criplomats

Charlie got “tutored” on Tuesday and has the cone of shame to prove it:

We took him to a different vet in Little Rock on Thursday to get his rabies shot. Due to the very stringent restrictions on dog importation by the CDC, he has to have a special certificate to prove he has been vaccinated in the United States in order to re-enter America when we’re ready to come back. We were pleased to find Pleasant Valley Animal Hospital and learn they are familiar with international travel for pets, and Dr Cabe there said she can do the certificate for us through the USDA (yep, it’s complicated!). So off we went to LR! John told me that I’m not retired, but I just have a different job now: Charlie’s personal assistant! I believe it!

Tuesday was Chuck’s birthday and PeeWee had us over for a lovely dinner! Congrats to Chuck on his recent EP.

Ann and Jim spent the afternoon with us on Wednesday and we had a great visit on the balcony, eating yummy sourdough bread, pimento cheese, and gazpacho. Jim brought us one of his newly released albums – thank you! He and Will are enjoying a resurgence of popularity – congrats! Beautiful music.

Kathy W went with me to the 12th anniversary party for Karen’s yoga studio Friday night. There were a LOT of people there and the space was wall-to-wall people for yoga and a sound bath – neat! Afterward we had a chance to eat, drink, and be merry – congrats to Karen on a beautiful and thriving business.

We rounded out the week with lunch with David and Alison at Blue Ember, a new and yummy BBQ place – I loved the jalapeño and pineapple sausage.

If you’re wondering about Flavia, she’s doing fine. She and Charlie have “met” at night when Charlie comes to sleep in the bed with us. She’s wary and will often hide when he comes in, but sometimes she will sit and look at him (and he looks at her). There’s been no hissing, barking, etc – good behavior so far, but that doesn’t mean she likes him being here:

It’s been hot but we’re really enjoying being home!

This week marked the 10th anniversary of LJ’s death – so hard to believe she’s been gone for 10 years. Miss you, Mom.

Everything has been Charlie-centric this week, getting him settled in, etc. As you can see in this photo, he’s pretty relaxed! He’s had a big week going to the vet, an outing to PetsMart (where he learned about automatic doors and shopping carts), riding in the car, and staying home alone at times. He and Flavia are slowly being introduced although Flavia usually hides when she sees him. Fingers crossed they will get comfortable with each other.

John and I went to a Hendrix alumni event this week in Hot Springs at 501 Prime. It was fun to see a few classmates!

I drove to Little Rock on Tuesday to meet Ann for lunch at Star of India – we had a great two-hour visit! Samy, the owner, always astounds me when he asks how is “Brother John” when he hasn’t seen John in years!

Charlie and I dropped John off at the airport in LR on Thursday at the crack of dawn. He went to a gaming convention in Columbus with our old friend Sean from Monrovia. They had a big time and enjoying playing board games and meeting some of the game designers.

Pamela came down Friday night and spent two nights with me while John was gone. We had fun just sitting on the balcony, eating McClard’s tamales, and watching “PeeWee Herman as Himself.”

We’ve enjoyed a wet week earlier in the week, but the last few days have been just humid and hot. John and I continue to enjoy “Line of Duty,” and I re-watched “The Intern” yesterday.

After wanting a doggo for a long time, we finally took the plunge this week and brought home Charlie from the Garland County Humane Society on Wednesday. He’s small — a 8.5 pound Chihuahua-terrier mix — and around four to five years old. He’s settling in just fine and we are loving having him in the house. He hasn’t met Flavia yet — we’ve been keeping them separate for now. Fingers crossed they’ll be OK together! Charlie is pretty chill. He’s been enjoying going for walks, sitting on the balcony, and just chilling:

Last Sunday, I went to David and Alison’s for dinner in their gazebo with PeeWee and Rebecca B – nice! John was in Little Rock with his brother Phillip on a nostalgia tour, looking at their old schools, houses, church, cemeteries, etc. It sounds like they had a great time and I’m glad they had time together.

Kelly Hight came for dinner on Tuesday. John grilled up some delicious Weldon’s steaks and we enjoyed catching up with her.

It’s been a rainy week. I’ve worked in a few yoga classes, and had coffee afterward one day with a new woman in class, Becky. We’ve spent a lot of time at home getting Charlie used to his new digs, with occasional runs to the grocery store, etc. I think we’re both still de-stressing and we’re enjoying the downtime.

I finished reading “A Wilder Shore,” by Camille Peri, a biography of Robert Louis Stevenson and his remarkable wife Fanny. We finished watching “Dept Q,” which we enjoyed, and are now into a British show called “Line of Duty.”

John and I spent the week decompressing and adjusting to the new time zone. We spent lots of time just relaxing, reading, and enjoying the view. It still feels a bit surreal!

I made it to yoga twice this week – so nice to walk in and see friends! We’ve spent some time with David and Alison, including Sam’s pizza yesterday for David’s birthday. Alison and PeeWee invited me out for shopping and dinner at Fisherman’s Wharf on Wednesday. John and I enjoyed massages with Janet at Effective Massage (she’s so good). Thursday I got my hair cut in Maumelle, then met Muffy at Hendrix to see Ann’s incredible reading by first responders – very moving. Yesterday John and I braved the downpours to go downtown for the Running of the Tubs world championship – pictures to come! Big fun!

It’s good to be home!

Friday was my last day with the Foreign Service (or at least as an employee)! I’m officially retired. I was happy to share a going-away celebration at work with my colleague Puri (short for Purificación) on Thursday, followed by the embassy’s hail and farewell happy hour at the quincho (BBQ area) for everyone coming and going this summer. I was touched by the nice tribute. I also got this certificate that goes with the flag the consular managers gave me:

Friday we said goodbye to our lovely Pilar who has taken such good care of us and Flavia for the last three years:

Thursday evening I met Rachel S and Lea at Corte Comedor for a great steak. Friday Lorena came for our last weekly massage – boy will we miss that! And Saturday morning Juli came for my last mani-pedi — another home service I will miss mightily! After that, Lea and Jose popped in for a final goodbye and to pick up some things they can use as they go into packout.

I was completely blown away Thursday evening when I got a link to a goodbye video that Dan K and Lea put together with some of my favorite people around the globe! What an incredible gift that left me in tears.

Friday night, the sky put on a lovely show for us:

Saturday night, we flew from Buenos Aires to Little Rock, via Atlanta. Despite my incessant worrying about Flavia, she did great on the flight. I booked an extra seat so she and I would have a bit more room (she can’t fly business, boo) and everything was super-smooth. Our fabulous vet Leticia had done the paperwork for me and all I had to do was check in at the government animal control counter ahead of checking in with Delta – no problems! And everyone at Delta was super-nice as well. Until we are wheels up, I’m a nervous wreck with her but everything was fine and she was a trooper!

We had a quick visit with David and Alison before John and I crashed. I was thankful that Alison had put salad and a roasted chicken in the fridge for us, because we were so exhausted, I don’t think we could have made it to the grocery store! Flavia gave us a bit of a scare as the sedatives we gave her on the flight wore off – she was limp as a noodle for hours, but this morning she woke up fit as a fiddle and crying for breakfast!

We are glad to be home. Buenos Aires was a good tour, but with many hard days. I leave the Foreign Service very proud of what I’ve accomplished and I look forward to the next chapter!