Living in Mexico poses a few dilemas when it comes to fixing some household problems. Houses here are not made of wood like the home I grew up in, in California. It is not uncommon for the handyman or professional south of the border, to open up your cement wall and fix that electrical or plumbing problem. To watch this process is like witnessing demolition; and it’s loud too.

So today I watched the plumber poke a hole into an outside wall to access a pipe. He then poured the ácido mercúrico into that pipe as I wondered why he didn’t just pour that liquid down the nearby drain. The answer of course was that his method was a more direct route to the clog. And it worked.

As I see this type of work it is somewhat excruciating to view, yet when the job is done and all is quiet again I sit down and enjoy a bowl of fresh pineapple and get on with my simple life in Mexico. It’s a beautiful thing.