Under AMLO, it's starting to look like an autocracy In the run-up to the 2000 presidential election Vicente Fox, candidate of the National Action Party (PAN) made an unprecedented campaign appearance at a meet-and-greet rally in Chicago, home to one of the largest Mexican-American populations in the U.S. Fox, a hulk of a man about …
To remember her cooking and the family history The exploration of some people's fraught relationship with their mothers must be a leading topic of psychotherapy even if sifting through life's what-ifs and could-have-beens while lying on a couch often doesn't alleviate present-day anguishes. Grandmothers are a different story. Our memories of them are rose-tinted by …
Everyday Mexican cooking is easy, except when it ain't Between the pandemic lockdown and remodeling of our kitchen and terrace, we hadn't done any entertaining for more than two years, not that we were ever a couple of gay Martha Stewarts who would whip up a Beef Bourguignon, set out the fancy china and tableware …
A moving ceremony even if the young participants didn't fully appreciate its meaning First Communion is one of the holiest and most important initiation rites in the life of a Roman Catholic, as the bread and wine consecrated during the Mass represent the continuing presence of Jesus on earth. Yet I'd bet pesos to doughnuts …
San Miguel is increasingly pricey but expat generosity is hardly the chief culprit Last Sunday Stew and I stopped at Querétaro's "Mercado de Flores," a hangar-size paradise of all things gardening located next to the city cemetery, that sells plants, pots and other supplies at noticeable lower prices than nurseries in San Miguel. If you …
Continue reading Is paying higher wages bad for Mexican workers?
After three years of masks, tests, vaccines and boosters, the pandemic just won't away We spent Christmas in New York, where it was very cold. Its eight million residents, plus probably another million tourists like us, appeared to be dashing between restaurants, cinemas, theaters, museums, subways, buses and any place that promised shelter and warmth. …
Consuming lots of news can make you a more informed citizen—or a neurotic zombie If there were a Twelve Step program to alleviate an addiction to news, I might qualify for membership. I already have had to deal with two types of addictions—booze and nicotine—so it's not much of a stretch that my well-nigh obsessive, …
Our bees buzzed double-time during the lockdown Partial view of our state-of-the-art processing plant. After a hiatus of more than a year, Rancho Santa Clara's honey production is back in business, with a bumper harvest of dark amber honey that is also light and particularly sweet. The pause in production was caused by our manager …
It continues to thrive while its neighbors remain mired in violence, poverty and corrupt politics This tiny Central American country can charm as well as puzzle you. Its dazzling biodiversity, which attracts 1.7 million tourists and $1.7 billion dollars in revenues yearly, is irresistible. The other, more surprising side of Costa Rica is how it …
Continue reading Costa Rica: A bird of a very different feather
A reader alerted me to a YouTube video of a "train" of Skylight satellites crossing the sky. Pretty amazing. I hope you can play it. The structure on the left looks like a pyramid. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pgysWWwESfU
El Rancho Santa Clara 