Friday, September 30, 2016

More Blog Problems.

If you send me a comment I can't put it on the blog or answer it. I went to visit a friend who was going to help me with all my blog problems but I forgot to take my password. He was going to try to fix it on his computer. All I have is an i pad and he said that trying to do things on an i pad is like trying to fix a car engine with just a screw driver. I have had so many problems with this i pad but my old computer no longer works, after six months of the repair man trying and charging me each time....

So please forgive me if I don't post your comment or answer it for awhile. I hope to get it fixed soon. 

Thursday, September 29, 2016

Cost of Vegetables at the Store in Ajijic

 
Today I stopped by the vegetable and fruit store near the Ajijic plaza and bought these vegetables. Well, tomatoes are officially considered a fruit. Those are Portabello mushrooms in the plastic tray. Five huge ones and they cost about two dollars. The grand total for all of these was only five dollars. Not bad. Not bad. I am going to make some tomato soup and maybe portabello soup or maybe a combo of both. Also a carrot and ginger soup.... Sliced cucumbers. Sound good? I am so lucky to have a kitchen now. 

Morning Thoughts

It is a sunny morning, after a night of rain. The days are getting nicer now. Most of the rain comes at night. People often say that and I get irritated because there are many days during the rainy season when it rains during the day. Or if it doesn't rain, it is overcast and dreary all day. But we have had lots of sunny days lately. Soon the part timers will be streaming into town. I bet the restaurant owners will be relieved. Most of the restaurants have been empty for the past few months. I wonder how they can make it through the low season. 

My friend Pat, from San Blas, left this morning on the bus back to San Blas. I am missing her already. She got me out of my comfort zone and I did things I haven't done for months. That is one of the nice things about having friends visit. They want to do things that I have decided weren't worth doing anymore. And surprise surprise they were worth doing.  

I am feeling well again and have been swimming. Swimming is my favorite thing to do.  The spa hasn't been busy because the children are back in school now. If I go at nine in the morning, no one is in the pool. People don't start coming in until the afternoon. 

I am still working on my leaflet about helpers. If you know anyone who wants a job staying at the hospital with sick expats, please pass along my information. I need more helpers. It is difficult to find Mexicans who speak good English. If they do, they usually have jobs and would not have the time to stay at the hospital.  I only have six helpers now and just one woman. I will put the information on my blog once it is completed.

So, this is what I am doing now. Watching my Bimbo white bread as it doesn't spoil, swimming, walking around town with Chico.. 

I miss Pat already. My life is much simpler now without her. I can go for days without talking to anyone. A morning of swimming and then taking the bus home pretty much wipes me out for the rest of the day. Maybe if I get stronger I will have enough energy to do more things in the afternoons.
 
These flowers are now over two weeks old. They take a long time to wilt. Just one flower in that bunch has died. The ones at the top are new. This is just one stem of flowers. They cost 35 pesos at the Weds. Market.   They have a wonderful fragrance. So Bimbo bread and Lilies are long lasting buys..... if you don't mind eating bread that doesn't spoil. 

My Bimbo Bread Experiment

 
This Bimbo white bread has been sitting on my kitchen counter for two months now. I am doing an experiment to see how long it will stay fresh. The slices of bread are very soft and tempting. I could make a sandwich out of them and enjoy it, except that I know how long it has been sitting there. And I also wonder how long it was on the shelf at the grocery store....  There is NO MOLD on it at all.... and no signs of any bugs trying to get into the package. 

The Chapala Malecon on a Sunday Afternoon

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
  
 
 

Saturday Evening at the Plaza in Ajijic

 
 
 
 
 
 

Saturday Evening at the end of Colon in Ajijic

 
On Saturday and Sunday they close off the bottom of Colon to car, motorcycles and bikes. . It is nice to walk around there. The restaurants have tables and chairs outside and serve food. There are tables with crafts for sale and there is music. I hadn't been there before last Saturday. I went with my friend Pat. One of the nice things about having friends come and visit is that they take me to new places.
 
 
 
 
These boys look bored. Maybe this event is mostly for adults. 
 

City Sandwich Food Truck

This food truck is parked next to the Waffle House in West Ajijic. They have only been there about two months. Their food is delicious. All they serve are five different sandwiches from five different cities. I noticed a lot of southern and Texas accents of people who go there because it is their kind of food. I had the S. Carolina barbecued pork, delicious. And the Philly Cheese sandwich. He also makes a catfish sandwich and I had a piece of his homemade pecan pie. What a treat. Look at the top of the truck and you will see the names of the cities.
 
My friend Pat is sitting on the left with two of her friends next to her.
 
 The last two photos are of the owner and his wife. I hope they make a success of the business and stay. I love their food. They are both very nice and I enjoy eating there. 
 
 

Saturday, September 24, 2016

Morning Thoughts

 
Olive's morning routine is to sit by my computer while I am working and when she gets bored, she  jumps to my window and watches people walk to work.


 
  
 
 Chico likes to stay in bed as long as possible.

 
 
I bought these flowers at the Weds. Market and they are just opening up. They have a wonderful fragrance too.

I usually wake up before the sun rises. I like to make coffee and read my e mails first thing. Olive often follows me around complaining about one thing or another. Usually if I turn on a faucet so she can drink water as it flows out, she is happy. We lead very simple lives here. I am appreciating my daily routines, especially since I came so close to dying. It is good to live and I am happy that I didn't die. I would like to see my family again before that happens. I haven't seen them in over a year. I miss them. But we all have to follow our own dreams. My dream has always been to live in Mexico. Well, not ALWAYS. I would say it started when I visited San Blas fifteen years ago. My friend Pat, from San Blas will be here a few more days. I have known her fifteen years now. She is a special friend to me. I will miss her when she leaves. I am mostly a loner and rarely spend time with friends. Now that I can swim again, I often go to the spa for a few hours in the mornings. And when I come home I am too tired to visit with anyone. Like I wrote already, I lead a very SIMPLE life.    

Wednesday, September 21, 2016

Morning Thoughts--Health Care

I am going to try to rewrite what I wrote this morning and then disappeared.  I have no idea of why my blogger program isn't working. This will be a shortened version because it may not post. 

I am looking for helpers for the next emergency I might have and also for anyone else. I cannot afford another twelve thousand dollar private hospital bill so I will have to go to the public hospital. It is essential to have someone with you in those hospitals. A person who speaks good Spanish and English. You need a translator and also the same person has to act as your nurse. But people who are able and willing to do this are very hard to find. So far, after looking and putting up signs and asking everyone I know, I have found only six people to put on my list. I want to get at least eight and so far I only have one woman. I need women.

I know that most of my readers aren't living in this area. But if you do live here and you know anyone who is able and willing to be on this list, please give that person my information. I want to get this list out to people. When an emergency hits, then it is too late to start looking. 

Okay, let's see if this post publishes......

My blog isn't working. Hopefully I can get it fixed.

I can't change anything on it. I can't delete any posts. I can't publish a long post I wrote this morning. This is a test to see if this one gets posted or not. 

Well, it got posted and I was able to put on a new post about Gabriel but I am unable to delete the old post about him with the mistakes. It just isn't happening.... I hope Alex can help me fix this problem today..... 

My helper Gabriel Orea

Again I am putting information on here about Gabriel Orea. He is a driver and many other things. If you need help, he is the man to call. He will pick you up at the airport or take you there. He will drive you around to see the sights here. He will take you to the doctor or the hospital. You name it, he may be able to do it for you. He has been very helpful for me.

He also owns a casita with a pool in case you are looking for a rental. Here is his information. Phone 331 348 3228 E mail: gabrielorea@hotmail.com

 

Sunday, September 18, 2016

Morning Thoughts

I think that most of the Independence Day festivities are over now. But I may be wrong. I heard parties around my house last night and it is the weekend. There may be more things going on today and tomorrow. I am planning on swimming tomorrow and I hope it will be cleared out by then but it is hard to tell. Festivals here seem to go on and on....  A never ending cycle of parties, parades, and other events. Maybe not much will be happening until the Day of the Dead. But Mexico is full of surprises. There might be another festival just around the corner. 

I am feeling much better physically although I still get tired easily. Tomorrow will be the first time I will be in the water at the spa since before my surgery. I am really looking forward to swimming again. 

My friend Pat is still visiting from San Blas and her friend Donna showed up yesterday. Donna said it is very hot in San Blas now. I remember that about San Blas but I still love it. Maybe I will be healthy enough to go back on the bus with Pat when she goes home. I will see. I remember that beautiful pool at El Chaco..... 
 
              The above photo is of the pool at El Chaco.  What a beautiful pool, right on the ocean too. 
 
                     I hope to be in this pool tomorrow morning.

Saturday, September 17, 2016

Photos of the Parade and Plaza on Independence Day

 
Children after children marching so seriously. 
 
 
 
 
I don't know anything about horses but this one was dancing and foaming at the mouth....
 
  
 
 
 
 
The plaza was so crowded that I could hardly walk through it.