Trying to catch up

This will be a short post. My laptop is in the repair shop and I'm using my husband's laptop. I couldn't find my blog to write in and got frustrated. I have it bookmarked on my laptop and so never have to sign in or find my way to my posts- in fact I haven't found it yet and hope when I publish this one, that the page will then revert to my posts that includes along the side a table of contents with my stats and a link to my dashboard....

Ok enough admin crappola eh!

It has been beautiful here. And the pelicans and dolphins are back. Ahh sigh, that's the serenity I'm talkin about. The dolphins come in ones and twos, not every day, but often. The pelicans however, I guess follow the fish? Since at least June they have been scarce, maybe one or two once in a great while. But in the past 2 weeks they have returned with a flourish. A couple of days ago I county around 40 of them sitting at the edge of the water just before the sun went down. I ran in and got my camera, and when I came out there were even more! A pelican convention! I must have taken over 100 pictures...which is my new way as a budding photgrapher...and then after I download them onto my laptop I usually choose about 10 to post on facebook, maybe 15 or more to keep, and delete the rest. But oh yeah- same nite is when my laptop broke.

Yeah broke. I was having a small issue with the screen but I could live with it- but the guy at the repair place told me to watch the hinge....and the other day I did not watch the hinge, closed it too quick and eeeww the noise it made. Took it back to the guy...and well...his fixing it and putting in a new screen so I have to wait. The problem with that and my great picture is- Everardo's laptop which does not have that kind of problem, has one detecting the sim card with the photos on it, so it's really hard to download new pics...aarrgghh!

Anyway I have some awesome pelican photos in my camera. Then yesterday morning I was working out up in the gym down our road, and I saw about 5 dolphins swimming in the bay. A couple chasing each other and one blowing up water like a whale! That one was jumping up out of the water, too. It's just such a ...such a joy to watch them, always makes me feel happy. Then about 60 pelicans all came in together and landed along the shore! The convention continues! Maybe they partied the nite before...and all slept in and were just showing up for the day's activities... but what a morning! I worked out, and got to see dolphins and pelicans! If I had gone home and put the covers over my head it still would have been a perfect day! But it did actually get better!

My workout ends up taking almost 3 hours on the days I go to the gym...that's counting walking over there and back (ok 3 min each way) adding in the sit ups I do on my "ab lounger", then switching to my beat up 25 peso sunglasses and heading down to the beach (about 100 yards away). The actual gym time is between 45 and 50 min. My dance routine is timed for 25 minutes twice. I need to know when I hit halfway. It's only 50 min because when I first started doing it, I walked way down the beach as I danced, but these days it's basically no walking-all dancing and I stay pretty close to home. Well unless there is red tide, which has come and gone all summer and I usually walk to one end of it or the others-whichever way is shorter....(I just don't want Sam & Hazel swimming in it any more than they have to- and they always "have to" swim during my exercise time- meaning I have to hose them off when I get home). Calling it a "routine" is sorta stretching it- yes I exercise routinely for at least 50 min....ok here's what I do: The music is a mixture of zumba and rock & roll, and it plays in different order every day ha ha. I can also manually make it skip songs, and I feel different on different days....like today I felt like a rocker and did mostly rock and roll. Other days I feel more zumba like...you get it....but usually it's a mix. I have steps worked out for 5 or 6 songs, and kinda steps for a couple more, and the rest is dancing the way I feel ha ha!!
Ok then shower and make my protein shake, wash the blender and sit down to drink it. I guess shower and shake is about half an hour, sometimes a little more. Anyway maybe closer to 2.5 hours....but if I start getting dressed for my work out at 9am, it seems like I am sitting down with my protein shake at almost noon. That M-W-F. Tues & Thurs is less than 2 hours with only about an hour of actual dancing. Yeah I know I said it's 50 min, but I usually keep going for at least another song or two....

So after my workout and subsequent collapse to drink my shake, I had about an hour and a half before I left for my afternoon meditation group which is 2 hours. I really liked it. We are discussing this book- Essential Spirituality and it has exercises to do to go along with the concepts it offers. We just started this book, but I really like it so far and worked on the exercises before the class, and then we kinda talk about how we felt about it and could be as detailed or not detailed as we wanted, because some of it can be pretty personal as you take a look inside yourself. So that was nice as well.
Then home for a little down time, then dinner and a nice walk on the beach as it started to get dark with Poppi and both dogs- who were so happy to run and be silly. There was still pelicans swooping and diving and at least one dolphin. Nice day. And my nice days seem to be running together. I cannot believe it's the end of August! Where is the time going?

At the end of next week I'm going to see my sister and I'm so excited about that! They have a farmhouse out in the country in New York- how cool is that? Her first house, and they have a little dog named Emmy who I haven't met yet. My brother in law is not doing great...kinda rickety..a little sickly...and I just want to spend a little time with them. They have a riding lawn mower and I get to drive it! Cool! I think they have a pond and sort of a floating dock- or maybe it's more like a pontoon- I'll let you know...and I have no idea whether it will be warm enough for that. She just emailed me and said she found a zumba class near her place, so she and I can do that together- so totally cool! And maybe I can learn some new steps for my beach dancing. Oh yeah, I guess I'll have to break out my old workout clothes since here I wear a really old pair of baggy shorts and a couple of old tshirts- one of which does say New York on it!

I'm also hoping to find a used IPhone out there...yeah on the hunt for that again, same as when I went to see my daughters in May, but I got bored/frustrated with it there- but now my phone is kinda getting worse and I need need need my magic jack to talk to my girls, so this time I think I'll try to stick with it; in fact I wrote to someone selling one on Craigslist and my sister is gonna go take a look at it (hopefully), so..we'll see. I talk to my Drewy several times a week and Halla almost as much so it's worth it to me to do the work to get one.

When I get back- we go on our Mexico adventure, down to our house in Guerrero and to Michocan to see Poppi's sister & brother. I'm excited to get my books! My antique desk and my peacock blanket that I bought when I came down here with my friend and we had to stay all nite in the Mexico City airport huddled together. I didn't know 2 years would go by before we went back there....I'm excited to see it, feel it, the water, my rock, our house. Oh and our renters are going on vacation so want to pay the rent 6 months in advance so that's nice- we know we'll have someone in there for at least another 6 months- Ha! I wish they wanted to buy it! I'm not even sure they will be there when we get there, and I'm sorry to go in when they aren't home...but I guess we will.  Maybe they will wait to leave until after we come.....
But who knows what comes next-life is good right now so......for now....VIVA!!

Yo soy una permanente residente!!!!

Yea baby! Got my permanent residency card today for Mexico. I have my card in my hand...so it must be true. Woot Woot!! It's good forever!! FOREVER. I can do everything except vote. That will come with citizenship. I could have applied for citizenship now, but it would have been a huge hassle because we would have had to have gone to Mexicali for the process. Not sure but the process might (might) be simpler from permanent resident to citizenship, but probably the same, ha ha. Anyway I have this thought in my head that required or not, I want to be fluent in Spanish prior to applying for full citizenship....out of respect, you know what I mean?

Good day today. I woke up refreshed, felt like I slept really well after not so good the nite before. Sleep comes and goes for me, sometimes sooo elusive. It's another thing I hope changes after November when I am no longer (yes NO LONGER) taking the arimidex (anti cancer meds). 5 long long years and my symptoms seem to be ache-y joints, not  great sleep, and hot flashes that mean I have been wearing no sleeves for YEARS and in cold weather I just carry a jacket or sweater...because at any given moment I want to tear my clothes off ha ha...and that just wouldn't be good for anybody!

Ok so I woke up good. Then with coffee I turned on a news station in Spanish- because I just couldn't bear to hear one more word from the U.S. slant on whatever country we are decimating ...or uh..."supporting". Anyway the really cool thing was I realized I was following the story completely!! They were talking about opportunities for young Mexicans; education, jobs, etc., how to discourage some behaviors and encourage others. The challenges young people face and how it's different in different states of Mexico....money or environment, ect. Anyway I jumped up yelling- I get it I get it!!! Everardo had been listening to some Mexican political news on his laptop with his headphones and looked up at me....Honestly, he doesn't really get how much I do NOT get. I mean I'll understand the idea or the subject of a news story or a conversation, but no details....so much to me us "blah blah blahdy blahdy blah" and then I catch another couple of words. So my total comprehension just thrilled me.

Then we left and headed out for the immigration office, with no expectations. Actually we were talking about getting a juicer. Last nite I watched U Tube videos and read reviews about juicers until I found out way more than I ever wanted to know about juicers ha ha. 3 types....many brands....prices all over the map. Different uses. Used and new. We want to make beets and carrot juice. So we need the strong kind...(centrifugal as opposed to masticating or auger...or a 4th- twin gear...see how informed I am??). Yesterday I posted on a local bulletin board looking for a used one and got some replies, only one fit, but it was pretty far from here and close to the original price. We did look at another one that was centrifugal but too small. But I'm getting ahead of myself. We arrived, went in....and...wait for it...................I GOT MY RESIDENTE PERMANENTE card!! Yippee. You know what I say about Mexico: If you don't have it in your hand you got nothing. So I got it!! I was giddy.....singing a silly "yo soy residente permanente" song. Poppi was smiling his head off and laughing.

Ok laughed thru Costco and Comercial Mexicana getting dog food and looking at juicers in both places...then called the guy we thought had a used one that would work for us. Based on his answers we thought ok good- let's go. Ha ha One question was can you put a whole apple in it? Yes he said, we made beet, carrot apple juice every day. Aha. So when we got back from Ensenada we called for directions, went over there....but alas...semantics....he did put an apple in it....after cutting up into about 6 pieces...ha ha ha ha ha ha ha. So yes you can put a whole apple in it, but what I meant was- can you drop a whole intact applet into the juicer.....if I had asked it that way, the answer would have been "nope". In the end we decided to buy one online and get it shipped to our friend Tim's address in San Ysidro (in California). He's going to the states next week and will pick it up on his way down when he comes back...or worst case his mail service will bring it down and we might have to pay $5 or $6 for that.

Everardo made some carrot beet celery juice with the juicer borrowed from the neighbor willing to sell his used one....the juice was good but the juicer not so much....ha ha that ended up being the straw that broke the camel's back and hence the decision to buy one. Anyway I'm excited about it, Everardo has been stopping at stands and buying veggie juice all along, but it's new for me. It fits right in with my current efforts to be healthier, & to make better food decisions. I'm thinking that mid afternoon when I get hit with a craving or really just need a snack this will be perfect. Protein shake in the late morning after my workout, then a veggie juice in the afternoon....then dinner, then good. I only noticed a couple of days ago that I'm not wanting a snack after dinner, like 10 pm. Before all this new plan (5 months ago...) it was an ice cream bar or some cookies, or a bowl of cereal. Once I started I started trading sweets for golden delicious apples or a scoop of yogurt...but lately I have just not needed anything else....yippee.

Ok other great thing about today!! Everardo is celebrating 5 years clean and sober today!! He's going to come with me to the English speaking meeting tomorrow nite, and my friend Jan is making him a special bakery delight. I told her nothing with icing....not because of me, but because he's not a big sweets eater. He's feeling pretty good right now...and I'm so happy for him- he is such a gift in my life. 5 years is a big deal. Every milestone is a big deal.

There's alot going on in the world right now, but for this moment in time...I just wanna enjoy the moment. So that's it for now. Viva

Looking forward

Mexico changed me and continues to change me, even though sometimes the changes are not even with Mexico or the Mexican people. The meditation groups I just joined-I think most of the people in both meditation groups are expats- Americans or Canadians, but I know there's a woman from Chile, and another from Holland. There's another woman who I think travels extensively, and has been to India several times and other places; it's funny, she caught me in the hall and after chit chatting for a few minutes she told me she thinks that I am interesting! And she wants to get to know ME! ha ha I was thinking the same of her....so I went to meditation looking for one thing but am also finding other things....I also think my friend Jan is very interesting and she is also married to a Mexican and we have found a couple of things to laugh about with our heads together.

Something happened today that also has me back to thinking about how I can contribute to the community in a positive way. At the grocery store there were at least 20 kids standing around the bakery counter, young kids, maybe 7 to 12 years old...maybe some younger and some older than that, but not much older. They were all with this one guy, I thought he seemed like a priest maybe even though he was not wearing "priest clothes" ha ha. The kids were jostling each other and laughing...then I saw them all again in the checkout lanes and people were smiling at them, and I saw the guy counting them- aha! keep track...and I realized he was counting in English....and that got me thinking. When we got outside he was herding them into a little micro bus and I asked Everardo if he thought they were from around here, and that I saw/heard the guy counting them in English. Poppi said yeah they're probly from here; that there's community centers or places where people are helping kids- that sometimes it's for kids that the parents are addicts and have gone to a rehab, sometimes it's for kids who's families are trying to feed their kids and are struggling. I want to get involved. I don't know how exactly, but I was looking when I first got here and couldn't find anything, but we've been over here awhile now..I think this is month 10, and maybe it's time to open up my eyes again. Even if it's one day a week...So I don't know how I'm gonna find these places....worst case is going back to the store and asking, or going back to the store next Sunday afternoon...but helping a kid? Everardo is working 5 days a week and always on the weekend- his days off are not even in a row (Mon & Thur)...I think I can donate some time. I think it's time to try again to get involved.

Yes I'll be gone for 10 days in Sept- so what. And then we'll be gone 2 or 3 weeks, after I get back, but these kids are not going anywhere, maybe I can find out where one or more of these places are, and talk to somebody...yeah. Good! New plan. Find a new way to be of service. Wish me luck readers- I am a part of this life, of this world, of people. I cannot affect or change so many terrible horrible things I see going on all over the world. I cannot bear to watch the news anymore. But right here, in front of me, where I breathe, are people living in such poverty...are struggling families, are kids who...well you know what I mean. I used to love this slogan "Think globally act locally". Writing here always helps me put my thoughts in order. I write a bunch of crap, and then something positive comes up sometimes. I want to help-, maybe helping with school work, maybe washing dishes, maybe teaching English, maybe playing games, maybe telling stories...I believe it's ok that this minute I don't know how or what-but- Yes wish me luck please, I want to help.
Well my foot is almost better. I assume my toe is broken, but what do you do with a broken toe? Tape it to the next toe? So I wrapped it and kept it elevated whenever I sat down. Exercising was interesting but not impossible. The weights were fine, but dancing?? ha ha I was like a chubby awkward stork on th beach, hopping around on one foot, or staying still and flapping my wings all over the place. But I did it. By Monday my toes were black and blue as well as half my foot....but I think the bruising is the path to healing. But like I said I kept up with my exercise program. I found I can keep my heart rate up with alot of arm swinging almost standing in place.

However I do realize that I have to modify, revise, as I go. So when I have the morning meditation group every other Wed morning, I am going to take the day off from exercising, and make it up on Saturday. It's a full workout day, meaning weights & dance so I don't want to just skip it, but this is the second time I did the workout in the afternoon and ended up feeling like shit after, so afternoons are out for the full monty. I have become...old? arrgghh ok maybe not old, but at least set in my ways, and having my protein shake at 4pm, then not wanting dinner, and being fatigued at 7pm...then wide awake at 11pm ha ha. Not workin' for me..... My full workout ends up being about 3 hours...so... because I want to go to meditation as well, I just have to revise. ok

Well that leads into something else. My new friend Jan had me over because I am borrowing her extra Kindle for a few days since my book for the afternoon meditation hadn't come in yet and for this Wed I need to have read a portion of it. When I was there she showed me her new toy- a Wii Fit. I've never used a Wii before but seen them of course. Jan wants to start exercising but is a little older than me, and needs to start slow, so she's been coming over to take a walk on the beach on a few afternoons. We usually walk about an hour and a half, but "leisurely", stopping to pick up perfect sand dollars, or to make a point about something. Watching my silly dogs romp in the surf. I bring their ball and so they jump around us excitedly- as if we don't play ball at the beach every single day (ha ha) and they chase every one like it might somehow get away. Anyway she shows her Wii and it looked pretty fun so I gave it a try with a couple of programs....a balance thing where a penguin is on an iceberg gobbling fish ha ha, also a step routine, and it also got my heart rate going. Her plan is to do it every day but invited me as well- so I thought....oh! How about on Wed afternoons after the morning meditation- which she also goes to-....so that would be every other week for me, and she liked that idea, and I can see her progress and she can keep walking with me. Aha love it when things work out right??

Well I just used my blog to figure out a new workout sch..adding something new on alternating Wednesdays and making up the weights...

So I started the book "Essential Spirituality" and I think maybe I am going to love it. This is for the afternoon meditation group that alternates Weds as well. It's a much bigger group and more structured. The plan is to read an agreed portion of the text, on our own "do" the associated exercised, and then share our experience at group. There is an opening and closing meditation, with the discussion in the middle. I read into the first section with the first "exercises". It was about identifying your cravings- and not my craving for ice cream, rather things like, for example, anger- how am I addicted to it? Well if it's my first solution to things/events in front of me, then what is the pay off, or what am I afraid of, or what do I think I'm not getting that I deserve? But you can also crave or be addicted to...work, alcohol, sex, food, other emotions...fear....Not positive I totally get the concept, but I plan to re read the section before the meeting and am very interested in hearing what other people have to say. Then the exercises help you to investigate your feelings and then make a plan to change your habits.....I mean one example was as simple as if you are always late and you want to change, to commit to being on time, then make the commitment, have no exceptions, keep a journal, create a new habit- so see I don't really understand....but I want to. I mean I understand addiction- I'm an alcoholic with 13 years in recovery, so I know about commitment, changing my life, my habits, how I look at things. In fact AA invited me to find a spiritual path and that has brought me to here, now, to this minute. And my new health/fitness commitment to myself- I have just started month 5, and I am keeping a journal about both my progress and how I feel about it. So maybe I understand more than I know, just need to hear it another way. Anyway I'm excited for this new journey as well.

Ha! I start out writing one thing and then jump around. And yet I feel more settled. One thing though, I am so excited to see in my stats that I get views from people in Turkey and even Iraq...as well as lots of other countries I know I have said that before...Germany, China, Russia..all over the place. I wish so much people would comment. Maybe you will only say what a lame blog ha ha. Most of the page views are from the U.S and Mexico- but what do those people think? I know this is just my online diary and in the beginning it was about this new country I moved to, but now I have settled in one spot and so mostly write about day to day stuff (altho I do have 2 trips coming up). So I still wish I knew what people think....you can comment....I would love it- and if it's all negative comments, well another opportunity for me to work on acceptance ha ha. I do not have tons of people reading this, if I was trying to make money I would have already starved to death ha ha.I just checked- less than 500 looks at my blog in the past month...ah well. But I get to write how I feel and what I'm up to, and like I said I sometimes figure out stuff here....like deciding I want to try again to get involved in the community - maybe I gave up to easy before....anyway, as always....Viva!

Interesting weather...& what's comin'

We have had thunder and lightening storms the last 2 days. Weird. I tried to google it and see if it is indeed weird for the area since I haven't been here in summer, but I couldn't find anything. Well I did find an article saying northern Baja usually mirrors southern Calif....San Diego/LA. And I know raining in summer is not normal for those areas....

Sam our big lab is scared of thunder just like fireworks so has been staying close, but today is only muggy. That brings me to the next thing  that this weekend has been about is I am kinda stuck because Friday morning I smashed my foot into a door jam and probly broke my toe. I still worked out Friday but luckily I don't on weekends. So I've either sat in a chair with my leg up or limped around all weekend. Sooo boring. So boring in fact that I took a photo of my toes all bruised and actually put it on facebook ha ha!!

It's really black & blue now, but actually feeling better and tomorrow I am back at my normal workout regime. Friday was August 1 so I am starting month 5 and happy with myself that I am on target and on my path. Exercise wise I have stayed true....it's funny how I don't want to exercise but I have NEVER been sorry after I finished. I'm sure it's that whole releasing of endorphins thing because I always always feel better after I workout. Sometimes exhausted and done for the day, but mentally always better. Almost every morning I think when I wake up, I'm gonna skip it for today, but I have learned to simply get up and have my coffee. Actually when I get up, I get out of bed, then turn around and make my bed first thing. Then brush my teeth...then whatever is next. Usually stumble out to the kitchen for my coffee, and in this tiny place it's not too many steps ha ha.

When I was a kid we had to make our beds every morning, except the day the sheets got changed and then we had to strip it. When I first moved out I didn't always make it, and in the awful years...with who I refer to as the "sperm bank" we never never made the bed. As soon as I left that terrible relationship I became obsessed with making my bed every morning, and to this day...30 years later, I make it as soon as I pop out of it. Anyway back to my exercise routine. So I don't argue with myself when I first wake up...I just have the "nope not gonna exercise today" and go about my stuff and then sit with my coffee. Every time...every single time I decide to do my workout.

 This month I really want to stick close on my new eating lifestyle as well. I thought I was doing good, and the truth is my shape and weight are changing. Slowly, I am not crash dieting or doing a heavy duty weights or cardio workout- I don't want to hate it or dread it. With the weights I'm doing some arm stuff and a couple of leg things, and trying for more reps and not too much weight. I don't want big muscles or something that will turn to big blobs of fat if I stop for a few weeks. What I want is for the weights to help my cardio. There's something that you burn off with weights that makes the cardio more effective. I forget what it is, but I do the weights first. I researched the hell out of it, reading opinions on both sides and sided with weights first- it made sense to me. My cardio has become total dance. I set my phone to time 25 minutes and I go twice. I just like to know when I am on the flip side. I don't usually end up right in front our beach path, so the extra 10 minutes to make up an hour usually gets danced ha ha. I dance 5 days a week and do weights 3 times a week. My ipod is a cross of 70's rock & roll and Mexican zumba music. So I have some steps I learned in zumba class, and actually for about 4 songs (20 min) I have worked out routines, and then there's 2 other songs that one is all arms and the other is all leg kicks.

The rest, I just dance how I feel...I like to twirl and jump....ok probly won't do any jumping for a few more days. A lot of the time my eyes are closed. But when they are open, I see my dogs running in and out of the surf. I see silly birds, sometimes I see dolphins.....I see the where the sky meets the ocean out past the mouth of the bay, I see the sharp peak of the mountain that guards the left side mouth of the bay; sometimes with swirling wisps of fog around it, sometimes just fluffy little clouds, and sometimes it's just crystal clear. But all that- believe you me! Makes dancing at the edge of the water easy every morning, makes it breath taking, makes it alive! So Monday thru Friday I am rejuvenated with my dancing. And the weights are not that hard, and don't take that long. Sam and Hazel always walk down to that falling down abandoned house; Sam waits outside because like me he hates stairs, but Hazel runs up and down them and checks on me every few minutes. On the 2 minute walk back to our place Sam gets very happy because he knows the beach dance is next. I don't bring the ball because then the whole thing becomes about them and the darn ball. So they find their own things to play with, Hazel eggs Sam into chasing her into the water so we all have a good time- every time. People walk by and either I don't see them or we wave at each other. A few jog, others walk their dogs, who all socialize with each other....yeah exercising here is nice.

So next month I'm going for 10 days to see my sister in New York. I think it's upstate NY, right near the Albany airport...so is that considered upstate? I've only ever been to Queens & Manhattan I think, and for sure never out in the country. They have a farmhouse in a tiny town next to another town not alot bigger...sounds perfect. They have a couple of acres so I will have room to dance. It won't be like when I went to see my daughters where it just seemed I was so busy...well it's where I came here from, so doctors appts, friends, etc. Here it will just be them, and they have always been really health conscious. Years ago, when my daughters were little and we lived by my mom, both my sister and her husband and my brother and his family would stay with us when they came "home". My sister and the Bear (her hubby) would bring their own food for breakfasts, lunches & snacks but usually have what we were eating for dinner. We always thought they were nuts. But really- they were the healthy ones! They brought oatmeal, nuts, seeds, berries, ate yogurts non fat milk, etc. Bananas and apples...Yeah the way I eat now. Back then we either ate cereal like frosted flakes ha ha or eggs and bacon....and sandwiches (lunch meat) for lunch. They had much better eating habits than us. But now that's how I eat, and talking to my kids- they both eat much better than back then as well. More natural foods, more fruits and veges, more organic..... Anyway my plan is to stick with my new eating plan which I bet will be easily done at their place and do my workout as well.

That means that this month- August I need to stay true. I did a true month in April, then May I went up to northern Calif, and did my best, but hardly any exercise. June I was sick for over a week- too sick to exercise. July I was true to exercise but gave myself a break when I went to the AA convention and made bad food choices....ha ha so easy with that first bite of a giant homemade chocolate chip cookie... Sept I travel and then we may travel in Oct as well. Not sure if it will be Oct or Nov, yet, but we are going back to Playa Ventura, to Michocan, hopefully to Oaxaca, and who knows where else..and we may be gone 2.5 weeks and as long as a month. It's funny the month long trip sounds so cool except for leaving Sam & Hazel for that long. And really, it's Sam. Hazel is a baby, turning 1 year old in Sept, so she will not worry like Sam will. Once I left him for 3 weeks, had a house/dog sitter and he was fine...I missed him terribly though. And we will have a a house/dog sitter here as well. I don't want someone coming by every day to feed and walk them, I want someone to live here with them. Our friend was just in the hospital since Monday and he got home today (Sunday). It was quite sudden, and we went every day and got his dog Iggy and brought him over to our house. Iggy was fine at home alone. I believe he's stayed home in this manner before. But our dogs are our children...yeah I'm so happy that Everardo feels the same way about them as I do....Anyway we have someone who is happy to do it, and she knows them and already spoils them when she see them, so I'm ok with it.....well pretty much...ha ha.

So I make plans and life goes on. I made a monthly daily lifestyle plan for a year. What I have to remember is I am changing my lifestyle....so that means I live my life...just from a bit of a different perspective...a small shift. The shift is ultimately for my health...as in I don't want to ever have cancer again, as in I want to see my children live their beautiful lives, as in I want to see my grandchildren, whoever that family may be...I only have Danica (5yrs) so far, but will Drew & Rex have other children? Will Halla? Will Elena? Where will we live 10 years from now? Mexico? Calif? Somewhere else?   

A short story about the hammock...

Did I already say I love my new hammock? Yeah pretty sure I did. It's wide, and if you lay right down the center, the sides can fold up over you. Everardo put hooks in the beam on the porch and you hang low, close to the ground, but not too close because it makes it hard to get out.

Just like how it was down in Playa Ventura. I know when we were down there I must have written that sleeping in the hammock is the best. That I loved my naps. That it's long enough and wide enough, and slack enough to let you twist and turn, to sleep all curled up or stretched out completely. That the sound of the ocean, the slightest of breezes, a gentle rock can lull you off to sleep in minutes...sometimes feels like seconds.

It was the same in Puerto Penasco except for missing the sound of the ocean, and there was almost never a breeze. But here in Baja, in my new hammock it was the same. Last nite I noticed it and today....today there was the smallest of breezes, and the after rain smell that we had alot of in Playa Ventura since the rainy season is all summer (of course it stayed unbearably hot/humid even in the rain), but I lay there today, my eyes closed, rocking ever so slowly, the sound of the ocean...I wiggled around just a little and whispered "ahhhh". My eyes were closed and for a moment, just a couple of moments, I thought, "where am I?" I felt like I was in Playa Ventura. I listened to the ocean and thought of my friend Chela who lived down the road, that maybe I would walk down there in a little while. Hmmm should I walk along the road or along the beach? I knew Sam was somewhere near by and always ready to go down to gume and Chela's place- she always had a tidbit for him. I thought of that "jeugo de pepina" she would make for me. It was sooo refreshing! Cucumber, icy water. a little bit of sugar. Hmmmm. If I walk down the road, even that short way I'll be sweating and be even wetter than I am now. If I walk down the beach I will surely jump in right as I get to there place, and Sam will have gone in and out, chasing a stick or a branch, just in that 5 minute walk. Still, I think the beach is the best walk.

But do I want to open my eyes yet? Do I want to move from this most comfortable place? Mmmmm, maybe a little longer. I can feel the paperback book I brought into the hammock with me sitting on my chest. I know the water in the water bottle on the ground below me is already warm, even though I filled it with ice water just a minute ago. I lathered myself with my precious Autan (mosquito oil) before I climbed in- ok let's face it, I put it on when I wake up, after swimming, after a shower, and I am still covered in bites. With my eyes still closed and floating at the edge of asleep and awake, I think about how I have only a few, 2 or 3 bites right now...hmmm, I can take a liesurely nap, Everardo won't be here for hours...where is he? Is he out fishing with Gencho? Is he going for lobster with Romero? Now that would be nice......

I floated a little longer and then I slowly opened my eyes. My book is on my chest. It's not quite as hot as it should be....the ocean is not quite as loud as it should be....ahhh I am here, in Baja. We are on a bay, not the Pacific with waves crashing against the rocks. It is not so hot that I never cared we had no hot water. In fact the breeze on my sweat is actually cooling me off a little. Yeah that's not Guererro...that's Baja. I walked on the beach for a couple of hours earlier with my friend Jan and the dogs (of course), came home, chatted with my younger daughter on the phone about this new woman she met and is kinda falling for....and then I took my book and my water bottle out to my new hammock and climbed in. Sam plunked himself right down below me, content to take a snooze. Hazel hadn't really experienced the hammock much since I was fussing with it the couple of times I tried to make the old one work with the gaping holes and deteriorated tears in it. So as I settled in she was very interested, poking her head and I could tell, thinking of hopping in- but I told her no and she was happy to cuddle up with Sam. I did read for awhile, and every so often give myself a little push to swing me, to rock me....

Not sure when I let go of the book, when the ocean sounds were what I began to hear, when my mind began to wander, when I started to play the "where am I" game. So I am here, right where I should be, but happy to know I can revisit another place, easily, with a gentle rock, a slight breeze, and the sound of the ocean.....nice....viva

Wedding on the beach and a new hammock!!

This morning I went out to throw the ball for Sam & Hazel for half an hour before I left since I was going to Ensenada to the noon meeting, and even without going to the store it ends up being at least 3 hours. I took our buddy Tim, who did need to go to the store, and leaving at 11am I didn't get home until about 2:30. Anyway when I looked down the beach I saw all these white tents being set up and with some white ribbon or sashes I guess, I believe it was for a wedding. Second wedding this summer here on our strip of beach. The last one was more at a house with the beach as a backdrop, but this one seemed to be totally set up on the beach.

When I got back this afternoon and looked down the beach I saw alot of people sitting at tables, and milling about. In front of our house we had a pretty thick red tide, but down in front of them it seems like it was very light. I'm happy for that; this morning it was pretty red down there, but I think it moved more our way. I took a nice little nap after that, close to an hour and then got up to putter around, acting very Saturday-ish...ha ha the only reason Saturday is different from week days is I don't exercise on the the weekend. A little fruit and cheese, and back outside to sit and enjoy the fresh air. When Everardo came home, he showed up with a GREAT surprise. A new hammock!! Yippee!

My first hammock was rainbow colors and I got it down in Playa Ventura. Our friends Chela and Gume who had the restaurant I hung our at had hammocks around the patio and after eating a nap in the hammock was heaven. The next time the guy came around who sold hammocks Gume pointed him towards our place. They are huge and you can get so comfy in them, in fact they became my favorite way to sleep! I napped in mine almost every day down there in Guerrero because it was so hot at nite, and you had to keep the sheet on you to avoid being devoured by bugs (even with bug juice on), that I was always tired in the day time. Tropical heat 24/7 just takes you down. I fell in love with the wind, any small breeze made a big difference because I was always soaking wet, and a breeze could cool me off, & even just a bit was gratefully indulged. We had two hammocks, but Everardo didn't nap in them as much as me, he could do it outside or inside and sleep away.

Unfortunately hanging so close to the beach and in the heat wore thru the hammock...well maybe it was then the change to the heat in Penasco, where we were not near the water and where it hung it got searchingly hot.....but after we got here to Baja, and the hamock went up....it simply tore. Ah I remember now that the puppy next door..Brownie-who we almost brought with us, had reached up and chewed a little hole in the hammock, but when we got here it just sort of rotted away. I could still lay in it, sort of on one side...but it was not as comfortable and rotted away a little more every time I got in it....and has been unusable for a couple of months. But today! Today Poppi brought me home a new hammock! This one is blue and black- he actually apologized for not finding one with purple in it...(love dat guy)...and he put it up....and it's purrrrfect! I'am a so happy! I grabbed a pillow and a new book and jumped in. On top of that he made torta for dinner.

Tortas is my most favorite dinner since coming to Mexico. Yes I love everything; carnitas, chicken and beans, pork & beans, chicken and beans....yeah we eat alot of beans...and of course the fish. Well and I love the fresh lobster as well, but really we can't eat lobster every week. Torta we usually have once a week. It's the thinnest sliced meat I've ever seen. He frys it, and puts on bosillos (like a french roll) with cheese. That's it- so simple and yet oh oh oh so good. Sometimes he adds more, like onions, tomatoes, garlic, mushrooms, etc- but I like it best just meat and cheese and I notice he's been doing the same thing for himself lately. So a perfect end to a nice lazy Saturday.

Ok so back to the wedding festivities. Just a little while ago he went out with the dogs and told me to come out and look. They were sending up these candle balloons....well I'm not sure they're balloons, maybe candles and bags? Not sure how it's done but I've seen it before. But these were so beautiful. And they have music but are the perfect distance from us because when we're outside we can hear the beat of the base, but that's it and nothing once we came back inside. They have that color light machine so the whole area is lighted up different colors and seems to change with the music. There's some kids closer to us on the beach and they are playing volleyball in the dark with flashlights around the sides and I could hear them laughing. Hmmmm ok now they are lighting off fireworks...the loud banging kind, the kind Sam hates, so he is pacing. But it's only a little after 9pm, so hopefully they will run out soon. Fireworks are very popular here.

The weather seems to hang around the 70's (F), sometimes getting hot for a little while in the afternoon and people have been swimming wherever it's not red tide. Tim, who has been here around 4 years says this is how it is. I like it cooler in the morning for my morning dance-exercise; I danced in the afternoon this past Wednesday and forgot my baseball hat...and I thought I had sunstroke! ha ha

The only downside about today is that this afternoon I reached up to my neck to scratch a mosquito bite I got- usually they come out at nite- and a little while later noticed it was really itchy and took my chain I always wear off so it wouldn't aggravate it- and looked in the mirror...and it was twice as big....and I had another on my chin. Now, a few hours later the one on my chin goes from right under my lip to my chin, so about an inch long and kinda fat, and the one on my neck also about an inch long and almost as wide. Hmmmm. I think it's gotta be spider bites. Not fair really since I try never to kill spiders (out of fear of retaliation ha ha) but I did kill a tick yesterday that was walking up my leg. I knock it off and hit it with my shoe...which did nothing, so I got a spoon and flat side down I heard it crack when I squished it....gross right? Do you think ticks talk to spiders? Did I get revenge bit? Ha ha ha ha Actually I don't think so because I think I got bit while I was in Ensenada or at least on the way back...oh so the guilty sucker is probly still in the truck....hmmm

So another beautiful afternoon and evening in Baja......- oh and if I wake up and my bites are cover my whole face and neck....well I'll probly hit the clinic....keep ya all posted! Viva!

Trip to Tijuana....and more

Last Monday, July 14 I was down on the beach dancing for an hour like I do every Mon-Fri morning. It started out as a walking thing, but with my Ipod on and the zumba music I brought with me from Penasco...it has become a dance hour. At first I would sorta dance walk my way far down the beach, well for half an hour one way and then back, now sometimes I don't go more than a couple of houses worth of distance, unless there's a red tide. Even though I know the red tide won't hurt the dogs, sometimes it stinks, or there's just so much crap in the water...so I look up & down the beach to see at which end the red stops, and head that way. A few times it seems to have covered the entire length, or at least as far as I can see, so I'm stuck, and on those days, doggys get hosed off when we get home. It's funny, they run and jump into the surf and into the estuary, but get out the hose and they both try to slink away.  Hazel I have to hold onto as I spray her off, Sam knows to stay still.

I heard last year the red tide was there all summer, the whole length of the beach, so I guess we're lucky that this year it comes and goes, and even when it's here, it's almost always short so I can get past it, dance my heart out while Hazel & Sam go swimming.

Ok, so last Monday I was almost done dancing, and had made my way back almost to our path, and Everardo came down. He waited until I stopped, then asked if I wanted to shoot up to Tijuana to see Anna, his cousin. Hmmm uh, sure I said. It's about 2.5 hours from our place, and one of those hours is getting to & thru Ensenada. So I got ready as quick as I could, sucked down my protein shake as fast as I could and we were off. We called our neighbor Tim and asked him to feed the dogs when he came by like he did every afternoon. Everardo said we were going to spend the nite but get up at 6am and come back so he could go to work at the Bufadora in the morning- ok with me cause I can sleep really good in the car ha ha (and he always wants to drive). Anna is his cousin but I think I have written about these cousins before- they are more like sisters to him. Orphaned at age 6, he spent his childhood with these 5 girls who were close to his age (his brother Pablo is close to his age, but his sister and older brother were older). Anna is a crazy nut (in a good way) and her husband loves her so much he indulges her anything, so they often drive down to Tijuana from just below San Francisco for the weekend to eat and shop, then back in time to go to work on Monday.

I remember when Everardo told me a story about when he was about 7 or 8 yrs old and with Anna or Becky outside hunting with a bb gun (I think) and shooting squirrels. He was telling me because we have these scrawny squirrels around here who I swear are playing chicken running across the road in front of cars..So I said how horrible to be killing little squirrels...and he said "we were eating them because we were hungry!" I forget sometimes how he grew up, I mean eating squirrels as a little kid? I need to go hug him right now. So you see he is so close with them as well as Pablo and Nieves his sister, who both still live down in Michocan, and we will visit in a few months when we do our road trip.

I haven't been to Tijuana, except when I walked across the border when I came back from northern Calif and Poppi picked me up- I was sick and fell asleep almost the minute I got into the car- so last time I was in Tijuana was about 30+ years ago. I flew to all my Mexico destinations over the years and Penasco is near the Arizona border so just never went. Not sure what I expected, but I had a nice time, a great time! I did not see one American the whole time. Well it was only Monday afternoon and evening and then Tuesday until early afternoon. Yeah we didn't leave at 6am. Anna and Carlos were staying in a really nice hotel and got us the room next to theirs. We were sort of near the big arch, and behind the hotel was a huge white building where it looked like live shows; maybe plays or concerts took place. Oh and there was also this massively big church with a huge clock tower....

They took us to this place for dinner where there was this live music, and it was 10 guys and a singer- but 9 or the 10 were playing horns and one drummer. One had a tuba, trumpets, all kinds of horns, and they play a song chosen by a patron and you would tip them. IT WAS SO LOUD! They loved it and although I had a good time, I ripped up my paper napkin and stuffed little paper balls in my ears or my drums would have been burst for sure- we were right up in front! It was a seafood place, and I had crab burritos and they were fantastic! Both of them had a whole fish, and Everardo had some kind of fish soup- he always orders a soup full of something. Then they pushed around this cart with alcohol on it, and they had this huge glass decanter of some special kind of tequila, and it had a rattlesnake in it! What?? The guy held up the snake for me to see, but we all passed ha ha. After dinner, and yes I was deaf, we walked along the street and into these little squares with nite markets  and had an ice cream cone.

I forgot to say that when we got up there it was raining! In July! I was wearing shorts, a tank top and flip flops, Poppi levis and a tshirt, but luckily we both brought something else; me a long sleeved farmer plaid shirt and he a sweater....and when we first got there it poured until sometime during dinner because we went outside and it had stopped- so we walked for awhile. My Spanish was better than I thought and I was able to follow alot of the conversations; Carlos speaks English, but not great and was much more comfortable in Spanish, and everyone around us was speaking Spanish- did I say I never saw any English speakers the whole time? The next morning we checked out and put our stuff in their room. Oh I forgot to say, Anna had 4 days off so they were there after the weekend. So Tuesday morning we put oir stuff in their room and went out and walked in a different direction for about 45 min or so and ended up in another square, near that church, and found an inside alley of eateries- all yelling to us to eat there! It was crazy! So we picked one and had breakfast...beans and eggs for me...menudo for you know who...and then we took a taxi to a place called Mercado Hildago. It was a big square around a parking lot lined with booths and vendors selling everything from cheeses to pinatas to kitchen accessories to pottery to every kind of food you can think of. Anna bought some of everything!! She shopped for her sisters, her mom, her dad, her kids, her grandson...pretty soon Carlos and Everardo were both carrying lots of bags ha ha. We bought a wedge of cheese from Guerrero, a dry tart cheese-really good. And I also got this thing- I forget the name in English or Spanish, but it's a stone bowl and you use it to crush up things like nuts. This one had 4 little legs so it sits up and a little pig  head carved in the side so I like it- and I've been wanting one to crush almonds to add them to my protein shakes. Anna says you have to crush uncooked rice in it a few times to "seal it" so I don't get rocks in my food.

We walked and talked and laughed and hugged and had such a nice time. Then Tuesday afternoon we drove back home and they stayed another nite in Tijuana before heading home. They both work so hard! She's been at the same job for something like 23 years and has NEVER taken a vacation- this 4 days was only 2 days off work and the other was the weekend! They told me they have a timeshare, the kind where you can go almost anywhere in the world, 4 weeks a year- and they've NEVER gone!! I went crazy over that...telling her she was nuts that no job or no money is worth never taking time off, and she must have known that at some point....(and they can afford it)....and he said he's trying to get her to change...they are both in their late 40's and their kids are grown....so??? Anyway I told them as soon as we sell our house in Guerrero I want to have Everardo choose a place he'd like to see and we want to go- with them! I told Anna all the places in the world I've been to and some of the stuff I've seen, and things I'd like to see. But I know Poppi has only been in Mexico and the U.S., so I want him to choose. The 3 of them (Anna, Carlos & my husband) all talked like something in the future in that way when you are just dreaming....and I kept insisting....Now that I know I am gonna keep on them about going somewhere...for themselves! And yeah, when we sell that damn beach house, and we will because it is a wonderful place, I do want to spend a little on a trip somewhere, I was already thinking that- but if we had a free place to stay....yeah even better, right?

The rest of the week was uneventful, Eveardo working and me working out ha ha. Oh I did make it to the meditation group and enjoyed it very much. That was the afternoon group and I believe I'll stick with that one, the morning group not sure, gonna go back tomorrow morning and try it once more. The afternoon group has a meditation, then discusses a spiritual book they are all reading, then a closing meditation and I came at the right time because they're starting a new book, "Essential Spirituality" in the next  week or 2, so I ordered it. Then on the weekend there was a mini AA convention with a group from the San Diego who came down and camped down the road. There were meetings and a potluck and I spent most of my weekend with them- it was a nice change.

Yesterday, Monday again...we went to Ensenada to immigration to check on my permanent residency papers since I never got the email and the website status never changed from "in process". I was worried they wanted some other "I" dotted or "T" crossed but when we got there the papers were ready and all I needed to do was pay and get fingerprinted. Well ha ha we were not prepared for such efficiency and so had to drive all the way back home, and transfer some money to our Mexican account to pay for it, then go to the bank to pay, then bring the receipt back to immigration. Yeah so weird- you don't give payments to government institutions, you pay at the bank and then present receipts. The bank, for the first time since we got to Baja, was packed...a ton of people in line and we didn't know what was going on, but needed to get back to immigration before 1pm....well we made it, but then had to return to the bank afterwords because it turned out the transfer hadn't arrived and Everardo had done this complicated thing between our 2 Mexico accounts. And! You can't give the bank the paperwork from the institution and have them wire the money. You have to withdraw the cash, get it in your hand, and then hand it back to the banker to wire! Oh and the banker cannot tell you your bank balance, you have to go to the atm and look it up. So over complicated. Anyway when we went back we found out why it was so busy. It was all students paying for their next semester at college. Another gov't institution so you don't pay for school at the school, you pay at the bank! The gov't keeps a tight fist around their money, right? So our transfer was there by then, and it's all good. When we go down south we'll close that second account, but for now we have to keep a certain balance in it...in the end, as always, it took all day ha ha. We also did a little grocery shopping which is cheaper in Ensenada than here, especially dog food...

The good news for me is, immigration says come back in 2 weeks and they will have my card. When it is in my hand I will celebrate. Because like I say: in Mexico, if you don't have it in your hand, you don't have anything. But once I get my permanent residence card, it's good forever.

Well the weather is beautiful, I did my full workout today after skipping yesterday and look forward to whatever's next. Viva