We Found A Temporary Workaround

living.boondockingmexico@yahoo.com

We've never been much to accept "no" as an answer.  Wednesday we leave for the house in San Miguel de Allende (SMA).  I still don't have my first IMSS check.  IMSS is undergoing a major restructuring in the pension system.  My paperwork was accepted but not sure when the data entry to release the funds will happen.

In the case of Juan, paperwork snafus that will take him until December to get fixed.  It is fixed but like mine, it's just a matter of time.  Too many details to bore you with but it will happen.  In the meantime, he has asked for a permit from his classes.  He found a teacher to take his place and he will be paying her his salary minus any bonuses which he usually receives for seniority, union benefits, etc.  We're free until December to roam as we please.  

There are things we have ordered for SMA that are waiting for us to install and have some minor changes done for now.  We'll probably be driving in the rain as Hurricane Orlene will be hitting the west coast and driving north through Chihuahua and to the northeast.  I'm thinking we will pass on the mountain road we normally take and take the highway to Saltillo and then head south.  

You're probably wondering what we've been up to since my last post over a month ago.  Thank Kevin as he sent me a message wondering where we were and why I hadn't posted.  It's just that you'd get bored with the little trivial things we do around the house.  It was the worst summer ever and one reason we like Guanajuato.   Summers are cool and nights are chilly.   This summer here in the north it has been hell literally without water and temps in the mid-100s.  We received the highest electric bill ever, 1245 pesos for two months.  That's roughly $32 USD per month.  

We had a dog for a spell.  He appeared on the road and was living under some junk in the empty lot next door.  I began feeding him twice a day.  He's a playful guy and very obedient and easy to train.  We couldn't keep h.im with our upcoming adventures plus he is a big dog,  I went to the city and applied for an adoption process.  They have an agreement with a local vet (they change the vet every year so there is no corruption) who will spay or neuter the pet, vaccinate and eliminate parasites and fleas, and ticks.  The city pays them a stipend and puts them on the adoption page.  The new owners pay a part of the bill.

I also put in a petition to add street lights to our road.  A new one and replace an old one.  If you remember, they changed out a post across the street that was about ready to fall and never put the light back.  The CFE still had the light and never turned it over to the street light department (departamento de luz alumbrada).  I went to the town hall, found the lighting guy and he called the CFE only to find out they still had it sitting in their warehouse.  That's how we roll, out of sight out of mind. 

The road was never paved and won't be in my lifetime.  I am working on a new agreement to have river rock spread after they level the road.  I used to have the leveling done every couple of years and I got tired of being the fall guy.  No one was ever happy and after the last time, maybe three years ago, the neighbors were not happy with the work and made themselves very clear.

Nuevo Leon weathered the drought.  Water is filling up our three reservoirs but we still have a long way to go.  Monterrey was without any water for more than six weeks.  The faucet is back on and people are being advised not to get water happy just yet.  The lake here is open again and catamarans are floating and taking their restaurant guests out on the lake.  This last Sunday it was so packed they had to close down the entrances because of overcrowding.

The three major things we hope to accomplish this trip to SMA will be having the vertical blinds hung that we ordered, screens for all the windows (not common in SMA especially aluminum), and repairing the aljibe.  An aljibe is like an underground cistern and is used in addition to the 5000-liter tinaco we have on the roof.  The aljibe has an electric switch in it, still working but corroded and the register is exposed to excess water when it rains.  That will have to be addressed.  All in all, this will be a week or more of relaxing and visiting with friends.  I need to post pics so you can see some of the people we know and the neighbors as well.