Well, the Category 5 Hurricane Patricia missed us, big time. It came ashore at a sparsely populated area rather farther south of Puerto Vallarta, so our friend who had recently moved there only got rain and a lot of wind overnight. [Whew!] His mother and some other relatives were visiting at the time. Glad they're all safe.
Here in San Miguel - after the storm passed through several sets of mountains, diluting its strength - we only received a gentle, night-long rain followed in the morning with a warm breeze. I was rather disappointed that everything occurred while we were asleep!
There were times in my youth when electrical storms would arrive in southern Indiana and my mother would discover me kneeling on my bed, propped up on my elbows, looking out the open window, watching the lightning! Yes, I got a lecture each time - but it's so easy to say 'Yes; I understand' and then do it the next time anyway! And somehow she knew just where to find me whenever there was a storm...but it was magical! Now if only our dogs didn't freak out over thunder and lightning....
I understand that the storm made its way across Mexico and is now tearing up Texas with flash floods as it moves into Louisiana and points east. I'd feel sorry for the Texans if there were any reasons to do so. [Sorry, friends there live there. You knew what Texas was like and you still moved there!]
In a side note, the pain-in-the-ass person in San Miguel, who complained bitterly about the moderators on our SMA Civil List who refused to let him post the US Embassy warning on the List because it warned US citizens to avoid the west coast of Mexico (many, many hours away from San Miguel - it's a two-day trip when we go to the beach) because it wasn't San-Miguel-related (one of the guidelines for using the Civil List), has been removed from the Civil List when he was agitating to remove the moderators from their 'cushy jobs'. ( Most members don't appreciate their faults being pointed out to them; it's a volunteer position; you spend a lot of time teaching people who are too lazy to find out on their own how to do things on Yahoo groups; did I say it was a volunteer position; there are only three moderators for over 9100 members...you get the picture.) A former employee of the New York City Board of Education, he still has that 'I know better than thou' attitude.
Hope he'll be happy on his own Facebook page! We note that he hasn't revealed that he has been bounced from the List...probably too crushing to his ego. [evil laughter]
Sunday, October 25, 2015
Friday, October 23, 2015
Embassy Warning!!!
Well, we received the warning from the American Embassy in Mexico City this morning, courtesy of the SMA Civil List. Good thing, too, as our individual notification has yet to appear. We signed up for the individual notifications when we registered with the State Department as living in Mexico.
Luckily, Hurricane Patricia is headed into the western coast of Mexico - not anywhere near us. From the Associated Press:
In the meanwhile, the BBC is predicting rain for Mexico City and some points north of there. We're expecting some of that rain, although the BBC only shows Mexico City on their map of Mexico, so we are usually relegated to 'by guess and by golly' as far as our forecasts are concerned.
Luckily, Hurricane Patricia is headed into the western coast of Mexico - not anywhere near us. From the Associated Press:
MANZANILLO, Mexico (AP) — Hurricane Patricia headed toward southwestern Mexico Friday as a monster Category 5 storm, the strongest ever in the Western Hemisphere that forecasters said could make a "potentially catastrophic landfall" later in the day.
Residents of a stretch of Mexico's Pacific Coast dotted with resorts and fishing villages on Thursday boarded up homes and bought supplies ahead of Patricia's arrival.
With maximum sustained winds near 200 mph (325 kph), Patricia is the strongest storm ever recorded in the eastern Pacific or in the Atlantic, said Dave Roberts, a hurricane specialist at the U.S. National Hurricane Center.
...A friend of our moved to Puerto Vallarta last year; we hope he's safe and sound.
In Mexico, officials declared a state of emergency in dozens of municipalities in Colima, Nayarit and Jalisco states that contain the bustling port of Manzanillo and the posh resort of Puerto Vallarta.
In the meanwhile, the BBC is predicting rain for Mexico City and some points north of there. We're expecting some of that rain, although the BBC only shows Mexico City on their map of Mexico, so we are usually relegated to 'by guess and by golly' as far as our forecasts are concerned.
Sunday, October 11, 2015
Day of the Dead
In just a little over three weeks it will be Day of the Dead here in San Miguel. We don't usually partake in the festivities (the Jardin will be awash in bodies both local and from other Mexican cities) and neither of us really enjoy crowds any longer.
My sister, her husband, and two friends will be joining us during the time of the festivities, so we may go to the effort to provide the makings for an altar this year.
Unlike the US, where Hallowe'en is the big draw on October 31st, Mexico celebrates November 1st (Day of Remembrance for children who have died in the last year) and November 2nd (Day of Remembrance for adults who have passed on recently). There will be public altars and many homes will have their own particular altar. On the 3rd, the altars will be transported to the local cemetaries and set up on the graves of those being remembered.
What's involved in an alter? Wild marigolds, canes of the sugar plant, small sugar skulls for the children replaced with large sugar skulls for the adults. Toys and candies for the children replaced with food and mézcal for the adults. Not sure what you put out for teetotalers...water? Sodas are uncapped for the spirits' ease in drinking.
Not that trick and treating hasn't begun to catch on, but at least most of the traditional festivities are tied to actual people who have passed on and it's not just a time to dress up and attempt to scare people - oh, and collect goodies!
My sister, her husband, and two friends will be joining us during the time of the festivities, so we may go to the effort to provide the makings for an altar this year.
Unlike the US, where Hallowe'en is the big draw on October 31st, Mexico celebrates November 1st (Day of Remembrance for children who have died in the last year) and November 2nd (Day of Remembrance for adults who have passed on recently). There will be public altars and many homes will have their own particular altar. On the 3rd, the altars will be transported to the local cemetaries and set up on the graves of those being remembered.
What's involved in an alter? Wild marigolds, canes of the sugar plant, small sugar skulls for the children replaced with large sugar skulls for the adults. Toys and candies for the children replaced with food and mézcal for the adults. Not sure what you put out for teetotalers...water? Sodas are uncapped for the spirits' ease in drinking.
Not that trick and treating hasn't begun to catch on, but at least most of the traditional festivities are tied to actual people who have passed on and it's not just a time to dress up and attempt to scare people - oh, and collect goodies!
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