Feliz Navidad!

From where I sit it doesn't look like Christmas! The sun is shining intensely, butterflies are flitting about, and the cool breeze is swaying the cacti and palms. The weather is perfect, unusually warm for December, and we are loving it!!

Many mornings we rise to heavy fog which has provided water for the variety of plants growing in our yard. The fog burns off quickly most days thanks to the sun's power at this high altitude.

Keith has worked incredibly hard nearly every single day since we arrived in Mineral de Pozos the second week in October. He has had some help each late afternoon from Antonio & Javier who work at the Lavender Farm up our lane. They cycle by after their long day in those beautiful gardens. Keith loves working beside them; it's a Spanish lesson as well as great help.

Javier & Antonio

Keith's Dad, Stanley, came to visit us for Thanksgiving.

Arriving in Queretaro

He is the perfect guest, he knows how to entertain himself.😃

Goofy Keith & Papa Stan

Stan in Dolores Hildago

We really enjoyed taking him to San Miguel de Allende and Dolores Hildago on two separate day trips and showing him around our Pozos. 



Stan really enjoyed the company of Mike and Shannon from next door.

Walking through the fields of broccoli behind our house

We met a local artist, Arturo Cabera, who does mastery metalwork.

Arturo

His creative mind helped form some of the garden areas. He'd like to design our whole acre but pesos don't grow on trees!

Gate nearly completed

One of Arturo's creations is a new entry gate way behind our house. He and his guys dismantled the existing rock fence to open it up to the service road in back. Then they constructed two pillars using rocks from the fence. Arturo is now finishing the metal gate and it should soon be installed. It was important to open the back fence to allow dump trucks to deliver gravel and rock for the on-going landscaping around the front and back of the house.

Arturo's interesting shop

One Sunday afternoon while Stan was visiting we were invited to Arturo's house to tour his gardens and have a demonstration on how he makes the hummingbirds that we bought earlier in the fall.

Arturo's family, with helpers Daniel & Daniel Arturo, joined us for Thanksgiving Dinner. They couldn't figure out what gravy was and nobody dared try it!

Thanksgiving Dinner 2016

It was interesting to try explain the myth and realities of the origin of Thanksgiving in Spanish, at least the way I see it. Arturo's wife, Dr. Edith, asked me what it was all about. We all agreed it's most important to be grateful and appreciative every day.

The Friday after Thanksgiving Day was PIANO DAY! After many weeks the new Yamaha was delivered by Liverpool.

They had three deliver guys with no piano dolly, their plan was to use a rope to pull it with shoulder strength.

Thank goodness Arturo was here with Daniel & Daniel Arturo to help pick it up and carry it over the stone pathways to the side door where it was unwrapped and placed under the beautiful mosaic we had purchased in San Miguel de Allende.

    (Still waiting to have it tuned, Mexico's time schedule moves as it will.)

So many rocks. Check out our community dog, Manotas!

Many stone pathways have been built in front and back. The process is all by hand, no Bobcat use in Mexico. Keith works long hours and seems to really enjoy being outside all day. It's just what he does!! It doesn't seem to matter where we are.

This is one Cool Cactus Garden!!

My life is much less physically demanding. I am walking once or twice a day. Shannon and I have a regular four lap routine that includes taking the garbage to the community shed where it is picked up. 

Flat Stanley in The Garden, center of Pozos

Kelly and I walk from the center of Pozos where she lives. Our normal path takes us steeply out of town, down a rocky trail, and back up a hill that seems to lead to the sky itself. It really takes you right into town. I'm really brave now, I drive straight into Pozos and home again. It's about three miles both ways. I like to ride my bike into town too.

Mike messing with lavender, all day long!

I currently have two English students, Manuel & Arlette. I do their lessons separately though if I add any more students I may have to do a class. Planning the lessons is good for me, thank heavens for the internet! There are many great websites from which I cut and paste informational sheets for my students to match the concepts I'm trying to teach. It's good experience for me. It's also a great Spanish lesson!

Too cute & creative!!

The highlight of my week is my time with Tallulah, my 6 yr. old, piano student. She is such a fun kid, so artistically creative and she loves to dance. I have to provide time for her to add doodles to all of the characters in her piano book.

At the end of each lesson she dances around my kitchen while I play  'ballet' music from more advanced books in the John Thompson's Easiest Piano Course. Tally is the perfect 'kid' friend for me!!

Keith encourages me to play the piano for him each evening while he reads which I adore doing. We have no television here and don't miss watching it at all, well Keith does miss The Simpsons on occasion, especially Sunday evenings.

Going into San Luis de la Paz for money and groceries is a frequent task. 'La Paz' is just 6 km down the road. Once you enter town, there's a roundabout with a great plant nursery with a hardware store beside it. Across the street we have a favorite place to return our empty purified water container for new water and buy our carton of 30 eggs. The owner is a woman about our ages who always greets us so warmly. If she's not right in the store her family members run inside the attached house to get her, it's sweet.

We like the center of 'La Paz', it's park is very green with a beautiful church in front. After we park the car, it's easy to walk from the ATM to fruit & veggies to the grocery store and on to the flower shop. The fresh fruits and vegetables here are a treat! You can't imagine the nutritious load we haul out for $7.00! There is also an amazing butcher shop as you drive out of town. There must be at least a dozen butchers carving various cuts from cows who just stopped mooing moments before. They can't package and distribute meat fast enough, the place is clean and I've never eaten such tender beef!

After the holidays I have another volunteer job that will really challenge my Spanish speaking abilities! I met Ana at a community meeting she organized in Pozos. At the meeting were various community members and many of the service organizations such as police, fire, EMTs, transit, tourist, recycling... also had representation. After the meeting Ana contacted me to help her organize speakers for the schools in Pozos from the various service groups. On three days in early December we visited different offices in 'La Paz', the county seat. Ana introduced me to all of the department heads and explained that I would contact them and schedule speakers for the public preschool, elementary, middle & high schools in Pozos. Ana also has names of local experts in other areas such as farming, animal husbandry, art, dance. etc. I am to contact for speaking engagements. I'll be the one to work between the school principals and speakers to organize days, times, groups, what's needed... It's an 'in' to the schools here which are heavily secured, parents are even allowed beyond the gates.

We are meeting people here who have immigrated south from the States. Tomorrow we will attend a Christmas Dinner where we will meet other 'ex-pats' living in Pozos. Mike and Shannon took us to lunch this afternoon at their friend Jimmy's beautiful restaurant El Mesquite in La Paz. Best hamburger EVER! and Jimmy took us all around his restaurant, giant shop and his incredible home. We are meeting good people here, both Mexican & Americans living south of the border.

As you can tell, we are busy here in Mexico! We miss our family and friends, but are able to call. I miss school, but not enough to ever move back to the city life. As we begin the New Year, we are grateful for the opportunities we have in this new experience!