Author: iagardener55

I sit, in front of the West facing window of our new bedroom, with the sun on my neck, and, a breeze at my back.

The fresh air, blowing gently through the window, brings such a wonderful smell with it, that I try to think of other things, but, cannot. The air is too enticing. It calls to me with such an intense pull; it makes me think of……. springtime.

It is the fifth of January, however; several weeks to go before spring comes.

We have spent the last seven days in paradise, and, gosh, did I score big?!

That, good people, is what we call verdolagas, here, and, purslane in the States. It is one of the most nutrient dense plants on the planet, but is considered a weed, only by the US. Come on people; wake up.

There is a similar looking plant that is indeed, not only a weed, but, actually poisonous. This one, however, can feed the masses.

Here it is after having the leaves removed from the stems, and, having been soaked in disinfectant water all night. (I use the lid of the washing machine for multiple uses.)

I plan on freezing some, drying some, and using some fresh. This will be used to thicken soups, and stews for the coming year, most likely. When dried, I can pulverize some, and add it to whatever I want, to thicken it. When used fresh, however, it is added close to the end of the cooking time, so you get all of the benefits of the plant, but with little thickening. Frozen, it preserves the plant, but loses the structure, leaving only the nutrients, and thickening potential.

I cannot wait to try this! We had a moment of opportunity to buy some huauzontle while we were vacationing, but, unfortunately, were unable to take advantage of it. Next time perhaps.

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

We have been able to get away for a week. The first time since before I retired, in 2019.

It has been marvelous, so far. The scenery is beautiful; the food extraordinary; the people could not be friendlier. The weather has been idyllic, with blue skies, puffy white clouds, children playing, and everyone happily enjoying the holiday season.

There was no snow to shovel.

We should be home by the time you read this. We have no idea when, or if, we will be able to do anything like this again. It was worth every dime.

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

If you are not retired, you may not understand what I am about to tell you. Nevertheless, please read on.

I am running down one of the halls of my junior high school, hand in hand with my previous charge nurse. We are looking for the surgeon, whom I have never met, trying to find the operating room in which I was supposed to be thirty minutes ago, to assist an unknown surgeon, in a procedure of which I have never heard, in a field, in a meadow, that is completely unknown to me. IT NOT STERILE!!! WHAT? Wake up!!!

This is only one example of the bad dreams that I have; and I have them waaay too frequently for my liking.

I am always late for a surgical procedure, in a setting that is completely outdated, in which I am unfamiliar, with staff I usually do not know, and, in a VERY unsterile environment. Then, I frequently need some type of narcotic to administer to my patient, whom I have never met, and know nothing about, but, alas, I cannot find the cabinet where said narcotics are stored, and I have no idea where the key is to said cabinet, because I have never been to this outdated facility before now. It is critical, however, that I administer said narcotic before the surgery because this particular surgeon wants to perform the surgery in a dirty field, and the patient is on a ventilator, with multiple medications infusing, on multiple different machines, and they all need to be moved TO THE DIRTY FIELD. AAAGGGGHHHH.

The surgeon wants to perform, usually, ophthalmic surgery, out in a field of dirt? Really?

Someone, please, wake me up. I cannot understand why, A) I am still working, and B) well, any of the rest of it.

I have to try to fix all of the above problems before I discover that I am actually at the grocery store, about to buy a buffalo.

Ok. Enough. When I finally awaken, I am confused, and exhausted, to say the least. If anyone can interpret these dreams, please, let me know what the heck is going on.

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

So many of the people I used to work with are no longer in our “home base”; our hospital.

I have lost track of most of them. Some were friends that I had worked with for more than twenty, even thirty years. Some were as close to me as my sisters are. Now, I have lost track of them, and it saddens me.

In the metropolitan area, where we lived, and worked, there are at least seven hospitals, all within only miles of each other. Over the past thirty years, or more, the organizational directors of this hospital joined forces with that hospital, then, the next, and now have acquired four of the hospitals in the area. The other three hospitals are under a different organizational leadership. For many, it was us versus them.

Now, they are each trying to decide how many of these buildings, and staff, need to be kept working, how many need to be let go, etc. Which buildings need the least amount of structural reworking, keeping them in good working order, allowing them to pass their annual inspections by the myriad governing bodies that have the authority to keep the hospitals open, or shut them down?

Which staff members should stay at which facility, and which ones either need to go to a different facility, maybe one that does not function as well as their original facility, and “team members”, or which ones should retire, or be dismissed?

As I said, there are myriad decisions to be made, to be discussed, and to be acted upon; decisions that will change the way the entire area has functioned over the years, and in the future.

It was a very fortunate thing, for us, that I was able to retire a year earlier than we had expected. We were able to, not only sell our home, and many of our valuables, but, to move here, fulfilling a lifetime goal, and more importantly, a lifelong dream.

I do not think I would have liked all of the changes happening in the area; especially not now that the CoVid 19 virus, and its multiple mutations, has entered the equation.

We lived through a similar change, in the late nineteen nineties, early two thousands, and that was enough for me. I was young, and full of energy, with nothing but hope for the future. Then, we only changed states, and had the AIDS epidemic with which to contend. And we thought that was the worse thing that could happen.

Now, we are, once again, living through the complete changing of our way of life: a new country, a new language, a new living space; not forgetting for a single moment, there is a global pandemic, which has an ever changing, mutating virus at the helm.

I believe I have had enough changes in my life to be comfortable with a bit more of a sedate future. Please, do not misunderstand me; I am quite willing to experience whatever the future has in store for us.

Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones. You, too, may be able to enjoy whatever the future has in store for you.

A very happy birthday to our brother in law Larry, Martha’s husband. He ushers out the old year, today, to welcome in the new one.

Well, we have birds, outside, somewhere on the premise.

I have been hearing a bit of birdsong lately. I have no idea where it is coming from; our building, or the one next to us, but it is lovely to hear. It cannot be baby birds; it is not the right season, plus, they usually start crying for food about five thirty in the morning.

No, this is in the afternoon, and does not last long. I am wondering if it is a bird looking for, or, possibly, talking to, its mate.

Two more holiday hurdles to jump- today, New Years Eve, and, tomorrow, New Years Day. Take care of yourselves so you can enjoy them both.

While we do just that, stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

If you have never heard music, coming from a Bose sound system, you really are missing out on something spectacular.

We happen to be the fortunate owners of such a sound system, that we bought four, or five, years ago, from QVC. It was, and is, worth every dime it cost.

The music sounds like you are part of the audience, listening live, but sitting in your living room. As I am. Drinking a cup of cold coffee, enjoying some Trans-Siberian Orchestra, with a smile on my face.

It is a good day to be alive.

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

We got our latest, and, actually greatest cell phone covers in the mail today. Here is what they look like.

They completely enclose the cell phone, according to the advertisement that I saw, somewhere, right before I ordered it. It does completely enclose it, and it is amazing. If you have a previous screen cover on your phone it has to be removed, however, or the case will not close. It has two small tabs on the bottom that “lock” the top to the bottom, holding it securely together.

It took me about ten full minutes of dinking around with the case before I figured out how to close, and lock, the dang thing. I persevered, however, and, it works like a charm. It feels, (I know how this is going to read; it is true nevertheless), elegant. It is slim, sleek, and shiny. The buttons respond beautifully, as good as not having any cover on it at all. What is not to like? I just hope I do not drop it, and break it. That would be bad.

The instructions were, for the most part, in an Asian script, so that was useless. Time was in our favor, though, so I was able to figure it out. Here is what the advertisement looked like, in case you are interested. I do not recall what I paid for them, though $20 each sounds about right. Take a look. We both highly recommend these.

Well, whomever gets our phones when we upgrade will have a nice new-looking phone, and cover.

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

Post script: Ivan’s phone slipped off of his tray, and broke. Mine, however, is working quite nicely. Thank you very much.

I just read the beginnings of an email, from some herbal company, telling me to take a deep breath, and relax, regarding the hustle and bustle of the holidays.

Not a problem, I say.

I am almost three years retired, and, for the first time in my memory, completely unencumbered. I no longer have to keep others in the back of my mind, making sure that their needs are being met, making sure they are being fed, clothed, cared for. Now, it just the two of us, again, after all of these years.

Everyone else is on their own, from now on. I am going to make a serious dent in the credit card debt we have accrued from buying food, other supplies, medication, etc. for others. It may take me a year, however, it is the only outstanding debt we have left.

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

I believe I have told you about having to wash dishes in cold water, have I not?

No longer. I discovered something the other day; heat a kettle of water to boiling, which takes all of three, or four, minutes, and wash the dishes in that.

I bought a red plastic tub, probably Rubbermaid™, online, and use that to wash the dishes. Then, while I am washing, I heat another kettle of water, and pour that into a large mixing bowl to rinse. Hottttt!!

Yessiree Jimmy Bob, it is hot. I put the dish drainer, on a kitchen towel, on top of the washing machine, within arms reach of the kitchen sink, so, when I get the dishes rinsed, I set them in the drainer. In a matter of a only few minutes, they are all dry.

They look great, too. They finally look clean. It makes my face smile, but my hands are getting red, and dry. The price paid. Gratefully, I might add.

Not much else exciting happening here. We put up three strands of Christmas lights that look nice, and inviting, but that is going to be all for this year. Oh, my table runners came, as well, and they look pretty too.

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

I discovered, a few minutes ago, that I messed up on the pattern of the baby blanket I am knitting for baby Brandon; Jesús and Lizbeth’s baby, due in March.

So, now I have to pay the consequences of not finishing a row before stopping to make dinner. I have to unknit, or, take out the rows of incorrect stitches by knitting them off the needles, or knitting backwards. A) it is annoying, to lose the progress one has made over the last bit of time, and B) it is time consuming, and I cannot unknit and watch my show on the computer.

I have made excellent progress over the passed few days; this is a definite setback. Should not take me more than an hour to remove the five hundred plus stitches, and redo them; it is the principal, as Mom always said.

In the meantime, I hope everyone is enjoying this holiday season. Stay happy, stay healthy, stay safe. Wash your hands, cover your mouth, and protect your loved ones.

Post script: as it turned out, that was what the pattern looked like after the four row pattern was completed. It is not until I start row one again that it pulls the stitches into the hole that is made. I unknitted it twice before I figured it out. Why? Because, normally I knit the four rows of pattern and put it away, so when I pick it up again, I check my row counter, and continue on my merry way. A lot of needless work.