Author Archives: lifelessons

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About lifelessons

My blog, which started out to be about overcoming grief, quickly grew into a blog about celebrating life. I post daily: poems, photographs, essays or stories. I've lived in countries all around the globe but have finally come to rest in Mexico, where I've lived since 2001. My books may be found on Amazon in Kindle and print format, my art in local Ajijic galleries. Hope to see you at my blog.

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Inside the Bubble.”  A contagious disease requires you to be put into quarantine for a whole month (don’t worry, you get well by the time you’re free to go!). How would you spend your time in isolation?

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If I were to be quarantined for a month, I would see it as serendipity’s way of forcing me to confront some tasks I’ve been putting off for too long.  First of all, there are the boxes in the garage cupboards that I have been neglecting to deal with for 14 years–old tax records going back to 1964, a life’s correspondence, sets of slides of Bob’s and my art that we used to jury into shows, Bob’s stone carving tools.

Also on the shelves are boxes of art made at the beach and boxes of art supplies from when I was doing art activities with the girls at La Olla orphanage last year. Other boxes of art supplies from this summer’s art camp sit on the floor in front of the cabinets along with assorted things taken out of the back of my car to enable other things to be put into it.

I want to deal with these things.  I want my garage restored to its former neat order, but I dread finding places for all the supplies and disrupting my studio I just got back into a semblance of order.  And I dread going through those old letters for two reasons.  First, because they may be too dull to deal with and secondly because they may not be and may dredge up old feelings, sadnesses or stupidities.  But most of all, because I saved all those things thinking I might someday want to write about them and if I read them, I might feel the obligation to do so.  Note that I didn’t say compulsion.  If I felt a compulsion, it would be wonderful; but then what things would I have to put off doing to make time for this new compulsion?  My blog? My art that I haven’t been doing for the past year anyway?

I don’t know why I put off things I would really like to do.  I just keep shoving them to the back of my mind, where they niggle at me from the darkness like an especially good chocolate bar saved  for last from my Halloween bag of pleasures.  They have been stashed for fourteen years or one year or six months.  The layers most easily dealt with are on the outside of the dread cupboards, saying, “Deal with me.” Why don’t I do so?

Perhaps it is because something is telling me to simplify and to do only what I want to do.  So I do the blog.  Overdo the blog.  I’m compulsive about it.  Is there a prompt left undone? The other thing I’m compulsive about is daily exercise in the pool.  Today is overcast and there was no hot water yesterday due to a break in the main pipe, so my compulsion rests for the day.  Friends are coming for Mexican Train and comida, so I have a replacement activity.  The pork loin and carrots are in the crock pot.  Spuds prepared for baking.  Lettuce for the salad disinfected and dried. My blog is about written (or so you perhaps hope.) Should I sort just one box? Or do another prompt?

If you have an especially visual imagination, you can perhaps envision me with a thought bubble coming up out of my head.  “What to do?” it reads.  I sit in front of my laptop at the dining room table.  I’m still in my nightgown.  Morrie sleeps in a curlicue at my feet.  Guests are not due for another four hours.  What to do?

If I were quarantined for one month, I wouldn’t have to choose.  I’d have time to do them all.

Newer boxes taken out of the car and never dealt with are boxes of art made at the beach and kids’ art supplies that need to

Hibiscus with Worst House Guest Scenario: Flower of the Day, 9/3/15

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Hibiscus with Worst House Guest Scenario

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Version 4 IMG_4021 (2) Some leaf predator has been busy on this hibiscus leaf, and the severed bud caught in it is a bit the worse for wear as well, but it makes for an interesting picture; and I think the bud to the right in the first picture has escaped devastation, at least.

IMG_4646The culprit causing all this damage is a little worm hidden in this foam.

 

IMG_4645IMG_4644IMG_4641But this bud and these blooms that will unfurl as soon as the sun is fully out seem to have escaped damage.

For more flowers, go HERE.

The Lonely Haciendas of Mexico : Which Way 2015, Week 35

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                                                  The Lonely Haciendas of Mexico

Although not obvious to the unschooled eye, the haciendas of Mexico are everywhere in my part of Jalisco.  Some are retained by the children of former owners who live in Guadalajara or farther away.  The descendants of families who have tended these haciendas for hundreds of years  still reside there with no money for maintenance and owners who forget their pay for months or even years at a time.  This, although sad for them, is fortunate for those of us who wish to witness the ruins of times gone by, for a few hundred pesos is a godsend to them and wins us admittance to see these aging ghosts.

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IMG_0316IMG_0369IMG_0210 IMG_0305 IMG_0150 IMG_0199 IMG_0109 IMG_0116 IMG_0126 IMG_0160 IMG_0220 IMG_0216 (1) One of the haciendas depicted was purchased by a Canadian couple who donated it as a boy’s orphanage.  Another is a former horse-raising hacienda with all its original furniture, drapes, tackle and games room, complete with a horse racing game.  The hacienda in better repair was purchased by a Spanish company and is now a hotel.
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All of these haciendas are within an hour’s drive from my home in San Juan Cosala, Jalisco, Mexico. Just one of the eight or so I’ve visited is still being used by the family to raise horses.  Formerly it contained a sugar refinery and the tall tower still remains.

I’ve chosen to abide by the theme “Which Way” and to show windows, doors and pathways.  Perhaps in the future I’ll show some of the interiors.

For more every which ways, go here: http://ceenphotography.com/2015/09/02/cees-which-way-challenge-2015-week-35/

“Las Mananitas” and Other Less Lovely Bastardizations of the Spanish Language

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“Las Mananitas” and Other Less Lovely Bastardizations of a Foreign Language

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The prompt: What was the #1 song when you were born?  Write about how the song relates (or not!) to your personality.

The #1 song in the U.S. on the day I was born was “Chi-Baba, Chi-Baba Chihuahua (My Bambino Go to Sleep) ” by Perry Como.  Although I would advise against it, you can hear it HERE.

I guess the song, which I had never heard before today, reflected the attitude of most U.S. citizens at the time–that being that any language other than English was just gobbledegook and no one would notice that you weren’t speaking it if every once in a while you threw in a word they would recognize (in this case “Chihuahua”) which at even that early date had managed to blast its way over the border. Somehow, it escaped notice that “bambino” was Italian and “chihuahua” Spanish.

The song itself crosses all borders from innocuous, irritating and of small musical originality to mildly insulting to the culture.  It is probably in atonement that at the age of 54, I myself crossed that border going in the opposite direction and although I, too, butcher the Spanish language a bit, at least I use real words to do so.

So here I am, Mexico, many years later and a bit worse for wear but here to atone for the ills of my birth year.  Do with me what you will.  Stream slightly off-key banda music into my ears nightly from regions down below. Awaken me to the strains of “Las Mananitas” (Little Mornings)–a lovely serenading song that unlike that other silly song meant to lull me to sleep so many years ago, does not offend at all.

On any given morning somewhere in Mexico, its strains may be heard outside some early morning window.  It might be used to propose, to declare love or to honor a mother on mother’s day, but it has also come to be the traditional song sung on birthdays.  The first time I heard it, and still the most lovely rendition I have heard, was in the movie ” Boys on the Side” with Whoopi Goldberg, Drew Barrymore and Mary-Louise Parker.

Here is Mexico’s favorite, Vicente Fernandez, singing that song.

And HERE is where you can watch “Boys on the Side”–one of my all-time favorite films.

Lantana: Flower of the Day 9/2/15

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Lantana

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For more flowers, go HERE.

Los Colores de México: Cee’s Sense of Seeing Challenge

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Los Colores de México
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IMG_3900These watermelons really are this red..  I haven’t boosted the color!

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http://ceenphotography.com/2015/09/01/cees-fun-foto-challenge-sense-of-seeing/

Feet, Don’t Fail Me Now (Travel Theme: Feet)

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For more feet go Here

Haryana, India’s First All-woman Police Station (reblog of parulthakur24’s Post)

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PIcture Credits : HindustanTimes

HARYANA.

If you are an Indian and you have read about this state, what is the first thing that comes to your mind?

Kurukshetra, the battlefield of Mahabharata or the most skewed sex ratio? The teachings of Gita or the cases of honor killings? The rich agriculture or the burning of brides?

Most of us know this one state in India for many things negative – a sad example of dominant patriarchy, child marriages, honor killings, ever declining sex ratio, dowry deaths and what not. But this Friday, the state of Haryana took a positive step to protect women and hear their woes with empathy. 

Haryana did something that some other states (Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka) in India have already successfully implemented. The state gave its women an all women police station. Now you may think, why do we need such a police station or how will this help solve issues in Haryana. I agree may be not so directly, but indirectly, it is a positive change. (Go here: https://happinessandfood.wordpress.com/2015/09/01/all-women-police-station-for-haryana/
for the rest of this story.)

Ethiopian Drought Area, 1973: One Word Photo Challenge

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                                                          Ethiopian Drought Area, 1973

The below pictures were taken in the Bati market of Ethiopia in the middle of the drought area. Here highland farmers met the lowland nomadic traders to exchange food for camel dung or other commodities.

daily life color069 daily life color070 daily life color065 (1) daily life color067The woman in back is cornrowing the hair of the woman in front.  Look at how finely plaited it is. The two sides of her hair contain the same amount of hair!

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I believe this village was Dessi. We drove for two days through the drought area on local bus to get here.  I’ve talked about that trip HERE.

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In the village we were going to, women walked for 3 hours with these heavy clay jars on their backs to get water. This was the water we drank and cooked and bathed with.  Needless to say, we were very sparing of water usage.  When I later went back and lived in that village for a month, for my once-weekly bath, I used a small pitcher of water, poured in a meager stream over my head as I stood in a small basin. A bit of water, shampoo and soap, and then the rest of the water to rinse off. I’m sure my drainage water was then used for something. Probably to settle the dust on the dirt floor or to clean with. Hopefully, not for that night’s soup.

http://jennifernicholewells.com/2014/01/28/one-word-photo-challenge/

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Druthers

What child does not plot and yearn to turn into a teen?
What teen does not look forward to leaving that age between?

Adults can drive and travel and stay up rather late.
They never have to introduce their parents to their date.

Adults do as they wish. They live at their own bidding–
at least until they marry and start in their own kidding.

Then once again they hustle to their family’s beck and call,
so it would seem that no one has a favorite phase at all.

For family life may leave us feeling exhausted and harried.
I guess the ideal phase, then, is perpetually unmarried!

In response to The Daily Post’s writing prompt: “Golden Age.” If you had to live forever as either a child, an adolescent, or an adult, which would you choose — and why?