Getting Side-Tracked in a Good Way

I mentioned in my last post that I planned to write about the Day of the Dead ceremony that takes place in our town and in towns all over Mexico.  It’s historically interesting, beautiful with tinges of morbidness and I find myself not wanting to write about it.  

This is what happens with writing.  You start off with a plan and then while you’re dreaming the words they move into a different sphere.  I was thinking about the rituals involved with Día de Muertos and from this a scene for my novel came into focus.  So off I went to write about it and now I’ve lost the impetus to write about hometown happenings.  

Poco a poco my character’s tale is getting written and rewritten.  In a masochistic way, I’m loving it.

Buffy Sainte-Marie

Buffy Sainte-Marie is a song-writer, singer, activist and much more.  Her life history is fascinating. She is quoted in saying, “ ”I’ve been lucky to have had a life filled with plane tickets. It’s given me a lifetime of observing people – rich and poor, city and rural, doing well and doing not so well….”  I can relate to her concept of being lucky.

Those from the sixties will remember Sainte-Marie.  I’ve just learned, not only has she turned sixty-seven and looks great by-the-way she is also releasing a new album.  Her first in fifteen years.

One of her songs, Universal Soldier was, made famous by Donavan.  In this video Sainte-Marie is singing the song.  I think the words are pertinent and valuable today as it was back in the sixties.  Sad but true.

Can’t wait to get her new album.  Wish I was in Toronto today, she’s performing at Massey Hall, an old haunt of mine.  

Speaking of haunts, Happy Halloween to everyone.  We have more emphasis on Día del Muertos, although the kids here in Cabo are embracing the free candy concept more and more each year.  I’ll be doing a post about Day of the Dead tomorrow.

The New Chic

“So being frugal could be the new chic. And stretching a buck? It really comes down to deciding not what we want, but what we can do without.”  Judith Timson

Judith Timson is a freelance writer.  She often writes for The Globe and Mail my favourite Canadian newspaper. You can read her complete article about embracing frugality by clicking on her name.

I enjoy and admire her writing immensely.  I think one of the reasons is because she writes what she thinks and does it in a conversational, often humourous way.  No holding back or worrying about popularity contests.  

I think it’s good to seek out people who aren’t afraid to state their viewpoint in a positive way.  Enough with negativity.  ¿Si, or No?

PollDaddy.com a fun widget

WordPress, the wonderful host for this blog recently added the capability to use a nifty widget designed by PollDaddy.com   It could be a fun way to create some interaction with all of you on my blog.    

Here is something I’ve been wondering about and would be interested to know.  Is the economic uncertainty going to cramp your vacation time over this next year?   Whether it’s a skiing trip or sun and beach or a cross country drive or flight to visit family. 

What are your plans?   Hope you weigh in, it’s anonymous.  

 

The Living Room Candidate – Commercials – 1960 – Mrs. JFK

I’ve sat on my hands trying to resist jumping into the election blog fever but when I came across the website The Living Room Candidate, I had to share this find.

The Living Room Candidate has election video advertising clips dating back to 1952.  They’re so entertaining.  You should check out the one for Ike.  It was hard to decide which one to highlight on this post.  I picked Jackie Kennedy because she looks so sweet speaking in Spanish, appealing to the constituents to vote for her husband. She talks about how he cares about everyone and the White House needs a strong leader during the dangerous times of Communism.  Imagine Kennedy also had to conquer the obstacle of being Catholic.  A Catholic in the White House was trail blazing.

Watching these clips of politicians in years past, and their campaign platform on how they would deal with unpopular wars, fear of nuclear bombs, economy and cost of living worries, education and health issues didn’t discourage me, it actually gave me hope.  We rose to the challenge and thrived in spite of the apprehensive times and we’ll do it again.

Now let’s get this election over with and move on with life.   

“You cannot be friends upon any other terms than upon the terms of equality.”~Woodrow Wilson

I have a habit of scanning the front page of MSNBC on the internet to see if any upbeat news is being reported.  Rarely do I find any, so I was pleasantly surprised today when I saw this headline that made it into their top stories under World News, Hero Dog Risks Life To Save Kittens From Fire.  

The article talks about Leo the Hero dog and how his actions dispel the ‘fight like cats and dogs’ image. I have some experience that also disproves that the animal kingdom was programed to fight.  But, first some backstory:

Los Cabos  is characteristic of most Latin American countries with their attitudes about dogs and cats. For example, many are aghast at the idea of neutering, male dogs are preferred to females and puppies are given to children like toys and discarded when they grow out of their small cuddly stage. Emancipated, diseased dogs wander the streets, most of them females their visible sagging tits a sign of too many litters, too young.

The good news is Los Cabos has evolved and we now have two Humane Societies,  one in San Jose and one in San Lucas.  Fewer animals are living on the streets.  But before these organizations, our plant nursery was one of the drop off centers for abandoned pets. It wasn’t unusual to find an anonymous box at our front gate filled with puppies or have someone bring us a litter of kitties hoping we could employee them as mousers.  We did our best to find good homes but some of them remained with us.  None of them had a choice about getting along and we learned that when put together on equal terms they took it in stride to be friends not enemies.  

If the human population could come to the same terms that we are all equal, maybe we could all be friends too :)

The photos show Suerte Dos with Kitty Uno and Frida with Kitty Dos. We never expected to keep any of the animals so all dogs got named Suerte, meaning lucky and all cats Kitty. Frida has a different name because, we had found her a home but when she grew they didn’t want her anymore and they brought her back.

Spying The Good Close to Home

It occurred to me today that I haven’t written much on spying the good of Los Cabos my home town. Maybe it’s because I still have my sights on moving, hence I’m suffering from the ‘mind in one place, body in another’ syndrome.

I came to this sleepy little town with a plan to stay for maybe five years, blinked and five years turned into fifteen. I have been busy these fifteen years—had a baby, built three homes, met my husband, watched him build Jungle Cactus Cabo, made lifelong friends and started writing ernestly, yes, the famous book that I’ve mentioned a time or two or three.

I’ve never stayed in one location this long and for some reason I find that unnerving. There are still so many places I want to experience, not on a short vacation but as a resident for a year or two or three.  I like to take my time exploring places… but first Western Canada for J to attend high school next year.   

Los Cabos has been good to me.  There exists a magical paradise type quality here. We have beautiful sunsets, ocean breezes, opportunities for long walks on the beach hand in hand with your love (am I making you gag?)  Okay, okay we also have bills to pay and crap to contend with our hyper-growth jumping from a sleepy town to a mega tourist destination but for sure the sunsets and beaches soften the edge of a bad day.