A relaxed Sunday

We try to make a point of not working on Sunday - needing one day a week where we just relax and enjoy our home, our pets, the island, and spending time together. But that doesn't mean no chores, it just means no handy-man or heavy-duty work. Chores are a fact of life, each and every day.

Yesterday morning, like every morning, we each had our own mental list of chores. Miguel's list consisted of trimming the plants, cleaning and refilling the pool, and watering the plants on all levels. My plans were to brush off the furniture, sweep the floors, wipe down the cushions and mop the floors.

Somewhere after sweeping the floors I felt too tired to continue my day, so while Miguel was upstairs continuing with his list, I took a short nap on the couch. It was still only 8 am, but I have been feeling very tired lately so indulged the need to rest for a bit.

After my rest I finished the brushing and sweeping - it was now 9:30. I decided to leave the rest of my list until after breakfast. Since Miguel was still busy upstairs I went to the market on my own, and loaded up on fruit and vegetables. They were out of orange juice and the line-up for hot tortillas was too long, so I left the market and headed to a local tienda, where I was able to buy juice. Heading over to the tortilla factory on the other side of the lagoon I realized I had forgotten Miguel's newspaper, but luckily there is a store on that side that sells the one he likes to read, so I got the tortillas and the paper and headed home.

Miguel was chopping veggies for our Mexican-style eggs. I did the fruit and we had a delicious breakfast. We put the dishes in to soak and headed out to the hammock, where we can both lay head to toe. I got the end that offers the view of the garden, and it is so relaxing to just lay there and listen to the sounds of nature (birds chirping and singing), and watch the lizards and birds hop around the garden, eluding the outdoor cats (Luna, Cheech, and Chong).

Miguel had his paper and I had a book, but it wasn't long before the effort of reading was too much and I gave in to sleepiness once again. I was in the middle of a nice siesta when Alfredo pulled up on his moped, honking to announce his arrival to cut Loco's furry coat.

We rearranged the front terrace to make way for the cutting table, and left Alfredo and Loco out there to get down to business. Miguel made his escape, claiming he needed to go get a tool over at his house. I washed the dishes and messed around until Alfredo was done with Loco, but I never did mop the floor or wipe down the cushions.

Now the front terrace needed a good washing down, and the screens needed brushing to get rid of the fur that had been blown into the screens. That chore completed it was time for a bath - it was now 1 pm and our day was slipping away.

Miguel arrived back home just as I was completing my bath, so we got our things together for sitting on the beach and headed out with Loco. We stopped at the store to pick up refreshments and chips, in case hunger overcame us out there in the wilderness, and headed to the small beaches at the end of Sac Bajo.

Knowing we were going to Sac Bajo I had taken a large green garbage bag, because there is lots of trash there and whenever we've gone it has been unplanned and I have not been able to pick any of it up because I've not had anywhere to put it. This time I went prepared, and thought I would do a little cleaning when we got there, but I was dismayed at what we found.

There was trash everywhere - plastic bottles, discarded clothing and shoes, styrofoam plates, and glass beer bottles. Some nice person had broken a few bottles right at the shore, making it impossible to walk in that section of the beach. The water was dirty too, with discarded beer botttles. Everywhere I walked, the trash was overwhelming - it was far too much for my one bag, and frankly, I was so disgusted at this violation of the environment that I just wanted to leave.

I suggested that Miguel might talk to someone in power and have them check out the area and see what has happened and put a plan in place to get it cleaned up. I don't know how he is going to handle it, but I think he will do something - he was disgusted too.

And so we left, with our beach things still in the bag, and the snacks untouched. We drove around the island, past Garrafon, and then down the east side, past the newly plowed invasion site. The site looks like a hurricane zone, tons of trash and broken pieces of metal and plastic - what a mess. I was discouraged to see the island looking so messy, and hope someone cleans it up soon as it really takes away from the beauty of that side of the island.

We ended up stopping at La Bruja for a meal, and then headed home - our plans completely changed and the sky looking like a storm was on its way. Back home Miguel collapsed in the hammock up by the pool, while I took a dip and then laid on the bed and fell asleep. We both slept a couple of hours and the storm never did materialize despite lightening and thunder off in the distance. When Miguel came in from his siesta I was in a deep sleep, and the sound of the door opening woke me up. I was completely disorientated as to day/time - I thought it was morning. I guess this heat is taking its toll on me?

The rest of our evening was spent going to buy lottery tickets, filling up the gas tank, and drinking our coffee in front of the tv. Miguel read the manual for the a/c unit we'd bought for the apartment, and I completed an assignment for my online course. The cats chased each other around the house, enjoying the cooler evening air. By 10 we were all ready for bed. Miguel took a dip in the pool but I went right off to sleep. We both slept all night.

And I wish today was Sunday so we could do it all over again!