We went to Soriana and bought a frozen chicken which had been smoked. They had frozen turkey for prices comparable to the States but we decided a chicken would be good enough. They also had roasting pans and the Reynold's turkey bags available to cook the turkey in. They also had the little packets for making brown gravy.

I was able to find a can of Ocean Spray cranberry sauce for $20 pesos. It was good. We did not have stuffing or dressing to go with it. I could not find the spices for the stuffing, besides I don't like it. I could not find any cornmeal in order to make cornbread dressing. But we had our cranberry sauce with chicken, mashed potatoes, rolls, and a green bean casserole.

The green bean casserole was slightly different because I could not find the friend onions that go on top. I used potato chips instead, Ruffles to be exact. It turned out okay, a bit salty for me.

No pumpkin pie though. I did not see pumpkins whole or canned. Of course it would not have been worth it to me to make it from a whole pumpkin. I did find some frozen strawberries and made a pretty good strawberry pie which we topped with ice cream. It was not the traditional pumpkin or pecan but it worked. Actually we were so full after the meal we did not the pie until the next day.

I made sweet tea out of Earl Grey tea. Peppermint and Earl Grey are the only two types I can find decaffeinated, no plain old tea. Anyway it turned out pretty good.

I had lab work done. It cost $440 pesos at the private hospital. This included urine, complete blood count, and the glucose tolerance test. The glucose is different here, they do not put the orange or cola flavoring in it. It was like drinking honey with extra sugar added, it was fine.

The hospital looked very nice and small. The people were all very kind and the lab technician was very proficient the two times she stuck me for different tests. We got the lab results 45 minutes after they were performed. I have to call the doctor today to discuss them with him.

We took a walk while we were waiting for the lab results.The neighborhood around the hospital was pleasant there were two other hospitals within walking distance. All of the houses had nice yards with either gardens or grass.

Today I was once again noticing how many streets lack street signs. It can be very difficult to figure out where you are because there is about a 50/50 chance that any street you come to will have a sign with its name. It seems like this would be something the city would invest in, but maybe it is too expensive.

On the other hand they provide free trash pickup for the entire city 6 days per week. In my U.S. mindset this seems like something that individuals should have to pay for themselves. Use taxes to pay for the street signs and make everyone pay for garbage pickup.

If the city didn't pickup the trash, many Mexicans wouldn't pay for it because it isn't essential. People would still put the trash outside to get it out of the house. The many stray dogs would get into it and drag it all out in the street where the city would have to clean it anyway. Plus they would have to try to go around issuing tickets to people who left out the trash.

The missing street signs don't seem so bad if that is what it takes to provide trash pickup.

Today was our first Spanish lesson with a very nice lady who is an administrator at the American school here in town. We learned how to take a taxi and look for a house to rent. She is charging us $50 pesos a piece for an hour. I think that is a good price because she actually spent more time with us than she charged us. She also may have some contacts for us to find a house to rent.

Two interesting things happened. The first being that she is the only person we have met in Mexico that was on time to a meeting. The second being that the fluorescent light caught on fire during our lesson. She calmly told us to wait outside while she found someone to take care of it and we continued our lesson.

The place where we met her was the American school in Spanish it is Colegio de America of Durango. It is a private school. Most of the teachers they have at this present time are from the United States and they teach in English. The teachers sign a 2 year contract but at the end of the first year they are offered the ability to quit. They are provided with furnished housing as well as a salary, which she was unaware of the amount. There are over 600 student from elementary through high school. The school looked very nice.

We went to my second doctors visit, it went well. Our friends came to meet us to help translate but the doctor was not there. He was stuck at the hospital, I think. Our friends had to leave so we had to wing it. I started out speaking in Spanish with the doctor and then I got lost. So Mark started speaking in English and the doctor joined in. It went well.

We got a dvd of the ultrasound this time and he ordered lab work. It only cost $300 pesos this time. I have to go to the lab first thing in the morning so they can get my first void of urine. This is different from the states, they would have given me a specimen container to take in the lab with me. So it will be interesting to see the differences in my lab experience. The doctor is really laid back. I think it is because here no own sues. I told him we were going to the States for Christmas and asked if it was ok. He basically said well I see you whenever I see you.

In the States, grocery stores regularly put things like milk and eggs on sale in order to attract customers. Here in Mexico, they don't seem to change the prices to attract customers. Instead they give you something else for free. For example, on weekends, Walmart tapes small bags of juice to all of the milk jugs. So you get this juice baggy thing for free when you buy the milk.

I guess this is good for people who want the juice, but it isn't a very motivating factor for us when we want the milk and don't particularly care for a small bag of yellow juice that we can't identify.

Another thing interesting about pricing, is that milk seems to cost the same at the corner store as it does at Walmart. There is also no incentive to buy in bulk. Milk is 18 pesos for 1/2 gallon and 36 for a full gallon. With the higher expense of packaging two 1/2 gallons over one full gallon, you would expect the full gallon to be at least a little cheaper.

My dog had yellow drainage from her eye yesterday. This morning my friend set up an appointment for me at the vet. He was very nice. He did a thorough exam of her eyes, ears, and whole body. He asked to make sure her shots were up to date. He gave her ant inflammatory shot and then sent us home with antibiotic eye drops. He wants her to return for a follow up visit tomorrow. He did speak English so it went smoothly. He has an amazing love for animals that I had not seen in many people here nor in the vets in the states. It only cost $200 pesos including the follow up visit for tomorrow. It was called Granville Veterinary Clinic. My friends say it is one of the more expensive ones in town but for me it is worth it. So if you are here and need a very good and loving veterinarian give them a call.

House for RentWe went and looked at a house in a neighborhood that we really like. It was ok, but there was a a strong sewage smell in the yard and you could really smell the car exhaust from the nearby large street. We could probably fix the sewage smell with some work, but not the car exhaust.

We drove over to see the house with our friends and as we walked back over to their car we realized the the keys were locked inside. Their spare keys were locked in the trunk so we were stuck. They found a "locksmith" who drove over on his motorcycle and took out a toolkit and started sticking various objects into the lock. I tried to get a picture of him working, but he had the door open in about 30 seconds.

As we got into the car I asked our friend how the locksmith knew it was our car and that we weren't breaking into someone else's vehicle. He said he didn't and that they just "trust" the person who is paying them. Our car uses a different type of lock, so I doubt someone would be able to open it short of breaking a window. Of course breaking the window will pretty much get you into any vehicle and it tends to attract a lot of attention.

Trimming TreesThe other day as I was walking to the store in the morning I saw a bucket truck pull up near our house. The man in the bucket had a machete and was trimming the trees away from the electrical wires. It was a little scary to watch him swinging the large machete blade that close to the live wires. It seemed to work out ok and he got the trees trimmed without hitting any of the wires.

I've noticed that you see a lot more people wearing neck braces than you do in the U.S. I'm not sure exactly why unless it is from minor auto accidents. The way I understand it, insurance will pay for actual expenses involved in an accident. So if you are off work for 10 days, the insurance will pay for the time you lost at work. It is possible that wearing a neck brace gives you a good way to prove you were injured.

In NYC I've heard of a bus that was involved in a very minor accident. There were 20 people on board. By the time the police got there, the bus had 40 people on board and many of them were complaining about whiplash. People off the street saw a chance for a payout and climbed on the bus to claim they had been injured.

We saw what looked like an accident where a car hit a pedestrian a few days ago. The lady had a skinned elbow, but looked like she was fine otherwise.

Sunday we were standing on the street when I heard some music playing. There was a donkey loaded down with synthetic feather dusters being followed by two men. One was playing an accordion while the other was doing his best to play and carry a large upright bass. Behind the two men were 30 other people walking two by two. The marched down the street and turned the corner before I could get a good picture of them. We asked our friends what was going on and they weren't sure. Maybe it was some house cleaning ritual where everyone shows up at a friends house and helps dust away the cobwebs.

November 20th is a holiday in Mexico similar to July 4th. in the U.S. It actually celebrates a 10 year revolution that started in 1910. We are told that there are many parades and celebrations all over the country on this date. We didn't see any because we spent the day sick in bed.

Resaurant in DurangoOn Sunday we went to a restaurant with our friends and something in the food didn't quite agree with our stomachs. Monday was pretty miserable. Our friends were just fine, so it must have been something in the food that we aren't used to up North. We have a friend who came to the U.S. from Colima and he got sick on the U.S. food.

Anyway, here is a photo of a restaurant I would suggest avoiding if you happen to be visiting Durango Mexico. If you are use to Mexican food, it is probably fine, but for gringos you may want to look for a different place to eat.