Month: August 2021

If you think you are about to vacuum up a tiny, misplaced diamond earring, misplaced weeks ago, and, cannot, in time, stop yourself from doing so, check the vacuum cleaner head after you do.

Words to live by, I say.

Last week, Liz, and I, swept the bedroom floor, but did not find the earring. In fact, I had forgotten all about it. After sweeping the entire warren of dust bunnies that were hiding behind the headboard, I got the Shark vacuum cleaner head out, to finish cleaning up the mess.

I noticed a few stray bunnies, hopping around on the floor, under the headboard, so, I bent down to vacuum them up, to their deaths. Just as I started vacuuming them, I noticed a tiny glint out of the corner of my eye. At the same moment, I wondered if that was my missing earring. Did I stop vacuuming?

Of course not, silly. Only a sane person would do that. Needless to say, however, I quickly stopped vacuuming, and, opened the cleaner head onto my small dustpan. Sure enough, there it was; under a small pile of powdery debris. Yay!!! The lost was found.

Where all of the rest of that crap came from, I am not even going to venture a guess. For now, it is gone; to be forgotten as soon as I save this post.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Ugh.

Let me first wish the happiest of birthdays, to my soulmate; and, to many, many more of the same. Thanks for your help in my life.

I am working my way around to the chore of changing both queen size beds of their linens. Not something I enjoy doing much, though the results are usually worth the time, and effort having been made.

Maybe, if I keep typing, they will magically change themselves. I believe in magic.

I do not mind the washing, drying, folding, or putting away of said linens; I just despise the removing of said linens from the beds. Why? I have absolutely no Earthly idea.

It is a quick thing to accomplish, to be sure. So, after all of the above, I am off to do the very thing. See you sometime later, alligator.

I have discovered why I dislike removing the sheets. It is because, usually, I have to do it myself. Today, however, Ivan helped me! What a difference when you can share the load. Again, a simple thing, but meaningful, as well.

He saw me bringing in the clean sheets, and, got up from his settee. I asked him, just out of curiosity, where he was going. He said he was going to help me.

I about fell over! But, help me he did, and, the deed was done in record time. In fact, it gave me the time, not to mention impetus, to clean around the head of the mattress; on the bed frame. Yikes.

The mattress is twelve inches high, with a two inch topper, so this whole area is almost completely covered. No one knew this was there; except me.

I knew it was there; I see it every time I change the sheets. Have I, really, ever felt compelled to clean it? Hell no! Who does? Now that Liz is helping us, however, I finally felt compelled to clean it. So, I did.

After removing, and replacing the lines on both beds, with Ivan’s help, this is what things look like.

However, after one completely changes the linens on two beds, one is left with a pile of linens, of which needs to be addressed.

While I am off, addressing said pile of bedding, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Does that not take you back to grade school? Wow.

I remember, with horror, being instructed, at the beginning of many a new school year, to write an essay about all of the things we did on our summer vacation. Ugh!

First of all, an essay? I could not fill up a page of what I had done, (not like now 😉 to save my life. Gosh. How things change after fifty plus years, huh? Now, you cannot shut me up. Hahaha.

This year, for my “vacation”, I got to clean, divide, and store cilantro. Yes, you read that correctly; cilantro. Himself bought three large bunches of cilantro from a green grocer close to us, as he wants to make a cilantro “paste”, and freeze it, in olive oil. When we want to cook with it, we can just pull out a cube of the above, and use it as it is needed; it retains its freshness.

I volunteered, (I really did), to do all of the above. Hold on a moment. I need to clip my fingernails. I am making too many mistakes. Be right back.

Funniest thing; I did about a dozen other things, before cutting my nails. Go figure. Me? Well, of course. I did the other things first because I kept forgetting why I went to the back of the apartment to begin with.

Let me show you, quickly, the process to which I refer.

These have all been washed, disinfected, and dried. Now, I just need to separate the plants from their roots, and take out the spoiled leaves. No big deal.

This little bit took only a short time, but that was only the beginning. The drainer seemed to have no bottom to it.

Some leaves still look alright, but, at this point, I no longer cared. It was very much like shucking two dozen ears of corn. Towards the end, if you notice that there is still silk on the ears, then, there is. Take it off yourself!

Here is the finished product. Beautiful, it is. Smells even better, it does. (Yoda. Anyone? Really?) I gave it a final rinse, and spin, in two batches, in the salad spinner.

Do not know if you know this, so I will pass it along, in case you are not already taking advantage of the process.

To use a salad spinner correctly, place your greens, that you want to wash, and spin, in the basket of the spinner first. Place the basket back in the bowl of the spinner and fill with water. (Here is when we add a disinfectant to water, allowing it to sit in the water for about fifteen minutes.) Swish the greens up and down, and around, as you want, for the amount of time you feel is needed. (Here, it is about fifteen minutes.) Lifting the basket, with the greens, out of the bowl, dump the water, if you do not need to wash more greens. Replace the basket in the bowl, add the spinner top, and spin away.

Simple? Yes, and all of the yuck from the greens has now been deposited on the bottom of the bowl, and can be discarded. Here, most veg is brought in from the fields, then, directly to the stores; no washing done prior to its sale.

Hope that helps someone.

So, that is what I did the other day; the day of mega cleaning. I thought you might be interested.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

This post saddens my heart. It is to let you know that the Delta variant of the CoVid19 virus, is quite virulent, and is taking victims in my hometown.

My sister in law, Mayra, contacted me yesterday, telling me that a very old family friend and neighbor, Cindy, and her son, are in medically induced comas, having contracted the Delta variant of the CoVid19 virus. Cindy’ son, in his early thirties, is morbidity obese, and not expected to live. Cindy is in her fifties; her prognosis, unknown at the time of this post; the “old” is in reference to how long we have known her.

She was a little girl, as was Mayra, when Ivan introduced me to that family. They were neighbors of Ivan’s family, having been very helpful to the Cavazos family when they first moved to Moline; into the family home. As neighbors, they all grew up together, sleeping over at the other’s house, eating with the other’s family, being in each other’s pockets, the whole neighborly thing.

In defense of Cindy, Mayra reminded me that Cindy runs a daycare in her home, and has for years, and that she keeps a very clean environment. She has even been awarded for keeping it thus. As Mayra said, “it’s just that everyone has to do their part. And we can’t trust that they will.”

EXACTLY!! That is exactly why you need to wash your hands, at every opportunity. Keep your mouth covered; dispose of, or wash your masks frequently. In fact, buy a dozen, or so masks, so you have a clean one every time you need one. Keep a couple with you at all times; in your car, in your purse, your desk, your jacket pockets. It only takes one time to slip up; the virus is simply waiting for its chance. It knows how to do only one thing; find a host and multiply.

At the end of our texting, I suggested that she go have a good cry, but remember that others we both know, will probably succumb to this horrid virus before it is all over. The other thing I reminded her, was to WASH YOUR HANDS.

Covering your mouth certainly cannot hurt, unless you are purposely in a place amongst obviously ill people. Not even sure hand washing will help then. So, stay away from those that show obvious signs of a cough, or fever, keep your mouth covered, and touch as little as possible. Then, wash your hands. It really is the first line of defense in this fight.

I, personally, Ivan as well, will not put ourselves in that kind of environment, knowingly. We stay as far away from people wherever we go, and wash our hands frequently. Has this made a difference in our not having contracted the virus? I do not know, nor do I care to know. Maybe we have developed an immunity to the strains. Who knows?

I will not say anymore, but I post this so those of you that are follow me, understand that this is not just taking place in some other part of the world, and, does not affect you. It is everywhere, and affects all of us, period. Defend yourselves, and your loved ones. Defend each other. Be one of those people that others can trust.

Did I mention that I found, on YouTube, of course, a different way of folding some clothing items so they fit in smaller spaces? Well, I did.

I must tell you that I have done this for years with the Lula Roe leggings, and, the Pico bamboo tops (above photo) I wear, but never knew I could do this with my sports bras, and undies. What a pleasant surprise.

Folding all of Ivan’s underwear, there are quite a few pair, (why is a single item of clothing, such as underwear, called a “pair”, do you suppose? Most people only wear one at a time!) took me about thirty minutes, or about one minute each, to fold this way. Now they fit in a smaller area of his drawer, and are much easier to get to. I will put half of them away, so, when those he is using wear out, he will have “new” ones to wear. I know; I am so smart, am I not?

And then, I learned about towels, and, sheets, and, bedding. Oh, my!

It is so easy to do, once you find the time to do them this way. I have no problem with that part of the equation at all. My biggest concern was the space required. When I decided to use the bed where J, L, and G sleep, poof; problem solved.

I have never had what one would call a laundry room, or space to fold clothes, or, cut out fabrics to sew. Now, after reallocating said bed top, I now have the space I need, to fold clothes, anyway. Also, the bed is high enough that it does not hurt my back, overly, to bend over it. Well worth the time, I assure you.

While you contemplate where you will start folding your clothes, towels, and bedding, stay happy, stay healthy, and stay safe. Do not forget to wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

A few weeks ago, I bought a new keyboard/cover for the new iPad Pro Ivan tried to buy me. Unfortunately, the iPad did not come, but the keyboard cover did.

I just started using it, and I love it!

It is so much easier to type with this keyboard; almost like using the slightly bigger iPad, with its keyboard cover. Ivan stills wants to buy me an updated iPad Pro, but I am not ready for that yet. Maybe as a Christmas present?

Did I mention that the screen swivels three hundred and sixty degrees? Amazing! I used to have another portable computer cover that rotated like that, but it died a violent death. The computer somehow got stuck in a stuttering mode that I could not stop, nor could the tech assistants that I contacted about it. Too bad. We have, thankfully, progressed quite a bit in computer acquisitions since that happened.

The new coffee maker came, and has found a lovely spot on the counter. I must say, it takes up a relatively small space on said counter. I thought it would be bigger than it is, but I was wrong.

The first pot of coffee is very good, not too strong, but, actually, not quite strong enough for our liking. I made the first pot as it was suggested in the information included with the pot, but will add a few more scoops of grounds tonight, for tomorrow’s pot.

Until we talk again, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

The other day, when Ivan went to the store with Jesús, I made a small shopping list for him. Really! Here it is.

I asked him to get milk, bread, Mayo, instant coffee, a couple of chunks of ham, and, a yellow orchid, a small one.

They came back with a few of those things, as well as about a dozen other things we probably did not need, but had to have. What was not in the bags? The Mayo, the ham, and, the yellow orchid.

“Did you buy anything I asked for” I asked? “Sure. Why,” he asked? “Where is the ham? Where is the orchid”? “They were out of ham” he said. And, with, what I could only hear to be a straight face, he asked me, “What’s an orchid”?

I could not believe my ears. What’s an orchid? We have three of the lovelies in the middle of the table under the windows in the living room. Had he not been in the shower at the time, we would have had a bit more of a conversation. As it was, however, I simply thanked him for the groceries he did buy, and left it at that.

Later, when he came walking down the hall into the living room where I was sitting at the table, he had the silliest grin on his face, and I knew!

“So, you don’t know what an orchid is, hm”? He just chuckled, and gave me a quick kiss. That is what I thought. He forgot.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

What’s an orchid? What a funny guy!

The new coffee maker comes today. That probably does not excite anyone but me, but, there it is.

We have been making instant coffee most days; that is the way it is drank (drunk) in most homes here. (I tried to look up which form of drink to use, but, as the internet is so slow at the moment I decided I did not care anymore. My hair grew a centimeter while I waited.)

The sourdough starter is off and running, well, bubbling, actually. It still has a very immature smell to it, so, I need to let it mature for another week, or so, before I start using it again. I am just so thankful, and, amazed, that it keeps rebounding so easily. Feeding a thing appears to be quite helpful! Who knew?!?

As I said the other day, the first batch of kombucha has been made, yesterday, and another will be made in three, or four weeks. That way the supply will be continuous, and not full on, in your face, hurry up and drink me. Besides, the last batch was too sour, just short of turning into vinegar, and not very pleasant.

That is what happens when one ignores a fermentation for too long; it just changes into something else. Usually vinegar.

I always feel that I cannot make a mistake with these kinds of things. I took on the responsibility to feed, and care for the SCOBY, then, because I was lazy, I ignored it. The same goes for the sourdough starter. I started it, got lazy, and put it in fridge prison for two months. Who does that?

That was in the past; done. I will do my best to keep all of this going, plus the plants, making sure I do my best for their benefit. Actually, the symbiosis of this relationship will, as it implies, help any of us; those of us that drink the fermented kombucha, or eat the sourdough bread. Therefore, it is in our best interest to keep all of these wonders alive, and healthy; percolating nicely on the countertop, not in the fridge.

A little secret: I do keep some starter, once it is mature, in the fridge as a “backup” should something go wrong with the starter on the counter. Plus, I have dried a batch of the original, and have that in a zip closed bag in the cupboard. That one is the backup of the fridge backup. It took so long to get it started, I cannot even think about having to start all over again. It was painful.

Enough of that. The new coffee maker is on its way, and I am anxious to make room on the counter for it. We have been drinking Red Bull’s, which are great, but expensive. As we have been off of our sleep schedules, it sometimes takes two RB’s to wake up. To pour another hot cup of coffee, already brewed, right out of the pot, and enjoy it, well, I am sure most of you know what I am saying. Simple joys.

While I patiently wait for said coffee maker, please, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Wow! I have gotten so much work done today. It was amazing.

I waited until Ivan went to the store with Jesús, about two fifteen this afternoon, then got started. I just finished, and it is about eight o’clock in the evening. Long, but productive day.

Of course, I always listen to an Audible book while I am working, so that helped. I started out putting in a load of laundry in the washer, then, sweeping and mopping all of the floors. I have to confess, that when they are clean, white, and sparkling, I get so neurotic about any little piece of anything that I can see on the floor. I was telling Ivan, when he got home, that I cannot even think about what was on the floors up North! The floors there are medium brown, and could hide a multitude of what not. Yuck.

After that, it was on to moving some of the bigger plants from Jesús and Lizbeth’s room, out to the living room, after ginving each a big a gulp of water. Several of the leaves on the Xanadu, and the Diffenbachia are turning brown, sunburn is my diagnosis. Hopefully, out in the living room, they will have enough, but not too much sunlight. Ha! Famine to feast. Just have to pay attention to each plants needs.

I am finding, though, that drier is best. I am spraying the new succulents, not watering them, for now. They all look great, though it has only been a week. I am hopeful.

I dumped all of the kombucha from in the fridge last night, then both of the large containers today. I have kept both of the SCOBY’s, as well as some of each batch, to make a fresh batch tomorrow morning, and a second batch in three weeks. Doing it that way, we will have alternating batches, not both batches being ready at the same time. Five gallons is way too much for us to drink, especially if it does not taste as good as you would like.

I also fed my sourdough starter, for the first time since June! I am in the mood to start baking again, since it not quite so warm in the afternoons anymore. Plus, I miss the time it takes to actually make the dough.

I will be using the sprouted Einkorn wheat, however, it needs to be ground, then sifted, and that is a big job in itself.

Oh, I made black beans too. I forgot those. They smell so good, and I love the flavor of them. I made a truck load but will send a big part of it upstairs with Jesús.

So, make beans, sweep/mop the apartment, move the larger plants, water said plants, three loads of laundry, (wash/dry/fold; I need to save the put away until tomorrow!), get rid of kombucha, make new starter. I think that is enough for one day.

Plus, my book finished about ten minutes ago, and I do not want to start the last book of the trilogy until tomorrow morning.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

As I am still without electricity, but without any other means of mental exercise, I will tell you about the beautiful succulents we bought in Altolonga the other day. (I feel fairly sure that I have already told you about this, however, I must finish what will be the conclusion of a nice tale, once told.)

I believe one of the most beautiful, and my favorite succulents is this one. And, as soon as the electricity is restored, I shall endeavor to find the name of this beauty. Just look at the intricacies of its petals, its colors, its symmetry. There is no way that this is not the hand of God at work here. Who, or what, else could come up with such as this? You answer that question for yourself.

I am going to stop for now as it is very difficult to do this without being able to add photos, or retain the ideas that I wish to convey, without electricity; batteries only do so much. Without the almighty “internet”, very little, anymore, seems doable. How awful is that?

I, for one, have come to rely so heavily on the internet for this blog; and, at what cost? As we have no electricity, I cannot find any of my books to read, although, I probably could not read them in candlelight, or the light from my cell phone for very long. (To be honest, it is really quite dark in the apartment at the moment.) Perhaps, if I was able, or had prepared for such an event beforehand, I could have read a book by candlelight. I hope not to put it to the test anytime soon!!

However, to put my ideas down, in a form of any sort, for me to reread, correct, reconfigure, then accept, and post, in some form, especially on an internet source, is nothing short of a miracle.

My ramblings are just that; ramblings. Ideas that come to me when I least expect them. When I finally get them down, on my computer, I find them almost magical. There are so many things that I want to tell you, show you, let you experience through me, that I do not always have the ability to do so.

Think about what things make you happy, healthy, and safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones; they need you as well as we do.

Post script: it is two o’clock in the morning, and we finally have the electricity back on.

Here is what I ended up doing with most of the succulents.