Week 5: Project 365, the 2015 Edition

Tuesday, January 27

A very restrictive diet started yesterday (will talk more about that in a post later in the week) means no coffee for a while. Instead I tried this specialty tea (Sirocco) a friend gave me.

Didn't really care for it, but I think that's because it steeped it too long and became bitter. Thankfully we still have some lovely tea a friend brought when she visited a few years ago. She actually left quite a bit of tea but all that remains is a small amount of the Strawberry Cream. It's a blend of seasonal black tea, and the description on the bag is great: "Sweet strawberries underscore the subtle symphony of berry creaminess." This is really good tea, and goes so well with a touch of cream, no sugar needed.

Wednesday, January 28

Not being allowed sugar is the hardest part of the diet for me. I have a big sweet tooth. However, this is acceptable:

What is that, you ask? It's grape jello made with homemade grape juice (because I can't buy it here), water and plain gelatin. It's surprisingly good.

Thursday, January 29

Two weeks ago we scored some free dirt and last week the grass was starting to sprout. Check out how it looks now:

There are a few bald spots, but we've re-seeded those and hopefully they'll fill in. It's amazing how much pleasure this patch of green gives me.

Friday, January 30

I had a high energy (for me) day and spent most of it working in the garage. Finally finished all the boxes.

Over the past few months I've been going through and repacking, using boxes that are the same size (with a few exceptions), so they'd fit neatly on the shelves Ivan installed. We painted one end of each box white and I taped on a piece of paper with the contents. Eventually I'd like to get some chalkboard labels but that will have to wait until we go to the states because they don't sell them here.

Saturday, January 31

Didn't feel well; no photos.

Sunday, February 1

Snapped this with my iPhone at church:

The guys were talking about the Tuesday night Bible study.

Monday, February 2

As Ivan was leaving for Totoral at 7 a.m., he noticed this rainbow in the sky. I was still in my pajamas, so I asked him to take a photo with his phone. Then I realized I wouldn't be able to access it until he gets home (which usually isn't until the wee hours of Tuesday morning) so I threw on some clothes and took a photo myself.

The photo doesn't capture it, but the sky had a weird ominous cast to it, a sort of yellowish light, the kind that precedes a storm. It was almost four hours before it hit; one of those short, intense storms. The forecast calls for more storms tonight, tomorrow and Wednesday. I'm not complaining, because that means we don't have to water our new lawn for a few days -- or use the air conditioner. We are really enjoying this cooler than normal summer.