Heading North

I am sorry for not keeping this updated lately, I have had some difficulty with up loading pictures and videos (I finally learned how to use my video camera) but that is only 1/2 of my excuse, the other half is that I have just been too busy living life outside the house. I just can't seem to sit in the house long enough to get anything done.

Now I am heading north for 11 days, I am going to Canada for a friend's wedding and to spend Christmas with my family there. I will miss Christmas with my Mexican friends here, regardless of where I am at Christmas there will always be someone that I will be missing, that is just how it is when you live in two countries. I am not taking my laptop with me (this is our first trip apart ever) So I will see you in time for the New Year.
Since I can't post pictures I will leave you with this. The Canadian version;





And the Spanish version;

A Commitment

I made a long term commitment the other day, it seems I have decided that this will be my winter home for a long time. More and more this place feels like home and as my Spanish improves little by little I get to know my neighbors and friends here a little better and understand their way of doing things better. The more I understand about this culture the more I feel like I belong here. When this little house was shown to me last week I didn't hesitate and have agreed to rent it year round...yes, year round. I will no longer have to pack up all my stuff at the end of the season, well....I will have to pack it but just not move it. When you leave a house unattended here you come back to mouse and gecko turds and mold if don't pack it up properly. My little house has a bedroom, bathroom, kitchen and a big living room and most importantly a little yard which is like a blank canvas right now. I am already planning how I will landscape the yard and what I will plant. There are already 2 banana tress that have little bananas on them. I am excited for the yard and also very excited to finally be able to buy some glass dishes, I have plastic dishes because of all the packing and moving each year, and I'll finally buy a glass wine glass....priorities are in order here. All this fun has to wait until February when the people that I am house sitting for are back. In the meantime I make plans, gardening plans, then I change my plans, then I make new plans, then I see a garden and I change my plans a again...you get the idea.  Here is a little peek at my new casa, I have to think of a name for it. 

The first thing that will happen is the big tree in front will get a major pruning, I did not come to Mexico to sit in the shade

Blukicks.....shoes

In the last post I briefly mentioned falling in love with a friend's shoes. You can read up on the shoes here, http://www.blukicks.com/ If you should decide to order some, if you could please put in the promotions comments "referred by Yasmine Moreno". Yasmine used to work for Victoria in the US and will be compensated for every referral.....just trying to help her out here, and I really love these shoes. They are more expensive that what I usually pay for shoes, but I have come to learn that I must treat my feet better if I want them to keep taking me places and these shoes are really comfortable and are a nice sturdy shoe. These are not flimsy shoes that you will throw out after a few days on the beach. You could even run in them...I think. My picture is crappy but I really wanted to show you the insole which they do not show you on the web site but is what made me fall in love with these shoes. 

First....this is the weird thing that is happening to all my pictures when I try to post them here, there is  a distortion on the bottom, they don't look like this in my files. Anyway....check out the removable insole of these shoes with the little cushions on them, I really really love these shoes. 

Where the fat fart is

Here are some of the events that have happened since I last posted, but not necessarily in this order;

There was a meeting (reunion) of 4 friends on a balcony facing the ocean at sunup. I arrived with my own coffee because I am now a cream snob. The conversation is tangled in Spanish and English. When we end up not understanding each other we just change the subject and start over again. There was a lot of laughing and good food. I learn a new recipe and a few new words. When I get home I find the iron but can't remember what I needed to iron anymore. I eventually find the silverware as well, in a hidden drawer of the serving table. I feel settled.
Throughout the day I keep an eye on the old gentleman next door, it looks like he is breaking in a very skittish horse. He is gentle, slow and so patient, his touch and his voice seem soft. When he finally mounts the horse he has a handkerchief tied around the horse's head, the horse is completely blind, totally trusting the cowboy. It's beautiful and I am reminded of another "Cowboy" who was near and dear to me, he would have loved it here.
A week ago I gave someone some cash for some coconuts, today 2 guys in a red truck pulled up and unloaded 18 coconuts, I tried to pay them, they said they had already been paid. This is how things are done here, I like it.
One evening a lady showed up at my gate, "Are you Maria?" Yes I am. She says "Danny says you like tamales, would you like to buy some". I buy 4 beef tamales from her. They were so very good. This is how we do things here.
I've tried to do some beading, but forgot to bring a needle threader, a beading needle is so hard to thread without one, I gave up. I go to my friends house to see if she has one or at least can tell me what it is called in my new tongue. She doesn't know what I am talking about, she gives me her sewing basket full of notions to search for it, she doesn't have one. I think her sewing basket is a 100 years old though. Oh well, I can't sit still long enough to do any beading yet anyway. I should be studying Spanish.
This is what I learned today;
Hacer el pedo gordo   to make a fat fart - to make a stink, a commotion,
example: aqui esta el pedo gordo - here is where the fat fart is meaning this is where the commotion is or where the shit is happening.
Now this is Spanish I can use, there is always a commotion (a fat fart) of some kind happening here.
Today when I walked the beach in the morning I was so deep in thought I didn't hear a heard of horses behind me until they were almost on top of me, 30 plus horses ran past me spraying me with the ocean. Herding them was a young cowboy in surfing shorts, sandals and a hoodie, no shiny cowboy boots, belt buckles or hats, these are not rodeo showoffs, cowboy is a way of life here. 6 horses decide to make a break for it and head towards the plantation, cowboy is on them real quick, not his first day in the saddle. He managed to merge them all around a 90 degree corner and up a very narrow road past the RV park, they kicked up a sand storm but they all made it.
The surf must be ideal today, the boys are out, some in wet suits... that's serious surfing. They entertain me for a while and then some start heading in...to school I hope, but they noticed the gringo volleyball game in front of the RV park, they get a welcome wave, drop their towels and boards and join the gringos. The gringo all move to one side, they will play against the surfers. It's old retired beer bellied gringos against young surfers, not much of a contest. After only 2 serves I can see the gringos will get their soft butts kicked, but I am sure they knew that.
I get home and see a mouse in my garbage, I don't think fast enough and he gets away.
I try to do my homework from my bible study class but my Spanish brain is not working, I go to a friends house for help. I fall in love with her shoes, we discuss shoes, tamales, ironing and new bed sheets, I forget all about my homework, oh well, tomorrow is another day.
When I get home my neighbor is feeding his puppies for the first time, it's hilarious. They keep falling into the bowl, their faces are covered in food. He is standing by to teach them some table manners but they are not ready for that.

My evening is delightful, a starry sky, twinkling Christmas lights around my palapa, Mexican music coming from 2 houses down, the neighing of a horse, the ticking sound of the palms in the breeze, me in my hammock with my Spanish verb book on my lap, a cup of tea and a pastry from the dessert truck. Soon as the music stops (it always does) cowboy starts whistling as he is touching his horse, when the horse lifts his legs up to kick he backs up, keeps whistling, and pets the horse again. Soon the horse stands at ease as cowboy strokes his flanks, he is singing now, softly. Roosters start talking to each other, Cowboy leaves his horse tied to the big tree. I think I hear crickets.
I tried to post some pictures but for some reason that just didn't work today...that's how it is here sometimes

A quick geocach and some other stuff

I decide it's time to attend church on the mainland to see some people I haven't seen since last winter. Shoes are a problem this morning, Flip flops have worn a hole between 2 toes (this will heal soon) I take the beach route to the dock so I can soak my toes in the salt water. All of a sudden I smell coffee, real coffee, not instant, who has real coffee at this hour?, restaurants are all closed, I look for movement somewhere, nothing. I almost whimper out loud at the thought of real coffee. At the dock I put my flops back on, I hate shoes. I am lucky there is a boat waiting at this end, Captain is eating breakfast, he jumps up to help me (was I looking lame?) I tell him I'm in no hurry (I always factor in some grace time when heading in), he says no we'll go now, I am the only passenger, he spills his coffee. It's warm out, I enjoy the ride, different than last year. The docks are busy in the morning, fishing boats coming in to unload. Because I am lame I wait for a bus, I am the only passenger again (not for long). I check my hair, oh my gosh, 4 barrettes and a hair clip can't contain the frizz, must get hair cut soon. It's hot, always feels hotter on the mainland, must be the concrete. I notice the bus takes a different route, must mean the malecon is closed, must be a parade, maybe a holiday, or maybe both. Soon I see dancers and little Mexican revolutionaries everywhere, military, police, firefighters....it's a parade. We take a detour, this is why I always factor in some grace time, you never know. My stomach is growling at me, will not have time to have breakfast now, I pick up a croissant at Panamas, I imagine how much butter is in there, I like butter, I wish I had time to pick up a coffee, croissant with coffee, oh how good that would be. I don't have time. I get to church, friendly faces everywhere, but so many people, so many. I think I have lipstick on my neck.They serve coffee but have no cream, I suffer quietly, not really, I'm being dramatic. I end up with too many lunch invites, wonderful friendly people here. I am so blessed. I have 45 minutes to burn before Spanish service starts, I splurge and pay 36 pesos for a Vanilla Cappuccino, give me a break, I heard about a guy that paid 100 pesos for a lime squeeze the other day.(just saying is all) I stop at a drug store and splurge again and pay 46 pesos for a bar of soap, it was a forgotten item on my list the other day, this hood is way outa my budget, but it said "aroma de seduccion pasion espanola" on the box, you don't need Spanish to know that this soap should get me some.....good smellin cleanliness, it better, for 46 pesos. I also buy some Vanilla, will make my own Cappuccinos from now on. I wish I had my croissant now, I feel I wasted it. More familiar friendly faces at Spanish Service, the worship takes me deeper, I don't want to stop, neither do they, it takes longer. I don't stay for the message, I have friends waiting. We go on a geo cache hunt. What's that? Check it out  http://www.geocaching.com/. This is new for me, we actually find it, is's been tampered with, or the wind got it. We walk down the malecon, craziness everywhere, there is an airshow going on, a free show and the reminisce of a parade. I smell sweat and sunscreen and think of my hoochy soap, I am so thirsty, coffee is so dehydrating, I should stop drinking it. I feel bad for all the babies and little children that had no choice but to come out today, when babies are crying they are not having fun anymore, take them home. I am so thirsty. My toes don't hurt anymore. We find a nice place to eat, I have fish, Dorado, and a cold Pepsi, in a plastic bottle....they had nothing in glass, except beer, wasn't that desperate yet. Food was great, service was great, the company was awesome. I take a bus to the docks. I walk home bare foot on the beach, once home I throw my flops in a corner, have a glass of orange juice, check my messages...no messages, Head back to the beach for my sunset walk, I walk past my old house, the tanaka is overflowing with water, I laugh, remember me writing about my water issues last year? I holler "your tanaka is overflowing" he already noticed and is coming to turn it off, he laughs, says "it;s not the first time or will it be the last", it's running water all right, it runs and you run after it. I walk the beach and feel like I am the luckiest person alive, but I know it's not luck, Jesus loves me and He has blessed me. I feel like jumping in the ocean again, all these years here and I have never once jumped in. As I walk past my old house againvon my way home I see the second tanaka is overflowing, dude comes to shut it off, he laughs, he says "I am getting it figured out, I have it on a timer now, I just need to remember the time" yup, I had the same system, you remember the time when you hear that water is hitting the ground somewhere, I miss that quirky place. I wonder if he still has to pour a bucket of water into the toilet to flush it, maybe he fixed it, men do that...fix stuff. I forget to get my feet out of the tide for bit before coming off the beach, now they are wet, all the horse poop on my street sticks to them, oh well, I have a soap for that now. Soon after I get home the lights start flickering, I find some candles, just in case we loose electricity. I hear the wind chimes chime, I run out real quick, there is a slight breeze, I want to dance in it, then I remember white girls can't dance....or was that jump? I put water in my kettle in anticipation of my cappuccino tomorrow morning, I try to remember if I am supposed to be anywhere tomorrow, I don't think so. The dessert truck doesn't come today.

Bliss 2011

I'm in the water

My favorite spot to watch the sun setting

The boat is literally sailing into the sunset

Sunday morning

I get ready for church, I find one wrinkle free outfit, I have new black flip flops with some rhinestones on them, my toes nails are polished, my hair looks good too, soft and shiny, it must like the water. I realize that my bible is in storage, I will go without, moments later I walk past a mirror, my hair is all frizzy, I put on a hairband, Maybe I'll cut it short again. I dodge the horse poo on the road trying to get to church with clean toes, it doesn't happen, I arrive with dusty toes, shoes and sweating, it's so hot already. Everyone is sombre, a member of the congregation died last night, I don't get all the details, there is a new pastor giving the message, someone passes me a bible, I manage to follow along.*
After church I go to leave, I am summoned back, we follow 2 funeral home vans, I am assuming we are going to the deceased home to pay our respects to the family, my black pants feel like they are on fire. I'm not sure what is expected of me, I follow my friends. We arrive at the home, some members of the congregation stand back and don't go into the house, I join them. I say a silent prayer for the family, my headband hurts my head. I see Nina, we embrace, she cries, I say " I'm sorry" my heart breaks for her, I don't know how she is related to the deceased. I wait until I see others leave and hope it's appropriate to leave, I don't know whats expected, I hope they will have some grace for me if I am not doing the right thing. My pants are still on fire, a tractor and trailer of tourist pass me, they are laughing.....at my frizzy hair I'm sure. I'll never be a lady. There is a dead cockroach lying on his back on my kitchen floor when I get back. I open the fridge to get some yogurt and the side shelve inside the door falls off and my flaxseed oil hits the floor and spills all over, nice. I'm hungry but not for yogurt, maybe I'll go buy a chicken. As I get ready to head out I hear the produce truck, I run out, he is new, I don't know him. His papaya is rotten and so is the cantaloupe, I buy some tomatoes, his last avocado, 2 bananas and some limes, I'll buy some tostadas and make guacamole for lunch tomorrow. I see my thermometer that is hanging in the shade under my palapa shows 26C. I head off to the chicken place still wearing my hot black pants. Same people at the chicken place, I order 1/2  a BBQ chicken and sit down to wait. I chat with 2 ladies from church, we watch the chickens run around under the tables and the grill, one lady asks me which one I want, we laugh. A man walks up and waits at the second counter, no ones acknowledges him, he awaits. A boy on a motor bike pulls up with 2 plastic shopping bags full of raw beef, he has a harpoon pierced through his ear lobe, a lady takes the meat from him, she walks away and he waits to get paid. Man at the other counter says to no one in particular "do you have any ceviche?" no one answers him, he waits, no sign of impatience or annoyance on his face. Harpoon boys waits. My friends food is ready, they leave. "do you have any ceviche?" again, girl at the grill looks under the counter and says "no" she hesitates a bit and yells towards the house "grandma, someone wants ceviche". Grandma is sitting on a chair, says "ok" but doesn't get up. Man leans against counter and is watching traffic go by. A little girl knocks all the plastic cups off the counter onto the ground, her mother gathers them up from under the table and shoos a curious chicken away. Harpoon boy goes next door and buys himself an ice cream, no one is in a hurry, no one is annoyed. Grandma gets up and goes into the house and comes back with a container of ceviche and serves the man at the table, he looks happy, she gives harpoon boy his money, he drives away with one hand, ice cream dripping from the other. My chicken is ready, I ask for a glass of horchata as well, she pours it into a plastic cup, they have no lids, I ask or a fork and knife, they don't have any, will a spoon do. "yes" I now have a precious spoon. I manage to not spill my horchata on the way home. At the next corner I notice a business transaction, a boy hands over money to 2 other boys carrying pails, one boy hands over a pail...of fresh fish. I like it here. A few men are setting up band equipment at the cantina, I remember it's Sunday, the only day for live music, they stop playing at 10 pm, I like it here, you can party it up and still be home in bed at 10 pm. Back at my house 23 horse are trying to get shade out of one tree, there is a lot of poop, my pants are stuck to me like glue, I may as well keep them on as I don't think I can get them off, my thermometer says it's 28C now, it;s 1:30pm, my wind chimes have not made any noise yet at all. I start looking for a hammock, I find a sewing machine. A cowboy rides up with 10 saddled wet and sweaty horses, a lady takes them into her yard and unsaddles them and sends them back out, they immediately roll around in the sand/dust and huddle under the tree. Soon I find an ironing board, no iron yet.

* The message today as I understood it; It was about the importance of reading the bible. The word of God is essential to your walk with God. If you are not applying the word of God to your life you are not walking with God. If you are not continually reading the bible you don't have the word of God written on your heart, you are walking lost in the dark, no sun, just darkness. Think of the word of God as the sunrise, it comes everyday, there has to be a sunrise in order for there to be light, but yet the sunrise is not spectacular every day, It doesn't wow you everyday, but every once in awhile it is spectacular and it can stop you in  your tracks and take your breathe away and cause you to look up in awe. That is like the word of God if you read it everyday, some days you will feel like you don't get anything out of it but if you keep reading God will choose the time and the right words and you will be moved, to do something, to change something, or to learn something, a light will go on and It will be spectacular and it will be just for you.....just like the sunrise.
This is what I got out of the message this morning, not saying this is what he said.

I have arrived on Stone Island again

I have arrived on Stone Island. My friend Danny picked me up at the airport, with his sister Nina’s truck because his isn’t working. He had to take the starter out yesterday and drop it off somewhere in Mazatlan. He asked if I minded if he did some errands in Maz before we headed to the Island.....no problema, I am so excited to be here, and I am on vacation and there is no rush. As we are driving in he asks “are you hungry?”Well, let me thinkyes! We stop at one of my favourite places on the street off of the malecon by the fisherman’s monument. It’s called “negro...something” There was a short debate between us about what my first meal should be, should it be Chilli Rellenos or Tacos? That was a tough one, in the end we ended up having Chilli Rellenos and a Toni-Col in a glass bottle. It was awesome. I was trying to taste, smell and hear all at the same time...without choking of course, the traffic, the music, the ocean, the Carne asada, the humidity.....oh the humidity, did I mention it was 30C? He tells me about all the drama that has happened in his life since spring, some good, some sad, some bad. We have a good visit.

After some running around we head to the docks, Danny does a near impossible parking manoeuvre, I’m astounded, he laughs and says “everything is possible in Mexico”, yes because only a Mexican would even dare to try.

The captain of the boat taking us across shakes my hand and welcomes me home with a big grin....oh no, that was me that had the big grin, I was the one sitting at the bow of the boat with a goofy grin on her face, sticking my head out the side like a dog does on the back of a truck, it was sooo hot and the breeze felt so good.

We arrive on the other side, the big welcoming sign has been repainted a bright purple, nice. Danny gets on his quad to hunt down the key to my house I ride on the back of a taxi/truck to the house. The landlady and Danny arrive at the same time as I, she has the key, someone has cleaned the house from end to end, I am so happy.

I do a quick inventory and notice there is no toilet paper, I make a list and change into cooler clothes and head to the store. As I walk up my street I dodge horse poo, I smile, I’m home. I walk past my old house, I’m a bit sad. I notice the local cantina is empty, but it’s still early. Chabela has built a fishnet fence; it’s fast becoming green with vines, nice. Peanuts are roasting at the peanut place; I’ll pick some up on my way back. I see we have a new little Super Corner store sponsored by Tecate, our first liquor store in disguise....maybe. I reach the store and I smell the fish market, a fresh fish fry would be so good, but not today. I’m not even sure if all my utilities work. I realize I forgot my list, I “wing it”.  At the till....no at the counter, (there is no till, people here know how to count and make change) I notice my paper bills in my pocket are a waded up soggy mess already...oh the humidity, it’s hot. I think of how much the kid at the counter has grown since I first started living here, I try to remember when that was, I think 2007, he’s a young man now. I end up with 2 bags of groceries, I’m annoyed, I hate carrying stuff, heavy stuff, I can walk forever but hate carrying stuff. I envy women with husbands; they have someone to carry their stuff. I should have bulging biceps by now. I hate carrying stuff. I pass the peanut place and decide I have too much stuff. I pass Danny hard at work in his mechanic shop, he hoots, I hoot back, if you hoot you don’t have to stop and chat. Soon after I get home I find lots of mouse turds, should have bought some mouse traps. I have water in the house but not hot, no surprise. I don’t have internet, I’m told on Monday I will be connected. I have electricity but it seems the stove is gas; I have no idea how to turn that on. I’m drinking water as fast as I can, it’s hot, my hair is damp and flat and my clothes are sticky, I am happy. I notice that in the plantation across from has been ploughed; they are getting ready to build a resort, that makes me sad. I keep looking at the time, I don’t want to miss sunset on the beach, I am not sure when the sun sets these days, I have no internet to look that up. At 4:00 I head for the beach, about a 30 second walk, I walk past my old house I am sad again. As I step onto the beach I could have cried for joy, its home, it truly is. If one can have 2 homes I have it. I can almost feel my shoulders start relaxing, maybe it’s my imagination. I see my friend Contessa from www.contessajewall.com sitting in front of her RV reading, I stop and we share a quick whats new and whats not on the Island, so good to see friends coming back. Some of us don’t see or talk to each other during the summer months. Geeks like Contessa and I keep in touch through our blogs....sorry Contessa, at least we’re not nerds. I carry on, I must greet the ocean, the beach is long, it’s beautiful, I want to just jump in, I really do, I want it all over me, I want to soak it all in, but I would drown, I can’t swim. I take my shoes off, the water is warm, I walk, I breath, I meditate on how blessed I am to be here. A man with about 6 horses passes me, he grins and waves, he knows me, I watched him go to and from work every day last year, and the year after that. I walk for about 30 minutes and turn around to go back. I pass some surfer boys; they are here almost every evening too. I come off the beach before the sun has set, oh well, tomorrow. I wish I had bought some coconuts, I am so thirsty. I’ve had a headache since I got off the plane, I drink more water. There is everything in this house you could ever need except I can’t find the silverware. I’m not ready to cook yet but I would like a spoon to eat my yogurt in the morning. There is a blender maybe I’ll make a yogurt shake. I wonder what time the produce guy comes by in the morning. The dessert truck comes and I’m excited, I buy a pastry even though I missed sunset. Last year I had tea and a pastry every night at sunset hence the 20 extra pounds in the spring. I make another grocery list and head to Miguels tienda and restaurant, its pitch black outside (or stick dark in German) my street has no lights, it doesn’t bother me, I am home. I pass the cantina again; there are 2 people in it, no Saturday night bar brawls here. I order 4 taco even though I know I should only have 2, I’m not too smart when it comes to food. As I sit and watch the lady squeeze my oranges for my litre of orange juice I realize I forgot my list again. I remember I wanted tea, she doesn’t have any. Tacos come with 3 baggies of sauce, one is salsa, one caldo one is guacamole , in my haste I mix the salsa and caldo up and pour the whole baggies of salsa on my tacos, it’s soo good, I have guac and salsa running down my elbows, it’s hot, very hot.....member not too smart with food. I eat them all. I spend the rest of the evening trying to suck the flavour out of tongue, it’s so good. I save my orange juice for breakfast, don’t want to change the taste on my tongue. My head still hurts. I spend the evening sitting outside writing this story on paper with a pencil and listening to the sounds of my neighbourhood. I am content. It’s still hot. I remember I have a thermometer in my suitcase, I hang it up, it’s 25C at 7:30 pm, it feels hotter because of the humidity. I am happy. There are many many extension cords and power bars in this house, I try to figure out what powers what, I mange to turn on some lights. At some point I realize I am filthy dirty, my feet are black, this place seems to do that to you, I have a cold shower. At 8:00 I go to bed, I saw all the chickens and rooster outside on the street on front of my house and I know the first night will be rough; I should get an early start. My head still hurts. 

I sleep soundly until midnight and then I get up and turn some lights off, I sleep until 2 and then the roosters are up, from 2 to 6 it’s a restless dance with me and the sheets, I loose track of time and get out of bed at 7 and start the coffee maker, it’s daylight out, I missed sunrise, I’m annoyed. I can’t remember when the last time was that I missed a sunrise, so annoyed. The water truck comes by, I don’t need any water.  I hear a commotion outside, a cowboy has just herded 23 (I counted) horses in from the plantation and parks them in front of my house. I wander around the house with my coffee in hand and find a hot water tank but have no idea how to make it make hot water. I have a cold shower again. I discover all my clothes are wrinkled and I can’t find an iron. I put on a pair of black capris which I know I will regret but they are not wrinkled. My headache is gone, my street is very quiet, the roosters are asleep.  I wonder if I were to hide the silverware where would I hide it. I eat my yogurt with a measuring spoon.

Sorry no photos today. 

Too be continued;

Surrender by Marc James in Kona, Hawaii

One of the last things I do before I go to the airport is surrender my keys, I put all my keys to everything away. Keys to my house, my car, my work, my mailbox etc... It's a hard thing for me. My keys are a part of me, they go with me everywhere, I don't leave the house without them and I can't get back into my house without them. I can't start work in the morning without them and I can't leave work without them. They are in my possession every minute of the day.....until I leave the country, then I no longer need them. Which makes me feel a little helpless, like I have lost some control. Thank goodness I know that the less control I have the better off I am, because it is not until I give up control that God can take over, and when God takes over I am always ok. Lots of time I wonder where God is in some situations and why he is not taking over but it is not that he is  not there....I haven't given up control,He must just sit and watch and shake his head I am sure. Normally it is easy to surrender when things have totally spun out of control and we know we can do no more, then it is easy to cry out to God and surrender but we must learn to surrender ourselves to God completely every day....yup, everyday. This is difficult....when we still have the keys in our hand but a little easier when you are not holding the keys.
Today I surrendered my keys.

I will leave you with this today, see you all in Mexico

The last days of life in the North

I'm sorry for not posting anything for such a long time but I have been a bit preoccupied with preparations for heading south for the winter.....way south. You would think that since this is not my first time preparing for migration I should have this all figured out and down to a routine. Not this year I don't, but I will next year. I am of course hoping you all don't remember my plan last year to make a migration manual to make this all easier, the manual didn't get made. I just made a whole lot of "mental notes" which we all know are not notes at all, just fleeting thoughts. So once again I had to do it the "old way" which is making a to do list and then losing it a week later, making a new list and losing it a week later (because I make these lists on scraps of paper) and finally deciding to go without a list, this program is called "winging it", I don't think it needs an explanation.So for about a week my bedroom floor looked like this:

And my desk at home looks like this;

I usually come back to Canada in mid March to April sometime which is just in time for tax time so it is best I get organized for that before I leave because when I come home there is so much going on that my head is usually spinning for awhile.....not to mention taco withdrawal as well. It's a bad time to be looking for a lost receipt.
My office at work needs to be organized as well, don't like to walk into a mess in the spring.

Then during all this came Halloween, not that I am a big Halloween fan but that is usually when I harvest my pumpkins. This year I came across a wonderful recipe, I can't find it now so I can't give credit but the credit does not go to me.

Take 2 smallish pumpkins and scoop out the seeds and stringy stuff, just like you do for carving and drizzle some olive oil in it and put about 3 cloves of garlic in it and put them on a baking sheet and bake until a knife pierces it easily. Let it cool off and scoop the flesh out and put in a blender with some oregano, also the garlic you put in, some salt and pepper and puree it and put back into one pumpkin, this is an amazing dip for garlic bread or crackers.....and so festive looking. I loved it and will look forward to it again next year. Will be growing little pie pumpkins just for this.

Then I had a wonderful surprise, I went to visit my grandma just before I left and she gave me my Christmas present early since I will not be here at Christmas. A hand made quilt, that she made....by hand. Last Christmas she made one for each of her children (11 of them) this year she is giving her grandchildren quilts for Christmas, they won't all get one this year because there are way too many of us but I am the oldest grand child so I was among one of the first to get one. I will treasure this forever. I will leave it in Canada. A little bit of excitement for me when I return.

The Halloween spooks

Then just as I thought I had all my ducks in a row I was given another gift...sort of a gift. One of my cousins dropped this off at my house.....a moose hide. It is hunting season and I have many hunters in my family ( I am risking some criticism and controversy here). I like to make moccasins and I needed some hide, hunters shoot moose up here in the north every season and the hides normally gets left in the bush which I think is such a waste.The meat gets eaten, we are not sport hunters, everything shot gets eaten, each moose usually gets divided and shared with a few families. I grew up eating moose meat and I still eat it. It's part of our life up here and that is all I am going to say about that, I don't think I need to defend this any further here. If anyone has questions or comments about this feel free to post them but I will most likely respond to you by email stead of starting a debate thread here. While I welcome all opinions anything mean will be deleted.
I wanted this hide hand tanned and smoked the old fashion native way and by the time I found someone to do that for me it was getting too cold outside and now I have to wait until spring. So I just spread it out on our lunch table at work and let it dry for a few days and then put it in our pump shack at work where it will freeze nicely. This means that as soon as I return I must deal with this before it completely thaws. Which means I must come home before it completely thaws. Hope we don't have an early Spring (never thought I'd say that) Tanning the hide by hand instead of chemically makes it super super soft and smoking it makes it a little bit water proof.

You know you are a red neck when....there is a bloody moose on your lunch table and it doesn't bother you to sit there and eat your lunch. 

Next year this time I will have some moccasins for sale. I have cut out some of the front flaps and packed some beads and plan on getting the beading done this winter in Mexico so that when I return I can just assemble them. They will look like these, I made these last fall. There was an unfortunate accident with them but they did survive (somewhat). The first pairs that I will be making will be little little baby ones because they are quick to make and should be an easy sell ( I need to make my money back from the cost of getting the hide tanned) For the baby ones I will not make them this slipper style as they fall off babies feet too easily, I will make them mukluk style or "wrap arounds" as they are sometimes called. 

Soon I will sitting in front of a tequila sunrise on the horizon (or a tequila sunset) with plenty of time to bead away. Soon. 

Mexican Hot Chocolate

Those that know me know I am not a chocolate fan, at all. It's the sweetness I don't like, I also don't like gooey, slimy, soft substances. I can handle a few chocolate chips in an oatmeal cookie, or maybe even Napoleon ice cream,  but no more. This is why I like Mexican hot chocolate, it is not too sweet and has cinnamon in it as well. I don't mix it like they suggest on the box with 2 triangles I only use 1 per cup giving it just a hint of chocolate. Frothing it in a blender is just pure Mexican genius as well. Once again I will mention the funnest thing of all is the box it comes in, regardless of brand it is always in a hexagon shaped box with the chocolate in a round disk with perforated triangles. I recently had a pantry mishap (not talking about it yet) which resulted in a very through  cleaning and I discovered I had 4 boxes of chocolate and 6 bags of horchata and cebada .... yes 6. Someone needs to drink a lot of horchata here in this house, I wonder how it would taste hot? Anyone ever try?

Notice my santa cup. It was the cup that my child always left santa's milk in on Christmas Eve (seems like a million years ago). It is my favorite cup, and I always use it for coffee, tea or hot chocolate. It is the right size, the right roundness, and it fits nicely in my little saucers. Sometimes when I am too lazy to wash out my blender I use my little hand blender to froth up my milk.
I recently found another use for Mexican chocolate, chocolate banana bread. Check out the recipe on this site, I did make it and it was wonderful, of course I used whole wheat flour and brown sugar.....it was great!
http://www.confessionsofafoodie.me/2011/08/i-used-to-be-monkey-in-another-life.html

Will there still be room for me?

Copied from the Mazatlan Messenger

Isla Amaitlán Resort on Stone Island Breaks Ground

Filed under Homeno comments

Artist's concept of la Isla Amaitlán, advertised in English as "Mazatlán's Garden City."

Employees at the 125 hectare tourist resort on Isla de la Pierda (Stone Island), a joint venture of Korian real estate company based in Durango and the 5,000 ejidatarios inhabiting the Island, began clearing land for the first phase of the project earlier this week.

Surrounded by coconut palm plantations, grading machines began clearing the first two hectares in preparation for the construction of a vacation show home, a botanical garden and an artificial laguna. Construction of the first of 66,000 tourist accommodation units is expected to begin in January, 2012 generating employment for over 1,000 workers.

When completed, the resort will offer visitors 13 kilometers of virgin beach and a natural marina of 9 kilometers.

Negotiations between the real estate investment company and ejidatarios began in May, 2008 and after obtaining environmental and land permits, the project is now ready to begin in earnest.

Master Plan creator, Brazilian architect and urban planner Jaime Lerner, envisions an environmentally sustainable resort which will include:

• 100% recycled garbage
• mixed energy sources: solar, natural gas and conventional
• 100% recycled residual waters through suction drainage
• underground cables
• elevated construction to allow for absorption of rain water, avoidance of floods
• 70% green area
• 95% of construction no taller than surrounding palm trees (18 meters)

Total investment for the Isla Amaitlán resort is pegged at $120 million dollars, the initial phase of which will cost $2 million dollars.

(from Noroeste and files)

Oh my, it's actually happening. There was been talk about this project for a few years now along with many stories, many predictions, some of the locals looking forward to this and some not. I have always been hoping that it would not happen. I don't much like change, and I have a hard time adjusting to  "new things" (still don't like my new coffee maker that I have had for a year) Makes me wonder if there will still be room for me here or will I have to move on? Could I leave all my wonderful friends that I have made over the years, they don't have the option to leave like I do, they have to stay and learn to live with this. Maybe if they build this slowly enough I might not notice and get used to it (like how my electric bill got slowly quadrupled over the last 10 years) If I did leave where would I go? The Sierra Madres have always interested me, could I head to the mountains and leave the ocean behind? Or could I find another Mexican Island somewhere? Island life is so quirky and unigue,  and it suits me...I think. I guess I'll just head over there and see for myself. 

It's all over.....but the packin

I have an official migration date of November 12, that's the day that I fly out of Edmonton to Mazatlan where I will take a short boat ride to Stone Island, my second home. I have a box in my closet that I will be putting things into that I don't want to forget to take with me,  and a "to do" list going of things I need to do before leaving. While my head is sometimes far way these days I must focus at the tasks at hand, like work and winterizing my yard. Putting away the garden is almost as much work as putting it in. I love putting away food for the winter, canning and perserving, and freezing but I don't do as much these days as I used to just because I am not here for 5 months and I must say I miss that. I do squirrel some away, I'll be back mid March or Beginning of April and it's not until June or July or even  August until I will be eating fresh vegetables again so I like having some stuff stashed away for when I get back. I love coming home knowing my first trip does not have to be to the grocery store to stock up on food, I can just go shop in my freezer and storage. I have some beans, tomatoes, and beets in the freezer, I have some potatoes stored away as well. I also got busy this weekend and make some salsa, one can never have too much salsa. Her e is a little photo essay from the last 2 weeks.
There was a lot of Zucchini in my life and so I had to get creative;

I call these zucchini canoes, I sliced a fairly big zucchini lengthwise  and cut a V out of the middle and sliced a bit off the bottom so that it laid flat making a little canoe. Then I put a slice of bacon in the hollow V and baked it until the bacon was cooked then I put a slice of cheese on it and some basil and a little dab of olive oil (the bacon did not provide enough fat like  I thought it would) and some green onions, then I baked it a wee bit more just to melt the cheese....it was so good. 

I invented Zucchini lasagna, a layer of noddles, a layer of last years homemade pizza sauce (the last jar) a layer of sliced zucchini and dry cottage cheese (mixed with an egg) and one more layer of noodles and sauce and then some cheese, it was so good I had to have a glass of wine with it. Next time I wouldn't be afraid to add more zucchini. 

I also dealt with my tomato collection this week. I had some amazing tomatoes this year. I spend the little bit extra and bought some organic seeds and I must say it paid off. My organic tomatoes were amazing, they had a sweetness to them that I had never tasted before, like they were infused with sugar. They were big and knobby looking, just before they would turn red they turned pink, I had never seen that before. I made a big batch of salsa with some of them and also just froze some. I have really simplified my method of freezing tomatoes. I used to peel them and cook them and then can them in jars, then I discovered a few years ago that that is not necessary. Now I just cut them into a few big chunks and put them in a jar and jam my hand in there to mush them up a bit to squeeze the juice out and close the jar leaving about an inch of head space to prevent the jar from exploding from expansion. That has been my method for the last few years. This year my freezer is getting a bit full and since jars are so bulky I put them in ziplock plastic bags. The bags will also make getting the tomatoes out a bit easier when they are frozen, sometimes (ok, almost always) I forget to take my jar of tomatoes out of the freezer in the morning before going to work and then in the evening when I want to make supper my tomatoes are still frozen and near impossible to get out of the jar.....trust me, jamming a knife in there trying to break it up to shake it out will just result it you smashing the jar...yup. So I think my plastic baggie will be much more user friendly. Now, peeled tomatoes look a lot nicer in your chili, stew or soup but I don't mind bits of peel in my soup/stew/chili or whatever, plus garden grown tomatoes don't have a thick peel anyway, no more blanching and peeling for me. This method is a whole lot easier, especially when your tomatoes don't all ripen at the same time, you can freeze a baggie at a time as you have red ones.

Monster knobby tomatoes

Baggies for the freezer

Home made bread, with garden fresh pesto, cheese and tomatoes......my favorite summer sandwich. In order for my tomatoes to fit on my bread I had to cut the tomatoes vertically instead of horizontally, otherwise one slice as way too big to fit the bread. 

Then one night there was rumors of frost so I quickly harvested what was left of my crop at the golf course. 

The raised bed on the 11th tee box was just stunning all summer and kept us in squash and zucchini for most of August.

I collected a dashboard of tomatoes out of the bed above. The tomato plants were the runty ones that didn't weren't worth keeping in my greenhouse and instead of throwing them in the compost bin I planted them in the bed just to fill space, we'll see how many turn red. 

The last of the zucchini from the 11th tee box

I also harvested my little wash pad garden, don't you just love my wagon, I always feel so farmer-ish when I use it. If I ever get me a farm I'm going to buy a golf cart and a wagon just like this. 

This little homestead like space was home to our potatoes. In July sometime I suddenly decided to plant potatoes here instead of grass, it was late for planting but again I just wanted to fill the space so that the weeds didn't take over. Turns out that the weeds came anyway. 

We did still manage to harvest a box of small potatoes. 

And then it happened, -4C one frosty morning.

You can see the moon, that was the warning, a clear night on a full moon will usually bring frost.

Now my garden looks like this;

The squash plants hanging from the arbor look like bats

Looks a bit spooky I think

I think I'll leave the sunflowers until Halloween and dress them up

The view from my kitchen window is not so great anymore

My next door neighbor knows how much I love my garden and came over to ask if I was ok and offered her condolences. I was however, very ok with all this, it was a bit of a relieve to have it over with. Now comes clean up.  In may look all drap and creepy in my yard but at work it is absolutely stunning right now and I am so blessed that I can enjoy the fall scenes there now. Here are just a few shots.

We have had very interesting skies

We have had some of the most beautiful sunrises and I haven't missed a single one.

Long beautiful shadows just seem to dance all around me

Mixing colors

Trying to hang on to the green a bit longer

The waters seem bluer these days as well

leaves falling everywhere turning everything to gold

Still lush and plush, makes me want to take my socks and shoes off and run barefoot

Little bits of color are showing up everywhere

With the weekends getting colder I spend more time indoors now.....baking to keep the house warm.

French bread, banana bread and of course zucchini bread

I also started knitting, isn't this the most adorable little old man like sweater?

Isn't this the cutest thing ever? I don't have any little men in my life right now but now I have a gift on hand should I need one. One thing that frustrates me is how you can always see where I stopped knitting flat and starting knitting in the round.....how do I correct this, what am I doing differently? 

 One last harvest picture and then I promise I am done blabbing about my garden

Sorry I lied.....I had to add my little pumpkins