More about life at Rancho el Rosario. First photo is our new Best Friend. Her name is Leika, and she is loosely owned by a couple of the families (staff) who live within the walls in apartments at the rear of the compound. She is an unexpected delight here. We used to breed and show dogs, and although this one probably doesn't have a pedigree, she is really healthy and a nice representation of her breed - and she has a great temperament. It will be hard to leave her behind when we return to Oregon next Spring. Dogs in this area are revered above all other animals and they are everywhere. Many people have 2 or 3. Here at "the ranch" they have about 7... The other side of this is that many wander homeless and abandoned and end up in the myriad of adoption shelters.
In addition to the dogs, we have a "family" of chickens. Here's the king of the roost. The dogs do act as security, however they also get worked up over who knows what, and carry on at night - which has been the hardest thing to adjust to. Everywhere we have stayed there have been trade-offs. On the grounds here there are citrus trees - at least three different varieties of oranges, limes and a Meyer lemon tree. What a treat that's been!
Outside of the ranch, life goes on. Many things are surprisingly like the way we do them up North. For example, they are trying out a new DUI program with checkpoints, breathalizer tests (higher % tolerated here), detention, fines and confiscating vehicles. It has been deemed so effective that the restaurant and bar owners have said they've suffered a 40% loss in business as a result. Parking meters recently added to parts of Chapala have had nothing but controversy since they were installed. The 15 yr (!) contract was arranged by the previous administration, and the current admin is completely opposed to them and refuses to collect fines or prosecute for late payments. Meanwhile, local opposition to the meters has resulted in some vandalizing of the equipment and removing of tickets from vehicles. And ... recently a new social experiment will eventually allow students from 561 primary and 73 secondary schools in Guadalajara to have a say in how municipal funds should be allocated in three general areas: infrastructure, maintenance and public works. This will be accomplished by taking 200
voting machines around to the various schools. Great idea, but remember that Guadalajara is a huge city and this little town has only about 15,000 people.
To the right is a picture of some of the wonderful citrus from our trees!
Tonight is Nochebuena (Christmas Eve). Several of our (Gringo) neighbors have left for points Norte visiting family, and the others that are here are off at parties tonight. This evening is huge in Mexico. There is tradition related to the Holiday that says that in order to ward off evil spirits for the coming year you must stay up until sunrise - if you sleep you risk being taken. I don't think it is related to the Catholic Church... Much of what is done during what we call the Christmas season is a mish-mash here of various traditions that incorporate Catholicism and practices that date back to Mayan customs. But, enough about that - we have been invited to come to the Mexican Posada here on the grounds of Rancho el Rosario! For years I have read about how generous the Mexicans are in sharing their celebrations with Gringos. One of the problems with this is that everything they do starts way later than our parties do. I think that comida (dinner) is at 9pm - we finished eating at 7:30 - so we can't really show up to party until an hour later. That's our bedtime normally, but if it's gonna get loud at that point, we might as well join them, right? I am determined to make a brief showing and hopefully get some photos. We have commitments tomorrow so we can't overdo tonight...
