My sister is arriving today to visit for a month or two and I am worried about the fact that we still are not recycling trash here in Ajijic, Lake Chapala despite threats that we would begin to do so in September.

We still have not received our visit from the people who are going to go door-to-door with instructions and color keyed trash bags.

My sister is a rabid recycler as are most people in Canada and I am sure I will hear about the fact that we still do not recycle in no uncertain terms.

Visiting her house in Toronto is a very confusing proposition trash-wise. There are several different containers supplied by the city in different colors that are picked up on various days of the week.

There is a bin for bottles, one for plastics (which have to be washed before they are suitable for recycling and in some cases the lids for these containers go into a different place), one for papers (more…)

The rainy season (June 15-Oct. 15) is off to a slow start this year. Normally, when the rains start after about 6 weeks of the rainbirds heralding it’s onset it rains every night. Not just rain but magnificent and dramatic storms that are enjoyed by all.

Thus year the rain is about 62% below normal and unexpected troubles for residents and farmers are possible.

Meteorologists are attributing the lagging rains to El Nino which is causing above average temperatures throughout Jalisco and the surge of smog in Guadalajara.

Lake Chapala levels at this time of year are usually on a steady rise but have flat-lined for a full week. Lake Chapala has only gained 14 centimeters since the start of the rainy season as compared (more…)

Well, as I wrote about on Monday, the rainy season would indeed appear to be upon us.

Last night we had another amazingly dramatic thunder storm which woke my husband, myself and the dogs.

When I woke up I was wrapped in a maze of white gauzy cotton because for some inexplicable reason my husband had lowered the mosquito netting we have suspended above our bed. I thought this was a lovely romantic touch for our bedroom but apparently my husband thought it had a much more useful role.

The electricity went out with a large bang in the middle of this storm and I thought the generator must surely be in pieces and it would be a long time before we had power restored as high winds had also caused electrical problems in Chapala.

The lovely fans we had throughout the house, of course, all went dead making going back to sleep a difficult proposition indeed.

The first thing I do in the morning is get my coffee and plop myself down in front of (more…)