More Liana

17 hours ago, More Liana said:

RickS, the word you're looking for isn't "plaza".  It's plazo.  Easy to get confused.  In criminal jargon, it means "control of a place".  

I will eat crow.  I am wrong.

Despite hearing "plazo" far more than "plaza" re the troubles in various parts of Mexico, I have consulted with my friend Malcolm Beith (author of The Last Narco) and he has corrected my error.  RickS, he says it's plaza and he knows way more than I do.  I apologize.

10 hours ago, RickS said:

Alfa, you might want to read up on what the terms 'Plaza' mean in Mexico.... clue, it's not just the town square!

 

 

RickS, the word you're looking for isn't "plaza".  It's plazo.  Easy to get confused.  In criminal jargon, it means "control of a place".  

23 hours ago, Palé Ajijic said:

We open from 9:00 to 13:00 and from 16.00 to 22.00.

Our contact number is 3335706084.

 

Sorry I am trying and I cant ipload the menus to this page.I will try it later again.

Palé Ajijic, when you do try again, please put your information on this section of the forums:  Lakeside Restaurant/Bistro Happenings

2 hours ago, NLU said:

I'm curious how one makes unsweetend apple sauce with ' a little sugar.'

Sorry, I failed to remember that the OP asked about that.  Just leave it out or as bmh said, use Stevia or Splenda.  Or caramelize the apples, I'll try that next time I make apple or pear sauce.

I think the website (in English) is your best source of accurate information.  https://www.crossborderxpress.com/en/

On 8/28/2019 at 9:44 PM, mudgirl said:

Tip for all you palms in pots folks. Get a plastic plant pot slightly smaller than the clay pot. Plant your palm in the plastic pot, then drop it into the larger pot, or just start out with the plastic pot already in place. When the palm gets too big for the pot, you can just remove the plastic pot and pot it up to a larger size. You'll still have the first pot intact that can be used for something else. Also helpful if you need to move the pot and it's not on a roller base. A plastic pot filled with dirt and plant is way less heavy to move than the pottery filled with dirt. If you want to hide the top edge of the plastic pot, just place some decorative rocks around it.

Mudgirl, that's exactly what I do.  Works great.

On 8/28/2019 at 2:14 PM, happyjillin said:

I looked at Letty's palms and they look like Areca. We planted ours over 10 years ago and they are about 15-20 ft. high now.

Look how pretty!  Beautiful, happyjillin.  

21 hours ago, CHILLIN said:

Imported apples are expensive here too. I pass this on, not because I am being smug, but I truly believe planting trees, especially those that bees can feed on, is very beneficial to everything. There is a variety of apple called "Anna" which should do well here, but it also needs a pollinator, such as crabapple, which will also pollinate the two tropical peach trees I am growing.

Chillin, Mexico grows its own apples, as Yo1 said and others said, many in Chihuahua.  For applesauce, it doesn't matter one bit if they're as 'pretty' as USA-grown apples.  Peel them, core them, slice them.  Then I like mine slightly cooked in a bit of butter, with cinnamon, a spritz of jugo de limón, a little sugar to your taste, a pinch of salt to heighten all the flavors.  Then I coarsely mash the mixture with my potato masher. 

A couple of days ago I made a chunky  "applesauce" using ripe pears cooked with some Sultana raisins, and instead of white sugar, a little brown sugar along with the other ingredients.  I served it warm, as dessert, with a blob of super-thick crema de mesa (Aguascalientes brand--non-acidulated cream), very similar in texture and flavor to crème fraiche.  Deee-licious, if I do say so myself, and a quick snap to make.

10 hours ago, RickS said:

" It's unconscionable to make light of what's going on in SMA.  "

Liana "C", you are barking up the wrong tree. I have no reason to make light of anything Mexico-wise, much less murders. My comments were speaking from my perspective, without living there, but visiting and listening to the chatter on Civil_List and info from friends. Those 'Civil' people will jump on anything that is out of the normal and shag it to death.... but of course aren't really 'in the trenches'.  You are much closer to the problem and also speak/read Spanish.

You have also misconstrued a tongue-in-cheek comment about 'traffic' and turned it into an unfair indictment of me for your benefit. Shame on you for attempting to make my comment a serious statement about a serious problem. "Under Seige"... maybe so. Doesn't fit my description but to each his/her own.

 

RickS, as is often the case on the Internet, it was impossible to see that you were tongue-in-cheek about the traffic.  I'm sorry I missed that.   And for my benefit?  I can't imagine how I could benefit from any of this. 

What's happening in the state of Guanajuato is very similar to what happened starting in 2006 in the state of Michoacán: narco-power-related mayhem that destroyed families and seriously harmed everyone in my state.  It hurts my heart and soul to see what's going on now, in a state that borders mine, and to see that others live right now in denial of the truth is heartbreaking. 

YMMV, of course. 

  

 

On 8/28/2019 at 10:01 AM, RickS said:

I'll have to pay more attention to the goings on in SMA. I already read the local 'List', comprised of 99% gringos and gringas, daily but I hardly ever read of much violence. I did see some rumblings of people unhappy because the mayor tried to cover up. That article suggests very high.... to my eyes.... killings in Celaya and Irapuato etc in January but only 1 in SMA. That (SMA death) doesn't fit my definition of being 'under siege' there. I have friends there and none of them are signaling much change in death statistics. Now traffic.... that's another issue.

 

If you're not reading Spanish-language newspapers or watching Spanish-language news on TV, you're not getting the news.  You're getting the foreign community's view of the news.  Atención, the biggest English-language newspaper in SMA, isn't reporting murders.  Friends recently moved from SMA to Morelia after two men were shot to death, narco execution style, in front of their home.  Another friend moved back to the USA after a similar event near her house.  In early June, in a taxi near the centro, on the way to the SMA bus station, I personally saw men from SEMEFO (forensic medicine, i.e. the coroner's office) haul a body out of a gully where it had been tossed after having been murdered.  In July, 3 women (including two adolescents) eating at a taco stand not far from centro were killed, the innocent victims of an automatic weapon shootout between rival gangs.  One of the adolescents was the daughter of an employee of a foreign woman who owns a business in SMA; that incident affected the foreign community, so it was widely talked about on FB.   The Mexican news reported in Mexico News Daily is news "lite", if you know what I mean.  As you mention, the Civil list does not reflect life in the Mexican community in SMA. 

Traffic is heavy, but no one is dying in traffic jams.  It's unconscionable to make light of what's going on in SMA.  Remember when 19 young men were killed in Ajijic, just a few years ago?  What if someone had said then that traffic was the real issue?

Read and listen in Spanish, talk seriously to Mexicans, and you'll get a better understanding of the siege in San Miguel.

The cats happily used Scoop Away for years and years.  Then a friend told me about Bob's clumping litter, so the four cats switched to Bob's.  They used it for about 6 months.  I wasn't happy with it at all, so we switched back to Scoop Away.  IMHO, Scoop Away is superior to everything else available in Mexico.

Be on the lookout: Walmart frequently offers the 5 kilo box at a sale price.  Two for something, I forget--but it truly makes it worth it to buy it while it's at that sale price.  I stock up then.  Once in a while I buy the 40-lb bag at Costco, but 40 lbs is almost too much for me to lift these days.  I hate being old.  Umm...old-er.

Natasha is right about the humidity.  My cats' litter box is near the back door, and when it rains, the litter can smell awful even when it's just been used a couple of times.  

Three cárteles are fighting over the plazo (the right to control the scene) in the state of Guanajuato.  The city of Guanajuato, the city of Celaya, and the city of SMA, have pretty much been under siege since late in 2018.   Mexicans and foreigners alike are avoiding Celaya due to the danger there.  The last word I heard from SMA (about 3 weeks ago) is that there have been 74 cártel-related killings there since January 1, 2019.  I'm sure that figure is higher now.  SMA's mayor called in the Mexican National Guard to help with the situation.  

Here's a link to a report on murders in the state of Guanajuato during JUST January 2019.  
https://www.thebajapost.com/2019/02/02/guanajuato-registered-275-homicides-during-the-month-of-january/

You'll find a lot of information on Google about killings in San Miguel and the rest of Guanajuato, but not much of the information is up to date.  The SMA government tried to quash mention of the problems.  https://mexiconewsdaily.com/news/san-miguel-councilor-urges-keeping-quiet-about-bad-news/

11 minutes ago, ComputerGuy said:

Your page may be in cache memory. Hold CTRL and press F5 key.

Thanks, that fixed it.  Very odd.

9 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

You are all so correct.... that was a very weird substitution of words. For sure, artichoke/alcachofa. My post has been edited. Thank you.

It still says avocado leaves, CG.  

11 hours ago, David Rodwell said:

Thanks to all of you for jumping in with great answers...

I did not even ask about amateurs radio operators or amateur magicians...you are in a Cuidad Magica after all!!!

 

Looking forward to meeting some of you lovely folks in December!!

David Rodwell, Winston Salem, NC EUA

Hi David...the term is Pueblo Mágico, a status designated by Mexico's federal government, and Ajijic does not have that title.  

You're coming at high season.  Have you booked a place to stay?  I hope so! 

Have a great time.

Otis, are you on Facebook?  There's a Gay Ajijic Alliance FB group you might want to look at and join.  See you over there!


 

19 hours ago, johanson said:

Yes it was David McLaughlin who started Mexconnect, which is still up and running. I'm moderator of the Technical Mexico Forum and I still get a little activity, about one post every month or six. I guess what I am saying, go take a look at the forum if you want, but there is basically no activity anymore.

Most any time I see a post there in any topic, I try to answer it, but as I said above, there is basically no activity there, these days, which is sad.

I was a moderator on several of Mexconnect's forums for 11 years, and continue to be the moderator on the Cooking forum--right now, a moderator with nothing to moderate.  It is sad--a website that was once pretty much the only source of solid Mexico "So you want to retire to Mexico"  information has come to be very little used.  

Just as you said, Pete, there is little to no activity on any of the forums.  I think we can lay that at the feet of the tremendous amount of information about Mexico, retirement here, and all that is currently available on the Internet, information that was all but impossible to find when some of us were investigating a move to the Chapala vicinity.  Facebook itself has changed our world; there are Chapala-oriented FB groups dedicated to everything from Lakeside activities to Lakeside government.  Other internet sites are burgeoning as well.  

15 hours ago, Islander said:

really, ????  Rolly  passed away in 2015. He was the founder of Mexico Connect forum... So what is your post about?

Rolly was a tremendous contributor to Mexconnect, with a vast amount of knowledge and a profound willingness to share it with everyone.   However, Canadian David McLaughlin founded Mexconnect when he and his wife lived in Ajijic, and David is still that website's owner. 

Rolly was a champ.  I was proud to call him my friend.  

Even when I lived in Mexico City, I had to call that 800 number to reach Telmex. 

Maybe the OP is thinking of CFE, which does have a 3-digit number to report problems.

3 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

Much easier than pushing a button; especially since over time the buttons get gluey from the dust and sweat that eek into the indentation. Newer devices can be set to tap or swipe. And new devices have a completely smooth screen, no extruded frame, therefore easier to clean.

Mine too--I just slightly tap the bottom right corner of the screen and the next page pops up.  

7 hours ago, ComputerGuy said:

Is he referring to the tostadas, that come in a plastic shrink-wrap, that most restaurants here serve with limon and salt? Not the totopos or cut up fried tortillas; you get these when the place doesn't make their own. These are just baked (I think, at least the commerical kind is certainly not greasy), still round, and a good way to get rid of stale tortillas if doing it yourself. And as ubiquitous as pre-packaged crackers up north.

Do the tostada-making people still sell at the Wednesday Ajijic tianguis?  They used to be almost at the corner of Constitución, making fresh tostadas all day.  The method absolutely fascinated me: deep fry a big batch of tortillas till they're crisp, take them out of the hot oil all at once with tongs, drain for a couple of seconds.  Then dip an escobetilla (see photo) in salt water, flick the salt water all over the just-out-of-the-boiling-hot-oil tortillas.  Big sizzle, the water evaporates immediately, and the salt permeates the tortilla for just the right touch of salt.  Just amazed me to see it.

Maybe I am easily amused.
 

13 hours ago, Michael Gordon said:

I also use the free app Calibre to sort my ebooks and very easy to convert from  EPUB (Nook) to MOBI (Kindle) ..... or back. Very useful and free. I keep my ebooks on my computer and copy them right to my Kindle. Hopefully, you can find a nice used reader soon. I have used both Nook and the base Kindle until they eventually failed. (as they all will someday) I am VERY happy that I made a slight upgrade to the Kindle Paperwhite, which is only slightly more money, but offers a lighted background, which is much easier on my old eyes. I have been lucky to find them used on Ebay and such for very reasonable prices. My wife and I both use these with good luck and the battery lasts plenty long between charges. Good luck.

 

I also use Calibre to convert formats from epub, zip, rar, and any other non-Kindle format to mobi.  It takes about a second. 

Like Michael Gordon, I bought my used  (barely) Kindle Paperwhite on eBay about 7-8 years ago and have a gazillion (well, maybe 500) books stored on it.  Everything is also backed up in the Cloud. 

I keep mine on airplane mode and the battery charge lasts a couple of weeks.  I have read voraciously all my life and never wanted a Kindle, but my first one was a gift and I loved it after about five minutes getting used to it.  Best thing since the Internets.  Now you will have to wrest it from my cold dead hand.  

Speaking of books, last week I read the novel "On Earth We're Briefly Gorgeous" by Ocean Vuong.  IMHO, it is the best book I have ever read.  Get it.

There's a saying here: "Más vale pedir perdón que pedir permiso."  Your workman might apologize to you after the fact, but he isn't going to communicate to ask permission.  

Even "back home" workmen often don't show up when scheduled.  

You might give Farmacias Paris in Mexico City a try; here's an English language link:  http://www.farmaciaparis.com/movil/ingles/ 

They're well known for having things that nobody else has.  Best of luck to you!

What I miss of the food when I lived at Lakeside:
--the wonderful fonda that used to be on the carretera (instead of the two locales next door to what is now Arrañaga's tejuino y nieve place)
--doña Mago on the weekends, fantastic tacos from her cart on Constitución near Donato Guerra. 
--José's Illusion Greek Restaurant.  I still dream about so many of the dishes on his menu.