Snow on the Pyramids?

 Look at these two pictures from the internet.  They are of the Pyramid of the Sun at the archaeological site of Teotihuacan, about 30 miles to the north Mexico City.

Wait a minute.  Is that snow on the pyramid?!  No, last Sunday, the valley of Teotihuacan had one of those hail storms which transform the landscape into what appears to be a snowy winter scene.  Heavy hail storms are not uncommon around here, but this is the most dramatic one that I have seen.  Authorities said that there was no damage to the archaeological site, although there were some reports of damage to homes and crops in the area.  The roads were treacherous.

And meanwhile, here in Mexico City, just an hour away, we didn't even have any rain that day.

One Year of Insanity

Yesterday marked the first year since the Orange Pendejo took office.

This was the front page of one of Mexico City's newspapers...

 The photo shows the march held in Zurich to protest the Pendejo's arrival in Switzerland to attend the economic forum in Davos.

The question is, will the U.S. survive three more years of his insanity?  Will the world survive?

Hot Water

Back in Ohio, my hot water heater was a large cylindrical tank that took up a closet in the hallway.  Here in Mexico, my apartment's hot water heater, often referred to as "el boiler" is smaller and hangs on the wall of the laundry room.

The pilot light on my heater in Ohio was always on.  In Mexico, the flame would be ignited only when I turned on the hot water in one of the sinks or showers.

A couple weeks ago we noticed that the "boiler" was dripping water... not much, just a very slow drip.  We put a plastic container under it to catch the water until we could contact a plumber.  I had the phone number of a plumber that had done a repair quite a few years ago when I was still renting the apartment.  I searched and searched but I could not find the number.  Last Wednesday I finally asked the doorman if he knew a plumber that he could recommend.  He did, and he contacted him.  The plumber was scheduled to come on Friday.

Wednesday evening, while I was washing dishes, I noticed that there was no hot water.  I kept the water running and went to the laundry room.  There was no flame.  The "boiler" appeared to be dead.

The weather continues to be quite chilly here, and I was not about to take a cold shower.  So for the following days I heated a large bowl of water in the microwave and washed myself a bit.

Alejandro was hopeful that the water heater could be repaired.  (It is a typical Mexican attitude, and not a bad one, that it is better to repair something if possible, rather than buying new.)  However, the "boiler" was seventeen years old, and I was of the opinion that we should buy a new one.  When the plumber arrived on Friday, he looked at the water heater, and he said that they do not make parts for that model any more.

He asked me how many bathrooms are in the apartment.  I said two.  He asked if we usually use both showers at the same time, and I said no.  In that case, he said that a smaller "boiler" would be appropriate.  He would go out and buy one and the necessary materials that day, and he would return on the next day to install it.

He arrived promptly on Saturday.  Even though he was here for two or three hours, his labor charge was only 800 pesos, the equivalent of $45 U.S.!

So, we now have a new water heater, and we can once again take a hot shower!

My Avocado Man

Long before I made the move to Mexico City, it was my habit to include an avocado as a part of my breakfast.  Shopping for avocados at the supermarket could be frustrating however.  Many times there wouldn't be any avocados that were ripe enough for immediate consumption.  I would have to do my grocery shopping when I still had three avocados at home.  That would usually give the ones I bought time to ripen.  However, from time to time, my supermarket would have avocados imported from Peru instead of Mexico.  Those Peruvian  avocados would never seem to ripen.  I would complain to the produce manager to buy Mexican not Peruvian, but of course he did not have much say over corporate decisions.

You would think that once I moved to Mexico, buying avocados would be easy.  However, at the nearby Walmart, the most convenient place for me to shop, the avocados too frequently would either be rotten or hard as rock.  My neighborhood does not have a public market, and I would have to walk about twenty minutes to get to the market in the adjoining neighborhood.  

We do have, however, two weekly "tianguis" (outdoor markets).  Every Sunday there is a large "tianguis" that stretches for a quarter of a mile along a nearby street.  The problem with it, however, is that it is very crowded, and you have to walk several blocks before you get to the section of fruits and vegetables.  On Thursdays, there is a smaller "tianguis" that stretches around three sides of the local park.  It is a calmer and more compact shopping experience.

So, now I go there to buy my avocados.  Since the first time, I have patronized the same vendor who has become my "avocado man".  

Every Thursday, he greets me, and we often chat briefly.  He picks out nice large avocados of varying ripeness so I can enjoy them daily.  Very rarely do they have any brown spots at all.  I will also buy one or two seedless "limónes" (limes) from him.  A squirt of lime juice is considered essential to enhance the flavor of the avocado. 

Once the avocados ripen, I put them in the refrigerator, and they last for the rest of the week.  For breakfast I will either slice an avocado and season it with salt, pepper and lime juice, or I will make my quick version of guacamole... smashing up an avocado with salt, pepper, lime juice and a good dollop of ground chipotle peppers.  Yum!

Memories of "Snow Days"

Last week I received an email from a former colleague of mine who is still teaching.  She reported with glee that a heavy snow storm had resulted in the cancelation of classes.  Yes, teachers look forward to those winter "snow days" as much as the students.  The snow had begun in the evening, continued all night, and it was still snowing the next morning when she took this photo that she sent to me.

Here in Mexico City we have been complaining about the cold temperatures.  One morning last week the mercury dipped down to 37 degrees Fahrenheit... pretty chilly when you consider that homes here do not have central heating.  However that picture puts things in perspective.  Our worst winters here cannot compare to the snow and cold up north.

As a native Ohioan, I have seen plenty of rough winters, and during my thirty years of teaching, I experienced quite a few "snow days".  We had a faculty telephone chain to inform us if classes were cancelled due to bad weather.  However, I lived 20 miles from the school where I taught, and I would always leave the house early in the morning, especially during winter weather.  There were a couple of times when I made it all the way to school only to find out that classes had been cancelled.

In 1977 and 1978 the Cleveland area suffered two especially rough winters with historic blizzards.  I'm not sure which year it was, but I remember waiting to receive the phone call.  I finally set out in the car in blizzard conditions.  I had the radio on, hoping to hear my school listed as closed.  I had gone less than a mile when the announcer said that no one should be out on the road.  I turned around and went back home.  As I entered the house, the phone was ringing.  "No school today!"

Good-Looking Potatoes

Last weekend we tried out a restaurant not too far from the apartment with the unusual name of "Papa Guapa" (Good-looking potato).  The decor of the place is very much like an old-time 1950s diner, but as the name implies, the menu features potato dishes.  Definitely not a place to go if you are on a "keto" diet.

The service was slow, but we will forgive them that since they were short handed, and the place was crowded when we first arrived.  Finally our order was taken, and after another wait, our food began to come out.

We both ordered the potato leek soup which was very good.

I also had macaroni and cheese which was excellent.

The main courses, the "papas guapas",  are potatoes stuffed with a variety of fillings.  All of the choices are named after female celebrities.

I ordered a "Papa Hayek" which had a stuffing of chicken fajitas, cheese and a layer of sauteed spinach with "poblano" pepper sauce.  Alejandro had a "Paponna Summer".  The potato was stuffed with roast beef, mushrooms and cheese and covered with beef gravy.

Although it wasn't the healthiest of meals, the food was good.  We will probably return.

Another Wake-Up Call

 

It was during the wee hours of the morning today... at 12:42 A.M. to be exact.  I was alone at the apartment; Alejandro was at the family house.  A blaring alarm went off on my cell phone, and seconds later the outdoor sirens started... "Alerta sísmica, alerta sísmica" (seismic alert).  Another earthquake.  

I don't worry too much about being in the apartment during an earthquake.  The building is build on bedrock, and it went through the severe 2017 quake, a quake that toppled 40 buildings, without any damage.  The alert gives you about a minute's warning.  Since I would have to go done three flights of steps to leave the building, I just stay indoors.  Alejandro judged that the safest place in the apartment would be in the far corner of the living room, an area that is not over the ground-floor parking garage.  So I got out of bed and went to my corner.  I waited several minutes, and I felt nothing.  I went to the window, and although the lights were on in a few apartments, there was nobody on the street.  I called Alejandro, and he said that he felt a very slight tremor.

The quake had a magnitude of 5.0 on the Richter scale, and the epicenter was in the same area of the state of Guerrero that had been hit by a stronger quake two weeks ago.  It was thought to be an aftershock of that earlier quake.

There have been no reports of damage.