Edward James' Surreal Garden

Once again my pbase gallery of images from Edward James Gardens in Xilitla has seen lots of hits over the weekend.....800 in one day. I was shocked at so many so I knew there had to be some reason, some publicity, some article, something that generated that many hits. I googled "Edward James," "Surreal gardens," "Xilitla"....but nothing turned up that was new enough to cause the hits starting on Sunday. Then someone left a message on pbase for me. He liked the photographs and said he found the site because he watched a BBC television program series called Around The World in 80 Gardens. Now I had something definite to google and I found this article about the television series. Now I know what generated so much interest in the images from the surreal garden in Xilitla.

Margarita Machine

This is the lime tree that is in a big pot on our terrace. I can't believe how many limes it has produced since we planted it last summer. It seems to bloom off and on most of the year. And it is blooming now and making baby limes. Margaritas, gin and tonic.....no problem....we have a producing lime tree.

Progress

To bring you up-to-date on the ankle story, I'm making progress.

This morning we had a new x-ray made and saw the doctor. The ankle is healing very nicely BUT the doctor still does not want me to put any weight on it for another two weeks AND he wants me to stay in the cast for another week after that....total of three more weeks wearing the cast....Que Lastima! I was hoping, really hoping, that I would be able to put some weight on the foot after today but it is not to be. So I'm going to be a good patient and wait another two weeks. The other good news is that he thinks that when the cast comes off, I'll be able to walk and do physical therapy and hopefully I won't have to wear the ugly orthopedic sandal that you see above.

Physically I feel so much better than I did for the first 7-10 days. The different muscles that are used for dragging myself up the stairs and for getting around on the crutches have made an adjustment so they aren't complaining so much anymore. So while it is still limiting in that you can't carry much in your hand (a glass of water is impossible) while using crutches, I've found a lot of ways to compensate for what I need to do.

The bad thing is that it still leaves Ned as the cook and bottle washer. Poor man. I think he really does love me to put up with me through all of this.

Getting It in Writing

Today I clicked on a link about San Miguel and while I'm reading it, I noticed the image. Mmmm....looks familiar. I checked and it is my image. I did some photography for someone for a brochure and a magazine article. I asked them to give me a photo credit which didn't end up in the brochure. Now I find the image used somewhere else. This is a good lesson. I didn't get it in writing that the use of the photographs was limited and required giving credit to me. It isn't something that is going to keep me awake at night but it is a good reminder to protect my work from unauthorized use.

Latest News

Another photograph from 1994 but this time it is from Anderson, Texas. Anderson is the county seat for Grimes County. This image was made in a one-room cabin across from the County Court House which is a beautiful building. The cabin was obviously a law office in the 1890's. I love the way the old broken glass becomes mottled from the reflected light.

The latest news is that there isn't much news from here. I'm still pretty much confined to the house with the broken ankle. We have settled into a routine so it isn't quite as difficult as the first few days were. We are sleeping in the downstairs bedroom which reduces the need to go up one flight of steps every day but it still leaves one or two steps to negotiate from the bedroom to the dining room. In order to get to the studio everyday, I manage to scoot up on my backside every morning. I don't dare try to go up with the crutches and not put any weight on the broken ankle. I'm a lot better on the crutches but not that good.

I am so much more sympathetic to anyone with a disability or an injury. It takes a tremendous amount of energy to do things that you never even consider doing when you can use all of your limbs. And I know that this is a minor injury and it will heal and I'll be back to climbing stairs and walking streets but right now it is frustrating.

I'll go back to the Doctor on Monday and they will do an x-ray to see if everything is healing properly. If so, I might be able to put a bit of weight on the ankle. That would be nice and help with balancing and maybe even getting up and down the stairs. I will have the cast for another two weeks at least, then I'm not sure what comes next. From what I've heard from other people with a broken ankle, I'll probably have to wear some sort of walking support shoe for a while. I keep having a bad dream about having the x-ray discover that the bone isn't healing properly or has slipped out of place. So on Monday if you hear a scream coming from South of the Border you'll know that my bad dream has become reality!

We have been so blessed with friends who have brought us dinner and stayed to eat with us so I don't feel nearly as isolated as I might. And besides that the dinners have been delicious. And it has given Nurse Ned a break.

The weather has turned beautiful here. Sunny, blue, blue skies. Cool at night and warm in the middle of the day. No wonder that during this time of the year we have such an influx of Canadians and Americans from the snowy States in the North.

Shy

This little boy was running with the boys around the centro in Hoctun, Yucatan. He was so shy that I think this is the only image I got of him actually looking at me. The look only lasted a fleeting second. This image was made about this time of year in 1994, 14 years ago. I wonder what he is doing now. I wonder if he is still as shy.

Building a "Dream" House

This is the lot that we bought in Eastwood in Houston back when we sold our house to move full-time to San Miguel de Allende. Sometimes when I can't sleep I start to think about the house we might build on it someday.....if we ever go back to Houston. I'm not an interior designer or architect or anything like that but I still like to think about how all the pieces could fit together.

Now since I've been "disabled" with the broken ankle and having to use crutches, I have a whole other set of design criteria I'm thinking about. While I've known about grab bars, wheel chair clearances and things like that, it always seemed like that was stuff that you did for "old people." I'm not admitting to being old but I sure can see that those design details can make life easier. It doesn't take many times of navigating stairs or 2 foot wide doors to a bathroom to realize just how difficult it is when you aren't doing it on your own two legs, and only your own two legs.

Before the broken ankle, I had already decided that if we did build on the lot I wanted to build a one story, two bedroom house but build it so that two more bedrooms and baths could easily be added in the attic. Probably even stub out the plumbing. I found this house plan today and while it isn't exactly what I'd want, it incorporates the idea. I tried to copy it to the blog but the site wouldn't let me, so if you want to see the kind of floorplan I'm talking about click here.

At the time Eastwood was built back in the 1930's it was a very nice neighborhood. Business managers and even bank presidents built homes and raised their families there. But over time many families moved to the suburbs and some of the properties became rental properties. Lower income families moved in. Now one house here and another there are being beautifully renovated and families in search of shorter commutes....just 15 minutes to downtown Houston....are moving back in. Today in the Houston Chronicle there was a story about the revitalization of Houston's East end.

While we do not have plans to go back to Houston anytime soon, I feel really good about having the lot and being able to daydream, or nightdream, about what we might build there, grab bars and all.

Yucatan Yearnings

This is where we are suppose to be today..........well not actually in the cemetery.....but in the Yucatan. But that was before I broke my ankle. This is the cemetery in Hoctun about an hour outside of Merida and the image was made at the end of October, 1997. I think that this was the last time we were in the Yucatan. I've been wanting to go back and see the changes. Some of the Churches have been "restored." From everything I read Merida is still a beautiful, vibrant city with a growing gringo population. I wanted to trace down some of the haciendas that haven't been restored as well as visit some of those that have. I wanted to look for some of the people we met in the villages. This is a good time to be in Yucatan because while it is still hot, it isn't as hot as the summer. Oh, well....the ankle will heal and we will go another time.

By the way, this image is a color slide. I shot a bit of color slide film in the 1990's. While my flatbed scanner works great for medium format film, it doesn't do 35mm film nearly as well. Just not enough resolution of details. Just wonder what my files would look like if this had been shot with the Canon 5D. Well I'll find out when we are able to satisfy my Yucatan Yearnings.

More About the FBI List

About three weeks ago I wrote about my photography friend's experience with the Police and FBI when she stopped on a public roadside to photograph a refinery.

Being put on the FBI List seems to be more and more of a problem. Read this article in the New York Times about Ramek Fazel, a free-lance photographer and an American Citizen.

My reactions are all over the map. Indignant, Angry especially knowing that you can google earth for the sites of refineries, downtowns, Government buildings and see the information several ways, Grief about the loss of Freedoms, Wondering if I would be willing to be the one to draw the line in the sand, Accepting the new security measures as necessary in the current environment. How do you feel about this? Especially if you are a photographer?

An Apple a Day Keeps..........

Some of you probably finished the title with "The Doctor Away." Ned heard a new version of this today from our Bakery Lady.

He went to get us some pan dulces for breakfast and when Maria asked him how things were, he told her about my broken ankle. She told him that I need to eat, eat, eat lots of apples and then I won't need a cast.

An Apple a Day Keeps the Cast Away!

I've been searching Wikipedia for information about this Mexican Old Wives Tale. Can't find any thing about it. At first I thought that maybe I would find that apples have a good supply of calcium but one apple only supplies 1% of your calcium daily needs.

I like apples but I think I better keep my cast on for a while.

What Are You Doing to Stay Busy?

One of the sons called today and he asked, "What are you doing to stay busy?" That is a good question. I'd like to be doing more but I'm trying to just stay in the moment and do what I can do with the broken ankle. This afternoon I managed to pull out the three-ring Holga negative binder and scan a couple of strips of film that I shot on Revolution Day back in November. I never had time to do anything with them in November because I was printing for a show. Now I wanted a couple of scans to try something I learned about in Scott Kelby's 7-Point System book. I don't think they are keepers but they add some color to the blog.

Yesterday the nicest thing happened. I had a visitor from Blogsphere. A week or two ago Peter sent me an email telling me that he had been reading my blog for almost a year. He found it after being in San Miguel last January. And he let me know that he was coming back. I wrote and told him to give us a call. He did and he came to see me. He is returning to photography after being away for a while and I think you will enjoy seeing San Miguel through his eyes. Take a look here.

My New Books

I only brought back four new books from our December trip to Texas. I think that leaves about 28 more books on my Amazon wish list and it never seems to get shorter because I always find another one or two that I just have to add. But the ones I did bring back are giving me a lot of pleasure.

5 X 7 by William Eggleston - All the images in the book were made during the 1970's with a 5 X 7 camera...some in black and white and some in color. I'm surprised that more of them don't feel "dated" but the hair and clothing isn't the first thing I see. It is the face. I can't help but compare them to some of the current books of portraits which feature mostly young people very turned in to themselves and a sense of disinterest in the rest of the world. Eggleston's fame came through his color work after being "discovered" by John Szarkowski but there are enough images in this book to prove that he was a master of Black and White as well. He broadens my understanding of photography in the USA in the 1960-1990's time period.

Vanishing Point, Fifty Years of Photography by David Plowden - I "found" David Plowden in the late 1980/early 1990 time period when I bought one of his books in a half-priced book store. I was so enthralled with his view of middle America that I started looking for his books and at one point even tracked him down and called to let him know how much I like his work. Plowen's work is all Black and White. The images are luminous and are beautifully full toned without being quite as "zoned" as the Ansel Adams school. It is so wonderful to have this retrospective of his work since the books that I had of his are in storage in Texas and besides the image reproductions in this book are better than a couple of the books that I have. I'll keep looking at the images to remind myself that no matter how far I can take a Black and White image in Photoshop, I'd rather stop with David Plowden's "look" of Black and White images.

The Day-to-Day Life of Albert Hastings by KayLynn Deveney and Albert Hastings - This book in some ways reminds me of Love in the 90's: The Story of a Lifelong Love by Keri Pickett. But the charming thing about this book is Albert Hasting's comments and thoughts about the images as he collaborates with Deveney. It is charming and poignant. It is a small book and it will probably be one that I will pickup and slip in my purse to read again while waiting in a doctor's office or the immigration office.

And speaking of book size, almost every photography book I have bought in the last couple of years has NOT been a book that I can easily take to bed with me to look at before I go to sleep. They have been in the 11x14 size frame, some even larger, and they have been thick and heavy. When I first started collecting photography books, I always had a stack of them by my bed and most of them were more in the size frame of 10x12 and maybe 3/4 inch thick. I agree that the image reproduction has improved a great deal in recent years. But now besides not being a bed-time book, I don't find most of them to be "lap" books. When I want to look at one of my newer photography books it is best done sitting at a table.

Scott Kelby's 7-Point System for Adobe Photoshop CS3 - I am currently doing the tutorials in this book and I'll wait and write about it in a later blog.

Greed and Inflation

"Citigroup Inc. reported Tuesday it had suffered a $10 billion loss for the last three months of 2007, reflecting bad bets on investments backed by subprime mortgages."

This makes me so angry. You would think that the people who manage our banks would know something about money. Even I know that if you can't afford a house, you can't afford a house even if you are offered no money down and a subprime mortgage for a year or two. At some point you are going to have to pay the going rate, maybe even higher, and you will face rising property taxes. Oh, it could all work out if the borrower wins the lottery but there aren't many lottery winners every year. How could these Harvard MBA types think that buying up sub-prime mortgages would be a back-up for investments.

I am willing to bet that the guys that managed Citigroup into this mess, received their bonuses. The Real Estate Brokers received their commissions.

Now who is going to pay for this stupidity? Those of us who didn't gamble and make bad bets. Grrr....sorry but I just had to write this rant!

What Frank Armstrong Did Last Summer

You have to be ready because you never know when your "muse" is going to lead you to something.

My friend Frank Armstrong was out West last summer continuing a long-term photography project, Cemeteries with Quirky Names. Usually his route is more southerly but this time he was driving through the middle of the USA, maps and notes in hand. Now never being one to turn down an opportunity from his muse to make a photograph, he photographed other things along the way that interested him. Fall is always busy because he teaches photography at Clark University so it has taken him a while to get around to sorting through his summer harvest.

In the last couple of weeks on his blog he has been posting a series of images of grain elevators isolated against the sky and landscape of the great plains. I've gone back to look at this work daily. First of all they are like sculptures on the landscape that you could walk around and around absorbing the light and forms. Secondly they speak to the heritage of the individual farmers who once were the bread basket for our country. Now agri-business controls most of this area. For me there is something so individual about each one and there is beauty of form but I also feel a sadness about them too.

Frank, in his blog writes:

Across the Great Plains the most ubiquitous architecture is the grain elevator. No little structure these. You see them from great distances perched on the horizon of the gentle roll of the landscape. Because they stand so monumentally tall, they are noticed long before the towns they are usually associated with appear. And for the most part, there will be a railroad up close along one side. There seems to be three distinct styles two of which are represented in the above Ashland, Kansas, 2007, image. One, the smaller more angular tin-on-timber structure, and the more substantial concrete silos. Nowadays the modern storage facilities are more likely to be gigantic, corrugate metal, tank-like bins. I remember an image by my friend, Larry C. Price, made while he was working for the Star Telegram in Ft. Worth, of two silo structures, both the size of the one above. They were separated by about six feet at their tops, and in his image, there was a man leaping from the top of one to the other. Amazing image, but even more amazing that someone would do such a thing. While I know that Frank Gohlke a number of years ago did a book, Measures of Emptiness: Grain Elevators in the American Landscape, I am still drawn to photograph them probably because the older corrugated tin structures are a disappearing feature of the mid-western and western landscape. They stand like staunch and dignified sentinels of a time past. In the next few days, I will post more.

I don't care if Frank Gohlke did a book of grain elevators. I can see a book or portfolio, Vanishing Sculptures on the Great Plains, or ..........

At any rate, Frank makes time for photography. He has all that technical stuff on auto pilot. He is ready for where ever his muse leads him. Go take a look.

Week One of the Broken Ankle Story

So far so good.....not that it isn't difficult for both of us. It is a big problem when you can't carry anything because you are on crutches. If it will go around my neck or in a pocket, I can move a thing from one place to another but something like a glass of water....forget about it. No way to hold it and the crutches at the same time. I keep having to ask Nurse Ned to get this or that for me.

However, this past week I think we have figured out where things need to go to make both of our lives easier. Medicine and vitamins are on the dining room table. My clothes are in the downstairs bedroom. My toiletries and makeup are in the downstairs bathroom. I've figured out how to get a shower/bath and still keep the cast dry. But the most wonderful thing that has happened is what you see above, a bed in the studio.

After breakfast I haul myself up the stairs to the studio. This haul is more of a crawl because I dare not attempt it with the crutches. When I get up here I don't want to go back down until the evening but not having anyplace to stretch out and elevate my leg was exhausting and a problem. Wonderful Nurse Ned, borrowed this folding cot that has an air mattress on it and now I'm so happy and comfortable. When I get tired or my ankle feels like it might be swelling I just crutch over to the cot and rest for a bit.

Nurse Ned has gotten some relief from the cooking because several friends have delivered food for us. Delicious food. What a treat and so much help. And it is also nice just to know people care.

Canon Powershot G9

Back the first of December I wrote about wanting a point and shoot camera. Something small enough to put in a purse, pocket or to hang around my neck for the day. While we were in Texas, I bought the Canon Powershot G9, 12 megapixels and it shoots RAW files. The Jesus image above was made in one of the churches here in San Miguel with the G9, 200 ISO, f/4.5 at 1/20 of a sec. The basic Photoshop work is just the conversion to black and white and adjustments to the contrast. At 200 ISO the noise is fine but noise at higher ISO's is one of the problems with the small sensors in the point and shoot cameras.

Jesus was sitting in a glass case and there was a horrible light inside the case pointed at his face. I think the camera did okay under the circumstances. IF I wanted to include this image in with a portfolio of my work with the Canon 5D, I think it would pass muster. But I don't know about using it above 200 ISO. By 800 ISO the grain is really noticeable and at 1600 ISO, for me, it is unacceptable to the point that I don't think it can be fixed, especially for a picture with detail.

I'm not going to write a review of the camera because you can find them all over the web but I think that the best user commentaries for the camera are in several entries in Paul Butzi's blog. He took the G9, and it was the only camera he took, along on a vacation and he was pleased with the results. Of course, Paul is a very accomplished photographer.

So far, I like the camera for what I bought it for but it has taken some getting use to. Since I have mostly used medium format cameras or DSLR cameras for about 15 years, I thought that I wanted a viewfinder on the camera. The G9 has a viewfinder but it is so small and inaccurate that I am using the LCD screen to compose images and it feels very strange....like I'm waving this 8 oz. screen around in the air. Although I find the screen difficult for composing images, the view finder is more difficult.

The first 3 megapixel digital camera I owned had a huge delay when you pushed the shutter which made it difficult to get a shot of moving subjects....like grandchildren. The G9 has a nano second delay. A great improvement for point and shoot cameras but noticeable especially when combined with composing the image with the LCD screen and moving grandchildren. I think if I shot with the G9 a lot, I'd make the adjustment but right now, I notice it.

Some people have complained about the controls on the G9. Paul Butzi likes the controls on the camera and so do I. I agree with him that the controls are slightly different than Canon's DSLR's but familiar enough that they are easily changed.

All in all, I'm happy that I now have a pocketable (I'm sure that the spell check isn't going to like that word) camera.

Three Kings

Three Kings day is January 6 but on January 5 all of the streets around the mercados are full of vendors selling toys, children's clothes and cookies. By night fall of the 6th they are gone. The children in Mexico get presents on the 6th because the Wise Men brought presents to Baby Jesus on day of the Epiphany or January 6th.

All around the jardin and the mercados I saw vendors with huge bundles of balloons/globos. From what I was able to understand from a sign I saw in a tienda, the children buy the balloons to send greetings and I'm sure their wish list to the Three Kings.

I asked La Arquitecta if she bought her children toys in the mercado. She said no that she bought them toys at Walmart or Costco because if they didn't work, she could take them back and the vendors in the mercados didn't give any guarantees. So she especially wanted to buy any electronic toys where there were some guarantees. I wonder how long the street vendors will survive.

On Monday as we waited for the doctor, a family came into the hospital. The little girls were carrying new baby dolls. I think the Three Kings gave them the gifts they wanted. It seems to me that receiving gifts on the Epiphany is a lot more biblical than getting gifts from Santa Claus on December 25th. I think I like this custom and I hope that it doesn't get subverted in the Mexican religion and culture.

Billie's Oyster Stew

The first time I ever had oyster stew, it was made by my mother-in-law to be. She was from Louisiana and I thought that the oyster stew was wonderful. So rich with cream and a shimmer of butter on the top. She died in her early 50's and after that it was up to me to carry on the tradition. Over time, I've changed up the recipe a bit.....well actually I never had a recipe. I just tried to remember how I saw her make it but nevertheless over time the way to make oyster stew has become my own. Two of the three sons love my oyster stew and the other one isn't fond of oysters at all.

During the holidays, Son #1 wanted to make oyster stew one night and he called me for the "recipe." I couldn't give it to him because I just eyeball the amount of oysters and juice and come up with the rest of the ingredients. Since we were headed to his house, I told him to wait and I'd walk him through making it.

Son #1 isn't blessed with patience and he wants things done fast. He wanted to put the onion and celery in a little chopper and be done with that. So I tried to explain that it is better to chop and mince the onion and celery with a sharp knife because then the pieces are uniform and more of the juice stays in the pieces. He wanted to know why you couldn't just turn up the fire and make the roux faster but there is something going on between the butter and the flour that takes some time to meld. I think he saw the right color for roux....just a golden yellow, I hope he remembers it. So much of cooking is by sight and smell and when you have always done it without a recipe suddenly having to explain what you are doing and why is hard to do because this process has become an automatic response to the ingredients.

But the hardest part to explain was the amount of flour to the amount of butter to make the amount of "juice" to go with the amount of oysters that you have. I just eyeballed the flour and butter but I've realized that I need to be able to give him more of a guideline in making the roux. So I've been thinking a lot about quantifying how I make it so I can write down something....at least he will have a starting point. I've looked at some other oyster stew recipes and while what I make is different at least it has given me some ideas for the proportions particularly with the roux. So I'm writing down a starting point and the next time we are in Houston during oyster season I'll see if I can verify and/or refine the starting point.

If you want to experiment, here is a starting point but if you try it you have to let me know what worked or if you had to change it up.

2 stalks celery, chopped fine
1 cup onion chopped fine
1 clove garlic minced fine
6-8 tablespoons butter
6-8 tablespoons flour
1 can evaporated milk (13 ozs)
1 qt. half and half
Salt
red pepper
black pepper
1 quart oysters and their juice

Drain oysters in colander and save juice.
Cook juice in a small pan until reduced by 1/4 to 1/2
In a large sauce pan saute celery and onion in butter until wilted
Add garlic and cook for 1 minute
Add flour and cook over low to medium heat until it turns to a golden yellow roux.
Add juice from the oysters and evaporated milk cooking over low fire and whisking until smooth adding the half and half milk gradually. If necessary add some regular milk to make a nice "gravy" consistency
Add salt and black and red pepper. (I don't know how much to add of each...it will have to be by taste but go heavier with the red pepper than the black pepper. We like a good "bite" from the red pepper.
When the sauce is ready, add the oysters and cook until the edges of the oysters curl.
Check seasonings again and serve.
I have added a little sprinkle of finely chopped parsley on the top to "dress it up" a bit as well as a bit of butter to melt on top of the stew. This isn't low-cal....but then we don't have it very often either.

Don't forget, if you try it, let me know what you think about the amounts of the ingredients. And the next time I'm in Houston, I'll do this starting point recipe and I'll post my adjustments.

Under the Table

It is Christmas Eve dinner with the family. A simple dinner of Seafood gumbo. I always seem to get an image or two of the dinner table for Christmas and Thanksgiving but I've really been inspired by my friend Stephen Dirado who has hundreds of dinner table images he has taken for years with friends and family. He has recently been exploring what is happening under the table as well as what is going on on top of the table.....so what can I say, imitation is flattery.
Brina is a beautiful dog and she wanted her portrait made so I clicked the shutter again.

In The Blink of an Eye

I had another birthday in December. They sure seem to come around often. But nevertheless, the birthday made me think about what it is like to grow older and maybe even some things I want to write about in the blog.

I think that as we age, maybe starting around 60, or when we start to lose dear friends and family who are in our age bracket, we become truly aware that death is a reality. Oh, I know that we know that when we are younger but at some point we "know" that there isn't as much time in front of us as there is behind us. That knowledge has made me live so much more in the moment, in the now. Cherishing family, health, friends and life....watching the gold fish, travel, quiet moments in the studio, making images. I cherish them because I know that in the blink of an eye, life can change.

Just this week, I learned that a friend has breast cancer, a child....a friend of two of the grandsons....was killed when a ATV rolled over on him, another friend is headed to Texas to help her friend whose car was rear-ended by someone going 100 mph. She and her grandchildren are in critical condition.

Although my fall and broken ankle happened in the blink of an eye, it is not a life changing event like those but it sure does make me acutely aware of my vulnerability. It makes me so thankful for my dear husband who has suddenly had to take on the roll of Nurse Neddie.

I saw the orthopedist yesterday and I now have an official cast on the ankle. It is a nice cornflower blue. I'm not in pain but he tells me I can not put any weight on that ankle for at least three weeks. I have crutches but I am so uncoordinated on them, I fear another fall especially since we have so many steps in this house. I'm sure I'll get better on them but it is so frustrating to know that you want something as simple as a tissue and the tissue box is on the cabinet across the room. So when I feel frustrated, I just have to stop and remind myself how minor this broken ankle is compared to what some people are facing today, everyday of their lives.

So my plan is to use these five weeks productively. I have some Photoshop tutorials I can study, I can scan more negatives. And in the blink of an eye (a long blink) the broken ankle will be healed. And thank you, dear readers for all your comments, emails and phonecalls.

Guess Who!

Guess Who.....Someone who needs a pedicure AND someone who as of last night has a broken ankle. Yes, it is me! Here is the story.......

Ned wasn't feeling well so I left him on the couch watching TV while I went into town to see what was happening on Three Kings night. Just before I left, he said, "Be careful" and I felt a little chill up my spine but dismissed it. He always tells me to be careful and usually I give him the "look" with a roll of my eyes.

I walked into the centro and checked out all the churches, hung out to photograph some of the activities with the weddings that were going on, watched what was happening in the plaza and decided to head back home before Espinos closed at 8:00 PM so I could pick up a few groceries. Umaran was blocked off as it usually is on the weekends so I was walking down the street rather than on the sidewalks and just as I approached the corner of Jesus I was looking up rather than looking down at where I was walking and guess what.......there was a hole in the street and my left foot stepped on the side of the hole, my ankle turned and I went down fast. I felt a little pop on the outside of my ankle. I hit my right knee and the left side of my face. Almost immediately there were Mexicans around me ready to help. I took a minute to gather my wits and then got to my feet and thanked them. I could walk with a limp and there wasn't blood anywhere. I walked down Jesus to PilaSeca and got a cab to come home.

Poor Ned who wasn't feeling well was in the kitchen warming up some soup I had made for his dinner. Now my ankle trumped his fever. He had to be well. At first I thought that I would be okay and we'd see a doctor the next day but it quickly became apparent that the swelling and pain was getting worse. We decided to go to the new General Hospital.

We called a cab. After a bumpy ride up Salida de Queretaro we arrived at the hospital. The emergency waiting room was full but within about 10 minutes they took my pulse and blood pressure and in another 5 minutes I was seeing a doctor. He didn't think the ankle was broken but I was wheeled to x-ray and the x-rays showed a small break in the fibula (at least I think that is the name of the small long bone in the ankle). He put a cast on to immobilize the ankle and I'm to return on Monday to see the Orthopedist. He told me to not put any weight on the foot. At my age, I haven't done much practice at hopping on one foot so getting out of the cab and getting upstairs to bed last night was difficult to say the least. Today, I borrowed some crutches from a friend but I may take another fall trying to get around on them.

By the way, the General Hospital was clean and efficient. The x-ray machine worked, the technician seemed competent. The doctor was knowledgeable and most of the time spoke Spanish slow enough for us to understand what he was telling us. And the trip to the emergency room took less than 1-1/2 hours and cost about $30 USA.

I've told many friends that walking is dangerous here in San Miguel and if you haven't fallen that is good but don't get overconfident. It could still happen.

The Breakfast of Champions

Peanut Butter Cookies and Coffee.

When I married I received a cookbook.....Better Homes and Gardens New Cookbook. It was originally published in 1953. Some of you may remember it by the red and white check cover. It had a ring binding. I still have the book, in storage, but with lots of splatters and pages that no longer are contained by the rings. Still there are some of the recipes that are favorites.

I started thinking about this old cookbook when I decided to try out the new mixer by making peanut butter cookies. Since I have the mixer I'm going to try to bake more this year and make adjustments to accommodate our 6700 feet above sea level altitude. Also our sugars and flours are just a little different than the ones we use in the USA so sometimes that makes a difference especially with baking.

I found a recipe on the net and I think it is basically the same except I don't remember the old recipe having both baking powder and baking soda in it. I like crisp cookies so I cooked them longer than the original recipe.

Old Fashioned Peanut Butter Cookies
Makes about 5-1/2 dozen cookies
Preheat oven to 375 degrees

2-1/2 cups flour (next time I will add another 2 tablespoons of flour since fork marks did not hold up well in dough)
1 teaspoon baking powder
1 teaspoon baking soda
1/2 teaspoon salt
1 cup smooth peanut butter or crunchy peanut butter
1 cup butter, softened
1 cup firmly packed brown sugar (our Mexican Imperial Brown Sugar does not "pack" the same as the USA version)
1 cup fine granulated sugar (but not powdered sugar)
2 eggs
1 teaspoon vanilla
1/2 cup chopped dry roasted peanuts (optional if not using crunchy peanut butter)

Combine flour, baking powder, baking soda and salt; set aside.
Beat peanut butter, butter and sugars in large bowl with electric mixer on medium speed until light and fluffy.
Add eggs and vanilla; mix well.

Gradually add flour mixture, beating until well blended after each addition.
Use heaping teaspoon of dough to make a quick ball and put on greased baking sheet 2 inches apart. Flatten each ball, in criss-cross pattern with tines of folk.

Bake 15 minutes or until golden brown.
Cool 5 minutes
Remove from baking sheets to wire racks and cool completely.

It Turned Out Okay

When we sold our house in Texas, we had an Estate Sale and sold almost everything. People have asked if I miss my "stuff." Actually I have missed some things and the things that I missed were some things from my kitchen. I didn't bring them down because I already had the tiny kitchen in San Miguel packed full of stuff and I would not have had a place to put those things. But since then we have remodeled the kitchen and I now have more efficient storage so I could have brought down a few things. The one most missed was my Kitchenaid Stand Mixer. It was the "big one" and it was white. But while we were in Texas I bought a new one...................... This time I didn't go for the biggest stand mixer. I bought the one that has the lift head. The bowl is a bit smaller and there is less power but then I'm no longer cooking for so many people and I really don't want to make 3 batches of chocolate chip cookies at a time.

I did some research over on the forum in Fine Cooking and several people who had the smaller model for a number of years were pleased with it. Besides it costs less money. I've used it a couple of times and so far I'm pleased although I'm not sure about the plastic guard/pouring spout thing. I kind of doubt that I'm going to use it. I like to really see how things look as they mix and it is just another thing to wash and store. The mixer fits very nicely on the counter under my microwave shelf so it is fairly easy to pull out to use.

Isn't it beautiful? Doesn't it look wonderful with the cabinets and the granite? Just imagine how tacky the white one would have been along side the other stainless and black appliances. If I had brought down the old one, I would have felt compelled to keep it. So selling off the old one turned out okay.

Baby It's Cold Outside!

Did you know that before 1940 very few homes had central heat of any kind? Some of my readers born after 1950 might not know that but it is true. I grew up in homes that used space heaters in the winter. I can remember sleeping under piles of quilts and in the mornings dreading getting out of bed to face the cold even though my Father would have lit all the heaters. Still there was the dash from the bed to hover in front of the heater holding up your clothes so that they would not be so icy when you put them on your body. Or, just standing in front of the heater with shoulders scrunched up to your ears trying to stay warm on at least one side of your body. The kitchen was always the warmest place in the house.

Now here I am in my golden years doing the same thing......We don't have central heat in our San Miguel house. So in the Winter mornings I snuggle deep under the warming blanket while my dear husband gets up and fires up the heater in the bedroom and bathroom. After I think the chill has the edge taken off, I dash into my clothes. Across the patio, Ned also lights the fireplace in the living area and in the studio. We keep doors closed from one room to the next to save the heat. After breakfast on a cold morning the fireplace in the living area is turned off but I keep the studio fireplace going all day. The studio is one room in the house that is nice and toasty.

We don't have to do the fireplace routine very many days here because San Miguel's weather is mostly mild but this is winter and Baby, it's cold outside. The potential for cold is usually from about the middle of December to the middle of February and usually we will have a cold night (45-65 degrees) and the days will get warm.

But we seem to have brought a cold snap with us from Austin. All the way from the border to San Miguel we had strong cold winds following us. Pozos, which is about 40 minutes away had snow in the surrounding mountains. The wind has died down and outside the sun is shining but if you get in the shade, it is still cold. Last night we suffered with low temps of 42 degrees on our patio and today it is only 58 degrees according to the patio thermometer. I know that those of you shoveling snow are laughing but that's okay. I'm cozy with my fireplace blazing away in the studio.

Happy New Year - 2008

2008 - I like the way 2008 looks on the page, the way it "writes." I know it sounds a bit silly but some words just look good and while 2008 isn't a word, it is a good looking number. Maybe that means it is going to be a good year for me.....I think so. I really think so. Maybe I'm in a optimistic mood. I've been looking back over the blog in 2007 and the blog entries are a good reminder of what I was thinking and doing last year. Some things came to fruition and others didn't. But 2007 was a pretty good year too. Still I'm thinking that 2008 may be even better. We have a long drive ahead of us tomorrow.....Laredo to San Miguel de Allende.....so I'll have some "thinking" time.

But one think that I've started to feel recently is that writing the blog so that it is fresh and doesn't just repeat old information is getting harder. I'm not sure what is going to happen to the blog in 2008.

I wish all my readers a wonderful, healthy 2008.
Happy New Year!