It's Time To Say.....

 

GOODBYE JANUARY!

                                         

 

 

January got 2014 off to a great start.  Chili and cornbread on New Year have become a tradition for us, and this year friend Clif accepted with alacrity our invitation to share. 

 

A lively conversation accompanied our dinner, as Clif is an enjoyable companion with well thought-out and spoken ideas and opinions.

I got immediately to work on the Haft-ta/Get-ta Haft-ta/Get-ta plan for the year, mentioned in an earlier post.   It ended up taking the whole month to think things through and get them in a written form that I like.  I made a Master List with the above titles, and worked from there.  Yeah, it's pretty much out of control.  The potential for too much fun is also pretty much out of control.  Just the way I like it! 

The first activity I've begun incorporating is piano playing. I've a very nice Yamaha baby grand that's been underused for too long.

I'm starting with four half-hour practices a week, and am quite pleased with my success rate.  It's been long enough since I've played that I'm starting with easy pieces and finding them challenging.  After so much flute and violin...there are so many notes!  

The second activity I'm jumping on is my old nemesis:  housework. 

                                                                         
I've been neglectful, and now I know why:  the time it takes! 

An important component of this year's plan is that it doesn't all have to be in place JANUARY 1.  I've given myself the whole 365 days of 2014 to work with these changes, and even that timeline is artificial.  Part of my discovery process is just how much I can actually put into place and keep it fun.

Travel for the year started this month with an invitation from friend Pat in Tucson to come down for a visit.  Coincidentally, friend Sally was also in Tucson visiting family, and she and Pat are also friends, so it was a friend-fest!  The first day Pat and I visited

and went to see

 which we both enjoyed.


The next day, Pat, Sally and I had a delicious lunch at

where I had my second experience eating a dish with mole sauce.  I've taken quite a shine to it.  Here's a recipe, and the reason the flavor is so complex and unusual.

Chef Rick Bayless' Mole Sauce

10 ounces (5 medium) tomatillos, husked and rinsed
1 1/3 cup (about 6 1/2 ounces) sesame seeds
1 cup rich-tasting pork lard or vegetable oil, plus a little more if necessary
6 ounces (about 12 medium) dried mulato chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces
3 ounces (about 6 medium) dried ancho chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces
3 ounces (about 10 medium) dried pasilla chiles, stemmed, seeded and torn into large flat pieces
8 garlic cloves, peeled
1 cup (about 4 ounces) unskinned almonds
1 cup (about 4 ounces) raisins
1 teaspoon cinnamon, preferably freshly ground Mexican canela
1/2 teaspoon black pepper, preferably freshly ground
1/2 teaspoon anise, preferably freshly ground
1/4 teaspoon cloves, preferably freshly ground
2 slices firm white bread, darkly toasted and broken into several pieces
2 ounces (about 2/3 of a 3.3-ounce tablet) Mexican chocolate, roughly chopped
3 quarts chicken broth
Salt
1/3 to 1/2 cup sugar

Afterwards, Pat and Sally and I visited some more at Pat's place

The last day, Pat and I visited some more...

 You wouldn't be wrong to call this visit a gab-fest!


Winter hiking has also begun.  Friend and faithful hiking companion Lea has been enthusiastic about doing some hiking in Sedona this winter, and we enjoyed Woods Canyon Trail on a beautiful day. 




       








Friends James and Janet were staying in Sedona for a few days and wanted a hike in Flagstaff.  We chose the Crystal Point Trail in Munds Park as having the most chance of being mostly dry, and found it so.

January is the month Ron and I get together for our annual Financial Review.  We take a look at all of our investments, which includes "getting rid of any dogs" per some financial advice I read in the local paper.  We also review our income to prepare for tax filing.  It's been variable for several years and will continue to be so, with inheritance money, my switch from employee to retiree status, my sick leave payoff, the NE land sale.  And by the time we work through all of those, Ron will need to start taking mandatory distributions from his IRA.  We were challenged by the sale of the pasture land in NE inherited from my Mom.  Ron and I live on the only property we've ever owned, and found the whole Capital Gains concept mysterious enough to have to consult a tax professional. 

To keep the pot boiling, I've chosen to invoke physical therapy for a couple of persistent physical discomforts I acquired last year that haven't improved.  I've been going to two appointments a week, and that's tipped the balance a little as far as keeping up with everything.  Improvement has been slow, as both of these discomforts are the result of both long-standing habits and...well, let me call it like it is:  AGE!  I'm going to my favorite Physical Therapy office:

After an thorough evaluation, which included watching me run, therapist Holly diagnosed lots of muscle restrictions.  She's given me various stretching exercises to do at home, and her therapy includes working on the restrictions with Instruments of Torture.  I can't find a picture of them, but they're stainless steel, about 10" long and curved, kind of like the handle of a straight-edge razor.  She uses them as a form of massage on the restricted areas:  lower back & side, shoulder blade area, and IT bands. I'm here to tell you I'm plenty restricted because it HURTS LIKE THE DICKENS!  She says once the restrictions are released, the torture effect will dissipate and it will feel more like what you think of as massage with a strong hand.  I'm looking forward to that day! 

A couple more movies to round out the month, both OUTSTANDING: 

"You only grow by coming to the end of something and by beginning something else.”


                                                                                                                    John Irving