"Life" on the Ranch

I think Lynne and I really lucked out when we stumbled upon this ranch that we're staying at. When we were still in the hotel, we;d figured we needed to find something quickly, so we could take anything that was OK that we tripped over for a couple of months and that would give us time to find something we really liked.

We'll, we've been looking around at other houses over the last week or so. There are lots of nice houses. There are lots of nice communities but, this place is like living in the cottage on wildlife preserve park.

The grounds are impeccable. The Mexican families (3 I think) that look after the place live at the far end of the grounds. THey are always cutting the grass, trimming the bushes, cleaning the houses or, playing with their kids and the animals.

I think it's the animals that make this place so special. There are dogs and cats and chickens all over the place. Not overrunning the place, but I nice bunch around.

The cat had kittens just before we got here. I'm not sure how many, but we see two or three every once in while. There are a few chickens and roosters. the roosters were walking us up every morning when we first got here. I guess we're used to them now. I never hear them anymore.

Dogs: Two German Sheppard's, Samson and Delilah. I miss puppy so I've made friends with these two dogs. Milk Bones help! There is a sprinkling of other small dogs too. Most looking a little mattie Dogs seem to be looked upon as livestock more than family pets that are pampered and brushed.

One of the hens hatched 11 chicks about a week ago. She's a funny looking hen with feathers on her head that make her look like she's got a hat on. Now we watch her walk around the grounds with these little chicks in hot pursuit!

Delilah was barking and barking the other night. I couldn't figure out why no one went our to shut her up. The next morning we found out that she'd had 8 puppies that night. She's crawled under one of the bushes here and practically made a nest for her and her babies.

There is only one other couple renting a place here at the moment. We understand that the other 8 units will fill up in December and JAnuary. In the meantime, all this 'life' on the ranch is great to be a part of it.

Thursday - Short Run and US "Turkey Day"

I had a terrible sleep last night. I'm behind in some work I need to get done. I guess that was on my mind. The dog barking in the background for an hour didn't help the situation.



i tossed and turned for a while, then got up and did some work for about an hour and a half. The mistake I made was going back to bed and sleeping for a bit before I got up again to run. I felt really crappy when I woke up that time. The only good part was that I got some work done. I don't know if my customer will even notice, but at least I know it's done and it's right!



Lynne was already out running when I got up. She came back just as I was heading out the door.



I took my time running into San Antonia, and then kicked it up a notch on the way back. I had an average pace of 6:20 at the half way mark, but ended with a 6:03.



I can't wait to see how the pace changes when the chiropractor loosens up this hip next Monday.



We made an appointment on Monday with a realtor to show us some rental properties here. We were to meet at 10:00 am and he was to have a list of places to show us. We walked in his door at 9:59, and was met by one of his co-workers who explained that Jorge had car trouble but would be in later. He was going to take us out.


We looked at a place at the other side of town that, if we were interested in buying would have been great. It needed all new furniture and a paint job. The back garden was gorgeous. 2 bedrooms, 2 baths, bright big kitchen. $750.00 a month rent. Yup, if we were buying it would be great; but we;re not buying. We have no interest in buying furniture or decorating a rental property.


He took us over to another location, but the owner said we couldn't see it until after Dec 1. He drove us back to the office and told us Jorge was there now.

Yup, he was, but was finishing off a deal with some other clients whom I suspect were the reason he couldn't meet us. He kept us waiting for 15 minutes, (a life time in my world) and then explained he'd make some calls and set some appointments. (I thought that was what he was going to do between the time we first met him and then came back of our appointment.) Lynne and I left and did a little grocery shopping and went back in 30 minutes to meet him again.



He explained where a property was, what the unit number is,a and who we should meet in an hour or so.



We'll go look this afternoon but, I think Jorge translates from Spanish to English to be "Turkey". I guess, as it's Turkey Day in the US, we had to have some turkey in our life today too.


We're done with Jorge!

Day 10 - Recovery Run & Dentist Report

Today's run was an easy one. I'd decided before I left the house that I was going to take it really easy and . . . . I succeeded!

I ran our to San Antonio to where they told me the Chiropractors office is. I turned around when I found the address and jogged back.

I had to purposely NOT look at my Garmin. I knew if I did, I'd see the low heart rate and the really slow pace and push myself. I'm pretty sure that running every day for 30 days with no days off for muscle recovery isn't a really good thing to do, but I said I would and I will. No where did we say we have to be faster or longer every day!

I was a few blocks from the house when I saw Lynne running towards me. She turned when we met up. We jogged together for a bit. I kept going when she stopped to walk for a bit. I was surprised at how well she did and how much she ran. I think that was her first time out in months. "YEA LYNNEEEEE"

Back home for a quick shower and then out for market day. We got lots of fresh veggies, fresh flowers and some really fresh Smarties and Jube Jubes! Got to love market day.

There was an open house almost beside where we live so, we stopped in and looked around. That got us in the mood so we headed out in the car to check on mail and then some more open houses. The mail got sent tout to us about 10 days ago now, but nothing has arrived yet. thanks God for online banking and payments or we'd be cut off from everything before we even got the bill! Humm, come to think of it, we haven't actually seen a piece of mail since the end of September when we left home!

We drove a bit and found some more open houses. i'm not sure why we're looking. The market is pretty dry here and I think we'd be nuts to take our money out of our investments at home and buy a house here, even if they are so much cheaper. We looked at a 3400 sq ft house here today for $235,000. and then a little 1200 sq ft place for $109,000.

Lynne's temporary crown seems to be fine. We . . . well, she, gets the final crown on Friday. We circled back to the Chiropractors office (through the big black garage doors, through ANOTHER amazing yard) and got an appointment for Monday. I can't wait to not feel this hip and shoulder!

It feels a bit cooler here today. I just checked our weather and saw that it's only 19 degrees - then I checked the weather online at home.

Sorry guys!

Slow Run and Dentist

I went for a very interesting run this morning. I felt like a million bucks yesterday and was considering doing a 17k (I think it is) loop from Ajijic to Chapala.

I leapt out of bed with a Charlie Horse in the middle of the night. Lynne and I had an appointment at 10:00 to look at a bigger house to possibly rent and . . . . I just didn't feel like that long a run this morning.

Truth be known, I didn't feel like a run at all this morning but far be it from me to not finish this damn 30 day running thing I'm doing with a couple of folks back home. The 30 day facebook challenge I think I'm going to call it. The four of us are checking in daily on how we're doing.

Anyway, out I went heading towards Chapala. Chapala is the next large town east of us. I'd run that direction the other day but turned around at the 5k mark. I'd set out that day for a 10k run. Today, I kept going into town. I got just about to the center of town when I hit the 6k mark.

I'd also hit the wall. Bang, there I was, just about ready to sit down and call Lynne for a ride home. Instantly I went from feeling good to "Holy carp - I'm done!"

Unfortunately, I was 6k from home with an appointment in an hour to get too.

I did a bunch of walking on the way back. I played a game for a bit of walking 50 steps then running 50, then walk 40 and run 60, run 35, run 165. It's funny the crap I come up with to take my mind off the fact that I really would like to lay down under a tree and have a little nap!

i played with that "Your slowest run is quicker than your fastest walk" idea for a while and jogged slowly for a while.

2.5k left - 2k - 1.7 - "I can do anything for 1.7". 500 meters and eventually got to the wailing wall. There's a wall at the side of the highway where I start and stop. I hang off it for a bit at the end of every run and try to catch my breath again. I seem to always try to make up for lost time during that last 500 meters.

It practically kills me every time.

We're off to the dentist for Lynne this morning. We're both a bit nervous . . . . she more than I!

"This is It" - (The movie)

Lynne and I did a little hours shopping today. There are almost 500 houses on the market today and they have sold 216 in the last 12 months. December is a big sales month, but, non the less. If we buy something it could easily take 2 years to sell it again later. I think we're better off with our money invested as it is and keep renting!

We went to see the Michael Jackson "This Is It" movies tonight.

I must admit, I've never been much of a Michael Jackson fan. I never bought an album. I read all the hype and crap in the papers and, I expect like a lot of folks, I wrote the guy off as the strangest individual alive. Was he a freak, a child molester a weirdo. Who knows. I am really glad I went to see the movie. For everyone who felt the same about him as I did, but believes there are many sides to everyone, this is a must see movie.

How amazing to watch this musical entertainer genius at work. The rest of the crap doesn't matter. Heck, don't we all have that side of us that we don't want anyone to know about. Regardless of if you set fires to mailboxes in the country as a kid or if you needed to ask someone to get the key to open the door for you, we've all got our own level of shit behind us. If we were famous enough, it could be blown up beyond anything reasonable too.

All my true musician friends have always talked about his musical genius. What a great opportunity this movie is to see him in action. to watch him take an idea and in a breath, take it to a level that gets anyone toe tapping in their seat. Great flick in my opinion!

We left the movie and headed home. I guess this bull fight ring between our house and the movies is the happening concert place in town. It's where they blow up all these fire works celebrating the revolution (Thanks John!). I still think they may be grenades, but I'm not positive yet!

Tonight there is a rock concert along with all the explosions.

Now - you have to remember, we just left the Michael Jackson movie. The movie sure wasn't "Shine the Light", the Rolling Stones movie by Martin Scorsese , but it sure was good music. Coming out to and listening to Mexican Rock, well, Lunch Bag Letdown" doesn't cover it. I did enjoy people watching though.

What a country! What an experience! We're so lucky!!

Sunday - Easy Morning Run

The neighbors warned us that the festival that started with he parade on Friday ends with 11 days of fireworks. The parade was cool. Friday night we heard a few bangs. Saturday a few more. I thought of fireworks sort of like Ontario Place on May 24 or something. I didn't see any big colorful bursts of color in the sky, but we also didn't hear never ending explosions either . . . . until this morning!

6:00 am, there we were, sleeping soundly on this big beautiful bed. A nice cool breeze flowing in through the bedroom window and BANG . . . BANG . . . . bang bang bang. Holy crap! These aren't fireworks, these are just explosions.

I often count step when I run and for some reason I started counting explosions too, guessing ahead at how many times the bed would shake with these war type sounding explosions. Who would have thought they'd end at 200! 200 frickin' bombs going off a block away from my bed! I still don't k now what these folks are celebrating, but they sure don't want anyone to miss it!

I was tempted to get up and go and watch but, I managed to roll back over for another couple of hours sleep instead.

Today is day 6 of this '30 minutes for 30 days' running thing I'm doing. I'm not sure why I'm doing it. I guess any goal is better than no goal at all. I'm having fun reading Ted and Mikes stories on Facebook as we're all doing it together. Mike's sister Lynne is 4 days ahead of us.

I did 10k for the first time in months yesterday so, I thought I'd do a slow recovery run today. I thought I'd just head out the back way along the cobblestones to the town square in San Antonio. I love the sound of "running to San Antonio". It sounds so far! In fact, it's only about 2k. I took my time, ran to, and then around the square, and headed back. When I got tot the gates here at the ranch, I saw I had been running for 24 minutes. I was going to stop at the gates but then I figured - just a bit more and I'll have that 30 minutes in.

I ran down to the end of the block which put me at the shore of the lake. I often see fishermen, just like in those old bible pictures, tossing their nets out into the water and pulling them back in. There was a guy just coming in to shore with an entire 5 gallon plastic pail, full to the brim with fish. I wonder what he does with them. They tell me the lake is polluted and every fish market tells you that their fish aren't from the lake so, . . . . what does this guy do with these fish??

Oh well, back to the gate but that only took a minute or so. Off I went around the block on the cobblestones again. Actually, the block right around the next block has a curb that extends about 16" into the road. I can run along that. Two American women were walking their little dogs along the sidewalk. I was amazed when I got 10 feet from them, one of the women stepped down onto the part of the curb I was running on. i contemplated letting the women know what I thought of her, her dog and her pretty pink cotton jogging suit, but decided to just run carefully around her and keep my comments to myself.

What's happening to me? That's not what I do!!!!!

I finished off the run and weighed in 0.1 lbs lighter than yesterday. This running doesn't seem to be doing anything for my weight. My shorts sit a little looser around the waist though.

We're off "Open House" hoping today.

Friday Nov 20 - Party Time in Ajijic

I got out early this morning for a run on pavement for a change. I have been doing this 5k route along the cobblestone streets and have been somewhat disappointed by my pace. I warmed up by walking quickly the 500 meters to the highway and then did a 2.5 out and back along the paved bike path. i was gasping at the end, but I did manage a 5:35 pace which, at the moment, I'm happy with.

Lynne has wanted to get a crown on a discolored tooth for a long time. Her dentist at home wanted about $850.00 for it and, to brighten a tooth color just never seemed worth the expense. We know a number of people who come to Mexico for dental work so, we had made an appointment with a guy beside the bagel shop that we found the other day.

$20.00 for a consultation including 2 x-rays and the verdict was, he would do it for about $650. That didn't seem like the kind of deal we`d heard about so, we dropped in at another dentist around the corner from our house. No charge for the consultation and x-ray and $250.00 for the crown! He took the impression on the spot. She gets the temp on Tuesday and the finished crown on Friday. What a country!

There is a festival starting today that apparently goes on for the next 11 days. We don`t know what it`s for. Everyone has warned us that there will be fireworks non stop for the next 11 days. We went to the opening day parade this morning. What a hoot. There were groups of kids of all ages parading down the street. The young kids were dressed up. Most kids had on their school uniforms. There were a couple of bands. There were a few pickup trucks, decorated with balloons with kids in the back waving to the folks along the edge of the street. I found those pickups the most fun. For every kid in the truck waving, there was a mother running along behind making sure their kid was OK!

For those of you at home who have ever been to the Aurora Santa Claus parade, this next part will thrill you too. There were no Fire trucks. No Mayor (Sorry tim - YOu were great), No bunch of town council folks, no businesses advertising, just tons sand tons of kids. Soccer teams, dance groups, kids and adults on horseback. I guess the schools don`t have a ton of money to use for musical instruments. Some groups clapped together as they marched. Some tapped out a beat with their feet as they marched. One group had small wooded pieces of wood, maybe 3" X 2" with straps stapled on that they use to clap out a beat with.

It was great to see so many people having so much fun, proud parents along the side lines cheering for their kids and their kids friends, all at almost no financial expense what so ever! The town square was totally packed with young and old after the parade was over.

We really have to find out what the event is! Also, It's almost 10:00 PM now and, so far, no fireworks!

We're going to look at a few open houses over the weekend. we're pretty sure we're not going to find anything nicer than the place we're in now, but we figure we need to look anyway.

We went to the movies tonight to see the Michael Jackson movie. We got the time wrong and God knows we could stay up and go to the 9:30 show, so we saw The Soloist" at 7:00. Great flick if you haven't seen it. We'll see St. Michael tomorrow. Oh, yea - I was wrong about the cost of going to the movies here. I told everyone it was $2.00, but I was wrong. Converted back to Canadian dollars it's . . . $2.96! I'm thinking we'll see a lot of movies here. It's very nice that the theatre is at the top of our street, just past the Bull Fight ring and the soccer fields!