A Day in the Life

I love looking at the lives of others.  Especially when their world is so different from my own.  My grandma's life in Mexico is definitely different from my day to day.  I asked her if I could share this with you.  I think this could be an interesting little series.  If you would, please send me your typical day and I will post it, linking back to you, in the coming weeks.  I promise to share my own typical day as well.

Today is a guest post from my Grandma Florence also known as Flossie of "Flossies Fast Food Fly Through" A feeding station for hummingbirds.

I'll try to tell you a few things I do daily.
 

Before dressing I shake my clothes & shake out my shoes. I have never found a scorpion but others have, Scorpions are not every day things but they are around. I have never been stung.

We do not flush toilet paper. The pipes may be cement tile that is rough & snags the paper to clog the pipes. I have a sign that says No paper to be flushed. The bank & Library have signs too. I keep small plastic bags to put the paper in & the garbage man comes by every day except Sun. I have to have the garbage out before 7 am! 

We have a dry season & a rainy season. Of course it can rain a bit in the dry season too. The ad for our area calls it "The Land of Eternal Spring". It never freezes but I saw 43* once & 45-50*some nights in Dec & Jan. Rainy season can begin in May but usually about June 13th & lasts until Oct. Dry season the mountains are brown & rainy season beautiful green. 

Most Mexicans shop daily. They eat lots of corn flakes for breakfast & sweet rolls & milk or hot chocolate. The little stores make sandwiches of this ham like loaf & cheese & hot pepper & wrap them & sell them. The Mexican people eat anytime. If you go any place by bus or car you will see small stands & people eating. There is no water to wash hands or dishes so they put a plastic bag over the plastic plate & a new bag for each person. Saves water anyway. 

I walk to the store most mornings. Not for the warm buns that all stores sell, but looking for damaged or over ripe bananas. I love bananas & so does my dog. I buy a Papaya there each week. I buy eggs there too. They are sold by the Kilo = 2.2 lbs & are put in a plastic bag to carefully carry home. I have 2 cartons to put them in. There can be 14-16 eggs depending how big they are. Eggs are on the counter NOT in the fridge. On Fri morning I walk 4 blocks round trip to the plaza where they sell fruit only on Fri. I usually buy a few things & carry them home. Then Sun at 10:30 am my pastor picks me up for church. Near the church is a grocery store & then a tortilla place & then a fruit market so he stops & I buy more fruit & veges & corn toastadas at the store.  That is where I get heavy stuff as I get a ride to my door. I get my Jiciama there. It is a root vegetable that you peel & slice or cube to eat raw. Some people put lemon juice & salt on them but I don't. I seldom eat meat but eat beans,brown rice & barley & cheese & eggs. My eggs have been less than $1.00 a Kilo & here eggs are $1.50 on sale & MORE a dozen. I give away parsley,basil & lemon grass.   All fruit & veggies that can't be peeled we soak in drops of a disinfectent to kill parasites.  I have a friend who soaks melons,Papayas,bananas & eggs. I don't! Parasites can make you sick. I take a pill about once a year to kill off any I may have. Some people take a pill every 6 months. I do peel & cut up my Papaya & Cants  & put in quart Yogurt tubs that people give to me. Then they are ready to use.

I used to walk to the post office, but now as it is up a slight hill my gardener brings me my mail. I found out he went after mail for another lady so asked him to bring mine.