All posts by : Gordon Cope

Life in Mexico

November traditionally marks the beginning of the ‘social season’ in Manzanillo, when snowbirds flee Canada and the US for the warmer climes of southern Mexico. Not only does the season kick off with festivities surrounding the Day of the Dead, but it is also the start of winter weather, where daily rainstorms and the threat of hurricanes during the summer months give way to endless sun, low humidity and refreshing breezes right through to June.

Tradition, however, has been thrown out the window by COVID. Authorities closed graveyards to prevent families from honoring their loved ones on Day of the Dead. While the beaches and restaurants remain open, anyone entering a mall or major store has their temperature checked, and, if it’s too high, refused entry.

Some citizens of Manzanillo wear masks in public, but most do not. Although not everyone is so inclined, there is a fatalistic attitude among the population regarding COVID. When you consider that Dengue and other potentially fatal diseases have been endemic throughout the region for decades without significant medical intervention by the authorities, COVID is just one more plague to be stoically endured; you either catch it and survive, or you die.

Expats tend to take a different approach, seeking ways to avoid contracting the disease. Many have decided to pass on journeying to Mexico this year, preferring to take their chances at home. Linda and I have remained in Mexico for the duration, opting to self-isolate and social distance while enjoying the warm weather.

Hopefully, vaccines and other medical advances will eventually reduce the threat of COVID and allow people to confidently travel safely throughout North America and the world. We can only trust that day arrives soon.

Turkey Meatballs & Spaghetti

This is a great recipe for using left-over turkey from Thanksgiving (or you can buy frozen minced turkey). Either way, it’s easy to make, delicious and filling!

Meatball Ingredients (feeds four)

1 lb of leftover turkey, minced fine in the blender.

or 1 roll of frozen minced turkey.

1 egg

½ cup of panko or bread crumbs

1 tsp of salt

½ cup of grated parmesan

1 Tsp of Italian seasoning spices.

2 garlic cloves, minced.

1 cup of firm cheese (Cheddar, Monterey jack, Gouda), cut into cubes.

2 Tsp of olive oil

Sauce ingredients

1 can crushed tomatoes

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of pepper

1 Tsp of Italian spice

¼ white onion, chopped

4 mushrooms, chopped

1 clove of garlic, minced.

2 Tsp of olive oil.

1 lb of spaghetti

Grated Parmesan and fresh basil (optional).

Directions

Mix the turkey, egg, panko, salt, pepper, spices and Parmesan in a bowl. By hand, form the mix into balls slightly larger than a golf ball (you should have around 12). Push a piece of cheese into the center of each meat ball.

Gently fry the meatballs in olive oil for a few minutes, until the outside is brown. Place in an oven pan.

Fry the onion, garlic and mushrooms in oil. Add the tomatoes, salt, pepper and spices and cook for a few minutes longer. Pour over the meat balls.

Heat the oven to 400 F. Place the pan into the oven and cook uncovered for 20 minutes.

In the meantime, boil the spaghetti and drain. Serve the spaghetti with the meatball mix on top, and garnish with Parmesan and basil.

Dead Man Cipher
Launch Date: November 1, 2020

Order Here

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek – or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Free eBook!

Secret Combinations

Download here!

Read the first in the FBI Agent Jack Kenyon series for free!

When Jack’s aunt mysteriously dies in a car accident outside of London, Jack soon finds himself on the trail to stop a sinister plan to ruin the world wide web!

Book Review

Beartown

By Fredrick Backman

You may be familiar with Fredrick Backman as the author of A Man Called Ove, a tremendous hit when it was first released in 2012. He has a handful of successful novels, most set in his native Sweden.

Beartown is no exception. Situated in the backwoods village of the same name, the citizens of Beartown are berated by their big city cousins as ignorant hicks and hillbillies. But they all have one thing in common; a passionate love of hockey.

For several years now, Peter Andersson, a former NHL player, has been shepherding a group of local youngsters toward the national junior championships. Now, their moment is at hand when they fight their way to the final game. The entire town is behind them, bursting with pride that their woebegone town is finally going to be feted throughout the country.

But, before the big game, tragedy strikes. The star player is accused of raping Peter’s 15-year old daughter. The town is riven into two factions – those who believe the girl, and those who believe the boy. There is no middle ground; each individual must painfully search to discover the truth within their own hearts.

I highly recommend this moving and thought-provoking book!

Restaurant Review; Oveja

Located a few doors from Juanito’s in Santiago, Oveja (The sheep) opened up in October. During weekdays, the restaurant offers al fresco dining as well as takeaway for a range of stews, tacos and traditional dishes.

The real treat is the roasted borrega, however. On Saturdays and Sundays, owner Emilio slaughters a sheep on his ranch and then roasts it in a pit of coals covered with agave leaves for 7 hours. When the cooking is done, the meat is so tender it is literally falling off the bone!

For 250 pesos, Linda and I ordered a half kilo of meat for takeaway. This included a dozen corn tortillas hand-made in the kitchen by Grandma, fresh onion and cilantro garnish, and a lovely spicy salsa made from green tomatoes, avocado and onions.

We had a delicious meal of tacos (you can also order broth and make stew), and there was plenty of meat left over to make lamb curry later in the week! I highly recommend Oveja!

TV Series Review

The Crown

Streaming on Netflix

Season 4 of The Crown dropped in November, and it’s been an entertaining addition to the franchise. To those living in a cave, The Crown focuses on the life of Queen Elizabeth II, from her earliest childhood moments (when her father becomes king when Edward abdicates the throne), to the present day.

Season 4 covers the years when Prince Charles (played by Josh O’Connor) is urged to find a wife, and he picks young Diana Spencer. Their fairy-tale life is jeopardized by the presence of Camilla Parker-Bowles, Charles’ married mistress. As Diana struggles to raise two boys and perform her royal duties, her inner world crumbles as she vainly seeks the love of her emotionally immature husband.

The series is deftly written by Peter Morgan, who was also the writer of The Queen (which had 6 Oscar nominations and one win in 2006). The Crown features a superb cast, with Olivia Colman (Best Actress Oscar for The Favourite, 2019) as Queen Elizabeth, Gillian Anderson (X Files), as Margaret Thatcher, Emma Corrin as Princess Diana and Helena Bonham Carter as Princess Margaret.

Season 4 is my favorite, so far. There’s lots of action and turmoil, including the Falklands War, the murder of Lord Mountbatten by the IRA, and Charles’ growing determination to separate from Diana as their marriage unravels. I can’t wait for Season 5!

I highly recommend The Crown!

Life in Mexico

Mexico is the most overweight country in the world, with an estimated 40% of the adult population officially obese. Not only are adults hefty; one-in-six pre-school children are so stocky that it impedes their stride.

Although the average Mexican is far more active than North Americans, (walking, for instance, instead of riding in a car), the traditional Mexican diet of beans, corn tortillas and vegetables has been undercut by ‘food colonialism’ a fancy term for imported foods.

Unfortunately, the main imported victuals are deep-fried foods and sugary drinks. Massive advertising campaigns push cheap burgers, chips and soda pop on the population. It’s a common sight to see carpenters and bricklayers heading to work with a two-liter bottle of Coke tucked under one arm – their ‘gasolina’ for the day. One in four children have sugary drinks at breakfast.

Efforts are underway to educate the public. The Ministry of Health recently obliged manufacturers to prominently display warnings alerting consumers to the presence of excess salt, sugar and saturated fats. 

Unfortunately, much more will have to be done. Diabetes is rife throughout the country, with as many as 14 million adults suffering from the obesity-related disease. It took many decades of education for North Americans to understand the ramifications of a poor diet; Mexico, driven by the connection between COVID, obesity and diabetes, is just beginning that long journey.

Dead Man Cipher
Launch Date: November 1, 2020
Pre-order Here!

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek – or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Movie Review – an oldie but goodie!

The Rainmaker

John Grisham’s courtroom drama was originally published in 1995, and was quickly optioned by the legendary director Francis Ford Coppola.

The story revolves around Rudy Baylor (played by Matt Damon), a young lawyer recently graduated from Memphis State. Times are tough, and the only job he can land is with a law firm run by a colorful reprobate by the name of Bruiser Stone (Mickey Rourke). He soon teams up with Stone’s paralegal, Deck Shifflet (Danny de Vito), and the pair set off to chase ambulances.

By chance, Rudy signs up a client by the name of Ronny Ray Black, a victim of leukemia whose insurance company, Great Benefit Life, refused a bone-marrow transplant. Ronny Ray is too far gone now to receive any benefit from the procedure, but his family has vowed to seek vengeance by filing a lawsuit.

Grisham is in fine form when it comes to courtroom drama, but he also livens up the story with a wonderful selection of sub-plots, including Rudy’s boss going on the lam after the FBI charges him with skimming profits from his topless bars and a hopeless romance with a young woman who is abused by her alcoholic husband.

I don’t think I’m spoiling the plot by noting that the good guys eventually win and the bad guys lose, but it’s a wonderful, engaging movie that will effectively transport the viewer far away from their isolation blues.

I highly recommend The Rainmaker!

Gord’s delicious (and nutritious) breakfast egg sandwich

As a kid, I loved to go to the Big Arches and order a breakfast sandwich. The fried egg with a slice of bacon on a toasted bun was scrumptious!

Unfortunately, it was also full of sugar, saturated fats and who-knows-what else. As I got older and wiser, I eschewed its sultry siren call for more wholesome alternatives.

I never forgot that taste, however. Over the years, I devised my own breakfast sandwich that was far less harmful to my health, but just as tasty. This recipe is easy to make and a big hit with everyone –  enjoy!

Ingredients (feeds two).

4 eggs

2 Tsp of milk

¼ white onion, chopped

1 Tsp of olive oil

Salt and pepper to taste.

2 whole grain buns, cut in half.

1 tsp mayonnaise

2 slices of tomato.

Directions

Beat the eggs and milk together and set aside.

Fry the white onion lightly in olive oil in a pan. Add the egg/milk mixture and cook on low until it sets as an omelette. Divide into two portions and season with salt and pepper.

Place the buns in the pan and toast each side for 15 seconds. Lightly spread mayonnaise on the buns and add the omelette and tomato.

TV Series Review

Sherlock

Streaming on Netflix

There has been a renaissance in all things Sherlock Holmes, from Anthony Horowitz’s The House of Silk (the first mystery novel authorized by the Arthur Conan Doyle Estate in over a century), to the engaging Enola Holmes, a movie regaling the adventures of the younger sister of Sherlock and Mycroft.

My favorite TV series is Sherlock, starring Benedict Cumberbatch (The Imitation Game), as Sherlock, and Martin Freeman (Love, Actually), as Dr. Watson. The series, which began in 2010, is set in contemporary London, but Sherlock’s powers of deduction are still as sharp and acerbic as ever.

Unlike traditional TV series, Sherlock released a small handful of ninety-minute episodes each season, for a total of 14 installments spread over seven years. The long-format gives each episode the feel of a feature film, while maintaining the continuity of a series (with each season pursuing a common theme and supporting cast of evil doers, including Sherlock’s arch enemy Moriarty).

Many UK crime series (like Prime Suspect and The River), revel in the deep psychological torment of their protagonists as much as the nefarious crimes that they seek to solve. Sherlock, of course, is well known for his demons (drugs, depression), but Cumberbatch portrays the world’s arch detective with grace, compassion and wit.

I highly recommend Sherlock!

I couldn’t resist…

(Hint – check behind the drapes)

Life in Mexico

Linda and I have been here in Manzanillo since the COVID pandemic began. A lot of our friends in Canada and the US would like to return to Manzanillo this winter, and they have been asking if it is safe. I am not a doctor and I cannot give medical advice, but here’s what we’ve learned.

You are not safe anywhere from COVID, either Mexico, Europe or North America. That said, most infections occur indoors, so you can spend a lot less time indoors this winter if you are in Mexico.

Probably the biggest risk you face when returning to Mexico is traveling on an airline, bus or train, as you are in close proximity to strangers. If you take proper precautions (PPEs, hand sanitation, social distancing, etc.), you can minimize exposure. Friends who have traveled by plane to NA and back the last six months on the major airlines serving Mexico have not become ill.

Once you are in Mexico, you can follow simple procedures to reduce risk. Most domestic staff travel by bus, and few people wear protection. We dismissed our house maid and do all house cleaning ourselves (the gardener cleans outdoors).

Few people wear masks at the Mercado and Saturday market, so we avoid them. La Comer, Sam’s and other major retailers follow strict guidelines in which everyone must wear a mask and have their temperature checked to gain entry. We prepare a grocery list and shop once a week (at an early hour, when it is least crowded).

Most restaurants are open, but adherence to precautions can vary widely. Oasis has a high standard of protection. We go during weekdays when it is not busy. You can also order take-out/delivery from your favorite restaurant.

If you feel you might have COVID, it is not easy to get a test in Mexico. Regardless, Doctor Tom treats patients in-home with medications that reduce symptoms and, if need be, can supply patients with oxygen. The key to recovery is early intervention, before symptoms become severe.

In conclusion, if you do not have high-risk factors (diabetes, COPD, etc.), it is my belief that returning to Mexico for the winter season is not likely to increase your risk, especially if you avoid large indoor gatherings and practice social distancing (we have the occasional lunch where we invite a small number of friends and dine outdoors).

Obviously, each individual is unique and has special considerations. If you have any questions, I am more than happy to respond. We look forward to seeing many of our friends return in the coming months!

Steak with creamy mushroom sauce

It’s not too late to BBQ, and this is an excellent harvest dinner! Easy to make and absolutely delicious, this recipe is perfect with steamed fresh beans and a baked potato.

Ingredients

8-ounce beef fillet

8 mushrooms, sliced

1 Tsp butter

1 Cup of cream

1 Tsp of cognac (or brandy).

1 t of salt

Pepper to taste

Directions

Allow the steak to warm to room temperature then grill over medium heat for 3 minutes per side (add another minute or two per side for medium rare). Tent and set aside for ten minutes.

Fry the mushrooms in butter until brown. Mix in the cream, cognac and salt. Turn the heat down to simmer.

Cut the steak into ½ inch slices, add a touch of pepper, and lay out on plates. Serve with the mushroom sauce, beans and baked potato.

Dead Man Cipher

Launch Date: November 1, 2020

Pre-order Here!

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek, or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Movie Review

Jersey Boys

Directed by Clint Eastwood

Linda and I originally saw the Tony-award-winning Jersey Boys jukebox musical in the West End of London and were blown away by the songs and the staging. It tells the story of four down-and-out kids from New Jersey – Frankie Valli, Tommy DeVito, Nick Massi and Bob Gaudio – who pull their lives out of the gutter and make a name for themselves as The Four Seasons.

The force behind their success was, of course, the amazing voice of Frankie Valli, who could sing magnificently over several octaves. Less well known is the contribution of Bob Gaudio, who wrote many of the hit songs, such as Sherry, Big Girls Don’t Cry and Rag Doll.

The story is told from each member’s point-of-view as they travel and perform over the course of a decade, going from rags to riches and back to rags. The narrative, often told directly to the audience, is often contradictory, but always engrossing.

The band is featured performing over a dozen of their billboard-topping hits; director Clint Eastwood cast relatively unknown stage actors, who performed the songs live. (If you watch closely, you’ll see Eastwood do a cameo when Frankie’s kids are watching the western TV show Rawhide from the 1950s on TV).

This is a great feel-good musical that is well acted, directed and filmed. I highly recommend Jersey Boys!

Book Review

Dark Matter

By Blake Crouch

As a teenager, I loved to read science fiction – Ray Bradbury, Isaac Asimov, Robert A. Heinlein – but, like many things, my tastes evolved in adulthood.

It was thus refreshing to return to this wonderful genre when I downloaded Dark Matter. The tale is set in modern day Chicago, where an aspiring physicist named Jason is married to his college sweetheart and raising a teenage son.

But Jason becomes obsessed with ‘what if’. What if he hadn’t abandoned his ground-breaking work into quantum mechanics in order to raise a family? What if he had focused his sole intention on building a machine that allowed a human to travel to parallel universes?

As the old saying goes, ‘be careful what you wish for’. Jason is kidnapped by that very version of himself and switcherooed so that he can, indeed, have his cake and eat it too. The trouble is that Jason the family-man quickly realizes that the life of Jason the Nobel-prize winner is devoid of love. He misses his wife and child and vows to return and set things right.

This leads to a universe-hopping adventure where the original Jason is pursued by a host of doppelgangers who are murderously intent on replacing him as well. Jason has to scramble to avoid death and dismemberment, only they know exactly how he thinks and reacts, so they’re always one step ahead.

The author uses the multiple-universe sci-fi trope to excellent effect in order to create a gripping thriller. I highly recommend Dark Matter!

Life in Mexico

Last week, Hurricane Hernan was passing by Manzanillo, about 200 miles out in the Pacific. The worst we seemed to be receiving was a steady rain.

That all changed on the morning of Thursday, August 27. We noticed a wave of brown muck slowly creeping up our street. It lapped over the curb and began to crawl up our driveway.

Our rental home is situated about 200 metres from the beach. I had always assumed that if we had water rushing up our street, it would be from a tsunami caused by an earthquake just offshore.

I was wrong. Rain from the hurricane had collected in the adjacent mountains and came pouring down toward the sea. The drainage ditches dug to divert the water soon overflowed, and a wave of crap came rolling toward our house.

We barricaded the door but it came through every crack and crevice, quickly filling the main floor with over a foot of brown goop. Neighbours who tried to flee stalled their cars in the deep water in the road.

We scrambled to clear out shoes from our closets and food from the lower pantry shelves. It short-circuited our fridge and filled the bottom half with sludge. Flip-flops, pasta and bloated paperbacks floated around the pool patio.

We were lucky that our home had an upper floor to which we could retreat. The power went out, and we spent a hot, sweaty night wondering what the morning light would bring. Fortunately, the rain stopped and the water receded, and we were able to clean up some of the mess.

We were able to move to a nearby undamaged house while our home is being cleaned and restored. The memory of the event will stay with me for as long as I live, however. I had seen scenes of hurricane flooding dozens of times, the homes encircled by brown water in which cars floated upside down, but I had never thought I would experience firsthand the devastation that a flood can cause.

Fortunately, we were not harmed. My heart goes out to all those who suffer far greater than we did.

Recipe

Lime Coriander Shrimp and Asian Cucumber Salad

This is a great summer BBQ treat, easy to make and delicious! You can scale it up or down, depending on the number of guests, and it only takes two minutes to cook! Serve with coconut rice and fresh limes.

Lime Coriander Shrimp Ingredients (serves four)

1 pound large (21 to 24 per pound) shrimp, shelled, leaving tail and first shell section intact, and if desired, deveined.

1/4 cup fresh lime juice

1 T sugar

3 large garlic cloves, minced

¼ cup of coconut milk

1/2 cup fresh coriander sprigs, washed well, spun dry, and chopped fine

4 tablespoons olive oil

1 tablespoon soy sauce

1/2 teaspoon dried hot red pepper flakes

1 T fish sauce

Coconut rice

Lime wedges

Lime Coriander Shrimp Directions

Mix all the ingredients together and allow to marinate for one hour. Place shrimp on skewers (I normally put six on each skewer), and cook for two minutes per side at medium heat.

Asian Cucumber Salad

Ingredients

One large cucumber, cut into thin slices.

One small chili pepper, finely chopped.

1 tsp of brown sugar

¼ cup of rice vinegar (or white vinegar)

2 tablespoons of chopped coriander

1 tsp of toasted sesame seeds to garnish (optional)

Directions

Mix the ingredients together and chill. Serve as a side dish to the Lime Coriander Shrimp.

Book Review

How to Find Love in a Bookshop

By Veronica Henry

This, not surprisingly, is a novel about love and books, set in the idyllic English town of Peasebrook.

Amid the honey-colored sandstone buildings of this fictional Cotswold village, Julius Nightingale owned and operated Nightingale Books, nurturing customers and neighbours for over 30 years.

Now, with his death, the torch is being passed to his daughter Emilia. Returning from an extended absence, the young woman soon learns that her father was a pinnacle of culture and light to Peasebrook, beloved by all.

And beloved more by some than others, it would seem. As Emilia searches for a meaningful relationship of her own, she becomes aware of an adulterous affair that her father had conducted for many years in secret.

Add in a nefarious real estate baron intent on buying the bookshop building, impending financial disaster and some hunky, lusty lads, and you have the classic summer romance read, with lots of love, laughter, heartbreak and surprises.

I highly recommend How to Find Love in a Bookshop!

Coming November 1st

New Jack Kenyon Mystery/Thriller!

“COPE HAS DONE IT AGAIN – DEAD MAN CIPHER IS A REAL PAGE-TURNER!” MC Anderson, founder of the San Miguel de Allende book club  

FBI AGENT JACK KENYON is squaring off against one of his most intractable foes.

Dev Patek, a renowned nuclear physicist, has been found lifeless in his backyard. All evidence points to suicide, until a letter arrives at Kenyon’s desk, to be delivered only after Patek’s untimely death.

But the dead man letter is in code, a cipher that requires the use of a mysterious manuscript to crack it. The message may reveal who killed Patek, or something far more sinister.

As Jack pursues Dev’s murder, he begins to uncover a comprehensive scheme to steal one of the world’s most valuable secrets, the blueprint to Baron Feargus Morgan’s nuclear engine.

Follow Jack from San Francisco to London as he pursues a host of spies, murderers and kidnappers who will stop at nothing to achieve their goal.

Pre-order Here Now!

TV Series Review

Boston Legal

Streaming free on IMDB TV

Guilty pleasure time! Created by the talented David E. Kelley (Chicago Hope, Ally McBeal), this courtroom comedy ran for five seasons, from 2004 to 2008. It centered around the antics of the lawyers at Crane, Poole and Schmidt, including Alan Shore (James Spader), Denny Crane (William Shatner) and Shirley Schmidt (Candice Bergen).

The charm of the series emanates from the friendship between Alan and Denny, a pair of lecherous litigators who chase everything in skirts. The duo finish off every episode sharing a cigar on the balcony of their Boston office, reminiscing about the day’s shenanigans.

Although the series finished more than a decade ago, the topics they covered are just as relevant today. Police brutality against blacks, federal government interference and LGBTQ rights (with a little cannibalism, dwarves and elevator sex thrown in to spice things up even more).

The series is well written, acted, and edited, making it a joy to binge watch. I highly recommend Boston Legal!

Life in Mexico

The good news: Mexico’s beaches have re-opened!

The bad news? The COVID pandemic continues to grow in Mexico, but nobody really knows the extent. Official numbers show almost 400,000 confirmed cases and 43,500 deaths, but government figures aren’t widely trusted, and independent estimates place the numbers much higher.

Regardless, a casual observer wouldn’t think anything was amiss in Manzanillo. The weekend markets are crowded, but few seem to be wearing masks or practicing safe distancing. Larger stores and malls have security guards checking temperatures and ensuring everyone wears a mask, but they’re in the minority.

Although the government is promoting the tourism sector with renewed flights and open resorts, travelers are being cautious; the traditional ‘social’ season’ that runs from November to March when snowbirds flock south is in jeopardy. Our friends in Canada ponder the wisdom of going from a country that has the pandemic largely under control to a jurisdiction that now has the fifth-worst outbreak in the world. Likewise, pals in the US are reluctant to spend months in a community that is in danger of seeing its healthcare system swamped.

Like the US, there is very little guidance from Mexico’s president and senior cabinet ministers. Hopefully, common sense among ordinary Mexicans will prevail, and individuals will take the necessary precautions to reverse the upward spiral of infections and help get everything back to normal.

Summer Burger Recipe

What’s more delicious in the summer than a burger on your BBQ? These home-made beauties are guaranteed to delight family and friends! Easy to make ahead of time and quick to pull together during a suitable outdoor event.

Ingredients

1 lb of ground sirloin

1 lb of ground pork loin

½ cup of breadcrumbs (I use Panko)

1 tsp of salt

1 tsp of ground pepper

1 clove of garlic, minced

1 egg

Bimbo buns

1 Tsp of butter

Sliced cheese (Gouda and Havarti are just as good as Cheddar)

Sliced tomatoes, onions, lettuce, pickles, etc., for garnish.

Directions

Put the ground sirloin, pork and egg into a bowl and mix together.

In a blender, mix breadcrumbs, salt, pepper and garlic.

Slowly add the breadcrumb mix to the meat, stirring to avoid clumps. Leave in the fridge for one hour.

Depending on how large you like your burgers, divide the meat into either six or eight balls. I use a patty maker (you can find an excellent Weber patty maker in the BBQ section of your grocery store), or you can simply shape them by hand.

Heat the BBQ to medium. Grill each burger 4 minutes per side. Add the cheese slices, if so desired, at the final minute.

While the burgers are grilling, cut the buns in half and butter each side.

Once the burgers are done, place them on a plate to rest. Put the buns into the BBQ, grilling for 15 seconds per side then place in a serving basket.

Serve at a buffet table with the condiments and toppings, allowing everyone to customize their burger.

Goes great with margaritas and cold beer!

Dead Man Cipher Draw has a Winner!

Thanks to everyone who voted for the cover for the latest book in my FBI Agent Jack Kenyon mystery series. Cover #3 (which is a time-lapse photo of the Golden Gate Bridge taken at night), was quickly eliminated. Covers #1 were #2 were neck-and-neck, a virtual tie. We finally called upon the adjudication committee to pick a winner, and cover #2 is the victor!

The winner of the draw for a first edition paperback of Dead Man Cipher was chosen at random from every newsletter subscriber who voted. Congratulations to Stuart Curran!

Book Review

28 Summers

By Elin Hilderbrand

The author has been writing for several decades about the foibles of the imaginary residents of Nantucket, Massachusetts, an idyllic, secluded island off Cape Cod that is the summer playground for the rich and famous and a sheltered community in the wintertime for the permanent residents who call it home.

Her latest novel, 28 Summers, has a delicious twist. Mallory Blessing is adrift in New York, searching for meaningful existence when she inherits a cottage in Nantucket from her Aunt Gerta. It is a modest home with a great need for some TLC, but to Mallory, it becomes an anchor to her new life.

But not romance. That comes out of the blue when she finally meets Jake, her older brother’s college roommate, and the sparks fly! The only problem; Jake is already committed to his childhood sweetheart Ursula.

What follows is a classic plot device taken from Same Time Next Year, the romantic romp starring Alan Alda and Ellen Burstyn. Mallory and Jake agree to secretly meet every Labor Day weekend for a secret ‘same time next year’ rendezvous.

What they didn’t expect is that the torrid tryst would go on so long! Through marriage and children, they persevere for almost three decades, until fate finally catches up.

Elin Hilderbrand is known as the ‘Queen of Summer Reads’, which makes light of the craftsmanship and imagination that she invests in her work. Before she even begins to write, she develops a short summary for each main character, a biography that covers important details of their lives, including ‘what makes them tick’. In doing so, she brings a depth and familiarity to the narrative that unfolds organically scene-by-scene as the individuals interact and mature.

I highly recommend you try 28 Summers. You won’t be disappointed!

TV Review

Ozark

Streaming on Netflix

A hapless accountant in Chicago is caught up in a scheme to launder money when a vengeful narco boss shoots his partner and threatens to kill his family if he doesn’t launder $500 million in five years.

Marty Byrde (played by Jason Batemen), uproots his family and flees to a holiday lake region in the Ozarks, where he and his wife Wendy (Laura Linney), buy a house and set out to meet the locals.

Some of their neighbours include the Langmores, a wild hillbilly clan intent on nefarious deeds. The leader of the clan is Ruth, a young woman with big plans. She allies with Marty in order to further he own family’s goals and to learn some modern forms of chicanery.

All of this, of course, attracts the attention of the FBI, who are in hot pursuit of the narco boss and his ill-gotten gains.

The series, now in its third season, has plans for a fourth and final run in 2021. Be sure to catch up to the action now, however, so that you can enjoy the finale!

Sunrise over Manzanillo. Credit; Fred Taylor.

Greetings from Manzanillo!

Life in Mexico

Lockdown

Life is a paradox in Mexico right now. As the infection and death tolls continue to climb (primarily in Mexico City and surrounding communities), the president repeatedly insists that the COVID crisis is receding and that everything should return to normal.

Linda and I have been in self-isolation for the last two months, which sounds a lot worse than it is. There are no quarantine restrictions or road blocks within the city and you are welcome to come and go as you please. The beaches have been closed since Easter but there are rumors that they may soon open up again. I’ve been spending more time tending to the garden in our home; our jasmine plant just burst into season with dozens of tiny flowers that smell like a cross between rose and lavender.

Even if the president isn’t taking the crisis seriously, most major businesses are implementing social distancing precautions. Once a week, we go to La Comer to purchase groceries. We go in the morning, when it is least busy. All of the entrance doors to the mall have been closed except for one, where guards refuse entry to anyone not wearing a mask.

Inside La Comer, butchers, bakers, shelf stockers and tellers all wear masks. A clerk wipes down the handle on every cart. At the check-out, shoppers line up on floor markers fixed six-feet apart.

Contrast this to the market in Santiago, where on a recent Saturday a dozen shoppers were lined up in front of the meat shop. No one was wearing a mask, and all were completely oblivious to social distancing.

We’ve been fortunate so far in Manzanillo, with under a dozen deaths recorded. While the numbers are definitely being under-reported, hospitals (and morgues) are apparently not being over-whelmed. We are hoping that when the crisis peaks this summer, it spares those who are at high risk in our community.

Recipe; Thai Beef & Beans

Many years ago, Greg, my mate in Australia, showed me how to concoct this incredible dish. It is easy to make and tastes incredibly delicious – it’s always the high-light of our day. If you don’t have Jasmine rice, Basmati or any other white rice will do just as well.

Ingredients

1 lb of ground sirloin (you can also use thinly sliced steak)

2 Tsp of sesame (or any) oil

2 cloves of garlic, crushed

1 tsp of red curry paste

¼ cup of brown sugar

¼ cup of shrimp sauce

1/2 tsp of turmeric

1 tsp of ground black peppre

¼ cup of soy sauce

½ cup of water

½ cup of green beans, cut into 1-in pieces (asparagus also works very well)

½ cup of red pepper, diced

1 cup of Jasmine rice, cooked.

Garnish (mint, chopped green onion, basil leaves).

Lime slices.

Directions

Using a pan with a lid (or Dutch oven) fry the sirloin, garlic, red curry paste, black pepper, turmeric and sugar in oil.

Add shrimp sauce, soy sauce and half the water. Simmer on low for 20 minutes.

Turn up the heat and add the green beans and red pepper. Cover and let it steam for three minutes. If you wish to have a bit of gravy, add the rest of the water.

Serve on Jasmine rice with garnish and lime slices.

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Book Review

The Last Trial, by Scott Turow

Scott Turow has made a brilliant career writing about the legal profession in fictional Kindle County. Beginning in the 1980s, he has focused on criminal defence lawyers and the shenanigans surrounding high profile trials, following a cast of characters through several decades.

The Last Trial is Turow’s latest novel, and takes place in the late 2010s. Sandy Stern, at the end of a distinguished legal career spanning six decades, is looking forward to retirement. He is dragooned into one last case, however, when his friend Kiril Pafko is charged with murder.

The case is unprecedented. Pafko, a Nobel Prize winner in medicine and CEO of a publicly traded research lab, has devised a drug treatment that is surprisingly effective against cancer. During expedited trials, however, several deaths associated with allergic reactions to the treatment were concealed from the FDA. In addition, when a reporter uncovers the deception and reveals the knowledge to Pafko prior to publication, the CEO sells his options knowing that the stock would tank. When the scandal erupts, he is charged by the district attorney with both fraud and murder.

Stern, in his 80s, literally owes his life to Pafko after being successfully treated with the wonder drug when he came down with cancer. Now he must rise to the occasion. With the help of his daughter Marta and granddaughter Pinky, he must build a defence that will convince a jury that there is reasonable doubt to the charges.

As in all of Turow’s books, there are no outright villains or heroes; all of his vividly-portrayed characters exhibit both nobility and malevolence. That’s what makes reading his work so enthralling – you never know until the very end which personality trait will triumph.

And The Last Trial is no exception. I highly recommend this book.

Movie Review

My Fair Lady

Based on George Bernard Shaw’s 1913 play Pygmalion, My Fair Lady was turned into a musical in the 1950s, with book and lyrics by Alan Jay Lerner and music by Frederick Loewe.

The story focuses on the often-adversarial relationship between Eliza Doolittle, a Cockney flower girl, and Professor Henry Higgins, a phonetician who vows to give her speech lessons to the point where she can pass as a lady in high society.

The musical, starring Rex Harrison and Julie Andrews played to great success on Broadway and London’s West End. It was adapted to the screen in 1964, starring Rex Harrison and Audrey Hepburn, and directed by George Cukor. It won eight Oscars, including Best Picture, Best Actor and Best Director.

But the real star of the show is the music. Virtually every one of the dozen show-cased songs is a classic, with I Could Have Danced All Night, The Rain in Spain, With a Little Bit of Luck and Get Me to the Church on Time leading the way. Various remakes have been proposed over the intervening 56 years, but the original still stands as one of the best musicals of all time.

“Few genres of films are as magical as musicals, and few musicals are as intelligent and lively as My Fair Lady,” notes American film critic James Berardinelli. “It’s a classic not because a group of stuffy film experts have labeled it as such, but because it has been, and always will be, a pure joy to experience.”

Life in Mexico

Easter is the most popular vacation time in Mexico, with families packing up the car and heading for ocean resorts in the weeks before and after Good Friday. Typically, Manzanillo’s population swells by 50,000, clogging the streets, restaurants and beaches.

But this year was different. While the federal government dithered and cases of COVID began to soar in Mexico City and Guadalajara, local authorities took action. Colima Governor Jose Ignacio Peralta (Nacho), established state police barriers on the major highways leading from Guadalajara; travelers without business or residential status were turned back.

State officials also urged the closure of all non-essential services, including restaurants, bars, hotels and shopping malls. Even if a holiday-maker were able to sneak through, there were few distractions to keep them in the city.

The result was dramatic. Miramar Beach, which would normally have 20,000 people or more during a holiday weekend, was entirely deserted. Armed marines patrolled the sand every day from morning to dusk, ensuring compliance. Full-time residents were asked to self-isolate and to journey out only for groceries and medical services, until April 30.

So far, Colima has had the lowest number of reported COVID cases in Mexico, which makes everyone breathe (literally), a bit better. The government may extend the shut-down further into May, but for now, the worst seems to have been avoided.

Favorite Recipe; Steak L’entrecote

We first discovered this amazing recipe when we were living in Paris. Relais de L’entrecote is a specialty restaurant in the trendy St. Germain de Pres district of the Left Bank. They have nothing but steak & frites on the menu, but the silky sauce that they serve over the steak is to die for!

Ingredients

6 chicken livers, chopped,

1 large shallot, chopped

1 sprig of fresh thyme, tarragon and parsley

1 1/4 cup of liquid cream

2 Tsp of Dijon mustard

¼ cup of butter

½ cup of water

½ tsp of salt.

1 Ribeye Steak.

Directions

1 Slowly sauté the shallot and liver in half the butter until lightly browned. Add thyme, salt, tarragon and parsley.

2 In a separate pan, mix mustard and cream and reduce over low heat. Add the rest of the butter.

3 Mix all ingredients together and let rest for five minutes.

4 Sieve out the sauce. Adjust the thickness with the water to achieve a silky texture. Heat on low when ready to serve.

5 BBQ the steak for two-three minutes per side on high heat. Let rest for ten minutes, then carve into 1-cm strips. Pour the sauce over the strips and serve.

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Happy April!

Check out Friends April 2020 Newsletter

Book Review

American Dirt, by Jeanine Cummins

This is a complex book to read, simultaneously filled with love, joy and terror.

The novel starts in present-day Acapulco, where a drug cartel orders the murder of the family of journalist Sebastian, who has published an expose of their leader Javier. They ruthlessly gun down 16 men, women and children during a family birthday party.

Only Sebastian’s wife and young son survive. Lydia and Luca are forced to flee the wrath of the jefe, whose reach spans all of Mexico.

In order to escape, they join the migrant wave heading from Central America to the US, el norte. They ride the rails and seek comfort in the refuge stops that are stationed by good Samaritans along the way. They are also brutalized by criminals and rogue police.

The author, who has written extensively about victims of justice in several novels and memoirs, brings to life the motivations of the main characters, starkly illustrating the realities of their lives in war and crime-torn countries.

It is also a fast-paced thriller, pulling the reader along a roller-coaster ride as Lydia and Luca and the friends they meet on their journey scramble for safety.

This is a tough read, but one that will ultimately change your perceptions of the complex issues that surround the mass refugee migrations that are happening around the world today.

TV Review

Mad Men, streaming on Netflix

OK. Now you know what I’ve been really been doing in self-isolation.

Mad Men is one of my all-time favorite TV series, about a Madison Avenue advertising firm, featuring Jon Hamm as creative director Don Draper, January Jones as his long-suffering wife Betty, and Elisabeth Moss as the intrepid copywriter Peggy Olson.

The series takes place largely in the late 1950s and 1960s, during the golden age of TV, the Beatles, civil unrest and opposition to the Vietnam War. The cast of characters at fictional ad agency Sterling Cooper each try to out-do each other in drinking, cheating and generally self-destructing.

The mood of each episode (there are 96 in total), veers from interpersonal drama to slapstick comedy and back again, taking the viewer on a manic, addictive journey.

Over the course of seven seasons, we watch each character mature (or not). One of my favorites is Sally Draper, Don and Betty’s young daughter, who learns as an 8-year old how to mix Tom Collins and fetch cigarettes, eventually growing up into a rebellious teenager.

I know it’s a lot of TV, but as far as pop-culture pleasures are concerned, nothing beats Mad Men.

Pets and COVID-19

Can you transmit COVID-19 to your pet? Or, just as importantly, can they give it to you?

The answers are…no one knows.

There have been reported cases of dogs and cats testing positive for SARS-CoV-2 (the virus that causes COVID-19), even a tiger in the Bronx Zoo, but there hasn’t been any follow-up as to how they caught it.

There have been no reports of pets getting seriously sick or dying in China, Italy or Spain, so the anecdotal evidence would indicate that pets are not significant vectors (or victims) for the disease.

Still, virus researchers at the Cummings School of Veterinary Medicine at Tufts University in Massachusetts have launched a study in which pet owners and farm workers who are being treated can also have their animals tested in order to better study if transference is taking place.

In the meantime, if you have tested positive for the disease or are showing symptoms, take a common sense approach;

• Just like other members of your family, do not touch or kiss your pet.
• Have an un-infected family member feed and tend to your pet, if possible.
• Do not share food, drinks, glasses, cups, towels, or bedding with your pet.
• If your pet is experiencing respiratory stress, contact a veterinarian by phone (Do not go to a clinic).
• Keep cats indoors as much as possible.
• When an un-infected family member is walking your dog, keep it on a leash and avoid dog parks.

LIFE IN MEXICO

UNWANTED GUEST COMES FOR A HOLIDAY

A bustling Manzanillo beach

Although Mexico has has not suffered as badly as other jurisdictions, restrictions to control COVID-19 are now falling into place

Our home state of Colima, for instance, has recommended that citizens avoid all unnecessary movement and stay at home. Trips for food, medicine and aid to others are allowed, but gyms, bars and theatres are either closed or discouraged destinations.

So far, people have been fairly obedient.  Normally, Mir-a-mar beach is filled with hundreds of swimmers and sun-bathers enjoying the sunny, warm weather. As you can see in the photo taken by Fred Taylor on March 21, however, the beach is largely deserted. As my father used to say, you could fire a bazooka and not hit anyone!

Most Canadian and US residents have returned home, but, obviously, Mexican beach-lovers remain. The test will come in a few weeks with the start of Easter weekend. This is the most popular holiday of the year, with families from Mexico City and Guadalajara flocking down to party.

I have heard that authorities are restricting movement along major highways into Manzanillo to residents and workers only. This should dissuade tourists, but if the situation gets too crowded, the police may have to close the beaches to everyone.

Only time will tell. In the meantime, stay safe!

FAVORITE RECIPE

LAMB SHANKS

Melt in your Mouth

This is the perfect recipe for a Sunday supper! You can find the shanks in the frozen meat section of most grocery stores year round, or pick some up from your local butcher in season. It is literally a one-pot meal that’s easy to make and very delicious!

INGREDIENTS

2 lamb shanks, scored

1 T olive oil

1/2 cup of flour

1 Tsp of chili powder

4 shallots, whole, peeled

4 garlic cloves, whole, peeled.

1/2 cup wine

1 cup chicken broth

1 t rosemary

Salt and pepper

DIRECTIONS

Heat oven to 450 F.

Place an iron casserole pot on the stove and turn to medium. Brown the shallots and garlic in the oil.

Dust the shanks in a mix of flour and chili powder then brown in the oil. Season with salt and pepper.

Pour in wine, broth and rosemary.

Place casserole pot in oven uncovered for ½ hour.

Cover the pot and turn oven down to 350 F. Let cook for 2 ½ hours.

(Optional: you can add diced carrots and potatoes with one hour left to go.)

Remove pot and allow to cool for 15 minutes.

Remove lamb and vegetables to a serving platter, then make gravy using 2 Tsp of reserved flour/chili powder mixed in ½ cup of broth.

Serve with mint sauce or jalapeno jelly.

FREEBIE!

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RICHEST DOGS & CATS

This is an excerpt from the newsletter I write each month in support of Friends of Mexico Animal Welfare. Check Friends out at https://www.fomaw.org

Grumpy Cat Ready for the Cameras

Pets can’t inherit or own property or money directly, but they can benefit from a loving former parent through a trust. They can also earn funds on behalf of their owners through acting and internet promotions.

Here’s a list of some of the world’s richest cats and dogs.

Gunther IV.

When Countess Karlotta Libenstein of Germany died in 1992, she left over $100 million to her German Shepherd, Gunther III. Her trustees eventually more than tripled the money, and when Gunther IV was born, he became the world’s richest dog, with an estimated $375 million in biscuits.

Grumpy Cat (officially Tardar Sauce)

Grumpy cat is considered to be the world’s richest cat, earning its owner, Tabatha Bundesen, an estimated $100 million through endorsements and promotions (a figure which Bundesen denies). The tiny feline burst to fame in 2012, when a photo of her famously unfriendly features went viral on social media. Grumpy passed away in 2019 at the age of seven, but she lives on in countless memes!

Olivia Benson

Olivia is owned by Taylor Swift and was named after the singer’s favorite character on Law and Order: SVU. It is estimated that the white Scottish fold cat has earned over $97 million through social media and ads for Coke and Keds shoes, placing it on par with Grumpy Cat.

Tommaso

Tommaso is a black cat with a lucky streak. After wandering into the home of Italian property magnate Maria Assunta, the four-year old stray soon became the prime object of her affection. When Assunta died in 2011 at the age of 94, Tommaso inherited the equivalent of $13 million. The money is held in trust by Assunta’s nurse, Stefania.

Trouble

When real estate and hotel tycoon Leona Helmsley died in 2007, the ‘Queen of Mean’ left $12 million to her Maltese, Trouble. A year later, a judge deemed the amount exceeded what was necessary to care for the dog, and order the inheritance reduced to $2 million. Trouble died in Florida in 2011.

Conchita.

When socialite Gail Posner passed away in 2010, she left $3 million in trust to her Chihuahua. During her life, Posner treated Conchita to lavish gifts, manicures and lunches at extravagant restaurants. Her son sued the estate, claiming that the trust was foisted on his mother by greedy house servants.

MOVIE REVIEW

Self Made

Starring Octavia Spencer

Produced by Netflix

The four-part mini-series, starring Oscar-winning actress Octavia Spencer (The Help, 2011), is based upon the life of Madam C.J. Walker, an African-American woman who became the first black, self-made millionaire in America.

Born Sarah Breedlove in 1867, she began making her own line of cosmetics and hair care products aimed at black women. She founded the Madam C.J. Walker Manufacturing Company (named after her third husband), and her products became a by-word for quality and beauty in the African-American community.

The plot revolves around the feud that is generated between Sarah and her arch-nemesis Addie, a fellow cosmetologist who lays claim to the former’s innovations (and men). In addition, Sarah must fight discrimination against blacks and misogyny toward woman as she muscles her way through the male-dominated business world.

The result is a highly-entertaining soap-opera with a social message that will resonate with its contemporary audience. I highly recommend you watch Self Made.

BOOK REVIEW

A Distant Mirror

By Barbara Tuchman

Tuchman, a Pulitzer-prize winning author, wrote A Distant Mirror over 40 years ago. The historical non-fiction chronicles life in 14^th century Europe, covering a wide range of topics, including the Battle of Poitiers, the 100-Years War between the English and the French, and the Catholic Church split that resulted in a papacy in Avignon.

Scintillating stuff, I know. But her eloquent style of writing and ability to make historical characters leap off the page makes the book a fascinating and informative read. And, at 600 pages of densely packed prose, it makes an excellent diversion when self-isolating!

There is another aspect that makes the book relevant. A great deal of the narrative is dedicated to documenting the Black Death, the bubonic plague that wiped out as much as half of humanity between 1348-1350. The panic and desperation of Europeans during the pandemic reflects the situation in which the world now finds itself in today. After a span of over 600 years, far too much of human folly remains the same.

I highly recommend you read A Distant Mirror.

Life In Mexico

Hummingbird Heaven

Mexico is home to a huge population of hummingbirds. There are approximately 60 different species, and they occupy virtually every ecosystem in the country, from tropical coastline to the slopes of volcanoes.

Hummingbirds are amazing creatures, with heartrates that can exceed 1200 beats per minute and the ability to migrate up to 500 miles in a single day.

A male hummingbird is very aggressive when it comes to protecting its feeding territory, chasing away other birds – even raptors – that invade.

Hummingbirds are not afraid of humans, sipping at feeders inches away from bird fanciers.

Hummingbirds are very intelligent and can remember every flower they have ever visited.

We love to see them dancing from blossom to blossom in our garden, drinking in the nectar from hibiscus, bougainvillea and even the tiny white flowers that grace our fragrant basil!

Favorite Recipe

Singapore Shrimp Noodles

This is a great lunch recipe on a weekend because it makes you get up early and do the Saturday chores knowing you’ll be coming back to this great dish! It only takes a few minutes to prepare, but the flavor is fantastic!

1 (12oz) package of extra thin egg noodles
1lb of cleaned raw shrimp (frozen is fine)
2 Tablespoons of oil.

2 cloves of garlic grated
2 Table spoons of ginger grated
1 medium onion chopped
1 red bell pepper chopped
1 sliced red chili
1 bunch of green onions (use white and green parts)
1 cup of frozen green peas
1 tsp of red chili flakes (or to taste)
1 Table spoon of curry powder
1/4 cup of soy sauce
1 Tablespoon of fish sauce

Cut limes

Directions

Cook the pasta according to the package instructions.

In a large wok or frying pan, heat 2Tbs of canola oil.  Add chopped onions, green onion whites and pepper.  Stir fry for 2-3 minutes. 

Add ginger and garlic and stir fry for 1-2 minutes.

Add curry powder and red chili flakes and stir fry for 1 minute.

Add shrimp and frozen peas.  Stir fry until the shrimp start to pink up and become almost cooked through.

Add soy sauce and fish sauce.   Also add some of the scallion greens here.  Leave a few pieces for garnish.

Scoop cooked noodles out of the broth and add to the pan. Toss with all the ingredients for a few minutes. Serve with onion greens and limes.

Special Event

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Six Ways Your Dog Shows Love

This is an excerpt from the newsletter I write each month in support of Friends of Mexico Animal Welfare. Check Friends out at https://www.fomaw.org

I love my Mom!

1 Sustained Eye Contact

Just like humans, dogs convey love and affection by sustained eye contact. When your dog looks at you, it releases oxytocin in their brain, the ‘love hormone’.

2 Leaning Against You

When your dog leans against you while you’re relaxing on the couch, it means it feels safe, secure and totally comfortable.

3 Sleeping in Your Bedroom

Even if your dog is not allowed on the bed, it still wants to be close to you because it is totally loyal and doesn’t want to be separated from the pack.

4 It is Happy When You Get Home

If your dog jumps up and down and licks your face, it’s absolutely thrilled to see you!

5 It Carries Your Stinky Shoes Around

Not the best activity if they also tend to chew, but dogs who love their owners’ scents will raid the shoe pile or laundry basket for smelly reminders.

6 It Brings You its Favorite Toy

Not just to play, either. As its leader, it is presenting you its most prized, beloved possession.

Our thanks to blogger Christina Donnelly.

Movie Review

Judy

Starring Renee Zellweger

Renee Zellweger won an Oscar for her performance in Judy, and no small wonder. She completely immerses herself into the role, taking on not only the appearance of the legendary singer, but also the voice.

The story revolves around her comeback attempt in later life when, broke and homeless, she leaves her children behind in California and flies to London to mount a major review.

Her legions of fans are treated to less than stellar performances, however, as her dependence on alcohol and pills causes her to stumble.

The movie was made without the blessing of her daughter Liza Minelli, who announced publicly that she had absolutely no intention of ever seeing it.

A shame. I highly recommend this intimate, warts-and-all biopic for illuminating the heart, talent and genius of Judy Garland.

Book Review

My Sister’s Keeper

By Jodi Picoult

I’m a big fan of Jodi Picoult; her novel, Small Great Things, is one of my favourite reads.

My Sister’s Keeper was written in 2004, when the issues of ‘designer babies’ were entering the public consciousness.

The story revolves around Anna, a 13-year old girl who was conceived by her parents using a technique that would guarantee a genetic match with her older sister Kate, who suffered from a deadly form of leukemia.

For her entire life, Anna has undergone a painful series of operations in order to harvest blood and bone marrow in order to keep her sister’s condition in remission. But the inevitable day has arrived where the disease has deteriorated Kate’s organs to the point where she needs a kidney transplant.

Anna is the perfect match, but in a decision that shocks her family, she hires a lawyer and seeks to establish legal right to her own body. The decision has the potential to tear her family apart and kill her sister.

The author ingeniously explores Anna’s inner thoughts, as well as those of her mother Sara and father Brian, through various points-of-view and flashbacks as her lawsuit slowly moves through the legal system.

The book sheds light on important ethical issues that are becoming more commonplace as medical science advances into the realm of reproduction. While doing so, it explores the very nature of love in a poignant, anguished manner. I highly recommend My Sister’s Keeper.