If I'd had a daughter...

For four months, Anastasia from Vladivostok was my sidekick. She was on the island to be closer to her fiance from Atlanta. Here we are at a Fat Tuesday party and her costume was anchored by the wreath traditional to Ukraine, where girls wear them when they are ready to be brides.
Nastia, as her brothers shortened her name, is that. Ready to be a bride. Her USA fiance visa has been provisionally approved. She is back in Russia to pick up the rest. But...
While she cleared the interview with the US Embassy in Moscow, an x-ray came back with a spot on it and the US wants her to go to a chest clinic for analysis next week. She is sure it must be only a scar from a pneumonia she had last year. So, we wait.
It took a while for her to settle back in in with an internet connection at her friend's house in St. Petersburg. Now we are in daily communication again! Skype also has enabled her to stay in touch with family in Vladivostok during her time in Mexico.
What a relief! One of the joys of having her here was the language. We could go anywhere and not one other person understood what we said between each other. Just imagine that bond! Her last week here, we did encounter Russians who were staying at Avalon Resort. But still....
We went through the December holidays, a pirate party, Carnaval and so much more together. Her with her glue gun making appropriate costumes and head gear for the events. With her yearning for herring! OK, our yearning for herring. With our love of Asian food!
Vladivostok is Far East Russia. It is tomorrow there right now. It is on the border of a piece of China, where she and her family would go on weekends to shop. Japan is so close that now, in peaceful times, there are sushi restaurants in Vladivostok. So we were regulars at Sushi Island here on Isla Mujeres.
We shopped soup bones together, something her American fiance couldn't comprehend. But a good stock is essential! On her Facebook page, she recently posted a new cover photo of camomile flowers on sale in Chedraui. In a store here. Picked along paths yourself in Russia, used the same ways. Her friends in Russia were astounded.
So, that is where I disappeared to. Part of me went with my roots this winter and immersed into Russia, right here in Mexico. And now, part of me is in Russia with woman many here asked, "Your daughter?"

Shopping in Cancun

I had an appointment with my lawyer in Cancun yesterday, so it was a perfect time to spend a couple hours shopping for things we still can't get on the island despite Chedraui's attention to us.
At Walmart, I picked up frozen portabella stuffed ravioli. It's the same brand that Chedraui brings to the island, but only in a four cheeses stuffing variety. Note to self to bug them to death about this. Also, frozen bagels. Ditto to Chedraui.
Also in Walmart's freezer section, frozen soy beans, edamame, an Oriental kitchen staple. Last time, they were pre-shelled. But yesterday, with the husks on, perfect for steaming and eating out of hand.
Walmart's drug store also had a couple of meds I need that no one on the island stocks. One is Wellbutrin, an anti depressant that works on the dopamine receptors. When I take it, I walk with much more easy and grace.
Then it was on to Home Depot for big planters to replace sun rotted ones on the rooftop patio. While there, I ran into a heave duty 4" fan, perfect for the kitchen counter, sold as a desk fan, and some lettuce seeds described as French. The picture looks like Boston lettuce.
Next door is Soriana. They had Colman's mustard powder, which I immediately crossed off my Ohio shopping list, and a Mexican Black Forest-style ham 150 gram package. I opted not to get instant Irish oats, which seemed oxymoronic stupid, but nearby was a nice Pinot Noir for 100 pesos. No, Chedraui doesn't stock it!
Soriana's greens were the best I'd seen in a long while, so I picked up a head of romaine. And for the Punta dog, 5 pounds of chicken hearts, already nearly done cooking with rice and frozen vegetables. I suppose the chickens Chedraui cuts and packs don't have hearts. Only feet and some livers!
So while Isla Mujeres' grocery needs are being met much better now with Chedraui, there are lapses. Some, like chicken gizzards, can't be explained! But that's the heart of the matter.
And after spending $120US in the three stores, Carlos took me to Mauricio Mendoza, my lawyer who lives in the Home Depot and Soriana neighborhood. Migracion had requested more tax documents. Fun in paradise!

OK, so we are tired of high season

I speak for myself, but I have been talking to others as well. And let's begin by saying, we are tired of high season. Luckily, it is near the end.
As the economic crisis deepened worldwide, here on Isla Mujeres, we found ourselves with more capricious and odd tourists. No, not travelers. Those people are always a delight.
Having gone to Chedraui yesterday for the second time this year to buy Liquid Plumber after persons didn't live by island rules and flushed toilet paper irked me. Why would you come here, a tropical paradise, and not play by the rules? Our plumbing can't take it!
And along those lines, there is no reason to run AC 19 hours a day in February. Some did. At the rate of 23 cents a kilowatt hour, we have arguably the most expensive electricity in the world. Leave it on to go eat breakfast? Return to drink and play cards inside while everyone else is enjoying cool sunshine? Why come here?
And yes, it is Mexico. Labor statistics say everything is cheaper here. And we landlords are on the side of our workers and pay more than the hotels do. But tourists see the prices. They are pretty much spread through all neighborhoods equally.
So, why would you come here and not budget a tip for the maid? The person who shovels the beer and booze bottles from your apartment because you wouldn't throw them in the trash bin as you went along?
There is a hint of jealously we sense among some of the visitors to the island, that we can afford to live here and they can't. Listen up. No one is getting rich here. Most of us are just getting by.
When you call for another bottle of water on a Sunday and have an unopened one in your apartment, it is an annoyance. When the AC doesn't work in the middle of a cold front and you call for service on a Sunday, it is an annoyance. Please, don't annoy us. We can close up our places, mothball them, and not take a loss! We'll find something else less annoying to do with our time!
Just come here and play nice, OK?