A Change in Plans...

I'm mentally exhausted. 

This past week I have been quite tired which I attribute to several different things.

I have finally realized the culprit behind being too tired to clean, too tired to cook, and too tired to watch tv; work.  For some reason since I have returned from Nayarit I feel like I can barely keep my head above water, I can never see the top of my desk and my email to do's keep piling up. 

My nephew who we call Chito

Emotionally I have been a little drained as well, dealing with my nephew going away is kind of hard. He will be graduating from high school on the 10th of June and then shipping out to Marine boot camp 10 days later.  Last Saturday my mom and I went to family day at Moffett Field for my nephew.  I know Chito going into the service is for the best, but I guess I just wish I could be with him to hold his hand all of the way.  You know?

My mom has been sick for the past month  not being able to swallow anything not even water.  Finally she consented to going to the hospital and after a visit to the ER we set up appointments with specialists the doctor thought she needed to see.  Turns out she has an ulcer in her esophagus and it will take a month to clear up.  I miss seeing her full of life.

My mom and I

I'm exhausted. But....things are looking up.

After that damper of an opening I can now say the reason why I have sat and reflected on everything that has happened.  In July I will be making another visit to Nayarit.  My final move date was originally supposed to be in July/August but I have pushed it out to the end of September.  It works out better for me with work.

At first I was going to fly down and back, but there has been a change of plans.  I will be driving down and flying back.  Yep you read right, I will be taking 'lil Emma down Wednesday June 28th (tentative) with all of my stuff!  It turns out that B really needs the truck for work this year and so we are going to try and make it happen to take her down sooner. 

We are already knocking on June's door and so I feel like I have been in a race car to get to the finish line.  There are so many things that I need to get together that my mind is racing every which way!  I'm so excited and I really do hope everything works out at the border.  The last time we tried legalizing a truck we took down it didn't work (we still have to figure that one out). 

Well, that is where I am at the moment.  I'm going to get started on making my lists and work on getting more organized.  Hope you all have a fabulous Saturday!

My Garage Sale Finds

As many of you may know, I plan on moving down to Mexico this year and would like to take with me as much stuff as I can from here in the states.  Why? Well because the really good stuff is either too expensive or I can't find it in my area. 

Lately I have become a garage sale junkie.  I didn't want to spend an arm and a leg trying to furnish my house and plus I love old stuff and I love repurposing things whenever I can.  The only new things I have purchased are appliances. 

I have no agenda really, if I come accross something that catches my eye I snatch it up.  A co-worker of mine told me about this annual garage sale that occurs in her mother's neighborhood in a nearby town.  I woke up early on Saturday to attend in hopes of finding some treasures.  Here is what I have found so far on my garage sale ventures.

A mahogany bench that doubles as a storage unit with a lid that doesn't come crashing down.  I like that this is has storage because my house has no closets (aahh)! The couple that sold me this piece had it specially made because the husband had a knee injury.  Each morning he would get up and sit on this bench to put his shoes on.  Supposedly it cost aver a $100 to make, I paid $25 dollars for it.  The only thing I am not feeling about this piece is that it feels country to me, I would rather go white for vintage or darker for a more modern look.  I have also thought about just adding some cool looking pillows to give it a different edge.

Next are two floor lamps that cost $10.  Yes, $5 a piece.  I was so excited to have swiped this up! On one garage sale weekend I came across a garage sale sign and followed the arrows to the sale.  When I arrived I was surprised to have found the house of a dear ex co-worker who left work due to health issues.  She looked to be doing very well as apposed to the last time I had been to visit her in the hospital.  She sold me the two lamps, I am not sure if they were so cheap because she knew me or because she wanted to get rid of them.  Whatever the reason I was happy to take them off her hands.  The beige one I gave to my mom and the dark brown one will be going to Mexico.

This next piece I found at a garage sale around the corner from my friend's (ex co-worker) house.  I saw it from afar and fell in love with it.  The woman selling the piece said that it belonged to her mother-in-law and she was sure that it was over 45 years old!  When she said that I just had to have it! I paid $10 for it which to me was a good price because at the flea market in San Jose I saw many of the Last Suppers that size going for $60+.  Right now it hangs in my mom's dining room area.

Ohh la la was my reaction upon seeing this next beauty Saturday.  I particularly like it because it is a long oval mirror and everybody in the family is close to 6 feet tall as is yours truly.  An older woman sold me the mirror for $10.  Again I think I did pretty well as I have seen mirrors smaller than this at Ross for no less than $25.  I was looking for a mirror similar to this for our bathroom in Mexico.  However I am unsure if this kind of granduer will work in our humble bathroom.  If you have forgotten, pictures of Mi Casita show the bathroom, let me know what you think.  I plan on painting it a different color because I am not sure gold will go with my white and silver bathroom. Again I would love to hear your thoughts on this one. 

 

Well that's what I've got so far.  What do you think? Have I been robbed or did I steal?

My Cooking Phobia

B's sisters whipping up a batch of shrimp ceviche

When I first met my husband I didn't know how to cook very well.  So when he told me how much of a seafood person he was you can imagine my reaction.  I was not thrilled to say the least.

I have a cooking phobia, for some reason I always feel like I am performing on a stage in front of thousands of people.  Whenever it is up to me to whip something up for guests, or my husband, I get stage-fright tears and all. 

Well, it's been over three years now since I first met my husband and after figuring out how to remove the head of a shrimp without squeezing all of it's brains out I think I've made progress.  I must defend my husband and everyone around me in saying that the person putting all of the pressure on me was myself.  My husband never made me cook, or made me feel bad when something didn't come out quite right.

I will have to say that my upbringing included everything Mexican except the fact that I was a girl and was hardly ever in the kitchen.  My father (father was the strict one) always allowed me to do all of the outside chores and play in the dirt as much as I wanted as long as I was doing good in school.  I paid dearly for making those choices as a young child because later on in life I felt very insecure about not being able to cook.

I would always say, put me in front of a computer, in a car, an office, behind a lawn mower and I could get the job done.  But put me in a kitchen and I went straight for the back door.  I was very upset for a long time that I allowed myself to be ignorant in the kitchen.  When I wanted very much to have dinner parties and couldn't supply the food myself it became very frustrating.  I wanted to fill everybody's tummies with delicious food of my doing and hear laughter in my home. 

In 5 de Mayo, I know that food will have to be prepared everyday.  For one because the choices of eating out are very limited, two it would probably get to be 'spensive and third it gets tiring after a while.  My heart so desires to be with my husband but I also know that with that comes an entirely different way of living. 

My current daily routine involves an 8-4:30 job Monday through Friday.  Sit in traffic for a couple hours each day to get to and from work and then once I get home I'm pooped out.  I have always gone to school, worked or both.  I was never a housewife, and I feel that I may start having withdraws once I settle down in 5 de Mayo. 

So what's this all boil down to?  The clock is ticking and pretty soon I will have to hold my own.  I am not as bad as I used to be about cooking.  I have recently learned several recipies and would like to start sharing them with some of you to show that even the most unskilled cook can whip something up that is pretty fantastic. 

What was the reason behind this post?  I was asked to make a chile for a carne asada (bbq) tomorrow and I felt very honored that I made something so good that I was being requested to make it again.  This may seem frivolous to many but for me it is a grand accomplishment.

Would you like some authentic Mexican cooking where everything is done ranchero style?  If so you have come to the right place because I think I will share what I am learning in hopes to hear everything I'm doing wrong, what I might add, or that somebody else liked it too.

In the process I hope to crush this cooking phobia once and for all. 

La Danza de la Santa Cruz

"The Dance of the Sacred Cross"

During the time that most are celebrating 5 de Mayo, in a small ranchito in Zacatecas, the locals are dancing La Danza de la Santa Cruz. 

In El Aguacate de Abajo, they don't celebrate Cinco de Mayo, rather they celebrate the cross.  I have only been back to the ranch once during these festivities because my family always went during December.  It has been quite a while since I have set foot in those parts so I will try and recollect what I can.

Before I start, I must say that Mexican Catholicism is unique.  It is unique because when the Spanish conquered Mexico and forced upon the natives Roman Catholicism, the natives incorporated the religion with their own gods and rituals.

Of late, I have come to learn courtesy of a NOVA broadcast (I love PBS) that this also happened in Peru, another country conquered by the Spanish.  The broadcast I watched was called Ghosts of Machu Picchu and in watching it, I gained a better understanding of the Danza practiced in my own ranchito.

In Cusco, the ancient capital of Peru, each year in the Roman Catholic Festival of Corpus Christi statues of the Virgin Mary along with 15 other saints are removed from the Cathedral and brought to the square.  Performers pay homage to Christian saints by playing music and dancing.  However, both the musical instruments used and the steps they dance are Inca in origin.  That is because the procession is actually a Christian revision of an Inca ritual.  500 years prior, the Inca also processed through Cusco, but instead of carrying the Virgin and Chrisitan saints, they carried the mummies of their dead Inca Kings who they revered as Gods.

View from the Mesita

In the area where El Aguacate de Abajo is located,  most everytime you come to a ranchito, you will see a mesita (high flat point on a hill/mountain) where a cross will be perched.  The cross serves as a reminder to the people that God is watching over you.  In the structure that is holding the cross there will be a place for a candle, which is continually lit by various people.

Each year the dance of the cross is performed. The dancers wear carrizeras, knickers, guaraches de hule, and headpieces.  The Carrizeras are specially made skirts that have oblong wooden beads sewn into a piece of fabric which make a clinking sound when ever the dancers moves. White knickers are worn over stockings which help to support the dancers legs after grueling hours of dancing.  The guaraches or sandals have a very thick sole and when pounded on the ground in synchronization with 15-20 other dancers produce a vibrant sound. These guaraches are easily found in Zacatecas which is well known for their well made exotic boots and guaraches de hule.  Needless to say either will last you a very long time.  A plumero (feather plume) is worn on the head decorated with carrizeras and ribbons along the back. As you can imagine the skirts as well as the head pieces become quite heavy after many hours of dancing.

Los Bailadores - The Dancers

Members of the Danza will make their way up to the mesita dancing all the way accompanied by the entire ranch, a fiddler and a guitarist.  The music is learned only by those who already know the various beats, if not passed down in life the music is lost within that community.  The music played by the musicos is accompanied with the maracas held by each of the dancers.  It is the shakes of the maracas that tell which tune is next, which in turn demands different steps. 

The Fiddler and the Guitarist

At the top of the mesita, the dancers dance in front of the cross before removing it.  Once the cross is removed it is slowly taken back down to a ramada made by the community from trees in the arroyo (stream).  The ramada provides shade for the dancers during the hot hours of the day.

Branches from trees in the stream for the ramada

Also in preparation of the events, the women clean the streets by sweeping the rocks.  Ha Ha yes I said rocks...even in the most rural of areas communities clean the streets that are in front of their houses.  In El Aguacate their are specific days in which "te toca" or "it's your turn" to clean your surrounding area.



I helped, I couldn't just sit and watch!

And on special occasions the main street is watered down in anticipation of foot traffic lifting the dirt.

Had the community the means, I believe there would be a plaza, but for now the danza is held on the street adjacent to the church.  

The most grueling of the 3 days is the second, where dancers will perform in full dress and nonstop for several hours.  Many times the dancer's feet will be bleeding from continuous pounding, yet they continue on and must never lose pace.

Also involved in the danza are the kids.  They are trained to one day fill in for those who are older and can no longer dance.  The year that I went to El Aguacate, shirts were donated for the trainees and the skirts were made kid size.  The kids take pride in being chosen to train for la danza.


You may notice the guy in the middle?  He is not a kid but is the leader of the dance and as a dancer what he does you must do.  He picks the various steps and is always the most energetic of all the dancers, he jumps the highest, makes grand gestures which keeps the spirit's of the dancers alive.

If you are not careful, and not paying strict attention to la danza like the kids in the picture below he will scare you!  Which is what happened right after I took this picture.

The kids having fun in front of the camera

Often he will stop dead in his tracks and if you don't notice him spying you, he will make sure to get your attention as you see in the picture above.

Also on the second day, carnival rides and puestos line the streets while kids run up and down freely. 

On the third and final day, the dancers dance off and on to the Cross until late afternoon when the cross is taken back up to the mesita in the same fashion it was taken down.

The third day taking the cross back to the mesita

I can honestly say, that unlike many other fiestas held in Mexico, the true meaning behind the festivities is not lost in this community.  People do indeed look forward to the carnival, music, and dance but you will see just as many men, women, and children during the religious portions of the event as well.

One day I would like to go back and get more of the story and perhaps see if I can recognize some of the boys that I saw on my last trip.  I love to see this tradition carried on.  The kids enthusiasm and effort they put into the steps, for me it is truly magical.  I like to think that they will all turn from crime and violence when presented with it but then I am not that naive. Still there is hope.



"La Mojiganga"

HAPPY 5 DE MAYO!!

Celebrating 5 de Mayo while in Ejido 5 de Mayo is a 2 day celebration.  I titled this post "La Mojiganga" instead of "5 de Mayo" because I'm not giving a history lesson but rather sharing how it is celebrated in the small town I will be living in.

La Mojiganga con Banda

I had the opportunity last year to be in 5 de Mayo during the 5 de Mayo celebration.  Previously called "El Ciruelo," 5 de Mayo changed it's name many years ago.  In my last post I talked about how families make all of their money in May after selling their mango orchards.  Well they not only make most of their money in May but spend a lot of it in May as well during these fiestas.

Yesterday was the coronation of the town queen.  Every year there are runners for the title of the queen.  A parade is held throughout the town and the queen is crowned in a ceremony.  After these events, a dance is held with a DJ and everybody dances all night and spends time with the family. 

Today the fesitivities include "La Mojiganga," which believe me I had never heard of in my life untill I met my husband.  He described to me the fesitivites; "Well all of us burly men, get dressed up by our families as women and dance all through the town."  What???!  Yeah I couldn't believe it, it is a rather odd tradition but one very looked forward to in town. 

Say What!

So hot!

I falied to mention that the temperatures today in Nayarit are soaring.  According to B they aren't too hot this year compared to last year when I attended.  I'll have to admit I missed some of the festivities because I couldn't bear standing out in the sun and melting like a popsicle.  It's not very becoming to be in that state.  I guess I need to get used to that kind of climate first, before subjecting myself to that kind of torture.

A line of men waiting to cut in ha ha

After all of the dancing through the streets, everybody heads over to the jaripeo (rodeo) usually set up on the sports field.  The men dressed as women dance some more and everybody laughs and enjoys themselves despite the hot weather.  Then the jaripeo begins!

B gets all decked out for the jaripeo, and you kind of have to because if you wear anything other than boots and a sombrero while in the arena, you get all messed up and dirty (I learned this the hard way). 

So that is what's in store for Ejido 5 de Mayo today!  I am sure the whole family will enjoy the fesitivities as they do every year.  Wish I could be there, but then there is always next year.

May's Mango Madness

May is the official month of Mangos in the San Blas area of Nayarit. 

If you were standing on a high hillside in the middle of a mango orchard, you would most likely get a view like the one in the photo at the top of my blog. 

Standing in the midst of an orchard you would get what you see below, having  to watch where you step to avoid being smacked in the face with one of these sweet tasting fruits.


Kay Mango

May is the month that all of the fruit is ready for picking, the month where you see seasonal workers come up from Chiapas, a month where everybody's pocket books are full of money to spend.

Most, if not all families in our ranchito, live year round off of what they reap from their mango orchards.  After a long year of patiently nurturing the trees, killing off the hormigas (ants), weeding all of the wild growing plants, and maintaining the roads, the people finally get to see the end product of a hard year's work; mangos and the money the orchards bring.

Don Humberto and B checking up on the newly planted orchard's progress

Since I have been down to Nayarit several times, I have been able to see how mangos are cared for and what they look like at different times of the year.  Plus, I learned there are several varieties of mangos grown in the area: tommy, kay, manila, ataulfo and mango corriente.

The mango that I am most familiar with here in the states is the tommy mango which has a beautiful reddish purple color.  In the picture below, the mangos weren't quite ripe so they appear to be very purple, but at the time they are picked they have a greener color.



Tommy Mango (left), Mango Corriente (right)

Before mangos can be planted a piece of land must be cleared of all wild brush and palms, or what I like to call "jungle brush."  Once there is space, mango corriente is planted in early spring before the rains.  The mango corriente is a very small variety of mango which is used to combine with a specific variety of mango desired by the owner.  The trees take advantage of the rainy season and grow strong.

Jungle Brush

After approximately a year, it is time to "injertar." I am not sure how this translates in English, but the process is as follows.  The tree's small branches are bandaged with a branch from a mature mango tree of a particular variety, depending on what is desired by the owner.  Over time, the part of the tree that grows is the mature adult branches that were bandaged to the mango corriente. This is how the mango trees yield specific types of mango. 

If not all of the branches are bandaged, you will sometimes end up with a tree that gives both mango corriente (a small tasty mango) and another variety.  This can be seen in the picture above as I am near the tommy mangos on the left of the picture and Don Humberto is grabbing a mango corriente, both varieties growing for the same tree.

In approximately two years the trees will start yielding fruit.  In January the mangos start off as itty bitty balls.

Baby Kay Mango

Once they reach closer to maturity, they increase in size and weigh down the branches of the tree prompting "orquetas" to be made.  Orquetas are long sticks made out of wood with a Y point at one end, these are used to prop up the branches so that they do not touch the ground.  Ideally this should be done early on as the fruit are growing and not at the last minute.  Can you imagine trying to prop up a branch full of heavy mangos?

One of my favorite mango trees is the ataúlfo.  In full maturity, the mangos hanging from the branches look like rain drops. 

Ataulfo Mango

Every once in a while among the great mango trees you will come across a papayo...

Papayo

Or just a big scary tree....

This tree looks like it could be in a scary movie.  Hey, when you are out in the middle of nowhere and all you hear is the breeze of the wind and the animals around you, your mind starts to wonder. This picture does not do it's size justice, it truly is enormous.

At the end of the mango season, the trees are bursting with fruit and are ready for picking.  The orchards are either sold to a buyer and the buyer does the harvesting of the fruit, or the owner harvests the fruit and then sells to a buyer.  Depending on the negotiations between buyer and seller either method can be favorable for either party. 

Please note I have only shared the basic idea of growing mangos in hopes that you can get an idea of the amount of hard work and love that the people put into their orchards. 

Among the many things I learned from Don Humberto was that the orchards are a reflection of the people who work them.  I remember him saying often as we would pass mango orchards "mira que bonito esta esa huerta, señal de que lo cuidan bien (look how beautiful that orchard is, it shows how well it is looked after)." 

The people take pride in their orchards, and so when I pass by one of them I often think about the families who care for them.

Don Humberto sitting in the shade of a mango tree