All Creatures... Great and Small.

Howdy Friends and Neighbors!

Kevin & I have been leading some pretty routine lives the past couple weeks. Kevin's working on the porch construction project. I'm helping with the house chores which includes collecting fruite, shelling nuts, making lunch & dinner, etc. I've also been running & going to yoga. The unroutine part is all of the creatures we seem to find or see. This morning, there were four monkeys and a couple of their babies in the Grady's gauva tree. I was fortunate enough to get a close up shot of them. Not soon after I walked down near them, they swung off.

Today, Chebie (Floyd's employee) started on the lawn mowing. He did it the way my Dad used to; let the cows eat the grass. The only difference is that Chebie tied up the cows instead of letting them roam free.

Kevin has been keeping busy trying to keep our guest house clean, of creatures that is. So far, he has removed a moth as big as his fist, a spider the size of a half dollar that sprinted across the ceiling, and a frog that was able to jump from the ceiling to the floor and then climb his way back up the wall. Today, he unearthed a large poisonous spider from the bricks they were using on the construction project. I guess it was as big as a tarantula, but narrower. Marina quickly disposed of the nasty thing. I'm cringing the day that Kevin finds a snake in the guest house. I'm sure it won't happen, but I have an overactive imagination.

I haven't been nearly as lazy this week. I broke out my running shoes and have been running on the biggest hills I have ever seen. My first day out, I ran over the top of snake. Fortunately, it was dead, I think. It wasn't more than a 1/4 inch in diameter and was probably about one to 1 1/2 feet long. Kevin told me it was a coral snake that likes to play dead and then jumps at his pray. I told him if he keeps that kind of talk up, I won't be leaving the house. I asked Gail (Kevin's Mom) to send me two of her recipes to share with our hosts and their employees. I made Gail's cinnamon rolls on tuesday and her walnut (pecan in this case) spice cake on thursday. Both were huge hits and requests for a second batch have already been put in. The best part about making the cake and rolls was that I baked them in Marina's wood oven and didn't burn them! Kevin thought the icing for the cinnamon rolls was exceptional. I think because it was made from fresh milk and butter from their own cows.

The construction work that Kevin is helping with is coming along a little slower than expected. They are doing the construction a little differently than either of us would do, but it's getting done. Once the construction is done, we'll post the pictures. They are planning to work tomorrow, but Kevin will get a little break in the afternoon because we're heading out to watch a soccer game in Porto Alegre. We're both looking forward to it!

On Monday evening, we're catching a night bus (14 hour trip) to Foz do Igaucu Falls. There are 275 waterfalls at the borders of Paraguay, Argentina, and Brazil. I guess it is considered one of the seven natural wonders of the world and makes Niagara look like nothing.

Kevin's out with the boys this evening playing Canasta. It's a great card game (I promise to teach it to my cousins, they'll enjoy it)! Even though everyone speaks Portugese, they all seem to find a way to tease each other about the game just as if they all spoke the same language.

Well, better be hitting the sack.

Boa Noite!!
Love, Kristine (and Kevin)