April 2026

Born in Scotland in 1944, Jim McLaughlin and his wife, Joyce, emigrated to Toronto, Canada, in 1969, two days after they married. He worked as a systems developer in the Department of Justice for six years and then became Administrator of the Ontario Police College. They moved to Calgary, Alberta where Jim had been appointed

Two years ago, my wife and I were in a roll-over accident. She suffered a fractured pelvis and was bedridden for 6 weeks. I walked away with what I thought were only minor cuts and bruises. Twenty-one days later while caring for her, I suddenly lost control of my right hand and arm. It lasted

LCS Education & Culture – April Community Highlights The Education and Culture Department of The Lake Chapala Society continues to expand its dynamic monthly offerings for the Lakeside community. In addition to our popular signature classes—Mexican Manners, Introduction to Spanish, and How to Get Your Driver’s License—LCS is pleased to present new learning opportunities that

We tend to think of agriculture in human terms. But when our ancestors began rudimentary farming about 12,000 years ago, leafcutter ants were millions of years ahead of us. Surprisingly, their story began some 66 million years ago, when an asteroid believed to be about 10 kilometers wide slammed into the Yucatán Peninsula. The Chicxulub

Artificial Intelligence offers tempting tools for writers of all kinds. For students and academics, it speeds up research, structures arguments, and polishes grammar. For creative writers, it generates story prompts, plots, and poetic language. These conveniences save time and effort—seemingly a win-win. It’s no wonder that students, under pressure to produce assignments quickly, or new

The British say that the car keys have “gone missing.” When I first heard this as a child, it made me imagine missing as a place. I thought those lost keys had to be somewhere, perhaps between the sofa cushions, or stuffed away in a coat pocket in the closet. This notion led me to

A letter to my fellow Agenarians I want to ask a simple question; one I suspect many of us carry quietly. So much of what is called progress no longer feels personally relevant. The past has been lived. The future no longer presses. The present is shaped largely by what life has already given. Am

“The most beautiful thing we can experience is the mysterious…He who can no longer pause to wonder and stand wrapped in awe is as good as dead – his eyes are closed.” ~Albert Einstein How easy it is to stumble through life, eyes half closed, oblivious to the magic surrounding us, if not as good

Daria Hilton editorelojodellago@gmail.com A Note to Readers Some readers noticed that a few listings were incomplete in last month’s Lakeside Living column. An editing error on my part resulted in information being left out, and I regret the oversight. I also want to thank Lillie Henley for the energy she brought to the column over

Environmental Protector, Humanitarian, Humorist Larry Kolczak’s wife, Betty Petersen, was an artist who was so drawn to Ajijic that, when Larry retired in 2009, they already had a home here waiting for them. When Betty died three years ago, after a marriage to Larry of 35 years, which brought the gift of four stepchildren, one