Esperando la lluvia (waiting for the rain)

There has been a long lapse since the last post. Barb & I went to Windsor, Ontario to see RoseMary on May 24th; we returned on May 31st. RoseMary had not made as much progress in recovering from the stroke as we had hoped, especially in regard to mobility. Her right hand and arm are not as affected by the stoke, but she is not using it as much as we would wish. We observed her in occupational therapy and she seemed to have great difficulty in moving things to the left. She is conversing much more than when I was there in March and most of the time she seems to be completely aware of what is being said and what is going on. We went in to the hospital twice almost every day to help with feeding her. Three afternoons we also arranged to take her outside in a wheelchair; the weather was almost perfect, warm and sunny. At one end of the property, there is a pool with a fountain; also, there is a shady area with picnic tables, like a park. I think that she really enjoyed that. Also, one day we took her cat in so she could see her. They have placed RoseMary on a list of nursing homes, but we’ll have to see if any can take her with her degree of disability. We’ll probably go back to Windosr again sometime in the fall.

Here, in Ajijic, everyone is waiting for the rain to start; it is kind of like close to the due date of a pregnancy, anxiously awaiting the big event. Every day and evening, we look to see if there are rain clouds. There has been a bit of a tease with clouds and even lightning and thunder a few times, but no rain. It has rained in Guadalajara, in May (with hail even) and last night. It shouldn't be long now. As Rosendo, the gardener said today, it is coming closer, little by little. With the rain, the dust is settled, the temperatures are lowered and the mountains turn green again.

We had been told that there was to be a dinner/cruise sponsored by the Shriners tonight; we went down to the Ajijic pier, but nada. Instead, we went to Los Teleros restaurant; we hadn’t been there for a year at least, although we always like it. The food was delicious. It is a very slow time for restaurants this time of year. There was only one other couple there. As it turned out, it was Bill and Pixie Frayer. They are from Maine and arrived here just before we did; he also has a blog (http://mainetomexico.blogspot.com/) and it was amazing to read how similar our reactions and feelings about being in Mexico. Bill has been writing a monthly article for El Ojo del Lago magazine; he has also written and published 2 books of poetry. Barb plans to buy several copies to give to family in Canada because he expresses so well how she feels about being in Mexico. The Frayers were celebrating their 36th anniversary.

Mexico is in the midst of a census; an enumerator called here last Friday. Of course, they want to count ex-pats who stay longer than 6 months a year. According to the newspapers, some are refusing to participate. Paranoia sometimes runs deep. It only took a few minutes. Many of the questions were about the house (number of rooms, amenities, etc.) and of course, the number of persons and ages.