The beans are on

For most of Merida, Mondays are frijole con puerco* days; For me it's Wednesday.

Our first housekeeper, Marta, worked on Wednesday, She did the floors and bathrooms, as well as the high stuff; cleaning the light fixtures, the fans, and also the windows; pretty much she did everything. I did and still do my own dusting of furniture, art objects, paintings and frames, kitchen, and electronics. I do my own laundry and cooking although the housekeepers we have spoken with/interviewed often indicate they will gladly do that as well. Oh, our housekeeper also irons Toms shirts.
Anyway, back to the beans...so on Wednesdays I frequently put a big pot of frijole con puerco on the back burner of the stove. I LOVE BEANS. They are one of my favorite things and I must say I am very fortunate, or maybe those around me are the fortunate ones in that beans do not cause me any digestive or gastric constrictions. Of course in the States I always added the herb savory to the beans, and here I add epazote. Both of which are reported to reduce the effluence caused by the breakdown of the beans. Personally I think it is the overnight soaking in water with a tablespoon of vinegar, and then the double rinsing in the morning before setting them on the stove.
After our first housekeeper left I did all my own cleaning for abour 5 months, but oh my aching back, (I was spending more for massage and chiropratic than I would have on a housekeeper) so now we have Carmen. So here it is, Wednesday, Carmen is cleaning floors, the beans are on, and although I should be dusting, I am sitting here writing this blog.

Once again, life is good - oh I smell those beans! Yummy, Yummy, Yummy!

* frijole con puerco translates as beans with pork, or pork and beans, but are nothing like the tinned concoctions found in supermarkets. Frijole con puerco here aer beans (black beans, pinto beans, flor de may beans, pretty much any type of bean cooked for hours over slow heat; cooked with, in my house anyway, onion, garlic, tomatoes, epazote, cubes of pork, a habanero, salt and pepper; sometimes I add carrot.

One of the things that I have to say really increases the flavorfullness (is this a word?) of beans here in Merida is the addition of a condiment you prep called salpichon, it is a mix of finely chopped radish, cilantro, and white onion. What a difference salpichon makes to so many dishes.

Front Wall Project - update 4

So much has happened, and we are coming to completion of the Front Wall Project.

The wall itself is done, including the Virgen de Guadalupe plaqueall the new cement inside is done, all the new sidewalk is done.

So, what's left you may ask. Ah those pesky details - filling any little empty spaces left from pouring concrete flooring and sidewalks, repairing/patching damage to the impermiabilizante (protective roof coat) on the roof, cleaning up, painting, and doors. Our regular iron man has been here, we showed him our designs, including Tom's 3-d model, he liked that especially. He has given us his price, which seems a bit high. So we've asked another iron man for a bid. This one doesn't speak English, hasn't lived 20+ years in the US, and doesn't have to send the wife and kids to the US to shop. So maybe we can get the price down.

We gifted the 3 workers with a dispensa yesterday. They've really done an excellent job so I went to the market and created a little selection of staples which is a standard form of dispensa - each level of worker gets a little different, the head albanil (mason) gets more than the other albanils, who get more than the laborers. So each got; beans, rice, sugar, salt, and can of pickled carrots n jalapenos, the albanils also got cal-c-tos which is a powdered chocolate milk type drink, and the head albanil also got a bag of oatmeal. And I just realized I neglected to add the bottle of oil which is also pretty standard, ni modo, life goes on!

Oh and the really fun part - there is the small interior garden; a new planting project, although I already know what I want to do in there! So look forward to another update!

After all it's all part of the Front Wall Project!!!

The Assumption of Mary

from Wikipedia

"The Assumption is important to many Catholics as the Virgin Mary's heavenly birthday (the day that Mary was received into Heaven). Her acceptance into the glory of Heaven is seen by them as the symbol of the promise made by Jesus to all enduring Christians that they too will be received into paradise."

Now, not being a Catholic, or actually ascribing to any formal religious beliefs, I must say I none the less attended Mary's symbolic rise to heaven last night. I was there to bid her farewell and godspeed for another full year.

It has been 15 days of festivities leading up to last nights celebrations:

There have been daily processions/parades, preceeded by and followed by the firecracker lighters

non-stop mass services,

firecrackers,

fireworks,

carnival rides,

quepie dolls carnival style toys,

Carnival games,

firecrackers,

cotton candy,

festival style food; the favorite of which are the cut up and quartered halfway down chunks of hot dog that are deep fried and turn into hotdog rosettes laying atop a bed of french fries and garnished with the ubiquitous and very popular lime and chili, marquesitas which are a thin sweet batter, cooked on a flat double-side comal over fire till the batter is a thin pliable sheet, which is then sprinkled liberally with shredded gouda or edam cheese, rolled up tight and served with a napkin around one end so you start eating from the other end till you get to the end, oh when will this ever end.

pepitas,

cacahuates,

troles,

there have been firecrackers,

there have been bands,

there have been toritos, which are wooden forms built to hold as many as possible firecrackers, sparklers, and fireworks that explode from the form and corkscrew out into the crowd, strapped to a bull form and hoisted above the heads of several runners. These guys careen willy nilly through the crowd

there have been the burning of paper balloons to symbolize Mary's asuncion and delivery to heaven,

oh and there have been firecrackers, have I mentioned firecrackers, that sound like m-80's, which start sometimes as early as 4 in the morning (today they blissfully held off til 6) and stop sometime shortly after midnight.

OK - so where was I going with this, oh yes, last night.

Well we had a few friends over for drinks to be followed by our own procession up to the church and park. At about 8:30 we heard the first firecrackers go off which let us know that Mary was out and about. So off we go, Mary's quick, we're only a half block away and Mary had already made the turn at our corner so if we wanted to catch a glimpse we were going to have to hustle. Mary makes a quick trip around the block, out of the Church, down the steps turn right around the block up the steps and back to her resting place in San Sebastian church.

We managed to catch up and keep up with Mary, greeting a few friends and neighbors along the way. We tried to get close enough to the church to see her inside, but the crowd was thick and way to tight and pushy for my comfort level, beside my desire was purely curiosity, not driven by religious zeal. After Mary was in place, some prostelitizing occurred I think you have to be catholic to understand what any of it means, so we decided to head down to the athletic field next to the church to await the toritto and balloon lighting. We stroll - some marquesitas are purchased, firecrackers are going off everywhere and we ponder and discuss a possible vantage point. The stadium and atheletic field at this point are open. We select a spot outside the atheltic field on a corner, with tree cover, next to a cement wall, and just a few meters from the street. The volume of the fircrackers, and fireworks have increased in both frequency and loudness, and apparently it is met with great relish and raucous screams of delight for a rocket to come screaming in to the crowd, and the rocket lighters did not want to disappoint. Soon, ok, not so soon, after about an hour of standing there with bombs bursting everywhere the lights in the stadium go off, OK, now we're getting somewhere. Apparently that's the signal because now the atheleic field is filling up, moms, dads, babies, youngsters, grannies, the field is packed, more firecrackers and rockets, and oh how they love it when one misfires and careens into the crowd. Are we having Fun or What?

So another hour passes, we chat, we shuffle about, we greet friends and neighbors as they pass. We're starting to wonder is it worth it, we talk about the bar items back at the house...

another 15 mnutes and then a roar and screams of delight and everyone outside the atheletic field suddenly push up towards the fence to see the action, more people go racing onto the field; the first torito is making his run, spitting fire, burning ash, and spiraling rockets into the super charged crowds, the crowds follow, taunt, part, and close in, they chase, they want to be chased, the woman in front of us with her 2 year oldish child suddenly is smacking at her head, she smells her fingers, fiery ash has fallen and is smoldering in her hair; is this fun or what!!!!!

The din dies down, suddenly it creschendos again, and bigger bull goes charging through the crowd - WOW! By now it's about 11. I am hiding behind the cement wall, those willy nilly rockets are screaming in our direction, I'm done, it's too much for me. I'm tired, my feet hurt, my back aches, I've consumed a litre of limonada and really need to go, I've been averaging 4-5 hours of sleep a night, and I don't want a badge of glory like some big burn scar anywhere on my person. Maybe next year I'll see the balloons.

I took a few photos, they are not good, I'm not setup with my little point and shoot digital for this type of work, but here they are!

This fireworks display was on the atheletic field fence and was lighted as Mary passed

Echeveria Elegans - Mexican Snowball - Hen n Chick

What ever you call it - it is downright purdy!

When I purchased this plant it was a single plant in a small plastic pot. It resembles the hen n chicks I always had in the States, except for the color. This plants is a silvery blue/green.

I planted it in a standard soil with a little bark fiber for drainage in a cement pot and put it on the pation out where it gets full baking sun all day coupled with the heat emanating up from the cement floor. It loves it here! It has put out quite a few 'chicks', and now look at this beautiful flower spike.

Just had to share!

Tropical Fruit - Pittaya, Pitaya

This is the Pitaya vine growing over the wall in my garden from my neighbors house. The flowers will bloom at the ends of the vine, and then that is where the fruit will form. Therefore, I have planted several pieces of vine on my side so that the neighbor will benefit as well

This is how beautiful is the fruit, and in all honesty this isn't a particularly lovely example.

OH - But look at this!

Here's what Wikipedia says about Pitaya

The fruit has a lovely light custardy texture, with tiny soft seeds similar to those in a kiwi. The flavor is very subtle, mostly they are just a light custardy refreshing sensation. Quite popular here is an Agua de Pitaya, which is just simply the fruit, some water, and some sugar all run through the blender.

OK, gotta go, my snack awaits!

La Señora de la Asunción (Our Lady of the Assumption)

Every August, one of the two churches within two blocks of us, La Iglesia de San Sebastian hosts a 10-day celebration. La Señora de la Asunción (Our Lady of the Assumption), which runs this year, 2008, from August 5 - 15.

We have walked around a bit when activities are happening but haven't really been to involved. Saturday night there was a band and dancing and carnival rides, and food booths, and lots of people, and, and, and.... There have been a number of processions (parades). Today we went up for te start of today's parade. Sunday is always a big turnout.

Here are some pictures from today's parade.

This year the signs all include the 'Gremio de Mestizos'. I don't remember this last year but that's not really saying too much. The Gremio is like a Union, and Mestizos refer to the local indigenous population.

Here's an interesting perspective:

Journal Article Excerpt
Cultural Continuity and Change in Gremio Fiestas in Yucatan.
by Christina Turner
Festivals are intrinsically paradoxical and multidimensional emphasizing contradictory functions as the specific cultural moment dictates. Festival traditions allow for historical continuity while incorporating societal change. They are a means of flexible adaptation that supports both social solidarity and the status quo. Festivals buttress hierarchical, closed caste/class systems while fostering status and prestige building within those systems through consensus and cooperation. The very act of role reversal delineates the dominant status role. Despite the various forms that festival traditions may take and the different historical paths that lead to them, they are similar in function and structure.
Thus, Glenda Joy Driskell (1981:15) writes in the introduction to her ethnomusicological exploration of the festival tradition in Yucatan that, "the fiesta has been variously extolled as a source of cultural continuity, a foundation of village integration, and a bulwark against exploitation by wealthy Yucatecans. It has also been condemned by economists as an impediment to economic progress and as a mechanism of colonial control."
In a similar vein, Olga Najera Ramirez (1988: 146-147) discusses how the "festival represents a different world view because it encourages multiple dialogues, allows for alternatives to be expressed and therefore has revolutionary tendencies. ...

One thing lucky for us is that Tom doesn't suffer from PTSD, Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. He swears the firecrackers they are blowing up sound like the mortars from when he was in the service. The start about 5:30 in the morning and don't let up till after midnight. We are not getting our full share of sleep this week so if we're a bit cranky, well...

On the 15th there is a special event where they fill paper baloons with hot air from candles and release them. I'll try to photograph that and post some pictures.

It's funny because our neighbors tell us to be sure to go up for the events, but we never see any of them. We do get some looks though. Not mean or ugly, just interest and curiosity.

Budgies, Loritos

I bought budgies! I've been wanting to get a pair for such a while and I finally did. A few weeks ago Theresa and I walked to the mercado area looking for some specific herbs and spices. While there we stopped in to a small shop and I peered longingly at the little budgies, but didn't buy.

Last Monday, August 4, I went again, and picked out these two.

The light blue is female, she's about 3 months old, and the darker is male, he's about 7 months old. They were in a cage the same size as they are now, but with about 20 other birds.

It was tough to get the right ones, they old fella that was catching them kept telling me which ones I should get, essentially which ever one he got hold of first, and I kept saying No and pointing to the ones I wanted.

It took about two days for them to settle in, now they jump around chat back and forth and preen themselves and each other for hours on end. They are bonding, to each other, and in time to me as well. They have a space on the patio where they spend their day, and I currently lock them in the guest bathroom at night. This keeps them secure from the cats, well cat. Tatie would love to make them jump all over the cage. And I don't think Mattie has even noticed them.

They don't have names yet, haven't yet found their personalities to affix a name to them.

The little ruddy ground doves have started coming up on to the patio to forage the seeds and treats that end up on the ground. These little guys get very excited when they see other birds. The male has a particular warning call that I can already identify and know to get up to see what's going on. It's quite different that his fussing sound he makes when the little female is in his way.

The little female doesn't have her flight feathers yet and it's so cute to watch her, when she wants to jump up to the perch, or from perch to perch, she will lean in to the direction she wants to go - bob forward in that direction a few times, flap her little wings a few times, then climb the bars till she gets where she wants to be. Her flight feathers are coming in quickly so she will be jumping in no time. Maybe her name should be Amelia.