The lady at the INM office wrote a handwritten note in Spanish explaining the requirements for FM3 VISA photos. Here at home I translated it as follows:

The photos need to be on heavy photo quality paper and measure 4 centimeters square (or 1.6 inches).

They should be Black and White monochrome.

4 each photos of front face
3 each profile photo facing right (right shoulder to the camera)

There should be a white background

no glasses
no earrings
no necklaces

The face photos should fill the frame

In addition my understanding is you should have your hair pulled away from your face. Jim Phypers shaved his beard as generally there should be no facial hair. I have had a beard for the last 40 years or so and would not want to remove it – I have been told that one may be able to leave the facial hair if they claim it exists for religious reasons. I have no idea if this really works – but I may find out soon.

Today I took Anita’s photos and made them the correct size. We will probably take the digital product and have it printed professionally somewhere. An alternative is to get some heavy weighted paper and print them myself. We will have to decide on this.

I find it amazing that the lady at the INM office actually hand wrote the instructions – you would think they would simply have a printed paper with this information to take to a photographer? Can you imagine having to write that out many times each day?

I am totally amazed at the inefficiency in the Migration office. There was another letter that she hand wrote for Anita to re-write and sign. I believe it is the form to request a change from an FMT tourist VISA to an FM3. It was nearly a full page – we waited while she wrote it out and then we waited while Anita copied it and signed – ridiculous. Is it any wonder why there are many visits required to get this visa?

Below is a photo of a poster on the Migration Office wall. The Cubans are certainly taking advantage of this invitation.

Maybe we should take the apply as refuge status approach? (ENLARGE)

I spoke last night with my friend Harvey who lives in Puerto Escondido and has been in Mexico for more than ten years. Harvey reported that an older couple that has owned a house in Mexico for 26 years was refused FM3 visas. Six months out of each of the last 26 years they lived in Mexico in a house they own.

The couple had decided that they wanted to spend more time in Mexico and less in Chicago after the yearly split down the middle for so many years. As far as it has been reported they were turned down because of their ages – they are both 90.

Just a few days ago Harvey and I had been discussing the problems with trying to attain citizenship and the possible peril of being rejected from Mexico because at an older age we might be unable to meet the financial requirements for an FM3 or FM2.

It seems that we can now add to this fear age discrimination. One would think after 26 years of living in Mexico half time and owning property that it would be a given that these people could get an FM3. According to Harvey they are quite wealthy. They spend a good deal of money in Mexico and wouldn’t require any socialized medicine assistance – So what’s the deal with this?

Apparently you can be too old to live in a country. I suggested they contact the Mexican Consulate in New York. Perhaps it is time to get the World Court involved with what appears to be a human rights violation?

For my cold friends in Chicago – it was in the 80′s, sunny and beautiful again yesterday – so come on down!

I will keep you posted on the age discrimination situation and the continuing FM3 saga – Stay Tuned!

Having been here for three plus years locating the Palacio Federal Building was not difficult – but if you are reading this for guidelines specific to Xalapa then know it is not easy to find and parking is really difficult. It could be easier to get in the general area of El Centro and grab a cab for 20 pesos that will drop you at the corner.

It was really warm in Xalapa yesterday. My outside gauge in my truck that is quite accurate read 88F (31 C) – so we were lucky to have terrific weather. We parked about six blocks away and found the large two story building fairly easily.

We were going to the office of “Insituto Nacional De Migracion (INM). It is in the same building as the main post office (oficina de Correos) on Zamora (Calle Enriquez Gutierrez Zamora) – found in the south central area of a Xalapa map.

My report will have two flavors to it. One will be process details; the other an overview of what’s up with this entire process including some of my personal takes.

On overview or big picture: In the more gringo populated areas there are businesses that will help you through the process of obtaining an FM3; quite possibly in Xalapa as well – I know not. This will cost you an extra $100.00 to $200.00 US dollars and may well be worth paying the extra dough to avoid the tedious and often maddening process.

I wrote a couple Blog entries back about how inconsiderate and insensitive to people of age much of the process is these days. If you get upset easily, are nervous when dealing with government dogma you should strongly consider getting help because this is not an easy process.

Anita and I do not get out of the day’s starting blocks early. I am usually up very early but I write a Blog entry and read email until she gets up around 7-8 AM. Then we have coffee, watch the Today Show (actually it starts at 7 AM) and we just generally get our day started gracefully. I spent 15 years in the Music business where nobody gets up early and started work no earlier than 5 PM – after that career other jobs I had were seldom beginning before 9:30 or 10:00 – so that is how I came about the slow start to the day – I like it frankly.

(ENLARGE HERE)

We arrived at the federal building about 10:30 AM. We were helped in perhaps 10 to 15 minutes; there were about three persons/couples waiting before us. My advice is get there earlier – we ran out of time to go to a bank, pay the first installment and return the receipt to the INM office . This will surely slow the wheels of red tape as they will do nothing until we pay the 444 pesos.

Within the first few minutes of interview it was explained that we needed to have our income stream information translated to Spanish and officially stamped. You will need to provide validated income information showing a minimum based on a couple criteria. These fees increase annually and the requirements are easily found on the Internet. We needed to go to the college of languages called “Centro de Idiomas de la Universad of Veracruz”. It was 5 or 6 kilometers away. We packed up and caught a cab over to the Universadad.

There are three desks to receive help in the INM office.

It had been reported to us from several sources that the process of having your financial information translated was no longer necessary. I made the mistake of mentioning this to the hombre “helping” us. He asked if the person(s) that dispensed this advice worked in this office in a displeased manor – oops! If I could only heed my own advice and just smile and follow directions. I mentioned I’m working on this – obviously I am not a milk toast calm person of age yet. It is still good advice, smile and remain calm at all costs – things will go easy on you.

In short order we were connected up with a maestra (teacher) walking by. She led us to an outer office where we explained we needed a one short paragraph translated and stamped. She explained in broken English that regardless of the size of the information to translate it would be 250 peso (about $23.00US). A gouge I thought – but we agreed and off she went with our papers. We waited about 20 minutes. Out she came with what we needed – although we needed two copies; could she make another copy? There is a copy office across the street she replied.

We caught a cab back to the INM office building; we stopped in a copias (copy) shop before going back up to the mezzanine level office. Again we waited our turn behind another three before us. Now we were a few feet from the fellow that had started our process an hour earlier – but we were taken on by a different person. Right here this seems illogical to me – why have to bring a new person up to speed on our process when the first person is right there – not good business I thought; but we did like the woman better than the rather grumpy hombre.

Traffic was jammed the total time we were there (like traffic? – ENLARGE)

In Colorado Sam’s Club had a good deal on passport photos when were last there. I saw a big promotional sign; I suggested that Anita get some photos so we would have them for the FM3. As the woman was going through our papers I mentioned we had passport photos – she asked to see them. Of course they were the wrong size and format for this purpose and they were in color They require black and white photos 4 cm by 4 cm exactly. I will have more on this because like Jim & Mindy we will take our own photos and either print them or have them printed – this later. Of course the easy method is to have them taken. I think around here it is about $15.00 US. or more.

So after the first visit we have yet to actually get the wheels in motion, but we know more about what we need to do. The woman wanted us to return today with the receipt from a bank showing we paid the 444 pesos. Then she checked a calendar deciding we should return on February 8th with our papers filled out and the photos. We decided we will get the paperwork done and get the photos so we might avoid one trip just to give her the receipt. So now to get the pictures and paperwork filled out –for further reports and thoughts – Say Tuned!

This morning in a short while we will leave for Xalapa to apply for Anita’s FM3. It is clear and will probably be almost 80F (27C) – I think they have moved their prediction down to 79F from early guesstimates of 80.

Interesting, a little light shone on progress here in the Hood yesterday afternoon. Two college students arrived in front of our place selling small LED flashlights under the auspices of helping to finance their educations. I really wonder how many they were able to sell here in Ursulo Galvan.

The flashlights themselves are very clever and if they come by again I will get a few more, to give away. They have a plastic bar that you squeeze kind of a similar action to one of those hand exercise devices.

You squeeze the thing in your hand 15 or twenty times and it is now charged to power two reflected bright LED bulbs; a very clever and forward thinking device – this being sold in a low income rather primitive neighborhood.

I found one just like it on the Internet for $10.00 – ground shipping included. The clean faced college kids sold us what were “normally” two for 120 pesos for the low, low price of two for 50 pesos – what a deal I thought. Of course we bought two.

When you put this whole picture together it is kind of like a space ship sitting in the middle of a Norman Rockwell painting. Think about it – most people don’t have running hot water and virtually none have heat in their homes. Here are two progressive bright faced college students selling environmental flash lights – how cool is that!

Metaphorically speaking bringing light into darkness is so hopeful and progressive. I think this will be a good day. Stay Tuned!

Our weather is in and out good – you know that type? The sun comes out and warms things up – just about the time you are languishing in it – it goes behind clouds. The layers go on and off; little to complain about though – it is predicted to be 80 F tomorrow – seems a little optimistic – but I like the idea.

We have a modified plan that may be a bit premature to write about – but what the heck. Our FMT’s expire the last week of March – which at this point seems to be threateningly close.

A few days ago we decided today we would head to Xalapa and apply for an FM3 for Anita. I had some red tape snafu on my U.S. passport acquisition – so I am not possessing one at this time. We have cleared the problem but won’t be able to get it going until we return to the States. But, we figure we can extend the time the truck can be here in Mexico by Anita having her FM3 which we were going to apply for in the States when we returned anyway.

We headed out fairly early this morning to go to the Mexican Immigration Office in Xalapa only to find we were missing one document we knew we would need. This was not discovered until we entered Coatepec as Anita frantically searched through reams of paperwork in frustration.

We decided to come back home to Ursulo. A half hour after our return the document was found in the truck – we had it all along – have you had this kind of situation; maddening really. So tomorrow, better prepared, we will try this again.

My amigo Harvey in Puerto Escondido has gone through such terrible red tape and problems with Mexican official minions that he has given up on the idea of citizenship. This from a guy that has been living in Mexico for more than ten years and is married to a Mexican National!

Harvey and I got to talking about the passing of our mutual friend Terry Ward. We agreed that as we grow older we need to try and insure that we have the least encounters with situations that cause the blood pressure to rise.

Of course, there are going to be times where conditions will unavoidably cause a raise in the sangre movement. At the same time we can avoid much of this and then try and remain as calm as possible during the few unavoidable encounters.

I recalled how about ten years ago when my mother was nearing 80 years old that an automobile insurance company official had made a threatening call to her – by mistake. My mother called me quite upset with fear that she would not be able to drive her car – this from a couple that put a whopping 1800 miles a year on their car. Regardless the poor woman was quite upset.

Now to say that this pissed me off is putting it mildly – my blood pressure shot up. I called the insurance guy straightening the situation out and explaining in some detail how if we lived in the same town I would be down there at his office and I would drag him across the desk…you get the idea. I was extremely unhappy with someone that would make such an error and follow it up with intimidation with little information and certainly no concern for the fact he would be causing a problem for an 80 year old person.

It seems to me that some gray power group needs to address a collective concern for not upsetting people of age (I just made that category up) as a matter of practice. There needs to be sensitivity and extreme care to avoid upsetting people who might die from the incident.

Marvin and Harvey had a friend who had his social security held up over a technicality. The fellow was in his 80’s. He needed to be hospitalized from the extreme upset and a week later he died. Some minion in the social security office killed that guy!

Yes, we older folks (I’m getting there) need to learn to take things in stride and avoid getting upset where ever possible. At the same time the systems in place need to tread lightly on these people; and at this point they often do quite the opposite.

Simple things like the lack of friendly bills sent out each month – a utility bill that includes a threatening comment about what will happen to you if you don’t pay. Why can’t these things be friendlier and most especially when they are sent to our aged population?

I think back on some of the property tax bills I have received that start right off on page one threatening foreclosure and adverse possession just on the first billing document. Is it really necessary to include all this threatening language when first requesting our payment? They need to lighten up on the intimidation factor.

I mean how about something thanking us for our last payment – how much they appreciate our being part of the community and an upstanding person blah-blah-blah. I say these bills need to be nicer and a flag should show up on any computer screen where some young upstart will be contacting a person of age – don’t threaten this person they could die – or something like that.

OK so tomorrow when we hit that immigration office I am going to remain calm at all costs – check in with the Blog on Wednesday to see if this pep talk worked on me; and thanks for listening. Stay Tuned.

I get in hot water with some of the anthropologist and Peace Corps volunteer types that in my way of thinking excuse bad behavior as cultural clash.

I know these people are right in the sense that there are primitive societies that act in ways so foreign to what I deem logical thinking that it boggles my mind. At that point I am reminded by these sage observers that logic has nothing to do with it –arg!- this drives me wild! I begin to argue that this is not forward thinking – and they probably agree, but they do not think I should be frustrated by people operating outside of the boundaries of my civil behavior meter.

I am not alone. One erudite fellow on our Forum writes, “Public civility is generally considered a desirable trait and its lack, in my opinion, demonstrates an underdeveloped attitude towards the common good.” Amen brother! And here are both him and me living in this “developing nation”.

Now I know tolerance is a good thing. I know a lot of kinder, gentler and more understanding than I women read this Blog – more so than men. As Wayne suggested recently we Bloggers all seem to know the statistics of our readership.

OK to their gentler understanding – that is why we love them. Mothers for eons have tolerated, no accepted, bad behavior from their children at a level that causes me to be bewildered and envious – great hearts they have.

In the news Friday I read that at least seven young members of the Spanish Ballet of Cuba had defected during an arts festival in the city of Mérida here in Mexico.

They were the latest in a wave of defections by artists that in December alone brought to the U.S. three top dancers from the Cuban National Ballet, four members of the Cuban National Circus, six members of the musical group Los Tres de La Habana and top Cuban TV personality Carlos Otero.

Here I get crazy thinking how is it in the 21st Century there are still countries that incarcerate their populace? How do civilized nations tolerate such totalitarianism existing within our world? Who are these people that keep others from going where they choose?

Right about the time I am ready to blow a gasket because as I stand in a line people are illogically cutting in, some educated, bright female soul comes along and writes to me, “John, ideas of what is logical and what is polite are not universal the world over. They are cultural and will vary.”

This sage-ette goes on to suggest these very ways that make living in Mexico different from living in the U.S. are after all part of why I am here? And, “You can’t have it both ways.” But why not! If they can be illogical why can’t I?

We do have a good time on that Forum. This story only yesterday was told to your reporter living in this developing nation:

It seems that there is some unrest and bad blood amongst some here in Colonia Ursulo Galvan, in the city of Xico, the State of Veracruz and Country of Mexico. Traditionally right here in the Hood one’s property has sanctity from others removing things growing such as oranges or limes or peaches or bananas. But, if you own outlying property, a small finca for example, beyond the Colonia proper and a passerby desires some oranges from your land it is acceptable for him to get a shirt load full. This for common fruit, but coffee should not be gleaned.

Now that population increases have made the community smaller and tighter there are some who find this tradition unacceptable behavior and others that violate the flavor by going on one’s property for fruit right in the Colonia or taking coffee from another’s outlying land.

Some think hang tradition! That is my fruit, my property. What’s more the lines have been clouded now that people are taking forbidden fruits like coffee! And they are saying, “What about my peaches; I don’t have an orchard of them only enough for my own family.”

You see this traditional cultural tolerance has become intolerable because there are simply more people than can possibly make this work. Tradition and cultural ways quite simply must make way for increases in populations that prevent those old ways from working.

This is how I see the need for modified behaviors regarding our environment. I am cautioned to not try and force the logic of not polluting our water ways with human waste or demand that people corral and teach their children not to throw down candy wrappers; that this is not my business and I need to accept the fact I am living in a place of different culture, a visitor, where people act different towards these issues.

But, we are too many now to turn away from more responsible behavior regarding these things I think. It is way past time to merely study and acknowledge these differences. If we don’t collectively take the bull by the horns on some of these problems we that all live together will surely all die together.

I am working on being kinder and gentler with my attitude about these things so bear with me and please Stay Tuned!

“You can’t depend on your eyes when your imagination is out of focus”
Mark Twain

Nancy & Terry Ward at their home – Baja, California

Lately there has been a lot of ‘talk’ about how the Internet has changed us Blogger’s lives in terms of friends. I interact with people on the Internet each day. There are quite a few that I consider friends, yet I have never actually met most of them. There are Billie, Ignacio, Jonna, Michael, Adrian, Wayne, Jim and more than a dozen others who I consider friends.

These are people whose lives have bumped up against ours via the Internet. Then there are those that we were introduced to via the Internet and have met as well like John Paul, Dave, Jim and Mindy, Kathy and Jamie, Gary, Roy, Manolo and others.

We met some people in a restaurant in Xico that recognized Anita and me from having read this Blog. We have carpooled from Brownsville to Xico with Tom & Betty and then Gary who we met solely by way of the Internet. It has opened up avenues for meeting some fine folks.

I have been visiting Mexico all of my adult life. My wife and best friend of more than 24 years and my in-laws are either from Mexico or of Mexican decent. This Blog started on musings about and from Mexico has been around since early 2005, but we started our quest in serious terms to find a place to live in Mexico in 2000.

Blogs didn’t exist in 2000. There were web pages where in simple HTML code we more pioneering Internet highway men and women shared some of our lives. I had a one megapixel $1000.00 camera and a desire to communicate with others on the world-wide-web. To perhaps learn about other parts of the world and the people that lived in those other parts.

I thirsted for information about Mexico. At that time we were searching out information about Baja California. I hit on a web site created by Baja Terry Ward. Terry was a pioneer who had already trekked to territory we wanted to know more about and maybe even live. I must have read the thoughts he shared with anyone that cared to read dozens of times. We started emailing with one another. We talked on the phone.

He was a gracious man that took me in sort of speak. We visited Terry and his lovely wife Nancy in La Bufadora just 10 miles or so below Ensenada that year and again in 2001. We drank wine together, ate together and I picked his brain over and over again with so many questions about living in Mexico.

You see Terry had an exemplanary life in Mexico. He was proud of his casa that he was on going improving, his view of the bay and his Mexican life in general. We had many things in common. We were sailors, computer people and politically symbiotic curmudgeons. At the same time he wasn’t always forth coming with communications – sometimes I was saddened by not having more communication. I would write Nancy explaining how I wished I would hear from Terry more – but after all we lived 1800 miles apart and he was a busy retired guy. He managed his High School Class Reunion web site, reported every year on the Baja races and went fishing on his boat often.

All still we managed to remain in contact and to be what I want to describe as friends every since my first private email with Terry. Anita and Nancy have much in common and occasionally go through spurts of lots of communication about flowers, plants, food, health and pets – girl stuff.

If you want to read what helped inspire me to be here in Mexico than click on this link and read Terry’s rambling thoughts about his then new life in Mexico.

Terry lived nine years and a couple months in his beloved Mexico where he lived each day with gusto and an energy that just made you want a piece of it. I went after it and got my piece here on the other side of Mexico.

Yesterday for some inexplicable reason I was thinking about Terry and Nancy. I hadn’t heard from him in about two weeks which in recent times was kind of unusual. I went to his web site to see if he had any new entries – he hadn’t got to creating a Blog, he was still working the web site he had developed from before Blogs existed. I read there yesterday that he was changing servers. I thought I would have to email him and encourage him to start a Blog format wanting to read more about his daily life.

Anita was planning to write Nancy as she hadn’t done this since before Christmas. Terry and Nancy just came up on our radar yesterday. In the early evening I received an email from Nancy letting me know Terry had passed away.

Of course my heart sunk. Words can’t describe how much I am going to miss his jovial laugh and sharp witted mind. I have been an Ernest Hemingway fan most of my adult life. He always seemed like a bigger than life man’s man. Terry looked a great deal like Hemingway in his later years and he was a real man’s man as well – I liked that about him.

Terry I miss you already my friend.

I leave this with his closing summing up words from his thoughts about Mexico that I read 8 years ago. Words that helped inspire me to get here.

Remember that great Led Zeppelin tune “Stairway to Heaven”?

Some reports from up at Rancho del Cielo (Ranch in Heaven).

The weather clouded up about the time we arrived up here yesterday. This morning is starting out lovely with clear skies and a red sunrise. At 6:30 AM daylight is just about up. I still see a lot of lights on down in the city.

Our neighbor across the street is Rafael; a fine fellow; retired from 30 years of work for the power company; his last stint was at the nuclear power plant over on the coast. Rafael exudes the most wonderful Latino energy. He expresses himself with jovial animation. Rafael simply put is full of energy and life’ perhaps charged up from years at the atomic plant?

We drank a beer, then tequila and talked trying out our commands of another language – him English, me Spanish.

He told a story about the egg lady in Micoxtla, how in the past she wanted to charge him two peso’s per egg because she thought he had money. The going rate around these parts at that time was one peso (now as much as 1.5 pesos). I have mentioned on a number of occasions how a lot of pricing around here is based on the perception of whom you are and what you can afford, rather than simply a price for a product.

It bothers me, and now I know it also bothers Rafael, that there is a poor man’s price and then a rich man’s for the same item. Additionally a Mexicans price and a gringos price. There is a lot of type casting going on here; don’t even get me started on how my neighbor from Holland accused me of lying when we explained we were not rich people.

So I mentioned a few entries back about the nifty long ladder I had stumbled upon (not literally) by way of our occasional gardener and full time friend Abundio. I wanted to buy one of those stairways to heaven; with Abundio’s help we located the source.

We arrived in front of some beautiful highly polished wood doors just around the corner from Abundio’s casa which is located at the north end of the city. You would never imagine that behind the doors to one side was a manufacturing facility where they had stacks of the coveted wooden ladders.

An older gentleman led us to the back of his property next to his living quarters. In the distance there were two joven hombres running some power equipment apparently involved in the creation of the ladders. I explained I wanted the four meter model. He seemed confused by this description? He had to get a tape measure out to determine the length of his two models of ladders. I thought that curious. I mean if you had hundreds of these ladders in two lengths you would think you would know their lengths exactly?

For some inexplicable reason the old gentleman had determined we wanted the shorter of the two in spite of my continued insistence on wanting the longer? Finally he came to understand I was not interested in the shorter model despite his assurances to me that the shorter was what I wanted.

I previously reported based on conversation with Abundio that the long ladder was 150 pesos – am amazing bargain thought I. The old gentleman quoted 300 pesos for said ladder – double – probably still a bargain, but in my mind I had to question the variance.

Anita and I pow-wowed and decided we should ask Abundio about the discrepancy in pricing. Upon further discussion we decided we would go to Abundio’s casa and leave 150 pesos requesting he purchase the ladder for us. Abundio was up the hill next door to our Rancho property where he works four days a week. We left the money with his wife.

Yesterday as we were getting the truck unloaded up here Abundio came over from next door. He explained the ladder had increased in cost and was now 230 pesos rather than 150 – still a bargain thought I.

Abundio brought up an additional issue that sparked my attention since I had noted when we were looking at and touching the chest high stack of ladders at the old man’s facilities that the wood was quite green and even wet to the touch. I wondered at the time if this might not be a problem as it dried?

Abundio realizing he was going to be climbing this ladder to clean our gutters and trim our trees told the old man he wanted his ladder to be made from dry wood as the green wet wood would twist as it dried. He explained he would leave a deposit and wait for a ladder fabricated from seco wood.

I immediately appreciated Abundio’s concern for what had crossed my mind. The better price and request for dry wood would probably never have been attained by me dealing directly.

Of course we agreed to the increased price, after all the one we saw at our house had been purchased some time ago. I immediately seized the opportunity to buy a second ladder as I could probably use one at both of our casas. Abundio laughed. I told Anita to tell him if this was a problem not to worry about it – but, no he said he could order another.

Remember my earlier mention of the confused old man when I requested the 4 meter ladder. I asked Abundio if this was going to be the four meter model or in other words like the one we originally saw. He said it would be even slightly longer as it had 14 rungs rather than the 13 Teresa’s ladder had. Now I realized they don’t sell their ladders by a measure of length rather how many steps on the stair way to heaven ‘-) A clever people these Mexican neighbors of mine.

So there you have a couple detailed examples of multi-leveled price structure based on the buyer – this occurs all over Mexico. We always look for signs of price gouging.

Avocados have increased substantially around here. If you read here regularly you know those emerald globes are one of my favorite foods. Not long ago I mentioned that the United States had lifted an import embargo making way for avocados to be sold in the U.S. and the natural course would be an increase here in Mexico – well it is here now.

In 2005 we were buying a kilo of avocados for less than 10 pesos (90 cents US). Last year they were about 14 pesos on average. Now almost all price quotes are 25 pesos or more. So they have increase 2.5 times in three years – hardly fits with the 7% annual inflation rate claimed by the Mexican Government.

Today we wandered around the Xico Mercado. At each vegetable stand we asked their avocado price per kilo. It varied little – from 25-26 pesos per kilo. Anita was encouraged at one stand where the price was written in a notebook – 25 pesos – meaning we were getting the same price as the natives. About 40 cents US for a medium, sized avocado is still a bargain – but I miss those 15 cent avocados from just a few years back.

I have yet to see anything go up a mere 7% here – and this is an average meaning some things should go up less than that – no way. I understand there is a less than 3% increase to social security payments. This is to cover the cost of living inflation rate of about 4% reported by the United States Government – less than 4%. Where do they get these numbers? Stay Tuned!

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes – remember that catchy David Bowie tune? Bowie just celebrated his 60th birthday – yikes! Let’s Dance around that idea for a moment – changes.

Nothing is static when it comes to ones living conditions. One issue is nearly everything goes up in cost. Of course the world economic picture is tumultuous right now. And we all are watching the dollar free fall.

I am far from being savvy with the complicated world of economics – trying to stay ahead of the curve is nearly impossible in my view. Over the last ten years or so we have really scrambled to adjust to huge inflation and developed methodologies designed to get more for our money – if you believe the numbers these countries put out on inflation you have to have your head in the sand.

Here in Mexico since 2005 inflation has been what I would deem worse still than the United States. There are a few categories that have not had the increases the U.S. has had like gas and energy – but in our area these are subsidized by the Government.

A lot of these world economy issues on the surface have little to do with our day to day lives here in Mexico. Here are some observations of a few changes over the last 2-3 years.

Garbage removal in our Hood was like clockwork in 2005. It became less predictable in 2006 and by now it is a real problem. Often it is three weeks between pickups. According to the people on the edge of being in the know the garbage collection company is hired by the city at the pleasure of whatever administration is in office – apparently this equates to something quite corrupt. It seems like garbage removal in the U.S. was always tied into organized crime – it is no different here so it also seems. Whatever the case the service is growing less reliable.

The cost of food has risen considerably in the last 3 years – but because at the start it was considerably less than I the States it remains a bargain comparatively.

People are more aware of their diets than when we first arrived. They have learned about good and bad fats and they seem to be more aware about too much sugar in their diets – although a lot of the hombres in the Hood work for Coke in Coatepec.

There are few signs of a housing crisis here in Veracruz. In part because there has been little financing, this is changing here in Mexico. The over inflated housing market in the US had more of an effect in the gringo strongholds like Norte Baja California, Ajijic, Lake Chapala, Merida, Puerto Vallarta, Mazatlan, and of course San Miguel Allende.

Graffiti got really bad, to epidemic proportions, but new, stiffer laws have been enacted. There is a lot of painting over graffiti strewn walls going on these days and less signs of new wall graphics.

Apparently they have some new laws requiring trucks to have their payloads covered. Where as before you would often be following a truck with dirt or sand spewing off the top of the pile – thus trucks all seem to be covered now – some with haphazard attempts of compliance – but it seems they have been warned?

There are a lot of environmental programs rearing up, but few signs of any effect – perhaps down the road – these programs are tied in with a lot of corruption. Dollars for these projects seem to be mysteriously not ended up in the hands of do ‘gooders’ – don’t ask how I know this – just believe it.

Xico is spending a lot of money fixing the city up – quite nice to see the many improvements – but the road getting into Xico is terrible. I’m not sure what the thinking is here – develop Emerald City but it is a far cry from a nice yellow brick road to get there. Generally Mexico is behind the eight ball always playing catch up on road repairs. Currently there is a lot of work going on in San Marcos, the town just before Xico, so maybe they are seeing the light (logic) in needing to improve the path to the shinny town?

Gas is going up and will most likely catch up to near U.S. prices by the end of the year – that is if the U.S. doesn’t have huge increases during this time frame. Bus travel prices have not increased much if any. They surely will have to increase fares behind the planned steady monthly increases of fuel?

U.S. businesses continue to come to Xalapa. There is a new Office Max near Home Depot, Office Depot was already here. I noticed yesterday as we were driving in Xalapa, we came over a little horizon and I saw Dominoes, Pizza Hut, a Volkswagen dealership, and a few other U.S. franchises that made me think – this can’t be Mexico. We had just left visiting Costco, Sam’s Club and Superama not stopping at the big new mall where the letters “Liverpool” are three stories high. You will also not get lonely for Walmart, Burger King, Kentucky Fried Chicken or Subway sandwiches.

I fear that one day soon we won’t be able to recognize Xalapa from any U.S. city. I have grown to appreciate the fact that every town in Mexico doesn’t look like the other one – a U.S. malady.

In spite of heavy economic woes the people seem to remain optimistic here. They are certainly kinder and more polite towards one another, and us. The plagues of too many dogs, too much trash and blasting noise from all corners remain in full force.

People’s pets seem to die at an alarming rate here – this in part because there is an apparent inherent lack of love as compared to those over-loved pets NOB (Pet Smart withstanding) – very sad and not something I currently understand. It seems like they all want pets – but when they get a pet the newness rubs off fast. They quite simply do not provide the kind of loving care animals in the U.S get. This seems so incongruous when compared to their family oriented nature – maybe some of you out there have an answer?

I see by a word count check it is time to stop. I will have more observations on the Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes here in Mexico so Stay Tuned!

First about the weather: In the news is the deep freeze that is covering the United States. Here it has been cold and rainy with lows at night in the high 40’s. I know we have little to complain about – hey, that is why we are here – to complain less The sun is out this morning and we will see low 70’s highs and low 50’s lows for the week – fun in the sun!

Last night in Ursulo Galvan we had yet another celebration. This one was close to home. Regular readers know we have a neighborhood (public) Capilla (shrine) at the top of our driveway. The cement structure borders our property to the north.

For us Sunday was action packed. We setup our outdoor kitchen in spite of the low sixties, chipi-chipi weather. We have been planning on doing a chili seco recipe PDF to help the people in our Colonia (more on this soon). We had cameras, lights and cooks assembled to prepare my favorite condiment.

Browning Up Chili Seco – Yummm!

The end result of the production was to be used to prepare a chili seco trout feast at Lidia’s casa. Mid afternoon the two Camacho families – Vicente’s and Javier’s – and the Calypso family gathered in Lidia’s kitchen to prepare a scrumptious meal.

I can’t say enough about trout bathed in chili seco. Because the Mexicans seem to avoid using their ovens (other than for storage) the trout stuffed and smothered with cheese, onion, garlic, half and half and chili seco is wrapped in foil and ‘baked’ on the stove top. It was a Sunday afternoon feast!

To add to their busy schedules Lidia and Vicente worked on preparing “Ponche con Piquete” (sans oft added alcohol). In our Hood they call it “Te” or a tea. A huge vat of punch made out of seasonal fruits was cooked on an open fire for the evenings dressing of the Niño Dios celebration. This is a part of the Mexican Catholic ritual relating to the public nacimientos.

Here in our Hood both in private homes and at the many public religious shrines a nativity scene is displayed from the middle of December until early February. As mentioned we have a Capilla bordering our lot, and last night the placing of the clothed baby Jesus (Niño Dios) occurred. He had been set to rest some days back; then retrieved to put clothing on. There is no set date for this activity – it happens somewhere between the Jesus baby having been set in the nativity scene and the end of January – apparently.

It was cold and rainy. Turnout was in question. But, Lidia and Vicente pressed on with the grog preparations while the parents of the young virgin, that would carry the dressed Jesus baby doll, supply small bags of candies or cookies or sandwiches to be distributed amongst the celebrants; in this case a bag of candies.

The weather did not deter our neighbors – several hundred showed up. There was guitar playing, singing, and a young virgin carrying the ceramic baby with an entourage of maidens carrying a “farolito” or little lantern and incense urns.

The cups and punch were on our patio until the proper moment, after the placing of the baby and some singing and prayers. Vicente passed out cups. Lidia followed behind with a large container of punch; soon after the mother of the young girl that carried the baby passed out the bags of candies.

This goes on throughout the Hood over many nights at all the public nacimientos. People in our Hood have minimal warm clothing as it is seldom cold here – but the crowd was dressed as warmly as they could muster up. Neighbors said hello to neighbors as they sipped their warm steaming punch. The ninos ran off to open their bags of treats and it was over as fast as it had begun – faster.

Sunday was a good day in the Hood in spite of the cold weather. This morning the sun is out. The Hood is warming up. Life in our Colonia moves on. Stay Tuned.

Look What Gary Got For Christmas (ENLARGE HERE)

My friend Gary is Bloging again. He received a new camera for Christmas from his son. The above photo is one from his many pictures taken with his new camera. Always fun to get a new camera, but Gary seems to be conflicted – to Blog or not?

Gary writes (gleaned with permission from his Blog):

I now feel more part of the community. And as a member of this community, I don’t wish to contribute to the gossip. Sure there are some things I could write about that are not gossip but I am not sure that I even want to act like an anthropologist and analyze Mexico, Mexicans and the ex-pat community. I started this blog when I was getting ready to start traveling in my Lazy Daze motor home. The idea was to chronicle some of my adventures while traveling. Well, I am no longer living in the motor home and I am living in essentially a small town. So the initial reason for the blog no longer exists. Unlike some blog authors, I have no plans of turning my writings into money by adding advertising or writing a book. I have no aspirations of even being a writer. Another reason for not updating the blog is that I don’t feel very comfortable talking about my private life with strangers. I may shut down this blog and start another about my life here lakeside on Lake Chapala and future explorations to other areas in Mexico and beyond.

It goes without writing people Blog for different reasons – some start for a reason and continue for other reasons that have come along the way.

I am in the latter category. I started a Blog to let friends know what we were up to in Mexico. Now I have a larger readership than simply friends and family. I often write a Blog to answer some of the many questions I receive; “Is Mexico safe?”

Of course privacy is a factor. My sweet young friend Emily had to go into hiding as she was being taunted by some complete idiot to the point she was afraid – sad because she wrote a fine and interesting Blog.

Some of us would rather not be discovered. I think there are people that move to Mexico more or less on the run from something in their lives NOB (North of the Border).

We change our names and use letters for identifying people that may not want to be written about. I seem to supply news to a few who will then go to whom ever I have written about with a surprising knowledge of something in their life.

But everyone around here knows I am closely attached to my computers and that I write – so perhaps they deal with me in a fashion that takes this into account?

For me I think my Blog writing would be less interesting were I to depersonalize it. I am a rather in your face kind of person. I will tell you what I am thinking if you dare to ask – arguably polite in a civilized manner, but otherwise not holding back.

Gary writes that he isn’t planning on running ads or writing a book as many Bloggers do or plan to. I have had plans to write a book (or even two) but then I think most writing is motivated by ambition. This is for the young or the needier than me. I don’t have a lot of money – but I have enough to not feel driven to have to make a living selling my writings.

I have written that I don’t like to read Blogs with a bunch of ads and didn’t want to link to them, but I have changed on this score because there are just too many good Blogs around that have made different choices on the advertisement front. It does after all cost us money to bring our thoughts to you – some people feel better about the ads than pandering for donations – something I do here with little success.

I have modified my thinking in part because it was really more a matter of not liking Blogs that are written almost purely for money. In my time on the Blog circuit I have seen a lot of web sites and Blogs appear under the auspices of providing information about an area – often an area that the author has visited for two weeks or in some case never.

Those sites grate on me because they are a disservice to the process much like the real estate ads that originate from some location out side of the area or even the state. How can someone truly provide information about a house for sale or a lifestyle when they are not there or living it?

When you have had 100,000 people come and look at your Blog site – the idea of turning that ‘interest’ into dollars or pesos simply has to cross one’s mind. We are in the information age and multi-billion dollar businesses have grown up from nothing – with nothing more than information – Google is an example.

I have promised not to sell out – not to you the reader – but to me the writer. Gary doesn’t want to spread gossip about his small community – I have done a little of that here – but it is almost solely gringo gossip and very different than Gary’s adopted area of Mexico as there are but a few gringos here to be bothered or to be bothered by.

As I wrote when reviewing our life here in Mexico in the last few Blog entries, we have learned to think a little more and longer before we respond – that too is the case when I write this Blog. Sometimes I try to subtly offend someone I don’t particular like – kind of a fun weapon that – but probably not the best kind of journalism.

I love Mexico. I think it deserves some fair and objective reporting. There are Blogs written that do this – I hope mine is one. If there is nothing further to say I will stop – but I don’t see that happening because life is fluid – it keeps moving and some apparently want to read about it – even from my perspective. If you are one of those Stay Tuned!