Tag Archives: 2024

Dec31

Adios 2024 Bienvenido 2025

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Adios 2024 Bienvenido 2025

This will be my last post for 2024. Was it just yesterday I wrote my first post of the year? It seems like the older I get the faster the time flies by. And it scares me when I hear people decades younger remark about the very same thing. Just wait til you get to be my age!

I hope you enjoyed the post I shared again about some of the New Years Traditions here in Mexico. I originally published it back in 2022.

It’s a balmy 76 degrees here although it feels warmer with the bright sunlight. I have welcomed in the new year from somewhere in Mexico for the past fifteen years except for the one year I was in Washington during Covid. And I will take the heat over cold and snow anyday.

To all my readers, I thank you for your support. I wish you all the best in the year 2025. Here’s to a year of Health and Happiness for all!

Dec27

Dia de Los Santos Inocentes

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Dia de Los Santos Inocentes

December 28th. Mexico’s version of April Fools Day. I first heard about this when I was teaching middle school in Culiacan back in 2010. And it’s not just mischievous children who delight in playing pranks on people. There are false newscasts in abundance. And if someone asks to borrow something from you rest assured that you will never see it again.

A common prank is hiding the baby Jesus figurine from the nativity scene. The explanation is that now Jesus is safe from Herod. Yes. King Herod’s soldiers were instructed to find and kill all baby boys under the age of two in Bethlehem, thus eliminating the threat to Herod of Jesus, the king of the Jews.

“Inocente palomita que te dejaste enganar!” Personally, I find it easier to say “April Fools!”

Dec23

Two Days

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Two Days

It’s two days after the winter solstice. It’s two days before Christmas. It’s two days before Chanukah. It’s twenty years since the first day of Chanukah fell on the same day as Christmas.

The TV in the background features Meet The Fockers. But of course I’m watching it in Spanish as I eat my breakfast. Yes I realize it’s almost two in the afternoon but I slept late this morning and lazily sipped coffee in bed until a half hour ago when my body requested food.

A quick trip to the corner tienda was quick although it was crowded. I think the whole neighborhood was there. Last minute shopping. And if you think Costco or Walmart are busy at this time of year, you need to check out this tienda. The owners had even recruited extra help for today. They also presented me with a Christmas gift — a reusable shopping bag that contained a large box of cookies.

Christmas Eve is the big celebration here in Mexico. Families go to church and have sumptuous meals together. I will be with a friend tomorrow night and will be attending a mass in a Catholic church nearby followed by dinner. It’s a tradition we have since I’ve been in Aguascalientes.

Merry Christmas! Happy Chanukah! Enjoy whatever holiday you are celebrating with friends and loved ones.

Dec17

Posada

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Posada

The word “posada” means “inn.” Posadas are generally held from December 16th-24th. Although posadas have become synonymous with parties, the roots are religious ones. They commemorate the journey to Bethlehem by Joseph and Mary. Back in the 16th century, Augustinian missionaries introduced these searches for shelter in order to teach the Nativity story and to replace other pagan rituals. In the end, the innkeeper lets the pilgrims in and there is a celebration.

I’ve lived in different places in Mexico and have seen different celebrations.

One of the most memorable was in San Ciro. There was a procession down the main street of this small town that included Mary riding on a donkey. The procession culminated at the Catholic church where children sang and danced before smashing open a pinata.

In Culiacan the school held a dinner party for the staff. The tradition of singing and looking for shelter before the birth of Jesus was a big part of the celebration. And of course we adults got to break open a pinata.

Here in Aguascalientes I’ve seen groups of people singing out on the streets going from door to door in search of shelter, just as Joseph and Mary did.

In Tlaquepaque I was invited to a house party the first year I was there. I need to clarify here that house parties rarely began before eleven at night and usually ended at around seven in the morning. That year I only lasted until five. In the years following I made sure I had a long siesta before the party.

The schools where I taught had posadas for the students. The pinatas were always the highlights. The seven points represent the seven deadly sins. When the pinatas are broken open, the candy that falls out represents the faith that good things follow when evil is conquered.

Aside from the candy that falls from the pinata, a celebration would not be complete without food. The traditional drink is ponche (a warm fruit punch often spiked with tequila.) Tamales ( filled corn husks) are the main course and bunuelos ( a fried pastry) are a typical dessert.

Oh oh! I have a new neighbor two doors down and she makes bunuelos!

Dec13

Friday The 13th and Other Superstitions

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Friday The 13th and Other Superstitions

This post isn’t about any Friday the 13th movie. Instead I want to delve into the world of superstition and the idea that bad things happen on Friday the 13th.

I must admit I’ve been rather tentative when it comes to Friday the 13th. I vividly recall Friday February 13th, 1976. Three minutes short of the halfway point from Winnipeg to Denver en route to San Diego, Frontier Airlines turned us back to Winnipeg due to engine trouble. Obviously I missed the connecting flight in Denver.

Then there was Friday November 13th, 2015 in Mazatlan when the ATM thought it would be fun to eat my debit card. Needless to say I don’t use BBVA Bancomer anymore.

All other Friday the 13ths have been proven to be uneventful although today is far from over.

But why the big deal about Friday the 13th? Here’s a few tidbits I gleaned from history.

I’ll begin with a Christian root. Judas Iscariot betrayed Jesus. He was also the 13th guest at The Last Supper.

Next we turn to Norse mythology. Twelve gods were invited to a banquet. A thirteenth god named Loki (the trickster god) crashed the banquet. This resulted in fighting and death.

We then go to France where King Philip IV decreed that all Knights Templar in his kingdom were to be arrested. These people were viewed as heretics as they denied Christ and worshipped idols. Many were executed and the Church disbanded the group.

Now let’s look at some other superstitions and what some people do to avoid bad things from happening.

Break a mirror lately? That could mean seven years of bad luck.

Don’t walk under a ladder or something bad is sure to happen.

Watch out for that black cat, especially on Friday the 13th.

Throw a pinch of salt over your left shoulder to keep evil at bay.

Remember this one from childhood? Step on a crack and you break your mother’s back.

How about looking for four-leaf clovers for luck? Or carrying around that lucky rabbit’s foot? Walk into any Casino or Bingo game and look around at all the lucky charms people have.

And let’s not forget knocking on wood.

How superstitious are you?

Dec9

My Writing Goals For 2025

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My Writing Goals For 2025

It’s almost the end of December and that means 2024 is almost over. It’s time to set some goals for next year. I don’t do resolutions. I do goals. They’re more meaningful to me and I’m more likely to strive to achieve them.

First and foremost are my writing goals. When I’m here in Mexico, I have more time to write. More importantly I have more time to write without interruption. This means I sometimes boot up my laptop at midnight and write for a few hours. Breakfast can sometimes be at two in the afternoon or later. My time is my own.

I’ll start with the novel I’m writing. It’s actually turning into a trilogy. While there is some fine tuning I still have to do on all three parts, I’m into the homestretch now. My goal is to have this ready for publishing in the spring when I return up north. Then I need to decide which country to publish it in. My first two books were published in the USA but now I’m leaning towards having the next one published in Canada.

WordPress is presenting its annual bloganuary again this year. I’m going to attempt it. This means a writing prompt a day for thirty-one days. I won’t post all of them to my blog, but I do intend to post a few of the more interesting ones. Sometimes these writing prompts can be quite bizarre.

Another goal I have is to write in Spanish. Until now I have primarily been writing in English. My writing in Spanish tends to be on What’s App, Facebook and texts. While my main focus in Spanish has always been in speaking, I want to do some writing to improve my grammar rather than merely the exercises on Duolingo.

And when I’m not writing, I still have all those pics I scanned last summer that need to be organized………….

Dec3

Poinsettia

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Poinsettia

As I was scrolling through my newsfeed this morning, I found an article that was a refreshing change from politics and war. It was about the poinsettia and the story behind it. When I lived in Tlaquepaque, a school where I taught actually had a poinsettia tree growing out in the courtyard.

The poinsettia has its roots in Mexican culture, dating back to when the Aztecs used the red leaves to make dye and medicine for fevers.

Legend has it that this plant first bloomed after a battle near Taxco between Montezuma and the Chontales tribe. Apparently the Chontales were reluctant to pay their taxes. When the battle ended, the road to Taxco was a bloody one covered with dead warriors. Red flowers amazingly bloomed. The Aztecs believed that these flowers were sacred and that the souls of the dead returned as hummingbirds to drink from the petals.

There is another Mexican legend regarding poinsettias. Two very poor children wanted to bring a gift to Baby Jesus for the Christmas Eve service. But they had no money. An angel appeared and told them to pick some weeds and put them next to the Baby Jesus. They did and the weeds became beautiful red poinsettias.

Franciscan friars used poinsettias in their Christmas celebrations. They believed that the star-shaped leaves signified the Star of Bethlehem and that the red color was a reminder of Christ’s sacrifice.

How did the poinsettia arrive in the United States? Joel Poinsett was the first American ambassador to Mexico. He adored these beautiful flowers and in 1825 brought them to the USA. Hence the name poinsettia.

Poinsettias are synonymous with Christmas all around the globe. While the most popular color is red, there are also varieties in pink, white and yellow as well.

I recall buying poinsettia plants when I lived in Canada. They were always red and I was never successful in keeping them alive for more than a few weeks after Christmas. I kept them indoors due to the frigid temperatures outside, but obviously they thrive better outdoors in a warmer climate.

Nov29

Keep In Touch

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Keep In Touch

You still do Facebook? I don’t have the time. Several of my friends say that to me. But here’s why I do find the time. And you’d be surprised at how little time it takes. It isn’t necessary to become hopelessly addicted.

Every morning I enjoy looking at my memories. My nomadic lifestyle has resulted in me living in many places with many different people in all three countries — Mexico, USA and Canada. Facebook also reminds me of my friends’ birthdays. I check my notifications but do not click on most of them. Total time so far less than 5 minutes.

I belong to four writing groups. Writers in Mexico I seldom visit, Writers Forum has interesting info on everything from grammar to publishing, Women Writers is similar to Writers Forum but is a much smaller group and is all women, and I just joined NotNaNoWriMo where I hope to play a more interactive role. The time I spend in these groups varies anywhere from 1 to 10 minutes a day.

I DO NOT SCROLL. My friends know that if there’s something they really want me to know about then Messenger is the way to go. Of course there are exceptions such as certain holidays and events.

I post the link to my blogs on Facebook. That takes seconds.

I don’t leave Facebook or Messenger open in the background when I’m on other screens.

That is how I do Facebook.

I removed myself from Twitter long before it became X. And I don’t look at Instagram.

However I can now be found at @lovetowrite23.bsky.social. I follow a handful of people, mostly writers. I’m not sure what I’m going to do with this yet, but I’ll give it a try.

I kept my American phone number this year so instead of just leaving voicemails my friends call me back too. And of course we text all the time. Unfortunately the Canadians still get voicemails as they don’t have a long distance plan to Mexico or the USA.

That’s how I keep in touch.

Nov26

A Different Pet Story

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A Different Pet Story

Where I’m from in Canada, people have some pretty standard pets. Dogs, cats, birds, fish, hamsters, turtles. It’s much the same in the USA but a little different here in Mexico. Iguanas, tarantulas and piranhas are just a few of the more common and unusual pets.

The other day I was having lunch with some of my Mexican friends here in Aguascalientes. Victor shared this story about a pet with me.

Victor was babysitting a pet for his nephew who was away. Unfortunately this pet passed away. Victor buried it out in the garden. Victor thought about replacing this pet but was unable to do so. It turns out that the pet in question was a porcupine.

I don’t know about you, but I have never heard of a pet porcupine before. And I don’t think a porcupine would be my first choice.

I’ll leave you to ponder that one.

Happy Thanksgiving!

Nov20

It’s Different Here

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It’s Different Here

Looks like I got out just in time. I missed that bomb cyclone in Washington with hurricane force winds, downed trees and powerlines. Friends in East Wenatchee are reporting power outages and more than six inches of snow. I’m shivering just thinking about this.

Here in Aguascalientes the temperature has been far above the norm for this time of year. I’m back to taking walks early in the morning and then again later at night.

Now that my room is organized, I have more time for writing. In addition to the novel I’m working on, one of my online writers’ groups gave an interesting challenge — “Write the story of your life as a narrative rather than as a collection of stories for a book of memoirs.” Seeing as I’ve struggled with the latter, it’s tempting to take up the challenge.

Last weekend Gloria and I went out to Tres Centurias. When I first got here five years ago, I took way too many photos of the trains so this year I only took photos of the catrinas. They hadn’t been taken yet although Dia de los Muertos was November 2nd. Then we walked over to Malva and had a delicious lunch of cochinita pibil.

Yesterday I went to my favorite bakery where I was greeted enthusiastically by the owner, “Maestra!” Somehow that name has stuck. The first time I went there I told her I was a retired teacher. Of course the word “retired” was eliminated immediately.

I also went to another favorite store where I buy a few things I don’t find at my corner tienda. And once again the staff remembered me. This store has a variety of meat and cheese as well as crepes and hotcakes.

My Spanish is getting a workout. Raul is pretty much the only one I speak English to. Of course I still have to tell my neighbors “mas despacio, por favor.”

My Spanish must be improving. I watched a crime show on TV the other day and actually picked up on most of the subtle cues although I’d never seen this episode before. And I don’t use subtitles.

Happy Humpday!