Hurricane Andres- Close But No Cigar

We dodged a bullet. Hurricane Andres veered back towards sea just before making landfall. We did experience strong winds that had our palm trees dancing and sideways rain coming in from the East. And of course, the ocean was churning every which way, and the waves were bigger than I've seen in a while. We saw several people down at the water's edge, just looking out to the sea, and even Bob moseyed out late morning.

I decided to hold down the fort inside as again, (what else is new?), we sprouted several leaks from the ceiling, and our bedroom window which faces East got hammered, so we stuffed towels and shoved a fat comforter underneath on the floor to prevent any real flooding. Yet, we never lost electricity. All in all, we were pretty lucky as the torrential rains were positioned on the south side of the storm, and although we had rain, it wasn't nearly as bad as it could have been.

We passed the day watching the ocean, reading, and playing Mexican Train, (which I sucked at miserably). By about 8pm, the wind just suddenly stopped, which was pretty eerie. It continued drizzling however. We were totally incommunicado as the Sky box didn't work and our DSL line was down. So with no idea of what was really happening, we all went to bed around 9pm.

I told Bob that in the old days, a hurricane was a primo reason for a party at my house, and I hosted a few in Florida. There's something deliciously wicked about getting toasted while the power is off, and you're kinda scared to begin with. Oh, youth. I was either stupid or just really reckless in those days. (Both, I think). And as much as I'd love to tell my Hurricane Party Stories, they are heavily R rated. Let's just say the parties had free-flowing beer and vodka, various munchies, a deck of cards, and the must-have item of all, a pack of Zig-Zags. HUM... ---OH, but God forbid, someone gets the wrong idea about me.

Later.

Who's That Girl???

No... I'm not referring to the sucky Madonna movie of the 80's. I'm referring to our girl, Ratzo. Luly and I laughed our asses off when the groomer brought her out on Monday. What a pathetic sight! The groomer asked me if I wanted her all shaved down, and I said, "Yes." The groomer said that she'd look like a big rat and I said, "No biggie. That's what she looked like when we adopted her." I honestly was not prepared for Ratzo's new streamlined look. If it wasn't for the little "hello" wiggle she has, I might not have believed she was our dog. She's seems much happier and cooler; although, she hasn't checked herself out in the mirror yet.

Well, the rains have started. What a surprise that we have two big leaks in the upstairs living room. The HUGE leak in the bedroom we finally got repaired only after we found the source. Typical shitty workmanship as the a-hole who installed a tv cable left a huge hole in the roof which then leaked directly into our bedroom. I'm talking 2 inches of water and a clean-up that took both of us about 45 minutes. To make matters worse, the roof on the terraza that Carlos said he knew how to shingle has numerous leaks. We'll need to get that fixed by someone who really knows what he's doing. It seems as if every time we turn around, there's a new problem that needs repair.

Tonight we have Mexican Train at Ed and Luly's. Carol and Ken will be there as well, and then off to Manzanillo to Toscana to celebrate Father's Day tomorrow evening. Yeah, it's hot and sticky, but thankfully, no mosquitoes yet.
Later.

When in Mexico...

We've been here since 09/08. We've had to make lots of adjustments to "Living la Vida Loca en Mexico". Here's a taste.

Flushing toilet paper is a no-no. I suppose it's because plumbing systems aren't up to snuff. (However, we always flush. Our brains still haven't made that connection with our hand to toss into the wastebasket. Anyway, I think it's gross.)

On the same vein, public urination seems to be alive and well on the beach. Forget the fact that the ocean is just a foot away or that we have more baños publicos than hotels here. (I guess the Mexican dudes are a very proud bunch.)

We all know this one... don't drink the water. We have home water delivery twice a week. We get four huge jugs. Even our girls get the "good water". (Tap water crosses my lips while brushing my teeth or singing in the shower.)

Disinfecting fruits and vegetables is recommended. I was a fanatic about this for the first eight months. (Now I just give them a good scrub. Oh yeah- in tap water. Go figure...)

A stop sign doesn't necessarily mean STOP. It really means slow down and only stop if you think some one's coming. For that matter, one-way streets aren't really one-ways. They're kinda a free for all. Also, speeding seems to be okay. Those a-hole drivers with Jalisco plates are the worst. They'll come right up on your ass if you're not in the right hand lane. Sometimes they'll do it anyway. The Jalisco drivers obviously are very important people and getting to their destination is infinitely more important than mine. (Needless to say, I have become a very aggressive and loud driver.)

Avoid driving at night. You never know what's hanging out in the middle of the road. We're not as lit up here, and it's not uncommon to hit a cow, goat, or pothole. All of them will mess up your car. (I can count only four times we've driven while dark. It was scary.)

Get this... the cops are actually pretty cool, at least here on the beach. Sure, they´re packing AK-47's, but they're a friendly group and smile and wave when they cruise past the house. (I suppose they don't want to frighten too badly us Gringos.)

People will stop by your house at all hours of the day and night. There's no courtesy phone call, they just appear. And they'll hang out until the beer runs out or they're kicked out. (Bob and I have a legitimate excuse. We work. We don't have time for shootin´the shit.)

Mañana rarely means tomorrow. It really means sometime down the road. This is a constant source of frustration for us. Getting shit done is sooo difficult. Appointments don't have much weight either. (I've waited in the doctor's office for over an hour for my appointment, and we've been waiting for our bedroom air-conditioner for over six months.)

Flies and bees are bolder. In Ajijic, one night late, I was up reading when this fly landed on my hand and started walking around. I watched him for a while then nudged him onto the nightstand. He was not to be deterred. He landed on my hand again, and walked around on it until finally, about twenty minutes later, I took him into the bathroom and shut the door. Now, I haven´t been stung by a bee for over forty years though I've been around plenty of them. Can you believe just the other day I got stung? This nasty bee just kept buzzing me and finally landed on my hand. I blew on her just as I have done countless times (in the States), but instead of flying off, she planted her stinger right in me. Since then, I have been buzzed at least twice a day by her friends. (Moral: don't blow on bees. It pisses off the Mexican ones, and they obviously talk to each other.)

Many businesses do close down between 2-4pm everyday. They really do have siesta time here. It's not just a B-movie thing. Yesterday, I made the short trip into Armeria to stop by the vet and get some keys made. Well, I wasted over an hour of my time, and both places were closed. (I wanted to kick myself. I knew all this ,but for some reason, it slipped my mind yesterday.)

There's lots more where all this came from. BUT- the sun is soon to rise, and my day will begin. The luxury of writing in peace will abruptly end as our noisy swallow friends will soon wake up my sleeping loved ones.
Later.