Our Longevity Diet

Monday we took the old jalopy (it really is old — old enough to drink in most states) to town (Tecoman) for our weekly shopping trip. Isabel also had a doctor’s appointment.

Halfway there the red battery light came on, though the car kept running OK. Clearly, the battery was no longer charging however, so I pulled it over to the shoulder (the Cerro to Tecoman road is one of the few Mexican roads that actually has a shoulder) and looked under the hood. The belt to the alternator was broken. So we also stopped at a mechanic’s — he could sell us a used belt from a car he had there, or we could wait an hour or two while he sent someone to pick up a new belt at the auto supply — either way it would cost the same, about $10 US. We took the used one.

Our tasks all complete, we headed home. About 3/4 the way home a front tire blew. I pulled over and tried to change it. I had a spare, two 4-way tire wrenches and a jack, so it seemed simple. The car, however, would not cooperate. There were little metal caps on the wheel nuts. They were metric sized, and all the tire wrenches were not. None fit quite right — either it would almost fit, but slip when heavy pressure was applied, or it wouldn’t go over the cap. One cap came off, getting stuck inside the wrench.

I ended up putting Isabel on a bus back home, with instructions to send the local mechanic out to help change the tire. I sat on the curb for an hour, very grateful that our shopping included cold beer. A police truck drove past, but didn’t even stop to help.

Anyhow, it seemed a fairly terrible day — except for that Doctor’s visit part — the doctor confirmed our suspicions, Isabel is pregnant. So, to be fair the title of this post should really say Isabel suspends her participation in the Intermittent Fasting, for the duration of her pregnancy. We don’t recommend this diet for pregnant women or growing children.