Too Much Whiskey and Bad Knees

Buenos tardes!
Yesterday's evening sky was almost completely without color, just a huge bright sun obscured momentarily by the clouds. Then during the night the sky turned a dark luminous red and it has been overcast and very windy all day. Senor got the pump back. The bearings had gone out and the man who drives the little red train fixed the pump for less than five dollars. While we were without the pump I had to fill buckets with cistern water and hand water all of the plants. So naturally I was very excited when Senor returned with the pump and reinstalled it. It meant the hoses would work.

However Senor was also excited to get the pump back and he decided he would water. He spent around two hours doing this, after dinner, well into the dark. As we went to bed a thought occured to me.

I said, as he was dozing off.......................you watered all the planter pots, too, right? you know, roses, petunias, geraniums, palms............? No................i forgot about those...........he said, as he fell asleep.

I had to get up and go outside and water all of those in the dark. Only a little problemo. The next morning I did tell him he is no longer allowed to be the water person.

If you recall, the original Jesus seemed to think I was his water person. He had some moments of great thirst, I guess.

Something big was going on back at his place several days ago.

His sister and her son came into his little casa and removed many things. My guess is these were Jesus' things that became new old Jesus' things. Then her husband came and removed many more things.

Soon it looked like everything that had been in new old Jesus' casa was out in the yard.
I was a little worried.

Then the husband and son came and pulled down his tv antennae and put it and all the other stuff into the back of a pick up and drove off.
I was very worried then because Jesus loves his television. He listens to his telenovas and boxing every afternoon and well into the night.

Yesterday our friend, Ramon, confirmed what we suspected. New old Jesus has died.

I was compelled to photograph what I can see that still remains at this little casa, which was originally inhabited by the first Jesus.

Below, the tv antennae is gone.


Through the coyote fence the door is slightly ajar.

His favorite chair is still on the porch.

This is his old toilet, surrounded by plastic flapping in the wind.

I feel sadness about it.

Of course, I felt that way when I first realized a new old Jesus was living in old Jesus' casa. I wondered what happened to the first Jesus. I still don't know. But Ramon says that new old Jesus went into the Panteon very quickly.

When I turned away from the coyote fence I thought about how dark and quiet it will be back there now. No sounds of men boxing, no women crying over lost lovers, no six pm national anthem.

So looking back to our casa and our ongoing projects, there is much racket. The tile saw is grinding away at adobe bricks, Senor is screwing something into the wall and Umberto is slapping mortar on the new wall. So much activity. In two months the rains will come and the yard will be emerald green and lush with unwanted plants and vines. We will not need to water.

Manana I am going with friends to the Panteon. They are going to adopt a grave and I have the list of names that are available.

I also plan to take a bouquet of plastic flowers and a candle and look for a fresh dirt covered grave.

Ramon says his nickname was Charro and he died of too much whiskey and bad knees.