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Good Morning from Alamos!

I am so excited about these columns. It means we are just THAT much closer to getting a roof on the first third of the casa and the portal, and a trip to SOMEWHERE LAND! In fact I'm so excited I have more photos of them. Above is a photo of one half of the wood form Bill made.

And, below, now we have four columns.
Don't worry, my camera makes the one on the right appear to be leaning; it's all perfectly straight here if you are standing in the yard. Besides if it WERE leaning, do you think Senor would not have destroyed it by now with a huge jackhammer???? No matter.....Senor does not make mistakes like that anyway....

Just in case you are wondering what I have been doing...... I patched a fence to keep a pack of dogs out of the yard. I looked out several nights ago and 4 dogs were sleeping under the portal. I chased them off, saw the hole they went through and repaired it the next morning with chicken wire. I have also mowed the dry grass in the lawn, turned the compost pile, picked up all the limes that are falling from our two trees, and planted cucumbers.

Yesterday I went to a meeting of Amigos de Education, a group of foreigners and mexicans in Alamos, who help raise money for education costs for secondary and high school students (students of those grades, in mexico, pay to attend school). Currently, secondary students (in Alamos) pay $200 pesos per year..............less than $20 USD. I don't know the high school costs. They also have to cover costs of uniforms, books, and calculators. Primary education is free.

This morning, as soon as Bill and Umberto pour the cement for the 5th column, we are going to Navajoa to apply for the IMSS. IMSS is the medical social security program. There is alot of paper work involved and we hope it is something that can be done in one day. After the paperwork, there is a short waiting period to be accepted. Once, we are in the program, general health care costs will be free. If one were to have surgery, a small cost is involved, but typical visits that might be made to a clinic (nail in foot, bad sore throat that just will not go away, broken foot because you were looking into someone's garden when you should have been watching the cobblestone street, horse steps on foot and foot swells three times its size, chasing son down Alameda and falling and breaking nose)....those sorts of things which have happened to other people we know are free of cost. Insurance enrollment is roughly $150 USD for the year.

The last few nights have been a little less chilly....................days are perfectly beautiful......the town is sprucing up for the International Festival Alfonso Ortiz Tirado. Almost everyone seems to have rented out their casitas and rooms and hotels and inns are booking up. Thousands of people flock here for this famous music festival. You can find out more about it by going to www.festivalortiztirado.com.

Wow! Fifth column is done!

Adios!