Some time ago, while Stew was lying in bed trying to read, our sixteen-year-old cat Paco sat on his chest to demand his nightly dose of head-rubbing and general coochee-coochee. Paco doesn't quit easily: He'll purr, meow, shove his head against whatever you're reading, climb on your head if all else fails. No point in …
Continue reading When is it time to say goodbye to my old cat?
Exile in Mexico has a number of advantages, chief among them that you could, theoretically, try to preserve some peace of mind by setting some distance from the jarring avalanche of political news coming from the U.S.Erik Hagerman, was so upset at Donald Trump's election that he swore that he would avoid learning about anything …
The spring solstice won't arrive until Tuesday at 10:15 a.m. but at the ranch we've been enjoying a spring greening since late February, thanks to the succulents, cacti and other xeric plants already blooming even though not a drop of rain is expected for several months.Longer days and warmer temperatures spur this spring hubbub. Shallow-rooted …
Continue reading Spring arrives early at the ranch and succulents and cacti lead the festivities
When we moved to the ranch about seven years ago we took to recycling with the fervor of tree-huggers from Portland, San Francisco or Vancouver.Of course, we set up a three-bin compost pile. And we also began to separate aluminum, cardboard, plastic, regular metal cans, and glass, which we took to a recycling center on …
In America's inflamed political environment today, and arguably in much of the world, complex problems have been reduced to generic political labels, and Donald Trump has become the leading exponent of something called "populism". In Britain one has Nigel Farage, in Italy, Silvio Berlusconi and in France, Marine Le Pen, each offering their own version of …
Continue reading Trump: Populist, fascist or opportunist? Pick one.
And now a rant, of as the French might say, a cri de cœur, about all the pissiness that is swamping San Miguel, what with a boutique hôtel or some restaurant with haute cuisine delusions popping up practically on every corner.Last week Stew, a friend and I went to a restaurant that had all the trappings …
You may not agree, you may not care, butif you are holding this book you should knowthat of all the sights I love in this world—and there are plenty—very near the top ofthe list is this one: dogs without leashes. "Dog Songs," Poems by Mary OliverThough our seven-and-a-half acres of rocks, trees …
It was, as Stew put it, "a National Geographic moment," when nature puts on a live show rarely witnessed outside the pages of a glossy magazine or a nature documentary.Late Thursday afternoon, with the surf quieting down, we heard loud and sharp plop-plop-plop sounds, like thunderclaps, that we soon identified as coming from a humpback …
From today's Washington Post:America's ritual of outrage By Anthea ButlerIt is an American ritual, engaged in on almost a monthly basis. A mass shooting. Screaming. Frantic families. Shell-shocked survivors. Carnage. Grim-faced police and emergency responders, and news reporters smelling blood in the air, angling for the right shot of grief-stricken friends and family.Then, the tweets and statements …
Continue reading On guns: Couldn't have said it better myself
On this quiet beach, where not much goes on except the rhythmic crashing of the surf, brown pelicans have captured my attention. They come out in droves at sunrise, largely vanish at around noon and might reappear a couple of hours before the sun sets.With their huge beaks with a pouch underneath, tiny beady eyes, …
El Rancho Santa Clara 