Christmas Eve

Today was Christmas Eve, and there was a lot going on around here. One good thing is that there was no power outage, and we do not expect any for the next three days. They normally only impose the outages on business/work days, and not on weekends or holidays. Also, we have had some bit of rain recently, so maybe they feel like they have a little more capacity in the system.

Late this morning Susan and I went back to the market to get supplies for our Christmas dinner tomorrow. We were able to take a bus to the market, although it had to detour around to avoid elements of the Christmas parade. Here are a couple of pictures of people and horses on their way to the parade. I have no idea what the goose in the cage is there for, nor the huge teddy bear facing backward on the horse.

And the blankets on the horses look really fancy, but they can't have been comfortable. The temperature was in the mid-70s, and neither a coat nor a blanket was called for.
At the market we bought a chicken, a fish, a pound and a half of large shrimp still in the shell, and a variety of fruits and vegetables. The bag with all of our stuff was really heavy, and as we walked several hundred yards around the market and to the bus stop, it got heavier. At the bus stop we were looking for a #16 bus, and after several others came and went we spotted a #16. However, instead of pulling over and stopping, it just sailed on past. We weren't the only one who were annoyed by this, but being upset didn't help. After waiting for at least another ten minutes [with our chicken, fish, and shrimp getting warmer and warmer], we finally decided to go back toward the market and catch a taxi instead.

It was about another 200 yards back to where the taxis were waiting, but we got one and came home. It cost us $2.00 rather than the $0.50 bus fare, but it was probably a wise move at that.

Then late this afternoon Ben and I went to the grocery store to get some spices [bulk quantities and quality in the open market didn't inspire confidence], and a few other things.

Susan has been suffering for 2-3 days with a sore throat, which now seems to have migrated into a head cold. She is getting better, but not as fast as she would like. So far the rest of us have not caught it, and we hope to keep it that way. The boys went out for Chinese food this evening, and said that it was very good.