Caray, Caray!

Hombre- Happy Memorial Day! I hope you are beating the heat. It feels like August out there. Your wonderful poem captured perfectly the feel of this weekend. :) Lots of good food, lots of family time, and a little shopping. Now I've got to prep for the busy work week ahead. But as always, Caray Caray is a bright spot in the week.
 

HdeM - what a great poem! That just brightened my day (along with the painters finally finishing up and leaving... for good ;o) )

Happy Memorial Day to all.
 

Hola all, we here are fine
It's hot as he** but we won't whine
After all it's still just spring
Don't want to see what summer brings.

We didn't shop, not much we need
Besides, who wants their feet to bleed?
No cookout cause, well, see above
We made a pot of beans on the stove.

Mike spent the a.m. tilling soil
Then rested, with iced tea, from his toil
I did the wash, ours and Mike's ma's
And painted some chairs, now no more blahs.

Oh, Hombre, dear, this rhyming thing
Is worse than making piggies sing.
Hope all of you had a great weekend
And won't take very much time to mend.
 

Another Twitter Find. My hat goes off to Carlos who is ambitious enough to read novels in Spanish. I'm too lazy, although I know it would improve my Spanish.

In my Twitter adventures, I'm finally reading SOMETHING in Spanish consistantly. Sure, it's not Cervantes, but it's better than nothing! I've also found a resource that might be a good step for me, and maybe for you too.

El Universal is a respected Mexican newspaper (not a gossip rag). They tweet a wide variety of stories. With each tweet they post a link to the complete article. I can look through their tweets and find articles that interest me.

While checking a story with too much tough vocab, I discovered something! On Google Translator, you can enter a web site address and it will translate the whole page. Well, El Universal must feed an English translation in parallel, because what Google Translator shows is more-or-less normal English. Do not end up with sentences like these things strange kind usually given. (jiji)

Link to El Universal's twitter page
Link to Google's translator. Use the "Translate a web page" option.

If anyone else would like a less intimidating way to start reading more Spanish, this might be it.
 

Good morning Ganchodores. I hope that everyone enjoyed a pleasant Memorial Day weekend. We had beautiful, though hot, weather including some needed rain Sun. night.

Sun. evening, we had to take Jack (the cat... see above right) to the ER. He seemed fine when we got home from Darla's son's graduation party (high school) but a little later he went into respiratory distress... big time. He has kitty asthma which he takes meds for but he has never had an attack like this. Poor little thing was dying. To make the long story short, he is all better now. Linda picked him up from the emergency clinic this morning and dropped him by his regular vet's clinic this morning. We expect to take him back home this afternoon.

Hombre and Emilia, thanks for the holiday poetry. Unfortunately, I didn't get to enjoy either a burger or a dog this Memorial Day, nor were any baby goats sacrificed. Maybe July 4.

Carlos
 

Emilia, loved your poem (especially the part about making piggies sing).

Carlos, glad Jack's better. I've heard of people getting asthma by being allergic to cats, hope Jack's not allergic to people!
 

I hope everyone had a safe and happy Memorial Day.

I just returned from a "staycation" where I planted, puttered and relished the fact I was away from work!

Hombre, I loved your poem and Emilia, yours as well.

Carlos, I'm also glad that Jack has recovered. Hope you get to bring him home today.

I have a lot of catching up to do on all of the recaps.

Doris, who is that beautiful dog?

Vivi, good luck at work this week. You seem to have a very busy job.

Paula, thank you for the info on Google Translator. You always give such helpful information.

Stay cool all. I still miss Gancho and of course, all of you.

Diana
 

It's too cold to go out
It's too wet to play ball
So I sat in the house
And did nothing at all.

I'm not as talented as the rest of you so I have to plagiarize my poetry. Loved your poems, and the piggies line made me laugh.

Actually, I spent some quality time wrapped in a blanket in the armchair watching recorded episodes of Corazon Salvaje and Amar Sin Limites. So it was just barely not "nothing at all." Also I did some sewing so I guess the weekend was not a total loss.

Carlos, I'm glad the kitty is better. I never knew cats got asthma.

Paula, thanks for the recommendation. I need to add El Universal to my daily reading list. I'm sure that would improve my vocabulary in current, relevant topics. Sadly, not every situation in life calls for our favorite telenovela lines. Although my favorite word en español, desquiciado/a, is certainly applicable to many real people.
 

I just read the last comments from last week's Club Gancho. Ew, gum wall. Mike, I have to look the other way when I walk down Post Alley. It's so nasty. Although if I saw some drunk person leaning on it I suppose I would laugh.
 

Happy June 1st everyone. I see we have potential poet laureates in the group. Great job Hombre and Emilia and Julia. We are finally getting some rain here now. Haven't had much lately. We did get about two tenths (.2) inches over the weekend and it probably saved my lawn. Just haven't wanted to water it, too early. :) Getting a good rain now and should last for awhile.
We grilled a couple of times over the weekend, brats on Saturday and burgers on Monday. Grilled potatoes with them each time.

Carlos, glad to hear Jack is ok. Who was he named after? I also didn't know cats would asthma like that.

Paula, yes that google translator has come in handy. I have used it before. Usually cheating and translating the little Esmas recaps for the TNs. :) If you hover over the English translation it will show you the Spanish text that it translated.
 

Julia,

I didn't know that cats have asthma until a little over a year ago when his vet diagnosed it. We thought that he was just getting lots of hairballs. We felt like neglectful parents. He now takes medicine regularly for it and has done quite well until Sun. Once before, the vet suggested dosing with one the aerosol puffers like human asthmatics use... we could really picture that happening... and he brought that up again today when he called with an update (he's OK now and can go home when we do). We'll have to give it serious consideration this time. It sounds to be on thew same level as flossing the cat. We'll see. We do love the little scoundrel.

Jeff,
He is really not named after anyone in particular, although he does seem to have similar proclivities as Jack the Ripper.

Carlos
 

Oh dear. Just getting to this line and am so sorry about your scare with Jack. It is such a terrible feeling when something happens to our children, granchildren or dear pets.

The screen door was partly ajar this morning, Kizzie was nowhere to be found, and I was sure she was lost. She is NOT an outdoor cat, and apart from cars, there are also some very big dogs in the neighborhood. I went off to work with my stomach in knots and my mind whirling. It was actually a relief to have to fake cheer and energy while dancing, but way back in my mind I was still worrying like mad. Finally found her safe and sound at 11 am but those four hours felt like an eternity.

Will be interested to see how the Puff inhalator goes. There's no way Kizzie will let us brush her teeth, so I feel for ya' Doc.
 

Kind of mixed as to whether I ought to post this, but... I spent yesterday remembering a few guys I knew.

- Rod Hunter was the first guy from my navigator training class to get it. He was killed in an F-4 crash on the Hill AFB ranges. Rod's wife and Emilia still swap Christmas cards. Rod was the only guy I ever knew who craved hamburger meat on his pizza.

- Steve Nelson was second. Really a decent guy with bright red hair. We joked it was just as well he went to fighters since he had one hell of a time getting celestial. Steve rode in an F-111 outside Cannon AFB, NM.

- Greg Peppers loved being a single guy for all it's worth. We graduated together and he went to C-130s at Little Rock and I went to Pope AFB. Saw him once or twice afterward but kind of lost track till I heard he was killed in a Blackbird MC-130 that went in the water off Korea during an exercise.

- Tom McMillan was the guy who called me when our daughter was born to tell me Emilia and the baby were fine. Tom went to special ops and I saw him once at Rhein Main a year or two later. Said he was enjoying it. Tom was one of the eight GI's killed at Desert One on the Iran hostages rescue attempt.

Memorial Day's a little different when you have some buddies to remember and not just "the troops" as an abstraction.

Thanks for indulging me, amigos. I will now return to my regularly scheduled smart assedness.
 

Mike, I am glad you shared your memories of fallen friends. It does fit perfectly with why we celebrate a day to remember. How good of you to hold these brave people in your heart and remember what was strong and true about them.

I don't have any family members or close friends that have fallen in battle, but many of my family members use the Memorial weekend to take flowers and pay visits to the graves of relatives who have died, no matter how. I am not any where near any of these graves so choose to remember dear family and friends and hold them in my heart. All in all, I like the Latin American tradition of Day of the Dead (I guess mostly Mexican but it is big here in New Mexico too) where the favorite foods of the people who have died are served, a place especially set for them and all the little altars that commemorate and honor the person with pictures, important symbols of things they loved or ways we remember them.

Cheers to all of you. I spent Saturday night singing latin songs with friends in El Grupo de Musica under a warm, moon lit sky. Lots of laughing and singing until midnight.
 

Mike, thank you for sharing your memories. They were completely appropriate and this is the perfect venue for it. I like the sentimental Mike as much as I like the smart assednessed one.

Cheryl, your time sounds dreamy and relaxing.

It's great to catch up with everyone and I loved Hombre's poem. Thanks for posting Hombre, you're the best!
 

Mike, I too want to thank you for sharing your memories. The great thing about the Gancho group is we can talk about life and our thoughts and feelings, not just the telenovelas.

I would take both Mikes, thoughtful and smart ass, in a New York minute, and with Emilia of course since you are a "paquete". Getting to know all of you has been the best part of this show, hands down.
 

PS My favorite uncle served during World War II and would never talk about the war. He was on a ship and with two other men had taken a small boat into shore to pick up some supplies. While they were gone, his ship was torpedoes and all aboard sank.

It really marked him. He did eventually marry and have a family...but not until he was 40 years old.
 

Mike, I was really touched by your remembrances. It's obvious your friends memories are still very much alive.

Thanks to you and the all other members of our armed services. You have all sacrificed so much.

Diana
 

Mike,

Thanks for sharing your friendships with us. You vividly emphasize the whole meaning and purpose of Memorial Day. How wonderful and rich your memories are. Your friends clearly were wonderful people who were blessed having a true friend like you.

Carlos
 

Thanks to everyone here expressing concern for Jack. He's home now and is housebound at least for the rest of the week. His breathing seems quite good. He's usually something of a gadabout, so though he seems glad to be home, he's anxious to resume his outside interests. At 3 am this morning he began begging to go out. The next few days should be fun.

Carlos
 

Three a.m. eh? Shoot, you might as well as a baby in the house, Carlos. Jack obviously has his own ideas about medical care and the importance of social contacts. Hang in there!
 

A quick Jack update...

He's doing great. He wants to go outside. He's not allowed yet. He's a restless, disgruntled little kitty.

The new show STuD seems very promising so far. Lots of familiar faces and bodies.

Carlos
 

Carlos, that's GREAT news! Cabin fever is always a wonderful sign. This news just made my week. Thanks for sharing.

I quite enjoyed the first episode of STuD. I'm about to watch last night's episode right now.
 

To All My Dear Ones in Gancholandia:

Hola and I am sorry for being such an absent friend to all. As Judy kindly said I have just finished a two week stint with the out-of-state parental units in time to come back for a wedding and a graduation. Now all I have left on my plate is moving and remodeling the house. No problem there, although I will just say once, Lordy, I hate to move.

The wedding was a lot of work and a hoot. You won't believe this, but I have even been asked to perform more of them! Mike and Emilia I look forward to catching up about how your son's wedding went and how you are. Emilia, what shoes did you wear? Did you post photos somewhere? Also, I must get your coconut cake recipe.

Mike; thanks for sharing your memories of your friends. I have a feeling that those that have gone on can tell we are still sending them kind thoughts and loving wishes.

Carlos:
I am so happy about Jack the cat getting better. What a stressful time for you and Linda. You, and all of Gancholandia were so kind when one of my cat youngsters fell and broke his leg a couple of months ago. He is doing just great and I hope that Jack will too.

I am not watching anything on the TV right now—not because I am virtuous, you understand, but because I don't have a TV yet at the new house. (By the way, I want to congratulate Kris on overcoming her TV addiction). I can't wait for FC and Lucero so I hope my DISH is up and running at the new house by then.

Let's see, along with remodeling my kitchen and one bath this next week I will paint and move three of the seven cats to the in-town house. Hubby is holding down the fort there while I am back in town. It is one of those breathless times in life and I am trying to ride it out with grace and humour, but boy, does back-to-back telenovelas, a tall glass of mojito and a chat with my dear Gancholandians sound like fun.

Finally, best of luck to Cap'n Silvia, who I think is sailing her boat to Hawaii this month. You go GIRL!

I'll try to keep up from now on and a special thanks to Judy for staying in touch. Sending you a hug, for reaching out, dear.

Love,

Your EJ
 

I logged into the Gancho line,
Lo and Behold what did I find?

Some rhyming words and memories too,
Such careful thoughts how do they do?

A cat was ailing, he's better now,
There's even mention of a sow,

A new novela tempts and taunts,
With one of our most favorite hunks!

I think I still will mostly refrain,
but I'll be back here now and again.

It's nice to see my friends are well,
I do enjoy what you all tell.

I too was cold this holiday,
I wish the sun would come to stay,

But there is always here a glow,
with folks who watch my favorite shows.

I wish you all a happy week,
you've made me smile from cheek to cheek!
 

How great! A poem from Kris, a note from Elna June, and Mad Cat Jack is on the mend! So happy to hear all the good news. The Gancho line still trumps all the others for feel good connections IMO.

Happy Friday everyone. Husband is ill again (urinary tract infection...how crazy is that? I thought I was the one who was supposed to get them) but otherwise all is well here. Besos y abrazos.
 

JudyB:

I am so sorry about your husband being ill. I HATE UTI's! Oweeee

Yes this group is something special all right. I am scrambling around trying to piece together you tube bits and pieces on Soy tu Dueña. Love most of the actors—although I am not sure about Gabriela—however, the plot seems pretty tired.

Talk to you all soon.

EJ
 

Wow, I agree, Judy. How neat to hear both from Kris and Elna June.

So, Kris, are you ever tempted to take a peek at any of the current shows? You can confide in us.

Elna June, I'm enjoying the Ivana character. She doesn't mess with subtlety, skipping straight to over-the-top histrionics. I don't think that she has Bell's Palsy, but I'd bet that she flirts with Botox.

Judy, hope that Mr. Judy gets well quickly. Both for his sake... and yours.

Jack gets to go outside this evening. Thank goodness.

Carlos