Month: July 2020

There is nothing quite like the ubiquitous, delicious, unavailable baked potato.

Here, there are only two types of potatoes- sweet, and thin skinned white. There is no other potato in this area. It was discovered that those two types grew best in this climate, though I would disagree most heartily. If I can grow white, red, and bakers, they should be able to here. Who is with me?

I told Ivan yesterday that, whenever we go up North again, one of the first things I have to eat, is a baked potato with butter and salt.

Until then, enjoy your baked potatoes, and, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I do not understand how someone can sit at their desk, and talk on the phone, in a private conversation, while they have clients, sitting across from them, and a half dozen others, outside, waiting to be served.

Wow! Sorry about that, but, I just had to get that all out of my system. It does not help to keep it all bottled up inside. I have a cold sore the size of Texas to prove it.

Let me explain the tirade.

In my last post I told you that we had to go to the bank this morning, to undo my mistake. The bank opens at 10:00 so we were there at 9:40, hoping to get in, rather sooner, than later. To no avail. One stands in line and waits ones turn.

Thirty minutes we waited to get inside, another twenty minutes to get to a desk. Behind said desk was the individual of whom I wrote in the beginning. Twenty five minutes she was on the phone, chuckling away at someone, unknown on the other end of the phone, while we sat, as patiently as humanly possible, (though, I confess, I was giving her the stink eye the whole time).

Finally, though, still on the phone, she printed the one page of our account that we needed. We choked out a thank you and left.

We are taking our transactions to the dealership tomorrow morning so they can approve or deny the purchase of the BMW. While we wait for that, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Cover your mouth, wash your hands, protect your loved ones.

Post script: my account mishap was corrected by the time we sat down, to wait for the first twenty minutes. Thought you might enjoy knowing that.

Okay, so I messed up. Sue me!

We need the transactions, all of them, from our bank account down here, in order to “finish” the loan application, for the new BMW.

Sooooo, I downloaded the app for HSBC.MX, and started working on registering us online. Of course, it is all in Spanish, so I did the best I could with what I know. That said, I was able to get in, get our information, get a security thumb print to open the account, and, signed out. When I went to sign in again, well, that is when

That is when it hit the proverbial fan. Somehow, I forgot one of the passwords, three times, so it locked the online access. Fine. Let me defend myself by saying, somewhere in the signing up on this website, it asked me for a usuario, (username), and a contraseña, (password). Fine. I did that. Then, I remember, it wanted me to make an eight digit password, which could consist of lower case letters, and numbers. So, I did that. When I was supposed to use that password, I have no recollection. The original password, the wrong one that I used three times, that locked the account, that must have needed the eight digit password. To my thinking, eight digits are a whole lot easier to remember than the twelve digit password I used incorrectly. Ugh!

So, Ivan called the number, plastered on the webpage, making me look like a computer dummy, but they were unable to help me “reset my damn password”. So not like in the States. I am not sure if this way is better, or worse, because now I look like some stupe, someone who cannot use the internet properly.

We have to go to the principals office, (the bank), on Monday morning to have them release the account. I want to show them the one hundred fifty plus websites I have usernames, and passwords for, and ask them if they could set up their bank account in English, without anyone else’s help.

Okay, I feel a bit better, but, still cannot access. Until Monday, until I can access out bank account, you know what to do. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, protect your loved ones.

One cannot hope to see a more welcoming sign than this. I doubt it even needs much in the way of translation, does it?

Since they were not open Tuesday, (my actual birthday), and today is Saturday, (the sign, just above, shows a special – one kilo. of assorted meat, with all of the other things, cilantro, onions, tortillas, etc., for three hundred and fifty pesos), so, we got 2 kilos of the mix, (surtida), 3 dozen tortillas, several containers of different salsas, a container, each of cilantro with diced onions, and limes. All in celebration of my birth. Yay for me. This is what it all looked like.

And, last, but not least, is this little gem. Actually, there were three of these, and two of sesos (brains, which were amazing). The photo is of a fried taco, made up of the little pieces of pork that fell to the bottom of the cutting board. You know, those little bits that you cannot throw away, but, as a restaurant, you really cannot sell them either? So, they were included in our order.

We have finished our dinner, and are now at home. It was a long afternoon, but, enjoyable all the same. At the moment, I am recharging my bigger iPad Pro fully, so I can watch something on it.

Until that happens, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, protect your loved ones.

Today, our favorite neighbor, Claudia by name, (she lives in the apartment directly above us), came to ask us a question. Where could she buy the same “máscaras” (masks), we have? Anywhere close to the condo?

Let me say, here, and, now, she is the best person in this whole condominium! Ideals, moral compass, social conscience- like ours.

At the first meeting we had, here, last November, we realized she had the same morals, and values that we had. We feel, as does she, that the rules we all are supposed to abide by, rules made, and agreed upon by the association committee, should be enforced for all dwellers of this condominium. We have all purchased our apartments, however, those that chose to rent their spaces to outsiders, need to make it clear, to said renters, the rules will be followed, or they will be asked to leave.

That brings us to the subject of having animals in the condominium. The rules say that only those living here before 2017 are allowed to keep the animal(s) they had, but are not allowed to purchase new animals when the originals pass.

Our neighbors have two dogs that, on most nights, bark, off and on, for hours. The administrator is in the process of contacting the owner of the apartment, to have him come and tell these people to get rid of the dogs, or move. As he is making money on the rental of the apartment, he is slow in getting over here to give them the ultimatum. We do our best to shut our bedroom window, durning the “barking hour”. As soon as possible, we open it back up. The fresh air is soothing.

Until we get the dogs out of the condominium, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, protect your loved ones.

Strike one. We went to the bank today, asking for a loan on the BMW. Nope. We do not have any credit here in México, only our checking account. We understand. We were in the same place about thirty years ago. How strange- being declined for any kind of loan! It has been so long since we were denied credit! We have worked so hard to get, and keep our credit score high. This is not the United States, however!

Off we go, to talk to the people at the dealership, to see if they will finance the loan for us. I will let you know.

We have been given more papers to fill out, and, return. We may, now, also, need a co-signer, because we have not been able to establish any credit, yet.

We will, in good time.

Now, we are, once again, standing in a queue, waiting for entrance to our bank.

After forty minutes, we have, finally, gotten inside the bank. Again, as usual, there are two women at their desks, but only one of them is taking care of clients. I cannot tell you how annoying this is.

According to the law, we could not apply for any credit until we had been here one year. We just passed one year last week. Ivan, today, applied for a credit card with our bank. He feels comfortable that he has been approved.

Tentative good news, as of nine o’clock tonight, we may have been accepted for the loan, by the dealership. Ideal? No. However, we will be paying off the loan in two years, with what we consider a “minimal interest cost”. If we receive the car by next week, it will be a win-win!

When this happens, you will the next to know. Until then, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Cover your mouth, wash your hands, protect your loved ones.

Cottage cheese. Do you think much about it? Do you think much of the percentage of fat? Or, how many calories per spoonful?

For the past two day, I thought Ivan was telling me that the cottage cheese we bought at Superama, a pint, maybe, was not to his liking. (We have been buying huge containers at Costco that were one percent fat, small curd, while, this one, from Superama, was, as we just found out tonight, a four percent large curd cheese).

I cannot tell you the last time we ate anything but what I have already described. I must tell you that the taste, and the mouth feel alone, were amazing. Incredible, actually.

I thought he wanted me to not buy the large container of CC from Costco, and buy the small one from Superama. Duh! That is exactly what he was trying to tell me.

Message received.

I stole a spoonful of the large curd, (which I originally thought was spoiled), and could not believe my tongue. It was splendid.

Will we buy it agin? Absolutely!!! Until then, however, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We have noticed, lately, more, and more QR codes available to the public to scan for menus. This is one of the codes we have been able to scan recently.

And this is what happens when you scan it.

Many places have also started being able to use the QR codes to place an order, bring it to the restaurant, place the order, and have it delivered to your table. Or, even better, to your home.

Then there is Uber eats. All of these little guys on motorcycles, delivering food to your home.

Conversely, there are hundreds of businesses that have closed, or are closing. This guy, however, is an exception. His business is thriving, just across the street from the café whose menu is above. His menu has decreased but he is still doing a brisk business. Good for him. Enrique assures us his food is delicious, and, more importantly, safe to eat.

After we finish here, at the BMW dealership, begging for financing, we are going to drive back North, towards our condo, for tortas. The restaurant, in particular, has a 9.2 rating. Cannot wait to try a torta. Have not had one in years.

Until we get there and eat, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Cover your mouth, wash your hands, and protect your loved ones.

Well, here she is, in all her glory. Our (possibly) newest acquisition. She is a 2018 BMW 340i M Sport with just over fourteen thousand miles. Cannot wait to finalize the paperwork and take her home.

I hope all goes well. The dealer has made it sound like it will, however, this is our first major purchase, after the condo. And that took some doing, let me tell you.

Here, at the dealership, we hit a tiny bump in communication, go figure. Evidently, the dealer informs our bank of all the details of the vehicle, we fill out the application for credit, give that to the dealer, and they take that to the bank. Then, the dealer will inform us of the results.

We just took a test drive. That had to be one of the most comfortable rides, in the back seat, as we have ever had. Enrique drove, with the dealer, Francisco by name, while Ivan, and I, rode in the back seat. I am glad we did because we now know how comfortable it is to ride back there.

Oh. My. Gosh!

This afternoon, Ivan and I “grilled” fajitas on our stove top, on our Lodge griddle. It is eleven at night, and, when I walk into the kitchen, all I can smell, from mid hallway, truth be told, is beef. Grilled beef fajitas.

There is very little in this world that comes even remotely close to being my favorite fill in the blank. Beef, grilled, outdoors, and, now, obviously, indoors, tops the list. You know those stupid questions, or, questionnaires, you get on FB, “If you were on an island, and could only eat one thing for the rest of your life- what would it be?” Grilled beef. Fajitas, steak, fajitas, steak. I care not. I am a carnivor, and, have always been so.

Sixty plus years ago, my great grandmother, on my fathers side, fell, and broke her arm. She came to stay with us for a short while, I do not remember any of the particulars as I was a child, maybe four years old. But, I remember her being placed on the open sofa bed, in the living room, where we lived, in Port Byron, Illinois.

When she felt like eating, which she did not do a lot, she would let me help feed her. I do not remember that I was any good at it, but I loved this tiny, wrinkled little women who I hardly knew, with all my heart. I have only two or three distinct memories of her, and this is one of them.

Fast forward to the mid nineteen sixties. My parents grilled steaks in the fireplace at our home, in Moline, Illinois, every so often, and, believe me, they were, to my young palate, incredible. My grandmother, Amanda, dad’s mother, lived with us for many years, and she usually asked for the fat off of everyone’s steaks. I did not understand this but she, eventually, told us that her mother always asked for everyone’s fat.

Ever since then, I have also acquired the taste for beef fat, and frequently, without much fuss, try to acquire the fat off of anyone’s plate.