MeXscape

It’s the dog days of summer and even the dogs are relentlessly hounded by the heat and humidity while the days just seem to run together in a sweaty continuum of time. Depending upon the day and the location, the temperature’s hover around 90 degrees and moderate to about 84 at night; unless the wee hours are cooled by the rains. The humidity can be a tolerable 75% or shoot up to an oppressive 90% just before Mother Nature unleashes one of her tropical thunderstorms. These monsoon type storms will build huge thunderheads over the mountains throughout the day and then descend on Mazatlan and disgorge their moisture late in the afternoon or during the night. The lightning spawned by these tropical storms is very spectacular and will sometimes stretch across 120 degrees of horizon with thunderclaps lasting as long as 15 seconds. As the storms move down from the mountains, the increasing reverberations from the mighty peals of thunder will invariably set off every car alarm for miles. One huge bolt from above is enough to create a horrible electronic wailing that is ear splitting at street level. You would think that when this happens, people would turn off their alarm systems not simply reset them for the next thunderclap. However, this is Mazatlan where common sense is sometimes lost in the cultural shuffle.

We knew we were moving to a totally different climate with a new set of rules. We also knew that we were going to be living open air with no air conditioning. With this knowledge, we tried to make considered decisions about what to bring with us and what to leave behind. We almost succeeded.

Our very low electric bills have been very exciting to us. We came from Fort Worth, where in the Summer, our electric bill could be $800USD. And ours was low compared to a lot of our neighbors. So when we got our first electric bill, a scarce $204MXN, we were astonished and did a happy dance. Other people we spoke with thought that was a little low, but we reminded them that we don't have air conditioning. We insisted that fact, combined with the different rates charged to each neighborhood made up for the difference between our bill and theirs. A theory proven false.

Last Saturday, I awoke with some stomach discomfort. I figured I was paying the price for the previous night. We went out with friends, drank more than is prudent, and had dinner at a restaurant I had never visited before. The dinner was the kicker: a salami and cheese sandwich and French fries. It was a shock to my system. I have become accustomed to a diet that prominently features fish, seafood, and fresh fruit and vegetables.

I know a lot of you reading this are cringing in horror at the thought of going for surgery in a Mexican hospital. Many people conjure up a picture of a glassy-eyed bandito type with a knife in one hand and a bottle of tequila in the other getting ready to cut me open. Nothing could be further from the truth.

The day after I got home from the hospital, Reku decided to get in on the act with an emergency of his own. He somehow managed to torque one of his rear nails off the quick. Well, not completely off, that would have been easier. The nail was still hanging on, just unwrapped from the quick. Ow.

Today is the day all of us here in Mexico (and most of the world) set our clocks back 1 hour. So for the next week, our time will be an additional hour earlier than most of you: 2 hours earlier than Texas, same time as California.

When we were at the weekly Gringo Gathering at Canuck's on Friday, I finally got to really meet fellow bloggers and very new Mazatlan residents Nancy and Paul. One of the things we discussed was the possibility of a revenue generating site about Mazatlan, and it reminded me that way back when I started this site, I had that possibility in mind. So I went and blew the dust off my Google AdSense account. The result: the ads you see on each page. I have no fantasies about getting rich from these ads, but it would be nice if it did offset the cost of maintaining the site.

Today is the day my beloved was born; I am so grateful that God put him on this Earth. He is my reason for waking up in the morning, my joy in each day, and brings vibrancy to my life. I can't fully conceive what my life would be without him, but I know it would lack the adventure, tenderness, laughter, intimacy, and acceptance that I receive so fully, I sometimes take it for granted. Happy birthday Chuck. I love you.

November 1st (All Saints' Day) and 2nd (All Souls' Day) marked the Dia de los Muertos celebrations here in Mazatlan. When I lived in Texas, I heard that November 1 is a day for deceased children, while November 2 is a day for deceased adults, but here in Mazatlan, it seemed more like the first was a publicly celebratory day, while the second was reserved for private celebrations with family at home and at the cemeteries.