Stew prides himself in his supernatural do-it-yourself skills which permit him to repair things lesser humans would toss in the trash or the back of the closet. His brother Greg is even more confident of his technical abilities: He often buys things that are already broken, and really cheap, counting on being able to fix …
Memorial for someone we didn't know
Sally lived in San Miguel but, for Stew and me, she was a bedridden unknown. We inquired about her periodically, but her brother Doug, one of our best friends here, would only mutter, predictably, "Oh, she's about the same."Sally, 77, died on September 28 from the multiple sclerosis that had kept her barely conscious, in …
Happy Mexican Independence Day!
Mexican Independence Day cavalcade riding past our ranch
A place where May comes in September
In one particularly poignant entry in her "Diary", which Stew and I recently reread in anticipation of a trip to Amsterdam, Anne Frank talks about her remedy for unhappiness, loneliness and fear: "The best remedy for those who are frightened, lonely or unhappy is to go outside, somewhere they can be alone, alone with the sky, …
A not-too-modest proposal for reforming the American immigration system
It's been a painful, shameful, embarrassing spectacle, even from the distance afforded by living in Mexico, to watch what passes for a debate on immigration among the Republican presidential candidates, led by Donald Trump.The more extreme and ridiculous his positions have become—starting with his opening campaign blast promising that he would build a two-thousand-mile wall …
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When American consumer expectations met Mexican customer service realities
Not to turn this into a complaining and kvetching post, but during the past eight weeks I came to appreciate Stew's observation about how ungodly convoluted, frustrating and time-consuming even simple transactions can become when you live in Mexico.Take the oven in our six-year-old stove, which was manufactured in Celaya, a town about an hour …
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How violence looks from the other side
Violence in Mexico is the inescapable question every time we visit the U.S. Aren't you scared? Are you safe? Ever thought of coming back to the good ol' U.S.A.? Surely, you must have considered it! Where would you go?Ten years ago, when we announced our plan to move to Mexico, Charlotte, a good friend, reacted …
In praise of ugly, misshapen produce
When two days ago Félix brought in a large container of tomatoes from our garden, few qualified for the cover of a food or gardening magazine. Several grape tomatoes looked pretty natty alright, sassy and red, and one baseball-sized Brandywine turned out almost perfect, except for a small insect nip. But they were the minority.As …
Great day for Cubans, especially me
Yesterday Stew yelled urgently during the NBC Evening News broadcast, for me to watch an important video clip: Three Cuban honor guards solemnly marching toward the flagpole at the Cuban embassy in Washington, D.C. to raise the Cuban flag for the first time in more than fifty years.My own celebration yesterday. The choreography was a bit …
A brief introduction to how Mexico's law enforcement system operates
Latest attraction at Mexico's oldest theme park.When Americans can't quite explain a situation or event, they might just say, "Oh, you had to be there!"And so it is with Americans who might be baffled by the stupendous inefficiency and corruption of Mexico's law enforcement system, which allowed the July 11 escape of the world's most …
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El Rancho Santa Clara 