September REMEMBERS....

​I find myself this month... remembering,
filled with nostalgia of days gone by, filled with gratefulness for today,
and filled with excitement for the days to come. 
Remembering how precious life is.  

Every day brings breath, the spirit of God coursing through me.
I am so grateful for this breath.
For the little things that touch my spirit.  
The gentleness of a soft breeze against my skin.
The movement of the wind in the trees.
The sound of birds singing to me when I wake.
All the wild little flowers that catch my eyes and inspire me.
So many gifts and I don't want to take any of it for granted.
This includes my family and how much I love them.

I am so grateful as I remember my first baby born was on September first.  It also happens to be my best friend's birthday and this year...my first-born Janelle and her husband Chris gave birth to our second granddaughter.  Like how precious that is!   Meet Ophelia Grace, born on September 13, 2025, at 10:34 am.  Ernie and I are very proud grandparents indeed!

I started out the month with hives.  Found out the hard way that I was allergic to the leaves of a citronella plant.  The good news about this is that I found Dr. Nelly.  She speaks English and of course that all helps when your Spanish is not fluent.  Today the rash and itching are gone...so grateful.

I also volunteered for a cat sitting gig for one month.
It's located in San Augustine Etla, which is on the other side of the city from where we live now. 

I was curious of this area, and now I know unless one has a car, it's just a bit too far and expensive to get into town.
The views of the mountains, and the lush green fauna are stunning and the quiet of being alone has been good for my soul. 
But it hasn't been without challenges.  Challenges are good, for they help us grow and expand.  You can expand with joy or with the latter...frustration or fears...but I find the peace within me usually laughs at all the challenges these days and I can take it with a grain of salt, as my mother would say, and with age comes wisdom that there are many views of how we can interpret challenges.

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Meeting Haiku...cats are the funniest creatures.  From the moment I first arrived...Haiku came to me for a pet scratching.  Not every cat is so amiable.  So, I had a big sigh of relief from this.  This cat was chill.  
The first days were no picnic, but I managed to roll with whatever the universe was throwing at me. 

First thing that happened was the gas for the hot water ran out.  Now the owners were visiting family in France, so them explaining to me how to do things has been interesting, not to mention my eyesight needs light and the boiler is in an area that has no light and everything of course is in Spanish, but I was up for the challenge. 

Unfortunately for me...it took four days to get the gas and to figure out how to re-light the boiler.  This meant if I wanted a shower, I had to heat water up and use a bucket to pour over me.  No big deal...it seems the only real reason the gas hadn't come was first there was Mexico celebrating their Independence Day, and communication or the lack of it on my part.  I had to have Christa help me and eventually found success.  

Ernie my husband came out for a few days, and Christa came for a night.  We really enjoy each other's company and the first night we walked to a brewery that seemed to be in the middle of nowhere and we enjoyed an IPA and pizza together.  

When we got back from our walk...the house had been closed up, and a foul smell was coming from the bedroom.  Ernie found a tuft in the carpet that turned out to be a dead bird at the foot of the bed.  Haiku had brought me a gift.  

It's been a very long time since I had a cat and I have been re-introduced to their antics.

The house is old and has a few leaks when it rains...and since we are in rainy season, the bowls came out to catch water. 
 
What's that old saying when one is away the heart grows fonder.  I like to think that sometimes when faced with change...or a shock...it makes one re-evaluate and become grateful.  Ernie and I had time together to reconcile some areas of our lives, and I that we needed this time alone to re-examine our relationship of 45 years so changes could be made if we were to continue onward for the rest of our time on earth.  This time apart has been fruitful.

After Ernie went home, I had planned to try and make my way into town and go to yoga, and a women's gathering.  Seems easy, right?  I got up extra early.  And after all the usual chores, started on my way out the door, only to find a bird had somehow flown into the stairwell heading up to nowhere. 

​This is typical in Mexico, as they will build the stairs and then later add the upstairs.  First the cat and I were shocked.  Where or how had this bird gotten into this space.  I watched as the cat watched the bird and its head went back and forth like one of those dolls on a spring.  

The stairwell is closed at the top with a clear plastic covering and the bird who was not small was banging on this plastic.  The cat was watching it with great interest as I was trying to figure out how in the world could I get it out of the house.  I wrote to the owner, who couldn't believe that it had happened.  I found the tools through her instruction and went to the roof...thankfully most houses have a flat roof...this could be sometimes why they leak.  I was thinking the only way I could get the bird out was to undo the screws that held the plastic covering down.  The owner was concerned that I would break the seal to this plastic causing further leaks.  I was concerned that I was going to miss yoga, which I did and then miss the women's group.  So, I was frantically trying to remedy the situation.  

Well, just like I didn't know how that bird came into the house...the front door was the only way...I also don't know how it got out.  By the time I returned to see if it was in the stairwell...just like that it was gone.  I chocked it up that my angels were looking out for me and there was a reason for safety in the delay.  

This is my fourth year without a car.  I miss one, especially in these circumstances when I am far from the city and transportation is a challenge.  Yes, another challenge. The funny thing is the owners left me their car, but without insurance and I forgot my driver's license I wasn't keen for taking their car anywhere.  Not to mention that the roads here and the lights are no joke...it's like driving in a maze and there are topo's (speedbumps) everywhere which are often unmarked and will give a surprise.  

So, I walked.  To get to town, one must walk down this little mountain, cross the freeway, grab a collectivo that will take you into the city...good news it's not even a dollar to do this as you are sharing a vehicle with others.  Once you're in town at the drop off, you cross a busy road and start walking to your destination.  My destination is clear across town in a whole different section called Reforma. Thankfully a taxi found me walking and I jumped at the chance to lessen the 45-minute walk I would have had.  I was so grateful that he only charged me about $6.  So, in the end I made it the women's group and with time to spare. 

In the days that have followed, I giggled one day when I saw the cat had feathers stuck to each side of its whiskers, but this turned out to not be so funny, when I found the poor bird half devoured on my blanket.  The very same day the cat cornered a mouse in the bedroom, after hours of chasing the little creature, the cat wore it out and I was able to catch it and release it outside, hoping that it would survive the ordeal and be able to share the scary story with its family.  But alas, no such luck as two puppies found their way into the yard and carried it off to my dismay that it hadn't survived.    

After this, I started keeping the bedroom door closed in the afternoons.  

Well, it doesn't end here...with the animals.  I went to the kitchen a few days later, only to find Haiku chasing a rather fat gecko across the floor.  Finally, the other animal got the best of Haiku, the gecko went under the stove and eventually the cat gave up.  Haiku meowed at me...I said, "You're on your own".

That night I went to turn off the boiler and had a fright as a very large possum lives right by it in a hole in the ground.  
This all brings laughter as I have been tested, and comfort too, thinking how I love where I live and how funny life is.  I think I could see a children's book out of all of this. As I am writing this Haiku has showed up with another small bird.  Poor thing...Haiku seems to be quite the hunter.  

Seriously, this area of Mexico is so beautiful, full of butterflies, hummingbirds, dragonflies, these rather large neon green moths with really cool markings, and the flowers...don't get me started. I am getting great inspiration for my next painting.
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I brought art of course to work on...

So, the paintings I brought with me to work on are for the "We Are One" series and the "Angels Among Us" series.
​I am in love with it already and it's just got the blocking in finished.  I am working on a black background and so my first step is to block in with white paint so the colors will stand out first.  Here is a sneak peak, of what's to come.  This painting is called "Who Are You".

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Tomorrow the color begins.  The first stages are for figuring out how to get the idea onto the canvas.  Just like life, this is a putting on, taking off and figuring out what does work, what does not work.  I often will find moments when I get stuck, but the one thing I know is to ask.  Ask my angels, my guides for some direction.  It never fails to amaze me how within usually a day...inspiration comes so I can move to the next step.  
I also brought with me a second painting for my "Angel's Among Us" series.  It's of a woman who is dancing with Angels.  This comes from my own experience's feeling like there are thousands of angels dancing with me.  It's in the ugly stage right now...blocking in, adding shadows, and light, trying to figure it out.  
Each of these paintings are so different from one another and I kind of like that.  It gives me a change of pace from one to the other.  
Well loves...this is the end of my September memories, thanks for joining me, so until next time...keep creating your dreams and thank you for supporting mine.  
​Johanna

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