No Doubt

I have written about the sprout that appeared on my orchid after I had it repotted.  I was hoping that it was a flower stalk and not just an air root.  Well, now there is no doubt about it.  After more than a year, my orchid is finally going to bloom.

What started as a little sprout earlier this month is now a stalk about six inches tall.  At the top of the stalk there are what appear to be the beginning of buds.  I have been turning the plant regularly so that the stalk grows upright rather than curving toward the sunlight.  I still have the plastic stake that came with the plant to hold up the stalk when as gets taller.

Now, I just hope that it doesn't blossom and fade while I am away on my trip to Ohio!

A Rainy Rainy Season

I have written previously that we have received a lot of precipitation during this year's rainy season, including some serious flooding earlier this month.  In July we had twice the normal amount of rain, and that is being repeated this month.

As you can see from this photo that I took off of the Weather Channel website, with a couple days still left in the month of August, we have had just over 13 inches of rain... nearly twice the historical average.  September is still part of the rainy season although the amount of precipitation usually declines a bit.  We will see if the above average trend continues next month.  By the end of October it is the dry season.  Scarce rainfall continues until June.

Although Mexico City has suffered flooded streets and worse, the upside is that the reservoirs that supply much of the city's water are being replenished.  In the first half of 2024, after a long drought, experts were talking about "Day Zero", when the city would run out of water.  That was predicted to occur on June 26th, 2024.  But before "Day Zero" arrived, the rainy season began.  With a normal rainy season last year, and super abundant rains this year, a calamity was averted.

The Cutzamala System is a network of reservoirs, pipes and pumping stations that is one of the largest water supply systems in the world.  It provides Mexico City with over one third of its water.  In the spring of 2024, when it seemed that the city would run out of water, Cutzamala was at only 27% of its capacity.  By the beginning of this month, the capacity had risen to 62%, and as of August 28th, the capacity was at 72%.  Although, the water crisis has been avoided for the time being, the government still urges conservation.  Another drought could once again put the thirsty capital in danger.

Imaginary Potholes

It seems to me that this year there are more potholes in Mexico City streets than ever before.  However, the chief of government of Mexico City (similar to governor) says that there are no more potholes on the city's principal avenues; that they have all been filled.  In fairness, it is a daunting task to maintain the city's thousands of miles of streets, but her assertion made people laugh.

In my neighborhood there are plenty of potholes...

I don't know if she would consider this a "principal avenue", although it is a busy street that passes by the World Trade Center.  However, when I'm in the car with Alejandro we are definitely on "principal avenues", and potholes still exist.  Alejandro's GPS is constantly announcing "Pothole reported ahead."

But the head of government says that there are no more potholes, so I guess they are a figment of our imagination.

The Washing Machine Redux

You may recall that a few weeks ago, the washing machine in the apartment was not working correctly.  We called Sears, and a repairmen came out and examined the machine.  He concluded that the strange movements and flashing lights were simply due to overloading the machine.  The centrifuge was just readjusting itself

The following Saturday, when our cleaning lady, Guillermina, came, she had no problems with the washer.  We hoped that all was well.  However, the next Saturday, Guillermina told us that after doing the laundry, the machine started making noises and lights were flashing even though it was turned off.  That evening, Alejandro tried washing a few items and had no problem.  Later in the week I tried washing half a load of clothes just to make sure it was working before our cleaning lady's next visit.  I had a difficult time getting the machine to even start.  Finally, it went through the wash and rinse cycles, but then it stopped.  The lid was locked shut, and I had to unplug the washer to remove the laundry.  Of course, since the clothes had not been through the spin cycle, they were sopping wet.  I put them in the dryer (which fortunately is still functioning).  During the entire time that the clothes were in the dryer, the washing machine was making occasional noises, and three lights were continuously flashing.  After the clothes were dry, I unplugged the machine again.

When Guillermina came on Saturday, I told her not worry about the laundry.  Alejandro had called Sears again, and the repairman would be out on Tuesday.  On Tuesday, the same fellow arrived.  I plugged in the machine, and the three lights were flashing again.  After spending some time examining the washer, he told me that the "card" needed to be replaced.  It would take two or three days to get the new part, and he would then return.  I am hoping that he comes today or tomorrow.  I can then tackle the pile of laundry that has accumulated so that Guillermina doesn't have so many clothes to wash.

When the repairman said that the "card" needed to be replaced, it really had no idea what he was talking about.  I did some reading, and apparently nowadays washers have a computer card that serves as the "brains" of the machine.

We were much better off in the "old days".  Washers didn't have "cards", and they were built to last for twenty years or more!

A Family Gathering

Last Saturday Alejandro, Sandra, Ezra and I attended a family gathering at the home of their relative Pipo.  In the English-speaking world, Pipo would be Alejandro's first cousin once removed since he is the son of Alejandro's first cousin Silvia.  However, in Mexico, or at least in Alejandro's family, they don't bother with all the complicated terminology for cousins.  Only first cousins are called cousins.  Alejandro refers to Pipo as his nephew.

Pipo (which by the way, is a nickname for Felipe) lives in the outskirts of Pachuca, the capital of the state of Hidalgo.  It was about two hour drive for us from Mexico City.  The get-together was to celebrate Pipo's birthday (or at least the weekend closest to his birthday).  It was also a chance for Pipo to show off the new house that he recently bought.

As is normal for family gatherings in Mexico, the table was filled with food, and we ate too much.  There were tacos and tostadas with an assortment of fillings and toppings.  I had at least four tostadas (crispy corn tortillas).  I topped them with guacamole, refried beans, "cotija" cheese, salsa, and "tinga", a shredded chicken dish.

The tostadas were yummy, although there were a couple of toppings I did not care to try... pickled cow's feet and octopus ceviche.

Alejandro was also enjoying the tostadas.

For a birthday it is traditional to serve tamales.  Pipo, his mother, and grandmother had been working all morning on them, and they were cooking in a large steamer.  Pipo asked who would like to test a "tamal" to see if they were done.  Alejandro volunteered me, and I was served a "tamal" filled with onions and strips ("rajas") of chile peppers.  

I unwrapped the corn husk in which it was steamed and dug in.  The others were teasing me that it was up to me to judge whether or not the tamales were fully cooked.  The corn-meal dough, or "masa", tasted cooked to me, but just to make sure, I had Alejandro taste it.  "Yes, it's done," he said.  I thought that it was one of the best tamales that I had ever eaten.  I was sorry that I had eaten so many tostadas, and didn't have room for more tamales.

Pipo kept offering me an alcoholic beverage, but I don't like beer, tequila or mezcal.  Then Pipo asked me if I like sweet drinks, and he prepared a blender full of a special concoction.  It is made with "creme de cacao" and "creme de menthe".  Chocolate syrup is swirled in the glass before serving.

It was very tasty, and I had two of them.

After dark we got in the car to make the journey back to Mexico City.  Fortunately, traffic was lighter, and it didn't take as long to return.

It was a very enjoyable day with good company and delicious food.

An Old Fashioned Artist

Last week, I visited the San Carlos Art Museum once again.  The museum is not that large, and its collection is not that impressive.  However, I keep returning because they frequently have interesting special exhibits.  This latest visit was to see an exhibit of paintings by Pilar Calvo.

Pilar Calvo (1913 -1986) was an artist who painted in a realistic style and who distanced herself from the avant-garde trends of the 20th century.  (With my rather old-fashioned tastes in art, that is fine with me.)  As with many women artists, she has been largely ignored in the history of Mexican art.  However, she did have success during her lifetime with solo exhibitions in New York City in 1941 and in Mexico City's Palace of Fine Arts in 1944.  After that she was largely forgotten, and this is the first exhibit of her art since then.  Most of the paintings are from the private collection of her brother Angel Calvo.

Calvo's favorite genre was portraiture.  The exhibition begins with several self portraits.

"Self Portrait with a Blue Dress"

1930

"Self Portrait"

1932

"Outdoor Self Portrait"

1944

More examples of portraiture by Pilar Calvo...

"Portrait of Carmen de la Borbolla Haghenbeck"

1940

"Portrait of Elena Martino"

1947

"The Little Girl Tatiana Blago"

1932

"Boy Dressed as a Sailor"

1942

"Shepherd"

1936

"Old Spaniard"

1930

She also did occasional landscapes...

"Ex-Convent of Actopan"

1927

"Landscape with Burro"

1927

"Landscape of the Volcanoes"

1944

Finally, a couple of floral still life paintings...

"Jar of Marigolds"

1932

"Still Life of Roses"

undated

I found it interesting that none of the paintings are from the last 40 years of her life.  Did she stop painting altogether?  If so, why?  I was not able to find any additional biographical information about her on the internet.  It's something of a mystery.

A Holiday Task in August

When I last discussed the progress on my Christmas cards, I had my painting scanned, and the image put onto a memory stick.  I hoped that the small print shop, a tiny at-home operation that did my cards last year, was still in business.

A couple weeks ago, I found the phone number of the shop on my cell phone, and I called.  There was no answer, and I left a message.  I started looking at Google Maps and making a list of other print shops, just in case.  But while I was doing that, the phone rang, and it was the lady that printed my cards last year.  When I told her that she printed my cards with a painting of the snow-covered mountain Iztaccíhuatl last year, she remembered me.  I asked her if I could come in with another printing project, and she told me to stop by after two that afternoon.  I wrote up a description of the painting to be printed on the back, and later I walked to the shop, about a mile and a half away, in the neighborhood of Condesa.

As I said, it is an at-home business.  It is located on the top floor of an apartment building, and the only indication of its existence is a little sign next to the door bell.  I was led upstairs, and I gave the lady the memory stick with the image of the painting and the description of the painting, and I explained to her what I wanted.  I paid a deposit, and she said that would message me when she had made a sample for my approval.

By Saturday she sent me pictures of the sample.  I said that it looked good.  She told me that I could pick up the cards in a couple of hours.  So, later that afternoon, Alejandro and I walked to Condesa.  The cards looked very nice.  I was especially pleased with the how the painting on the front turned out.

I then asked her if she could print up stickers with my return address.  She said "yes", and I gave her my apartment address and a deposit for that job.  I had her print 300 stickers so that I would have a good supply for future use.  I was able to pick up the stickers the following Tuesday.  I was surprised because I was expecting 8.5 x 11 inch sheets, similar to what you would buy in an office supply store in the U.S.  Instead, the stickers were on several large 12.5 x 20 sheets.

I now had everything I needed to start making out my cards, including standard greeting card envelopes which I had purchased on an earlier trip to Ohio.  (Oddly enough, none of the office supply stores nor stationery shops here sell that size of envelope.)  As I write this, I am nearly half-way done with the cards.

When I return to Ohio in September I will take the cards with me.  I will go to the post office, buy stamps, and give the cards to a friend so that they can be sent out after Thanksgiving.

Change of Address

 

When I moved to Mexico, I did not trust the Mexican postal service to reliably deliver my mail.  My distrust stems back to when I first met Alejandro.  I sent him a Christmas card from Ohio after Thanksgiving, and he received it in time for Easter.  

For the past two years, I have used Mail Boxes Etc. as a private mailing service.  Although Mail Boxes Etc. no longer exists in the United States (they were bought out by UPS), the company name is still used here in Mexico.  When I registered prior to my permanent move, I was assigned an address in Miami.  My mail would go through there, and then it would be shipped to Mexico City.  I would pick up my mail at one their offices here.  I had to pay for each item of mail that was delivered to me, but since I did not receive much mail, except at Christmas time, it wasn't an enormous expense.

Earlier this month I received a couple pieces of mail.  I went to the Mail Boxes office, and I was flabbergasted by how much I had to pay.  They have changed their prices, and infrequent customers, such as I, now have to pay the equivalent of around 22 U.S. dollars for each piece of mail.  If I receive around 40 or 50 Christmas cards, it's going to cost me a small fortune to pick up my mail!  I could rent a mailbox from them, but that costs 900 pesos per month (around 45 dollars or 540 dollars per year).

There are some places that required my actual Mexico City address, and there have been occasions where I have received mail here at the apartment building.  The mail may be slow... about a month to arrive... but then again it usually took three weeks for mail to be delivered by Mail Boxes Etc.  So, I am going to cross my fingers and trust the Mexican postal service ("Correos de México") to deliver the mail to me.  A few days ago, I send an email to my friends giving them my apartment address.  Come Christmas time, we will see if "Correos de México" comes through! 

(images taken from the internet)

Italian in the Next Neighborhood

While we are on the subject of non-Mexican food in Mexico City...  there are some good Italian restaurants within walking distance from the apartment.  

Just to the north of where I live there is a neighborhood or "colonia" called Escandón.  Many years ago, I rented an Airbnb in Escandón, and although it was a pleasant middle-class neighborhood, it was notable for its lack of restaurants.  Since then, things have changed.  Gentrification is creeping in from the trendy neighborhood of Condesa, and when I walk through Escandón, there are now a number of interesting cafés, bakeries, and restaurants.  One which looked especially promising was an Italian restaurant called Ostería Brunetta.  While passing by one day I looked over the menu, and the place had very good reviews on Google Maps.  So, last weekend Alejandro and I went there for supper.

The lighting in the restaurant is not ideal for photography, so these pictures which Alejandro took with his cell phone, do not do justice to the food. 

I started with an appetizer of rice croquettes with Parmesan and mozzarella cheese and a pomodoro sauce.

Alejandro had a salad of eggplant, garlic, olives, dried tomatoes, and Parmesan.  Eggplant is not my favorite, but he said that the salad was very good.

For my main course, I had home-made spinach pasta with a Bolognese sauce.  I admit that in the photo it looks like a mess, but it was very tasty.

Alejandro had the lemon chicken with capers.

For dessert, we shared the tiramisu.

The food was delicious, and the service was attentive and very friendly.  Another restaurant to add to our list of places that are within walking distance.

Mexican Burgers

 Although I love Mexican food, don't think that I live on a constant diet of "chiles en nogada", "enchiladas de huitlacoche" and other Mexican dishes.  Sometimes I'm in the mood for a good old-fashioned hamburger... and I don't mean McDonalds.

Just a short walk from the apartment there's a burger joint called Ruben's Hamburgers.  I've passed it a number of times while walking down Insurgentes Avenue.  Finally, I suggested to Alejandro that we should give it a try.  We liked the place.  The burgers were very good.  In fact, a few weeks later we went there again.

The burgers are charcoal grilled, and they are all topped with "ensalada de col" (cole slaw), tomato and pickled onions.  On the last visit, I ordered the "clásica" which also has Gouda cheese and bacon.  

I looked at their website, and the company boasts of being 100% Mexican.  Their first restaurant opened in 1979 in the Pacific beach resort of Zihuantenejo.  Today they have 23 branches including 10 in metropolitan Mexico City.

McDonalds eat your heart out!

My Purchases

Here are some of things that I brought home from the Festival of Indigenous Cultures for myself or as gifts to give to friends.

As you may recall, I frequently send dolls to the daughters of a friend in the United States.  I purchased this doll which comes from the town of Amealco in the state of Querétaro.

The girls already have dolls from Amealco, but I bought this one because I liked his smiling face and the lovely, embroidered panel on his shirt.

The son of another friend has just started college last year, and he plans to become a veterinarian.  I thought that he would like this t-shirt with a graphic of an "axolotl".

The "axolotl" is an endangered, salamander-like animal that lives in the few remaining canals in Mexico City.

If you have read this blog for a while, you know that I am a sucker for handicrafts, especially Mexican handicrafts.  I bought this small piece of pottery for myself.

The piece was made in the state of Chihuahua, and is based on the designs of the pre-Hispanic culture of Paquimé.  The designs were cut into the pottery with a knife.  I have two other similar pieces that are even smaller.  I assume now that they are also from Chihuahua.  This recent buy looks nice on the shelf with the other two.

You also may remember that I collect figures of jaguars, and that I have a collection of jaguar heads on the wall.  I found two more to add to my collection.

This one is from Oaxaca.  It is carved from copal wood and intricately painted in the style of the "alebrijes" from that state.

This one is from the town of San Bartolo Coyotepec in Oaxaca.  The town is famous for its black pottery, but this is the first time I had seen pieces in two colors.

I asked the artisan if two different kinds of clay are used to create these bi-colored pieces.  He said, "No".  The different colors are achieved by the way that the clay is prepared.  This piece will make an interesting addition to my collection.

 

"Fiesta" on the Zócalo

Last week, the Zócalo was filled with tents housing the 11th annual Festival of Indigenous Cultures.

I went on a weekday to check it out.  Some of the tents featured artisans selling handicrafts from different parts of the country.  At first glance it seemed to be the same stuff that you see at all the handicraft markets... a colorful jumble of merchandise, but nothing that I wanted to buy.

Even though I did not see many foreign visitors, there was a fair amount of stuff that I would classify as "tourist junk".  Who, other than a tourist, would buy a "mariachi sombrero"?

However, as I continued deeper into the exposition, I came upon some artisans and artists that had some high quality and unique merchandise, and I had interesting conversations with them.

This fellow was selling hand-crafted jewelry made by his wife.  The designs are based on the art of the culture of Paquimé, a pre-Hispanic city in the present day in the present-day state of Chihuahua.

This artist came from the village of San Martín Tilcajete in the state of Oaxaca.  San Martín is famous for its "alebrijes", animals carved from copal wood and intricately painted.

I didn't ask him how much this large bull costs, but I am sure that it is quite expensive.  Many years ago I was in San Martín, and at one of the numerous workshops I bought a carved bear.  It is a fraction of the size of this piece, but it cost 350 U.S. dollars way back then.

This gentleman comes from San Bartolo Coyotepec, also in the state of Oaxaca.  The town is famous for its black pottery.

There was a smaller tent where vendors were selling native medicinal herbs... and perhaps some ingredients for witchcraft potions.  This women outside the tent would perform ritual cleansings using incense and herbs.

The largest tent on the Zócalo was devoted mainly to food stalls.

"Tlayudas" have been described as Oaxaca's version of pizza.  A "tlayuda" is an enormous crispy corn tortilla that is covered with toppings such as refried beans, cheese and meat.

"Cemitas" are a type of sandwich that are typical of the state of Puebla.

"Tepache" is a beverage made from very slightly fermented pineapples.

'Tis the season for "chiles en nogada", and there was one stall selling that seasonal delicacy.

I love all of those dishes, but I had a big breakfast that morning and I did not partake of any of the foods for sale.  

I did, however, buy a bag of coffee from Huatusco, Veracruz, a town which is the state's major coffee producer.

I did not walk through the entire exhibition.  After a couple of hours, I was getting tired, and I wanted to return to the apartment before the afternoon rain.  I did come away with a shopping bag full of treasures for myself and as gifts to take to Ohio on my next trip.  In my next post, I'll show you some of the purchases I made at the festival.