SF Update

Roy and I went out to the grocery store today because I wanted to stock up on bottled water, fruits and veggies, soda, snacks, etc. As I mentioned in my previous post, we were told restaurants were going to be closed, but that seems not to be the case. Almost all of our favorites are open and have dine-in service available. We are guessing that the suggestion to close is more for big places in Guad where many millions of people live. Here, at this time of year, if a restaurant has more than 10 people at a time that's a good night. But now, I have lots of food in the house and I'll need to cook it up to make room in the refrigerator again. I did cook Steak Diane tonight from Paula Deen's cookbook and made a side salad. It was real good!!!! Roy was sweet and cleaned up the kitchen for me. That's the part you don't see on the Food Network cooking shows. The people cooking are not doing any of the cleaning up -- and when you cook there's lots to clean up! Some of those guys don't even do all their own cooking -- it's not as easy as it looks on the TV.

The village is very quiet except for a few boys in our neighborhood who are playing in the street. Not many delivery trucks or even traffic for that matter. Still no confirmed cases of the flu here in Jalisco. Thanks to everyone who's written to me on my blog with your kind thoughts.

BUT OMG is it ever getting warm! This month is going to be a long one. It's in the high 80's (that means it's almost 90) on our terraza by late afternoon and tonight there's no breeze except for the fans -- thank god for electricity! Some of you may not realize there is not A/C here -- way toooo expensive, but our house is an old adobe construction so the walls are about 16" thick and that helps keep the inside cooler between 6-10 degrees. Even still, when it's 90 outside it's about 79-80 inside and it makes it hard for me to cool off enough to fall asleep easily. But one month out of 12 isn't a bad trade off for almost perfect weather for the other 11 months.

I'll keep you posted and thanks for following my blog! It's really nice to know people are reading.

Swine Flu

Well, as of today at 5:30pm there are no confirmed cases of swine flu in Jalisco, which is the state I live in here in Mexico, however the Governor of Jalisco has ordered all restaurants here closed except for take out food until May 6th. That's pretty alarming to me. I'm gonna have to cook more and I worry for the restaurants here at Lake Chapala who depend on tourists and/or gringos for their main customer base.

Roy, who is the quintessential under reactor, is not worried at all. I, of the get more nervous and lean towards panic group, am a bit more concerned. I'm hoping that the W.H.O. is being diligent about their reporting so they get everyone's attention and possibly more funding for vaccines and this is not going to be a black plague event in the 21st century.

When you live in a foreign country maybe you feel more vulnerable. I wish I was in the US right now, but don't want to get on an airplane which is the 3rd rail in spreading germs.

A very few people here lakeside are wearing face covers, which the CDC and WHO say doesn't do anything except keep your germs off someone else. But if it makes you feel better -- go for it!

I want to go out and stock pile water, canned foods, soda, vodka...

Keep you posted...

I miss Texas and Bluebonnets

I just started adding my knitting and crocheting books to my Ravelry site -- that place is awesome. I also found a blog of another Houston knitter in Ravelry and she'd posted pictures of the bluebonnets blooming. If you've ever seen a field of bluebonnet in the Spring then you know how I'm feeling right now -- they are incredible. Thank you again so much Lady Bird Johnson!


This isn't a picture of bluebonnets -- but I guess you can figure that out on your own -- but it is a picture from the pier in Ajijic of a sunset in April on the lake -- pretty cool huh!

I miss Texas sometimes , but there is something special about Lake Chapala too. Happy Spring my friends and family back "home".

Patzcuaro

This was taken in a shop in the town of Santa Clara de Cobre (copper) near Patzcuaro. These are samples of bathroom and kitchen sinks. The town plaza's park benches are all copper, the light fixtures on the plaza are copper too. Anything and everything that you could want made in copper someone in this town can do it.


I am standing in the middle of an olive tree that was brought from Spain to the town of Tzintzuntzan, by Fransican monks in the 16th century. The trees are still alive but looking like they could use some help.

This one of the island in Lake Patzcuaro

This is an island in the middle of Lake Patzcuaro. Isla Janitzio, is the largest of three islands and people get to and from them by boat.

This is the interior courtyard of Casa Encantada, the B&B where we stayed.

This is the Grand Plaza in the center of town. It is one of several plazas in Patzcuaro. Our B&B was just around the corner from this plaza within walking distance.

This is part of the open kitchen where we ate breakfast everyday The dishes are native to Michoacan and are painted a beautiful green glaze on clay pottery.

Are We Safe Here?

I've had lots of friends and family asking me if I feel safe here in Mexico -- what with all the negative press you're getting in the US on CNN (Catastrophe News Network) and the traditional big 3 networks. In a word...YES!

We live in the western central highlands of Mexico in the State of Guadalajara. Most of what you hear and see on the news in the US is about what is happening on the border states. We are far, far away from the "gangland" stuff and it seems that you're safe in Mexico as long as you are not living close to the US!

Roy and I have often said that we feel as safe here in Ajijic as we did in Bellaire. We were in Patzcuaro, Morelia last weekend for our 10th anniversary watching CNN on TV and watching Anderson Cooper reporting from Ciudad Juarez and El Paso, Texas on the other side of the border. WE WERE IN MEXICO and hearing how unsafe it was and how Mexico was near a failed state! It's hard to equate walking around a beautiful plaza with Mexican families and young people walking around, eating dinner, taking pictures, selling "stuff", and hearing that this country has failed and everyone should run for their lives!

I'm not denying what is happening in the border cities. It is very scary and sad -- but mostly, I think, for those involved in the illegal activities both here in Mexico and in the US. I don't assume to know what the answers are, but I am very happy and proud that President Calderon has been so committed to trying to solve this enormous problem.

Don't worry about us. We are very happy here and feel so very safe in our little neighborhood. I don't know all my neighbors' names, but I say hello every day and waive to those I see when I'm out in the village. We are not isolated here. Like any neighborhood, we know who belongs and who's "new in town".