Around the garden

Lorena brought over and planted this Arroyan her neighbor didn't want. By her first description, I thought it would be bigger. I guess we'll just have to wait longer.It has fruit and flowers but don't know if they are sweet. Of course like most things in Mexico it has medicinal uses.

The foto of fruit and flowers I found on the Internet and I'm really anxious to see if that beautiful.

The piña is my second, away from the fruit we eat. This one looks healthier than my previous one so keeping lots of water and fertilizer on it

What's up in the garden

The garden has become pretty prolific this year. It's just about the end of the season for the Carambola (star fruit) but have had lots and the neighbors got their share. 

The papaya is really taking it's time, both trees. The one in the foto is tied to the wall due to being top heavy and heavy rain.

Two banana plants and they both have about as many bananas as in the foto. They too are taking their time. They grow in such a large clump I can't remember if they are the small super sweet ones or the  regular ones

The lime trees are also very slow and produced very little this summer. The first year I couldn't eat them all soo neighbors got some. Fingers crossed this year because one tree is full of flowers.

The Hoja Santa is huge and new plants are popping up around it. The roots send out runners. Asked my Canadian neighbor if she wanted one and she said "No Way" ..... they will take over your garden. Still haven't tried cooking with the leaves. You can wrap just about anything in them and then grill or bake them. Supposed to have an almost root beer flavor. Wiki gives these as possible flavors - eucalyptus, licorice, sassafras, anise, nutmeg, mint, tarragon and black pepper.

Pillo is gone as of last night

Pillo, a fixture in our community, died last night in Manzanillo. He's now in the box in his apartment and family and friends are holding the wake under the tent. Misa will be at our small church at noon and he will go directly to the Panteon. A couple guys from the family are digging the hole and blocking it in. Family didn't have the money to preserve him so he has to go into the ground quickly. Not sure we'll have time to buy flowers for the grave but we can do it later. Now we're trying to figure out where the money is coming from.

Our small church with Pillo and the coffin up front. The priest went on and on for over an hour talking about religion, God and the church with only brief mention of Pillo and his family. Guess he has to earn his pay.

Putting him in the hearse for the trip to the Panteon (Cemetary)

At the entrance to the Cemetary waiting for the grave to be finished

The grave which will soon be topped with a poured in place cement lid.

Lowering him in

Over 50 people in a caravan of 10 cars came to the Panteon. Lots of flowers sitting on the wet cement lid. I was kind of expecting someone to give a eulogy or say something but nothing.

A coral Christmas Tree

This is very cool and just popped up on Facebook as something I posted last Christmas. I still don't remember where I found it to give credit.

Sad night last night. A sweet old lady neighbor died two days ago and they held the velorio (wake) last night at their house. Lorena and I drove into Melaque earlier to buy flowers. Huge and very warm family. The announcement truck went all over Melaque, Ranchito, Jaluco and Pinal Villa. They brought her coffin in a little after nine and when we left after 10 there were nearly 100 people. It took 6 months for cancer to take her.

I've got Lirio

Water Hyacinth

In our little lagoon with the Crocodile on the road to Pinal, we also have some very pretty Lirio. While Lirio may be a plague in places like Lake Chapala or even our Laguna del Tules .... our Lirio is just pretty. Lorena wanted to pick some flowers and I noticed they were coming up with roots and a bit of soil so I suggested we take a few whole plants.

Mine had a big flower that disappeared the second day. This is day three and the flower is back or it's a new one. Not sure? The bucket just has water and the little soil that came with it.

First Sapodilla

Hugo noticed all the flowers thinking tons of fruit and I said that the tree has had those flowers for a long time and nothing comes of it. Looked around the back side of the tree and suddenly saw the first fruit. We had totally missed it. So now it looks like many of those flowers will turn into fruit after being 2 years in the ground. Don't think I've seen these in the market so tasting this one will be a first. Sounds exotic and even more so that it's a chicle tree.

Scientific name: Manilkara zapota.  Also known as nispero or chico sapote, this member of the Sapotaceae family is native to the Yucatan Peninsula of Mexico and Central America. Distribution of the fruit and trees began before Columbus discovered the New World, and now they can be found across the globe. 

Today the plants are cultivated almost exclusively for commercial fruit production, but the sticky sap called latex was also coveted by indigenous Americans. In fact, the sap is the original source of chewing gum or chicle in Spanish. 

The name "zapota" ultimately derives from the Nahuatl word tzapotl by way of the Spanish zapote.

Sapodilla fruit

Sapodilla flowers

Sapodilla in the market

Tropical Fruit Nursery - Sapodilla

A work in progress

Linda, my neighbor from Canada has painted a lot of plant designs on her garden walls and has tempted me to do something on my palapa wall. Her's are all palms or a few broad leaf tropical plants. I need to get a foto to pass along the idea. She was able to use shadows .... but I have no plants under my palapa for shadow or outline. She and I ended up holding a palm frond up against the wall and outlining with a pencil.

So Linda did the one on the right and me on the left yesterday.   I played with sky, bamboo and flowers today.   Totally new for me and with more white paint I can cover over anything..    The original arch looked like I should create a Virgin de Guadalupe shrine below it but I don't know her.   Really think I need another color or two beyond green and blue.   With more white ... it can be painted again.   Just like Graffiti 

The added work in progress was Nahima (our 3 year old neighbor) wanted to sit on our toilet and insisted for 20+ minutes.   She eventually headed home with her sister under protest and we assumed just another 3 year old stage.  She will be just as crazy/independent tomorrow .............

Yesterday palms only

Fillers, sky, bamboo and flowers

Nahima not on the "tazo de bano"

Roadside flowers

I'll call them flowers but technically they are a wild grass that seems to do best along roads and highways of Mexico. You'll see small patches away from the roads but long ribbons of this grass line highways in many areas. Very noticeable along the highway to Manzanillo from our area where the only color is green except for two pink/orange ribbons. Took these photos on the dirt road along the Marabasco River.

El Panteon

A Panteon is the local graveyard and we placed two wreaths on family graves today. The local Panteon for Melaque, Jaluco and Ranchito is out highway 80 not quite to the new bypass highway. Hugo didn't want to go because it's crazy busy with people but Lorena and the 3 kids and I went. Surprisingly there were very few people but many of the graves had been cleaned up and adorned with flowers, candles and wreaths. Then again at least a third of the sites looked like they had not been visited in years. There were a few guys cleaning around the entrance but by the overall look of the place no one is paid to do general maintenance during the year. Kind of on the depressing side.

The last photo is Lorena's aunt's grave. Like many they are deep and the next person in the family to pass will be placed above. Some covered and some not. The degree of ornateness depends on the wealth of the family and they range from covered in dirt to almost the Lincoln memorial in DC.   Lorena made a large wreath for Hugo's mom on my patio last night and a smaller one for her aunt this morning.

We've been taking specimens into Cihuatlan the last three days and pass the Panteon there. Euriel has a lung infection and is being tested for TB before he can take some drugs to help his immune system. The lab in Cihuatlan is where we take them. Anyway, the Panteon in Cihuatlan is 3-4 times larger than our local one so the Transito Police are in the street slowing drivers and giving parking tickets. Literally 100's of people there. A Misa (mass) will be held tonight about 5PM.

Panteon entrance

Flowers and food sold in front

Above average graves

Looking toward Melaque

Hugo's mom's grave with wreath Lorena made

Lorena's aunt's grave

Dia de la Cruz

Day of the Cross (May 3rd - Today) is a religious day in Mexico but is also a day to celebrate construction workers or like my neighbor says, Dia de los Albañiles or masons.

My neighbors wife has made crosses for my house twice before and since her husband is painting my house now she made another yesterday. I bought the paper and asked if she wanted the cross to work in her house. She suggested my place so I could see how she makes them.  A hot glue gun and little tie wraps hold it together. The fanciest one so far.

Wrapped the old cross to start over

Making the flowers

The fanciest yet