LLOVIENDO GATOS Y PERROS

I'm back in Queretaro again, and it's been raining and chilly since the day after I got back. Good time to catch up on things inside my relatively warm, dry house.

It's been way too long since I wrote in this blog. .... even after all my resolutions to write more often. So, no more resolutions. My excuse for the past month is that the sun, the salt water and all the cerveza and potato chips I consumed drained me of resolve and softened my brain. In reality, I had guests from the moment I arrived until I got on the plane to return to Queretaro.... quite a change from being alone most of the time since September. I thoroughly enjoyed the company of good woman friends and wanted to soak up every minute of their company. We (Adele, Erica, Mary, Catherine, and I) had a fabulous time drinking and eating and talking and playing Bananagrams (thanks to Erica) and exploring cenotes and ruins and beaches and long dirt roads. But that left very little time, energy or sobriety to compose blog entries.

And the last week, my son, Morgan and his wife, Diana who is 4 month pregnant, came which was truly wonderful. It is a real gift to get to spend time with a son and daughter-in-law away from all the demands of work and home. I had a great time showing them my favorite beach, Xcacel, the best snorkeling at Yaal-Ku Lagoon and Turtle Beach in Akumal, the best restaurants, La Buena Vida, Lol-Ha, and Lucy's Too in Akumal, and exploring a place I hadn't been yet: Aktun-Chen where we toured a dry cave and snorkeled in a big cenote. The rest of the time we played Hearts and Bananagrams, and Diana and I tried our best to challenge Moke at least a little, but he usually won.

It felt good to arrive back "home" here in Queretaro. It felt very familiar to arrive at the bus terminal, take a taxi to Pino Suarez 98 B and turn the key in the door. And things were as I had left them, although the owner, Julie had been here for the month of January. The next day, Sunday, I called Aurora and Javier to let them know I had returned and was invited to have some wine with them in the afternoon. Before that, after unpacking and organizing a bit, I went for a walk because it was a beautiful, clear day. I bought a gordita at my favorite place and went to Plaza de Armas for the Sunday afternoon concert. It was by "Ixchel - Orquesta Tipica de Queretaro": violins, accordian, guitar, base, xylophone, and percussion -- very happy music, and very typically Mexican.

Reconnecting with Aurora and Javier was wonderful -- they have become such good friends. However, I did feel as if my newly acquired Spanish had suffered from being with English speakers for a whole month. But Aurora assures me that it is only "sleeping" and will be waking up now that I'm using it again ------ at least I think that's what she said.