UNDER A BIG TENT

The ninth annual 15-day Artisan Expo opened on Febrary 3rd and closes at the end of the day on Monday, February 20th.  It took place under a huge white tent complete with blue carpeting on a large dirt field just south of where the cruise ships dock.  The aromas of cheeses from Oaxaca mingled with the the pleasant aromas of straw baskets, leather shoes, belts and bags and the sweet fragrances of copal and sandalwood incense.  Vendors from Oaxaca, Chiapas, Michoacan, Peru, Argentina and Panama quietly sell their appealing wares – bedspreads, rugs, mole, sweets, spices, soaps, bee products, silver filagree earrings accented with coral, turquoise or pearls, embroidered blouses and dresses, ceramics, wood toys….

My most thrilling sight this week was of two whales as I walked our dogs on the malecón. In the near distance, I saw their curved,  dark shapes, one very large and the other much smaller.  I stopped and watched the “spout” of the warm exhale of their enormous breath.  And then, to my surprise and delight, the large humpback whale propelled its powerful body into the air in a beautiful breach, followed by a frothy white splash back into the rippling bay.

It always looks like an exalted leap for joy to me, but it may be something else – a shaking off of parasites, a way to communicate or a way to get a better look at what is above the water line.  There is the beauty of this connection to all living things.

BEAUTIFUL MUSIC!  Benefit concert for the Biblioteca los Mangos on Thursday, March 9th at 7:30 PM – Sheraton Bouganvillas Resort Hotel.  Operatic arias and ballads will sung by soprano Yael del Carmen Jimenez Valdez, who has performed in Belgium, Spain, Austria, Italy and Mexico.  (I´ve been to two of her performances here and she is wonderful).  Also performing – tenor Jose María Aguirre Duriel and pianist Hector Acosta, both of whom have performed at many musical festivals.

CANTANTE YAEL DEL CARMEN JIMENEZ VALDEZ – CONCIERTO EL 9 DE MARZO

Tickets are 380 pesos each in advance and can be purchased at the library or at Candace Shaw Jewelry on B. Badillo.  Tickets at the door are 450 pesos each.

LAS JUNTAS – PEACEAnimals clinics have been to this busy colonia about 35 minutes northeast of Vallarta several times.  This may have something to do with the unusual low number of sterilizations at this week´s clinic.

STERILIZATIONS- LAS JUNTAS – February 15-18

Female Dogs – 29 ; Male dogs -13;   Female cats – 18;  Male cats –  9  TOTAL:  69

PLUS pregnancies terminated for 1 dog with 8 fetuses; 3 cats with 4 fetuses each: 1 cat with 3 fetuses

DONATIONS AT LAS JUNTAS CLINIC:  820 pesos

DR. PACHECO REGISTRANDO UNA MASCOTA -CLÍNICA EN LAS JUNTAS

DONATIONS TO PEACEANIMALS:  Lucy Muñiz´s donation box at Lucy´s CuCu Cabaña –
2,280 pesos plus $10 CA

EDUCATION PROGRAM:  Leslie Caratachea presented to 110 primary students at Juana de Asbaje school in colonia las Juntas on Tuesday, February 14th.

Unfamiliar with the name, what I found on Google was fascinating.   She was born as Juana Inés de Asbaje in 1651 in Mexico, New Spain.  Brilliant and self-taught entered a convent in 1669 in order to continue her studies and writing and became known as Juana de la Cruz.   The first feminist poet of the Americas and probably in the world, de la Cruz was a scholar, philosopher and poet of the baroque school.and the first feminist poet of the Americas and probably the world.   She is authoress of 26 plays, 13 essays and 100 poems, little of which survives. Because of de la Cruz´s defiance of the church in defense of a woman´s right to education, her extensive library of over 4,00 volumes and her musical instruments were either confiscated by the Church or sold by her.  There is no historical agreement on how almost everything vanished.

JUANA DE LA CRUZ BY MIGUEL CABRERA

Condemned for her “waywardness” and after time spent with an inquisitor of the Church, she stopped writing in 1693.   Juana de la Cruz died of the plague in 1695 while administering to the sick.  Her life and works have inspired plays, poetry, opera, literary fiction and film.   What survives of her work, which includes her poetic masterpiece, “The Dream,” can be ordered on Amazon.  For more: https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Juana_In%C3%A9s_de_la_Cruz

COLORING BOOKS – Lucy Muñiz, board member, sells charming greeting cards of Ada Colorina´s art work at Lucy´s great shop, Lucy´s CuCu Cabaña on Basilio Badillo.

The colorful, animal-themed cards are for sale for 60 pesos each. Half the money goes to Ada and the other half Lucy is using to pay for 1,500 educational petcare coloring books designed by Paul Mcbromme,  the graphic artist at Guacamole, Inc..  Five hundred of these will be donated to the free mobile spay/neuter clinics of PEACEAnimals and given to children bringing in pets, 500 to PurrProject (cat rescue/adoptions) and 500 to Colina Clinic, which offers 15-20 free sterilizations every Saturday  – calle V. Carranza 491.

LIBROS PARA COLOREAR VAN A SER REGALADOS A NIÑOS QUE VIENEN CON SU FAMILIAS Y MASCOTAS A LAS CLÍNICAS GRATIS

Lucy is requesting donations of CRAYONS to accompany the giveaway coloring books.  They can be dropped off at her shop at Basilio Badillo 295 or given to me.

NECESITAMOS DONACIÓNES DE BARRAS DE CERA

32auctions.com – Gross amount raised from our first online auction = $4, 270 USD – which will underwrite two clinics with change left over.  (3 1/2% to 32 Auctions and 3 1/2% to PayPal to be deducted).  We plan to hold another online auction six months from now.  To see what sold and for how much and what did´not sell – www.32auctions.com/PEACEANIMALS

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RESCUE  PUPPIES AND DOGS FOR ADOPTION AT LADRA BOARDING/REFUGE.   CONTACT VIA FB.   TOMANDO UNA SIESTA – CACHORROS Y PERROS RESCATADOS Y PARA ADOPCIÓN EN EL REFUGIO DE LADRA.  CONTACTO:  FACEBOOK

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DONATE WITHOUT SPENDING ANY MONEY:  PEACEAnimals is able to receive donations from Amazon Smile under the umbrella of Banderas Bay Charities, Inc. Amazon donates 0.5% of eligible AmazonSmile purchases to the charitable organizations selected by their customers.  This is a very simple way to help fund our clinics:    https://smile.amazon.com/ch/47-4752247  
EVEN SIMPLER, LOG ON TO WWW.AMAZONSMILE.ORG AND TYPE IN BANDERAS BAY CHARITIES, INC. (PEACEANIMALS RECEIVES ALL OF THESE DONATIONS).

LAS JUNTAS- WAITING IN LINE TO REGISTER PETS – HACIENDA UNA COLA PARA REGISTRAR MASCOTAS.

GREATERGOOD – PLEASE CLICK!  Your daily clicks or direct donations help animals, people and the planet.  www.greatergood.org; www.greatergood.com  To donate specifically to PEACEAnimals, please click on:  http://bit.ly/1cWY0lP

PLEASE CHECK OUR WEBSITE, FB PAGE OR BLOG FOR NEW DATES AND LOCATIONS.  FAVOR DE CHECAR NUESTRO WEBSITE, PÁGINA EN FB O BLOG PARA NUEVAS FECHAS Y HOGARES.  

February 22-26 – Pitillal – at the market next to the river – en el mercado al lado del río
March 1 – March 4- colonia.aralias – EN LA BODEGA DE SOFI ATRÁS DEL PARQUE

April 8-12 – EASTER VACATION – VACACIÓNES DE PASCUA

PETS FOR LIFE  SPECIAL  ONE-DAY CLINICS ARE HELD ON THE ISLA CUALE THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EVERY MONTH.   CLINICS OPEN FOR REGISTRATION AT 7 AM.  

PETS FOR LIFE, A MEXICAN S.C. (BUSINESS),  IS PAID 4,500 PESOS FOR THE STERILIZATION OF 30 ANIMALS.  IF NUMBERS ARE GREATER,  INDIVIDUALS OR ANIMAL RESCUE ORGANIZATIONS MAKE UP THE DIFFERENCE.  

For each cat or dog over the number 30,  sponsors of the Sunday clinics will be charged 150 pesos.  To sponsor a Sunday clinic, please contact: [email protected]

January 8, 2017 – October 2017 –  ANONYMOUS DONOR HAS PROVIDED FUNDING (SPAY/NEUTER FOR 30 CATS AND DOGS) TO PEACEANIMALS  FOR 10 SUNDAY CLINICS ON THE ISLA CUALE.   

Please “like” PEACEAnimals and Calle Cero on FaceBook. CLÍNICA EN LAS JUNTAS

LINEA DESIGNADA PARA DIRECIÓNES Y COMO LLEGAR (EN ESPAÑOL) A LAS CLÍNICAS CADA SEMANA:   (322) 113 3955

PARA REPORTAR ABUSO A LOS ANIMALES –  293 3690