Category Archives: This and that

There’s been very little sun around here the last few weeks. So I’ve basically been hibernating. And working, working, working!

Oh, boy, oh boy! I hope you’ve been saving up your pennies, because you’re sure going to want to spend some $$$ this week!

I am a self-taught quilter. Until recently, I had never taken a quilting class in my life. Part of the reason for this is that there were no quilting classes available where I live. Add to that the fact that I prefer to learn on my own, through tutorials or manuals.

Thanksgiving Day is not celebrated in Ecuador, but it is a tradition for our family. So today will be not the last Thanksgiving to spend together, but the last family get-together we will share at my mother’s house here in Quito, were all big family celebrations have taken place for the last four decades!

I grew up in a bilingual, bi-cultural family. We spoke mainly English at home with my mother and father, although my brothers and I did seem to mix in a lot of Spanish, too. (The language of choice pretty much depends on the subject. Soccer, for example, is something discussed in Spanish, of course!)

I apologize to my regular English-speaking visitors for this post in Spanish – just this once. (There is an English version after the text in Spanish.)

No… not exactly. I haven’t disappeared from the face of the earth… It’s just been a particularly hectic summer, and it looks like the last few months of the year are going to be equally busy.

My mom’s cat and companion of 16 years, Romeo Valentino, died yesterday. As any of you living with pets knows, the loss of these beloved companions is very painful, and it is going to take a while for my mom to mourn the loss of her companion.