Category: Initial post

Yesterday, (Sunday, actually) was our cousin Juan’s birthday. Everyone celebrated, con gusto, on Saturday, however. And I mean everyone.

Several family members come from an hour, or so, away, but there are several that live here “in town”, or close enough to be considered in town.

One cousin, Armando by name, comes From a bit farther than an hour, and brought a huge vat of grilled goat, called cabrito, along with a huge vat of consommé de barbacoa, a very rich, Delicious, but greasy soup. Our contribution to the event was, for the most part, all of the disposables, several different refrescos, (pops), plus a huge tres leches cake.

Here are a few of the 75+ pictures I took throughout the afternoon. (I never said they were good photos).

Many people came, and went, throughout the day, and I was unable to get photos of everyone. As in any family gathering, there were a few that were unable to make it, for personal reasons, but those that were able to come, had a great time.

Happy birthday Juan! Many, many more.

I have been giving more and more attention to knitting lately. Un fortunately, all of the things I am knitting are in a tote, in Juan’s garage here. I am unable to get to them until we get moved into the apartment.

I was telling Ivan last night about the free “yarn” I got from some women in India after purchasing wrap around skirts from them. (I will try to find the name of their website in case you wish to help them out by purchasing things from them as well). So, every skirt I purchased, or it might have been buy a few, get the “yarn”, I can not remember, I received a skein of completely different colors, and textures of “yarn”.

The “yarn” is in “” because it really is not yarn, it is silk, left over from the skirts they make. Each skein is prettier than the last one. I have no idea, at the moment, what I am going to make with them, but, currently, I think, I have four to six skeins of silk, waiting patiently for me to rediscover them.

Of course, I am still working on my Celtic shawl, so that will have to take priority once we get to the apartment. Here is where I am thus far.

I really have not had a moment to start this up again, because it takes so much concentration, of which I do not have much of at the moment. But I will get started on this again, as soon as I am settled.

I really cannot say how proud I am of the work I have done this far- it has been a labor of love, I can tell you that much. Every day I see it, sitting in its zippered pouch, awaiting the day that I have time to take it out, and start knitting again. I absolutely love knitting! For me, it is part relaxation and part therapy. It helps keep my brain active, reading the charts, and, more intense, the diagrams of the pattern. Reading the diagrams was something I never imagined I would be able to do, because they are so intricate. But I taught myself, made myself, learn how to read them, and because I did, there really is no pattern that I am unable to read or use.

Once we get settled, I will start knitting again, and I will update a more recent photo. Until then, this is as far as I have gotten.

I know you will be as excited as I am when I tell you that I am finally able to drive around the area, locally, from the house to our apartment, to the grocery store, or to Enrique’s apartment. All of that on my own, without getting lost, even. Ivan and Enrique have been letting me sit up front so I can see, and learn, the routes we take everywhere, and it has made all of the difference in my confidence level.

There is also this terrific app here called Waze that is specific, I think, to México, though do not hold me to that. The maps are in Spanish, (which has helped me increase my knowledge of the language), and, they are interactive. If you drive over a pothole, of which there are thousands, (no tax pesos at work here), you can touch an icon, and report the pothole so others can avoid it later. Or, if the traffic is heavy, or at a standstill, you can help others avoid the congestion, and they can go a different route if they want.

Most days, when I drive, the traffic is light, but I do not drive by any schools. They “break” for lunch from 1-2 pm, and leave school around 4 pm, so during those times of the day, Ivan, or Enrique, does the driving.

I have always enjoyed driving, and I mostly enjoy driving fast. Here, however, that is close to impossible with all of the speed bumps, called topes, (pronounced tóe pez) every 20 feet, or so it seems. Below are a few photos I took recently, looking for topes. These are not the speed bumps like in the US. These are varying sizes, varying heights, and depths, some are painted, some are not, but they are always the width of the street.

When one is driving the Mercedes, which is very low to the ground, one really has to be aware of the weight distribution inside the car, how high the bump is, and how deep. Once you can calculate that, in a moments notice, you will be able to go over said bump, tope, either straight on, or at an angle so you do not bottom out going over the top. All of the topes have scrapes, and scratches, on them from all of the low to the ground automobiles that drive over them. It is no wonder that muffler replacement is such a lucrative business here.

I am fine, just being able to find my way around the “neighborhood” so to speak. And for now, that is accomplishment enough. Once we get settled into the apartment, I will be able to learn more ways to get around town. Downtown we save for those that have lived here all of their lives or we take the Metro.

For now, I drive when, and where I am comfortable.

There are many songs that clearly reflect the journey in this life that Ivan and I have made- as individuals, as lovers, as partners, and as friends. The song- And Then He Kissed Me, by the Crystals, pretty much sums up how everything started for us. In fact, it is almost exactly how it all started. If you do not remember the song, look it up on YouTube. It will make you smile, I hope. Until then, here are the words.

Now, mind you, I was 15 years old, and a sophomore at Moline High School, the first time we met; 16 years old, and a junior at MHS, when we first started “dating”, and 17 years old, a senior at MHS, when we knew, someday, we would marry.

This song became “ours” somewhere in the area of 16 1/2 years old. I knew nothing about love, or lust, or anything, except how I felt when I was with Ivan. The world, as I knew it then, revolved completely around my feelings for him. He, on the other hand, knew a “good thing” when he saw it, and decided to “take a chance” on someone as naive, and inexperienced, as me.

I must say that we both thank God, daily, that he took said chance. Neither of us can even begin to imagine what our lives would have been like with “someone else”.

After 49 years of “knowing” each other, we are still in love, still in lust, and still best of friends. We wish everyone felt this way, but we know we are blessed, as fewer and fewer couples are these days.

I had the opportunity tonight, to program 6 automatic timers for Juan’s three condominiums in Cuernavaca, MX. No one is living in them at the moment, so it is necessary to make it look like someone is living in each of the condos.

It was a lot of fun programming each condo to vary the times that lights came on, stayed on, went off, came on again, for how long, went off, came on again, supposedly “while getting ready for work”. Then, in the evening, each condo comes on within a half hour of the others, stays on while someone is “downstairs watching TV”. Then someone goes upstairs to get ready for bed, while others are still downstairs doing something amazing.
Each condo has its own occupants, doing what comes naturally to those people. It was great fun, and I hope it will serve its purpose- keep intruders out.
I had to show everyone here how they are set, why there are set the way they are, and how to make each one work properly, because no one here has used these before. Ivan and I, however, used these every year, when we came down to México, in October! Now they will serve as watchmen of the condos in beautiful Cuernavaca!
If you have never tried them, I encourage you to use them this holiday season, to make intruders think someone is home when you are not. Automatic timers- once you use them you will be hooked. Let me know what you think.

Another amazing restaurant, here in lively CDMX, we “discovered“ a few weeks after moving here- Pollos Estilo Norteño®, (Chicken in the Northern style).

This being Sunday, and no one wants to cook on Sundays, people flock to places like this. Unfortunately, places like this only stay open until about 5:00 pm & 6:00 pm. So if you did not get there early enough, too bad for you. They grill between 50 & 100 spatchcocked chickens, all at the same time. Some are brushed with butter, and either S&P, or a yummy “something” that is spicy.

They have tongs that are about 30” long so they can reach across the grill without completely burning off their skin. Plus, there are 3 or 4 cooks grilling, helping each other, flipping, rearranging, cutting the chickens once cooked, and serving. While you wait, they serve you a small piece of chicken, and, either a small beer, or a soda pop. We usually opt for the beer.

The chicken is incredible, the mollejas are soft, and grilled to perfection, the sopa de médula, (look that one up yourselves), is delicious.

We also got about 1/2 kg. each of rib eye steak, and asado de tira, (roast strip), 1/2 kg. ribs, 1 L. frijoles charros, arroz, tortillas de maíz y harina, cebollas de chambray, (spring onions), tossed salad, and 3 different types of salsas.

Well, that is it for this Sunday dinner. I doubt there will be much, if anything, left after everyone serves themselves. There are rarely leftovers here, because there are, routinely, 9-10 people eating throughout a day, so quantities are large, and so are appetites. Fortunately, as you may remember, there are a plethora of parks nearby to walk through, should one have an interest. Not me, and not today. I am sitting here, typing, and enjoying the memory of Pollos Estilo Norteño®.

One day last week I decided that it was time to switch all of my electronic devices to Spanish. Somewhere along the way, I decided that the best way to learn to speak a different language was to be totally dependent upon it. And, let me just say that, as really good decisions go, that was one of my better ones.

For over the past week I have been typing messages only in Spanish, having to use Google Translator less, and less. Now that I have switched my phone to Spanish, it shows me the next word I want, correctly, an in Spanish. How neat is that?

It is so helpful to think of what I want to say, and have the words pop up, and in the correct grammatical form as well. Win, win. It helps reinforce, or correct, what I was already thinking, and planning to type.

You may not even realize the extent that this is helpful, but if you ever try to learn a different language, and only work at it as a pastime, or a hobby, it is so much more difficult to learn. Having moved here, and wanting to be able to share myself with this family, I decided to jump in with both feet, knowing all the while that my family will help me hit the ground easily, and without being hurt. They love me as much as I love them.

So, immersion. It is the only way to go.

We took my F-I-L, Juan, to La Salón Berlin tonight, and had a soup (sopa) that was incredible- simple, but it had so much flavor!! It was a chicken broth, (with a chunk of chicken, complete with rib bones, or thigh, or, whichever bone, for flavor), with garbanzo beans, onion, a touch of cabbage, and some sort of tiny, but spicy, chili!!! With a touch of lime juice, everything was calm, edible.

Heather, this is for you. We ended our botana with a small plate of “un pizco de cerdo, con verdolagas, en una caldo de cerdo!!! Do you remember what verdolagas are called? Purslane!! In every country, EXCEPT the US, it is a nutrient-dense plant that will feed hundreds of thousands of people for next to nothing!! In the US, and only the US, it is considered a weed!!!

I cannot tell you how delicious this meal was. It is everything you could ask for in a meal, and then some.

Thank you. To all of the staff at the Salón Berlin for main very Friday a wonderful end to a, probably, long week.

We took my F-I-L, Juan, to La Salón Berlin tonight, and had a soup (sopa) that was incredible- simple, but it had so much flavor!! It was a chicken broth, (with a chunk of chicken, complete with rib bones, or thigh, or, whichever bone, for flavor), with garbanzo beans, onion, a touch of cabbage, and some sort of tiny, but spicy, chili!!! With a touch of lime juice, everything was calm, edible.

Heather, this is for you. We ended our botana with a small plate of “un pizco de cerdo, con verdolagas, en una caldo de cerdo!!! Do you remember what verdolagas are called? Purslane!! In every country, EXCEPT the US, it is a nutrient-dense plant that will feed hundreds of thousands of people for next to nothing!! In the US, and only the US, it is considered a weed!!! This should tell you folks how controlling the ad agencies, and marketing people are.

I cannot tell you how delicious this meal was. It is everything you could ask for in a meal, and then some. And this is considered a botana, sort of a couple of appetizers up North. This is done, here, in every bar, and restaurant, from about 3 pm to around 6 pm. Happy hours.

Thank you- to all of the staff at the Salón Berlin for making this Friday a wonderful end to a very long week.

From last Monday to this past Friday, all sorts of things happened at the apartment. They probably are not much to you folks, but to us, even seeing the new bedroom door handles is exciting.

Here are a few photos of what is happening. I think I will put the before (April) photo immediately followed by the now (Sept) photo.

Well, those are the highlights of the remodel in week 4. Things could not be progressing any better, we do not think. More photos next week.