Thursday, July 31, 2008

"On the Road" with Charles Kuralt

For so many years I loved listening and seeing Charles Kuralt with his melodious voice talk about people and places - some of which I had been to and of course many I had not. But, more then the places, I loved the stories of the people that he told - sometimes actually interviewing them in person. It always touched my heart.
So, it was very serendipitous that I found three Charles Kuralt tapes at the Alma sale I go once a month "just to see" if there is something there I can use........I certainly didn't go there looking for these tapes..........but heck, I was taking a road trip and I could listen to them - it sure makes the trip go faster......
On the way to Texas I didn't listen to them. It was more interesting to listen to my spunky friend Helen who has lived in San Miguel for thirty years. She was riding along to go to Drs. apppointments in the US and visit her sons. Helen has lived all over the world - Nigeria, Venezuela, London, Scotland and Houston. Her husband was in the oil business. After she was widowed she came to San Miguel and has loved living here. She had great stories to tell and we laughed all the way........THAT made the trip go faster too.
BUT on the way back, I popped Charles Kuralt into the tape player in the car (these tapes were from the 90's) and, as in the past, I was enthralled all over again by Charles Kuralt. One of the boxes of tapes is called America and was taped in 1995, a year after he left CBS when he retired and was turning 60. He decided to pick twelve cities and spend a month in each, doing whatever he pleased. It started out in New Orleans, then Key West and onto Charleston etc. etc. etc. Delightful listening. In many places he looked up old friends and couples he had known for 40 years or so and told their stories too. The recurring theme was two people living "their" lives in a different way then a 9-5 job.............farm hands, shrimpers, home builders, just to name a few, and who were fulfilled by those lives.
I once read a book titled "Nothing Happens by Accident" and I believe that..........as I listened to these stories, I realized that I no longer had to worry about the "gypsy kids". I KNOW they'll not live a conventional life. I was worried about that.......... but not anymore! They will live the life that many people are too afraid to live until sometimes its too late.......the life where pensions and 401K's are more important then fulfillment.
I came home and looked Charles Kuralt up on the internet and it took my breath away to discover that he died a year later of lupus. One year after he "retired" and was so excited about the future and his chance to do what he wanted to do............Yes, it was very serendipitous to listen to Charles Kuralt.........On the Road.

Wednesday, July 30, 2008

The "Gypsy Kids" - in Colorado, I think!

I blogged earlier about "running into" the Gypsy Kids in Houston in a swimming pool........and I did - at my daughter Julie's house! The "kids" left San Miguel while I was in Chiapas and headed NOB to take care of business, sell stuff, find a trailer and take off on their adventure. Well, it took a little longer then anticipated and they didn't leave for the "great adventure" until the 22nd of July...........no trailer, but a tent and a Nissan X-Terra. What fun! Here's Lisa standing outside the tent next to a lake that she said was so beautiful - where it is I have no idea - it could be Ardmore, Okla. or somewhere in Kansas where they stayed in state park...........
Here's Baby Matilda sleeping on the picnic table "somewhere" and the black mound beyond her is Dusty, the great black lab...........darn, I had a cute picture of Dusty in the back seat of the car and it didn't upload - so just take my word for it...........please!

This picture makes me laugh, because I can tell that John is trying to figure something out.......what, who knows? But, he is in his element and I can assure you he figured it out. When I talked to them last Saturday night, they were so excited and enthusiastic about how much fun they are having traveling. They had been to Wyoming, and Boulder, and stayed in a national park in Colorado that was chock-a-block full of families.............but they are loving it.
I asked how Dusty and Matilda are handling all the change and with a chuckle they laughed and said that both Dusty and Matilda have fun when they are out of the car but when in the car, they immediately go to sleep...............how great is that?
So, "the plan" as of last Saturday was that they might buy a camper they found in Colorado Springs used and head to Portland or Seattle..........but, somehow I don't think that's where they WILL end up.
I admire their spunk, their sense of adventure, their ability to live life one day at a time and to live it ALL to the fullest. I told them twenty years from now they'll look back on all of this and laugh and shake their heads at themselves...........or maybe not!
After listening to Charles Kuralt On the Road, which I'll write about tomorrow, I'm glad they're having this fun adventure as they ALL start their lives together in a new place...........wherever that happens to be!



New Electronic Gadgets

As I sit here looking out the big window at the hummers, swallowtails and the gathering clouds (oh Lord, I hope we're NOT going to have another storm like Monday night), I can look up at my NEW electronic devise bought at Home Depot that gives the room temperature and has a cord to give the outside temperature too....Way cool.....to get it to work all I had to do was put in the battery. That is MY kind of electronic gadget! Temperature as I write is 73.7 degrees - yee ha!

Upstairs I have a new "electronic gadget" called an atomic clock which has the date, day, temperature and time. Supposedly it sets itself by the time in Colorado......ok, it's not giving normal time but someting like 2o:o4 - I did have to put batteries in this too.....no problem, but still haven't mastered how to get it from Pacific time to Central Daylight time.........remember these directions were written in China.

The third and final "new electronic gadget" that I bought because of lots of hassling and derision is the new Panasonic, Leica lens, digital camera...........I'm charging the battery today and tomorrow I MIGHT try to figure it out. But, I'll try to figure it out in the morning , while I'm still calm and won't get grumpy..........

BTW, Thanks Richard at Gangs of San Miguel for saying I'm "always nice" - hmmm, good thing you can't read my mind! Cause there are days when things and people DO irritate me..........

I'm HOME!




Wow, what a whirlwind! I'm home though and have returned to "peace and tranquility"..........It is NOT that NOB.........Sure look forward to hearing from "you guys" out there in blogger land!
Here are a few photos I got with the old camera before I switch over to the new digital...........
Baby Matilda and Grammy, HAPPY Matilda and of course, the "Gypsy Kids" in a pool in Houston!
I'll write more later - have to collect my thoughts. Some things I do want to write about are the incredibly beautiful blooming desert driving north and south; Charles Kuralt; the Gypsy Kids and their adventures and Amanda and Patrick.............stay tuned!

Wednesday, July 09, 2008

Outtahere..........again!

I'm off to Texas manana en la manana............at O-Dawn. Will cross the border by 3 and hunker down somewhere around San Antonio for the night. Roll into Houston the next day after about a 3 hour drive. I've done this drive so many times I kinda put the car on autopilot, put in a book on tape and point North..........I love the drive.............I love to see all that blooms in the desert north of San Luis Potosi. It is a beautiful drive.

As I sit writing this blog this morning, the sound of the water cascading down into the canyon is very apparent. I went up to get my coffee this morning and voila, "the sound". Very surprising because it is usually the end of August before "my" waterfall reappears.........a testament to how much rain we have had in the last two weeks! It is a magnificent sight. Previously, when traveling ANYWHERE, if I heard there was a waterfall anywhere within proximity to where I was........I went...........I'm enchanted by waterfalls. It's a gift that I have this here now, isn't it?

I'll be checking on ya'll while I'm gone but it sure won't be as frequently as it is when I'm here.
I've got a whole lot of snuggling to do with the "munchkins", friends to see, time to spend with Amanda who is still bedridden from her accident last January, and hopefully get to sail a time or two..........the beaches of Galveston are always some place I MUST get to...........lots of memories .
So I'll go walk the beach with Sue....while Vandy sits in the car and watches us in his airconditioning........HI Vandy! And, have a few great meals.

Ya'll "hold down the fort" while I'm gone! I'll be back the end of July...........

Tuesday, July 08, 2008

San Miguel de Allende - UNESCO World Heritage Site

Break out the champagne, or tequila. San Miguel de Allende was named a UNESCO World Heritage Site yesterday. It was announced last evening in the jardine and fireworks filled the sky and church bells pealed all over town for quite a while! Big news! Wonderful news! Atotonilco was named also. It is about twelve miles from here and is a wonder to behold. All in all ten new sites were added in Mexico bringing the total to 24 in the country. My NEW goal is to see all of them - I've seen quite a few already but more to go..........Guanajuato is a World Heritage Site as well as Queretaro and they are all in close proximity to San Miguel.
The process for selection has been in the works for two years and so the victory is all the sweeter for all the hard work dedicated to this goal by many, many in this village.
For additional information go to www.whc.unesco.org/en/news/451 Oh and the Butterfly Sanctuaries were all named too..........thank goodness. I believe they are one of the great wonders of the world...............
I've always been thrilled to say I live in San Miguel - now I'm even prouder!

Monday, July 07, 2008

The "oldest" of nine

The famil y next door has nine children and I think the oldest is possibly ten or eleven. I wrote about them in The "kids" on the Block back on May 2 2007. GREAT family!
The exciting news is that the oldest has gotten a two wheel bicycle that in the USA would be considered a beginner bicycle. Since this is his first, that's ok, except his legs are way longer and so his knees stick out like a grasshopper's legs do......you know what I mean?
Yesterday I looked out the living room window that has a vista forever and I saw something "careening" down the dirt road and it was the "kid"! When I say careening, I'm not exaggerating. Now if you could see this "road" which is a term I use very, very loosely because it has boulders sticking out of it and craters in it from the rain...........you would understand that I held my breath til he got to the bottom. He did it over and over and over again. Each time I held my breath and prayed he wouldn't hit a rock and go "careening" down the cliff into the presa or worse.............Lordy, now I know why God gave kids to young people............
The "kid" was having a blast, of course, and I must admit, I did smile to myself and realize he had NO fear!

Sunday, July 06, 2008

Night Blooming Cereus

No, I didn't publish photos with yesterday's blog about the blooming garden. If I took photos then I would have to wait til I finished the roll of film, get them developed and by that time, ya'll would be on to another subject. Just like the photos I just got back from the Los Locos parade. I'll save those for next year.........even though they are delightful. A digital camera is in my near future..........So Steve, here is a photo of something that blooms in the garden - but only at night!It is the most spectacular, exotic bloom that I have ever seen. I brought a leaf from Houston when I moved down here and I now have several plants. The bloom is about 8 inches across and has the texture of a gardenia.........velvety smooth. The fragrance is amazing. When I lived in Houston, I had the plants in the atrium which was closed off by glass windows and glass doors. I could tell when it was blooming because the fragrance would flow through the glass! It is a clean lemony smell - breathtaking!
The bloom starts out as a small cylinder initially and as it gets ready to bloom it lifts itself up into an upright position and then blooms at about 10PM at night and in the morning, it's all over!

When you look at it up closely you can see that there are subtle shades of lavender and gold although the predominate color is white..........It's a tropical jungle plant and therefore I'm amazed at how prolific it has been in this high desert climate.
However, we've had enough rain in the last week to qualify as rainforest climate...................I'm expecting blooms any night!


A Bloomin' Day

ALL the rain has the garden blooming like crazy - here's a PARTIAL list....... fuscia, white, salmon and orange bourganvilla, white, red and salmon geraniums, purple sage, butterfly lilies, white daisies, blue plumbago, yellow and orange lantana, zinnias in all colors, white alyssum, salmon and white impatiens and a candle plant with yellow blooms. Such fun!

The hummingbirds, bees and butterflies are dive-bombing everything. It's a veritable feast for them and a feast for my eyes!

Saturday, July 05, 2008

HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICH!

The term "gentle giant" comes to mind when I think of my incredibly wonderful son-in-law Rich! What could a mother want for her daughter more then a man of honesty, integrity, an incredible sense of humor and lots of love to share with his wife and family? That's Rich in a nutshell........
There is NEVER a dull moment in their house - whether he is cannonballing into the pool, has his toolbelt on, or is chasing the kids through the house - Rich is "the man"! He always greets you with one of those big Irish bear hugs and is truly glad to see you. He'll sit with you and be truly interested in what you have to say. I'M so lucky to have him in MY life too.................
He has "rolled with the punches" in the eleven years that he and Julie have been married. From the love and acceptance of Jessica, who was six when he and Julie married, to the birth of the twins, Andrew and Hannah and then the birth of Emma - life has been a blessing, he would tell you. His arms are big enough to have embraced other family members over the years when there was a need, and the door has ALWAYS been open. What a man!

It was such a delight to watch him at Jessica's Sweet Sixteen Birthday, as the proud father and the protective father as more and more teenagers arrived for the gala. Below is a photo of he and Jessica at that party.
So this guy, one of seven kids, who is sometimes a big kid himself, has a birthday - I think his 41st.........he's got lots of years left of love and happiness and laughter left and I couldn't wish anything more for him then that.
HAPPY BIRTHDAY RICH! I LOVE YOU A LOT..................
MOM



Blogger Heaven

Last evening I was at Billie's house for a 4th of July party - you bloggers know who Billie is..........
and Deb of zocalo blog was there also and we talked about all of you. About Todd, Jennifer and Steve just to name a few........about how much fun and surprising this whole experience has been......about how frustrating it is since some of us (me) are technologically challenged. Others sitting around us just looked on blankly as we sat and laughed and reminisced about our blogs and those of others...........We talked about how we feel like we know ya'll and the kindness of the group. That it IS a creative outlet for us..........
Someone came up to me at another party I was at this week and said "I read your blog". I was surprised as I don't go by Babs in San Miguel.........she said, "If anyone reads your blog they will really know WHO you are because there are no walls"! Cool huh?
And Richard, I hear that at Gangs of San Miguel you're going to "drop a bomb"! Can't wait............

Cervantino Festival - Part 2

I have NO idea where the rest of the blog I wrote yesterday morning on the Festival Cervantino went to...........but it didn't print! Strange..........
What I said was, if you think this is some little local festival, think again! It is world class and people from all over the world come here for the art, performance art, opera, ballet, symphonies and everything else inbetween. Among others, I have attended the Chinese Symphony Orchestra performance and several years ago the Ballet Monte Carlo modern interpretation of Cinderella. Both of those performances were magnificent and magical.
It is interesting to look out into the audiences and see no other gringos and also it is interesting to see the amount of well behaved children of all ages totally immersed in the performances.
You can go to www.festivalcervantino.gob.mx to see the entire schedule and you can order tickets on Ticketmaster. If you want to book a room, go to www.allmexicohotels.com and then put in Guanajuato and all the city's hotels and hostels will come up for your choice. BUT do it now because come October, NOTHING will be available.
I'll see you there!

Friday, July 04, 2008

Festival Internacional Cervantino 2008

The announcement has been made, the entertainment has been lined up and the country and state have been announced for the 36th Annual Cervantino festival in Guanajuato.

The country is Catalonia and the State of Mexico is Campeche.

Thursday, July 03, 2008

School is "almost" out!

All the kids in San MIguel get out of school manana. So for the last few days they have been having parties outside and graduations and honors ceremonies. I have the primary school on one side and the kindergarten on the other. I LOVE the sounds!
Today, the kindergarten has just finished doing the "hokey pokey" and the last song they sang was "Yankee Doodle Dandy" in Spanish..............followed by Viva Mexico. It makes me grin.......
My maid Josefina is all excited because tomorrow Brenda, her oldest, is graduating from primary and will go to secondary school in the Fall. Brenda was just a few years old when I moved here! I'm so proud that Josefina is making sure that Brenda goes on to secondary school. It is expensive..........More and more of the kids ARE going on and graduating, thankfully.
So, after tomorrow no more squeals and laughter until school starts again in the fall. But, at least, I still have the birds and roosters for song.

"No peeky" stew

I cook by evolution. Seldom use recipes. Heck, I've been cooking for so long, I just do it from memory. "No peeky" stew was one of the kid's favorite recipes (and cheap to make) so it was part of the repetoir. It started out as a basic beef stew - you know the drill, potatoes, carrots, and stew meat. It has evolved.
I have had an experiment going on - it seems I've just been going to the store, buying food and sticking the appropriate food in the freezer. I decided about a month ago, to NOT buy anything and use up what was in there. I found this stew meat and some raspberries - no the raspberries didn't go in the stew!
The name "no peeky" came from the fact that I would tell the kids "no peeking" so they wouldn't lift the lid to look in the pot and subsequently it became "no peeky" stew. I've tried to make it here a few times but my stove's burners wouldn't be low enough and the stew was never just right. I finally broke down and bought a crock pot and yesterday, since the weather was so cool, it seemed the perfect time to just try, one more time! I'm happy to report it was perfect! And accompanying it was cornbread. YUM.
So here goes, in the pot, put stew meat after you have tenderized it and peppered it well, then add, cut up potatoes, carrots, celery, onion and whatever else seems appropriate - then add a small can of tomato sauce, 2 T tapioca and a cup of water, and a packet of onion soup mix (a recent addition to this recipe).....season again with whatever, and cook. Toward the end of cooking it (about 5 hours) add a few dribbles of Kitchen Bouquet to color the gravy. Sometimes, in the past, I've served all of this over rice .
Now I must say, while this is cooking, especially the last couple of hours, it is hard NOT to lift the lid, but it does best if you limit the amount of times you do so.........
The raspberries were used to make a raspberry cobbler. I did find the recipe in this month's Southern Living and I think I'll try it rather then my tried and true cobbler recipe..........

Wednesday, July 02, 2008

Neurofibromatosis

WHAT you say? What? This blog came in a roundabout way today. Jennifer at www.staringatstrangers.typepad.com wrote a blog about disability and a wonderful man who I met a while ago, Charlie Hall. Just go to her blog and read it - it is so beautifully written.
So, of course, I went to Charlie's blog, www.todreamtotouch.blogspot.com and read his entries. He says in one that he was diagnosed with Moebius Sydrome in the 80's but never knew there were other people with this condition. He just found out differently recently That struck such a chord with me.
Well Charlie's comment, that he didn't know there were others with his condition, blew me away because I was very, very involved with Neurofibromatosis for about ten years at least and one of the things I and the other board members of the foundation heard over and over was "I never knew there was anyone else with this".
Let me tell you a little about it and why I was involved. Someone who reads this, will either know someone who has NF or have it themselves and may not know it! NF is a genetic disorder of the nervous system. It is more common the muscular dystrophy or cycstic fibrosis, but no one talks about it because it is often misdiagnosed as Elephant Man's Disease - which it is not. One in 3500 births have NF! It can remain dormant for one's whole life or it can manifest itself at puberty, pregnancy or a major life change. It can be external NF or internal NF where the tumors are on the outside of the body or internally..........Researchers have stated that they believe that is similar to what happens with cancer cells - they are always there but there is a genetic mutation that causes them to become active - they believe a cure for NF could be a cure for cancer! At least that's what they told me 15 years ago...........
I became involved in 1982 because I had a friend who had an 8 year old little boy named David who had been misdiagnosed for 6 of his 8 years of life. I just thought that was horrible and decided to get involved with people who were trying to change that scene. Everyone who was on the board at that time had a child or family member with NF, but I had three healthy kids and I thought I needed to give back...........I didn't have money to give - but heck, I knew a lot of people and all of us worked to raise money for research and medical facilities which just 25 years ago there were very, very few of in the whole USA. Children's Hopsital in Boston finally identified the chromosome responsible for NF which was a MAJOR breakthrough and there is genetic testing now to determine if there is a possibility of NF in a fetus. Huge educational programs, both for medical professionals and the public are now in place and some day there will be a cure - there is none now. Baylor has a research chair now and so do programs in California and other places. As Charlie said in his blog today, the internet is so wonderful, he typed in Moebius Syndrome and found out all kinds of information.
I hope by writing this blog today, that if there is someone who has or knows someone who has just been diagnosed with NF, they will know there are lots of people out there for support.

A "Real" Doozey

We had a rainstorm last night with LIGHTNING and THUNDER that was something else! It lasted about four hours up here on the hill. Electricity went off about five times and finally I moved away from sitting by the window when there was a flash of lightning and thunder at the same time that was amazing in the canyon. From up here on the hill, I can see the storms almost twenty miles away (I gauge in my unscientific way) and I LOVE to watch all the cloud formations and the downpours. It reminds me of when we used to stay at a beach house in Galveston and sitting and watching the downpours over the water and the shrimp boats huddling together if it was a really big storm. "Mother Nature" is something else.
When I first moved here and the rainy season started, I wasn't prepared for the fact that there is NOT a water tight house in San Miguel. Most of our windows are metal and I don't care how much weatherstripping you put on them - they leak. Trust me, I've tried EVERY kind - purchased in Mexico and brought down from the USA. I even have a waterfall that comes under the roof terrace door' if I don't put a towel there.
So now, I've learned, NOT to get excited. To be sure the towel is up at the entrance to the roof terrace, and then I just let it rain. The floors are tile so they dry. I have carefully placed potted plants under some windows. Clever huh? - killing two birds with one stone - so to speak? If there's a LOT of water, of course, I wipe it up but if there is just some on the window sills I let it dry on its own. Oh the window sills are stone...........
I met a couple today who is considering moving to San Miguel and they asked me what was the most important "thing" to bring to Mexico and I said "flexibility, a sense of adventure and a sense of humor"! They laughed, but isn't it true?
AND of course, with the rain comes the cool temperatures - today I was in a long sleeve dark colored shirt and long black slacks.........54 last night!