A Brief Lull Between Celebrations

I walked down to the Lake Chapala Society with Chico this morning. When I left here for the States I put my important papers in a safe place. Those were my DIF card and the IMSS card. When I returned two months later I couldn't remember where that safe place was in my little casita. I tore the place apart and never did find the papers. The IMSS card was easy and inexpensive to replace. The woman at the LCS is doing it for me for eight dollars. The DIF card may be more difficult. It was very hard to get. I wanted that so I could take the first class buses around Mexico at half price. I will have to wait until next week to deal with this issue as everything is now closing down for the holidays. My friend at LCS told me to check my money situation and get it today. The banks will be closed tomorrow. I don't know about the other days but there is going to be a flood of people coming into town to celebrate. The ATM machines run of out of money when that happens.

So today I am doing my hand laundry and putting everything out to dry in my yard. It is sunny and beautiful today. Hopefully my things will dry quickly. As I have already said, while I was gone the mold took that opportunity to get into some of my things. I may not be able to salvage them. Mostly sweaters. When it is hot like this it is hard to believe that I will need a sweater here. But I remember last winter. It was cold and I needed the sweaters and the fire in the fireplace. It was down to 35 degrees most nights then. Okay, some of you may be laughing at this if you live in much colder places. But if you get used to this beautiful weather, 35 feels cold. I have said this before about the Mexicans in the winter time. In the mornings when it is chilly, the Mexicans go around in sweaters and jackets and hats and gloves. The Canadians and Americans just arriving from colder climates are walking around in shorts and short sleeved shirts. We can always tell the new comers. They are dressed like it is summer in the middle of the winter here.

It is nice now. Many people are starting to arrive. Places are filling up. Prices are going up on housing. More social functions are being arranged. Last night I went to a singles meeting at the Lake Chapala Society. It was their second meeting and quite a few people showed up. They all sat around in the garden. Of course it was mostly women. I expected that. But it was fun to see my friends. It is nice to have nothing special going on in town for the day. These next few days will be filled with activities. I will take in as much as I can and share the photos on the blog. Hope they are enjoyable for you. But it is far better to experience these celebrations in person.