Sunday, January 09, 2011

Haves and Have Nots

So now we are home and I'm thinking about all the stuff we don't have here.
We don't have central heat when it is cold.
We don't have air-conditioning when it is hot.
We don't have a disposal.
We don't have purified water piped through the house.
We  don't have a dishwasher.
We don't have a garage to park the car and have to use a parking lot about three blocks away.

Here is some stuff we do have.
Five or more dogs who are sometimes on the roof next door and like to bark at any thing that passes by.
Roosters in cages on the other side or the house who crow whenever they want to.
Fireworks on a regular basis, even during the middle of the night.
Church bells that ring frequently, very frequently.
Trucks that go up and down the street with loud speakers blaring.
Young people who play the radios loudly in their parked cars while they hang-out around it.
Very uneven sidewalks or sometimes no sidewalks just cobblestone streets.

By now are you wondering what I'm trying to tell you. I'm just saying that San Miguel isn't for anyone who thinks that they couldn't live with or without these things. I know it probably sounds perverse but these are some of the things that I love about living here.

7 comments:

Anonymous said...

great post billie! i think i could live happily there but only if it were on the coast. i spent 2winters in chacala and things were very much like you described them, only of course, we were on the beach.

we got 4 1/2 inches of snow last night,yes, i actually went out and measured it. supposedly we'll be getting 6-10 on wednesday. this is in the seattle area, (we're 45 minutes ne of the city)where we usually get rain, rain, and more rain, but looks like the forecasters are right in saying we will have a lot of snow this winter-this is our 3rd snow since thanksgiving.

glad you and ned made it home safely and that he is doing better.

teresa in lake stevens

Steve Cotton said...

I make a similar list now and then when I try to describe what I find so fascinating about Mexico. And then I realized what it all adds to. It is almost like camping. In a fascinating spot.

GlorV1 said...

It's good to know that you are happy where you are at. I like the list. Have a great week.

jennifer rose said...

Billie, you could easily have a garbage disposal and a dishwasher if you wanted. As well as purified water streaming from every faucet in the house.

Billie Mercer said...

Yes, in a way I guess it is a bit like camping out.

Jennifer, I could have those things but I think I'd miss some of the Mexican experience. I know that doesn't make sense to most people, but that is the way it is.

Michael Dickson said...

One thing I regret not installing in my house when it was built eight years ago is a garbage disposal. I really like garbage disposals.

I would like central heat too, but I would not like the utility bill. However, the heat would just leak out of all the cracks in the walls. Air conditioning upstairs in spring would be nice too, but then again there's the issue of the utility bill. And the cracks in the walls.

Purified water in all faucets? No interest in that. I've long since lost the habit of drinking from faucets.

Dishwasher? Never had any interest in one in my entire life. If you wash (or at least rinse off) dishes immediately after eating, there is no problem.

Got my own carport. Wouldn't want to walk blocks to get to my car.

. . . enjoy the day.

Billie Mercer said...

Felipe, A garbage disposal would be nice. It would eliminate freezing some of our garbage until the garbage truck comes along. We can't depend on garbage pickup 3X a week so we freeze stuff that might get stinky and throw it in at the last minute when we are sure it is going away.

We couldn't stand the Mexican utility bills either so I definitely understand your sentiments.

The only time I really miss purified water from the faucets is when we forget to take a jug of water up to the bedroom. You always realize it just when you don't really want to trudge back downstairs.

Dishwashers would be nice if you had a big family but for two....not really worth it.

I envy your carport.