Posted in Two months writing in Mexico, Uncategorized on 08/27/2010 11:52 pm by
The Boys on the Plaza
A normal morning routine. I backed out the long drive through the black iron gates, approached the highway, looked to my left to check for oncoming traffic ……and there she was. The road kill count has gone up by one…a beautiful dark brown mare was hit by a vehicle overnight. The sad thing is I saw this horse yesterday on my way home; she’d bitten through the rope that tethers her to a certain spot where she can eat the high grasses. When I saw her eating at the edge of the highway I just had a feeling. What a tragedy. I suppose the only plus is that she will be hauled away sometime today by who knows who. When we lived here before, that didn’t happen…for days. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Two months writing in Mexico on 08/22/2010 12:46 am by
Dedicated to "Sadie", a beautiful pit bull and homeless mother of eight
Today is the 19th INTERNATIONAL HOMELESS ANIMALS DAY. Nothing to celebrate but lots to ponder.
According to the Humane Society, 6-8 million animals enter shelters every year. About half of these animals are adopted and tragically half are euthanized. That’s 3-4 million cats and dogs killed each year. While most are mixed breeds, an astonishing 30% of homeless dogs are purebreds, proving that just because a dog has papers doesn’t mean it should be bred. Animals are abandoned for a variety of reasons but the end result is still the same. The animal suffers needlessly. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Two months writing in Mexico, Uncategorized on 08/15/2010 08:13 pm by
The Crew...Augustin's Viva Mexico kitchen
The countdown has begun. Somehow days and weeks have raced by, while I still sit with so many unfinished projects scattered around the desk.
I can always write and organize projects when I return to Canada but I can’t spend relaxing hours watching the hummers war over their juice, share meals with old friends, greet a new flower that’s opened overnight, make new friends, admire art and weaving from talented locals, and chat with Max-bird who has his own cult following!
A small corner of this fantastic, colorful Studio;
MaxBird & Azetec Studio Crew
And did I mention the local writer’s group where writers can bare their souls, confident that listeners will give fresh insight, constructive criticism, and praise, sprinkled with the encouragement every writer needs to keep going. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: Ajijic, Ajijic Wednesday Outdoor Market, art galleries, Aztec Studios, Edith's Salon, Efran Gonzalez, homeless dogs, Lake Chapala, Luisa Julian, Max Bird, Mexico, Nuevo Posada, Salvador's Restaurant, Viva Mexico Restaurant
Posted in Two months writing in Mexico, Uncategorized on 08/08/2010 11:31 pm by
Ajijic's Landmark
- I can be found here every morning!
I’m a week into my second month here in Mexico; and, yes, I’ve neglected posting something..anything.. on my blog. Not because there’s nothing happening; quite the contrary, too much has been happening! So here are some rambling thoughts and observations: Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Two months writing in Mexico, Uncategorized on 07/20/2010 06:54 pm by
Good things always happen on Tuesday. Today was no exception. I visited a new outdoor organic market, open every Tuesday morning. I arrived just before the official start and was lucky to buy the ONLY batch of swiss chard; I also purchased cilantro, beautiful round small green tomatoes (not as in fried green tomatoes), a cucumber, some organic coffee, and a piece of gluten-free chocolate cake. YES! Cake!! The vendor told me she supplies a local supermarket with her GF goods, in the freezer section. I was ecstatic and couldn’t wait to get home to savor that cake with a cuppa joe. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Two months writing in Mexico on 07/17/2010 05:39 pm by
When I was offered a house, a car and a cat for two months in Mexico, my only concern was about food and water. As you’ve read, bad food/bad water was what sent me crawling north in 2004. Since then, I was diagnosed celiac, which means I cannot eat and digest wheat and gluten. If I do so accidentally, my body tells me in no uncertain terms that an “enemy” has landed in my digestive tract so I’d best plan to lay low for a few days! I’m thankful that my reactions are more of an inconvenience than others who are so sensitive that they actually become ill until the offending food works its way out of the body. How’s that for altering descriptive digestive talk into acceptable cocktail party chatter!
Travel poses real problems for celiacs. Most airport food is off limits. If you’re celiac and you want to eat you bring your own or go hungry. Read the rest of this entry »
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Tags: airport food, Ajijic, alkaline water, celiac, expats, food, ionized water, Lake Chapala, Mexico, pricey imported food, travel
Posted in Two months writing in Mexico on 07/12/2010 01:17 am by
After my first week in Ajijic, I’m happy to say that, aside from growth, much is still the same. Four stoplights instead of one, a Walmart, a full lake, and a burgeoning population are just a few of the changes I’ve noticed. I’m sure as the days go on I’ll be able to dig deeper but for now I’m working on “how to live” here in mi casa! There’s a cat to be fed, hummingbirds that need their daily fix of sugar water, the neighbor’s dog who likes to be slipped some extra food daily, water to be hauled, groceries to be purchased and meals prepared, and, of course, the writing which constantly calls to me.
Count how many hummingbirds you see!
A walk through the Lake Chapala Society grounds on July 3rd brought me back to our first introduction in July 2000 to this tranquil haven that has supported the expatriate community since 1955. Founded on the solid foundation of “people helping people”, their mission is to help the local Mexican population, especially in education; assist expats from over 20 nations to adjust to living in Mexico; and provide recreational, social, health, and educational services primarily for expatriates
We were eager to begin Spanish lessons so we signed up. Soon thereafter, I joined the local Writer’s Group and was privileged to have three articles published in the local English magazine El Ojo del Lago. The society grounds were always buzzing with activity, lively conversation, and coffee. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Two months writing in Mexico on 07/08/2010 05:50 pm by
On July 1st, Canada Day, I set off for Mexico to spend two months house and cat sitting for residents of Ajijic, a small village on Lake Chapala, about 30 minutes out of Guadalajara. The most difficult part about travel to Mexico was getting through US customs and immigration at the Vancouver Airport. It took over 1 ½ hours! The rest of the flight via Phoenix was uneventful and I landed in Guadalajara, thankful to be on solid ground after a bumpy ride courtesy of Hurricane Alex.
After leaving Japan in 2000, Takeshi Fujibe and I were married in Portland, honeymooned in the Rockies, and flew to Guadalajara to retire in Ajijic. It was always my dream to live in a place where the indoors and outdoors was one, a place where the weather was temperate and a winter wardrobe was a thing of the past. I’d taken four years of Spanish in school; surely that would bode well for living comfortably? Unfortunately, Mexico was bad for my health—heavy metal poisoning, parasites, Lyme disease, typhoid, scorpion bites, and a concussion. Now, that’s way too much to put on a t-shirt…”I went to Mexico and all I got was….”. Sick and miserable I was anxious to get out of Mexico and back to Canada so I could concentrate on getting well.
I tearfully resigned my position as President of Viva la Musica, said goodbye to dear friends, opened our doors for a giant garage sale, packed up a small trailer, and took off on our journey north. We were given patient instruction on how to drive pulliing a trailer but neither of us could conquer backing up! Our choice of hotels was dependent upon an easy exit. The left turn signal didn’t work so we only made right turns unless we could avoid it. We had one near accident, on the LA freeways, but felt we were in good company…who hasn’t had a near miss or two on that freeway? We always left our hotels early, drove only about 5 hours a day, and stopped to rest and resume the same itinerary the following day. Destination: British Columbia. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized on 06/24/2010 01:45 am by
It seems like months since I’ve blogged even though it’s only been six weeks. What could possibly have kept me from blogging? Life. Yes, life got in the way. Coupled with that “day job” of mine, learning Excel so I could keep my organization’s books in order, tax preparation, and assorted other interruptions blogging didn’t stand a chance. Then there’s all the organizing and packing required for a two-month trip. YES! I’m going away for two whole months. Read the rest of this entry »
Posted in Uncategorized on 05/03/2010 04:50 pm by
