90 and it feels like 102

Those are thunder heads I can from my roof.   They are inland over the mountains.   Do you think there is the slightest chance they will move this way .... maybe in the evening?   We have been hoping and the Manzanillo  airport weather station often gives us a 30-50% chance but none yet.

This is the chance of thunderstorm Icon that I see every week for a few days.   Obviously father/mother weather does not read the Internet nor does rain God Tlaloc.

Today this is what we got ... and you'd better believe I'm headed for the pool after I write this.   Lately I'm sleeping on a towel because it's easier to wash than the sheets twice a week.   And I thought September and October were the warmest last year .... but at least they included some rain.

Temperature today
32 °C = 90 F
Feels Like 39 °C = 102 F

Morris runs for Mayor

Morris the cat runs for mayor of Mexican state capital Xalapa

As political animals go, this one hopes he will be grinning like a Cheshire Cat come election day.

A feline by the name of Morris is in the running to be mayor of Veracruz state capital Xalapa, in Mexico.

Armed with a paw-ful of policies, he has been put forward as the citizen’s candidate in the July 7 election.

With the campaign slogan ‘Xalapa Without Rats’, he promises to do pretty much the same as other politicians – which is not a lot except sleep and take it easy.

His Facebook campaign page also insists that, although he is likely to cause a mess on a regular basis, at least he will cover it up and not leave it lying around for everyone else to clean up.

It looks like the pledges are connecting with the electorate as his Facebook page currently has more ‘likes’ than three of the four main candidates in the election.

And while Morris claims to have a weakness for ‘quilts, sheets, pillows, couches, and clothing in general’, his supporters are hoping he doesn’t become just another fat cat if he wins power.

Morris the cat runs for mayor of Mexican state capital Xalapa

Southern Hemi Swell

There's a lot of talk here in Melaque about the large surf we've been getting the last few days.  Some people have reported waves as high as 3 meters but I've not seen them.   There are signs the water has reached the cement bulkheads but probably only at high tide.  On the other hand Puerto Escondido has been getting some exciting surf.

Surf Gallery 07 Junio – 2013 Puerto Escondido, Oaxaca, Mexico

During the months of May through September, swells generally approach California from the south and southwesterly direction. These swells are generated by storms in the South Pacific near New Zealand. South Pacific swells, also called Southern Hemisphere swells, travel thousands of miles across the ocean before breaking along the Southern California coast and can produce surf up to fifteen feet. These swells can be very unpredictable with long lull periods, making the ocean appear calm at one moment and then unleashing wave after wave the next.

Spraying for Dengue

Another of those I didn't have a photo situations. Usually I'm in a closed up house when the spray trucks go by but this time we were all out on the patio. He passed the other side of the street and I took these on his return. As he passed I was back in the yard but still got a good whiff of the stuff. Neighbors assure me it's harmless but from the smell I wouldn't say so.

Centro de Salud has been making their yard inspection rounds and putting little bags of poison in anything that might hold water. The Cihuatlan Municipio is currently collecting old tires, buckets, etc and have hauled away tons of stuff so far. Below is a Canal 235 article on trash collection.

Cihuatlán Township statistically has been strongly affected by dengue disease that keeps it in first place in the State of Jalisco. In order to reduce the number of people infected, state and local authorities conducted a campaign in coordination collecting 162 tons of water holding vessels during the months of April and May.

Colectan 162 toneladas de cacharros para disminuir el dengue

Hacienda in Oaxaca

I've seen Haciendas for sale mostly in the Yucatan with many retaining much of their former glory. This one had no glory left and was not even the house but the crop storage barn. Don Pedrillo is the old Hacienda name dating back 400 years and was later incorporated into larger land holdings.

Everette and Beth Deese bought this old place back in the early '90's, did some support work on it and then let it sit until 2007. Quite the project compared to what most Expats undertake to build a house in Mexico.  A number of interesting photo stories about their project on the Blog.

Everette and Beth Deese | Photos of Don Pedrillo