December's Birthday Girls

On December 23 myself and some friends (3 of the women folk that shared December birth dates) celebrated our birthdays together for a grand ole time.

One of the days events included lunch at a local restaurant that specializes in seafood, La Pigua. It's a lovely place, having had a major renovation in the last few years; all turquoisey and cream, lots of natural stone, turquoise glass, shells, etc. Oh and the food is fabulous. Additionally the service each time we've been in has been top notch. In fact on our birthday day, since there were 8 of us, we had our very own staff person, well I think he did have other tables but he or another seemed to be there always, checking, watching, refilling. We drank way too much wine, ate way too much food, were way too loud, and had way too much fun!

This was my lunch choice, unfortunately I didn't think to photo it until I was well into it!

This is a bouquinette fillet stuffed with huitlacoche and mushrooms, with thin sliced toasted guajillo chili strips and a buttery sesame sauce. DEEEELISH!

Here we are with our complimentary birthday cakes!

No Song, Thank You Very Much!!!!

Dalí en Mérida. Las miradas del sueño (Views of a dream)

Salvador Felipe Jacinto Dalí I Domenech was born May 11, 1904 in the small agricultural town of Figueres, Spain. He lived until 1984. Known commonly as Salvador Dalí, or just Dalí.

Dalí is best remembered as a Spanish Surrealist painter; although he did not limit himself to a particular style or media. He explored art in various aspects; as a flamboyant painter, a writer, sculptor, and as an experimental film-maker. Dalí used bizarre dream imagery to create unforgettable and unmistakable landscapes of his personal inner world.

Dalí often clashed with other members of the "official" surrealist group over the content of his paintings. In 1934 as World War II approaced Dalí 's right wing views caused him to be expelled from the ' group'. Dalí continued to exhibit works in international surrealist exhibitions throughout the 1930's.


Escaping World War II Europe, Dalí spent 1940-48 in the United States, which proved to be very important years for the artist and marked his shift his painting to a preoccupation towards science and religion.


The body of his work, from early impressionist paintings through his transitional surrealist works, and into his classical period, reveals a constantly growing and evolving artist. Dalí worked in all media, leaving behind a wealth of oils, watercolors, drawings, graphics, and sculptures, films, photographs, performance pieces, jewels and objects of all descriptions.

We in Mérida are fortunate to have opening today an exhibit of 93 works of Salvador Dalí.

Tonight, Saturday January 23 at 8pm in the Olimpo gallery will be the opening of the exhibit titled “Dalí en Mérida. Las miradas del sueño"

This is the link to the article in today's Diario de Yucatan.

http://www.yucatan.com.mx/noticia.asp?cx=17$0100000000$4231539&f=20100123

Kerpis Palm for the Garden

A while back, during the summer actually, we lost two Kerpis Palms (Adonidia Merrillii) to some unknown illness. The limbs started dying off, the trunk went all soft and squishy and they just died.

I debated and pondered what to put there to replace them; they were at the end of the pool with really tall stuff further on. I really wanted short pinnate palms for the visual effect.

There really is nothing else I want there except the Kerpis. I did decide to only put one back since I hadn't planned accurately the size of all the other stuff. So it took quite a few months and a lot of searching but I decided on a 4-41/2 ft Kerpis.

Mid December we went to the vivero and purchased the tree (450pesos). We were told it had been in its bucket planter about 4 years.

Here we are bringing the tree home.
That is Tom sitting in the trunk holding the tree upright.

And here Tom stands next to our new Kerpis -

I'll try to remember to take another picture in a year to see how its grown.

Dance of the Butterflies

I have this amazingly beautiful red flowering Kalanchoe at the end of the pool. It gets quite tall and is reflected vibrantly in the beautiful blue of the still water. I photograph it frequently.

The other day a pair of gorgeous Swallowtail butterflies danced for nearly an hour on it.

I am not experienced enough to tell the difference if these are Giant Swallowtails or Thoas Swallowtails.

A new blog that you must check out

I just found this blog by way of Nancy in Mazatlan (Thanks Nancy). This blog writer is also from Mazatlan and is so much more than a blogger, well you check it out for yourself, but be prepared, get a beverage, and maybe a snack, you'll be here a while.

She explains things in such great research and detail. It's what I wish I would do...

“No really, there will be no pain,” he said with complete confidence.

Last Saturday, while eating a chewy granola bar, I got seriously pissed at the quality control, or lack thereof of US products sent to Mexico. We see it all the time, seconds or damaged goods being shipped and sold here.

I was about a third of the way into a chewy fruit n nut granola bar when I bit down on a rock. I spit out the offending glob and as I'm sure all of you would have done as well I examined the contents. I was surprised at the look of the rock, and allowed other possibilities to whirl around in my head.

A second examination of the 'rock' revealed it to actually be a fairly good sized chunk of one of my left upper molars.

Once I made that determination I got that sense of fear and dread... First, I was afraid to open my mouth for fear that air would hit the exposed nerve and send me through the roof - Second, since it was 3ish on a Saturday afternoon I was sure the Dentist office would be closed - and Third, oh my frickin gosh I'm gonna have to get a crown.

I absolutely HATE going to the dentist, it scares me! I'm so much better now than I used to be, but I still dread it!

I phoned the Dentist, who indeed was away from the office, and who - I could tell - wasn't thrilled at the possibility of coming in. We spoke, I indicated I wasn't in pain and could probably wait till tomorrow, which I quickly realized was not gonna happen, so we made an appt for Monday; He said he could make it to the office by 11.

Surprisingly I am having no pain, and the only discomfort was on Monday when he airblasted the broken tooth. And then a bit from the cold of the goop used to make the impression for the crown.

It was funny, for whatever reason he doesn't really explain what he's gonna do, he just sort of does it. He started towards my mouth with what appeared to be a syringe - at which time I reacted even more strongly that I had to the air. I questioned him about his plans, thinking he was getting ready to do some treatment for which I would require Novocaine. He indicated the syringe was filled with some product with which he was would fill the space or coat it or somehow seal it. After a bit more discussion we decided he would do the impression/mold for the cap and that I would return for the work.

Well my next appointment is scheduled for the 23rd and so far so good. I am having no difficulty, I am chewing on the right side, and trying very hard to cause no more damage. I'll report back after the 23rd.

Oh, BTW - paying cash, with no insurance coverage, a porcelain crown will be 2500pesos; a gold crown would be about 1000pesos more depending on something to do with the type/thickness of the gold.

It is so...

I'm so tired of friends and family up North saying they wished they were here when we complain about the cold.

They say, it's below zero here! Yeah right Blah, Blah, Blah! It's below zero outside, and you are inside where you have your furnace kicked up to what 70, 75? It's in the low 60's here, inside, outside, 24/7. We don't have no stinkin heater.

So a few days ago, Techie and I went and sat in the car, oh it was so nice and warm in the car. The temp in the house hadn't been above 18c all day, which in f is about 60-62.

Tech now has 2 t-shirts, one red, the other turquoise. The other day she came in to the kitchen carrying the red one; guess she got cold!

A quick guilt trip rant, Thanks for listening!

It's been two weeks since I last posted and I am feeling both guilty and annoyed by that. Guilty because I feel like I've made a commitment, and annoyed for the very same reasons.


It's not like I haven't been doing things; because I have, lots of things. Perhaps just not blog worthy things. I mean do you want to hear about, and do I want to blog about the dinners and evenings with friends; whether here, there, or out? I think not. What about trips to the nursery or planting things bought, probably not, our weekly bowling league, trips to the markets, nope! What about Tom's new TV, my broken molar that needs a crown, the cold weather we've been having, Tech killed another possum,... See where I'm going?


We've been to art openings, poetry readings, even the movies...but do I really want to post about that....Actually Yes! And I know I like the little short post that just tell about some little everyday event, so instead of feeling guilty I should just post little vignettes of daily things!

OK, glad I got that cleared up! Thanks for listening!