Apartment Elves and a Cholo Update

I am once again back in Santiago where the leaves are falling and the mornings and evenings are increasing chillier even if it does get up into the 80s during the day.

I've been meaning to mention my apartment elves because they, with my nana, have been a source of mystery and merriment for me during my stay here.

One never knows when the elves will show up. I have only ever requested one repair, and that was to the little washer/dryer unit in my kitchen. The dryer stopped working and I reported it and they fixed it. But other repairs and improvements and assorted oddities have happened while I've been away at the office.

Sometimes furnishings disappear and then later reappear. This first happened with a silk floral arrangement on one of my side tables in the living room. One day it was just gone. It has never reappeared. Then another day I walked in and one chair was missing from the little table out on my balcony. Two days later it magically reappeared. I don't know where it went but it missed me.

For about 2 months after I got here there were two large tiles in the shower that had buckled and pulled away from the wall - very noticeable but hey - not my problem and it did not in any way bother me. One day I walked in and the tiles had been replaced.

Also in my kitchen I was using the extra hand towel folded up on the cutting board to put wet freshly washed dishes on to dry. It took about 5 weeks but I walked in one day and my nana had replaced it with a colorful kitchen towel! I laundered this every week and then while I was in the US last week she replaced it with another one, this time in shades of blue.

I had a little TV set in the bedroom which was on a table which took up most of one corner. I have had the TV on, like, 4 times since January so I don't really notice it. One day I walked in and there was something very different in the bedroom and I finally realized they had replaced my bulky TV with a flat screen. But this one is an epic elf story. Two days later I walked in and the flat screen had been mounted on the wall! Three days after that I walked in and they had raised it about 4 inches. There were two holes where they had previously mounted it and these had been filled with a white hole compound. Tonight I noticed that while I was in the US the white filled holes has been painted to match the wall paint!

Like my nana I do wish I could take the apartment elves back to the US with me if and when I finally return for good.

I have an update on my little black Cholo dog! He is doing well and growing like crazy. I guess food helps. He is now a regular resident inside the gate and the one female guard has latched onto him which makes me feel so much better about leaving him someday. This morning when I got out of the taxi he saw me and just about broke his neck running to greet me! He also found the tennis ball I gave him last month and brought it to me and we played fetch for a while. He has gotten to be a pro at fetch. He also doesn't jump up as much. He is so funny - he loves to chew on my hand - just love chews - but if I pull my hand away he messes with me and will lightly nip at my pants and my feet to let me know he still wants to play. I know he is being fed by someone other than me because when I brought a bowl of food out to him this afternoon he ate a little and when I left tonight it was mostly still there. I think he has become a favorite for everyone at this facility and for good reason. He is a most excellent dog. I am happy that I pushed for him to become a part of the place and I think he has a home for life if he chooses to stay.