[ We'll be away from home for a couple of months. This Newsletter is about things we will miss when we are gone. For one thing, we will miss our "office" at the Primavera, where we can be found many days around 1:00 when we're in town. ]

We are pretty much creatures of habit. We tend to follow our (sometimes individually different) patterns through the days and the weeks of our time here in Paradise. Diana sleeps later than I do; I tend to go to bed earlier. I get up, get on the computer, and catch up on the news, both here and in the U.S. While I am doing that, Diana gets up and goes outside to sweep the bougainvilla flowers off the walk in front of our door. We get some terrific gusts of wind, and the flowers have but a tentative purchase on the branches.

Breakfast gets made and eaten, and by mid morning, most days, we are ready to go out and take care of what little business we have.

[We live behind the tree. Our patio is in the back, through the archway. We don't bother with curtains on our front windows: our neighbors mind their own business, and we are not exposed to the street.]

Living as we do in the center of town, we have no super-markets nearby, and that's the way we like it. One of the fun activities for long-termers like us is finding out which of the hundreds of small tiendas (stores) within walking distance of our house has what product for sale (we don't own a car, and we walk for exercise). We do have a pretty large mini-super across the street for stuff like soap and toilet paper, and we even bought a washing machine and a stove there, but they have no produce, and a limited selection of cooler items.

Actually, the store has an interesting story. It's owned by and for the workers in the Mexican Institute for Social Service, and offers discounts to them, as well as cashing scrip issued in lieu of cash. It's a sort of "company store" except the workers run it. It's open to the public, and sells wine and sour cream as well as dry goods and appliances. It doesn't make a profit and it performs a terrific service.

[There are lots of pictures in this one, and lots of information about how we live our lives here.

To get it, you must Subscribe.]

NOTES:

** An important and cogent analysis of the "war against drugs" in Mexico can be found at http://www.counterpunch.org/whitney03222010.html.

** There was a bill introduced in the Congress of Mexico to delay the registration of cellphones for two years (see last Newsletter). I don't know whether it got anywhere yet, but the reason given was that only 48% of cell-phone owners had complied. While couched in language of "people need more time" (the registration program is about two years old now), the real meaning (in the mind of a cynic such as myself) is that TELMEX, and it's TELCEL subdivision - owned by Carlos Slim, the world's richest man - would suffer enormous revenue losses if all those unregistered phones were cut off at the end of this month. Vamos á ver...

** Todedo's string of cultural institutions has just undergone yet another shuffle. Another building has been added on Juarez between Matamoros and Murguia, and it apparently will house some parts of the Alvarez Bravo photo museum, and some parts of the IAGO art library. Best advice at the moment: go to where you expect what you are looking for to be, and be redirected if necessary. If you have no expectations, visit the Juarez street building anyway and see for yourself...

[Our garden, arrayed along the back wall of our patio, is all cactuses and succulents. We chose them because they are most likely to survive our sometimes lengthy absences. No flowers, no pets...]

** According to the NYT, Americans living abroad will be explicitly exempted from the penalty for not buying health insurance under the newly passed legislation. However, some of them will pay higher taxes under some provisions, a tax that will only apply to persons in the highest tax brackets.

** Housekeeping: as you can see, I have reverted to the old format for this edition. Still working on the changes... Comments have been generally positive but folks are more reluctant to criticize than to praise, so without your feedback it's hard to tell whether there are some serious flaws. If you see them, let us know. Please.