New Year 2018

The Roman new year came in with a bang and the popping of fire crackers, which sounded like they were popping off my tin roof. The poppy has continued, but will stop tomorrow with the start of school. I had an almost 3 week winter break and high hopes of getting lots done. Well, some of it got done. I too have to start back to school tomorrow. I do have the beginning of a rough draft of my new metaphor paper. I have lots of data on the paper. I just hope that I can make it all come together with some kind of coherency. My friend Virginia invited me to submit a proposal at a Caribbean Conference at the University of Belize, so I did. It is my presentation on Belizean English via two examples--tree and vegetable sandwich. I will talk about source domains for Belizean English vs. American and/or British English.

I have so much going on the next couple of months that am thinking of hiring a young lady to help me out one morning a week so that I don't get behind on weeding, dusting, watering, etc. I spend Christmas Day with a Mayan healer and her mother. I took fry bread, anasazi beans, and NM red chile. They made bollos (like our tamales) and tamales, which are made with corn starch and not masa. Also, the filling was entire pieces of chicken--skin, bones and all. I ate around that since I don't eat meat. The fry bread was a hit, especially after I heated it over a wood-burining fire. It really isn't on my diet, and I knew that I wouldn't be able to eat it again after Christmas. So I had as much as I wanted.

The weather has finally cooled, so I put on my flannel sheets, which is about as much extra warmth as I need at night. I still try to get to the pool 3 days a week, but I need to wear a T-shirt now because the water is very cool.

I am looking forward to Mexica New Year, March 11, in Albuquerque.