VIVA LA MEH-HEE-CO!

Do you recall my story about the day I met Jeannie Ralston, The Unlikely Lavender Queen? When she shocked the pants off of me by saying that they had sold their amazing house and lavender farm in Blanco, and decided to move to a small town in Mexico, how did I intuitively know that she was talking about San Miguel de Allende? It was because I had just finished reading On Mexican Time, by Tony Cohan. I saw myself in both Tony and Jeannie, recognizing fellow seekers of "the good life."

In 1985, when L.A. novelist Cohan and his artist wife decided to explore a little known 16th century hill town in central Mexico, it was not yet overrun with tourists and expats. In fact, there were no direct flights there and you arrived by bus. Once there, they caught a glimpse of another way of life, and fell under the spell of "What if?" So they went back to California, sold their house, and returned to San Miguel. They did eventually buy and restore a wonderful old house there, but that is not really the focus of this story. A reviewer at The Tennessean said "this is not so much a travelogue as a gentle reminder to examine our lives and weed out the unnecessary, the chaotic and the frivolous." Books abound these days about people shedding their old lives and finding bliss in paradise, but this one is a bit different, a bit deeper. I think Cohan tells it like it is, without the rose colored glasses that are donned by so many.

So, if you would like to win this wonderful book about finding your heart's home, and then finding yourself, just leave a comment between now and Sunday night, and your name will be thrown into the hat for our drawing. In addition to the book, I am including four chili pepper napkins, and a small journal to use in your travels, or however you see fit (and I just might fill in the first few pages with my recipes for Mexican Chocolate Streusel Brownies, Easy Pralines and Cholula Spiced Pecans). Good luck!