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A Kind Word Can Change Your Life

6 Feb

I grew up in a backwater town in New Jersey in the Eastern United States. My final year of elementary school was a one room classroom with a single teacher and eight fellow students. One day as we neared graduation, a counselor from the high school (secondary) showed up and like the sorting hat in Hogwarts, divided us into college prep and business.

Eighth grade graduation age 14

No one asked me if I wanted to go to college. I’d never seen a college, didn’t know anyone who went and wasn’t sure why anyone would go. I was extremely naïve. For college preparation I was required to take a foreign language. I chose Spanish for some reason and ended up in the classroom of Mrs. Durst.

I liked her a lot. Her gentle manner and attentive spirit made her class a pleasure that I looked forward to. One day she casually told me that I had a good accent. For some unknown reason her compliment affected me deeply and stayed with me to this day. It changed the trajectory of my life.

Junior year abroad, making tamales with my Mexican family.

I did end up in college and chose Mexico for a junior year abroad program. My one year of Spanish proved insufficient and I selected an intensive Spanish class, four days a week. When my program was completed I chose to live in Texas where I could continue to use Spanish and be closer to my beloved Mexico.

The ancient pyramids of Teotihuacan. A foreign language can change your world.

Today I am retired and live full time in southern Mexico. I can’t imagine living anywhere I would not speak Spanish. Who knows where my life would have been if not for a casual compliment by a beloved teacher. We just never know the affect we have on each other. I have looked for her several times to no avail. Thank you Fran Durst.

DOS TORTAS

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Stela The Blind Pug’s Big Escape

29 Jan

In 2019 we lost our dog, Frida. Frida had had distemper and was given a 50/50 chance to live. We fed her by hand for weeks and persisted and she survived. I adored her. She was hit by a car and I cried for weeks.

My friend Carla picked her up off the street.
I could never be in the hammock alone. I still miss her.

Several months after Frida died, I saw a picture of a little sad-looking pug that was rescued off the street in Chetumal about forty minutes away. I’d never been around pugs, but I couldn’t imagine this little dog rummaging around the street looking for food. What is it with me and disabled dogs?

Her eye could not be saved. She had been used for backyard breeding and then dumped.

Stela is quite independent and nothing slows her down. She knows every inch of our property and roams freely in the big fenced yard. She runs the house, but on to the story of her “big escape”.

After my weekly massage and while my MIL was getting her’s, I slipped out the front door leaving Stela asleep in the sun, or so I thought. I was off to a meeting in Bacalar a few miles away. What I didn’t know was that Stela slipped out behind me, followed the car and exited our gate before it closed. She trotted down our road and out onto the same highway where Frida was killed!

Carmen our massage therapist and guardian angel.
Her mug shot posted to Facebook.

I returned home from my meeting to see Carmen (our massage therapist) sitting under a tree waiting for her husband to pick her up. He is always late. For some reason, I rolled down my window to ask her if she was ok. She scurried to the car asking if Stela was with me. My face was the answer, as I was very confused. She then frantically told me that Stela escapó and someone had her.

Some dear people scooped her off the highway and posted her picture to a Bacalar Facebook Group. The trouble is, I’m not a member and would never have seen it if not for Carmen. I made a quick phone call to their number and met up with them on the side of the highway. They handed her to my shaking hands. My poor mother-in-law was a wreck looking for her.

She thinks she’s a cat.

From now on, no one will leave the property without eyes or hands on Stela. Damn dog.

Everything was in perfect alignment that day. So many dogs get snatched, killed or just disappear. I give thanks even as she lays next to me snoring. And she has no idea.

DOS TORTAS

Even a little dog.

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Living In The Wilds Of Mexico

23 Jan

The weather has been lovely, dipping to 60F (15.5C) at night and low 80’s (28C) during the day. It’s been far easier to pull on my jungle shoes and take the dogs for a walk. Nature also seems to be enjoying the mild temperatures as I have had several amazing animal sitings.

STOCK photo.

Out on our afternoon stroll, I heard a thud and Luna was going ballistic. This lovely creature dropped out of a coconut palm about 20 feet from me and flew into the jungle. I stood in shock trying to figure out what I had just seen. After talking to some naturalists in the community and describing an animal I’d only seen in a flash, we determined it to be a tayra. They are members of the weasel family and like all animals in the area, quickly loosing their habitat. The picture looks small, but it was almost the size of Luna. No rumble in the jungle for this dog, although she sorely wanted to.

I’m still not sure exactly what this bird was.

Looking out my window this week I saw this lovely, large heron perched on my neighbor’s palapa. It hung out for a long time and I couldn’t get a great photo. I was hoping for a wing span. We don’t see many birds this size except for the occasional buzzard.

The rarely seen sofa climbing blind pug.

And finally we have Stela who escaped the yard last Saturday and went on her own adventure. It’s a good story…in retrospect. Stay tuned next week for details. Meanwhile, get outside and take in nature, before it’s gone.

DOS TORTAS

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What Exactly Is PRE Cancerous?

16 Jan

A week after noticing a flakey, fingerprint sized patch of dry skin on the bridge of my nose, I went to see the dermatologist. The area wasn’t healing and I suspected the worse.

It was diagnosed pre-cancerous and I was given a six week treatment with some kind of cream. Fingers crossed it works. I was also given a sunscreen with instructions to apply liberally every morning and to wear a brimmed hat any time I leave the house. I guess I no longer have to worry about styling my hair. As if I ever did.

My new chapeau bought when I was last in California.

When I lived in Texas I never left the house without a hat of some kind. I’m not sure why I got so lazy living in the Mexican tropics. The doctor assured me that no matter where we live, sunscreen and a hat is required to prevent skin cancer. So if you’re one of those people who “doesn’t do hats”, I recommend you get over it, or you too could be Googling PRE CANCEROUS. Just sayin.

DOS TORTAS

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The Four Pillars

9 Jan

I read on CNN that Hillary Clinton had co-written a mystery book with a famous Canadian author I had never heard of, Louise Penny. Hillary’s book got mixed reviews, but the first of many books by Ms. Penny was exalted.

I have taken to audiobooks to encourage me to spend more time in the kitchen cooking, baking and cleaning up. With my chief dish washer still in Texas for a few more weeks, I need all the encouragement I can get. Cleaning up is not my forte.

I have not finished Still Life, but I’m enjoying it immensely. A few days ago, the main protagonists said something I had to replay several times. It was one of those lessons I needed to hear.

Of these four noteworthy statements, “I need help” seems to be the most difficult for me, followed in close second by, “I don’t know”. I freely admit that if we know everything, we learn nothing. I grew up in the time of women’s liberation and as a lesbian, asking for help, especially from men, was frowned upon.

Since taking note of this foible of mine, I have caught myself several times saying, “yes” to offers of help. The roof did not cave in, no one thought me less capable and I didn’t spend a lot of time trying to figure out something that was outside my realm of expertise. It also felt good to be vulnerable.

So which is your Achilles’ heel? They’re pretty easy to remember,

<I need help,

<I don’t know,

<I’m sorry,

<I was wrong.

DOS TORTAS

Every day,

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What A Year What A Year Adiós 2021

2 Jan

I fell into 2021 which required a cast and a lot of inactivity. An indication of what was in store perhaps?

Some of my blog posts for the year included among other things, recipes for garlic soup, spaghetti sauce, broccoli slaw, and dog food.

I renewed my passport in an adventure to Playa del Carmen.

Taking the bus and being careful.

Shared my quilts and my art.

Lone Star

Had dog adventures which included a trip to the vet after much chocolate consumption.

They look so innocent. I think Luna was, but not the evil pug.

Reviewed a few Netflix movies.

Provided some tips for dealing with emotional trials and tribulations.

And documented two trips to the States which included Lisa’s back surgery.

What a year, what a year! Here’s to 2022!

Much love from DOS TORTAS.

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No Muddling

26 Dec

A friend recently commented on Facebook about muddling through in 2022. I had to give it a think and decided, “no muddling for me.”

I want to live a happy life. There’s something about getting older, I’m less willing to put up with bullshit, I mean muddling. I want clear communication, peace and connection. None of these things comes easily or naturally to me. But I’m willing and continually work at it.

This sweet video is an absolute inspiration. Maybe you’ll find something in it for you too. Enjoy and Happy Holidays.

DOS TORTAS

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Pave Paradise And

19 Dec

put up another hotel.

Three new apartments across from us. They’ve been sitting empty and unfinished for a year.

We bought our property in 2012 in Bacalar, Mexico. The town is situated on a pristine lake, the second largest in Mexico. At that time the village of Bacalar was small and not particularly memorable. I always thought that if not for the Laguna, no one would give Bacalar a second glance.

A new Private Property sign and fence near our house. The jungle has been cleared by two men and a machete.

During the Covid shutdown, construction was booming in Bacalar. There are new hotels on every corner, sometimes two. The president of Mexico is pushing the Mayan Train project, a tourist train that will connect the major cities and ancient pyramids of the Yucatán. We’re talking 8,000 additional visitors a day. Those tourist dollars and jobs are hard to pass up.

A hotel has blocked our street. We can no longer walk the dogs along the lovely Laguna coast road.

One of the reasons that Bacalar has been so attractive to foreign residents is the lack of US tourists. A four hour drive from Cancun keeps people with a week vacation in the all-inclusives in Cancun, Playa del Carmen and Tulum. The addition of a fast train will change all that.

Tourists will be funneled to many of the quiet Mayan villages.

Not only will the construction of the train tear up the jungle but it will overcrowd the ancient sites of Palenque and Calakmul. Bacalar may be building hotels like crazy but the rest of the infrastructure is sorely lacking. More tourists means more boats which means more pollution in the water. Seasonal floods are already washing pesticides and fertilizers into the Laguna. The striking blue colors near our house are slowly dying.

Crystalline water that is threatened by development. (2012)

What does the future hold for Bacalar and Dos Tortas? We talk all the time about what will be our Plan B. For now we stay put. If and when the train goes through, we will have to make a decision. Stay tuned.

DOS TORTAS

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Allergic To Breathing

11 Dec

Austin Texas aka the allergy capital of the world has cedar fever. Ask anyone who is afflicted. You’d better book with your allergists a year in advance. Burning eyes, drippy noses and yes, sometimes fever make winter a time to be dreaded in Central Texas. Also it is intermittent. One year I’d feel smug as everyone else suffered and the next year I’d want to do myself in.

If you’ve ever heard the saying, “wherever you go, there you are,” well this moment I’m in Bacalar and the sugar cane is in full bloom. I thought I had escaped allergy season in Texas. Not so fast.

This week, on our way to Chetumal, the fluffy sugar cane flowers were waving in the wind. Sugar cane pollen is a known allergen causing runny noses and all the other symptoms I’ve been experiencing this week. If there’s anything in the air to be allergic to, it finds its way up my nose.

Certainly one option.

So I’m feeling a bit under the weather and trying to stay rested. One suggestion is to stay indoors as much as possible. For one, I practically live outdoors as our house is very open to the elements and second, my dogs just don’t cooperate. Maybe I’ll start wearing a mask!

DOS TORTAS

The only way to be sick.

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It’s Good To Be Home

5 Dec

I left Austin via magic carpet this past Wednesday on the first flight out scheduled for 8:30 am departure. I had a rental car to gas up and return. International flights require arriving at the airport three hours ahead of time. My sleep was restless so I got up and was at the airport waaaaay too early. Oh well.

I arrived to a rainy Cancun which made locating the car a bit of a challenge. Our house sitter had left it for me ten days prior. I prayed it would start, and it did! Much gratitude.

There was bumper to bumper traffic leaving the airport and construction along the Playa del Carmen highway. My gas tank was getting low and I planned to stop on my way out of Tulum. Way too many travelers had the same idea. There were long lines at the gas pumps so I crossed my fingers and kept going. True to the season I hit a thunder storm which slowed my progress. By the time I made it to the next gas station, I was feeling nervous and coming up with contingency plans.

I made it home to Bacalar safely and spent the first few days putting out fires. One of them was no internet and thus the tardiness of the blog. I’m sitting here watching large, fat, black squirrels prance on our coconut palms. Their antics make me laugh, breathe, and relax. It’s good to laugh. Welcome home.

DOS TORTAS

https://youtu.be/zJ6VT7ciR1o

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