People sit outside in their front yards or even in the street in front of their houses here. At first I thought maybe it was because they had no backyards, and in some cases I still think this is true. But another thing is, that people have front porches, usually covered, and big enough for a few chairs. Then there's the people who sit in the yard or in the street in front of the house. I think maybe it's also about neighbors, about visiting, and about watching people go by.
The tempo is so much slower here, in some ways it's like living in the '50's. Slower is what I mean. Sometimes it's hard to go slow, but things don't just happen. There is conversation, then business, then more conversation. We called a number we saw on a house for sale nearby, about 3 blocks over, closer to the ovalo where we exercise. We are not in any position to buy anything at this point, but we want to see what's out there, and for how much. I have heard prices at both ends of the spectrum. And I'm talking about buying around here- in el centro. Not by the beaches- the gated communities or the condos. The electric bill alone is enough to make one look elsewhere for a house. My friend Pam lives in a very nice condo at the beach, and one month last winter her electric bill was $500 and ours was $40.
Anyway I've been in a few houses over here and have seen some I really like. This one looks nice from the outside, sort of a shallow front yard, but looks like it has a backyard, and maybe a side yard. We're gonna see it on Tuesday morning. Like I said we can't do anything right now, but I want to understand the market for when we can. There's alot of empty houses around here, but not too many with for sale signs....and it's tricky here- the title is tricky, and I've heard of people selling property they don't own. We even drove by that first house to see if it's still empty- which it is, and we may ask if he's interested in selling since he's not renting it and he's never coming back. It has a good yard. Everardo says he'd just knock it down and start over...but who knows, maybe so renovating would do it.....I'm such a dreamer! Still gotta sell a house in Guerrero!
I just looked at all the pictures of the Guerrero house, how we painted it, how beautiful the beach is, how peaceful the town. Then I went back in this blog to this week last year. Ha ha we had no internet and no phone for a week. Then we got those back and lost the tv channels in English. But I had also written about swimming in the ocean, and our anniversary which was the 16th of July. Everardo made me the same breakfast last year as last year- which is perfect since it's my favorite. I had also blogged that I was washing the clothes by hand, man I'm glad not to be doing THAT anymore ha ha. But like Guerrero a little bit of rain falls in July.
It rained here this afternoon, and luckily I brought the clothes in off the line right before it started. We have access to a dryer here but it runs up the electric so I use the clothes line, and it's fine. We spent the day together, started with a meeting, did a little shopping and then ate in this little hole in the wall that Everardo's been eyeing. And he was right- those little places always have the best food. I almost ordered the enchiladas, but she said they were very "picoso" (spicy) and that I should order the "entomatadas" which is no spices, probly just tomato sauce. Next time, cause I wanted eggs, so I ordered the omelette with tocino (bacon) and ha ha it was served slathered in this orange hot sauce! I started trying to scrape it off and the server handed me a spoon. I actually thought of asking why- if I shied away from the enchiladas because of spicy-ness, why would I want hot sauce on my eggs? Ah well, it turned out fine and Everardo really liked it and I could tell he was hoping I felt the same so I sucked it up, ate the eggs and sucked down the beans and french fries they served with my eggs using tortillas.
It's been a long week. Everardo has decided that working out at the center is really not working for him, he just needs to make more money. I think it was ok for awhile, but she hired him at a set price for 3 days a week, and then the past 2 weeks, if she doesn't have anything for him in the afternoon, she pays him half. That's not ok. The fact is they said they had lots for him to do, work for both the dog ministry and on the other side, running errands, taking people to the dr, picking up the fish, - well what I think (and my opinion is like an asshole- everybody has one) is that if they were a little better organized they'd probly have lots for him to do. But it's not about what I think, and I did not add my two cents. I told my husband that I support him in any decision he makes about anything. I could feel this coming...when he talked to me about wear & tear on his truck, that he was not getting any compensation there...on the other hand that was never part of it....and and and...there's lots of other hands here, so he made a decision that works for him. It looks like the center is in a bit f a transition, the dog ministry just keeps growing and they are partnering with 2 other shelters and working with the city dog catchers, so who knows how it will all shake out...
We know tourist wise it's gonna be slow for the next 2 months, but at least on wknds he'll keep working it, and I figured out our budget again, and we can live on, including rent, less than $800 a month so we'll be ok.
If my daughter comes to visit we're thinking of taking a trip. If she can come for at least 2 weeks, ok at least 16 days, we can go down to Playa Ventura and she can see that house, then swing over thru Michocan and see his brother & sister (& cousins) in Morelia. If she can only do a week, then maybe somewhere closer; Caborca or Hermesillo or Nogales. As soon as she tells me she really wants to come we're gonna tell her we'll buy the ticket, but we're trying not to pressure her since she's going thru alot right now. She's been unemployed for a week. She's doing fine I think; having time to make good dinners, and spend time with her future step daughter. She's a mom to Danica already; they have half time I think, and I love facebook for seeing the fun things they do together. "Rocking out to nursery rhymes in the car", sleepovers and fun days at the river. Anyway selfishly I hope she stays off work for a couple of months. That way she can visit us ha ha! But she also looking at taking some courses, starting a certificate program...and figuring out all those home projects we plan but never find time to work on. But again, same as my Poppi, what ever she decides I'll support 100%.
She and I talked on the phone every day this week. My other daughter not so much, ha ha. That whole she's 20 thing. The one good thing though is that finally younger is talking to older about herself. What happened was Drew & I were on the phone talking about her sister, and she said something that made me say- hey wait! Do you know something? And she asked me- that my sister is gay? I said yeah, and she said, well yeah, and I was so relieved!! I HATED keeping that secret, but it wasn't mine to tell. And it wasn't really a secret; her friends and coworkers all know, so I asked her- why aren't you telling your sister? She said I don't know- it's kind of awkward...I said ok then start the conversation with that! Actually she's worried about telling her dad. She told me in Jan when she was here- she said she knew I'd be fine with it- which I am. I just want her to be happy. But she called to ask me how to tell her dad a couple of weeks ago and that's when I said (again) TELL your sister!! She knows you and loves you more than anyone and she can be with you, support you when you tell your dad- who by the way will also be fine with it. I know he doesn't read this ha ha or even anyone he knows, so I'm not letting any cats out of the bag here ha ha. So anyway my daughters are talking again and hopefully will get closer again, that's what I hope for.
Lucky- or little mouse as I call him (Poppi calls him little shit) is finally 6 weeks old and acting like a puppy- wants to eat everything, plays more, and still sleeps alot. Sam is warming up to him ever so slowly, so that's good. The hunidity here is getting close to Guerrero and I hope it does not attract the same mosquitos! It was raining tonite so altho I dressed for Zumba nobody was there- well to be fair the cement would have been slippery so we came back, picked up the mutts and took them to the beach. Sam went in the water, Lucky doesn't like it too much, but he walked as fast as he could on those stubby little legs to keep up. That's one thing I love here (& in Guerrero), when it rains, go to the beach cause it's still warm!
People are still out since the rain is so light, sitting in their front yards, some with bbqs. some with music, all with chatter and laughter. Kids play in the street and young people whisper in each other's ears in the shadows. Slower quieter life...yeah I like it. Viva!
Mexico fun fact:
The red poinsettia (which the Aztecs called cuetlaxochitl) originated in Mexico and is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico (in the 1820s).d
The tempo is so much slower here, in some ways it's like living in the '50's. Slower is what I mean. Sometimes it's hard to go slow, but things don't just happen. There is conversation, then business, then more conversation. We called a number we saw on a house for sale nearby, about 3 blocks over, closer to the ovalo where we exercise. We are not in any position to buy anything at this point, but we want to see what's out there, and for how much. I have heard prices at both ends of the spectrum. And I'm talking about buying around here- in el centro. Not by the beaches- the gated communities or the condos. The electric bill alone is enough to make one look elsewhere for a house. My friend Pam lives in a very nice condo at the beach, and one month last winter her electric bill was $500 and ours was $40.
Anyway I've been in a few houses over here and have seen some I really like. This one looks nice from the outside, sort of a shallow front yard, but looks like it has a backyard, and maybe a side yard. We're gonna see it on Tuesday morning. Like I said we can't do anything right now, but I want to understand the market for when we can. There's alot of empty houses around here, but not too many with for sale signs....and it's tricky here- the title is tricky, and I've heard of people selling property they don't own. We even drove by that first house to see if it's still empty- which it is, and we may ask if he's interested in selling since he's not renting it and he's never coming back. It has a good yard. Everardo says he'd just knock it down and start over...but who knows, maybe so renovating would do it.....I'm such a dreamer! Still gotta sell a house in Guerrero!
I just looked at all the pictures of the Guerrero house, how we painted it, how beautiful the beach is, how peaceful the town. Then I went back in this blog to this week last year. Ha ha we had no internet and no phone for a week. Then we got those back and lost the tv channels in English. But I had also written about swimming in the ocean, and our anniversary which was the 16th of July. Everardo made me the same breakfast last year as last year- which is perfect since it's my favorite. I had also blogged that I was washing the clothes by hand, man I'm glad not to be doing THAT anymore ha ha. But like Guerrero a little bit of rain falls in July.
It rained here this afternoon, and luckily I brought the clothes in off the line right before it started. We have access to a dryer here but it runs up the electric so I use the clothes line, and it's fine. We spent the day together, started with a meeting, did a little shopping and then ate in this little hole in the wall that Everardo's been eyeing. And he was right- those little places always have the best food. I almost ordered the enchiladas, but she said they were very "picoso" (spicy) and that I should order the "entomatadas" which is no spices, probly just tomato sauce. Next time, cause I wanted eggs, so I ordered the omelette with tocino (bacon) and ha ha it was served slathered in this orange hot sauce! I started trying to scrape it off and the server handed me a spoon. I actually thought of asking why- if I shied away from the enchiladas because of spicy-ness, why would I want hot sauce on my eggs? Ah well, it turned out fine and Everardo really liked it and I could tell he was hoping I felt the same so I sucked it up, ate the eggs and sucked down the beans and french fries they served with my eggs using tortillas.
It's been a long week. Everardo has decided that working out at the center is really not working for him, he just needs to make more money. I think it was ok for awhile, but she hired him at a set price for 3 days a week, and then the past 2 weeks, if she doesn't have anything for him in the afternoon, she pays him half. That's not ok. The fact is they said they had lots for him to do, work for both the dog ministry and on the other side, running errands, taking people to the dr, picking up the fish, - well what I think (and my opinion is like an asshole- everybody has one) is that if they were a little better organized they'd probly have lots for him to do. But it's not about what I think, and I did not add my two cents. I told my husband that I support him in any decision he makes about anything. I could feel this coming...when he talked to me about wear & tear on his truck, that he was not getting any compensation there...on the other hand that was never part of it....and and and...there's lots of other hands here, so he made a decision that works for him. It looks like the center is in a bit f a transition, the dog ministry just keeps growing and they are partnering with 2 other shelters and working with the city dog catchers, so who knows how it will all shake out...
We know tourist wise it's gonna be slow for the next 2 months, but at least on wknds he'll keep working it, and I figured out our budget again, and we can live on, including rent, less than $800 a month so we'll be ok.
If my daughter comes to visit we're thinking of taking a trip. If she can come for at least 2 weeks, ok at least 16 days, we can go down to Playa Ventura and she can see that house, then swing over thru Michocan and see his brother & sister (& cousins) in Morelia. If she can only do a week, then maybe somewhere closer; Caborca or Hermesillo or Nogales. As soon as she tells me she really wants to come we're gonna tell her we'll buy the ticket, but we're trying not to pressure her since she's going thru alot right now. She's been unemployed for a week. She's doing fine I think; having time to make good dinners, and spend time with her future step daughter. She's a mom to Danica already; they have half time I think, and I love facebook for seeing the fun things they do together. "Rocking out to nursery rhymes in the car", sleepovers and fun days at the river. Anyway selfishly I hope she stays off work for a couple of months. That way she can visit us ha ha! But she also looking at taking some courses, starting a certificate program...and figuring out all those home projects we plan but never find time to work on. But again, same as my Poppi, what ever she decides I'll support 100%.
She and I talked on the phone every day this week. My other daughter not so much, ha ha. That whole she's 20 thing. The one good thing though is that finally younger is talking to older about herself. What happened was Drew & I were on the phone talking about her sister, and she said something that made me say- hey wait! Do you know something? And she asked me- that my sister is gay? I said yeah, and she said, well yeah, and I was so relieved!! I HATED keeping that secret, but it wasn't mine to tell. And it wasn't really a secret; her friends and coworkers all know, so I asked her- why aren't you telling your sister? She said I don't know- it's kind of awkward...I said ok then start the conversation with that! Actually she's worried about telling her dad. She told me in Jan when she was here- she said she knew I'd be fine with it- which I am. I just want her to be happy. But she called to ask me how to tell her dad a couple of weeks ago and that's when I said (again) TELL your sister!! She knows you and loves you more than anyone and she can be with you, support you when you tell your dad- who by the way will also be fine with it. I know he doesn't read this ha ha or even anyone he knows, so I'm not letting any cats out of the bag here ha ha. So anyway my daughters are talking again and hopefully will get closer again, that's what I hope for.
Lucky- or little mouse as I call him (Poppi calls him little shit) is finally 6 weeks old and acting like a puppy- wants to eat everything, plays more, and still sleeps alot. Sam is warming up to him ever so slowly, so that's good. The hunidity here is getting close to Guerrero and I hope it does not attract the same mosquitos! It was raining tonite so altho I dressed for Zumba nobody was there- well to be fair the cement would have been slippery so we came back, picked up the mutts and took them to the beach. Sam went in the water, Lucky doesn't like it too much, but he walked as fast as he could on those stubby little legs to keep up. That's one thing I love here (& in Guerrero), when it rains, go to the beach cause it's still warm!
People are still out since the rain is so light, sitting in their front yards, some with bbqs. some with music, all with chatter and laughter. Kids play in the street and young people whisper in each other's ears in the shadows. Slower quieter life...yeah I like it. Viva!
Mexico fun fact:
The red poinsettia (which the Aztecs called cuetlaxochitl) originated in Mexico and is named after Joel Roberts Poinsett, the first United States ambassador to Mexico (in the 1820s).d
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