Casita Progress Versus THE RULE

There's an unwritten rule in Mexico retirement communities, so I'm probably violating "the code" by exposing it. But it helps to explain the mind-set here, the laissez-faire:

One Task Per Day MAXIMUM.

That's it. Very simply, we refuse to overdo or burden ourselves with honey-do lists. There can be a laundry day, but never the same day as, say, grocery day or pour-the-cement-slab day. So progress on our casita renovations is slow, however sure. However, this slow pace helps ensure the prioritizing is accurate, allowing extra time for certainty.

We've been here 2 months, and here's what we've accomplished:
1. The hot water heater is outside on a cement slab.
2. Hot water comes out the kitchen faucet.

That's all. Yes, I know, I said one task per DAY, not per month, but that's in addition to laundry, groceries, dish-washing, meal prep, vacuuming, etc. Plus one must reserve time daily to sit around and appreciate where we are.

You must understand, your average Blog Reader truly takes hot-water-from-the-faucet for granted. To go from Boiling A Kettle (pre hot water heater) to Filling A Bucket (water heater in, but only plumbed to the shower) to suddenly, FINALLY, able to turn that handle and have hot water gush out? It's HUGE! We've also purchased the porcelain pedestal for the bathroom sink, and are kept very busy planning exactly where and how to install that.  Takes planning. Then will come patching all the holes left by former plumbing sites, rerouting where the satellite cords enter, and eventually buying a bed and moving all the furniture. Sounds like 3 more months' work, but it is what it is. Plans aren't worth the paper they're written on, because something better might come along.

Take yesterday, for example. Yesterday was supposed to be baking day (for me) and laundry day (for Ron: he does that while sitting around in his man-cave.) Just prior to starting my baking, Ron decided to take the trash down to the trash trailer at the RV park. I thought WTF, I'll go along, and sign up for the Christmas Dinner in the office there. Well, that's way too close to the beach to NOT go there, so we did. I sauntered along, looking for shells, while he drove on down the beach.

I looked up once and he was WAY down there, struggling with something huge next to the truck. I was just hoping it wasn't a big smelly porpoise carcass: it's considered a score to have a giant skeleton in your yard. When I got there, it was just a dead elephant tree, all white and gnarly. With some effort, we got it into the truck bed and brought it up the hill.

Now it's in our yard, looks pretty cool:

No baking got done, no laundry got done. That would have violated The Rule, and left little time to sit around drinking beer and looking at our view. Besides, friends showed up. (It's very rude to work when socializing is imminent.) My friend Karen helped me appreciate my yard for an hour or two, with beverages, while Jack asked Ron to go help him with his new 12-pack.

And so it goes.