The Week That Was - Easter 2016

Last week is like a blur.  There was so much going on with processions, meeting visitors in town, having Easter celebrations and then...........just sitting in the garden for a while, enjoying all that had gone before.

Easter Sunday dawned early.  The kids arrived and thinking I had the baskets hid really well, Sebastian was
hardly two feet into the garden before he saw them and screamed so loud that I'm sure every neighbor sat straight up in their bed!  Next Matilda saw them and she did the same thing......I was astounded.

                                        This is where the Easter  Bunny found them and hid them outside!

                                              First thing Sebastian did was put his hat on.......then the hunt was on!

                                    John with the children.  They loved their hats/masks and other treats.

No sooner had we scoured the yard for the couple of dozen eggs, played a while and exclaimed about all that was in their baskets, that it was time for them to leave.  Then I scurried around  to change out of my "Grammy" clothes and get ready to meet some friends for lunch.

It is always surprising and delightful to me that blog readers contact me when in town.  Sometimes I'm not available to see them.  When possible, however, it is always a great pleasure to meet.  That was the case
on Sunday afternoon.

Ken Leslie, his partner, Larry Garza and their friend Pat had flown in from Los Angeles for Easter week.  Ken had emailed me a couple of months ago and asked if I could join them for lunch on Easter.  With that much notice, plus the fact that I wanted very much to see Ken and Larry again, it was arranged to get together.

Lunch at Mansion de la Montitlan or as we call it "Gayle's place" (as she is the owner and chef) is always a treat.  Now that it is on Trip Advisor or whatever that thing is called, Gayle is besieged with requests for the one day a week that she serves lunch only in her home. Gayle has a sidekick, Connie, who handles the reservations and seating.   The wait staff is beyond excellent.  On this day, she served 79 people at the 1PM seating and had an equal number coming at 4:30! 

It was like old home week.  There were many friends there that I had not seen in months!  The comment was that having lunch there is like going home for Sunday dinner.  It truly is.

                            Here is one photo looking toward the north on the patio of some of the people

                                               Ken, Larry, myself and Pat.  After the meal!

 What a lovely surprise!  The Easter bunny, aka Larry and Ken, brought See's candy to me with a       chocolate Easter bunny.  No, I've not eaten it yet.  I'm savoring the thought!  You see, chocolate Easter
bunnies are not to be found in San Miguel.  Nor is See's candy.  What a treat.

Last week was chock a block full of fun and surprises.  The crowds left (estimated to be 50,000) on
Sunday while a few have remained this week.  A very few.  They will be gone by Friday, I presume,
as the kids go back to school next week.  Most of the Canadians and other snowbirds are leaving today
or tomorrow.

Yup, the benches will be empty in the jardin next week.  Life will again be muy tranquilo.

The Animal House "creature" has been Identified!

A very unexpected and surprising thing happened the other evening.  Just as it began to get dark, I heard a sound.  A sound that seemed to be the feral cat who comes through the garden from time to time for water out of the bowl that I keep filled for cats, butterflies or whatever.

Sitting by the downstairs' door out to the patio, I hear a lapping sound just like a cat makes when it drinks.
Aha, but this was NOT a cat.

I turned to see if it  was the feral cat who has also decided that reclining on the chaise for the night is the place to be.  But WOWZA, it was not the feral cat.  It was a multi-colored opossum!  It  drank and then walked over to the farthest chaise and disappeared in the greenery behind it.  To say I was stunned would
be an understatement.

Back on September 30th in the blog "Scary, Scary Night", a feeble attempt was made to describe the hissing and thumping sound that the "creature" was making right outside the window of the bedroom in the middle of
the night.  Velcro, the cat, was still alive so it was conjecture as to what the hissing creature was at that time.
At some point I thought it could be a large lizard and Velcro sparring with each other.

Then in "Animal House" on October 8th, the subject was discussed further.  Jennifer, a fellow blogger,
said she thought it was a opossum as her dog enjoys capturing opossums for various and sundry reasons.
She was so correct.

Now, today, I"m hoping that the opossum finds the two Easter eggs that were hidden in the garden and remain unfound.  Yes, at about 6:30AM yesterday morning, I hid almost two dozen eggs, but two were
never found by Matilda, Sebastian, or their dad and I'll be darned if I can find them.........hopefully the opossum or the feral cat will before they begin to smell up the garden.

The only saving grace is that when I turned around to see what was lapping up water the other evening, it was not the neighborhood skunk.  Cause I sure as heck would not have wanted to surprise or upset that
guy.

It's amazing that I live only a ten minute walk to the jardin or five minutes to the major mercado, but up here on the hill, it is as if I live in the middle of nowhere.

Ain't life grand? Life sure can be an ADVENTURE without even leaving home.

Easter Traditions over the Years

                                                      Easter 2011 - Oh my, how tiny they were!

                   Easter 2015 - They have grown!  We've just finished decorating an Easter Bunny cake.

 Easter 2016 - What fun decorating Easter eggs and making and decorating Easter cupcakes.  This was about a three hour experience.  But, all were happy with the results at the end.  Sorry, I forgot to take a
photo of the cupcakes......

In the last few weeks, it has occurred to me that this might be the last year of "believing" in the Easter bunny.
Sebastian asked me recently if the Easter bunny and Santa talk to each other, among other things.  Matilda just looks at me with a quizzical look when I talk about the Easter bunny hiding all the eggs.......

It has been such a wonderful gift and blessing to have these little ones around to watch grow up.  

Of course we'll always dye eggs and have fun with that, but the days of their excitement and glee when they find an egg in the garden or the shock and awe when they find their baskets might not happen much longer.
Sadly.

Believe it or not, I'm a Traditional person.  I love all the memories of growing up and celebrating Easter with my family, first in Chicago as a wee tot and then in Louisiana.  It has always been a special time of the year.

Then when I had my own family, I do believe I still gave the kids an Easter basket, even when they were in high school and we always decorated eggs and went to church.  The other thing that was a tradition was to get a new outfit of clothes.  Why, I don't know, but I did growing up and I carried that on with my children and when I was in Houston, with those grandchildren.  To some degree, I've done that with Mati and Seb.

So, tomorrow at "o-dawn thirty"", the kids will be here to find those eggs they dyed along with a few plastic eggs that might or might not have a surprise inside that the Easter bunny hid and of course, their Easter baskets full of goodies. .  Then we'll have an Easter breakfast and......more memories will be made.

I'm a lucky "Grammy"! 

Three Bloggers on a Roll.......

Yesterday there were three bloggers together!  Croft, Chris and yours truly.  What a delightful time........but not enough time.  I think we could have talked for a couple more hours, for sure.

Chris of "Living and Boondocking in Mexico", www.livingboondockingmexico.blogspot.com   and I have been communicating for several years.  Never met til yesterday.

The only way I know Croft was from his pithy comments on a fellow bloggers posts. Croft's blog is "Croft's Mexico and Other Wanderings", www.croftsmexico.blogspot.com.   Then I got an email from Croft saying all of them were coming to San Miguel.   It was a hoot to meet the three along with Chris' partner Juan, Croft's wife Norma and Robin and Steve from North Carolina who are RVers and friends of the group.

We had intended to go to another restaurant and when we all finally met in front of that restaurant, it was closed so the Bagel Cafe's back room, which most people don't even know about, became our hideaway so we could talk without interruption and in a quiet place.

When we all split up to go different directions after lunch, I did not want it to end.

It's really interesting when you meet people who you have read for quite a while.  It's like you're friends and then when you do meet, it's almost like family.  At least it is for me.

So if we all get together again, I doubt we will run out of things to talk about.  In fact, I have a lot of questions about their Rving and their travels within Mexico among other things!

Sunset in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico

Yesterday was such a fun filled day with the Primavera parade and then walking around town to see all the altars and fountains decorated for the Virgen of Sorrows.  (I did not go to see the altars, hence no photos).

But, as I sat watching television in the living room, all of a sudden the atmosphere in the room took on a glow.  Seriously.  Turning to look to the West, this is what I saw.  I scurried downstairs to get my camera and then back up three flights of stairs to the roof terrace to share the beauty of this view.

A spectacular sunset.  Different then most because of the low hanging clouds or whatever it was that caused the color to become so intense.  With the mountains in the distance, it was quite remarkable.

I have not enhanced the color.  This is really what it looked like.  Looking through the trees, it looked, to me, like the sky was on fire~.  Quite an exquisite sight.

Spring is coming - Butterflies, Bumblebees, Ladybugs and More!

It is the day that makes one jump out of bed in order to head to the jardin.  No one wants to miss the joyful sight of the kindergartners dressed as all of the above plus lions, tigers, bears and more.

Since Monday is officially the first Day of Spring, according to my Mexican calendar and also a legal holiday since it is also Benito Juarez's Birthday, it was obvious the parade would not be that day.  Why you ask?  Well, because school closed yesterday for the two weeks of celebrations for Semana Santa, Easter.  Mexican families will be leaving to head to the beaches of Mexico and little ones would not be here for the parade.

It took a couple of days of asking many people to determine WHEN the parade was going to be.  I asked various vendors and mothers and even Javier the gardener, yesterday morning.  At 9:20 AM Javier informed me his granddaughter was in the parade and it was starting at 10AM.  A definitive answer, finally!  No one,
absolutely no one previously could give me the determined time!  I was out the gate by 9:30AM.  Last year
I was too late and missed it all.........except for photos of a few stragglers.

Since a picture is worth a thousand words, I'll just post photos of the children and one of my friend Jerry Rife and his wife Jan who were walking the parade route prior to its beginning.

What a fun way to start the day. 

One just has to stand and grin and enjoy the innocence of the children along with marveling at the creativity of the parents and teachers, each and every year.

Feliz Primavera!

Celebrations of Easter Are Upon Us

Actually, they began this past Saturday night and Sunday morning with the arrival of a sacred statue known as Senor de la Columna. He is a statue that is many hundreds of years old and is greatly revered by the people. The procession leaves from Atotonilco, walking on Saturday night and arrives at the top of Independencia street at dawn.  The streets are covered with mandelas made with colored sawdust. Walls and doorways have palm fronds with tissue paper flowers in purple and white, the colors of the Easter season.  This procession used to be small with few spectators.  That is not the case anymore - even when its cold and it begins at dawn.

This Friday night,  Viernes de Delores will be celebrated with altars decorated all over town along with more mandelas in courtyards along with large displays of fresh flowers.  As the townspeople walk from street to street to see the altars, they are provided with refreshments near the fountains in San Miguel as well as at the
homes where the altars can be seen.  Some are grand and others are simple but very, very meaningful to the families and the neighborhoods.

Today, the town was ramping up for the next ten days.  People were scurrying around getting last minute family matters completed before school closes for Semana Santa and people begin to decorate the nichos, altars and streets in preparation for the hordes of people who will begin to descend on the town beginning Friday afternoon.  Many will not leave until the evening of Easter Sunday.   Ten days of processions and re-enactments.

 Below are some of the altars of the Virgen from previous years.

 As you go around town, there will be flowers to buy and plants used in decorating the altars and

 decorating of the nichos for the Stations of the Cross.

Each item used on the altars has a significance and symbolizes something related to the Virgen of Sorrows.

 This is a courtyard of a building on Mesones.  I noticed as I was walking down the hill a couple of years ago
on Mesones.

 After walking into the courtyard and exclaiming at the beauty, I asked permission to photograph and of course was told, "si"!

 It is so beautiful and so moving along with the awesomeness of the actual artistry.  I'm always

 astounded at the creativity and beauty that the Mexican people create from everyday items. Colored tissue paper, colored paper, plants and flowers along with fruit.  What a sight.

At night, it is even, at least to me, even more beautiful with the lighting and the candles lit everywhere.

This year, the Feast of San Jose, will also take place on the day after the Friday night event to honor the Virgen of Sorrows.  The statue of St. Joseph will be carried up Cuesta de San Jose, near my home, to the church in his honor.  Festivities will take place after the procession.

Then Sunday is Palm Sunday and two processions are held.  One starts at Juarez Park with someone walking as Jesus with musicians, citizens and Roman soldiers.  The procession that comes down Correo from the church up on Salida de Queretaro is a man riding on a burro as Jesus.  Both are quite lovely to experience and see.

Monday is Benito Juarez Birthday - a legal holiday and we are all wondering if that will be the day they will have the Primavera Parade with the little children or not.  It is the favorite parade of little kindergarteners dressed up as all kinds of creatures and flowers - bumble bees, lady bugs and flowers, etc.  Precious beyond words.  Another "not to be missed" experience.

Wednesday, all the processions begin and I will provide more information on Wednesday, Thursday Friday and Sunday in the next post.

If you are in San Miguel, try to walk throughout centro and the town to see all of the processions and parades.  It is quite amazing.  Whatever colonia you live in, there will be something to see! 

Enjoy.........

NOT being able to see the FUTURE is a GOOD THING!

I arrived back in San Miguel a month ago today, the 10th of March.

It was a nerve wracking time when I did head back as I was still ill, but hoping I could make the drive, which I did.

The weather for the next ten days looked lovely.  In the high 70's and 80's.  If one has to leave some place as beautiful as the photos below, good weather is imperative.  It never got below the low 70's and was in the high 80's a lot of the time while I was at the beach.  My idea of perfect weather.

I would not have believed, nor could I have imagined that a month later, after rain, hail and the highest winds that were rocking cars that were sitting still, we would awaken on the morning of March 10th to SNOW.

No, I don't mean a dusting, I mean honest to goodness snow that you could make a snowman out of or an angel.

I knew something was radically wrong yesterday when all of a sudden, even before dark, the temperatures dropped at least 30 degrees in a couple of hours.  At 6:30PM it was about 35 degrees F.  I thought "Uh oh".
It was raining, lightning and thundering.  But, truthfully, it never occurred to me that I would awaken to the photos that I saw posted on Facebook this morning of snow in the mountains that surround San Miguel, on cars in parking lots last night and all over this area.

I'm sure if you were to put in your search engine "Snow in Guanajuato, Mineral de Pozos, Leon, Santa Rosa, Mazamitla, Zacatecas, San Miguel de Allende", you will see amazingly beautiful photos.  I just could not stop reposting the photos that friends posted so my friends and family in the USA could see what was happening.

                                          This is a photo taken this afternoon by Todd McIntosh
                                          one of the most amazing photographers in San Miguel.
                                          The Pichacho mountains surrounding San Miguel!

According to the Atencion, the weekly newspaper who posted some photos, this is the third snow ever in San Miguel.  There was snow in  1978, 2009 and 2016.  I missed the snow in 2009 as I was at the beach!

Being one who avoids cold weather and a cold house, my "plan of action" was to bring the coffee pot, the DVD's, the Kindle and the phone to the room that became "Command Central".  It is the smallest room in the house, but will all the needed amenities.  A warming blanket, a heater which keeps the room at about 70, give or take a degree, and the all time tried and true plan of using all the many bed pillows placed up against the bottom of the wall of windows to prevent any drafts since I leave the drapes closed.

It has worked well.  I've gotten to read, drink coffee, talk to friends and watch a movie that I have been trying to find time to see since October or November!

It IS a good thing though as I headed back to San Miguel a month ago no one told me we would have snow, I might have turned the car south instead and headed to Calypso and Anita's house on the southern coast of Oaxaca!

Instead, I'm settled in.  Everything is finally put away and believe me there are heavy duty winter clothes along with a few gauzy spring things both in the closet to wear.  I'm ready, I think, for just about anything!
Hopefully............

The Legacy of a Pair of Scissors

Recently, while traveling from place to place for three months, I misplaced these scissors.  I've never taken them with me before and have no idea what caused me to take them this time.

When I could not find them amongst stuff that was left at my son's house or what had traveled with me and been stored in the back of the car until I could get back in my house, I panicked.

To the naked eye they don't look like much - a pair of scissors?  Ah, but these scissors are more then special, they are a link to the past, namely my Grandmother Markley.  These scissors belonged to her.

She died in the mid 50's when I was a preteen or had just become a teen.  She lived with us for many years.
Her story is quite fascinating and these scissors played a big part in her life.

Nana Markley was born in Joplin, Mo. but migrated to Colorado, Durango to be specific where my mother was born.  There are many Markley's in Colorado which surprised me when I visited there totally not knowing anything about the extended family.  But, that is another story.

My grandmother married a Markley and had two daughters.  The marriage did not last and they divorced.
Can you imagine back in the 1920's being a divorced woman trying to raise two daughters?  She relocated to Chicago and became a pattern designer for a company called Blums/Vogue which later became Vogue Patterns.  Her daughters, my mother and aunt,  went to boarding school and she lived in a teeny tiny room in a boarding house that I will never forget.  I think I was younger then 10 when I saw that room.  It is permanently embedded in my mind's eye.

She sewed all the time.  The most beautiful tiny, meticulous hand stitching in all the clothes she made for me and my Toni doll.  With bits of fur or glitz, she took me on journeys of mystery and elegance with the wardrobes that she made for that doll.

A quiet woman, until you sat and watched her sew.  Then she opened up with magnificent stories about life on the Frontiers of Colorado and New Mexico plus stories of her designing days with Vogue.

When we left Chicago and moved to Shreveport, she came to live with us.  My dad remodeled our house to create a private living space for her in what had been an attached garage.  She always had her treadle Singer Sewing machine along with bits and pieces of exquisite fabrics.    Along with that, it seemed these little scissors were always nearby.

How I got them, I have no idea.  Truly, none.  But I treasure them.  Their value to me is not in the actual scissors but what they remind me of and that sweet woman who always looked old to me, even when she wasn't.

They are a legacy of what persistence and hard work can do for one person with only a pair of scissors.

How the Heck Did THAT Happen?

In my business life and in my private life, I've always prided myself on returning phone calls, the same day someone called me, if possible.  The same with emails, FB messages and comments to Babsblog.

Then, today, out of the blue, somehow I saw a column that said something like "53 Comments Not Reviewed" on Babsblog.  What the heck?  Where and how did this happen?  They went all the way back to 2012.

Some were regular commenters. Some were SPAM.  But, honestly, I had never seen nary one of these comments!

I'm mortified.

People like Wayne W from Fort Worth, Laurie M from NOLA, Dana from Houston, Bill O from Houston  and lastly, but never leastly, Jennifer R from Morelia.

Many of the comments that I read today, I published to the blogs, even if they were back in 2012.  I treasure every comment that everyone makes, usually.  But, almost never, do I not publish a comment.  Only when they are selling windshields in the Phillipines or are offering naughty services somewhere in the world, then I hit the SPAM button.  Sheesh.

I extend heartful apologies to anyone who is reading this today and made a comment at some point that was not published.  Where were those comments and why were they somewhere else?  Heck if I know.

All I can say is "Sorry" and hope I can find the location of where I found those comments so I can make sure that NEVER happens again.

Onward!