Caterpillar2Butterfly's Journal, 20 June 2016

Your family is beautiful. They look so happy and healthy! Beautiful pics! Who needs material things to be happy? I'd be happy there myself :) 

Thank you, sugar! It was such a cleansing experience! My 12 yr old was asking last night when we could go back. I'd love to be able to take off there about a week every year. 

looks beautiful. Poor piggie =( glad you had fun! 

Man! Those pix take me 'home'! The oven makes the best food, covered in woodsmoke. And a big tub of carnitas cooking is truly one of the gifts of the Divine! And yeah, I've done my share of laundry on one of those concrete scrub boards. It's oddly satisfying, but it took me months to figure out how to wring the clothes out properly! The ones I used were "modern" versions, with a faucet over them. Thank you SO much for sharing the pictures. It truly is beautiful there, and I know what you mean about feeling connected in a way that seems impossible in our developed country. Simple life is harder, but more grounded. 

That's a beautiful way to live. 

That's real living right there. No sympathy for the pig, he knew what was up. lol Awesome pics!  

@Panigale... When you live like that, there is no such thing as a pet...lol. If you can't eat 'em, you don't feed 'em. Even though my DH has been here for almost 20 yes, he still sees pets as nonsense. He gives me grief for dragging home anything I find to feed all of the time. He doesn't even believe in buying flowers to plant. If the blossums don't turn into food, he won't buy it. Needless to say, my yard is full of fruit trees! That's what you call compromising! 😁 @mskestrela... Where is 'home', if you don't mind me asking? I promise I'm going to come across the money to buy one of those pots one day! Ummm, um... Nothing I've ever eaten compares to the flavor! Exactly! Sometimes hard is good for the soul! @chicalean & Phil... I would pack my bags and move there in a minute, esp with the way things are headed here! I have lots more pics, but it gets hectic posting them on here. I'm glad you all enjoyed them! ☺ 

Oh i understand. I just personally dont want to kill it myself gut it and all that mess. I joke if my boyfriend ever needs to hunt or kill and animal for food I dont want to see any of it. But I feel if there are any pets its dogs. I would never eat a dog. Dogs are human companions and best friends. It would be so wrong to eat a dog. just doesn't make sense to me 

Oh no...no dog meat thank you! 😂 I wouldn't want to be the one to kill or gut anything either, but I learned on my visit that I could if I had to. ...and that comes from someone who didn't used to believe in hunting at all. Now...I will eat deer, rabbit, gator, frog legs, whatever, but no cat or dog please! IDK... if I got hungry enough, I probably would. Kinda like a "Naked & Afraid" thing. You never know what you will eat until you're TRULY hungry. 

@Carmen... the pic of my son playing with him was taken the day before he helped kill and eat him. Like I said, hungry enough...lol. 

Oh, that poor pig. LOL. He looked so happy in that pic. Too bad for him. :(( Beautiful pics........peaceful and laid back. You have a beautiful family. 

@Carmen... me too! 😁 @Engeland... at least he had a nice life while it lasted. 😂 Thank you much! 😊 

Your pictures are beautiful and your mother-in-law looks very happy. 

Thank you, lucky. She is! We went to a special church in Mexico City during my visit. There is a humongous garden/statue area around it. Lots of steps! That lady ran circles around all of us! I honestly believe it's because she still follows her traditional way of eating. 

I loved that show 'Naked and Afraid.' You never know what you might eat when put in a situation like that. I was in South Korea a long time ago and I believe I was served dog or cat. The meat tasted like something that I have never eaten in my life. The woman kept telling me "beef." I thought this isn't any beef. I saw ONE dog the whole time I was there and then he vanished. ;(( I was reading an article the other day about dog meat consumption and then they even showed the pic of the poor dog in the pot about to be cooked. :(( I've eaten a lot of things, but dog, cat or rodent......NO thanks. 

I got really into that show after coming home from my trip, Engeland. Like the day after I got home, I was sitting on the couch screaming,"Kill the monkey! Kill the ed monkey!" So unlike me! I LOVE MONKEYS (probably my most favorite animal in the world), but I know if it came down to me or him he'd have to go!  

Haha...my motto has always been, "Home is where I hang my hat" I grew up a gypsy because of my dad's diplomatic job. But 9 of my first 15 years were spent in 3 countries in South America: Colombia, Ecuador, and Uruguay. In Colombia, when I was about 4, there was a vacant lot across the street where a woman with a whole passel of kids had built a lean-to shed. She had corrugated aluminum for the roof, but mostly cardboard and a few pieces of plywood for the walls. I used to be fascinated when she was making soap out in front of the shed, and would play with her little ones. One afternoon, she was cooking potatoes in the open fire out front, and she invited me to taste one. It was the best potato I ever ate! But my mom saw me, and came running over as if I had been fed a rat or something, and forbade me to ever go to the place again. I still did, when she wasn't home. LOL After I grew up and was on my own, I decided I wanted to live in South America, so I sold everything and moved to Quito Ecuador, and opened a hair salon. The tale gets long from there, but later I also lived in Guatemala and Nicaragua. :) 

@ Engeland Yea there is a big petition going around fighting dog/cat meat consumption. I know many vegans would argue all animal lives matter. But I am a meat eater myself. I do it for my health. Believe me if I could be in amazing health without animal products I would do it but so far it isnt possible. But 1 thing is for sure I would never eat a dog. My two puppies are just so loveable and have such personality it just seems so wrong. They are the best human companions. Honestly I enjoy their company for than most people's. My dogs are awesome! And they are so loveable. Ive met dogs in shelters from abusive homes and they wag their tail at you and are over joyed to see you no matter what their past is. Dogs are just amazing :)  

Thank you both for sharing your stories and pictures! These pictures take me back to rural southern California a half a century ago, where we lived a rough and tumble life.  

@Mskestela.........you've led a very interesting life. I've never been to South America. @Panigale..........I am a dog lover myself and I can't see killing one to eat. Maybe the woman served me rat? LOL. Who knows. I do know that it was something that I have never eaten and I saw no cats and only ONE dog the whole time I was there. In some cultures it's the norm for them to eat animals we consider as off limits and visa versa.