Morning Thoughts-- Travel Planning

I haven't been paying much attention to my blog lately. Not since my computer broke, months ago. It took so long to get it back to working again that I got out of the habit of writing. A blog is like a living thing. It needs to be fed. If it isn't fed, it dies. So here I am, giving it some crumbs before I take off on my trip back to Portland, OR for my annual visit with my family. Dog sitting time with their new puppy. A Queensland Healer. I have heard that he is a real handful.  I hope I can keep up with him. I will be there a month and will be dog sitting for ten days.

My friend is coming down here to dog and house sit for me while I am gone as I no longer can expect my landlord to take care of his dog, Chico. He is getting too old. My landlord, not Chico.  (Okay, both are getting old but my landlord seems to be aging faster than Chico.) And someone needs to be here also for my cat.  After all those years of being a wild cat and following me around and gazing in my window at night, she finally has a home. She sleeps in my arms at night. She is happy. She has taught me a lot about persistence!  I never wanted a cat. I never wanted full time responsibility of Chico either. But things happen. While we make our plans, life makes different ones for us.

Getting ready to travel always makes me anxious. I am spending my last days here cleaning everything I can get my hands on, including all my bedding. Yesterday I spent the entire day watching my bedding dry on my clothesline while reading a book about a man who was in a Bolivian prison for many years.

Now I realize how much work it is for the people who are getting house sitters. I have always been on the house sitter side of things. I am seeing my entire house with critical eyes, so much clutter. So much to do to make it okay for someone else to come in and live here. And are these two little creatures going to behave while I am gone? Will my landlord be okay? And will HE behave?

It was a beautiful balmy day. Perfect for drying clothes. I never realized how peaceful and calming it can be just to watch clothes dry and turn them from time to time. Mexican music came up from the plaza, drumming and brass bands. The church bells rang. A peaceful Sunday in Ajijic. I am only going to be gone one month but I miss Mexico already.

I also miss my family and my friends in Portland. I am looking forward to going to some yard sales. I don't buy things down here. Yard sales are expensive and new stuff is too and usually everything is of poor quality and wears out or breaks quickly.

The first few days will be culture shock for me. They always are-- being driven around in the car half the day, going to the malls and big box stores. The indifference of people up there. No saying hello on the streets or talking to strangers in restaurants or coffee shops. Everyone in a hurry to go someplace else, spending their time on cell phones or i pads talking to someone someplace else, as if distant people were more interesting and important than the the ones nearby.......

It is such a different life. I prefer the simple slow pace of Ajijic where I can spend the day watching my clothes dry and at the end of the day feel that I have accomplished something. I may not write for awhile. I am not taking my computer. I am afraid it won't make the trip.