Hola, compadres!  Coma esta? 

It is me,  Sixto Javier Ortiz of Granbury, Texas, writing.  Hope this finds you well.

I am well, and so is mi familia.  Hildaga, mi esposa, is a good mamma to our ninos, our boy, Paco, and our girl, Ascencion, who are three and six.  I am still going to my ESL (English as a second language) classes at the local college; I am learning new words and phrases every day.  I am doing quite well, though at times it is still muy dificil por mi.

I am still working five days a week as a trash collector; it's a dirty job, but someone, they gotta do it, no?  It pays the bills; it puts food on the table; it helps clothe mi familia, so I am doing okay.  I am grateful to have a job; many of mi compadres don't.  I consider myself blessed, very much so.

Spring has busted out here in Granbury:  the trees are all leafed out, and the flowers are beautiful.  And my allergies, they are in full bloom too.  Allergic to dandelions, mountain cedar, cottonwood, pollen, most grasses, bumbly-bee stings ... many things cause my nose to act up, or in the case of the bumbly-bee stings, I have to be careful, or I could go to the hospital, to be seen in the ER.  If I get stung, I can have great difficulty breathing, and I could die.  It's that bad.

Whenever I go out during bee season, I carry an "epi-pen" with me at all times, and I wear my bee-sting necklace, to alert others, in case I get stung; that way, they can help me and call the ambulance, to get me to the hospital, quick-quick.

I am the only one in mi familia who has this problem.  Mi nino, he plays with the bees; I always worry the bumbly-bees are going to sting Paco, but they never do.  Mi nina, she don't like bees neither, but she's not allergic to them, like her ol' papi.  She's lucky!

Mi esposa, she hates bees: one gets in the house, and she's like, "AAAAHHH!!  Get it OUT of here!  Get it OUT of here!"  LOL

The weather this weekend has been muy bueno.  Supposed to be nice today, but tomorrow, clouding up; possible rain this weekend, but clearing out by Monday.  Today is so nice the kids are outside with mami; I am sittin' in the livingroom, watching a baseball game.  Baseball is my favorite sport; I have loved it all my life.

I always wanted to be a baseball player, but I was never fast or good enough, so this is why I am a garbage collector. 

It will soon be May.  Next month the kids will be getting out of school; they will be out of school until August.  That means two and a half months of spending time with them and thinking of taking them to places like the Dallas Zoo, Six Flags Over Arlington, Arlington Stadium, and the Grapevine Opry, as well as the Fort Worth Zoo and the Planetarium, among other exciting family destinaciones.

I love it when I have mi ninos with me because we can park in the handicapped place and not have to worry about walking so much (well, Paco doesn't, anyway).  He loves being around people, and he loves going places.  So does Ascencion, but Paco really enjoys our family trips.  Everything is always so exciting to him!

Well, I gotta go:  el telefono is ringing; gotta see who it is.  Hopefully it isn't another sales call or telemarketer; they always seem to call the most during this time; it is very annoying!  I will write in here again; until later, this is Sixto Ortiz saying adios!  Hasta luego!

~Tu amigo en Tejas, Sixto.  :)

*to be continued.*