Livingthedreamwithdiana.com

So, still middle of November; still nothing to do.

Wrong. I took the opportunity, again today, to do some more picking up; this time, in the pantry. And, boy, did it need picking up.

We have such a small apartment, by our prior living space standards, that finding places for everything has to get creative at times.

Also, we can’t just take items we no longer need, or want, up to the Goodwill, or the Salvation Army. There is no such thing here. That is probably the most difficult thing we have to deal with on a routine basis.

On to the picking up. Recently, every time I’ve gone into the panty, I’ve had to skirt my way around bins of this, and that, having found their way into said pantry through no fault of their own. But, now was the day to take charge of the bins, and deal with everything accordingly.

Here is how it all looked this morning.

Again, I spent about 45 minutes rearranging, combining, moving each bin to a more efficient location, and hoping against hope they will remain thus for some time to come.

Here are the results.

Most everything has been dealt with, and nothing is ever perfect. It is taking us some time to live with the “less is more” philosophy, not to mention, buying things we “need/want” usually comes in bulk. Bummer.

That’s it for today. Just going to go enjoy the apartment as it is. We still have lots to do, but as my favorite witch said, “All in good time my pretty. All in good time.”

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

It was a good one.

I am writing about earthquakes now.

As they go, the one we had yesterday, @ 10:44, 12/07/2023, was a good one. I don’t know what it registered, but I can tell you that

It was a good one.

There I was, sitting at my “desk”, in our bedroom, minding my own business, checking the amount of our electricity bill, ($43 USD), when, quite suddenly, and ferociously, the seismic alarm on both my iPad, and my iPhone went off, sending me into about 2 minutes of horrible, almost debilitating nausea.

The alarm doesn’t make me nauseous, but the movement of the condo, the round, and round, and round, and round, and round of it does.

It’s a fairly subtle movement, just a slight, but continuous movement of everything around you; just enough to make you think you’ve had way too much to drink. But you know that you haven’t had anything to drink; it’s just 10:30 in the morning.

I hope you never experience an earthquake, but to do so in our city, in our condo, in our apartment, well, you couldn’t be in a better place.

The whole building, as I indicated, moves minutely, but for me, it makes me immobile. I cannot move once it starts. It is the same movement my brain makes during a dizzy spell; with the earthquake, however, it doesn’t help to close my eyes, or change the position of my head. During an earthquake nothing helps.

I must tell you that I get fairly pumped when we live through another quake. It’s something that, years ago, before architects bettered the specifications of buildings, such as the one in which we live, people didn’t survive. The horrendous earthquake here, in 1985, killed more than 30,000 people. An uncle of Ivan’s was killed while working in downtown Mexico City.

That was where the real damage, and deaths occurred; downtown. It is the most unstable part of the city. It was built, originally, on a lake that was, over centuries, dried, but there was no bedrock to stabilize any future foundations.

In our area of the city, a southern colonia, similar to a suburb, the quakes are not only felt, and endured, but, importantly, survived. And I mean survived without incident. We have no cracked ceilings, no broken pottery, windows, or the like. No deaths.

When the alarm goes off, depending on the time of day, or night, we all go outside, those of us that can. We stand around for a few minutes just to make sure there’s no horrendous aftershock, then return to our lives, as if nothing happened.

I can tell you, from 4 years of experience, that they have happened, they do happen, and, for as long as we live in this particular condominium, we will continue to survive them.

Thank God.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

Finally!

I have been putting this off for the longest time, because whenever I do it, and someone has had a bit too much of the fermented fruit, the cabinets are all magically rearranged when I get up the next morning.

Now that less of said fruit is being imbibed, I have had assurances that this will not happen again. So,

I spent 6 hours on a Tuesday, at the end of November, in the kitchen, organizing the cabinets to meet my needs, as I am the chief cook, and bottle washer, as my mother used to say. I need to be able to open a cabinet door and find the items expected behind that door to add to whatever I happen to be cooking at the moment. Not a whole lot more aggravating than spending 10 minutes hunting for the jar of dried chiles that where in that cupboard, but aren’t there now.

I got up, on that Tuesday, had a cup of coffee standing at the counter in the kitchen, trying to get my mental energy up to take everything out of the cupboards, and get going. I started with the cupboards on the left, and worked my way around the 3 cupboards.

Which is it- cupboards, or cabinets? I use them both. If it bothers you, move on.

Did I think to take “before” photos? Nope. This may not seem like much to you folks, but to me, it’s Heaven. Top shelf, left 2/3rds, dried chiles, and chiles en vinagre, escabeche. Then a big jar of dried porcini mushrooms. Bottom left, on the stand that I used to use for the dishes, are small jars of dried spices, and freeze dried spices. The rest is a variety of salts, flour, sugars, vanilla, black beans, and rice.

My least favorite cupboard, as it is the “corner” cupboard, where nothing fits, nothing is easy to get to, or to see, or anything. I do not like it but I deal with it as well as I can. I’ll explain it nonetheless.

Top shelf has a plastic container holding all of our vermicelli, fideo’s, spaghetti’s, macaroni’s. You get it. Pastas.

Second shelf has odds, and ends, quart jars of bread crumbs, pinko, ground chicharrones, cornmeal; that kind of thing.

Third shelf is the baking shelf; baking soda, baking powder, sweetened condensed milk, evaporated mile, almond flour, erythritol, fake (keto) chocolate chips, anything I need for baking.

Bottom shelf are things I use for general cooking; dehydrated Idahoan potato flakes, oils, canned beans, canned peas, lard, canned Hatch chiles, saffron, sugar, cheap canned beer, tomato sauce, canned tuna.

That leads us to the last cupboard in the kitchen; the one next to the stove.

All of the items you can see in this photo are by far some of the most expensive items we consume; the dehydrated gravies, on the top shelf, Jif peanut butter, Bragg’s Nutritional dried yeast. But, they’re all products we have become accustomed to over the years, and find them difficult to live without. So we don’t.

Almost done.

One last cabinet, it’s the one of two, in the pantry, where we store the bulkier items, the containers that fill the smaller containers for kitchen use. Here goes.

I cannot even begin to tell you what a mess this cupboard was. Now, it’s easy to find whatever is needed.

Top shelf: avocado,grape seed, and olive oils, chocolate syrup, raisins, salt, and behind all of that are large bags of almond flour, sweet white rice flour, cocoa powder, erythritol, keto chocolate chips, fenugreek seeds, and not quite white sugar.

Next shelf: baking stuff, vinegars, Asian oils, large refills of peanut butter, almond butter, mayonnaise, honey, ACV, and ancho chile powder, cuz everyone needs a kilo of that.

Third shelf: spices start off at the left, different rices, boxed chicken, and fish stocks, come miscellaneous jars/cans of media crema, (1/2 & 1/2), pickled beets, canned green beans. Nothing too exciting. But organized.

Bottom shelf: left, plastic container of Asian supplies- you name it, it’s in there. Different tea’s for my Kombucha, large jars (new) of Better than Bullion roasted chicken flavor, Bread and butter pickles, and olives.

So, all that done, it took me about 3 hours to organize it. The rest of the day was spent making a beautifully delicious chicken vegetable soup, with fideo. Yum.

I need to rest for a bit. Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

I have been working, off, and on, on this amazing Celtic shawl for at least 5, going on 6 years now. Here is how far I’ve gotten.

I don’t remember if I showed you the pattern I’m using, but I’m going to show you know, cuz I need a little bit of sympathy in my dotage.

More proficient knitters would probably not have needed to do all of the doodling that I had to do, but, in my defense, I hadn’t been knitting very long before I started this, and had never knitted from a diagram before; only from the written pattern. So, for my mental health, and ease of working this pattern, I decided to do the homework I needed to do.

As you can see from the first pattern photo above, I printed two copies of the pattern, one for the right side pattern, and one for the wrong side. Then, I looked at the legend where it shows what goes in each square in the direction you’re knitting, and filled in the squares with either (k) knit, or (p) perl. I also had to made an arrow to indicate the direction that section is to be knitted; right to left, or left to right.

Next, there are 9 separate sections to be knitted across both the right, and wrong sides, so I indicated which sections each one was. They are labeled as A, B, C, D, and E on the pattern, but that was too confusing for me so I just labeled them 1-9.

I forgot to mention that the order they are knitted in is as follows: chart A, chart B, chart C, chart D, chart C, chart B, chart C, chart D, chart E. So, as I knit across, and I’m needing the information for the 6th of the 9 sections, I need to go back to chart B. At the top of the pattern, I have written in the sections to be knitted from each chart, making it so much easier for me to follow.

Then, I put it down, and don’t pick it up again for a few years, and that’s a whole other ball of wax. That’s why I did what I did.

Until next time, stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

Yep, I’m still working on puzzles, especially in the evening.

About 7:00pm, I start my exercise routines, doing a set of whatever exercises, every 15 minutes times 5 sets. By 8:00pm, I’ve done my last set. Then I can settle down, and either work on a puzzle, or 2, or do a couple hours of knitting on my shawl. (I think most of you have seen a recent shot of it, but I’ll add 1, or 2 in just a bit. Just in case you haven’t seen it for awhile.)

I try to work on the more difficult puzzles, hoping to keep my mind working well. Having said that, sometimes, after a couple of hours of working diligently, but not getting very far, I want to give up. Let me show you a great example, though this is just one of many.

So, after more than 2 hours of work, this is all the farther I was able to get. The finish time was just under 5 hours, and I mean just. For some reason I didn’t take a photo of it as I normally do.

Whenever I have a puzzle that has taken me more than 2 hours to complete, I take a photo of it just before putting in the final piece. Once the piece is in, the puzzle goes to a normal looking photo, and the timer is gone. I’ve done only 3 puzzles this last year that have taken all of the 5 hours.

Fortunately you can pause the puzzle, and do something else, then come back to it again. In fact, I frequently have a few different puzzles, at my perceived difficulty levels, going at the same time. When one gets too long, too difficult, I can pause it, and go to one the is easier, by that I mean the background is easier to navigate. It becomes more relaxing, and less taxing.

This is how it looks when I’m just opening it up. This is one of my favorites. I do each puzzle with the most pieces possible, which, in the app I’m using is 440 pieces, but I do not allow the pieces to rotate. I would go out of my mind, I’m sure.

If you’re interested in the app, let me know, and I’ll look it up. Never mind. I looked it up, and it’s called Jigsaw Puzzles for Adults HD. It’s available in the App Store. I hope you give it a try if you’re looking for something to do on a cold, rainy weekend.

That’s all I have for today. Stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

A very happy Thanksgiving day to any, and all.

I did cook the turkey yesterday as I indicated I would, and it came out so well that I have decided I will make it again this way every year. Let me show you.

I had to roast each section separately, but with the decreased roasting time, approximately 35 minutes per section, I was done in about 2 hours. Breasts, then legs, then wings. I forgot about the carcass, and giblets; all of which I did last, left it to cool on the stove, and put it in the fridge. Today I made the stock, but was too late for gravy, so gravy is tomorrow.

We have finished our meal, and have put everything to rest for the night, only to be warmed up, again, tomorrow. Making the turkey this way, I kid you not, was the easiest turkey I’ve ever made. I even roasted it in the Breville countertop oven, on 2 half sheet baking pans!!

Without big roasting pans, pots for this, that, and the other, my clean up was minimal, without a greasy mess. Love it. Try it next holiday.

Hope everyone had an enjoyable day. Until next time,

Stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

Post script: couldn’t find the pie pans, so I have to wait to make the pumpkin pie until we do. Ugh!

We are going to have a turkey this year, as we haven’t had one for a while.

We are going to do it completely differently than ever before; we are going to cut it up into pieces, and cook it on baking sheets, taking each separate piece out at it’s correct internal temperature.

We discovered this technique on a YT channel called “That Dude Can Cook”. His name is Sonny Hurrell, and he was a professional chef for over 15 years before starting his channel. Now he shows his subscribers how to do simple things in their own kitchen.

Some of us need all the help we can get.

I will be cooking said turkey on Wednesday, so I can figure out what I’m doing. I have canned veg. coming from Walmart this evening, which will make things even easier. I hope.

We’re going to do the standard turkey, dressing, (Stove Top), cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, scalloped corn, (I hope), and glazed carrots. If all goes well, I’m going to try my hand at a pumpkin pie. We’ll see.

Hope your Thanksgiving holiday goes well, and you enjoy time with your families. Until next time

Stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

I have to tell you, quickly, that all of the exercising I have been doing has been so rewarding.

Not much to see outwardly, but soooo much going on under the skin.

I feel so much more solid, stable, less feeble. My core strength is beginning to become obvious to my brain, and is helping to stabilize my back. I used to bump into the edge of anything, a countertop, a desk, a door frame, and my back would spasm like I had been hit with what I imagine an electric cattle prod would feel like.

I really can’t tell you how much better I feel both inside, and out.

I am not going to be discouraged. I am not going to be swayed from my path.

I am going to do this, and I am going to make myself whole.

I am going to walk all the way around the park, not once, but twice, before the end of the year. Then, next year

Well, we’ll see what next year brings. For now,

Stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

I know you know what it is, but do you know how to keep it from oxidizing?

I just discovered something I never thought I would. The way to keep avocados from turning that horrible grey color is to

I made the above guacamole 48 hours before taking this photo, and have opened, eaten, repackaged same twice since. It is still the vibrant green it was when I made it.

Why, you ask? How did you do that, you ask?

Avocado oil, probably any type of oil, but I like avocado oil.

That’s right. For 2 beautifully ripe avocados, (black skins, soft to the touch), I added about 1 tsp. each of avocado oil, and white vinegar. I don’t add lime juice anymore, because it changes the flavor profile, and that doesn’t interest either of us.

It can’t be the vinegar because I’ve used that for quite some time now, without good results. By the end of the first day, only a few hours usually, the guacamole is grey. Yuck. It doesn’t look good, and tastes worse.

No longer. Oil is the answer. I didn’t use much, but it coated the avocado, sealing it from the harmful effects of oxygen.

Give it a try the next time you make guacamole. Let me know if it helps you too.

Until next we meet, stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.

I have found another amazing YouTube channel called, obviously, The Moons.

They are a family of 6 from England that have moved to France, and enjoy a lifestyle they call magical.

They maintain a stable of retired champion jumping horses, called Legacy of Legends. The horses they stable are all over 20 years old, and would have been destroyed when they were no longer of any use, but the Moons adopt them, or buy some of them, and care for them until they either go to another owner, or die.

They are trying to get the country of France to pass legislature to protect these horses from being abandoned, or sent to the meat plant. They want to get government funding, I believe, to help with the maintenance of the horses, as well. It is all in the government red tape, just like in any country in the world.

They have tons of other animals, plus a crow named Boo that has adopted them. She comes when they call her name, she hangs around with the whole family, and is an absolute treat to watch. She’s wild, sleeps, eats, and fends for herself outside, but is part of the family.

Nick Moon, known as Daddy Moon, is an equestrian, a professional show jumper, and his wife, Jenny (Mommy), Moon, worked in the stables, but now, is a teddy bear creator, and restorer. People, from all over the world, send her their old, beaten up teddy bears to restore; she restores them, and returns them to their homes.

For Daddy Moon, people all over the world, let him know of old horses, retired professionals, being sent to slaughter at various “meat farms”, to be made into cheap meat, sold to whomever wants it.

Jenny finds bears at local rumble sales, or brocantes, (broh-CONTS) as they’re called in France, repairs them, and keeps them in what she calls her bear room. It is a room filled with anything she has collected over the years, some having been repaired by her, and other things that are just whimsical, that she likes to have around her, and the family. It’s the room that has all of her old, antique supplies, and tools to fix the bears that have come her way.

Let me show you a few photos of the bear, Pompadour, who was pretty beaten up when she found him. Just look at the transformation.

Jenny still has to redo his “claws”, if you will; you can see a bit of dark thread on his left paw, but that will be in another video. This video was shot a year ago; I’m just getting started on their channel.

Anyway, the parents try to keep the magic alive in the lives of their kids, and it’s wonderful to watch.

I hope you’ll take a minute, and see what they get up to.

Until next we meet, enjoy the magic in your life, and stay happy, healthy, and safe. Wash, cover, and protect yourselves.