Adios, Cuyutlán

I have been without internet for two days (missed the opera, missed NPR Sunday Morning and Will Shortz); don’t know what the problem is. Something is amiss at Neighbor Nelson’s where the modem and router live. The Patient and Fernando went over to check that everything was plugged in, that nothing had chewed through the cables, that the phone was working. Everything looks fine. Who knows about these things.

Now to the foot. I went to see the wound specialist on Friday and was in for quite an experience. This worthy chap barely looked at my toe, didn’t touch it. He put one of those little oxygen meters on one of my toes, nodded with satisfaction, then had me sit at the desk where he proceeded to show me slides of the most grotesque and gruesome toe/foot problems imaginable, ending with a shot of some poor sod who had all the toes removed from one foot. The upshot of this was that if I didn’t let him operate on Saturday this was my fate. I was so utterly offended by these scare tactics that I finally told him I’d seen enough. I decided early on ~ when he never looked at the toe ~ that I wouldn’t let this guy take my temperature much less cut open my toe. He did not inspire my confidence, either, when he told me the drugs I had been taking were no good and that I should take the one's HE prescribed, including aspirin. Now I know that if someone is going to cut you, the first thing they tell you is to STOP taking aspirin. I told him I simply had to be in consultation with my own foot doctor ~ notoriously impossible to contact, but he doesn’t know that ~ and that I would call his office on Monday to let him know what I had decided. By the time we got back to the car the Patient and I had decided that this was absurd and that I would, instead, pack up and go home. I called a friend in to let her know and asked if she could fetch me at the airport. She also agreed to get on the line and try to set up an emergency appointment on Wednesday. I have a reservation to return to the US on Tuesday. The Patient will drive home starting sometime in a week or so. I am not happy that he will drive alone, his Spanish being what it is (none). I hate to do it, but it’s a precaution. The foot looks 100% better but I don’t want to take any chances. I even sprang for a 1st class seat so I can have plenty of legroom.

I can’t believe this season is ending like this. We had several social plans for the next couple of weeks, including a stop at our favorite B&B in Tlaquepaque on the way home. But it will be there next year, I trust. We have not had really great weather most of the time. I haven’t been swimming since December; too cold. Even now it can be foggy and cool in the morning with only a brief bit of sunshine in the early to mid-afternoon. Then the wind comes up, sweaters go on, and the evenings are quite chilly. We have eaten lunch or dinner outdoors perhaps twice all season. This not the usual drill.

I have packed up my tasty selection of papier maché fruits . . .


And dismantled my two little IKEA Japanese paper-shaded lanterns that sit on the kitchen counters.
















I’ve packed up all my beach clothes, the towels and linens, extraneous chochkies (?) that decorate various surfaces, put away all the tea light dishes that we use every night. There’s not much left for the Patient in the way of “ambiance” but, in truth, he probably won’t miss it! Tomorrow I’ll do whatever else I can to get things ready for his departure. Fernando and Chuy will come over on Tuesday morning to help, and Fernando will come again to help move any furniture we store indoors. It’s a huge chore to close this place up. One of these days we’ll reach the point where we just lock the door and leave. But for now, we’re pretty careful about storing thing out of sight and as protected as possible from encroaching salt, dust or bugs. Even though the windows are all shut, moisture creeps in and with it comes mildew and subsequent rust, the bane of this place. It’s why we can’t have anything wrought-iron.

So for this year, Cuyutlán is over. Next post will be from 95617 in two or three days. Meanwhile, all is well.