life in the hood

OK, Miki got up at 3 am but I told her - "dont' wake me up till there is something to see" so got up at 4:30 A.M. to watch the Royal Wedding. Miki had her tux all pressed and ready, but it was almost 32 degrees already, so she passed. I wore my birthday suit and my fanciest straw hat. Really nice couple, doing it right by actually having a relationship before they get married - we wish them every happiness!







So it turned out we had Mamita and the babies were with us for a few days instead of an afternoon, careful to not let them have contact with Mariposa while she was there, or Botas. We had 3 zones - dog zone in the front yard, mama and kitten zone in the house, and Mariposa zone on the back patio, except at night, when Mariposa slept with Daf and Mamita and kittens were on the back patio. On Friday mama and kittens went to Diane's, after exhausting all other options. Still hoping someone else can take them......










The little gaffers are just so sweet - the littlest black one is a worry, but is nursing well, and Mamita is looking after all of them so well. She had to have gotten preggers in her first heat - can't be more than 4 months old herself, and skin and bone. She has been eating like a horse at our place and has learned - in one day - how to use the litter box! Lovely calm affectionate cat.












The street cats were oblivious of all the kittens inside....just came for food every day, as usual. We will miss them, but turns out they will be fed every day - stay tuned for that story in the next entry!









Botas got to be in the house for visits on Wed with the cats in other rooms. We took him on Thursday to Summer Camp in the jungle (at Carlos's - the Dog Man), so he will be well cared for, have lots of nice dogs to be friends with, and a walled acre of land to play safely in. More pics coming Monday.





The good news is that we have rented our casa out for the summer to an American gal, Melissa, and her 2 kids, Eddy and Tamara until the end of October. We don't leave Mexico until the 11th of May, and she moved in on the 30th, so we are staying at one of Rob and Joanne's lovely vacant suites in town. The night we moved in we took ourselves out for dinner to Gaucho's to listen to this wonderful violinist.....great music and we were just 5 minutes from our new temporary home.








Completed our last day at the bookstore so are footloose and fancy free 2 blocks from the beach for the next week and a half. Had a lovely appie and margarita at Pelicanos.....














....and enjoyed the awesome view of the beach. So nice to have a few days to play before we leave....the last few weeks have been way too busy.

R.I.P. Mariposa

We sadly announce that dear old Mariposa is in cat heaven today. She is playing in the tall grass, chasing mice and sleeping in the sun beside a full bowl of tuna and a plate of cream.








As her feline leukemia symptoms increased, we had fewer and fewer options for her care, and today we made the decision to have her euthanised and out of distress.








She came to us last November and has been a gentle soul who we loved, spoiled and got lots of love back from her in return.








She settled in well, and we thought we had another furever home for her, but it did not work out, so she was back with us after just 2 weeks.







She loved to sleep on the patio in the sun, on the couch, right up against Daf all night, and was friendly to all our company during dinners and parties.










You were much loved, dear Mariposa, and we will miss you. Thanks to Dr. Guillermo for your kindness on this sad day.

mamita and babies....

Walked the dog to the end of the street to get some buns at the bakery. Right under a bush, on the ground, was a very small mama cat and her 3 tiny babies. With all the street dogs around, they would not have lasted long.
















So went home, got a cat carrier, and picked up mama first, who can't be more than 4 months old herself, and then added tiny babies. Mamita is very hungry and has gone through 2 bowls of food in the last hour. Too sweet - wish we were staying to look after them, but Diane will come tonight and take them home to a big dog carrier where they will have litter and room to grow.

hockey, rain and The Men

Another hockey night in Puerto Morelos.....good grief, what is going on with our Boys.....??














Ah, the tropics of Mexico.........one minute it looks like this.....................













And the next it looks like this!!! First rain since the beginning of March, so long overdue and very welcome......except that it rained out the last show of the season for the Men in Blues..............









.......so it had to move into the restaurant at David Lau's, which was crowded, but fun!










The Men really rocked tonight and brought the house to its feet........













Valorie (from Victoria), Abby (PM local) and Val's pal from Ontario are here again and loved the show!













See you next winter, Men in Blues!!!!

Yup - blog is officially fixed!

Final night in town for Mick, Bev, Lynn, John, Murray and Mario......starting off with dinner at Lau's, of course.











Then we moved on to Cantina Habernaros for some live music and dancing and picked up Diane and Michelle, other new friends from Ottawa!










Vertigo was great as usual and had us all up and moving!











Speaking of the Cantina, you will remember that we lost dear Ed in January, and his young wife, Natalie and 2 little kids are doing a great job (with lots of help from this town) running the bar and restaurant. Wednesday was Naty's birthday, so we all gathered to wish her a very happy birthday!










2 bands came for the celebration - Mark Mulligan and then Vertigo.










She was well honoured and loved, and Puerto Morelos will continue to support her and her family!

passports, friends and goodbyes

Went into Cancun to send off our passport applications (they were lost earlier this year) and had lunch at the Aquarium in La Isla, an amazing shopping mall on the lagoon, and next door to the Canadian consultate.






Dear Lee returned from Ontario after the passing of her dear Mom, and spent a couple of nights with us catching her breath before heading back to Ek Balam and the running of her business.





We had a final party for Bev and Mick, Lynn and John, who have headed back to Collingwood Ontario for the summer.




See you all next year, folks! We will miss you!

Is it fixed.....blog attempt.....

Botas has heartworm (the dog version of malaria, contracted by mosquitos).....sigh. It kills many dogs in Mexico, but we had him tested, and he is in the early stages, so once his treatment is over, he will be fine, and have monthly preventative medication from getting it again. For 2 weeks he had to have aspirin to thin his blood. Then 2 injections, a day apart, which knocked the stuffing out of him for 3 days. More aspirin for the following 3 weeks, and NO activity, hence the little jail he has been in for 5 weeks. Poor muffin, he feels so much better, but can't go for a run yet, so we go for sedate little walks so he can do his business. Another week or so and he can run like the wind again.






Omar and Yasemin, who come down every year, did their annual visit, so we joined them for breakfast at Pelicanos.










They divide their time between Santa Barbara and Turkey, with Puerto Morelos thrown in the mix a couple of times a year. Great to see them both again.











OMG - a REAL barbeque!!! We have now brought 3 barby's down here from Canada - and they all rust out in the first year. We priced stainless ones in Canada and they were anywhere from $300 - $1,000...! Then we found this beauty in Costco in Cancun - for $199!! Thanks to son Jason, it now sits proudly in our outdoor kitchen. Just need a propane tank and we will be ready for great barbys next winter!