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Saw you in the Ojo
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DIRE C TOR Y PUBLISHER David Tingen
EDITOR-IN-CHIEF Alejandro Grattan-Domínguez Tel: (01376) 765 3676, 765 2877 Fax: (01376) 765 3528 Graphic Design Roberto C. Rojas Reyes Diana Parra Morales
Index...
FEATURE ARTICLES
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COVER STORY
Herbert Piekow delivers a haunting story about loneliness and how often the chance to feel better barely eludes us.
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Special Events Editor Carol D. Bradley
Cover by Sara Yolotzin Mariscal
22 TRAVEL Christena Wiseman tries to find some humor in the air travel situation in and out of Mexico in this very dark period of the Covid 19 virus.
Associate Editor Victoria Schmidt Theater Critic Michael Warren Book Review Panel Margaret Van Every Margaret Porter Clare Gearhart Roving Correspondent Dr. Lorin Swinehart
Sales Manager Bruce Fraser Carmene Berner
ADVERTISING OFFICE Av. Hidalgo # 223, Chapala Mon. thru Fri. 9 am - 5 pm Sat. 9 am - 1 pm Tel. 01 (376) 765 2877, 765 3676 Fax 01 (376) 765 3528
Pag. 18 LAKESIDE LIVING
26 DOMESTIC HELP Lillian Sookdesingh remembers with a great deal of fondness a Mexican maid she once left behind, a sad situation to which many of us can relate.
28 MEXICAN FACES Gabrielle Blair recalls once seeing an old man whose story of his life seemed etched on his face. 29 LIFE ON THE ROUGH SIDE Frank Lynch writes about (remembers?) a bar maid/dancer in a lonely and raunchy little town in Texas.
Send all correspondence, subscriptions or advertising to: El Ojo del Lago http://www.chapala.com elojodellago@gmail.com ojodellago@prodigy.net.mx Ave. Hidalgo 223 (or Apartado 279), 45900 Chapala, Jalisco Tels.: (376) 765 3676, Fax 765 3528 PRINTING: El Debate El Ojo del Lago aparece los primeros cinco días de cada mes. (Distributed over the first five days of each month) Certificado de Licitud de Título 3693 Certificado de Licitud de Contenido 3117. Reserva al Título de Derechos de Autor 04-2011-103110024300-102 Control 14301. Permisos otorgados por la Secretaría de Gobernación (EXP. 1/432 “88”/5651 de 2 de junio de 1993) y SEP (Reserva 171.94 control 14301) del 15 de enero de 1994. Distribución: Hidalgo 223 Chapala, Jalisco, México. All contents are fully protected by copyright and may not be reproduced without the written consent of El Ojo del Lago. Opinions expressed by the authors do not necessarily reflect the views of the Publisher or the Editor, nor are we responsible for the claims made by our advertisers. We welcome letters, which should include name, address and telephone number.
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COVER STORY
VOLUME 36 NUMBER 9
El Ojo del Lago / May 2020
COLUMNS THIS MONTH 6
Editor’s Page
10 Ramblings/Ranch 12 Bridge by Lake 14 Welcome to Mexico 16 Mirror to the Universe 18 Lakeside Living 20 Profiling Tepehua 24 Vexations & Conundrums
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COLUMNIST
Editor’s Page By Alejandro Grattan-Dominguez
Only Nine Little Words
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ote: Given the current threat from some quarters in the US of A to curtail the freedom of the press and the right of free speech, the following true story is instructional. In 1734, in a small town outside New York City, the editor of a newspaper called The Weekly Journal was walking across the village square when he noticed a man who, having been severely flogged, was out on public display, his arms bolted with wooden stocks. The editor, whose name was Zenger, asked what his crime had been. He had spoken out against the British Crown. The case had never gone to trial, yet the man had been severely punished. Outraged, the editor wrote an article about the matter, and was soon arrested himself. Left in jail for several days without adequate food and water, he became weak, dispirited and felt utterly abandoned by the time his case was finally scheduled for trial. Zenger had more stalwart friends, however, than he thought, and one of them was the town’s most prominent attorney, a man named Alexander, who began to work on his behalf. Another was the editor’s wife, who continued to print his newspaper out of the cellar of their home. By the time the case came
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to trial, it had caught the attention of much of the rest of the American Colonies. The matter seemed preordained. The judges, subservient to the Crown, had been bribed, and the jury was filled with people too uneducated to understand the issues. Justice, it seemed, was about to go on vacation. The attorney, realizing his client might hang, rode hard for several days to Philadelphia, where he enlisted the aid of a man named Hamilton, reputed to be the finest lawyer in all of North America. Together, the two men hurried back to New York, arriving just as the trial was ending. Striding into the courtroom as if he owned it, Hamilton immediately launched into one of the most inspired arguments for free speech that had ever been heard. With the spectators and even the jury finally bursting into cheers, a not-guilty verdict was hastily rendered. Hamilton had sounded the first clarion call for the right of every citizen to voice his opinion about the government without fear of recrimination or retribution, be it from the King of England all the way down to the mayor of a small village. In time, that call would make it into the Constitution of the United States of America, and today it is part of what makes the US of A the great nation that it is. “ C o n gress shall not abridge the right of free speech. . .” Those nine words would eventually alter the course Alejandro GrattanDominguez of history.
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Eternal Strangers By Herbert W. Piekow
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ore than an oasis, Central Park is also a refuge and I welcomed it’s calmness and the change of atmosphere that late spring day as I entered on West 59th Street. I needed time to pause my hectic life. Although work was my sole excessive habit or vice. Sometimes thought I would never reach old age nor know love. “May I sit?” I asked the grey-haired man. “The bench is free.” His suit coat lay neatly folded next to him, across the back of the park bench. So “New York,” I thought as the man gestured towards the unoccupied seat. I saw the unmistakable Nazi concentra-
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tion camp numbers tattooed on his left forearm. We both sat keeping our individual thoughts. It has never been my habit to begin a conversation with a stranger; however, I asked. “How long have you lived in the US?” “Around thirty years.” The man´s terse reply made me think he did not want to talk and for the next few minutes we sat wrapped in our isolated spheres. “I came here after the war. After losing everyone, everything, but my own life.” The man spoke, his accent thick. “I´m sorry.” My words sounded stupid and hollow. “Were they victims of the War or the Holocaust?” I couldn’t
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believe I had asked such a question as I had been brought up not to ask personal questions. “They were exterminated by the Germans,” he turned his head and pierced my soul with his filmy, expressionless blue eyes. We sat in awkward silence until he broke the silence. “You have a faint accent, but I cannot tell where you come from.” The man´s own accent seemed thicker. “I had French mother and a Russian father.” Somehow we had moved closer to one another. “Are you Jewish?” “No. I am not a Jew. I live and work in Saùdi Arabia.” I felt ashamed because in all my Catholic life, I had never admitted that my father had been a Jew. “I didn’t mean to pry. It´s just you have the air of someone who has suffered, and in my experience that means being Jewish.” The man bent forward, shoulders rounded more from life than age. “What has made your life so sad?” For some reason I seemed to bond with this stranger. He leaned back onto the bench and began in an even heavier accent. “In 1935 I married the most beautiful woman. She played Paganini as he meant his music to be played.” The stranger paused as though he heard her playing. “For a year our lives were wonderful. Then I had to go to Rotterdam, I was in the shipping business. While I was away everything in our world changed. The Nazis began their campaign and I was not allowed back into Germany, my native country. For a while we talked once a week on the phone, but that ended and I heard from friends that my wife and her mother were forced to move into a ghetto.” He stared down the path now crowded with men and women walking from their offices to their midtown apartments. “I suppose I could have left Holland for England, as some of my friends did.
But I had convinced myself that Ruth would somehow join me in Rotterdam,” his shoulders now sagged. “It wasn’t long before the Germans invaded Poland and then Holland and the rest of Europe. Later when the Nazis rounded us up I thought I might see my wife at a camp. “ He made me nervous when he looked directly into my eyes. “Don´t ask me to tell you how I survived the camps.” “When I was released from Treblinka, the last camp I was in, I knew that Ruth could not have survived the inhumanity and atrocities that I had lived through. I could not return to Hamburg as my city no longer existed and I never wanted to see another German.” He seemed shrunken and smaller now that he had told me his story. “Did you ever find a new love?” I felt embarrassed at my bold question. I had never really known love, but I was hopeful that the man had at least found some measure of happiness in a life of sorrow. “One freezing January night I was returning to The Bronx, after taking in a lecture at Columbia. I sat on the train reading my newspaper when a woman spoke to me,” a half-smile emerged from his closed lips. “Where did you live before the war?” Her timid voice was sweet. Without realizing she was speaking German I answered, “Before the war I lived with my wife in Hamburg.” I noticed her gnarled hands and her plain black dress and worn shoes, like a hotel maid’s. She tugged at her simple coat and continued, “What did you do in Germany?” “I worked as a shipping agent,” I replied in German. I looked into her eyes and felt as though she too had endured the unspeakable. “Herman. Don´t you recognize your wife?” She looked directly into my face. The moment I realized this woman was my Ruth, I fell to my knees and buried my head in her lap. I sobbed uncontrollably. All those years of suffering welled up and all I could feel was an immense relief.” He took a clean cotton hanky from his pocket and dabbed at his tears, then blew his nose. “How wonderful,” my words seemed hollow, but were well-meant. I hoped that someday I too would know such love. “Ruth lived less than two years. We were never able to make up for those lost years. It was as though we had be- Herbert W. come strangers.” Piekow
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RAMBLINGS FROM THE RANCH
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t the time of this writing (early April), things are mostly closed down due to COVID-19. It’s our fervent hope that we may be “back to normal” by the time you are reading this. Either way, it is (and will continue to be) a hard time in the dog rescue community. When the economy is poor, many local families struggle to put food on the table. And often there is nothing left to put in the dog bowl. More dogs are abandoned and neglected, victims of the virus effect on the economy. Sadly, some foreigners are abandoning pets too, as they rush to their home countries to ride out the virus crisis. With more dogs than ever needing homes, flights to freedom have stopped. Dogs are not getting the opportunity to find families North of the Border. Last year, the Ranch sent about 200 “up North.” We plan to resume this practice when flights allow,
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but of course, no one knows when that might be. All this makes it more difficult for The Ranch to take in more dogs in need — unless local folks step up to adopt and foster. If you are thinking about adopting, now is the time. However, if you can’t take on a permanent new family member, perhaps you could foster! What does fostering entail? It means you have a fabulous dog to care for and treat as your own until s/he can find a home, or until you need to move or travel. The Ranch takes care of the cost of any medical
appointments and can even lend you a crate if you need one. You have all the fun and comfort of a dog: snuggles, walks, playing fetch, and spoiling a deserving canine. You also help your foster to learn about living in a house and being part of a family. YOU help them become more adoptable. And while that sweet dog is at your place, another abandoned dog will have the opportunity to be safe and fed at The Ranch. If you would like to help please visit our website www.lakesidespayandneutercenter.co m or email us at adoptaranchdog@outlook.com
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COLUMNIST
BRIDGE BY THE LAKE By Ken Masson
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ard reading is the art of deducing how the opponents’ cards are divided. Each bid made and each card played by the defenders tell a story. The trick is to read the story, interpret it correctly and then apply the proper prescription to take advantage of the knowledge gained. South reached four hearts after West had made a one spade overcall. West led the queen of spades and East took dummy’s king with
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the ace. East returned a spade, taken by West. West then led his singleton diamond to dummy’s jack. Declarer’s problem was to avoid the loss of more than one trump since he had already lost two tricks. It was obvious that South would have to lose more than one trump trick if the suit was divided 4-1 or 5-0. Only if the hearts were divided 3-2 was there a chance of losing just one trump trick.
But this alone would not do the job. The player with the doubleton heart would have to have the ace if the contract was to be made. And the first heart lead would have to come from the correct hand if the play was to be successful. Since West had bid one spade with a queen-high suit, it seemed reasonable to assume that he was the one with the ace of hearts. The first heart play therefore had to originate from the South hand. Accordingly, declarer entered his hand with a club and led a low heart. West played low and dummy’s queen held. On the heart return, East produced the ten and South ducked. West was forced to win with the ace and the contract was home. The key to the winning play was West’s spade bid, marking him with some high-card strength, combined with East turning up with the ace of spades at trick one. All that remained was how to take advantage of the knowledge that West had the ace of hearts. Questions or comments: email: masson.ken@ gmail.com Ken Masson
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COLUMNIST
By Victoria Schmidt
Pandemic
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ever before in my life has there been so many so confused about so many dimensions regarding a single issue. There is nowhere to hide from Covid-19. It’s on every TV station, every news broadcast, every newspaper, every social media site, and website. And the information is different. There have been many other viruses that we were able to rapidly repel. Not in order, I can remember the Swine Flu, Bird Flu, SARS, H1N1 and Ebola. I don’t recall getting vaccinated for any of them. And most of us dutifully get our flu shot and pneumonia vaccine each year. This year is different. We haven’t had our doctors giving us advice and orders, but we’ve had government entities from local to state, to country, to World –Wide Home health organizations advising us. And the clearest message everywhere is STAY HOME. Most countries have been quick to activate their protocols for a public health crisis. Others have not. Unfortunately, the actions or inactions at this time will pay a toll in human lives. That exact number, I don’t think will ever be known. And I will leave those who survive this crisis to debate the issues. My compliments to the State of Jalisco and the Governor. They have acted quickly and decisively. The message is clear. STAY HOME. As of the week before Easter there were vehicles being pulled over and drivers and passengers were being asked about their destination. And then sent home. There is even a big sign by the ambulance...in Spanish...this is not a vacation, go home and stay home. They
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will ask for your ID as well. So drive prepared. I don’t want to go out. I’ve been out for medical reasons this week. I couldn’t believe how much traffic was still on the road. There was no parking available near my bank, or the San Antonio center by Super Lake was FULL. Some people were wearing protective masks. Most were not. I leave the house looking like a masked bandit, with medical gloves. I even put alcohol on the gloves, and disinfect my hands again when I return home. At first we were told masks wouldn’t really help. Then only if you had symptoms should you wear a mask to protect others. Finally it was decided everyone should wear a mask. You cannot find masks in stores right now, but there are several organizations that are making masks for sale, or giving them away as a donation. But as of this writing, the official position is WEAR the mask, and don’t take it off. Because if you take it off, even to take a drink, the INSIDE of the mask becomes contaminated. I’ve seen more videos on hand washing, disinfecting the home, your groceries, and clothing. You think by this age, we all would know how to wash our hands! It is said we will get through this together. Many people know the true meaning of sacrifice. Those who deliver food to our doors, People who drive the buses, and the cabs, the cleaners, and of course the doctors and the nurses. But please do not forget to do your part. Only go out when it is absolutely necessary. Then use protective masks, and alcohol. No, not the kind you drink! Keep yourself occupied by finishing a project you started so long ago. Read, write, and limit your access to news. Think and be positive while you are washing your hands 20 times a day and disinfecting everything. Balance, and know that many people are suffering; if we are lucky we will not get the virus. We will survive the economic aftermath. Perhaps it will put our world in a better place. Please don’t expect everything to be “normal” again on the lifting of the quarantine. I believe the entire world will need to adjust to a new normal. Victoria Schmidt
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Mirror To The Universe By Rob Mohr A Spiritual Life
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ost of us are pragmatic, rational beings who spend our time dealing with daily challenges. Yet, many meld their everyday existence with a spiritual life. The following essay explores how this integration occurs. “The sole purpose of human existence is to kindle a light in the darkness of mere being.” Carl Jung Jung’s ‘light’ dawns as spiritual life created within an integrated human mind. A reality unfortunately mitigated by religious dogma, and the appeal of self-indulgent, corporal life over spiritual freedom. Science and philosophy guide our understanding of the spiritual life - (1) reality itself is spiritual not material, and (2) all life exists within a spiritual realm. The dilemma for those of us who deal with daily challenges is how we might move from the physical to the spiritual. During pre-historic and historic times humans moved out of caves, into protective communities, city states, nations and, finally, into an interactive world. Today, literate, and open minded, with broad knowledge of ourselves and the universe, we grasp for the mystical. Our spirits rush toward their spiritual home seeking truth and the fate of our souls. Anthropologists excavated our spiritual roots, analyzed artifacts and discovered human spirituality emerged 500,000 years ago as animism - the attribution of life to everything that exists. During the Neolithic period, this belief evolved and focused on anthropomorphic attribution of animal characteristics to humans. This symbiotic relationship continues today, Victor Batz, my Maya co-worker in Guatemala, was born on the Maya long count day of the monkey (Batz) and was named accordingly. Such beliefs indicate the enduring role spirituality plays in human communities throughout the world. Pre-Columbian cultures in Mexico and Central America shaped life via spiritual connections.The Maya used ceremonies involving ‘pain’ as a gateway into the spiritual world. Royal women pulled a knotted rope
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through a hole cut into their tongue, while elite men pulled a rope through a cut in their penis, letting the blood flow onto pulp-paper crumpled in a ceramic bowl, which was then burned. The ensuing smoke formed a serpent from whose mouth their ancestors emerged and provided counsel. Other gentler rituals, performed in seasonal cycles, continue to enable human transition from materialism to spirituality. Victor Turner explored in detail how such liminal rituals transform human life through social drama. Rituals entreat guidance from spiritual forces and move humans from egocentric existence, and blindness into an infinite, sighted, spiritual domain. Humans petition rain for crops, fertility for women, initiate youth, and inaugurate presidents. We celebrate salvation with a Passover meal, and confirm our faith through baptism, and communion. Meditation, which transforms our vision and focus, offers a second avenue from the physical into unbound spiritual dimensions. Our preoccupations dissolve, our awareness expands. We discard who we were for a more perfect existence, one where we connect with the silence, and “... close our eyes in order to see.” Paul Gauguin Most profound is the permanent unleashing of our universal and genetic consciousness, which enables movement through space and time. We reside in a place where no force can withstand the ramifications of spiritual existence. Like the Maya our metaphorical temple has become our metaphysical home, the pre-historic cave our refuge in a world dominated by self-interest, and violence. Consider the implications of these understandings for your life today in a world where providence directs us into a a spiritual world where “...there are no coincidences, and all events are blessings given to us to learn from.” Elizabeth KublerRoss Rob Mohr
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Carol D. Bradley
Email: cdbradleymex@gmail.com Phone: 33-2506-7525 “Music really is a way to reach out and hold on to each other in a healthy way.” Stevie Ray Vaughan. And here we sit. Your intrepid reporter has lost track of how many days and weeks we have been under quarantine here Lakeside. I love to be out, to attend functions, mingle with friends over good food and company, to be in awe of the talented arts community I am honoured to be a part of. This quarantine is hard. I am saddened by the loss of so many events, so much time and so many opportunities for our community of artists, musicians, actors and writers. Then I hear a saxophone player, his/her mellow notes wafting in my window on the soft breeze. My friend tells me she hears a tenor singing in her neighborhood. Books lay in messy folders as writers have unprecedented time alone to edit and finish their work. And my heart warms knowing we are all out here, we are all resting and stressing, honing our skills, waiting for the time when our talents can again shine on the stage, in the concert hall, the bars and clubs, the venues we have grown to love and dearly miss. We are out here, being patient for the day or night when, once again, the lights come back up. While events may offer a refund in the wake of cancellation, please consider making your ticket price a donation. A sudden event such as this can devastate live performances. Our Lakeside arts groups would appreciate your thoughtfulness in this time of uncertainty. I have invited our regular contributors to tell me stories, their history, their current endeavours. From Lakeside Living in these different times, now for something completely different… On March 11th the Open Circle Steering Committee faced the serious dilemma of whether to hold our scheduled program slated for just four days away in the garden at the Lake Chapala Society. The program was to be Dr. Todd Stong’s compelling “Annual State of the Lakeside Address” for which we were anticipating 350 to 400 people. Dr. Stong is one of our most popular presenters and we imagined this large crowd cramming through one gate and sitting shoulder to shoulder in the garden. We considered how we might arrange seating in order to comply with the new social distancing guidelines. Reluctantly, we opted to do what was in the interest of public health, especially for those most vulnerable over the age of 65, and we canceled Dr. Stong’s talk. This was before other cultural events had begun their own cancelations, but we have never questioned Dr. Todd Stong the wisdom of having put our audience first. As the dimension and scope of the pandemic became more clear, we realized the future would be impossible to predict and informed the world we were suspending Open Circle until further notice. Open Circle is programmed an entire year in advance. Not wanting to disappoint our audience or the many presenters who had already prepared, we came up with a plan to continue to offer weekly presentations via our website opencircleajijic.org. We offered disappointed speakers the option of making a selfvideo of their presentation at home that we would then post. If speakers preferred not to make a video, Open Circle would refer subscribers through our weekly newsletter to our most popular videos of presenters from previous years, all of which can be accessed through opencircleajijic.org. Some of the canceled presenters who have made or will make selfie videos are Michael McManmon, Susan Weeks, Gale Park, Sydney Metrick, Robert Branson, Livier Ayon, and Christian Robertson. In addition, Todd Sydney Metrick Stong is posting a comprehensive written report on the Lake and Lakeside villages in five parts. As soon as the COVID-19 crisis abates, Open Circle looks forward to resuming its weekly outdoor programs under the big tree at LCS. BRAVO! Theatre Several years ago, Jayme Littlejohn started talking to fellow local actors about what fun it would be to have a place where those of us who were trained theatre people could “play” together….a sort of local semi professional safe space. Jayme was always astounded at the number of people living at Lakeside who had either been professional actors, directors, etc. or who had studied theatre extensively and made
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it their lives on some level during their preretirement lifetimes. We always had so much fun when we got to work together in local shows, but before BRAVO! Theatre it felt like not everyone understood why we wanted to take the work so seriously. It was fun to do shows but we all discovered that we craved more. Jayme then started doing occasional shows under the flag of My, My How Nice! Productions at the Sol y Luna complex on Rio Bravo in west Ajijic. The first production was Always… Patsy Cline in October of 2010. The space was rough – carved out of a huge room in the front of the complex by room dividers, the stage lit by two tripods with four light fixtures each. The show turned out to be immensely popular and Jayme says she ended up selling partial visibility seats for the final performance. There were several other productions for a few years – Cemetery Club, The Gin Game, The Fantasticks – until Russell Mack, gathered a group of guys who then converted a smaller room in the complex into a legitimate black box theatre with stage, a tech booth, raised seating, an actual backstage/greenroom and many more light fixtures which had been added by the BRAVO!’s then lighting and sound gurus, Kitt and Bill Vincent. In addition educational programs were implemented including acting, improvisation and dance classes. It was a manageable upstart producing between two and three shows a year. The audiences gradually increased as did the interest in BRAVO! Theatre. In July of 2018, BRAVO! Theatre had to leave it’s location in Sol y Luna and was homeless until Jayme found a new location at 441 Hidalgo in Riberas del Pilar. It took almost a year and a dedicated army led by architect Alan Marsh, builder Niels Petersen and designer/ builder Jeremy Seftor, to build a new black box theatre replete with cabaret stage, bar and an abundance of audience bathrooms. We created a magical environment out of a big empty warehouse. The first show opened in September of 2019. The first full season of BRAVO! Theatre included Address Unknown, Songs for a New World, Every Christmas Story Ever Told, Lettice and Loveage and The Book of Will. The last play did not complete its run due to the impending COVID-19 pandemic. BRAVO! Theatre continues to grow. The educational programs are thriving and BRAVO! now includes these three types of performances: BRAVO! Benefits Bravissimo! Concert Series BRAVO! Main Season A complete 2020 – 2021 season is being planned In early 2020 the FRIENDS of BRAVO! was started by Peter and Monnie King, and Timothy G. Ruff Welch to promote the continued support of BRAVO! Theatre. If you would like to contribute please contact Jayme at friendsofbravo@gmail.com. If you are interested in learning more about classes, sponsoring a main season production or volunteering at the theatre contact her at mymytickets@gmail.com. Set construction – Bob Hendricks Stay with us…we look forward to having you back in your seats enjoying all Lakeside has to offer.
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COLUMNIST
PROFILING TEPEHUA By Moonyeen King
President of the Board for Tepehua
moonie1935@yahoo.com
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few columns ago, it was stated we slipped into 2020 without the sky falling. The sky fell. The dreams we had for 2020 drastically changed by circumstances beyond our control. But we found it wasn’t beyond our control entirely, with a Nation’s effort we can thwart the epidemic of coronavirus with a cure of common sense. We cannot bring back this time that we could be bringing plans to fruition and achieving the things we set out to do, or bring back beautiful lives that succumbed to the beast, a viral we have probably met before that tricked us by morphing and using a different face, but it has got our attention. Pandemics tend to do that. Perhaps it is nature’s way of telling us to slow down, think of planet earth and how we are ignoring its needs, trampling on its bounty, so ungrateful, nature urging us to think about our fellow man, the man we should be helping to survive because we need him in the long run. Or maybe its nature’s need for thinning the population so that we stop turning on each other for lack of space. In Ireland in 1817 to 1819, there was the great Potato famine and Typhus, caused by excessive rainfall. It claimed 65,000 lives. Then, the pandemic of cholera in 1832 taking another 50,000 people. Later in 1889 came the Russian flu pandemic that took 1 million lives world wide. In the 1800’s the lack of hygiene in Ireland and England, and Europe in general, were breeding grounds for contagious diseases. This column would like to share with you a poem that could have been written for today, but written in the 1800’s by Kathleen O’Meara. A Rotarian sent it from Ajijic to a Rotarian friend in Lincoln, USA and it finished up with this author, a Rotarian in Chapala. Full circle. and the people stayed at home and read books and listened and rested and exercised and made art and played and learned new ways of being and stopped and listened deeper someone meditated someone prayed someone danced someone met their shadow and people began to think differently and people healed and in the absence of people who lived in ignorant ways dangerous, meaningless and heartless, even the earth began to heal and when the danger ended and people found each other grieved for the dead people and they made new choices and dreamed new visions and created new ways of life and healed the earth completely just as they were healed themselves. KATHLEEN O’MEARA. 1800. Tepehua Community Center is closed until further notice, but the Tepehua Medical Center is open for business as usual. In times like this it is even more essential the less privileged have somewhere to go for help. We are picking up donations of any kind at your home, or by appointment we can meet you at Tepehua Treasures, closed by local Government request. Our little shop the main source of income for the Community Center. We thank all our supporters who have enabled us to be prepared for catastrophes such as this one. This will pass, and I hope we remember what this teaches. Follow the rules and be safe. For further information call Moonie @ 376-763-5126.
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Last Flight Out By Christy Wiseman
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ullshit” my son said when I called and told him the U.S. State Department had sent a note which said if we Americans wanted to go back to the states, to go IMMEDIATELY or to understand that we would need to stay in Mexico for an indeterminate amount of time. I had already changed my flight date from April 14th to March 25th. This was March 20th. Was it really necessary to change it again? Being an ex-pat, I have spent my winters in Mexico for the last 20 years. I love Mexico and her people, but I am American, always and forever. The Coronavirus, swirled around us like a hungry, stalking tiger waiting for just the right moment to pounce. Asian Americans started becoming the target for all too willing bigots to find a new target to hate and torment. The truth, quite hidden from the American public, was that biological research had been done in Hunan province for many decades and only stopped after the SARS outbreak. Since that is where this new virulent outbreak began, it begs the question of whether or not biological research had resumed. Was it possible that this virus began from someone who ate or had contact with a bat? Or was the truth far more sinister? It certainly is true that many wild animals are killed there and sold as food for the general population. Mexico is totally unprepared for an outbreak of the proportions projected, but not to worry, their climate is warm, which this virus doesn’t like and virtually nobody is being tested so the numbers of those afflicted appear to be almost nonexistent. Very comforting, but inaccurate. Needing not to panic the general public, the bat story was the story to promote as the cause of this quickly spreading flu type disease. Disgusting story of course, but not diabolical and more to the point,, the disease would be seen as curable. And then the numbers started increasing dramatically. The maps which had been in black and
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white began turning red. Some people wanted the truth. Others of course were happy in their ignorance, especially it seems, if they did not see themselves in a vulnerable group. A “flu type disease” sounds so much more digestible than bio-terrorism. Shades of the children’s story of the grasshopper and the ant struck me! To recount that story, the grasshopper wanted to sing and dance as though Winter would never come. The ant daily toiled in the sun, ever preparing, ever vigilant. When quite predictably, the weather turned cold and the winter winds howled, the grasshopper went to the ant to beg for food. The ant, quite unimpressed, refused in a way that as a child I had found quite lacking in compassion. Now we have a similar situation. We were warned that we were to go IMMEDIATELY back to the states if we wanted to get back. There were no words or expressions in that mandate like “soon” or “at your earliest convenience.” “Well,” thought I, “do I want to be the grasshopper or the ant?” I decided to be the ant and changed my flight one more time, to the next day, thinking I probably seemed a bit hysterical to my close friends who were in no such hurry. I’m now on a flight to my home town where my son will meet me and we’ll go into self-isolation and “social distancing” for a couple weeks at the very least. Even so, there are no guarantees. But I’m with family, in my own country, which to me makes all the difference. The flight attendant told me that the borders will be closed tomorrow. The Guadalajara airport like many others around the world will shut down as well. Unlike the ant, I feel very sorry for those left behind, who planned to leave, as this, it turns out, was the last flight out. Christy Wiseman
Saw you in the Ojo 23
REPORT NO. 1 From the Isolation Zone
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e came to this ranch for a few days, three weeks ago. Our host is a recent widow, and she said she appreciated us keeping her company during our social isolation in the time of the COVID19 pandemic. None of us knew how long things would be uncertain. My husband and I fled our condo like it was on fire, fearful of the virus. We both were in the at-risk age category
and had past bouts of pneumonia. Our friend pointed out that our high-rise had many more hands touching things than this country ranch. We were won over by her logic. The car was filled with food, toilet paper, perfume, the usual survival gear. We accidentally didn’t pack about twenty critical items. We did one more stealth run into the city for about half of what we needed and came back to the coun-
try immediately, wearing blue surgical gloves held aloft like surgeons and wiping down everything we touched with antiseptic wipes. No one else seemed to be as nervous as us. Had they not been watching the situation in Italy?! We were early responders. After days, the government in the U.S. came out of its coward hole and started to give little baby warnings to the citizens. Talk about exponential compounding. Two weeks “stay at home” turned into a month “stay home” in about two days. That was a local order, as there was no national guidance. But we hadn’t needed the president to tell us that a shit storm was coming. We knew way back that the “Democratic Hoax” wouldn’t have included China, Italy and S. Korea. I am disappointed in the snail’s pace of mankind. So now we are still at our friend’s lovely country place, all trying to use extra courtesy and pull our weight on the work front. There is lots more work than usual because we can’t go anywhere. Our friend is a gourmet cook, and we have to be careful not to expect her to be our chef. Our occasional sandwiches and pasta are weak attempts at Pleasant Survival compared to the multiple hot skillets sizzling with her feasts when we awake from naps. We keep the television running too much and numbly hear the
escalating numbers of deceased and ill. And now we hear that there are people who feel fine, but give this virus to all the other people in their daily orbit. Now, that’s a horror movie plot line if I ever heard one. I didn’t mention that we don’t share political ideology. Our hostess said early on that different politics wouldn’t matter to her; it was like preferring one vegetable to another. She lets us watch CNN the most, for a more humanistic approach to the news. And when Fox gets turned on, we have watched the tone change from attack to somber. But Obama still gets thrown under the bus, three years after he was off the job. It’d be funny, if things weren’t so dire. The rock star of the whole shebang is Dr. Fauci. He could be called Dr. Fascinating. How a man of that age (seventynine) can be so sexy, so intellectual and so diplomatic is just amazing. We all have a role model. He gently corrects things the president dreams up, without ever saying he is righting misinformation. Now he has had to obtain security, not just from far-righters who don’t like that he contradicts the president. He also apparently had some overzealous and unwanted positive attention from the left. I can only imagine what that must have been. Kisses? He just quickly had a security detail. Yesterday surgical masks were the term of the day. Now it has been determined that we all need them. No wonder everyone in China had these on. No one asked them why? Our friend pointed out that Muslim women are way ahead of this with the burkas. Then she wondered if we could bejewel masks, as they really are rather ugly. For now we will be stuck wearing bandanas, like the dogs wear on their necks, or bandits wear to rob victims. Imagine, it’s only been twelve days since our first official stay at home order. Katina Pontikes
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El Ojo del Lago / May 2020
Saw you in the Ojo 25
The Ojo Crossword
Corazon
By Lillian Norma Sookdeosingh
H
ACROSS
DOWN
1 5 9 13 14 15 16 17 18 19 21 23 24 25 28 31 32 34 36 37 38 39 41 43 44 46 48 49 50 53 57 58 60 61 62 63 64 65 66
1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 11 12 14 20 22 24 25 26 27 28 29 30 33 35 40 41 42 43 45 47 49 50 51 52 53 54 55 56 59
Dart Off-Broadway award Pixies Small particle Sacred poem Toe part Dead bolt Head skin Ticket Airy Twisted together Not sweet Pass over Affiliated Pixie Legal claim to property Elliptical Bucks wives Alternative (abbr.) Extinguished Siesta Soap Opera Soapy Bread French Mediterranean island Time periods Candy bar Baby __ Battles Word in U.S.S.R. Touches Tel __ Type of alcohol Decorative needle case Festival Wet Slave Time periods Cosine’s partner Small dirty area
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Smooth nails Plunder What a mosquito bite does Adopts (2 wds.) Movie award Fertility god Peaked Cleared Not outfield Primary Long Winter Transport Feigned Caviar Words per minute Written commands Alack’s partner Light purple flower Drop (2 wds.) Type of cheese Opp. of doric Under, poetically Guarantee Baths Comes Child watchers Every 52 weeks Has property Take to court Before (prefix) Cowboy John Unhazardous Ended Brief autobiographical sketch Jaw Stair European monetary unit Winnow Thai
El Ojo del Lago / May 2020
umanity on a small scale is humanity nonetheless. On a grand scale, we remember the atrocities of the Holocaust. From that evil came men like Schindler who rescued many of those bound for certain death. More current, was the terrorism of 911. Come From Away still plays on Broadway touting the generousity of a small town, practically unknown to most of the world, that personified the word altruism. Today, in a much smaller town, I experienced it myself. A small act of kindness. Living with the fear of the pandemic, COVID-19, coming to our little corner of the world has caused many to hoard in the hopes of getting through the imposed 5 day self-isolation ban issued by the State of Jalisco. Toilet paper has all but become extinct. Shelves upon shelves that once held basics now lie empty of all their goods. Lentils? Gone. Beans? Gone. Hand santizer? Gone. What have we become as a community? A bunch of hoarders with no care for our neighbors? It seems so. Maybe not. On Calle Constitutiòn in Ajijic, there is a store I frequented last year to replenish my water supply. Every time I went into that store, I was greeted with a smile by one or more of the small staff. Always. Today
was no different. Today, I stayed in the car as my partner went to refill our bottle. While there, he asked to buy two more bottles. Minutes later he came back to the car empty-handed saying he couldn’t understand what they were telling him. I went back with him and, in my limited Spanish, I asked a young woman if we could buy two extra bottles of water today. “No, señora. No hay agua hoy.” Glancing at 8 to 10 bottles in the rack, I asked, “Por qué no? Hay muchas botellas alli.” Then began a barrage of words, many of which I did not know. All I understood was, “No puedo… botella…porque son para todas las casas.” As she spoke, she motioned with her hand while looking out the door and up the street. I nodded that I understood they were all for prepaid customers in the neighborhood. Desperate for an extra bottle of water or two, I turned to look at the woman behind the glass who was washing and filling all the bottles. Knowing her English was more limited than my Spanish, I held onto my stomach and struggled as I told her, “Señora, por favor, tengo dolor y mi médica me dice lo que necesito beber mucha, mucha agua cada día por cuatro días.” I knew I had butchered my explanation using her language but she understood my dilemma. She made a phone call and within minutes, nodded her head towards the young woman who was doing the transactions. “Pero, solo una botella más,” she let me know. Looking each other in the eye, she understood I wasn’t another customer trying to hoard water but was in need of it due to a health issue and I understood that in giving me an extra bottle someone else would not be getting the requested order. Placing my hand over my heart, I showed her my gratitude. “Mi corazón. Mi corazón,” I said as I backed out of the store. Holding fast to each other’s eyes, we both knew no “De nada” was needed. Mi corazón.
Board of Directors continues its work in spite of this pandemic!
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e are a notfo r - p r o f i t , government registered, charitable organization composed of a board of directors, members-atlarge and many, many devoted and dedicated volunteers. We have been, and continue to be, responsible for maintaining and improving the school facilities, and providing special programs for the children and assistance to the teaching staff. Although the school is currently closed in adherence to the government ordered shutdown, there is still much that is needed, both physically and emotionally. During this time the board of directors is dedicated to making sure that 100% of all staff salaries and benefits are paid. We continue to be responsible for the infrastructure including all maintenance and repair of buildings and classrooms, as well as all utilities. Although we will suffer a loss of revenue as a result of COVID-19, we are committed to our mission and the support we provide to the children and their families. When school is in session, we not only provide all children much needed specialized education, but also with hot meals. Even with the
school currently closed we hope to soon provide food assistance to those children and their families; assistance which is needed more now than ever. We are proud of our fundraising events that we host throughout the year: the Annual Fashion Show/Silent Auction, Behind the Walls Home Tours, and Chapala Talent Show. While the future seems uncertain at this time, we are hopeful and plan to continue these and many more events in the coming months. So, in the meantime, and while you have some time on your hands, go through those closets and save those brand name items that you no longer wear and hold them for our Annual Fashion Show. Lastly, a BIG THANK YOU for your continued support of our School and the Children. To learn more about our organization and what we do, please visit https://schoolforspecialchildren.org/.
Saw you in the Ojo 27
Old Man Carefully crossing the cobbled street. Placing his stick like a feeler ahead, Only his back, slightly stooped, shows his burden. Lately he’s aware that small tasks are not easy: Put the keys on the mantle; each thing has its place; Forgotten wallet means climbing the stairs to the top. No more squandering his energy, too precious to waste. Names come and go; memory’s sieve lets them through. Not so the past, for those stories grow brighter. They tug on his coat sleeves, insist on attention. Time, always time, the hour-glass empties. So much to share. Who cares? Who will listen? He sees the Young rushing, busy and worried, While he’s in the slow lane, his eyes have grown blurry. Now they look inwards as he strives to make sense Of his eighty-five years - he feels weary and spent. There was travel and study, joy in achievement, Weddings, baptisms, ill health and deaths. And as he reflects with inner-eye, sharp as razor, His memories are lit with wonderful clarity. He sees that what matters is empathy and laughter. For the rest … he’ll wait for life hereafter.
— By Gabrielle Blair —
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El Ojo del Lago / May 2020
Cactus Girl By Frank Lynch
“I
’ll have another beer, please” I said, sitting at the local watering hole. Just a couple of beers before heading to my empty home. I never noticed her walk in. She ordered a drink but I wasn’t paying attention. My thoughts were clouded by my stressful job. The holidays were coming up too, which meant things were going to get really busy. “Did anyone ever tell you you look like Rod Stewart?” I looked around. She was smiling at me. I looked at her for a moment. Not bad. “Why?” I asked. “Do ya’ think I’m sexy?” A week later, we were just making simple conversation when for some unknown reason, I asked her, “So, what are you doing for Thanksgiving?” “Nothing.”, she said. Oh, WHY did I go there? Why didn’t I just leave this topic alone? But no, I plunged ahead. “Not going to spend it with family?” “No. I’m not getting along with my parents and my daughter lives in another state.” I tried not to say anything but the silence was so damn loud. Why did I have to go down this road? “Well . . .” I said, “I usually go to my sister’s house in Tennessee. She makes a big dinner for family and friends. Would you like to….?” “YES!” she said, too quickly. Too soon for me to add any “buts.” “But you won’t know anybody. But you have friends here. But my car needs work. Too late. Halfway there, I figured I had better tell her about my sister and brother-inlaw’s business. “Uh, my sister is a school teacher and plays trumpet in the church choir. After feeding the family, she makes plates of Thanksgiving dinners for her husband’s employees. And we deliver them to his business.” “That’s nice.” “He owns a strip club.” “Really?” She asked. “Can we go?” Oh, how did I get here? Buddy led us to a table where we had an unobstructed view of the dancers on the stage. We only had to use our imaginations for a short time.
“Another round of apple martinis?” asked the waitress in a see-through negligee and high heels. But I digress. She had a name, I’m almost sure of it. But my name for her was, “Cactus Girl.” You see, on our first “real” date, she had to go to the bathroom, but the line was too long. “I’ll just go outside,” she said. “There are some bushes over there. Cover for me.” A scream. She comes running out pulling up her clothes. “I sat on a cactus!” A nickname was born. Buddy ordered another round of apple martinis. Another dancer took the stage. “I could do that,” she said. “Do what?” I asked, innocently. “Come with me,” said Buddy. He led her to the dancers dressing room, spoke with one of them and handed her off. “And now, ladies and gentlemen, we have a new dancer for your entertainment. Show some applause for Cactus Girl!” She really did try to do a strip tease with the negligee and heels the other girls had given her. But ten seconds into the song it came untied–and there she was. With four minutes to go in the song to dance, she had nothing left to take off. Dollars covered the dance stage like a new mown lawn. The long drive home was … interesting. She had given all the dollars to the other girls but now she regretted it. “Damn. That was over one hundred dollars!” My sister always asks me who I’m bringing for Thanksgiving this time? “No. Not her,” I say. “But she was so nice.” “No.” “But—” “No.”
Saw you in the Ojo 29
Service - EL OJO DEL LAGO Tel. 765-3676
- LAKESIDE - CompuShop + Repair Tel: 33-2340-7501 / 668-1354
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El Ojo del Lago / May 2020
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EMERGENCY HOTLINE 066 AMBULANCE - CRUZ ROJA 765-2308, 765-2553 FIRE DEPARTMENT 766-3615 POLICE Ajijic 766-1760 Chapala 765-4444 La Floresta 766-5555
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Saw you in the Ojo 31
CARS
FOR SALE: 2014 versa Standard 5 speed, mexican, plated, all paid including 2020, i am the 2cond owner, cold air, stereo with Cruise, Control. I don´t trade Emails, I will show it here in Ajijic. Call If You like To Buy best Price Around $99 thousands pesos. And low. Kms. 73. Thousands. Kms, 4 cilinder, motor 1.6. Call: 333 034 6557. WANTED: looking late model mercedes glc suv prefer white in color, 2019. 2018 if low mileage will consider 2017 or 16, must mechanics inspection, will pay cash for it, looked at honda rdx does not meet our needs. WANTED: VW Beetle (Vocho) Looking to buy older model VW Beetle (Vocho). Must be in good condition. Please contact tomstewart@live.com FOR SALE: White 2013 CX-9, Grand Touring, tan leather, navigation, all the usual options. Approximately 110,000 km, new tires recently, regularly serviced by Mazda, excellent condition. $235,000 pesos. Call 331-7878252. FOR SALE: 2016 Honda HR-V Epic. White with black interior. 55,000 K, mostly highway driven. High 30’s mpg. Door edge guards, front bug deflector, all weather floor mats, auto-dimming mirror. $235,000. Available April. Call: 766-4716. WANTED: Looking to buy older model VW Beetle (Vocho). Must be in good condition. Please contact. Email: tomstewart@live. com. WANTED: Cargo Trailer Good Condition. Please advise. Minimum 6 x 10. Email: monrio1@yahoo.com. WANTED: I live in San Antonio, Texas. But visit my brother in Chapala couple times a year. I am looking to purchase a u.s. Plated vehicle for my daughter. I will consider all offers. Please write me or call: 210-374-5641. Email: Elijo707@yahoo.com. FOR SALE: AUTOMOTIVE 2019 Mazda CX-3 Selling car - had to move back to the States. Car has sunroof and 18 inch wheels.
Perfect condition. Contact USA Cell 772 4850783 $15,000 USD 3000 miles on it. FOR SALE: 1973 volkswagen thing, good running, condition motor and transmission rebuilt, new paint, driven every day. Asking $3500.00 us dollars obo. phone Frank 332954-3206.
COMPUTERS
FOR SALE: HP 46 Printer Cartridges - 3 color & 4 black. All can be yours for $700 pesos. Regular price at Office Depot is $259 pesos each. Call Donna at 766-4636 if interested. FOR SALE: two 952xl black for hp office pro 8710. Bought at Costco was over $900 pesos for two works on USA 8710 printer. $400 pesos for both. Wayne 766-1860.
PETS & SUPPLIES
FREE: Neutered 2-year old, handsome and affectionate gray and white male cat needs a forever home. His name is Boomer. He is feline leukemia free and has had shots with paper health certificate from his vet. This guy adopted me last year. Unfortunately, my cranky old lady cat wants nothing to do with him, my house is on the market, I will be leaving in six weeks and cannot take him with me. My two options: find him a home or put him down. I don’t like the second one. Email: slickrock39@yahoo.com. FOR SALE: Pet Crate. 24” fits dog 6 kilos to 11 kilos (13 lbs. to 24 lbs) Black metal wire w/2 doors. Total visibility on all sides. New condition. Paid $1000 pesos. Purchased @ Lakeside Friends of Animals. Has carry handle. Dimensions in cm: 62 X 44 X 51. Price: $750 pesos. Email: patriciahemigway@gmail.com.
GENERAL MERCHANDISE
FOR SALE: ZVOZ Accuvoice Sound Bar. This TV soundbar allows you to raise the volume of the voices over the background “noise”! It’s the model AV203 and you can read about it at www.zvox.com A friend, moving north, gave me a 4 speaker surround
The Ojo Crossword
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El Ojo del Lago / May 2020
system or I wouldn’t be selling it. Paid $199 U.S. and selling it for $1000 mp. If you need more info, call Rick at 331-442-3930 or 1081495. WANTED: Want to buy or will trade DVD player with working remote. I’m looking for just a basic DVD player that has a working remote. New paragraph. I will buy or trade for an n95 mask, also, 3 surgical masks. All new. WANTED: Wanted--Flight Sim accessories (yoke, pedals, etc) Wanted, in good, working condition--doesn’t have to be the latest and greatest. Bored spouse getting back into flight simulation. FOR SALE: High quality black and red, waist length motorcycle jacket no longer needed by original owner, who now rides a scooter. Gently used. Well maintained and in good shape. Will send a photo to interested party. Size men’s medium. Fabric is ballistic synthetic material, breathable, comfortable, ready to ride. $1000 pesos. WANTED: I am interested in purchasing wood working tools and machinery. All things considered, drills, clamps, drill press, table saw etc. Please call or Whatsapp 331751-7520. FOR SALE: Men’s XL & XXL Clothing. 50 pesos each for shirts, pants, warm up suits, dress pants & jackets, outdoor shorts. Call: 331-765-3163. WANTED: I’m looking for display easels for showing art work at the LCS monthly event. These need not be complicated, just suitable to hold a 24 inch square framed art work. Email: vamostwo@yahoo.com. FOR SALE: Side by side refrigerator freezer. In good working condition even the door ice maker! Not a beauty on the outside but would be great for a garage or casita. $5000 or best offer. Email: laura1108@comcast.net. FOR SALE: Extension ladder - 6 meters in length. It sells for $4,190.00 pesos. I will sell it for half price. Contact Louise 376-766-1127. FOR SALE: 2 wooden nightstands with 3 drawers - $1500 pesos each. 2 Arizona Kokopeli chairs - $800 pesos each. Cartop cargo carrier - 53 x 36 x 13 inches - fits most cars with roof rails - $2000 pesos. Paper shredder - one year old - $500 pesos. Vitamix blender 2 years old - $3000 pesos. Electrical ceramic heater - $500 pesos. Humidifier - $300 pesos. Electronic translator - 40+ languages (incl Spanish to English) - $100 pesos. Kokopeli wall hanging - three pieces - ceramic - $800 pesos. artandgail@yahoo.com. FOR SALE: I have beautiful Cathy Chalvignac and Javier Zaragoza paintings for sale. I am moving and cannot take them. Sadly parting with fine art. Contact: rdiamond99@ live.com. FOR SALE: counter-top dishwasher with manual. Needs no plumbing or carpentry. Quite new call 766-2489. FOR SALE: Wheelchair, Never used, Heavy duty, paid 7000 pesos, Make offer, Cell: 376-763-5664 FOR SALE: Bh fitness multigym, good as new, 3,000 pesos, To pick up in Ajijic Centro, Cell 333-394-9770. Email: malecone@ cloud.com. FOR SALE: Gently used men’s clothing. Lucky enough to wear man’s size 38. 2 pairs jeans, 1 slacks, 1 denim shorts, 4 shirts, lg. 100mx each. Thermals, joggers, bathing suit. 60 Mx each. Gently wor. Email: Doted4474@gmail.com. FOR SALE: Over 50 paintings for small and very large all sizes, price right to
sell, some you can canvas you can paint over to post pictures. Todo Bueno Resale Shop. Email: rvhowardrenz@aol.com. FOR SALE: Please pm me for more info if you’re interested in Warren Hardy Workbook #2, plus audio . In good condition, no writing in the workbook. 500 pesos. Includes audio. Email: v.v.kaskow@gmail.com. FOR SALE: Motorbike carrier. A rear mounted carrier that will carry one motorbike or small motorcycle. Up to 500 pounds, fits into a class 2 hitch. Is located in Roca Azul RV park . $5000 pesos, price is firm. Text or call 332 726 5718 More photos avail. I am posting for a friend, please contact him, Larry. FOR SALE: 1,500 Litre LP tank, no rust w/ remaining gas. Must be willing to move it. Call Phil 331-340-8115 or email: preitano@ netzero.net. FOR SALE: We’re selling 2 really nice, swiveling metal bar stools that have never been used. The measurements are: ht fm ground to top of backrest: 66.5cm/38in. ht fm ground to base of stool: 54cm/21.5in. cushions: 41cm/16in. cushion thickness: 4.5cm/1.75in. Please note that we’re selling these as a package (both) for $800mxn. 376765-5085 or 332-617-3588. FOR SALE: Lipitor 800 mg #90. Not outdated. 25% off best Lakeside price. Email: 1988jeopardychampion@gmail.com. WANTED: Juicer new or used. 766-0660. WANTED: I am looking for a large used hot tub. John: 3319429321 FOR SALE: 2 - Oversized Mexican chair, excellent condition. Changing furniture out. $4000 or B/O. Call Phil 331-340-8115 or email: preitano@netzero.net. FOR SALE: I have an almost new 88 key Casio piano. The keys are weighted and it sounds great. Casio CDP S100 digital piano. I am in town February 6-11. Price is $300 US or equivalent pesos. Call or text Danny at 208938-7966. US number. FREE: I have a used US doctor ordered back brace available for FREE!. It is especially designed for post spinal fusion surgery but also for anyone with lumbar pain. You can contact me at 331-746-1288. WANTED: I have recently lost my VA connection for CPAP supplies and will need to begin sourcing them locally. If you have unused supplies you would like to pass on for cheap or free to a needy Vet, please message me with what you have. I use a Resmed S9 with humidifier, but some things like hoses and masks and nose pillows may be universal. Yes, I know of the many online sources, but my budget is tight and I prefer this method as many people buy CPAPs and end up not using them. There’s no sense wasting good medical supplies. Email: carlabuchanan1@ gmail.com. FOR SALE: WANTED Gas BBQ Grill. In good condition. Email: sunnyvogler@yahoo. com. WANTED: Small chest freezer. Email: sunnyvogler@yahoo.com. WANTED: I am a piano student and am looking for a keyboard to practice on for the month of February or any part thereof. I know the Arts Centre offers rental time on their pianos, but I am looking to borrow or rent for more intense practice. I’ll be located in central Ajijic and would appreciate any leads. Email: jszostak46@gmail.com. WANTED: 2 matching end tables or nightstands. Trying to finish off a living room and we need 2 smallish tables. Condi-
tion = acceptable, there’s always magic in a can of spray paint. Email: kimanjo@gmail. com. FOR SALE: Stained glass panel. 10” W x 31” H. Needs to be cleaned up a bit, hangers soldered on the top or can install as is $300 MX. Call: 331-857-0798. FOR SALE: Dinnerware set, Napoli pattern, hand painted, dishwasher, microwave safe. 1 large platter, 8 dinner plates, 8 salad plates, 8 coffee cups, 7 cereal/soup bowls, 2 dip bowls. $350.USD. Call 331-065-9193. WANTED: We need a comfy occasional chair for an empty corner of our living room. Neutral color or pattern, style not very important as long as it’s not plaid Herculon from the 1970s. Email: kimanjo@gmail.com. FOR SALE: An on-demand 5 litre per minute water heater. Cal-o-Rex. Lightly used one year, in great condition. Decided to get bigger one for the whole house, saving gas. $2,750 mx obo. Email: mike 4v@mac.com. FOR SALE: Moving and selling mattress and wooden base for just $2,500 pesos. Please contact me at patricktimothymullikin@hotmail.com.Located in Guadalajara centro. FOR SALE: Looking for a 6 drawer dresser (no mirror), buffet or sideboard preferably in ivory or light color finish. I appreciate any help. Email: silkfleurs@outlook.com FOR SALE: Original Prada Shoes, size 24.5 Mexican, Only 1 time was used, price $3000 pesos.
FOR SALE: Individual Brass Headboard, Price $2,200.00 pesos. Call to Alma 331-0053109. FOR SALE: Trailer double axles excellent condition I used this trailer to bring my belongings here to Mexico, don’t need it anymore. Owners manual. US $5,900 OBO, 14 foot, 4700 lbs maximum weight , 14.5 feet Length, 6.9 feet Wide, 6.9 feet High & new spare tire, etc. US plates. Laura Zambrano 333-1007-319.E-mail: izaccion@gmail.com.
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El Ojo del Lago / May 2020