Christmas Joy
Many area residents who have been concerned during the past week by the sounds of numerous emergency vehicles continuous with sirens blaring continuously have been delighted to discover that it has been a holiday parade, complete with Santa and candy thrown from atop the fire truck and ambulance.
Open Circle
The Open Circle program for Sunday, December 27 will begin at 10:30 a.m. following a time of refreshments and fellowship. These meetings are held in the back garden of the Lake Chapala Society. Those attending can used the Ramon Corona side gate entrance to the campus.
The program for the last week will be presented by several contributors of a recently published collection of fiction, memoir and poetry dealing with compelling women’s issues, “All Our Words Needed Saying: An Anthology of Women’s Writing.”
Reading at Open Circle on the topic of “mothers” will be Patricia Hemingway, Carol Bradley, Zofia Barisas, Glenda Roman and Margaret Van Every. The writers invite members of the audience and others from the community to to join them after Open Circle in the garden of La Nueva Posada.
Learning Seminars
Due to the holiday, the regular weekly Lake Chapala Society Learning Seminar scheduled for Tuesday, December 29 will be delayed until the following week, Tuesday, January 5, noon to 1:15 p.m. In addition to the Ted Talk at the Learning Seminar the first Neill James Lecture of the winter season will be held on January 5. Topics will be included in next week’s newspaper. Fred Harland moderates the Learning Seminars.
Genealogy Forum
A group of local residents fascinated with recording the history of their ancestors, the Genealogy Forum, will meet Monday, December 28. 2 p.m. in the LCS Sala.
The December presentation will be “Finding That Grave: Locating Your Ancestor’s Final Resting Place.” Some exciting developments are taking place with new and expanded online resources. Everyone is welcome to attend. The Family History Center will continue to be open on Tuesday, December 29, 2-4 p.m. Thursday, December 31, 10 a.m. to noon.
For additional information, call Fran Murphy (376) 766-0067.
LCS Closings
The Lake Chapala Society (LCS) will be closed for the New Year holidays on December 30, 31, and January 1.
Dog Houses
Students from age 10 and volunteers well into their senior years at Have Hammers Will Travel/Mr. Hammer recently completed a series of new lessons while building three custom designed dog houses each for four area animal rescue groups: The Ranch, Lucky Dog, Anita’s Animals and Alvaro Rene Garcia Martinez’s Rescue.
The sturdy shelters were finished and delivered to the groups just before Christmas. The project was aided by donations of paint from Pinturas Prisa of Ajijic, screws from one anonymous donor and another funded an entire house (each is 24” wide x 36” deep x 24” tall, and is on 4” legs from another). The houses were each named to honor the recent donations and those who have given significant time and effort to the group.
This is the first large-scale for Have Hammers for the community. Group treasurer Cindy Thompson, who has been involved with animal rescue for years, came up with the idea to have one area group working to help another. The houses have an unexpected benefit. The removable roof is slanted, and at just the right angle so that the dogs can lie top, and they love being on top, just like Snoopy.
A slightly larger removable slanted roof is used to cover the houses. The roofs’ angle is so the dogs can still lie on top, something they love to do.
Who Rescued Who …
A few of the calendar filled with some of the best lakeside pictures of rescued dogs and owners ever are still available for sale at Yves Restaurant. The calendars not is a great last minute gift for the remaining dog-lover on the Christmas list, it’s a perfect hostess gift for private parties.
Barbara Harkness, who co-authored both the first and second edition of the Who Rescued Who… books has produced the calendars to sell for 200 pesos and is sharing the profits with the Ajijic Rotary Dog Assisted Therapy program (ARDAT), Operacion Amore Spay and Neuter Program and Guardians of the Planet Education Program. This is a gift that gives.
Chanting HU
Chanting HU, an ancient name for the Divine, while in a contemplative state, is a simple technique to open your heart to greater happiness, love, inner peace and understanding. A group will meet on Saturday, January 2, 10:30 a.m. at the Center for Spiritual Living located at Nicholas Bravo 17 for a short group HU Chant followed by refreshments and fellowship time. For more information, contact Hallie Shepherd at (376) 766-3656 or This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.. Sponsored by Eckankar, Mexico.
New Autoclave
The weather was perfect and the course was in great shape for the 12th Annual Cruz Roja Golf Classic fundraising event chaired by Maggie Pye and Don Marie Fraser on Thursday, November 5. The tournament champions that day were Bob Sergent, Bob Delaney, Carol Peel and Barry Pajak, but the real winners were Cruz Roja medical services and the lakeside community. An up-to-date autoclave is not in place in the Chapala Cruz Roja clinic to maintain the highest standards of sanitation.
Thanks go to all those who participated in helping with this project but it’s not too late to help. Join the efforts to upgrade services by donating now. A local couple has offered to match, dollar for dollar, all donations made to CRIVC Inc. by December 31 -- up to a total of US$5,000. With the matched donations, at least two portable respiratory ventilators could be purchased. To “double” your contribution, go to CruzRojaChapala.com, click “Support” and select the “Ambulance Ventilator Dollar-Match Campaign.”
Women’s Disease Group
The Women’s Cancer and Life Threatening Disease Support Group meets without charge from 11:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. on the second and fourth Monday of each month.
A professional counselor facilitates the group which is a place for women to receive comfort and information from others who understand the feeling those dealing with serious illness experience. The group is open to women in treatment, and recent survivors. For more information, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (376) 766-4522.
Holiday Raffle
Tickets are currently being sold for a December 31 raffle in which the prize is a square coffee table handcrafted in the Hope House woodworking shop. The table features a tile top and cabriolet legs in a warm maple tone
Patrons can see the table and buy tickets while shopping in the five-year-old charity shop, Upscale Resale Bazar in Riberas del Pilar. The store sells donated and consigned items to help support the children living at Hope House and Love in Action on Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m. Call (376) 106-0882 for additional information.
Trivia Quiz Afternoon
Niños Incapacitados still has tickets available for the fun Trivia Quiz fundraiser Tuesday, January 12, 2 p.m. and 6:30 p.m. at the Hotel Real de Chapala. Contestants can form teams of eight or come and wing it on their own. Those attending should bring their own munchies, but there will be a no-host bar. Tickets for the afternoon event are 250 pesos. The 6:30 p.m. contest tickets are 300 pesos. For tickets email Lorna McIntyre at This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..">This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it..
Loss Support
The Loss and Moving Forward Support Group is designed for people who have lost a life partner through divorce or death, or are recovering from the death of a parent or child. Through a circle of support, the group will focus on the roller coaster of emotions experienced in times of grief and explore ways to positively harness those emotions towards creating a new life.
The group meets without charge with a professional counselor on the second and fourth Wednesdays from 2:30-4 p.m. For information and to join the group, email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. or call (376) 766-4522.
Robbie Burns
Mark your calendars and get in line. Tickets are already selling fast for the Niños Incapacitados fundraising Robbie Burns Supper which will feature Scottish dancing, tartans and bagpipes.
The event will be held on the bard’s birthday, Monday, January 25 in the patio area of the Hotel Real de Chapala. Contact Anne Flaningam at (376) 766-1609 or email This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it. for tickets at 375 pesos. Tickets can also be ordered from the website programaninos.com