“Happiness is your dentist telling you it won’t hurt and then having him catch his hand in the drill.” Johnny Carson

This week I had the pleasure of sitting for the first phase of dental implants; it wasn’t as bad as expected. Besides some post-procedure discomfort, it was similar to a root canal except for the sensation of the screwing motion. I swear my dentist was using a Sear’s Craftsman’s wrench to secure it into place.

Having lots of time in retirement to read (currently The Bettencourt Affair, on the L’Oreal heiress) and binge on my new passion for Chinese/Korean period soap operas. I’m currently on 70 + episodes of “The Rise of the Phoenixes.” It’s a Shakespeare-inspired story with enough twists and subplots to keep my attention; not to mention the lavish sets, locales, and costumes. I must have been an Asian man in a past life because since childhood oriental culture has been a constant theme in my life.

I woke up from a well-deserved nap and David was nowhere to be found. He’d quietly slipped to our downstairs casita and was in a flurry of creativity (the room was in a bit of a mess) … some lucky recipients will receive one of his one-of-a-kind homemade cards.

This week the gasoline shortage finally abated … allowing a quick trip to Costco to exchange our smart tv for an even smarter one. The original one purchased was not holding any of the settings so every time you turned it on it was like the first time all over…..trust me I downloaded and searched YouTube for solutions. The new Samsung has a better picture than the returned Sony.

NOB if the power company is planning to trim trees obstructing power cables, you get a notice with a time frame regarding work and possible lost of power. However, in Mexico – you notice the power goes off and say WTF … well, I heard commotions outside and stepped out to investigate. There up the street was a guy on top of our neighbor’s fence trimming their trees. Once completed he drove off and about 15 minutes later power was back on ~ and la vida goes on. As we’ve all learned to say and live with .. “Hey ~ it’s Mexico!”

Hey Woody! The noisiest woodpecker has moved into our backyard. I want to scream shut up already, but really enjoy the parade of songs by the variety of backyard visitors we get on a daily basis. The mornings always begin with their joyous cacophony.

David was once again attempting to bake this week. He’s determined to succeed at tricky high altitude baking. This time it was a recipe he found in “Food & Wine” ~ a beautiful and tasty apple and olive oil bundt cake. I can’t wait till he finally adjusts his chocolate cookie recipe for 5,400’ as I’m going into withdrawals.

After a basic lite maintenance week following my BFF’s very busy visit last week, it was time to reset for the arrival of my Seattle family. Talk about timing ~ they leave behind a snow-covered landscape to enjoy a few days of warmth and sunshine……..stay tuned for next week’s adventure.