Learning To Be Fearless

16 Jul

The 1950s in the United States was a time of recovery. Soldiers came home from war, bought little houses, married and had families. There were five children in our little house. I was the only girl.

My parents lived here when I was born.
My youngest brother had not been born yet.

It was a time of much less fear than there is today. I walked by myself to kindergarten in the fire station a half mile from my house. I loved cookies and milk, listening to stories and drawing. One day the teacher put on lively music and each child was to select a musical instrument to march with around the room. Nothing appealed to me so I choose the baton and stepped up to lead the band. That move got me labeled bossy, and wanting to be in charge, not a good look for a little girl in those days.

My mother braided my hair every day.

On my daily walk home from kindergarten, I passed a house with a large, exuberant German shepherd dog. I barely breathed walking by that house. One day the dog was loose and came charging toward me. He was almost as tall as I was. Instinct kicked in. I glued my arms to my sides and stood like a statue. The dog circled and sniffed and calmly walked away. I knew better than to run but I sure wanted to. I was so proud of myself! I had looked fear in the eyes and survived.

Four children in six years.

I’m not sure where I was going with this story. I wish I could say that fearlessness stayed with me my whole life, but it did not. It took being an older woman to come into that fearless part of myself. Today I would never stand for the bullying, and abuse I put up with at home, in school and on the job. I have a life that I am proud of with no regrets. it is good to be alive. I looked fear in the eyes and survived.

DOS TORTAS

Happy Eight Luna – Mexican Rescue

9 Jul

We never know exactly when Luna’s birthday is. Friends found her under their car tied in a trash bag. She appeared to be a few months old, covered in fleas and tics. I decided that US Independence Day July 4th was as good a day as any to recognize. Happy Birthday Luna.

Left in a bag on the street covered in ticks and fleas. August 2015
She wasn’t much bigger than my sandals. Lanky legs and a puppy belly.
Luna loved the hammock now she’s afraid of it 😆
So regal.
Don’t mess with a blind pug.

Luna is a very good girl. She has a large deep voice that we didn’t expect. She acts like she’ll take your head off but is a big scaredy-cat. It’s hard to believe she’s eight years old. Happy birthday sweet Luna.

DOS TORTAS

Www.Beachdogrescue.org

Folks doing good work here. Donations welcome.

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Bacalar Pride

2 Jul

Being members of the over the hill crowd, we rarely venture out at night, by which I mean the afternoon.

A rare sighting.
The new large palapa with the laguna in the distance provides event space for the community.

Friday night, my lovely and I ventured into Bacalar for a date night. We had already postponed it once and were determined to get out of the house, besides trips to the gym and doctors’ appointments. There was a health fair happening in the newly renovated Centro palapa. We put a comb through hair and dug out clean shirts and off we went.

My Sweetie.

There are so many new restaurants in Bacalar but I chose the tried and true Italian on the square. We ate our vegan pizza so fast, it was all but gone before I remembered to take a picture.

Vegan pizza. Artichoke, spinach, and mushroom.

The health fair included free massages which we never pass up. Lisa can take her clothes off faster than anyone I’ve ever seen. The tiny young woman who gave my muscles a squeeze was pretty good. As we were exchanging contact information I discovered that she is the daughter of our new jardinero (gardener)! Even with all the growth, Bacalar is still a small town.

Our Mayan massage therapist Karla.

We joined the Zumba class for a few wiggles.

Gotta love Zumba.

And while ambling back toward the car, we ran into Bacalar’s very own Pride Parade!

Small but fierce.

You have to love Mexican spontaneity. If this little fanfare was planned, nothing was posted, which is the norm. We don’t usually find out about goings ons until they’ve already happened. Not this time!

All in all we had a really good time. Perhaps we’ll venture out a bit more frequently. Once the sun drops to a certain level, the breeze off the Laguna is actually pleasant. And who knows who or what we might run into?

DOS TORTAS

This year more than ever we need all the Pride we can muster.

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What A Week What A Week

24 Jun

It’s been a hot one in the jungle of Bacalar, Mexico. We’ve also had rain which has been lovely. Rain cools us off for about five minutes.

Last Saturday was the annual open water swim across Laguna Bacalar. It ended up being more fun than I expected. The sun peaked in and out of the clouds which kept the sunburn to a minimum. I came in fifth in my age group and I can’t believe I’m saying this, but I would maybe swim again next year. Don’t hold me to it!

Newly emerged from the water.
My friend Maria from Mexico City.

On Monday we took Lisa’s mom to the doctor. She’d been having diarrhea that we couldn’t get under control. In the doctor’s office, Alice had a seizure. Wheels moved quickly and an appointment was made to travel to Merida on Tuesday to insert a pacemaker.

She is such a trooper. ❤️

There is a family history of heart issues and Covid only made things worse. We were aware that a pacemaker would likely be an eventuality. Alice’s success at the gym had made us hopeful that she could avoid the surgery. Unfortunately it wasn’t to be.

Alice and I pulled out of Dodge at five a.m. for the four hour drive. Lisa’s back could not take the long drive and someone had to stay with the dogs. I volunteered to take her. The procedure required one night in the hospital in Merida and another four hour drive home. Life certainly does surprise.

Heading home.

Alice is recovering as am I. The swim plus hours of driving, dealing with the doctors and the hospital really took it out of me. No spring chickens here.

DOS TORTAS

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A Time Long Ago

18 Jun

My first foray into electronic communication was a pager. I had a job in 1993 that required field work and my supervisor wanted to be able to contact me. It was also convenient for my partner and children.

Happy Pride
Evening doodles

The only person who didn’t like the pager was me! I felt tethered. It felt weird for people to be able to reach me all the time. I tend to be a private person.

Fast forward to today when EVERYTHING is public. Most of the folks at the gym spend more time posing and recording their every muscle, than they do actually working out. We “follow “ each other rather than having relationships.

Learning to draw faces
My ladies.

And much to my wife’s annoyance, I often forget my phone at home, or in the car, sigh. I am certainly not one who has a phone on my wrist. In Mexico no one calls each other anyway. They use WhatsApp, a texting application which is rarely used in the States.

Don’t get me wrong, I love hearing from people. I enjoy the comments on the blog, Facebook and Instagram (dos_tortas). I guess I’m more a product of the times than I want to admit. But anytime you want to have a conversation, just let me know, we’ll set it up.

DOS. TORTAS

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Preparing For The Bacalar Swim Across

11 Jun

In my first swim across Laguna Bacalar in 2016, I wrote the post The Gods We’re With Us. I also swore I’d never do it again. The race was fun but very chaotic. So how did I come to be signed up and training to swim on June 18? I got strong-armed, that’s how.

Putting on race numbers so they can identify the body. 2016

Let me back up with a story. My first triathlon was in 1991. I was about to turn forty. Imagine back to a time without the internet. I saw a poster on a board somewhere and thought, “why not?” I can swim, bike, walk. I had been swimming a lot that summer and had recently acquired my mother’s old clunky bike. A friend helped me to knock off the excess weight, kickstand and fenders. It was all new to me.

A fun day.

I loaded up the bike on race day and headed to Georgetown, Texas. This was a time before triathlons were a thing with a thousand entrants.

Waiting for the Bacalar race to start.

I had zero information on the event. The swim was in a pool. People literally swam over top of me. It’s a wonder I survived.

The bike ride was a bit disconcerting. I hadn’t thought about riding a bike in public in my bathing suit! I was such a novice. The worst part was that it was a five MILE run, not a 5k (3.2 miles) as I had thought.

I finished the race dead last. The police escort was on my heals. I had to tell them to back off! As I dragged myself to the finish line I was amazed to find a crowd cheering?? The organizers wouldn’t have the awards ceremony until everyone had finished the race. They were all waiting on me.

Practice makes stronger I hope.

The final mind blower was when they called out the award winners over the loudspeaker, they called my name! I had finished third in my age group in a field of three. 😂

So how did I get strong armed into the Bacalar race again? My friend Maria from Mexico City who had a major fall two years ago with numerous broken bones and has miraculously recovered, begged me to swim with her. How could I say no? There will be no calling my name in this field of a thousand swimmers from all over the world, but I can hope.

DOS TORTAS

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Thunder And Lightening

2 Jun

Four nights this week we have had tropical storms (tormentas). Deafening thunder clapped overhead and kaboomed like it was inside of the bedroom. Looking out over the lake, electric streaks were dancing across the sky. It would have been lovely if not a tad bit scary for Stella. Poor baby.

Looks like a couple of nights reprieve.

Stella is our pug. She’s been with us for three years. She is blind but you would never know it. From the beginning of her time with us, she has always hated thunder. She whimpers, shudders and shakes. This week was particularly difficult.

Our sweet little girl.

I took her into our bed and had to hold her down as she fights and fusses. She even fell asleep sitting upright under the covers. It has been hard on us all. As the storm moves away she finally settled.

The good thing has been the rain after a long dry spell. Hopefully the storms will abate or at least be a bit quieter. We could all use some restful sleep

DOS TORTAS

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A Little Bit Of Bacalar in Austin?

21 May

When Lisa and I left Austin,Texas for the jungles of Southern Mexico, we were frequently asked along our travel route where we were going. Curious young camouflage-clad men at boarder crossings, fellow tourists at hotel stops or pyramid climbing site seers would scratch their heads at two older women, one with totally white hair, driving a truck and pulling a trailer to a place called Bacalar. They had never heard of it! Ah, and that was one of the reasons we wanted to live here. I only wish it were still true. (International living.com)

Incredible! 2013

A lot has changed in the ten years since we made that drive. Stores and restaurants have exploded and hotels are multiplying like rabbits. The push to develop is due to the Mayan Train which is currently under construction and the many tourists it’s expected to funnel into this little village, On the positive side many new services have sprung up. Last week I was surprised to see an equipment rental store. It only makes sense with the amount of construction going on. But it’s a first.

Blooming
Our entrance to the laguna.

Today I was reading online, and came across a very confusing story about Bacalar. It took me awhile to figure out that it wasn’t about our Bacalar but a restaurante soon to open in Austin named Bacalar. Award-winning Mexican super chef Gabe Erales, with familial ties to Bacalar Mexico is opening the restaurant and hoping to share the unique regional cuisine of this area with the world. The restaurant will be located in a young trendy downtown Austin area. I’m sure it will be a great success.

Gabe Erales

So much for anonymity. The cat is definitely out of the bag. One of my teachers in college in Mexico once told me, “there are getting to be fewer and fewer good places to hide out.” Ain’t it the truth.

DOS TORTAS

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Happy Mother’s Day

14 May

Six direct generations of the women in my family.

My daughter and granddaughters
Me at a wedding two weeks ago
My mother
My grandmother
My great grandmother

I hope you recognize the mothers in your life however you can. ❤️

DOS TORTAS

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Remembering To Be Grateful

6 May

This week Lisa did our taxes and we had some overdue conversations about finances. We are blessed in so many ways. We have very similar sensibilities about money. Spending has never been a source of contention since we are both quite frugal. Our conscious spending and wise investing means we don’t have to worry about our retirement income. We are very blessed and grateful.

Such lovely mornings in Bacalar.

It’s always a challenge to figure out how long we’re going to live. Illness and disability can eat up savings and death can cut off pensions and diminish social security. Living in Mexico has been a blessing for us. Our house is paid for and expenses are relatively low.

The view that reduces stress.

We have been working on improving our health through eating plant-based and cutting out salt, sugar and oil. My blood pressure is such that I’ve halved my medication and am close to being able to cut it out all together. My cholesterol is lower than it’s ever been.

In my second year of weight training.

I am so grateful to Lisa. For years we have eaten very differently. Her recent willingness to explore a plant-based diet has been a huge help. From what I’ve read eating predominantly fruits and vegetables reduces inflammation and is the way to go. At this rate, we could all live vibrantly to 100 and beyond.

DOS TORTAS

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