More Adventures with My Mexican Dentist

The weather is getting noticeably warmer here as spring has arrived and we still have no rain.  Beginning now is, perhaps, the most uncomfortable time of year here, as the afternoon temperatures reach up into the 90’s with an intense sun, but low humidity (about 25%).  Fortunately, the temperatures are comfortably cool in the evenings and in the mornings when I take my walk with Chuy.  We tend to lay low, often inside under ceiling fans or in the shade, during the middle part of the day. 

The snowbirds who have been here since December or January, including many good friends, are starting to return north now, so there will be less congestion and less traffic.  I think the majority of snowbirds tend to be from Canada, as most of them don’t want to be out of Canada for more than 6 months and lose their health care. 

Our move to the new house is still on schedule for Friday, April 1.  We have sorted out about one third of the things we had stored in the casita because we have no room to store much in the new house.  We gave most of it to a friend who arrived here with very little and needs everything.  We have a nice man, Ernesto, and his son, with his pick-up truck to help us make our move on Friday.  Since we have very little furniture to move, it isn’t difficult; it’s mostly household effects, clothes, etc.  I will post more photos after we’re settled in. 

I’ve decided to have my remaining three, long-ago-filled molars crowned this spring.  I use the same wonderful dentist who so expertly saved Pixie’s front tooth in December, Dr. Alberto Garcia.  I am having three crowns done for a cost of $1450 pesos each, or about $125US. 

This is NOT a quick process, however.  Alberto works in a small office in Chapala.  One morning a week he donates his time to helping the people in the poor fishing village, Mezcala, east of Chapala, to get much needed dental care.  He has to haul much of his equipment from his office in Chapala with him.  The first day we were to begin the work on my crowns, he had to send me home; the building had lost water.  The second time, he took a mold but didn’t want to start drilling that day because he wanted to “study my mold and make a plan.”  Today, I went to start the drilling, and his light over the chair stopped working.  Fortunately, there was sufficient ambient light in the room from the window and a good fluorescent light on the ceiling, that he was able to drill and prepare the first two teeth.  He wanted to do a mold today, after preparing the teeth, but my gums were a little swollen from the drilling, so he wants me to come back tomorrow at 6PM to take the mold.  Then, we have to wait for the lab in Guadalajara to make the crown, by sometime next week.  It's always an adventure. 

I already have two crowns by Alberto, and they seem excellent, identical to the ones I had done in the US when I was working and had dental insurance.   But, as with everything in Mexico, we must learn to be patient.  Things get done, but rarely on the schedule I expect. 

We had to say goodbye, this week to Steve and Susan Barr, our first friends we made here, even before we moved here.  They were both instrumental in our decision to be here and helped to start our Unitarian Fellowship.  They have decided to move to La Paz in Baja California del Sur.  Here are photos of Steve and Susan, and our last dinner club photo, with Jeanne and Paul as well.

Here is a photo I caught last week of our gringo celebrity, Pedro Loco, who wanders around town in his signature regalia.  Sadly, he is apparently now suffering from dementia.  I don’t know who he lives with and who takes care of him, but he’s quite a sight!

Last week, Pixie and some of her women friends enjoyed a Spring Equinox celebration in Riberas.  They conducted some appropriate pagan ceremonies and enjoyed spending time with other like-minded sisters.  Here are a couple of photos. 

On a sad note, we will be celebrating the life of our UU Fellowship member, Sally Kugel, who died on March 20.  She was a feisty, fun-loving woman, who lived her life with gusto till the end.  We will miss her.  It is amazing, but our Fellowship celebrated its fifth anniversary this month, and this is the first time we have had to experience the death of one of our regular members.  

Finally, here is a photo of a balloon vendor at the Ajijic Plaza during one of the many Carnival celebrations before the beginning of Lent.