I prefer instant pay, myself.

A friend told me today that now since the states are out of money, the police are issuing tickets like crazy.
He got one for "texting while driving"...... but he doesn't have a cell phone,
that's the problem....

He was changing the music selection on his IPOD.

And he was at a stop light that just stopped in the traffic, at an intersection.

So now, the new style of "The Law" gave him a ticket without even so much as the customary explanation. You know, judge, jury and executioner, tax collector all in one!

The officer told him that he is welcome to fight it , just go to court.

That's another problem.

So he takes a day off from work, and goes to court, Judge says, well, if you want to protest this we will have to reschedule this so the officer can testify, or I just reduce the fine from $135 to 50 bucks and we dispose of it today?

Day off, another day off, the cop may lie, he's screwed anyway you look at it.

In Mexico, I get stopped, I instantly pay, no lost wages, no lost time (except for negotiations) and I pay a fine.....

Another reason I enjoy fast justice in Mexico!

And you know the states will get more money hungry as the meltdown continues.......

Customer Service...huh?

Lots of merchants are seeing some business income slide, they say it's because of the Internet.
Yes I will have to agree, the Internet has changed the way you purchase certain things, like books for one.
I go crazy and order up on Amazon and in a week or two the box arrives and all my books are there! Pretty easy, brainless, and they are cheaper than going to a bookstore and not finding the book you wanted anyway.

But there are things that you just can't buy via the net, stuff like shoes, OK yes you can buy shoes, and I have in the past, but I wind up sending more than half of them back, since my foot is Muy Ancho!

So, I trashed my slippers that I walk around in half the day by going and doing gardening and other stuff that they were not designed to do.

No problem, I'll just go down to the local shoe store, they will have what I want, worse case I'll drive a few more miles, or combine it with the next trip to the big berg.

Entering the store, I am amazed that there are not only two or three pairs, but about 6 pairs of possible prospects. Some in brown,s ome in tan....I wanted tan... looks cooler, temperature wise.

The next thing I hear is that someone will be with be shortly.

Ok, no problem. I am not in a hurry.

So, 5 minutes go by, then another 5, then a few more. Finally a sales man walk to within 8 ft of me and answers his cellphone.

Why people shout into their phones I will never understand....it's doesn't make the call go any further, but they still do.....

So now I hear his conversation, his problems with stock, some other issues, on and on...

Another 5 minutes go by and I feel that his phone call is much more important than someone hovering around wanting to purchase something in his store.

I start getting closer to the front door.

I don't happen to overhear him telling anyone that he has to go.......keeps on talking on the his cellphone.

Maybe he was talking to somebody special.....important who knows......

Another minute or two, I am starting my car, getting ready to go to another task on my to do list.

4 hours later, two pairs are ordered, I'll have them in a week or so.

And they wonder why they lose business......

So now what?

It's a quarter to three, there is no one in the place but you and me, so set em up Joe.....
Better yet it should be, it's a quarter to three, I can't get to sleep so what do I doooooo?

I've tried Chamomile tea, a couple of sleep aid tables and I still am wide awake.

For some reason this happens about once or twice a month.
I use to think it was stress, that's fine when you are younger, and have something to stress over.
Don't have to get up early to catch a plane.

Money, Romance, Travel, Jobs, but now......

So let's knock off the stress angle.

Must be some chemical imbalance.
Or just maybe something I ate?

I usually can drink a nice cup of coffee at 11 PM and fall asleep by Midnight.
Last coffee was 5 PM.

So now, I scanned the internet, read the USA Today, for Today, Yesterday still not sleepy.
And counting sheep is BS!

Windows open so theres fresh air, it around 60 degrees so it's not too hot.
Not too cold.
And there are no good movies on TV.
And my eyes are too tired to read.

Maybe I should have had one for the road, eh Joe?

the birds

Living in amongst trees has some benefits and drawbacks. The down side you probably know about, the big problem is tree bandits, the small problem is the maintenance associated with lots of pine trees trimming, falling branches on to the power lines and cleaning up now and then.

That sometimes seems to bring make life living in a nice apartment within walking distance to shops and restaurant bring a hint of envy.

However, One of the things that completely wipe out all the negative things is nature.

Birds is the topic of today's rant. The hummingbirds, the finches, the blackbirds, and the other 30 or so species that call our plot home.

For one we have water, something they are attracted to, as the bees are also, I prefer the birds, although we desperately need the bees for the balance of life. Not only for man but for other life.

We have had guests who have planted themselves in a chair in our back yard for hours attaching binoculars to their foreheads. Amazed they will come in for a drink of water or to have a sandwich, only to return to their perch to observe.

Years ago my wife started enticing the flock by putting out bird feeders and hummingbird diners. After a few weeks she was overwhelmed and has somewhat slowed down the commitment, they still come.

Some years there are more than others, predators probably or just wanderlust perhaps.
Anyway we have a beautiful display of feathery fashion almost the whole year.

We saw a bird bath in a fancy restaurant in the Wine Country, thankfully labor is less expensive at your local muffler shop in Moreila who's talented artistic welder and pipe bender fashions one to our delight from photographs provided.

Now all we need to do is how to fatten them up to roast......

Just kidding, they are only for show!

it's only money, right?

I get a lot of questions about property, the first one is "can you own property in Mexico?" If I had a dollar for each time I have been asked that I would be a wealthy man. The real estate business down in Mexico has been evolving and is an interesting experience depending on who you know and who you ask.

The interesting thing now a days how the "new guard" of real estate sales people are attempting to capitalize on the people that are considering to purchase property for their retirement.

When we bought our land, that was an interesting experience. We were shown a strip of land, walked all 8 hectares of it and fell in love with it!

Had nice views, great assortment of trees and the price was nice. So, as we get ready to do the deal, the salesman informs us that the property that we walked was not the property that is for sale.....

As William Bendix on the Life of Riley would say, "Wow, isn't that a revolting development". Well I think that's what he said, it was too many years ago and my memory is getting diluted with not sufficient memory space, need to expand the gigabytes.....

It turned out to be the property south one parcel that was the for sale.
Real professional eh?
Well that was just the beginning.....

Back to the issue at hand. Looking at ads for homes on various sites, Craigslist listings, Century 21 Mexico and others, you see tons of properties and prices.

Lots of the homes are as expensive or more so than US prices.

Someone is making some nice cash. I don't think it is necessarily the property owner. What I have seen is a lot of opportunistic individuals who are making money more so than what would normally be called reasonable. I think the word for it is gouging, flimflam, overcharge are a few words that instantly come to mind.

If I can instill one thing to anyone who asks about property is one thing. Do your research and see if you can get someone to help you with the transaction or at least know what the reasonable pricing is for similar properties.

We were lucky we had a few friends who we trusted, one in Guadalajara and one in Morelia. Had we not done some prior work, I know we would have both overpaid and been taken advantage of beyond belief.

Looking at prices there are properties that have lots of fluff built into the price. Some are reasonably priced for the area, construction and size.
Others are not.

We have been offered bare land for reasonable prices and some not. At one time we were considering a Mazatlan condo and that is where I found the prices vary as much vendors in your local mercado.

Recently there have been tons of ads enticing Americans to buy now before the prices go up, buy now since the monthly living expenses are cheap, cheap , cheap.

It is interesting to see the prices of homes that we have seen being sold by locals, and then seeing homes in the same neighborhood being advertised for twice, and three times the price.

But there is always someone who seems willing to pay for it. So maybe they deserve the deal they get.
On the other hand, many Mexicans put up for sale signs just to find out what the offers may be and know that should they need some money that maybe, just maybe they will fetch that same amount with a serious buyer.
Maybe not.

Dinner and friends

One of the things we enjoy is having a nice dinner with friends. It use to be somewhat accepted and normal to have people over for dinner, a few cocktails or drinks, shoot the bull, swap tales of woe and have an enjoyable time with conversation.

It seems that it has fallen a little out of fashion to do so, and or an effort to fit time to visit and share the time for that exchange that people do not care to do as much.
They now would rather meet at a restaurant to have dinner or drinks......
Maybe they are lazy to clean up before or after?

I know that Sundays are for family, tradition was that many immigrant families would always congregate for the Sunday meal, keeping both the recipes and stories, discussions of our about the embarrassing uncle who would be the talk of the rest of the family when he went off to the bathroom or outside to talk with a few of the other family members.

One of the many things I enjoy and respect is Sunday. Not for the obvious, but for the day that it brings together families and friends. Growing up I remember that we always had people over for dinners and it seemed that people were always having fun, with discussions and sometimes arguments, but all were happy by the time coffee or tea was brought out.

It seems that for many reasons that lots of reports and articles have been written, we are "Too Busy" to socialize over dinner not only with family but with friends anymore.
Day to day events and happenings are now being discussed via "texting, tweeting, voicemail and email".

Having someone actually talk to you is becoming less and less frequent.

Last night was one of those nights dinner was provided but more importantly friends provided both discussion and deliciously prepaired food.

It wasn't a thrown together dinner that my friends provided, it was a Mexican themed dinner.
Fine Tequila to start which paved the way for both a great cheese with chili appetizer, followed with a nopalito inspired ragu topped by a savory chili steamed chicken. The topping was of course dessert.
Especially since my friends took the time to try one of my "Tortilla Torts".
It was even better than when I make it..... they provided both love and heart with the making and serving of it.

At least I know that someone actually trys some of the recipes I scribe now and then.

As the studio announcer would say in the beginning of each Lone Ranger radio episode. Return with us to the thrilling days of yesteryear.... Dinners at home, kids reading books and playing outside instead of sitting in front of a video game or texting.

And they wonder why social skills are disappearing.

I kind of enjoyed yesteryear......

Darby O'Gill and the itsy bitsy people....

If you have been following my rants you know that one of my funnels of information and news is the electronic version of USA Today. It seems to provide me just enough goings on to keep my blood pressure elevated at some point during the reading cycle.
I offset it by reading the different spin on the news on either the BBC site or the Christian Science Monitor. Yes, there is El Sol from Morelia which has sports coverage than local news, which is not necessarily a bad thing......

You might ask why the Christian Science Monitor, it's because they seem to have a elevation of normal in a sea of really weird colors and spins of other biased media.

Back to USA Today.

There was a small article that points out that the Little People Of America have filed an action with the Federal Communications Commission to ban the use of the word "Midget" on TV.
The group goes on to say that "midget" is as offensive to them as racial slurs.

Are you kidding me? What is going on up there? This overly sensitive populace is going nuts!
I cannot believe that again (sorry for saying this so soon after the MJ media coverage) there is nothing better to align oneself to besides worrying about being called a midget?

Hey, I was called fat for many years and I didn't go ballistic, never got up on a rooftop or hired an attorney to sue anyone or filed a action against McDonald's for forcing Big Macs down my gullet.

Why is there the sensitivity to such things nowadays?
You read that some Indian Tribe demands that a football team quit calling themselves their tribe name because it reminds them of the slaughter 200 years ago or the someone sues someone else because didn't get the grade someone else got in school.

Thankfully Mexico seems not to be obsessed with this Political Correctness that the US has found a new profit center at.

Back to the midgets......So they want to be called "Little People" but isn't that worse? Maybe I just don't see it there way since I look from a 6ft vantage point, however to me I was taught that "Midget" was the small size of whatever was the norm. So isn't that the same as Small People?
Or is Little People more sensitive?

I wonder why there is even a Little People of America in the first place. Sounds like they want to be a special group, but don't want their own special name.......go figure.

And friend once told me to "follow the money trail" to find out the answers and motivation to a lot of things, so the only thing I assume is somehow, somewhere, someone will get some pennies out of the deal.

Hopefully Mexico is decades behind nonsense like that, they have more pressing issues.......
Too many people with special interests with too much time on their hands..

It only a matter of time.....

"Oh you are so lucky, you have time to do so many things......"

Well, yes we are lucky, but for some reason that avalanche of time is not as overwhelming as one would think.
Yes, I see people all the time who have time for this and that, vacations, trips and projects galore.

Lot's of folks still have the concept that things get done quickly.

Well somethings do. Other things not.

Let me give you a few examples.

We need a delivery of propane for our tank that runs the water heater and stove. We call on the cell phone and usually we get a delivery the same day. Same thing goes for a water truck if we are in dire need of water, you call and it is delivered the same day or usually within 24 hours...

(In the last 10 or so years, we have only needed it twice, for a few days, tankfully.....(get it?)

But projects that require some parts are the killers.
Let's say we need to fix some water pipe that is for some of the irrigation. We use 3/4 PVC pipe. So we hop in to the truck and head down to town, usually a 5 to 8 minute trip. Depending the how many slow trucks there are heading down and up the hill.

We arrive at our normal hardware store. Lets say we need a roll of the 3/4 black PVC pipe, no problem. And the will even load it on your truck for you.....

How about a 3/4 inch barb to 3/4 NPT fitting, so we can attach a hose bib valve also.

"Let me look", he says. Returning after about 5 mintues, he brings us a white plastic fitting, along with a plastic coupling and a inline valve. The valve is the wrong type, since it is a female NPT and will not attach a hose directly without several adapters.

The white plastic coupling is made so cheap, that if you apply any pressure or torque to it, it will split into several contorted sections.

"Sorry, I need something stronger and the valve needs to have the connection for a water hose directly. Last time I was here, you had the metal 3/4 PVC hose barbs, you know the silver looking ones......"

"Oh, yes I know, let me go look."

It is at this time that I seriously question my ability to communicate in Spanish. A temporary blood clot must have lodged in my brain, in the section that puts the speech together, I think to myself.....
But, I turn to my brother-in-law who's first language is Spanish, and ask him, was I unclear or what? No, he smiles and rolls his eyes.

5 to 10 minutes pass, the clerk returns now we have the original plastic white cheapy barb mating into a 3/4 inch NPT Black pipe coupling, then going to a ball valve with another adapter, to a section of black 3/4 PVC held together with two hose clamps into a hose fitting.

Got the picture?

I look at my brother in law in disbelief.

So now, he the commander of Spanish is taking the wheel of the ship over......He explains again to the clerk, in almost the same words that I did, what we need.

The clerk, smiles and dissapears.
5 minutes, go by.......
The clerk returns, telling us that they have no hose bib valves, but he found a steel hose fitting and Galvanized coupling.

We also purchase a roll of barbed wire for the fencing have it loaded an depart.

Job not done yet.

Total time at the store, 25 minutes. plus 5 for the cashier to go over the tag twice.

"Let's stop at Soriana and get some stuff for dinner" Ok, we both go in.
"You know, I can't believe that they don't carry the hose valves" I say to my brother in law.

Look!.... he says and hands be a hose bib valve, in their garden hose section.
Exactly what we needed to complete the job.

Sadly they didn't have the other parts that we got at the hardware store.

Oh and I forgot to tell you they were out of the staples that we needed to attach the barb wire to the fence posts.

We leave Soriana, after about 15 minutes and are back on the road.

"Hey, you want to go to the big plaza and have a cup of coffee and watch people?" I ask.

Sure, we find a parking space, spend two minutes telling the guy we don't want the truck washed and not to take the barbed wire that is in the back of the truck bed.

We sit and review our shopping list at the next hardware store that may have staples.
We discuss the strategies required to shop, live, eat and drink. We enjoy a strong coffee and some butter cookies we purchased down the street at the pastry shop, and let a half hour or maybe an hour pass peacefully.

That folks is pretty normal "I'll just run down to the hardware store for some stuff" trip.
It is much better than it use to be.
When we were building the house, we spent days, in Morelia going from place to place in search of stuff.

If we needed 4 of something, they have one, but knew of where there were a couple more.

We go there, they only have one too.

They send us to another place, they have one, for the other they send us back to where we started.

We come home with only three.

And so it goes.......lots of time......and pretty soon it's a new year, a new rainy season and so it goes.

And then it rained.....

Ah, the downpour of water, comes and goes, then we have the dry season for months on end. Then it comes and stays for months, so why not have a little more control and use it before it runs down the gully and side of the road making little rivulets of mud and washing away my land square inch by inch.

After all at that rate, I will lose a hectare in 30,000 years......maybe, hell I don't know, but I do know that it is a shame to not catch the water and use it instead of using our drinking water for irrigation.


I picked this book up last time we were passing through Tucson, it is a set, and has some stellar ideas and plans and projects for catching the rain.

Our location is a interesting one since we are on top of a mountain, the town is 6 to 7 km below us. Often , actually quite often I will be in town looking at a dark cloud in the area of the mountain while the town drenched in sunshine. As I crest the hill I am met with a downpour which lasts while the passing pillow of water moves further south or west, never moving towards Patzcuaro.

We have a unique micro climate and although I am sure that the rain precipitation evens out in the long run, I want to harness some drops , at least for a mini project.

We have a canyon which centuries ago probably was formed by either water or an shift of the Pacific plate rubbing it's nose to some Mayan god.

Anyway my though was to damn up one end of a section, line it with some plastic and divert our gutter downspouts into the new chasm.

That would be the most cost effective way to save the water. I also thought of building a small pond, but that seems like a lot of work and continual maintenance. A cistern of any consequence would be quite expensive as would a series of Rotoplast tanks.

With as much water as is provided from the sky it would be nice to save it and as the book points out there are many ways to filter and even use it for great tasting drinking water.

Places in other lands have done this for years, living solely on the fluid derived from the sky. I see people purchasing water in big bottles and am thankful that our normal supply is although a little expensive and mostly reliable, fit for drinking straight from the tap.

If you have a problem and purchase water you might look into "Water Harvesting" It may be cost effective and or at least usable for irrigation purposes.

I love informational books such as this, had I considered the topic while we were building the house, I would have put a cistern underneath the house. I have seen many such installations but it never occurred to me to do it , since water was coming out of a hose so effortlessly at the time.
We did have to run 2500 meters of pipe though.......