Friday, April 30, 2010

Gancho Friday April 30th Almost Heaven



Well, who’d have thunk they’d be able to put all the air back into that balloon? But they did, and in the process, they’ve filled up a whole bunch more balloons with a helium-like substance, lifting our hearts and our spirits, as every single plotline has taken off! So much was packed into this episode. Everything we love about our novela was on display, from humor to disguises, from boxing to life’s lessons, and of course, they left us with some MAJOR cliffhangers. The Gran Final promises to be Maraviguau!

We begin with Laverne and Shirley (‘s ugly big sisters), namely Beto and Mauricio, disguised as damitas to get close to La Monita, currently staying in a women’s boarding house.

Beto hopes this brilliant plan will both save La Monita and possibly get him a little time with some cute señoritas to boot.

Meanwhile, Aldo has found out that Luisa’s been defying Mau’s rules, and has been hanging out with the junior king of smooth, Andrés. Aldo thinks Andy’s equal to his scummy buds, the ones who tried to assault Estre, and reads Luisa the riot act. As big brother, she’s forbidden to leave the house. Luisa first pleads, Andrés is different. He’s noble (oh please. Ricardo in Pasión was noble, Andrés, not so much), tender, and he really loves me, not like Ivan, who just played with my feelings. Aldo says he’s in charge, and Luisa has to obey. Luisa bounds upstairs, screeching that Aldo’s telling her what to do is OVER.

Beto’s enjoying his muchacha status, showing Mau how to behave like a girl by shaking his tatas as Mau goes over to save Moni. Too late! Hissabel returns, she can’t find the headache pills, and Moni has to show her where they are. That’s fine with Beto , as he tells some of the girls how thin their waists are, how nice their boobies are (like a box of little surprises, un estuche de monerías, which can also mean a jack of all trades), until Mau quickly pulls him aside to put a halt to Beto’s hot hands, saying quieta (or keep still, or down, boy, in the feminine, of course). Beto reminds Mau they have to separate Moni from Hissabel (whom he sometimes calls Blancanieves, or Snow White, and sometimes Chabela, which I think is a nickname for Isabel, as it was used for the Isabel in Tontas.) The lady in charge shows them to their quarters.

Arnie and Rolu have dropped Xime off at her apartment, wanting to know which of them she’s picked. Arnie says don’t keep us on tenterhooks (en ascuas). She can’t decide this fast, and it breaks her heart (se me estruja el cora) to see them like this, but she has a plan. She’ll have a romantic dinner with each guy, and then decide. The boys flip a coin (se echan un volado), and Rolu wins – he’ll go first. They’re excited, but Xime gets a phone call, and it’s from the hospital. Jerónimo is dead! The boys rush to console her.

Cut to a wanted poster, El Chueco, a dangerous drug trafficker, as Paula and Cristian take note.

Paula’s excited, if they caught this guy, that reward money would be a godsend (caería de perlas), especially now that she’s going to be a mother! Cris faints.

In Hissy and Moni’s room, the television is broadcasting the same wanted poster, if you’ve seen this person, he’s armed and dangerous, report him immediately. Hissabel breaks out into uncontrolled laughter, she’s loving this. Moni doesn’t understand what the joke is, but she’s happy her Mom is finally enjoying herself.

And now we’ll see why, as we see Jero from the back, ready to have the plastic surgeon take off the bandages. The doc tells him it’s not important how handsome he is, just that no one will ever recognize him as Jerónimo Sermeño, who is now dead. How’d he pull that off? Simple. He also did some plastic surgery on a cadaver, made it look somewhat like Jerónimo, switched the papers, switched the bodies, and voilá! So no one will come looking for Jero. Jero is pleased to no end, ready for the bandages to come off, let’s see that new face. The doc unwraps slowly, gives Jero a mirror, and he likes what he sees (a guy with a crew cut, that unshaven look, a strong nose, and a big smile).

Too bad Jero hasn’t seen that wanted poster, he’s got El Chueco’s face!

Aldo’s not doing too well in playing with Dany. She wants him to put on a Beast face, remember, she’s Beauty.

Teresa comes downstairs frantic, Luisa’s gone, and she took all her clothes! Aldo knows she went with Andrés, says he’ll handle it, please don’t call Mau, but Terry nixes that, Aldo drove Luisa away with his harsh scolding, and Terry calls Mau anyway. Dany points out Aldo doesn’t need to put on a beast face anymore. He IS a beast!

Luisa arrives at Andrés’s apartment, suitcase in tow, tearfully explaining she left home after a big fight with her brother. Can she stay here?

Betita has another brilliant idea. He calls a couple of girls over, how about a pajama party tonight!
He urges Gertrudis (Mau) to tell them what games they always play at these parties, like pillow fights, in our underwear, but when he mentions something like hide the stick….Mau has to put a stop to this again. Besides, he has to return to the D.F., Luisa’s having problems. Beto offers the Fantasmovil, but Mau says he’ll hire a small plane, and Beto has to keep an eye on Moni and Hissy – don’t let them out of your sight, no matter what!

Xime is mourning her dumbro (hermanolfo), unaware that right next to her is the new an improved dumbro, sporting black glasses and a pink ascot to go with his crewcut. As he listens, she bids farewell to her bro, telling him three things: Una, she’s the owner of Club Maraviguau, Dos, the day after tomorrow, Sal and Gabirú are getting married there, and she might get married too, to one of the Klunders, and Tres, she’s brought Jero’s secret smother cushion, which she dumps into the coffin. Too bad you can’t attend the grand opening, she tells the box, and leaves. You’re wrong, says the new Jero after she leaves, I WILL be there!

Rolu has the first date with Xime, at a quiet table inside Club Maraviguau. He declares his love, and kisses her hand. He wants to know if she picked him, but she’s not sayin’.

As Moni makes short work of Monstruo, the latest challenger, Betita, cute behind his fan, gets hit on by a hopeful guy. However, when Betty lets out one of his/her classic stinkbombs, even some furious fanning can’t hide the fragrance. Hissabel, sitting nearby, recoils from the smell, thinking it reminds her of Nieve’s son. Meanwhile, Monstruo has run out of gas, and Moni lets him have it with a monstrous roundhouse uppercut. The monster’s been mashed.

Andrés really does seem to be noble, as he tells Luisa that she can stay here tonight, but tomorrow morning, it’s back home where she belongs. And don’t worry about the sleeping arrangements. He’ll sleep on the floor, no problem. However, there’s a knock on the door, and it’s Mau. He’s furious. He tells Andrés he spoke with his parents, they gave him the address, and they’re also on their way here. He’s in big trouble. He firmly escorts Luisa out.

Time for Arnie’s romantic dinner with Ximena, pretty much a carbon copy of Rolu’s. They’ve poured the champagne, and Arnie pours out his heart. He loves Xime, so much. He never thought he could have a relationship, with all his problems, but then he met her, and she changed him, completely. Xime extends her hand (just as with Rolu), and Arnie is able to kiss it, having conquered his fears. So, has she chosen him? Xime gives him the exact same answer as Rolu. He’ll have to wait.

Moni’s so glad she beat that Monstruo, this is great, but can’t they stay in this town overnight? No, says Hissy, it’s better we leave now. They get in the car, head off into the night. Luckily, the orange Fantasmovil is right behind.

Mauricio has a fatherly talk with Luisa, who thinks it was all so unfair (injusto), that nothing happened, and she’s not a little girl anymore. Mau agrees she’s not a little girl, but at 15, she’s not a woman, either, she’s an adolescent. And he understands how she wants to fight with the whole world sometimes, and that’s okay. But can she just try to understand him a little? He might make mistakes, but she should be patient with him. And he understands how she feels in love, but she has to take things step by step. It may not be time for the next step. But always remember, she’s the most important person in the world for him. Thank you Daddy, she says. For what? Just for being my Dad, I love you. They hug. Mau points out she still does have to be punished for what she did, sneaking out. Her punishment? For a while, no boys. For how long? she asks. Until you turn twenty-five, he says, not letting her see his grin, and he walks upstairs. Ten years? That’s no fair! complains our reprimanded rebel.

Day dawns, and Beto’s got a brand new bag. With mustache, a cowboy hat and an amazing shirt with fringes hanging off the sleeves, he’s a total vaquero. He assures Mau by phone he has his eye on Monita, who’s being told by the local bar owner that there ain’t no fighters in this town. Dang.

The entire neighborhood has assembled, as Coni tells them she has an announcement. She’s returning the vecindad to them! Each one of them will get a deed to his or her apartment, this is what Valentina wanted. Marcos has brought an attorney, who will take care of the paperwork. Paula then says they can all buy things for their new homes with their “Coppel” credit cards, just as she’s doing (apparently a shameless product placement).

Gabi’s ecstatic. Tomorrow, finally, in the new Maraviguau Restaurant, she and Sal will get married. And this time, NOTHING can go wrong! Ah, but in the background, who’s observing this tender scene? Loriloca!

Ximena is again telling her two beaus how great they both are, Rolu for his passion and his looks, and Arnie for his tenderness, and the bravery he’s shown in overcoming his fears. She’d really like to have them both, but that wouldn’t be possible. Would it? They both shake their heads. Okay, in that case, tomorrow, in the Mariviguau Bar, in a double wedding (Gabi and Sal being the other), she’ll announce the winner, and marry him!

In the cantina, Moni’s attired in her pink boxing outfit, excited about tonight’s fight, apparently they DID find someone in this town. CowBeto (whom Moni thinks is a “norteño”, or northerner) turns out to be the MC, thrusting his stuff out as he introduces the invincible Monita with a hilarious nasal accent.

Then he introduces the challenger, “Old doll hair, Sermeño”, and Moni can’t believe her eyes. Good evening Monita, he says. He’s come to win the championship from her, and he’ll bet everything in this fight, even his life. Beto takes off his mustache, to Moni’s amazement, as Mau relates that the two of them have been following her from town to town, and finally caught up with her. Let’s talk. No, Moni wants to fight. Fine, says Mau, but if I win, you come with me, and without your Mom. You’re on. Mau swings, Moni ducks, Moni punches him in the gut. But he’s quickly up, and this time, instead of punching, he rushes forward, and kisses her!

Marcos has to admit, Coni (wearing a fetching white off the shoulder traditional Mexican blouse) really can’t cook. At all. Cesar agrees, he really doesn’t want to go right back to that hospital. Nieves starts to echo this until Coni stands up, and lets loose. She is not that perfect little cook and cleaner they want, and if that’s what they demand of her, forget it! She’s trying to change and be a better person, but this is too much, she doesn’t deserve to be treated like this! This has finally done the trick, as Nieves begs Coni to calm down, she’ll be the mother Coni never had. She’s teach her, she’ll be patient with her, and eventually she’ll be a good cook. Coni humbly thanks her, and the two go off to buy some more food.

This leaves Marcos and Cesar, who decide it’s time for a talk. Hombre a hombre.

Moni pushes Mau off, warning him not to kiss her again. He does, anyway. Hissy has a fit, telling Beto that he and Mau are not going to interfere with their plans. Beto pulls Hissy aside, tells her they know about the poisoning attempt, Coni gave her up, and the police want her for attempted murder. How you like THEM apples! He gets out his cell to call the cops, and while he’s dialing, Hissy takes a bottle, and SMASHES it onto his head! A second later, Moni connects with Mau’s chin, and Hissy grabs Moni, we’re leaving.

It’s the big day at Bar Maraviguau, people are rushing around making final preparations, Lalu exclaiming that these “express weddings” in the Sermeño family are going to kill him. And where’s the guy in charge of the food? Right here, says La Nueva Jero, now with a BIG scarf, playing the role of a gay french chef. Lalu’s immediately smitten, as Jero tells him the food’s gonna be “to die for”. After Lalu goes to tend to other matters, we see Jero wasn’t kidding. He’s got a handy can of powder, looks as if he may poison the poisson. On his way out, he bumps into Paula. Our clever sleuth never forgets a face. She thinks, oh my God, it’s that dangerous druglord!

She grabs a phone.

Arnie and Rolu are both looking sharp in their suits and ties, each convinced HE’LL be the one. Rolu proposes a pact. Whoever loses, agrees to give up Ximena forever. Arnie, not backing down an inch, shakes on it. The brothers hug.

Nieves is looking nice in her green outfit, trimmed with feathers. Her two gentlemen bid her to sit down.

M: Nieves, the time has come for the three of us to talk about what’s happening.
N: From your faces, I can imagine what this is about. Cesarín, I love you a lot, and you, too, Marcos.
M: But in reality, you don’t want to be with me or with him.
C: What you want, is to be on your own. You don’t really love me, Nievecita.
M: Me, either, Nieves. I represent the love of your youth. But you left that behind years ago, I don’t belong to your present.
C: Me, neither. If you accepted my company, it was only because Beto left Mexico, and you didn’t want to be alone, but as soon as he came back, everything changed (she nods).
M: You’d get the same from me, from him, from whomever. For you, the most important thing in your life is not a companion to share your twilight years.
C: The most important thing for you is your children, La Monita, and your Betito (Nieves tears up, nods). It’s with them you want to be, they’re the ones you want to give all your love to.
M: You never needed a man at your side Nieves, and that’s not going to change.
N: From the bottom of my heart, what I desire is to dedicate myself to my children, and later….to my grandchildren, when they arrive, when they fill this house with joy. Just as Constanza was not born to be a housewife, I wasn’t born to be anybody’s wife, that’s not my style. I’m a free soul and thank you both so much for understanding.
C: Nievecita, this very day I’ll leave the house.
M: Me too. I’m going to share with you the affection of our children, and our grandchildren when we have them, but nothing more, now is the time to leave the past behind. Okay? He shakes Cesar’s hand.
Nieves silently assents, eyes brimming with joyous tears.


Our guests are arriving at the Club, and we see Cris and Paula, he in a dark suit and red striped tie, she in a gorgeous deep blue gown. He tells her the cops are waiting for his signal, since this guy’s really dangerous. Rolu and Arnie are sweating. Sal looks at his watch, all we need is the brides, right? Well, here’s one of them, Ximena, breezing in wearing white gloves and a nice gray dress. And here’s our other novia, a white veil hiding her shy face, as Sal greets her, Gabriela, my love. She flips back the veil, here I am, but it’s Lorenza!!!

I’m ready to get married. Uuuuyyy!

And our fair Gabi is bound and gagged in some back room, struggling with her ropes, trying to call for help!

Moni’s in her motel room, lying across the bed in red pj’s, moping. She tells her Mom it really affected her to see Mau. Well, you have nothing to talk to him about, chides Hissy. But shouldn’t I even listen to him? she cries. I mean, they’ve been following us this whole time, he even put on gloves to fight with me, and all I’ve been thinking about is anger. She decides to go out for a walk.

Hissy looks in the mirror. La Momia betrayed her. No way will she end up in jail. She sees her pallid reflection telling her, you must kill Valentina. And Constanza has to die, too. Time is running out. She dials Coni, who picks up, and is shocked to hear her voice.


And so ends our penultimate episode. The table is set. The gun is cocked. The conductor has raised his baton. And now our Magnificent Man of Medicine and Mirth, Don Carlos, will thrill us with the towering conclusion of Un Gancho Al Corazon.

Vocabulario:

Un estuche de monerías – a jack of all trades, someone good at lots of things, literally something like a box of coins
¡Quieto! – down, boy (to a dog), or keep still
En ascuas – on tenterhooks
Estrujar – to squeeze
Echar un volado – flip a coin
Caería de perlas – would be a godsend, pearls would fall

Labels:


Comments:
Hombre,

Fan-frickin'-tastic. I'm speechless.
Once more you've dazzled me, but this time you've taken it to another level. Let me say, it has been so wonderful working with Judy, Kris, Sylvia, and you, Maestro. Also, a tip of my hat to Nickster, the precocious lad who preceded me in this spot. He is no doubt wrapping up a successful freshman year at OSU.

Yeah Coni!... I may have more to say about her later.

I loved Monita's take as Beto announced Mao, she reacted as soon as he said, "Old doll hair..." even before he said "... Sermeño."

The credit card product placement was... well... striking. You put it best, "Shameless!" That's what made it so much fun.

"And so ends our penultimate episode. The table is set. The gun is cocked. The conductor has raised his baton. And now our Magnificent Man of Medicine and Mirth, Don Carlos, will thrill us with the towering conclusion of Un Gancho Al Corazon."

Ummm, uhhh... thanks.

Carlos
 

Oh Hombre...what a wonderful surprise, finding your recap already up this morning. Perfect way to start my day.

I LOVED the episode and LOVED your recap. But heck! I always love your recaps. You have that wacky combination of flowery poetic phrases and little boy bathroom humor that is uniquely you. I will always remember your "Beto stinkbombs" and then "Monstruo runs out of gas". Honestly, Hombre!.....

I notice Ximena asked twice if it were possible to keep both Klunders. Could our imagined telenovela come to pass? And the resolution of the Nieves conundrum was perfect. Neither galan. (although perhaps a little "chachaca" from time to time with either one of them).

That resolution came out of the blue...but it really delighted me...as have so many things about this novela.

So yes, now we pass the baton to "our Magnificent Man of Medicine and Mirth, Don Carlos." you go, guy. We can't wait....
 

Hombre, I can only echo Carlos' and Judy's praises of your recap. I enjoyed all your aside particularly this one: oh please. Ricardo in Pasión was noble, Andrés, not so much.

While I understand why you would need to take a break from recapping, I will miss your artistry with words and music.

Can't wait to see how our novela resolves some of the remaining threads. Yes, Judy I think the writers might have heard you b/c unlike Nieves and her galans agreeing to be friends, it looks like Ximy might get both men.

Question - Do any of you think there will be a Cristina episode with the cast? There isn't one this Monday and it would be a shame not to see the cast on her show b/c it's bound to be hysterical.
 

Wow, Hombre what a great recap! It's killing me because I won't be able to watch the episode until tomorrow night but I couldn't resist reading your recap. Thank you for posting the pictures, they are all fantastic.

This TN has been great about packing each episode full of action and events.

Kudos to Mau for putting his daughter in front of himself for once. As much as he wanted to stay and follow Moni it was appropriate that he run home to take care of family business. Turns out he's a very good multitasker, eh? Who knew?

Karen, I hadn't even thought that there might NOT be a Cristina with this cast. What a loss if there is no Cristina Gancho show. I would love to see them all in their own skins.

I think my favorite outcome has to be Nieves deciding (with a little help from her galanes) to be her own woman and that she doesn't want one man in her life. Of course she is not going to give up men, just man. Way to go Nieves!

"Day dawns and Beto's got a brand new bag", what a great segue. Hombre, your recap perfectly captured each character's essence and I felt I could really see and hear them. I can't wait to see this episode!!
 

Hey Hombre, there's another telenovela song I hope you'll record some day. "Amarte a la Antigua". Rafa sang it to his lady love when they were at the beach, and it's one of those songs that keeps playing in my head day and night. Beautiful words, nice singable melody and the actor/singer who plays Rafa has incredible pronunciation without it seeming forced. Even a novice Spanish learner could understand every word. Listen to it. I think you'll really like it. Would have been a nice one for your daughter's wedding. Any more bodas in the offing?
 

Good morning, all. The reason I finished the recap Friday night is that I went to New York all day yesterday for another opera at the Met. This time it was Armida, a rarely performed Rossini opera about an enchantress (sung by Renee Fleming), who tries to get six Crusaders (all tenors, that's why they rarely perform it), to abandon the battle in favor of love. Possible novela?

I agree, maybe Ximena will somehow get both guys. Not only did they resolve the Nieves triangle by having her give up both, they also resolved the Luisa triangle the same way (but she only has to give up boyfriends for "10 years!")

Karen, it always strikes me when the female character praises her guy as "noble". Maybe this word means something slightly less exalted in Spanish than in English, because in modern day English, we NEVER use this word, do we? But I've heard it in 5 or 6 telenovelas, usually after the hero does something questionable, and the supporting characters are criticizing him.

Sylvia, it's so hard to pick which pictures to include. I wanted to show the fight scenes, but they're often blurry, and are shot from far away. The close-ups look better. The only reason I included Dany was because we haven't seen much of her recently, and she's so cute!

Judy, I'll definitely look into that Pedro Fernández song Amarte a la Antigua.
 

A couple of weeks ago, I hinted I might be able to record my version of the Gancho song, and I finally finished it. It's a bit different from the original. Hope you like it. Here's the link.
 

Wow Hombre. You really got creative on that version. I was fascinated by the bluesey boogie-woogie back beat and guitar you had going on it. Much fun. You are one multi-talented hombre, Hombre!
 

Hello Ganchomates! Where is everyone? I just finally watched the episode after a weekend full of belated b-day celebrations with friends, so I was expecting there would be tons of comments, especially on such a maraviguau recap of an eventful episode. Thanks so much Hombre.

They really did pack a lot in there. I couldn't stop laughing with Hissabel (the only time she and I will be of like mind) when I saw the wanted posters and tv spot and could expect what was to come. Lol! Jero just can't get a break. Glad his bust will mean that Paula and Cris will have a nice nest egg to start their family.

Really liked the Nieves resolution. She is too much woman for one man. I feel the same about Xime too, and find that this novela has given us great examples of women like this, which is quite different than other novelas. Jacqui was also a lot of woman for one man, and before Aldo and the bebe, so was Estrella (although she's more of a romantic than the others). Could Luisa eventually follow this model? :) Not if Mau has his way, for sure.

Hombre- I agree with Judy. You should definitely check out Amarte a la Antigua. It is a beautiful song and Pedro (Dinero's Rafa) did a wonderful job with it. In general, I think Dinero will provide you with some great songs you might like to sing, as both leads sing in real life and are given plenty of opportunities to show off that talent in the novela. I really liked your version of the Gancho song. Liek Judy said, a fun boogy woogy feel. :)
 

Hombre your recap was incredible. I'm so sad that you will retire from recapping for a while bacause I adore your style and I will miss you dearly.

I also loved your version of the Gancho song, you reinvented it in such a fun way, it made me want to dance.

I was glad that Mau went for Luisa and although I also dislike Andrés as much as the rest of the line I do think he treated her well. The problem was that he always seemed more smarmy than he was and had awful friends.

We do use the adjective "noble" alot in spanish. But only for people who are truly noble, not like in novelas.

Beto was funny in his norteño costume. I'm sad in advance for Monita.

Ximena was also funny wanting to keep both guys.

Jarocha
 

Hi all, I finally got to watch this episode and what a hoot it was. I think it was one of the best ever. I fully realize I say this about once a week, however this time I really mean it. Really.

Beto in drag and as the norteno was hilarious. That guy is super talented.

I thought Mau's girlie wig looked a lot like his own hair. Heck, maybe it was his own hair just coiffed up a little. (Just kidding.) I think it's funny how he keeps getting teased about his hair.

Hombre, I'm so glad you recorded your version of the Gancho theme song. It's awesome. You are such a talented guy, you just keep coming up with new ways to impress us. Can you cook too?

I second Jarocha's sentiments. I hope you don't take a break for too long. Thanks again for a wonderful recap of a wonderful episode.
 

Sylvia, I posted a comment under your marvelous Thursday night recap.

Hombre, loved the title, pictures and recap. You infused your Gancho swan song with heart and wit. For all your care, time and wonderful insight - gracias. Thank you for everything.

Beto was far more fetching than Mau as a woman (although both seemed as though they were having so much fun).

So, Nieves chose no one and will continue on her course as free spirited and single. Very fitting...

Still so much to wrap up in the finale - I can't believe it's finally here. Looking forward to your summary Carlos and of course all of the commenters. I can't leave work early today so will miss it.

Diana
 

Diana, I'm hoping, for your sake, that they'll do a Sunday rerun of the finale. Univision often does. If not, I know Carlos will do a fantastic job recapping and add pictures of the key moments. We're so lucky to have that extra gift from our two menfolk.
 

ITA Judy. How lucky are we to have not one but two men on the recapping team? I feel it really helped to round out the perspective. We were also very lucky to have some fantastic subs help us out.

Diana, who knew that Beto would end up being the more fetching "female"? I sure didn't. The weird thing is, when he was in drag he was the spitting image of one of my more attractive girlfriends, Jody.
 

Good morning Diana, Judy and Sylvia,

Diana,

Here are links to the final capitulo which I found on Youtube. The quality of the picture and audio is astonishingly good. It's broken up into six segments and may vary slightly from the way it's broadcast today. I haven't actually watched yet (waiting for the broadcast version) but it looks to be exciting and satisfying.

I

II

III

IV

V

VI

I hope you can watch it this way if you're not able to watch it on TV. Of course you must wait until 1:00 est to watch.

Sat. we went to our Sam Houston Horse Racetrack to enjoy the Kentucky Derby complete with mint juleps with a big bunch of Kentucky people. They were all wearing shoes and were well behaved. Aided by a short blurb in the Houston Chronicle I was able to bet on the winner this year.

Carlos
 

No Kidding...all the Kentucky people were wearing shoes!?...things have changed.

Actually, when I was going to school in Lawrenceburg, TN in 48-9, one of my fellow students, Earl, came to school barefoot and in overalls, but nobody thought much of it. We got out early in May so those who needed to could pick cotton. That's just how it was.

Tonight I'll be staying up late. Not only to read Carlos' fantastic recap but because I'm recapping the second half of Dinero, the 9 pm hour. Floresdeazul is doing the 8 pm leg. I'm usually in bed by 9 pm! (I blush to admit) so this will be a challenge. Hope y'all will drop by and see me tomorrow, even if the recap is incoherent.
 

Carlos, your Derby sounds like too much fun! I had a mint julep once and it was a bit much for me, but my friend assured me that his julep was perfect and either 1) I had an immature palate or 2) the ambient temp just wasn't hot enough. I'm sure the latter was the problem.

Thanks for the links. On the email notification each has a little picture and they look very exciting! I can't wait to see tonight's episode.
 

Excellent recap Hombre. How you manage to top yourself every week is no longer a surprise.

I can't believe our wonderful little group is going to be broken up today. I'm pretty broken up already! Carlos is going to have a lot to recap if they try to wrap up every storyline and have a wedding also.

Carlos, hard to imagine a bunch of KY folk wearing shoes. We do know how to dress up if we have to... Mike and I had lovely mint juleps while watching his horse come in third and mine last! Heck, I'm not sure my horse has finished yet!

Judy, my mother taught in a one room school in the wildest of wild rural WV in 1964, for one semester. Big pot-bellied wood stove in the middle of the room, outhouse, the whole stereotype. She taught 6 grades, 1-7 but no 4th graders. These kids were the poorest of the poor. Siblings would take turns wearing their one pair of shoes. The family next to the school had 26 kids! (Only about 4 in grade school.) Mom brought a big can of milk every day for their lunches and begged clothes from everybody she knew.

This may have been the only school in the state with a gun rack. Several of the little boys were responsible for shooting dinner for their families, so they brought their guns and dogs to school. When a dog indicated it had treed something, its owner would grab his gun and leave. Bang! He took the meat home and came back to his seat - all in about 10 minutes. Kids today can't even have squirt guns!

Sorry I drifted offtopic. Gonna miss all of our ramblings.... sob!
 

I was able to go to school barefoot until the third grade when Miss Brandewied sent a note home suggesting to my mom that if I had shoes, I should wear them. She was actually a sweet lady and had me recite the first verse of Barefoot Boy for a PTA meeting.

I wore homemade clothes (usually with short pants) until Jr. High when I finally got to wear bluejeans like the rest of the boys.

I survived.

Carlos
 

You did more than survive, Carlos. You thrived. My kids grew up in wall to wall carpeting suburbia, and they are the poorer for it.

Most of the time we lived up North, but when we were in Tenn. my mom made us little crop tops from feed bags. And for a long time we lived out in Three Mile Holler.

Emilia, love your story of your mom's challenging teaching situation. I can just picture it! What a gal.

Your story also brought back memories of my dad's years in college. His family was very poor and he worked as a rent collector, night watchman and other sundry employs to pay tuition and food. But he shot a squirrel or two (sorry animal lovers) when he could to supplement his meager meals. At 6ft. 1 inch, and only 145 pounds, you know he was eating lean and mean.

Gosh...I sure hope we're "allowed" to go off-topic on the Dinero line. If not, I'm going to be clinically depressed!
 

Judy,

We used to have chicken-fried squirrel occasionally during the winter, but we considered it a treat. Very tasty.

Hombre,

I loved your version of un Gancho al Corazón. Very well done.

On our way to the racetrack Sat. we listened to a live broadcast of the first half of the opera you attended. I can imagine how much you enjoyed it.

Judy,

My shirts were often made from flour sacks so I had a number of shirts sprinkled with dainty flowers. Very macho.

Carlos
 

See, that's what I love about you. All that, and you still turned out to be an Alpha Male. You come from good stock, amigo.
 

Carlos, I did enjoy the opera. And if you saw the news, New York had a bomb scare yesterday, only a few blocks from where our bus picked us up at 6:30. I didn't know anything about it until today, though.

I loved all the stories of everyone's rustic youth. As you all know, another kind of music I like is bluegrass, and the bluegrass artists often regale the fans with stories like yours, they were so poor that...(fill in the blank). Did anyone notice there was a banjo in my rendition of the Gancho song? It was originally going to be more bluegrassy, but when I put in the piano, organ and bass, it just morphed into Elvis/Boogie Woogie/Rock and roll.

I want to thank all of you, for your kind and supportive comments. I love it when we go off topic! I'm going to try to watch Dinero (I'll definitely read Judy's recap), and I may watch Soy tu Duena when that starts.
 

Hombre, I finally listened to your rendition of Gancho. Mariviguau, dude!!!
 

Carlos, thank you for sharing your story. I imagine your kind spirit and joyous nature were always with you though perhaps nourished by your humble beginnings.

I join with everyone commiserating that we will not hear your, Hombre, Sylvia and Kris' voices via recaps for a while. You will all truly be missed but look forward to reading your comments...

I have watched a few Dinero shows in preparation for Judy's debut tonight...

This is truly the end of an era. Ack.

Diana
 

Hello everyone!

I had planned for Sunday to be my day of relaxation and the enjoyment of the second to last episode of Gancho and Hombre's recap but instead my husband and I fought a flooding basement here in Nashville..

If you read this on Pecado this AM, FF.....

Hello friends,

What a bad weekend! We had 13 inches of rain in two days in Nashville, doubling the previous record. All area schools are closed and some are being used as shelters. Many, many people are still stranded in hotels and are being rescued by boat. Some hotel guests, tired of being stranded, walked through chest high water, and ended up hanging onto a telephone pole until they were rescued. Richland Creek, a stream close to us, flooded wildly, taking cars and trucks with it. Many neighborhood houses and business are damaged. My neighbor watched a truck float past his house. He continued watching as it began rotating and then was shocked as the driver, a male, jumped out and swam/walked to safety. He thought it was empty. Sixty roads are closed including I-40 west, which goes from Nashville to Memphis and all the truckers are stranded on the side of the road. State troopers are taking water and snacks to them. Parts of I-65 and I-440 are closed as well. Many residents of small outlying towns and also sub-divisions in Nashville are surrounded by water and are stranded until the water goes down further. Of course, as the water goes down here, it crests downstream in a lower area. The last I heard, 11 people have died. Early on, two young young boys got on a raft or small boat to have fun and floated away, the third refused to go and called for rescue. I don’t know if they are among the dead or not, I hope not, it is a little harder when young ones lose their lives. Most of the friends that I have talked to have had from four inches to as much as five feet of water in their basements...I had about four inches, my sump pump kept it from flooding completely. I had just noticed that the older one wasn’t functioning and had replaced it....whew! The rain has stopped, but I have lots of work today, much to clean up, wet clothes and basement both. I have spoken via email to Doris, another Nashville area Caray friend, and she has had some water damage, but mostly all is well with them.

Hombre, I plan to read and enjoy your recap and find your rendition of Gancho later tonight when I finish the mop up. I'm taking a break because I did want to thank you for the many times you wrote out a LONG paragraph helping the newcomers (me!) to understand the history of the characters. You did that on more than one occasion...thanks! I'm a big fan of your work and especially your preambles.....they are fantastic!

Now back to my towel brigade.....Oh yes, I have two recorders set to tape Gancho, not going to miss the last episode..
 

Oh Sandy, my husband, who watches the Weather Channel religiously, told me there was heavy flooding in TN but I was hoping you and Doris (where is she, by the way? not watching anything anymore?) were spared.

I am sorry to hear of the loss of life and will keep those two young rascals who floated off on the raft in my prayers (sounds too much like Huck Finn...if only it turns out as well).

Keep mopping and keep recording. I'm also wondering where Güera and Jeff are? They've usually logged in by now.
 

Hello dear Ganchomanians,just love all the latest recaps. Hombre,Carlos,judyB,Captain Sharkbait to name but a few,I will miss all your comments and the good times we have on this blog.I am in sunny San Jaun but the Univison here doesn't have Gancho.Thank you so much for the link up on YouTube for the final episole. Hope we all meet again on another novela.
Hanna, md
 

Hanna...we've been wondering where you were. Thanks for checking in. I'm recapping two hours of Dinero tonight (talked to Flores and told her I'd suck it up and take on both...those Dinero recappers have been so overworked)...so we'll see how it goes. It's going to be a big transition from Gancho, but the Dinero recappers love the show, so we know it has its good points.
 

Thanks JudyB, I took your advice and mopped and recorded. Doris took a novela break and will be back with us for Soy Tu Dueña.


Can't wait to watch the episode and read our FINAL RECAP....tears, tears, tears.
 

Hi Sandy, I thought I left a comment earlier but I guess it didn't take. I'm so very glad to hear that you are OK in the midst of the danger and pandemonium in Nashville. Thanks so much for checking in. Glad to hear that Doris is OK too.

Gotta dash for an appointment this evenin but I look forward to reading Carlos's recap and watching the episode.

Oh, by the way, I ate a lot of squirrel when I lived in Arkansas for a couple of years. It was a little weird at first for this California girl but those critters can be mighty tasty. My favorite way to cook them was to stew them up and then make dumplings. I threaten my backyard squirrels with the same fate but they seem to know they aren't nearly as plump and tasty-looking as the ones in Arkansas.
 

Wow Sylvia...didn't know you had a little Arkansas in your past. Tell us more!
 

I think it's a familiar sort of story. I went out there with a girlfriend on a lark and because I have some relatives out there that I wanted to see, including my great grandmother. I fell in love and ended up staying longer than I intended to. It's beautiful country, the people are nice, and it was great seeing my people and the area where my grandparents met, got married and lived, but I couldn't bear being landlocked. Yes, they have beautiful lakes there but I craved the energy of the ocean.
 

And the guy who fell in love with? What happened to him?
 

Great recap Hombre. Still watching this episode, been away. Just thinking, besides the Xime, Arnie, Rolu spinoff, the Nieves, Beto, Coni spinoff, there could also be a buddy movie with Mau and Beto. I think all three have potential. :)

This show was quite the gas, at least Issy got a little too close for comfort.
 

Wow, what a wonderful and funny recap. I loved your line about the monster being mashed. And I enjoyed your version of the theme song, too!

I have loved this show so much. It's funny, creative, different, with great characters and acting. Beto and Constanza should have their own show. I'll miss Gancho.
 

Thanks, Carmel, for noticing the Monster Mash line. I'll also miss this show, it's one of the few for which I may buy the dvd condensed version when it comes out.
 

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