Thursday is a Good Day

Hola!

Yesterday afternoon a lovely Mexican Senora who lives down the street came ringing our cowbell and she and her small granddaughter gave us several dishes of sugared mincemeat empanadas and some bowls of other tasty desserts that I don't know the names of.

One is a deep fried taco that starts to melt as soon as it hits the tongue and it is so sweet and good. It was definitely a welcomed surprise!

After filling up on these treats Senor went out and caught this sunset, which was so unusual. The clouds were almost black against the pale crimson pink sky.

Then this morning we woke to an overcast day, filled with swirling fog. We thought we might get some rain and colder weather, but this has all burned off and it is much like a nice fall afternoon.

We decided to give the children in Umberto's family sweets for Christmas. To children here in Alamos, a sweet or dulce as it is called in Spanish, is candy. Anything from tootsie rolls, to peanut candy ground into little cakes, to sweet caramel milk cubes, m and m's, peppermints, a sweet is a candy.

I asked him on Tuesday how many ninos lived with him now. He said..............four. But by noon when he left he changed his mind and said there were five.

So I went to the Mercado for candy and wrapped boxes.

Last night I set up the boxes, and tried to divy all the individual candy types equally, but it did not work out. So I threw it all in a pile again and just put an even number into all five boxes. If they are anything like my kids, they count to make sure they have the same as the next person.

This morning Umberto told me the ninos were coming at ten am. I had planned to just fill a garbage bag with the boxes and send him on his way, but promptly at ten, the cowbell rang and there were four ninos, with a young woman in her twenties.

I had met some of them before. There are three girls, two of them are the children of one of his daughters, the other girl and a boy of four are the children of his daughter who walked them to the house. The missing child, an eleven year old boy who is Umberto's child, was visiting his Uncle in Obregon. So, there are indeed five. They all live together, with their tv, in their two room house.

I arranged some plastic chairs out in the yard and we had cookies and juice and tried to talk. The young mother, who looks pregnant, laughed a lot but did not understand anything I said. The eleven year old girl laughed a lot and said she understood everything I said. The three girls and the missing boy are all in school, they like to play 'pony' basketball and football. The older girl likes to get her nails done. The younger girls like to have their long ponytails braided and they all like tv.

And, I am mad at myself for not getting a picture.

To their gift boxes of dulces, I added two bags of Christmas mugs filled with single nescafe packets and cammomile tea for them to give their abuelo and abuela (grandmother and grandfather, Umberto and his wife) on Christmas morning.

Then we ate more cookies and I told them thanks for visiting and they left.

On his way out the gate the little boy already had a trail of candy wrappers behind him. It was all very short and sweet.

Today is Thursday, one of my favorite days of the week. Senor has his weekly bridge game. I can count on a free afternoon. but, it is a busy day and having the ninos here today made it even more jam packed.

On Thursday mornings, I go to a great exercise class. A woman who lives several blocks over hosts it in her large sala. In the photo below, you can see the view from her portal. It is magnificent. That is a huge old rubber tree in the foreground and Mt. Alamos in the background. Her house is for sale in case you want to come down and buy it. You can visit..................... http://www.alamosrealty.com/. Look at the houses for sale and see if you can tell which one this is!

As soon as I am done with exercise class, I hop on new old bike and whip as fast as I can to this place........................ http://www.haciendalossantos.com/.

This is where the Alamos History Club meets each Thursday, in the Agave Room of the hotel.

You are a little familiar with the History Club already. It sponsors the Day of the Dead altar I put up in the Museum each November. But the club is much more than that.

Its ongoing research includes that of Alamos historical homes, and the history of Alamos and Mexico.

Frequent interviews of both Mexicans and Extranjeros (foreigners) and presentations add to the increasing historical knowledge. The club also encourages the study of both Mexican and Extranjero genealogies and collects stories about the mining days, traditions and people of the Alamos Municipio. It even sponsors field trips and guest speakers and maintains a bibliography of many resources published on Alamos.

All so fascinating to me are the Extranjeros who have lived here since the sixties and during History Club, while we munch on cookies fresh out of the oven and drink thick coffee, they pull information out of their heads like a magician pulls a rabbit right out of the hat...................dates, names, certain circumstances.............. they are walking encyclopedias like I have never seen or heard before. They know all the Mexican presidents, in order, and the names of their entire families and what their professions were. They know when Pancho Villa did what it was he did and why, historically, it has been proven he did it. They could write a book on Maximilian. They know who betrayed who.

They also know much more than Mexican history. They know who was shot and buried in the Panteon and who shot him. They know who died in town while playing poker. They know who lived in which home at which time. They know the names of peoples' ancestors and where they originated. They are amazing to me and I just never tire of the meeting and listening to them speak.

When Thursday rolls around, I am out of bed before daylight, which is not coming now until six-thirty nine. I am ready to get started. The exercise class is tedious, but I see it is working for me, but it is really the History Club that makes Thursday a great day.

As you begin to plan your visit to Alamos, make sure you are here on Thursday, put it on the do to list, put it in the calendar. You will not want to miss it. Below are more photos of the meeting room.

You know FAOT is right around the corner and you really don't want to miss that either! The banners advertising the musicians are already hanging from telephone polls and the Palacio. Soon I will post and get you into the FAOT spirit!

In the meantime, que le vaya bien and I hope you are having as great a Thursday as I am!

adios! linda lou