Celebrating All the Tiny Wins
This is HARD. I am frequently overwhelmed, stuck, and feel incapable. However I am celebrating the “tiny wins” that I manage, whenever they occur. It seems silly, and it helps me to remember that I lived on my own, responsible for EVERYTHING in my life, for many years. And I can do it again. Bills – I have found most of the login information I need to continue to pay our bills on time. I never really thought about the…
One step closer, but no easier
The death certificate adventures continue. At last update I was in a Catch-22 because the Basha’s middle name was not spelled out on our marriage license. The Mexican government would not accept a middle initial, even if it matches the name. At that point, I channeled the Basha and decided that “the appropriate application of cash” was the best way to solve this conundrum. I hired a lawyer. The lawyer is Mexican, knows how Mexican law and the government work,…
Sunday – not-so-funday
Since the Basha died, Sundays are really hard for me. It had been our 15+ year tradition that Sundays were for jazz, mimosas, and brunch. Sometimes we went out (more when we were back in the States), but over the last 4 years, he made bacon, and I made GF, sourdough, blueberry pancakes. YUM!! Since his death, the habits of Sundays have disappeared. The day becomes chaotic and sad. My answer for this dilemma (for now) is that Sunday is…
Registro Civil and a Catch-22
It took 3 weeks for me to gather all the needed documents for the Registro Civil (equivalent to the County Clerk’s office). On 11Feb (23 days since the Basha’s death) with the documents (birth certificates and marriage license) and the CERTIFIED translations of all of them. They reviewed the documents and told me that all of the documents had to apostilled (certified as legitimate in the US) before they could be accepted. This is a problem. A good friend talked…
Death in a Foreign Language – Day 2
The Basha died on a Sunday. So the following day, Monday, my friends and I met Eva from the funeral home at the government buildings to wade through the paperwork. I was numb, and had forgotten virtually all the Spanish I’d ever learned, so having friends to guide me, and translate for me, was necessary and amazing. We went to the first office, and were told by the receptionist to leave our documents (birth certificates, marriage license) and go to…
Restarting My Life
When I decided to start a blog I had big ideas. As time wore on my ideas became smaller and life took over so I rarely posted. I am now in a place where I have to start over. Square one. Everything I assumed, and took for granted, has changed. The Doctora is restarting her life. January 19th my world disintegrated. The love of my life, my soul-mate, my best friend, and my lover, died. The Basha has left the…
Sticky Nights & Birthdays
It is not what you think! It gets VERY hot and sweaty here in the summertime. The “snowbirds” go back north, and in the height of the heat, even Mexican nationals do not come in large numbers. So to draw a crowd, and to keep the “summer survivors” happy the municipality hosts monthly FREE open air concerts at the Kiosco on the Malecon. These evenings are called “Noches Pegajosas” or “Sticky Nights”. We have had some amazing Mexican and American…
Summer in the (near) tropics
Living in the sunny climes of BCS is a dream – most of the time. The occasional hurricane – Hillary was our latest, and she didn’t produce much – and the monsoon-type rains and 100+ degree temps are the “dark side” to living here. We are mostly protected, and don’t get the brunt of most storms, but we still get our fair share, and the infrastructure isn’t built for large quantities of rain. WHY? – you ask. Don’t these sorts…
With a vengeance!
Summer has arrived – in FORCE!! The temperatures are up in the “warning” levels, the humidity is already here, and the first TWO named Pacific hurricanes are headed this way. Welcome to a climate change, el Niño, living in a desert summer! Seeing is believing! We won’t see any evening temps below the mid-seventies for the foreseeable future. The thunderstorms are the potential remnants of Hurricane Adrian. The next one, Beatriz, seems to be losing steam and may not give…
More Oaxaca: Food, Food, and Mezcal
We knew when we planned this trip that food was going to be at the center of all of our activities. Oaxaca has not failed in that respect. There are foods here that I’d never even HEARD of, even though I live in Mexico. Different region, different food. Not as much seafood (mariscos) here, but there are memelas, tetelas, LOTS of moles, empanadas and quesadillas that are very different from home, the list is never-ending! The food here ranges from…