Garbage Hat Gang

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Garbage Hat Gang

As men and women age, there seems to be a reversal of roles. 

Men get more in touch with their feminine side and women with their masculine side.  So it is not surprising, that some men get jealous of the panache women develop, mixing their old feminine side with the new masculine energy. It is also, not surprising, that the first few attempts by men, to meld old male energy with an emerging feminine side doesn’t seem to work as well. The Garbage Hat Gang is one such example. The theme – men take out the garbage and women wear interesting hats was literally translated as putting a garbage bag on your head.  This in no way approaches the panache of  putting a wastebasket on your head. It doesn’t simply work on so many levels and in fact is a bit sad.

Perhaps men will need to retreat into quiet knitting or cooking, first until this new male/female blend develops a bit more style.

The Founding of the SPC of San Miguel

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History, Pets

Mona Crewson, after her experience with the Cereal Robber and knowing he was in jail, became less vigilant. She set the San Miguel Alert to Blue and started to take chances such as walking down a path that, previously would have filled her with dread. That day, something happened that  would alter Mona and lead to a new Good Works in San Miguel.

Ahead on the path, her eyes caught a bit of color.  At first she  thought it was some Bougainvillia leaves but as she neared she could see it was a leg – a Clown’s leg.  Her heart pounded as she bent over to pick up the small clown’s leg.  She had loved clowns since the Circus  had come to Toledo and here was a clown’s leg.  Tears started as she began to search for the poor One Legged Clown.

But there was more horror. In the bushes hung two little clown arms.  They had been ripped off the one legged clown and thrown carelessly in the bushes by some heartless person.  All the pain of her life collaesced at this moment and Mona fell to the path holding each severed part in arms and wept for her own little lost Clown.

When she stopped crying, she knew that she has to make sure that this would never happen again to a single clown in San Miguel.  She wanted to protect all the clowns in San Miguel and make sure they were in good homes full of love.

So began the Sociedad Protectora de Payasos (SPP) or Society to Protect Clowns (SPC) with a goal to make sure that there were be no more dismembered nor unloved clowns in San Miguel, ever again – not on her watch.

Her first goal was to stop the Clown Mills she heard were operating through out San Miguel especially before Lent.  Here  Clowns where turned out by the handful and sold to anyone.

She and her friends went out into the community to document and photography the Clown Mills .

Here is picture of a Clown Mill and someone from the SPP.

The Policia seemed unconcerned so the SPP/SPC realized the only solution was to buy and liberate these little lost clowns.

So the SPP/SPC started their own fundraising campaigns to raise money to rescue clowns.

And set up tables in the Jardin to get the little clowns adopted.  Every Thursday you can see volunteers, toting little clowns on sticks through the Jardin.  You can adopt a Clown if you wish.  These are such good people and such a Good Work.
With money raised from such Good Work they were able to open a Rescue Center
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“You are not Going out Dressed Like That” Gang

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"You are not Going out Dressed Like That" Gang

San Miguel Evelyn

There is a purpose to a full length mirror, as Evelyn was about to discover.

Evelyn began dying her hair red, years before coming to San Miguel, so she knew what that looked liked.  Well, the light is different in San Miguel and perhaps she doesn’t.

The rest of the Get Up as she calls it, was added bit by bit, after moving to San Miguel.  A recent arrival and not understanding the timer function on the camera, Evelyn had never taken a pictures of San Miguel Evelyn wearing her new super heroine cape, post poodle skirt, and spotted shoes to send home.  And in her small apartment, there was no full length mirror, just a small mirror over the sink, that only revealed to her, a small part of San Miguel Evelyn.

Today was the first day, in the window,  that she had ever seen the full San Miguel Evelyn look, that the rest of San Miguel saw on a daily basis.   The question, as always in San Miguel, is what did Evelyn see?  What do you see?  Can you hear your mother saying

“You are not going out dressed like that.”

Perhaps Evelyn is working out some unresolved issue with her mother, with this Get Up but it would be interesting to hear the tape playing in her head and hear those beginning bars of the Howdy Doody Show again.

No, on second thought, to hear the tapes playing in the heads of San Miguel Gang Members, might be simply too much, for a sane person to bear.

Special Comment Gang

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Special Comment Gang, World Heritage Site

Lurking somewhere on the blog, among the members of the Comment Gang, is that special person, who one day, will give you the richest gift you can imagine.

Here is that gift, that was delivered to me (well there were three separate gifts) on March 16th, 2009 at 1:54 pm by an angel  Mark T in response to a comment by Doug Bowers.

Doug, when are you going to “get it” that Americans have improved San Miguel, raising it from a filthy Mexican town it once was to a desirable destination for world travelers which it is today?

If it were’nt for the foreigners who have “invaded” SMA most of the “natives” would not know where their next meal was coming from! You make more noise and do more belly aching than any Mexican I know…perhaps with the exception of Sr. Vidargas and his ungrateful group Basta Ya! Talk about ungrateful!

Who would want San Miguel to revert to something like Dolores Hidalgo? You don’t see tourist dollars pouring into DH do you? The only Mexican culture you can find there is the cathedral, the ice cream vendor in the zocalo. a couple of guys polishing shoes and some talavera tile…whoop-ti-do! Wow…I’d travel from anywhere to see that assortment! If you think SanMiguelenses are poor, check out the average local in Dolores.

Doug…I wish you would just shut the f&#k up!

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Then having dispatched Doug Bowers, he must have started to read the blog and realized that I was Doug Bowers2. So he he left two more gifts

Mark T, on March 16th, 2009 at 2:03 pm

I feel sorry for you!
You must be one of the most bitter people on the planet. I’l bet you’d like to live in SMA all by yourself with the Mexicans, wouldn’t you? You my friend are a fool!

And then a final gift that could be called a parting shot.

Mark T, on March 16th, 2009 at 2:05 pm

In fact…why don’t you move to Ranch Viejo or, Los Galvanes and never leave? Then you would really experience the “Mexican Thing” you are hoping to keep to yourself! Get a life!

For a blogger this was like Christmas morning. After 68824 hits, I had finally found someone who gets it.

Here I thought, all this satire was being wasted and out of the blue comes someone who understands my deep desire to live in a filthy Mexican town with hungry Mexicans and eat ice cream and have polished shoes and buy Talavera Pottery.

I am in the car this morning, to look at properties in Dolores Hidalgo and to look for the filth and hungry Mexicans that I must have missed the last time I went to buy some Talavera and icecream. 

This may be the last post.

The Civil List – Chapter 10 – The Plane That Spoke

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The Civil List

Ruth heard the loud speaker and ran into the street to find out who was disturbing her peace.  She looked up and down but saw nothing.  Her anger building,  she ran up the steps to the roof to see if it was coming from another street.  Nothing but the sound was getting louder.  She looked up and saw a plane.  The noise was coming from the plane.  Her anger built.

Bang – she posted on the Civil List about this plane.

Who shall we report this plane that is circling San Miguel right now with the loud vocal announcements????????!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

She wasn’t sure if swearing was allowed on the Civil List but she was so angry that her San Miguel was invaded by talking noisy planes.

She thought for a minute and pulled out her San Miguel Complaining List and looked for the number of  the DEPARTMENT OF ECOLGIA and reported it.  The man who spoke rather good English said he had received several calls already and that they were going to the Circo (circus) to tell them to stop.

Bang – she posted what she had done on the Civil List to assure people that action was being taken.   She was terrified that this plane would start an avalanche of other businesses using this new marketing tool.

Bang – her first response.

San Miguel is now a UNESCO World Heritage Site. With that distinctive award goes many social responsibilities.  Advertising with loudspeakers from the air over San Miguel should be banned. It echos off the walls of every home in the area and is incredibly intrusive. If it is allowed, many other businesses will soon follow suit, from bars to restaurants to real estate companies

Bang – the next response tying the airplane to Unesco, and Safety Issues in Parque Juarez.

You bet Iwill call, my dogs are freaked and Iam pissed off! and another thing, a Unesco world heritage site should keep Juarez Park a safe place for people and their dogs.

Bang – the next response wants to know where and when the circus is.  Seems the airplane loudspeaker is not clear enough for her

I agree that having an airplane buzz SMA, blaring information about the circus is unreasonably obnoxious.

However, I am interested in attending this particular circus. Short of my taking a cab out to Salida a Celaya, does anyone out there know what time their performances are being held.

Bang – the self righteous Candy, now attack Ruth for overstepping her Guest Status in San Miguel.

“If we allow”, are WE now in charge of local Mexican laws? First I hear we are “Guests” but nobody can show who invited them, and now “we can or cannot allow” Mx.s to break their own law???

Bang – the last response draws a heated rebuttal from Mandy about responsibility in San Miguel.

Candy, We are legal residents of Mexico and San Miguel. We have the right and the responsibility to be contributing citizens. Ruth is exercising her right to communicate with our public servants in an attempt to make the city a better place for all. Thanks to Ruth.

Bang – Indignation is building and someone has to remind readers of the Civil List of all the Good things Gringros do for San Miguel and tell them if they don’t want to run San Miguel then they should get out of town.

Well said Mandy – “uninvited guests” indeed…I wonder what the Mexican business owners would say to that? Or the thousands of Mexican families who rely on foreign employers. Or the orphans that are sitting down to a healthy meal or the dogs and cats being nurtured in the SPA?

We are here because we love San Miguel and much of what we love here was preserved and supported by the early artists that poured thousands of hours and dollars into San Miguel de Allende for decades. They supported, improved and protected San Miguel, in solid coordination with the local Mexican population, so it could become the international city it is today – loved and supported by people from all over the world.

The x-pat community has been part of SMA for a long time – its opinions, both good and bad, are now part of who and what San Miguel is – if you don’t like its involvement – perhaps this isn’t the right town for you? If you haven’t already, it might be educational to go live in another Mexican town of this size and see if it is more to your liking.

So the little plane that talked provided an opportunity on the Civil List to remind readers that San Miguel was created by expats, for expats and should be run by Expat.

Pueblos Mágicos

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Magic

I don’t make this stuff up.

Mexico`s Secretariat of Tourism has formally recognized the place of Magic in the creation of towns through the Programa Pueblos Mágicos (“Magical Villages Programme”). It has identified a series of towns around the country that offer visitors a “magical” experience – by reason of their natural beauty, cultural riches, or historical relevance.

A “Magical Village” is a place with symbolism, legends, history, important events, day-to-day life – in other words, “magic” in its social and cultural manifestations, with great opportunities for tourism. The programme was launched in 2001 and, by 2007, a total of 32 towns and villages in 24 different states had been awarded the title pueblo mágico.

No.	Pueblo Mágico	State	Year
1	Mexcaltitán	Nayarit	2001
2	Huasca de Ocampo	Hidalgo	2001
3	Real de Catorce	San Luis Potosí	2001
4	Tepoztlán	Morelos	2002
5	Taxco	Guerrero	2002
6	Tepotzotlán	México	2002
7	Tapalpa	Jalisco	2002
8	Comala	Colima	2002
9	Pátzcuaro	Michoacán	2002
10	Dolores Hidalgo	Guanajuato	2002
11	San Miguel de Allende	Guanajuato	2002
12	Cuetzalan	Puebla	2002
13	Izamal	Yucatán	2002
14	Tequila	Jalisco	2003
15	San Cristóbal de las Casas	Chiapas	2003
16	Real del Monte	Hidalgo	2004
17	Parras de la Fuente	Coahuila	2004
18	Valle de Bravo	México	2005
19	Mazamitla	Jalisco	2005
20	Álamos	Sonora	2005
21	Tlalpujahua	Michoacán	2005
22	Cosalá	Sinaloa	2005
23	Bernal	Querétaro	2005
24	Coatepec	Veracruz	2006
25	Papantla	Veracruz	2006
26	Real de Asientos	Aguascalientes	2006
27	Cuitzeo	Michoacán	2006
28	Santiago	Nuevo León	2006
29	Todos Santos	Baja California Sur	2006
30	Bacalar	Quintana Roo	2006
31	Huamantla	Tlaxcala	2007
32	Jerez	Zacatecas	2007
33	Capulalpam de Mendez	Oaxaca	2008
34	San Sebastian del Oeste	Jalisco	2008

Magical Tienda - Pátzcuaro

As further proof, this picture is from Pátzcuaro.   Pátzcuaro is just one of the thirty three San Miguel wannabe Pueblos.   Unlike San Miguel – the Grandmother of all Pueblos Mágicos, wannabe Pueblos use their designation as a Pueblo Mágico.  In this case it is being used to get expats to buy furniture in their Pueblo Mágico tienda.

But Magic is never that easy.  Muchwork goes into creating a Magical Village.  There has to be something to anchor magic and be reproductible on coasters, T shirts and coffee cups.  San Miguel uses the Parroquia (Magic Kingdom) to anchor its magic.   Pátzcuaro has created a Village Wizard to anchor its Mágico in the Zocalo.

The Wizard of Pátzcuaro

The Wizard of Pátzcuaro is much like the Trevi Fountains in Rome. The Wizard of Pátzcuaro grants wishes for a few coins and can fix torn leather garments for a prayer or two.  He is illuminated at night and his wand can be moved as part of the laser show each night at 9 and 10 pm.  But get there early as the Zocalo fills up with tourist and their pockets full of change and many, many wishes for a stock market recovery.

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The Magical Mountain of Bernal

Another Pueblo Mágico is Bernal. Bernal has created a wonderful Magic Mountain to anchor its Magic.

Because Bernal is a recent (2005) Pueblo Mágico, it has not developed all the facilities that San Miguel (2002) has developed.  There are no cable cars yet up the Magic Mountain nor rides through the Magic Mountain.  The best they have come up with is hiking the Magic Mountain.

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The Magical Benches of Bernal

Instead, their efforts have focused on Magical Benches.  Sit on a Magical Bench and you will soon feel the magic of cold metal.

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The Wizard of Bernal

There is a Wizard of Bernal wizard, however, he is alive.  I followed him for one hour and he doesn’t seem to do much. He spends a lot of time going in and or of the church for some reason.

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Wizard's Den Bernal

Another new attraction in Bernal is the Magic Caves.  They are scary rides.
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The Magical Pottery of Dolores Hidalgo

Another Pueblo Mágico is Dolores Hidalgo.  Dolores Hidalgo works its magic through Magic Pottery and Art. The streets of Dolores Hidalgo are littered with Pottery.  Pots, bowls, toilets, sinks, frogs, small animals, fountains, lizards are left in the street for the people.  Step over a small ceramic Toad and your life changes.  Here for a few pesos you can bring the Magic home and fill your home with the Magic of a Lucky Frog or any manner of dog.  You can fill every room in your house with Magic.

See this post for more details of the Magic Art of Dolores Hidalgo

The Layer Gang

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The Layer Gang

Conventional Wisdom, in San Miguel, is that layering is the best way, to deal with the variations in temperature that occur during the day. Or put another way, a day in San Miguel is about a slow strip to cool or a strip up to warmth.

But, as always in San Miguel, concepts are often only half understood. The Layer Gang only heard the layer part but not the reason. So it became all about the layer and not about comfort. Do not be surprised to find a member of this Gang on the ground from heat prostration from all the heat captured and kept by the many, many Layers.

The Layer Gang names each Level of Layer – following a book on Chakras that the original leader found on line and reinterpreted.  While each Chakra has its own color and name, the Layer Gang believes that color is an individual choice and should not be dictated by some foreigner and thought that the Chakra names needed to be changed.

The Crown Chakra became the Hat Chakra.  The book said that the color for this chakra was Violet but really any color will do and once you put on this layer your will feel Bliss and develop psychic abilities.

The Third Eye Chakra became the  Sunglasses Chakra  and the source of Intuition and psychic perception.  The sunglasses shield their third eye so the people will not know how little they perceive and intuit about the world around them.

The Throat Chakra became the Scarf Chakra.  Your scarf gives you Creativity and the ability to speak in Spanish or English. The color of the Chakra is bright blue but remember you can mix and match Chakra Colors. If you use a Third Eye Color of Indigo for your scarf then you will intuit what Mexicans are saying whether or not they did say what you thought they did.

The Heart Chakra became the Blouse Chakra is all about Love and spiritual love.  The color of this was changed from green to Valentine Red because red is more North American .  But no gang member is afraid to color up.  The bigger your hear the more blouses you can wear.  See how this big hearted woman has three Blouse Chakras on to tell the world of her large heart.

The Solar Plexus Chakra became the Belt Chakra and is the source of  Will and Power and calming emotions.  Yellow is the color.  Basically the tighter the belt and the calmer you will be.

The Sacral Chakra became the Pantie Chakra .  This chakra is the naughty chakra as it is about Sexuality and Pleasure and every member of this group wears orange panties. This is a very private Chakra and few members will talk  about it but walk by their houses and see orange panties on the clothes line and you know there is life under the skirt.

The Root Chakra became the  Skirt Chakra.   This Chakra is about Grounding and Survival and can control fear. That is why most skirts in San Miguel fall to the ground.  As long as skirts touch the ground, the Layer Gang can concentrate on being on this earth.  Without this Grounding Skirt, the world becomes a very fearful place.

This is one of the largest Gangs in San Miguel as they are so many ways to layer.

Future posts will contain more details on each Chakra.

Miracles in San Miguel – The Shroud of San Miguel

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Miracles

San Miguel is a place of Miracles and Magic.

Where this Shroud was found or where it came from is the source of much speculation.  Some say it was found in an cave in the Campo.  Some say it covered a washer dryer combination.  Some say it fell off an old beggar woman.

But wherever it came from, it was soon brought to El Museo de Milagros in San Miguel and curated badly.   Daily, pilgrims gather in front of El Museo to view the Shroud of San Miguel and talk about what they see.

Some see Aztecs growing corn.  Some see water falling from a canale.  Some see a Gringo falling on cobblestones.  Some only see holes.

But whatever you see, it is a Miracle to have our own Shroud in San Miguel.  You will find descriptions of it in Archie Dean’s book and directions of how to get to it.  The Shroud Conserver Society is having a fund raiser March 24 at Angela Peralto Teatro to raise funds to plasticize the Shroud and fix the holes.

There are also copies at the Tuesday Market if you have an empty space on a wall and want to impress friends with your own Shroud.

The Wall Wizard Gang

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The Wall Wizard Gang

The Jardin in San Miguel is a gauntlet for most Mexicans, except those from DFA.  They see things in San Miguel, that they thought existed only in Dungeons and Dragons or video games and are totally unprepared to deal with dark fantasy brought to life.

This young man sees the Wall Wizard. . He looks and knows he must past by her to get to the other side of the Jardin.  For a flash second, reality and his online life conflict and  make him pause.  Has she seen him?  Will he need to fight her for safe passage?  Will she control him and make her carry her bags?  He worries. Most days he has safe passage unless they are sitting at a table with brochures or are restraining a small hairy beast on a leash.

If he makes it past the Wall Wizard to safety, there will be more levels of Gringo Ghouls. Ahead is  the cowgirls on the bench who may or may not have a lasso or six shooter.

Life was never this hard before the Gringos came.