Blonde hair, blue eyes and a dazzling smile. [heavy sigh] That's Amy, my firstborn, apparently in Cuba, sitting on the wall of the Malecon overlooking Havana Bay and the Castillo del Morro.Notice how she looks right at home. (This fabulous photo op was part of Cuba Nostalgia.) She can cook a mean arroz con pollo.She holds her own bilingually.And ...
Welcome To My Blog!
Frankly my dear…
We're at the beach still. Not leaving until the last possible second. They'll probably have to drag me kicking and screaming, with a death-grip on my lounge chair, screaming hysterically - "not ready. not ready." That's not exactly true. I'm ready to go home. I miss Eric. I need to be with my other kids - Adam, Lucy, and Jonathan. I ...
It’s my face, isn’t it?
Amy says I just have one of those faces. The kind that makes people comfortable and feel like we are old friends. (I think she means it as a complement.=D) We celebrated my birthday at Lario's on the Beach in South Beach tonight. Yes, of course it's Cuban food. I'm still in Miami and I took a vow. (but that's not important right now.) So we have ...
The Spin Doctor
This face and bio were on display this past weekend at Cuba Nostalgia. I stopped and stared at the familiar face and quickly called Amy over to take a picture. Our relationship began exactly 52 years ago today when he spanked my bottom and announced to my parents that it was another girl. Agustin Castellanos, M.D. was our pediatrician back in Cuba ...
Restrictions? What restrictions?
It starts.Amy and my mom and I are leaving today for Miami. "I always make a bread pudding for Fernando." Fernando is her BIG brother. He's going to be 96 this week. So Amy and I try to dissuade her, in this time of travel restrictions, from bringing the 2 lb. bread pudding for Fernando. But she is undeterred. She ...
Family Tree
I need to warn you that I'm feeling all nostalgic and Cuban this week. Preparing to leave on Wednesday for Miami. There are certain things that are on my mind now that I'd like to share. This is one of them. My grandmother had a "brag book" which included all her 20 grandchildren. One of my aunts brought it from Cuba and gave ...
Cuban Americans. versions 2.0 and 3.0
Mother's Day at Alina's house. I'll save you the trouble of counting. There are nineteen people in this picture. My big, fat Cuban-American nieces and nephews, and grand-nieces and grand-nephews (phew).The oldest (my mom) in the center, is ninety-three. The youngest on her lap, is three months old.Eleven out of sixteen cousins ranging in ages from ...
Labor Day
Even though she is 93, my mom can still describe, in great detail, (as most mothers probably can) exactly how many hours she labored with each one of us.Serious mom memories.I'll just hit the highlights, but here's what I remember (vividly): Amy - 36 hours (back labor). Adam - 18 hours. Lucy - 17 hours. Jonathan - scheduled ...
Leaving a Legacy
My mom taught me how to cook when I was about 8 years old. She taught me how to read a recipe, measure ingredients, grease a pan, boil water - stuff like that. As I got older, the process became a little more complicated. During the summers, my sisters, Miriam and Alina, and I would take turns cooking. We rotated between table setting, ...
Yes, but can we please see some credentials?
I run a state of the art Bed and Breakfast which is open 24-hours a day, year-round. I also provide these additional services . . . I am: A teacher.A nurse.A psychologist.A seamstress.A caterer.An event coordinator.A laundress.A chauffer.A moneylender. But they just call me . . . "Mom." =DHappy Mother's Day! ...
