One week ago Friday, March 29th we moved into the house. A very long awaited day. Bad things started happening before we could even get the truck unloaded. Let me correct that, bad things started happening before we could really get the truck loaded. On our way out of the city we stopped at the grocery store here to buy groceries. The store was packed with people which is a little strange for a Friday afternoon, most people are still at work. The store we were at is called Jumbo and is similar a Walmart with a much smaller selection. When we got to the food isles we figured out what was happening, the store was running out of food. We learned this was due to a truckers and farmers strike here in Argentina. Evidently the president of Argentina had imposed a huge tax of almost 70 percent on all grains and soy beans because the prices had risen because of China and other countries buying huge quantities. The president decided the government wanted a big cut of the action and the truckers and farmers revolted. They were dumping and burning piles of grain on the autopista (interstate and there is only one) and everything came to a standstill. Therefore the stores had no bread, little oils, no meat, chicken, pork, milk, eggs, produce, vegetables, and of course what they did have was going fast. There were limits on how many of any one product you could buy. I must admit, it was a real eye opener to me having never, ever seen anything like that in the US. It showed me just how much we take for granted that the shelves are always stocked when we walk into a grocery store and how fast we could all be left with no food. We should all rethink growing a garden and canning some food. Anyway, we got 2 loaves of bread, 3 chicken breast (all that was left) a box of frozen hamburger patties (they were terrible) but enough to get by with. So then we were off to the house which is about 28 miles from the city.
It was about 5:30 by the time we got to the house, then we had to eat so it got late fast. After unloading the truck (and I forgot to mention that we stopped and picked up a clothes dryer) I went up stairs to put the sheets on the bed. The week before I had already laid out the bedspread on the bed so it could flatten out. Well, the first thing I saw when I pulled off the bedspread was a spider right in the middle of the bed, and I do not like spiders. The thought of one on me makes me go into fits. It was a very hard thing to do to lay down in that bed to go to sleep. The next morning when I got up (Saturday) I went down stairs to start some laundry and put away the things for the kitchen. The washer would not work right and the dryer would not heat. There were tiny little ants everywhere in the kitchen. The hot water would go out and not heat at all. (We do not have a hot water heater it is a thing that heats the pipe only) So no hot showers. The Direct TV went out, the Internet went out, and yes all of the electricity went out, but it came back on in about 10 minutes. Since then we have been able to get through most of the problems except for the Internet going out all the time. That is one of the reasons I have not posted since we got into the house.
OK, enough about the house. I want to tell you about one of the past times I find hard to grow accustomed to here in Argentina. Right now I am typing the post and I do not know this well enough yet to figure it all out. But either above the post or below the post there are some pictures. What you are seeing is people in two different places. Now, on the weekends and in the late afternoons people leave their apartments in the city and drive out to either the grassy area underneath of the big bridge across the river, or the grassy area in the median of the autopista (interstate). They take their lawn chairs, picnic blankets, grills, games, and especially in the middle of the autopista even their 4 wheelers. I mean it is a big deal!! Everette and others have explained that for the people who live in apartments it is the only place to go for them to stretch out and relax out being in the city. Now can you imagine loading up the car and going to have a picnic in the middle of Interstate 40??? While cars a whizzing by at 65-70mph? Here the speed limit is 80mph so they are whizzing by even faster. I don't know I will ever get used to seeing it, only time will tell I suppose.
Tomorrow Everette and I have to leave the country for at least 24 hours, our tourist visa's are expiring. We will drive to Buenos Aires tomorrow and spend the night. Tuesday morning we will take a 3 hour ferry ride across to Monte Vedao, Uruguay. My passport is filling up. I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be traveling like this. God has been so good to me. I will post again when we return, and post more pictures of the house when everything is just right! We love you all and send hugs and kisses, Dana & Everette
It was about 5:30 by the time we got to the house, then we had to eat so it got late fast. After unloading the truck (and I forgot to mention that we stopped and picked up a clothes dryer) I went up stairs to put the sheets on the bed. The week before I had already laid out the bedspread on the bed so it could flatten out. Well, the first thing I saw when I pulled off the bedspread was a spider right in the middle of the bed, and I do not like spiders. The thought of one on me makes me go into fits. It was a very hard thing to do to lay down in that bed to go to sleep. The next morning when I got up (Saturday) I went down stairs to start some laundry and put away the things for the kitchen. The washer would not work right and the dryer would not heat. There were tiny little ants everywhere in the kitchen. The hot water would go out and not heat at all. (We do not have a hot water heater it is a thing that heats the pipe only) So no hot showers. The Direct TV went out, the Internet went out, and yes all of the electricity went out, but it came back on in about 10 minutes. Since then we have been able to get through most of the problems except for the Internet going out all the time. That is one of the reasons I have not posted since we got into the house.
OK, enough about the house. I want to tell you about one of the past times I find hard to grow accustomed to here in Argentina. Right now I am typing the post and I do not know this well enough yet to figure it all out. But either above the post or below the post there are some pictures. What you are seeing is people in two different places. Now, on the weekends and in the late afternoons people leave their apartments in the city and drive out to either the grassy area underneath of the big bridge across the river, or the grassy area in the median of the autopista (interstate). They take their lawn chairs, picnic blankets, grills, games, and especially in the middle of the autopista even their 4 wheelers. I mean it is a big deal!! Everette and others have explained that for the people who live in apartments it is the only place to go for them to stretch out and relax out being in the city. Now can you imagine loading up the car and going to have a picnic in the middle of Interstate 40??? While cars a whizzing by at 65-70mph? Here the speed limit is 80mph so they are whizzing by even faster. I don't know I will ever get used to seeing it, only time will tell I suppose.
Tomorrow Everette and I have to leave the country for at least 24 hours, our tourist visa's are expiring. We will drive to Buenos Aires tomorrow and spend the night. Tuesday morning we will take a 3 hour ferry ride across to Monte Vedao, Uruguay. My passport is filling up. I never in my wildest dreams imagined I would be traveling like this. God has been so good to me. I will post again when we return, and post more pictures of the house when everything is just right! We love you all and send hugs and kisses, Dana & Everette
1 comment:
YAY!! You are out of a hotel room! Sounds like it's been a rough start, but hopefully things will start looking up. We love ya'll!
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