Today was a gorgeous day. Nice and warm, even up in the mountains. My stomach started out a little sore, but felt better after we went to the pharmacy and got some meds.
Tuesday is Father's Day in Honduras, so we celebrated Father's Day today at church. Two teens got up and spoke about their love and appreciation for their fathers. One was Aaron. He was funny, but also very loving. Carlos, my landlord, gave the message today. He spoke about how to be a good father. The fathers were asked to go to the front. The church prayed for the fathers and the teens presented them with a small gift. It was nice.
After church I was invited to go with my landlords' family to celebrate Hermida's father's 82nd birthday. In the end we decided it would be best if I didn't go because they were serving bean soup with lots of meat, which would not be good for my tender tummy. In Honduras it can be seen as disrespectful if you don't eat a healthy portion of food. I didn't want to be disrespectful to anyone. I think I could have gone and just explained, but...
After spending the afternoon home alone I realize I should have found something to do. I got a little homesick. Couldn't find any corned beef at the store, so I wasn't able to cook corned beef and cabbage for St Patrick's Day. Usually I like to spend a lot of time alone, but today it got to be a little bit too much.
Then I got a visit from Mincho (nickname for Benjamin), my landlord's cat, as I was sitting on my balcony watching all of the tourists drive home from La Tigra. Mincho has figured out how to jump onto the roof and climb onto the balcony where he sits and yowls. Apparently Jetty is Mincho's new love interest, although I'm not sure why because Jetty is fixed. After I got done soaking up the sun on the balcony, I went inside. Mincho moved to the windowsill and peered inside to keep tabs on Jetty and me. Mincho and Jetty often sit on opposite sides of the window screen and sniff at each other. It is a peaceful exchange, so I have never deterred it. But from now on I will. After a few sniffs today Mincho turned around and sprayed into the window! I grabbed some vinegar and a spray bottle and chased Mincho away. Now I know why it smells bad near the windows downstairs. I'll clean them up tomorrow.
I can't go out there tonight because of the fleas and ticks. I showed Marcela some crazy bug bites I've been finding since Thursday. She asked if I've been walking outside. I said yes, to take out the garbage. She told me that I am being attacked by ticks or fleas when I take the garbage to the place where it is burned. She said she has the same problem but nobody else in her family is sensitive to it. She told her father and he said they will fumigate the outdoors this week.
Today I took out the garbage after church. I dressed in socks, tucked my pants into boots, then as soon as I got back into the house I stripped out of my clothes and showered. I don't know how else to keep from being eaten by the bugs. Of course an hour later I discovered that I had forgotten to empty one garbage can. I'll take that one out tomorrow when I scrub around the windows. Then I will shower and check myself for ticks again.
