The Gift By Margaret Ann Porter   To suffer writer’s block is to drink a double-shot of dread and chase it with self-loathing. The empty page mocks you but there is no clever retort, no kinship that might be restored between dexterous thought and sharpened pencil. As the concrete begins to set around the feet […]

Bridge By The Lake By Ken Masson   This hand caused headaches for at least one pair when played at the Lake Chapala Duplicate Bridge Club in Riberas.  South, holding a powerful 2 suiter, started the bidding with his six-card diamond suit.  North replied with 1 heart and South now bid 2 spades.  Most players

The Third Death By Carol L. Bowman   The creaky, wooden kitchen chairs arranged around the Franklin stove, awaited the ‘reading of the will.’ My insides harbored sparks of secret excitement mixed with twitches of disappointment. The December snowfall worsened the foreboding gloom, bringing the miserable dreariness inside the room. I hated snow. Every Pennsylvania

The Soccer School   The Union Ajijic soccer school was started in January 2013 with the mission of providing a way to channel youthful energy in a positive direction.  It was founded by the Patronato de Futbol, Ajijic, an elected group of five people who are responsible for the soccer resources (fields, equipment, etc.) in

Winners! By Neil McKinnon   A recent newspaper carried an article about a gentleman who keeps a piece of paper pinned above his desk. The paper is a school progress report written when the man was 15 years-old. It states, “I believe he has ideas about becoming a scientist. On his present showing this is

Respect Is The Key Word By Kate Karns   Mexico has a great tolerance for odd-balls. In Ajijic there are a few retarded native boys, young men really. They are neither institutionalized nor hidden behind walls. They are given the same respect and gentle acceptance that the Mexican people give all of us. One lad

Fun Memories Of Mom And Dad By Bob Tennison   It was in my early teens that I realized how much fun my parents were, what a great sense of humor they had and how much enjoyment they received from playing tricks on each other, and especially on people lacking a sense of humor. One

Joyful MusingsBy Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC New Adventures Ahead     Life certainly brings some unexpected surprises. A truly serendipitous convergence of events brought about the sudden and unexpected sale of our home here at Lakeside. After much thought, my husband and I have decided to return to the U.S. We will be

Spain’s Fifty Magical Years By Morgan Bedford   From 1492 until 1542, a dozen men under the flag of Spain created by the right of discovery and conquest one of the great Empires of all time. We are literally talking of a handful of men, not the armies of Alexander the Great, Napoleon, Caesar or

CALIFORNIA—Once Again the Golden State! By Fred Mittag   “Economists know how to manage the economy; the problem is always political”—My economics professor, 55 years ago. But Charles Darwin explained biological evolution 154 years ago and they’re still arguing about biblical creation vs. evolution at the Texas State Board of Education. It’s embarrassing to our