Expat in Mexico... the journey continues!

 One activity I have sorely missed from my last couple of years living in Sacramento was my side business of dog sitting. Since that opportunity has not been here for me in Oaxaca, I have had to get my "dog fix" as frequently as I can whenever I am out walking. Dogs-- pets and street canines alike--are plentiful in this town, so I can often find opportunities for exchanging pats for licks!   However, nothing can compare with an actual day of dog sitting, and most happily, this opportunity finally landed in my lap! I have a new friend here in town--a Colorado transplant--and she came as a package with her pet "perro":  the cutest little beagle I have ever seen. Although already 6 months old, this precious little Clover has not lost her petite-ness or her puppy-ish little face. In short, she is completely adorable.  When Jamie left her in my care, we spent the entire morning playing fetch, tug-of-war, and going on a two-hour walk in El Centro. I was amazed at the rapi

 The rain has begun in Oaxaca in earnest. I had been told this would be coming in June, but what I didn't expect was that the temperature would drop considerably as well, so it is like we are having a second winter here. Brrrr!  Still, it is all worth it: everything is turning so beautiful and green, in and above the town, in the hills. After so many months of dryness and brown vegetation everywhere, it is a most welcome and refreshing change. Plus, I never fail to delight in the almost daily, afternoon thunder and lightening storms that move in from the mountains, providing a wonderful show out of my large, bedroom windows.  Agog on my terrace--before the rain drives me back inside-- it is even better, owing to my 360 degree view.  And then, just yesterday, a new element was added in: a huge, beautiful rainbow to the east, just as the sun was setting in the west. As I watched in awe, a second rainbow joined in the display...fainter than its twin, but still visible. What an incredi