Wearing a Mask

I left San Miguel four weeks ago and I never thought I would be wearing a mask four weeks later but a lot of things have happened in those four weeks that are beyond anything I could have imagined. Looking back, how naive I was.

I understood that the coronavirus was going to affect many people and that medical systems would be  stressed but I thought that the United States could handle the virus better than Mexico. So I could go to Houston, get an apartment for six months. The complex where Ned and I had lived for two years was next door to an HEB, Krogers and Walgreens were across the street. When I arrived I was renting a car for a week to gather up what I needed for an apartment and then I wouldn't need a car. I could walk and if I wanted to go somewhere too far to walk, I'd get an Uber. Within about one day after arriving in Houston it dawned on me that "staying in place," or isolation, or quarantine, or whatever you want to call it was happening NOW. There was no time to settle-in. There was no time to see most of my family. So, I look forward to talking with them and long to hug them.

Services like Instacart, Curbside pickup, Whole Foods, Krogers, and HEB delivery all sound great but the demand is so huge that the delivery times are out about 10 days and they are so overloaded that the 20 items you ordered may be down to 10 items available when they are delivered. Although if I walk to the grocery store I can find the things I ordered except for cleaning supplies, toilet paper and paper towels.  Toilet paper can sometimes be found but I have not seen paper towels since the day after I arrived. Thank God, there is no shortage of food.

Naive? Yes! A few months in Houston. The emergency would be over. I'd go home but everyday brings more knowledge about this disease. To get it fully under control, we need a vaccine and that is probably 18 months down the road.

Although this is a rather stylish one that a friend brought to me, I hope that wearing a mask doesn't become the new normal.

Refugio en el Norte - Day 5

I am not sure of how to start this post. It has been a long time since I wrote anything for this blog but I feel the need to write and I have the time so I’ll see how it goes. I am writing from an apartment in Houston which right now is my refuge from a dangerous world because of Covid-19. Hence, the term, Refugio en el Norte, which is a play on the name of the street I live on in San Miguel de Allende.

A planned trip to Texas to visit family, go to FotoFest, and SXSW became more than a 10 day trip because of my concern about being in Mexico alone should I become ill with Covid-19. When I had to put my sweet Carly who had been going downhill for about nine months, to sleep two days before I was scheduled to leave, I made the decision that when I arrived in Houston I would stay in Houston until I could figure out what I needed to do.

Ned and I liked the apartment we rented in Houston 10 years ago while he was sick so the first thing I did after getting the rental car was head to that complex. It is next door to an HEB/Pharmacy and across the street from a Kroger and Walgreen drug store. Also, close to a number of restaurants that I could walk to. Of course, now that the restaurants have been closed except for takeout, that doesn’t count for much. I rented one that was immediately available and took possession of the keys last Tuesday. Wednesday the furniture I rented was delivered and I moved in. I’ll be writing from my Refuge in the North. What I’ll write about I’m not sure but I do feel I need to write. It may be too personal for some or boring as hell for others but that is okay if you decide not to read it at all.

PS: I wanted to send a photograph of the sala of my apartment but for some reason something has changed since the last time I wrote on the blog. I can’t figure it out tonight but I’ll work on it tomorrow. Busy day tomorrow. LOL

Protest Age-ism

A couple of things have happened recently which make me think that because of my "maturity" I'm being treated differently and I don't like it!

First of all, I'm going overseas to a workshop. The workshop requires that participants have International Travel Insurance. So, I went on line to buy it and I found out that in another three months when I am 80 it becomes almost impossible to buy it and if you can buy it, it is very limited in the total coverage offered. I know some people in their 80's may not be in good health but what about those of us who are still on the move? <sigh> I guess I'll figure out what to do when the situation comes up after my birthday.

One of my credit cards furnishes my credit score periodically. Today I got a notice that I could go on line and get mine. I've done it before and it stays about the same all of the time. But this time it had dropped 50 points. Whoa! What happened? I'll tell you what happened. My credit score dropped because I do not have a mortgage, car payment or some kind of loan so that how I pay that type of debt can be evaluated. Credit card payments are evaluated separately. Can you believe that? Because I don't have debt I'm less credit worthy. I would think that a lot of mature, retired people do not have a mortgage or a car payment. Does that make us less credit worthy than younger people who have credit card debts, two car payments, college loans and a mortgage?

Have any things like this happened to you? Who wants to join my protest movement?

Happy 2015

That is me! December 30th is my birthday. I have been on the Party Circuit since Christmas but after welcoming the New Year last night, it is time to move on. A lot of wonderful things happened in 2014 but I am so excited about what is already on the calendar for this year.

First of all I'll still be working on my project in Port Aransas. Since last Spring so many things have happened that are more than just a coincidence or serendipity. I've met some very helpful people and doors have opened. One exciting thing that happened just this week is that I found out that a group of very creative photographers are meeting in Port Aransas at the same time I was planning to be there. I'll be joining them and I am sure it will be like a massive shot of creative energy. I have many things to follow up on and photographs to take but this project is bringing me great joy.

I've signed up for the San Miguel Writer's Conference. I've heard nothing but wonderful things from people who have gone and the schedule for this years conference includes amazing speakers and workshops. I can certainly use some help writing an introduction for the Port Aransas book but I'll also take some of the workshops about publishing. I'm hoping that some of the writing talent and creative energy of the people attending will rub off on me.

I am going to Sicily along with five other photographers. Great photography opportunities and great food.  And all of this is in the first half of 2015.

I also have some fitness goals that I will work on this year. Yes, I feel great but at my age I have to work on it so that I can do the things I want to do. I'm very optimistic about 2015. I think it is going to be a great year.

I wish all my readers robust health and many adventures in 2015.  

2014 - Buy New Jeans

In January of 2013 I had lost a little weight and so my New Year's Resolution was to continue with a healthier diet and hopefully continue the trend in the right direction. I had been doing Yoga for a number of years and while it kept me flexible it really had not done anything to change my shape or help me lose weight. I decided to add some other exercise to my life.

Sometime in January someone posted on the Civil List that if enough old geezers signed up, Crystal Calderoni would start a beginners exercise class for them. Sounded like the way to get into an exercise routine so I said I’d be interested and I waited but I didn't get a notice about a new class. In February, I contacted Crystal and there had not been enough interest among us old geezers so I asked if I could come and observe one of her regular exercise classes to see if I could survive. She said yes. I observed and decided that I couldn’t keep up but at least I would start and see what happened. It had been a long time since I had done weight and strength training so I started with the lightest weights.

I bumbled through the classes for a while but started getting better. About the middle of March a few people asked me if I had lost some weight. I had but I don’t think most people noticed. Also about that time I read the book, Younger Next Year and realized I was on the right track but needed to add more cardio exercise so I started walking UP Pila Seca at least four times a week. I also realized that I was going in the right direction with the weight and strength training but two times a week wasn’t enough.

I had never worked with a personal trainer so I decided to sign up for a few sessions with Crystal Calderoni until I felt comfortable with working out in a gym on my own. Here it is months later and I’m still working out with Crystal, still going to her group exercise class two times a week and still walking up Pila Seca. It sounds like a lot of work and it is, but it has paid off. Now people aren’t asking me if I have lost some weight. They are telling me I look great and asking me what I’m doing.

I have to give the credit to Crystal. She is simply an amazing teacher, motivator and trainer. In a group class, she somehow manages to watch everyone for correct form so you don’t end up with an injury. This is quite a skill because she has people at different levels in the class but she knows that one person needs to do the exercise one way because of a shoulder injury or because they are new and the rest of us can do it the regular way. Her class is never the same which I really like because you are constantly using your muscles in different ways. Some days are weight classes and other days are with the TRX. Once I learned to trust the TRX, I love it. It is hard to do but oh so rewarding.

I also highly recommend Crystal as a personal trainer. She is constantly pushing you to do just a little more and then one day you realize that you have gone far beyond what you ever thought you could do. Again, she changes the routine constantly and focuses on different parts of the body. While I had thought about using the gym on my own, having Crystal there to plan my session, watch me so I don’t get hurt and pushing me beyond what I think I can do has huge added value. One of my sons agrees and he tells me not to think about the cost, just do it. So I try to think of it as a part of my health insurance expense but rather than paying if I get sick it keeps me healthy and strong. I am thinner, stronger and I feel younger than I did last year. Some health issues are gone. At my latest checkup my Doctor was very pleased with my condition and I'm able to delete or cut back on some medications I was taking.

So you may be wondering how much weight and inches have I lost. Let’s just put it like this. I haven’t lost as much weight as you might think but my shape has changed dramatically thanks to being Crystalized, I have had to buy all new clothes. I’ve gone down four sizes in jeans since December 2012.

So what is the plan for 2014? Pretty much the same as last year. Eat healthy and continue my exercise sessions with Crystal. Oh....and also buy smaller sized jeans.

Another Loop Around the Sun

Yesterday on my birthday, Dan Green left this comment for me on Facebook, "Understand you completed another loop around the Sun. Here's hoping you continue to go in circles for many years more!"

I like the idea that another birthday is another loop around the Sun and I really like the idea of continuing to go in circles for many years more. Of course my birthday comes at the end of the year so I'm usually a little bit more introspective when it rolls around. In looking back at 2013 I have to say it has been a pretty good year. I took on some challenges that have been very rewarding.

The thing that has caused the biggest life change for me has been eating healthier and getting into an exercise program with an emphasis on weight bearing exercises. I blogged about the book Younger Next Year. I have not been totally faithful to it but what I adopted into my life has definitely made me feel younger.  

I might not ever be in another play but taking a part in one of the plays in San Miguel's Ten-Minute International Play Festival was a huge challenge. I came out of it feeling like I had proven something to myself. I don't know exactly what I proved but it was a great feeling to do something that I never expected to do. And I remembered all my lines which was a greater fear than stepping out on the stage.

The three-week trip I took to Europe was a turning point for me. It came in August a little more than a year after Ned died. A number of cultures make note of a year of morning for a loved one. You never forget them but there is something about the passage of a year of time and being able to move on. Somehow, returning from that trip was, for me,  a marker that gave me permission to move on.

So now, here it is New Year's Eve and in just about an hour we will ring in 2014. I wonder what 2014 will bring. Bring it on! I'm younger today than I was December 31, 2012.

I send my most heart felt wishes to all my readers that 2014 will be overflowing with family, friends, personal growth and a few good surprises just to make this loop around the Sun memorable.

I made the photo above yesterday at one of the Churches in SMA. Kind of a different take on Christmas.

This Morning

Looking out the kitchen window at 10 o'clock this morning the mountains are still shrouded in a fog although the sun is shining in town. It is a beautiful morning, clear and cool. A soft rain last night left a wet footprint on the patio and the colors are vibrant. I love my little patio. It was one of the things I fell in love with the first time I saw this house.

There is something so special about the mornings in this house. One morning last week I woke up and looked though the tree foliage outside my bedroom window. The sky was a neon blue. Really, neon blue! Such an amazing color that I was afraid to move for fear it would disappear. I don't think I've ever seen that color in the morning sky before.

I have made breakfast, had coffee, read emails and now, a loaf of banana nut bread is in the oven. It is filling the kitchen with warmth and a wonderful smell that is so comforting.

It was just a week ago today that I returned to San Miguel and the return this September is so different this year than it was last year when I came back for the first time after Ned died. Then I wasn't sure if I would stay in San Miguel or not but within a week or two I was pretty sure that I would. This year there were not any questions in my mind about living here. I truly came home.

Every morning last week when I woke up, my soul was filled with peace and joy but it was not a shout-out-loud joy. It was more like a sense of being in the right place. I do not know what tomorrow will bring but I am so thankful for this moment; the smell of baking bread, my hands in warm soapy dishwater, the view out the kitchen window, the birds chirping away on the patio, Carly napping near by. I am blessed.

Going Up Hill

In my effort to be Younger Next Year I have challenged myself to walk up Pila Seca to Salida a Queretaro. The bottom of Pila Seca is about two blocks from my house. It starts off with a nice incline, a good way to tell the heart that it needs to pick up the pace. Along about Quebrada the incline is a little steeper. At Aldama I'm starting to think, Why in the hell am I doing this so early in the morning. And then I get to Chiquitos and I stop thinking about anything except putting one foot in front of the other. This picture is what the stretch from Chiquitos to Barranca looks like. But when I reach the top of this road I'm not finished. The road makes a little zag to the left and I'm faced with another steep incline. This is about the middle of that incline.

 

By the time I reach the top of this hill, I am sucking air. And if this ever gets to be easy I can cross the street and go up the 162 steps of Cruz del Pueblo. Notice I said IF it ever gets to be easy. Right now I'm just concentrating on not talking myself out of this challenge three or four days a week. But next year when I'm younger, I'll probably be ready to take on those steps as well.

Okay, Stop Laughing!

Younger Next Year

Over the last 10 months or so I've lost some weight, I've gotten back to my Yoga class and I've recently joined a Cardio and weight class a couple of times a week. I was pleased with what I was doing but I had this feeling that it wasn't enough. Sure enough, as happens a lot of times in my life, along comes some inspiration. I can't remember who mentioned the book to me but I downloaded Younger Next Year for Women: Live Strong, Fit and Sexy Until You're 80 and Beyond, by Chris Crowley and Henry S. Lodge, M.D. I'm not that far from 80 so I'm glad they tacked on that "and Beyond" bit.

In many ways it is a breezy motivational book but I believe it has substance. It is built around "Harry's Rules" of which there are seven that you should follow for the rest of your life. I'm really connecting with the ones having to do with exercise. Basically serious aerobic exercise four days a week and serious strength training with weights two days a week. As I read what the book had to say about the science of what exercise does and why it was so important as we grow older it made sense.
I could definitely see how it could make it possible to lead an active life longer. I'm not so sure I'm in all the way like Crowley but I'll take it a step at a time. I'm definitely going to up my aerobic exercise.

I also like the diet advice although it isn't a diet book. Quit Eating Crap! is one of the rules. I can live with that.

There are a couple of rules that have to do with connecting with people, committing to goals and organizations or causes. They cite studies about the brain and how important human connections are to our health and emotional well-being. In general people who are connected to their community in many ways, live longer. The book talks about how as we get older we start to lose friends and family and we need to work diligently on making new connections. We need to say yes instead of no to opportunities even if we aren't sure we want to do it. Some say that San Miguel de Allende is the fountain of youth. If there is any truth to that it is because if you are open you can find friends and many ways to connect with the community.

There are some things in the book I don't like that much. Like, you are still going to get wrinkles, and saggy skin, and gray hair....stuff like that. (Like you see in the picture above. What can I say, I was testing out the new camera.) On the other hand if you can still ride a bike, and walk up hill to Salida a Queretaro, and have better balance so you don't fall down,  then I think trying to follow the advice is worthwhile.

Yes, the book is definitely motivating me so I guess I drank the Kool-Ade. I'm feeling pretty good right now but I think I'll feel younger next year.

BTW, this book leans a little more toward women but the original book was just Younger Next Year and it was more about men.