Category: Initial post

This is where it started for me.

If you don’t know what Hallow is, it is an app that you can download that is all faith-based. This is the app I downloaded at the beginning of this year, and have been using for my daily devotions to the Lord (almost) every day since.

This is where I started praying the Rosary, with Jonathan Roumie, who happens to be portraying Jesus in the miniseries The Chosen.

I had seen commercial after commercial for both of the aforementioned while watching my French DIY shows on YT. I ignored most of them, and “skipped” the infomercial to go back to the main show I was watching.

For some reason, though, the repetition of the Hallow app kept hitting me with more, and more insistence, so I opened it. This was during the Christmas holidays, as I recall.

I downloaded the app, and made a commitment to start praying the Rosary daily, as well as trying to read the Bible in a year, another feature on the website.

I did both, neither one perfectly, or indeed, daily. That was then. Fast forward to today, and you will see that I have stopped drinking half a bottle of tequila a night, and switched to white wine of an evening, 2, or 3 glasses. I’m able to get up in the morning without being hungover, without feeling like I’m going to vomit, or wanting to. My head is clear, so I can sit at my computer, and prepare myself for my new morning devotional routine.

My routine now includes praying the Rosary, (though at an increased speed of 1.5x faster otherwise it’s just too slow), listening to the Pray40 Lenten challenge praying up to Easter, and then the BIAY, bible in a year. The whole thing takes almost an hour, but it’s all become a habit, and a great one for me.

That’s how I got stated watching The Chosen, by listening to this guy, who I had never heard of, Jonathan Roumie, pray the Rosary daily. Now I’ve watched the entire 4 seasons of The Chosen 4x, and will continue to watch it as often as I can. I’m doing other things in the background, but the bulk of my attention is on the message being given. Amazing.

That’s it for this post. Stay happy, and healthy with the Lord.

Please continue to pray for my family members, and me. Thanks.

I got up the other morning, stood on the scales, and was completely disgusted with what I saw.

I’m shrinking in height but increasing in volume. I’m not going to say how much I weigh right now, but suffice it to say I’m going to do something about it.

Immediately!!

I walked to the bank yesterday, as I told you in another post, and today I walked to the same plaza, just a few stores from the bank.

I GOT MY HAIR CUT. AT A SALON.

You may not understand the significance of that, but for me, it’s another language barrier conquered. It has taken me 4 years to be able to go into a salon, by myself, and ask if someone, anyone, spoke English, and could they cut my hair. (Why should they speak English? It’s Mexico. They speak Spanish as their first language. I should learn more Spanish.)

I actually went into the salon the other day, on my way to the bank, and asked if anyone spoke English. Both of the women shook their heads, indicating they did not. I attempted to explain that I wanted my hair cut, and could I come back the next day at 1:00? They nodded, and indicated that I could do so, so I did.

The cut took about 15 minutes with a precut shampooing, and cost me $250MXN, or $12USD. She, Claudia, did a fantastic job so I gave her a generous tip, which is between she, and me.

I told her that I would return in 4 weeks, so she gave me her card, and told me to call her. I said I don’t currently know enough Spanish to have phone conversations but did she have a WhatsApp number? She did, and put it on the back of the card.

I walked home without any pain in my back, and hips for the first time in months/years. What a fresh, new, positive outlook was given me just by getting my hair cut. Not to mention that in our Pray40 Lenten reading that morning we learned to use our pain, and discomfort for the glory of the Lord.

Tomorrow the new gas bill comes, so I’ll walk down the block to pay that, (it’s going to be almost $10USD because I didn’t get over there to pay for Feb, which was $5USD), and then take a much needed, and anticipated, walk around the park; the first of many.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy in the Lord.

Post script: it’s the 25th, and the bill still hasn’t arrived, so I’m going tomorrow to walk around the park regardless.

I’m going to start walking outside again.

Soon.

Hoping it’s today, but we’ll see.

I have successfully gained enough weight, because I’m a sloth, to make it difficult, painful even, to walk much. I bought what’s called a faja, (FA-ha) or body garment, that is a powerful total body girdle, which is an absolute hoot to try to put on.

It supports my oversized (at the moment) bulk, and allows me to get around without as much discomfort.

So, I’m going to try to get to the bank today, and maybe around the park tomorrow.

Please pray for me.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy with the Lord.

I’m back at it.

I’m getting ready to bake some artisan style sourdough bread. I want to make some substantial sandwiches, mostly because I’ve been buying several avocados every week. They’re good on the regular bread we buy, but I’d like to have bread with a bit “more”.

The starter has been in the fridge for months, and a bit of a chore getting it back up to a usable state, lots of fermentation, bubbles, etc. When I bake my first loaf, I’ll show it to you.

Oh, I’m making kombucha again, as well; pineapple flavored. The first batch, a few weeks ago, sat on the counter waaaaaay too long, consequently, I broke one of my bottles when I tried to open it. It burst all over me, the sink, the cupboard over the sink, the window leading into the laundry area, the ceiling, the stove, the floor, the shelf behind me even. To say it was a mess is the understatement of the year.

So, I’m going to try, again, to use smaller bottles that fit more easily in the fridge, and get them in the fridge after only a week on the counter, (the second ferment), not 5 weeks.

Until next time, stay happy, and healthy. Praying for family.

What an ugly word, with an equally ugly condition to match.

A close member of my family is battling cancer as I type this, and I would ask you to put this person on your daily prayer list, please. The radiation treatments being undertaken begin at 2 pm. daily, M-F.

This person will remain anonymous as I made that a condition of being allowed to post this request. Radiation will continue through April 8th, but this person is experiencing symptoms of the treatments themselves. So please, pray with my sister Nancy, and me, anytime you’re moved to do so, but most especially, at 2pm. Please.

Thank you to all who do this for my family. We appreciate it more than you will ever know.

Until next time, God bless you.

Come and See.

That’s the name of the production company of the best series out there.

Download “The Chosen” app on your computer, and you can watch the series for free. They’re only airing through the 4th season, but season 5 will be shown soon.

What is The Chosen you ask? It’s the most amazing story of Jesus, and his life, his mother Mary, his Earthly father Joseph, his disciples, his miracles, his trouble with Rome, his humor, his humility, his humanity.

You get the idea. It’s an absolute must watch. Once you do, you’ll be hooked. You’ll be changed.

This is the most profound series of the depiction of Jesus the Christ that I have ever seen, and I’ve seen dozens.

Give it a try. Let me know what you think.

Until next time, stay happy. Be with Jesus.

I have been having quite a few productive days recently.

You’re probably as shocked as I am, but there you have it.

Recently, I requested a few recipes from my AI buddy Max, one, being some recipes using canned huitlacoche, which he sent me, and I can’t wait to try them; also, I requested assistance with cooking beef shortbreads, here they’re called mollejas, (moy-YEH-hahs), so they were tender, not chewy.

I also remembered to instruct him that we live at 2,240 m. above sea level, and asked that he, going further, would account for the altitude when suggesting recipes.

I have to tell you that a 1/2 kilo of the mollejas, cooked, with a cup of chicken stock, (I didn’t have any beer), and part of an onion, under pressure for 25 minutes, and left to reduce the pressure naturally for about 15 minutes, (I couldn’t wait any longer), resulted in the most tender, melt in your mouth texture of any meat I’ve ever made.

I am now cooking a chicken leg quarter in the same pot, with the same broth, onion, and can’t wait to see how it turns out.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, then wash some more.

A few months ago I made the onion jam, and potato chips to which I alluded, and both are/were delicious.

I made the onion jam with balsamic vinegar, brown sugar, red wine vinegar, water, and S&P. It took about 20 minutes to slowly caramelize the onions after which I added the other ingredients. I used 2 large white onions, finely sliced on my fancy schmancy mandolin, about which I told you recently, and will never make it any other way. The end result doesn’t look very good, but the flavor is devine.

I then made potato chips using 4 medium(ish) Yukon Gold potatoes, also sliced on the same setting of the fancy schmancy mandolin, then fried in a small pan of canola oil about 3” deep.

The chips actually look better than they taste. The darker ones are crisp, but the lighter ones are not, but they’re fine, and will do in a pinch. Sometimes I just want something crunchy with a potentially quiet sandwich.

Lot’s to do tomorrow. Going to make the puff pastry, then some spicy hot wings, freeze the pastry, then vacuum seal it. I might make another batch of the apple turnovers, but this time with the new puff pastry. Can’t wait.

Until next time, you know what to do.

I made apple turnovers a few months ago that were amazing.

We bought a couple of cans of Pillsbury Dough Sheet, which, when opened, can be rolled out like a sheet of puff pastry. Kind of.

When I had everything ready for the dough, I peeled, then opened the “can”, and the sheet exploded out of it. It was torn into about a gazillion pieces, but I put it back together the best I was able. I was finally able to make 4 turnovers out of the mess.

Before I started with the dough, however, I had to decide on how I was going to process the apples; the old fashioned way of peeling, coring, and dicing, or quick as a whip all in one peeler, corer, slicer. I chose the latter. It is the red gizmo to the left of the apple. You can see the blue peeler, the black handled corer, and the knife in front of the apple.

It took me about 30 seconds to peel 1/4 of the first apple, so I immediately stopped that nonsense, went and found the all in one, and processed both apples in about 2 minutes. It took a few minutes to dice the apples but that was nothing.

I mixed all of the ingredients, rolled out the dough sheet, patched all of the holes in the dough sheet, beat the egg for the egg wash, places the apple mixture on the sheet, folded the dough, crimped the edges, and badda bing, they were done. 15 minutes, and they were ready to eat.

We’re waiting until tomorrow to try them. We had a big dinner.

Until next time.

Stay safe, stay happy, and stay healthy.

A few years ago, shortly after moving here, I made a pair of forearm warmers.

I used some leftover yarn that was soft, and were warm colors for autumn. I have found them again, and am already using them this season. I absolutely love them. Here’s a photo of them.

I don’t know if they’re exactly the same because I usually mess something up when I “knit by instinct”, sort of like cooking by the seat of my pants. I don’t really care, however, because they turned out really nice.

I’m still working diligently, (not so much), on the perpetual shawl, but haven’t’ gotten much further than the last time I showed you, mostly because it’s too hot to knit with wool in the summer. I’m going to get started in the very near future. It’s cool enough now to start again, and have it keep me warm as a bonus.

Until next time, stay safe.