Don't change my meter CFE

With all the stories of meters being changed without permission I wasn't gonna take the chance that these "on commission" installers would try to make a few bucks/pesos off my house. Now they are locked  and real official CFE people will at least have to talk to me to get in.

I took measurements of the opening to the large Aluminum place on the highway.  She did send someone out the next morning to measure and explain.  Still the new door was tight and Hugo shaved the bottom edge off and one side piece. Fit's very nicely now. I'll think about silicon.

The first picture is right after Hugo finished yesterday. The second is after I cleaned it up and painted today. I let someone paint the house numbers so I didn't criticize. Now the meters and the numbers are covered by an almond tree so another location is needed anyway.  No more numbers for now.

Yesterday after install

Today after cleanup and paint

CFE is installing Not Very Smart Meters and not always with the owners permission.  The first complaint is that you can only pay at CFE offices.  The second complaint is that you/we have to read it every month with a magic card and go pay at CFE.  The third complaint is you can't pay for six months and go away. This is all about saving CFE money with no meter readers .... but at huge public expense.

Either set up a real smart meter system where it's all automatic or leave it like it has been for years. This is simply a matter of the Government (CFE) screwing the people.

Finger print day for the old folks

This is not for everyone, just the ones that want to receive their bi-monthly Government assistance deposit of 500 pesos. I say deposit because they deposit directly to a Banamex account that your special ATM card accesses. It's also for those over 65 or 70, I forget which. The reason they need to come in every six months is to make sure they are still alive. The finger printing and foto ID are the extra security measures.

So not long before we made the Secondary school run Lorena said that Maria had to go to this meeting today and no one else had the ability or time to spend most of the afternoon in Cihuatlan.   I dropped them off and went about accomplishing nothing for over an hour.   Mexico has streamlined a lot of bureaucratic things in the last few years but this is definitely not one of them.   This is a painful full day if you are lucky experience.   Maria got in the disabled line so only about 3 hours for her.  If you could stand all day you probably were asked to and may return tomorrow.

Maria's problem that she has been through before is she worked so long washing clothes by hand she has no prints on her fingers (huellas or huellas de dedos).   Today again they were smooth and she has to return tomorrow.   They resolved this 6 months ago somehow and  we hope they can do it again

Front of the Casa de Cultura

Side door

Primary school books

Here`s an assortment of Primary school books that are free from the Mexican governemnt. Usually different colors for each grade - and nice art work. The bindings of these paperbacks are the weak point so every year I drill holes in them so Mari can bind them together with string.