Hmmmmm....

Well dear readers...I know I have been remiss. It's hard for me to drum up a topic sometimes. I've talked about the blue skies, the birds, the beach, Lucky, the locals, the gossipy gringos, the multitude of catholic holidays and festivities, Carnival, Semana Santa ( which is coming in 3 weeks or so..) when the vacationers flood Santa Clara....I've discussed all of these things with you. I've tried to share the challenges of accomplishing things that, at home, are as simple as a phone call or two like getting internet, car insurance ( which i have to renew next week...took me two people who spoke spanish to call last years agent, get an address- which i'll take a cab to because it's too difficult for me to find in 95 degree heat, no air conditioning and crazy drivers), hurricane insurance and paying the electric bill ( its like playing the lottery trying to find out when the office in Dzidzantun is open). Its all an incredible adventure and every day is different. Like today, i picked up a couple of guys in Cansahcab with four crates and a hand truck. and gave them a ride to santa clara. They had to stop in Dzidzantun with me while i picked up my laundry and bought a phone card. I bought them cokes and in exchange, at the end of the ride they gave me 4 ears of corn and two fresh mangos. Just like the beach is different every time i go on it. some days its covered with beautiful shells, some days stinky seaweed. At times its completely devoid of anything other then pristine sand. Low waves, the glasslike surface when its calm and the heat hangs on you like a warm, wet sweater...
Whats missing from this grand adventure are my friends and family. The ability to create and share a common experience. Now, luckily, I have had my true blue people visit me. As a result, they know what im talking about and can visualize the orange municipal building in Dzidzantun, the little tienda where i buy my fruits and vegies, the hotel i stay at, the english libray where the meeting is held, the road to Merida, the topes ( speed bumps) that are ever present through all the villages, the tricycles, the little village ladies in their embroidered dresses. All the things that make up my day to day life. But the little mundane things like what I'm having for dinner or where I found a new place to buy a chicken breast go unspoken, unshared. The " oh my gosh! look at that flower that opened up!" only gets voiced to Lucky, who i must say wags his tail and is very interested in my obvious excitement. Am I sad about this? I wouldn't say sad...melancholy. I don't miss the cold, the grey, the wet,the high cost of everything. I enjoy living a simple, basic, toasty, existence. I guess everything comes with a price.
As the sun sets in a blaze of orange, the pelicans fly down the coastline like a ribbon in the wind, the palm leaves rustle, a fishing boat motors its way in for the night and the grackles call to each other, there is no one to turn to and say " pretty cool isn't it?" with a satisfied smile. So everybody- close your eyes and picture it..feel the warm wind, smell the salt, check out that orange globe as it flares and turns purple........pretty cool isn't it?

I know , I know....." but Jill, you showed us this on Facebook..?" Since when can you get too much of a good thing huh? I ask you...This picture of the fabulous Mr. Lucky ( in this shot, Lynda referred to him as Slum Dog Millionaire and i believe that perfectly encapsulates it). I actually tried to post 5 new pics last night from the hotel but for some reason it didn't work. This picture was taken at my friend Deborahs' stunning home in Merida. notice the old, original tiles? lovely... I've been staying at Debs and , though she said i could stay in her absence, and i do have a key, I don't feel right about it so Lucky and i stayed at the hotel last night.

After a quick cup of coffee, toast, a little fresh melon and a skype call to my pal Lynda, Lucky and I hit the road. it gets hot pretty early and i really had no other business in town so by 9:30 all that remained of us was some dog hair and a chewed up coke bottle...

Once we got through the traffic of the city and hit the open road, we were cruisin'. All the windows were down, Lucky had his head sticking out of his, the i pod played a variety of tunes from India Aries ' Mr. Wonderful" to Eric Clapton still wailing his plaintive "layla" decades later, M.I. A. cockin' her gun and blastin' off a few rounds, Roy Rogers' crowd pleasin', toe tappin' " Josephines" ( had to play that one twice..) , Ella Fitzgerald, morroccon music, african music, greek music, ten years after,...you get the picture...a wide variety of tunes in my I Pod..So, while all of this is playing, picture me with a black bandana tied around my head, a sundress on, Lucky alternating between his head out of the window and a three foot length of orange tubing resembling a bendy straw sticking out of his mouth ( he likes to chew on it) going about 65 passing dump trucks from the 50's, tricycles full of grass, guys working on the side of the road clearing brush with machetes, new SUV's passing me, the remains of dogs that didnt make it that now only look like bones wrapped in a frayed rug, and all the while i'm dancing in my seat and belting out the tunes and thinking about Lynda telling me she was standing by her heater while we were talking this morning.

We turned off the highway and wound our way through Cansacab. I'm telling Lucky it won't be long now even though it seems like we've only been in the truck for 15 minutes ( time flies when you're having fun...). We had to stop briefly in Dzidzantun to pick up yogurt, butter, vinegar ( Peggy turned me on to the fact that it TOTALLY cleans the rust off of all the faucets and the shower head) and thought I'd see if they had any cheese. The girl had no idea about the Mennonite cheese so picked out something else, sliced it up and gave it to me. What the hell, Ill try it.. Its hard to find cheese that has any taste here. Most of it is similar to a mouth full of Silly Putty...thats right, Ive had Silly Putty in my mouth....Much to my delight, the cheese is killer! What a great surprise. It really is the little things I took for granted at home, where there is an enormous selection of anything you could possibly think you might want, that ive come to appreciate here.

As i headed out of town, i gave lucky a pat on the head and cranked the music back up. Just as we closed in on santa Clara, right before the mangroves, I was stretching my neck from side to side as it was pretty tight. I told myself even though there was not another car in sight, front or back, it might not be a good idea. Better pay attention. Well! My spidey senses must have been on high alert because no sooner had that thought passed through my music addled mind then- BOOM! Out of the brush on the left side of the road came something out of Mutual of Omahas Wild Kingdom but the white haired guy wasnt there to tell me all about it...... I slammed on the brakes and quickly geared down launching Lucky to the floor. In a flash he had gotten back up because he too had seen the creature and wanted another look. I swear, it was the size of Lucky, had a face kind of like a racoon, a long, ringed tail like a lemur and its back legs were longer then the front. Looking directly at us, it scampered across the road and was swallowed up by the foliage of the manglar. Wow! who gets to see something like that on their way home from the store?!

I'll tell you what, i miss my kids, my friends, meetings and the ability to easily access just about anything ( including mail) but oooeee baby! what an amazing adventure this is. I can't tell you, well, yes i can and i will, how many times I find I am just grinning. Isn't that what life is supposed to be like? a sense of wonder? excitement? adventure? That awe that seems to fade away as we get older and the daily grind of responsibilities sets in? And even though i know this, sometimes i still get lazy and pass up a chance to do something out of the ordinary. It just seems like it takes too much energy, its too complicated, i'm not sure how to do it...After years sitting in dark, dirty, ugly places thinking those same thoughts, thank you baby jesus ( sorry...) that i have the ability to kick my own ass and get out there and LIVE life. As Jackie Gleason would say " How sweet it is!"