A beautiful week in Cuenca, Ec concludes

Friday night, another wonderful week coming to a close.  I worked on a quilt all week and loved that project, the quilt top will  be done soon to show.

On May 1, out cat Feisty turned 17.  She is a great amount of company to me.  The picture above shows her natural green eyes.  The photo is not juiced - that is her real eye color.

Lenny is not as enamored with Feisty as I but they have a "can't we all just get along" truce.  And he buys nearly all of her cat food. Primiro de mayo...Feisty had a great birthday, celebrating with a little tuna  and a nap by me.

The heating pad is not turned on, she just likes the texture of it.

I really enjoyed my art classes this week.  Made good progress on a small painting - it is close to completion.

I also tried something new this week to see if it would help with general well being - reflexology.  Had several visits with a gentle reflexologist and feel quite a bit of energy and less pain.  All cool and part of my ongoing search for the best possible health.

Here is a quilt project I'm working off and on - new blocks each month.

Here is some of the fabric I plan to use to make a baby quilt for the new grandchild if she is a girl.  The fabric for a boy is also wonderful. Only a few more weeks until we will hear if it is a boy or a girl on the way.  It is all very exciting.  The baby is due in Nov, on election day.

I watched the growing moon a lot this week.  It seems odd that we all look up at the same moon.  Each with different wishes and hopes, each with different and very personal beliefs.  But the moon is the same, shining down, gently lighting our night-time way.  Tomorrow night is supposed to be the closest the moon has come to earth in many many years.  It will be brightest.  But it may be cloudy here.  So seeing the moon's brightness last night and maybe tonight is a special treat.  If it is clear in Cuenca on Sat night, just more to experience in watching that moon hover close to planet earth.

Hope each of you can find something you treasure and enjoy this week end.  Seek out some opportunity, it does not always knock.

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