Wednesday, September 05, 2018
Band Practice
We've had one of these little practice parades every day this week, as the school kids prepare for the Independence Day festivities coming up next week. On September 16, the groups of young musicians from the schools all over town will march to the Plaza Grande and perform for the assembled citizens.
Tuesday, September 04, 2018
A First World Problem of the First Magnitude
OK, so we have this concrete patio that we plan to have tiled this winter, when it's dry. But for now, it is wet most of the time, especially under the corrugated fiberglass domo (added roof) that covers the area between the main house, the garage and the bathroom. That spot is the lowest point of the patio, so all the runoff drains there, and it often doesn't dry out between rains.
When I finally got up at 7:30, Larry had been up for two hours. The first thing he said was, "The pump is running." Joy unbounded!
With all our problems solved, I was able to reflect on my cushy life here in the mountains of Mexico. Privilege is lying awake worrying about not being able to flush the toilet.
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| The patio drains toward the house and stays wet under the domo. |
Over the course of the rainy season, algae begins to grow on the concrete. It may not hurt anything, but we don't like it. And if we don't remove it, the algae builds up into a thick coating that is impervious to Ajax, Fabuloso, Clorolex, scrub brush, broom and everything else we used to try to remove it.
Until we bought a pressure washer. Thank you, Amazon.
The pressure washer is small, certainly not one of the monsters we have seen (and have bought) in the U.S., but it does a nice job of prying the algae loose from the concrete. It does take a constant supply of water while in use, which we had not really thought about being a problem. After all, it rains every day.
Our biggest problem after we bought the house in 2015 was getting rid of all the water during the rainy season.
By now, fellow expats, you are shaking your heads and clucking your tongues. "City water and rain runoff are two entirely different things" I can hear you saying. You're right. You're right.
This is a little house with a little aljibe (in English, cistern). In fact, the tinaco (water tank) is bigger than the aljibe. The aljibe fills once a day and refills the tinaco, so we never run out of water.
Until yesterday evening. The patio was cleaned, showers were done, dishes were washed, teeth were brushed, but in the middle of one last hand washing before bed, the water from the bathroom faucet dwindled to a trickle and stopped.
“Larry, we’re out of water.”
“Ah, shit!”
A few loud drops on the domo told us the rain was starting, so we put two big trash cans under the drain spouts from the roof. The rain caused this problem and would also solve it. Those few drops stopped after a minute, but we were confident that rain would fill our cans overnight — it has rained every single night since June 12, when we got here.
Except last night. This morning, the cans were still dry.
Until we bought a pressure washer. Thank you, Amazon.
The pressure washer is small, certainly not one of the monsters we have seen (and have bought) in the U.S., but it does a nice job of prying the algae loose from the concrete. It does take a constant supply of water while in use, which we had not really thought about being a problem. After all, it rains every day.
Our biggest problem after we bought the house in 2015 was getting rid of all the water during the rainy season.
By now, fellow expats, you are shaking your heads and clucking your tongues. "City water and rain runoff are two entirely different things" I can hear you saying. You're right. You're right.
This is a little house with a little aljibe (in English, cistern). In fact, the tinaco (water tank) is bigger than the aljibe. The aljibe fills once a day and refills the tinaco, so we never run out of water.
Until yesterday evening. The patio was cleaned, showers were done, dishes were washed, teeth were brushed, but in the middle of one last hand washing before bed, the water from the bathroom faucet dwindled to a trickle and stopped.
“Larry, we’re out of water.”
“Ah, shit!”
A few loud drops on the domo told us the rain was starting, so we put two big trash cans under the drain spouts from the roof. The rain caused this problem and would also solve it. Those few drops stopped after a minute, but we were confident that rain would fill our cans overnight — it has rained every single night since June 12, when we got here.
Except last night. This morning, the cans were still dry.
 |
| I love having the patio clean. Next time, we'll pay attention to how much water we're using. |
We both slept poorly. Has the rainy season ended abruptly just when we need the water? Would the aljibe refill overnight? Was the pump damaged when the aljibe emptied? Was the water heater damaged? Should we move to a hotel four days before leaving for Mexico City and Alabama? Should we call a water truck to refill the aljibe? How long can I stay in bed before I have to pee?
When I finally got up at 7:30, Larry had been up for two hours. The first thing he said was, "The pump is running." Joy unbounded!
With all our problems solved, I was able to reflect on my cushy life here in the mountains of Mexico. Privilege is lying awake worrying about not being able to flush the toilet.
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