Carvings from Yucatán

A while ago I posted a couple of entries with photos of the handicrafts that I have in my room.  Here is some more of the Mexican décor that I have in my house...

In the spare bedroom that I have converted into a computer room and art studio, there are wood carvings from the state of Yucatán.  These are copies of stone carvings that are found on the ruins of Mayan temples.

On the closet doors are these larger carvings which I bought at a woodcarver's workshop in the town of Izamal.

Many years ago I visited the Mayan ruins of Labná.  The caretaker of the site was also a woodcarver.  At the entrance to the ruins under a thatched roof, he had his work for sale.  I picked up several smaller carvings which represent Mayan hieroglyphs.  The carver wrote on the back what each one means.  These are attached to the cupboard doors above my computer desk.  

What I Am Currently Reading

A while ago I wrote that I am currently watching on Netflix a TV series from France called "A French Village".  It is a drama set in a small town during the Nazi occupation of France.

The book that I am now reading is a good companion to that series.  "The Paris Architect" by Charles Belfoure is a novel taking place in World War II Paris during the occupation.

The story deals with a young, talented architect who suffers from a lack of commissions during the Nazi occupation.  He then receives an offer to design hiding places for Jews that the Nazis would never discover.  The architect has no great sympathy for the Jews, but he finds it impossible to turn down the lucrative deal.

The author is himself an architect specializing in historic restoration.  He has written a couple of non-fiction books about architecture, but this was his first attempt at fiction.  His lack of experience shows.  I went to a website to look at readers' reviews of the book to see if my opinion was shared by others.  Indeed, there were quite a few who described his writing style as "wooden" or "clunky".  And many wrote that the author's characters were not well developed and often lacking in motivation.

On the positive side, the plot is unique and well constructed so far, and it gives the reader a good look at life in Paris during that period.  Although the book suffers from lack of style, it is a  fast moving page-turner that has, up to now, kept my interest.  I recommend it with reservations.  Just don't expect a work of literature.

More Violent Weather in Mexico

(images taken from the web)

Last week I reported on a string of tornados in the state of Puebla.  Last Friday another, stronger tornado hit the city of Apodaca, an industrial suburb of Monterrey in the northern state of Nuevo León.

This tornado, with winds of up to 130 miles per hour, resulted in deaths, injuries and more extensive damage.  A security guard at the Whirlpool factory was killed when she was lifted up by the tornado and smashed into a billboard.  Another person died when a tree fell on him.  Five other injuries were reported.

Winds overturned a dozen tractor-trailers, and cars were damaged by large hail.  Numerous power lines were downed, and several roads were closed due to heavy rains and a landslide.

It was not a good week for a country which rarely has tornados.

Mother's Day

In Mexico Mother's Day is always celebrated on May 10th.  This year it happens to fall on the same day as Mother's Day in the U.S.

Alejandro sent me this video in which the mariachi band is singing "Las Mañanitas", the traditional Mexican birthday song, but adapted here for Mother's Day.

It is also Mother's Day in Switzerland, so I sent this video to some of my Swiss cousins.

Although the usual celebrations may not be held this year...

Happy Mother's Day!
¡Feliz Día de las Madres!
Schönen Muttertag!

More from my Kitchen

During my time in isolation I have been looking at recipes on the internet.  My goal has not been to follow them to the letter, but to simply use them as inspiration.  I look for dishes that would be easy to prepare, and which do not require a bunch of ingredients that I otherwise wouldn't use.  And I like to make one-dish meals that I can throw together in one pot or pan.

I found a dish called "olive chicken" that I followed basically only for its sauce.

I sautéed a half of a sliced red onion in a large frying pan, then added a can of diced tomatoes (undrained) and a can of tomato paste.  I sliced green olives with pimentos and black olives and added them to the mixture and seasoned it with oregano and basil.  

Instead of using this sauce on chicken breasts, I threw in shredded, cooked chicken breast and cooked pasta.

It turned out quite tasty.  I will be having leftovers this evening for dinner.

But the Calendar Says It's May!

Yesterday I decided I was not going to work in the garden.  Although it was not raining, the temperature was a chilly 37 F (3 C).   My decision was confirmed when I saw specks of white floating in the air.  It was May 8th, and it was trying to snow! 

The Great Lakes region and the northeastern United States were being hit by a polar vortex bringing rare May snowfall.  Higher elevations of Maine received eight inches of snow.

(image from the Weather Channel)

When I woke up this morning the temperature was 32 F (0 C) and the ground and rooftops were covered with a dusting of snow.

Of course the science deniers are going to say that this simply proves that global warming is a bunch of baloney.  That is why I prefer the term "climate change" to "global warming", because while the average temperature of the globe is rising, it will result in unusual weather phenomena.  That includes polar vortices making their way southward with greater frequency. 

Anyway, I just want to get back to normal May weather, so that I can work in my garden!

For the Doubters

It seems incredible to me that there are still benighted fools out there who think that the coronavirus pandemic is a gigantic hoax or, at best, an overly-hyped creation of the news media.

Alejandro sent me this picture which he found...

The sign says...

We are looking for volunteers 

who do not believe in Covid-19.

Activities:

Moving patients

Moving corpses

Cleaning

P.S. Since it is not real

we will not give you protective gear.