The Times are a-changing

March 16 We woke up and had breakfast. Ron took off for a haircut a few blocks away. I read the NY Times briefing regarding the falling stock market. YIKES! The landlord and her helper came over and brought a five-gallon bottle of water for the dispenser. After Ron returned, we walked across town to Fabrica Aurora, a former textile mill that was converted into a high-end shopping area with multiple art galleries and wonderful shops. We drooled at the artwork and products being sold but didn’t buy.  Ron took some photos, then we sat down in an outdoor eatery for lunch. We have been to this market many times in previous visits and the crowds were thinner than usual. Two couples near our table were chatting and I heard them say they were leaving early. The state of Guanajuato where we are has no reported cases of the virus. That doesn’t mean there are no cases. We stopped in a plaza and took more photos on the way home and we stopped at the bakery and again b...

March 15 We slept in because we stayed up watching Tom Hanks in the Mr. Rogers movie until 12:30 last night. Today the governor of Guanajuato state announced there were no reported cases of the virus in San Miguel. He also announced that all government-sponsored events in the state were being canceled effective today until further notice. Brilliant… starting to limit gatherings BEFORE the virus is diagnosed here. Ron tried a long time online and on the phone to get tickets home before our scheduled departure on April 7 th . The systems are so overloaded that every phone call resulted in a recording in Spanish and then the call was disconnected. Online, it took forever to get to the site and after inputting all our information, the screen would revert to the first screen being blank. We remain calm and will persist but we know we may have to weather this storm here. We walked to the large modern grocery store and it was crowded but manageable. We got a few items being hop...

March 13 We slept in until 7:30 and snuggled...what bliss to have the time to go slow. Last night was warm so we opened two bedroom windows that are small and high up so it isn’t a safety issu e. We removed the duvet which is too hot for this climate and just used a throw and the top sheet to cover ourselves and had a great night of sleep. We left the house around 11:00 and headed up to Biblioteca Publica, an organization that has a large library of English language books, multiple programs such as lectures, films (mostly documentaries), and tours, local and outside of the city,   all of which raise funds for local needs such as medical and dental for the poor, education scholarships for the poor, etc. They publish a bilingual   weekly paper that has articles on local issues and a calendar of events. Let me say there is NO shortage of activities a person can participate in.   We bought tickets for a house and garden tour on Sunday and checked on tickets for a lec...

March 11 We slept well, which is always a gift. I woke up around 6:00 and got up about 6:30. Ron was up shortly after. We read emails and I made coffee in our little kitchen. Being a coffee nut job, I brought my own grinder and beans. Yes, I know I’m weird but age has its privileges. We showered and headed up the street to one of our favorite cafes, less than a block away. Fresh fruit, mushroom and cheese omelet for me and eggs with chorizo for Ron. We also had Americanos to drink. Yum! We came back to our home and got organized. The first stop was a hardware store for some plugs with multiple outlets, then on to our favorite market where we got groceries; cheese, artisan bread, granola, rice salad for lunch with our cheese sandwich, butter, and disinfectant for veggies when we buy some. Most probably we will eat in for breakfast and out for most dinners and do both for lunches. Our kitchen has a little coffee, and sugar and powdered creamer that we don’t use. That’s it. S...