Here comes The Year of the Snake!

Leona went out alone to get 20,000NT ($690us) in new bills for New Year gifts from an ATM machine at China Bank with access to the TD account in Brooklyn. She went to a Japanese supermarket near the bank and called to suggest she bring home lunch; I agreed. We were full afterwards when we headed out to visit a few more real estate agencies to find more condominiums before we make up our mind on the building near Dong-Shan Road. With only two days before the nine day holiday, the agencies had skeleton staff and some were even doing spring cleaning. After seeing one closed and visiting two others with no selections to show, I suggested we go home.

Today is the first day of the Year of the Snake. Leona must be excited here at new year time for the first time in thirteen years. She is not keeping me in the loop about what’s going on. She said a few days ago she was going to ask her family if we were welcome to dinner the first night (usually not for married daughters) tonight, but only told me we were going for sure last evening. We went to the Feng-Yuan market and got a nice slice of salmon for dinner last night but then she went out to get buns last evening, came home and said we were having leftovers for dinner!  We stopped off at a market to get cauliflower and butter for the salmon dinner.  I had to jump start the leftovers dinner while Leona kept trying to bring back the salmon. Then, Leona’s solution was to have the salmon for lunch today but I told her I wasn’t going to do that with a big New Year’s dinner in the evening! The final solution is to cook the salmon and bring it to her family’s condo. I will also cook the cauliflower.