I was thinking as I was sitting in the Colmado sucking up the over head fan blowing semi-cool air on my head (they have electricity back-up). The electricity went out which does not happen often in the Colonial Zone but it happened today. Anyhow, I was thinking I should just write about a day in the life.
2:30ish AM Woke up and stretched out thinking that I needed to go back to sleep. Cuddled with Teli. Tried to go back to sleep but my mind was working. So I decided to get up around 3AM (I went to the bed at 8:30PM the night before)
Made a cup of coffee. Gave Teli some fresh water and food. Turned on the puter and tv. Went potty. Got my first cup of coffee. STRONG.
3:30AM Was on the puter ready to work. Open Business email. Answer a few delete a bunch. Open Hot Mail. Answer 1 and delete about 20. Open Facebook. Scroll down and see whats happening in my world.
Then I start looking for stuff to put on the News Blog. I add a few new items. I start working on updating the Grown IN DR pages. Take a few breaks to sit and look out the window with Teli. Then its already 6AM and Teli has been bugging me to get up and go out.
6:15AM. Got washed up. Put on my dog walking clothes. Got the garbage. Got Teli and the camera and we were out the door. Bertha was at the entrance of the building waiting for us jumping up and down. Happy to see us. Said hi to the neighbor. Put garbage in its special spot and headed out with Bertha and Teli. The nuns are heading to church. I always talk to a few of them for a few minutes and they say hi to Teli and Bertha.
6:20ish AM. We were a little late so we had to use the pedestrian bridge over the Malecon. I hate using the bridge early cause it is just so many stairs early in the morning and I can be a bit lazy. But the girls and I did the stairs. Teli pulling on the leas to excited to get to the beach and Bertha running into me then into Teli as we walk. The normal daily routine.
We get to the beach and Bowie is there waiting for us. I let Teli off the leash as soon as we hit the sand and it starts. Bowies’ constant barking. Teli biting Berthas’ leg and trying to flip her. Bertha falling over and happily getting up again. The three of them jumping, flipping, biting and rolling around. Bertha gets really wet, Teli is starting to get a little bit more in the water and Bowie just stands there barking at them. Jimmy comes by and says hi, Another guy comes by and asks where my friends are (they did not show today). The watchman comes over and we talk a bit. The guy that cooks breakfast for the port guys says hi.
7:30ish AM I ask the kids if they are ready to head back. They look tired out and Bertha is rolling around in the sand so we head back across the bridge towards home. We run into another neighbor and talk about the work they are doing on the streets. I stop at the Colmado and get a piece of bread, an avocado, a banana and some lettuce and we head home.
I get Teli in the house. Take some food and water for Bertha and Bowie. Take Teli into the shower to squirt her off and get all the sand off her. I get a shower and around 8AM and ready for breakfast. Today I cut some mango, banana, 3 almonds, cinnamon, a little Corn Flakes and since I do not have 2% milk I use half milk and half water. I have another cup of coffee. Teli and I sit on the sofa (I do not have a table) and eat.
Around 8:30AM I am all ready to work again. Get back to the Grown In DR pages. Get up a few times to refill my water and to sit and look out the window with Teli a few times.
2PM. I am finished updating 4 pages. My shoulders and neck hurt. I have had enough. I make a salad with avocado. Start watching the Star Trek new movie and the electricity goes out. I decide its a good time to take a little nap. I get rinsed off in the cool shower grab the Kindle and flashlight and go to bed. Teli joins me.
3ish PM. Decided to go out and see whats happening. Still no lights. Get ready and Teli and I head out. The family that takes up residence on the stairs in the entry way was there with their kids. I do not know why they are there everyday for a few hours and I do not ask. Bertha is outside sleeping with the money changer guys in the street. So she joins Teli and I. We go to the park and Café (she used to be a street dog but a neighbor adopted her but the new mom calls her Boca Negra) is there so the 3 dogs play a little and Cafés’ mom and I discuss the neighborhood. Bertha is tired and she poops out. Teli and I continue walking and Bertha decides to stay there with Café and her mom.
Teli and I stopped to see what was happening with the electric trucks in the street. We walked past Telis’ Colmado and headed to another place and Bowie (another street dog) decided to join us until he found a good smelling garbage bag. Teli and I went to a Colmado and talked to some other neighbors about nothing.
Then we went to the little grocery store for cheese and hot sauce (I cannot life without hot sauce). A street woman asked for some money because she had 3 kids at home. I bought her a pound of rice. Then we headed back toward home. Julio (another semi-street dog) saw us and came to walk with us a bit. Once we hit the street close to ours the local dogs did not like Julio and chased him off. They do not bother Teli and she does not pay them any mind.
We checked out the broken backhoe truck stuck in the ditch on Calle Meriño. Discussed, laughed and shook heads with the neighbors about this mess.
6ish PM Talked to a neighbor and Teli went in his house to check out the cat, as usual. Then the ..do not know what its called… but the big electric transformer type thing crackled and banged. He jumped out of his chair and I was ready for flight. 2 neighbors came out to their balconys and said “hey luz”. We had electricity!
Teli and I headed the half block back to the house. The Money Changer guys and the Taxi guy were looking up at the power lines. There was a bright yellow canary sitting on the 2nd floor electric line. Poor lost bird. We discussed about how the one guy could climb the pole, walk across the line and save the bird. We were all laughing. He was not. So, the bird did not get saved.
Gave Teli her food. Ran a cup of food and water down to the entry way in case Bertha came and was hungry. Got rinsed off in the cool shower. Made a tortilla with cheese and avacodo.
And now I am sitting at the puter ready to wind down my day.
Oh yes, it was a good day. Pretty much like every day (except that the electricity does not go out everyday…maybe every few weeks).
Took me couple of days to read ALL your stories, they are great and hillarious. They bring so many memories of growing up in Ciudad Nueva and later working at the Alcazar while in College. I walked all that neighborhood. Buying the chicken, riding the Publicos and Guaguas hahaha i could be the one writing the stories! so close to me and I’m so far right now but I’ll keep in touch with your blog. Great job. Thanks for loving my Quisqueya and my neighborhood.
Glad you liked my life stories. I love this country as you can tell. Why don’t you join my facebook page Colonial Zone, Dominican Republic https://www.facebook.com/colonialzone. I post lots of pics of the area.