Park das Aves – Bird Sanctuary

14 Thursday May 2026

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“Some birds are not meant to be caged, that’s all. Their feathers are too bright, their songs too sweet and wild. So you let them go, or when you open the cage to feed them they somehow fly out past you. And the part of you that knows it was wrong to imprison them in the first place rejoices, but still, the place where you live is that much more drab and empty for their departure.” ― Stephen King, Rita Hayworth and Shawshank Redemption

While visiting Puerto Iguazu in Argentina we would cross the border back and forth to Brazil.  In one of those days we visited the Parque das Aves – a bird sanctuary that is so beautiful and interesting.

The story of how the sanctuary started is here:

https://www.parquedasaves.com.br/sobre-o-parque-das-aves/historia/

It was so much fun and interesting seeing and learning about all the different species of birds.  I also loved the butterflies.  I am always in awe of how rich nature is.

My favorite bird is the toucan.  We have them in my town in Brazil, is always a surprising to me when I spot them.

There was one in my mother’s balcony the other day while Michael was sitting there in the morning.  Michael was reading and hadn’t notice the toucan perched on the railing just steps from him.  Unfortunately I was so surprised by its presence that I yelled Michael’s name and that scared it away.

 

 

Mom’s 91st birthday in Iguazu Falls, Argentina

13 Wednesday May 2026

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  • “A waterfall cannot be silent, just as the wisdom! When they speak, the voice of power speaks!” ― Mehmet Murat ildan

Another birthday trip was successfully completed celebrating my mother’s 91st birthday.  We had such a great time last year in Argentina that we have decided to return this year.

Last year we were there for only 3 days, so mom and I mostly stayed at the hotel enjoying the grounds and the casino.  This time we stayed 6 days and had a chance to do some sightseeing.

Some of what we did:

  • Iguazu Falls – Impressive and majestic! It is such an honor to be so close to the beauty and force of the water.  We visited the Brazilian side as it was more accessible to my mother.  You have to take a bus from the main gate, but they gave us permission to go in with our driver, so it was very convenient.  I would visit again and perhaps rent a bike or hike a trail, or take some of the amazing tours and experiences they offer.
  • Parque das Aves – Bird Park – This bird sanctuary is dedicated to the conservation of species from the Atlantic Forest. So many beautiful and interesting birds.  I would visit again.
  • AquaFoz Aquarium – This is a new attraction in the area. It is trying to show the richness contained in the Rivers Paraná and Iguaçu.  I loved it.  I would visit again.
  • Madero Tango Show – I expected a little more, but I have high expectations when it comes to shows. We chose this show because it was adjacent to the hotel, I am sure Tango shows in Buenos Aires will be much better.  It also included dinner, but the food was bad.  I would not return, but my mother enjoyed it so that was the important thing.
  • The Three Borders landmark – we visited it on the Argentinian side – it has a couple of restaurants and some little stores. I visited again for the gorgeous view of  Brazil and Paraguay, and the rivers Paraná and Iguaçu.
  • City Center Iguazu Casino – it has slot machines in 3 different currencies: The Argentinian Peso, the Brazilian Real and American Dollar. Always fun, but didn’t have a chance to spend much time there.
  • Puerto Iguazu town – walked around the stores and restaurants downtown was a lot fun.  The stores sells mostly alfajores (delicious sandwich cookies), olives and wines.  Alfajores were our gifts of choice to family and friends.
  • Spa del Paraiso – this is the spa in the hotel. We had a great relaxing massage. Very talented masseuses. I would go again.
  • China Shopping Center in Paraguay – this one I was forced to go to. I hate shopping, I hate shopping centers. The lady that works for us helping my mother wanted to get an iPhone for her son.  The prices in Paraguay are less than half of the prices for luxury items in Brazil.  The highlight of the trip was taking the ferry from Argentina to Paraguay and back, a quick and beautiful 12 minute trip that avoided the crazy road traffic.

The extra time, and there was not much of it, was spent enjoying meals at the hotel and at couple of restaurants in the other areas.  We had lunch by the pool one day.  I had passion-fruit caipiroskas every chance I had.  Caipiroska is similar to caipirinha, but it uses vodka instead of cachaça, so it is less strong.

My mom uses a wheelchair most of the time, so it is always stressful when we go to different places.  But we had no issues in any of the places we visited.

I feel so blessed to still have my mom and to be able to take her places.  She has the heart and lust for life like a teenager.

Here some pictures and video of the gorgeous fall. I will be posting other pictures in follow up posts.

Happiness and anxiety hand in hand

21 Tuesday Apr 2026

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  • “Anxiety does not empty tomorrow of its sorrows, but only empties today of its strength.” — Charles Spurgeon

I am leaving for Brazil tomorrow to go celebrate my mom’s 91st birthday.  We are planning to take her to Argentina again.  She is so excited.

While I find myself happier and happier each day, I am a bit anxious as well.  I was really anxious over that ConEdison debacle, so glad that is resolved.   I am anxious about getting home and not seeing my father walking up to meet us, as he normally did.  I know he is in a better place but still there is an emptiness.

I have self diagnosed myself as having happiness anxiety.   I am always happy as I believe that happiness is a choice, but the happier I get, it also feels like I am waiting for the other shoe to drop.   As if so much happiness is not possible and not sustainable, therefore something bad is coming along.

I am writing about it to get my internal dialogues on paper.

I feel better already 🙂

Now I am off to pack and finish work stuff.

So Much Happiness – Naomi Shihab Nye 1952 

It is difficult to know what to do with so much happiness.
With sadness there is something to rub against,
a wound to tend with lotion and cloth.
When the world falls in around you, you have pieces to pick up,
something to hold in your hands, like ticket stubs or change.

But happiness floats.
It doesn’t need you to hold it down.
It doesn’t need anything.
Happiness lands on the roof of the next house, singing,
and disappears when it wants to.
You are happy either way.
Even the fact that you once lived in a peaceful tree house
and now live over a quarry of noise and dust
cannot make you unhappy.
Everything has a life of its own,
it too could wake up filled with possibilities
of coffee cake and ripe peaches,
and love even the floor which needs to be swept,
the soiled linens and scratched records . . .

Since there is no place large enough
to contain so much happiness,
you shrug, you raise your hands, and it flows out of you
into everything you touch. You are not responsible.
You take no credit, as the night sky takes no credit
for the moon, but continues to hold it, and share it,
and in that way, be known.

“Anxiety is a lot like a toddler. It never stops talking, tells you you’re wrong about everything, and wakes you up at 3 a.m.” — Unknown

 

Food, glorious food!

07 Tuesday Apr 2026

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me, Food, Reviews

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  • “I was brought up to respect my elders, so now I don’t have to respect anybody.” ― George Burns

I spent a couple of weeks in NY to celebrate my sister’s and my 60th  birthday.

We took a road trip stopping in small towns in Connecticut (Niantic, Mystic and Groton)  and Rhode Island (Westerly, Misquamicut and Watch Hill).

We also stopped at a couple of casinos (Foxwoods and Mohegan Sun)

I have been to those places many times before, and go back from time to time.  It had been 3 years since we had been there.  Unfortunately, I only took a couple of pictures. Fortunately, the focus was in the moment and the people we were with.

Besides the amazing scenery, even if a bit cold to walk around by the water, we also enjoyed visiting a couple of friends, gambling, shopping and great food and drinks.  I have several extra pounds as proof of the great time we had.

Below are some of the food establishments we have visited (NY included).  I am only including the ones we would go back to.  There were many forgettable ones.

Martines Bake Shoppe – NY. Never disappoints. We love the biscuits, baguet and chocolate pound cake.

Fay Da Bakery – CT. I adore their coconut buns.  They are similar to the ones I have in Brazil.

Sonora Restaurant – NY. So many delicious things. The best Lomo Saltado I ever had.  I also keep dreaming about the Brazilian Cosmo drink. And let’s not forget the branzino and lobster risotto. I cannot wait to go back.

O Mandarin – NY. Delicious Chinese food. The crispy duck and the bubble pancakes were heavenly. Will order those again.

Colony Grill – NY. They only serve pizza.  So thin and so flavorful. A must!

Town House Kitchen – NY.  Great chicken wings.  Everything was delicious.

Guy Fiery Foxwoods – CT.  My sister adores the Bacon Mac-N-cheese burger.

Wahlburgers – CT. We had never been there before and were surprised by how good it was.  The slider flight (Bacon burger, Crispy chicken and meatball) and the fish sandwich were our favorites.

Gordon Ramsay Hell’s Kitchen – CT. The best part of the evening was the service and the sticky toffee pudding cake.

Louie & Johnnie’s Ristorante Primavera – NY. Great service and great Italian food.

Posto 22 – NY. Great Italian food

The Mirage – NY. A local surprise with great drinks and desserts.

The Ocean House – RI.  A must stop for the scenery. Rumored to be Taylor Swift’s wedding location, since her house is next door. (we ended up not staying for food)

And bagels, bagels, bagels including Sammys, Ess-a-Bagel and Zucker’s – all NY.

“I grabbed a pile of dust, and holding it up, foolishly asked for as many birthdays as the grains of dust, I forgot to ask that they be years of youth. ” ― Ovid, Metamorphosest

The fight is over. Problem fixed and case resolved.

02 Thursday Apr 2026

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  • “The fight isn’t over until you win it, Fitz. That’s all you have to remember. No matter what the other man says.” ― Robin Hobb, Royal Assassin

I am sorry for taking so long to post an update regarding the prior post.  Not only I have been extra busy, but I wanted to have a resolution first.

After getting that crazy large bill, I went back and forth with different representatives at Con Edison (ConEd).  They were telling me that the bill was correct and I was telling them that it was impossible no matter how cold this winter had been.  The total bill for the prior 12 months was $2,040.00. How can only 3 months (with a 4th on the way) be $2,651.31?

Eventually a rep agreed to schedule an appointment for a technician to come to my condo and look at the meter.  The next available appointment was April 4th.  This was March 5th.  It meant that I had to wait a whole month.  Eventually they moved up a few days and scheduled for March 30th.  Still I couldn’t imagine waiting that long to get this resolved.

So, for the next couple of days I wrecked my brain trying to figure out what could be wrong.  This was crazy, especially considering I had just spent 15K on a brand new HVAC system a few months prior.  I originally thought that my bill was held up because it was extremely low.

On Saturday March 8, I woke up and decided to call the HVAC company and have them come back and check the new system.  Perhaps it could be something with the new system.  They originally want to send a technician on Monday, I insisted that it had to be the same day.

The technician came and eventually found a broken wire behind the wall that was causing the system to run non-stop.  Coincidence or they make a mistake when they installed?  I don’t know.  The owner of the company questioned why I didn’t call after the first high bill.  I said I never got a first high bill and that is exactly why I think ConEd was negligent and at fault.

I contacted ConEd, canceled the appointment and explained that the problem had been fixed.  I asked them to adjust the bill based on the following points:

  • They were negligent in not generating a bill
  • I had to call and email numerous times for them to produce a bill
  • All their representatives kept assuring that all was fine and that a bill eventually would be generated
  • Only when I threatened to file a complaint with the state they generated a bill
  • Had I received the first high bill I would have started troubleshooting and would have contacted my HVAC person right away and not incurred additional bills
  • The fact that they are not responsive, taking multiple calls and emails to eventually get their attention

After many more emails ConEd proposed a payment plan: 15% down and 12 equal installments on top of the regular bill.   I didn’t accept that.  To me an adjustment in the bill was in order.

This whole situation was really stressful to me.  I like things resolved and not in limbo.  I considered just paying and putting it behind me, since I believe that sometimes it is easier to throw money at a problem.  But it didn’t feel right to just pay it.  So I kept insisting with ConEd that they had some fault in the situation.

After many back and forth emails, I was getting nowhere so I filed a complaint online with NYSDPS – New York State Department of Public Service.  The same day I received a call from ConEd’s executive office.  They had received the complaint and wanted to talk about it.  I explained the situation and they said it was the norm to stop sending bills when the usage is extremely high, so they can review the bill.  I countered with the fact that they should inform the customer of that, and not assure the customer that all was fine. I also mentioned that it seems tricky and disingenuous to let a high bill keep going and then offer a payment plan as if they are doing us any big favors.

Eventually the lady on the phone apologized and offered me a $390.00 discount on the bill. I said that that was not enough.  She asked how much I wanted and I said: $1,700.   She said the most that she could offer me was $750.00, and a payment plan for the rest of the bill.  I accepted that.  I have the feeling that I could have gotten exactly what I wanted and deserved, but I didn’t have the energy to continue to pursue this, and honestly this feels like a win.

So they adjusted the bill.  Since I had already paid the first large bill, as a sign of good faith,  they said I didn’t have to give a payment down and could just pay the balance in 12 equal installments on top of the regular bill.  I chose to pay a large payment down and then have the remainder in 10 payments.

Dealing with NY state has been very positive. If ConEd and I wouldn’t have come to agreement then NY State would have stepped in. I am not sure what the result would be if that was case.

There are so many lessons here.  I am still learning them.  Hindsight is 20/20, so I can see how I could have done more, but I am proud of myself for the continued pressure for ConEd to generate a bill, for troubleshooting and for not just accepting a payment plan.

I am glad this is done and I can mentally move on to other things.  Thank you all for your support and for the guidance!

“There are five important things for living a successful and fulfilling life: never stop dreaming, never stop believing, never give up, never stop trying, and never stop learning.” ― Roy Bennett

Trying to fight the utility company

06 Friday Mar 2026

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  • “It’s that sense of powerlessness that destroyed my soul. I cannot be as good as I would like to be,  nor as bad as I think I need to be. I think you have the same doubts that your goodness was not rewarded” ― Paulo Coelho- The devil and Miss Prym

I moved to Florida but I still have my apartment in NY, that my sister resides in.

We noticed that we stopped receiving the electric bill in December.  Since then I have been calling ConEdison and asking them for a bill.  Finally 2 days ago I threatened to file a complaint with the state and they finally sent me the bill.

Originally there was only the dollar amount and there was no bills attached to it, then the 3 bills were uploaded.  It was eerie because I was logged into my account when I saw the bills changing from zero right in front of my eyes.

I almost fell off my chair.  Keep in mind that for the entire year period of Nov24 through Nov25 the total for 12 months was $2,005.00.

Below is what they are saying I owe now for 3 months:

I wrote them again and they replied that it was based on actual reading so that is correct.

Of course I replied that clearly something is wrong with the meter because a bill this large is ridiculous. Also, it was based on pictures I provided and not on actual reading.

My sister lives alone, works out of the home, so she is only there at night and weekends.  She takes cold showers (I know, crazy!), and is extremely aware of keeping bills low, specially growing up in Brazil.

They replied again mentioning the cold winter we are having in the east.  I wrote again, asking for a review or someone that I can talk to.  So now I am waiting to hear from them again to decide what my next step will be.

This is extremely frustrating and it makes me anxious.  It triggers the feeling of powerlessness and lack of control.  It is not the money, but the idea of unfairness, of being wronged.

Has anyone experienced anything like this?  How was it resolved?

Thank you for letting me vent.

The missing ball returns home

20 Friday Feb 2026

Posted by in Daily Life, Daily Message, Finding Me, Mosaic and other crafts

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  • “Limitless undying love which shines around me like a million suns it calls me on and on across the universe.” ― John Lennon

When we got the ping pong table, we got 4 ping-pong balls.

As we play the balls go flying everywhere.  We mostly find them under the furniture, but one has disappeared.

Until today…

When I found it on the beach.

Of course it is not the same one, but to me, it is a gift from the Universe.  It is the Universe making things right.

This one probably fell from a cruise ship.

The curious thing is that I haven’t been finding anything on the beach lately.  Most days, not even a piece of plastic.  I am happy about that.  People are cleaning up after themselves, or someone is getting up earlier than I am and cleaning up.

I came home and told Michael: The Universe sent me another ball.  The Universe has a way of making everything right and even for me.

He smiled.  He has gotten used to this kind of reasoning.  I have regaled him with my tales of all the times the Universe has made things right and even for me.  So many times I receive money out of the blue after helping or donating money.  So many times after years of thinking an item is lost,  then all of a sudden it appears.

A ping-pong on a beach is not just a ping-pong on the beach.  It is a signal!

The Universe is always on my side, I have nothing to worry!

  • “We are always trying to convert people to a belief in our own explanation of the universe. We think that the more people there are who believe as we do, the more certain it will be that what we believe is the truth. But it doesn’t work that way at all.” ― Paulo Coelho, The Pilgrimage

Trying again…

16 Monday Feb 2026

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Work has been busy and stressful, so I got away from it for awhile by trying to make a cake in the bread machine, again.

Last time I tried, a few weeks ago,  it was inedible.  Well, I ate it anyway.  I can eat anything if it toasted with butter.

I realized I had put double the amount of flour last time, so this time I read the recipe carefully.

The result was better than last time, but still was not a success.

  • “Failure is simply the opportunity to begin again, this time more intelligently.” — Henry Ford

Once a window, now a table.

26 Monday Jan 2026

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As you all well know, I am cheap.  Well, I mean, I am frugal.

During the building renovation we had to have a window replaced.  It was under warranty from the prior owner, so we didn’t have to pay for the window.  But we did have to pay for a boom lift to the tune of $900.00 to replace the hurricane window on the 3rd floor.

When they came to install it, it turns out that the window that had been delivered weeks before was the wrong size.  So, everything had to be rescheduled so that a new one could be delivered.

They didn’t want to take the wrong window back and said we should throw it away.  I can never throw anything away.  I always need to find a new home for it.

After checking with neighbors and acquaintances and having no takers, I decided to make it into a table top.  We got a small little wooden table and put the very heavy glass on top.

The sides didn’t look finished, so I decided to glue some marble beads on it.

It is not for everyone, but it fits my whimsical side and goes with my whimsical rug 🙂

And if I grow tired of it, I can try different tiles and colors.

“To be creative means to be in love with life. You can be creative only if you love life enough that you want to enhance its beauty, you want to bring a little more music to it, a little more poetry to it, a little more dance to it.” ― Osho

Ping-pong anyone?

23 Friday Jan 2026

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This is one of my Christmas gifts: a ping-pong table.

Michael had a very sweet response when I acted very surprised to get a ping pong table.

He said: I saw how much fun you had when you played ping-pong with your sister on the cruise.

Michael continues to surprise me with how thoughtful he is and how much he cares for me.

So now, we play at least a few minutes every day.   The table sits between the kitchen and living room.

The table doesn’t go with the decor.  Well, really, we have no decor.  Unlike most of our neighbors, we chose not to update our place after we had already paid thousands of dollars in assessments. So, we still have old floors and cheap furniture.

We decided not to invest too much money on it.  We buy whatever we need to be comfortable.  I am so glad that Michael and I are on the same page about expenses.  We both rather spend money on experiences and not material stuff.

Today, I found out that another couple in the building is getting divorced.  I think the stress and cost of the building renovation is one of the causes of these breakups. It is important for couples to be on the same page with finances, and how they choose to spend their money.

Next month it will mark 3 years that Michael and I are together.  We are not sure how we will be celebrating it.  Perhaps a cruise, perhaps skiing (if Colorado manages to get some snow), perhaps a casino, or we can always play ping-pong 🙂

“Let us be grateful to the people who make us happy; they are the charming gardeners who make our souls blossom.” ― Marcel Proust