purple room vents: QUESTIONS ANSWERED

I am going to start this post by answering some questions 'Camper Canada' asked at the end of my last post. She/he posed some interesting questions.

Yes, the room was dated. The only downside to that was that the minute we arrived we were harassed to upgrade. An upgrade involved a better view and an upgraded room. Also I can't help but feel that the bed would have been much more comfortable too...my bed was old, lumpy and hard!

As for whether I would go back...I would have to say no. Not because of the room, but because the whole place is dated and just simply too big. I maybe wouldn't have been so aware of this except Cookie and I stayed in a beautiful smaller place last year. The food in this last place was better, but the grounds were so much easier and prettier where we stayed last year. And I think I have made the decision I won't be going back to Mexico at all. Its not really my kind of activity (or inactivity LOL!) Don't get me wrong, I had a wonderful time and I don't regret it for a second. The group I was with more than made up for any shortfall there may have been!

And Camper also asked if I had ever resolved my condo sale in Maui. And the short answer is NO!!!! Just before I left for Mexico I got a fourth letter from the IRS...telling me that my form I keep sending in to apply for a tax number...something you have to have to have if you want to get the left over money they kept to cover american capital gains, was yet again rejected because of a wrongly ticked box. Only this time I have to not only send in another filled out W7 form but all the other stuff too, true copy of my passport (thank God they sent it back so I can use it again, it took two months to get that sucker from the Canadian Passport office) my 2015 tax papers and other stuff. Jesus H!!!! I think if I sent in my first born it wouldn't help. It is so so tempting to just walk away and let them have at it. But unfortunately I have to pay capital gains here in Canada too so I need the leftovers to help pay for that. They kept about forty thousand dollars, not chump change.

And I have a really big beef with Canada. I get why we pay capital gains. We use the roads and the infrastructure etc...where the property is and the property taxes don't cover this completely apparently, so okay, capital gains supplements that. So why the hell does Canada deserve one freaking dime of foreign capital gains? They have NO right to it. My ownership of foreign property didn't cost this stupid country one dime. Makes me mad.

On another note, the last few days have been pleasant and relaxing. I had dinner down at Kathy's two nights ago. Baby Stirling is still in the crying stage and so hard on Mom and Dad. Babies under three months are either criers or they are not. He tends to be! But later they put him in the swing and he was wide awake, looking around, for the longest time, perfectly happy! I left a little early. I had to get home to clean the house in preparation for Alice, the housekeeper, coming the next day!

Yesterday afternoon Graeme came over with all the ingredients for a gnocchi making lesson. And gnocchi he made! It isn't difficult but he had to get the consistency just right which can be tricky. And then he proceeded to make the most delicious tomato sauce.

Its funny, the week before I had taped a show called Lydia. She is an Italian cook on PBS and shows us how to make different Italian dishes. And one of them was gnocchi. Graeme and I watched the episode together and picked up a few tips...that he used! For example, she added bits of water that the gnocchi had been boiled in to the sauce and it was miraculous what that did!

And that gnocchi was beyond delicious! The little pillows of yumminess simply melted in your mouth amidst the most delicious tomatoey sagey sauce.

Today is pack stuff day. I have a lot of stuff to get together to take to Vancouver next week. I have Christmas presents, baby shower stuff (Jess's), pots and pans to use at April's for cooking stuff for the shower, a book for Aryn, camera stuff, easter stuff for the grand children etc....... I don't want to forget anything. I have a ton of laundry too. (shovel list) I hate doing laundry. So I best bounce and get to it!!! TTYL