The Sixth Year

A view of distant mountains

This month of June is the sixth anniversary since we first saw this house out in el campo. We owe thanks to the late Mel O'Hara for bringing us out here. We didn't actually move in until early August, as we had a house sitting stint to finish.

Our Mexican neighbors still ask us, "¿Estan agustos aquí?", even though we have been here 6 years. Our answer is, "Sí".

The house six years ago. 

Doña Cuevas at the present day house

Life out here has its pluses and minuses.

Let me count the bueyes

PLUSES
+ Relatively low rent
+Low maintenance, mostly done by our...
+ Good landlords.
+ Very friendly neighbors
+ Very quiet neighborhood (keeping in mind that this is still Mexico.)
+ Scenic views of cows, horses and occasionally, sheep. Free manure for Doña Cuevas' garden.

Bulls on the loose

+ Huge front yard, big enough for several gardens.
+Came with fruit trees, apple, peach and capulin.
± Huge back yard, but underdeveloped.
+All one level; no steps.
+ "Feels safe". Never had a crime "incident", although our former neighbors once had a burglary.
+ All tiled floors, including the garage. Washer-dryer connection in garage. Did I mention the roll down garage door?
+ Big kitchen, with 9 foot long counter/bar, plus cabinets and regular counters flanking the sink.
+ Decent sized dining/living room.
+ Plenty of windows, all protected by fly screens and decorative iron work.
+ Complete lack of local artisan decor. (This, IMO, is a plus.)

MINUSES
- 20 minute drive to Pátzcuaro. Highly unpredictable combi service.
- Eccentric and unreliable Internet connection. (Although it has improved a lot.)
- Lack of English speaking compatriots. We used to have a few, but they left.
- Paint job needs to be redone.
- Inside walls never have been painted. They just have a (used to be) white base coat.
- Some windows leak water during windy rainstorms. We lay down bath towels to soak up the puddles. Occasional roof leaks, but nothing heavy.

We think that the pluses greatly outweigh the minuses. We'll stay a while longer.