The World Cup is what matters at the moment in South America. Bolivia teetering on the cusp of civil war posts newspaper headlines pushing the national soccer team.
Argentina and Bolivia are falling out over humanitarian assistance, Bolivians’ economic growth is rated weakest on the continent, its day 46 of rioting and street blockades, a woman bystander was beaten and sent to the ICU but top news? The World Cup; go figure.
Uruguay spent much of its 90 minute match losing to Saudi Arabia and then almost at the last minute honor was preserved with an equalizer. Little Uruguay is in contention still. Adrián the Argentine mechanic doesn’t care for soccer, weird but true, so he kept working. He’s fixed a glitch in a self propelled tree trimmer machine that came in needing help.
The machine is controlled by a man with a box similar to how people operate drones.
It takes a crowd to strap such a machine down and the three men stood around doing manly talk, not about the World Cup but about machinery and the merits of German made versus Japanese made.
Layne did a load of laundry with the washer in our cottage while I sat out with Rusty and read my book.
It’s Act of Oblivion by Robert Harris about it two killers of King Charles the First taking refuge in Connecticut colony pursued relentlessly by a man with a grudge. As unlikely as it sounds I couldn’t put it down and I have forty pages to go. But…Layne wanted to go into town to buy a space heater. It’s been getting down to freezing at night and Rusty is the only one among us who doesn’t care. The hardware store lived it in dollars oddly enough, US$53. We’ll leave it here when we take off.
220 volts industrial design made in China with instructions in English. It heats like a flamethrower and silently too. It acts well made and I like it. 
Wednesday it’s supposed to rain again but until then it’s icy cold around here, 50 degrees by day and 32 by night but in the sunshine if there’s no wind it is quite lovely. We took Rusty with us into town, Colonia Valdense looked wintery as I walked Rusty.
Rusty enjoyed his walk sniffing everything dragging me back and forth. He completely ignored the dogs behind their fences barking wildly at the intruder. There was a time he’d have recoiled fearfully but he has grown used to them.
And it was impossible not to notice the burst of visible patriotism to coincide with the World Cup.
Put out more flags…
After he’d had enough walking the little prince took his ease waiting for Layne to finish her shop. 
We like having him around. It’s a big fat goal seeing him return to his usual self.
