Richer and Deeper

In my last post I talked about how surprised I have been regarding all of the people who have wanted to visit me here. And that has continued. All of my guests have enriched my life. Also they are generally also friends of Roberts and have enriched his life as well. At the bottom of this post I'll include photos of the loving folks who have visited. 

What I want to talk about today is another surprise in my life. Friends of friends have heard about my decision to bring Robert here for excellent care at a fraction of the cost in the U.S. I have received a number of emails, texts, and phone calls from people who want to talk to me about this option. At least 3 people have moved here and placed their loved ones because of their contact with me. It really makes me feel useful. It is especially gratifying that the usefulness comes from me just living my life, not from me trying to be helpful. I don't know why....but I really like that. 

About a month ago a friend of a friend called me from Alaska. Her husband not only has Alzheimers, but also has had a stroke, a heart attack, and a bad fall. She was desperate to know how to care for him. A week after we talked she arrived in Chapala and had a room at the QQ, the hotel in the garden where I live. Amanda first visited La Casa Nostra with me and spent a day there talking with Delia, the owner, and with residents and staff. She then arranged a tour of Assisted Living/Nursing Homes with Earl and John, the guys who led the seminar on Everything You Need to Know to Move to Mexico that I attended before moving here. From them I got the information and the courage to take the leap. After touring facilities for a day Amanda went back to La Casa Nostra and made the first steps toward moving her husband, Larry, there. 

After Amanda went back to Alaska we had several phone calls and conversations about how to do the immigration part. Two short weeks later she and Larry and their good friend Maggie arrived in Chapala. Larry moved into his room at La Casa Nostra and a very tired Amanda and Maggie moved into their lovely room at the QQ. That was just one week ago. As I watch them go through their transition to being here I am reminded of my first weeks here in Chapala. Robert had a very bumpy, confused, angry few weeks (maybe months) and I had nights of waking up and wondering what I had done. It has been just about 9 months since we moved here, and I feel very settled now and Robert is doing better too. Of course Larry and Robert are different people with different issues. Larry has some physical challenges that Robert does not have. Robert has issues Larry doesn't. They have met several times, and I see Robert feeling very genuine concern for Larry. I am glad to see him having concern for someone other than himself. Even though Larry is having a tough time it is clear he is a very sweet man. Robert can see that as well. He said "Larry has a very sweet face." Indeed he does. 

Robert and me, and Larry and Amanda during one of our first days together in the garden. 

Although I am sorry that Amanda and Larry have to have to deal with Alzheimers, I am glad to have a friend and neighbor to share rides and understandings with. It feels like I have known Amanda and Maggie forever. We make good neighbors. Of course Amanda can't live at the QQ forever, but for now I'm really glad to have her there. And Maggie will have to go back to her life soon. As I watch their friendship I am again reminded of how George and Kate came with me to help move Robert here and get him settled. There is nothing more valuable in life than family and dear friends. The support is beyond anything I can imagine. 

Terry and DeAnna....our kids born to other parents....they brought their tender love for both Robert and myself

Daughter in law Sheri and son Dan. They were celebrating their 30th wedding anniversary and making sure Robert and I are okay. We had a ton of fun. 

Son Dave who added more support and more fun. 

Stepson Dean and his husband Paul. More love and support. 

Just a beautiful moment on the malecon in Chapala

Bill always a dear friend. Carla, who also has a husband with dementia. Amanda on her first visit. This is a mural in Ajijic.

John and Cheri, Joanne, and Kathleen have also been here to give support and have fun. I'm embarrassed to notice I have no photos of them. Sue and Suzie and Bill have been in and out of Las Mananitas, the house they bought on this property. Sometimes it feels like grand central station here. It is all so much fun to have family and friends coming and going. There is a true community feeling here. 

I painted this in the garden of the Lake Chapala Society in Ajijic.

So Many Surprises!!

I don't know what I expected when I moved here. I think I didn't have any expectations except that Robert would be well cared for, we could afford his care, and I would have a nice home to rent. Those things are all true. And there is so much more. There have been so many surprises. One of the biggest surprises has been how many people have wanted to come to visit. I have had a steady stream of family and friends staying with me, and I have loved it. Somehow I have also been making a life for myself here as well. I feel so very supported by my visitors and am so very grateful for their company. Everyone goes to visit Robert and get to know some of the other residents at La Casa Nostra. Robert has had more visitors in the past 6 months than he had in the two years he lived at Regency. I guess Chapala is more interesting than Oak Harbor. It's true. 

I guess I'll lead with the biggest surprise of all which is that several of my friends have loved it so much here that they have gone in together to purchase a home in my magical garden compound. So I will have now and again neighbors that I know and love. Susan and Bill live in Manzanillo where it is too hot in the summer and they need a cooler retreat. Sue lives on Whidbey and needs a place to get away from the cold, dark winters. I have a small interest in the house as well, so have a now and again guest house. The house is Casa Las Mananitas and it is adorable. Here we are standing at the entrance of our new casa on November 17, the day the deal was closed. Obviously I was working on a painting when the photo needed to be taken. I will continue to live in the wonderful Galleria which I am renting. I love my casa here and it suits me perfectly. 

I am surprised at the comfort and ease I feel here. I am surprised at how noisy Mexico is. At least Chapala. There are celebrations and festivals nearly all the time which means music and fireworks and the sound of people celebrating. There are also very loud cojetes, which are rockets. They start going off sometimes at 5:00 in the morning. Originally they were meant to get people out of bed and into the fields or church back in the days when there were no alarm clocks. Now they do them for announcing mass, but also just for the fun of it it seems. I am surprised at the Church bells that ring at intervals all day long starting at 7:30 a.m. I live a couple blocks from the church and also a couple blocks from the malecon where much of the celebrating takes place. I'm surprised that I can tune it out and it does not interrupt my sleep anymore than my sleep is already interrupted. I'm surprised that I really want to learn to speak Spanish. I'm a beginner, but I boldly speak using whatever words I know, and am beginning to be able to hear it better and understand a tiny bit. Tiny is the operational word there. 

I was surprised to read a posting on FaceBook by a guy who was looking for people to go out plein air painting with him. I'm really surprised that I immediately said I would. We have been out twice. I love the first painting I did. It is of a restaurant in the plaza in Ajijic. I was surprised I could paint it in a couple hours. I'm not so thrilled with the second painting I did, but I am working on it and will stay at it until it sings to me. This one sings.

I'm continuing to try to get a sketching group together. There is a lot of interest, but people are really busy here. Also they come and go a lot. Two new women have contacted me recently, so I believe it will become an active group. 

Sadly I'm surprised at the form Robert's disease is taking. He has some very unpleasant times involving some yelling and some agressive behavior. There is also a strong thread of paranoia. I just hate to write those words. It feels disloyal to me, and yet I want to make this blog as real as I can. He also can still really pull himself together and be insightful, funny, curious about other people and their lives. I can see him declining. Of course it's expected, but hard to watch. I FaceTime with him several times a day. I go to La Casa Nostra to see him 3 or 4 times a week. Sometimes more. Rarely less. I think about how I will live with myself when all is said and done. I know I have found the best possible situation for him that I am able. I wonder if I spend enough time with him. It haunts me a bit. 

I've lived here only 6 months and the surprises just keep coming. 

I had a wonderful two weeks in Langley with my family and friends for my 80th birthday. It could not have been more wonderful. I am surprised to say I'm not sorry to be missing the cold and windy weather. 

Reconnecting to My Artist Self

Firstly, I reckon it's time to write about what's going on with me because several people have contacted me asking when my next blog post is coming out.

Secondly, this time I'm going to write mostly about me instead of Robert or my guests. I have had many guests, and I am so grateful for them. Besides being supportive it is really fun to have people around, especially when they end up falling in love with where I live.

The water-colour painting above was the image used to advertise me as the featured speaker for the September meeting of ASA, Ajijic Society of the Arts. I went to the July meeting just to get acquainted with artists in the area, and ended up getting volunteered, by the only person I knew there, to give the program for September. I chose to speak about sketching because it's so easy for me to talk about the joys of sketching. I took sketchbooks, showed my supplies, talked about how I approach sketching, and did my best to inspire a few people to join me in going out regularly to sketch. I had fun, and I believe the audience had a good time as well. 6 people signed up to go sketching.

Knowing that I was going to give a little talk encouraged me to get my Mexico sketchbook going. As it turned out, almost all the sketches in my book are about my immediate environs, my house and the magnificent garden that surrounds it. 

This is the front entrance to my home here in Chapala. I used a brush pen and water-colour for this sketch. The following sketches are all of my house or the garden:

In the mercado a few blocks away I can buy large bouquets of flowers for very few pesos. I like to keep fresh flowers in my house. The house I rent is furnished and has some very lovely pieces, like the one above. My windows are open most of the time, and my views of the garden always delight me.

The drawing on the left is of a clay dog I bought to fill my otherwise blank fireplace. More lovely furniture and another view from an open window.

The garden here is filled with both tropical, exotic (to me anyway) plants, as well as very familiar plants like roses and daisies. Besides the main gardens I have a little private patio off my kitchen. I drew the exotic hanging plants in the garden. The little chair and potted bougainvillaea are on my private patio.

There are more pages in my book....but I don't want to over-do it. What is important about this is that I am getting familiar enough with where I live that I am past survival mode and can attend to things I simply want to do. I pretty much know my way around the Lakeside Area, know how and where to get busses or cabs. I know how to make phone calls. I have somewhat a routine for visiting Robert and have full confidence in the staff at La Casa Nostra to care for him. I have hooked up my ROKU and my Vonage line, and know where to get food and how to handle it for the sake of health. I also have some favourite restaurants (the list grows all the time) and just found out that many of them deliver. In just over 4 months I have turned my stove on just a handful of times. I have a Spanish teacher just two blocks away, right across from the levanderia where I take my dirty clothes to be washed, dried and folded for very few pesos. It is my goal to sketch, walk, and study Spanish 1/2 hour every day. If I get 2 of the 3 done I call it a good day. It shouldn't be so hard, should it? I have a maid who comes once a week to clean my house. Life here is comfortable and relatively easy for me. As I have mentioned before people can live very well here for a fraction of the cost in the U.S.  I do not own a car here. My biggest concern is Robert who is losing his short term memory pretty fast, calls me many times a day, cannot walk, and feels people are stealing from him and trying to make him crazy. Unfortunately those are common symptoms of his horrible disease. 

The real clue that I am settling in and not spending most of my time trying to figure out how to do things and where to get things and other practical matters, is that I started an oil painting a couple of days ago. There is a fabulous building on my street that is painted many wonderful colours and has many fabulous shapes. I have taken dozens of photos of that building from every angle and in many different times of day. I have enough material to keep me painting for a very long time....all from that one building. Here is the painting I have started. I'll try to remember to post it when it is finished.

I have changed it quite a bit already.....but this is my start.

For at least 20 years I have had a studio of one kind or another where I could paint, make messes, and leave the messes til I'm in a mood to clean them up. Here I don't have a studio. Not yet anyway. I am painting in my kitchen, and having to clean everything up after each session. Life is tough, right? 

I have enough of a social life to keep me happy. I feel so totally attached to my friends in Seattle and Whidbey and keep in such close touch that I really don't have a moment to feel lonely. I have a few friends and acquaintances here, so I go out to dinner or for a swim often enough and it is comforting to know there are people I can spend time with. Also, as I mentioned, plenty of friends and family from Seattle and Whidbey are finding their way here. Tomorrow my sons and their mates are coming for a week and I'm very excited to show them my new home and way of life. 

So things are going well for me here in Chapala. I am surprised at how at home, rooted, and safe I feel here. I landed in just the right spot for me and for Robert. 

Here's a bonus picture. This is a friend I met in a grocery store when I first moved here. She, Laney, and her husband, Jack, are becoming good friends. They invited me to a party at The Racquet Club where they live to celebrate Mexican Independence Day. We were to dress as Senoras. Laney was occupied with some health issues and didn't have time to go shopping for señora clothes. I went to the malecon a block from my house, where there are many tiendas filled with clothing and souvenirs, and bought us these rather fetching duds. We had a grand time dancing to live music playing latin music as well as gringo oldies. There was a flag ceremony with many Viva Mexicos shouted out and much singing. Then we had mariachis. Of course there was plenty of wine, beer and tequila on every table as well as delicious Mexican food. I guess I'm definitely past the stage of just figuring out how to survive here. 

Laney and Me. Ole!

 

A Visit from Family

Everyone has to do this shot. It's tradition. And fun!

Robert's daughter, Dawn, and our granddaughter, Sarah, came to spend a week with us. Their visit was mainly to see their Dad/grandpa in his new situation and to meet his doctor, caregivers, nurses, physical therapist, and fellow residents. They spent part of every day at La Casa Nostra and got to spend special one on one (or would it be two on one) personal time with their Grandpa/Dad. They ate the main meal with him each day and met his co-residents. They grew fond of Tony, Robert's heart brother, as well as a couple other very sweet members of the La Casa Nostra family. They saw him at his almost worst and at his very best, and witnessed the team who care for him. I think the visit with Dr. Aldana, Robert's psychiatrist, was especially informative and comforting for Dawn and Sarah. He described very plainly what Lewy Body Dementia is, and his plan to help with some of the symptoms while acknowledging the disease is progressive and will continue to get worse. He stressed to them that this is not a psychological diagnosis, but a neurological one. 

Dawn and Sarah on their very first morning in Chapala, waiting for the cab to take us to La Casa Nostra. This is the gate that opens to the garden that leads to mi casa. 

At the suggestion of one of the nurses, Claudia, we took Robert out for lunch one day, along with Tony. Claudia's husband has a business taking people where they need to go and when necessary doing the heavy lifting. In this case, getting Robert in and out of the van, and in and out of his wheelchair, and lifting and stowing the wheelchair. Edwin did a caring and efficient job of getting us all to the restaurant and back again so we could have a sweet lunch out on the town. Edwin made it possible for us to take Robert out. 

I think this is an especially nice family photo of the three generations. Taken at the restaurant.

Robert with his heart brother, Tony, and with me.

One experience at the restaurant that was especially poignant to me was when Robert needed to go to the bathroom. Tony insisted on taking him. Those two old men had a mighty struggle in there, and it took some time, but it was a sweet and tender time between the two while they pulled and pushed and lifted and sweat. 

Around the edges of Dawn and Sarah's visits to their Dad/grandpa, we managed to do some shopping (they got some cute duds), eat out quite a lot (never had a bad meal), go to the spa for personal services, and swim. Remember things are especially inexpensive here for gringos. Clothes cost from $10 to $20 for a top or pair of pants. Dinners out are $7 or $8 including drinks and main course and dessert. You also can pay much less. And of course, much more. There is an area here that I call Little America. It is a food court with American food like Sub Sandwiches. There is a burger place there called Trips Burgers that make the best burger any of us had every had. Anywhere. Maybe it was Trip's secret sauce. Mostly we ate in local restaurants that are not American. We spent an afternoon in the pool at my friend Karin's house. And also spent an afternoon at the Balianario where there are many swimming pools and tubs of all sizes and the water is natural hot thermal water that comes out of the mountain. So, we were pretty much busy all the time. We walked a lot and took cabs when we needed to go somewhere that wasn't walking distance.

Sarah and Dawn are cooling off in the little pool at my house. Water can be so healing and soothing. 

 Dawn and Sarah in one of the magical thermal waters pool

All in all I believe Dawn and Sarah's visit was productive, informative, and sometimes emotional, and we squeezed some fun in around the edges. They know everything there is to know (I think) about their Dad/grandpas care here in Mexico. They aren't thrilled that he lives so far away, but I believe they feel good about where he is given the circumstances. I had also hoped they would get a feel for my life here as well. I believe they did. I guess it would be hard not to since they were more or less living my life right along with me while they were here. 

Another traditional photo. Robert's visitors gathered around his chair in the garden at La Casa Nostra. Maybe we should change it up one of these days and have him standing behind while someone else sits in the chair. Incidentally, Robert has had more visitors since we moved to Mexico (just three months today) than he had in two years of living at Regency on Whidbey Island. Guess we are doing something right. And there are many more to come, for which I am most grateful. 

Little by Little...

Robert has a new psychiatrist and I have great hopes for his interventions. He spent 1/1/2 hours alone with Robert and then about 40 minutes with me (at La Casa Nostra, BTW). He knows and understands Lewy Body Dementia and agrees with the diagnosis. I am greatly relieved. No one told him Robert’s diagnosis before his session with him. He ordered happy lights for his room, and an Exelon patch. (google it, it looks really promising to me). Robert has been wearing the patch for about a week. It is at the very lowest dosage to start, so can’t tell if there is any change. He has tranquil days….and some very agitated days. In about 3 months (one thing at a time….waiting to see how Robert reacts to the patch) Dr. Aldana will start treating Robert for the Parkinson’s symptoms. He thinks meds can recover some of his mobility…..at least for awhile. I am so sorry that Robert is pretty unhappy much of the time. And who wouldn't be? He has lost most of his mobility, his short term memory is failing, he's dependent for most activities of daily living. Still he can carry on good intellectual conversations. Robert is his best self when he is with other people. 

When I arrived at La Casa Nostra yesterday there was a fiesta beginning. A new resident, Jean, is obviously very beloved in the community. Friends have been bringing her to meals for a couple of months while they wait for a room for her (the rooms around the courtyard have a very long waiting list) to get her used to la Casa Nostra and the other residents. The friends call themselves Team Jean. Yesterday they had arranged a big birthday bash and housewarming party for her. I’m afraid dear Jean won’t remember it. She is a darling woman and very charming. Anyway, there was cake and balloons and music and dancing. In fact they hired a dance instructor to be there to sort of teach a little salsa, but also to dance with everyone and get things going. Robert was able to stand in front of his wheelchair for about a song and a half and we jiggled, swayed, danced. He had a huge grin. I had a nice dance with Tony, a little salsa. When Robert is with people, especially Tony, he is quite himself. The people there are fond of him and call him “quite a special guy.” I do my best to take him to the garden when I’m there. Here are a few photos from the party:

Heart brothers

Group dance

   

Tony says he loves this chapter of his life because of the people there (both staff and residents) and because of what he is learning. He says it is God’s plan. I like that he talks this way with Robert. 

Let’s see. A little slice from my life. I now ride buses more than I take cabs. The bus can be quite an experience. Sometimes they are so crowded you can barely squeeze another person in. People sit on the dashboard. Sometimes the bus driver has his kid with him. Sometimes musicians get on and play hoping for tips. The other day the bus was so crowded several of us entered by the back door. To pay we handed our money to someone in front of us who passed the money to the front. I had a 20 peso note and the fare is 10 pesos. I saw my note go forward. Pretty soon 10 pesos were handed back down the line to me.

Yesterday I took the bus to Robert @ 11:00 a.m. and the party was just starting. I left at about 1:30 because I needed to be in Ajijic by 2:00 for an appointment with Polo, the hearing aid guy (he comes from guadalajara to LCS every monday and every 1st and 3rd saturday). Both Robert and I had hearing aids not working. I waited quite awhile for the bus and then it zoomed past me because it was too full. I started hailing cabs as they came by. One pulled over….and he was a cabbie I’ve had many times before. He was dropping a woman off right where I was! So I jumped in and he got me to my appt just in time. I think of these experiences as little miracles. Polo was able to repair our hearing aids. While talking to him I decided I will buy myself new state of the art hearing aids from him for my birthday. They cost more or less the same as in the U.S., and I’ll get a 15% discount because I’m an LCS member (Lake Chapala Society). While leaving Polo I got text from a friend telling me she and her husband would be coming through Ajijic soon and would be going grocery shopping and to pick up the leather chairs we ordered last week from the guy who makes them. I sat on a curb and waited for them to pick me up on their way by. Living without a car can be challenging at times, like doing major grocery shopping or picking up large things like the chair and footstool I ordered. So another little miracle that a friend just happened to be going grocery shopping and coming by where I was.

This is the guy who made my desk chair and foot stool. My stool is like the one he is sitting on. My chair is more or less like the one he is working on. 700 pesos for the chair. 400 for the stool. Total about $60 U.S. for both. They turned out beautifully and I am sitting in my new equipale chair right now. 

BIG NEWS! I’m so happy. I had blood work done to get established with my new doc here, Dr. Santiago Hernandez. As usual my cholesterol is high while everything else is totally normal. I have been really worried that my arteries might be getting clogged, so I decided to get an ultrasound of my corotid artery. I was really scared to know the outcome. The outcome  is really good! My corotid arteries are 95% to 98% clear. Whoop! I was lying there while he was doing it planning my trip home to have them reamed out I was so sure it would be bad. I told Dr. Hernandez I don’t want to take statins. He prescribed lots of fish/krill oil and metamucil daily. In 6 weeks I’ll have another blood draw. Incidentally, my first visit with Dr. Hernandez was 1200 pesos. After the first each visit is 800 pesos. $60 for the first and $40 thereafter. The ultrasound was $110.00 and practically next door to the doctors office. Everything is close and convenient. 

Today I have no interest in going anywhere. I want to study Spanish (I’m taking a once a week class right on my street!), sketch, walk the malecon, rearrange some stuff regarding my desk space, find dinner somewhere, and watch more episodes of Offspring. Tomorrow is another “out there” day. In a few days Dawn, Robert's daughter, and Sarah, our 12 year old granddaughter will be waking up here for the first time and we will be beginning our adventure together here. Robert is anxious/excited about their visit. He’s telling everyone they are coming. Only he thinks it’s today. Or tomorrow.

My neighbourhood is unfolding to me a little more every day. I think of Mexico as a hidden place. You never know what you will find behind a gate or door. There are 3 very well regarded traditional Mexican restaurants within two blocks of my house. I went to one with neighbours last night and was glad I had their guidance regarding how and what to order. It is nothing like Mexican food I have had before. I look forward to more lessons in eating traditional Mexican food. My Spanish class is just down the block, and I found a hair cutter a few blocks away who did a great job on my hair. Poco y poco. Little by little. 

Daily Living in Chapala

Warning! this posting may be overly long. It has lots of pictures though. I just couldn't quit thinking of things to share. 

In a few days we will have lived here for 2 months. Seems longer, so much has happened, and I have learned so much. I thought today I will just talk about what it is like to live here. I have a beautiful home which belongs to a friend of a friend and it miraculously fell into my lap. I love living in this house, and in the magical garden that surrounds it. 

After walking through a beautiful gate, and a garden and the pool, you come to mi casa. The name of the house is The Galleria. Funny, huh? This is my front porch and entry. In this walled compound there are 7 private homes and Quinta Quezlequatl, a fabulous boutique hotel that has 8 gorgeous suites. It is low season right now, so I rarely see anyone on the grounds. I feel I have a magic garden all to myself, complete with fountains and turtles. I love the turtles and visit them every day. They travel all over the compound, so sometimes I see one, sometimes 4. I have named them Tortilla (my favourite), Taco, Margarita, and Pequena. Guadalupe, the gardener, tells me there are more. 

This view is from the hall to the kitchen. The ceilings are very tall in the living room and there is a beautiful cupola that sheds wonderful natural light. 

There are two bedrooms and two baths in mi casa. This stairway leads to the loft bedroom. I love both bedrooms and have slept in both. To the right of the stairway is my desk and computer. To the left is a window and door leading to a charming patio and fountain. I need more pots and plants out there and someplace to sit. Without a car these kinds of projects become more creative. I hear there is a vivero (nursery) that will plant your pots and deliver. Need to find my way there. My driver, Armando, knows everything and everyone. I know he will help me make this happen when I am ready. When he can't drive me where I want to go he always finds someone who can. Often it is his brother in law, Beto (short for Umberto). 

When Faye and Barb were here they decided I needed a few personal touches. We found this wall hanging....and it knew immediately where it wanted to be. These wall hangings come in many designs and cost from $7 to $11 U.S. depending upon who you buy them from. We also bought two other designs for Robert's room. They add colour and cheer. Obviously this is my kitchen.

I am told that this compound is a full square block in size. It is filled with exotic plants and trees and also some familiar ones. There are lots of roses and daisies, along with the birds of paradise and succulents and cacti. The garden is filled with birds and there is birdsong most of the day. The street is right on the other side of the wall to my patio (Calle Zaragoza), so I hear the sounds of the city. The are sometimes barking dogs, cars with loudspeakers advertising who knows what. There is the gas truck with a special sing song announcement, and the tinkling sound of the ice-cream truck. During the weekend Chapala is the go to place from all around and the city fills with people who are mostly on the malecon which is one block away. Then there are the sounds of cars passing, people talking, music and singing and laughing, which goes on until the wee hours. Of course there are the church bells which start around 7:00 a.m. with a call to worship. The pattern of the bells seemed really mysterious to me at first, but a mexican friend explained it to me....and now I have a general idea. There are first, second and third calls to worship (involving around 35 chimes in differing patterns), the hour of the day, and then special patterns for weddings, funerals, baptisms. So sometimes it is truly peaceful and quiet here with just birdsongs and water splashing in the fountains. And sometimes I'm very aware that I am living right in the middle of a very busy city. I like it all. Here are a few shots of the garden:

In this view I am standing on my front porch looking into the garden. At the other end of the path is a very lovely home, but I have not yet seen anyone there. I am told the owners of the other homes come in the Fall and stay for the Winter. 

This is just one of the many magnificent plants in the garden. this is an enormous cactus. There are two of these. I have no idea how old they are. At the moment they are producing a fruit that I can't remember the name of. It is bright red and sweet and juicy. One of the gardeners gave me a taste yesterday and left a gift of 4 of them on my porch. 

Just another view of my front porch that gives you an idea of the varieties of plants in the garden. I always love coming home and wandering through the paths and the plants. The mango trees are dropping fruit like crazy right now. I pick up the ones that are not too damaged from their fall and eat them. The gardeners pick them up every day, but it still smells like mango wine is being made some of the time. 

I am so centrally located that I can walk to anything I need. I get all my pesos from ATM machines. My favourite is Santander....about 4 blocks away. I pay all my U.S. bills from my bank's Bill Pay on line. I pay for Robert's care by wiring money from his account to the account of La Casa Nostra where he lives. Most everything else is in pesos. I reserve my Visa card for big things like travel or medical bills. I charged Robert's emergency hospital costs on my Visa. Hopefully United Health Care is reimbursing me 80% of that minus $250 deductible. Food is plentiful and easy to get and inexpensive. The mercado is 3 blocks away where I can buy all fruits, veggies, meats, flowers. We are totally living within our social security checks and a small amount from our IRA. It's pretty hard to spend much money here. 

A bouquet like this costs 140 pesos, or $7 more or less. 

I rarely cook. I mean to, but there are restaurants everywhere you look and the food is generally very good and very inexpensive. I just haven't figured out how to get enough veggies. My doctor tells me they have vitamin T here....Tacos, tortillas, tortas, tamales..... I love the guacamole in a local place and sometimes just have a margarita and guacamole made right at the table. Breakfasts are easy because of the plentiful fruit and a very delicious yogurt bread that a local guy makes filled with fruit. I try to eat a good breakfast, more or less a main meal around 3:00 (usually enough food that I can bring half home for later) and a snack for dinner. It works most of the time. Trouble is, there is an Argentinian bakery in the next block that not only makes fabulous espresso but the baked goods are out of this world. I visit Tomas and Guillermo (father and son owner/bakers) more often than I should. Also there are little bakeries here and there that make delicious cakes. 

Most of the clothes I brought with me just don't work here. I have slowly been buying Mexican cotton pants and tops and dresses to create a comfortable and cool wardrobe. Most pieces are around 400 pesos....$20 more or less? So I can splurge a little. 

My exercise is modest, but daily. I walk the malecon where there are always people strolling, talking, sitting, eating, drinking, taking photos. There is always music and food.

A very quick sketch of some guys hanging around the malecon

Every sunset the skies are different. Always beautiful. Lake Chapala is 50 miles long. Some of the water goes to Guadalajara for drinking water. Some of it goes to irrigate crops in this area. The lake can get low, so the water is guarded. The rains fill it up annually so they always pray for a good rainy season. People fish the lake, take folks on boat tours, but not many people swim in it. I have not yet gone on a boat tour, but look forward to it. I read somewhere there are over 100 varieties of shorebirds. It is really fun to watch the birds.  

There is always music and various other forms of entertainment.

There are paintings everywhere waiting to be made. I hope I start doing some soon.

I have made some friends. Most of them I met in the grocery store or on the street. "Hi, you live around here?" is my usual pick up line. I will start taking spanish lessons next week with Erin, a neighbour, who I met one day on the way to the lavanderia. Juan has a school in his home just two blocks from here. How can I not? I took a little test to see where I should start....somehow I know enough verbs (much to my great surprise) to take with Erin who knows more than I do. 

Laundry. I don't have a washer or drier, but there is a lavanderia a couple blocks up the street. I take my dirties and they wash, dry and fold and I pick them up the next day. Barb isn't here anymore, but one day when she was here she helped me bring my laundry home (I had had lots of guests so this was an unusually large load....sheets and towels etc.):

Of course I visit Robert 4 or 5 times a week, and we FaceTime or talk on the phone several times a day. 

Have I left anything out? Money, friends, food, mi casa, laundry. Mary Lou, the maid, comes once a week and makes everything wonderful and clean. $9 or $10 per week? The weather is now the fabulous weather I was told about. May was way too hot. I can see why people leave. I went to a meeting of Ajijic Society of Artists and got volunteered to do the program for September. New blood I guess. I'll talk about sketching. That will be easy. Maybe I can gather a sketching group? I have not been sketching and need to start. 

As you can probably see life here is very sweet. Of course it isn't Langley, and this isn't my tribe, and I'm aware I'm pretty far from home and family......and I wonder how long I will live here.....and each day is an adventure. I feel totally comfortable here, and love how many guests I have had. Keep on coming down. I think this is over and out for this very long post. Thanks for reading this far, if you did.