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Our newest pack member, Coco, is about a year old now, and has been living with us since June.  She has a delightful personality, and we love her to bits!  Henry and she are best buddies and wrestle and play and sleep together all day long.

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But at night, Coco crashes out.  If we sit down to watch TV she hurls herself at one of us (usually Paul as I like to knit) and conks out almost immediately.

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She crashes so hard that it reminds me of having a baby in the house – do you remember when you could pick them up and move them somewhere else and they stay asleep so hard you can’t believe it?

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Sometimes if she conks out on me I move her over to Paul’s lap without an eye even opening.

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I think when you run and play so hard all day you are just all tuckered out at night.  I hope you enjoyed a few photos of Crashed Out Coco!
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Somehow those hot and humid days of summer became etched into my retinas.

Until the last couple of days I couldn’t actually believe that you could go outdoors and sit in the sun – YES - in the sun – without expiring (and perspiring) in a matter of seconds.

Why can the heat have so much more power than the perfect?

The last two days in the afternoon I have taken my tea and my book (…er, Kindle) out on the sunny patio upstairs and stretched out in a lounge chair for a bit of a break.

I read a bit, then put the book down and shut my eyes.  I relaxed in the sun for about an hour before getting restless and getting up.  That’s a lot of time, for me.

But the thing is, I didn’t get hot. I didn’t burn or perspire. It was just perfect! Yes, perfect.

I think I’ll do it again tomorrow.  I’m trying to etch the perfection into my retinas, you know.

A lovely ruin.

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with my life, and my life in this place.  I know it wouldn’t be for everyone, but I love it.

Yes, I get aggravated at times but over all I love it.  It can be noisy, and dirty, and sometimes it smells like pee.  But I hear laughing throughout the day, every day.  People smile a lot.  Shy smiles, big smiles, every kind.

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Not the most wheelchair friendly ramp.

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Things are different here.  I like that.  I like walking to the mercado for fruits and vegetables.  I like going to the merceria for thread.  I go to the fruit & nut place for dried fruit and nuts.  I go to a half dozen stores to get my shopping done.  I use cash, not credit cards.

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Impromptu parades happen all the time.

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I like the little daily connections.  Buying a paper from the young man at a stop light.  Tipping the “viene viene” guy in the parking lot.  Tipping the person who bags my groceries.  Greeting our favorite alcoholic car wash guys. Greeting the dentista who loves Henry.

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Some people go crazy over the top for Christmas.

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I like the small community.  I like knowing people well, and having the time to get to know them well.  It still feels like a luxury to me.  Just today my book group came over to discuss a book and have lunch and it reminded me just how lucky I am to know so many interesting, kind, intelligent, and funny people.

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Putting the controls for the underground utilities on the sidewalk seemed a bit of a bad idea to me.

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I love that any time I want pretty much I can jump on my bike or take a walk or call someone and get together.  After a lifetime of responsibility and hard work and thriftiness I can now relax and do what I want.  Sometimes I want to read all day. Sometimes a long walk.  Sometimes we go to the beach and just marvel at our luck to be enjoying the sun and the sand.

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Pretty nice spot, no?

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I love that I have a wonderful partner to share life with – who has plenty of interests of his own so when we come together we are glad to see each other and have lots to talk about.  Our life view is so similar that we hardly argue and the stress in our lives is so minimal it is laughable.

It’s a combination of luck and good planning, but whatever the reason, I am glad we moved to Mexico and that we chose Mazatlán for our home.