Monday Stuff On the Way to Other Stuff: Mexico!

      Monday morning, we're headed down to Puerto Vallarta for a few days off...and the Festival of the Virgin of Guadalupe. This commemorates the Virgin Mary appearing to Juan Diego, a Mexican peasant, in 1531 in an area now a suburb of Mexico City. After he said no one would believe he'd seen her, Mary told him to gather the flowers on the hill -- Castilian roses -- and fold them into his cloak. After they fell out -- there was her image.

    (The story is complicated, and has a lot to do with various causes, including Mexican Spanish people's national identity. The whole account is worth reading through via Wikipedia, where the image below is from.)

     Two interesting things occur around this festival:

*Mary's image has dark skin: one of the few images of the Virgin that actually looks Mexican! Here she is, as shown in the cathedral in Mexico City:

*The cathedral in Puerto is dedicated to the Virgin of Guadalupe. So they go all out from Dec. 1-12, with parades, dancing and processions -- all dedicated to her. Mary is said to have spoken to Diego in his native Aztec dialect; Aztec themes abound, including dancers. 

We bumbled onto this a few years ago, when we happened to be in Puerto Vallarta on vacation. This year, the Brick bought a resort package back in 2019 as a birthday present for yours truly, planning to go in December of this year. Little did we know that Covid-19 would have such a lasting impact. So far, though, Americans can travel via plane to Mexico. (Crossing the border on foot or by car is still iffy.) And so far, we're hearing that the Festival is continuing.

Yes, we'll be careful. Masks, social distancing and all that. And we'll get a Covid test when we get back. But I am soooo looking forward to it. So is the Brick. 

(I'll update you on all the weird things that have happened lately, when we get settled in Mexico. Gotta pack and get some orders ready to ship before we go...)

Meanwhile:

Something interesting emerges in the case of the Sick Diplomats in Cuba and China -- evidence of radio microwaves. The Havana Syndrome may be due to radiation.

Getting out of a reverse mortgage. Please note: I'm just passing this along -- I don't give legal advice. Check with a professional if you decide to do this. (From Penniless Parenting)

More on that weird huge Gundam walking robot. Now it's taking a step or two!

Another look here, including raising its finger. (No, not THAT finger.)

Something interesting to do with your mudroom...or entry...Christmas-wise.  (From Little House of Four)

I really like her idea for office storage, using Dollar Tree drawers:

Same old story -- outdoor dining is banned in L.A., but a movie crew is allowed to set up an outdoor dining area just steps away from one of the restaurants affected. Some other very difficult restrictions for Californians mentioned in this post, as well. However, an L.A. county judge has just ruled that officials can only enforce restrictions if they can prove scientifically that they're needed. (Unfortunately, he did not halt the three-week ban.) 

     Governor Whitmer of Michigan, are you paying attention here?

Lesson learned, the hard way: don't keep hanging onto a balloon's rope when it's ascending. 

A delicious tomato bisque soup, thanks to One Hundred Dollars A Month:

Statistical fraud in some of the key states during the election? Rand Paul thinks so. (And so, frankly, does the Brick -- and me. Too many 'iffy' testimonies and odd procedures for something odd NOT to have happened.) 

Whipped shortbread -- one of Taste of Home's most popular cookies. (Here's Scottish shortbread, in case you're wondering about the difference.)

An unusual 1860s fabric, newly found? Barbara Brackman thinks so. I was thinking Centennial fabric myself.  (From Quilts of the Civil War)

Buy an Irish country mansion -- for less than a million! A million pounds, that is -- about $1.16 million USD -- for Coollatin House in County Wicklow.

A teenager is shot by the police. Then his mom is shot at the funeral by an attendee. Accidentally, it's said... Hmmm.

Romain Grosjean was initially against the installation of halos in racing cars -- but the French driver now says it saved his life in a crash during the Bahrain Grand Prix.

In San Jose, CA, a 'sanctuary city,' a suspect in a church shooting has already been deported THREE TIMES. Is the policy a good one?

And as a final bonus: the recipe for a Gold Coast 'Rita (margarita) from Outback. Yum.

Have a good week. We will, too.