Early Morning Thoughts about Cactus and other Things

Nopal Cactus, already prepared, costing about 50 cents

Things are starting to heat up here. What I mean is that people are coming into town for the winter.  At night, there are more fireworks going off.  Restaurants are busier, and the traffic is worse. The high season is starting to rev up. I like the increased energy in town. I also like the quiet during the low season. Each has it's charms. I like ALL seasons here. Okay, maybe I don't like May when it gets very hot just before the rainy season. That is not the time to take long walks around town.  Without a car, that leaves me in my casita during the hottest part of the day. More reading and cooking.

I have gotten into cooking lately. I have been reading cook books and recipes online. I am cooking more now than I have done in years and I don't even have a kitchen. I consider that an accomplishment. I am experimenting with the local fruits and vegetables that I don't know, ones that I have overlooked for years. I cook nopal cactus leaves in my scrambled eggs in the morning instead of bacon. They are high in fiber, vitamins and minerals. They taste a bit like okra, slimy too. And I have already said how I love okra. Nopals are for sale everywhere, on street corners and from the children venders who beg me to buy a bag while I am eating at local restaurants. They are very inexpensive. Okra is hard to find and expensive.

The children also run around with plastic bags of green beans, another very healthy vegetable. Plus, all kinds of berries are sold on street corners. I even saw some cranberries last week in the Tuesday market. They are extremely healthy.

I admit that I am now getting obsessed over eating healthy. It is helping my stomach problems. I haven't lost any weight yet but I feel much better. Still not drinking coffee or eating red meat or dairy products. (Except lactose free milk. It is sold here in grocery stores and is almost as inexpensive as regular milk.)

I saw my friend Dale Ritchie at the art fair and we talked for awhile. He said that his friends in the States think because he lives in Mexico that his life is just one big party after another. He said, They don't realize that most of my time is spent just living. I grocery shop and do errands and take care of my business. Not everyday is a party.

Once people move here and settle down, they too have to think of what to do with their time. If they buy homes, then many months are filled up with house projects. That keeps them extremely busy. But eventually we all settle down into our daily routines. Routines that we brought down with us. Social people join groups. Introverts, like me, learn to cook healthy and exotic foods. And read. And write. And take pictures.

Makes me think of that old and so true phrase, NO MATTER WHERE YOU GO, THERE YOU ARE.     I like where I am at the moment. Especially now that I am feeling healthier. Routines can be good because they give a person a sense of continuity and comfort. I have noticed that animals like routines too. Traveling is nice but, for me, daily routines give me structure and a sense of purpose.