Shorter post

A quick answer to Geri who commented on my last post: yes, my fibro was worse in the US when I visited.  It came on slowly but built to a crescendo by the second week.  still I was able to keep up a fast pace, seeing lots of people and doing lots of things.  I was happy about that.  After getting back to Cuenca, it is taking awhile to return to the "70% less pain" level. Right now I'd say I'm feeling 50% less pain than one year ago when I was living in raindrop-ish Portland.

 I talked to  another Cuenca person with fibro who did not find the high altitude and low humidity, lack of severe cold or hot weather, lower stress environment changed her experience. I've also spoken with one person who had nearly total relief of symptoms.  So it is probably too individualized (like the disease of fibromyalgia) to know how it will impact you.  The whole tranquilo attitude in this city helps most people in general feel better day to day. But expect a little time to "settle in" to see how it all impacts you.  Hey I want to meet you when you arrive so let me know. Happy "end of crush" to get moved and safe travel.

And to Bob who commented about my interest in birds, thanks for your thoughts.  I have a seed feeder and simply have not hung it.  Will do that today.  Also will get a hummingbird feeder up this week and see how long it takes to see some hungry hummers.

And some random thoughts, activities:
I am working on a new quilt I started while I was in the US called "the melon block" quilt.  It has lovely earthy sunset colors - should look kind of elegant.  I'll post pictures of its progress.

I attended my first ever drawing class with Gary Myers this week. garymyersartist@gmail.com
 It was an excellent experience - I've had two of six classes now.  Gary is teaching the small class basic drawing techniques and to be free of anxiety in the process.  He is very comfortable teaching, encouraging, patient, full of ideas, has his own beautiful art work around/near the class space. I started out very anxious and ended the week relaxed and pleased with what I'm doing. Gary has created a safe space where people can explore at their own level.

This is for my son and daughter-in-law who fear Ecuador is really under-developed and cannot picture the safety and beauty of Cuenca:

This is a photo of a typical little housing group.  Our friends rent a 1600 ft home for $550. Renter buys own appliances (and furniture, of course).

Cuenca was just so lovely this week!  The weather was great with sunny days and the usual late afternoon rain.  I spoke Espanol with taxi drivers, shop keepers, restaurant owners and friends.  I'm getting so I can put together tiny "cave man" sentences.  In one particularly touching scene, I had just completed almuerzo (lunch) at a tiny restaurant.  I left and then remembered I wanted to visit a shop but did not know exactly where it was.  I stepped back into the restaurant to ask for directions.

Using the store name, I asked the owner (who was at the cash register) where it was. He did not know it and we struggled in Espanol for a moment.  Suddenly a customer seated behind where I stood at the register offered in English to help.  I spelled the name of the shop and attempted to pronounce it "Pycca".  He did not know it but a woman seated at the end of the tiny eatery who spoke only Espanol offered both pronunciation and location.  "It takes a restaurant to guide a newbie!" All were smiling.  I was delighted and proceeded to visit the store where I bought some storage items and baskets to help organize drawers and shelves in my kitchen.

This just demonstrates what life is like in Cuenca.  People are very helpful, friendly and go out of their way to connect.  Me gusta Cuenca!
Me gusta Ecuador!



Have a terrific new week, everyone.

Cuenca, EC is home

I have not written for some time, over a month.  My esposo, Lenny, and I flew to the US recently to visit the grandchildren, extended family and friends in the US.  It was a wonderful visit.

We enjoyed going to the school open house of each grandchild: 3 yr old grandson in Oregon and, in San Diego our 9 yr old granddaughter and our grandson Andrew who turned 6 last week. We enjoyed soccer games and play time, playing games, reading together and talking about hex bugs and geodes.

This is a small wall hanging or doll quilt I made for my granddaughter.  The embroidery is a love message: on the left is my home in Ecuador, the 3 hearts represent her Grandpa Lenny, Emma and me - our hearts are joined even when we are not close by. Feisty is next - Emma likes Feisty.  The flowers represent the path to my darling Emma who lives far away in the house on the right.  It is very hard living so far away.

We visited my parents, my 3 brothers and their wives in Idaho, as well as 2 nieces. Wonderful times with friends in the Portland area were such a joy. I managed to go to 3 quilt sessions with Victoria who is  my fav teacher.  My bestie Cindy was right there with me.  She also demonstrated why she is the Packing QUEEN, organizing my gluten free products, grain mill, fabric, etc into the fewest suitcases.

We had a wonderful if short visit with my stepson Robb and his bride Connie. Connie is a lovely person with a really positive attitude- we were charmed and we are so happy for Robb.

As most people say, we were shocked by grocery and restaurant prices in the US.  The price of everything seemed crippling. The chasm between people with money and people who are staggering under the weight of the current economy continues to widen as the middle class disappears into debt.

We got an "up close" look at the attitudes of people we care about regarding our move to Ecuador.  The reviews were varied but that is to be expected.  Not everyone is up for "an excellent adventure" in retirement. Most people we know do not want to visit South America and have a distorted view of what Ecuador is like. Often people think it is in Central America. It is below Columbia and above Peru on the Pacific ocean. Frequently people think of Mexico and Ecuador being the same.  They are not.  There are some similarities but many strong differences.  Ecuador is over 2000 miles from Mexico with about 7 different countries in between. The food is not the same.  The currency is not the same. The folk history is not the same. The economies are not the same.

It would be excellent if more were known in the US about Ecuador besides the Galapagos Islands. It is a little gem of a country which embraces diverse habitats, from the dry Pacific coast to volcanoes of the Andes to great forests of the Amazon basin.  It is a small country, a little smaller than the state of Nevada.

Let's talk about birds for a moment.  Ecuador is home to about 1600 species, including many spectacular and unusual birds. I recently purchased "The Birds of Ecuador" Vol II field guide by Robert Ridgley and Paul Greenfield. It flew back with me from the US as it weighs over 5 pounds!  In this book, there are 55 pages describing different types of hummingbirds that migrate to or live permanently in Ecuador.

I am not a serious birder.  With fibromyalgia affecting my legs, I will not be tramping through the brush or crouching in a hide.  But I love that these birds are out there.  I love hearing birdsong when I'm sewing early in the morning. Someday, I may go on a birding trip for people who have some physical limitations - its a future dream.

 Ecuador is about diversity in all things.  The country has a large number of people who can trace their ancestry to Spain. There are many different groups of indigenous people with history leading back to the Inca and beyond. For thousands of years, people have created homes, raised families, worshiped, raised food and fought to keep their land.  The earth is steeped in history here. Ecuador ROCKS, folks.  It is a little secret but it ROCKS!

Life in Cuenca:  We had a marvelous visit in the US.  The love expressed to us is priceless and warms my heart.  And yet, it felt so good to return to Cuenca and know that this is our home.

Several people asked "what do you do there in Cuenca?".
Lenny and I feel our life in Cuenca is delightful.  We have been here for 9 months and feel very comfortable.  Our everyday life is varied and interesting. We study Espanol daily. Len walks miles each day exploring the city.  He speaks tentative Espanol to shop keepers, a baker nearby, two sisters at a fruit booth in our favorite mercado, the woman at the laundry, a clerk in a busy "US style" grocery store.

Sharon speaks VERY tentative Espanol  - I study Espanol daily.  I am newly retired  -  I love having time to quilt or read mysteries or explore subjects on the internet.  I have begun designing my own quilts and find it quite satisfying.  I'm also making some clothing that I like better than things I find in stores, whether in the US or here.

We feel secure and relaxed, we enjoy exploring new pathways, we love our apartment which is kind of "modestly elegant" and very comfortable. We miss our family and friends in the US but this is where we should be at this time. Lenny and I are each very energized by getting to know a new culture, learning a new language and experiencing day to day life in Ecuador. It enriches our life together.

I hope this finds you living the life you want or dreaming about how to take a couple of steps to make your life move toward what you want.  Life is short.  One never knows what lies ahead so we must live today with gusto.
Hasta pronto,
Sharon

A New Week, some comments

                       I never tire of the changing views in Cuenca

In response to some of the great comments I've received, thank you for reading my blog and your kind thoughts.   Carol noted that a comment I made about "why wait to retire when you could live on less now and be in a healthier environment?"

It really impacted Carol and I am very glad to hear you are in San Miguel - I know that lovely town through a friend.  Enjoy!

 and the ideas were great for la gata.  It was encouraging to me that you had a cat who did fine over 6 wks alone (with daily care). Gracias.

A reader asked what grain mill I got.  I bought the Wondermill Whispermill on Amazon.  It is sort of mid priced at $260 - I could not justify spending over $500 on this item.  I hope it works out and grinds brown rice finely enough for my baking needs.

 A friend let me use her powerful blender Vitamix that grinds grains also.  However, it was not fine enough when grinding brown rice.  Very crunchy cookies are ok but in cakes or pies etc, not so good.  I'll report later on how successful the Wondermill is.  The frustrating thing is that there are Vitamix devotees who are almost religiously passionate about it.  And there are plenty of people who have one sitting in the back of the cupboard or closet and never will use it.  But don't want to sell it for a reasonable used price. I talked with 3 people who sorta wanted theirs sell theirs for absolute full price, no discount for it being out of box, looking like it had been used. Arrrrgggghhhhhhh!

Readers please know that I read any comments and love to know that you are reading my blog.  This started out to be something for my family members and friends to read to relate to my new adventure.

However, I have had 10,000 viewers from all over the world.  What a grand compliment that is.  Thank you, readers.  It inspires me to think and write!
Sharon

PS: the funny thing is that very few of my family and friends read the blog.  So ironic!

HAVE A FANTASTIC NEW WEEK!!!

Our First Visit Back to the US

Our first visit back to the United States since we moved to Cuenca in May is about to begin.  It feels long awaited because we had planned to return every 6 mos and it's been 9 mos.  I am very excited to see the grandchildren who are 3 yrs,  in Oregon and 6 yrs, 9 yrs old in San Diego. I will admire how they have grown, go to a soccer game, buy a box of Girl Scout Cookies (with wheat flour in them so I won't eat them - darn), read to them every night, play at their developmental levels, get silly with them and generally enjoy every precious minute.

I will also see my entire extended family in Idaho, except for three nephews and their families who live elsewhere.  I will have quality time with my parents, who are in their 90's. I will continue to answer questions about why it is important for me to live in Ecuador at this life stage. My mom is 93 and is enjoying her new IPad 2 - she is amazing.  She loves doing face time  {:-D  with grandchildren, daughter, great-grandchildren.

I will spend time in Portland, seeing all the dear people I can. I'll spend every possible minute with Cindy, hanging out, sewing, searching for things on my list of stuff to bring back.  Oh, and attending 3 days of quilt classes to add new skills. I'm going to be making a melon block quilt www.quilterswarehouse.com/m-70-elisas-backporch-design.aspx 

                                  Using these fabrics

I LOVE my quilt teacher, Victoria Jones.  If you want a sincere, funny, non-judgmental, incredibly skilled teacher, call Art and Sewl in Vancouver, WA  and schedule a class with her.  artandsewl.com  She teaches at some other places but I'd start there. She also may be doing some national shows.  I'll update this after my visit.

My beloved Calico cat Feisty will be cared for by a wonderful, kind friend. Feisty has become very clingy since we moved here and we have  no other pets for her to annoy.  She also sleeps most of the time, being almost 17 years old. I hope she will get along fine... but worry about this a little - will she know I'm coming back?

When she was a young cat, we lived in the country outside Portland where we had alpacas, chickens, dogs and horses - and 2 barn cats plus this small tyrant of a cat who bossed everyone around.  She was a fierce hunter who dropped off a steady supply of mice, voles, moles but left birds alone, making me happy.

                 As we unpacked container boxes, a new place to sleep.

She would go on a sojourn every August when our neighbor began combining (harvesting) wheat. My stepson Robb called it Feisty's Catabout, like the Australian Walkabout coming of age journey.

I hypothesized that harvesting the wheat caused a huge supply of small creatures to be vulnerable for her hunting. We had no houses near our property so she apparently just lived off the land and wandered for awhile. Each year her time away was longer. The first year she was missing for a week, the second year 2 weeks and so on until her 10th year when she was gone for 13 weeks.  I had mourned her loss each year only to have her return - to delight me again.

So that last journey, when she was gone so long, I decided that if she returned to me, she would become an inside cat.  We were moving to the city and she had no city smarts to make it in the mean streets of Sherwood, OR where there were 2 dogs and a cat in nearly every small yard, just waiting for a new cat to become lunch.

She adapted well to being an inside cat, accepting that it was time to remain inside and live a slower pace.  I've never left her for more than 2 weeks so I wonder how she will do without our daily interaction.  The "cat sitter" will do her best to give Feisty some attention each day but...we shall see how it goes.

Yesterday, a friend made some gluten free scones and shared them with me.  Such a treat!  And they were delicious. He plans to experiment with more.  I asked to be the official taste tester.


A couple we know from Portland is moving to Cuenca for a 6 mo job.  We have been e-mailing back and forth about getting together some time after they arrive.  Yesterday, Lenny was buying some groceries and ran into them.  They had arrived about 2 hours before! Cuenca is a good sized city but you will run into someone you have met here or someone you know from home nearly every time you go out!  It is cool but a bit eerie.

For weeks I have been ordering fabric online and gluten free flours, grains, chicken broth and sauces, having them sent to my dear friend Cindy who is housing a TON of stuff for me.  I will pack things as well as I can up to that 50 pounds per bag limit.  There are so many items I wish I could bring back to make living gluten free easier.  But I'll do my best.  I do miss good yeast bread so I hope to bring back my fav items for gluten-free bread making, i.e. sorghum flour, millet, red quinoa.  I am also bringing back a grain mill so that I can grind arroz integral (brown rice) into a very fine flour.  Other gluten free grains too, like quinoa and millet.

It will be interesting to see if the lower altitude, higher humidity and cold weather causes increased fibromyalgia pain and lessened mobility.  I'm hoping I can skate along and not have to slow down. My level of energy is excellent in Ecuador now - I hate to let go of that!
I am approaching this as a wonderful break to see my family and friends - that is the most important thing.

I also look forward to our return back to Cuenca to continue my new life here, where new things happen every day.
Cuenca, Ecuador is home now.

Have a terrific week end and stay tranquilo - a state of mind.
Make every day a new one to remember.
Sharon

Mi gusta Ecuador!

Have I come right out and said that I LOVE Ecuador?  Well, it is true.  I am really interested in the layers of culture and socioeconomic differences.

               The Tomebamba River is a terrific asset to tranquility.

I am delighted by the gentle, open people of Cuenca.  I'm sometimes confused by something but things get worked out.  I've only lived here 7.5 months so there is still SO MUCH to learn.

I am having conversational Espanol lessons 3 times per week. After about 4 months with the early focus on grammar and verbs, I am beginning to speak a little more.  I understand a lot of a conversation if the subject is in context, which is very common.

                          Looking at Solano Avenue

Once per month I have the joy of spending an evening with several members of two families we have come to know.  It is "todo espanol" so I find it very challenging and tiring but also thrilling when I can keep up. And I can put rudimentary sentences together some of the time.

I have not discussed this (often) on Cuenca Chronicles but I have fibromyalgia. A painful illness they think is immune related but there is currently no cure. It does not kill but it was robbing me of quality of life while I was living in Oregon for about the past 7 years.

Since I moved to Cuenca, I have much less pain and my mobility has increased, as has my stamina and energy.  Hooray!  Lower humidity, no really hot days, high altitude and a more tranquil lifestyle seem to synchronize to improve my quality of life.  Hooray Hooray!!!!  I am blessed to have all of this.  This is a desired outcome of moving to Cuenca so this is very wonderful!

                The first quilt I completed was for my granddaughter.

Different things work for different people but this is my experience.

So, just sayin', I HEART Cuenca and our life here.
Sharon

New Year's Eve Effigy

I learned from my Espanol teacher y amiga that there were no fires burning effigies in the historic part of Cuenca because there is a ban on any fires in the historic district.  Makes sense.

                             "Mandarinas, mandarinas!" they sing

She grew up right in the center of the historic section and described that there were huge fires in the streets back then (about 40 years ago) but now...not allowed.

So next New Year's Eve, we want to explore a specific barrio (neighborhood) in another part of the city to see the effigies burn, representing both current and historical cultural custom - saying good bye to the old year.  It was fun walking around the streets at night on New Year's Eve, seeing lots of Cuencano families going around together, greeting people and just hanging out. It felt very safe and friendly.

                               Santo Domingo at night
Have a great week.
Hasta luego,
Sharon

For my quilting readers around the world

Here is a sweet little resource for quilters   www.craftsy.com

They are offering a free block of the month course where you learn some new techniques and can share/ask questions as you go.  Yes, it is FREE!

They have other crafts too, like knitting.   check it out.

I still buy fabric from the US as I've not been too impressed with the fabrics I've found in Cuenca but that's part of Ecuador.  Some textiles, fabric & linens seem to be not up to US selection.I think that Australia and the UK have wonderful fabric choices.  I do not know about Russia, Israel, Chile and other parts of the world. I'd love to know so drop me a note at the bottom of this post if you want to educate me. Happy New Year, Quilters!

Here is part of their blurb:

This is a FREE quilting course, perfect for all skill levels, whether you’re a long-time quilter, or just quilt-curious.

If you’ve been interested in trying a Craftsy online course but haven’t had time or resources, the Block of the Month is a great way to familiarize yourself with all that Craftsy has to offer. This is a perfect chance for you to experience high-definition instructional video (and sound), our interactive course platform, learn to create two gorgeous new quilt blocks each month, AND learn how to finish the whole quilt...all for FREE!

Here’s a note from Amy Gibson,
Block of the Month instructor:

Creating a Craftsy Block of the Month quilt is an excellent way to keep your New Year’s resolutions all the way through 2012 – to be more creative, learn new techniques, and have more fun – absolutely free!