December 2009

Feathered Friends By John Keeling Yellow-rumped Warbler   Our garden in Ajijic is currently over-run by small birds calling “skwit, skwit, skwit”. These are Yellow-rumped Warblers, so-called because the lower back is yellow, though it is often hidden by the folded wings. They also have distinctive small yellow patches on each side of the breast.

CHILD of the month By Rich Petersen Nicolás Castro Pacheco    This is four-month-old Nicolás Castro Pacheco, in the arms of his mother Maricela. His parents are different from many of the Niños families we help in that they are both university educated and have better-than-average jobs. Why would such a family come to Niños

Wondrous Wildlife By Vern and Lori Gieger No Hares Here   Turtles are found on every continent except Antarctica, living in habitats from the cold North Sea, to arid deserts. Turtles have survived for over 200 million years, and have changed very little. They all have shells, but the shells can vary from being soft

THIS WORLD of OURS By Bob Harwood Europe Points The Way   The Versailles Treaty of 1919 simply set the stage for World War II. But after two devastating wars in a generation former adversaries set out to curtail national sovereignty that a continent torn by war forever might war no more. In 1951 key

Lakeside LivingBy Kay Davis Phone: (376) 766-4774or 765-3676 to leave messages Email: kdavis987@gmail.com December 2009      Events are listed by date, like a calendar: past events, then those planned for the future. Some organizations offer multiple events or dates, and these items appear toward the end of the column.      In October CASA, the Culinary Arts Society

Welcome to Mexico! By Victoria Schmidt Business Hours   The handwritten sign on the door says “Cerrado.” Sometimes there is no sign at all. Many stores, restaurants, and other businesses here have posted hours, but that seems to be all for show. When I first moved to Mexico, shopping sometimes seemed an insurmountable challenge. I

Joyful Musings By Joy Birnbach Dunstan, MA, LPC, MAC Paths of Empowerment   There are more paths to sobriety than I have fingers to count them on, and comments I’ve received recently tell me there is great interest in alternatives to the traditional Alcoholics Anonymous program. One of my favorites is the “New Life” Program

OF FAITH AND FABLES By Bob Haynes The Power Of Appreciation   “Sometimes our light goes out but is blown again into flame by an encounter with another human being. Each of us owes the deepest thanks to those who have rekindled this inner light.” Albert Schweitzer: With the Holidays fast approaching, I’d like to

UNCOMMON COMMON SENSE By Bill Frayer The Devil Is in What We Take for Granted!   Assumptions get a bad rap.  How many times have you heard the admonition, “Don’t assume anything?” When we make assumptions, the thinking goes, we are liable to leave important things undone or, worse, not anticipate troublesome complications. You may have