Pretty quiet around here. Lowe has a rash from the depths of hell, and Ouest appears to be getting sick. So really just normal everyday life.

Lowe and I walked Ouest to school this morning. As we walked through the gate I immediately noticed that the kids were not wearing their uniforms. In fact they were wearing the outfits they’d worn on Monday. The teacher had told me this yesterday, but I had misunderstood when she said Lunes. I thought she meant they were supposed to wear them next Monday, when in fact she’d just been telling me they needed to wear the outfit from Monday, today.

I raced home with Lowe laughing in my bouncing arms the whole way. I burst through the door, yelled to Ali who was inconveniently lathered up in the shower, and then grabbed the pile of clothes which she had conveniently laid out four days early. That’s my Ali. We were back to school in under five minutes.

The teacher grabbed the outfit and rushed Ouest off to the bathroom. They both reappeared in record time just as the national anthem began. Apparently today was supposed to be Flag Day.

The kids marched haphazardly around the courtyard while the teacher called out the kids’ respective countries. Five minutes later it was over, the kids zipped off to class, and the teacher spent the next half an hour getting all the kids changed out of their outfits and into their uniforms.

With all the mad rushing I managed to find myself camera-less for this. A rare occasion indeed. I asked the teacher if she’d e-mail me the pictures, and tonight she did. Along with a surprise. Pictures from a couple of weeks back when she had to wear the all black outfit. I spit up when I saw those. Apparently the kids had to wear all black that day in order to be more convincing fruits and vegetables. Yes, Ouest was dressed as an apple. No wonder she couldn’t explain to me what the hell had been happening that day, leaving us all to guess the reason behind the all black outfit. I think it’s fair to say that nobody guessed this.

Hummingbirds are still humming. They even appear to be multiplying. Word gets around when you build something this fancy.

This is the Mazatlan Post Office’s delivery vehicle. A fleet of them actually. There is no way they could lose a letter with a saddle bag like that.

Ouest and I usually go out for a taco after school. This is our latest discovery. I was hesitant to eat here for a while because I didn’t really understand the menu, but eventually we just sat down and ordered up some pork tacos. So good. Ouest eats two most days. And I love that the lady always keeps her condiments topped up and immaculately presented. This stand is built into the wall at the front of the market.

Ouest has been insisting for days that I “take a picture of that.” I don’t know if she thinks it’s beautiful or hilarious. Remember Glamour Shots? I wonder if they’re still around? I’m not going to google it.

While we were eating our tacos today I looked down and noticed that Ouest’s shoes looked like they were dragged behind a taxi for a day. I’ve always wanted to have a seat at one of the shoe shine stands in the plaza, but seeing as I don’t own shoes it would seem a little silly of me. But Ouest—I could use her. Twenty pesos later her shoes look better than new—and we are pretending not to notice the black shoe polish marks all over the floor at home now.