Caray, Caray!

HIJAS #46 -TODAY’S EPISODE IS BROUGHT TO YOU BY THE LETTERS ‘D’ and ‘M'.


Same-old, same-old. More desastres y mentiras. Plot did not advance much. If you have no time to watch, don't worry. The only thing worth seeing is Leo's hat. Petunia had the day off.

Some scenes are lumped together, others completely ignored due to their irrelevance. Other scenes may have been completely misunderstood. I FFWD--> thru a lot of (ahem) stuff. Read at your own risk.

Leo’s friends are leaving her messages that her arch enemy, Ingrid Montalvo the “queen of chismes”, is telling everyone that Ernesto Cifuentes is the real father of Sebastián. So Leo goes and hauls Seb to Ingrid’s jewelry store and demands that she tell Seb the truth, which Ingrid does. Okay, that lie is cleared up.

Sol has a vision --- she sees a pile of money appear on the table, then immediately go up in flames and turns into a pile of ash.

Seb and Leo talk. Seb tells her Cifuentes told him (Seb) that he is his real father. Leo says “nopis and I would jamás lie to you, ever.” She probably had her fingers crossed behind her back.

Seb tells Stefi that he cannot start over from zero with her because of his economic difficulties. Oh for the love of God, I’m tired of these lies and wish he would just come clean with her. Anyone else ready to join me at that table on the Patio?
Stef responds with the idea that he should just partner up with her Daddy Dearest. Eh, no thnx. Later on, Stefi offers Seb her commission $ from her timeshare sales. Seb adamantly refuses her “charity.”

The Amoeba Clan v2 did well selling timeshares, 19 units total! They are celebrating with parasiling(?). Dario gets wind of their success and has a meeting with the Timeshare Corp people, making all sorts of nefarious agreements with them. He probably bought their company today. We just know this will not end well, right Patio? (Your resounding “YESIREE Bob!” is deafening)

Sure enough, the Timeshare People tell JuanO, Seb & Javier NO COMMISSION FOR YOU! because you used “reclutadores” = recruiters. It’s against the rules. (Well, excuuuuuuse me! Just how the heck were they supposed to find buyers? Just hang out a sign and wait for people to wander in? Argh! this plot twist is frustrating.) But I digress . . . We know Darios has engineered this. Our trio are not happy and there is lots of yelling.
They later go to some sort of official looking place to lodge a complaint. She is sympathetic but tells them it could take months to sort it all out and get their commissions paid. Vaya!

Leo meets Jerome in a coffee shop. She wears those wide-brimmed hats very well! She asks him if he plans to “desdecirte” (go back on his word) de tu promesa de hace años?

The Amoeba Clan v2 celebration party is over when Seb, JuanO and Javier arrive to tell them the bad news about the commissions. We hear Dario’s Mexican Greek chorus chanting in the background, just in case we did not understand what they were saying or the CCs.

Inés decides they all need to start practicing austerity. Tighten their belts. Leo walks in and tells JuanO that she is going to take a cooking class. High cuisine. Sebastián points out that she. does. not. cook. Not important, says Leo. Oh for the love of God, I’m tired of these lies and wish JuanO would just come clean with Leo and let her cardio fart away.

 

Seb meets with Jerome at the coffee shop and tells him he had a DNA test done and that JuanO is not his bio-dad. blah blah blah and nothing resolved.
HIJAS --- Part 2 of 2 - and still not much happened...


Seb has a jealousy attack when he sees Vicky and Fernando walking home, laughing away, enjoying each other’s company. Oh, wait, HE can go see Stefi more than once in cozy settings, but ...? #doublestandard
I want to know how they did NOT see his bright orange jeep parked twenty feet away, in front of them? ~rolls eyes~

Sol and Octavio have kissed and made up (yes, you really wanted to know this, right?) after he serenades her with his makeshift mariachi band that includes a tuba. Well. I know I will sleep better tonight. Our dog will, too.

AAaaaand that’s it.
 

HIJAS
Oompah, Oompah, Oompapah! Just about ready to go watch this episode. Doris, your superb reportage has probably saved me 15-20 minutes.

So many darn good phrases, but right at the end "…? #doublestandard" caught my eye. These writers will throw everything at the wall and wait to see what sticks. Doublestandard is probably on their list. Gaah.

Glad to know you and your four footed companion will be sleeping better. Sol and Octavio needed to be together. One Hija down and three to go. I still worry about whom Steffi will end up with, even though she's not technically an Hija. She might start giving classes in true love, starts a blog, writes an autobiography and "kisses" Seb off when he fails to make the grade. Or becomes the top Time-Share seller, thanks to Papi.
 

HIJAS

Love those snappy, snazzy recaps DORIS. Thanks so much. This was just perfect:

"The only thing worth seeing is Leo's hat. Petunia had the day off."

So true. And like you, I did find myself getting very upset at our trio losing their commissions. After days of watching the recruiting, the sweet talking and then the signing....NADA! Also, like you, very annoyed that Sebastian did not just tell Steffi that he was in love with someone else. Yes, news like that hurts. Terribly. But she's going to find out eventually, and the longer he strings her along, the worse she will feel when she finally finds out.

I know, I know...this is NOT REAL LIFE. Settle down Judy! Clearly I need to take a break from these silly stories. But wait...it's all about the Spanish. Must soldier on.

Thanks so much amiga. It was great to have a day off. Really a blessing. For which I thank you from the bottom of mi corazón.

 

HIJAS

Hi doris.

Thank you for “reclutadores” = recruiters - I always enjoy vocabulary.

"We just know this will not end well, right Patio? (Your resounding “YESIREE Bob!” is deafening)" was my favorite line. I smiled through your summary.

This was fun and sassy. I commend you all for having the patience to watch Sebas and Vicky argue and stew in jealousy. Sounds a bit tedious but then I'm not watching.

Hope you and your fur child sleep well.

Diana
 

Seems that episode 64/65 we're combined.
 

HIJAS

Doris, thank you for a splendid, very snappy recap. Thanks also to the letters D & M.
Hmmm... are you sure that's nothing kinky?

Leonora is always fun, but a day without Petunia is a wasted day.

"Sol and Octavio have kissed and made up (yes, you really wanted to know this, right?)"
Well, absolutely. I would have been a nervous wreck if you hadn't told me that they made up. I worry about them. Just like I worry about J.Vic and BabyFace.

Which makes me think it may be time to have my carotid arteries checked again for blockage.

:-)

andy
 

MAÑANA [12/19/2019] (part 1 of 3)

To the Ends of the Earth

[some scenes mutilated or moved around to wherever I felt like putting them. Uh,oh. I think the power is going to my head.]

[I'm sure we had some slicing and dicing, but it was a good show today, mostly all happy and romantic. I hope this mini-cap covers most of it, but the visuals, the visuals lately have been very great fun, especially Monica's silly funny faces, but flighty Ximena's nonsense too. It has been well worth watching. I even liked the music. Too bad they so screwed up the early episodes.]


The A-team (Monica, Iñaki, Rafa, and Armando) is reunited at MediaLink and discussing how the business will work going forward. Monica will be in charge of things until Camilo's return. But Iñaki wants to talk to Monica alone.

Iñaki is leaving for Spain that very afternoon. Monica is surprised and chokes up and starts crying. She wishes that they had more time to say goodbye but Iñaki says it's better this way. Monica is upset because he's talking as if they will never see each other again. He doesn't say anything. Monica cries some more and clings to him.
Iñaki's eyes tear up too, and he wishes her the very best and let's her know that he will always carry her in his heart, and he leaves.
Monica continues to cry, but she doesn't say anything like "I love you" or "Ximena will be out of town tonight, why don't you come up to my place and I'll show you my tattoo."

Diana is sitting on Camilo's hospital bed and they are listening to a video message from Cristóbal, who is still at the rehab hospital. Camilo is impressed with Cristóbal's message and turnaround, he seems a much more mature and caring person. Diana agrees, Cristóbal is becoming a better person with the help he's receiving.
She mentions that Cristóbal has always cared for Camilo, even if he didn't say so; we all love you, she says.

Chabe and an obviously stunned Barbi are sitting together at the hospital. Chabe asks what the matter is, and Barbi confides that Germán, her therapist, is "interested" in her. Chabe just laughs, Eugenia spotted that right away. If you are as interested as he is then forget that in-name-only "husband" you had, and go for it.

Broken-hearted Monica sees her therapist, Ximena, at the Olde Ice Cream Shoppe and is crying nonstop and littering their table with paper napkins that she has used as tissues.
She is all upset that Iñaki is leaving. Ximena points out that she is crying her heart out and her heart is broken because he's leaving.
So, Dummy, you are so in love with Iñaki, stop thinking you're not!
Finally Monica admits she is in love with him and calls him, but there is no answer. Muy, muy upset Monica decides she has to rush to the airport to keep him from leaving. Ximena goes with her.

Yet more crying and sniffling, and soaking paper napkins, this time from Regina. She is at the pastelería with Eugenia and Laura, talking about Pablo and his declaration of love and her wanting to keep the baby. Eugenia was never Pablo's biggest fan (ever since she found him in bed with her house guest, Paloma :) but her opinion of him has changed a lot since he helped rescue Regina from RRRCW Maggie's clutches, and he has proved to be seriously in love with Regina.
The big question, though, is how does Regina feel about him? Through her tears Regina admits she is very much in love with him. (Can't women ever talk about these things without crying a river?)
 

MAÑANA [12/19/2019] (part 2 of 3)

Iñaki is on his way to the airport and talking to the driver a bit, but mostly thinking back to his dropping out of the sky to meet Monica and other happy memories of Monica at Valle de Bravo and elsewhere. A few minutes later (Iñaki seems to now be sitting on the other side of the car, but no matter) he gets the call from Monica just as the driver realizes he has no brakes and has to make a violent maneuver to avoid a head-on crash. They wind up by the side of the road, unable to go on, and don't have cell phone service in that location either. (Maybe because they didn't take the toll road? :)

Monica and Ximena have a slight delay as Ximena has to find her keys and Monica gets a call from Rafa. She cuts him short and quickly asks him to call Iñaki and make sure he doesn't take the flight back to Spain before he talks with her. Why? Because she realized just how much in love with him she is.
Rafa is delighted and calls her his stepmother. This gives her pause, but she recovers after a few seconds.

The two superheroines (in case Nico is reading this) zoom at full speed towards the airport to catch Iñaki before he goes off.
A few minutes later Monica and Ximena, really pedal to the metal, whiz along the toll road headed to the airport. After a bit Monica wants to drive as Ximena isn't getting them there fast enough!
They pull over to trade places not more than 100 feet from poor Iñaki on the free road. (Oh, please!)
He sees the car and goes to ask for help but they drive off never noticing him. (Though Monica looked in his direction; did the TN do that deliberately?)
Our superheroines finally arrive at the airport and head straight to the ticket counter (don't ask how they knew where to go) and ask about Iñaki; he hasn't checked in yet even though the plane doors will close soon. Monica tells the agent that she has to find him before he leaves, she needs to tell him that she loves him. The agent is visibly touched by this.

Monica and Ximena go searching the terminal for him just as he arrives and heads to the check-in counter.
He checks in but it's too late, his flight has left. He wants to get a ticket for the next flight out to Spain.
Another ticket agent can handle that, the one who heard Monica's desperate tale, and she looks at his passport and is surprised. She says, "You are Iñaki de la Masa?"
"Iñaki", not "Ignacio", and our Iñaki is quite surprised by her interest in him.
 

MAÑANA [12/19/2019] (part 3 of 3)


Camilo has the family gather around him in his hospital room to give them good news, including the fact that he and Diana have reconciled, and they all bond and do a family cheer. (yawn!)
Regina tells them that she has decided to keep the baby and raise him; she will be a single mother. Everybody approves.

Killer (who now seems to be Pedro, according to Srta CC; ah, women are so fickle) talks with a lawyer (Eugenia's?) who is giving him the hard facts about claiming paternity. Once he does so he is legally responsible for the health and well-being of the child. Depending on circumstances, this could be a lifetime obligation. Killer likes none of this and is afraid his deal with RRRCW Maggie could wind up costing him much, much more than she would ever pay. Failure to satisfy his obligations could get him sent to jail. That's the clincher, he wants out of the deal with Maggie, it's just not worth it.

Manuel learns that Lidia is planning to go back to Tijuana and rushes over to casa Sarmiento. There he talks with Lidia and tries to tell her that he will soon be a free man, free of RRRCW Maggie, but Lidia doesn't want to wait for something that might never happen. He goes for another of those very poor kisses. (I really think it's Manuel's fault, but in any event, don't expect to read about Manuel and Lidia falling in love while working on this TN in your favorite TN gossip magazine.)

Monica and Ximena never do find Iñaki and eventually go home and get together with Rafa to figure out how to locate him. Monica is willing to go to the ends of the earth to find him. Upset, Monica leaves and Ximena calls to her, but Rafa puts his hand on her knee and tells her not to be concerned. Ximena (Ximena!) looks at his hand on her knee and gently reminds him he has a novia. They both laugh.
A disconsolate Monica goes upstairs to their balcony and gazes out at the city and wonders how she could have been so stupid. Then, just as fantasy Camilo used to do, fantasy Iñaki comes to her. But it's not a fantasy, Iñaki is really there, and it is absolutely, positively "te amo" back and forth. None of this "te quiero" stuff. And the music, always the music in this TN, tells us this is for real, and real love. (And they kiss so much better than Manuel and Lidia.)

Monica thinks about leaving Mexico and MediaLink to go to Spain and is upset at the idea. She asks him, If I decide not to go to Spain, would you come here for me?
Of course, he replies, I want to be wherever you are, even to the farthest reaches of the world.


Enough schmaltz, we next see Malicio, presumably judged guilty, entering prison, getting his roll of toilet paper handed to him by an unfriendly guard, and having doors lock behind him. Then the obligatory 'prison tough guys accost him' scene and they rough him up a bit and who knows what else. But it wasn't too bad to watch and I know some people very much like to see the villains get theirs, but good. So Malicio got his.


Final scene this episode, Camilo and the entire family are in the country enjoying family time. Camilo tells Diana how much he loves her and gets down on one knee to offer her new wedding rings for them both. Jewelry almost always works, and it does in this case, and Diana and Camilo are once again the couple they were before all this, but better.

== and here the episode ends ==

andy
 

MAÑANA

Andy, thank you for your penultimate andycap of this show. Well done!!!

--- "but the visuals, the visuals lately have been very great fun, especially Monica's silly funny faces, but flighty Ximena's nonsense too. It has been well worth watching. I even liked the music. Too bad they so screwed up the early episodes.]"
~Yes, I agree wholeheartedly. It is a shame the first half of this series was such a hot mess. Yesterday's episode was a fun watch.

--- "Broken-hearted Monica sees her therapist, Ximena, at the Olde Ice Cream Shoppe. . ."
~LOL! You nailed this scene.

--- "Enough schmaltz"
~ Oy, spoken like a true NewYawkah. (My parents are from Brooklyn and I grew up with this word)


I knew, starting with the ice cream shop scene, the adventures of Lucy and Ethel we're going to be fun, and they delivered. This episode is worth watching just for their adventures.. Especially Ximena, her facial,expressions, and her acting . She has redeemed herself in my eyes, starting with her big confession in order to take down Mal, or else I finally started liking her and appreciating her chutzpah, IDK, but the actress has done a great job with this role.

Iñaki is a really great guy who would a lot more "hawt" if he would lose that dead wooly worm he calls a mustache.


--- "Ximena (Ximena!) looks at his hand on her knee...".
~ Ximena! I know, right? :-)







 

MANANA

andy, you were in the zone. You keep raising your own bar higher with each successive recap.

"some scenes mutilated or moved around to wherever I felt like putting them. Uh,oh. I think the power is going to my head.]' You’ve tickled my funny bone yet again..

"Ximena will be out of town tonight, why don't you come up to my place and I'll show you my tattoo." HA!!!

"Can't women ever talk about these things without crying a river?)" Umm, Nopis! 😊

"Jewelry almost always works, and it does in this case, and Diana and Camilo are once again the couple they were before all this, but better" could not have been stated more perfectly.

A bit of a miracle seems to have occurred. Monica realizing she loves Inaki was but one. This TN seems to have risen from the ashes, shedding the loathsome premise of replacing Diana with Monica into a storyline that seems near the end a rather enjoyable one. 90% credit to our recapper I'm sure.

andy, you are amazing. What a fantastic read.

Diana
 

MAÑANA

ANDY...you just keep getting better and better. Really enjoyed your recap. The episode, not so much. Too much screaming and running around and endless missing of connections for me. But I'm always a Scrooge at Christmas-time.

Great title, and your disclaimers are always gems:


[some scenes mutilated or moved around to wherever I felt like putting them. Uh,oh. I think the power is going to my head.]

And of course this:

"Jewelry almost always works, and it does in this case, and Diana and Camilo are once again the couple they were before all this, but better" could not have been stated more perfectly.

Well, I hope jewelry always works. Those endless Jared ads during sporting events sure seem to think so. Just a great recap from a fella with a terrific sense of humor. Thanks amigo!
 

MAÑANA

Doris, thank you very much. I think this TN was very well done after that terrible start. Certainly not perfect, sometimes the color was eye-popping for one thing; the music, the pulsating hearts, etc., annoyed some. My only problem with it early was the way people (Ximena, I'm looking at you) were perfectly willing to dig a shallow grave for poor Diana in the first episodes.
I still have the episodes on a hard drive and after the New Year I will watch a couple to see if they still come across as so bad.
In any case, it does no good to have a much improved second half of a TN if the audience has already quit watching, so the producers screwed up no matter what their intentions.

Diana, thank you for being such a trouper and coming to this patio to support those of us who are still left here. I think you might enjoy some of these daytime novelas more than the night-time stuff. But maybe not, I don't know.
I do know that the daytime shows are not on at the best time of day for most of us, but the wonders of DVRs makes it all possible.
In any event, thank you for being here and for all your supportive commentary.

Judy Scrooge, thank you as well. I'm a fellow Scrooge but, as you have pointed out, it is difficult or impossible to avoid the Christmas undertow.
This time of year can be fun, but I am also looking forward to it being over.
I have a full plate of stuff to watch in the new year in addition to looking back over the starting episodes of Ymsod...m. I have completely given up on getting back up to speed with El Hotel de los Secretos and I'm now just saving them for some binge watching.
Thank you for your supportive comments, and my heart goes out to you knowing that you still have a way to go with Hijas.
No, really!
Really.
Really, really.

:-p

:-)

andy
 

HIJAS

Doris that was short and to the end.
There was no point. But funny.

There must have been a crooked man
On the board of commission that would
Allowed himself to be bought by daddy
Dario. Don't you just hate it when the bad guys get the upper hand? And it takes way too long for them to get outted about it too. But it's certain eventually they do get their just comeuppance.
Maybe by Christmas the turth shall be
Outted.

Thanks Doris.

PS, have y'all started cooking for The
Big day yet? Or will you just lettem eat Christmas cake?
 

HIJAS #47 LET'S ASK SANTA TO WRAP THIS ONE UP EARLY!

Part 1

Santa, Baby, I'm not asking for double episodes--just some brutal slicing and dicing so we can get this one over quickly. As it stands we're only a few episodes beyond the halfway point. Let's just say this lame story is making the dark days of Winter even darker.

Ah well, suck it up, Patio, and let's go over the exciting, captivating events of this afternoon's episode. After all, I never promised you a rose garden.

The Blue House Kitchen Crew is going over the outrage of Estefania coming in with a handful of dinero and offering it to Sebastian. How could she offend his pride that way!? Juan remembers how Dario did the same thing. Like father, like daughter. Fernando lifts the spirits a little by saying he sold his second painting and he'll contribute all to the family budget.

Leonora is sweltering in the heat, all while parading around with some awful blue goo on her face (Cynthia is a trooper for sure)and rips Juan a new one for being an 'inútil" [worthless loser]for not having enough money to get the air-conditioning running or the hotel back in business.

Steff and Dario are having a bleak dinner at home while he questions her about the money offer to Sebastian. Did it work? No. Are you going to persist? Yes. But nothing good can happen until the financial problems of the Oropezas are resolved without hurting Sebastian's pride. Daddy Dario looks thoughtful.

Vicky, in her Daisy Mae top and microscopic shorts, is smooching with Seb and vowing to give her life for him. He vows the same. Now to find his biological father so they can openly declare their love to the world.

Meanwhile, Bio Dad Jerome is pouring out his woes to a bartender, who's assuring the Frenchie that bartenders are bound by the same ethical and moral standards of priests, lawyers and therapists. Their lips are sealed! So talk away. He does, and the bartender concludes that a person's life is more important than happiness. Therefore Jerome cannot reveal his secret. Ugh. Are we going to have 40 more chapters of this nonsense? Don't answer that!

Barb forgets for a half-second about her vengeance on Inés when she learns a boxing tournament is coming to Mazatlán. If she wins it, that'll be 200 thousand pesos for the prize! More help for the family budget.

Margarita and Xavier are stretched out on floor pillows listening to Vivaldi while he drones on about the meaning of the music. She's impressed and gushes that he's opening new worlds to her, he's a new world himself. Alas, this splendid mood is dashed when he gets a call from the bank. There is no negotiating on repayment of his mortgage loan. If he doesn't cough up the first note due, he'll lose the house.

More bad news: Inés and Mauricio are making out devotedly, but when he puts his hand on her thigh, she's suddenly nervous and embarrassed. And what would Octavio and Soledad think? Mauricio points out that they're pretty busy themselves. But Inés jumps up and runs out, clearly not ready for...well, what? Her knowledge in this area is pretty limited.

This section ends with a collage of bathroom scenes (evidently there are four full baths in the house) with Leonora, Sebastian, Juana Victoria and Juan all standing there patiently with a hand under the shower, waiting for the water to heat up.

Honestly, given how hot it is with no air-conditioning, I'd think a cold shower might be inviting for a change.
 

HIJAS #47 SANTA, LET'S WRAP THIS ONE UP EARLY!

Part 2

Leonora is the loudest complainer, of course, and Sebastian doesn't help things by pointing out that cold water helps smooth wrinkles [arrugas]and jowls [papadas]--not that you have any of that Mom!

Juan trots over to Xavier's house. He's not there but Margarita is happy to spill the beans. That money your brother gave you wasn't from savings. He mortgaged his home and now he's about to lose it! Juan is feeling like the complete failure his wife accused him of being. He can't accept Dario's money and force his son to marry without love. But he can't take care of his family either. He's in despair.

As is Sebastian who is pouring out his heart to Jerome. He feels so trapped. Madly in love and yet unable to do anything about it. Jerome says he has the answer to all Seb's problems. But then reconsiders and decides he can't tell him. Too risky for Leonora. And he runs off. (Another tear your hair out moment.)

Meanwhile, Juan has told Vicky about Dario's offer of money and why he can't accept it. But he understands Dario. Really, Juan feels the same way about his own daughters--he'd do anything to help them.

More budgetary moves from Inés. Feeding Petunia and the chickens is costing money. Time to sell the menagerie.

But finally some good news. A very dolled up Estefania arrives with two bags of hot, juicy, ready to eat barbecue. Meat for everybody! And then looks around, saying:

Is Sebastian here?

Which earns her a death glare from Juana Victoria.
 

HIJAS #47 LET'S ASK SANTA TO WRAP THIS ONE UP EARLY!

Part 3

Xavier drags home only to learn that Margarita has told the whole sad story to Juan. He erupts in fury--which is the most energy we've seen from this actor since the series began. He really yells at Marg, telling her she shouldn't have interfered, he never should have shared personal information with her etc. etc.

She stammers a few excuses and then kisses him on the mouth. (I'll say it again, this woman needs to be spayed). Recognizing that she's really blown it now, Marg runs off. (A lot of precipitous exits in this episode.)

But knock knock--this time it's Juan, wanting to talk over the situation. Xavier asks forgiveness for lying but Juan points out that a "mentira piadosa" [white lie] isn't really a lie at all. And Xavier laughs about having to fit two more people in the Blue House. And Juan laughs about putting them up in the laundry room with Petunia and the hens. And Xavier doesn't even know about the cold showers yet.

Sebastian, unreachable by phone, is staring moodily out to sea when the underclothed Vicky catches up with him. Together our two attractive but dim bulbs start seeing the light. Do you suppose?....could it be?...y'know I felt a connection with Jerome from the first moment we met!...all this time I've been with my biological dad and didn't know it. He has the answer to all our problems! We must find him.

This scene is played out as Vicky leans over a bronze statue of some military-looking old dude. I have no idea if it's relevant. Given how this is written--probably not.

Anyway, this portion ends with Jerome at the airport, standing in line, looking moody and pensive. Did he do the right thing? Is there a right thing to do in this case? Oh my.

Back at the house, solicitous Teresa is serving barbecue tortillas to a rather snotty Leonora. Is this top quality beef or second rate? Oh, it's terrific! Really, like you're an expert?, sniffs Leo. But one bite and she's in Heaven. Next bite--she's in Hell.

Could the fresh barbecue be Petunia???!!!! Leo dashes into the laundry room (let it be noted it's another smashing outfit, red harem pants and a lovely white and red jacket.) But oh the horror!...Petunia is gone! Or perhaps a little bit of Petunia is...well, deep inside Leonora.

 

HIJAS #47 LET'S ASK SANTA TO WRAP THIS ONE UP EARLY

Final Part

Sebastian enlists Todoelmundo to help locate Jerome. Then he takes Mama Leonora to see where Petunia is dwelling-- actually alive and well (for the moment) with a lot of other goats. Leo is leaning over the fence, bleating (sorry, couldn't help myself) Petunia's name.

Sebastian arrives back at the Blue House and Estefania blows him a kiss. He winks. Juana Victoria glares. At them both.

Margarita has crept back to Xavier's house to stammer more excuses and listen to the standard "it's not you it's me" talk. Only this time-- "it's not you it's my undying love for Alicia" that stands in the way. If it weren't for that, I'd be in love with you. You're like soothing balsam, and a light in the darkness. Wow. That's a much kinder view of Margarita than I have. Just sayin'.

Meanwhile, the latest kerfuffle at the Blue House is Juana Barbara and her need for Red Meat. Even though we have all kinds of successful vegan athletes, her trainer and Barb herself believe that only red meat, and lots of it, will allow her to train effectively for the boxing match and get in tip-top shape. Even though Teresa touts the high protein content of lentils, mushrooms and legumes of all kinds, they're adamant. Gotta have the red meat. Punto!

Meanwhile, Budget Matron Inés is at the market, checking out prices when she overhears two girls giggling about going to see the Three Lovers of Sofia. Evidently there are some really hot love scenes in the film. Sor Dim Bulb is thinking she can complete her sex education at the cinema, since she was too timid to ask Soledad anything.

Todoelmundo comes back with the news that Jerome has indeed left Mazatlán.

And well-meaning Estefania arrives with the gift of a new pair of boxing gloves for Juana Barbara. Which earns her an ugly reaming out from Vicky. First you try and buy off Sebastian! And now my sister!

Feo. Muy feo Vicky. Jealousy is never pretty m'dear.

And there we end.
 

HIJAS

Judy, you took the ordinary and made extraordinary. I'm in awe.

"Santa, Baby, I'm not asking for double episodes--just some brutal slicing and dicing so we can get this one over quickly" had me grinning from the start.

"precipitous exits" simply because no one uses the seldom seen but utterly fabulous words you do. "underclothed Vick" and "'inútil" [worthless loser)" were wonderful.

"Sebastian doesn't help things by pointing out that cold water helps smooth wrinkles [arrugas]and jowls [papadas]--not that you have any of that Mom!" quick recovery! Well done son.

I am sure Leo was beside herself thinking the worst about her Petunia! But, I laughed out loud when I read: "Petunia is gone! Or perhaps a little bit of Petunia is...well, deep inside Leonora". So bad, but so so good my friend! And of course, "Leo is leaning over the fence, bleating (sorry, couldn't help myself) Petunia's name" was great as well.

I'm glad you got a meaty episode (yup, I succumbed myself :)) which you elevated with your humor and great wit. Gracias.

Diana
 

MAÑANA [12/20/2019] (part 1 of 4) (GRAN FINAL!!)


después... después... después...
fiesta... fiesta... fiesta


[I let the various scenes decide for themselves where they belonged for this final minicap. So don't blame me.]

The nicest final episode I have seen yet... with an oddity or two.


We open at MediaLink, in the conference room Camilo is going over the changes at the company and its new organization.
Nora will be Camilo's personal assistant; Armando will take over company finances, the post Malicio held; Luis, at Rafa's request, will be Rafa's personal assistant; Pablo is the new director of projects; Barbi, who has now joined the firm, will help Pablo with investigations, whatever that means.
Anyway, all our favorite characters in this TN now have cushy jobs at MediaLink.
Especially Rafa, who is now the new Executive Manager, the post Monica had previously.

The first surprise of the night, perhaps; Monica is leaving MediaLink and Mexico.

Cristóbal drops in on Javiera and her band at the recording studio. They have just wrapped up recording an album and it is time to party! Out comes the booze, but Cristóbal just smiles and calmly and politely declines to drink. Everybody thinks he's terrific. (OK, there has been a big improvement.)

Camilo and Monica adjourn to his office to talk, because she is leaving. She will still be a minority partner in the business but she is leaving for Madrid, to live and work with Iñaki; she wants to pursue her dreams and her professional development. Camilo asks if she couldn't do that in Mexico, she tells him that Iñaki is willing to move to Mexico, but she thinks it would be better for her to go to Spain. She will be back, and often, but for now she's moving to Spain.

Camilo asks her if she really loves Iñaki, and she says yes. More than you loved me? She says yes, because then I was in love with a Camilo who never existed, a fantasy of my own imagination; Iñaki is real and our love is real, and that's what I want, not a fantasy anymore.
It's an emotional farewell, but it's time for her to go.

When she leaves his office she finds the entire staff of MediaLink waiting to say goodbye and wish her well, a regular gauntlet of well-wishers, and she makes her way through them, hugging and kissing all the way out.
 

MAÑANA [12/20/2019] (part 2 of 4) (GRAN FINAL!!)


Manuel and RRRCW Maggie are meeting with a psychiatrist who tells them about a new treatment with excellent results, but she will have to stay inpatient at least six weeks. Maggie is willing, she can't continue living the horrible life she has been living. And it's not been good for Manuel either, and she doesn't want to hurt him more than she has. She will do the program.


At their apartment, Ximena takes St Anthony out of the cupboard and puts him right-side up on the counter, he has done his job for Monica. But Monica says she shouldn't put him right-side up yet, he hasn't found someone for her yet. Ximena disagrees, she has decided that marriage is simply not for her, the same guy every day? No, that would be no fun at all.

They get very emotional about their friendship and how close they have been for years. The swear BFF promises and stuff. :-)

Then Ximena's new roomie arrives, and it is Barbi. (Do not ask me how that happened.)
Monica hopes they will get along and complement each other. Barbi thinks they will and hopes that Ximena can help her break out of her uptight shell. Ah, ha! Now it makes sense, Ximena can certainly help with that!


Ha! Mercedes has now come to live with Diana and the family. (Maybe in Barbi's old room?) Anyway, she and Diana get along super well, but Mercedes wants to know what she can do in the house, she's not there just to sit around. The do a little mother/daughter back and forth, and Mercedes tells Diana not to contradict her. Diana laughs, all mothers say that to their kids at times.
They agree that she can help Diana with the garden.


Malicio is visited in prison by his court appointed lawyer who always mistakenly calls him señor Homero instead of Romero. He tells Malicio that the judge has decided that Malicio has to return what he stole from MediaLink but also all the costs involved. Malicio will have to sign over every cent he has to pay his debt.
Malicio agrees, hoping it will get him out of prison soon, but the lawyer says no, the judge has sentenced him to 29 years and eight months.
Malicio starts screaming and calling the lawyer inept and saying he can't do 29 years in jail, and the guards have to drag him away.
Poor Malicio really got his anvil.


Regina leaves school and finds Killer waiting to talk to her. He has given up any rights to the baby, but would like to get to know him a little after he is born because, well, he is the father. But no claims on her or the baby, he just doesn't want the baby to think his father simply deserted him. Regina will have to think that over.

Monica arrives (with Camilito!) at the Madrid airport and finds signs, arrows pointing the way for "Monica Rojas". She follows the arrows until she meets Iñaki who has a huge bouquet of red roses for her. He says, "Welcome to your new life." Smiles, te-amo's, and kissy kissy; and their happy love song in the background.
 

MAÑANA [12/20/2019] (part 3 of 4) (GRAN FINAL!!)

Semanas después...

A sequence where we see Diana happily typing her latest children's story, inspired by Lidia's story told to Nico; then we see the characters acting out the story:
Nicólas (in costume) is in the tunnel and he finds a bright, glowing star. In that star the witch Bizcochito had trapped his family. He could hear their voices and told the star, "Dad, the final battle will be for all of you." He manages to escape the tunnel and encounters the evil Bizcochito (aka Almudena) in her luchadora witch costume and she tries to take the star from him, and shoots an electric charge at him, but at that moment Heart of Gold Moni appears and uses an hour glass to send the charge back at the witch Bizcochito who then disappears forever like dust in the air.
Then they hear steps and Eugenia the Bad Tempered appears to tell him he has passed the tests, now throw the star up to the sun to release your family!
And he does and the Sarmiento family appears, all in superhero costumes, and also Monica of the Heart of Gold, who does the old Wonder Woman twirl and disappears.

We then see Diana reading the end of this story from her newest book to Nico's class, with all the Sarmiento family, her editor, and Mercedes, behind them.

She adds to the story: many years later Nicólas marries Eli, Corazón de Dulce.
And here a happily embarrassed Eli pretends to faint.
And then Diana gives the usual fairy tale ending, "Y Colorín Colorado, este cuento se ha terminado."


Meses después...

Regina wakes slowly, and says, "Nico, I told you, if you're going to sleep with me you can't go pee pee." But it's that her water has broken and she calls for help, and they rush her to the hospital. At the hospital they all wait. Both Pablo and Killer are there, and they spar a little. Pablo is not thrilled that Killer has started hanging around and taking an interest in Regina and the baby, and the two of them go back and forth trying to one-up each other.

Good delivery, uneventful except for the birth of a healthy baby boy. Mother and son doing well.

Very cute scene, all the family, including Chabe and Eugenia, Mercedes, and even Killer, go to see the baby who makes it to the nursery pretty quickly. And they all argue, in a friendly way, about who the baby looks like.
Regina has decided to name the baby Eugenio, in honor of her grandmother Eugenia.


Back in Spain, Monica and Iñaki are happy and having fun. He tries to get her to eat a little bit of something yucky looking (it might have been eel, but Srta CC's spelling led me to some odd definitions and I'm not sure). Monica agrees with me, that it was yucky looking and she doesn't want to be so adventurous as to eat the stuff.

Iñaki doesn't force her, he gives her a kiss instead. They are planning a trip to Mexico.


Una semana después...

It's the day of Eugenio's christening and everybody is at the house helping Regina. Barbi will be the godmother, Pablo the godfather.

Everybody, and I do mean everybody, arrives at the church. Killer is even wearing a blazer. Nico and Eli sit together in a pew.
Monica and Iñaki are together, with Ximena; Nora and Luis; Rafa and Paloma; Laura and Adrián; Germán was invited by Barbi; and lots of others I forget, but they were there. :-)

The ceremony begins and Regina is flanked by Killer and Pablo, but she is only interested in Pablo. She thanks him for being the padrino, and he says he is happy she asked him because he loves her. She tells him she loves him. (Yes, "te amo")
 

MAÑANA [12/20/2019] (part 4 of 4) (GRAN FINAL!!)

There is a baptism reception later and there is a lot of friendly chatter. Monica, Iñaki, and Camilo have started up "MediaLink España" and they are all enthused about that.

Maggie, no longer crazy after her six week stay in the hospital, arrives with Manuel. She and Regina are very friendly and Regina even allows her to hold the baby.
Maggie has even suggested to Manuel that he go pursue Lidia now. Little does she know that Lidia is hiding from him, afraid he might kiss her again.

Monica and Iñaki are at a table with Diego, a friend of Iñaki, and Ximena. Diego and Ximena flirt quite openly, and the scene switches to Ximena's apartment, where St Anthony, for no apparent reason, suddenly tips over. Ximena? Ximena!???


Días después...

We get a nice scene wherein Iñaki has set up a nice love nest in their hotel room, complete with champagne, chocolate covered strawberries, and bouquets of roses. (Nothing else happens, at least nothing that they show us, but I suppose it's meant to show how romantic Iñaki is, and how much in love they are. Nothing says Love more than chocolate covered strawberries, right?)

Next up, nice scenes of happy family stuff, Regina with her baby, Diana with Nico, etc.


Mañana ... ("Mañana" displayed onscreen as in the logo for the show: Y mañana será otro día... mejor)

It's Monica's 41st birthday, and there is a party for her at casa Sarmiento. Everybody is there.

Iñaki asks for everybody's attention, he has a surprise for the birthday girl. Monica smiles a happy smile and tells him she has a surprise for him as well!

Iñaki goes first. Ever since he fell on her out of the sky he has been bewitched by her...
He gets down on one knee with a diamond ring in a box in his hand, and reminds her that they were "married" at the amusement park back when, but he would like to make it for real now.
Will she marry him?

Well, duh, she says yes, of course; and she grabs that ring and slips it on her finger in a hurry.

Then she tells him her surprise: she is pregnant, she and Iñaki are expecting!

Everybody is jubilant and they all do the "Y mañana será otro día" dance. (They do, they really do. And this TN managed to slip in the expression "mañana será otro día" more times than I could count. Is there a prize for that or something?)
They also show, while the dancing is going on, four of our couples, in smaller partial screens, kissing. Romance is triumphant, I guess.

(Anyway, I thought that the dance scene should have closed the show, but nope)

The show closes with one last bit: Monica is in her old bedroom, watching her alarm clock count up to 7:00 AM, but when it reaches 7:00 she turns to the camera and winks and we get the big fin that we have all been waiting for.

== and here the show ends ==

andy

P.S. Study your notes, class. There will be a quiz on Monday.
 

MAÑANA

ANDY....you're free, you're free, you're free! I'm hearing Born Free music swell in the background. I'm transported. Euphoric. I'm pretty sure you are too. Daily recapping is a grind, even for the retired. Just because we're not working our regular job, we still have lives, verdad? Dang right, we do.

But now, on to the pleasure of your recap. Your humor reminds me of Christopher Buckley, one of my favorite writers. And that's quite a compliment, believe me...

this:

[I let the various scenes decide for themselves where they belonged for this final minicap. So don't blame me.]

And

do not ask me how THAT happened

but best of all:

Little does she know that Lidia is hiding from him, afraid he might kiss her again.

Just loved that. Writers, please do away with these Smash Mouth kisses. Smash Mouth football I'm okay with (it's pretty much standard for OSU games) but NOT kisses.

Could never quite find Iñaki attractive although I really tried. And Monica looked like she could crush him in bed. But no matter. They're happy and they procreated. And babies are always a blessing, according to Telenovela Rules.

And this Christmas Grinch had trouble believing that Cristobal was completely cured after only one rehab (it usually takes several...and even then...) And BSCrazy Maggie also completely cured and exquisitely mature after just 6 weeks! And biological grandmother and adoptive grandmother co-existing all sweetness and light! Punk thug baby daddy wanting to do the right thing and help raise his kid!? Romance flourishing for every unattached couple in the Universe!

Oh well. Why am I complaining? We watch these to have a Happy Ending. And Baby! we got one in spades!

Well good on ya Writers. You screwed up the first part and went overboard on "cursi cursi" at the end, but so what. It's over and it all ended well. Although honestly, you would have thought Mauricio was a serial killer the way they laid down the law on him.

Superb job Andy. I love your writing, love your humor. Thank you a bunch amigo. You rose to the occasion and then some.
 

HIJAS

Ah Diana, you really made me laugh with "glad you got a meaty episode (see, I succumbed myself). Well played amiga. Thanks for reading and appreciating the recaps. What would we do without you. I think today the Patio is down to one...you! The dearest person who reads and supports us even when she can't see the show.
 

MANANA

andy, I drank in every word.

I love happy endings and am glad there was one here (not seeing this, not sure if Monica in her old bedroom was supposed to mean something but I will suppose she is with Inaki).

"Camilo asks her if she really loves Iñaki, and she says yes. More than you loved me? She says yes, because then I was in love with a Camilo who never existed, a fantasy of my own imagination; Iñaki is real and our love is real, and that's what I want, not a fantasy anymore". Pure poetry.

"a regular gauntlet of well-wishers". Perfect.

I will echo Judy's "Born Free" sentiment.

That said, did you have as much fun writing these as we did reading them? I hope so, your talent is enormous and selfishly, I hope you recap again.

Nothing else for me to say except thank you for bringing this so vividly to life.

Diana

 

Hijas

Judy, a belated thank you for a splendid recap of a tepid telenovela.

I think that Rgv Chickie pointed out, a while ago, that this TN is not so very bad once you accept that it is largely slapstick. I would add that it's not that great, either, but that's just pointing out the obvious. Still, looking on the bright side, it's not terribly terrible.

There is always Leonora, and now we also have Petunia. Amazing how, in a TN based around several good-looking young women, I keep looking, when I do look, for either a goat or Leonora, who often has goop on her face or has had an explosion in her hair.

But never mind the show, your recaps are always fun to read. Sometimes I think that it's a shame that you are so honest, that you base the recaps on what actually occurred in the TN. I'm sure you could spin a much better tale than the show's writers. As it is, I think of you much like the writers of the old Seinfeld sitcom, a show based on "nothing" but turned into gold by excellent writing.

andy
 

Hijas

Diana, like Judy, I'm impressed that you keep showing up to support shows you can't watch (although sometimes you're better off not watching :)

"I'm glad you got a meaty episode (yup, I succumbed myself :))"
You and Judy are tag teaming it now, and you cracked me up.

andy
 

MAÑANA

Judy, thank you for your kind words. Quite a lot of them, in fact. Your comment is longer than some of my minicaps   :-)

I am glad the show is over, and it closed in a good way, with a few surprises even as it was winding down; Killer's becoming a decent person, for instance, and the comedy between him and Pablo.

But, yeah, any sort of recapping can be a grind, and now the Christmas undertow is sucking us under, even a Bah-humbugger like me, and free time is hard to come by. So no regrets that the show is over.

But back to the TN, I have to agree that Iñaki didn't impress much. But Doris, I think it was Doris, said something about his being handsome, so it's all in the eye of the beholder. And a positive note, I was happy to see a galán who wasn't twenty-ish, muscular, with a big square jaw and enough thick hair to make a blanket (Hmmm... all the things that are red meat for many of the ladies watching :)
If only he would get rid of that facial hair. Beards are just fine for those who can grow them; he's not one of those.

Most everything did roll up quickly leaving HEAs all around, but that's not a bad thing, though maybe a bit unbelievable. But if we really wanted believability we wouldn't be watching telenovelas in the first place.


Diana, thank you for your kind comments. Never fear, everything and everybody had a HEA in this telenovela, except for Malicio. And I suppose he did deserve his very heavy anvil. Never mind his embezzlement, he kidnapped two different women at gunpoint, and he shot at Rafa at close range. Luckily for Rafa, Malicio was out of bullets at that point. But Malicio didn't know that.

That final scene with Monica in her old bedroom was just some silly thing the producers thought was cute, not that it made a whole lot of sense. But don't worry, Monica is even now happily flitting between Mexico and Spain, being a great business success, a happy wife, and a wonderful mother.

Trust me.

:-)

andy
 

MAÑANA - Gran Final

Andy, you have no idea how much I appreciate your Gran Fin andycap! Seriously.

Something went wrong with our local transmission of Mañana. Only Looneyvision, our local cable outlet, and God know what happened. My 1-hour recording started out with 13 minutes of some silly naco comedy show on the front end, and cut off right after Iñaki kissed Moni stead of putting that icky looking stuff in her mouth, and when Maggi and Manuel were getting up to go to the baptism. That was it. punto. final. I did not get to see the end. Arghhhhh!

To add insult to injury, not one minute of HIJAS was lost. :-p Me fregaron.

The good news is that all the other episodes are “on demand” so maybe by tomorrow it will have the full final episode for me to watch. Enough of that . . .

This was a wonderful, satisfying final episode (well, of what I saw-lol)

It was me who said Iñaki would be hotter looking if he lost that sad moustache. He really is a nice-looking man.

Malicio looked like he ran into someone’s fist. A few times. Bless his heart. It is so satisfying to see him get his just desserts.

Andy, thank you again, for your andycaps, and for watching so that I did not have to. ;-)
You did an outstanding job and your recaps were pure fun to read. You have a real flair for this. Not to mention talent. I hope I will “see” you soon on another telenovela Patio.
 

Andy...thank you for your last hurrah and all the other Andycandycaps that you provided through wind and rain and snow and dark of night. You recapped like a boss , andy. The. End.

Regarding the happy dance, did anyone watch Amor Real ? In the finale, the whole town did the most lovely dance in the town square ...I think. Sometimes all the shows I have watched mix themselves up in my mind. I also think there was waltzing I the show's introduction.
 

MAÑANA

Well, I hit post before I was done. GAh.

Judy said, "And this Christmas Grinch had trouble believing that Cristobal was completely cured after only one rehab (it usually takes several...and even then...) "
ITA. Very few teens and twentysomethings do well after just one trip to treatment. They usually have to relapse at least once more before they figure it out. Sadly, in today's world, they often overdose and die; it has happened to the children of enough friends of mine. Too bad these telenovelas never show the family getting help for themselves. Addiction is a family disease. Oh well...

Andy, I just loved your disclaimer:
"[I let the various scenes decide for themselves where they belonged for this final minicap. So don't blame me.]" I will miss your andycaps.
 

Susanlynn - yes, Amor Real had that big village dance scene at the end. It may have been part of the opening or closing of each episode, too. I loved, loved, loved the musical theme song for AR, too, by Sin Banderas.
 

HIJAS

Judy, thank you for another recap that is better than the episode. I FFWD-> thru half of this.

The best scene was Leo wailing away when she thought her taco was Petunia BBQ. That one cracked me up.

So Vicky and Seb finally decided Jerome might be his bio-dad. Woot woot. How long before this gets resolved? Probably in ultimas capitulos and they’ve thrown us a rope here to keep us hanging on.

At least the heat and humidity have Barbi without those leggings right now. Seems like the knee socks would be a bit warm, but, whatever.

After “googleando” the statue of guy on the motorcycle, because he has guest starred in enough scenes already, turns out it is of Mexican actor, Pedro Infante.
 

You guys know that there was a random crossover with En Nombre del Amor previously by Carlos Moreno Laguillo and this show right?
 

MAÑANA

Doris, thank you very much.

I never know what to expect with Univision. The Friday afternoon show went OK, but I had a few dropouts and gaps in the CC (not Univision's fault). I recorded the 2 AM rebroadcast and, sure enough, I also got some "Nosotros Los Guapos", definitely a naco, but sometimes funny, show   :-)

Anyway and fortunately, the rebroadcast followed, about 10 minutes late, but the entire final episode was shown, so I got the entire Closed Captioning with no breaks, though I hadn't missed anything important.

"This was a wonderful, satisfying final episode..." I think it was!


Susanlynn, thank you very much for your kind words.

And you are very definitely not the only one who has these various TNs all mixed up in memory, they make quite a hodge podge in my memory.
I hope you are doing well this time of the year.

andy
 

MAÑANA

Anonymous 8:54:00 PM said...
"You guys know that there was a random crossover with En Nombre del Amor previously by Carlos Moreno Laguillo and this show right?"


That would be En Nombre del Amor and Mañana because both were produced by Carlos Moreno.

But what is "a random crossover"???

andy
 

HIJAS

DORIS AND ANDY...Thanks for checking in on Hijas. ANDY, I loved this:

"still, looking on the bright side, it's not terribly terrible."

I will try and keep that in mind on Christmas Day when I have 12 people coming over for dinner, and Univision is actually airing an episode of Hijas. If I don't recap it, I doubt if anybody will care. Our Patio is down to two or three people, one of whom can't even watch and just checks in to cheer us on. Probably what I'll do is sit down and watch it after the last dish is washed and put away and then write a recap consisting of 5 or 6 sentences.

And DORIS, good for you...I never thought to google it but way to go...it's Pedro Infante. Was Mazatlán where he was born? Anyway, that tidbit of vital information is greatly appreciated. Thank you Partner!

And now to clean house, sterilize bathrooms and pick up last minute groceries from the store. Isn't Christmas fun?!

Answer: Yes, it is. I just have to Adjust my Attitude.
 

OT

SUSANLYNN...So proud of you for getting through the presentation at the Fire House. I can only imagine how hard it must have been to go. No one but another widow can really understand the way that grief hollows one out.

I read something the other day that really struck me, however:

"It is not possible to wrap your arms around a loved one who leaves. But it is possible to wrap your heart around a memory."

I know your heart is wrapped around Hub's memory. And I wish that great, big, lovable guy was still there in your arms. But I know he will always be in your heart. And we on the Patio hold you both in our hearts as well. We are family here. Always.
 

OT

Judy, that is a beautiful quote. Thank you for sharing it.
 

HIJAS

After checking our cable guide, looks like no HIJAS on Xmas eve, but they are showing it in Xmas day. Hmmmm.....

Judy, if you need a break, I can probably recap both Wednesday and Thursday this week. Our Xmas festivities won't begin until Friday, once our granddaughter is in town. One of those days might be late, if we decide to go to an afternoon movie. Thoughts?




 

OT..dear Judyb...
thank you always for your love,empathy, and wisdom. The holidays are difficult when ones we love are no longer here to share them with us. Family and friends gather around, but nothing stops the sadness and longing. Your term " hollowed out" describes exactly how I am feeling. I remember watching a Star trek episode ions ago about an empathic woman who truly felt others ' pain...that is you , judyb...a true empath who can always identify with the feelings of others. I found some quotes online , and I find that writing them in a journal that my daughter gave me last Christmas is a good ritual.
" Be the things you loved the Most about the people who are gone. " -
Unknown
 

HIJAS AND OT

Dear beloved Patio, I am sitting here feeling broken-hearted but also blessed. We have a crisis going on in our family that I can't talk about, but just reading your kind, loving comments brought tears to my eyes.

SUSANLYNN...That is going to be my new watchword--"Be the things you loved the most about the people who are gone." I need to do that. Especially at that time and in the days to come.

DORIS...Yes! dear Partner...I accept your offer. If you can do Wednesday and Thursday I would be eternally grateful. I'm a mess right now. And our family is a mess.

I know you have the heartbreak of a split family and a grandchild that lives three hours away. I send you Christmas blessings for a joyful holiday celebration when she comes to your home Friday to be with you and your husband and your son.

However, if something goes wrong, let me know. Together we'll get through this. Just giving thanks for CarayCaray and the loving people I know here.
 

OT
Judy - I’m sending you hugs. 💗💗💗
 

My very dear Judy. Please know that you and yours are in my thoughts and prayers. I remember reading a poem when I was a teen that had the line " life brings such blinding things", and We all have learned that is so true through our own challenging experiences.

Love you (((Judy))). Sending you so many good vibrations )))))))))))
 

OT

Judy, I'm still behind on reading the recaps, but I did see that you and your family are suffering a crisis. Sometimes life brings us challenges that tend to break us, but I know that you are a strong woman. Keep up your faith and your hope as those will get you through this difficult time; and you will only come out stronger and better. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family, dear amiga. Sending you good vibes and many (((HUGS)))
 

That apparently Iñaki from YMSODM is a twin brother to Iñaki from ENDA who was informed over the phone in Spain that a certain Carlota Espinoza de los Monteros was arrested and jailed... Uni probably edited that out but then again, Camila from Amor Bravio mentioned a bottle of wine gifted to her from Renata and Jero. from CME....... and supposedly Lucrecia from Quiero Amarte made reference to the lovely Isadora of Amor Bravio...
 

OT

Judy, I am very sorry to hear you are experiencing a family crisis, especially at this time of the year, though there is never a good time for these things.

I don't know if this is part of what you needed a little distraction from by recapping, or a new problem, but be assured that our small patio loves and supports you as best we can.

andy
 

Thanks one and all . It helps to “talk about it” even though I can’t actually talk about it. But it helps to know that you all are there and that you care. Doing the recap this afternoon will force me to think about something other than family disasters for a few moments. So that’s good.
 

OT

I had family visiting and just checked in. Judy, I don't know what has happened but you have my unconditional love, empathy and support.

Please know that your Caray, Caray family is with you in prayer and empathy.

You are the kindest, dearest person and you do not deserve this. Yet, it is here.

Love dear amiga, Diana
 

Thanks Diana. Nobody, in this situation, deserves what is happening. But it is. And it is very sad. But I am blessed to have friends here who care. That is everything.