Dia mundial del medio ambiente

Turns out yesterday was World Environment Day.  We learned this after the fact, but as it turns out we had put out for the regular solid waste collection, a large container of clean plastic containers and tin cans we had been accumulating, and Carmen had also policed around the house and up & down the streets a bit, disposing of the scraps of paper and plastic trash blown out of passing vehicles or was discarded by sloppy passers-by.  Here, separation of waste materials takes place right beside the garbage compactor truck, which has bags and boxes strapped or tied to it for plastic, steel, newspapers and the like.  When a container is completely filled with a recyclable material, someone lifts it to the top of the truck where it is tied on.  At the end of the run the truck is quite a sight, covered as it is with bags and stacks of flattened cardboard. Only true mixed garbage goes into the maw of the compactor.  This seems so much more sensible than compacting everything and then picking thru the mess in some centralized recycling facility.

A hard rain again last night and steady all last sunday. However at this time of year the temperature only drops into the high 60s F with the nighttime tormentas. so we leave the windows open except if there are gusts blowing the raindrops thru the screens. Around here, when we get rain it's often accompanied by a bit of (usually distant, 9 seconds away or so) trueno y relampago (thunder and lightning, donner und blitzen).  This kind of sound and light show was very rare in Anacortes, WA, so we're kind of in awe of the spectacle here and beginning to like the dramatic, usually brief, tropical downpours.  At night we often smell the fragrance of whatever orchid is currently flowering.  We've heard that flowers which smell strongest at night are normally fertilized by moths.

We are reminded occasionally that we still live on the Pacific ring of fire.  Every so often we feel the ground tremble.  Not long ago we awoke one morning about 5am with our bed jiggling.  There was a tremor down on the isthmus of Tehuantepec in Oaxaca. No damage to speak of, but it's always unsettling when what is presumed to be solid underfoot, isn't. (It seems that most of the faults that are subject to underground movement are on the Pacific side of the country, most often in the states of Oaxaca and Guerrero.)  Then that same morning at 8am there was a tremendous boom, as a power transformer down the street blew up!   We expected a long period without electricity, but CFE had it replaced in about four hours. 

We finally put a bar along the bottom of our car gate where we saw the gray cat belly-squiggling under. Then a week later we found her sitting just inside our back door discussing who knows what with our own cats – very quietly. Shooed her out and discovered another place that she could squeeze thru. She surely is slender, and gets along well with the other two. We just do not need or can afford another animal, so we blocked that access point off as well.  The animals will just have to visit nose-to-nose thru the gate.

Seems that the zafra (cane harvest) is finished for this season, which means the air is cleaner. We have worked hard getting the black soot off from everything. We are busy “working” on jigsaw puzzles and reading, including the Harry Potter series, borrowed electronically from the Anacortes library, which we have not read before. Our bleeding heart Clerodendrum thomsoniae (flor de bandera) is blossoming beautifully this year.

Things are happening! First and most interesting – Gardi cat found us a salamander. Are they not just the cutest creatures? Long slender bodies with a bulbus roundish head and tiny short stick like legs with toes. This one was medium brown and in our back yard. Actually in a large empty flower pot which Gardi tipped over with a small crash of the ceramic pot. Carmen rescued it and hopefully saved it in some thick plantings.  She notes that american robins are out and about singing the songs we grew up with.  Since Mexico is as far as they migrate south for the winters, the ones we have seen must be stoking up getting ready to wing their way north!

The house construction across the street to the east of our house has been restarted after a five month break of no action. The work and daily progress keeps us entertained. One of the fellows working has a great voice and spends much time singing at the top of his lungs.

From our rooftop we saw some construction happening at the other end of the banana field to our east – well behind the house being built, just about a block away.  When it first started we assumed (as indicated by the city building permit nailed to the wall), that is was a large residence.  To our disconcertion it is actually a storage yard and bodega (warehouse) for storing chicken crates, usually loaded high on parked semi-trailers. No live chickens, but some of the odor is still there! So far we have seldom smelled anything at our house, but there are occasional hints or whiffs of "fragrance" on the breeze.

Our good quiet neighbor, Valentin, to our west has moved out. Bummer. The house is a rental and is now being spruced up. We hope the next tenant speaks English and is quiet, and perhaps this time with no barking dogs. Time will tell.  Also the house to our immediate south (actually used as an office), with which we share a wall, has had no visible activity in it since before Xmas.

Thanks to Homeland Security and Bernie Madoff, BanamexUSA has canceled all of the bank accounts it holds with folks living in Mexico, giving only a month's notice, so we have been scrambling to find the best new arrangement for our banking needs. BanamexUSA was so convenient, providing peso withdrawals by local ATM from our accounts held in California, and charging no international funds access fees. This also means that we must have our social security sent to a different location. Talk about frustrating!!!!

On the way home from our walk into town today, we purchased 17 manila mangoes for US$0.78. The time before we bought a bunch of fresh litchis.  We love the availability of fresh, inexpensive tropical fruit.  When visiting the bank, we walked past a nearby house in downtown Fortín, where we heard and saw two men yesterday sitting on the front porch and speaking english. We were in a hurry at the time so did not stop then, and they were gone later. Will introduce ourselves eventually.

We went to bed one night recently and discovered that part of our upstairs is now lit with a bright new halogen light. We could probably read by this light in the one bedroom. The new light is aimed down Avenida 21, but canted in such a way to illuminate our north wall from the power pole across the street. It will certainly give us more security, and at no cost to us except for a bit of glare! The bedroom we sleep in has curtains heavy enough that the extra light does not bother us, plus it is easier to see when we go to the potty in the night. So, what we first considered to be a bad thing, is actually all good!

We discovered the hugest paper wasp nest (about the size of a soccer ball) we have ever seen near our chimney high up on the north wall outside! We are getting up early in the mornings when the air is as cool as it gets, and spraying with a long jet of insecticide. We now see little wasp activity, and need to eventually get brave enough to knock it down, hoping that the wasps have all departed.

We are getting back into fix-up mode again. Dan put up the toilet paper roller and towel rods in our new bathroom, and also hung a full length mirror and installed a door stop in the tiled floor. Next we sanded off the deteriorating finish on our cedar chest. We have two power sanders, so we could both work at the same time. Had to mix a bit of special stain for some trim strips. Carmen gave the whole chest three coats of new nitrocellulose lacquer.  We also sanded some rough spots on the bed frame we had made for the guestroom, and restained and sealed that too. While we had the lacquer out, we disassembled our queen-sized storage bed John Janda had built for us, and attached padded galvanized steel channel stock on the bottom, to raise the structure about 3/4" off the floor.  When we reassembled things we touched up the surfaces where the shallow flooding coming inside from the terrace had damaged the finish.  The bed is now high enough that it stands completely off the the floor--so no more worries about damaging things from stormwater emergencies or wet-mopping the tiled floor.

We still have many small projects. Dan was going to paint a sealer on a bit of our wall that faces the house to west (where Valentin lived). There are some fellows working there getting ready to repaint that house, so Dan asked if he could go over with our ladder to work on that face of our wall while they were there. The fellow showed up this morning and suggested he could do the application of the impermeabilizante for us.  Dan was happy to pay him, and mark that job off our to-do list.

El Fortíncito

During Semana Santa (the holy week leading up to Easter) Dan heard news on the local radio station that the city of Fortín would be running a special tour bus visiting some interesting sites around the area.  The three hour tours would take place thursday thru sunday, with three departures each day.  Kathy Perez, the morning news host, talked the trip up after she took one of the first ones.  The new mayor is very much into promoting the delights of his fair city for visitors and tourists, and these new bus tours are an early result of his efforts. The weather during mid-week was pretty iffy but by saturday things had improved so much that we decided to indulge our curiosity the next morning.

Easter sunday we were up early, well-breakfasted, shod with good walking shoes and armed with a bit of bug repellent to ward off any chiggers that might be lurking in the grassy areas we would be visiting.  We walked into the center of town, arriving in front of city hall about 8:15am.  Sure enough there was a booth set up, and the young ladies in attendence said the lady with the tickets would be there soon.  We took a turn around the park and by the time we got back to the booth there were quite a few people standing around to buy tickets. We wondered if we would get seats, but apparently some of the folks were there to buy passage on the later noon and 3pm tours. The short street directly in front of the munipcal building where we were waiting is closed off on weekends and hoildays, and it is here where the bouncy inflatables are set up for the little kids, and from where the mini-"train" circulates.  We saw that there was a new, larger train parked here, perhaps also thru the efforts of the new mayor.  About quarter to nine a gayly painted Metro bus pulled up and we we able to board, sitting well up front.  By nine the 40-passenger El Fortíncito bus was full and off we went.

Ana, our guide started off welcoming us, explaining that this little tour would take us around the city and as far north as Monte Blanco.  She asked those in the group to raise their hands when she called out their home locations, and it turned out that qute a few folks were from other states in Mexico.  Everyone clapped for each group so identified.  She also asked how many were from the US, and the two of us raised hands, to a huge applause from all.  She proudly told us we were the first "international" visitors to take this tour.  Later we explained to her that we were also "locals."  Throughout the trip she threw in a few english ín words here and there to help explain things for Carmen.  The bus headed out thru Fortín Viejo, the old part of the  town, passing outside of a gate behind which Ana told us was the site and ruins of the old fort that gave the name to the city.  The mayor is trying to negotiate the ability to include visits to this interesting site, now on the grounds of a private home, in future city tours.  Our current tour, consisting of six brief stops, was just a sampling of several future itineraries in the planning stages, which would specialize in specific areas or subjects of interest, like the history, culture and economy of the community.  Just below the location of the fort on the old steep road down into the Metlac canyon to the west of town, we stopped a El Mirador (recently opened, cleaned up an painted.  A few picnic tables here overlook the Metlac river far below.

Next stop was the Museo Tatsu Goro, the famous national bonsai museum about four blocks south of the center of town in the attractive residential area where we had looked to buy a home a few years ago.  The museum, created by Don Miguel Ros, houses a collection of over 500 specimens in over 100 species, accumulated over more than 30 years.  The museum is open to the public, free of charge, and also offers inexpenive classes in bonsai creation and care.  Staff gave our group a brief overview, and we wandered around admiring the various types of bonsai.

From downtown Fortín we headed north on the highway that goes to Coscomatepec and Huatusco, to the town of Monte Blanco, and actually a bit further west into the adjacent pueblo of Santa Lucía Potrerillo. Here we visited the site of the ex-hacienda Monte Blanco.  It lies at the foot of the dominating crest of that name, which was topped in the past by a small fortification.  This old estate was occupied by a family up to the time of the revolution.   The walls and remaining ruins give some idea of the kind of life that was possible on a country quinta controlling a large part of the surrounding area.  There are hopes of creating a small museum here, with photos form that era illustrating how things looked back when it was a functioning enterprise.

Next a rest and refreshment stop at Chula Vista, a restaurant and outdoor recreation center in Monte Blanco on the rim of the Metlac green and forested canyon.  Some of the folks on the bus elected to stay here and return on a later bus, as this is a good departure point for a hike down into the natural area below.  The final stop on the tour was the Parque de Floricultura just north of Fortin.  We wondered why there was no sign of preparations for the upcoming annual Feria de la Flor, always held at the end of April  -- we later learned that this year's festival will be held  during the first ten days of august, in conjunction with the town's celebration of it's founding on 03 August 1930.  We spent maybe 15 minutes al the floral center, and got back downtown just about noon, where a busload of folks where waiting for seats on the next departure.

La primavera

Domingo 30 - Sábado 12 Abr 2014  Close followers will note that this post actually covers two weeks. What can we say—life goes on here, not too much different from week to week, so we're thinking we'll spare you the daily details from now on. Newcomers interested in learning what life for recent expats in Mexico is all about are welcomed to browse thru this blog's archived earlier posts, accessible from the navigation column on the right. From now en adelante (going forward) we'll attempt to just fill you in on the new stuff that transpires.

The daily range of temperatures is creeping steadily toward perfect, as it seems the frentes frios (cold fronts) sweeping down from the US are over for the season, and it's really la primavera (Spring). The thermometer rarely dips below 50ºF and the nights usually are in the mid-60's. Some sunny days flirt with the lows 90's, but are mostly comfortable, hitting between 75º and the low 80's in the midday hours. The house stays pretty evenly in the 70's almost all the time, and the outside swings of mercury don't bother us in the least. An occasional light rain in the evening (except for one heavy downpour a couple of weeks ago at night) keeps things green..

We are still waiting for the cabinetmaker who we had here last year to bring back the one kitchen cabinet door that had warped, and which he took back to the shop to fix. Unfortunately, we do not know exactly just where the shop is, and we have been unable to get to him by phone. We do know the shop is in Colonia San José, a residential area of Fortín north of the autopista. So one day when we had the car out we decided to try and find him, figuring we might happen to see his shop sign or distinctive little blue car We had no luck, but then again we (mostly) stuck to the paved streets. The main street north out of downtown Fortín is paved but many side streets are not..We reached the northern end of the street where it too lost it's pavement, and turned around in a muddy cul de sac outside of the Metro bus lot there. The following weekend, passing the Jehovah's Witness hall (where we heard he attends church), we spotted his car, and tucked a note under his limpiaparabrisas (windshield wiper), with the message that he should get in touch. Fingers crossed...

On the way back we decided to visit the Parque de Floricultura, a large municipal flower market out by the fairgrounds north of town. It's a large facility, full of plants and flowers sold by many vendors, but located beyond walking distance from town, so buyers have to get there by car. Not good planning by the city when its was built several years ago (last year we were back in the US during the May festival). It is the site for the week-long annual Feria de la Flor which we hope to attend this year. On this visit we bought two plants, a cheerful yellow rose and a baby Davallia (rabbit's foot) fern, for only MX$20 each. These prices are ridiculously low, for gallon-sized plants, and are clearly a result of the low customer traffic these stalls see, located outside of town.  Next time we'll take the camera.

The next week, we were invited over for a meal at Ania and Frank's, which was to be enjoyed under their new carport, located in the middle of their beautiful yard. The local radio station had been announcing a tourism fair (local foods, handicrafts, etc) in central park, so we left early hoping to take a turn thru the large tented area set up in front of city hall. No such luck, the day before had been the last day and there was a crew taking down the venue. We used the extra time we had before lunch to stroll the smaller floral market. One stall owner gave us a tour thru the far back end of his stall, where he was raising orchids. He explained that he had recently obtained a license to propagate native Mexican orquideas, but he couldn't work with any of the non-native species. He is working with a local agronomist to perfect his procedures. This fellow had recognized Carmen from passing our house and seeing her working in the front yard lower garden.  The meal was a great treat, with oven-roasted fish, stuffed avocados, and as alway, great company.

When we had been out and about, we stopped in at the local water commission office to remind them about the city water line leak near our back gate. Having dealt with them before, and it taking almost a year to get our new bathroom hooked up to the city sewer line, Dan expected this would be the first of many reminder visits he'd have to make to get this taken care of. (He had pointed out the waterline leak to the engineer at the time our sewer connection was made, to be told to wait until the dry season to report the leak. No great rush to fix these things at that time, it seemed.) To our great surprise, several days later, two guys worked one morning to fix the problem. When we next have to do some concrete work we will probably put a hard cap over that spot, as they only refilled the hole with soil and some rock, a recipe for a future pothole right off the edge of our driveway apron. We have noticed, after several weekend experiencing city water shut-offs, that the pressure in the system is now better than it ever has been. We assume the newly elected city hall crew is fulfilling a promise to patch up the water system, and maybe that's why we were lucky to get prompt action after reporting the leak.

We have both had brief head colds and congestion, but seem to be well on the mend. Recently we met a woman from around the other side of the block who is just getting over a long convalescence which kept her at home in a wheelchair for two years. Caroline moved here from Santa Rosa,CA and was married about 25 years ago to a mexicano., when they built their house here in Fortín long before our house was built. She said back then it was all solid sugar cane fields here. She has two grown sons which she raised as a single mom, one of them still lives at home. She has been a school teacher here (teaching english), and most recently retired from being an office person in the local police department. We loaned her some books to read and will probably see her more often, and trade visits, now that she is up and around again. It is always interesting to talk to somebody who decided to leave the US many years ago, and has some work history here, and a long term view of things. Most of the folks posting on the forums (fora) we follow are more recent expats, having moved after their working days were finished. So, in retrospect, we could have made this move a lot earlier in our lives, little did we know at the time. We're just glad we are still healthy and mobile enough to enjoy tropical abundance that surrounds us, the cultural differences and the friendly people we encountered each day.  Here's a couple images of one of our Stapelia plants, which like most of the the other succulents, is growing well this spring.  The bloom is about 9" across.

Examen ocular

Domingo 23 - Sábado 29 Mar 2014   Carmen wanted to go to the Lebanese restaurant in Orizaba to celebrate her cumpleaños (birthday), but for one reason or another we never did it until today, 4½ months later.  Sunday is the day when they have their full buffet, and since we had talked about our positive experience there, Ania and Frank decided to dine with us. Oh so scrumptious! Authentic ethnic restaurants here are few and far between. After overstuffing ourselves from the buffet, the owner gave us some Lebanese special desserts that were not part of the dessert table. On the way out, Ania spied some items to buy. The one was a kilo-sized bag of semolina, which is rarely found in stores here. She shared with us. Carmen had been longing for the taste of cream of wheat for a long time...

We received an email from a friend who has been involved in rescue/recovery efforts, about the devastating mud slide very close to where we lived for many years in the US. Since then, we have been following the local news on the NWCN website.  The landslide, a mile wide and pushing mud & debris about a mile from the hillside that gave way, covered 59 lots and about two dozen houses, and has blocked the state highway and clogged the Stillaguamish river betwen Oso & Darrington, in the state of Washington. The rain-soaked hillside north of the river, perhaps undercut by the flowing water, came down as a rush of mud, rocks, trees and undergrowth, crossing the river and covering the little group of houses that had been built in a flat ox-bow loop on the south side of the river.  Rescure efforts were hampered as the mud was like quicksand, and due to constant rain it was feared that the hillside had not yet stabilzed. As of saturday 18 bodies have been recovered and 30 are still missing and may never be found..

Another jigsaw puzzle was started and finished. Only 1000 pieces, but harder than the last. It is a golfing "Where's Waldo"-type scene, with hundreds of tiny people golfing in the most unlikely situations. In trees, cars, trains, planes, canoes, and over cliff edges.

Tuesday Dan finally had his examen ocular (eye exam). His experience was the opposite of Carmen's.  Dan had Dr Ferrón, a male doctor instead of the woman Carmen had. This fellow enjoyed talking with us and opinioned that Obama should take over Mexico and make it part of the US.  He could not imagine any one leaving the US and moving here. He said he would gladly trade our US house today for his. Dan's eyes are in good shape, no changes since his last exam two years ago, and he was given some eyedrops in case he ever had need of them.

Mangoes, guayabas, apples (at US$0.60 cents a pound), pepitas (pumpkin seeds), spinach (two large bunches for US$0.14) and good looking pork chops were our buy today. Strawberries fresh on a corner in downtown Fortín for US$0.35 a pound. These are easily as good as the berries grown in northwest Washington, and are not the huge, watery, weak-flavored berries that are shipped around the US from California. Yes, another shortcake! Apple pie soon too, with MaryLou's recipe. Often our evening cena (dinner) is a half apple and piece of cheese each.

Tuesday thru wednesday we received a light steady rain. Posies perked up! Our gorgeous hibiscus suddenly showed us that it is suffering with root wilt. We followed survival info from the internet. Took it out of the pot. Threw the dirt away. Rinsed the roots in chlorinated water. Put it in new soil which we then watered with an anti-fungal solution. Wondering if we have saved it. Probably not, but Ania says they are pretty resiliant. We also have a couple other plants with a fungal problem. We have sprayed and watered them with a sulfer-based fungicide. Apparently this fungal wilt was the cruel killer of our goats foot pink orchid tree.  We saved some pods from this tree, planted them after losing the tree, and so far eight have germinated. Also the piece of our vanilla orchid which was accidentally broken off a year ago, has started to grow again. Yea!

Gardi spotted a butterfly (black with orange triangle and white spots around the edge) on it's last legs. At least it was unable to fly. He did not touch it, until it crawled upon his tail, at which time he gently removed it and sat watching it, the last we saw. Smij is becoming less fearful of her world. She even occasionally lets someone passing outside the fence actually see her, the least scary people it seems are mostly men with soft voices. She will study them before dashing inside.

We presently have copper-colored chrysanthemums on our dining table and red carnations of cream & deep red petals in the living room. Our  miniature roses are blooming: red, white, peach and yellow. Think they will be small bushes. More orchids blooming. Speaking of copper – the back portion of Carmen's hair is rather copper-like – the front being light gray. Weird for some one who formally lived with ash blonde.

Friday was not as expected. We went to IMSS hospital to do a quick pick-up of papers at the clinic head's office to get Carmen's next eye appointment. The tonometer (machine for testing internal eye pressure) had been broken when Dr Vera had examined Carmen, so the doctora had written up an order to send her to another hospital for the test.  This is the same machine that tested Dan earlier in this week!  Now, it seems that the clinic chief, understanding that the machine was fixed, wanted to avoid sending folks elsewhere for the testing. Apparently they had to wait for Dr Vera to personally check and OK the machine. Two other ladies were there waiting for the same issue. Turns out that the doctora never showed up  for her shift and we are to return monday. This next time we will not forget a book. We were there for four hours!   While waiting, Dan's sore throat got to the point where he was barely able to squeak sounds. Since we are to take in a fecal occult test monday, we can take no vitamin C – which is our favorite “get rid of colds and sore throat” treatment.

Mid-day temperatures went above 90ºF. Used our car airconditioner driving home from IMSS, for the first time since arriving in Mexico. This evening a gray-haired lady rang our doorbell. She carried an old five gallon bucket, and asked for some food. She gave us so many blessings of thanks after we handed her a container of milk, that we felt we should have given more. We are not the only house she will stop at however. Some folks specifically ask for tortillas, which we have only frozen. The younger folks get a juice box, and one really starving elderly man also gets cookies or part of our recent meal.

A favorite tv show at the moment is “The Renovators” from 4:30 til 6pm, five days a week. Takes place in Australia and was filmed in 2011. We had missed the first few shows, but luckily after the last show, the series started again. It starts with 26 people and ends up with one, renovating six rundown houses around Sydney. Friday evening a strong wind storm, with giant rain drops, blew in from the northwest. Carmen had to fight with the strong rachas (gusts), to get the windows closed. The floors and chairs on the north and west were soaked with driven rain. We have never before had forceful winds from the west, and we had not had rain blow inside since we put the plexiglas panels part way up outside our windows. The storm was relatively short – but soaking. 

Our breakfast bananas have gone squishy – banana muffin time. The neighborhood gray sleek female cat can get thru our narrow barred gates. Yesterday she was found sitting with Gardi under our car. No fighting – merely enjoying the companionship! Probably Gardi will invite her into our house some day. Then what?

No specific pictures illustrating the week's activities, so we have selected some images of our cactus & succulent collection to place here.