Beryl Gorbman

Library chatter

BG — Sat, 21 Jan 2012 04:11:46 +0000

This is a collection of emails, and comments from other people. It goes on and on.

Quote of the day: (not mine)

Very sad, the library will not be the same. MELL has hung up her ballet shoes and will limp along on her walker stepping around members with their head in the sand and board members with their heads up their ass.

Mexican press:

http://www.yucatan.com.mx/20120109/nota-9/220843-respuesta-a-un-grupo-de-extranjeros.htm

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“My name is Cherie and I have served as a volunteer at MELL for four years. It’s been an honor and a privilege. I’ve greeted people from six continents and seen and heard their relief that “Someone speaks English here.” I’ve been grateful for the opportunity to know that the volunteers have played a significant role in the success of MELL. I, along with the other volunteers, have talked with thousands of people …thousands, including members. We are the ambassadors to Merida and the Yucatan and do serve as a community resource.

On the other hand, how many members have the board talked with? By the way, how many board members just joined MELL this year? Occasionally Raymond or Chloe checked out books, but that’s about it as far as interacting with the volunteers.

I’m responding to the lack of understanding the volunteers’ duties as shown by board members during their first members’ meeting. Comments about the “volunteers carried cases of Coke” or that we could not appropriately distribute hacienda notices or bank statements were misleading.

For some reason, the Board was concerned about the number of keys. The volunteers had done nothing wrong…except we supported Maria H and that was not wrong. It wasn’t the volunteers who stole money. The board said their attorney said to take away the volunteer keys. If the board knew the volunteers and how we worked, they would have said it wasn’t necessary. The volunteers were not the problem.

During Reg Deneau’s former tenure as MELL administrator, he worked three days a week, the one night MELLO-night, and Sat. lectures. The other days and two evenings and most Saturdays, the volunteers managed the library…not the Board.

When Reg vacationed for six weeks in Europe or other trips to Canada or elsewhere, the volunteers ran the library…not the Board.

After Reg’s departure, and the first Maria was hired, she was not trained as a library administrator, was dependent on the volunteers to tell her what to do and how to do it. (By the way, she was hired from CIS, Chloe’s organization.) If it weren’t for the volunteers, MELL would have crumbled. We did give her the benefit of the doubt, but there was too much she didn’t know or understand. But we supported her and the library for the greater good of MELL and anyone who walked into MELL or called us.

When Maria H. started, she worked five days a week, plus a children’s story hour and craft project on Saturdays. The volunteers worked with her closely day in and day out. She also checked on us during the two evening shifts from time to time. We saw a person with a Masters in Library Science who was cataloguing the many thousands of books appropriately. But she also complied with what the members asked of her. Game Night, yes, we can do that. A Writer’s Group? Yes, of course. Physically she cleaned the shelves and organized the collection. Day after day, she answered questions from anyone who asked by phone or in person, The volunteers were impressed with her dedication, wit, charm, and follow-through under dire circumstances. Even the monthly newsletters were light-hearted and engaging; the members never knew how strongly she was attacked by the board.

An interesting question is why couldn’t the Board, with only seven members or so, work with her when the 20 volunteers could? We worked with her on a daily basis. So we knew her. The board didn’t and still doesn’t realize what they’ve lost.

Also I think that a few comments from Chloe Pacheco should be addressed to the members regarding the timeline of discovery of the embezzlement.

Maria H. is the one who had asked for financial disclosure from the former board president. Almost daily he would come to the library to take cash. When he didn’t give her any written documents, she became suspicious and started locking the money in the library. She changed the locks because whom could she trust? She was the one in a tenuous position. Whom could she talk to on the board since it was the board that okayed the bylaw change for only one signature on MELL checks? What would each member of the board do if they were in her shoes and realized a board member was stealing? Who would they trust? ? How would they know who else was or was not involved in it?

Maria shared her fears with two volunteers. The former president confessed to those two volunteers in a home of one volunteer. That volunteer told the board. The other volunteer called Chloe about two weeks later and told her. Chloe had not attended the board meetings in a year and a half. No one from the board had told her about the theft. Also the second volunteer told Tonia Kimsey about the embezzlement as the board had not told her as well. There was some discussion on whether she was a board member. Since then, all necessary requirements were fulfilled and she became a board member.

During this time, six experienced MELL volunteers, who have served on boards in the US or served as a library administrator, formed an operations committee with the library’s best interest and future at heart and tried to work with the board to have them acknowledge their lack of oversight and to resign. Also, this group tried to work with other matters that concerned the volunteers such as no keys for the volunteers and the board’s attitude toward Maria H. Open discussions were held but the Board didn’t agree or understand.

Nor did the board members check on Maria H. during this horrific time but seemed to displace their lack of accountability toward her

Although the current board is accepting applications for new board members, this same board will choose whom they want, not the members.

Also, the board has decided on certain criteria for new volunteers that deliberately eliminate most volunteers who’ve worked the library for years.

So we were good enough to manage MELL for years without the “help” of the board. Isn’t it interesting that we’re now not qualified?

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From Maria Llera:

Re: Comprobado: Jose Martinez y Malena Peon son ladrones

Cherie Pitillo`s declaration is a gem and it exposes the current board conspiracy in the making.

Notice that the MELL board has transitioned itself from SCAM ARTISTS into PRESTIDIGITATORS…”now you see it, now you don`t”. I mean, to quote Chloe Pacheco`s ridiculous letter to the membership: no real evidence of theft, board now conducting an internal audit (how can you conduct an audit, you idiot!, where there isn`t a paper trail and never was???), all is good with the board now, the volunteers are cooperating, Reg the magician will be returning to Camelot…all predictably disgusting.

Mayor informes:

http://mesoamerica-foundation.org/cultureandhistory/ladronjosemartinez.html

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From a long-time volunteeer in reference to a proposal presented to the board at the Gen Meeting and suggested by the law firm of Ernst, Young as a possible solution to changing boards.

Re: New Board Members for MELL

1. Will new members be legally liable?

At the membership meeting on Monday January 9, Chloe explained that the board was at risk of possible legal action against them, explaining that even though Jose was the thief, they all could be held responsible. Later Chloe announced that the existing board would begin taking applications for new board members. The board’s admission that they may have legal liabilities due to the theft should make one stop and think before joining the current board. If the entire board can be held responsible for the wrong doing of one, their lack of oversight and the firing of the whistle blower, then would that apply to new board members as well? For example, if I applied and was accepted to take the place of a current board member, would I not be as responsible as the other members for engaging in corruption agreement? Legal action can take years so would the new members still be responsible long after the old members have retired?

2. Will a new AC protect the old and new board members?

A new AC is the correct way to move forward. If my understanding of the situation is correct, the old board can turn the assets– books, building, etc. — over to the new board without penalty to either. There is a fee to set up a new AC but well worth the money if it will protect board members, old and new, from legal liability. I, for one, would be happy to donate to a fund to cover the legal fees for the formation and transfer of assets to the new A C. A new board drawn from long-term volunteers with Lorna Gail Dallin at the head is ready and able to serve. They believe that the library has grown to the point that elections, member input, and term limits for board members are long overdue.

Feel free to add your own ideas and solutions and pass it on.

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Following are the |minutes from the General Meeting of Monday, Jan 9^th. The meeting was conducted by Chloe Pacheco, board president of MEL.

From: MEL A C Board

Subject:
To: “MELL A C Board”
Date: Friday, January 13, 2012, 8:07 AM

MINUTES FROM JAN. 9, 2012 INFORMATIVE MEETING OF MERIDA ENGLISH LIBRARY, A.C. MEMBERS

The meeting was called to order at 4 pm by the moderator, Roberto Ponce, with 120 people in attendance. Board members present were Chloe C. Pacheco, Surratt Williams, Tonia Kimsey, Raymond Branham and Carlos Arias. The meeting’s ground rules were announced by the moderator in accordance with long-established Library policy: no cell phones, video cameras or photographs; no disruptive behavior. The meeting was for members only and the audience was reminded that the Merida English Library A.C. is a private library open only to members, allowing the general public to come twice before joining.

The Board’s report was presented by Chloe C. Pacheco and began with the legalities surrounding the MEL A.C.’s constitution on January 13, 1996 and its continuing status as a non-profit organization of the type that cannot provide tax deductible receipts. MEL A.C. can and does, however, provide fiscally acceptable receipts in full accordance with Mexican tax law. All yearly tax statements are duly recorded as are 2011 monthly statements to August of 2011. The remainder of the year’s statements is in the process of being prepared by MEL accountant, Julio Castillo, and the yearly statement will be filed in a timely manner.

Chloe Pacheco informed the members that she has in her power the resignations from all other Board members except her own, but will not accept them until she deems appropriate for the future of MEL. She asked that written requests from those members willing to serve on the Board be sent to the email address

meridaenglishlibrary.acboard@gmail.com in order to work toward a timely transition.

The Board then presented a timeline regarding the events of 2011 and gave the reasons why this informative meeting could not be held until Jan 9, 2012. The reasons for needing a new librarian were also given. The Board addressed the issue of transparency and presented ideas for better communication with members. For direct communication with the Board, members were encouraged to use the email address, meridaenglishlibrary.acboard@gmail.com , which has been in use for several weeks.

The Board informed members that an audit of MEL finances for 2011 will be carried out in a timely manner. The cost and completion date are impossible to determine at this time.

The notion was dispelled that volunteers were asked to leave their position by anyone on the Board. Someone who said he represented all of them “resigned” the whole group via email and exhorted them not to cooperate in any way with the Board. Applications are now being received at the Board email in order to cover MEL’s volunteer needs. The audience was encouraged to apply.

Regarding financial safeguards, members were informed that the requirement of joint Board officers’ signatures (president and secretary, president and treasurer, secretary and treasurer) has been re-instated in the by-laws. All banking transactions must fulfill this requirement, including the obtainment of checkbooks and the receiving of monthly statements. Further safeguards are being considered and investigated to insure the proper handling and documentation of MEL`s finances. Additional members to the Board will participate actively in the decision-making process regarding such safeguards. Members wishing to serve on the Board should advise of their availability via the meridaenglishlibrary.acboard@gmail.com address.

As an additional means of assuring transparency and making opportune information available to members, the monthly Board minutes, including a financial report will once again be available to members in the Information Book at the front desk.

After the report by the Board, a Q and A session was opened in which cards were passed out and members wrote their questions. Fifteen questions were submitted and answered. After that, there were three-minute oral presentations by George McClellan, Eric Chaffee, Ellie Guidotti, Daniel Fleming, Kathleen White, Jane Osgathart, John Swearer, Bill Engle and Carlos Arias.

The moderator closed the meeting at 5:55pm.

Merida English Library Schedule Update

During winter hours, MELL will be open Monday through Friday from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. and Saturdays from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. There will be no afternoon hours

MELL is open Monday evenings for Conversaciones ONLY! There will be no exchange of books.

AA meetings continue a normal schedule

MELLO Nite on January 20th is cancelled. The next MELLO Nite is scheduled for Friday, February 10th , as the third Friday in February falls during Carnaval.

The lecture scheduled for January 21st by George Ashley will go on as planned .

Story-time on Saturdays is discontinued until further notice.

For all those members who would like to aid MELL

during this time of recovery (!!!! – ed. Comment )

by giving a few hours of their time, please send a note to this email address.

The Merida English Library AC Board

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A member’s response to the “minutes”

Merida English Library Board,

What you sent as “minutes” are just a broad outline of subjects covered, with not even a hint of detail. Any legitimate corporation would fire this secretary for incompetence. For example:

1. What are the legalities surrounding MEL A.C.’s constitution of 1/13/1966?

2. Why aren’t the yearly and monthly tax statements available to members?

3. What is “deemed appropriate” regarding the resignations of current board members? And what is the Hacienda law regarding dissolution of the present board?

4. What is a “timely transition”?

5. What are the reasons for the delay of this meeting?

6. What are the reasons for needing a new librarian?

7. What specific things will improve communications?

8. Who will do the audit and when will it be arranged?

9. When will financial reports and board minutes be available at the front desk?

10. What questions were asked and what were the responses?

Perhaps the secretary would wish to go over meeting notes and fill in these missing blanks. If his/her recording skills are inadequate, I would suggest taping the meeting for later accurate transcription.

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By AN EX- MEMBER:

About the Volunteer Library Assistants

Throughout the controversy at Merida English Library I tried to stay in problem solving mode and not let my emotions run away with me. Today, with great passion, I say how much Mérida will miss the volunteers. These volunteers are our unsung heroes – the types of persona I aspire to be. They consistently help others not only at the library but also in other organizations. And they are not limited to organizations; they are the type of people who have led their lives by always lending a helping hand and expecting no reward or recognition. Checking books in and out, shelving books, selling memberships and helping with fundraisers is only a small portion of what they do.

They are both a “Welcome to Merida” Committee and a Tourism Center for visitors needing information and assistance. No one in need is ever turned away. If they don’t know the information, they get on the phone and find it. Newcomers’ questions are answered over and over again with great patience. Time and time again newcomers, overwhelmed with trying to handle a crisis in a foreign country, turn to the library for support and assistance. Whether it is a person with a lost visa, a need for urgent medical care, or a need for emotional support following the death of a family member, the person at the desk is available to help. The questions fielded by these patient and knowledgeable folks are unending: Where can I cash a check? Where can I find a reliable dentist? How can I get my prescriptions renewed? What’s an FM3?

At the times when there was no library administrator, it was the volunteers who made sure the library kept its doors open and continued to serve the public. They also handled their own continuing education by placing new volunteers with long-term experienced ones. Even like-minded snowbirds volunteered to help the seasoned volunteers during high season when the traffic to the library more than doubled.

For years, these trusted and dedicated volunteer library assistants served our library and our community well and should be acknowledged and thanked for their service. These folks have been made to look like a group of malcontents who were determined to destroy the library. I see them as those who followed their conscience and tried to make things right. New volunteers will have big shoes to fill.

Feel free to add your own thoughts and send this paper wherever you like.

___________________From a recent email to me:

A few (2) of the old volunteers are going back because Reg has to go to Canada for his knee surgery and they fear none of the new people have a clue. They are torn but want to help the library.

XX gave up…wore out from being treated like crap.

XXX still wants to start a new AC for a cultural community center even if there is no building but many of the volunteers think its too early…still waiting for the board to quit I guess.

Board hasn’t budged and barely responded to the mass of letters sent to them.

Board lies and put a spin to favor themselves. For example, in the minutes, they implied the volunteers didn’t really quit…said one person sent them an email and said they did. Truth was the volunteers who were on the board-in-waiting quit right to the boards face and the other vol followed suit.

The rest of the volunteers are still quit…mainly two reasons…first in support of Maria the whistle blower and second because of the incompetent board. I hear a lot of rumblings about wondering what else they are hiding. I even heard they are considering making the books reflect the stolen money to be a loan that was repaid so they wouldn’t be liable. Who knows…

Some members are not renewing their dues, like me, because we don’t want to participate with this board. The board asked for applications but I don’t know what is going on with that. Don’t know if anyone actually applied.

I hear they got a lot of mail regarding the inadequate minutes.

There is still the board-in-waiting that can take over at a moments notice.

Cherie got a good response from her letter from members who said they hadn’t understood what was going on until they read her letter.

Amate books is having a function Friday on what would have been MELLO night at the library to assess what the community wants in term of culture, art, music, books, etc. Will be breakout discussion groups.

Roger agrees with XX..the ass holes won and we just have to wait until they quit.

My opinion? The library has grown to the point of needing to change to board elections and term limits. The board should resign and the new board can step forward. have an election and form a new AC to avoidliability to themselves.

But, nothing is happening that I know of. XXX had a party for the volunteers. They let me come because I was a letter writer. Festive and friendly with a sad undertone of grief and sadness.

Maria was not re-hired so the computerization of the library comes to a screeching halt.

I heard the board only approved the purchase of 45 books last year. I’m sure many of the members buoght more than that.

_______________

FROM A MEMBER:Looks like we are going to have a good group at Amate on Friday. But there are concerns.

Has anyone made arrangements for a security guard and a tough guy to moderate? Is this a members only event and will people be checked at the door? Do they have to have a certain level of Spanish language ability in order to be admitted? What are the plans to keep people from using cameras or recording devices? Who is going to filibuster for the first hour hour and a half? What is the plan to control the questions and topics that are off limits? How can this be done in such a way that when it is over nothing important has been said? Will we all wear our sunglasses? Can we have the next meeting at a really really nice restaurant?

Just wanted to be certain we have the kind of meeting that makes people feel that their ideas and their participation is appreciated.

Former LibraryMember

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There is a good discussion of the sad events at the library on the Yucatango blog. Yucatango’s original article expresses concern about how the Library issue reflects on the expat community and Yucatango’s hope that this will stay among “us.” That hasn’t happened.

See: http://yucatango.wordpress.com/2012/01/08/merida-english-library-in-the-news-unfortunately/#more-3479

The discussion that follows the actual article about covers all points of view.

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I prepared this poorly organized article upon request from ex-volunteers who wanted to see most of the material in one place. I personally have been a member of the library since it began in Ellie Giodatti’s house on 53. I am not, however, renewing my membership.

LOST DOG

BG — Thu, 19 Jan 2012 20:12:52 +0000

Lost dog

This pet jumped a fence and the owner is heartbroken. He was last seen in Santa Ana and near Paseo de Montejo, southern end. His name is Ursus. Please try to grab him and take him home. Whether you catch him or not, please contact Anny S. at animex@prodigy.net.mx. Or call her at: 999-125-0466.

Yucatan Yenta has hung up her ballet shoes

BG — Sat, 14 Jan 2012 21:55:32 +0000

MELL #3 – Background Information

BG — Mon, 02 Jan 2012 22:36:20 +0000

by Beryl Gorbman

Note: I would deeply appreciate it if anyone who cares to forward this article or quote from it resist changing any of the original language, EVEN THE TITLES. You know who you are. Please attribute the content appropriately.

More about the Merida English Library

The following information is factual or assumed to be factual by people other than me. None of the statements reflect my opinion about anything. The data comes from interviews with people close to the situation. If anyone disagrees or wants to add or deny information in this article, please write a comment at the end of the article. If you feel strongly about it, I will interview you and post your comments as an article. I will give you the right to review what I write before publishing it, so you can make sure you are fairly represented.

First I will list some facts people have been inquiring about. There is more detail in the later text.

MELL facts:

No one who has ever worked for pay for the library has been a legal employee (except for the janitor). No IMSS, no payroll taxes, no records whatsoever. Workers were authorized by the Board to work informally, even though some of them were foreigners without the proper immigration status to work in Mexico. None (including the coordinator, Maria Hernandez) were given IMSS coverage or had payroll taxes deducted, as required by law.
Yes, MELL is registered with Hacienda (Mexican version of the IRS), but probably not at the level required to legally receive donations or contributions other than membership dues. (This is easy to check at Hacienda.) They are a legal non-profit (Civil Association) but proceeds from events are simply stored as cash and it is this cash pool that has paid “employees.” No checks, no records.
Members of the library have absolutely no legal power to remove or change board members. According to Mexican law, the board members are trustees for life, unless they resign, are fired by other board members with cause to be removed, or die.

Day-to-day powers currently rest with three board members who are officers, according to Mexican law. At present these are Chloe Pacheco, President, Surratt Williams, Secretary, and Carlos Arias, treasurer.

Ex-President Jose Martinez (who stole a great deal of money from MELL) told the board he offered to resign. He confessed to some volunteers and then he met with some board members and confessed to them. It is unclear whether the board accepted his resignation or terminated him.

The board has complete control over the library. They can sell the building and the books. The proceeds would probably go to Hacienda.

There is a strong, but unsubstantiated rumor that the board has hired a new coordinator, perhaps as an interim measure. That person is Reg Deneau.

MELL did not file an annual report, as required by Hacienda, for a number of years.

Recently, the board asked the Coordinator (Maria Hernandez) to resign. For unexplained reasons, they did not like her. She refused. They offered her increasing amounts of money to resign, but she still refused so they fired her. Maria’s family has hired an attorney.
Some of the board members have been behaving unprofessionally. The board at this point does not seem concerned with the good of the library but rather has become insular and vindictive. They have ended any attendance privileges or participation by members.

Further Detail

Laws regarding non-profits are quite different in Mexico than those in the USA. It is not productive to get indignant about why things are or are not done in certain ways because that’s how they are done in the USA. It is best to educate yourselves on what is and isn’t legal here in Mexico.

The library has been careless in disregarding Mexican law. The social gatherings, Chili event, etc. are clearly fundraisers, which the library is not allowed to hold under their current status with Hacienda.

If detailed investigations are made into MELL it is possible that Hacienda may levy taxes or fines on it. It is the board’s responsibility to keep the operation legal, but a number of members and volunteers knew they were operating below the legal horizon.

Jose Martinez admitted to having stolen about 250,000 pesos, but in truth the amount may be closer to 450,000. He has committed to paying back 250,000 pesos. I don’t know whether the money has actually been returned to MELL yet.

Many of you have asked why Jose Martinez’ theft was not reported to the police. The answer is complex and involves MELL’s having been out of compliance in the first place, and also the enormous costs of prosecution of a case of this kind.

When Jose Martinez became the board president in 2009, he proposed and the board accepted his suggestion that the constitution be changed to allow him to sign checks without a second signatory. Previously, two signatures had been required on checks. Many people wonder why the board did not begin to suspect something was amiss at that point.

Generally, the board was hesitant to confront Jose Martinez about the missing money, and in fact never did. He confessed to several of the volunteers. The theory is that board members were operating in their own self interests because Jose’s family is one of the most influential in the city, and their affiliation with him may have benefitted their personal goals in one form or another.

Reg Deneau may have originally left the library from his job as coordinator because he knew about the thefts but was pressured not to reveal them. This is speculation.

Maria Hernandez was hired to take Reg’s place. She is Mexican-American, has a master’s degree in library science, and is bilingual. She fit well into the community, brought fresh ideas, and was implementing some much-need organization when she was fired. When she was fired, all of the volunteers walked out of MELL in protest.

The board changed all the locks on the building and it is and continues to be locked down. All activities have been suspended.

Here is more detailed information about the Board of Directors of MELL.

A board member in Mexico, a trustee, is not expected to be involved in the day-to-day operation of the non-profit, and it has been noted that indeed most of MELL’s trustees never entered the library at all.

The MELL board was formed about 15 years ago.

As mentioned above, only the president, secretary and treasurer are primarily responsible for the operations of the library. These are the three people likely to be targeted for punitive action by Hacienda, should such a thing take place.

The other board members are associates. As mentioned, a board member serves for life. The board removed Jose Martinez from his office for cause. There is some question as to whether he resigned or was fired by other board members. The reason this is not know is that the meetings are secret.

At one point, the board accepted the presence at their meetings of some representatives from the volunteers and membership, indicating that they would accept one or more of them as board members at some point. This never happened, relationships deteriorated, and the member advisory committee was excluded from the board meetings.

Any time a board member is added, terminated or replaced, the board is required to hold a formal meeting called an asamblea (assembly) which is officially recorded with specific corporation papers, and submitted to Hacienda.

Unless there has been an official assembly, with signed papers submitted to Hacienda, the change of personnel does not legally exist.

In 2008, some new people were brought on as associate board members. Some have since quit, but since the process was not formalized with an assembly and required Hacienda paperwork, some are still officially on the board. These people included Grant Spradling, Roberto Guzman, Malena Peon, George Fisher and Tonia Kimsey and “some other Yucatecans.” Roberto Guzman, George Fisher and Grant Spradling have since resigned, but the resignations were not officially recorded until quite recently. Two other board members, Anibal Gomez and Monica Hernandez, (probably the “some other Yucatecans”) were brought onto the board, but there was no formal assembly or filing of required paperwork, so they are not legal board members.

Raymond Branhan is also a board member.

Jose Martinez needed to summon an assembly to remove himself from the board. Only the president can do this. This assembly took place and we think that Grant and Roberto were removed at the same time as Jose Martinez. Tonia Kimsley was ratified but Malena Peon was not since she is the spouse of Jose Martinez. The other two Yucatecans who had been nominated also were not ratified. George Fisher’s status is unclear.

The current associates and members are Chloe Pacheco, Tonia Kimsley, Mitch Keenan, Surratt Williams, Carlos Arias and Raymond Branhan.

All of these changes have been done in secret. The membership does not know whether some of the papers have been filed with Hacienda, but this is public information and an attorney is looking into this.

This is not an editorial piece so I will not wax on about the massive loss to the expat community that this represents.

Please forgive formatting anomalies. Microsoft Word and WordPress are not made for each other.

Library Update

BG — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 22:51:09 +0000

Lots of mail and suggestions, both decent and not, have come in today. Just today, about 700 unique readers (as of 4:00 p.m)., have accessed the library information on this site.

My understanding at this point is that the library is indeed registered as a non-profit organization, but does not have necessary credentials with Hacienda to raise funds. Membership fees yes, gatherings and events, no. MELL is also not authorized to pay salaries as the payroll tax setup has not been done. The Board structured the non-profit in such a way that there is no input or control from the membership.

Do any of you know for sure what of this is true?

Among the more constructive suggestions to emerge today, has been that the members draft an open petition to the Board, each Board member by name, legal address and business affiliation, requesting their resignations. This petition, signed by as many members as possible, would be widely circulated.

A MELL member is drafting such a petition; it will take a few days. Whether to do this or not is up to the membership.

I hate using the passive voice, but it has been pointed out to me that the Board holds full control of MELL and can do whatever they want right now, including closing the library and selling the book collection. This would be their legal right.

We would appreciate your comments. Make them anonymous if you wish, but you must include your email address which will not be published.

Good luck to us all.

Merida English Library Uproar

BG — Sat, 31 Dec 2011 03:26:45 +0000

Hope to see you tomorrow, sat., 12/31 at 10 AM in front of the library at Calle 53 near 68.

Sorry about the formatting from all the forwards, but I am trying to get this out tonight and hope that some library members will have a chance to see it.

The board of he library has fired the coordinator.

The membership and volunteers are completely backing the coordinator and think the board is highly unethical or worse.

As you probably know, the ex-board President stole a large amount of money from the library and many of the same people who allowed this to happen are still on the board.

I personally am not renewing my membership to the library, because who knows what will happen to my money?

Tomorrow, Saturday 12/31/11, library members are meeting out in the street in front of MELL since the library is locked down.

Please be there and ask anyone else who is interested to be there. If you know anyone in the media, please call them.

Apologies for errors of attribution, etc. but this was done in a hurry. There will be a full coverage of the incident in the next day or two. Watch this space. -Yenta.

String of emails from tonight:

From: Leroy Osmon

Date: December 30, 2011 7:59:12 PM CST

To: library members

Subject: letter to board

As a member, patron (that has donated thousands of dollars of books over the years to MELL), advertiser and 16 year supporter of MELL, I feel it is time for the present board to resign. No matter what part any or all of the members had in this present situation IT HAPPENED ON YOUR WATCH. There can be absolutely no confidence in the present board and as a result the MELL will suffer greatly.

The board needs to turn to the original concept with an all English speaking membership and an all North American membership and include only those that are not in any way associated with the present board fiasco.

The ‘whistle-blower’ that brought this to the attention of the ‘officials’ should be rewarded – NOT FIRED! This act alone by the board (firing the present Liberian) cast aspersions on the present members. If the library is to survive this, the board must do what is best for the preservation of MELL and that simply means they must go. Right, wrong, uninformed, complacent – it does not matter at this time. Many members, like my wife and I will simply no longer have any thing to do with the present situation and that would include the retention of the present board.

As current members, we call for the resignation of the present board.

Dr. Leroy Osmon, DMA

Dr. Cay Smith Osmon, EdD

–

Lorna Gail Dallin to me (BG)

show details 8:10 PM (1 hour ago)

Hola! Beryl …I just sent this email to the volunteers of MELL as we have walked off the job in protest of Maria’s firing. Your observation that we are (or were) very lucky to have a person of Maria’s calibre working at our own little Library, is spot on. How could the board push that aside so carelessly.-0-0-0-0-0-0

The volunteers are out in protest … we will not open the Library Tomorrow morning, Saturday. We will be there at 10.00 to talk with members who show up.
If you can, come by the Library tomorrow between 10 and 1 … to get more information, to consolidate, to comisserate, to confirm our message both to the members and to the board
I will look forward to seeing you there at sometime … we will meet in the street.Again, I am not sure that I have all current volunteers on my list so if you see any misses, please pass the word.

Pass the word to friends of the Library and ask them to come by as well. We need some visible support.

See you there.

oxox

lg

z[z[z[z[z

Why don’t you drop by … there will be lots of discussion as to what is happening, what has happened and what might happen.

Begin forwarded message:

From: Leroy Osmon <l

Date: December 30, 2011 7:33:47 PM CST

To: Arnott Hilary Elizabeth

Subject: Board meeting Sat. at MELL 10AM

If you have ever used the English Library and are interested in the future of the Merida English Library then I would like to recommend that you attend the board meeting Sat. 31 Dec. at 10AM.

As some of you may know, there was a reported theft of between $250,000.pesos and $450,000.pesos and the person that discovered the theft has been asked to resign. As a 16 year supporter of MELL (the English Library) I do not want to see it be closed and or damaged any more than it has.

There are some very good people that have served in the past on the Board of Directors and there are some good people presently serving, however, the situation has developed to a ‘vote of no confidence’ and to save the Library I feel that the present board should step aside.

It is my understanding there will be a meeting tomorrow and I would like to invite anyone that is interested in the preservation of the English Library to attend the meeting.

Leroy Osmon
–

WebPage: www.leroyosmon.com

Dr. Leroy Osmon, DMA

Begin forwarded message:

From: Leroy Osmon

Date: December 30, 2011 5:05:00 PM CST

From Osrom:

Subject: MELL problems

It seems that the MELL (English Library) is in a big mess these days. In fact when I moved back a year ago the library was in such a mess that we simply did not even trust donating books any longer! We saw the newly appointed Liberian as a step in the right direction. At this point I do not care who is right or who is wrong – I would like to see the board resign and a new board be established. After the theft of money and the way it was dealt with I see no way there can ever be any confidence in the present board. I am sorry to say this because there are some friends of mine presently serving on the board, however, what is best for the library is my concern because it is an absolute treasure in Merida and I do not wish to see it suffer any longer.

As for the Merida English Library…. Cay and I will no longer support MELL to any degree and withdraw our monthly ad and our membership! When there is a new board in place and legal action has been taken to regain the money stolen (all of the money) we will consider supporting MELL once again.

Dr. Leroy Osmon

Letter from Roger

Some of you may have already heard about the irregular,unlawful and shameful things happening at theMerida English Library under the inept leadership of the current board and this letter from the most recent Library Administrator ( who was today unjustly fired ) by the current board pretty much says it all. I would ask all of you to not patronize the library until a new board is in place. All the current volunteers have chosen to no longer donate their time operating the library or support such extra activities as the chili cook-off until the existing board is either replaced or resigns. If you read the letter carefully you will have pretty much the entire story. Roger

From Maria Hernandez: Greetings Volunteers,
I have been asked by the board to resign. This did not happen and I
was subsequently fired. When I asked for cause the board told me they
felt I was causing a rift between themselves, the volunteers, and the
members and that they were trying to grow the libraries membership. In
my opinion this is a ludicrous statement, but everyone present – Chloe
Conaway de Pacheco, Surratt Williams, Tonia Kimsey, Raymond Branham -
seemed to believe that this was the case. I have given back the keys
to the building, relinquished the keys to the safe containing upwards
of 28,000 pesos, and informed that the library will be closed all of
next week.Upon learning that they already have a replacement lined up, I
informed them of my intention to let as many people know of their
inept practices, poor management skills, and lack of concern for the
library. They collectively laughed and asked why I would want to work
with a group of people I held in such poor regard. I informed them
that I did not care to work with them, that after allowing 450K +
pesos to be stolen from the library and then lying about the sum to
members they all out to feel somewhat ashamed and resign, to which
they again laughed. I have a strong notion that not one board member
has any plans to leave the board. If there is any interest in
scheduling a volunteer/member meeting to discuss the state of the
board please let me know. Personally, I feel that the Zocolo with a
news crew might be an ideal place for this to take place, but am open
to suggestions. Below is a letter that I would like to integrate with
this one and send out to the members, but I thought I would ask for an
opinion first. Also, since I alone have access to the facebook site,
what do you think of posting a well worded note there? Someone else
can write that.The board has, for some reason, decided to treat it’s volunteers and
administrator as though we are the criminal parties in this debacle
and the only reason I can imagine is to cover up further scandal that
we do not yet know about. They have completely striped us of our power
and ability to run the library in a functional manner. I personally
felt very strongly that I could no longer work with a group as
dishonest as the current MELL board and do not think that they ought
to be trusted with any amount of library money. I truly wish I could
stay and finish the cataloguing and patron records upgrade, which
would have allowed the library to be on par with any fully
electronically searchable library and most likely would have
alleviated many of the check-in/out mishaps that many of you have
experienced over the years. Because I have had to stop half way
through, the library is left without a functional catalogue and for
this I apologize. I have very much enjoyed working at the library over
the past year and will hopefully be back in the capacity of a visitor
sometime in the future. Thanks so much to those of you that offered me
support and encouragement over these past trying months, but the lack
of integrity displayed by Chloe Pacheco, Surratt Williams, Carlos
Aries, Raymond Branham and Mitch Kennan in the matter of Jose
Martinez embezzling untold sums of money right under their noses over
the course of his tenure as president is something that I feel the
library has put up with long enough. It is my firm belief that they
are all holding on to cover their ridiculously huge blunder and since
there is nothing that I can do about it, it is time for me to bow out.
All activities that were started under my administration such as
children’s story hour, game night, writers group etc will no longer be
taking place. I will hopefuly be sticking around long enough to see
that each and every member of the current MELL board resigns and is
replaced with a competnet member of the library that cares enough to
fufil their station in a transparnet and honest manner. Sorry that was
such a rant, but after the year I’ve had…Warm Regards,
Maria Herrnandez

Blissed Out in Rio Lagartos, Yucatan

BG — Sun, 25 Dec 2011 23:34:41 +0000

Beryl Gorbman

The other day, Bill, Susan, Jessie and I drove to Rio Lagartos, at the northern peak of the coast of the Yucatan Peninsula. Rio Lagartos is in a biosphere, a protected area, with hundreds of bird species and other wildlife. The place is known for its excellent boat trips into the estuaries to see flamingos and other birds. The guide services also take out fishing parties and night-time crocodile observation trips.

We had already arranged to stay at the Hotel San Felipe, in the immaculately neat and very pleasant town of San Felipe, a few minutes away. We did this because the last time either Bill or I had been to Rio Lagartos, it had been a pit – dirty and worn looking. The only place to stay for many years was the abominably bad but fascinating Hotel Nefertiti, which is now closed and padlocked. The ghost of the eery Nefertiti looms above the other buidings of the charming village, its bare grey cement walls eerily framed among the colorful, happy houses.

Pelicans in San Felipe

Rio Lagartos has changed radically since I was last there. I don’t know why. It’s cheery, clean, and colorful. We were delightfully surprised at the new Rio Lagartos. It is every bit as inviting as San Felipe and a lot livelier. Everywhere we went there was music. Of course, it was the day before Christmas Eve, and everything and everyone was at their best.

Merry Xmas from Rio Lagartos

We made arrangements for our guide the evening before our trip, so we could leave at daybreak. I was pleased to find Pecas, a guide I’ve known for many years, and he agreed to take us out the next morning.

We got up awfully early and stumbled into the boat, drinking cold coffee. Within minutes, we were fully awake. As we entered the estuary and saw the stunning assortment of birds, huge and tiny, Susan said that was like entering Eden.

It was overcast and even rained now and then. At every twist in the mangroves, a new diorama of beautiful birds appeared, so varied and so multitudinous, they brought tears to my eyes. Most were very still, fishing with their huge bills and sharp eyes, hunting. Pecas slowed the boat at each dramatic scene while some of us riffled through guidebooks and some just gazed.

When we floated beneath a tall tree under a couple of Blackhawk Eagles, the guide slowed down and began a strange whistling. The eagles watched carefully as he stopped and threw a fish into the water. One of the eagles swooped down, just a few feet from our boat to retrieve it. Here is my very bad photo of that event, where you see more of Bill’s head than the eagle.

Bill's head and an eagle


At another twist in the water, Pecas dangled a raw fish in front of two frustrated pelicans. They stretched their necks up and down in rhythm with the fish, as if dancing, and we had an opportunity to see them from just a few feet away.

Frustrated Brown pelicans

The channel is about 80 feet across and lined on both sides with thick mangroves. So many huge birds were flying back and forth over the water and disappearing into the vegetation, we realized that there must be hundreds of thousands of them in there.

Stately Great blue heron

Susan and Bill, the true birders on this trip, identified the Yellow-crowned night heron, Cormorants and Anhingas, the Great blue heron, Ospreys, the well disguised Tiger heron, the iridescent Green heron, Cattle egrets, Snowy egrets, Brown and White pelicans, several varieties of Kingfishers, and more. Susan explained how to pick out the Ibis from the thousands of magnificent white birds by their yellow, downward-curved bills. And, of course, the flamingos, although there were relatively few in Rio Lagartos that day.

Blackhawk eagles

We went quite far, past Las Coloradas and the salt flats, where there were a few flamingos feeding and chatting with each other in their low rumbles. We got out of the boat there and Susan and Jessie got as close to the birds as possible without frightening them. It was raining lightly and there was a rainbow.

Jessie, Susan and flamingos

Susan becoming one with the flamingos

At one point in the estuary, there was a massive roiling of the water on one edge and we all knew it had to be a crocodile. A bit later, one of the huge creatures raised his prehistoric looking head quite close to our boat and pretended we weren’t there for a few minutes before diving downward.

Pecas poled the boat in toward some flamingos among the mangroves. There was a mud island there, littered with the remains of giant horseshoe crabs, and we all got out. About 100 feet away was a spit with a lot of vegetation on it. Through the green, as if in another world, was a sight none of us will forget.

A population of hapless brine shrimp, migrating down the waterway, was accosted by hundreds of birds, all in one location. Through a break in the trees that framed the scene, we saw literally hundreds of white birds, including White pelicans and all kinds of white Egrets circling madly, in a feeding frenzy. The flapping of their wings and their cries were nothing short of ecstasy. Standing in the middle of the mad circle, two brightly colored flamingos fed calmly on the shrimp with their beaks buried in the mud. And above, in a tall tree, were two enormous Wood storks and two Roseate spoonbills.

We all watched this magnificent scene for about ten minutes, until the shrimp moved away, taking the circling birds with them.

When they left, one of the Wood storks lazily rose from the tree, exercised his six-foot wingspread, and sailed over to a tree closer to us. He was soon joined by one the the spoonbills, who posed and preened as if to show off his wonderful bill. Then the other spoonbill sailed over to sit on the other side of the stork. He kept his wings open, just showing off how gorgeous his pink feathers looked. (I know perfectly well I am anthropomorphizing, but I don’t care.)

We were all enchanted and came back from the three and a half-hour trip with silly smiles on our faces.

I need to say the trip wouldn’t have been what it was if not for this particular guide. Pecas was born and raised in Rio Lagartos and is passionate about the wildlife.

There are two guide outfits in Rio Lagartos – one, when you first come in, called Isla Contoy, which has quite a good restaurant and professional guides who didn’t appear local. Pecas works through the other group, Rio Lagartos Adventures, located on the quay in front of the La Torreja restaurant and owned by a group of families native to Rio Lagartos.

Right next to La Torreja is a pleasant looking hotel called Villa de Pescadores that has balconies overlooking the water. Next time I go, I will stay there.

After the boat trip, we went back to San Felipe and had lunch at the Restaurante Vaselina. I mention it only because of its extraordinary name, although the shrimp was not half bad.

Vaselina's beer depot

Jessie, thoroughly enjoying lunch

Every once in a while in Yucatan, I see something so magnificent, so perfect, that in the back of my mind I think it must have been created by Walt Disney. So much beauty can’t be real.

Here is the last glance we got of flamingos, on the way out of Rio Lagartos.

Leaving town

Apologies for my bad wildlife photography that doesn’t do justice to the birds. I use a tiny Leica C-Lux camera with a limited distance lens. It’s also kind of slow.

More about guides:

Pecas does not work directly for Rio Lagartos Adventures although he operates in cooperation with them and can be reached there. If you request him at La Torrejas restaurant, they can call him on his cell. Or, you can call him directly. If you wish to do this, please contact me for the number as I don’t wish to put it online. Reach me at: xberyl@xgorbman.com. Remove the Xs.

Pecas speaks limited English.

Guide Costs

The going rate (12/2011) for a two-hour trip is 700 pesos at either Isla Contoy or Rio Lagartos Adventures. You will be in a well-maintained motorboat that seats six. The guides expect to be tipped for a job well-done. I put Pecas in a different category and he may just ask you how much you feel you should pay.

Merida/Progreso Spay and Neuter Clinics 2012

BG — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:38:50 +0000

Once again, Planned Pethood is bringing us the invaluable opportunity to have any dog or cat spayed for absolutely free. They are operating in three locations described below. This continued effort has made a huge dent in the number of feral, sick, hungry, homeless animals in our communities.

This year they are asking for contributions if you are able to make them. Here is information from Patricia Holland, volunteer coordinator.

Spay/Neuter Campaign 2012

January 8-11 in Mérida & January 13-14 in Progreso

Veterinarians will be travelling from all over the world including the US, Slovakia, and Baja California, as well as local veterinarians to donate their time to this project. This campaign is designed to target lower income families who otherwise could not afford to sterilize their animals, as well as the abandoned animals that so many of us rescue from the streets.

We need people to help with the following supplies.

Drinks and snacks. Any of the big box stores have packages of snacks and cases of beverages. Our volunteers work too hard to stop for long, but need sustenance. Help them, please!I Also, fresh fruit would be great. We will have approximately 150 volunteers, vets and vet techs each day of the clinic.
Do you know a restaurant or caterer who would like to help? We need sponsors for the vets at their welcome and goodbye parties. Free is wonderful but we are also interested huge discounts. the restaurant logo will be displayed at the event.
40 meals are needed each day of the clinic, ten of them vegetarian for the medical team. Desserts welcome too.
Cash donations. Bring your cash donation to the offices of Planned Pethood. (Just off Ave. Technologica between Costco and Sams Club). Calle 10 #344 x 3y y 3c, Col. Gonzalo Guerrero. Call 999-944-23-10. Or make a donation at the clinic.
Medical supplies. Many of these can be picked up in any farmacia or supermarket.

39 bottles (480ml) of Agua Oxigenada (hydrogen peroxide)
4 bottles (100ml) Bravo spray (against ticks and fleas)
Large trash bags
30 rolls of masking tape

Let us know if you want to volunteer in the clinics in Merida or Progreso.

We need volunteers to hang posters, distribute flyers and help with the animals. If you can help hang posters, please stop by the offices to pick up posters and flyers. Contact Patricia Holland about the posters at painttheyucatan@gmail.com. Pick up posters at Planned Pethood.

If you are interested in volunteering for the clinic, volunteer meetings will be held both in Mérida and Progreso – dates and locations to be announced. If you would like to volunteer, please contact:

Mérida: Jill Benson snjbenson@yahoo.com or Mimi Babcock: mimi.babcock@gmail.com or Silvia Cortes: slv_cc@hotmail.com

Progreso: Cindy Wagner: cindywagner1023@gmail.com or Karen Cloutier: klcloutier@hotmail.com or Maura Garcia: maugatos@hotmail.com

Below you will find the details on the clinics and how to get to each one. See you there!

The vets will be performing surgeries officially from 9 – 5, although they typically stay later.

PLEASE MAKE AN APPOINTMENT IN ADVANCE FOR YOUR ANIMAL’S SURGERY. For the Merida clinics, call 253-1262 or 920-5019
for the Progreso clinics, call 969-935-7687 or 999-178-9548

DATES AND LOCATIONS

January 8 and 9, the clinic will be at:

Location 1: Centro de superacion Sera Mena, Calle 57 x 56, Co. Fidel Velazquez.

Directions: From Centro, heat east on Calle 59, about two miles from Calle 50. Cross the Circuito Colonias, and Calle 59 will become Fidel Velasquez. Sta on this street until you reach Calle 46 (watch for sign on L), and turn left. Go to Calle 57 ( just a few blocks) and you will see basketball courts on the right. Turn right on 57 and you will see the large blue and white building where we will hold the clinic.

From the Periferico to Location 1: Take the sailda for Calle 59, which is the same as Calle Fidel Velasquez. Stay on this .7 miles until you get to to Calle 46. Turn right on Calle 46 for just a few blocks to calle 57. On the right you will see some basketball courts. Turn right on c. 57 and it is the large blue and white building.

January 10 and 11, the clinic will be held in Merida at:

Location 2. Centro de dessarollo communitario, Col/ Emiliano Zapata Sur II.

Directions: From La Ermita Park (66 y 77), go south on 66 to Circuito Colonias 1.6 miles. (you will go past the cemetery). Then turn left on Circuito Colonias. (there is an Oxxo on the corner). Go 1 mile to calle 60 (there is a bicycle shop on the corner). Turn right on 60. Go .3 miles, the road will curve to the left. This is 121. Go to the stop sign (there is a Farmacia Similares on the right corner). This is calle 54, turn right. The airport wall will be running alond the right hand side. Go .4 miles to 127. Turn right on 127. Go approx 1 mile to 86. On the corner is a store that says “Tienda Los Esquina”. Turn left. Follow this road for about 1 mile to 161. Turn right on 161 and go 4 blocks to 88B. Turn left, and the clinica is on the right side.

Whew!

When leaving, it may be dark, so here are directions back into Centro from Location 2:

From the Clinic:

From the stop sign at 88B and 163 which is the clinic location, turn left. Go 4 blocks to 86. Turn left onto 86. Go approx .8 mile, then the road will veer off to the right. This is calle 84 and it will change to 82. You will be on this road .3 mile until it ends at the stop sign. This is 127. Turn right on 127. Go approx 1 mile to the stop sign. This is calle 54. Turn left onto 54 and continue for .4 miles. Turn left onto 121 (Farmacias Similares is on the left corner). Continue on 121 for .3 miles, it will curve to the right and change into calle 60. Go .3 miles to Circuito Colonias. Turn left on Circuito Colonias and go 1 mile to calle 66 (there is an Oxxo on the corner), turn right onto 66 and this will head you back into Centro.

January 13 and 14 we will be in Progreso, at the Local Social El Ejidal, which is right in front of the agua potable. I guess if you live there you know what that means. If you don’t, contact us for more info.

Guest Post from Anne McEnany, International Community Foundation

BG — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 18:00:10 +0000

This post is in reference to my post: http://gorbman.com/2011/12/05/first-symposium-of-american-retirees-and-mexican-government-representatives/

Thanks, Anne, for clarifying.

I just wanted to give a bit of context to the forum and also answer the questions above. The International Community Foundation has met with the Secretary of Tourism several times on the topic of sustainable tourism (better coastal development) and quality of life for expats (“aging in place” and infrastructure improvements). The government’s desire was to hear directly from the expat community and they agreed to co-host the forum with us to do that.Because our research focused on the U.S. retirement community, we focused mainly on U.S. participants for this forum. We have three years of data on U.S. retirees, but little or nothing on Canadians. Having said that, however, there were two Canadians there, and the forum was called the “North American Forum” not the “U.S. Forum.” Although we cannot speak to specifics about the Canadian retiree community, we are not deliberately trying to exclude them. Similarly, we focused on coastal communities primiarly, which is where our grantees are. Merida was one of the only inland communities represented at the forum for that reason. But again, we are not deliberately trying to exclude people, but rather trying to reflect the demographic that was presented in our research.

To select participants, we reached out to those people that answered the survey in 2009 and again in 2012. We only had space for 50 people and we filled the group quickly.

I don’t know if this will be an annual event. We need to follow up on this one first! ICF has committed to work with the Secretary of Tourism on state-level meetings with governors, to document working relationships with retirees in places where there are good relations (like San Miguel de Allende), and also to follow up on some of the specific recommendations from the forum. I know it will take some time to do that so I don’t want to commit to another forum yet.

“Engagement in Local Communities” — for ICF, this means civic engagement or volunteering as well as charitable giving. How does the retiree community spend its time in Mexico? We have a whole report on trends in this area on our website.

I hope this is helpful! Thank you Beryl for the venue to respond.

Best,
Anne McEnany
CO-Author, “U.S. Retirement Trends in Mexico” and
Senior Advisor, Conservation Program

A Day in a Yucatan Village

BG — Mon, 19 Dec 2011 15:52:50 +0000

Making a hammock

Beryl Gorbman

An extended family lives in this compound in the center of the state of Yucatan. There are three generations here and the two elders, the grandmother and grandfather, are 88 and 90 respectively. They both still cook, pick crops, take care of chickens, and maintain their home. They are skinny and agile and in full posession of their faculties.

One of their sons lives in the compound with his wife and their two enthusiastic boys, in a cement house close to the road.

Akeh-Tun home

This house was probably originally pole and thatch, but now sections of it are filled in with scrap timber, linoleum, corrugated fiberglass, and other materials.

This is the laundry. I mean, if you need to do your laundry outside in a batea (tub), this would be the prettiest setting I could imagine.

The laundry

The general tone of the compound is happy and productive. The children are screaming with fun and bursting with health.The animals are alert and tolerant of humans. Even the chickens and ducks were unfazed by my approach.

Each person has well-defined chores and activities. The households share food, a laundry, the “bathroom,” and parts of cooking areas. Although they weren’t expecting visitors (there is no phone), everyone appeared freshly scrubbed and was dressed nicely.

Today, we went there with a daughter of the older couple, a woman who lives several hours away and finds it difficult to visit her parents as often as she would like. She brought her two daughters. We brought some modest Xmas food gifts and watched the kids play.

I’d been told it would be a brief visit, but there was an intense conversation among the women that lasted close to an hour. I couldn’t understand any of it because it was in Mayan, but it sounded important and I didn’t want to interrupt, so I wandered around the compound talking to children and small animals.

Cat guarding hammock loom

Below is an uncontrollably wild kitty who attacks and kills all other small animals, including cats. He is tied up. His future is uncertain. He and I got along well.

Wild thing

At night, everyone sleeps in hammocks, but during the daytime, the hammocks are tied up overhead to make sitting space for the living room. The chairs and tables are all hand made from pieces of timber.

Elena and Damaris

The four children entertained themselves with this ball for nearly two hours.

Notice the hose in the background of the above picture. Although almost all the villages now have “agua potable,” what they do not have is pipes running from the central water pump to the homes. The water goes to the houses through a series of rubber hoses and there are nests of them everywhere.

While I walked around, playing with the kids, taking pictures, petting dangerous cats (just to prove that I was a cat whisperer), I was getting hungrier by the moment as it was by now after 2 p.m. However, the conversation inside the house was nothing if not more animated than when it had begun some time ago.

Family conference

As my friend (the daughter) explained to me later, the topic of concern was that the old guy, the 90 year-old patriarch, had wandered off into the selva (forest) recently and was gone for two days and one night. The family feared he had died of exposure as it had been an unusually cold night. The State police joined family and friends searching for him and finally located him on the second day, about five miles from his home, deep in the jungle. He was sitting peacefully against a tree, none the worse for wear except that his shirt was ripped to shreds by the rough foliage.

This was not the first time this had happened. I remembered a similar episode about a year ago. No one in the family thought that old Sr. Tun was losing his mind or that he was depressed. They accepted that he loved the selva and happily walked into it, open to anything that could have happened to him there. Of course, they are concerned that they will eventually lose him this way, but realize that this is what he may want to do. When he was found, by one of his other sons, he smiled and said, “I wasn’t afraid.”

Sr. Tun didn’t participate in the conversation the day we visited and seemed to feel sad that he had caused so much concern.

Abuelita Eusenia A., wife of Sr. Tun

Abuelita Eusenia and Tia Manuela

Sr. F. Tun

After our visit, we had lunch at the dependably fabulous Restaurante Tutul Xiu in Mani which was mobbed and as delicious as always.

Elena and Damaris eating Queso Relleno