Sometimes life throws you a curve-ball

Max, September 2017

About nine months ago, we adopted an adorable black and white part-terrier part-whatever dog, because he looked like a cousin to our almost-famous Sparky, plus the new guy desperately needed a home.

He was known in his neighbourhood as Max, although I think he should be called Hoover because the dog enjoys his food. He had been living rough for five years, sleeping in the street until someone accidentally ran over him in January of 2017.

Max - January 2017

Dr. Delfino Guevara and his dedicated crew at Clinica Veterinaria de Isla Mujeres patched him up, and Eileen Regn of H.A.L.O. (Helping Animals Living Overseas) found him a caring, but temporary, foster home on the island with fellow Canadian Sylvie Staines. Then, when Sylvie returned to Canada in May, Eileen began actively looking for a new fur-ever home for Max. We said, "Sure, we’ll take him."

He’s a very affectionate little guy. He worships Lawrie as the first man who ever treated him kindly, and Lawrie loves him.

Lawrie and the boys! Sparky and Max

But in January of this year, my sweetie, Lawrie, was diagnosed with a debilitating neurological disease. The left side of his body doesn’t get the messages from his brain as quickly as the right side does. It creates serious stability and mobility issues for him.

Max likes to run and greet Lawrie with his paws on his knees, or to spin in happy circles. It’s just too risky for Lawrie to have so much activity while he is trying to move around in the house. 

From existing on the street for five years to living inside a house, Max has progressed well in the nine months that he has been with us. The funny thing about street dogs is that, besides not knowing how to behave inside a house, they don’t know how to play. We have taught Maxie to play fetch with a tennis ball, and he enjoys it. He swims in the oceans, runs up and down the beach, and fetches anything he can, including discarded plastic bottles and other bits of ocean junk.

Max - learning to swim

He is housebroken, which he wasn’t, but he will have to adjust to your schedule. We are early risers, and the boys zip out for a quick pee before we have our morning coffee, then we do a longer walk before breakfast, later a short afternoon respite for them and a writing break for me, and finally a quick pee before bed. Once he settles into the new routine, you will find that he is quite capable of ‘holding it’ for quite a few hours. He just needs to know what to expect from his new family. If you have a fenced yard, well, that would be doggy heaven for him!

Sparky and Max in our carito de golf

Maxie is still a little timid with new people until he gets to know them better. Having said that, we have recently had eight men working in our casa on Isla Mujeres for two weeks, creating a main floor bedroom and bathroom for us to accommodate Lawrie’s reduced mobility. Max has been totally calm and accepting of the guys coming and going all day.

The first time I tried to put a harness on Max, he was very nervous, but now he knows that it means he is going out for a walk or a ride, and he is happy to cooperate. He walks very well with a leash and harness, better than Sparky, who likes to pull me where he thinks we should go. The biggest difference that we notice between the two male dogs is, Sparky will add his ‘mark’ at least thirty or forty times on a pee-walk, while Max usually has a huge pee and just gets it done! The look of pure relief on his face is comical.

 

Max on left - Sparky on right. 

Max had to figure out how to climb or descend stairs, which were a big mystery to him. Learning to get into a golf cart or a car was another new experience, and going for a ride has become one of his favourite activities. He will play fetch for hours with a tennis ball. I say, “Ready?” Then toss the ball, and he will bring it back. “Drop the ball.” I pat him, and he’ll do it again, and again. When he’s had enough running, he will keep the ball and carry it back to the golf cart.

 

Sparky and Max unsure about the renovations

He enjoys his big comfy bed and his toys, which would go with him. He still carries his very first toy that Sylvie gave him a year ago. The blue and grey elephant is dog-eared and dirty; repeated washings are unable to remove his loving slobber. It’s his favourite. I have to check his mouth before we go out for a walk, otherwise the elephant might be dropped and forgotten when an interesting bird or crab claims his attention.

Max greeting Lawrie at ferry

As for kitties, we had a black feral cat, E.B., who tried to move in about the same time that we adopted Max, but she decided that the rules were not to her liking and moved on. In the meantime, she frequently clawed Maxie in his delicate nose as she was passing by, so he has a healthy respect for cats, especially black cats. He hasn’t been a barker, but he likes to play-growl when excited. 

He needs someone kind and patient, and he will return your love a hundredfold. Giving him up is a heart-wrenching, but unavoidable decision for us.

Max is one of the characters in my next novel, Book #3 Tormenta Isla, as a dog rescued after the hurricane that hits the island. So, he'll be a semi-famous pooch that someone can brag about to their friends. ​I will include a couple of complimentary paperback copies of his novel for his new family.

Max, a cameo appearance in #3

We have asked our friends at Isla Animals and H.A.L.O. to help us find him a new home as soon as possible, as Lawrie’s condition is changing daily. Both of the animal rescue societies have the experience to get him to you, with the proper health certificates, anywhere in Canada or the USA. He has to be out of Mexico before the airline heat-embargo deadline in late April or early May. After that, pets aren’t allowed in the cargo hold until later in the fall.

We would really prefer it if Max could be re-homed off the island, as we don’t want him trying to find his way back to our house, but that condition is very negotiable. 

We’ll do anything to find Max a happy place to love and be loved.

If you are looking for a devoted pet who yearns to be your very best friend, let’s talk as soon as possible. Life tossed us a curveball, and we have to whack it back.

​

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Max

 ~

Are you missing your little piece of paradise?
Get your Isla 'fix' with the exciting Isla Mujeres Mystery series!

There's Trouble on Isla, Big Trouble!
  

Book #2 in the Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

5.0 out of 5 stars

Fast and furious

By CA reviews on September 26, 2017

Yasmin and Jessica are back, and the gold they found in Treasure Isla is still haunting them, especially when Carlos, their boss at the Loco Lobo, and Yasmin’s new lover, is kidnapped. No spoilers here, but his captivity and the girls’ efforts to free him, with the help of Carlos’s pals—including local Isla Mujeres fishermen and a Mexico City cop—are the crux of this fast-paced story. Lock has created not only a compelling and authentic setting but a well-developed ensemble cast. The next Isla mystery can’t come fast enough.

 Treasure Isla - where it all began!

5.0 out of 5 stars

Captivating and authentic

By CA reviews on September 26, 2017

This was a truly fun in-the-sun kind of mystery, with an authenticity that was simply captivating. Set on the island called Isla Mujeres, not far from the better-known Mexican resort of Cancun, it follows the misadventures of two girlfriends, who on a drunken binge manage to wander onto the grounds of a cemetery and find a treasure map stuck in a crevice of an old pirate tomb. Jessica, from Canada, and local pal Yasmin both work at a tourist bar/restaurant called the Loco Lobo. Soon, their boss Carlos and a handsome attorney named Luis are involved in the girls’ illegal hunt for pirate gold. Toss in a bad dude running from a string of crimes in Key West, and it’s the start of an addictive new mystery series.

When Paradise Gets Wet, Really Wet

A week of grumpy weather

We fooled around with various ideas for a title for this week’s blog.  

Titles like – some days you should just stay in bed, or a little adversity can pull a community together, or when it rains it pours!  

You get the idea.  It’s been a grumpy, wet week that has created a few problems for the island community.

 Collapsed wall - TV Isla Mujeres

The first problem was an eight-foot-tall retaining wall that collapsed from the weight of water in the soil.  Twelve inches of rain in twenty-four hours. It seems like we are back on the Wet Coast of BC – living in Vancouver, or the American equivalent of Seattle, Washington.  

Murals painted April 2015,  L Lock photo

The wall supported the popular volleyball and exercise area for seniors, located along the double road that runs from the east to the west side of the island, past the newer cemetery and the big church. 

This spring, local artists were invited to decorate the wall with murals of local creatures: iguanas, hermit crabs, and turtles. It was one of my favourite murals, not part of last year’s big Panga Seed fourteen murals painted in one month blitz, but still a well-planned and beautifully painted wall. 

Police cleaning up - TV Isla Mujeres 

In Mexico, the local police are called out to help clean up disasters such as this.  We have also seen the police painting crosswalks and speed bumps with the bright yellow warning colour, and reinstalling broken or missing stop or speed limit signs. In Canada, those jobs are handled by the city maintenance workers or the provincial highway department employees. Just another small difference we have noticed between Canadian, American, and Mexican cultures. 

Hidalgo Ave, Giovanna Flores photo

As the rain continued unabated, a notice was posted on various community Facebook pages asking any able-bodied people to help neighbours in areas that are flooding. Most of Isla Mujeres is barely above sea-level, while the southern end is maybe fifty feet above sea-level. That creates two problems. One: water runs downhill, adding more depth to the already saturated areas in the lower parts of the island. And two: the island is a sandbar in the beautiful turquoise Caribbean Sea. The tides are currently quite high, and the ocean water, combined with the excess rain, is creating havoc. The street corner across from Jax Bar & Grill had six inches of water, as did most of Hidalgo Avenue in Centro. We saw the new fire truck and crew busy pumping out the streets and into the ocean. The water eventually seeps back into town: pump, dump and repeat.  But hey, it’s warm water, not icy cold snow-melt.

 

Lawrie with the hard-working Isla Animals gang

Also posted on Facebook was a plea from Isla Animals looking for temporary foster parents for several of their stray dogs. The lake at the Hacienda Mundaca Park was overflowing, saturating the area around the Isla Animals Clinic, and soaking through the walls and floors. The free spay and neuter clinics were cancelled for the next few days until the weather changed.  Eileen, Doug Regn, and a crew of helpful volunteers were mopping the floors and moving the animal cages around when we popped by a couple of nights ago. They are such a hard-working group of people.  

 

Crocodile prefers pond across from Isla Animals 

The resident crocodile that has been moved by City workers - several times - from the pond across from the Isla Animals Clinic to the lake at Hacienda Mundaca – has returned to the pond, again.  She likes it there!  

One local humorist suggested that the availability of a better food source prompted her to make the trek regularly. 

CFE changing the weak power pole on our street

Closer to home, we have had an interesting week, exacerbated by the rain and higher humidity. 

Our third GE Profile side-by-side refrigerator died. Then our new hot water heater decided to take a day or two off from work, thinking that Lawrie and I would appreciate cooler morning showers.  Our recently purchased 2005 Mini Cooper also wanted a short vacation. The engine electronics didn’t like the excessive rain.  

Wet Policeman, CFE changes power pole 

We decided to take the Mini Cooper back to the dealer in Cancun, where we purchased the car and get a diagnostic test run. The weather wasn’t too bad; it looked like things were improving. Just as the car ferry was docking in Punta Sam, a nasty windstorm blew in with pelting rain and high winds, temporarily grounding the boat in the sandy harbour. As the Captain applied full throttle to free the vessel, a freak wind-squall slammed the boat’s bow into the concrete docks. It was darn exciting for a few minutes with lots of nervous laughter from the on-board truck drivers and ferry crew. There was some damage to the boat and dock, but no injuries that we know of. 

The guys struggling with fridge

Once off the ferry, our drive through Cancun got interesting as the rain continued to pelt down, flooding streets, making the ever-present potholes impossible to see.  

We decided that since we were already in the city, to get the car checked we might as well search for a new refrigerator. Starting at Telebodega, then Liverpool, Chapur, and Sears, we finally settled for a floor model at Costco.  

All the other stores said eight to fourteen days, more or less, before our purchase would arrive from Mexico City. 

Islander José (Pepe) Martinez arranged a truck and two strong guys to take our new refrigerator from Costco to our house.  

Taking the old fridge out

His quote was considerably cheaper than the Cancun-based fletes y mudanzas (cartage companies).  

As the rain continued to pelt down, four guys wrestled the thirty-three-inch-wide beast into our house through an almost-too-narrow front door. Lawrie had already removed the door and part of the frame, but it was still a very tight squeak to get it inside the house.  

The non-working appliance, thirty-six inches wide, was manhandled outside, over a neighbour’s propane tank and onto the street. Note to new homeowners: check the size of your main entrance before you purchase a large side-by-side refrigerator.  It’s a small but frustrating detail we overlooked eight years ago when we had the house built.

The return of sunny weather

As for the weather, eventually this persistent storm got bored with bothering us.  

It slowly dissipated, allowing the warm Caribbean sun to dry out our soggy little island. 

Warm breezes, sunshine. It's all good.  We live in paradise.

Hasta Luego

Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas

Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

Or

Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky

What a Bright Idea! Isla Mujeres Mexico

Local artist Victor Villegas recycles old light bulbs into whimsical plant hangers and jewel-like chandeliers.  

It’s a fascinating use for something that would normally end up in an overcrowded garbage dump or landfill site.  Tiffany Yenawine Wareing clued us in on the artistry of Victor Villegas.  

As for other unwanted items, Mexico’s recycling program is still very much in its infancy, giving me pangs of guilt about what we toss out. 

Items that are still usable, but not needed in our household, go to local friends or are set out on the curb for anyone to pick up and hopefully put to good use.  Things made of copper are highly prized by scrap collectors.  

Aluminum and tin have some scrap value

Aluminum beverage cans have some value.  Tin cans have a much lower scrap value.  I put the cans in a separate bag so the garbage guys can easily add them to their personal stash of good stuff.   Large cardboard boxes, the types used for TVs, computers, and appliances, are flattened and left at the curb for the city trucks for pickup. 

At various locations around the island, there are wire bins for recycling plastic beverage bottles.  The plastic bottle recycling program was originally started by Friends of Isla Contoy, with funding from PEACE and various island businesses. 

I asked a few folks, and it seems that items such as broken plastic patio furniture, plastic bags or yogurt containers are not wanted; they cause a huge problem with sorting and recycling. The bins are a small start at being environmentally responsible. 

Some glass beer bottles are recyclable.  Purchasers pay a hefty deposit for the bottles when buying a complete case from the suppliers. To get a refund, the purchaser must return to the original location with the receipt, all of the beer bottles and the case.  This is the biggest reasons bar operators don’t want their customers walking out with a beer bottle in their hand.  If you want to drive with a beer in your hand, just don’t do it with their expensive, refundable bottles!

Cleaning up veggie and fruit scraps

With compostable items such as fruit and vegetable scraps, our daytime herd of semi-tame iguanas does a good job of cleaning up.  Anything they don’t want, the night-shift of hermit crabs is happy to consume.  Pretty much everything else gets tossed in the waste cans.  It pains me to throw away so much stuff! 

Then I had a middle-of-the-night epiphany: why not ask some of the local charities and service organizations what new or gently-used items would be useful to them?

Recycle to students in need of gym shoes

Tiffany Yenawine Wareing enthusiastically responded with a number of good ideas.  

Gently used sneakers for the students who need them for gym classes would be welcome, even adult sizes, because many of today’s kids have larger feet. Old or mismatched housewares will be recycled for the domestic violence shelter on the mainland – the Continental Zone area of Isla Mujeres. 

Hey, we'd like to go for a walk with you!

Eileen Regn at Isla Animals said they are always looking for used sheets, towels, and stacks of newspaper to help out with their bi-weekly spay and neuter clinics.  Pet cages, carriers, dishes, collars and leashes are welcome.  And there are plans for a larger clinic/shelter, so additional household or office-type items would be gladly accepted.  You can contact Isla Animals via their Facebook page if you have items to donate, or stop by their current location at the entrance to the Mundaca Hacienda Park. You can also donate your time and a bit of love by taking a homeless dog for a much-needed walk.

2014 Diabetes Clinic

Karen Rosenberg, organizer for the annual Diabetes Clinic, said they would happily accept any unopened current-date products for diabetics.  

She also asked that we remind everyone about the upcoming clinic on September 21^st, starting at 9 am, at the Cruz Roja (Red Cross). Diabetes is now the number one cause of death in Mexico, so spread the word to other islanders.

Karen says: “We have 200 glucose meters to distribute and many strips and lancets. No insulin or pills, but the doctor from the Cruz Roja is going to be part of the clinic along with 4 nurses and EMTs who are Islenos!”

Well, my thought processes have wandered from tin cans and bottles to stray dogs and old towels, but you get the drift; just a reminder to put a little thought into what you toss out, and what you recycle. 

It’s a beautiful paradise we live in; let’s keep it pretty.

Hasta luego, Lynda, Lawrie, Sparky, and Thomas the Cat

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It's 5 o'clock somewhere - a dog's eye view of Isla Mujeres Part 2

Happy Hour at Nico's @ Isla 33 

Hola, amigos! This is Sparky, or you can call me by my Spanish name, Chispita. 

It's my turn to write the weekly Notes from Paradise.

For those of you who don't know me, my people tell me that I am a purebred Mexican low-rider. That's pretty cool. Don't you think?  A purebred Mexican low-rider. I think it sounds kinda sexy: low-rider. But I really want to tell you about a fun thing that happened to me when we were out for an evening ride in the golf cart.

Happy Hour - 1/2 price appetizers and drink specials

Last Friday, we stopped at Isla 33 Resort & Villas complex, on the eastern side of our island. There was a big sign at the entrance of Nico's @ Isla 33

Restaurant that said: Happy Hour. It looked like there were a bunch of happy folks there, so we stopped to investigate. There were two guys, Poyo & Payo, playing guitars and singing good tunes. 

Luis - pouring a glass of wine

There were lots of people chatting with friends and sampling great-smelling appetizers. 

There was a really nice man, Luis, who poured a light-coloured liquid into a big glass and handed it to the lady that I hang with. She seemed to like it a lot. I think Luis poured her a second one later on.

My people ordered something called Sliders. The three Sliders looked like little hamburgers, the perfect size for a small dog like me. I could smell cheddar cheese, bacon, Gouda, caramelized onions, and other great stuff. They kept saying how good the Sliders tasted. Unfortunately, I didn't get to try any of them, and it was hard not to drool all over my people's sandals.

Sparky's Spanish-speaking friend, José Cauich

But the coolest thing was this nice man, by the name of José Cauich, came over to me and started speaking my language: Spanish. 

I knew exactly what he was saying. “Acuestate.” Boom! I'm lying down.

“Sientate.”  And now I'm sitting.

Easy, I get this guy.  The man and woman that I have lived with for the last year and a half have always spoken another weird language, trying to get me to do stuff, but darn, it's hard. 

First I have to figure out what they mean, and then translate that into something I know how to do. I just wish they would learn to speak Spanish to me. It would be so much easier. 

A lot of my friends get adopted by people who don't speak Spanish, and I guess they all have the same problem. 

Gotta learn a new language, plus figure out the new people. It can be a big headache for a little dog, even a special and sexy dog like me, a purebred Mexican low-rider.

Personally, I am not clear on this Happy Hour stuff.  I think we were there for more than an hour, and everyone was still happy. I might see you there next time.

Hasta Luego, mi amigos

Sparky

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Isla Mujeres Mystery Series

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Death in the Vineyards Mysteries

The Adventures of Thomas and Sparky