Mexico City - Part 2

After our overnight bus trip and a fabulous meal and some visiting with Cinthia's family, we started our first day with some sight-seeing in Coyoacan.

Coyoacán was home to Dolores del Río, Frida Kahlo and Diego Rivera (famous artists), and also to Leon Trotsky, and the houses they lived in are now both museums. It is a trendy and tranquil residential area in the southwest part of the city, with parks, squares, and cobblestone streets, and is now a favourite spot for university students, tourists and artsy visitors.

We went to Coyoacan on a Sunday, and the streets were bustling with locals walking their dogs (their pets all decked out in fancy sweaters and doggie clothes), artsy types, along with some tourists.



There is so much to see and do in this area so we decided to spend our first day walking around, eating all the lovely food, and going to the local artisan markets. We decided to save the museums and the home of Diego Rivera and Frida Kahlo for another day.

Cinthia's childhood friend Berenice,her boyfriend Jesus (Chucho) and Cinthia. We stopped to have some drinks at this outdoor cafe and watch the world go by!



Coyoacan is well known for it's coffee and there is a famous coffee shop called "Cafe El Jarocho" that was recommended to me by many of my friends in MZO from Mexico City. This place is definitely somewhat of an "institution" which was evidenced by the lineup all the way down the block. The coffee was absolutely delicious and we paired it with a "churro" from next door which was a match made in heaven! Churros are a fried pastry that is then sprinkled with sugar. You can then have it topped with melted chocolate, strawberry, etc.



Our eating frenzy had only just begun. I had told Cinthia that I wanted to try as many as the local foods as I could. Our next stop was to try "Elote". Elote is the spanish word for corn and is a very popular street food in Mexico. It is basically corn on the cob, Mexican style. They take regular corn on the cob and then lather it in mayonnaise,grated cheese and of course, sprinkle it with CHILE. It is definitely an interesting flavour combination and I was a little skeptical at first but was pleasantly surprised. Definitely a flavorful snack!

One thing that surprised me about Mexico City was the sheer number of beautiful parks and green spaces.



For those of you who may visit Coyoacan, definitely plan for at least 2 days MINIMUM. There is so much to see and do. After a lovely day eating and wandering around, we decided to go back later in the week and tackle the museums.

Puppy available for adoption

I was walking on the beach with the dogs and found this beautiful puppy on the beach abandoned, very mal-nourished and what appeared to be a very large tumour the size of a cantaloupe. She was covered in ticks and was having a very hard time walking with the large growth. She was very shy and timid when I approached her, but after she realized I was not going to hurt her, she was very affectionate and loving. My heart was breaking seeing her suffer and she was clearly abandoned and living on the beach eating whatever scraps of food she could find.

After much thought and talking with my friend who was there with me, I decided I just could not leave her there to suffer and had to do something. We coaxed her into the car and immediately brought her to my vet. My vet looked her over and informed me that it was not a tumour but a large hernia - the result of being hit by someone/something. She was able to operate and repair the hernia and after a few days of recuperating and medicine to kill the ticks, the puppy came home with me. She is staying with me until we can find her a home. All my friends think that I am going to end up adopting her since I am not so good at this foster thing and always seem to keep them! Since I already have 5 animals, I need to find her a home.

She is recovering from the hernia surgery but in one week or so, she will be fully recuperated and will be able to live a good life. Vacinations and spay surgery will be also be provided.

So, to all my Manzanillo and area readers, please forward this to all your contacts. She is a beautiful and caring dog and once full grown, will be small to medium sized. She is approx 3 months of age. If anyone is interested or wants more info, please contact me at newbeginningsmzo@yahoo.ca.





UPDATE - I have found someone in Calgary, Alberta that is interested in adopting this animal. We just need to find someone that is flying from Manzanillo to Calgary that is willing to take the dog with them. The dog would be flying in cargo in a kennel and all costs/paperwork would be organized and paid for. Animals can not fly unaccompanied which is why I need to find someone that is already going. If anyone can help, it would be greatly appreciated!

Vacation to Mexico City!

I recently returned from a trip to Mexico City with my room-mate and BFF here, Cinthia. She is originally from there so we went to visit her family and go see some of the many amazing museums, architectural wonders and the famous ruins, the Sun and Moon pyramids. I am just going through and editing the HUNDREDS of photos I shot. I will definitely have to blog about it in stages as there is sooooooooo much to share with you!

All in all, it was an amazing vacation. It was wonderful to see where Cinthia grew up and finally meet her VERY LARGE and lovely family. I enjoyed every moment...........every day was chocked full of sight-seeing, trying new foods and spending time with her family and friends. The food was incredible........I have to say that I never thought I liked tamales..........until I tried them in Mexico City. Hmmmmm, still dreaming about them. They are so much different there - super moist and packed full of flavor. Oh, and the lamb barbacoa........that was my favorite local dish. It is a famous dish in the region where they dig a hole in the ground and cook lamb overnight in a pit covered with Maguey leaves. Maguey is a local cactus type plant (cousin of the agave plant used to make tequila). The maguey leaves impart an amazing flavour and the meat is so tender, it falls off the bone.

To start our road trip to Mexico City, we took the overnight bus. We boarded at 9:30pm and arrived there at 9:00am the following morning.

Cinthia was super excited as she had not visited her family in over a year


The seats on the bus were very comfy and extend back quite far. We managed to get a good sleep and arrived in Mexico City reasonably well rested. Cinthia's childhood friend Berenice came to pick us up from the bus station and we immediately went for a hearty breakfast of carnitas (chopped pork tacos), chicharon (fried pig skin) and arrachera (flank steak)tacos. Hmmm, delicious!!! This meal was definitely a sign of wonderful culinary delights to come.

We then went to Berenice's house to shower and change. Her and her mother Hilda, had graciously offered for Cinthia and I to stay the week in their home. Their house is conveniently located three houses down from the house of Cinthia's family. And since 12 people live in Cinthia's house, this was definitely the best option!

We then went to Cinthia's house where I was graciously welcomed by her large family. It was a tearful reunion with Cinthia and her family - it was heartwarming to witness. Of the 12 family members that live there, there are 7 nieces/nephews, her parents, 2 sisters, and one spouse. Her brother and his two children live in another house and arrived later.

Cinthia, with 7 of her 9 nieces/nephews


The children were very excited to see their aunty and the girls had dressed up in special dresses to welcome their "tia".

Out of her 9 nieces/nephews, there are only 2 girls


After visiting and getting to know the family, we sat down to eat a delicious meal of tacos and nopales (vegetable prepared from the native cactus plant - they shave off all the spines). Her mom definitely deserves an award for cooking 3 meals on a daily basis for 12 or more people!

Stay tuned for more of our adventures in Mexico City!

Who's who in the zoo

A few people have asked for an update on all my pets. Everyone in the pack are doing great and adjusting really well to the latest addition - Chikita, a cute kitten that I agreed to foster until we can find her a home. Ironically, I have become a little attached and may end up keeping her!

Chikita - definitely the Alpha of the group. She is super feisty and will not allow my two cats to eat until she is finished her meal. Que cabrona!



This was Chikita's 2nd day in the house. She put Jade in her place immediately!


Leo - the male


Jade, being her usual rambunctious self with Kenya, Leo's sister.


This was a surprise to find Jackson sleeping with Leo. He normally does not interact with the cats at all.

Summer has arrived

Since our first rain of the summer last week, the humidity and heat level have been astronomical. The days of constant sweating and multiple showers have arrived.

Even our canine friends need some relief from the heat. Check out this little dog buried to his head in the sand on the beach. How cute is that!

Crazy crocs

And no, this is not a blog post on those plasticky/rubbery looking colored shoes that many people wear.

As you all know, I used to live in La Manzanilla when I took the Spanish immersion program and it is one of my favorite places to visit. The beaches are beautiful and you can walk for miles.



Recently, I went on my first Mexico camping experience and we camped right on the La Manzanilla beach in this spot. What an amazing place to camp!



The dogs were in heaven. Jade is keeping a close eye on Jackson


When my friends were here in May visiting from Seattle, we rented a car and did a day trip to La Manzanilla. While we were there,they wanted to check out the local crocodiles. I have to say that when I lived there, I never went to see the crocs. The main reason, of course, was my dogs. I think we have all heard many a story about a crocodile killing and eating a dog that got too close.

For safety reasons, they now have a chain link fence separating the crocs from the rest of the population. I stood up on a bench to get a better look at the terrifying creatures. Right away, I noticed a large white cat inside the area alongside the crocodiles. No sooner had I said, "Look, there is a cat inside with the crocodiles", the cat decided to make it's move and get out of dodge. Sadly, it jumped right in front of the VERY still crocodile's mouth. In a blur of white fur, blood and a VERY loud yelp from the cat, the crocodile devoured the cat in a matter of seconds.

I am not sure if I can adequately describe how I felt in that moment and afterwards............disbelief, revulsion,disturbed, nauseous, terrified and traumatized. It is one thing to hear about the crocodiles seeing pets/animals that get too close. It is entirely another to see it happen in front of your very eyes and just a few feet in front of you.

The croc in question, just a few moments after devouring the cat



My visitors and I were all in agreement....we would rather NOT have witnessed the crocodile eat his lunch.

Now, what I want to know is this....What on earth was that cat doing INSIDE the fenced area with the crocodiles????????????????

Another VW and getting a drivers license

I finally purchased another car! I have only ever owned Volkswagen cars so I thought I would continue with that trend. I bought a used 2006 VW from my neighbor the other day and have been busy getting all the paper work done.

It is a great little car and it was owned by a VW mechanic and is in excellent condition. It is so nice to have wheels again!

A while ago, I had rented a car to take some of my visitors from Canada to La Manzanilla. When we were completing the paperwork, the rental car agent pointed out that my Canadian drivers license was expired. Oops, I had no idea but he still went ahead and rented the car to me! After that, I figured, I better go to the transport offices and get my Mexican drivers license. On the advice of friends, I went super early when the offices open. They gave me the list of everything I needed to get a driver´s license: photocopies of my identification (FM 3 visa), copies of a bill in my name where I live, CURP card, lap report with my blood type, and a photo. I had everything on the list with the exception of my CURP card and blood type. Luckily, I was able to get my CURP card in the same offices with copies of my identification and copies of my telephone bill. Apparently, a CURP card is a form of identification here under the National Population Registry (from what I understand, kind of like a census). After obtaining my CURP card, I went to a nearby lab to find out my blood type. They were able to do the test right then and there while I waited. It only took about 10 minutes and they had to test me twice as the lab tech explained that I had a rare blood type so he had to take more blood to confirm. I had no idea I had a rare blood type and when I talked to my father, he was just as surprised as me! At any rate, they put your blood type right on the front of your driver´s license in the event you are in an accident.

With my blood test results in hand, I returned to the transport offices with all the required paperwork. It had been explained to me by several friends here that practically no one writes/performs their drivers test. You are given the option but if you do not wish to, you can hand over a little "extra" and the gentleman takes care of it. So, that is what I did and of course, I passed with flying colors! Then they sent me to the doctor on staff where I thought I would have to do an eye exam. I was wrong - he just asked me if I needed glasses to drive and what my blood type was, and off I went! They then took my photo and issued me my drivers license. The drivers license is digital like the ones we had in Alberta. From start to finish, the process was approx 2 1/2 hours and was approx $700 pesos ($55 dollars).

Once I had purchased the car, I had to go back to the same Transport Offices and get the car changed over in my name and get new plates. Again, you are required to bring copius amounts of paperwork....copies of ID, copies of telephone bills, copies of the original invoice for the car, the old plates, etc. They also have someone inspect the car and take down the VIN and engine numbers to ensure it is not stolen. After a few hours and $4,600 pesos for various taxes, new plates, etc, I was officially the owner of a car.

In other news, my computer is officially dead and cannot be repaired so I have been using an internet cafe in the meantime. I have since purchased a new laptop and a friend of mine is bringing it back from the US for me. In a week or so, I will have a computer again and can get back to posting photos and blogging on a regular basis.

Sorry

I want to start off by apologizing to everyone for not blogging in a very long time and mostly, for worrying some of you. Recently, I have received several e-mails from concerned readers wondering if I was alright. Also, today I was alerted to a discussion on Tomzap, a local informational website, that some people were wondering if I had moved back to Canada and/or were worried about my well-being. I appreciate everyone's concerns and am very sorry to have worried you.

I am still living here in Mexico and doing very well. I had decided to take a break from the blogging world for two main easons: the first of which were some harassment issues that arose from someone who discovered my blog and secondly, I was super busy with my job and visitors.

The last 6 months have been a whirlwind. Here is the coles notes version of the last 6 months:

-I stumbled upon a wonderful job last fall and have been enjoying my work immensely.
-I went to Canada for a vacation last Christmas and visited my friend in Montreal and my brother and family in Ottawa..... and practically froze my ass off! Seriously, it was a wonderful visit but have since decided to limit visits to the great white north in summers or times where you nose doesn't feel as though it is going to fall off. Oh, and did I mention that I forgot how to walk on ice? OUCH!
-Returned from Canada and ended up with Dengue Fever and was seriously ill for a few weeks. For those of you who do not know, this is a virus transmitted by mosquitoes and I ended up bedridden for almost 12 days with over a 40 degree C temperature and crazy pain. I know understand why it is called "bone break fever". I would not wish it on anyone and can only remind everyone to use bug repellent or wear long pants at night. The only other thing I can say about it is that I would rather find another method to lose almost 15 pounds.
-I have been super lucky to have had friends and/or family visits each and every month this new year. It is definitely challenging having visitors in paradise when I am working but I managed to find time for everyone (just not as much as before). A big shout out to all my visitors this year - it was awesome to see you and thank you for coming down!
-my dad and Lorri came for a visit which was a huge bonus since I was not able to see them at Christmas
-my brother and his family came down for a completely unexpected and SURPRISE visit! How lucky am I??? My bro is the king of surprises and I had NO idea they were coming until he scared the living daylights out of me one afternoon.
-the animals have been doing great for the most part. One of my dogs was hit by a motorcycle while camping up in La Manzanilla but luckily managed to walk away with just some bruises and inflammation.
-I have 5 animals in the house at the moment as I am fostering a little kitty for one of my friends until we find a home for her.
-My roommate is doing great and still living with me. She also had Dengue Fever while I was in canada but has bounced back to her usual self.
-I have been having fun and dating and have lots of funny stories to share. But I will save that for another time.

So between work and all my visitors, I have not had much time for anything else. Life is good, I am enjoying my work, my friends and the beach.

I never tire of the sunsets here.

Moving Forward

Many things have happened during my absence from the blogging world and I am going to update you on everything. As you know from previous posts, I went through a tough time this summer. The main reason for this was emotional....I think there were many things that I had not dealt with or processed and I needed to do this. I was stuck in a rut of depression and sadness. In addition, two good friends here in Manzanillo left and moved to other countries and as always, it was hard to see them go as they were really supportive friends. During this time, a few people suggested that maybe I should move back to Canada and I seriously considered it. But, I realized, at the end of the day, it has always been a dream of mine to be here and I really want to stay. Also, I realized that my emotional issues would follow me wherever I go - whether I am dealing with things in this country or another country is just geography. Overall, I am doing much better and have learned many things about myself, about other people and feel like I am moving forward now. I want to send big hugs to my friends D and Chelsea who left- I miss you guys so much and wanted to thank you for all your love and support. I also want to thank all my friends from back home who have been a huge support to me this summer - I could not have made it through without you guys.

As for moving forward......

I FINALLY received my FM-3 visa - this allows me to stay in Mexico longer than the regular 6 month stay for a tourist. The process took 3 months from start (when the government received my application) to finish and so it feels great to finally have it in my hands. Now, my work permit is in process so I have been busy sending out resumes and even have gone for a few interviews. I have two more interviews scheduled for this week so I am keeping my fingers crossed that I will find work soon.

I also went to Guadalajara and Tonola a few times to search for furniture for the house and I am HAPPY to say that I finally have all the major furniture I need. I found some great items in Tonola, which is near Guadalajara. Tonola is an amazing, eclectic place full of local artisans with wonderful and VERY economic items to fill a household. I found lamps and coffee tables, end tables, glassware, mirrors, etc and now my house has pretty much everything I need. I am still looking for a few small items, mostly for storage, but finally feel like my place feels like a HOME.

As for the first trip to Guadalajara, I went with my friend Shelley and her son Dylan. We took Shelley's vehicle as we wanted to have room to bring back everything. Driving and navigating to find our hotel in centro Guadalajara proved to be quite the challenge and definitely made us realize that on the next trip we will take the bus! We eventually found our hotel but driving in a city with millions of people and crazy traffic was very stressful! We stopped several times and asked a few strangers for confirmation/directions and everyone we asked were very helpful and we finally found our hotel. We stayed in the Hotel Morales, a beautiful historic & colonial hotel in the historic centro of Guadalajara. It is considered an artistic and architectural jewel of the city. It is a stunning hotel with amazing service and was very economical. It was only $90 a night for a large 2 bed room. I would highly recommend this hotel to people who wish to be in the historic downtown of Guadalajara. The staff there were very helpful and also had great restaurant recommendations.

On the way back from this trip, we ended up getting a flat tire. Unfortunately, neither Shelley nor I could change it but we were fairly close to a PEMEX gas station and one of the men there graciously changed it for us in no time.

As of the end of October, I also have a room-mate! Her name is Cinthia and she has been a friend of mine for over a year now. We have talked about living together forever, but this new place I am in is perfect since I have a 2nd bedroom and it is much bigger than my other place. Over the summer, we became much closer friends and she has been a real rock for me during the tough times. She is originally from Mexico City and has been living in Manzanillo for almost 2 years now.

My new roomie


She speaks very good English but we try to speak only in Spanish so I can try to improve my language skills little by little every day. She is a great room-mate and she prefers to clean rather than cook and I love to cook and hate cleaning so we are a really good match!

As for the animals, Jade and Jackson are doing good and have adjusted to the two kitties that I adopted, Leo and Kenya. Cinthia also has a cat which is going to take some time for all of them to adjust. Her cat is very timid and does not like dogs so she prefers to hide out in Cinthia's room and the dogs and my cats just sit and wait outside her door!

Leo with a choke hold on Kenya


Jade loves to play with the kitties. Here is Leo and Jade in the midst of a play session


I have also been spending alot of time with my neighbors and they have been wonderful. They are always offering to help and often invite me over for ceviche or drinks.

Here is Jasmin and Paola who I talk to on a daily basis. They come by my place every night to see the kitties and show me some new dances and songs they learned in school. Aren't they adorable?


One of my good friends and neighbor Maroco. He makes a killer home-made ceviche almost every week on his day off


Hmmmmm, yummy ceviche. He makes it with shrimp and fresh fish and it is the best I have ever tasted


As my previous post mentioned, a few weeks ago would have been my late mother's birthday. I had a little celebration here at the house with some good friends and I also went to her final resting place on the beach. When I went there, I discovered this beautiful bird which stayed there the entire time I was there.





Again, a big thanks to everyone for their phone calls and e-mails. I really appreciate the support.

Today, I remember

First, I want to thank you all for the e-mails, phone calls, texts, etc. I truly appreciate all of your support and it really helped lift me up. I am doing better thanks to all of you.

Today would have been my mom's birthday. I am going to go to her final resting place on the beach this afternoon. I will remember all of our good times, the special moments and all the many things that made her special. There are SO many wonderful memories.

Here she is in Manzanillo with myself and many of her girlfriends. That was a crazy trip girls! Remember that crazy earthquake?


Here we are cheering on the Calgary Flames during play-off time


The infamous surprise trip to San Francisco for her 50th birthday


And of course, she is the one hamming it up in the glasses at our family reunion


At the Calgary zoo


Friendships and family were of the utmost importance to Mom. She had this amazing ability to bring out the best in everyone. She was able to bring people out of their shells and help them realize who they truly are. There are so many people that had special connections or bonds with Mom. She had this amazing ability to reach people and make them feel as though they had always known her.
We are all better people because of her. And I know that each of our special memories with her will always be in our hearts.

Here she is on the beach with myself and a number of our friends. This is one of my favorite photos.


Today, I remember my mom, my best friend.

Maybe not

Yes, you are right. I DO suck. I have not blogged in a ridiculously long time and have no excuse. Life has been rough, nada mas............and then throw in some computer issues to boot. But just when I felt life had dealt me a little more than I could handle, I went to the beach.........my therapy.........and what do I see? These are the kind of days that make me realize why I am here in Mexico. Life is pretty good, no??



There was a long time where I just felt like throwing in the towel with this whole blogging world.... the hell with it, why I am doing this?? Does anyone really care? Apparently Jackson does with his constant perfect poses - all the other moments, he is so mischievious, he is on borrowed time- lol



Sorry internet world...and family and friends......aarrrrghhhhhh I am not sure I have a story to tell. And the bottom line is I am not really sure of anything? I am really sorry to have worried some of you. Thanks for your e-mails. I am soul searching at the moment - I hope you can bear with me. I have alot to tell you about and REALLY hope to find the way to tell you. Here I am with a new friend in Barra de Navidad...Until then....................



C

Happy Birthday to my favorite girl!

My niece Raquel


Today is the 12th birthday of my one and only niece Raquel. She is the love of my life and always makes me laugh and brings a smile to my face when I hear her voice or am around her. I just got off the phone with her and just talking to her made my day.

Here she is in Manzanillo a few years ago getting her hair braided



End result! Que bonita!



Here is the "princess" at the hospice in Calgary when we had a Mexican fiesta for my mom. She is holding my friend Camelia's puppy Miko




Happy Birthday Raquel. I love you so much and I think of you every single day. You are a very special girl and I am so proud of you. You are a very wise girl for your age and always inspire me. In some of the things you say (and the way you say them), you remind me alot of mom. She would be very proud of the young woman you have become.

I hope to see you at Christmas sweetie. I miss you so much.
Besos y abrazos
Aunty

Flying Possums

Yes, that is right. I had an up close and personal encounter with a very scary looking possum (proper name is opposum, I believe). My friend had come over for a visit and we were sitting in the living room chatting when out of the corners of our eyes, we both saw something black and furry flying though the air right outside my front door. When I went out to investigate, I saw a large furry unknown animal being held hostage in Jade’s mouth. I was stunned and had no idea what to do. First of all, I had never seen anything like it and secondly, it was sort of hissing and baring really SHARP teeth. So, there I am yelling the command “drop it” at the top of my lungs. Of course, she did NOT obey and proceeded to fling it around in the air like it was a rag doll. Try to imagine me running around my front yard after Jade with a broom (all I could think of) trying to get her to drop the animal. Well, it is not like my neighbors think I am a little peculiar to begin with!

Eventually she drops it and I bring her in the house. Sure enough, when I looked outside a few moments later, the thing was gone. It was lying there “playing possum”. I thought it was dead! I think my friend was relieved that he did not have to help “dispose” of the animal.

Later on that evening, after my friend had left, I heard Jade and Jackson barking like mad. When I went outside, I discovered that the possum had returned and the dogs had him/her cornered in my front yard. It was hissing ferociously and baring its teeth again. So out I run again trying to round up the dogs and get them in the house before they get tore up by this animal. I was not very successful and it took forever to get them away from the possum and in the house. Before I managed to do that, Jade somehow managed to grab the possum in her mouth and ran INSIDE the house…..WITH the possum. I eventually got her to bring it back outside where I finally managed to wrestle her away. And there it was lying there after the whole ordeal, bloody and either dying or "playing dead" again . I was not sure what to do as it was 1am and all my neighbors were sound asleep. I watched it for a while - it was still breathing but was staying put. After some time, I decided to go to bed, assuming it would be gone by morning. Unfortunately, this was not the case and it was still in the front yard. My neighbor happened to be walking by as I was standing there trying to figure out what to do with it. He explained that the name of the animal in Spanish is "tlacuache" and he picked it up by it's tail and brought it to a nearby garbage pile for me.

After this experience, I found this photo on-line courtesy of www.aaanimalcontrol.com. Apparently, they have 50 sharp teeth! Luckily, the dogs managed to make it through the experience without any puncture wounds.



Any guesses as to what critter the dogs will find next?

MIA and general update

The reason for my absence is that I have been really ill. After several days of not being able to keep anything down and being violently sick, and after several trips to the doctor and one visit to the hospital, they discovered I had an aggressive bacteria infection in my stomach and that my blood pressure was extremely low. I am now on some antiobiotics to kill the bacteria and other medication to elevate my blood pressure. After several days of taking the medicine, I am finally starting to feel better and regain some strength. The senora that comes by to collect the rent has been dropping by daily to check on me and last night she said I finally have a bit of color in my face. Apparently, I could have contracted this infection from eating "on the street", ie. eating food from a taco stand or something. This infection wreaked havoc on my body and was definitely an unintentional weight loss plan.

A little progress has been made on the back yard. The fumigation guys came to do their thing and told me that the crazy jungle (my yard) had to be cut down and the moutain of rocks removed BEFORE they could properly fumigate the yard. They offered to do that as part of their service for an extra charge. Well, the extra charge was VERY reasonable and since I was not having any luck getting a hold of the gardener that had been recommended to me, I decided to go ahead and have them do it. They have been here 4 times already and still are not finished but they have made some significant headway in the yard. They managed to get all the grass and weeds cut (100 pesos or $8 dollars) and remove a portion of the large rock pile. They also cut some of the trees back for me. I have decided to get rid of all the rocks and they will remove and dispose of them for 150 pesos (approx $12 dollars). Here are some photos showing the progress. It looks like a different yard! They spent several hours working on the rock pile, but have to return a few times more to complete the mammoth task.

What a difference!


Check out the sheer number of rocks to remove





As for the kittens, we have found a home for another one so I am down to two kittens and have decided to adopt them both. I was only going to adopt one but then after talking to others that have cats and seeing the bond the remaining two have, I feel as though they are part of the family and I could not possibly see another one go. Who knew I would end up being a cat lover?

The iguanas that my dogs like to terrorize continue to live in the trees in and around my yard. I guess they must be territorial and are not too traumitized by Jade using them as a chew toy. Here are a few shots I managed to get of them.

I love the colors on this one




A few of you have asked for photos of my new furniture and improvements I have made in the house. Here are a few shots. I am still trying to figure out a paint color. Any suggestions? I am definitely getting rid of the current light orange/peach color.

One of many ceiling fans I had installed. Check out the orange stripe on the ceiling. Do you see why I want to paint?


The new super comfy furniture


I have talked many times about my Mexican mom here on this blog. Here are some photos from my "Mexican Dad" Humberto's birthday party a few weeks ago. It was a wonderful celebration and they are like family to me.

The birthday boy with the delicious "Tres Leche" cake


His grandaughter made the celebratory sign





Grandson Vicente playing in the pool


Four generations here. My Mexican Mom Christina with her mother, her two daughters and her grandaughter.


A few of you have also asked how my Spanish is coming along. It is going well.....every day I learn something new and my speaking is slowly improving. I have started to read my first full book in Spanish - Siddhartha, by Herman Hesse. I have read it a few times in English so I thought I would attempt it in Spanish. I have a feeling I will be using my dictionary ALOT.

As for my FM-3 Visa, it is STILL not ready. Apparently, some of the banking information which I had printed off the internet will not suffice and I need to get them originals or scanned copies of the originals. Hopefully, I will have this all taken care of next week and they will not need anything more. Crossing my fingers.....