Valentine's Day

today was kind of a relaxing day. nellie went for a walk, i slept in and we later walked over to the local market for some fruit. one mexican peso equals about 8 and half cents depending on the daily exchange rate. today, among other things, we bought 4 oranges for 4 pesos, three tomatoes for 6 pesos and a huge bag of strawberries for 20 pesos. Most often, we have shopped for produce in the nearby market but we have been told that to get the truly fresh, or organic, items we should buy from the women who sit on the sidewalks. today, it was the strawberries that we bought from a woman selling on the street.
now the fruit and produce here does not look the same as at home. there’s not as much concern about displaying only the perfect coloured or shaped items, and a few bruises here and there just don’t matter . . . the oranges and mandarins look like what we would throw out at our supermarkets as they don’t do any waxing or use preservatives the way they do in north america. although the result is often that things may not look great, they certainly taste delicious and sure sell at great prices. how is it that i’m not even retired yet but I’m starting to think like a senior . . . can 4pm buffet dinners be far off?
after a nice stir fry supper we went out for what has become a staple . . . cappuccino and a shared dessert. oh, and it was slightly overcast and only got to 29 degrees today. there was a breeze blowing in the evening so I wore a sweatshirt to ward off the cold? what a weenie lol.
valentine’s day may be a special day in north america, but in mexico it is another huge celebration. as we headed out for our evening stroll we found literally thousands of people on the streets in a very festive mood. the ever present street vendors now had bunches of flowers and roses to sell, street performers were out in full force, music and some dancing . . . it’s true that in mexico you are never far from a celebration.