Month: November 2019

Oh, my gosh people. I cannot believe how much I have missed my Apple Watch. (I left it at the house, in hopes that I would detach myself from too much technology.)

Well, I did – for five months. Now it is time to get back in the game!!!

I have decided, after much deliberation, with myself, that, 1) I need the technology, (now that I am writing these posts),

2) I appreciate all of the advances from the last Apple Watch I had, and

3) I am worth the price I just paid for the Apple Watch series 5!!! (Oh, I hope I am worth the price?!?)

I do not mind spending two arms, and a leg, for a product as special as this, because it does everything except dishes and laundry. Really. I can place, and answer, calls; text message the US; pull up a menu, or shopping list I have made; it tells me the weather; what my “schedule” is for the day, (I had to include that last bit because we are so busy, you know ;), and it can translate conversations, words, etc., with iTranslate.

It calculates, it Maps My Walks, (not real difficult yet), it shows me which routes to take in Google Maps. It also shows my progress with my activity, but my other watch did that as well. It is water proof up to 50 meters, (again, no worries there), but it also shows me my heart rate, which my series 2 did not. It has my virtual “wallet” available for me to pay for my purchases, and it will reduce the noise when I buy my AirPod pros, and start listening to books again, while I am walking.

Sorry. This was not meant to be an add for the newest Apple Watch; it just happened.

I have since changed the face of the watch about seven times, at least. I am unsure of the battery life still, and do not want to leave it charging all night as that is not necessary.

That is all I am going to say about my latest purchase.

Ivan and I have been big fans of Kris Anne Hall for many years now, so I wanted to take a minute to tell you about her. And to encourage you to listen to her yourselves.

Kris Anne is a former prosecutor in the state of Florida, Russian linguist for the US Army, and, more importantly, received her J.D. from the University of Florida, Levin College of Law. She practiced First Amendment law for a prominent non-profit law firm for several years.

KrisAnne is now the president of Liberty First University and travels the country teaching the foundational principles of Liberty, and our Constitutional Republic. She is the author of 6 books on the Constitution and Bill of Rights, and believes in “Liberty over security. Principle over Party. Truth over personality.”

The reason I am writing about her today is because she has helped me, more so that Ivan, learn about what our Constitution actually says, why the government is so far off track from what the Framers of the Constitution meant, and what needs to happen to get the government back in the hands of “We the People”.

You can find Kris Anne at KrisAnneHall.com, or on her YouTube channel of the same name, or, at Liberty First University.com

She is an undeniable authority on the Constitution, the US government as a whole, and a very charismatic speaker. She grabs you with the depth of her knowledge, and the passion of her commitment. As she says, frequently, she does not interpret the constitution, as it is self-explanatory. She merely teaches us what it actually says, since no one has taught us what the Constitution is, or how it is supposed to work , for us, since 1833. When was the last time you heard anyone talk about being taught Civics in school?

Give her a few minutes of your time. She will reopen your eyes about how the government should work for us, as we are the employers, they are our employees; what each branch of the government is supposed to be doing; what we can each do, every day, to bring the government back under our control.

So many of the things we have delegated to the control of the government should never have been allowed. Why? Because the Constitution shows you how illegal it was for the citizenry to give up the control to the legislature in the first place.

Let me know what you think. I cannot get enough of this woman, seriously.

Every now and again, I have a moment that makes me sit up, and take notice. I had one just a few moments ago, which is what prompted this post.

We are living in an entirely different part of the world from where we were six months ago! We have moved, and are really, and truly, living in one of the grandest city’s in México.

When I am not paying attention, or am distracted, with this, that, and the other thing, I forget that we are not here on vacation, we are not visiting, we have actually moved here, just a few short months ago.

Several of my former coworkers have asked me if I am enjoying my retirement, is it what I expected? Briefly answered, yes, and hell yes, respectively!!

When I think of all of the years I got up at 4:30 am, to be to work by 6am., all of the years I drove across the I-74 bridge, good weather, and bad; all of the years I was on-call for our Surgery department, at Moline, and Rock Island campuses, my retirement is my personal gift from God.

I will tell you that I have taken to retirement like a duck to water. Do I have any complaints, any regrets? None. I would make all of the same choices that I made in the past, because they brought me to where I am right now- exactly where I have wanted to be my entire life.

This breed, Xoloitzcuintli, (pronounced show-low-itz -Qweent-ly), is an ancient Aztec dog that has managed to remain, virtually, unchanged for almost 3500 years, even though it was eaten by the Spanish conquistadors, almost, to extinction. Google him. There is a nice, short story from National Geographic about them. They have an amazing history. We have, personally, seen three, up close, in one of the parks near the house. They, at least the three that we met, were very friendly. Hmmm. Another something to consider in the future.

I hope you enjoyed that little diversion. There are more diversions to come.

As carbohydrate go, potatoes are my all-time favorite carbs- bar none. There has never been a potato made, that I have had the opportunity to eat, that I did not enjoy.

Have I had potatoes made every way possible? No, unfortunately I have not! But I am willing to try them. (I am willing to sacrifice, for you people 😉

Today, along with the baked salmon, and the ba’corn, and the arroz verde, I fried a half dozen, thinly sliced, Yukon golds potatoes, (that is probably what they were), with, about three camotes, (pronounced ca MO tehs) sweet potatoes, (but, instead of being orange inside, they were white, and purple outside). The camotes started frying first, (mainly because I have never seen, let alone cooked with, a camote), in a melted stick of unsalted butter, to which I added half of a thinly sliced white onion. I salted the heck out of them, (potatoes, eggs, and, something else that I can not remember, need a lot of salt to bring out their flavor), and then added the thinly sliced Yukons. Over a low flame, I turned them every five minutes, or so, and then, after fifteen minutes, I covered them with aluminum foil, (the pan was too big for a proper lid) to fry for twenty minutes more, flipping them, still, about every five minutes.

Just before serving, I dusted them with some garlic powder, and sprinkled a handful of grated Parmesan cheese over the top.

Oh, you should have seen them when they were done. There was about a full, small potato size piece that was “burnt”, so Ivan, Marco, Pepe, Paty, and I, each had a bite. For us, it is the best part of a potato- the caramelized, “burnt” part- the part with real flavor.

There was so much “flavor” in the house, in fact, that was leaking out of the open kitchen windows, the neighbors, came by to see what we were making. [Little do they know that tomorrow we are going to make more potatoes, (because there are none left over from tonight’s dinner), and take a full portion of everything to their house, so they can enjoy what they were smelling.] We cannot wait for them to try our cooking. As I am, mostly, of German descent, and, Ivan is, obviously, of Mexican descent, the combination of our two cultures combines to make some very interesting _________ (fill in the blank).

I will let you know what they think, though I am pretty sure they will enjoy their meal. Who does not like potatoes, I ask you?

Potato update: 02/11/19

The neighbors came over just a few minutes ago to let us know how much they enjoyed the food we made. Victor and Areli are their names, and they are the best of neighbors, we all think.

Do you have just a minute to listen to me rant about the joys, and wonders, of a really delicious egg nog? Well, if you do not have time right now, that is ok. Just remember to come back to this post so you will be better equipped this holiday season. (The things I do for you people. I am here for you though, truly.)

Kirkland Egg Nog®. Complete with the perfect proportion of alcohol to nog. I kid you not, this is the best commercial nog we have had the good fortune to taste.

Opening the bottle, we were definitely surprised. The first whiff of the egg nog itself was familiar. Then came the alcohol, magic. That is an aroma one normally gets when one mixes ones own alcohol just before serving. When you finally get a sample to taste, look out.

The calorie count, the carbs, the sugars, phooey. Counts be damned, I say! Throw caution to the wind. Live a little. Happy holidays. Just make sure you try some of this lusciousness before this holiday season ends. It will not be in the stores again until next year.

We were fortunate enough to find this at our local Costco, purely by accident. (Not really, as it was in an end cap, you know, at the end of an aisle.) So, if you do not, currently, have a membership at your local Costco, sign up, buy some of this liquid gold, and if you are not convinced it is the best (alcoholic) version of egg nog you have ever tried, ask for your membership cost to be returned.

We, on the other hand, will be purchasing this by the gross, and hopefully, no one will come over to bother us this holiday season. Just kidding.

Disclaimer: do not give this to the elderly, the infirm, or the kiddos. Period. It is not for the faint of heart either, I am here to tell you.

But trust me, it is, by far, the most delicious egg nog I have yet to encounter, and I have had dozens. Enjoy. Let me now what you think, but only if you try it. (It is kind of like voting in any national elections- if you do not vote, you do not have any say in how the voting turned out, OR what transpires afterwards. You forfeit that right.)

So, go forth, with renewed spirit, and BUY SOME OF THIS AMAZING EGG NOG!!! I hope you will enjoy your holidays even more with this nog.

I had the opportunity to make another really flavorful meal for everyone tonight- baked salmon, with Ivan’s butter, pineapple marmalade, and mayo on top; fried white, and sweet potatoes with onion, garlic, and Parmesan cheese; and a bacon, corn, and cheese dish that had the first three things, as are in the title, with onion, jalapeño, onions, garlic, heavy cream, and two different cheeses. Yummy. Not a single plate needed to be scraped off. (Though I really do need to get over the fear I have of cooking for others. It is getting a bit ridiculous. No one has died from my cooking yet, except me- once, almost).

I am adding the above photo, but I want you to know that, even though it looks like someone threw up on the plate, each item was more delicious than the next. From top, clockwise, is the ba’corn with cheese dish, the baked salmon with the marmalade/mayo dressing, the fried sweet and white potatoes with onion, garlic, and Parmesan cheese, then the arroz verde, that Ivan taught Paty how to make.

The above photo is a bowl of some of the best chili I have ever made!!! It is from a previous post, last week, but it deserves another view. This is from Chef John at Foodwishes.com. Check it out. He has some amazing recipes that are, really, fairly easy to make. Let me know what you think.

Everyone seems to enjoy the new flavor combinations that Ivan and I come up with. As I say, frequently, if you can see to read, of are able to hear, you can watch, or listen, to videos that teach you how to make whatever dishes you want. I take my iPad into the kitchen with me and play the video, replay the video, then replay it as I am cooking. Just because your mother never cooked these dishes, or, she did not teach you to cook, so what? YouTube will teach you anything you want to learn, faster even, than learning from your parent. Trust me. I am a perfect example of what YouTube has to offer.

To my fellow, albeit former, coworkers; I hope everything works out for you, and your families, with all of the changes that are coming. As I told one of you, recently, I am so deeply imbedded in everything happening here, that I find it very difficult to even remember all of the things that were happening there, when we were finally able to leave.

Here are just a few of the photos I have of my friends, my family, at Trinity Medical Center, 7th. St. Operating Room. Blessings to you all.

We were so engrossed in all of the things we had to do just to get here, then, with everything we have had to do to be able to stay here; I am sorry that I have not, and, cannot give you any more of myself than I have. But, please, know that I am very sympathetic to everything that is about to happen.

Maybe one of you, however, has a memory of me telling you, before I retired, to be looking elsewhere for employment- that ESA was already talking about pulling out most of their patients. Remember, the Urology group, along with ESA, had added on a surgical room to their building? And, MVSC added at least one, or more, surgical rooms to their building? Dr. Borisuth will probably be moving his patients over there. Remember, too, that the Eye Laser is rented, nothing permanent. All in anticipation of the time when 7th. St. would be closing their doors.

This is, really, a move started by CMS, and the Medicare people. They no longer feel it is necessary to provide funding to patients having “office-capable procedures” done in hospital settings. This is the future people. I just hope that the offices, and out-patient facilities, are up to the standards necessary to provide, and maintain, adequate, acceptable, and safe health care.

But, instead of wondering if they are up to your standards, why not go make them so?! You are all capable of maintaining high standards in your work. Your patients lives depend on it. So, go do it! Bring your high standards to every single place that each of you goes from here. Show others what is was like, to work with people of your quality, with your ethics, your morals. Not everyone in our profession has them- so be the example that lights the way.

I have faith in all of you- that you can do this. Do not be the complainer, the person late to their shift, or the person that does not answer their phone when needed. Be the leader, be the one upon whom others can depend. You have it in you, I know you do. Make your new team proud to have you as a partner.

All said, best of luck to all of you. Please, someone, keep me informed of who goes where, what is happening up there, etc. I will keep all of you in my prayers, and pray you all find a new, and, hopefully, better place to work.

You are the family I chose. Thank you for all of the wonder years we shared. I may not be able to remember everyone’s names in the future, but I will never forget YOU!

The lightening, (pronounced reh LAM pa go) and thunder, (true EH no) here, have been outstanding this evening. And, for my part, as anyone that knows me, knows that I am a complete fanatic when it comes to L&T.

There have been many hours when I would open the app for Rainy Mood, (I highly recommend it), put on my ear buds, or, my head phones, and listen to a rain storm, complete with thunder, for hours.

I could listen to a storm while I was doing things for work, while I was cooking, or cleaning, or doing the laundry. There is something about a mild to moderate thunder storm that, I… I do not know what, but, I love listening to it.

When I was a child, I do not really remember enjoying the thunder, but I did enjoy the lightening. I remember counting, from the time I saw the lightening, until I heard the thunder, and wondered what was happening- what that was all about. Sometimes, I noticed, when it was a very short time between them, the thunder would be very loud. If there was a long time between the two, the thunder was more quiet, more distant. But why?

Now that I am older, I do not, really, care about any of that. I only want to have enough time to enjoy the light and sound show, provided, free of charge, for the short amount of time I get to enjoy it. And gosh, I do enjoy it.

Went over to the apartment the other day, and have only a couple of photos to show for it. Nothing in the kitchen, yet, as that will be the last big area to finish. But here are a few of the front door, (new handles), and the bathroom glass wall that is finished.

All in all, things are coming along very nicely. It is taking a bit longer than we had hoped, but the work that has been done is just what we were hoping for.

I believe the kitchen cabinets may be coming the end of this week, or next. However, this Friday (Nov. 1st) is Día de los Muertos, so who knows what will happen. (Sorry about the dates, but I try to keep writing posts a week to ten days ahead of them being scheduled.)

Until we know anything more, stay warm, you folks in the North. It is still in the 70’s here during the day, and 50’s at night. I have been assured it will get cooler though. (I am not holding my breath).

We were walking through Soriana yesterday, and, as I was walking up the aisle, towards the deli, what did I see, out of the corner of my eye?

SHREDDED CHEDDAR CHEESE!!! Albeit 152 pesos for the pound, ($7.95). It will not be something we buy very often. But what a treat to have found it!

The cheese that is made down here is so much less expensive, so the cheddar will have to be for special occasions- cheeseburgers, chili, and the like.

Speaking of the cheeses made here, there are a few Manchego cheeses that are outstanding. And not cost prohibitive, which is good, because we eat lots of cheese in this house.

This wheel of Artesanal cheese is about 79 pesos, or roughly $4.12. Much more affordable than the cheddar, and melts like nobodies business.

Quesadillas are a nighttime staple here. Most of these folks have breakfast, (desayuno) about 9:30 – 10:30 am., lunch (comida) about 3:30 pm., then dinner/supper (la cena) about 9:00 pm. Since 9 pm is way too late for Ivan, and me, to eat, we have our last anything to eat at the 3:30 pm. meal. Makes for a long night, but, as Ivan has terrible reflux, there is no way he could lie down, and hope to sleep. I, on the other hand, do not have reflux, and will, sometimes, sneak in a piece of sausage, or a slice of cheese to keep me from eating a pillow in the middle of the night. (Though a pillow is much less expensive than the cheese, I suppose that is something to be considered.)

I will finish with the statement that many things, such as cheddar cheese, and bacon, (why is it so hard to find good bacon?) are very difficult to find, and quite expensive when you do. Enjoy the things that you have come to take for granted, because not everywhere in the world are they accessible. Or, even, affordable.

And do not even get me started on meat!

Cheddar cheese update: 02/11/19

Again, while walking through Soriana today, we came upon a display of Parmesan cheese by the same Valley Foods, as is the cheddar. Now the cost of the one pound cheddar is 86 pesos, or $4.50 per pound, half of what is was last week. Now it is affordable, so I bought three packages and put them in the freezer. I want them to see that someone is interested in buying this product, and to keep it coming.