Archive | April, 2020

Dealing With The Burn

26 Apr

This week there have been fires burning all around us. There were black clouds billowing from the landfill across the laguna.

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Farmers have used controlled fires to clear fields for centuries in Mexico. When you drive through the Yucatán you see where gasoline has been poured along the sides of the road to clear overgrowth. With the drought we’re having it’s a wonder there’s any jungle left.

At times we couldn’t see the other side.

With my asthma, we closed up the house yesterday and stayed indoors. It was another layer of quarantine.

Clearer skies today.
And some days even that’s not easy.

DOS TORTAS

 

 

We’re All Doing Time

17 Apr

Years ago I stumbled upon a most memorable book, We’re All Doing Time, A Guide For Getting Free, by Bo Lozoff. It was a best seller written to help prisoners, prison guards and those living in their own personal confinement (ie. all of us). The spiritual guide offered self assessment, a path to inner awareness and connection and had an introduction written by the Dalai Lama.

I used to fantasize what it would be like to live in a cell with endless time to meditate, read, practice yoga and write. How ‘holier than thou’ was I. Be careful what you ask for.

My mother with her older brother Jack

While my life today is far from a prison, I vacillate between feeling sorry for myself, scared and crying, to acceptance, faith and peace. Maybe the book should be renamed, “We’re All Living With Covid-19”

 

Uncle Jack turned 100 this past Wednesday

My middle of the night insomniac musings tell me that the only way through this nightmare is by truly caring for one another. We Americans in particular are a selfish lot, every man and woman for him/herself and no one’s going to tell ME what to do. In the coming days, weeks and yes, years, we will be called on to give beyond our present ability. It is time to stretch those atrophied caring muscles and find ways to put others’ welfare before our own. For me it is sometimes as simply as doing the damn dishes AGAIN, without complaining, even in my head.

I’d love you hear how YOU are stretching. Let’s inspire each other.

DOS TORTAS

 

Te Quedas En Casa (Stay Home)

12 Apr

The Adventures of Dos Tortas has been retired for a year and a half. Up until today, I had not seriously considered continuing our saga. I began the blog in 2012 with the intention of keeping family and friends apprised of our decision to retire and live in Mexico. I was tired of the endless questions all beginning with, “is it safe?”

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The blog evolved from chronicling the move from Austin, Texas, to the building of our house on beautiful Lake Bacalar. 

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The View From Our Yard

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Our House Completed 2015

We continued with our world travels and day-to-day small town Mexico life. Everything felt new and exciting. Eventually we settled into a routine and the search for interesting stories grew tiresome. When I got few Comments or indicators of interest, I decided after six years to retire the blog. There were at least a gazillion blogs at that time offering how to retire and live in Mexico and I felt like mine offered nothing new. Little did I know that I would continue to meet people who had been devoted followers and related how they missed my weekly musings. Who knew?

So for some unknown reason, I feel compelled to share our new boring life in the time of a pandemic, social isolation and lockdown. I read somewhere that it is our responsibility to keep a record of this crazy experience caused by Covid19.

Lord how the world has changed.

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In 2019 we lost our beloved Frida to a car accident.

and added Stella, a blind pug to the mix.

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Stela is a Gift from the Goddess

I still share photos on Instagram at dos_tortas if you wish to catch up.

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If you are new and stumbled onto Dos Tortas, know that there are no politics here. I am completely committed to living a happy life no matter what. So come along from wherever you are holed up and join us to wherever the hell we are going.

Comments encouraged. 

DOS TORTAS

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