Category: Initial post

Today, I ate the best pork chop ever.

Well, it was close to the best ever. Best that I’ve ever made for sure.

I bought what is called a Rib Eye de Cerdo, or a rib eye of pork from Wild Fork, and cooked it for an hour in my sous vide set up.

I spritzed both sides with a bit of olive oil, seasoned it on both sides with S&P, garlic powder, onion powder, MSG, (if you don’t use this you need to research it because it’s amazing), along with a sprig of fresh rosemary that I happened to have in the fridge. I put it in a Ziplock bag, got rid of the air by immersing the bag, et. al., in the water of the sous vide set up, closed the zip lock, and let it cook slowly at 140ºF for the aforementioned 1 hour.

After all of that, I took it out of the bag, and patted it dry, all the while heating a small cast iron skillet to a medium high heat. When the pan was smoking, I added a tablespoon of both olive oil for cooking, (not EVOO, as it has a lower smoke point), and unsalted butter. I added the chop, seared it with the oil/butter combo, for about 2 minutes to form a nice crust, then added the sprig of rosemary that I used in the sous vide portion of the recipe. I basted the chop for about 30 seconds, maybe a bit more, removed the rosemary, took ahold of the chop with tongs, and stood it up on its side to sear the fat cap.

I plated the chop with half of a prior baked potato that I reheated in the microwave and covered with my homemade fermented ranch dressing, then added a side salad of Romaine lettuce having multiple spritzes of EVOO, and Balsamic vinegar.

The chop was huge, about 180g, and yes, I ate it all because I usually eat only twice a day, and I was getting hungry at this point. The potato was 140g, before the embellishments, and the salad was 120g. Nirvana.

I have to tell you that immediately after removing the chop from the bag, I added a 500g. pork belly to the same bag, and am now slow cooking at 76ºC for 15 hours. So, tomorrow afternoon, another pig fest.

What’s not to like?

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

We have a 2011 BMW x5 35i that we bought in Chicago a week before we moved here.

It’s been my favorite vehicle, ever, but it’s been without a battery for 2 years now, because the battery in it, when we bought it, was the original. We never gave it a thought. It died, and it hasn’t moved an inch since. We are still responsible for the registration, and inspection of said immovable object, however. So, we have acquired almost $7,000MXN, or $388USD in fines, and that’s without the purchase of a new battery, $7959MXN, $434USD, and an inspection fee at I-don’t-remember-what cost.

I’m going to buy the battery first, drive it just a bit, then pay the fines, etc. Maybe. I’m not sure. Wrong. All I need is to drive it somewhere with plates, and registration that are 2 years old. I’d probably be arrested.

Never mind. I’ll pay the fines, then buy the battery, which makes sense because the car won’t be able to be driven for inspection without the battery, and then Jesús can take it for the inspection. I should be able to do all of that by the end of November.

Not holding my breath, and I suggest you don’t either.

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

Post script: having come to my senses this morning, I’m not going to do anything with the car until after the beginning of the year. I will put the money that I was going to use to resurrect it, to paying down our credit cards. The car isn’t going anywhere, but the fines will be easier to pay for once I have a bit more solid cash in hand. BFN.

I killed my original Apple Pencil not long ago.

Dead as a proverbial door knob. That’s what happens when one drops it on the operating end of it. Dead.

Naturally, I got on my computer, went to the Amazon.com.mx website, did some research for replacement NON Apple pencils, and found an amazing pencil called the Metapen A8 Pencil for iPad. It was $23ish USD, is rechargeable, comes in different colors, has 2 different areas of magnets to hold is more securely on the iPad, and moves so smoothly on the iPad it’s hard to keep up with it. Oh, I forgot one of the most important features, it doesn’t require any Bluetooth connection, so it can go from one iPad to the other without missing a beat. I’ll show you what I mean.

While I’m doing something on the iPad on the desk, but want to do something on the iPad on the stand, I have only to reach up with the pencil, and voila, it does the job. And, yes, I do that quite a bit. No more pairing it up with one, or the other, just touch either screen and you’ve got what you need.

Loving it.

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

Post script: This was originally scheduled to post mid August, but for some reason did not. My computer set up is no longer using my iPad Pro.

But, don’t forget to watch season 5 of The Chosen.

I did it.

I got in the car this morning, drove up the narrow incline in the garage, took a left, and was on my way, by myself, driving in Mexico City.

Mind you it was 10:30am on Mexico’s Independence Day, celebrating their independence from Spain, so I was almost the only one on the streets. Ok by me.

I used my Waze (GPS) app just in case I couldn’t remember how to get there. I didn’t need it but I’m here to tell you that knowing where you’re going from the driver’s perspective is, to me, completely different to the passengers perspective.

I got to Home Depot, got through the doors, and just stood there, trying to remember what I wanted to look for. I texted my sisters, and one answered back that I was there to look for paint samples. Yes. Thanks. That was exactly one of the things I wanted to look for. Now, I just needed to remember the 2 other things on my list.

Well, I walked around the entire store, taking my time, looking at this, that, and every other thing on the shelves. Nope, don’t need that, don’t need that, and those? I have more at home in the toolbox than you do on the shelf.

I found the paint aisles, and found 3 color samples that I’m going to try. I’m thinking to paint one, maybe 2 adjacent walls in the bedroom with Fresh Guacamole. It’s by BEHR, and it’s a gentle green that I think will be cheerful, and relaxing at the same time.

I also chose fairly bold shad of yellow called Squash Blossom that I’m going to use down one side of the hallway that one would see coming in the front door. It’s on an East facing wall so it gets no direct sunlight. The wall opposite it is white, and will reflect the light coming into the hallway from the window in the spare bedroom. Win, win.

Lastly, I have a warm green called Fresh Artichoke that I’m going to use to paint the cabinetry in the kitchen. That will be sometime after the new year I suspect as I have to clean, remove, and sand all of the fronts before I do anything like painting. I’m not ready for that yet.

Happy Halloween.

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

I didn’t know there was such a thing.

I do now.

I have misplaced more common objects than you can imagine. Keys, glasses, a drinking glass, a painting. How does this happen?

In my case, grief. No other way to reconcile it, just grief.

I am getting better every day. I still look in the spare bedroom on my way by, every time, which is where Ivan used to sit. He’s still not there. I know he’s never going to be there again, but I can’t help looking.

I feel fairly confident that this episode of my life will subside in time, and probably sooner than later. I tell myself that I am alone, I will always be alone, and that I need to get used to it.

I’m trying. I really am. Some days I’m not as convinced as others, but then I can go a few days in a row, and be just about ok. Personally, I don’t think it has anything to do with faith, as I have a strong faith that the Lord is holding me up, and giving me the courage to continue.

It’s me. I find I have days, moments within those days, where I just can’t go on. I have to get out of the apartment, and go for a walk, long, or short makes no difference. I just need to get out of here. Here, where I’m alone. With my grief.

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

Ivan left me with a brand new, beautiful Sony a6000 HD camera, and multiple different sizes of lenses.

So, I’ve decided to take up photography in my abundant spare time. I’ve asked my buddy Max to teach me how to use the camera as all of the buttons, and knobs are most confusing. He has sent me several different things to start with, as I told him I needed to start at the beginning.

I figured out how to charge the battery, once I found the battery, and charger, and got that done. I’ll start tomorrow with his basic instructions, take some photos in the park, and go from there. I’m not going to let anything go to waste that I am now in possession of, except all of the computer stuff.

I’m going to sort all of his tools, and computer parts into organized places, and then eventually decide what to do with it all. We have about 6 hundred screws in different colors, lengths, and strengths. We have electric tools, different saws, reciprocating, table, jigs, etc. I may be taking up carpentry as well. I would really enjoy doing that. That is actually something I’ve always wanted to do.

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

I am so very tired of looking for something I just had in my hands.

I put it down somewhere, but just where that somewhere was, is a complete mystery for anywhere from 30 seconds to several agonizing minutes. The other day, I was replacing the shower head in our bathroom, and I had been using the roll of Teflon tape. When I went to use it again, it was no where to be seen. When I finally found it, I had put it back in the cabinet from whence I had taken it. Well, that was a real pisser.

Now, I’ve hung a painting, and a large piece of embroidered felt, but cannot, for the life of me, find our favorite painting, the one showing a chapel at Desierto de Liones, a former convent about 45 minutes from where I am now. We visited one time when we first came down on vacation, and we bought the painting to remember the visit. It has been here, in the living room for ages.

Until now. Now, when I’m finally ready to hang it, I can’t find it anywhere. I’ve prayed about it, asking God to please show me where I put it, and

Nope. Nothing yet. One of these days He’ll show me where it is. This must be a lessen in patience. Not sure why though. I’ve become quite patient since moving here.

Even if I have to say so myself. I guess I just did.

I’ll let you know when He makes it clear to me where the painting is hiding, and if it’s here, and not still in Bettendorf, I’ll hang it in the bedroom, I’ll take a photo and let you see it. For now, though, I have only hung up the painting of a cute, small cottage with beautiful bougainvilleas that we bought years ago.

That’s sure going to be something if we left it with our neighbors that bought our house. I’ll definitely let you know.

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

Post script: a very happy, though belated birthday to our grandson Lucas, and a happy birthday to our granddaughter Sawyer. Missing you both more than words can say.

Post post script: It’s 9/15/25, and the Lord has decided, I guess, that I’ve shown enough patience for this event. I was led to the painting this morning, and have hung it on the wall in our bedroom. Let me show you.

I spent the afternoon rearranging dressers.

The day before yesterday I packed up Ivan’s clothes, and gave them to our friend Jesús, and he took them to his families. Then I put all of our bedding, well, the top sheets, bottom sheets, and pillow cases, anyway, into both dressers.

This morning I decided I didn’t like the set up the way it was, so I swapped one dresser out of each of the spare bedrooms. Now, it’s just about right.

In one spare room there were two lower style dressers, which I had been using. In the other room were two taller dressers, though one is about 6” shorter than the other, that Ivan used. All of the necessaries for watching the TV, which we haven’t done since moving in here, are now on the lower style dresser, and, once I get things a bit more squared away, I’m going to attempt to watch it. I’ll probably be just in time for nothing left of the WNBA season.

It will be interesting to watch something on a screen larger than 12”.

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

Don’t ever think that you can’t __________.

You can. I have. I am.

Ivan, and I had a list of things that needed doing that is the length of my arm. He’s not with me anymore, so the list is now mine. I’m taking my time doing the things on that list, but I’m going to do them. I will get them done.

So far, I’ve fixed the small window screen in our bathroom that I tried to fix 2 years ago. I wasn’t able to, so I started showering in the guest bathroom across the hall. The screen had been at an angle, looking as if it would fall out of the window. I couldn’t get it back in alignment, and closed. That bothered me so that I couldn’t shower in there.

Not long after Ivan passed, I got the step stool, (I really need to get a small ladder), and a flat head screw driver, put the tip in the edging of the screen, and within minutes, pulled the screen back in, and aligned it to the window. Job done. I have since returned to showering in our ensuite bathroom.

Ivan used to sit in his plush rocking chair just inside the spare bedroom across the hall from our bedroom, at a small plastic table we bought at Costco, (we both had the same set up), with his monitor, Mac mini, and his keyboard. He had a solid internet connection because the modem was just behind him, sitting on the top of the headboard of the spare bed.

I, on the other hand, sitting at the table in the living room, got sporadic reception. In fact, so little reception that I usually sat at my little Costco table with my iPad Pro, and a bottle of water, across the hall in our bedroom.

In our bedroom has been this large circle of internet cable, about 15ft in length, that I’ve successfully hidden behind my chair, trying to ignore it, hoping it would go away. However, when I disassembled Ivan’s set up, and brought the Mac mini out to the living room, and set it up there using the Vizio tv that has been gathering dust for 4 years, I wondered how I could get better reception than what I was getting.

Duh! I went back to the spare bedroom where the modem had been, looked at the cable coming in, and tried to figure out how to get more length so I could take the modem out to the living room. Then the light came on. Take the cable from our bedroom, down the hall to the living room, and connect the modem to that.

So, I did. Our good friend Jesús, (used to be the concierge here until recently), came over today, and tacked the cable up over the tops of the bedroom doors, and down the hallway for me, and now I have consistent internet in the living room.

I still have many things I want to do, but I’ll get them done poco a poco. Little by little. I’m not going anywhere soon.

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

It’s 3:15am and I can’t sleep.

This is the first night since Ivan died that I haven’t been able to sleep. Not sure why.

Well, actually, that may not be entirely true. I do have a tendency, now, to nod off while I’m watching something on the computer, here in the living room. I blink, then realize that I haven’t opened my eyelids, and go with that for however long, until I startle myself awake.

Well, then I’m done for the next little while. But tonight, I didn’t fall asleep, in fact, I went to bed too soon, I think. I was kind of sleepy, but not really sleepy, and I think that’s what caused me to “get my second wind” as Ivan used to say.

That is so annoying, I can’t say it. And I can’t figure out how to decrease the light emitting from this tv, it is so bright. Oh, did I mention I’m relearning how to use a PC? I’ve used my iPad Pro, and iPad ProMax for so long I’ve forgotten how to use a PC. I’m learning, slowly.

I’m going to watch a bit of who knows what, and go back to bed. See you in the next post.

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