fawlty barra towers

Now and then I have a Basil Fawlty day.

This was one.

You may remember him as the social-climbing owner of a rather-seedy British hotel. The "social-climbing," "British," and "seedy" part of that description may not apply to my house, but, now and then, I feel as if I am running a little hotel without a revenue stream. That may merely be a reference to life in general.

The house with no name has about 4000 square feet of living space, four bedrooms, six bathrooms, and four terrace rooms that could be either four additional bedrooms, sitting rooms, morning rooms. or dining rooms -- if I would just set my mind to it. All that space, and there are only two of us rambling around in it. That may be why I do not see Omar for weeks at a time.

Even though there are only two of us, and there is no revenue stream, there are enough floors, windows, and furniture to keep Dora busy on the two days a week she spends here. That means that we also go through a lot of cleaning materials each month.

I like to buy most of the material locally, but, now and then, I get bored enough to put up with the annoying drive to Manzanillo. Once every two or three months. Where I load up the car with enough cleaning material to get us spic and span through a few weeks of cleaning.

Today was one of those days. My optician called yesterday to tell me my spare pair of eyeglasses were ready. Without that call, I doubt I would have undertaken the drive to Manzanillo.

Because I was in the big city, I stopped at Sam's Club to re-stock Dora's butler's pantry. Toilet bowl cleaner. Clorox. Windex. Pledge. Fabulosa. Along with a box of laundry detergent large enough to open my own laundry, a year's supply of dishwashing detergent, some storage bags, Raid (for the recent onslaught of wasps), two gallons of windshield cleaner, and assorted sausages, ham, and tomatoes. All of that for $2,414.72 (Mx). Or about $113 for those of you who think in US Dollars. 

I do not shop at Sam's Club because of cost -- obviously. Even though we thriftily use all of those huge quantities of everything we buy, I do not need to buy that much of anything. I shop there because it is a break in what is otherwise becoming rather routine days for me.

After canceling the Madrid art trip, I gathered together all of the elements of a rather interesting hiking trip on the borders of Armenia. Just as I was about to book everything, I decided to check on something that should have been first on my list. Would I be allowed in?

Armenia welcomes holders of American passports. There was just one problem. All travelers are required to quarantine for two weeks. There is an exception. A negative covid test will free the traveler from confinement -- after arriving. Which means there would be the possibility of spending my entire trip in an Armenian hotel on my own. 

I canceled the trip.

That is how bored I am with routine. But all is not lost. I am flying north on Saturday to see my Mom again. The sale of her house has closed and we need to talk about investing those funds.

At least, I am leaving Dora with enough cleaning products to see her through my absence -- and beyond.

And I may now have a nominated appellation for the house with no name. That is it blazing away in the title.

No need to hurry on it. Basil wouldn't.