Rainy day chat

Well we had some lovely warm spring weather for the last week, but nature in her infinite wisdom let us have a blustery Windsday to remind us how rain and wind can feel and supply the ever needed change that would otherwise make us complacent. It is funny really, when you think that we left Canada in the really cold time, winter, to come to Ecuador to enjoy the perpetual spring here in the mountains of Banos. Our bench mark for cold is the f----ing cold of the Shuswap of British Columbia, though thankfully, not the f----ing freezing of Edmonton. We actually started complaining about how cold it was here. I can look in the streets and the people have their warm and woolies on, literally. I still find it startling that these harty, short, little people who will put a farm or green house on an almost vertical slope or who will carry a 100 lb bag of rice up a mountain on a foot path a mouse would get nervous on, but when it comes to warmth they are sissies. The stores are selling light ski jackets, sweaters, gloves which they are happily selling, and we are still wearing our shorts and sandals.
Ok, this is where I say the technology and the understanding of building is light years advanced in Canada and the US and of course Europe, etc. To cope with the inclimental weather of the northern hemisphere, those who live there, have figured out heating and insulation. (By the way one of the bonuses of insulation is sound proofing, this I miss. Especially when one of our dogs snores almost as loud as Rob. But I digress once again......) We have a fireplace here in the house. And early last week, we thought it was damp enough and cold enough to have to fire up the ugly orange horno, and decided give her a test run (Although she has been painted over now in white, grey and black to make her at least lookable, without gagging.) We had been warned by some gringo friends to expect certain things to take place and shockingly they did. We thought what they were saying was the punchline, but....... Yes, you guessed it, the fairly unattractive fireplace/horno smoked up the whole bottom floor, enough to give several hams and a few salmon way to much liquid smoke flavor. It is a good thing that Rob insisted on keeping the new furnature covered in plastic like a 1970's italian house, because the plastic has repletedly saved the furnature from not only concrete dust, volcanic ash, but now also a good smoking too. Not to insult my Italian friends of the past but wink and nod, my girlfriends (the italian daughters) would start the plastic jokes before I even thought of them. We have got alot of miles out of our dearly loved plastic. I can see why it is sooooo prized here. Needless to say out comes the fireplace and beloved chimney, with the tenderness of Rob's (aka Thor, god of the Norse) enthusiastic sledge hammer when he comes back in December. The house has been created with a number of squarish and geometric designs, giving it a modern look, this is ok, however, there in the middle of it, is an orange, painted to look like brick, round and capped rocket out the side-top of the house. Needless to say it doesn't fit, work or whatever and would give some of the architechs in Canada reason to call the interior and exterior design police ,or have NASA starting to ask Ecuador,"What's with you space program?"
I am happy to announce that our son, Dane, has discovered electricity and a soldering iron. This has lead to many a scientific experiment and once again I am glad to live in a cement house that is almost impossible to burn down. He has also used his computer to get onto web-sites that supply answers to his many questions involving creation of further science experiments using (wrecking) house hold items. So far he has not yet, made something explosive but we still have hope. If the neighbors find out he is doing what he is doing, I am sure we will be very popular.
The other day, the kids and I went to go for a walk, and we dropped in on our Spanish teacher, he had hurt his ankle and wasn't doing classes for a while. So, I asked how he was doing and I ended up massaging not only him but the several other family members that miraculously kept appearing. They kept trying to tell me that I should open a clinic to do work here. Not going to happen, anytime soon, but it was good for a laugh.
Anyway enough Windsday babble, I hope that your day is as enlightening as mine....
Robin