Pinching pesos

It's a minor crisis when a golf cart needs new seats every three or four years. Of course, the wood rot and upholstery break down doesn't occur when the cash is flowing. And after spending 4000 pesos plus 1400 in labor for new air conditioning and its installation, it's a little hard to envision spending 4000 pesos to fix up the machine.
On my last trip to Cancun, Carlos and I shopped alternatives. First, the Club Car store, where they wanted 780 pesos a seat cover, but had no backs. Plus your own plywood.
So I asked Carlos to take me to the fabric store Assis. I was looking for the equivalent of naugahide. They had several choices, but the only one thick and pliable enough was in pistachio green. A lovely Caribbean color, I might add.
My idea was to procure pre-cut plywood, thicker this time, and use a staple gun. Sergio took it on, even though he'd never done it.
The cloth was 280 pesos for three square meters. Staples 50 pesos, plywood 120 pesos and one donated sheet.

Punta, of course, enjoyed supervising the whole project. Sergio also tightened or replaced all the frame bolts and screws and cleaned off black paint applied to the aluminum a couple years ago by Gilligan. An annoyance as it always was chipping away.
So, for 1000 pesos labor and 500 pesos in parts, I have an upholstery job that would have cost me likely 4000 pesos this year, but without seams. Hey, I like it a lot!

Money loser

Yep, that thunk, clunk and shimmy on the tour yesterday was from my money loser. The golf cart. Sure, it's a money loser...courtesy ride,gratis. And since I have a major repair twice a year that is less than scheduled car maintenance appointments in the US, I can't complain. You are looking at a bad brake drum, four bad shoes. The rotted cable wasn't brought in.
Wilberth will work on it today before work, at lunch and bring it home early evening. Go ahead, do the oil and filters!
So he smooched a bit with Punta and went off into the night. Me: money loser!

Multi Maintenance

The golf cart is in this shop, getting a galvanized steel muffler fabricated by Alfonso. He said he'll be done at 2p. In the meantime, head of housekeeping was due here a couple hours ago and Sergio is due here in a couple to set up the new pool.
Then at 5, topping off an action packed day, I'm going into town to have a root canal by Dr Canales. Nice name for an oral surgeon. I guess he was destined to be!

Miss Remiss

So, dear readers, you may have noticed that I have not written in a week or more. Let me 'splain.
I am still, but almost recovered from, dealing with my MS attack. It has been a slow process.
Doggy dog has been at my feet, getting fat. And fatter as Gilligan has found the way to make her happy. Chicken livers or chilaquiles? Sit pretty!!! Good girl. Not me. Lora.
I was doing PT in the above ground pool on the roof. Then we had a spell of hot and rainy weather. Yuck. Just a couple days of neglect and the pool turned green. Thick green.
Chlorine shock wasn't enough and we drained it partially. Then, Gilligan went into town and left it to fill. I woke up to Cheni pounding on the door the other evening. It was running out into the street.
So, I went up, shut off the hose and drained some more. The next day, Carmen came over and found wet books in the office. Called Ricardo, who came a day later. It wasn't pool water in the condenser. Worse.
Since we raised the garden beds and made then deeper, I didn't think anything about the AC drain, except that it kept the garden green.
But, with increased humidity, the drain hoses filled back up to the roof as the garden was saturated. The drain hoses filled the condenser from the top! Into the book cases. And up from the ground came a bubbling crude!
Yeah, yeah. That's the glamorous side of living in paradise. But wait, there's more!
For several weeks, I would notice an occassional bump or frank thunk from the golf cart. The motor is under the seat. I'd get up, take a look, and not see anything. The Gilligan took it to Ppe's, where Chuch checked it out and found the mount, made of some sort of thick robbery material, had all but crumbled. Crumbling is what it is doing today, just sitting there.
Due to previous history, Wilberth will be changing it and realigning the chassis. Tonight after work. He got the mounting block yesterday in Cancun.
There's still the matter of the fridge. Gilligan says it wants to vomit. I guess I have to clean! This weekend, I shall dance.