Bailamos!

Sasha is a dancer. It is through no choice of her own. She is improving a little at a time thanks to Latino's rigorous training sessions. He is a good leader, but she requires a little more assistance than most of his dancing partners who are already capable of standing in an upright position on their own. He is a patient teacher and he will hold her and guide her legs into the correct basic step of merengue, all the while singing a catchy merengue tune. The song of choice is usually "La Vaca," which means the cow. The song involves mooing. It is one of the funniest sights I have ever seen: Latino making Sasha dance while singing about a cow and mooing. And Sasha has the sweetest temperament and she does not complain. She just dances away while looking at me as if to say, "Are you kidding me? What is wrong with this guy?"

There was also the time when the two of them came into the room dancing and there was a bookshelf blocking my view of Latino. All I saw was Sasha dancing away on her back feet to the words, "Bailando, bailando" (I am dancing). There is never a dull moment in the household. I would not have it any other way.

Of Mommies and Men

The human communication in our household is often a challenge. A mispronounced word, a misplaced word, or a wrong word can and does lead to interesting and humorous outcomes. One such incident occurred on a particularly emotional day. Sometimes Latino has interesting ways of expressing his affection for me. On this occasion he said (I heard), "You will be beautiful until you are a mommy."

This was not a good day to say such a thing. I almost sent him out the door immediately. How could he be so shallow? What did he mean? If I gained a little pregnancy weight I would be ugly? I was raging and uncontrollably sobbing simultaneously. Latino was staring at me, seemingly stunned that I was so offended. He kept saying, "What? What did I say?" I responded, "You know what you said!!!!" He did; I did not. I had him repeat it a dozen times until he finally mentioned something about being wrapped in a cloth.

A mummy.

A mummy!

Those two words, though apparently they sound the same to Latino, have two very different meanings. I guess I can accept not looking beautiful when I am dead. We had just seen a film about pharaohs and mummies so I should have realized what he was saying. I started laughing uncontrollably. This overwhelmed him even more. He said, "I don't know what to do. You're crying. You're laughing...."

Get used to it.

Say What?

At the heart of this blog is communication. We will focus on several kinds: male and female, cat and human, cat and cat, Ecuadorian and American, and nonverbal. There are three languages spoken in our home: English, Spanish, and feline. As one might imagine, there are plenty of misunderstandings that occur due to these linguistic differences. I am fluent in English, but my Spanish no esta muy bueno. I have also been studying feline for many years. Latino is fluent in Spanish, speaks very good English, and is new to feline communication. He also occasionally pretends he is Italian. The cats understand but do not speak English, and they mostly just ignore the Spanish. They speak only feline and that is not Latino's or my first language; fortunately they are proficient in nonverbal communication.

A cat forcing its body under a foot, arm, or hand (even one belonging to a sleeping human) means, "Pet me." A twitching tail means, "I am on the edge....so help me I will attack you!" Huge pupils with ears slightly pursed back means, "The devil has just possessed me." A cat lying on its back with paws curled up is a dangerous proposition. It means, "Look at me; I am so cute! Touch me, however, and I will sink my teeth into your skin." Latino is still trying to learn the nonverbals. Cats are funny creatures.

Latino was once upset with Lucy for some reason and he told her she better find a way to apologize. Shortly thereafter, she went up to him, stood on her back paws and gently scratched his legs like she was sharpening her claws on a tree. Apparently this qualified as an apology in Latino's eyes, so in this house that behavior is considered an apology.

Meet the Charcters, Part II

I, Gringa, love cats. Perhaps you have picked up on that by now. I grew up on a farm with dozens of cats and one dozen siblings. I rounded out the dozen, actually, as child number twelve. In the 21st century, I am sure we could have finagled some kind of reality show contract and rolled in the dinero. Instead, my parents toiled on the farm and are two of the most hardworking individuals I have ever met. Not that my dad would have accepted reality show cameras snooping around his life. Or anyone else for that matter. In fact, he would be absolutely appalled that I am sharing these stories on the internet for all to see. His exact response would be one that I have heard countless times throughout my life: "Oh my gad."

"Dad, I want to be in gymnastics."

"Oh my gad."

"Dad, I am going to travel in Europe."

"Oh my gad."

"Dad, I am bringing a guy home for Easter."

"Oh my gad."

"Dad, I am engaged."

"Oh my gad."

"Dad, I went candlelight snowshoeing."

"Oh my gad."

His tone is identical each time he says it. It is as if it is the most unbelievable thing he has ever heard. You would think after twelve children that nothing could shock him anymore.

Latino had a South American upbringing where family means everything. He comes from a much smaller clan than I do, with just two siblings. He is a good man and a hard worker. Latino also has a lighter side with a great sense of humor and he likes to play tricks on his wife. Stay tuned for more of that. As much as I like to laugh, I sometimes take myself too seriously. Latino helps me to achieve a good balance of fun and seriousness. His completely laid back attitude is foreign to me but a good complement to my high strung nature. He loves to dance and he loves food, and these I can relate to. And soon, he is bound to share my love of cats!