HAPPY NEW YEAR

I know that the people we know are going to make 2009 a GREAT YEAR!

Another attempt at floral photography – why not start the new year with a challenge – I think the reality of it all is the beauty of a flower cannot be duplicated. Let us make 2009  a time to help save our planet.

This is my latest effort. I like the colors and the fact that there is a cluster of buds – new beginnings.

A MEXICAN Moment

Thank you for stopping by.

Let us all make it a good one!

and please Stay Tuned!

A lovely day is greeting us in Poor Man’s Shangri -La. We went to a baby Jesus placing party last night. I am still trying to piece together the whole story – but generally (we have been to quite a few now) there is a group that marches down the street from where the baby Jesus resides to a manager setting (Nacimiento). We march with candles and there are musicians and songs sang as we walk.

When the plastic or plaster Jesus child is brought to the manger and covered with smoke from an incense urn a Madrina (in this case six year old Bincente) holds the Jesus baby while everyone passes in a line to kiss it (we passed on the kissing part). After a few more songs and a prayer Rompope and cookies are served as well as a hot tea beverage. Rompope is a Mexican version of eggnog grog – spiked to 10% alcohol by volume.

A good time was had by all.

Today is Anita’s and my anniversary – a lot of years under our belts – and God willing a lot to go. I am cutting this short so we will enjoy the day starting early

Here are a few photos I took on the night of December 12th at the carnival. Sill working on getting good night photos – but I like these rather like a flashback of carnival’s from when I was a kid. Enjoy the day – be back tomorrow…

Carnival’s Wildest Ride (I avoided it)

Not Exactly the Tea Cups at Disneyland

Carnie Artwork – Probably not seen NOB

Midnight at Carnival Main Street

Stay Tuned!

Teens in the Hood (ENLARGE Here)

The parties have been fast and furious; we attended two yesterday. One was for a three year old. There were piñatas and a sit down dinner of pork, rice and beans with green salsa and chili seco finished off with jello cup and cake for desert.

We sat across the table from two couples; both the mujers were pregnant – very pregnant. The husband of one of the girls was sucking on a sucker and appeared to be very young. We had conversation with them all being at the same table. Somehow I worked in to ask how old the new mothers-to-be were being as it was their first.

One girl  reported she was catorce. Anita more or less shocked and not sure of what we heard asked “One – four? Uno – cuatro?”  I wasn’t sure why she started out clarifying in English. I think it was a response from the surprise. The child mother appeared older. But, her sixteen year old husband looked still younger with bad skin and a sucker protruding from his mouth.

Mexico has improved its birth rate statistics dramatically over the last ten years. The number of children per family has gone down from five to less than three. But there are no signs that the statistics for the Hood on babies having babies has been improved upon.

Our next-door neighbor’s seventeen year old daughter recently had a baby. The father is an older married man. He comes by now and again. I can tell when he is going to come because she gets dressed up and has an excited air about her. The girl’s father is one of the local borrachos (alcoholics). Her mother, the abuela (grandmother), is often seen proudly walking around with her new grandson.

Another former neighbor was at the party. She is a beautiful young girl with a four year old boy and a three year old girl. She has moved back with her parents living on the other side of the Hood trying to reconstruct her life having escaped a second generation wife beater. Recently Anita spoke with her on the bus on a return trip from Xalapa. The girl was returning from counseling she is receiving to help remove the demons in her head; to understand life has better things to offer a young woman -  things other than being held captive in a house with  two young babies and beaten regularly.

We have been living here in the Hood long enough to have already seen some of the preteens growing towards adulthood. The education and social systems in play seem to still be letting these children down.

Yesterday’s other party we crashed. The first being rather intimate was more of an invitation only type party – we were invited. The second was a Quincinera – a commonly held fiesta for 15 year old girls. In this case the girl was eighteen. Perhaps her parents couldn’t afford the party when the child was fifteen. Or maybe this was a second party because the daughter was still single?

The Quincinera is more of a community event. Streets are blocked off. Huge sound systems brought in by disco trucks providing music that permeates the entire community. There is a large covered area with balloons and all sorts of decorations. The other night we briefly visited one Quincinera that included a huge television screen with video accompanying the blasting music – very high tech for our little Hood.

The proud parents welcome all comers inviting them to sit down and eat or at least that has been our experience. In this case the father graciously came out to party’s edge where we were standing inviting us to sit down and eat. We had just eaten at the previous party, but thanked him both times he came to invite us in.

The music was blaring as usual. I grabbed my date and gave her a whirl suggesting we hit the dance floor. My reluctant dance partner wanted to wait until the debutante started the dancing – apparently part of the tradition I was not aware of. So I gave her another spin right there. Off to the side were a couple young girls. They giggled when they saw the tall gringo attempting the fandango with his girl. They both opened their cell phones slash cameras and started to capture this moment. I ignored them.

In the mean time I was still trying to coheres my date to dance – another twirl and then I pulled her in close to steal a kiss. I heard the two teenagers saying to each other – aw! – As if to say that is so sweet. I looked in their direction and they giggled as they continued to snap photos.

Here in this poor community the teenagers still manage to have cell phones and music systems; this being as important as a clothes washing machine is to a family of four – even in the Hood. Perhaps if there were more Nintendos and Game Boys and movie theaters and organized places to expend social energies there would be less 14 year old mothers? Or maybe it is a matter of education that doesn’t exist here?

My heart goes out to these young people. It is sad watching them grow from babies to mothers and fathers with so little life in between. Anita and I are probably of the few extranjeros (foreigners) that live close enough to this part of Mexican life to see it close up. It will be interesting to continue to follow these young lives – Stay Tuned!

The party for Hood Ninos was held at Veronica’s parent’s casa. Over the last few years we have been there for any number of events.

A couple years back they did a major remodel on their house. They have a LARGE cocina (kitchen). I always get a grin from seeing her aluminum foil covered stove top. This day the foil covering had expanded to the nearby ledge.

In case you find this hard to imagine I have included a photo:

A MEXICAN Moment

Veronica’s mother Marie, muy guapa senora, is soon to be a grandmother again – she doesn’t look the part. She has produced 6 beautiful and handsome (3 of each), successful children – not sure about the number of grandchildren to date – but she will add another come next May.

Veronica is the Hood’s favorite doctora – she also owns and operates a pharmacy here in the Hood. She and Anita have been close friends since we arrived here.

Miguel and Veronica will have their first child; and I am sure will be the most wonderful parents.

We have been sitting on our tongues about this fact for several months now – I think Vero wanted to wait until the morning sickness subsided or??? In any case congratulations to Veronica and Miguel; and of course to mamá-señora Marie. I am looking forward to having a new photo subject – and there will be stories to be told – Stay Tuned!

Party Goers In Waiting (ENLARGE Here)

Yesterday at five in the afternoon there was a party that I had the good fortune and honor to attend. The poorer children of the Hood came too, about 85 strong plus moms.

It should be written that virtually all the children in Poor Man’s Shangri-la are poor relative to U.S. standards. But, these little ones are the poorest amongst the poor. They mostly live in clapboard shacks with dirt floors sharing a bed with their siblings and often mom and dad (if he is around). There were no dads in attendance.

Some of the Early crowd (ENLARGE Here)

They don’t need good math skills to count the presents under the tree. Many of them are malnourished, but being cute comes at less of a cost at six than say sixteen. They are no less loved by their mothers – hugs are for free and they stay close to the one person in the world who cares.

The protective moms came with questioning faces even though the party has been an annual event since we have lived here and perhaps before. Here is a link to the 2006 entry for the event.  But, this time it was more special thanks to Wayne’s Project Warm Hands. We didn’t give his hats and scarves and gloves to ninos – that had already happened. This Christmas party included a gift for all 85 and then some from donations by people contributing money to Project Warm Hands.

At the party it was nice to see a number of the little ones sporting Wayne’s hats or others that we had purchased. It was chilly by Ursulo Galvan standards and warm clothing was the fashion statement.

Our friends Veronica and Miguel are our neighbors both here and up at Micoxtla. They are two successful people that give back. The party was held at Veronica’s parent’s house – mostly out-of-doors. There were piñata’s, party favors, drinks and treats; activities and things that these kids seldom experience. There were still some blank stares. Both children and mothers are undernourished. The kids are thin and the mothers are mostly overweight from their unhealthy tortilla and fried foods based diets. You could sense their being overwhelmed by the different surroundings and party atmosphere.

A three or four dollar gift represents a half days wages for many of their fathers – if they even have one. The sixteen dollars a month the moms receive from the Opportunidad Program and other very minimal social assistance hardly keeps these precious little ones alive. This night the spirits were not malnourished. There was energy for swinging at piñatas and running about, they managed to settle down long enough to hear a Christmas story told by Miguel.

Miguel Tells A Christmas Story (ENLARGE Here)

But the excitement and expectation of the arrival of Santa Claus was heavy in the air – along with some chipi-chipi that deterred none save me trying to keep my camera dry.

Santa showed up late – arriving late is a Mexican standard – but when it comes to the patience of children, universally they want it now. Miguel pulled the piñata line a little faster to slow the inevitable emptying of treats and I stalled their heads spinning with visions of Santa’s arrival by taking their photos and showing them the results – they had great fun posing and laughing at their images seen in my camera’s tiny playback screen.

The Holiday Favorite – The Piñata (ENLARGE Here)

Eventually Santa rolled in and presents were handed out by a roll call of names. Veronica had taken on the no small task of gathering up the names and ages of the 85 +. She and Anita checked the list more than twice to provide age appropriate gifts for all – naughty and nice. I am sure that personal touch was special for the ninos, hearing Santa call their name and then rushing to the front for their gift.

Santa is in there – Ninos Getting Gifts (ENLARGE Here)

A good time was had by all. Some of Wayne’s Project Warm Hands folks made much of the joy possible this night. It is encouraging to know there are still some good hearts out there. Anita and I thank you for your willingness to help strangers. There are too many Good Samaritans to name here – you know who you are.

GOODBYE – This Little Guy Was NOT Camera Shy (ENLARGE Here)

The future is very much in question for these little ones – a better life will be a real fight. Despite that battle it was lovely to see smiles on those little faces; to witness and share those moments of joy. When Santa sprang to his sleigh and drove out of sight, I think I heard him exclaim, “Happy Christmas little ninos and to all a good fight.”

Stay Tuned!

The ninos (children) in the Hood and all over Veracruz go from casa to casa carrying a colorfully decorated tree branch. They beckon to people by shaking tambourines and their cans of coins asking if the family wants to hear them sing their song. If the answer is yes they sing a verse for which they are given a coin or two. They have a short verse they sing after they receive a coin, off they go to the next house.

Some nino’s moms or dads seed the cans with their own coins or macaroni before the coins arrive . I have seen some very clever homemade tambourines – made from flattened out bottle caps strung on a wire and mounted to a pieces of wood – they have a lovely timbre actually

This starts on December 16 and continues until December 24th. Early December we start saving small change to give out.

Here are the lyrics – there are variations or abbreviated versions depending on the age and knowledge of the ninos.

In English

Oranges and limes
Limes and lemons
More Beautiful Virgin compare with all flowers

In a little house of
Lime and sand
Jesus Christ was born
In Christmas night

Green little grass
Filled with dew
Who doesn’t keep warm
Can die from cold

If something is given to La Rama (the branch) they finish with:

It’s leaving the branch
Very grateful
Because this house was well received
Spend goodnight and wish them
Goodnight pass, we are going now.

Or if you do not give anything in La Rama (the branch) they finish with

It’s leaving the branch
Very bereaved
Because in this house did not give anything
Spend good evening, we wish them well …

En Espanol

Naranjas y limas
limas y limones
más linda la Virgen que todas las flores

En un portalito
de cal y de arena
nació Jesucristo
por la Nochebuena

Zacatito verde
lleno de rocío
el que no se tape
se muere de frío

Y dependiendo de si se le da algo a la rama se canta:

Ya se va la rama
muy agradecida
porque en esta casa fue bien recibida
Pasen buenas noches, así les deseamos
pasen buenas noches, nosotros nos vamos.

O si no le toca nada a la rama, pues:

Ya se va la rama
muy desconsolada
porque en esta casa no le dieron nada
Pasen buenas noches, así les deseamos…

After Christmas day in Veracruz another tradition occurs with a different song, called ‘The Old Man’ (El Viejo). The children masquerade about as an elderly bearded white cane and bent old man, representing the past year. They also must be appeased with a coin.  We find some older children and even adults partake in this activity.

In past New Year’s Eves we have been at people’s houses having dinner or drinks when a group of hombres dressed up as old guys or women came charging into the party demanding money (in a friendly way).

In Veracruz we say, “Veracruz es el estado que lo tiene todo” Stay Tuned!

A MEXICAN Moment

Authentic Happiness is what it is ALL about!  Stay Tuned!

A MEXICAN Moment

They put their trust in us. Stay Tuned!

A MEXICAN Moment

Being poor does not mean you can’t have style. Stay Tuned!

I’m starting to get into the Christmas spirit – it’s the music. If you can get your hands on this 2 CD set of unusual Christmas music as well as old standards it is fun.

There are a lot of old standards where a more current artist is over dubbed (added to the original recording) to sing along with Bing or Frank or Nat.

So when Bing Crosby and David Bowie came on doing a duet of “Peace on Earth – Little Drummer Boy” we thought this was yet another of that genre. But I actually recalled a Bing Crosby Christmas special that I was pretty sure included David Bowie. I Googled it and found that I was right – September 11, 1977 Bowie and Crosby recorded what is now a pretty classic version. Bowie and I were both 30 at the time. While I may have been there in the 60’s and don’t remember a thing – I was grown up in 1977 and a lot of those years remain in my head.

If you only have one Christmas CD (two here actually) this is one of the best I think. Elvis and Johnny Mathis and Dean Martin – well you can see the list here.

Continuing on the Christmas theme, Laurie over in Tegu, Honduras sent out a challenge to send her a link to a photo you might have captured of a Nativity scene. I really enjoy Laurie’s Blog. I am a regular reader and it appears over to the left of here with many other fine Blogs. But, I generally don’t get into the challenges Bloggers throw out there. Most of them are embarrassing questionnaires.

Steve Cotton rose to the challenge. I commented on his Blog that there are so many Nativity scenes here in my part of Mexico that the ‘assignment’ just is not inspiring. Then as life often does – I was thrown into a situation later in the day that caused me to become a participant. Not because I saw an amazing Nativity display. It was a matter of where this one happened to be. Here is the story:

We had a scheduled event yesterday to drive 15 or so short miles (24 km) with Doctora Veronica to get some trees. We are planting 30 or 40 cedar trees on our Rancho del Cielo property. Further up the road Veronica is planting thousands of pine trees – more than 11,000 I think.  The tree seedlings are provided by the Mexican Government by way of a pretty terrific program which I plan to write about in January.

Driving the last 9 miles beyond the little town of Xico took about an hour and a half or more. The road is impossible. Of course there is a bus that travels this route every day – You will find that the buses will go virtually everywhere in Mexico.

We drove through the tiny Ejido village of Coxmatla and up to another Puebla, Oxtlapa, just beyond the tree farm is located  – we were in the middle of nowhere Mexico (which is more no where than nowhere United States). Finally snaking up the road of the Government seedling growing project we came to the Center where there are several buildings, many large greenhouses and beyond a vast area where thousands upon thousands of seedlings grow in the hillsides.

There at the beginning of the Center was a lovely small shrine (Capilla). I was surprised to see a shrine dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe there at the seedling center – it just seemed strange – like finding a small church smack in the middle of a government forest; essentially what it was. Talk about your mixing church and state; not a problem in Mexico, the mix is in.

There off to the right of the little shrine building was a beautifully decorated tree with a charming small Nativity scene. Laurie’s challenge immediately came to mind – I accepted. Now hopefully she falls by here and see’s the results below.

Purple People Greeter. (ENLARGE Here)

Christmas Tree at NOWHERE (ENLARGE Here)

My Nativity Entry (ENLARGE Here)

There was something very special about the time Veronica, Anita and I had up there. It is a religious experience of sorts to be amongst beautiful trees both large and starters, and a tiny little Nativity scene out there that obviously was quite special to the Ejido populace, and to us. Mexico is a good place to be right now – ‘tis the Season. Stay Tuned!