that little voice

My home in San Miguel is a condo in a small complex of six units. Five of them are sold but only three have been occupied, or at least partially occupied for the past eight months, which means I have been here alone during the pandemic.

The other owners live in the states but have not travelled since the isolation began in March. Talk about quiet. I have enjoyed the noiselessness of aloneness. That is a mouthful to read.

But things changed this week. Suddenly workmen appeared, or I should say have made themselves known by the banging, hammering, drilling that goes on when construction is underway.

Two of the units are being Tmished out,’ whatever that entails, so my bubble of silence has been pierced.

The doglets seem to be adjusting to the activity better than I am. They can sleep right through the racket, acting as though the new hullabaloo emitting from next door is perfectly normal.

Meanwhile, I’m receiving phone calls, participating in Zoom meetings and attempting to write a weekly column while grinding my teeth as I am interrupted with the deafening commotion.

Give me another week and it no doubt will be like living next to the railroad track, I’ll get where I don’t even hear it. I’m hoping that happens before I lose my mind.

San Miguel has opened back up after being closed for seven months, and tourists are flooding in. Most of them come from other Mexican cities in an attempt to escape the congestion and confinement they have been enduring.

It is similar to how locals feel in Fayette County during the antique fairs twice a year. Streets are crowded, traffic increases, crowds jam sidewalks, the pulse of the city increases. As grateful as you are that business is picking up you also hope those folks will leave soon so we all don’t develop ulcers from the increased pace.

San Miguel generally is a busy, but not frantic place. Although there are lots of buses and taxis picking up and delivering from one end of town to the other, it is just a bit saner.

hi order to avoid folks I usually walk my four-legged pets early in the morning or late afternoon to early evening. Now with the increased number of visitors, I’m fording mornings are a better time for our outings. These tourists do like night life and continue to party way past my bedtime and are slower to venture out much before 9 or 10 in the mornings.

All in all, life is beginning to get back to normal even as COYID-19 cases seem to be increasing. Most folks are wearing masks, even though they usually are hanging around their necks and not covering their mouth and nose. Social distancing is being practiced in most restaurants and many San Miguel eateries have patios and rooftop balconies so they are open for seating.

I’m not certain what will be the new normal as we continue to live with this deadly virus, but we are hearing more sounds...especially from the workers next door.