Sometimes we just need to slow down.

Natty and I went into town today to do a bit of grocery shopping and to see a friend who runs a store near the grocery. The sun was behind the clouds and it was still early enough (I'm still surprised that at least half of the stores are still not open at almost 10:30) to make for a nice, cool, low-traffic moment. So, I put Natty down to tread the concrete with her cute, pink tennies. She reached up to hold my hand and we began our slow saunter down the sidewalk. And, I mean SLOW. Natty, at 17 months, is just starting to get into walking. She still needs a hand to do it well, but is trying to get around a bit more on her own, on two feet. As we walked, I found myself observing things I usually am too busy to see. I have always been a fast walker, so I know that there are things I've walked by a hundred times and not noticed. Waiting for Natty's little steps, I took my time to watch people, look in store windows and notice nooks and crannies I had never noticed. I don't think having a toddler usually makes a mommy feel like the world is slowing down and she can take time to smell the roses, but God gave us this nice little 20 minutes or so to wander... Most people were dashing about and usually only the elderly (who were a bit more at Natty's pace) or young women noticed my cute little daughter plodding along. She got some smiles and a few "bebe!", but she was also too busy noticing things inside the stores- a cat on a Wii game box, "meow", Natty responds, trendy wallets, new shoes. I felt serenely out of the mad rush scene of people scurrying on and off public transport, no doubt running to their places of work or to classes. We passed by an old man who always sits on the edge of a planter by the ice cream parlor, playing a wooden flute instrument of some kind. I usually walk by, never sure of who I should give coins to and who I shouldn't. Today, we approached him so much more slowly and he caught Natty's eye long before we reached him. She stared as we got nearer and I noticed he had a pretty nice coat on and rubber boots. I usually see old men who beg with the standard sandals made from old tires, but this man had smallish rainboots. Interesting. Natty stopped in front of him and I saw that his ball cap already had about 10 B's worth of coins in it. I told her to say "hi" and she instantly shot up her hand and gave him a friendly wave. His flute playing stopped and he grinned a little and waved back. Then, we continued on as he began to make music again. I would like to take time like that more frequently, especially to become aware of those that are so often ignored. And more, I want my daughter to grow up recognizing those who have been forgotten. How much I still need to learn to pass on this value.

Natty has taken to "helping" me in the kitchen. She loves to be involved in what I am doing and I've found if I can get her on her stool and busy watching what I'm doing, I have to tell her "no" much less often. I ask her to bring her stool to where I am, she pushes it over, climbs up and usually rests her hands on the counter to watch me chop or mix or whatever. She likes to grab the vegetables and skins and play in the flour that may have spilled out when I was measuring for cookies. Then I help her down and she pushes her stool over to the sink where she revels in getting as wet as possible while I wash dishes. She even helps me throw away the trash. I think she'll be a great cook when she gets older and it's fun that she's at an age to participate with me.

Valentine's Day

Here's a photo montage of our V-day, celebrated the day before. In the afternoon, we dropped Natty of with Faith and the girls and went to go see a movie at the new theater- awesome! Then we picked up soft, buttery pretzels, just like you find in the malls in the US...I'm crumpling into a little, happy ball as I think about it. Scotty bought me Belgian and Swiss chocolates and cinnamon roll pop tarts for Sunday...love that man.

Lilies- my favorite.

"Do we have to take a drive through the country?"

Flat tire on the way up.

Sleepy baby misses the pretty scenery as we head up the hill to a small town near Mallasilla.

Wake up! We're at the lake and ready for a hike.

These were the boats still floating. We saw a handful that had been left a foot under water.

Then Scotty takes Natty into a public restroom. He said this was the kind with a hole and a footprint on each side.

Love the flower gardens!

Until recently, we were thrilled to enjoy a week or so straight with sunny skies and warm temps! We took advantage of that to drive up to Achocalla, the closest countryside to us- a mere 5 minutes from our small community. It winds all the way up to El Alto, 2,000ft. above us, but passes through some beautiful hills and neighborhoods with lots of animals for Natty to see. It was a lovely way to spend the morning.

Trauma

It all started with a chicken. A dead, featherless (almost), cold, kinda stinky, chicken. I used to buy chicken breasts, without the bone, because I like the ease of just sticking one in the oven without much work, like the snipping of organs and ligaments. However, all the stores have gone on a boneless chicken breast strike and there are none to be found. So, a few weeks ago I ventured out and bought a whole chicken, with the promise from some stranger's blog that it can be dumped into a crock pot, sprinkled with salt and pepper, and left to cook all day. Ta-da! Lots of chicken meat with little work. Well, the first time I did this, it turned out alright, except after it was cooked I realized there must have been organs in the cavity because it was quite reddish brown and there was some mushy, yucky stuff in there. So, this morning, as I'm taking the bird out of the fridge to throw in said pot, I decide to work on removing the organs from the cavity- must like dissecting a frog, I promise myself (which was never a big deal to me). However, as I unwrap the legs, I see something unexpected inside. Now, I know there are many of you out there who have killed chickens, bought whole chickens with the same dilemma, or lived in a third world country and have dealt with this, but it was all new to me. Yes, I've lived almost 30 years without encountering such a sight. Back to the bird. As I unwrap the legs, I find that someone has done me the favor of also shoving long claws down there.

Big legs, with big nails- huge. I pull one out and immediately drop it on the counter- I'm pretty sure I saw a toe twitch. I yell to Natty, who is hovering above the kitty's food bowl, contemplating disobeying me again by playing in the water. She seems to get a kick out of my disgust. I pull out the other leg and it drops to the floor...I yelp a little. I pick it up before it has time to grab me and put both legs on a Bran Flakes box.
I'll just leave those there for Scotty to find when he comes into the kitchen, I decide. At this point, my heart is beating a little faster than normal but I calm down upon remembering my new kitchen shears and how much less disgusting the organs seem. Out come the shears and into the cavity they go. Snipping brown things and a heart and some stringy stuff and trying to scoop it all out with a spoon. Now I decide that the big stuff is out and it might be helpful to rinse out the inside of this poor, dead creature. I take it in the plastic bag over to the sink, run some water in it and pull it the rest of the way out of the bag. As I'm pulling, I notice a long, dangly thing at the other end. What is this strangeness, I wonder? Then it hits me, like a blow to the stomach. I see dead eyes, and a beak. No, it can't be...it's a long neck...and...the head! At this point I drop the bird into the sink, yell, like a little girl, and encourage Natty to come with me. I'm feeling a little queasy and wondering how I'm going to dispatch the head and neck of this thing. That means cutting or hacking my way through tubes and flesh and I don't know what else. It's all too much to handle at 7:30 in the morning. Scotty seems concerned at the screaming and inquires about what is going on. I explain my predicament and demand that he do something about it, immediately. Natty comes crawling in whimpering, a bit confused as to why her mommy is screaming. In a few minutes, the bird is taken care of, thanks to my brave husband, and I am cutting off skin, but looking at dinner in a way I never have before.

Can I actually eat this thing now that I've seen it looking so much like a dead animal? A dead animal that I butchered? Ick.

Calle Uyustus

So check out this sweet Columbia jacket I picked up today for $18.50. I saw it on a mannequin at a used clothing store as we were driving to the market today, tried it on, and it was a perfect fit! You can never have too many jackets in La Paz. Score!

So, this was our first trip up to the market since coming back. Going to the market in town, about a 25 minute drive from our house- once you brave the traffic, the people darting about, the crazy public transport drivers, and the STINKY market- is quite an experience...in more ways than I just listed. When we lived up that way, I would go from time to time, mostly curious about what strange, little treasures I might find along with whatever necessity I was looking for. There is a witch market, a tool section, a housewear section, an aluminum, big-pot section, a plastics section, an office supply section, a wedding dress/cake making section, an electronics section, etc... This is a seriously large area of ground I'm talking about- miles and miles wide and long. Today, we were headed to Uyustus- the find-anything-you-could-possibly-want-and-a-whole-lot-you-don't section. We had a variety of things in mind, many of which we didn't find. But, don't fret! We did find a handful of stuff we didn't know/remember we needed until we got there (i.e. a nice, Columbia jacket). This street starts wide at the top, and narrows, as well as splits, as you head downhill. There are booths on each side and then in the middle further down, as well as some stores behind the side rows- both hidden and barely noticeable and then others that open into entire little malls. I've never ventured into half of the stores that lie beyond the main walkway and I'm sure would be quite surprised to know what is sold there. There are lots of men carrying way too much on their backs that you always have to watch out for, as well as one particularly horrific part where some sort of fried meat is sold for those who dare. One whiff almost caused Scotty and I to lose our lunch. There are some people who push past in a hurry, causing you to press into a booth of Brazilian plastic shoes or women's sweaters, and those that amble along- doing some form of window shopping in a place without windows. A stray dog here and there will trot past while a little baby toddles about making you wonder who is watching over her. The men and women who man the booths usually sit high amidst their merchandise, sometimes blending in so well you don't notice anyone is there at first. The walk down is brisk and interesting. By the time you get to the bottom you are on sensory overload, burned out by the intense sun (which was surprising for us today, as it is usually raining every afternoon), and not too excited to have to walk back uphill to find the car. I am always delighted by new things I see when I go to Uyustus. Today I noticed a better selection of kitchen goods and baby items than I've seen before. I walked into a small store that held 3, brightly colored glass bongs among the wine openers and pretty porcelain dishes. Weird! Natty was a champ, happily sitting in my Moby wrap, waving to the passers-by and taking it all in stride.