Adventures With My Mother

Here I sit, drinking coffee and posting to the blog from sunny Mexico, where I’m warm for the first time in weeks.  I’m on a little adventure with my mother, a trip I almost didn’t take because I was feeling like it was too decadent to travel to a warm place twice in one winter.  I came to my senses, obviously. A maternally subsidized holiday is nothing to sneeze at, and I did vow to travel more earlier this year, and I’ve never been to Mexico – and at some point during one of the ice storms the whole thing seemed so clear.

We travelled yesterday, leaving Toronto at 5am, crunching our suitcases outside through the bitter cold and snow, and by mid-afternoon we were here – a little town called Puerto Moralos, where mum’s found a little condo by the sea, or very nearly by the sea – we checked it out yesterday and it’s a little hike around the corner, but a very pretty beach when you get there. The town looks to be very interesting, and a good place to practice my fledgling Spanish.  It’s a fishing village, and pelicans were swooping overhead yesterday, along with another big bird I couldn’t identify. (Add that to the list of things I’ll google later, along with finding out whatever the hell the thing was that walked along the back garden wall last night.  Looked like a rat the size of a small dog. Scared the hell out of us.)   Mum’s friends Don and Alison are here, and they’ve been here several times, and helped us get the lay of the land.
boatsbyside 2014-02-04
Mum and I are going adventuring today, after we go for a swim and visit the beach, and we’re going to walk both directions and see what we can find, and I’m going to go on a hunt for the perfect office, somewhere in this apartment. (There’s a palapas outside – it’s shared by many people, but it’s popularity makes me think it’s where the best of the dodgy internet resides.)
I’m taking my sock, which seemed so bright in Toronto, and fits right in here.

hibiscussock 2014-02-04
I’m taking my sock, which seemed so bright in Toronto, and fits right in here.

PS: I’m so glad you like the new blog – and thanks for listing glitches in the comments. Dylan (the web guy who helped Ken and I when it became obvious we were in over our heads) will be tweaking it over the next few days or a week, so it’s helpful to hear what works and doesn’t.  We’ll keep working on it. Please forgive any mistakes I make with posting over the next little bit as I learn.  Also my old offline editor (Qumana) doesn’t work with Word Press.  Any suggestions? Got one you love? 

163 thoughts on “Adventures With My Mother

  1. I’m glad you’re somewhere that’s warm! Please post lots of pictures, and yes, it’s a perfect environment for the sock. 🙂

    • Your tour will go well if you just remember to breathe.

      I love your blog – It and Dubious Wisdom, Regrettable Choices are my two favorite blogs and you always put a smile on my face.

  2. Love the new look! I would ask Dylan if he has any recommendations for the offline editing – there are several options, but what will be best for you depends on your operating system and your browser of preference.

    That large rodent may have been an agouti, which wikipedia tells me grazes like a rabbit! I wish that made it cuter, but I don’t really DO rodents so barf.

  3. Could it have been an opossum? It does appear their range includes Mexico.

    I’ve seen them walking along my back fence here in southern California.

  4. I’d bet that the bird you saw along with the pelicans was a frigatebird. They love hanging around fishing villages. They’re called frigatebirds because they act like pirate ships, chasing other birds and stealing their food. The rat the size of a dog sounds like it could be an agouti. They’re large, tailless rodents that eat fruit that’s fallen to the forest floor.

    Have fun in Mexico! I’m jealous, as I’ll be riding my bike through snow to get to work today.

  5. The new blog looks great! Hopefully it is more secure for you. My Mexican friends have told me that they cannot find yarn shops and the needlework is all crochet, weaving and embroidery. Will you go to the local market?
    Isis01

  6. I love Mexico! You do have to stick to bottled water even for brushing teeth! As a Knitter, advice, although I was always in Puerto Penasco, I learned that I could get beautiful roving, yarns, fabric, weaving supplies, buttons, even pans for cooking that you would love for dying! You might need to go to some nearby town, but the locals DO TRY to be helpful. Tip them for the assistance if toucan. American money goes VERY far there, I don’t know about Canadian money, sorry. Have someone fix you some filleted flounder the way they prepare garlic fish, its utterly amazing as long as you love garlic.
    I’ve made dozens of trips down there as a well as to the Nogalas area. I much prefer the ocean. I took many photos that later became paintings and stunning quilts. I wish I could still travel, id get more pics and knit pretty sweaters and afghans. If there are any questions I can awns er for you send me a message at this new email or call me at 16024223369. Enjoy your trip and fiber hunting, everything is cheap there, I hope some of this helped.
    Hopefully a new friend, defineately a devotee,
    Amber Marie, Queen of the new Eskie Knits

  7. Love the new format! Doesn’t seem to be syncing with Feedly though.

    Looking out the window at trees lined in white snow, with more snow forecast for tomorrow, I am vicariously enjoying your trip to Mexico. Thanks for sharing!

  8. love the new look, and I just want to thank you for still being here and inspiring me to knit some brighter socks. Snowing madly here–does that make your beach look better?

  9. Love that you are WARM! The cold can wear anyone down. It has been a rather cold winter with lots of rain in North Alabama, so far we have been measuring our snow linearly horizontal so we can count the snow flakes. Meanwhile I am kniting with vibrant colours inspired from Australia to keep me warm-er!

  10. There is no such thing as socks that are too bright. Like you, I prefer the workhorse yarns for socks. I am pleased to see Regia among your favorites, as It is my fave for socks. Not as thrilling to work with as some fancy pants yarns, but wears like iron.

  11. Piping in to say I love my IbirdPro app, easily identifies birds, lots of pictures and fun while traveling!! Plus, it makes you feel smart (Look, a red-tailed hawk!). Enjoy your vacation!

  12. Two things:
    a) I love this dragging game thingie. What’s that? It’s a testing-you’re-a-real-person-thingie not a game? Oh. Um, I’m a simple person and to me it’s a game which makes me want to spend all day commenting so I get to play it again and again. Don’t judge.
    b) I must buy that sock yarn. I think winter’s getting to me, too, because that sock yarn looks like a reason to live. Too bright? No such thing (says the girl who only ever wears brown).

  13. Happy for you and your Mum! Like many others have said, please enjoy the sunshine for us! Lots of pictures of pretty flowers would be appreciated, too!

  14. Love the new blog!
    My guess as to the mystery bird is an albatross. We frequent Mexico, and they are abundant there. Enjoy the warm for us!

  15. I think the dog-sized rat is a possum. The first time I ever saw one was when I was in college, coming home from a Halloween party, late at night. There was one standing on my front porch.

    So I went in the back door instead.

    I have a terrible phobia of all rat-like things.

  16. I use the Blogsy iPad app. It does work with WordPress, and I am 90% sure I have written a post offline before. I think it’s one of my best iPad app investments to date!

  17. This is my 3rd attempt to post!!
    Maybe it was an armadillo, chihuahua or a huge rat. If you are in the tropics, or by the beach, you will encounter roaches/rates and 3x bigger than at home. On your new blog/home, can you post your sock recipe for Joe? Need help with sock knitting and big feet. And your recipe for shortbread (referring to Xmas 2004).

  18. Really just posting so that I can play the drag & drop game! Love the look of the new blog 🙂 I hope you have a blast in Mexico.

  19. I’ve never replied before but just want to tell you to enjoy your holiday with your mum. my mum just died unexpectedly this past Sunday and it is very sad. of course, she was 90 years old so had a good run, but it’s still hard to believe she is gone. Let’s hear it for all mums out there.

  20. This is my 4th try. Let’s see if it’ll work this time:

    Whoa, Steph! Nice looking blog! Well done.

    Have fun in the sun. I heard on the radio this morning that where I am, we’re supposed to get between 6 and 12 inches of snow before tomorrow’s commute. o.O

  21. Oh man, I’m in Chicago and Mexico is looking mighty wonderful right now!

    A thought on the blog: could you make it so we don’t have to scroll all the way down to the bottom of the page to write a comment?

  22. The new format looks great. Hope it works well for you. Sock + hibiscus = charming. Those will forever be your Mexico socks; I recommend keeping them for yourself.

  23. It’s five below, Celsius (I checked, just for you.) The next six inches of snow are due tonight. The snowpiles at the end of the driveway are nearly seven feet tall.

    Have fun.

  24. I love the new site – familiar yet fresh. It does whig me out a bit that the calendar weeks start with a Monday instead of a Sunday. Intentional?

    Let me echo the sentiment, have a fabulous time in Mexico with your mum!

  25. Mexico – wonderful! Thanks for the virtual tour, it’s warming me up. We got to go last summer (June is cheaper but there’s a reason for that). Will you get a side trip to Chichen Itza? Swimming in a cenote? I’m hoping for photos…

  26. I emailed a friend in California this morning to tell me about their weather so I could live vicariously thru her (and now you – another 6-8 inches coming today) and survive this winter. Congrats on the new blog – looks nice. Keep telling us about this magical land with sun and warmth and color.

  27. You look like you are having a lovely time. I could use someplace warm right about now myself! Thank goodness you snapped to your senses and went! Have fun! New blog looks great!

  28. All of the suggestions re ratlike animals the size of dogs are possibilities. I was thinking Capybara myself; but agouti or coatimundi could be possible too. I’m going by my knowledge of geography and local fauna, rather than by actual knowledge of Mexico, since I’ve never been there. It sounds lovely, and I hope you have a wonderful time! Lots of pics for us to ooh and aaah over, please!

  29. As a teenager, I lived on the U.S. Naval Base at Guantanamo Bay (c. 68-70, pre-terrorists), and we frequently saw banana rats. Maybe that’s what you saw.
    Love the blog and the sock. Enjoy the warmth!

  30. Careful: Mexicans laugh just as hard as Cubans about the whole idea of socks — been there, with socks…
    Enjoy! It’s freezing on the Wet Coast too.

  31. This is a fancy schmancy new blog you got here! It’s lovely. I hope it does everything it’s supposed to to keep spammers at bay. Enjoy Mexico. I’m enjoying this coldest-in-30-years winter in Minnesota, but then I’m a crazy person, and I do miss color a bit.

  32. I’m trying to resubscribe to your new location, and Digg Reader keeps reverting to your old one. Do you have an RSS feed button somewhere I haven’t found?

  33. I’m terribly jealous you’ve had two vacations to warm spots this winter, while I’m stuck in freezing cold Minnesota. I guess I will have to live vicariously through you! Love the sock. I certainly hope a critter as big as a dog is *not* a rat!

  34. Just posting to see if it working for me… have a great time in Mexico.
    And I LOVE the photo for the fishing boats… straighten the horizon slighly, print it out and frame it, please. You have become a good photographer. 🙂

  35. Hey the Google Doodle by Canadians has announced the regional winners. Go vote for your favorites. Stephanie, in aid of your frequent requests, I voted for the young person from Ontario who created a teleporter!

  36. Wow! That photo of the marina looks just like a painting. Nice composition! Enjoy your stay and soak up all the sun for the rest of us Northerners!

  37. It looks great! And I love your spambot preventer (although ironically, I was asked to drag the ROBOT over to the circle).

    I NEED that yarn, it’s cold and grey here in Edmonton today, -28 with windchill. No yarn can be too bright in a Canadian winter. Any doula advice on how to deal with non-progressive contractions? I’m 35+4 weeks – definitely not causing changes but still contracting every 7-10 minutes since Friday and I’m EXHAUSTED.

  38. Nice look for the new blog! Enjoy warming up. My experience with large rodents is mainly to stay away–they have sharp teeth and carry health hazards galore. Nothing to do with Mexico, but with tropical conditions. Don’t leave food sitting around to attract them, and don’t try to tame or pat them.

  39. Your sock looks so much prettier posed behind the flower than it would,say, arranged on top of a pile of snow. We are supposed to be getting a lot more of that despicable stuff tonight and tommorow. You are in the right place, so enjoy the sun, the coffee and the beach. How is the Mexican coffee, by the way?

  40. Cuba AND Mexico in one year?? You suck….the new format is very square…there are no rounded edges. That kind of a juxtaposition seems a bit counterintuitive for knitting…IDK, just a weird observation.

  41. Thank you for the travel tip. It looks like a wonderful place. Please let us know about food, and coffee! Love the new site, btw 🙂 …I got pants!

  42. Congratulations on the new site! They are a lot of work, but rewarding when finally up and running smoothly!

    FYI…I use Feedly to read your blog and the old bookmark is not updating with the new posts. Or not this one anyway. Looks like a difference between URLs maybe (old – YarnHarlot.ca/blog, new – YarnHarlot.ca). I resubscribed once I realized this and the new URL is updating with the old and new posts, but maybe something to look into.

    Enjoy Mexico! I’m envious of the beach time. 🙂

  43. Hi Stephanie, the transition to the new server looks about as seamless as it could be. I hope you enjoy the time with your mom!

    Question – is there a way to follow an RSS feed or get an automatic update of the blog? I like your blog but I don’t want to stalk you for new posts. 🙂

    Thanks, Tracy

    • Tracy I added the new Harlot address to my free Feedly account and that’s all working smoothly for me. You can add as many blogs as you’re interested in and new posts pop up on the feedly site. You can organise these by theme or topic, get rid of a bunch at once if you just want to skim through, or follow those you’re really interested in through to their websites.

  44. I don’t deal well with change, but I’m adjusting to your new blog — trying very hard to just focus on content because really that’s what I’m here for — the content!!! Mexico looks lovely — enjoy the sunshine!

  45. I’m glad you’re enjoying warmer weather in Mexico, but flying with a cold must not have been much fun :/ My sinuses seize up as soon as we start descent when I’m NOT sick (I can always tell when the altitude changes in the slightest, usually a good 20-25 minutes before they make the “We’ve started our descent” announcement).

    Can’t help on the offline editor. I just use WordPress’s built-in one. But oh, I love my WordPress. So much better than Blogger was!

    Go enjoy the sun! (or at least the warmth, if it’s not sunny…)

  46. How very lucky you are! The new blog works just fine for me (although I’m much more used to Captcha than picture matching), and I’m happy it works for you!

    Send us more pictures from Mexico 🙂

  47. The blog looks great! Glad you’re getting another warm vacation, and happy to be sharing WordPress with you! Yours is much more sophisticated than mine, maybe I’ll learn something about WP here (in addition to everything else!!!).

  48. Sigh, lucky you. American Airlines just canceled my flight out of cold icy MD for warm sunny St. Croix. Rebooked for Thurs. I guess I can wait. Love the bright sock. I’ve made ones like that Dick calls “Mammy Yokum” socks from the character in Lil’ Abner. Gerry

  49. Que bueno que estás en Mexico, donde hace calor! Yo también estaré en Mexico en unas días—en Oaxaca con my hermanito Jim y un grupo de tejedoras. Es un viaje de “Comer y Tejer.”

    • ‘Mazing – my very weak (50-years-ago-classes) Spanish skills got me through that whole post – had to think a bit on ‘tejedoras’ but got it!

  50. Que bueno que estás en un país donde hace calor! Yo también estará en México en unos días. Mi hermanitos Jim y yo llevamos un grupo de tejedoras norteamericanas a Oaxaca. Es una viaje de “Comer y Tejer.” Ojalá que tu estarás con nosotros!

  51. Love the new blog!!

    My husband and I will be going to Puerto Morelos at the end of the month! I’ll stay tuned to the blog to check out your highlights!

  52. I miss finding the twitter feed right along side the blog. That being said it is very elegant and very very readable. Of course the content is always stellar.

    Go get sunburned for me will ya

  53. I’m afraid your sock almost looks drab next to that bright hibiscus flower. But wouldn’t you love to have a sweater with that color in it!

  54. Buenas Dias, senora! Enjoy Mexico and the warmth. Hope you have better coffee than we did…couldn’t drink the stuff so resorted to tea and hot chocolate (the best ever!) Our food was great too.

    I’m interested in the mystery bird you saw…I’m an avid birder…I went to Mexico on a birding tour.

  55. My only complaint is that the blog looks so stark white, can’t you put something colorful in the background…um, like sock yarn or a lace shawl?

  56. I love the new format, although it took me some time to figure out where to find all the old sidebar info. Duh! There it is! Send some warmth and sunshine to New York’s Capital District please.

  57. The new site looks great, I hope it solves your previous frustrations. Enjoy the warmth and sunshine…I’m trying very hard not feel envious by reminding myself that at least it’s not -25 here in Ontario anymore…it’s not really working. Buen viaje!

  58. Enjoy! I’m sure you cherish the time with your mother. Sounds like a great vacation – enjoy the warmth and sunshine and knitting time.

  59. If you’re looking for a better offline editor (also called an IDE), I am a huge fan of Aptana. It’s free, firstly, and very easy to use. It does work with WordPress and, tbh, I prefer it to some of the more expensive IDEs out there (Adobe Dreamweaver comes to mind).

    • I’m using the likely Nook my son(active duty U.S. Navy) got for me the Christmas before last. The ONLY thing I’ve found so far to be a problem is that I cannot get Adobe Flash Player. I want to start a blog, as I’ve only ever had one immediately following my dad’s death. I had a lot of response to that one, and found that it gave a great many people a place to share their pain as well. Now I’m ready to move forward to another three loves…my adult kids, my 3 Eskie dogs, and my knitting. Tips welcome please, as you seem to be successful, much like the inspiring Harlot.

  60. Post pictures of the creatures you want us to identify. Something that looks like a rat the size of a dog sounds like an opossum. Big bird that’s not a pelican could be anything. Have a great time!

  61. This is probably silly (ok it totally is), but one tiny thing I’m not crazy about on the new website is all the harsh black lines. Can they be replaced with some colour? Something to compliment the main blue of the header? Otherwise, excellent call on going to Mexico!!

  62. With all the problems you have had thanks for not giving up on the blog. I love reading about your knitting adventures. Inspiring and grounding.
    PS Like the leaf thing. Much easier than trying to decode crazy skewed letters i find on there websites. Don’t know what they are called but they are annoying.
    Have a great time in Mexico!!

  63. We were just there! If you get the chance, go snorkelling as the reef in front of you is a National Park of sorts and is quite amazing.

  64. It looks like a beautiful place to relax and knit! The picture of the boats looks to me like a beautiful painting. The sky in the background is wonderful, and all the colours are perfect! Great balance in it too! Wish I could see it! 🙂

  65. I’m fourthing the critter ID as nutria. Saw them all the time when I lived in south Louisiana. People I worked with sometimes made them into stew. I was never brave enough to try it.

  66. Your new blog site is pretty. Hope you enjoy Mexico.

    Our vacation will be to DC, which is north by 200 miles…but south of Toronto. I wish now I had let my husband talk me into a warm and sunny clime.

  67. Before moving to another editor, give the one built into WordPress a try. It’s not fabulous but is pretty decent for the kind of work you do.

  68. So, I quite sincerely love the new layout (and the captcha thingie– so much fun), but if there’s one thing I find a bit grating it’s the narrowness of the space for the text. It’s fine for your posts (a bit jarring to see it so long and skinny, but perfectly fine), but when reading comments it can be rather annoying to see so few per page and have them all seem really long. Let me emphasize that this is a very, very small point– overall, I really love the new page and am only thankful that you found something that does the job and does it well.

  69. I, too am in beautiful Puerto Morelos and will keep my eye out for you as i would love to meet you! Small place, so who knows! Love your blog…i am a rug hooker, not a knitter, but i love reading about it anyway! Here for yoga! And warmth!!
    Live in Ky and Nova Scotia rest of the year, both have sufferd this bitter cold!

  70. Huzzah! You got comments back and you’re somewhere warm and the sock looks like it’s completely at home. Excellent 🙂

  71. I agree with previous commentors that you probably saw a either a nutria or coati. Both are distributed in central and ‘South America’ but nutria have been introduced (and have invaded) far northward (The Gulf of Mexico states in the US up through California and as far north as Oregon and Washington). I remember the first time I saw a nutria in Louisiana and thought there was absolutely no reason for any rodent to be that size (and I’m a biologist). Of course, I did see some huge banana rats when visiting the Yucatan area. Anyway good on you for taking a trip to a warm place when the opportunity arose.

  72. The rat that was the size of a small dog may have been an armadillo. Don’t touch them. Twenty percent of them carry leprosy.

  73. The blog looks good. I’m resistant to change coming from elsewhere, so that will explain my comment that I think the comments take up too much vertical space and that I wish they spread across the page more, letting me view more of them on the screen. I thoroughly enjoy your observations and watching your knitting and family adventures unfold. Thank you for all the work you put into it.

  74. You may want to tweet to folks who are following you via blog reader that they might need to resubscribe to the blog since the addy has changed slightly. For FYI purposes I use mr Reader on iPad. Love love love the new digs!

  75. Dyslexic Australian read that you thanked people for their comments, and that you and Ken would be twerking over the next few days.

  76. About the alleged too bright socks – accessories can’t be judged alone. It’s all a matter of their surroundings (the outfit, the other accessories, the flowering bush).

    My other half and I had a wonderful few days in the Bahamas. Flying home, our connecting flight out of Charlotte, NC, was cancelled. Unfortunately, we had put the winter jackets in the checked baggage, leaving us in Charlotte with no coats, sweater, or anything warm. Just a quick FYI.

  77. We spent 2 weeks in Mexico in January. We stayed in playa del Carmen, just south from where you are. I must warn you, make sure you check your metal knitting needles, do not put them in your carryon! Mexican customs confiscates mine every time! Wood or bamboo seem to be acceptable.

    • What she said about the needles. I found out the hard way that you can fly *in* to Mexico with metal needles, but you cannot fly *out* with them. I ended up checking my entire knitting bag because it was my only carry on. Thank goodness all arrived with me home.

  78. I’m so tired this evening that at the end of your Mexico report I misread: “128 reptiles”! More snow tonight in GTA .. or some kind of slushmageddon… so enjoy the warmth and sand on behalf of us back here.
    I like the look of the new site, and the font. Very sleek.

  79. i hope i did that right–sometimes my laptop has ideas of its own.
    glad you are warm. wednesday morning at 7-30 there are 13 new inches of snow on my front porch. it has now changed to rain which will freeze.
    if i could change one thing about the blog, i would number the comments. you see at the top that there are 128 and you start reading. if you have to stop for any reason, you can re-find your place a lot easier if you know you need to scroll down to 90 to get there.

  80. The socks look really at home in the sunshine. I think the rat-like animal may have been an agouti. The new blog is every bit as good as the old one. Enjoy your holiday!

  81. I love the search function! And the drag and drop spam filter is much easier than the fuzzy, smooshed together spam stoppers. (That said, it told me I failed the human verification test. Odd, because I am pretty sure I have a handle on what scissors look like.)

    Also, the sock looks much less bright in Mexico!

  82. Hi, love the new format, I have visual probs but this is really easy and comfortable font for me and seems very fresh. Have a lovely holiday with your mum X

  83. Yeah, I’m just jealous. We got another 5″ of snow in Chicago and I am reaching that point where I begin to hate all of my winter outerwear because I’ve worn it so much. I never thought I could get sick of my handknit socks, I have 10 pair, but here I am wondering if warm will ever come again or if it is a bad joke.

  84. Love the warm pictures! I like living in a place with seasons, and don’t even mind winter (except maybe the end of March) but the thought of a warm sunny break is infinitely appealing!

    And to add to the things to like about the new blog, I love the ability of commenters to respond directly to one another. Kind of like meeting fun and interesting people at this big party you’re throwing. 🙂

  85. Your gorgeously colourful sock made go out and buy some self stripping sock yarn in a happy colour combo. The second sock (in a drab beige) of a pair I was knitting for my son has been put on hold until the grey and white of winter melts away and spring brings back flowers! 😉
    By the way, I love the new blog!!!

  86. hmm, some odd here? said I failed the human verification test? but am trying another one. maybe item has to be dead center in the circle…however, am very happy you and mom are in a warm place. sock is gorgeous. i agree with commentor above that comments could have a much more vertical spread. makes reading them easier (not a deal breaker tho at all 🙂

  87. Hi Stephanie, I love your blog so much, and I’m happy for you if this new site does solve spammer problems, but so far I do find it much harder to read in the new format. Any possibility of making the writing cover a wider space, like the old blog? Or if that is impossible, perhaps a different font or font size? (e.g. I find “Posie Gets Cozy”‘s font easier to read somehow)…
    I have fortunately found that one can press the command key and “+” sign together on a Mac and enlarge and widen the writing which helps, but not everyone knows that trick (and it is the control key and the “+” sign on a pc).
    p.s. your security verification seems glitchy. It was refusing to believe that I am human, and there was no audio for the audio option. I hope this time it will work.

  88. I use Semagic for my offline blog post writing. It’s designed for LiveJournal and the various clones/descendants but also works with WordPress. You’ll probably have to Google for instructions on how to set it up for your particular blog, but it’s very, very easy.

  89. Hiw nice to be bake to take a trip to a warm place again! We haven’t had any big storms in eastern WI, just many little ones, so we do have snow. I’m just sick of the endless cold weather. I’m looking forward to spring.

  90. Way to go, Stephanie! I agree with other commenters, never pass up a chance to spend time with your mum! Tell her, her Instagram pics make her look a lot like Dame Judith (Dench)!

  91. Steph – my blog reader had lost you (yeah I know slight change in web address, but I did not get that til today) I was concerned something had happened with you or your family. Now I found you again and obviously something did happen – something warm and wonderful with Mum – Yeah! Happy to be reading you again!!

    • Same thing happened to me (on Feedly). Duh! I’m so happy to find out you did not drop off the face of the earth! The odd thing is (and my excuse for not twigging to it earlier) is that this did not happen with the first, second or third “new blog” postings.

  92. I used to live in Mexico up by Mazatlan and my guess is that the rat thing was an agouti. They are quite docile and often are all around resorts. I used to have a little lizard that they called a cachora that lived in my bedroom. I loved that little guy because he kept me from being eaten alive by mosquitoes!

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