo shoot with delicious ice creams at LowTide Cafe, then headed off to ask Israel to make two benches to go with our table on the patio. Ready  in two weeks this time. Israel actually follows my fractured Spanish - what a sweetie!

Our cats are doing very well...Cagney chases Mitzi, and allows himself to be chased; toys are found in odd places, as are candies! Just as Cagney did as a kitten, Mitzi loves to play with the wrapped candies in the dish. We used to find candies months later under couches, beds, the stove and fridge. Mitzi leaves several on the island counter, and a few scattered where we sit in the evenings. She is too curious for words. I cannot go anywhere or do anything without this little shadow behind me. When she follows Cagney it looks like 'Me' and 'Mini Me' trotting along. I need a photo of this! Sewing can be risky and I simply cannot knit now. I wait until she falls asleep to accomplish any task. It is like having a furry toddler racing around!

I am very glad to report that the water pressure remains constant and consistent and I have enjoyed a long, hot shower every morning for two weeks now! Oh joy, oh rapture!