Neighbor and Friend Livier Models My New Silk Creations Feb. 2015

Wanderings, Lunch at El Tango, Evi's discovery of Gray as a Background for the Silks

If You're Starved For Colour.....Mexico Provides....

Valentine's Day in the Square in Jocotepec

Sunday, Feb. 15 / 2015  

We are at the end of 5 overcast days, with sudden outbursts of rain and brief moments of wild wind. This is unusual this time of year, but weather in general is unusual due to global warming. Our little cobblestone country road turned into a river, splashing our already unimpressive rented refurbished Saturn with mud!

The temperature is still fairly warm for us, (70-75 degrees) but the humidity has our Mexican friends wrapped up in scarves, sweaters, fleece jackets and woolly caps. So don’t be fooled that every day in Mexico is a sunny paradise. It just seems no matter what happens here there is more humour and intrigue. People are stoic and go about life regardless of hardship. I have such respect for the folks here. There is rarely a day that goes by when I don’t witness unexpected generosity and kindness.

So here are some photos of the Valentine’s Day Kiosques in the Square. Despite cool weather, people were out hunting for treasures for their loved ones. The square is always bubbling with life; people of all ages appear either wandering or seated on the many benches. It is a meeting place. I always feel in Mexico people are very connected. They talk to each other freely regardless of age differences, handicaps etc.  I am not saying there isn’t the usual awareness of economic differences and I know that as a non-Mexican observer I don’t see all the “layers of the onion”. But I do see a person-to-person comfort that I enjoy.

It is truly sad that the media focuses on the horrors (and they are very real) but it would be nice if the world knew that the average Mexican helps his “brother and sister”. It is not done begrudgingly or with expectations. It is simply part of a very strong feeling of connection and empathy that I have observed over the 6+ years I have been spending winters here.

Last night our car overheated and steam was pouring out the hood. We were given a large bucket of water, and then went to a Service Station (it was getting dark) for assistance. The attendant was kind, helpful and carefully attempted to refill the radiator. He then called a “mecanico” who appeared in 5 minutes and jerry rigged the wiring so we could drive home. (this was done by flashlight, with his small toolbox)  The fee, 100 pesos ($8.00)!

The Tamarind Tree

I have been looking at things with more interest recently. I am less distracted and more curious these days. I was wandering around the square in Jocotepec, an ordinary Mexican town.  It was Valentine's day so most of my photos were of the merriment, kiosques and plastic fantastic junk they were selling. I looked up a tree I see often in Jalisco. I suddenly became interested in what it was called and what the large brown pea pods are used for. When I came home I researched this tree and now am anxious to purchase something herbal made from it's pods at the market. Here are some photos of the Tamarind Tree.

Medicinal Uses:Medicinal uses of the tamarind are uncountable. The pulp has been official in the British and American and most other pharmacopoeias and some 200,000 lbs (90,000 kg) of the shelled fruits have been annually imported into the United States for the drug trade, primarily from the Lesser Antilles and Mexico. The European supply has come largely from Calcutta, Egypt and the Greater Antilles. Tamarind preparations are universally recognized as refrigerants in fevers and as laxatives and carminatives. Alone, or in combination with lime juice, honey, milk, dates, spices or camphor, the pulp is considered effective as a digestive, even for elephants, and as a remedy for biliousness and bile disorders, and as an antiscorbutic. In native practice, the pulp is applied on inflammations, is used in a gargle for sore throat and, mixed with salt, as a liniment for rheumatism. It is, further, administered to alleviate sunstroke, Datura poisoning, and alcoholic intoxication. In Southeast Asia, the fruit is prescribed to counteract the ill effects of overdoses of false chaulmoogra, Hydnocarpus anthelmintica Pierre, given in leprosy. The pulp is said to aid the restoration of sensation in cases of paralysis. In Colombia, an ointment made of tamarind pulp, butter, and other ingredients is used to rid domestic animals of vermin.

Tamarind leaves and flowers, dried or boiled, are used as poultices for swollen joints, sprains and boils. Lotions and extracts made from them are used in treating conjunctivitis, as antiseptics, as vermifuges, treatments for dysentery, jaundice, erysipelas and hemorrhoids and various other ailments. The fruit shells are burned and reduced to an alkaline ash which enters into medicinal formulas. The bark of the tree is regarded as an effective astringent, tonic and febrifuge. Fried with salt and pulverized to an ash, it is given as a remedy for indigestion and colic. A decoction is used in cases of gingivitis and asthma and eye inflammations; and lotions and poultices made from the bark are applied on open sores and caterpillar rashes. The powdered seeds are made into a paste for drawing boils and, with or without cumin seeds and palm sugar, are prescribed for chronic diarrhea and dysentery. The seedcoat, too, is astringent, and it, also, is specified for the latter disorders. An infusion of the roots is believed to have curative value in chest complaints and is an ingredient in prescriptions for leprosy.

The leaves and roots contain the glycosides: vitexin, isovitexin, orientin and isoorientin. The bark yields the alkaloid, hordenine.

When I find some Tamarind herbal extract of some sort in the market, I will report the results of consumption of application! 

Our First Supper at Vive Mexico this Year Feb. 2015

We enjoyed dining with Bonnie, Jim, Bernadette, Alan and Sharon. Vive Mexico provided deletable treats and the atmosphere was warm, casual and copacetic. Augustine, the manager, is in better health and looks great. It warmed my heart return to San Juan Cosala and enjoy a reunion with folks we enjoy.

Painting on Silk, Experimenting in Colour in my Inside/Outside Studio....What Fun! Feb. 7/2015

I am combining a few different techniques and enjoying how much the intense sunshine kicks in the colours. I am occasionally using the "serti" technique and creating designs on each side of the silk scarf. I am overwhelmed by the endless colours I can create by mixing, then steaming to set the dyes. The colours become brilliant after the steaming and the silk remains soft and translucent.

I was delighted to sell two scarves already as I had only made 8. I am about to set out with sunscreen and a sombrero and turn my backyard into a studio again. I am nestled beneath an orange tree, the scent of lemon wafts over from the prolific lemon tree a few meters away. Bananas are waiting to be picked. There is an abundance here that I never take forgranted

One aspect of this abundance, is a feeling of  "having time" and not being distracted or preoccupied by a multitude of obligations. I love that feeling. Each day is like an empty white canvas and I can feel all the excitement as I decide how I will fill my canvas each day.

I send warmest greetings to everyone!

Evi

The Normal Events of Life are Always an Adventure in Jocotepec- Feb.6 /2015

Our visits to Jocotepec to do ordinary things always turn into adventures. We headed into town for Ivan's 50 peso haircut ($5.00). I walked around the square and came across a very interesting looking fellow in a mix of Aztec garb with a "twist".  He was playing the flute and wandering in between the fruit and vegetable stands. He was happy to pose for my photo!
I went to the Cell phone station to put more pesos on our phones and enjoyed the wonderful family scenarios in the square, opposite the main church. Joco is a safe, friendly service town. It is so different than Aijijic  (30 minutes away) where most of the "gringos" live.  Aijijic is pretty too, but very "gentrified" touristy and most things cost twice the price.

I am enjoying the endless variations of fruits and vegetables I've never seen before that appear in baskets sold by individuals on the roadside. Colour is the theme in Mexico. When we first arrive from the dark rainy Pacific NW I am colour starved. As the seasons change our Hibiscus and other flowers bloom. The houses are painted in yellows, pinks, bright greens and reds. There is an interesting harmony between nature and what is man made.

I look forward to many more walks in the town I love, with my camera to allow me to look....even more deeply....at a later time.

Hope everyone is well! I know many of my friends are also enjoying sunny climates in various parts of the world. And many are keeping the home fires burning where our BC Coastal weather offers changes and moods that are equally painterly.

I love the BC skies and the sea, but my body and soul needs the sunshine and warmth of this culture during "invierno" (winter)!

Shopping in Jocotepec, Bright Yellow Squash Flowers, Supper with Bonnie and Jim, Evi's Chocolate Cake, Kiss with a View!

Daily shopping trips to town are always a joyful event. Food is fresh here, so needs to be purchased daily. The lively town scenes of merchants with  tables of radishes, or bright yellow squash flowers for soup make each street a colourful event.
I managed to find ingredients for a traditional chocolate cake, Ivan made a terrific curry with all kinds of fruits and fresh chicken. Jim and Bonnie joined us for dinner. It was wonderful to share stories, comparing travel experiences and discuss the  "state of the world".  Jim and Bonnie are one of our many favoured guests offering us new ideas and thoughts, and happy to relax over food and drink during a lovely Mexican evening.