Christmas in September

 

If Costco, Sears and other stores here can put out their Christmas decorations for sale in the middle of September, then what is so strange about making out my Christmas cards now?

Actually, for me it was a necessity to finish my Christmas cards so early.  I am taking a short trip to Ohio to cast my ballot when early voting at the Board of Elections begins in October.  I will take my cards with me, go to the post office and spend a small fortune on stamps, and give the cards to a friend to send off after Thanksgiving.

I received my cards from the printer a couple weeks ago, and I immediately started making them out.  One hundred cards was the minimum number that the printer will do, although I don't need that many.  Last weekend I finished, and I have 56 cards to send.  A dozen of them will be headed to cousins in England and Switzerland; the rest are going to friends throughout the United States.  Later in the year, I will make out several more to hand-deliver to people here in Mexico.

I realize that sending Christmas cards is sadly a dying tradition, and with the cost of postage these days it is understandable.  But I am a dinosaur and persist with the tradition.  I receive cards from about half of the people on my list, but I know that even those who do not send out cards enjoy and even expect my card.  They look forward to seeing the new painting that I have done that year.

It seems to take about a month for mail from the U.S. and other countries to arrive here.  The Christmas season in Mexico lasts until January 6th, so I tell people whose cards don't arrive until early January that they were not really late.  And even if they arrive later in January, their holiday greetings are still very much appreciated.  On the other hand, mail from Mexico to the U.S. takes up to three months.  That is why, since moving down here, I give my cards to a friend when I make a return visit to Ohio.

In 2027, however, I don't have any plans to travel to Ohio, and I will have to send my cards from here.  That means next year the cards will be sent out at the end of summer!       

  

The Earthquake Drill

Last Saturday, September 19th, was the national earthquake drill.  It is held on the anniversary of the two most serious earthquakes to have struck Mexico City... the catastrophic quake of 1985 in which 30,000 people may have died, and then another quake on the same date in 2017 that killed 220 people in Mexico City.

I had forgotten about the upcoming drill until I saw a large poster on the wall of the World Trade Center the week before.

Although not all of Mexico is in seismically active zones, in recent years the drill has been a nationwide event.

Since the drill fell on a Saturday this year, the emphasis was more on households making emergency plans than on office workers evacuating their buildings.

Alejandro and I left our apartment a few minutes before the drill began at noon.  We walked down the street to the nearby shopping center.  People were gathered outside on the sidewalk.

However, I could see through the windows of "El Cardenal" Restaurant that people were still sitting at their tables eating in the midst of the drill.

We continued walking over to the front of the World Trade Center.  With offices closed there were far fewer people out on the sidewalks, just customers and employees from the stores and restaurants in the building.

I often wonder if there really were an earthquake, how could workers on the upper floors of the World Trade Center (it's 50 stories high) leave the building without using elevators in the few minutes of warning that the sirens would give them.  Their best bet would surely be to select a spot away from windows and falling objects.  Even in my 3rd floor apartment (4th floor by U.S. count), I would not try to head down to the street.  We have selected what Alejandro deems to be the safest spot.  Fortunately the neighborhood, including the World Trade Center and our apartment building, weathered the 2017 earthquake with minimal damage. 

Pigs

I love Mexico City.  It is one of the great cities of the world.  However, no place is perfect, and there are a number of things that really annoy me.  First of all, there is the horrendous traffic.  Second, there is the graffiti which seems to be getting worse.  Third is the fact that there are far too many people who have no qualms about being litterbugs.

Here's a case in point...

Next to the World Trade Center is the Poliforum Siqueiros, an event venue which features murals by the painter David Alfaro Siqueiros.  Along the sidewalk by the Poliforum there are concrete planters (which are untended and grown up in weeds... something else which irks the former gardener in me.)  In the middle of the untended planter is a sign which was posted by the Poliforum.

The sign says, "Do not throw trash nor the feces of your pet.  Avoid a fine or up to 24 hours in jail."  It goes on to cite the city ordinance, and even says that the area is under video surveillance.

Does that deter the litterbugs?  Heck, no!  This rubbish is right next to the sign as if to mock the idea that one should not throw trash wherever one wishes.

As Alejandro would say, "¡Cochinos!"  "Pigs!"

With Dr. Simi

My regular readers are by now very familiar with Dr. Simi, the loveable mascot of the pharmacy chain, Farmacias Similares.

It's a frequent occurrence to see Dr. Simi dancing outside one of the pharmacies and greeting passersby.

Last week we were walking down Insurgentes Avenue after breakfast, and we ran into the good doctor.  He kindly posed for a photo with me.

 

Another Book Finished

 I just finished another book.  This one was "Rules of Civility" by Amor Towles.

Some years ago I read two of Towles' novels... "The Lincoln Highway" and "A Gentleman in Moscow".  Both of them were excellent books that I thoroughly enjoyed.

"The Rules of Civility" was Towles' first novel, and, to his surprise, was a best seller. The story begins in a Greenwich Village jazz club on New Year's Eve of 1937.  The protagonist, Katie Kontent (yes, that's her name) is out celebrating with her roommate when they meet a handsome, cultured and apparently affluent fellow named Tinker Grant.  The three of them hit it off immediately.  Through Tinker, Katie gains entry to Manhattan's high society.  Although she is the working class daughter of a Brooklyn immigrant family, she is an avid reader (devouring everything from Dickens to Agatha Christie) and has the wit and self-confidence to waltz effortlessly in through the city's upper crust.

Although I sort enjoyed the book, I did not think that it was nearly as good as the other two novels by Towles that I read.  I had a hard time keeping track of all those wealthy New Yorkers who appear and then reappear during the course of the story.  I also found it hard to believe that Katie, no matter how bright and witty, was never met with snobbery by any of those rich folks.  "The Lincoln  Highway" and "A Gentleman in Moscow" both had surprising and very satisfying endings.  This book simply ended, and left me thinking, "That's it?"

"Rules of Civility" has been compared to "The Great Gatsby".  Well, I read "The Great Gatsby" ages ago, and it really didn't impress me either.

More Blooms?

Those of you who have followed this blog over the last few years, know the story of the orchid plant that I bought not long after making the move to Mexico.  After the original blossoms had dropped, I hoped that the plant would rebloom again.  For a long time I had no luck, and I finally took the orchid to a nursery.  There an expert told me that I was over-watering it.  He trimmed back some rotten roots and repotted it in fresh bark chips with a time-released fertilizer.  After that I gave it only one cup of water each week.  This was more than a year ago, and, about a month after the repotting, a flower stalk emerged.  I had flowers once again which lasted until January of this year.  In the spring another flower stalk sprouted, and I had blooms which lasted most of the summer.

Last week I was looking at the plant, and I saw several sprouts.  From my past experience I am quite sure that they are going to be flower stalks.

This close-up photo is quite blurry, but I think that you can see that there are four, possibly five, little sprouts emerging.

If they all develop into flower stalks, in a month or so it is going to be a quite spectacular floral display!

Rushing the Season

U.S. chains down here such as Walmart and Costco are not the only ones who rush the season with their merchandise.  I took this photo in one of the Chedraui stores two days before Independence Day.  We had not even celebrated that holiday, and there was already Day of the Dead / Halloween merchandise out on the shelves.

 I did not look closely at any of the items but I suspect that all of them are made in China.

Even worse, when we went to Costco the next day, they already had artificial Christmas trees out for sale.

Eating Well for the "Fiestas Patrias"

During the season celebrating Mexico's independence (known as the "Fiestas Patrias") it is common to eat traditional Mexican dishes.  The most emblematic dish for the "Fiestas Patrias" is something I have written about many times here on the blog... that exquisite culinary creation known as "chiles en nogada".  The green poblano pepper, the white walnut sauce and the red pomegranate seeds are the colors of the Mexican flag.  Last Saturday, before we went to the Zócalo to see the holiday lights, we stopped for dinner at our favorite restaurant, Testal.  Although we think that they have the best "chiles en nogada" in town, this time we did not order them.  During this time of year they have another dish that is almost as scrumptious... "enchiladas agustinas".  The enchiladas are filled with the same filling that goes into "chiles en nogada", a mixture of meat, fruit and nuts.  Pomegranate seeds are sprinkled on top, but instead of  walnut sauce, the enchiladas are generously covered with their delicious "mole".

We had their "chiles en nogada" last month when they first appeared on the menu, but we can't let the season go by without also having their special enchiladas.  So delicious!

This is the first time since I permanently moved to Mexico that I spent Independence Day with Alejandro's family.  (Last year we were in Ohio, and the year before that I was in Switzerland.)  I did not realize just how good the food was going to be.  Just as the special holiday meal is served on Christmas Eve rather than Christmas Day, the feasting occurs on the night before Independence Day.  Rather than cook, the family had ordered food from a neighbor that prepares meals.  The dishes that we had are very typical, at least in Mexico City, for the celebration of the "Fiestas Patrias".

First we had "pozole", a thick soup or stew made with hominy and meat (either chicken or pork).  The soup is garnished with chopped onion, shredded cabbage and sliced radishes.  You also give it a good squeeze of lime juice and sprinkle some oregano on top.

What was even better were the "tostadas"...  crisp, deep fried corn tortillas that are served with various toppings.  "Tostadas" are usually round, but they can also be square.  The day before Alejandro went to a neighborhood "tortillería" and bought two large packages of square "tostadas".

We had two different toppings for our "tostadas".  One was "pata de res", cows' feet pickled in vinegar and onions.  No thanks.  I've tried "pata" before, and I did not like it, particularly the consistency.  Fortunately, there was another topping which was delicious, "tinga de pollo".  "Tinga" is a dish that originated in the city of Puebla.  It is shredded chicken mixed with tomato sauce, chipotle peppers, and sauteed onion and garlic.  The "tinga" was very tasty, and I lost track of how many "tostadas" I ate.

First you spoon on some "crema" (similar to sour cream) on the "tostada".  Then you put on some "tinga".  Next you can put on some garnishes... chopped onion, shredded cheese, shredded cabbage, and some salsa.  Rather messy to eat but yummy!

We ate very well for the "Fiestas Patrias"!

Independence Day Lights

Today is Mexican Independence Day, the day which commemorates the beginning of Mexico's fight for its freedom from Spain.  The struggle began on September 16th, 1810, however it was not until 1821 that Mexico's independence was finally acheived.

The big celebration occurs on the eve of Independence when a quarter of a million people crowd into the Zócalo, Mexico City's main plaza, to watch the President appear on the balcony of the National Palace and ring the bell which Father Miguel Hidalgo rang to gather his parishioners and exhort them to rise against the colonial rule of Spain.

Alejandro and I definitely did NOT join the crowds on Tuesday evening.  However, the Saturday before we went to the Zócalo to see the holiday lights.  At this time of year, you are always at risk of being caught in a thunderstorm in the evening.  Although in some parts of the metropolitan area there were downpours and flooding and even hail storms, fortunately for us, in the center of the city we had nothing more than an occasional light sprinkle.

As we walked toward the Zócalo, on nearly every street corner we saw vendors selling Mexican flags and Independence Day clothing and decorations.

This organ grinder was decked out for the holiday.

(photo take by Alejandro)

The Zócalo was lively with other people who had also come to see the holiday lights.

(photo taken by Alejandro)


Traditional Mexican tunes were being played off and on from the loudspeakers.
I suspect that they were testing the system for the big night.

The national coat of arms... the eagle and the serpent

The coat of arms also hangs over 20 de Noviembre Avenue, the main street flowing into the Zócalo.

The theme of the lighting this year was heroines of the War for Independence.  Frankly, I find the government's pro-feminist posturing a cruel joke given the continuing disgrace of feminicides and violence against women.

The most famous of the women of the independence movement was Josefa Ortiz, also known as "La Corregidora".  She was the wife of the Spanish administrator or "corregidor" in the city of Querétaro.  She secretly held meetings of pro-independence conspirators in her home, and she warned them when the Spanish were on to their plans.

Leona Vicario served as a messenger, relaying information to the insurgents, and generously donated for personal fortune to the movement.  She was one of the first female journalists in Mexico and worked with pro-independence publications.

Gertrudis Bocanegra supported the independence movement in the state of Michoacán as a messenger and spy.  She joined a group of rebels planning to take the town of Pátzcuaro from the Spanish.  She was captured by the Spanish and was condemned to death before a firing squad.

I had never heard of the fourth woman honored in lights on the Zócalo... María Ignacia Rodríguez.  Alejandro had never heard of her either.  I did a bit of research on her later, and her exact role in the independence movement is unclear.  She came from a very wealthy family, and was noted for her great beauty. She did use her considerable fortune to help finance the insurgents.   She was married three times, and was accused of having numerous love affairs with prominent men.  Some of the accusations were probably false, but others were possibly true.  She was very close to Agustín de Iturbide, the Spanish officer who switched sides and led the rebels to eventual victory.  Some have gone so far to suggest that it was her influence that led Iturbide to join the independence movement.

One Last Look at Rivera

Here is one last look at the artwork of Diego Rivera at the Dolores Olmedo Museum...

 "Nude Woman from Tehuantepec"  1946

"The Cabbage Seller"  1936

"Women Combing their Hair"  1957

"In the Market at Papantla"  1955

"The Family"  1934

"Head of a Woman from Tehuantepec"  1936

"Woman with Flowers"  1938

"The Flowered Canoe"  1931

In 1955 Rivera, who had been diagnosed with cancer, traveled to the Soviet Union to seek treatment.

 "The Russian Nurse" 1956

"Russian Children" 1956

"Woman Shoveling Snow" 1955

Dolores Olmedo invited the dying Rivera to spend time at her house in Acapulco.

Each day he would paint the sunset from the balcony of the house.

"Sunsets"  1956

"The Hammock" 1956

This is the last canvas completed by Rivera before his death in 1957.

"The Watermelons"  1957

"Self Portrait"  1954

More of Rivera's Art

Here are some more pieces of Diego Rivera's artwork in the Dolores Olmedo Museum...

"The Execution of Maximillian"  1935

This sketch was used as a stencil for the painting of one portion of Rivera's famous murals in the National Palace depicting the history of Mexico.

"Mother Earth"  1926

These were preliminary sketches for Rivera's mural in the School of Agriculture at Chapingo.  The model was Rivera's second wife, Guadalupe Marín.

"Frozen Assets"  1931

This fresco shows Rivera's admiration for the architecture of New York City and also his criticism of its economic inequality.  At the top is the New York skyline, in the middle a warehouse used to house the homeless, and at the bottom the vault of a bank with safe deposit boxes.

"Pneumatic Drill"  1931

This is one of several charcoal sketches that Rivera did of his first impressions of New York City when he came to the U.S. for a retrospective exhibit of his work at the Museum of Modern Art.

"Dance to the Sun" 1942

"Dance to the Earth"  1939

Rivera did a number of watercolor illustrations for a book of poetry by the Yucatecan writer Antonio Mediz Bolio.

"Land of the Peasant and the Deer" 1935

"Hunter with Snake, Deer and Two Birds"  1935

"Self Portrait"  1921

"Self Portrait"  1949

"Portrait of Pita Amor"  1949

Pita Amor was a Mexican writer and poet who was a friend of Frida Kahlo.

"Nude with Calla Lillies"  1942

Dolores Olmedo was married to British journalist and publisher Howard Phillips between 1935 and 1957.  They had four children.  Rivera did a number of portraits of the family.

"Portrait of Irene Phillips Olmedo"  1955

"Portrait of Alfredo Phillips Olmedo"  1956

"Portrait of Dolores Olmedo and her Daugher Irene"   1956

"Portrait of Eduardo and Carlos Phillips Olmedo"   1956

Still to come... one more entry on the art of Diego Rivera at the Dolores Olmedo Museum