Grandma to the rescue

My mother is here for a week-long visit from her home in Arizona. She arrived yesterday afternoon loaded with provisions (I'd made a wish list for her.) She managed to fit into her suitcases things like clothes hangers, an iron, a jar of sweet pickles, kitchen tongs and a spatula, polo shirts for Robert, jigsaw puzzles, dvd's, magazines, cake, jello, and pudding mixes, and most importantly--chocolate milk for Allison. The milk, several quarts, she'd packed in dry ice. Now that's one hero of a grandmother!

Robert made us fish tacos for dinner and then we all took a long walk down the Boulevard with Larry and Curly (the neighborhood dogs) in tow. Darryl is not dead I've learned, but still recovering from his accident. Our puppy, Betsy, is still limping from her sprained foot.

Today, I took my mother to town to look around. After lunch at Cafe Ole I intended to pick up a telephone card at the pharmacy, but it was siesta time. I keep forgetting to plan my errands around the local custom of closing shop in mid-afternoon. My problem is I wake too late and don't start my day early enough. That will change when Allison starts school here, I hear they go from 8:00 am to 1:00 pm. My mother and I walked past the private Catholic school where Allison will attend. It looks more like a government building than a school. In fact, it looks like a prison with it's bars on the windows and a large chain-link fence around a concrete basketball court; a great contrast to the public school off the plaza; every exterior wall painted a bright color or with a mural, and a playground full of whimsical recreation equipment. I'm praying that looks are deceiving in this instance. We'll find out soon enough.