We Have A Winner! July 2010

Tianguis Orgánico

~Ajijic Organic Farmers Market~

We now have a wonderful little organic farmers market!

Tuesday mornings from 10:00 to 12:00

Located on the carretera, lake side,

in the parking lot of the Hole In One restaurant

in Mirasol.

Meet the vendors:

Eric and Kalina and her awesome prepared foods.

I bought salads, sweet potato french fries,

and vege burgers.

She has an amazing array of choices.

All healthy, mostly organic ingredients,

wheat and gluten-free,

and definitely delicious!

Ok, are you ready for this?

HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!

MORE HEIRLOOM TOMATOES!

 The cheese guy.

Homemade panela cheese with herbs and spices,

peppers, chili, or plain.

YUM!!!

You never know who you're gonna see.

The lady with botanicals.

Very knowledgable and helpful

with a nice assortment of organic products.

Homemade and garlicky HUMMUS!

Herb vinegars, tostadas, and many other interesting products to try.

Delicious and aromatic freshly brewed organic coffee.

By the cup or beans by the bag.

Tables and chairs to sit and chat with a cup of coffee

and enjoy the market.

Great idea!

Happy shoppers.

Good people watching. . .

Really nice promotional shirts made of organic cotton.

Organic chicken, milk, rice, and more.

Woo hoo!

This man has such a nice display and so many cool looking 

things to browse through.

I bought shallots.

Ahhhh, the bread folks.

Sorry I could not get a good shot of their products,

they were a little late and by the time they got everything

on the table the crowd was 3 deep.

When I could finally get the camera in there,

this is all that was left.

You'll just have to see for yourself,

breads, cookies, crackers, yogurt . . .

and the cutest little boy in the market.

Everyone had fun!

Don't forget to bring your shopping bag
and small change!
MORE VENDORS WELCOME AND ENCOURAGED TO ATTEND.
Tell your friends!!!

THE END

Politics and All That Crap July 2010

TODAY'S SOUNDTRACK

I'm not a political person,

suffice to say I abhor politics.

So, I've been hiding under a rock.

That way I can ignore the steady stream of young

(and not so young) men dressed in baggy clothes 
and illustrated with tattoos

that have been streaming into Jocotepec

and filling up already-bursting family homes.

More than a few bringing young American wives
and their small children back with them.
The girls struggling to fit in, find their place,
and learn the customs of the country 
and their new extended families.

New pickups with California plates.

And Arizona plates.

Jockeying around our narrow cobbled and potholed dirt roads

instead of Interstate 10 and Hwy 101.

Moving back into grandma's house —

another mouth to feed

with little opportunity for work.

There are hardly any rentals in Jocotepec,

returning Mexican family members are

occupying the available homes.

They nod to me when I pass them on the street.

Eye contact that says I'm like you!

Excited to speak English,

they tell me they miss the American culture.

They look shell-shocked.

My mechanic now has a translator, Francisco.

Baggy pants and tatts, happy to speak

English with me, eager to translate for me,

and "go-for" for Carlos's small neighborhood garage.

 For a very few pesos.

Hey, it's a job!

The Mexican woman who processed my

immigration renewal papers last month

was deported from the US —

and found work in an immigration office in Ajijic Mexico.

Under my rock we all get along.

We don't care where you were born,

or what color your skin is,

or what language you speak.

It's an equal opportunity rock.

I understand the borders must be made safer,

but not by racial profiling, abuse, hatred and discrimination.

Rather by laws that are enforced with justice, dignity, and equality.

And guest worker programs!

I'm going to crawl back under my rock now
and watch a movie. 

THE BEST ILLEGAL IMMIGRATION MOVIE EVER MADE

Jocotepec Dancing Horses July 2010

Here in Jocotepec,

we do love our dancing horses.

Every big occasion includes

LOS CABALLOS BAILADORES!

For a real Viva Mexico effect -  turn up the sound.

Enjoy!

My Father Was An Ambulance Chaser - Part 5 June 2010

Part 1

Part 2

Part 3

Part 4

Too much of this. . .

. . .will result in this.




This is a training video of a paramedic
demonstrating the procedures
for the treatment of
Full Cardio Pulmonary Arrest.


The paramedic in this video
is performing for the
Advanced Cardiac Life Support
skills exam.
And, he's REALLY good!


EXTREME cheeseburger (yep, that's fried cheese)
brought to you by
my old paramedic partner Tony Ciccolella.
Thanks for the photo, Tony!
(How's your cholesterol?  Hmmm?)

Things That Make You Go Hmmmmm. . . June 2010

It's everywhere —

alcohol and alcoholism.

It's legal.

When I see this,

I don't think about him.

I think about his wife, his mother, his kids,

waiting for him to get home

and worrying that something will happen

to him on the way back.

Or, worrying about what will happen when he DOES get home!

Been there.

Done that.

It sucked.

But, wait!

First we need to arrest and incarcerate all the

pot smokers for smoking too much

and falling asleep in front of the TV.

Arrest them.  Put them in jails and prisons.

Put them away for a long long time.

Bad people.

Maybe someday I'll see someone

lying in a gutter clutching

a bud instead of a Bud.

Not likely.