A Few Good Men

I have theory.   There are a few things in life you can't do without. A good carpenter, a good plumber and a man with a pickup truck.  With all due respect to electricians, it's not that difficult to find someone who can install an outlet, but if your boiler isn't working when it's 2 degrees outside or your porch is collapsing, eventually you're going to need the assistance of a good man.

Now I do know a few women in the trades but they're few and far between.  I'm not being sexist here, I'm just calling it the way I see it.

I don't know of anyone who hasn't needed the help of a friend with a truck to either lug in or lug out some monstrous piece of furniture from time to time. 

I'm great friends with an old beau and both he and his truck have come to the rescue many times.  He's responsible for repairing my well pump three times.  He took me and the dogs in when I had to evacuate during Hurricane Sandy and had blankets and towels waiting for us.  He's a good man.

We live in a fairly isolated area and on the river. The weather can beat us up sometimes and all of us try to take care of each other as best we can.  We help each other clean up after a storm, we shower at a neighbor's house (the guy with the generator), and haul water from the river to older neighbors so they can flush the toilet until power is restored.  It's usually the "men folk" who are there to lend a helping hand. 

I've had the same plumber for 20 years who sends someone whenever I need help.  It usually late at night when I have no heat or no water and I love him for it.

My tenant is a great outdoors man and has relocated the occasional woodchuck or copperhead when they've become a nuisance.  I'm not good at capture and release.

Then there's the friend who works for the town.  He's an expert welder and was responsible for constructing the supports for my dock.

My tenant's brother is a master carpenter who miraculously showed up one day, along with the above mentioned men and built an amazing deck/dock. It was a place where we all gathered after a hard day at work.  We lost it during Sandy but already I'm finding reclaimed lumber mysteriously appearing in the driveway.  AND, he takes care of my dogs when I travel.  He's a saint.

The local volunteer fire department is so accustomed to pumping out my cellar that they sometimes show up with a spare pump "just in case".  They've stood in the dark pumping out 30,000 gallons an hour and waded through a freezing cellar when it's 15 degrees.  I think I've got a crush on all of them...

My brother has always been the "go to" guy when I have computer related questions.  He's been a great friend and confidant over the years and I trust his opinion.  I know he won't blow smoke up my skirt when I need to hear the truth.

Recently I found out he has something I can really use...a United Mileage Plus account that's going to make it possible to bring extra luggage on my next trip to Merida without having to pay.  This is a beautiful thing.

I can handle black rat snakes, mice, spiders, painting, gardening, mowing, shoveling, hauling, and bees.  I know how to use manual tools and a few motorized ones.  I can whittle, cook, sew and build a fire.  It's all well and good to be an "independent" woman, but it's very nice to know that a good man's got your back when you need it.

Nido de Aguilas

It seems almost impossible to believe.  I now own a home in Merida.  not a grand home, mind you...but one that I hope will be perfect for me.

It started out as a dream and as the years went by, that dream faded a bit.  Now after so many years it's become a reality.

When I started looking for homes on the Internet as so many people do, I was afraid that I had waited too long.   Every house seemed out of reach.   I eventually put together a list along with some suggestions from my realtor and hit the pavement last September.   I was shown some that were well beyond my budget and had to make it clear that I had to stay under $55,000. I saw 14 houses during that trip and none seemed to speak to me.

In January I returned and saw over twenty homes...all within budget.  I found a nice property with the courtyard I'd hoped for, high walls, two bedrooms and two baths.  There are things that need to be done and I'm in the process of getting quotes to see where I go next.  There isn't a stash of money hidden anywhere and changes will have to be made in order of priority.  Roof repaired and sealed, facade attended to, plumbing and electric upgraded.

I'm heading back in May and am so happy that my brother and sister-in-law will be joining me.  I can't wait to explore more of Merida with them.

Of course I have my wish list.  A pool, and functional but pretty changes will come in time.

The only thing that is certain is what I will call my new home.  I'm looking forward to the day when i can welcome friends to Nido de Aguilas where a cool drink and a hug will always be waiting.

What Brings You to Merida?

I've wondered why so many people have chosen to make Merida their new home. 

Is it to get away from a seemingly hopeless economy?  Political dissatisfaction?  Are income and real estate taxes pushing them out?  Is it to live a simpler way of life?  Cost of living?  The Arts and History?  Adventure? Weather?

I fell in love with Mexico in the mid-eighties.  It wasn't the blue waters of the Caribbean, sun and sand. The people and history are what drew me in.  I've never felt more at home in a place. 

On the afternoon of my very first visit in 1986, I boarded a bus for Chichen Itza.  Not a tour bus...just the type the locals take.  I was the only gringa on board and it was late at night.  I had told the bus driver I wanted to go to the Mayaland Hotel.  (Back then it cost $39 a night and that included breakfast and dinner). 

Well, at about 11:00 pm the woman sitting next to me pointed behind us and said "el hotel esta ahi", warning me the the driver had just bypassed my hotel.  I rushed to the driver to tell him that he had missed the entrance, and he told me very gruffly "el hotel esta cerrado".  Back then the only road leading to and from Chichen Itza was too narrow for a bus to make a u-turn.  Before I had a chance to argue, he pulled over in the village of Piste, opened the door, took out my bag from under the bus and told me to "take a taxi"!

Piste is a lovely place, but at 11:15 at night, alone it can be very intimidating.  Not three minutes after being left on the street, I was approached by a man who asked if I needed a taxi.  My first thought was that I was being set up...that this stranger was somehow related to the driver and I was going to supplement his income.

I had read that you always negotiate the price of a cab in Mexico before you get in the car so I asked "how much?"  His reply?  Two dollars!   He was so apologetic for the behavior of the bus driver and, when we arrived at the hotel, insisted on waiting to make sure I was able to check in so late in the evening.  I thanked him over and over and handed him $20 dollars...after all he had rescued me, hadn't he?  He refused the money and said something that I will always remember.  "El gusto es mio".

We here those words often from people in the service industry, but never are they as sincere and heartfelt as when they are uttered in Mexico.

That's where and when my love affair started  Twenty-seven years later, I'm still in love.

I have friends and family here and living on the Hudson is beautiful...but Merida is waiting for me.  I know I'll be happy. I can feel it.

So, tell me...What brings you to Merida?

Where Do I Go From Here?

Now that the closing on my Merida nest seems eminent, I'm starting to give lots of thought to what comes next.

I kind of like the idea of leaving things the way they are.  The house seems to have worked well for the previous owners and who am I to second guess someone who has lived longer in Merida than I could ever hope to?  For now things can stay the way they are.

I've made a list of what changes I'd like to make. Fortunately, most of them are constructive, not destructive.  No walls need to be torn down and there's no need to reinvent the wheel.

I'd like to: 

• Paint and polish the facade

Light grey with white accents

• Change out the glass in the front door to white frosted, UV glass
• Paint the hallway, kitchen, bath and second bedroom

Will go more neutral with colors

• Replace the hot water heater
• Have the tinaco checked and replaced if needed
• Install ceiling fans
• Replace the non-working mini split in the bedroom
• Landscape the courtyard

Second bath out back

• Installed a raised pond with seating in the courtyard

Half view of the patio where the pond and seating will go

• Build seating and planters along one wall in the courtyard that incorporates hiding the propane tank
• Repair the small cracks on roof and reseal it, even though it looks pretty good
• Purchase appliances...need stove top, fridge, etc.
• Build a counter with outdoor grill under the eave out back
• Put in small skylights in hallway 

Then there are all the household things I'll need. Do I bring some of my own things from NOB on my next trip down? I'm not sure what is difficult to find in Merida and what I should schlep down?  How much is all of this going to cost? 

I know I'm forgetting things and that items will be added and deleted from my list.  For now it's a good start.  Just thrilled to finally have a new set of challanges waiting for me!

Charles Bonnet Syndrome

For many years my mother had hallucinations. Mind you she was more on the ball at eighty-two than I am now.

She suffered from macular degeneration for about ten years before passing away last year. Not a pleasant condition. Your vision slowly disintegrates starting dead center and gradually worsens until all you have left is peripheral vision. Imagine looking at the person across from you and only seeing a gray blur where their face should be. Eventually you must rely on the sound of a voice to recognize a loved one.

Shortly after her macular started to worsen, my mother was spending the weekend with me. She suddenly, frantically called saying there were rats on the walls. Assuring her that there were no rats, I poured her a martini and we started to talk. She told me that she had been seeing strange things for a while. Miles of brick walls along the side of the road, flowers growing on the ceiling..."not good", I thought.

On her next visit to the retina specialist I told him about her "visions". He asked her to describe what she was experiencing and told us that it appeared she had a "rare" condition called Bonnet Syndrome. (There are many websites on Bonnet but this link seems to explain it best and searching images will show that sometimes these visions can be quite frightening). 

I've since learned that it's not as rare as we think.  Unfortunately, many people don't share their experiences for fear others will think they're suffering from dementia. My mother told me that in the beginning, she thought she was losing her mind.  Eventually she developed a great sense of humor about the whole thing. Why couldn't Gregory Peck appear instead of a rock?

When the eyes stop sending messages to the brain, it replaces that loss with images of it's own. In my mother's case it was bricks, buildings, flowers, rocks, people, faces and sometimes, rats. But more often than not, it was rows of Mayan women and children. 

Occasionally when we'd be driving on a highway  I'd notice that she would flinch...the way you do when you think a squirrel is going to dash in front of the car. One day when she flinched, I asked what she saw.  Apparently there were twenty Mayan women walking in front of my car which was traveling at about 60 mph. Mind you, they were walking...yet we never came close to running over them. They just seemed to be heading in the same direction we were. My mother said that more often than not, the images she experienced where of these women.

The small inheritance my mother left me is what has made my dream of owning a home in Merida possible. I think those Mayan women and my mother have led me to a good place. My vision of living in Yucatan was her vision too.

One Good Reason to Move to Merida

This morning I read a post from one of my favorite bloggers about an upcoming event in Merida that got me thinking.

I live forty-five minutes from New York City.  There are more cultural venues there then in most cities in the world.  Good for me?  Well, not really.

I thought about the cost of visiting some of those venues for the day and here are the numbers for two people...

Gas - $16
Tolls - $12
Parking for the Day - $63
Lunch - $30
Dinner - $100
Metropolitan Museum of Art - $50
   or
American Museum of Natural History - $66
  or
New York Botanical Gardens - $50
Theater Tickets - $125 to $300

Based on my math to would cost anywhere from $396 to $587 for a full day of "culture".

With so many free and reasonably priced events happening everyday and everywhere, Merida looks more beautiful all the time!

Buying a Home in Merida

It looks as if my minuscule budget of $60,000 was not impossible as many Realtors told me.  I had made it clear to my realtor that I wanted to see as many homes as possible...not just her listings. To her credit, we saw eighteen homes and I was able to narrow it down to two in Santiago.

I'm now in contract to purchase a two bedroom, two bath home with a wonderful backyard. High walls, shade and what seems to be great ventilation.

I now have a list prepared of what needs to be done to make the home rent able until I move.  Making improvements without actually being there won't be easy and figuring costs will be even harder.  I'll need to search the web to see if I can get a better idea of where I go from here.

I'm excited and happy even though it's 6 degrees and my new boiler stopped working twice in two days!