Going Down Again this Weekend

I'll be down in LB for a long weekend - leaving Thursday and coming back on Sunday. While there, I'll check on:

• power
• propane (will get a filled tank if possible)
• mice
• trees (don't worry, Pat, I didn't forget)

Any other suggestions?

My friend and I will do some cleaning & organizing and will fix what ever we are able to repair.

I'll also take some walks, enjoy the fire, eat dinner with friends, read a book, and watch the sunset! Maybe I'll see some whales!

Full report on my return.

Naranja Agria

Naranja agria, amarga
Download PDF

Botanical nameCitrus aurantium ssp. amaraMayan nameSu’uts’ pak’áalCommon English names Seville orange, sour orange, bitter orangeEtymology• Naranja, like most words for “orange” in European languages, originated from the Sanskrit nagaruka or naranga which was subsequently transmitted via Arabic naranjah and Persian narenj. Agria and amarga both derive from amara, the Latin word for “bitter”. • Citrus aurantium ssp. amara derives from Greek and Latin words. Citrus comes from the Greek kedromelon (κεδρομῆλον) “apple of cedar”. The Romans shortened the Greek name to citrus. Aurantium derives from aurum, the Latin word for “gold” and is an obvious reference to the fruit’s color when ripe. Amara is the Latin word for "bitter".• Su’uts’ (sour) is an ancient Mayan word that describes a universal human taste sensation, whereas pak’áal (orange) is a contrived word to signify the fruit that only arrived in the New World relatively recently. Many ingredients in Yucatán have only Spanish names, not Mayan ones, implying that the food arrived after the Maya had been assimilated. That there is a Mayan word for “orange” would confirm the fact that the fruit arrived shortly after the conquest. • Seville refers to the fruit’s early cultivation in Sevilla, Spain, by the dominant Arabic culture. Orange is both a shortening of the original Sanskrit (n)aranga and a phonic reference to the Latin word for “gold” – aurum. History and heritageThe sour or bitter orange is indigenous to southeastern Asia. Arabs are believed to have carried the bitter orange to Arabia in the 9th century. By the 12th century, they had introduced it into Arabic realms in Sicily and Andalucia (southern Spain), particularly Sevilla, which was the center of Arabic culture on the Iberic peninsular and where it was widely cultivated. For 500 years, until the Portuguese introduced the sweet orange, it was the only orange in Europe. It was the first orange to reach the New World, and by 1568, it had become naturalized in tropical Mexico and Yucatán. Not long thereafter it spread throughout the Caribbean. Culinary usesIn Yucatán, naranja agria is an indispensable part of the regional cuisine. Mixed with water and sugar, sour orange juice becomes a refreshing beverage called naranjada. Unsweetened, it is used like vinegar, the juice quickly pickling onions and other vegetables served as condiments. The juice is also employed in several table sauces, dips, and as a primary ingredient in various meat marinades, particularly the famous pibil dishes when mixed with achiote, or on its own in the wood-grilled pork dish, poc chuc. On a worldwide industrial scale, the essential oil derived from the dried peel of unripe sour orange – particularly from selected varieties “Jacmel” from Jamaica and the aromatic “Curacao” (var. curassaviensis) – gives a distinctive flavor to certain liqueurs. And oils distilled from the flower of the sour orange, such as "Neroli” and “Petitgrain” are used in flavorings for candy, baked goods, soft drinks and various condiments. But perhaps the greatest use of sour oranges as a food is in the form of marmalade, with thousands of tons of the fruit exported annually to England and Scotland for that purpose.

Broken leg

I think it's time to scrape and paint the eaves around the house, but I am a little worried about a)getting a tall enough ladder down there. It would need to be pretty tall, but it would be nice to get one tha we can use for other stuff too. b) falling off of it;

Also, wondering if we can we buy better paint in Mexico than we can here?

Photos of the Stove

The oven doesn't work and Pat thinks we may be able to get some new parts for this beauty.

Fresh baked chocolate chip cookies would really add to the magic of La Bocana!


It's a Magic Chef

OK Here's the Deal

Report from the front lines.

1st - Pat, 7 of the trees are still alive and doing well. I watered them several times.


2nd - Pat, the McGyvered solar sprinkler timer did not work out. My friend Lisa Marie fixed it and it is now working great! (You can't see it well but there green light is on)



3rd - we found 5 dead mice but I think they were killed right after we left last time. There was no recent evidence. We set new traps. I'm thinking there are none left in the house. We shall see.

The weather was awesome. Full moon, little wind, and hot actually. It was perfect.

We ate some gourmet food - check out Saturday's breakfast:


On Sunday, we took a walk and came upon the wild horses:


The water was on and there were no problems there.

The propane ran out about 30 seconds after we turned it. We hooked up a little propane tank and the big one will have to be refilled next time.

The rope system to help with the grates was great. Made it very easy to bring them up, take off the boards, and then lower then down.