"Oh you are so lucky, you have time to do so many things......"
Well, yes we are lucky, but for some reason that avalanche of time is not as overwhelming as one would think.
Yes, I see people all the time who have time for this and that, vacations, trips and projects galore.
Lot's of folks still have the concept that things get done quickly.
Well somethings do. Other things not.
Let me give you a few examples.
We need a delivery of propane for our tank that runs the water heater and stove. We call on the cell phone and usually we get a delivery the same day. Same thing goes for a water truck if we are in dire need of water, you call and it is delivered the same day or usually within 24 hours...
(In the last 10 or so years, we have only needed it twice, for a few days, tankfully.....(get it?)
But projects that require some parts are the killers.
Let's say we need to fix some water pipe that is for some of the irrigation. We use 3/4 PVC pipe. So we hop in to the truck and head down to town, usually a 5 to 8 minute trip. Depending the how many slow trucks there are heading down and up the hill.
We arrive at our normal hardware store. Lets say we need a roll of the 3/4 black PVC pipe, no problem. And the will even load it on your truck for you.....
How about a 3/4 inch barb to 3/4 NPT fitting, so we can attach a hose bib valve also.
"Let me look", he says. Returning after about 5 mintues, he brings us a white plastic fitting, along with a plastic coupling and a inline valve. The valve is the wrong type, since it is a female NPT and will not attach a hose directly without several adapters.
The white plastic coupling is made so cheap, that if you apply any pressure or torque to it, it will split into several contorted sections.
"Sorry, I need something stronger and the valve needs to have the connection for a water hose directly. Last time I was here, you had the metal 3/4 PVC hose barbs, you know the silver looking ones......"
"Oh, yes I know, let me go look."
It is at this time that I seriously question my ability to communicate in Spanish. A temporary blood clot must have lodged in my brain, in the section that puts the speech together, I think to myself.....
But, I turn to my brother-in-law who's first language is Spanish, and ask him, was I unclear or what? No, he smiles and rolls his eyes.
5 to 10 minutes pass, the clerk returns now we have the original plastic white cheapy barb mating into a 3/4 inch NPT Black pipe coupling, then going to a ball valve with another adapter, to a section of black 3/4 PVC held together with two hose clamps into a hose fitting.
Got the picture?
I look at my brother in law in disbelief.
So now, he the commander of Spanish is taking the wheel of the ship over......He explains again to the clerk, in almost the same words that I did, what we need.
The clerk, smiles and dissapears.
5 minutes, go by.......
The clerk returns, telling us that they have no hose bib valves, but he found a steel hose fitting and Galvanized coupling.
We also purchase a roll of barbed wire for the fencing have it loaded an depart.
Job not done yet.
Total time at the store, 25 minutes. plus 5 for the cashier to go over the tag twice.
"Let's stop at Soriana and get some stuff for dinner" Ok, we both go in.
"You know, I can't believe that they don't carry the hose valves" I say to my brother in law.
Look!.... he says and hands be a hose bib valve, in their garden hose section.
Exactly what we needed to complete the job.
Sadly they didn't have the other parts that we got at the hardware store.
Oh and I forgot to tell you they were out of the staples that we needed to attach the barb wire to the fence posts.
We leave Soriana, after about 15 minutes and are back on the road.
"Hey, you want to go to the big plaza and have a cup of coffee and watch people?" I ask.
Sure, we find a parking space, spend two minutes telling the guy we don't want the truck washed and not to take the barbed wire that is in the back of the truck bed.
We sit and review our shopping list at the next hardware store that may have staples.
We discuss the strategies required to shop, live, eat and drink. We enjoy a strong coffee and some butter cookies we purchased down the street at the pastry shop, and let a half hour or maybe an hour pass peacefully.
That folks is pretty normal "I'll just run down to the hardware store for some stuff" trip.
It is much better than it use to be.
When we were building the house, we spent days, in Morelia going from place to place in search of stuff.
If we needed 4 of something, they have one, but knew of where there were a couple more.
We go there, they only have one too.
They send us to another place, they have one, for the other they send us back to where we started.
We come home with only three.
And so it goes.......lots of time......and pretty soon it's a new year, a new rainy season and so it goes.
4 comments:
teehee, yep that is all true. All part of the fun I suppose.
Everything takes more time here. Regarding the Spanish, my wife has a theory: Many of the locals cannot quite grasp that a Gringo speaks Spanish. It does not compute in their pea brains so they do not understand. I think she is right.
Chrissy y Keith, sometimes it is fun, but most of the time it is a pain in the ass! Especially since we could be using that time to sit and sip a nice dark cup of coffee, extra strong.....
Felipe,
I think your lovely wife is right. It seems to happen in restaurants often too, I will order something, they look at her, and then she has to repeat the exact same thing that I said....twice....go figure.
Now I know that I've lived in Mexico too long. I was reading and thinking, what's so wrong about that...that's just how things are.
And about the Spanish, it's true. Whenever my hubby and I go out to eat, the waitstaff always asks my hubby what I want to eat. He or I tell them that I have been fluent since the age of 5, but they just don't want to believe it!
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