CELEBRATION!

Independencia…70th birthday (Ben’s)…family and friends…September was time to celebrate!

Every year in September Mexico celebrates its independence from Spanish rule. A long weekend is filled with festivals, parades, contests, dancing, special food, and “El Grito”, the battle cry for independence. Raised in 1810 by Miguel Hidalgo, the battle cry stirred the citizens to fight for freedom in a war that lasted over eleven years. All over Mexico the recitation of Hidalgo’s speech occurs at the same time on Independence Day Eve (September 15th): delegados, mayors and even the country’s president recite the famous battle cry known as “El Grito”. Crowds of Mexicans gather in plazas around the country to hear the famous words. Es muy importante para Méxicanos!

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Ben celebrated his 70th birthday for days it seemed. But the highlight was a party of fifty guests held in the home of our friend Judy Miller, who’s sister Carla was celebrating her birthday as well. We’re still a bit amazed at the number of people we’ve connected with already. And we loved it that Ben’s sister Melanie and her husband joined us from Oregon. A good time was had by all!

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And the fun continued! Beautiful weather. Great for exploring the town of Chapala.

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And in the midst of it all – Global Climate Strike. A “celebration” of sorts as young and old step forward to raise awareness and demand action on the state of our world. I had reached out looking for folks interested but got very little response. With company coming and a party to organize I just didn’t have time to make something happen. But two days before the Strike an email arrived from Democrats Abroad announcing a gathering of support on the day after the international Strike. I was only able to go for thirty minutes before the party but it was wonderful to be part of the small crowd that stood on the street (Carretera) with signs as passersby waved and honked their allegiance. It was exhilarating!

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We’re moving into October now. The temperatures are lovely – apologies to those of you suffering in North Carolina. The vibrant green of the mountains is losing a bit of its luster though small trees provide patches of fragrant yellow flowers dot the hillside. We are grateful.

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We’ve been here ten months now. The building going on around our rental house is increasing along with the accompanying noise of hammers and saws. We’re contemplating our next move. Feeling a bit steadier on our feet, speaking a bit more Spanish, it is nearly time to find another home. The thought of moving is “unsettling” but not nearly as daunting as ten months ago. Life is good here. Not perfect. But good. We’ll see what’s next. Meanwhile, VIVA MÉXICO!