Cheap storm luxury

It wasn't quite legal, but it wasn't really wrong. A kid came to the side door while Sergio was fixing the pipe to the water storage tank with conch in a plastic bag. He had gotten it when the north wind washed it up on shore. 'The right thing to do is throw it back and pay tax on it through a fisherman's co-op," Carmen said. I didn't know this at the time. It was cleaned pretty well. And only 60 pesos.
No conch tax was paid, I am pretty sure. But I only learned of that from Carmen today, wife of a fisherman.
Want to split it? he asked. Want to make conch ceviche and split it? I asked. I've got limes, tomatoes, onions, cilantro. Yes? Done.

He put the conch with onion, lime and salt first. Some black pepper.
Then he had me taste it. It was tender, yummy. Perfect. Then he added the tomatoes, jalapenos and some habanero chilis.
So he added the other ingredients. Toss before serving.

Restaurant price: 140 pesos per person. Home price, 70 pesos for three. (Final version is the first picture.)

The Wringer

INM. Migracion. It is the agency we deal with to stay here, to legally make money (or lose) off our property, get jobs, pay taxes. Every year, it involves paperwork and trips to Cancun to get our visas.
It is highly unpleasant. From Mexican nationals who want a passport, to us gringos. We are all there. The ones who can't take it hire lawyers.
And this week was my turn. My lawyer did all the work and I only set foot inside twice to sign papers. Carlos Telliz, my sainted cab driver, stayed busy outside.
And then after each visit, Carlos took me to see my surgeon. Yesterday, he waited outside the office as Dr. Jose Manuel Mendoza cut my belly button, pushed serous fluid, uninfected, out of my abdomen, and removed tissue that had died due to poor circulation in the middle and installed a drainage tube. Oh, I hope you weren't having breakfast!
Mendoza, it turns out, did a 10 year hitch on Isla Mujeres as the Navy gastroenterologist, before his surgical career. So we chitchatted about island life while he worked with the assistance of Julieta.
Anyway, I'm a wearing a tube and a self massaging belt to get fluids out. Tomorrow, 8am, Carlos takes me back to Dr. Mendoza to remove the dressing and then I begin my beach life. Woohooo!

Candelaria aka Groundhog Day

February 2nd marks the mid-way point between the winter solstice and spring equinox! Yay! And it's also thought of as the day we predict how much longer winter will last, which is why so much attention is paid to how groundhogs act today, especially in " you know where" Pennsylvania.
But in Mexico and other places, it is traditionally a time start spring planting. Earlier today, inspired by these blooming aloes on the edge of Garrafon Park, I came home to ponder what to do with the yerba buena (think mint mojotos!) I had bought from the Maya Plant Lady and deal with the standing chilies I got from her earlier morning.
Luckily, Sergio came by to clean the deck and I put gave him extra work, getting ready for candelaria! Rather, getting a jump on it!