Saturday October 17
I was barely awake at 8:30 AM when the phone rang. To the typical Mexican greeting of “bueno” I heard Ann’s voice from Montana. It was a pleasant way to wake up but the conversation put me in such a mellow mood that I returned to bed and was soon back to sleep. I awoke prayed read and went back to sleep and finally got awake enough to read until about noon. Breakfast at 1:00 is not unheard of in my normal schedule but it is not a regular occurrence either.
After dressing I got my shopping bag and headed for the farmers’ market in the town square. I walked about just taking in the sights and sounds and smells and then began casing down my favorite merchant’s long table piled high with fresh fruits and veggies memorizing in my mind the things I needed to buy. You don’t have to know all the names but it helps if you know them. I picked up some bananas and handed them to the gentleman behind the broad table. I then headed for the apples and picked out a few of them. A melon was next followed by plum tomatoes and a few oranges. I asked the price and while he was figuring it up I added a pear wrapped in green tissue paper. Getting the total I asked if he had change for a bill which he did and I started on my way. At the end of the table I spotted some carrots so I handed him four of them for which he wanted three pesos. I gave him the money and deposited the carrots with the other items in the bag. I was happy I did not have to utter my usual confession about my inability to speak Spanish very well.
At the next stand I was not as fortunate. I was looking at rather intricately tooled leather belts. Actually I was looking at plain ones until I found out they were all the same price. About halfway along in the conversation I had to admit that my Spanish was rather poor but the negotiations continued until I was the proud owner of a new leather belt for jeans I bought just before leaving the States. On the way home I met Joel coming toward the market. I showed him the belt which he said was worth about 70 or 80 pesos. I do not bargain so I guess I gave the little Mexican lady about a $3 US tip for the transaction. To me a $11 US leather belt is still a bargain.
In keeping with my Sabbath day of rest I did little else until about 7PM when four of us headed back to town for tacos. As we approached the little restaurant we spotted a couple of Canadian friends and chatted with them as they shopped the same stand where I had gotten my produce earlier. The only difference was they were closing the stand. The tarps were all put away and most things were already back in the boxes. The vendors were happy though for one more sale and since the family was large there were large bags full to load into the truck at the conclusion of the transaction. We invited them for tacos after several minutes of conversation but they agreed to join us after one or more errands were complete.
We walked a few steps over to the taco stand and entered through the wide open arches. We chose one of the square white resin tables with of course matching four chairs and put in our order. Valerie’s son got us glass bottles of soda (pop to most of us at the table) and we chatted as we waited for our order. The soccer game on the TV over my head was mostly ignored until the cry of GOOOOOOOOALLLLLLLLLLLLL was heard. Then all heads turned with large smiles to see the instant replay. Our friends arrived and sat at the adjoining table and we chatted for a long amicable period of time as more tortillas were brought out and more taco fillings were ordered. On the walk home I picked up one of my favorite Mexican treats a Magnum ice cream bar. Everyone else claimed to be too full but I think the temperature in the breezy sixties was too “cold” for my friends more accustomed to the tropical climate.
Well rested I worked on catching up on my blog but internet problems forced me out in the chilly rain with my computer to find a better spot at a picnic table under a tin roof. It was nearly 1:00 AM before I got to bed.

Sunday October 18

I awoke today much earlier than was needed but as I said I had really rested up yesterday. I called Ann. She was getting ready for her ministry to the little ones with the story of Joshua. I then tried without success to upload some pictures. I may need to get to a stronger internet signal. Since there was a large block of time to fill before church I decided to police my pictures in the computer which were getting overwhelming with multiple copies of many and to clear out my camera chip of some videos that were putting me near the limit. That accomplished I dressed in a long sleeved shirt in deference to the overnight chill and headed up the path to one of the rear gates to the compound here. Letting myself out by unlocking the metal slide bolt and being careful to lock it behind me I head up along a scraggly pasture land. As I walked I noticed that the ant holes were all closed ostensibly I surmised against the cold. Perhaps they close them every night and it was just too cold to be out and about this morning. I skirted a field of agave. Some agave is used in the manufacture of tequila but I am not sure if this is of that variety. Passing more ant holes tightly closed I notices some burro tracks along the path. Turning through a break in the shrubbery I passed the turkey pen and unlatched the chain link gate to let myself into Lila and Elly’s yard.
While waiting for church to begin I chatted with an older retired translating couple now retired who drive from their home in Oklahoma for a return to their home in Mitla twice a year. They are still connected to the village where they worked and love to travel there to renew old friendships. The worship songs were chosen from a hymnal and I enjoyed the a cappella singing of hymns I had not sung in years perhaps decades. The sermon was as usual a video of last week’s sermon at a Cornerstone church in Southern California. The message was based on the tenet that as God’s ambassadors we need to not only tell what the true God is like but we need to show His characteristics in our actions. By the end of the message I needed to get alone with God so after a couple of minutes of small talk I headed down the hill to my apartment to spend some time in prayer and soul searching.
Since I had not eaten breakfast before church I munched on some fruit and melon as I prepared a small lunch and put it in my backpack. That done I headed for the other side of Mitla where there are some fascinating Zapotec ruins. As a change of pace I deserted my usual route to town, headed in a different direction took a narrow path through a field I thought I had taken before and following a few streets I had not traveled before soon arrived at the familiar town square. From there it is an increasingly steep climb up to the ruins. As you near the site large tourist busses mark the way. Their huge bodies fill the narrow streets and they have only inches to spare as they navigate the sharp turns from one small byway onto another. Leading up to the entrance small kiosks under tarps and tent like structures line both sides of the way. Vendors vie for the attention of the tourists as the guide led clusters of various language groups make their way from the tour busses to the entrance. Vendors offer all sorts of craft items from jewelry to clothing to pieces of art.
At the entrance I am of the opinion that as a pensioner I do not have to have a ticket. Not being totally sure that that applies to the weekends I join a group of older Italians as they pass through the entrance. I listen to the guide for a minute and then wander off to a bench under an ancient tree and begin to devour my sandwich and fruit. I have visited the ruins before but the intricacy of the patterns and the skill of the architecture still impress me. The last time I was here the my camera battery became exhausted just as I got to the end of one of the underground passage ways so I wanted to explore that a little farther and take some pictures. After about a half hour of viewing I headed down the hill toward town and this time took the time honored route back to the center. On the way back from our taco excursion last night I was saying that I did not remember the mounds we were walking over. Today I noticed why. We had taken a route halfway between the broad path and the narrow path. I usually carry a flashlight for the walk home through the fields if only to see where the burros might be tied. Last night I had forgotten one but now have one affixed to my keychain.
For supper I fried some over easy eggs. Not pretty but well cooked and with a little wheat toast and butter and some fresh cantaloupe and homemade cookies for desert I was well satisfied. The day has almost ended as I catch up to the minute on my blog. Now I will make final plans for tomorrow and of course make a short call to Montana.