Getting back to normal

I wasn't even gone a week, but when I opened the front door, three of the four cats ran off. Scared of me. I'm not sure if Luna started it - she had been sleeping on the chair by the front door and when I opened it and came in carrying a large duffel bag, she bolted out of the chair, and that spooked the other cats.

Only Maya would come near me, and she was giving me a good sniff to make sure it was really me.

Smokey and Minina would not let me near them, they ran off whenever I called them and tried to pet them. Luna came back and wanted outside. It took about 15 minutes before Smokey and Minina would tentatively let me close, and that was only because I started opening the suitcase and they always think there's a present in there for them (there often is, but they don't need another toy right now, so...no presents).

Cats love open suitcases. I took my time unpacking with all four cats inspecting everything inside. Finally the big suitcase was empty and lying open on the floor, and Luna decided that would be a good place for a nap. As Luna circled the outside of the suitcase, Smokey pounced on the open lid, and Luna shot straight up in the air and took off, with Smokey in distant pursuit.

A few minutes later Luna returned and got inside the suitcase, but Smokey thought that was the perfect setup to ambush Luna - the side of the suitcase was just high enough to hide most of Smokey (except for her ears) as she crouched on the other side. Luna kept peering over the edge and growling and once she took a swipe at Smokey, who was too fast and shot backwards, evading a sharp claw.

Then Luna started scratching in the corner of the suitcase, which tempted Smokey to the point of return. She dove at the outside corner and Luna jumped back, but then she played it cool and settled in for a nap. So Smokey got bored and left.

Enter Maya, perched on the edge of the open lid, watching Luna stretch out and get ready for a good sleep. Finally she made her move, but she scared herself when she landed on the lid and she quickly jumped away and then left Luna in peace.

After the suitcases were dealt with, it was time to tackle the floors. Humid, sticky dust and dirt doesn't sweep up well, so I also had to wash the floors. I decided to do a load of laundry too, but it took until about 2 pm before I decided I could hang it out. Wrong decision, we had several small spurts of rain throughout the evening and the clothes are still out there. Oh well...lots of rinses, they'll dry eventually.

We have guests coming later today so the cleaning lady is coming to do a deep cleaning. Miguel has to get the pool and upper terraces cleaned and set up, and he claims he is going to trim the plants as well.

Me, I'm heading back to Cancun to submit paperwork for my FM3 renewal, and hopefully also submit the mountain of paperwork required to apply for Miguel's Canadian visa. The process of putting together all the required pieces has been very long and painful - I just can't imagine that most Mexicans would bother. And that doesn't include the costs - DHL courier posting, there and back, as well as fees for the visa and photocopies and official papers. Nobody will give you a copy of anything here, you have to do it yourself, and you can't even do it at their office - you have to find a copy place. It's truly a hassle. If I hadn't already bought the ticket for Miguel, we wouldn't bother either, but I bought the ticket before the visa requirement was imposed on Mexicans, and all the anger I threw at it didn't change the minds of the Canadian government. I thought with all the tax money I give them that I might have some sort of pull? (ha Ha HA).

On another note, our Canadian guests from Ontario/Quebec arrived yesterday afternoon and what a pleasant surprise - they both speak wonderful Spanish! We all walked up to La Bruja for a nice meal and chatted and learned more about each other. As Miguel says - "mujeres muy sympaticas" (very nice ladies).

Anyway, off to start my day. It's good to be back and get the normal routine underway. All is well...