TURBULENCE: of the soul

I have gone, in these 6 weeks in San Miguel, from attempting to buy a house here (2 weeks ago) to deciding that this is not the place for me (yesterday).  It's been an emotional roller coaster.   Each of these six years , since I've been alone, I have come for warmth, color and a beauty that deeply resonates with me.  And each year it has nourished me.

I fell in love with San Miguel when I first came as visitor with Michel in 1976.   Sister Jeanne was living in nearby Queretaro and we came to visit her.  She wanted us to see San Miguel where she had earlier come to learn Spanish and live with a local family.  We were all enchanted with it's beauty and with it's serenity.

What has evolved in the intervening 40 years is a shift to a place that has become an international destination.  As a UNESCO World Heritage Site, it attracts people from all over the world. With that has come a tremendous influx of money.  With that has come wonderful restaurants, even more luxurious hotels, and hordes of people.  Good and not so good.

Yesterday (a Sunday) I wanted to fly home.  I couldn't sit in the Jardín.  No places on the benches.
A hundred hip, beautiful Mexican couples taking selfies with those dreadful pole things.  Mylar balloons poking anyone nearby with their shiny pointed rocket-shaped ends.  Elegant teenagers focused on their cell phones nudging you off the narrow sidewalks.   Americans, believing that by speaking LOUD in English they would be understood. And then being annoyed when they are met by puzzled stares.

This morning, Monday, I awakened with what has become a morning realization:   I am happy and fortunate to be alive!   I walked out of my door into the street to see the vendor of firewood and garden soil with his 2  burros laden with his wares.  The air was clean, it was silent.   I went down to my favorite greengrocer and picked up two ripe mangos and an avocado "para hoy", knowing it would be in a perfect state of ripeness for today.  Total bill: $1.92.   Then to the store that sells natural, organic products where I got my eggs from the rancho;  mango colored yolks from very happy hens (for very little money....don't even remember the paltry amount).

Next on my Monday agenda:   Advanced Spanish Conversation with Mario.  We are 3 or 4 or sometimes 5 in this little class.  Mario is brilliant, a wonderful teacher and lots of fun.  I'm learning so much and enjoying every minute of our hour together.   Where on earth could I do this for a little over $10 an hour?

I seem to be mentioning money a lot.  It is not the most important thing to me.  But it's a wonderful situation  when you can enjoy the best of life for very little money.

Sooooooooo, where does this lead me?   Well, I can't afford to buy anything right now.  That's probably good.   My money can't be accessed for a little while.  I guess the upshot is that I'll decide where I want to be later.   In the meantime..........there are so many extraordinary corners of this planet that  I want to know.     But I'm listening to the bells of San Francisco chime and the view from my living room is glowing with the illuminated domes of La Parrochia, Las Monjas, Nuestra Señora de la Salud and there is a storm brewing and I'm cozy here in my nest.

Bueno, yo no se.

THE JERK: (or why my balcony smells like a litter box)

This is a handsome and friendly looking cat who lounges on a neighboring roof top, that's why I tried to entice him by placing little saucers of cream and of local sausage on my balcony wall.  So much tastier than a hummingbird!

 My reward was a total rejection of the offerings (the congealed cream was not easy to remove, thank you very much).  And not only just a rejection:  he's sprayed my wall and discarded potting soil to make room for his toilet.

Señor Fluffy might just find some very "special" sausage next time!

Finally........an art class

I've been frustrated in finding an art class that works for me on this trip.   I prefer taking something  taught by a Mexican;  why this is hard to find is puzzling, but in any case,  here I am in Oscar's class.
I'm happy because it's just a 3 minute walk from home and most of the students are Mexican and the structure is very flexible.  It does give me a defined framework in which to create.

I started yesterday and took two small round canvas supports, just about 5" in diameter.  I also took three figs and a bowl from my place.  Here's what I started yesterday and finished today.  I'm also working on a little garlic/shallot piece on the second "tondo".

A Quiet Morning

A lovely way to spend a quiet morning:  Seddon and I took our watercolors to Casa del Diezmo,  a small B and B with a lush and peaceful garden courtyard.  We ordered coffee and banana cake and settled at a table at the back and painted and talked.  Seddon produced some sweet little paintings.

(it was not my best day for creating: notice I'm not posting my work!)

A VISIT TO THREE HACIENDAS

I spent one fascinating day visiting three haciendas, each one in a different state of restoration.

The three are all within 2 hrs of San Miguel and were originally Spanish land grants to conquistadors and crown officials in the 16th and 17th centuries.  At the beginning  they included huge tracts of land, and were profit making economic enterprises.   They were like the feudal systems where the labor force (the indigenous people) would work the land in exchange for safety.  During the Mexican Revolution many were burned and stripped of the valuable wood, metal, decorations, etc.  With agrarian reform  the lands were broken up and given to the people.    Today the buildings sit on land which is very much reduced in size, and are in various states of restoration (or decay).

Here's what we visited:    HACIENDA LAS TRANCAS which has been restored almost completely by an American family who has transformed it into a luxury hotel and wedding destination.

 stables

Me, Seddon and Lili

HACIENDA LA QUEMADA

Dating from the 16th century La Quemada was one of the richest haciendas in the state, with cattle breeding as its mainstay.  The present owners are descendants of the 19th century owner and have decided to return to the property and restore it as their private residence. They have lived here for 9 years with their adult children and young grandchildren.  They make a very nice mezcal which we were invited to sample (and buy!).  It was interesting to see a restoration mid-way with many living areas finished and others still being worked on.

JARRAL DE BERRIO

The original size of this hacienda was staggering.  Its territory reached from Durango to the outskirts of Mexico City and took 7 days in a carriage to traverse.

 The hacienda had three building campaigns, the most recent in the 19th century.  All of it is in an advanced state of decay.  It is privately owned and not open to the public.  For good reason.  We were constantly being monitored to walk close to the walls on the second floor;  treading toward the middle of the room could easily mean plummeting down 20ft. to the ground floor!  Unbelievable.  Although much of the lavish decoration has been stripped, many rooms still retain damaged wall coverings and wall paintings.  There is even one bedroom that has shreds of the baldachin which hung over the bed swaying in the breeze.

 Sign at the front stating it is  private property and entering is strictly prohibited!

 the nineteenth century entrance

 Me, Lili and Seddon

Room after room after room after room of...............

 Fireplace stripped of it's stone mantel and chimney

Shreds of the baldachin hanging from the ceiling

 notice the gold leaf motifs on the upper portion

 The kitchen  (I imagine)

 On the roof: that's Clare, my painting conservator friend from London on the left!

View of the grinding area of the mezcaleria with the main building and granaries in the background

The cone-shaped nineteenth century granaries and the arch vaulted originals next to them

Mujeres en Cambio: A lunch in the campo

 Mujeres en Cambio is a local non-profit that provides scholarships for women in a small community in the campo outside of San Miguel.   It was their anniversary (can't remember how long they've been doing this) and they hosted a luncheon cooked by the women of the community.  It began with boarding a tin-can of a bus, which didn't bother me, but unfortunately 30 women in a tin-can produced an intolerable cacophony.  It was not helped by the heavily scented air freshener that saturated the already heady environment! Thought I was gonna die!

 Phew!  Fresh air, the sound of rustling mesquite in the breeze.

 A sample of the hooked items the women design and make

 The talented and beautiful cooks

Hands down the best Mexican food I have ever eaten.  And I've eaten lots.

My plate included: a chicken tamale, a cheese chile relleno, a cheese taco,

mole, pork in red chile, nopalitos, rice, stewed chicken, quacamole, and a fried mashed potato patty (under all the rest)

They had chocolate and carrot cake for dessert.

No dinner for me last night, needless to say.