I'M A BUILDING ME AN ARC...

I know that most everyone is focused on the weather off the Atlantic coast. And to be perfectly honest I'm glad the coast I live on is on the other side of the continent. However tropical storm Lowell appears to have set up homesteading rights just off the southern tip of Baja. :c{ If you were to take a gander at a map of Mexico you would notice immediatly that Mazatlan is directly across the Sea of Cortez from Baja on the main land. Soooooo for 4 days now it has done nothing but rain. ;c{ And not just the drizzly whimpy kinda rain. During the short spells when it's not raining it's coming down like someone up there turned on the fire hose. Though I must mention we are thankful that it's a warm rain and warm tempeture. Ha see "tiny miracle" :c}

Because of the normal heat and humidity during 6 months a year our houses tend to have part of rooms open to the outside. Also by doing that you can get a breeze moving through the whole house. In our house our laundry room is opened , actually it is out side. It sits in a small atrium between the kitchen and work room, (If it ever stops raining I'll take a couple of pictures) Our back patio is walled in by 3 other houses so the only way it drains is through the floor drain. God forbid if the drain plugs. Hmmmm maybe an indoor swimming pool?? Our house is typical of all the house in the area. Luckily our part of the street is up on a hill a bit. so it puts us above sea level. There are plenty of neighborhoods that sit at or below sea level. Yep you guessed it,they have been bailing. One good reason to have cement & brick houses and tiles on the floor.

Right behind Maztlan are the Sierra Madre Mountains. When we get a lot of rain we not only have to contend with the wet stuff falling from the sky as it makes it's way to the ocean to be reunited with the rest of the family, we also have all the water running down out of the mountains on it's way to the reunion. In times like these THAT"S A LOT OF WATER!! It can be way more then our underground sewer systems can handle. It's more then enough volume and pressure to litterly blow the man hole covers off!! Not to worry. Some very smart people solved the problem of flying man hole covers (which can easily kill someone) by hinging one side. So that when the pressure builds to critical mass the cover blows open and spews out the water. Once the volume has dropped the cover drops back down. Works perfectly!!! Of course it is rather hillarious to hear a know it all (and we all know at lease one) tourist explaining just why there are hinges on the man hole covers!! :c}

Here are a couple of pictures posted in todays paper, showing the water in some of the streets.

I think you can see that here water up to the center of your wheels is taken in stride. In fact during the small breaks in the clouds the kids grab their soccer balls and head out for a pickup game of water soccer ;c}

Time for this little Bloglandian to call it a night. LW says it's my turn to make sure the water wings are inflated ;c] Take care and have a good day or night depending on the part of Bloglandia you are in.

A Little Mexican Take Out

Oh My Gosh!!!! What a awesome welcome you all have given me!!! Thank you all so very much :c} Can you hear LW in the background saying "I told you there wasn't anything to stress about"?? I know you all were there once. "What if this is a total embarrassing bomb?? I'll have to change my name, move out of the neighborhood, dye my hair, shop for groceries at night." The citizens of Bloglandia pointing their finger and say Oh poor thing she tries but she is just oh so bor..... well you know" But you gals have been the best friends a Newbie could ever hope for!!! ;c}

In fact I think this calls for a House Warming Give Away

But this is going to need a bit of logistic pondering. Mexico has many wonderful thing however their Mail service isn't one of them. I mean you know there might be a problem when even the Government won't use it:c} So it means finding a (as we lovingly refer to them) "Mule" who will carry the package back north and mail it from there. Hmmm as Mr. Holmes would say I think this is a "two pipe problem". Stay tuned I'll keep ya posted.

Now how about an explanation of the title? There are tons of foreign (insert mostly US) fast food restaurants in Mexico, with more opening everyday. In fact by Jan. Mazatlan will be the lucky new home of 4 yep 4 Starbucks. But here fast food is expensive.

For most families the mid day meal we call lunch is their large meal of the day. The meal the WHOLE family is at, the one that Mom has been preparing since mid morning. The "lunch" break starts around 1pm and last at least 1-2 hours. Yep that's for everyone not just the boss with the 2 martini lunch!! So what's a mother to do if she can't spend all morning cooking?? Well she orders take out from one of the women in the neighborhood who is subsidizing her family's income by cooking a bit extra, boxing it up and selling it. In our neighborhood that woman is Tadeo's wife, who we call La Senora. Tadeo's family has the Modelo beer store on our street. So in the morning you place your order with him to be picked up between 1&3.

Tadeo and LW have become good friends They teach each other the little nuances in their native languages. So on the mornings we plan on ordering take out we check La Senora's menu and decide we do have a hankering. LW places our order when he and Tadeo get together. Along about 1ish (that's Mexican time) they aren't so anal about exact time here, it's not part of their culture, LW wanders up the street picks up our meals and drags them home. I keep telling him we need to borrow one of the store's shopping carts, but I haven't convinced him yet :c} Today was Chiles Rellenos de Queso en Salsa Rosa ( 2 green peppers stuffed with cheese &potatoes in a red sauce) YUM Along with that you get a serving of Mexican Rice, a serving of beans, half a dozen fresh made tortillas, and a bottle of fresh fruit juice.

Now you see why LW needs a cart to get these home!!!! There is a real need for a Siesta after this meal :c} La Senora will apologies every time you order because she has to charge so much to make any profit at all. What does she charge, you ask?? She charges $35(pesos) that's less the $3.20!!! Yup less then what a big Mac cost. Which by the way cost about $7.50 here!!

(I just wouldn't feel right if I didn't also say that for the majority of the population of Mexico a $35 (peso) meal is a huge expense. The average daily income is $50 (pesos) less then 5 dollars a day and that is for a 12-14 hour day!!!)

Oops I think I can hear LW telling me it's time to put my toys away, tell all my friends good night, tomorrow is another day !! Oh but I hate to go inside just when I'm getting settled in to my new digs!! :c}

A Bazillion Thanks

Oh GOOD GRIEF, this is it my very first entry on my very first blog!! I can't remember when I have fretted, erased, redid, fretted, erased, and redid.... as much as I have with this blog ;c} Why you may ask would a woman who is use to writing for public consummation finds this venue so intimidating?? Well It's very simple. When I wrote or published in BM (before Mexico) it was professionally. The woman behind the title was never exposed. But here on my Blog (oh I like the sound of that:c} ) it's about me, the personal me, the woman who lives in this body. I don't know about you but for me the intimidation factor is WAY up there. But with the encouragement from many supportive sisters in "Bloglandia" I'm dipping that toe in the pool.



SO it's through this Blog I hope to share my day to day life as I learn about, adapt and become part of my adopted country's culture. I have always been an Artsy Crafty type of gal, who loves to build her nest with her own creations. When we moved to Mexico since we were starting a new phase of our lives we decided we'd come with a clean slate. So we sold, gave away or donated everything except what we were sure WE couldn't live without. We bought a 5'/8' trailer what treasures fit came what didn't was given new homes. It has been one of the best decisions we ever made. Because now I have all the reasons in the world to cut and paste and sew, and fluff and imagine and CREATE :c}



By some Tiny Miracle I have been allowed the chance to create, nurture and enjoy the friendships of a wonderful gifted and sharing community here in "Bloglandia" If you have a bit of time I'd like to invite you to check in on me once in awhile. Maybe check to see what project I'm working on or explain why a simple trip to the fabric store becomes a Three Stooges movie with the audio running backwards :c}



Nope didn't forget about the title. And as it says I own a number of new sisters/friends a bazillion and one thanks!!!! There's Nancy here in Mazatlan. But most especially I would still be sitting on the outside with my nose pressed against the screen if not for Dawn from The Feathered Nest and Laurie form Laurie's Charming Designs holding my hand, and leading the cheering section of this 'Little" (HA) production!!!!!!!!!! So you two I'm proud to say I've joined the ranks of your amazing fan clubs!! (Note Please can someone please tell me how to get the blog titles to link back to the blogs?)

Hmmm what do you guys think not to bad for a maiden run?? Tomorrow I think I might even get a bit cocky and try adding a picture or two. Stay tuned, it's Market day if Tropical Storm Lowell lets up ;c}