Another Photo of the Spun Gold Tree

Morning walk. Today is yet another Mexican Holiday. There are so many holidays here that I can't keep track of them all. I heard someone complaining the other day, an American, because they mostly fall on Mondays and that is the day the maid comes to his house. Because it is a holiday he has to pay her and she has the day off. So if you get a maid or gardener here, avoid Mondays and Fridays too. Friday is another day they frequently take off. They also take off for various other reasons, mostly having to do with family. Don't ever expect to control the schedule of a Mexican who is working for you. You are just the observer.

My Routine and My New Bank Account

I am a creature of habit. Maybe that is one reason I relate so well to dogs , cats and most other animals too. We love routine, to know what is expected. This is why I am not a good traveller. I am a going to one place and staying a long time kind of person.

Same breakfast at the same place every morning. A walk through the same neighborhoods. Lunch at Gigi's. Afternoons at home in my garden or in the garden at the lake Chapala Society, reading a good book. Evenings out at a local restaurant for live music and dancing. Sundays at Hotel Real De Chapala with the Mariachis. Saturday nights dancing to the Cuban Band. A movie every so often, maybe a yard sale, if I can find one.

If it works, don't fix it.... But tomorrow I am going to take the bus to Jocotopec. Hope to get in some photos of new things. I don't want to always be putting on photos of the same things. I know my routines can be boring to anyone else.

I took many more photos of the Mariachis when they were singing around our table this afternoon, but photos get boring. Music never gets boring, at least to me it doesn't... For many years I have been collecting CDs of my favorite Mariachi and Cuban music. I have walked many miles to this music. But nothing can compare to being surrounded by real people, singing love songs and smiling at me. When I am in the midst of all this energy I can't help but thinking, How did I get so lucky? Or, This is my idea of heaven.....

When I am too old to walk or leave my bed I will think of these days of love songs. This is my new bank account which I am investing in every day here. My bank account of beautiful memories......I may have lost a small fortune in my bank account in the States but I have already built up another fortune in happy memories here in Mexico.

Dr. Leon

This is my doctor, Dr. Leon. He looked at my wrist and told me, two more weeks. I must have more patience.

Six Corners and X Rays

I walked to the X Ray place again to get another X Ray of my wrist. The office is small. Only one man runs it, Carlos. I took a couple of photos of him. Having a handsome young man x ray my wrist made things a lot easier. It distracted me from worryng about my wrist and if it is ever going to heal......His card says: UNDIMA, Ing. Carlos A. Flores M. Ocampo #106-C Tel: 01 376 766 3134 E Mail: undima@cybercable.net.mx

His office is in what is called Six Corners, in Ajijic. Above are photos of the area around his office and Six Corners. Carlos is a gentle, quiet man. He charged me 250 pesos for the X Rays. Today that is 16.56 American dollars. The entire process took less than half an hour. Not bad. And I went in without an appointment. Tomorrow I see the doctor.

Line Dancing

This morning I went to a line dancing class at the lake Chapala Society. It is my first class and I could only make it through half an hour of it. This year and a half of knee and wrist problems have kept me inactive and now I am out of shape. There were thirty seven women in the class and one man. Those odds sound about right. There are far more women here than men.

I was never interested in line dancing. I don't like Country music for one thing and I thought line dancing went out of fashion many years ago. But in the evenings at la Bodega just before closing there are several line dances. Everyone seems to be having so much fun, even the waiters and the owner of the restaurant get out on the floor. They speed up the songs towards the endings and it looks like a great workout. But I am going to have to get into better shape before making a fool of myself with all those experts. I had no idea that line dancing was so complicated. Did you know that there are over eight thousand different line dances???

I am going to see the doctor on thursday. I am concerned about this wrist not healing.

It is overcast this morning. Yesterday I got into a discussion with my friend about when it rained here last. We have both been here almost six months. We could only remember one day of rain but we couldn't remember what day that was. I think it was six weeks ago. Soon the rains will come. I will be in the States when they start.