http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ei3rTITyOhY
Watch this.............it's great!
Merry Christmas again
xoxo
Saturday 24 December 2011
Thursday 22 December 2011
Christmas at Lakeside.............
As the Christmas season goes into full swing here this weekend, there will be multiple opportunities to attend special events and observe traditional Mexican holiday customs.
Most of these long-standing practices trace back to the 16th century methods of indoctrination into the Christian faith introduced by Franciscan missionaries in the immediate aftermath of the Spanish conquest.
Posadas
The festivities kick off with nine consecutive days of neighborhood processions known as Las Posadas, running from December 16 through Christmas Eve.
Crowds of youngsters gather each afternoon to reenact the Holy Family’s quest for lodging in Bethlehem. The procession is usually headed by a pair of children dressed for the roles Mary and Joseph, with the Virgin Mother sometimes perched on a live burro. They are followed by other tots representing pastores y pastoras (shepherds and shepherdesses), often decked out in colorful handmade costumes and carrying brightly decorated báculos (walking staffs) and faroles (paper lanterns).
The parade of santos peregrinos (Holy Pilgrims) makes several stops along the way at designated addresses where they croon verses of a traditional litany asking the “inn-keepers” behind the door to provide shelter for the night. Voices from inside, replying in alternate stanzas, turn them away.
At the final destination the hosts chant that there is no room in the posada (inn), but they are welcome to take refuge in the stable. The doors are flung open and all are invited to enter. A happy fiesta ensues, complete with piñata smashing, hand-outs of bolos (packets of sweets), and holiday refreshments.
A very beautiful time of the year here at Lake Chapala - wish you were here to share it with us. We will miss our families back home this Christmas and we're thankful for Skype which will allow us to visit via the internet!
Merry Christmas!
The main churches in Ajijic and Chapala stage one-night exhibit-ions of a dozen or more live nativities.
Posadas
The festivities kick off with nine consecutive days of neighborhood processions known as Las Posadas, running from December 16 through Christmas Eve.
Crowds of youngsters gather each afternoon to reenact the Holy Family’s quest for lodging in Bethlehem. The procession is usually headed by a pair of children dressed for the roles Mary and Joseph, with the Virgin Mother sometimes perched on a live burro. They are followed by other tots representing pastores y pastoras (shepherds and shepherdesses), often decked out in colorful handmade costumes and carrying brightly decorated báculos (walking staffs) and faroles (paper lanterns).
The parade of santos peregrinos (Holy Pilgrims) makes several stops along the way at designated addresses where they croon verses of a traditional litany asking the “inn-keepers” behind the door to provide shelter for the night. Voices from inside, replying in alternate stanzas, turn them away.
At the final destination the hosts chant that there is no room in the posada (inn), but they are welcome to take refuge in the stable. The doors are flung open and all are invited to enter. A happy fiesta ensues, complete with piñata smashing, hand-outs of bolos (packets of sweets), and holiday refreshments.
A very beautiful time of the year here at Lake Chapala - wish you were here to share it with us. We will miss our families back home this Christmas and we're thankful for Skype which will allow us to visit via the internet!
Merry Christmas!
Friday 16 December 2011
Ready for Santa!
Wookie Wishing for a Smokie Bone from Santa!
Michelle - My Christmas Snowmen In Mexico!
Death by Papaya .................
A close call to say the least.......................
The other morning sitting on our verhandah having our usual 6 am coffee - still dark outside, dogs all out in the yard - we heard a huge crash! We could see all the hounds out the front and couldn't figure out what was going on. Greg went out and checked the yard and there it was..............our huge Papaya tree just off our patio in the backyard had crashed to the ground. It was quite the mess. A very large branch ladden with not yet ripe papaya fruit had ripped away. Our patio table sits right near where the branch came down and luckly I was not in my usual chair!! That darn thing crashed right on to where my chair was positioned!
Greg was laughing saying that he would have written the obituary to read - " Wife dies in Mexico - Papaya Tree Incident - No Crime involved!!"
Here's the aftermath!
The other morning sitting on our verhandah having our usual 6 am coffee - still dark outside, dogs all out in the yard - we heard a huge crash! We could see all the hounds out the front and couldn't figure out what was going on. Greg went out and checked the yard and there it was..............our huge Papaya tree just off our patio in the backyard had crashed to the ground. It was quite the mess. A very large branch ladden with not yet ripe papaya fruit had ripped away. Our patio table sits right near where the branch came down and luckly I was not in my usual chair!! That darn thing crashed right on to where my chair was positioned!
Greg was laughing saying that he would have written the obituary to read - " Wife dies in Mexico - Papaya Tree Incident - No Crime involved!!"
Here's the aftermath!
Wednesday 7 December 2011
Augie Doggie
Of the many things I absolutely love about Mexico and our new home here, there is one thing that continues to astound and disgust me. So many people come down here to stay for the winter months and head right over to one of the local shelters and get a dog (for free!), they keep the dog while they are here and then discard them when they decide to go back home north of the border. Mexican families are finding it hard to continue to feed their children and themselves and many times cannot keep their dogs.
Instead of taking the dogs back to a shelter or trying to re home the poor thing, they simply drive to a subdivision and open the car door.
This is true of yet another little creature that showed up at our gate last week crying and starving. The little dog is only 2 months old, a baby and unable to survive on it's own for long. Yep, open the gate, take it in. We will keep "Oliver" until we can find him a good loving permanent home.
Ok, now that makes 6! Nuts I know but how could you possibly turn away such a poor little thing.
Oliver has taken to the pack very well and is a mix of schnauzer and basset hound - he reminds us of Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy......if you remember the cartoon from our childhood.
Here's Oliver.........
Instead of taking the dogs back to a shelter or trying to re home the poor thing, they simply drive to a subdivision and open the car door.
This is true of yet another little creature that showed up at our gate last week crying and starving. The little dog is only 2 months old, a baby and unable to survive on it's own for long. Yep, open the gate, take it in. We will keep "Oliver" until we can find him a good loving permanent home.
Ok, now that makes 6! Nuts I know but how could you possibly turn away such a poor little thing.
Oliver has taken to the pack very well and is a mix of schnauzer and basset hound - he reminds us of Augie Doggie and Doggie Daddy......if you remember the cartoon from our childhood.
Here's Oliver.........
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