Blooms that bring cheer when we most need it A few days ago while brushing my teeth I noticed that an otherwise unremarkable-looking potted cactus the size of large grapefruit that had sat on the counter for months, perhaps years, had sprouted a beautiful bright-yellow flower on top. This fellow goes by the name of …
This blogger is old
How i went from 'getting old' to 'being old' Lifestyle preachers may talk about "70 being the new 50" by profiling some 85-year-old guy who swims a mile a day in Lake Michigan in the middle of January. Such inspirational epistles never impressed us though. Less so after my husband Stew underwent serious spinal surgery …
Canines at the gate
What we've learned from the dogs that visit us daily When we bought the land for the ranch about 15 years ago, even before we began construction nine months later, a motley welcome wagon of "campo dogs" began coming to visit and indeed never left. Their numbers varied and sure, at first this bony, flea-bitten …
A spiritual nook in the woods
Deep in the Ozarks a most beautiful AND INSPIRING chapel During our travels Stew and I visit local places of worship of any religious persuasion, a quirky habit that has taken us from tiny, remote country chapels in Iceland to landmark churches that mark the center of some cities. Religious edifices can be imposing, as …
Texas to Sweden via IKEA
While in San Antonio, a side trip to Wåhdeføkken land IKEA's San Antonio store is hard to miss. A hulking box-like structure, with about twice the floor space of the average Walmart Super Center, rises slightly over its surroundings and is painted the bright yellow-and-blue colors of the Swedish flag, which flies alongside the U.S. …
I read the news today, oh boy!
This Halloween the news was particularly unnerving I always thought of myself as an optimist, at times perhaps a delusion-ist. For sure, I've suffered bouts of the blues but usually sprung back quite readily, convinced that most problems can be solved if broken down into smaller, more chewable bites. But this Halloween, and the following …
An old pipe organ gets a new wind
A welcome addition to San Miguel's bustling musical scene While some travelers favor shopping, museums or natural wonders, Stew and I head for places of worship regardless of their religious affiliation. Neither one of us is particularly religious yet sitting silently under the soaring vaulted ceilings of a gothic church, rays of sunlight filtering through …
Two degrees of separation
How far is San Miguel from San Antonio? Not far at all. The 2006 film Babel, written by Guillermo Arriaga and directed by Alejandro González Iñárritu, both supernovas of the Mexican cinema, is an intricate psychological drama starring Gael García Bernal, Brad Pitt, Adriana Barraza and Cate Blanchett, a Japanese cast, plus a number of …
Fly me to San Antonio
Medical evacuation seems frivolous until it isn't Five years after we moved to San Miguel, around the time we turned 65 and eligible for Medicare, Stew and I bought medical evacuation insurance with a company called SkyMed, based in Scottsdale, Arizona that promised to fly us back to the U.S. in case of a major …
When ‘what if’ turns into ‘what is’
An emergency tested our Medical plans Given the group's demographics, it's not surprising that health care, along with finances, rank high on the list of preoccupations among San Miguel's expats, as they realize they are on the last lap around the racetrack. Some planning is in order. At this stage, eightieth birthdays call for special …
El Rancho Santa Clara 