Month: November 2020

Oh, my gosh! We are going “on a vacation” soon.

Actually, we are going with our concierge, Jesús, and his family to Veracruz, which is about four hours to our south and east. We will be staying with his multigenerational family, in their home, for about three days and two nights.

This city, in Veracruz, is up in the mountains, with a view that is going to be spectacular! El pardre, the father of our friend, is going to show us how to cook chickens, wrapped in the leaves of the maguey trees, cooked in the ground, like a certain type of beef, called barbacoa.

It will be rustic, it will be amazing, it will be everything I have hoped for in all of our time here. To come home to leisure, that is great. To live like so many others, for awhile, is the ultimate experience of a lifetime. As I have never really had the opportunity to live “basic”, well, not counting every summer camp in which I ever stayed, this is going to change my life, I believe.

I will have photos, demaciados, (more than enough). I will have commentaries. I will, probably, have a new regard for the human spirit. Come back here to learn what we discover.

Until we go, and return, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We have done a bit of shopping today; preparing for Thanksgiving, and to make menudo.

Now, we are having the BMW recertified; it needs to be checked every six months. It does not take very long, if you get a decent appointment time. This certification tells you how many days a week you have to leave your vehicle at home. A “cero”, zero, means you can drive every day. Any other number, you have to find another means of transportation that many days. We have ceros for both vehicles because they are both well cared for.

Another subject. We were able to find a fresh, “natural” turkey at Costco the other day. We did not have to thaw it out, just cook and eat. Yay.

I hope you and your families had a wonderful holiday thus far. Many more to come.

They are almost done with the inspection so I will need to close this post. In the mean time, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Happy Thanksgiving to all of you that are able to celebrate with family this year. We will give thanks that no one else in the family has contracted the virus this week, and, that only one family member has died of the virus. That is quite a lot for which to be thankful. There is no celebration here, as it is a holiday for the United States alone, but we will have a turkey, just the same. (I want the carcass for bone broth, and the meat for tortas, enchiladas, and tacos).

We put our new Christmas tree up the other day. Bought it at Costco a few weeks ago, and it has been sitting in the box ever since.

We have about two dozen tin, Mexican ornaments to put on the tree, but we have no ornament hangers. It seems that there is always something that prevents us from finishing a simple project, like hanging ornaments.

As soon as we are able to get to the Mercados, which I have been told will not be much longer, we are going to see if anyone is still selling ornaments; which is a problem, now, with the quarantine. So many vendors have left the city, looking for other places to sell their merchandise. We are not sure what will still be available to find any once we get to the markets. Fingers crossed.

That is one of the really sad things about this virus; the closing of small mom and pop shops. It is happening all over the world, from what we see on the news. But as we are here, it is more profound, being right in front of our eyes. What this city used to be is a depressingly different to the city now. So much has changed, and in just one year!

Hopefully, if we wait patiently enough, the world will return to some sort of “new normal”; whatever that becomes, we will have to see. While we wait, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

Yay! We got one of the two bikes the other day. The second one, we have been informed, is on the way.

Alas, the tires on the first bike are flat, go figure, so we had to order helmets, plus a tire pump; none of which will be here for another week, or so. We must delay our weight loss/ better health adventure for yet another week.

Having typed that, I will admit, honestly, that it is just another day here in sunny México City. The temperature is nineteen degrees C, or seventy one degrees F. The sun is shining, as per its usual, and the air is breezy, and sweet smelling.

Unfortunately, there is still nothing to do today, except more laundry, vacuuming, and mopping of the floors. I say that because that has become a frequent ritual around here; the price one pays for having the windows open twenty hours a day, and living close to a semi active volcano. The black dust all over everything is just something to which one becomes accustomed.

When we first moved in, I did not really notice it. It was everywhere at Juan’s house, where we were staying while the bulk of the remodeling was happening. Now, however, having been in our condo for some eight or nine months, it is everywhere here, as well. Something to do with ones day, I suppose. Soon, I have been told, we should be able to go to the Mercado’s again. There are a few things we want to buy that are for decoration here.

While we wait for those upcoming day, and receiving the second bike, helmets, and tire pump, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

We have had a boring few days of it, these last few. No place to go, nothing to do except eat, and watch our computers for election results.

Then, I sat down, once again, to my computer, and, began watching Elementary, a Sherlock Holmes series on Prime Video. I have seen it, the entire series that is, at least twice, maybe three times. Always entertaining, for sure.

Today, however, I got a bit of a wild hair, and, ended up making a meatloaf, (in my large cast-iron skillet), mashed potatoes, and a batch of Kombucha. How enterprising of me.

Different subject inserted here. It still strikes me as amazing that we can drive down the street, and, at curbside, find someone selling fresh produce. We were out the other day, and Ivan bought me three fresh, very ripe pineapples so I could use them in the Kombucha that I made today. I will try to show you what I used.

Here is just a bit more of the freshness we have at our fingertips.

Soon, our new bikes will be here, and, we will be able to go out for a daily ride; at least one of us will, anyway. I am determined to drop as much weight as possible by Christmas. I think five, or so, kilos to start should be attainable. One has but to try.

While we wait, impatiently, for all of the above, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

I was thinking the other day, that, in four short months I will have been retired two years. I am thinking, right now, that that was the fastest two years I have lived through in recent memory.

Even though my memory is not what it used to be, the time has gone by very quickly.

The only unfortunate thing is that we have been in a pseudo quarantine for almost a year now. We do get out, at least weekly, but it is always a risk, if we do not pay attention to where we are, or, the people around us.

I try to explain to our family, and, friends here, that, when outside, you do not need to wear a mask, but, definitely, when in a room, or building, with others. Viruses are normally spread by droplets; they do not float around in the air. Another very important reason to wash your hands, with soap and water, at every opportunity.

We have been informed of another cousin that has fever, cough, and muscle aches. He tried to get tested Sunday and Monday, but the clinic’s are closed on Sundays, and it was a holiday, here, on Monday. Hopefully he has not infected anyone else at the house, and is feeling better.

While we wait to find out the results, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

They are here!! The guys!! You know, Luis, and Martín, and someone else. They are here with the cabinet for our bedroom.

Ivan and I have taken them around to show them all of the other things we want to happen. So far, they seem very receptive. I think that confinement, and lack of work have made them receptive to both ideas- work and money. Good for all of us.

This is what they brought.

This replaced the shoe closets that were there before.

Here is a photo of the “guys “.

A lot more coming in the kitchen and living room. I will keep you posted.

While we wait, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

We are out, running errands today. The weather is so incredible here, a cool sixty one degrees Fahrenheit, sixteen degrees Celsius.

Interesting that sixty one in the fall is so much nicer than sixty one in the summer. There is a cool, gentle breeze that allows a long sleeved shirt to be worn, without dying of heat prostration.

I said to Ivan, as we were leaving the garage, the only way to really know it is fall down here is because of all of the leaves on the streets.

We are on our way to the grocer for tomatoes, onions, etc. While we are driving, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

Yesterday, Ivan was out, and about, with Enrique, and came home with two bottles of the most wonderful tasting honey imaginable. I wish now, that I had had the foresight to take a photo of it in the original bottles. (The original bottles are the old fashioned quart milk bottles).

I also wish that I could describe the flavor of this honey to you. It is, however, so elusive, that it is hard to describe. I think I taste vanilla, or, better yet, a hint of, (ok, just think about this), snickerdoodle cookies. Just a hint, mind you.

So, when was the last time you had to try to describe the flavor of honey, one that did not taste like “ordinary”, mass produced honey? Huh? Probably never, will be your answer. It is not easy, because the flavor is not like anything you have ever eaten, in your life.

The honey is local, he thinks, and bought “en la calle”, on the street. Some things should never be bought on the street, from a street vendor, but honey is definitely not one of those things.

Frequently, the street vendors have products that are produced from an original source, more “organic’ if you will: a farmer; a bee keeper (in this case); a woman that weaves with string, and beads; a man that weaves with pine needles. Their products are not mass produced, refined, homogenized. They have flavor, texture, beauty, simple elegance.

When we get the shelving finished in the living room, we will find all of the treasures that we have purchased over the years, and display them. Most of what we have were handmade by someone, imperfect in the final product, but beautiful beyond words because of their imperfections.

None of the furniture, that we have in the condo, is perfect, nor did we want them to be. All of the furniture we have is, and will be, handmade to our specifications. In fact, our entire condo has been remodeled to what we want, not what the builders decided thirty years ago.

While we wait for the bicycles, the shelves, our office, to get here, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

Post script: day seven without an “elected” president in the US.

As I am typing this post, it is still election day. The weather is absolutely gorgeous, about fifty two degrees Fahrenheit, twelve degrees Celsius. The sky is overcast and we are on our way to have breakfast at Toks.

We had a bit of work done on the Mercedes, recently, and will take a taxi to pick it up, after breakfast, of course.

We have decided to keep it for another year or two, and, having come to that decision, must maintain it responsibly. The power steering needed to be drained, and refilled; the windshield washer reservoir needed fixing, as the fluid kept leaking; the oil needed to be changed to synthetic, and, there was a faulty part having something to do with the power steering as well. So, for about a half million dollars, we should, once again, have a smooth driving, smooth riding car. (Though, truth be told, we both enjoy the BMW so much more).

We have just ordered “tres café Americanos”, three American coffees, but, are still waiting to order breakfast. While we wait, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

Post script: the car drives, and rides, like we are floating on a cloud. Thank you, again, AutoFix.