Visitors from Everardo's side of the family

Everardo's cousin Anna and her husband Carlos showed up today! Surprise! She's really more his sister than his cousin, they grew up together since he was pretty young since he was an orphan at age 9. I really like them and Poppi is so happy they're here. They got a hotel and we are just back from dinner with them. We'll meet up again around noon tomorrow and she wants camarones coco (the big shrimp in coconut) and we;ll show them around the different neighborhoods, the rich people mansions along the beach, the beaches we like best, etc. They haven't been here before but suddenly decided to make the trip to see us and to gauge the time it takes and the best way to bring Everardo's aunt & uncle. As it turns out his uncle really wants to see him, and at this point we have no idea if Everardo will ever get a visa to go back to the states.

He tells me that Anna & Carlos make trips like this all the time. They were in Tecate 2 weeks ago. They live in Salinas, about an hour south of San Francisco Calif, and they made it here in 11 hours. That was a long hard, fast drive, though. They pulled off the side of the road before they crossed the border and slept for 2 hours. ouch. Anyway they come down to Tijuana, Tecate, Mexicali often, I think they go to Las Vegas as well so apparently they like road trips ha ha! They got here late morning this morning and we met them at an outside restaurant in the afternoon, then they went back to the hotel to rest and we got back together for dinner. We walked on the malecon and watched the sun go down over the water while sitting in the plaza, and it was nice. We watched the kids playing and the vendors, and the other people strolling thru like we were and everybody talked & talked. It was mostly in Spanish.

I think I'm at a frustrating edge....it didn't sound like...blah blah blah bladdy blah. It sounded like words and I understood alot of them, but missed important things, like maybe I heard those guys, blah blah and we put the flowers on top- so I thought it was about seeing friends and buying flowers when it was we'll plant flowers on the dirt where we bury these guys after we kill the bastards. Ok maybe a bad example, but I just meant that missing a couple of key words or phrases really changes things....So I missed alot of the conversation, but watching my sweet hubby laughing and talking, his eyes bright with excitement and love, well, it was nice- no it was great!

I talked to my daughter on the phone this morning and she seems to be doing ok with the whole getting laid off thing. We talked about her coming down and she agreed saying she could apply for jobs from our living room couch as easily as from up there. Later I talked to Everardo about if she came for 2 or 3 weeks, we could take a trip south and show her where we lived in Playa Ventura. That would be a cool adventure for her and for us. So vamos a ver (we'll see). I chatted on FB with my younger daughter (age 20) and that was a little more disappointing. I have to keep remembering that age 20 is a selfish self centered age and she will grow out of it.

2 weeks ago I had asked her about going to school next semester and she needed some money to pay off last semester and get signed up- and she needed it NOW to get the classes she needed. I jumped thru a couple of hoops and anx'ted over it (yes my fault), and ended up sending a check to Drew to give to her since we were sending Drew some money towards her wedding fund anyway. Well she didn't try to contact Drew for 2 weeks! Which really pissed me off because I took her at her word that she needed the money right that minute. I kinda wrote that to her today and she has not replied. My expectations again. I hope to hear from her tomorrow. I don't want to be at odds with my kid anytime, and really don't want to be at odds with her long distance. She has trusted me with some important feelings about herself and her lifestyle and that's a gift to me. But it's been months now, and I want her to share it with her sister. The same day we discussed her needing this school money she told me all her friends knew and her coworkers, and then I really stressed she needs to talk to her sister. She said she would, but will she? She sent me a msg today to say she "texted" Drew and Drew ignored it and she wants the money...and I wrote back and said if you talked to your sister you'd know she just lost her job...and a friend who was in a horrible accident died this morning. That she should call her- not just text...but that's part of the msg where I said I was disappointed in her actions, and so I got no repsonse. Drew will call her in the morning, so we'll see what comes next. Just me complaining about my kids I guess.

How did I start that? I was talking about Drew coming to visit and going to Playa Ventura. And Everardo's family being here. And that now they've come once, we'll see more of them. Another couple we are friends with also wrote to us today and we're hoping they'll come down. They helped me with my messed up dr appt and being all groggy after; she took me home, put me to bed, then feed me and made sure I was ok before I went home. Good friends.

Oh and I googled that Pipe Organ cactus- it's very sensitive to frost- so I'm still guessing to humidity as well. Not sure it gets frosty here in winter but it was pretty cold in Dec & Jan. I also heard they grow along the road south to Caborca as well, but the Sonoran desert is the only place on earth that they grow- so that's kinda cool, I'm glad I noticed them. They also bloom with a flower and a fruit, but from about Oct thru May...so ha ha I just missed it, but will be watching in a few months. A friend told me his wife loves the fruit, that's it's very juicy, so it must be a help to anyone trying to survive in this huge desert.

Looking forward to tomorrow to meet back up with Anna and Carlos; and my nephew Francisco already says next time he's coming!

Ok Mexico fun fact:
The border between Mexico and the United States is the second largest border in the world (only the U.S.-Canadian border is longer).

Driving to Phoenix and maybe Nogales

I went to Phoenix yesterday with my friend and galpal Pam. She's my best friend here besides my hubby; we are both so totally irreverent and laugh our heads off. We blabbed all the way up there, over three hours. We are both in recovery and so talked about the fact that everybody is sick (dysfunctional) and when we get mad at people, well that's just us having expectations. But we still had a good time making fun of everyone we know!

Phoenix is hot, a different kind of hot then here, no humidity, so it's just searing hot. I was happy for her ac in her car. Then we went to Walmart...ha ha Walmart in Arizona....it was exactly like all those utube photos of Walmart shoppers. I don't want to insult any one state, but omg- hillbillies, all these young families with 5 or 6 kids- must be nothing to do there. Huge people- and I know they make clothes to fit huge people, but all of these were wearing small people clothes. Yep I sound terrible but oh God it was funny. Of course I shopped there- I got wide egg noodles and different pasta sauces, some sharp cheddar cheese. And then..................yes! I tried on some tank tops and saw myself in the mirror in the dressing room....I was one of them! A Walmart shopper! I of course tried on at least two tops that were too small and I looked pathetic. I started laughing out loud to myself. Overhead a guy was announcing a free gift over in the produce area...I kept looking for blue light specials...But I shouldn't criticize cause the 2 tops I did buy (& they fit) were marked down to $5 when I got to the register. Pam showed up with a cart load of stuff and we laughed about the danger of shopping when you're hungry.

We got lost looking for these other places, but found our way, got what we needed and hit the road. I got some new Saucony tennis shoes for walking at the ovalo (& zumba), and Pam was happy to find some new places in Phoenix. The truth is Arizona is not my favorite state. It's very conservative and I am very liberal. There's alot of people down here on vacations from Arizona, and very nice, but again, at times they let their racist insanity show, you know? Jus' sayin'....

The drive back was pretty. I hadn't really looked around on the way up, we were laughing and talking so much. And I guess I never looked around much the other couple of times I made the trip, cause I never noticed how beautiful those catus are- they're called "Pipe Organ" catus; they're tall and usually have 2 branches- that look like arms on either side, sometimes they look like they're waving, or saluting, waving you over, or pointing at something. I don't know why they are only in a particular area, as we get close to the border they start to disappear, and there are none around here. Maybe it has to do with how the road starts to get close to the water? Maybe the ground changes beneath the surface, cause it sure doesn't look any different topside. Sandy dirt, dry sandy dirt. Well and I guess the air is different here as well; that humidity I was talking about- hey I bet that's it! The Organ Pipe cactus doesn't do well in the humidity...ok gotta look that up!

We're trying to plan a trip, maybe to Nogales since I've never been there. It's about 6 hours so we'll want to spend the nite, so we need someone to watch the kids (oops I mean doggys). But since Lucky is only almost 6 weeks old, he hasn't has any shots, so he can't be around other dogs. If he had his shots, Karen and Mark would be happy to take them, so we might have to wait a few weeks. But planing is fun cause I look the places up to find out things. I was looking at all the towns in Baja the other day, thinking it might be nice to live over there- it's not as hot during these summer months- but on the Pacific side the water is cold, on the Sea of Cortez side, well I didn't find any place that jumped out at me, and truthfully, I love my work at the center, I really am helping people, and I want to keep that up, so for now...this is good. So who knows what comes next..

So I noticed another thing different in Mexico than in the US that has to do with cars. Many businesses, even grocery stores, have parking that is right off the road. I mean like you turn into a parking spot right off the road. So when you want to leave, you back out into the street. It makes driving in the right lane a dangerous adventure sometimes. Especially on main roads, I got stuck once and now I'll park down the street or around the corner, or just come back in the evening when there's not too much traffic...ok really I pretty much just don't park in those spots, except for going to the atm at Santander, sometimes I'll pull in. Like today, and luckily the windshield washer guy had to guide me back out- ha ha and I didn't even let him clean my windshield. I drive pretty slow here. The stop signs, and even the traffic lights sometimes, are merely recommendations. People drive as fast or slow as they want, stop when they want- and NOBODY wears their seatbelt. I do. You see kids on laps or even dashboards...cars filled to the brim with people. And these parking slots right on the street are common everywhere in Mexico. I just didn't notice it was different until yesterday being in the states. Yeah and no smog requirements, you see cars on the road you can't believe are running, and half the windshieds are cracked. Mine was, too, and we only fixed it in case I needed to drive to the Phoenix airport to pick somebody up. Some cars have license plates, some don't, some lights work- yeah at least some so at nite you can tell something is there ha ha. Oh and the thing that scares me all the people in the back of trucks. Kids standing up! Or sitting against the tailgate! And that goes for adults as well, always people sitting against the tailgates and standing up.....scary.

Well another thing happened. My beautiful daughter got laid off from her job yesterday. I know how that feels- I got laid off once and I started questioning myself. She told me a binch of people got laid off, not just her; it is part of a bigger company taking over their company and making cuts and changes. I know she's mad, she's sad, unsure of herself, hurt feelings, and afraid. She has bills to pay just like everybody else, they have rent and food and gas and utilities, and she is a strong independent woman. I suggested she make no decisions for a couple of weeks, just let her feelings sort themselves out. She had gotten good reviews and was an outstanding employee, so she needn't feel bad about herself. And the face is- she hated that job, and so I hated it too. I hated for her to be in conflict about it, she was always sending out resumes, and hated the hours, she worked 12 hour overnite shifts for more than 2 years while always requesting day shifts that new people coming in kept getting-'oh they need training on days' or some other excuse that was always followed with 'don't worry we're gonna move you' and then mgmt would change (there's a clue-every changing personnel) and she would have to start again. So I'm hoping that after a few days when her emotions settle down, she will see this as a good thing. Hopefully in the not too distant future she'll say this was they best thing that could have happened to me! I love her so much and I'm so proud of her. She will be sucessful at whatever she goes for.

She's been talking about doing a certificate program, and there's lots of them around. She has great experience in customer service, dispatch, and 911 calls so if she decides to stay in the same field, I know she'll find something. She will land on her feet, I know. It just kills me for her to be sad, mad, and worried....you know- it's a mom thing. Right now she has the world at her feet, she'll get unemployment and she can take a look around, take a breather, asses and re-asses. She can wake up and workout instead of after work. She can take a look at her budget, they can do it together. I'm so happy she has such a strong partner, she can lean on him for a minute, and he can help her reason things out. I have every confidence in her and in them.

So I am completely soaking wet with sweat. The breeze is not making in in here and the fan quit a few minutes ago. Lucky is pooping all over the house and arrgghh I remember I hate it when they're babies. Sam looks on like- I don't know what you brought that little mouse home for....

I didn't go to the ovalo yesterday cause I got back from Phoenix right when Everardo was about to go down there, but I'll go tonite. No zumba on weekends but I can dance/walk in my new shoes. I brought Poppi new running shoes, too- so no excuses. Ha ha he doesn't need any excuses, it's me...even though once I get there I'm happy I went.

So life settles down here, English class, Spanish class, exercising, and dogs the park. I had to go to Telcel today to put money on my phone and the young women in there commented on how good my Spanish was (inferring for a white lady ha ha). If we could just SELL the other house, then we would breathe a little easier. Not too many tourists here now at the beach. Most of them are Mexicans from other states in Mexico, and they don't buy too much. He doesn't make to much work for the center and is thinking about quitting that, and now he's looking at a security position down at the condos Pam lives at...we'll see. Our rent is really cheap, but we still gotta eat, and buy tennis shoes, pay for water and electricity....but for today.......we are ok.

ok fun fact about Mexico:
Millions of monarch butterflies migrate to Mexico every year from the U.S. and Canada, though logging operations are rapidly destroying their habitat.^d

Juego de Pepino

Juego de Pepino is cucumber juice. It's amazing! It's so refreshing. I had it the first time in Playa Ventura and I was amazed then! It's easy to make; put a cucumber in a blender, then strain it. Add water, and is it called lime zest? It's when you grate the skin of the lime? (I know usually it's lemon but remember there's no such thing in Mexico). Then add sugar to taste. Not too much sugar cause it takes away from the thirst quenching clearness of the taste. It's just sooo good. Oh and put alot of ice in your glass, a tall glass cause once you taste it you'll want a tall glass full.

It's getting really hot here, and after exercising, a glass of juego de pepina hits the spot. I am so sore right now, my feet are throbbing ha ha! I went to the ovalo and the Zumba class was happening. This teacher kicked my ass! I didn't try to do everything cause no point in killing myself if she's not gonna show up tomorrow. Don't get me wrong, I worked out hard, I limped to my car ha ha. But I didn't so all the jumping or running in place. I am in just too shitty of shape to work out that hard the first day. And basically it was the first day. I've been walking for half hour or 45 minutes, but not even every day..but today's beating shows me- I need to! She was doing steps and routines I could follow and/or had done before but man- my body does not obey! I am oooolllllddddd and fat! I am eating better, we are eating better. Less meat- more beans.

Ha ha am I Mexican or what? More beans! But I like beans, and they're full of protein. At the ovalo, Everardo will jog for an hour, or work out on the equipment...he's doing a much better job than me. I know my bones ache these days, I still think it's from the damn cancer medicine, but maybe if I keep working out I can strengthen my bones. After I finished treatment was when I went to that bootcamp in Utah and pushed myself to prove to myself I was strong. That was 3 1/2 years ago.

The only thing I've been consistent with is Spanish, so maybe I can make the same commitment to myself with exercise, but for me- I have to let go of expectation, that maybe there will be zumba class and maybe not, and if not, besides walking maybe I need to add some of my elliptical, at least for awhile, cause wow (ha ha ha ha) I am so NOT in shape. I was like a senior citizen in that class tonite, trying to follow along, but low kicks, and bent knees, out of breath waving my arms...ouch! Last nite I twisted my ankle, not bad, but oh man I'm feelin' that and my toe I broke 2 years ago when the ocean tried to drag me out and slam me on the rocks...it's aching as well. Yes I'm a big baby...old and fat- and I promised the instructor to be there tomorrow nite- hope she shows, too!

So the juice was like heaven. Ha ha I bet about this time last year I wrote about the same juice. Later I'm gonna look back and see.

Ok the other new thing....cockroaches!! Cucarachas! Yuck Gross right? I always think of them in terms of old apartment buildings, or unclean areas..but it's not true. The weather, the heat...I don't know maybe they come inside to try and cool off. I was told today there's a spray for around your house that helps keep them out- actually she said otherwise we will be overrun....I know they don't do anything but they still gross me out. You can hit them with a hammer and they still don't die. Our house is clean, well the sandy earth blows in so it always needs sweeping and dusting, but not dirty. We let go of our cleaning lady, it's a small house and if Poppi does the bathrooms I'll do the kitchen...

So last week the lady threw away the dinner I had made the nite before and that was like the final straw with her for me (remember she put the plastic bags in the oven?) I made a vegetable pasta with wide egg noodles and pesto sauce I brought from the states, luckily I finally figured out how to make just half the noodles cause I'd use the whole bag and we have pasta for a week. I made it Tues nite so Wed nite we'd come home from the center and eat early so we could go to the ovalo by 7pm....well she came on Wed and when I got home....well the pasta was missing...we hadn't eaten any of it! It was not in the fridge, it was in the garbage outside. Everardo just looked at me. I rarely cook...so when I do it's not like him, so causal and just whips up anything, you know? I almost cried. I texted her and she said, well it was bad....this was in Spanish of course. I think she probly has no experience with pesto, and so the smell was not familiar. The next day when I went to the center for class, a lady who works there told me she heard about my slimy food. In that moment...she was gone. So we decided we'll do it ourselves. She had only been working for us for a couple of months...


Ok right now there's a lizard crawling across out window, looking for mosquitos. So we have a full house, dog, puppy, cockroaches, mosquitos and mosquito hunters! I've also been told the scorpions here are really big, but that's good cause the big ones are not as toxic...but my favorite kind are the ones I don't see at all. I see little prarrie dogs all the time, but not here in the neighborhoods, usually on the way to our favorite beach. Oh and this weekend the beach was full of jelly fish! More on Saturday and I didn't go to the beach until Sunday and I didn't see any, but Everardo saw alot on Saturday, and some people getting stung. The people here put either windex or vinegar on them and say the pain goes away immeditely. Of course we had neither with us and I spent my time in the water trying to spot them. Everardo was laughing cause he said you can see them easily, they're very blue and on top of the water in a big group.

So interesting few days...it's getting hotter and hotter, more and more humid but luckily the wind continues to blow and that helps. Had a few raindrops this morning, but reading about a hurricane near Playa Ventura....so it could sure be worse. Yeah we gotta sell that house down there...another story for later I guess...well they are finally getting "city" water so that will help it be more desirable...but we would really like to close that chapter in our lives....

Ok fun fact about Mexico:
ooops I can't open my bookmarks, the internet has been terrible today, oh like Playa Ventura, bad internet and trouble flushing one of the toilets.....anyway no fun fact today...hope this will even post!

What? No Fireworks?

I had heard there were lots of fireworks here down at the beach on 4th of July. It's a long weekend and the town started filling up on the 3rd. I logged onto a local web forum for expats living here and read of a couple of places to watch them. Hmmm nope. I heard speculation that it will be tonite (Friday) or maybe tomorrow nite, but I guess I'm over it. We did see some people letting off the type that shoot straight up real high, and then make a big noise...but no colors. That's ok. We had fun, driving around in this big dune buggy thing with 4 wheel drive...

These friends of ours; Deb and Rick came and picked us up about 8pm and we drove from beach to beach to beach in this crazy dune buggy thing. The streets were really crowded and all the places that rent the 3 wheeled motorcycles, dune buggys and things were all sold out, so the party had started even without fireworks. It was fun to drive around in that thing and finally we went to the Monarcha Michocana- they have ice cream and paletas (ice cream on a stick), made with real fruit, the best lemonade in the world and other juices they make right there like jicama, coconut, ochata (sp), differetn berries. Anyway they always seem to be on a corner; they have a roof over the work area, over the products, but the chairs are basically on the sidewalk. We sat and chatted for over an hour getting to know each other. They're pretty interesting and we know them from the community center I teach at and Poppi works with dogs. They want to start a business down here and I would love to get involved...he's kicking around ideas as different as packaging this tiny pepper that Japan will buy all they can get of, and doing something with solar....and everything in between. But they seems to be a good business savvy couple....

I think there's alot of opportunity here. This city crashed and burned. I have written previously about the unfinished hotels and condo buildings, all the houses for sale...office/store space for rent. I just keep listening and reading and there are so many opinions about what's coming next, but everyone seems to be in agreement that this year there's been more people (tourists) here than the past 5 years. I'm reading and hearing that the cruise ship port is a done deal, that infrastructure is starting...that will brings jobs and people. In fact with my students we are working on conversations like taking people's orders at a fast food place like McDonalds and a sit down restaurant, next maybe checking into a hotel...

The airport is now international, meaning flights from Vegas, Tuscon, and somewhere else further east I think...So it would seem Puerto Penasco is in recovery mode. But then I also read on this forum, and I think (strongly-I think) these people are all retirees, but maybe somehow they're "in the know", that the cruise ship port will never come to fruition. They also comment in a negative way all the reasons it's a bad idea...like we already have a stressed water system, electricity problems, etc. So- I'm just waiting to see. But I can't see how new jobs can do anything but help.

I always write about San Rafael, where the community center is and how the people there are struggling to survive, to eat. But as I drive around town, I see struggling everywhere. Maybe those who are retired and live in the nice condos by the beach, and really just interact with other expats, don't travel away from the main downtown area; after all there's a grocery store nearby...and there's lots of activities always going on. Fishing derbys, concerts, art shows, bathtub races, (silly fun stuff), charity dinners...don't get me wrong, people do donate alot to the community centers, to 2Fish, who also feed people, to many organizations. But once you get away from the beachfront and the line of condo resorts, the gated communities of Las Conchas and Playa Encanto, where there are huge houses- of which many are for sale, and most are only populated part time...vacation houses- once you get away from that, well you have "middle class" and then the really poor. And middle class might only mean your house is not made of cardboard or mismatched planks of wood. Well our house is made of cement blocks, and we're lucky cause it's insulated or we'd be dying from the heat right now (ha ha).

Mexico is a poor country- or at least I believe the majority are poor. I don't like that I have gotten used to seeing the poverty in which so many live. But I also see people with pride, with integrity, who may live in a shack, but their children are polite and their clothes are clean and pressed. I'm making a couple of friends down at the ovavlo; well when the Zumba class actually happens I usually chat a little, but when I'm walking I'm in my own little music world ha ha. Now my husband has told me even another interesting thing, well to me puzzling...He knows people who are vendors here, on the beach or even that have a stand somewhere, who have made alot of money, and are still making money, but they live in one of those shacks. Why? You know most people do own their lot that their shack is on. A funny strange fact is that in Mexico almost everybody owns their house outright- no mortgage..the percent of people is some really high number (that number escapes me)...if you have that lot, many people start with a shack, and every time they have a little money they add a little, some concrtet blocks or bricks. Some houses end up with a funny configuration (like ours), but it's a house, their house. Out in San Rafael there are some bigger houses, put together over time, by people who struggle to eat. So I guess there's all kinds of people, eh?

We heard we can buy 2 lots for $2500 out in San Rafael. wow right? But for us right now we can't buy anything, we need to sell the other house, and we have no idea when/if that will be. One good thing we just saw in some Guerrero news online is that water is coming to Playa Ventura. That could make it a more desirable place to buy a beach house, so we'll see. We never ran out of water because our house has 2 cisterns, and it rained so much they were never low. And here, well Everado talk about buying a couple of lots and building an adobe house, but maybe we'll find something already built that maybe we'll just want to add/change or leave be. I've been in a couple of houses here in el centro that I like very much, so when we're ready I think there will be lots of options for us. Well ok that brings us back to the subject of the cruise ship port- will prices begin to rise again...probly is my opinion, but one lesson you MUST learn in Mexico is patience. And apparently I haven't learned it because it just keeps coming up for me ha ha!

Ok Lucky puppy has not grown too much in a week, since now he's only about 4 weeks old, but he has a little personality and has won our hearts- ok he had mine the second I laid eyes on him, but Poppi is now enchanted, and Sam is even starting to come around ha ha. Lucky follows Sam around and tries to eat from his bowl and chew his huge cow leg bone....but still needs to go out in the middle of the nite- well actually they're both sleeping outside, but Lucky cries about 4:30 am and needs a little TLC...

Ok fun fact:

The National University of Mexico was founded in 1551 by Charles V of Spain and is the oldest university in North America.^d

New puppy & other things

It's been a few days since I posted; well been all about the puppy. His name is Lucky and we brought him home last Thursday afternoon. He is between 3 & 4 weeks old, way too soon to be away from his mommy, but he was just thrown away in the street with his brothers and sisters. I know I've written about the dog problem in Mexico, and this is another one. Throw away puppies. Yeah, last week while I was there, some ladies brought in these cardboard boxes, and there was a momma and 2 day old puppies in one, and the momma had a rope around her neck, tight. Everardo had to find a knife and cut it off. The poppa was in the other box, shaking, a rope on him, too. There was a third box in the car, nothing in it. Ah but a hole torn in the backside...yes an escapee. Later after I left, they showed back up, and Karen told me the box was sealed. SEALED!! And they said, oh be careful, he's mean...hmmm well DUH! He's in a sealed small box....poor thing was trembling so much Karen took him home with her that nite.

Anyway....Lucky is tiny, and has to learn to eat solid food. He'll get the hang of it for one meal, and the later you gotta show it to him again. Thurs and Friday we gave him this puppy formula. Actually Saturday, too. Then Sunday we started giving him Pedialite for the electrolytes. Wow what a difference, right after he drinks a little of that he's all peppy for a little while, then crashes. He eats, poops and sleeps. And drinking also has to be learned. He learns and then forgets how to lap water in a bowl. I have a injection thing, like you add a needle to it to give a shot? It's the part you fill up with the medicine, or in this case, water or Pedialite. It's a plastic one Karen gave me from out at the center, and it works great. I was putting water in a cap from a water bottle and forcing his mouth open. For water I basically still have to do the same thing, for the Pedialite- as soon as he tastes it, he open wide ha ha.

The first 2 nites he slept in a box next to the bed on my side, and I got up at 2:30 and about 4am both times, to take him out...and it was good since he did his business. But for me....my kids are adults! I don't get up for middle of the nite feedings, and haven't done it about 19 years. But the amazing thing about Lucky is, he doesn't need company at nite. We put him in the kennel we borrowed, outside with a piece of chicken wire in a half circle so he could come out and poop but not wander around the yard. He was fine! Yipee! So now he and Sam are sleeping outside. Of course Sam is so insulted by it and jealous over the whole thing. He ignores Lucky, which is easy cause he is soooo small he fits in my hand. Well today actually he's a tiny bit bigger than my hand. But not much...did I mention he's only 3-4 weeks old? My guess is now he's 4 weeks so I'm going with that. So 4 more weeks until he's old enough to be taken away from his mommy....wow. I worry about him all day, but he's growing and figuring stuff out...and actually playing, just a little bit. So I'll keep everyone posted on his progress. I posted pictures of him on facebook, yeah he's pretty cute, and Poppi is falling for him too. Oh last thing- what kind of dog is he? Ha ha good question! Well he looks like a tiny mouse...part chihuahua for sure, but his back legs are kinda bowed, like a boxer or something....unless Chihuahuas have that? Have to google it...He's brown mostly, kinda of a square head, and a black stripe from the middle of  his shoulder blades down his back and his tale is black. He is sooo tiny (did I already say that?) and his legs are tiny twigs....ok so yep he's takin' up most of my time! (yipee)

Ok what else? The weather is definitely starting to change...getting hotter, not Playa Ventura, maybe cause of the wind...thank God for the wind, but it getting hotter. And the humidity....that lovely feeling when everything is sticky....ha ha back to the toilet seat sticking to me when I stand up so it falls down and sounds like a guy was just peeing. It's hard to get dressed cause you're sweating as soon as you get up. But very unlike Playa Ventura, you can sleep on top of the bed and not be eaten alive by mosquitoes. They are around in the early evening; if I want to lay in the hammock after about 4pm, I need to put on my bug stuff, but they have the same stuff, Autan up here and it's only 32 pesos (less than 3 bucks). I am hearing however that July gets increasingly hotter, and that August & Sept are unbearable. Everardo and I are laughing....bring it on! Been there done that, except it was every day all the time. We can do 2 months...or maybe it will be 3, cause it's only July 1, and if the wind stops, we will be in trouble. So, vamos a ver....

I'm doing Rosetta Stone faithfully, well it's only been 2 weeks ha ha. The Spanish teacher now has contacted Melody, a woman I had a couple of classes with, and first said she was available in August, then changed it to Sept (again). This class will be just Karen, Melody and me, so an intermediate to advanced. I agreed and think that if I stick with Rosetta Stone and then the class in a couple of months, I can only be...fantastico! We want to work from a book with her this time, not just her showing us notes on her laptop, and that will be good, too.

Mexico is amazing. Health care is one of the amazing things. The cost is SOOO much cheaper. As a permanat resident I can get Seguro Popular, and the first year it's expensive...like $800 USD and then drops to about $80 USD per year. And honestly, $800 for one year is not that expensive. I don't have all the facts yet, but as I figure it out I'll share. One other thing though- when European countries approve drugs that the US then puts thru the FDA for at least 10 years, well Mexico goes with Europe, so many more drugs are available. And as I said before, even my prescription drug for cancer, Arimidex (brand for another name) is over the counter. I'm having a problem with Kaiser right now so it's really on my mind. I thought I changed my plan the first of June so my monthly premium would go done July 1, and interestingly enough, "oh sorry it didn't go thru, but would you like to make a payment?" ha ha when I stopped laughing I said NO, you fix it...then maybe I'll pay....anyway a long involved ridiculously frustrating ordeal that everybody goes thru with big companies. So I won't go on.....except to say altho I'm waiting to see what the Affordable Healthcare Act will offer me, which will be available in Oct....do I even want US health insurance.... they have doctors here, right? But Mexico is amazing in others ways- haha in some ways it's like living in the 50's, and people just make things work. Cars are all beat up, nobody wears a seat belt, and the stops signs continue to be just a recommendation, but I don't see alot of accidents, in fact I haven't seen one since I've been here. Kids play in the street here. Parents don't watch their kids closely on the beach. People sit outside, in front of their houses in the warn weather. There are corner stores on EVERY corner, and usually some in the middle of the block. The stores and resturants, well the people live behind them or above them. There are hot dog carts and taco stands every where. And right up the street you can get a huge styrofoam cup of lemonade for less than $2. And somebody just made it fresh. Of course they call it limeade cause yellow or green they call it lime....People build things in small shops, like the furniture we had built in Playa Ventura, there's a guy down the street we're talking to about something we want for the kitchen. And we saw a guy painting a fantastic mural all across a wall around someone's house, and he will do one for us, much smaller area, for about $50! The back wall of our yard is white brick, and my hammock is right there, and now I have some nice pots, some the brightly painted type and others the earthy look, and my big Buddha I've been dragging around Mexico, well it's my little serenity corner, and the guy is going to paint some palm tress and maybe a garden...yeah for $50 USD

In Mexico, every thing is possible...yeah you might have wait....but it's posible....
 OK fun fact:
The first printing press in North America was used in Mexico City in 1539

I keep having to learn the same lesson over and over. The only consistent thing in Mexico is inconsistency. Zumba is out the window....some days they are out there with that huge speaker, and some days it even works, but they never seem to start the class. Some days they just don't come. I'm ok with walking around the ovalo (track). It can be consistent if I am consistent about it. I like walking alone and yet with so many people. I hear my music and I beep bop around the ovalo. People are running by me, jogging by me, walking faster than me, and even some slower. The game that's always going on in the center, and the various practices going on off to the sides. I don't know if it's the same people on the ovavlo every day, maybe after a while some faces will be familiar- ha ha I'm sure I'm the one who stands out. Not just my "walkin' to the music" swinging of my arms, but the only American...for now anyway. Everardo chats with people as he works out in the corner. Push ups and pull ups, a sit up station...in groups or individual but always stopping to watch what each other is doing.

The parents and girlfriends, friends & families who watch their kids, their spouses, their loved ones playing soccer; chatting and eating & drinking. Vendors on both sides...yes everything in Mexico has food involved. There are vendors everywhere, selling everything. Hot dogs and pina coladas, tacos de pastor, chiva, fish....burros longos. Churros, cotton candy...you name it, somebody is selling it.

Oh and my surprise the other day when I opened up our fortune cookies and they were in Spanish! Ha! What language did I expect? English of course- but silly- not of course....we're in Mexico so they were in Spanish...and more stale than even the ones in Calif.

So one thing here, don't expect anything to be the same twice. Yesterday there was no water in the house until afternoon. I heard they were working on some pipes down by the immigration office. Nice suprise when I went to flush to toilet- yeah it had water in it, but the one in our bathroom in the bedroom has a square "button" to push to flush, ya gotta hold it a few extra seconds to make sure it will finish the process. Of course my hand slipped off as it often does (altho after 6 months I'm much better at it..) and the water was gone but the process not completed. I said oh crap, and Everardo walked in just then (yes a silly joke about crap) and then uh- we have no water. So of course all morning I kept having to go to the bathroom- my crazy brain- if it hears "no" it thinks oh better say "yes" over and over. The water came back around noon so that was good. But this is nothing like Playa Ventura where we lost some service every day, something different every day. But still- make an appt, and if the other party shows up...maybe on time (probly not), but usually within a few hours.

We have a lady cleaning the house, and last week we agreed her new schedule would be to come at 2pm, at her request. This morning I received a text in Spanish telling me she would be late and was that ok, and to pls leave the key where I did last time. Hmm, ok, what time will you come? I asked...and she texted back- at 2pm. uh ok- I thought that was the the new regular time...so what time will she come next week ha ha? At least it's not boring. Everardo will drop by today to let her know to pls not touch the bed or laundry, that I'll take care of it. And he will not say "don't put plastic bags in the oven as storage" because it's already been done and she might be offended! ha ha. Well at least I know to check the oven. He also came yesterday before I left for the center to talk to the neighbor for me. Truth was I was anx'ting over it. I was waiting for her to come outside or was gonna knock before I left. She works at nite so I don't want to wake her up, and really my issue was I didn't want to come off like a bitch telling her to be sure the gate is properly closed with the bolt going into the ground at the bottom. Otherwise it swings open. That happened twice while I was home- luckily I was here so I could close it. Sam will stay in the yard, unless a very arrogant cat walks by, tail swishing and daring him to chase it. Then he will be out like a bolt of lightning. He could be hit by a car, or the dog catcher......etc. Anyway Poppi came back yesterday morning to talk to her. I appreciated that very much.

He's a good man, my Poppi. He came back because he knew I was worrying about talking to her. That I was going to do it, but was anxious. Last nite after walking for 40 minutes while he ran, he questioned me to see if my arch was aching at all; he knows sometimes I just keep going. And of course the result is a bad foot or leg and then I can't exercise for a couple of weeks. The other day I was complaining that I had no independence and that I had to look to him for so many things because of my lack of fluency, and how that...well totally pisses me off! But honestly, that's a problem in my pea brain. He is a caring thoughtful guy, who tries to help me, to be there for me, we take care of each other. Gotta give him kuddos for this.

 Oh- and HUGE news! We're gonna get a puppy! There are always puppies being dropped at the center, and I usually steer clear because I tend to fall in love with all of them. I've been wanting a dog, but Everardo's has NOT being wanting another dog, and so we were waiting. It really needs to be a mutual decision. Now he's working with the dogs every day and maybe that's what melted his heart ha ha, but yesterday I broke down and looked at these tiny puppies, probly only 3 weeks old, just thrown into the street- breaks your heart, right? Later Everardo showed up after running errands for the center, and said, why don't you pick one? I was stunned (ha ha) I said "WHAT"? Karen looked in in surprise as well. Later she told me he said, well she'll just keep bugging me...which I was not...and I told her- he doesn't do anything he doesn't want to..and she said that's what she thought. But he will do things to make me happy. What a guy! So stay tuned to hear about the puppy I choose...even now I worry about a puppy- Sam was hell and I remember saying I'd never have another puppy, better to get one 6 months old or older....hmmmm

Ok I leave you with a Mexico fun fact:

The largest wildcat in North America is the jaguar, which can be found in Mexico's southern jungles.

I remain thankful for the wind! It's getting hotter and hotter, we sleep in sweat, but the nice thing here that we didn't have in Playa Ventura is that we can sleep on top of the bed here. Down there the bugs ate us alive, nite or day. Here the mosquitos, at this point anyway, come out in the late afternoon. And, the bites do not create huge welts like in Guerrero. Of course, all this is "yet". Because we have yet to experience the real heat here, the humidity. It's coming, but so far this wonderful beautiful wind takes off the deadly edge of the heat.

Poppi got the bedroom window open and although we usually need the fan most of the nite, in the wee hours, or about 4am, it's actually cool enough to turn off the fan. Yes I lay in bed and dream of a remote for it. We had a remote for the bedroom fan in Playa Ventura ha ha. Anyway the window is on my side of the bed. I open the curtain when I turn off the lites and get into bed. There's a gentle breeze, but I just like seeing the shadow of the branches, and also about 4am, there's these birds tweeting, I really LOVE hearing birds when I wake up. You probably don't even notice it, but try sleeping next to the ocean for 6 months; it's sooo loud you hear nothing but the waves, and in the middle of the nite it sounds like static, like white noise. And sometimes I think I hear voices when I hear continued static. Oh how I love the silence! Yeah, I don't even like the noise of the fan, and will sometimes choose sleeping in sweat rather than have the fan noise.

The other thing is when I wake up, really early and see those same branches, they're green right now, and "willowy". It doesn't matter to me that if I got up and looked out the window, saw the street and the houses there, that there's trash that has blown down the street and is up against walls and/or caught in shrubbery. That the road is dusty and dirty, and that the houses are shabby and old, some put together sort of haphazardly. Like when you get a little money, you build another room or start another hallway, so many houses have funny shapes. That there are beat up cars parked around and skinny dogs that may or may not have a home. No, when I wake up, I see floating thin branches with long thing green leaves, sometimes little yellow flowers blooming on them, blue sky peeking thru, or maybe it's earlier and the sky is a soft gray that lightens into blue. Some mornings I hear the train in the distance. It's nice, it's peaceful...at least for a couple of hours before the day begins ha ha.

Then, no later than 9am, and usually earlier, the constant horn honking of the water guy, assorted engines in different stages of having a muffler(!) start up...this morning a guy pounding on the door of one of the houses thru that window. Some houses are right next to each other, some closer ha ha! Many have a fence with a gate, all have bars on the windows. Ours, too. I don't even see them anymore. They're skinny, and on some windows "decorative", meaning maybe every other one has a little shape in the middle or at the tops & bottoms.....Around here all the houses are made of these cement blocks and then I guess they put cement around them. As much as I think our house is a piece of shit- it does have insulation in the roof, and that makes a huge difference as it gets hotter.So for now, we stay. But of course I drive around and look for empty houses or houses with for rent signs. The new neighbor is ok enough. She doesn't talk to us at all, isn't here much. But her kid (5yr old boy) is afraid of Sam so that kind of sucks. I wish she spend a little time outside with him and let him get used to Sam, he'd like him. The other problem is that she doesn't close the gate right; this morning was the second time she just swings it shut and then takes off. No way she didn't see it swinging open as she left! There's a bolt at the bottom that slides into a hole in the ground, that's how it stays shut. But she doesn't make shut it's in. But now I have to wait for Everardo to tell her, because I want to be sure she understands it's important. I don't want her to leave the gate open when Sam is in the yard and we're gone. He'd stay here, but what if a kitty cat goes arrogantly by his yard? Will he run out? Will he get hot by a car or grabbed by the dog catcher? I'm not confident enough in my Spanish to be able to relate the importance but not offend her. So he'll tell her.

But that's one of my issues here. Lack of control. Having to ask my husband to talk to the neighbor. Asking him to call the Sky TV company cause the bill is wrong. I'm a pretty independent person, I can take care of things, of stuff, of people. He's like "don't worry about it, I'll talk to her"...but today was the second time. The tv thing, well the bill shows on the tv, you don't get one in the mail, and he got on the phone with them, but (like the US) it takes forever to talk to a human voice. Then what they told him he related to me, then I thought it sounded like bullshit, but I gave in. But then I wanted to know what this other line item was...oh that's for the equipment, really? Then what are these other 2 line items? All for the same equipment? So he promised to ask as he sat on hold waiting to cancel this 24 peso a month magazine they send us that never comes in the house- straight to the garbage can...and they out waited him- meaning they put you on hold and NEVER come back. And we are stuck with them until Dec, then I want to try Mega cable or the other one (I forget the name).

Anyway I know my frustration is my problem. Hello Terry- it's the language and you knew it when you moved here! Ha! I know I know. And now I'm diligently putting in my time every day with Rosetta Stone- at least an hour a day. Cause in a much smaller but still happening way, I have to ask Everardo what was said or would he say/do this or that, and sometimes it feels like then he decides the importance of it and then acts accordingly. Yes it's human nature, but if I ask for translation, pls translate without judgement. We totally had a fight over the lady that's now cleaning out house every week. We pay her 150 pesos, about $12. And the problem is me- I need to be clear about what I want. And I thought I was clear, pls don't do any laundry- and that includes pls don't take the sheets off my bed and put them in the dirty clothes basket, or the towels or any clothes that are not in the closet or drawers! I said the bed was fine, needed nothing, it's made when she comes- I put the blanket only on the bottom half of the bed, really just to keep the sheets flat, and the sheets nicely turned down right below the nicely put pillows. SO THE BLANKET DOES NOT NEED TO BE PULLED UP ALL THE WAY AND THE PILLOWS STACKED DIFFERENTLY.....oh sorry did I just lose it? So she's only come about 4 times and I come home and blow my stack. So last week I came home and the blanket wasn't on the bed...hmmmm, then I notice it was folded to a narrow rectangle and was sitting under the pillows- I further noticed they were different  sheets than the ones that were there this morning....aarrggghhhh!!

Ok and WHO stores plastic bags in the over??!! Ok so people here don't use their ovens- weird but true. So she just needs to know- specifically- what it is I want and do not want, oh including, pls just clean, don't rearrange and put things away somewhere out of sight if I have them IN sight..Yes I know I sound like a bitch, but I want things the way I want them. Sooooo,  I have to ask, yes ASK my husband to talk to her. aarrgghh did I say that already. And he thinks none of it is a big deal! That belittles me...to decided what is important. I do minimize the things he tells me about working down at the beach...I am not even clear about how some of what he does makes sense, but he is happy and so I'm happy. Ok anyway, he now knows how I feel, and we have talked it thru. He does have to be the one to have all three conversations- tv, neighbor, cleaning lady. And I have to remember that I am powerless of people places and things...have a little acceptance and give myself a break. Work on becoming fluent! At some point I'll be able to do these things. Ha ha my friend Karen told me her last cleaning lady rearranged all her furniture in her living room and bedroom, so maybe my lady is not so bad ha ha ha ha ha

This weekend was that huge moon and it was so beautiful here. Friday nite we had dinner at some friends of the community center who were renting a tiny place on the beach and it was nice. I actually was sporting a bad sunburn on my back cause earlier in the day I laid on the beach and read, for just 20 minutes and got a hell of a burn! Usually we go down to the beach around 6pm when it's still warm enough to go swimming and look for shells, but we went early Friday cause there weren't many tourists on the beach and we weren't needed at the center. Ouchy ouchy won't make THAT mistake again. It's feeling a little better now. Last nite we went to another couple's place for dinner and that was nice too (yeah we ate around this weekend...food whores). This lady I know from the center as well, but they have a business in Tuscon and are trying to wrap it up and live here full time. They are trying to figure out a business here and they were telling us about a few ideas they've been kicking around. Ooooh I like business, and was very interested. And I like that they want to start something and try to put some people to work, and hopefully people from out in the San Rafael neighborhood- that's where the community center is where I volunteer. One idea was about solar, another about this tiny pepper that could be harvested, bagged and tagged, and exported, but man, needs the due diligence done. How much money do you want to make. How many tiny peppers make how much money? how much land do you need to grow x amount of tiny peppers, I mean all the questions have to be asked and answered...but this guy seemed very savy and he and I were on the same page there. So I like getting to know them, and hey, wonder what's going to come next?

A lot of people seem to think that things are turning around here and that the future is bright. I try to read a lot of local stuff, to kinda try to see who's bumpin' and grindin'.....I believe there's a lot of opportunity, and maybe I can jump in somewhere.....of course I want (I need, for me) to keep up my teaching out at the center. It's a win win, and a few people are really putting me thru my paces; figuring out what to teach next, putting together conversations, reviewing what we already did...and the music of course! Everyone has fun with that! Ok well time to do my Rosetta Stone....so I'll leave with a Mexico fun fact:

A Mexican tamale called the zacahuil is three feet long and weighs about 150 pounds.^c