Well friends, my apologies for the long lag from our last post. It's not that anything drastic has happened but mostly I just got lazy and the time flew by. Herein lies one of the things you have to get used to in Ecuador: the weather never changes drastically from one day to the next. Whereas we Canadians tend to mark life's significant moments by their proximity to major weather events... "Remember the big snowfall of '08?!" Here, in Ecuador, the weather is pretty much the same year round. In the almost two years we have been here the only thing we have remarked on, weather wise, is that it seems a little cooler and wetter in July and August. Since we have no central heating or air conditioning, it is notable that a sweater is sometimes necessary during the evenings in those months. And if it gets really bitter, maybe an extra blanket. Hardship indeed! As a consequence, months can go by as one day blends into the next. Before you know it a year has flown by. Luckily though, since we are in the valley of longevity, I am actually younger than I was last year. Shades of Shangri-La. If I go back to Canada now I will probably age twenty years as I step off the plane. I even began to feel guilty about posting my "Another lovely day in Loja" pictures on Facebook. I shudder to think I might be becoming a better person in my old age...? Nah! There is a secondary reason for that as well of course. We love the fact that there are so few expats in Loja that we are required to speak Spanish every day. As we see America sliding more and more into anger and chaos every day, the idea that hordes of them might suddenly come to their collective senses and decide to move here is a prospect we don't even want to entertain. So we are trying to keep quiet about how much we enjoying ourselves. You can help us out by telling people you know, that you've heard horrible things about life in Ecuador and you know a couple of people who live there who are suffering badly. Thanks for that. Of course, you, yourself are more than welcome to join us. Just sssssshh!
So now that the Covid thing seems to under control here, for the time being, with zero cases in the hospital, things are feeling more normal. Sharon is getting out hiking once or twice a week and is going to start teaching yoga classes at her old gym next week. Luckily for me the question, "Do you want to come hiking with me?" has not, as yet, crossed her lips. I do keep a secret calendar hidden away and surprisingly I always seem to have things to do on her hiking days. This sometimes requires a bit of quick thinking and invention on my part. After all, clipping the dogs nails or getting a haircut, are excuses that are only good once a month. And overuse could result in baldness! But this is South America, and, in a pinch, claiming a touch of upset stomach "from something I ate" will usually get me off the hook. I dread the day when Covid is over and I can no longer claim I have to stay home because I am so old that a case of Covid in Argentina I read about is a threat to my fragile health. Any new suggestions that will keep me sitting at home on my boney butt will be gratefully accepted.
Next month is the big arts festival here, with music, street performers, bands, concerts et al, for two solid weeks. Performers and artists are coming from all over South America. Everyone here is looking forward to it, especially after being locked up for so long. Now that I will get off my backside for, and I will post at length about all the goings on. A good reason for you to come back soon and visit the blog, knowing that there might actually be something interesting to see for a change. So, thanks for coming by, it was a pleasure to see you again, but I'm afraid I have to go now. The cat's claws need trimming.
