blah... blah... blah... GINGER!

2009-04-30T12:58:00.009-05:00

We've moved! If you see this post then you are at the old blog site. Please update your links and feeds to:

blah... blah... blah... GINGER!

The address is a lot simpler now, it is just http://baddog.com Let me know if you have any problems.

I am having a difficult time getting Blogger to upload this post. Frustrating!

Jonna

2009-04-29T20:18:00.003-05:00

Oh boy! I'm not sure what I've gotten myself into by trying to switch to Wordpress. One thing I'm going to try is to import this blog over there. Maybe it will work. Here's the first try.

2009-04-27T16:15:00.003-05:00

I'm fine, I just haven't had any blog inspiration. I've had Akumal friends Donny and Cheryl with their darling beagle Lucy here and we've been having fun.

They went to Celestun today to see the flamingos and I got involved in installing WordPress and checking the instructions for moving the blog. I am going to play around with it some and then maybe change over.

We've had some great meals, picked up fruit at my favorite roadside fruit vendor and enjoyed Noche Mexicana on Saturday.

Just as well we did that because I think from now until this influenza is over I won't be going to crowded areas or eating with my hands at stands. It's frightening but not yet cause for panic. They have found one case in Chichen Itza in a French tourist who was with a tour that had been in Mexico City. It was inevitable, there are so many tourists flying in and out of this area that we were not going to be out of danger for long.

I'm impressed with the Mexican government's response. I hope that this does not become a world crisis. We've been warned for years that the world is overdue for a pandemic flu as it has been more than 20 years since the last Swine Flu outbreak. The SARS outbreak in 2003 ruined tourism for Toronto for a long time and this is really not what Mexico needs after all the cartel hype*. Plus, I just read that there was a 5.6 earthquake in Mexico City this afternoon. Seems like nothing is going right for this lovely country, I hope this is the last of the bad news.

*edited to correct my SARS reference and to add that the French tourist who became sick at Chichen Itza is now said to have something else, not Swine Flu. Still, there are confirmed cases from tourists who have returned to the US and Canada from Cancun. Also, today the Mexican federal government has closed all schools and large gatherings in the entire Republic until at least May 6th. This is a serious epidemic whether it gets classed as a pandemic or not and, like the rest of world, we are waiting and hoping and doing what we can to stay safe.

2009-04-23T20:51:00.005-05:00

O thou invisible spirit of wine, if thou hast no name to be known by, let us call thee devil.
...William Shakespeare

I went to a wonderful party last night, ate too little and drank too much wine.

Today I've spent napping and reading stupid stuff on the internets.

In fact, while looking for a quote for this post I had a hard time deciding between Will Shakespeare and Fran Lebowitz.

I feel like my prize from the blogger weekend.

It's an indecisive day.

Great people talk about ideas, average people talk about things, and small people talk about wine.
...Fran Lebowitz

2009-04-19T23:00:00.001-05:00

Isn't it hot in Mérida?

The question I get most often.

Yes, it is hot.

Realize this though: mornings are cool and misty.

Evenings are delicious and the air is like sweet, minty, velvet.

Afternoons are hot.

That is when you should be at home... in your hammock... in the cool breezes.

2009-04-18T15:22:00.006-05:00

We are having a blast at the 'Mexico in English' bloggers meet-up this weekend. I've learned a lot, gotten to know some of my blogging heroes, had my first party at the house, and enjoyed it all immensely. Theresa did a fantastic job of organizing this 2nd annual event and I'm amazed how easy she makes it seem. She's a joy to know and a jewel for our group. Thanks Theresita!

I have some pics from the opening party here on Thursday night. Unfortunately, Blogger seems to be having a glitch in uploading to my server. I've found a long list of others complaining of the same problem. It's just another push towards moving the blog to Word Press, I've been procrastinating doing that but it's one of the things discussed on Saturday and I know I need to do it.

In the meantime, I've uploaded the pics to Flickr, they should appear if you click the photo strip on the right.

2009-04-15T20:31:00.004-05:00

So, if you are going to have a party tomorrow night, what is going to happen tonight?

Well, you'll walk into your kitchen and find the sink faucet spraying water across the counter and into a bunch of drawers.

Lots of wet stuff that shouldn't be wet, lots of water on the floor running into the living room. Who knows how long it was spraying?

Mimi says that Hombre came into the office and started to whine at her but she didn't realize it was because water was running into the room where he was sleeping... he tried to tell her.

I eventually found it when I came in from the terrace and heard something weird. We had a great mopping party and ordered a pizza.

You know, that's one of the things I love about this place - it's a city and I can call the pizza place and they know my name and my address and that I usually order a vegetenaria grande. Half an hour and the guy pulls his scooter up on the sidewalk right in front of the door and beeps. I LOVE living in a real city!

ps: I broke into one of the bottles of wine I bought for the party. Life is like that.

2009-04-14T21:53:00.002-05:00

Every pond needs fish, these are my Mollies and the chief mosquito hunters.

This weekend is the great blogger get-together here in Mérida. I should have been writing about it before this but, I forgot.

I did agree though to have the welcoming cocktail party here at the house on Thursday at 7pm.

To that end, Mimi and I went to Costco today and bought lots of booze and wine. Oh, we also bought a lot of juice and refrescos as well. I'll get some food too on Thursday. My hope is that everyone will come early and stay late and do a lot of drinking and talking. My kind of party.

Oh, we got plastic glasses too.

You see, I still only have the 4 plastic plates that we traveled with in the RV, along with 4 plastic salad plates and 4 plastic bowls. Life was simple then. I'll put the dip and chips on them for the party.

Send me an email if you need the address. It will be fun.

2009-04-14T15:29:00.003-05:00

Making lemonade. I've spent most of the last week working on the outside pond. Right now, I think the inside pond will have to be demolished and done again. I'm not thinking about that. I still think I can work around what is there on the outside pond and so I've gone ahead with it.

I have spent a lot of time on various pond and water gardening forums over the years and one of the virtual friends I've made is a well known wholesale seller and hybridizer of water lilies and other aquatic plants, Craig Presnell. More than a year ago, when Craig heard I was moving to Mérida, he wrote me that he had sent a large shipment of his lilies here to start the huge Aquaparque. He told me that the man behind the development of this incredible place was Fernando Molina, a well known expert in water culture, plants and ponds. He offered to give me his email address when the time came to stock my pond.

I wrote Señor Molina a month ago and he responded that he would be in Mérida for Easter and would bring me some of Craig's lilies from his home here. None of the lilies can be sold or removed from the Aquaparque because it is a city owned park.

He showed up with 5 beautiful, huge lilies and I am thrilled. He's an incredibly nice man, multi-talented and generous with his time and advice. I'm thrilled that I got to meet him and that I have these beautiful lilies. Now, I have to make sure that they thrive in my pond.

2009-04-12T22:09:00.003-05:00

Yeah, I've been missing. Sorry internets, it has not been a great few weeks and if you can't say something good then come and sit by me... no wait, my mother had another ending.

It's good to have Mimi back for a few days, she dealt with the workers on Thurs and gave me a break. We've just been hanging out with friends this weekend, playing games and fixing stuff.

Everyone left today and Mimi and I walked over to the plaza to my new favorite Sunday taco stand. I'd been telling her how good the sopes were. She takes a bite and then asks me to taste it.

Me: "it's good"

Mimi: "do you think it is mole?"

Me: "No, it's too sweet, don't you like it?"

Mimi: "It tastes like dirt. Good dirt though. I like it"

She then finished off the two sopes. Yep, it's good to have her back.

2009-03-31T23:41:00.001-06:00

Sitting in the hot sun, feeling the heat sink deep down to your bones... makes everything better. Add a salty breeze off the sea and a Magnificant Frigate or two sailing effortlessly overhead, that's my idea of paradise.

When I retired I swore I would never live for long where there were no Frigatas, I haven't seen any in Mérida but I'm sure there are some out at the Gulf. Meanwhile, I have Akumal.

I don't have much in the way of internet though, I'll be back when I return to Mérida.

As my friend Kate says on her blog, Life is Good.

2009-03-29T22:42:00.003-06:00

I decided I would only do what I enjoy this weekend, I deserve it after last week. So Saturday morning the Dodwell's and I went to an artesania sale at the Lion's club.

First though, I have to show you this picture of Tita and Cuba asleep in the office Friday. It's been hot, it was 40°C Friday and at least that Saturday. That's 104°F, did I mention the humidity was 80%? I felt bad keeping the dogs and cat locked up in that heat although I made sure they had a lot of water and a fan. I don't have to lock up the cat of course but she panics when strangers come in and all she wants is to be with her dog pack. As you can see, once she is with the pack she's fine.

The sale was great, much larger than last year, really nice things and a good cause. Put on by AANY (Amigos de Artistas / Artesanos Nuevos de Yucatan) it is a twice a year sale of really innovative works by Yucatecan artisans.

I saw a lot of things that I would love to have but I really need to resist that impulse. The booth that really called to me though was a guy selling incredible combinations of orchids and bromeliads mounted on wood. I kept walking away and going back, I finally caved and bought a beautiful big mount with several orchids and blooming bromeliads.

Here it is sitting on my terrace, I need to decide where to hang it.

The prices were really good, I paid the current equivalent of less than $35US ($500 pesos) for this. It's 3½ feet tall with 5 orchids and 3 or 4 bromeliads mounted on a large piece of wood.

I'm going to watch where the sun is carefully tomorrow and decide on a spot for it. I'll need to spray it with water occasionally so I think the wall of the terrace might not be the best place although I would love how it looked there. Maybe higher up on the inside of this column, I need to ask Debi to take a look.

This morning, Sunday, I went over to Paul's and followed him and his guests to a tianguis in another colonia of Mérida, Chuburna. It was really neat, the usual used clothing but also plants, old hardware, and produce. I had friends coming over at 11am so I couldn't stay long but on my way out I spotted a Canna I had to have.

I've been looking for some cannas for the outside pond and this one looked really healthy. It has a bud but no current bloom and they told me the blooms are yellow and red. Whatever, I want it for the pond. That set me back $40 pesos or less than $3us and it has 3 or 4 stalks and a bud. All I really want to buy are plants, can you tell?

Actually, I'd also like to buy a couple of these hennequen lamps for bedside reading lamps. I need ones that put out some light at the bottom that would let you read but don't blind you when you look at them from across the room. The woman at the booth said she is making some that sound like what I want so I gave her my number and she says she'll come by with samples.

I got home and met up with Glen and Susan from Paamul. They built a beautiful palapa at an RV resort over on the Quintana Roo coast and I enjoyed following the building process on their blog. I got to see parts of it when we were over there but they weren't home so I'd never met them. They are on their way back to Canada for the summer and stopped in Mérida so we finally got to meet. Again, I find that when I meet someone whose blog I've enjoyed, I like them just as much in person. We talked and talked, walked to the centro and enjoyed the booths and had some food. Great people, check out the incredible job they did on their palapa. I have enormous respect for anyone who takes on a building job in another country, in another language, and pulls it off so well.

I've rejuvenated this weekend, I'm not as angry or feeling as abandoned and I think I'm ready for tomorrow. I'm also leaving for Akumal Monday night and the Dodwell's are going to be here Tuesday to let the workers in. I'm going to go to the dentist in Playa del Carmen and then pick Mimi and her brother up at the airport in Cancun on Wednesday. I've got a lot of loot coming with Mimi that I ordered online and had delivered to Denver. It will be good to see her again and then I'm grabbing the loot and coming back to Mérida. She's going to stay in Akumal with her brother for awhile, after that blizzard they need some beach time.

2009-03-28T17:54:00.003-06:00

There is a cavalier attitude towards electricity here in Mexico that I'll never get used to. I'm a weenie about electricity anyway, it friggin scares me and I want all the safety procedures there are in place. I know that isn't going to happen. Really, I would just be happy if they would do some basic stuff like flip off the breaker before cutting into the line.

Friday was the worst day of a long bad week. Again there were a half dozen guys here working and 2 of them, I've named them los payasos, the clowns, were upstairs installing the plug that they forgot to put in the guest bathroom. I'm downstairs with the rest of the crowd trying to hide out in the office. Suddenly one of the painters comes and gets me and points to the ceiling in the living room just as one of the lights explodes in sparks. The thing went off like a firecracker! Then another one did the same.

The clowns came trundling down the stairs and started trying switches. I realized that the power was out in the office so I ran and unplugged the surge protector the laptops were on, then I started trying to unplug anything else I might care about like the friggin expensive refrigerator, the wine cooler, the microwave. Gabi ran upstairs and unplugged the washer and dryer. I'm calling Alan and as always he says he is "on his way and will be there in 6 minutes", he always says 6 minutes and I don't want to speculate on whose house is 6 minutes from mine. Anyway, it always takes him about 12 minutes.

The thing is, no one on site speaks English, my Spanish is not up to electrical disasters and I have about zero confidence in these clowns anyway. I call Henry and he says Alan is on his way, not to worry. Well, sorry, I am worried.

Alan arrives and tells me that the payasos got their drill across 2 wires and blew out the circuit breaker, he kindly says that it did what it was supposed to do. OK, let's see it then. Nope.

Next thing I see are the clowns heading outside with the long metal ladder and putting it up against the CFE electric pole. Up they go to fuck with the transformer on the pole. Holy Friggin Shit! This really freaks me out and I call Henry again. He says he called the electrician and he will be here in an hour. An hour? By that time we could all be fried and I could have crispy critters laying all out in front of my house. Henry tells me to tell them to wait for the electrician. Yeah, well, I have not had very good luck telling these bozos anything. They don't want to hear it from a woman. More on that later.

About then, they come walking back inside turning on breakers and lights and fans and saying everything works it is all fixed. I'm not really satisfied with that answer and want to know what is fixed, what was wrong and how did they fix it. Alan says that there was a bad wire up on the CFE pole from the transformer to the house and when they shorted everything with the drill bit it broke apart so they "fixed" it.

Yeah? No one went up that ladder with any new wire so I am positive that they twisted the ends together and maybe, maybe, used a little tape too. Overkill you know? Now I'm told that CFE will come out on Monday and check it. Another thing, if it was the wire on the transformer and the circuit breaker is fine then, hey? maybe it didn't do its job eh?

Eventually the electrician comes with a multimeter and checks all the sockets and says they are all fine with 127v and a ground. Now we have to push the refrigerator back into the cabinet, take the wine cooler completely out and put it on a chair in order to plug it back in. The good news is that I told the electrician I want it to be a whole lot easier to unplug all these things in case of an electric storm or whatever - like more clowns.

There are several lights that no longer work but other than that, it does all seem to be fine. I'm not fine though, I'm irritated and angry. All I can say is that they are lucky that I was here and not Mimi, she would have been yelling at them. All I did was get a beer and walk in circles and wish someone with some real authority would come and deal with it.

About me telling the clowns anything? I told them that I wanted something put up on the roof and they acted like they didn't understand my Spanish. Problem is, Gabi understood it and when they walked away she said it back to me and kind of rolled her eyes at them. So, I said let's go back upstairs and YOU tell them the same thing. and we did. The clowns got to take the same directions from another woman and a maid, and they couldn't say they didn't understand her. It was a good moment, when they left Gabi and I did a high 5.

Oh, and the drill that started the whole thing? The fool didn't throw a breaker before installing an electric plug and his drill was "plugged in" via a very long, skinny, lamp cord that just had the wires stuck in a socket downstairs (he was working upstairs) instead of a plug or even a real extension cord.

Bloody fools could have died and I would have probably lost my house over it. Can you tell I am over the edge? I told them I had to have the weekend off and for no one to come today to work. I'll start again on Monday if I don't just run away.

2009-03-27T09:07:00.003-06:00

I'm so tired! I innocently turned in my punch list of things that need fixing to Henry last week and waved Mimi off to Denver thinking I would have a week of solitude and time to get all sorts of things done.

I must have been out of my mind. Every day at 8:30AM the workers arrive and there are a lot of them. Concrete guys and painter guys and electrical guys and plumbing guys and iron work guys... argh! Mimi is trying to elicit sympathy by telling me that she is house bound in a freak March blizzard up in Colorado - I think she's probably lying but I haven't had time to check. Humph!

Did I mention that every day except Wed. there were still workers here at 6PM? I have to stay while anyone is here and I have to keep the dogs locked up, they do NOT like men with tools. No one will come in if Cuba is out and about and while I'm glad, it has made it hard on them as well.

I had them on the roof for one day but the rest of the time someone needed to get out there as well because they are fixing and painting the water heater house where it had to be modified when I gave up on the other heater.

So, we are holed up in the office which I've declared off limits as there is just too much stuff stored in there to work on anything.

The table went off with the ironworkers on Monday and the painters are working on the counter so everything in the kitchen is piled on the island.

They chipped out part of the wall behind the pond and put a concrete spillway kind of thing behind the pipe for the waterfall, then they sealed it and replaced the rocks. The fish seem to have all survived this, I'm kind of amazed.

When it had dried, I turned it on and the water level is still dropping and turning off the pump. :(

I called Henry and he came over and he thinks that the pump is too strong and it is pulling the water out of the well faster than it can flow back.

He had me leave it on for 24 hours and I think he is right and that is most of the problem.

This brings up another problem because I'm not happy with that pump anyway and wanted a smaller one that uses less electricity.

So, we're going to try something else. An overflow hole that will put the water out into the middle of the sump so I can filter it easier and I will try putting in one of the smaller pond pumps I have. I've got my fingers crossed this will work.

I don't know about you but having two guys come to re-attach the bed frame to the wall because it had pulled off was not a moment I enjoyed. I can't even tell you how much I didn't love showing them that it bounces against the wall. To their credit, no one smiled or smirked or said anything, they just fixed it and I tried to keep my face from matching the wall.

Henry gave us a couple of antique glass lights that he pulled out of the place he is renovating for his office.

They are gorgeous and they built a scaffold and re-wired them and put long chains on them and now I have an impressive light fixture.

It's amazing how they just put things together and chip some concrete (there was one hole for a fixture and they needed two) and put it up.

I was half joking and asked Henry how I would change the bulbs and he said they used the long life bulbs but that I would need to call and have these guys come back with the scaffold to change them.

The wall work and the painters are here because as in many of these old houses that sit right on the bedrock, there is water wicking in the walls. It's hard to tell before you paint which ones will be a problem. I was OK to live with most of it as I consider it just a feature of an old stone house.

Henry wasn't happy with a couple walls and so they have chipped and sanded and replaced plaster and added a different sealer in several places. The worst area is the first section of the front hall. There, he had them drill holes into the wall at intervals close to the floor. The dust in about half the holes was wet. This will let air in and humidity out and hopefully will keep the moisture from bubbling the paint again.

Today, the painters are here, I'm waiting for the electrician who didn't show yesterday and who is putting the TV on the wall, the ironwork guys are coming to adjust the garage door and put the table back and a bar for hanging stuff on the wall under the stove hood and my buddy Terrence, who did the amazing cabinets, is coming to check the adjustments on some drawers and see what else needs to be done. It's his birthday and I think he should be laying by his pool drinking champagne instead.

Happy Birthday Terrence!!

2009-03-23T23:28:00.001-06:00

Chica has done it again! Almost exactly one year after the last time, she managed to get her jaw stuck through a bone again.

I got the dogs bones for their birthday and somehow she managed to stuff her lower jaw through the hole and get stuck. I'd given her a smaller bone because of the last time she did it but she stole Cuba's bone which was larger.

This time Mimi didn't have to use the hacksaw, she was able to get it off with snips. No more leg bones unless I get them cut in half. Silly girl.

2009-03-23T09:38:00.002-06:00

It's so easy to get over your head in all this, the problems facing Mexico and the US are large and complex and intricately linked. While I don't think the US coverage of Mexico is correct, I did not mean to trivialize the very real war that is going on down here. No, it does not effect my day to day life and no, tourists are not targets and are unlikely to see any of it. As usual, it is the poor and the disenfranchised that are the random victims and it is the poor and the disenfranchised that are recruited for the job of soldier. Both sides of this war, the army and the cartels are staffed by those who have few other options.

The other group that are too often the victims of violence here are journalists. It is not safe to be a journalist here in Mexico and write about the cartels or corruption. You don't have a free press when to write the wrong thing is a death sentence. That is something that bothers me a lot about my adopted home. It is something that is on the minds of most of the bloggers I know as well, you bite your lip at times when considering what to write.

One of the blogs I read regularly is written by Jeremy Schwartz out of Mexico City for a paper in Austin, TX. He has a clear view and a lucid pen, I recommend his blog Uncovering Mexico. This week he talks about the resurgence of Mexico in the minds and press of the US.

2009-03-21T22:03:00.004-06:00

I've been wanting to write a post about the hysteria that seems to be gripping the US press over Mexico. I kept putting it off because it really pisses me off but getting angry rarely helps get your point across.

I do wonder though, who benefits from all this? If GWB were still in charge I would be worried about an eminent invasion of Mexico, and believe me this was not an idle worry for many Mexicans. I think Obama is not only smarter but measured and sane so I no longer think it is all leading up to the Marines moving into Veracruz to "protect" the oil fields.

There are benefits to tourist areas in the southern US, that seems kind of stretching it though. Gun dealers certainly benefit, both from increased paranoia inside the US and from their unholy profits selling automatic weapons to the cartels. Still, tourists going to Mexico don't really threaten that. The Teamsters have a huge investment (that paid off recently) in portraying Mexico and Mexicans as dangerous and irresponsible, that's a possibility.

I don't know, it could just be that blood and terror sells and everyone loves to be told that someone else's house is in worse shape than their own. Now I think I am getting close to the truth.

If you live in any city in the US you are bombarded by news of murders, rapes, robberies and the always entertaining random mass murder by a)some sick teenager b)jilted lover or c)pissed off employee. It could make you start wondering if you really are living in the very best country in the world. Rather than realize that perhaps there are enormous problems in the Shining Light of Democracy, let's concentrate on the heads of narcos found alongside a road in Sinaloa. Remind yourself that you are safe in the bosom of the US of A and feel good about yourself and your country.

I think that is it.

I'm not from the boondocks of the US, I grew up outside Los Angeles and spent most of my adult life in and around San Francisco. I retired as a Lieutenant in the San Francisco Sheriff's Department. I have a couple of street smarts bouncing around in my head and I would say my danger radar is pretty well honed. I sniff the air a lot and I tend to err on the side of caution. I'm no longer young and I'm no longer armed and I no longer have anything to prove, so I'm never looking for trouble and I've got no qualms about beating feet if I see it coming.

Here's a shocker for you, I've never felt the need to get the hell away from somewhere or someone here in Mexico. It could happen, I'm still looking all the time. But, it hasn't happened and you want to know why that is? Because I don't do drugs, I don't hang out with drug users or dealers, I don't go to sleezy nightclubs, I don't get so wasted that I don't know who I'm talking to or where I am. The same good sense that I use in the US, I use here. WTF folks, this isn't rocket science. If you don't know how to behave off the farm then you should stay on it.

I don't have a lot of sympathy in these days of TV and internet for the sheep who get regularly fleeced and hurt in any city anywhere in the world. Grow up, watch TV, buy some smarts. If you take a midnight tour of southcentral LA and you are white and stupid, you will get robbed and you will probably get hurt. If you decide to go off to Juarez for a night on the town and buy some blow and try and pick up some gangster's girlfriend, you will get hurt and you could easily get dead. If you wander off to Afghanistan to "help" the poor people there, you are taking a much bigger risk than I think a normal, sane person should. All three of those places are war zones, you can get hurt even if you aren't in the fight. So, use your head and stay out of all of them.

Now that you know that southcentral LA is not safe, does that mean you shouldn't go to Malibu? or Tucson? or Portland, Maine? Because that's the same as saying that because there is a drug war going on at the US/MX border, it isn't safe to go to Guadalajara or Puerto Vallarta or Cancun. You can get hurt in any of those places if you are stupid and in the wrong place at the wrong time. The thing is, the wrong place is really apparent and it doesn't include upscale hotels and restaurants or the beach. The wrong time is pretty clear too, if it is 3am and you can't walk straight it is the wrong time to go wandering down the beach by yourself - especially in Malibu.

The recent press saying that Mexico is a failing state is just crap. Come down sometime and see the new housing developments being built, the new malls, the downtowns of big cities that are being renovated and turned into fashionable areas. Stroll the Plaza Grande here in Mérida some evening, enjoy the clowns and magicians playing for the kids, have a coffee or a beer at a sidewalk cafe, listen to the city sponsored bands in every park. Best of all, do as I do and walk home at midnight through the center of the city with no fear, no furtive looks over your shoulder. This is a city of over a million people and the downtown is safe, safe for women and children, safe at night - how many cities of the same size in the US can say that?

Then, start wondering why such a different picture is being painted in the US press.

For some real information from expat bloggers living throughout México, take a look at this site The Truth About Mexico.

2009-03-17T16:02:00.000-06:00

Happy Birthday to all 3 of our dogs. They are all shown here last summer with their latest partner a young Tita.

All 3 dogs are rescues and on their initial vet visits the vets best guesses were that they were born some time in mid March. We immediately decided that St Patrick's day was their birthday.

The doberman on the left is Cuba who is 2 years old today. The one in the middle with the big, sorrowful brown eyes is Hombre and his sister on the right is Chica, they are 6 years old. All these pictures were taken this year, if I find some from when we found them I'll post them later.

Hombre and Chica, and another brother who is happy and healthy and living in Akumal (Happy Birthday Chico!), are typical Yucatan beach dogs from Akumal.

Chica was found by our friend laying in her carport, very skinny and dehydrated with a broken leg.

Karson carried her up to her roof under a palapa, fed her steak and water and hoped for the best. She disappeared on the 3rd day and Karson figured she had gone off to the jungle to die. Instead, she reappeared that afternoon with 2 other malnourished dogs.

As it turned out, they were her brothers and we think she could no longer keep up with them because of her leg. When she got stronger she left to find them and we've always said her dog-words were "smell my lips Bros, steak! I'm eating steak!"

They spent a lot of time at the vet those first months. Besides the broken leg which was probably from a kick, Chica had heartworms, was about to come into her first heat, and was terrified of any loud noise or quick movement.

Hombre was just skin draped over bone, his backbone and ribs protruded, and he was covered in ticks.

From the ticks, he had a disease called erlichea which is sort of a dog version of Lyme disease. He also had an infected penis which looked really large compared to his emaciated body and was red, swollen and wouldn't retract. That's how he got his name. Every Mexican man that saw him made that downward flick of his hand and said "¡Qué Hombre!"

They are 2 of the best dogs I've ever had. I think that first off, street dogs are often smarter than dogs bred for just looks. Second, they are appreciative, they don't expect life to be fair and they see every good thing as a gift. They are happy dogs because, really, they won the dog lottery. These two are well traveled and if you ask them how many countries they have been in, they will raise a paw and give you a Five!*

Cuba was the baby of the family until Tita came along. We had been talking about getting another dog when we got the house, one that looked more intimidating. We both agreed that a doberman would be perfect, we'd each had one before and loved their personalities.

As we drove into the RV park that day, Mimi saw a very skinny young dobie running around the bushes and said, "well, there's our doberman". She was frightened, malnourished, and coming into her first heat. The gardener said she'd been there a couple months and that he fed her left over tortillas.

It took a bit to catch her, we kept throwing treats closer and closer and it helped that she liked Hombre a lot. During our sneaky treat-giving we were sitting outside having drinks with friends and eventually she came up and took a drink from my Cuba Libre. Quickly, she had a leash around her neck, a new name, and a ride to the vet.

She appears to be a full doberman and her tail is docked. She too is a great dog, sweet and cuddly to people we introduce her to and very protective towards anyone else. The effect she has at the military inspections here is awesome! None of the construction workers will come into the house until we have locked her up. She has more than earned her keep.

That's the short version of how we got the birthday dogs, they are living the good life now.

*Actually, Hombre ran across the border into Honduras and took a whizz but I can't convince him to learn a high 6. He doesn't want people to think he's a Mexican illegal, he's got a passport and except for that one short indiscretion, he's crossed all the other borders legally.

2009-03-16T21:46:00.002-06:00

We were busy last week, our friends John and Mary returned to Mérida and we had dinner with them.

The next night was a concert by Lisa Paige, an excellent singer, at Terrence's spectacular new house. Well, his house isn't new but he's been doing a lot of work on it and the results are stunning.

The concert was a benefit for Oasis, an AIDS charity. I couldn't find a link for it, what I was told is that there are 2 AIDS groups here, Abrazos which deals with helping people live with AIDS, and Oasis which helps them die. It is a hospice type place, a safe place to die. I'll add more info about it when I can get it.

I went over to Debi and Tom's on Wednesday and arranged for their housekeeper to come here a few days a week. This place is much too large and we have too many pets to keep up with it ourselves. We did try, we were only partially successful and it took all our time. Gabi has been here twice and I'm very happy with her so far. We are no longer dodging tumbleweeds of dog hair and the woodwork shines again.

A side benefit of visiting Debi's gorgeous garden is that I came home with 2 pieces of an orchid. I'm really going to try not to kill this one. Did I tell you internet that I brutally murdered my very first phalenopsis? This after I told the whole world that raising orchids was going to be my new pastime? Also, after I spent untold hours reading orchid blogs and forums? Yea, well, it's dead. Still alive is the one that Tandy and David brought me, it's even still blooming. There is hope for me but I have acquired some new humility about this hobby.

Oh, and the outside pond is green because it is leaking and I have to add so much water to it every day that it can't cycle. The inside pond, however, is mysteriously gaining water. We vacuum it dry and after about 4 days there is a foot of water in the sump. I have no friggin clue where the water is coming from. Last night while I was trying to use the video chat with my son Mimi suddenly yelled "listen" and we both ran into the hall where water was pouring from one of the pipes into the sump. Cool, except we have no idea where that pipe is connected so we still don't know where the water comes from. I have grim ideas but I hope I'm wrong.

We were keeping it empty because I'm not satisfied with the design or function and I needed to just contemplate it for awhile. I guess I'm glad to find this out before there are any fish or plants I care about in there. The outside pond has fish and some plants and I think they will have to break out part of the wall to fix the leak.

On a bad news/good news note, Mimi's computer is biting the dust. It's about 6 years old so I'm not surprised. The power supply is going and this would be the 2nd one we've purchased. So, I think I'm going to get a new mac 13" powerbook. I loved my 14" Sony Vaio and while I also like this big macbook pro, I'd love to go back to a small netbook type. Mimi will take this one and I think she'll still let me use it for graphics if I need to. She's off to the USA next week so we are in a buying and shipping frenzy so she can haul the loot back in her luggage.

Oh, did I also mention that Saturday we both woke up really sick? Fever, headache, joint pain... we slept most of Sat and Sunday and today are feeling a little better and walking around and eating a little. Who knows? Just something going around I guess. Pain pills, Electrolit, and lots of water and we seem to be recovered.

For not having anything to say, I sure took up a lot of space.

2009-03-12T11:30:00.002-06:00

We finally left Akumal on Sunday, I took a lot of pictures out front while waiting for Mimi to find her truck keys. Heh! They were in the door.

I liked this pile of old coral and rock waiting to be used for a wall or a path. I picked through it and rescued a few pieces to bring over to Merida as door stops.

We have endless doors over here and if a breeze picks up they can all slam in a chorus. Scares the bejeebies out of me and the dogs. I usually use big conch shells as door stops but I didn't have enough of them.

A few last pics for now of the Caribbean water. The range of colors is amazing.

I'm poking around here, trying to get more organized, trying to figure out what I really need vs what I'd like to have.

I've decided I do really need a couple more chairs and tables for the living room. I figured that out when I found myself hunched over an ottoman trying to use my laptop because I'd moved the love seat out to the terrace.

I also really need some kind of desk in the office. What I'd like is a long rectory type table, haven't found one so far. Some drawers in there would be nice as well, we have a lot of cabinets and book shelves but stuff like pens and tape and all that other detritus that accumulates needs to have a place.

I keep flashing back to all that stuff we got rid of when we sold the big house in Marin. I don't want all that back, I just get panicked that I will accumulate it all again. I keep repeating "don't need it, don't need it" to myself when I see something cool and shiny. I am so easily attracted to the cool and shiny, it's irritating to have to think of myself as a magpie.

I was taken with a picture our friend Whitney took when he and Jan were in Akumal, so I stole his idea. This is our first and last view of our place there.

More soon on life in Mérida, for now I'm walking in circles trying to figure out where to start.

2009-03-06T22:51:00.002-06:00

Just in case I didn't get enough bureaucracy yesterday, today we went to Tulum and got our driver's licenses. It was pretty smooth, a little crowded but only took about an hour.

First we had to go to a lab and get our blood typed and an official paper with the results. All DL's here have your blood type on them in case of an accident. This isn't done up north, I can't imagine any hospital or EMT in the US giving someone blood without first getting it typed as the liability would be incredible. Had our DL's from Calif had this info on them though we wouldn't have needed the lab work.

I'm still O+ ...although I haven't paid any attention to my blood type in dozens of years. Nice to know some things never change, I wish I still wore size 29 jeans too.

For those of you down here and interested, all they wanted was a comprobante, copy of my US license, copy of my FM3.

We both used a copy of the same electric bill for a comprobante and it doesn't have either of our names on it, so let me know if you need one. My FM3 has my Mérida address on it and is from Yucatán but they didn't notice or they didn't care. I gave them my Akumal address and my Mérida cell phone number. No test, no driving, nothing else except $400 pesos.

Another plus, if you are a golfer, with a local DL you can play on the Playa course for $38USD! That's a savings of several hundred dollars.

When I was looking at the picture I took of my beautiful new license, I noticed that they spelled my name wrong. It made me laugh because they gave it a Yucatecan accent! Here in the Yucatan when a word ends in an N, it comes out sounding like an M. So, Juan is Juam and apparently, Harlan is Harlam.

We got done in time to stop at our favorite fish taco stand, Urge Taquito, with the fabulous tamarindo chipotle sauce. We like the place so much we even bought t-shirts this time.

It's warmer today but a lot windier. I've included some more ocean pictures for you in the frozen north. Really, I never tire of these pictures either or of looking at the many colors and moods of the ocean. I'm glad to have an excuse to post and take more pictures of it. We've even got small waves in our part of the bay today and big breakers on the reef and out at the point.

Also, I have a confession. My RSS reader that tracks all the blogs I read now says I have 287 unread blog posts! That is without the huge number from Engadget and Perez Hilton! Yes, I know, Perez! Can I say that I just read the articles and don't look at the pictures? No, huh? Anyway, I'm waaaaay behind on reading blogs and I'm not going to catch up until we get back to Mérida and my fast internet connection. So, if you've written something spectacular and I didn't comment, that's why.

2009-03-06T00:25:00.003-06:00

One of my biggest cultural problems is that I have what I call the English Disease. I queue up and will stand endlessly, politely waiting my turn. I blame it on my British forebears and from growing up in a country still suffering from the imprint of the Union Jack in its colonial past.

We're taught as small children to line up quietly and never cut in or try and jump ahead. We tend to think of this trait as honorable and upright and we get sometimes quite sanctimonious about the rightness of our way. We are outraged and angry when others don't follow our clearly better, god-ordained way of doing things. Until we get old... and move somewhere that sees zero value in our treasured beliefs.

I've mellowed enough in my dotage to realize that getting upset about these things is pointless. That it is quite probable that others around me don't see line-jumping as the capital offense of my upbringing. That, in fact, some cultures see it as getting over on someone and that is seen as a coup, a win , a desirable point-laden event. Me whining about line jumpers would just make me look like the fool who got taken.

Now, if I had the huevos to defeat them at their own game, step in front of them and devastate them with a few quiet words, then I could win. Unfortunately, it's tough to devastate with few words when you only have a few words to choose from, me taking someone on in Spanish is truly taking a paper knife to a gun fight.

So, today I sat in Hacienda (the Mexican tax office) for untold hours and waited for my number to come up on the little machine at the front of the room. I was there to pay $118 pesos to register my old truck for another year. No matter that those numbers rarely moved because so many people just walked in front, no matter that when it did move the spot was immediately claimed by someone who just walked in and who I watched pick up a discarded number from the floor, none of that mattered. I sat and I waited and I played games on my iPhone until the battery died. Then I just sat and watched.

Number 6 was being served when I got my number

Oh No! I'm number 34

I won't claim that I never got the teeniest bit irritated, I did. I put it away though and thought about this English Disease. I wondered if I could switch my cultural bias and change how I behaved. I decided I probably could, especially if I were younger and more impatient. I also decided that it was highly unlikely that I would ever really break the queue habit, the belief that I was more honorable for waiting my turn. I decided I might not like myself as much if I did abandon my upbringing. I had plenty of time to think about all this in detail.

A couple hours later, at about number 17 - notice the guy in the white shirt and tan shorts, he's going to be next because he just picked up a number off the floor

Thinning out now, still only around #21, white shirt is almost done.

Finally when the place was nearly empty, when I started worrying that they would close and make me leave with my number still uncalled, two baggy trousered punks walked in. They had the smirks and the steely stare and the marijuana leaf shirts to go with the pants they had to keep holding on to or lose. There was a well dressed businessman at one of the booths, he'd been there a long time and had many papers spread out on the counter. These thugs stood on either side of him, leaning too close, blatantly reading his papers through the glass and over his shoulder. He never looked at them, the guy waiting on him never looked at them. The only other person I saw looking besides me was a well dressed woman at the adjoining window who gave him a sad look.

It was clear that they had decided to be next at that window and they didn't even bother to fake getting a number or to look for one on the floor. The man concluded his business, it took another 15 minutes and it must have been nerve wracking for him, they never left his sides. One of them even fingered the clasp on his laptop case that was strung across his back. He moved it in front of him but never looked at them. All this time they were smirking and laughing and making jokes behind him.

I really wanted to take their picture, I even got up and stood so I was close and had a clear shot. I didn't do it. It dawned on me that taking out my camera and taking their picture was confrontational and from the behavior of everyone else in the room, that was probably not a good idea. So, I sat down again resigned that although my number was next, I was not going to be next.

The businessman left and they grabbed their papers and shoved them across the counter. The guy working took them, completed their transaction with little conversation and they left, laughing and throwing fake punches at each other. I contemplated that old saying "Living well is the best revenge" and decided I wouldn't want their lives even with the additional 40 years.

I'm pretty sure they felt like they won, that they had beat out everyone in the place, which by that time was just this old gringa and a young mother with a crying baby. Obviously, there are punks in every culture and it's not unusual that they get their way through fear.

You think?*

I was more taken with the regular people that just quietly snuck in line or picked up abandoned numbers. One guy asked a woman who was waiting what her number was, when she was done he walked right in behind her and told them he had the next number. I'd like to think I felt good about holding to my upbringing and waiting my turn, actually it left a sour taste in my mouth and I felt sort of culturally bereft. I no longer believe that the way I was raised is better, just different, but I also don't want to give it up.

*This is the box for complaints, suggestions and reporting people, it says "your word counts." I'll bet it is always empty.

2009-03-05T13:10:00.002-06:00

This is the view from my kitchen in Akumal.

The sea today is running hard to the south, this morning there were more fishing boats out on the reef than dive boats. That's not usual.

It's windier and at first I thought it was becoming more March weather but I've noticed that the wind is not off the ocean but from the back, the north. It is still very chilly at night so this is still the remains of this last norte. I hope it is the last one of the season, I suppose we may wish for a cold break sometime in May but now I would just like it to be warmer.

Although it is a little easier than a few weeks ago, it is still not very comfortable to use the internet here. We no longer bring over our sat dish and are relying on the wireless from the office. I don't have to stand in the bathroom anymore and hold the laptop up high so I think they have moved the modem a bit. We can sit in the guest bedroom by the window and get online... sometimes. It seems to go off at random times but hey, it is easier than setting up the dish.

Because of that, I've been reading more. A good thing I think. I had started a book here several months ago but left it behind. I've almost finished it now and I really recommend it for anyone who wants a better understanding of this huge country of surging peoples and religions. The Life and Times of Mexico by Earl Shorris is not a quick read, it makes you think and consider and ponder. I found myself putting it down and staring off into space many times. It is well written, it is well organized, it pulls you into the lives and worlds of many different people. It is like floating on a deep, wide river where the speed and force of the water seems deceptively slow and easy when it is relentless and powerful. You are drawn into eddies of lives along the way, I think that is one of the more powerful parts of the book - the intense dips into so many different lives.

I bought this book a couple years ago on Amazon at someone's recommendation. I wish I remembered who as I would thank them. It has moved along with us since we returned to Mexico and I didn't pick it up until last fall. I've been reading it in sections since then, leaving it here in Akumal and thinking about it while I'm gone. It kind of works on you and I found myself seeing things differently and looking perhaps for things I would not have known before. If you, like me, are always fascinated by the cultural forces of Mexico, if you wish you could see more clearly through the muddy and often conflicting traits that make the Mexican world so fascinating - read this book, you'll enjoy it.

2009-03-04T16:33:00.002-06:00

We're at the beach, we drove over on Sunday. Saturday night though, we went to a wonderful birthday party for our friend Sam. Unfortunately, my phone pictures were all blurry. It was a blast and had me a little homesick for San Francisco. I do love the mix of people and the sophistication of Mérida.

We got to Akumal a little late for the blessing of our friend's garden and placing of her brother's ashes. We were just in time for the party afterwards! Another great time, friends and food and wine.

Monday we got a slow start from just laying around in the sun but went into Playa in the afternoon to pay the tenencia on our truck, it's the annual registration fee. It's always been very fast but this time I had to take a number and wait about an hour. Then, I didn't have the right copy and the free copy machine they have always had there was broken or out of paper or something. I actually went over and plugged it in and tried to get it to take a piece of the paper laying under it. Nope.

Tuesday we both had long dentist appointments. Mimi had another quadrant deep cleaning, which includes cutting the gums and stitching afterwards. I had my implants opened and impressions done for the teeth. We came home and took some pain pills and slept around the clock. We can be serious sleepers with a little help, really, we went to bed around 8pm and got up for the last time at around 10 am.

Today I went off to Tulum to get a driver's license but I didn't have my blood type paperwork. Apparently the new municipality of Tulum is looking for any way to make money so they are giving out licenses with no test and $400p. Since our truck is registered in QRoo I thought it would be convenient to have a license from here.

So, that's been our week on the coast, except for the hours spent staring at the ocean, laying on the deck, hanging out with friends at Turtle Bay, Cueva and the Buena Vida or going through the closets and packing things up to take to the house. We are working on clearing personal stuff out of the condo with the idea that at some point in the future we could rent it again.

The weather has been gorgeous in the daytime, cold at night. The first night I had to get up and pull the old bedspread out of the closet for more covers. It's been calm during the day, the sea was completely flat until this morning. Today was a little windier, more like March is usually.

Mimi has another dentist appointment on Saturday and I am going to try again to pay the tenencia and get a driver's license. We should be heading back to the city Saturday night or Sunday. We miss our dogs and the kitten. This is a first for us to come over here without them and it has been much too quiet and I would have loved the added warmth of a couple dogs on the bed.

I almost hesitate to put up these pictures from the deck as they look just like dozens I've posted in the past. It's a hypnotic view when you can see the colors of the water changing and the birds diving. It's a tough life, someone has to miss out on the rain, snow, cold and work. I'm glad it's me!

2009-02-27T19:59:00.006-06:00

Mimi and I have been doing a little for the local economy this week. We're heading over to Akumal for awhile on Sunday and the Brits have agreed to come and stay here and watch the pets. That was enough of an excuse for us to go out and finally buy a TV.

As they always say down here, if you see something you want, buy it, cuz it may not be there when you go back. Well, I flunked that one on the TV. I found one I thought I wanted a few weeks ago. But, I started researching it and reading reviews and trying to decide to just spend the money. When I went to actually buy it, it was gone. Fuckity Fuck! Back to square one.

This time, I did a quick search on a Sony they had at Costco and we went back and bought it. It came bundled with a BluRay/DVD player - whatever the hell BluRay is. I know, I've seen the words, skipped the articles, thought I'd have time later to figure it out. Well, I have one and let's hope it isn't the current version of Betamax.

A little 'only in Mexico' moment as we were leaving CostCo. The door guy asked if we wanted to checarlo before we left. For some reason this opening and checking the box before leaving the store irritates me. I understand and I do it but it bugs me. I huffed but got over it and let him cut open the box on our new TV. He showed us that the screen was not cracked, the remote and the connectors and the manuals were inside. Then he opened the DVD/BluRay box. Ah Ha!! He was vindicated! The remote was missing!

Not to worry, a minion was sent to retrieve another box. These were bundled with the TV so they were packed together. We waited a long time, finally they came with another box, the same model of player but I noticed 2 movies inside. Unfortunately, when I noticed them so did the security guy.

Oh No! The movies were not part of the bundle so they pulled them out. Now, I got a little stubborn and thought I should get those movies. We went back and forth and they explained that we were getting a player that was sold separately, not one of the bundled ones, and that only that one had the movies. I felt that we should get the movies for all the money we've spent there and because we'd been standing at the door for half an hour now while all this was fixed.

Back and forth, I was not winning this one. They played their trump card and said they would just put the remote from this new, unopened player with our now rejected perhaps damaged player and give us that. Ack! No! I now wanted that new, pristine, sold-separately, player with or without the 2 movies.

I too had a hole card. I spotted Julio the customer service guy who had helped me with the telephones I bought. He had let me go through the whole shtick of returning them and then finding out they actually did work - all of this in Spanish. At the end, he complimented my Spanish in perfect English! Sheez! I told him he had suffered through my Spanish when he spoke such excellent English and with all these compliments flying around we became new best friends.

I enlisted him in my cause. Then the security guy got irritated and they all got on the radio and the words were flying. Julio told me he was going to get his manager to let me have the movies and to just hold on. Well, it worked! We finally left with the new BluRay/DVD 'sold separately' player + the 2 movies! Hah! I was gracious and polite to the security guy and we all did the muchismas gracias - a su servicio blah blah and we were out of there.

I actually watched one of those movies with Mimi after we got the whole thing set up. It was pretty good, 10,000 BC or something like that. The other one is Men in Black.

The TV is cool, the sound and video are great. Someday soon we will get it mounted on the wall and get the receiver for the satellite service.

Right now though, I'm watching a telenovela that comes in over the air without even an antenna. Trust me, here is all you need to know about it: a conniving woman has taken to her bed, the priest is sitting next to it telling her to do the right thing, she recovers as soon as he leaves the room, gets on the phone and plots a very nasty revenge - then it cuts to the doomed lovers. That's telenovela 101.