Dear Journey North Friends:

Really no news at all about the Monarch Butterfly, none seen in the sky up to now.

The weather continues to be very, very cloudy, rainy, and starts to be cold now. We had some sunshine on Sunday afternoon and Monday morning. We know from the TV broadcast that several hurricanes are left for the next months until maybe December, so, very rainy days will continue, specially in this region.

Last weekend I was driving from Zitacuaro back to Angangueo after mid-day. I could see/confirm once more that Angangueo is a particularly cold, cloudy and rainy zone. Just 10 km. (approx.) before I reached downtown, (I was near to the entrance of the town), there was some sunshine and the temperature was only warm-fresh, but exactly from that point I looked up to the mountains surrounding Angangueo and I could only see a dark-grey cloudy sky and fog spreading over the town.

Sometimes we are not happy at all to have this weather. You must know that we don't have heating systems at home or at work places, economically, most of the families (maybe none) would be able to afford such expenses as electricity supply for this, it is maybe not that electricity supply is too expensive in our country, compared to that in USA or some European Country, it is that the family income in regions like ours is too low to pay such kind of service. So, that makes it not easy, specially in winter-time to deal with. Many times I feel so astonished about the way our (grand) grand-parents built up such high-walled, enormous houses! Not comfortable at all when your bedroom is 60-80 meters down two cold cement-stairways and across the wet yard!

But in the end, we are so used to living this way, that we just joke at it,
cheering up each other, since we know we will have sunshine until maybe March, next year!

This is then, one more reflection about our peaceful life in Angangueo, for you, and of course from my very personal point of view.

Until next week, Maria Estela.

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