Last Wednesday when Jesus came up to do some weed-whacking he brought a new puppy along for the ride. He is about 5 months old and obviously a Heinz 57 type of mutt. Black, brown and tan coat with a large blot of white centered on his face. The really special thing about him is his eyes: they are an almost white, light gray similar to what you sometimes see on sled dogs. His ribs were showing through his short-haired coat but he seemed to be very happy. He has one of those "propeller" tails that makes a rapid full circle behind him when he is very excited.
Jesus told me that he was living down below me at Bill's motor home and that he would feed him. Thursday afternoon I took down some food and gave him water. Early Friday, I could hear him barking so I went down. I couldn't stand the sad look in his eyes so I untied him and he followed me up the hill to mi casa. He hasn't left my side since then. No matter where I go he seems to be under foot. Sarah is a little jealous and each time I pet him she hops up and demands equal opportunity petting. They seem to be getting along well.
At night, Sarah has always slept up in the house while I am down in Dod. Lobo (I forgot to mention his name earlier) chooses to follow me down the stairs and spends the entire night sleeping under Dod. I swore I would never acquire another dog but I couldn't resist. Oh well, there goes more money on shots, neutering and food. Overall a small investment for the enjoyment he is already providing.
Just another average sunset in paradise!
Wednesday, September 19, 2012
Monday, September 17, 2012
Getting tired of storm stories?
I will make this one very short. It seems that when September arrived, the storm pattern took on a different timing with most recent storms beginning a couple of hours before sunset. We had another great storm on Tuesday night.
Similar to other storms it started both South and North and centered in on Aticama. The lightning was awsome as there were several distinct bolts hitting the ground all around me. When the storms converged on my house, the rain was coming down in sheets (2" in the first hour) and the lightning and thundered continued. There were several flashes where I could not count to one before the thunder roared.
I was luck to witness two strikes unlike any I had ever seen before. One struck about 1/4 mile offshore right below the house. When it hit the water there was a large orange flash followed almost instantly by the loud crackle and booms of the thunder. A few minutes later, a bolt connected with either the cell tower in town or a transformer and when it did, there was a bright green fire in almost a perfect circle. All the lights in the village went off for a few seconds and came back on. A while later, after a couple of more localized flashes the lights went off and stayed off not returning until 10 am the next morning.
I had the opportunity to gloat on the fact that I was in my kitchen watching the storm while reading a book using my solar powered lights!
Similar to other storms it started both South and North and centered in on Aticama. The lightning was awsome as there were several distinct bolts hitting the ground all around me. When the storms converged on my house, the rain was coming down in sheets (2" in the first hour) and the lightning and thundered continued. There were several flashes where I could not count to one before the thunder roared.
I was luck to witness two strikes unlike any I had ever seen before. One struck about 1/4 mile offshore right below the house. When it hit the water there was a large orange flash followed almost instantly by the loud crackle and booms of the thunder. A few minutes later, a bolt connected with either the cell tower in town or a transformer and when it did, there was a bright green fire in almost a perfect circle. All the lights in the village went off for a few seconds and came back on. A while later, after a couple of more localized flashes the lights went off and stayed off not returning until 10 am the next morning.
I had the opportunity to gloat on the fact that I was in my kitchen watching the storm while reading a book using my solar powered lights!
Saturday, September 15, 2012
Designated cooking day
Once a week I like to set aside most of the day to prepare several meals so that I have choices each time hunger strikes.
Bell peppers and onions
I believe that most meals taste better with the addition of bell peppers and onions so each week I purchase a very large green bell pepper, a very large red bell pepper and a couple of onions. I chop up the entire batch and sautee them in butter until they are just right. I then fill a couple of sandwich baggies with the finished product and freeze them. Additionally I fill a couple of plastic containers and keep those in the fridge for daily use.
I can't tell the difference between these and fresh chopped. I use these in breakfast burritos, spaghetti, rice pilaf, bean and beef burrito filling, mashed and scalloped potatoes and anywhere else that seems right. This method saves gas and avoids the usual discarding of half used vegetables. It is also much quicker when preparing meals which means I am apt to use them more often.
Molida
Molida is ground beef and it is one of my favorite entrees no matter how it is prepared. When I buy it, I buy a kilo (2.2 lbs). When I get it home, I separate it into 8 packages, some patties and some bulk, for later use. By freezing the patties they are always ready to use and there is no waste. A kilo in San Blas costs 65 pesos and you get to watch them grind it!
Betty Crocker potato side dishes
Betty Crocker must sell 20 or so potato side dishes with a majority being Au Gratin, Scalloped, et cetera and the minority a variety of mashed potatoes. These come in a box with a packet of sauce and a packet of potatoes. When I was at my brother's in Bakersfield I stocked up. Usually these sell for $1.79 to $2.29 per box. I noticed a sale at Albersomn's market and stocked up. All varieties were on sale for $1.29 quite a deal! Added to that, if you bought 10 items (assorted) you got an additional 50 cent discount per package. I shopped on a Tuesday for a very good reason: Anyone 60 and over gets an additional 5% discount on Tuesdays! To make the deal even sweeter, several of the boxes had a "use it now" coupon offering 50 cents off on the purchase of two packages.
I purchased a total of about 150 packages that day and figure that my average cost per package was around $0.70 and each package provides two meals! These are ideal for Dod as they almost never expire, they are lightweight, and they are square so they store well in cramped spaces. Of the 150 packages purchased in November, I am now down to the last 50 or so.
Bell peppers and onions
I believe that most meals taste better with the addition of bell peppers and onions so each week I purchase a very large green bell pepper, a very large red bell pepper and a couple of onions. I chop up the entire batch and sautee them in butter until they are just right. I then fill a couple of sandwich baggies with the finished product and freeze them. Additionally I fill a couple of plastic containers and keep those in the fridge for daily use.
I can't tell the difference between these and fresh chopped. I use these in breakfast burritos, spaghetti, rice pilaf, bean and beef burrito filling, mashed and scalloped potatoes and anywhere else that seems right. This method saves gas and avoids the usual discarding of half used vegetables. It is also much quicker when preparing meals which means I am apt to use them more often.
Molida
Molida is ground beef and it is one of my favorite entrees no matter how it is prepared. When I buy it, I buy a kilo (2.2 lbs). When I get it home, I separate it into 8 packages, some patties and some bulk, for later use. By freezing the patties they are always ready to use and there is no waste. A kilo in San Blas costs 65 pesos and you get to watch them grind it!
Betty Crocker potato side dishes
Betty Crocker must sell 20 or so potato side dishes with a majority being Au Gratin, Scalloped, et cetera and the minority a variety of mashed potatoes. These come in a box with a packet of sauce and a packet of potatoes. When I was at my brother's in Bakersfield I stocked up. Usually these sell for $1.79 to $2.29 per box. I noticed a sale at Albersomn's market and stocked up. All varieties were on sale for $1.29 quite a deal! Added to that, if you bought 10 items (assorted) you got an additional 50 cent discount per package. I shopped on a Tuesday for a very good reason: Anyone 60 and over gets an additional 5% discount on Tuesdays! To make the deal even sweeter, several of the boxes had a "use it now" coupon offering 50 cents off on the purchase of two packages.
I purchased a total of about 150 packages that day and figure that my average cost per package was around $0.70 and each package provides two meals! These are ideal for Dod as they almost never expire, they are lightweight, and they are square so they store well in cramped spaces. Of the 150 packages purchased in November, I am now down to the last 50 or so.
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