Iris in March

I haven’t been on the farm this early in the season before. The snow is hiding out in shady places, but the woods are dry and last year’s leaves rustle as I walk through them. I’m able to see the “bones” of the farm for the first time; most of the year dense underbrush hides the nuances of the terrain.But today I was out taking a walk in the sunshine and inspecting places that would have taken a machete to find last summer. Tom (the tenant) had all three border collies working the sheep, a pair of cardinals was nest-hunting and the iris are starting to bloom. I even found a thinking log up in the woods. (I’m quite fond of thinking on sunny logs and rocks.) Here are some pix of the farm today.

What was I thinking about? Well, I can’t lay claim to any deep thoughts. Mainly “Why didn’t I come out here earlier?” and “I wonder how long it will really take to drive across the whole country?” and “Do I want to go to Yogaville to re-certify in laughter yoga?” (Yes, I actually was a certified laughter yoga instructor. That was your laugh for today. Don’t you feel better now?)

I was planning to go down to Yogaville anyway. It’s an ashram founded by Swami Satchidananda, who was the founder of Integral Yoga & a major force in bringing yoga to the US. And Balika, my massage therapist, friend & one of the most wonderful ppl currently on the planet, did her yoga training there.

So there just happens to be a laughter yoga training this wkend. One more of those strange synchronicities that rule my life.

Right now, I’m in a Borders in Winchester, checking emails. The weather is gorgeous & bright- about 60 & almost all the snow is melted. The only way I can tell what an awful winter it was is the haunted look in people’s eyes & all the downed branches.

Took a long walk in the field yesterday & played w/the cats. More later… Hasta luego (I mean, bye, y’all.)

Planter Heads

I’m not sure about the state of the internet out on the farm, so I’m writing this on Thurs. Let’s just stipulate that the plane landed in Dulles as planned & I was picked up by friends & ferried to the farm uneventfully, at about midnight Eastern time.

Here are some things I’ve collected for you this week:

• Amazing Fact Generator
• Play Him off, Keyboard Cat! Some of these are rude, but Hall & Oates is not to be missed. Ditto Keyboard Cat Church.
• The GPS voice lady
• The Geek Hierarchy Yeah, I’m not in there. I’m more in the nerdish clan.

PCC- Cliff Bar headquarters

It seems like I just landed in SeaTac & here I am again, leaving. Had a great time connecting with my sons & DIL-to-be & a few other of my special people. I sure didn’t get to see everyone that I wanted to on such a short trip, but I’ll be back, probably by mid-April, to stay longer this time.

What did I do to re-acclimate to the US after 3 months in Mexico? Well, the first stop was PCC, where I replenished my stock of Clif Bars. Next time, I will bring a suitcase packed with Clif Bars, (apricot & oatmeal/raisin, thank you. Maybe some carrot cake ones.) Because when you’re a flaming nomad, you never quite know what or when the next meal will be.

I also went to Lush & Sephora (of course) and walked & walked & walked. It was really lovely to just stride around, not worrying about cobblestones, dog poo or unmarked holes. I’d forgotten what it was like to really cover ground. (If anyone knows of a place in SMA where you can really walk, please let me know!)

I took a ferry over to PT to leave some things in storage. On the way over on the ferry, I bought a cup of coffee (approx 25 pesos) & paid w/a $20 bill (approx 200 pesos.) The woman at the register had change, and gave it to me without even blinking. I still don’t know how Mexican businesses run, with absolutely no change on hand. A similar transaction in SMA would have had the owner running up & down the street trying to find someone with adequate change. The ATMs spit out 500 peso bills, which no one will accept, in my experience, so then you have to go INTO the bank to get it converted into 20 & 50 peso bills.

I have to keep myself from saying Buenos dias, gracias, hasta luego in stores. And I’m definitely missing the taxis, especially after last night.

The “kids” and I went out, first to Mashido- a sushi place in West Seattle (actually, probably the best sushi in Seattle. I raised these guys to be major foodies, and it’s paying off.) Then to a REALLY excellent bar on Capital Hill. The Chapel is worth a special trip. Even if you don’t drink… because our waitress was one of those consummate professionals who are a joy to encounter, whatever their field. I managed to have a Stigmata & a Chloe, & tasted a few others. All beyond wonderful. I’ll be back to work my way thru the menu.

The snow is melting in Virginia, so it shouldn’t be too much of a shock to the ol’ system. I’m looking forward to seeing my mom, the yoga farmgrrls & other friends. Definitely getting a massage from Balika! Hope to get to the Smithsonian Native American museum this time, but first I’ll be taking a wire-wrapping (beads) course this wkend in Winchester & getting my hair trimmed (which is good, b/c after 3 months, I look like a cross between Martha Stewart and an English Sheepdog.)

That’s it for today. Hasta luego, y’all.

Parroquia by night

Until recently, I hadn’t been out much at night. What a revelation! The whole town changes. Last night I met a friend down @ the jardin, with the Parroquia lit up and anchoring the festivities. Centro was crowded, although it wasn’t any special fiesta. There were all kinds of food stands, fireworks, kids with balloons, couples strolling. Some vaqueros  had ridden their horses into town and were twitching their lariats and giving rides to friends.

We sat and watched for a while, then did a paseo around the square and headed down some side streets where vendors set up in the evenings. There are stands that sell tacos, elotes (corn on the cob, w/mayo & chile/limon), & steamed fresh chickpeas. We also found a little outdoor bookfair with books in Spanish ranging from coloring books to the Tibetan book of the dead. On that little square, there was African music playing.

Today my plan (loose plan, of course) is to meet a friend @ the jardin, do a little shopping & get some American cash @ the ATM, have one last bowl of posole. Then meet another friend @ Posadita’s little rooftop bar for drinks & goodbyes. Then one more evening w/a dear friend, and home to the casita to rest for the trip tomorrow.

What’s really funny is that I’m starting to realize how coddled I’ve been in MX. Maybe that’s why I like it so much? For the last three months I haven’t:

• cooked- I basically assemble things from food stands
• washed my own clothes- Sr Carlos does that
• driven- taxis are cheap and omnipresent (well, usually.)

I do still chew my own food. (In fact I had 2 fabulous mangoes for breakfast today!)

Further plans (such as they are): Flying to Seattle tomorrow via Houston. Seeing the kids (YAY!) & dropping stuff @ storage in PT. Thurs fly to DC & drive to the farm. Plans are vague after that, but I’ll probably be in the Seattle area by mid-April.

Hasta la vista!

Packing Day by nep

This was my last Fri in San Miguel de Allende- for this trip anyway. So Friday was spent saying goodbye to many of the wonderful friends I’ve made here this winter. San Miguel is one of those magical places that just draws exceptional people. I feel very fortunate to have met so many of them.

Today I’m dragging out the suitcases for a test pack. If there’s any room left over, I can still go shopping Somehow, I don’t think that will be the result, however.

I thought I’d tried a good cross-section of market food, but last night was introduced to the seafood counter @ Ignacio Ramirez market. OMG. Seafood cocktails here are made with a sauce more like thinned catsup, but it’s very spicy. I had octopus & shrimp, topped with slices of avocado. I could live on these, except I need to save room for posole, green enchiladas, chicharrones… Yes, all I do is eat, and think about what I’ll eat next.

Friday links:

• Urban Gypsy style- I feel so validated… There’s a label for me! And I do love her style. I can tell she’s been to SMA, too.
• Fashion for Nerds: Scarf-tying Not that I’m admitting anything.
• Ubersuper- Love this!
• Rainbow in your Hand- What a great idea!
• 10 Quietest Places on Earth- Strangely enough, SMA isn’t one of them   But the Hoh Rainforest is!!! Note to self.

Tianguis Ropas

Learning the Ropas at Tianguis

Watch your wallet. Or better still, leave it behind, along with anything else you’d mind losing. What you need is a pocket stuffed with small peso bills and coins. That was Donna’s advice, and she’s been coming to Tianguis to shop for ropas (clothing)  for years.

Tuesdays in San Miguel de Allende are Tianguis day. Families go, sweethearts meet up, grannies and gringos, tourists and touts- everyone is there.

Overnight, the dusty deserted lot transforms with tarps and tables into a small city of vendors. There’s not much you can’t get, and cheaply if you’re prepared to bargain.

The first time, I went alone. I came home empty-handed, wide eyed and reeling from sensory overload. Meat frying for tacos, copal incense burning, a loudspeaker lady listing all the ailments cured by her potion, jostling crowds and tables with eye-high mountains of used clothes.

No one is sure where the clothes come from or where they go. They are all washed and the mix changes weekly and with the seasons. But if you lose your luggage, pack for the wrong weather or (in my case) your laundry comes back pink, Tianguis is where you replace your wardrobe.

We started way in the back, at Donna’s favorite booth. The tables start out fairly organized- children’s clothes on one, men’s on another and women’s taking several in the middle.

The process works like this- push yourself into a spot, don’t worry where. Smile and say “Buenos dias” to your new friends. Everyone is shuffling counter-clockwise, so you’ll eventually cover most everything. First use your eyes, and scan the clothing mountain for your colors. Then touch it. If you like the fabric, pull it out. What is it? A skirt, jacket, dress? If it’s not what you want, toss it back on the pile. Slightly to your left, for your neighbor’s consideration. If it’s a possible, hold it up against yourself. This is a chance for everyone around you to weigh in on the decision. Ropas shopping is a team sport.

Barbara Kingsolver Keynote speech

Well, it’s day four of the Writers’ Conference, starring BARBARA KINGSOLVER! Yes, that’s her in the picture above.

The only time I was closer than that was in the line of the ladies’ room, with somebody yelling “No paper in the toilets! Put the paper in the wastebaskets!” (In Mexico, you do not flush down the paper. Most restrooms have signs to this effect, but this is a fancy hotel, so they have no signs, which means that out of the four toilets available to 400 or so women, several were plugged @ any given time.)

BK’s speech was absolutely amazing, so I’ve gotten a couple copies on CD. I was worried that someone with such a laser focus & an occupation that tends to draw the introverted would have trouble addressing a packed house. Au contraire. She knocked it out of the park.

And the other speakers have been equally effective. I’m learning so much my poor head is about to explode. Most of what I’m focusing on is creative non-fiction & travel writing. I’m skipping all the parties, which means I totally missed the excitement last night, “Disrespecting the Gourd” and “Art Goodtimes” reportedly having a conniption fit. Those d**d poets….

As the conference winds down, more and more people are showing up with black eyes, broken arms and canes, compliements of San Miguel’s cobblestones. The OXXO store across the street (Mexican 7-11) is doing a bang-up business since the hotel is not serving coffee after breakfast (coffee-drinking is not a concept in MX.)

I’ve had my own goodtimes, finding a very cool place to have Sunday morning tamales, meeting fellow nomads & generally having a blast, as is my habit. But I’m very very tired.

The Writers’ Conference just started today. I woke up late & went down to the hotel (by taxi) to get my packet. My first act of extreme self-care was to not finish the cup of coffee, leave the conference & come back to the casita. There is a workshop @ 2 I don’t want to miss, and then I’ll see how I feel about art studio tours, keynote & dinner. Yay, me!

• Can’t speak spanish? It must be your parents’ fault!
• Cocorico- Sure, it’s NY Fashion week. But take a look @ this designer. I heart Etsy
• Food not Lawns- Could this be the yr you retire your lawn mower?
• Permaculture for Renters – Some interesting ideas for the rest of us

Children asleep on bed

Well, time is winding down, and so am I. I was actually glad that yesterday was rainy & dismal, so I could stay @ home in the casita and make lentil soup. Also did a lot of journaling, watched a movie (Amelie- FINALLY) and generally played hooky. It felt good to just catch my breath.

Tomorrow, the San Miguel Writers’ Conference starts. Just take a look at that schedule. I signed up @ the beginning of December, when I had absolutely no idea what I was doing (I did get a hefty discount.) And now I somehow feel committed to attend all of the events I paid for- to “get my money’s worth.” I mean, shoot, it’s Barbara Kingsolver!!!

At the same time, last weekend’s workshop: Spacious Mind, Spacious Self, was all about clearing out the old, the extraneous, to leave space for the essential. And practicing extreme self care while doing it.

So I think this next week will be a good chance for me to begin learning to do that on a social level.

Then, of course, I’ll be doing it on a physical level, while I try to get everything to fit into 3 smallish suitcases. Although I’m already working on a potlatch-style giveaway party.