Today's Lunch

http://www.foodnetwork.com/recipes/giada-de-laurentiis/grilled-portobello-mushrooms-with-tomatoes-and-fresh-mozzarella-recipe.html?ic1=obinsite Made with local cheese and basil from our herb garden. Very good!

Only Looks Like Snow

The local cottonwood trees are "shedding," for lack of a better word. Given the chilly temps, it's a good fake-out.

Battle of the Cheap Taco Nights

Monday: Build-your-own taco night on the patio of a restaurant in a neighboring village. For $2.50 you get your choice of a soft tortilla or hard shell and pile it on: meat, beans, jalapenos, onions, cheese, lettuce, assorted salsas. How high can you go? (Beware of messy eating!) Tuesday: $2 taco night at the local Mexican restaurant that specializes in Oaxacan fare. Choose shredded beef, pork, or chicken in a corn tortilla with diced onion and cilantro. Bonus is $2 margarita shooters. Our verdict? Monday night. For this week, at least. We enjoyed the variety of the taco bar and the lovely surroundings. Also, the usual chef was not working at the Mexican place this week. (Earlier in the season, I had one of the best pork tacos ever there.)

And a Very Merry Christmas for All!

We came upon this wondrous sight while on a tasting tour yesterday. (Please, Santa...) And we discovered the next best thing: chocolate cherry jam. Enough said!

Easy Come, Easy Go

We made it 48 hours without heat, but the furnace is back on this morning. Which makes Holly a happy camper.

Worst-Ever Placement of a Stop Sign

Way to ruin a view...

And to Think They Cancelled "What Not to Wear"

Tom sees no problem with this pairing: "We're just going to the pool." With apologies to those whose eyes are bleeding...

Mr. Fix-It to the Rescue! - or - Epoxy, Not Duct Tape

Many tried and failed, but Tom managed to fix my glasses last night. It took a bit of ingenuity, as you can see, but I can see now, and it's a wonderful thing!

My Most Excellent Outing, Holly Style

We went to the dog park this afternoon. First I sniffed EVERYTHING. Then some big boys showed up, and I got to know them through the fence. Later Joey came in to play. I yakked up a storm and chased him everywhere. It was soooo fun, and I finally have something to blog about. Now it's time for a nap. xox Holly

First Day of Summer?!

Last evening we drove to a neighboring community to participate in its annual bonfire festival. After an inch of rain (2.54cm), the massive piles of wood mostly fizzled, despite being doused in copious quantities of kerosene. According to legend, that means we failed to scare away the winter witch and will have to deal with the *itch for the rest of the year. That seems likely, as you can guess from the way I was dressed.

How Do You Say "Yummy" in Italian?

Tom and I went to cooking school this morning for a class on Italian sauces (pesto, gremolata, puttanesca, carbonara, and marsala). Chef was just back from a cooking tour of Sicily. We made and enjoyed a wonderful meal!

While We Were in Cooking Class...

Chef Holly tossed a salad.

Careful What You Ask For...

Tom was looking for a break from the Florida heat, and he's going to get it. It's raining this morning and 48*F/9C. I'm in rain boots and my warmest winter clothes. Holly was annoyed to have to wear her slicker for her walk, and she's back burrowed in her fuzzy bed. I'm bringing an extra sweatshirt and rain jacket on the airport run. Welcome, Tom!

Holly's Not the only Chilly Dog in the 'Hood

Northern neighbors bundled against the cold...

Almost Made It...

Twenty-four hours without the furnace, that is. Yesterday was GORGEOUS--warm and blue--but storms came through during the night and dropped the temperature again. Also sent me to the sofa for two hours with Holly, the scaredy-cat dog. When Tom visits next week, he can take over mommy duty!

Believe It or Not...

Holly and I are both on antibiotics now. (Fortunately, I don't have a blocked anal gland.) The new vet asked if I could get Holly to take a sitz bath. Yeah, right. When we got back to Home Sweet Home, I left the pup alone for just a few moments--the vet said the pain meds would make her sleep--and I came back to a floor filled with macaroni poo. Guess she's cleared now. Aargh! And I'm about done with this season. Already.

Improving a Dreary Evening

By late yesterday, I was chilled and bored. Thought about making a big pot of soup, but then I remembered the Mexican restaurant in town. What do you think I did?...

Already Paid for Itself

One of my new acquisitions for this season was a fleece throw for the settee on the screen porch. This chilly afternoon (60*F/15C), Holly and I have been wrapped in it, listening to the rain on the awning and the Canadian geese honking in the pond out back. Coming up next: warm tea and perhaps the furnace!

Signs

Some time this week I'll head north to complete the sale of my childhood home. Cousin Wendy, who has watched over it in recent years, sent me this photo. When I put the property on the market, I included this on a blackboard wall in the hallway: *The Story of this Little House* My parents bought this house after my dad returned from WWII. Believe it or not, it was quite a bit smaller then. They worked hard, saved their pennies, and added to the house whenever they could. I came along as they were working on the kitchen and slowed them down quite a bit! My dad was a glazier, so we always had nice windows. After he passed in 1975, my mom made it her priority to take care of the structure and systems. When the house became mine in 2008, I updated the décor and renovated the bathroom. My mother just adored her little home—there was always plenty of room for family and friends here—and I hope the next buyer will love it, too.* The young woman who purchased it as her first home also adores it. My mom would be so pleased.

More "Excitement"...

I spent this morning chasing after a new phone (still won't work in this service area) and a fix for my glasses (now taped together with black electrical tape for a more "sophisticated" look). This afternoon I headed to the walk-in clinic with my annual "up-north" sinus infection. (Didn't waste any time getting around to it this year...) The nice folks there noted the pattern and asked if I wanted to make an appointment for next year. Cousin Wendy may be right: it might be time to change the name of this blog...

"Uncle!"

And today the wine fridge and my glasses broke. The latter sent me into full panic mode as I cannot see without them. After much e-coaching from Tom, my glasses are "fixed" with a not-so-stylish hunk of blue painters' tape. No amount of duct tape is going to fix the wine fridge, however. Let's just admit this season is not off to the best start...

Well, That was a First for Me...

Showering with mosquitoes. You probably don't want to picture this at home. Enough said.

We're He-ere

And Holly was the perfect companion and travel partner. What a wonderful surprise! Other surprises haven't been so great: no phone service, limited internet, and a problem with the gas line (which means no furnace for the chilly dog this morning). Not to mention swarms of skeeters. I fell in to bed last night having impure thoughts of condo living...