• Creative Non-fiction,  Essays,  Food,  Uncategorized

    Uña de gato/Cat’s Claw

    A neighbor has a vine hanging over the sidewalk in front of her house. Last week I noticed fruit covering the plant, unusual fruit. I can’t recall other fruit similar to this as it has leaves growing directly from the skin of the fruit. Of course, I asked what it was. 

    “Uña de gato/Cat’s Claw,” my neighbor said.

    I googled Cat’s Claw and found it is an important Traditional/Ethnobotanical medicinal plant reputed to be effective for curing cancer.

    Today, Cat’s Claw and its extract, Samento, a supplement containing pentacyclic oxindole alkaloids extracted from the Cat’s Claw plant, is used as a dietary supplement for a variety of health conditions. including viral infections (such as herpes, shingles, and HIV), Alzheimer’s disease, cancer, arthritis, diverticulitis, peptic ulcers, colitis, gastritis, hemorrhoids, parasites, and leaky bowel syndrome. Whoa!

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays,  Food

    Frambuesas/Raspberries

    http://wendykeithdesigns.co.uk/2015 Lake Chapala

    We looked across Lake Chapala and saw white patches standing out against the green of the surrounding hillsides. Arranged in geometric patterns, they lay at odd angles to each other.

    What is this we’re seeing?

    Curious, we asked that question to people walking along Chapala’s malecón, the lakeside promenade lined with food and souvenir vendors. Everyone we asked gave us a polite answer. However, all the answers were different. The replies that seemed most probable revolved around some agricultural practice.

  • Essays,  images,  Uncategorized

    Rocco

    http://livingriver.eu/?page_id=608 Rocco staring down intruders

    Little Ninfa on the left

    I call him Rocco, even though male and female Colibri Canelos, Cinnamon Hummingbirds, appear identical. I intuitively judge Rocco a male. He’s a tuffy, and he guards the feeder on our terraza against all invaders.

    Starthroat

    A relatively large Colibri Picuda, a Plain-capped Starthroat, is a frequent trespasser. When the Starthroat goes for the feeder, Rocco becomes so preoccupied with discouraging the bigger bird that tiny Ninfa Mexicanas, Mexican Woodnymphs, slip by Rocco and take a quick sip.

    Together these speedy birds drive Rocco mad.

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays,  Food

    Time to Rise

    Chicharrónes

    The temperature in Puerto Vallarta has finally moderated, it’s still hot but not oppressive. The changes from Daylight Savings Time in Mexico and the US  have settled up. Mexico and the US change on different dates. Things are sort of normal.

    It’s 7:00 AM and the sun is still behind the mountains to the east of our apartment. I can smell pork cooking at Antonio’s Carnitas. I think Antonio’s serves the best carnitas in Puerto Vallarta.

    As Antonio and his son pull out the chicharrónes, cracklin’s, to drain from their big cauldron, the sweet aroma wafts my way—from a block and a half away.

  • Uncategorized

    Changes in A Southern View

    After a difficult summer in Puerto Vallarta—boy it was hot—I’ve tried to update my blog.

    A new look to make reading easier is the most obvious change.

    Also, there is a new feature I hope will make the blog more inclusive. It is translation buttons on the top left of each page. Using them, you can toggle back and forth between English and Spanish. I know digital language translators are not completely reliable, but this one looks pretty good.

    Please send comments and suggestions, let me know what you think.

    I’ve had a recent trip or two, so fresh views are coming.

  • Carolina Posts,  Creative Non-fiction,  Essays

    Carolina Bear

    The lost boy in his cold weather garb

    When my oldest son was four or five, he told me an amazing story about a bear he saw visiting our house in rural Stem, North Carolina. The land where we lived backed up to a large undeveloped tract near the present Butner-Falls of Neuse Game Lands. The area was chock-full of Whitetail Deer and other wild creatures, but I never saw a bear there. I thought my son simply had a vivid imagination.

    My sister lived for many years in the country north of Wilmington, NC, and she told me Black Bears often came out of the nearby swamp and ate horse feed in the barn behind her house. She resorted to making a feeding station

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays

    Tomalo de Corazon

     

    Dzibilchaltun, a Mayan site north of Mérida

    Take it to Heart

    Today we mark the winter solstice. Although the name solstice comes from sun, sol, and stop, stit, nothing stops.

    When we observe and connect to our surroundings, concentrate on the natural flow of life, we are reciprocally connecting with all of humanity—past, present and future. Perhaps rebirth is the best metaphor for this season—new beginnings.

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Essays,  images

    El Día de Muertos

    This is an appropriate day to return to this blog. I have been sick for way too long. No more.

    This morning I wandered through the Panteón, the nearby cemetery packed with graves, small mausoleums and statuary. Today friends and relatives of the dead fill the grounds.

    They are there to remember, honor and care for their loved ones.

    One group of old men gathered around a monument to a recently departed friend and passed around a bottle of mezcal while they softly sang a song of remembrance to their amigo.

    Others worked to whitewash their loved one’s marker and placed on them bright orange marigolds, flores de calendulas.

    This is a day people in the US should consider observing.

  • Creative Non-fiction

    Edward James’ Fantasy Life

    June 6th I made a guest post on  fabiolaofmexico ‘s blog, My heart of Mexico. Thank you Fabiola I love your blog.

    One interesting comment to Fabiola’s blog about my post was from another blogger, La Potosina, pointing out a video from her blog of the Fantasy Gardens. Check it out.

    Her blog, Aculturame is very interesting with several posts catching my attention. One in particular was about Cahokia.

    I recently read Native Roots, How Indians Enriched America by Jack Waterford. In the second chapter,  Pyramids on the Mississippi, Waterford discusses Cahokia. I suppose I have driven by it on the Interstate and never knew it was there. So, also check out that post.

    ***

    Here’s a repost of my post on Fabiola’s blog:

    The Fantasy Gardens of Xilitla

    Edward William Frank James in his fine red bathrobe

    This goofy looking guy created one of Mexico’s more unusual tourist attractions.

    Mexico has a long history of accepting immigrants, refugees and travelers from all across our world.

  • Creative Non-fiction,  Food,  Uncategorized

    ¿Pistachee?

     

    There is a row of beautiful trees lining Avenida Mexico in front of Parque Hidalgo here in Puerto Vallarta. I walk by these trees several times each week and right now they are heavy with a fruit I mistook for olives.

    I asked an old man sitting in the park what kind of tree this was—“¿Qué  tipo de árbol es este?

    Arrayan,” he replied.

    I thought he was wrong. So I took a couple of pictures and pulled down a high branch to examine the fruit.

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