The day to day stuff

Boo hoo! Our visit to beautiful San Miguel de Allende is almost over. I can really see why so many people come down here, fall in love with the place and end up staying long term. It is such a relaxed, friendly place. The best thing for me is that you can live with your windows open. Leave them open all day and all night. Since the house is behind a wall from the street you don't get the street noise or fumes and you feel like you are safe and you have your privacy too. This house has no AC or heat others than one plug in radiator (which we used one night,) and one fan. Here's the resident cat trying to help me with my Spanish.



One thing you do have to get used to, however, is the way they do the trash pick up here. The trash piled up pretty high before we understood that just before the trash truck gets to your block, this highly energetic boy of about 11 years old runs down the street banging on a cowbell with a spoon? as loudly as possible. When you hear this, you stop what you are doing and run out to the street with your bags o trash. As far as I can tell there is no rhyme or reason as to when this occurs. Today I rushed out toting my bags only to find a guy selling ice cream instead. You have to learn to differentiate your bells.

We have been buying many many plastic bottles of water from places like this because we have failed to master the intricacies of getting deliveries from the water guy.



My lunch lady arms might be shrinking, but I do not enjoy toting liter bottles up and down the street. We are supposed to be getting the bottellas giganticas delivered. When the truck is on your street, somebody goes down the street ahead of time ringing everybody's doorbell. The doorbell makes a sound just like the bells we used to have at school to dismiss class before it all went electronic. Brrrrriiinngggg! It is loud and sudden. The one day the water man actually came, the bell rang, and I thought it was a fire. Too many fire drills maybe? Anyway by the time we opened the door he was climbing back on his truck. He yelled "Viernes" at me which I thought meant see you Friday but actually meant "sorry sucker! You old ladies be hauling your own water!" Never have seen the man since. Every time I ask anybody about it, like the folks at the corner store or the maid who comes to feed these cats, they always say " later today" or "tomorrow" he will come. They try to be supportive.
All these empty plastic bottles are filling up the trash quick which leads to previously explained bell recognition problem and or possible ice cream cream consumption. Crazy, but fun!