Whirl-wind, Lightning Storm, Forest Fire, Volcano, Earthquake, and … Baby

Yes, each of the six above has been experienced here in Santa Ana.  A whirl-wind (remolino, also known as a dust-devil) whipped through our little neighbourhood, slamming doors and throwing a solid layer of dust over everything.  (My poor wife!)  Then a lightning storm started a forest-fire nearby, which burnt about 4 million hectares of land – 10% of the forest, as we found out.  And the forest is about the size of the city of Guadalajara.  The smoke from the burning forest then combined with ash from a sputtering volcano Popocatepetl (close to Mexico City) to provide a dense cloud of ash and smoke over the city for several days.  And to top it all off, we also had an earthquake!  The magnitude was 6.5, and the epicenter was only a couple of hours away in a neighbouring state.  Quite something!  Picture frames rocked back and forth, the telephone wires shook, and the dishes were rattling.  Nothing serious happened, however, for which we’re very thankful.  Only in Mexico do all these things happen in less than a month’s time!

But those things have had little effect on our lives compared to the most recent change.  I certainly can’t use the words “Natural Disaster” to describe this change, but perhaps “Act of God” would work.  Lest I steal the thunder from my wife, I’ll let you read what she has written below.  J