Month: October 2020

It is about nine twenty two; it is Sunday night, October twenty fifth, and I just realized, DLS time must have ended last night! Nobody told me!

When I went out to the kitchen just now, by golly, the stove said it was ten twenty three. Hmmm.

Each morning, my CPAP cleaning machine, the SoClean2, is scheduled to start up at eleven o’clock, and runoff ten minutes. Today, however, thinking back on it, it started at ten o’clock. Weird, I thought at the time.

Now, I realize, for some reason, we have already changed the clocks here. (All of our clocks, watches, phones, computers, etc., are automatically changed by computer). My calendar shows that this should not happen until next Sunday! What the heck?

Actually, somewhere in my feeble memory, I am thinking that the same thing happened last year. I am so confused.

Anyway, on another subject altogether, my bread is becoming increasingly easier to make with each loaf. While we wait for more bread, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

Ivan and I watched a video, the other day, on YouTube that had physicians giving a press conference about the ineffectiveness of masks against the CoVid 19 pandemic.

They were saying that people are, once again, becoming complacent about their personal hygiene. If people would use their common sense, stay away from people that appear to be ill, wash their hands at every opportunity, the virus would not be rearing its ugly head again.

They were quoting Dr. Fauci, the Director of Infectious Diseases, as saying that he felt masks, in, and of, themselves would be ineffective in the long run. This is a virus, not a bacteria; they are very different in the bodies reaction to them.

Depending on the specific viral strain, it can live, for varying periods, on inanimate objects, being transmitted from one to another by droplets, physical contact, ingestion, to name a few.

However, a virus is like a “lock”, needing a specific “key” to unlock it. Therefore, you may have, and probably have, already been exposed, but are asymptotic, without symptoms.

Bacteria, on the other hand, are quite opportunistic, and infect a host much more easily. Bacteria can be treated with antibiotics, whereas, with a virus, at least prior to this virus, one can only treat the symptoms; fever, chills, and, cough. The virus has to “run its course “.

We are trying to wait, patiently, for this to be over, done. While we do that, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

I just spent the last few hours, (none of your business exactly how many hours), in London, England. I was there, in the Langham Hotel, with several of the contestants from season two MasterChef Australia

Of course I was not really there, but, it sure felt like I was. I have watched as many of the MasterChef series as we can get down here, and have not been disappointed yet. I do so enjoy watching the contestants make food from their memories, what they have seen on TV maybe, or, as Ivan always says, “by the seat of their pants”.

He tells me to cook by the seat of my pants, but that is something about which I know nothing. My mother cooked less than a dozen different meals, and I was never home to watch her cook them, so I have no background knowledge from which to work. My father liked beef, a few canned vegetables, and mom’s chocolate cake. Not much to go on there.

Since I have been married, I have learned how to make so many different dishes, Mexican dishes, mostly. Now, living here, I have the opportunity to watch others cooking, or listen to them talk about cooking; how they would do this, or that, instead of this, or that.

One can learn tons of recipes on the internet, as well. You can see if it looks like something you would like to make, and eat, or not. There are websites, beyond counting, that can help with learning how to cook any type of food imaginable.

We made our menudo last week, and are just coming to the end of what was left. l cannot tell you how much better it was this time, than when we made it up North. The flavor was amazing.

In the coming few weeks we are going to start trying to make tamales. While we get those perfected, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

I have started a “collection “; I am collecting handheld bathroom mirrors from the nineteen fifties, or older. So far, I have purchased three; let me see if I have photos.

This mirror has four layers of silver, is quite heavy, and is from the late eighteen hundreds, very early nineteen hundreds. The patina is beautiful, though, I would love to see how it would shine if polished. No, I will not polish it, and ruin the value. It is lovely as it is. I am proud to own it.

This one is from late nineteen hundred ten to the early twenties, I am told. Both of the mirrors themselves, are very well maintained with little, or no, defects. When the third mirror gets here, from the States, I will show that to you as well. If anyone has a vintage/antique handheld mirror, in good condition, please contact me.

Until that day, please, stay vigilant. But, also, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

I have to tell you that, on Day 195, while we were “out and about”, I was able to write four posts. Driving around the city, with the beautiful weather, the sunshine, the breeze through the open windows, it has a wonderful way of freeing my mind, letting it go where it wanted. I have only to keep up with it, and type, explaining the things I see, hear, and, feel. It is a breathtaking experience, I have to say.

Allowing me the opportunity to journal our experiences has been, is, and will be, the experience of a lifetime. I want to thank any of you that have come along for the ride with us. I hope you are enjoying this as much as we are.

I will also say that I have had great pleasure showing you the wonderful, and amazing life we are finally able to live; retired, safe, and, most importantly, healthy and happy. Who can ask for more? Not us, for sure.

We are blessed, and we know it. We acknowledge it. We speak of it almost daily. We listen to the news of the world, and know that we moved at the exact time that benefited us. If we were still in the States, we would have lost everything. Here, we have more than we need. Have no fear of us getting above ourselves; we help everyone around us as to their needs.

Most times, we help family and friends without anyone else’s knowledge. We have always said that it is no one’s business what we do with our money, and will never be otherwise.

So, while we are here, living each day con gusto, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

We are going to attempt, very soon, making our very first batch of pork tamales, from scratch.

We have both watched multiple episodes of tamale makers on YouTube and are putting together a recipe that we want to try.

Depending on where you buy them here, and from whom, they can be the size of a cigar up to about a three inch diameter tamale. The larger ones are masa, for the bulk, and, not very good tasting. Grainy.

We want to try to get our masa to have a good enough flavor that, on its own, has a good flavor. The ones we used to buy, up North, the masa tasted as good as the whole tamale.

Experimenting. Always experimenting.

When we figure out what and how we are going to go about making said tamales, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

Unfortunately, I did not get my delicious breakfast, the other day. We had to force ourselves to go to the Copacabana for tacos dorados de pollo- or flautas, or chicken tacitos, however you know them.

They have such a large menu there, that, when I found these flautas, they tasted so good, that I will continue to order them, whenever we go there.

We went to Costco today, and I found a small magazine where I can “find the word” in Spanish. I have been trying to find a book like this to help me with my Spanish, and, now I have it. Yay.

Alas, I did not get my tacos dorados either. I had to settle for tacos del pastor, and, arrachera, which, if you recall, from an earlier post, the really tender skirt steak that I have with my scrambled eggs at Toks. It is all good. I am very hungry so I will eat dog poo if it comes on a tortilla.

Fortunately, the tacos got to the table in about five minutes and where delicious. I did not have to eat dog poo.

Until that day comes, God forbid, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.

Gosh. I had forgotten how vibrant, and alive the downtown is here. People everywhere, going about their lives, all in seeming harmony.

There is construction going on all over the downtown area; buildings being updated, and, renovated while the virus is still in thrall. Downtown here reminds me, quite a bit, of what Chicago used to be like when I was younger, only with more color.

The whole downtown area is, simply, alive with kinetic energy; it is palpable as we drive around. Our friend is where he needs to be, but, as there is no parking within blocks of any government building, we are driving around, until he is finished. Actually, I am being chauffeured; you may call me Miss Daisy.

People are dressed much fancier down here, in this part of town, probably because of their jobs. From that extreme to the other, there are plenty of people casually dressed, almost bohemian in style. People with blue hair, purple hair, green hair; mostly black however.

I must also say that this downtown is one of the cleanest areas we have ever seen. That is one thing that we have always commented on, a cities cleanliness.

When we were in la Ciudad Victoria, earlier this year, not only was it horribly hot, over one hundred degrees, but it was filthy. There was garbage everywhere, on the streets, the sidewalks, everywhere.

Here, the only thing on the streets, or sidewalks, are fallen leaves. And that is only if no one has gotten out to sweep them up.

By and large, it is a beautiful city, in the way beauty can be designated of large cities. The old, black wrought iron gates, along side new, modern glass buildings. Hundreds of buildings still waiting to be inhabited, as they were once. I

t will be something to watch as the threat of the virus becomes less over time, and life tries to reestablish itself.

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

We are out and about this morning- on our way downtown to one of the government buildings. A friend has business to take care of, so, he invited us along. We will use any excuse to get out of the condo.

Of course, we will have to have breakfast when we are done. Am I right?

I cannot wait for my “regular” breakfast of “Huevos al Albañil”; scrambled eggs, with about fifty grams of very tender skirt steak, called arrachera, salsa verde, little spears of carmelized onions, a few toasted serrano chile slices, and a crispy corn tortilla. Two, or more, cups of the best coffee, a small plate of papaya, and I am good until supper.

The sun is shining, the temperature is a stunning fifty five degrees F., thirteen degrees C., the kitchen is finally clean, after all of the cooking of the menudo, so it is sure to be a wonderful day.

Until we talk again, please, stay vigilant, but also, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones. This virus is not finished with us just yet.

I DID IT!! I figured out how to manually add the points we are accumulating, at Toks, to the account I made from their advertisement.

It has taken me the better part of a week to figure out how to add the points manually. In theory, I was supposed to be able to download the Club member app from the App Store. But, nooo. I cannot, for whatever reason, find the app I need.

Went to the place where I registered the account, found the place where I can enter the ticket number manually, and, as it is said, the rest is history. As we go there so frequently, it was like pouring money down the proverbial drain. This way, at some, as yet unknown time, we should get something “free”.

A funny side note: when we went in this morning, they did not ask us the normal “have you had a fever, cough, or flulike symptoms”, and when we gave them our first names, the receptionist was already writing them down. Hahaha.

While we wait for our food, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and, protect your loved ones.