It’s been a week of distractions as far as writing is concerned. The tub in my bathroom cracked and had to be 
replaced. As a result of the constant noise, I haven’t been able to concentrate on the work to finish my novella. I did manage to finish up the edit and begin the final pages of it on Friday morning as I waited for Larry at the Patio. Despite the setback this week, I’m feeling very good about the progress I’m making. I’m fairly sure I won’t finish it on schedule but that’s life. I plan on taking my work with me back to the US. During the time I will be spending with my sister on the farm, I’m sure I will have mornings and evenings to spend on the patio or deck pounding away at the keys. I’m taking some short story ideas with me as well as book #2.
Friday morning I met Larry at the Patio for “Coffee and Conversation.” We meandered through all sorts of topics. The recent unrest in the Middle East because of the movie, Peruvian marriages, politics in the US, Bernacke’s comments on the new Fed policy, and our like for the new season of Castle were just a few of the things that received our attention. I 
truly enjoy my meetings with Larry. The way that our conversations pass so smoothly between such unrelated topics always amazes me. Unfortunately, Kathy and I had a disconnect and as a result missed our scheduled lunch meeting.
Three and a half weeks and I will be winging my way back to the USA. I plan to spend time with my Sister and George on their farm enjoying the country life. I’m also going back into Carbondale to spend ten days with Mona and Kelly so that I can visit all my friends in the Carbondale area. Mona is planning 
on having a party for me the first Saturday I’m with them. I’m looking forward to that. She always lays out a great spread. As I’ve mentioned in the past few posts, I’ve made a concerted effort to get back in the gym. I’m happy to say that twenty pounds have melted off the old body to this point. Another five before I leave would be great, that would give me a little buffer for all that great food I will be eating in Southern Illinois.
I experimented in the kitchen this week. I wanted to come up with some sauces I could keep in 
containers in the fridge and spoon them over chicken or rice to add some variety to meals. I think I was fairly successful. One sauce I made with chopped tomatoes, garlic, and onions spiced with oregano and some rosemary turned out very good. Another estofado(stew) type sauce isn’t as good but it works. With it, all you have to do is drop in some quartered of potatoes and chicken breast (already cooked), heat and it’s ready to serve with rice. I still enjoy cooking; it’s the cleanup I hate.
Sorry for the short post but with all the distractions going on in the apartment, I don’t have a lot of cool Peruvian things to talk about. Obviously, my writing suffered also. I hope you all have a great week. Get up, get out, do something; that’s my mantra.