Goings-On and Random Stuff

Wrote this earlier today, but for some reason, Blogger has some issue with me...maybe it's my colourful wording??? Anyway, I'm going to try to hit the good ol' "publish" key and see if my ranting will be visible on Dashboard....pinchi Blogger!!


Good afternoon, my bloggy buddies. Wow, it's been a while since I've written here, but the last two months have been hectic for many of us, moi included. Christmas is now officially over, yay-yay and more yay and the remnants of my labours are dwindling to about half a bag full. As usual, I baked my leetle heart away, making family favorites, chocolate chip cookies, Mexican Wedding cookies, or as my grandsons call them, "Liar" cookies, chocolate biscotti, a recipe I borrowed from Mario Bateli over at Foodnetwork, Biscochos, or as my friend, Linda over in NM calls them, "Lard cookies." In NM they add anise seed to them, giving them a wonderful, aromatic scent and flavour, but I grew up here on the border and that's how we make them in these parts, but I just might try my hand at the NM version for next year. I also made some delish Lemon Pound Cake, a recipe I found over at Pinterest, which I'm so hooked on, and my usual Chocolate Pie, a recipe I've had for years after having some at my aunt's one Christmas Eve night many years ago. It's so simple, a none-foody can make it!! I also made a huge Rigatoni casserole for my cousin and his family. My cousin's wife is over-whelmed by his illness plus she's a full-time teacher, the poor woman needs a little help, so this was my contribution to give her a bit of respite. I know I made more stuff, but right now, I just can't remember...call it a senior moment, a brain fart, whatever, I've cleared my brain of Christmas past.

I've signed up for a couple of trades and auctions. Over at Mixed Media, I'm making an exchange due Feb. 1. I just couldn't wrap my brain around what I wanted to do, but then I signed up back in Nov. since Feb. seemed distant...how quickly time flies when your constantly busy...Feb. is far from distant. I was finally hit with that creative lightening bolt and am almost finished with the piece, which I will post as soon as I'm done and my "exchangie" has seen it first. I also volunteered to make something for Xico, Inc.'s annual dinner and art auction. This year, we're making clocks, so they sent me this wooden disc with a hole in the centre. Again, the ol' creative juices were still trying to get over the Christmas "sugar-shock," making it impossible to come up with anything. So last week, I took out some of my favorite children's books, written and illustrated by some local authors, and again, lightening! Here's my contribution to the art auction. It's called, "Mi tiempo con Diego," or translated, "My time with Diego."



I just love her and wish I could keep her around a bit longer, but she's packed and will be shipped off Monday to Phoenix, AZ. I mentioned in an earlier blog post about prostituting oneself for the sake of earning a bit of cash, well, I'm really getting into this prostituting stuff!! I took my Virgen de Guadalupe to our Dec. book club, which we had a blast. There was a large gathering in the salon next to ours, had it at Great American, which are famous for meat, lots of delicious "meat!!" I'm no vegetarian, but I rarely eat the stuff due to cost and cholesterol!! Anyway, the group next to us were singing religious Christmas songs, no big deal for a bunch of ex-Catholic school girls. I decided to take a look and peeked over the wooden slated shades and saw an ocean of white hair. We asked our waitress who was next to us and she said it was a group of Gideons. One of the crazies in our group said she was familiar with their book!! LOL Then one of the other crazy said, "Well, I guess they won't be singing Jingle Bells," and at that moment, they burst out into song with, you know what!!!?? LOL We then joined in the singing, they probably thinking we were a group of Sodomites, making fun of them, but we were actually in a very festive mood....hell, it was Christmas!! LOL

So back to my virgen, we exchanged gifts, actually, we played that stupid game of taking away someone elses' gift, but giving the item a "2 exchange only." So my ol' buddy, Barbara, took my package and fell in love with her. I was so happy she got it but then one of the other crazies decided she wanted it, so she took it, giving Barbara another chance to pick something else, she then picked a silver chain necklace and matching bracelet...I really loved the little silk bag it came in more than the jewelry. Well, someone else took that from her, giving Barbara another chance to pick something else, she then took back the virgin and now she resides with Barbara. I've already made this story too long, but I got some special orders that night from some of the crazies and this past Thurs., I took them to book club and came out of there with some $$$. I then got another order for next month. Well, here are the offerings I made:

San Pasqual, the patron saint of the kitchen. I don't guarantee your cooking will improve, but he sure looks preeety on the wall. Those are miniature clay pots from Mexico.

This is El Santo Nino or El Nino de Atocha. Not sure what he's a patron saint to, maybe prisoners since his story is about that. His story began in Spain, back during the Moorish occupation....talkin' waaaay back. So these Moors take over this area, imprisoning all the Spanish soldiers who participated in this battle, not providing any food or water in the prison, so against the Geneva Convention...oh wait, there was no Geneva Convention...maybe a Geneva, but no convention. So the story goes, this little kid, about 6ish, walks up to the big, bad Moorish guards and asks if he can feed and give water and aid to the prisoners. These cats laughed and decided to let the kid in, since all he was holding was a small basket of bread and fruit and a flagon, or gourd, of water. So the story goes, he was able to feed all the hundreds of soldiers, giving them strength to fight another day and eventually ousting those damn Moors from Spain. It's kinda like a biblical "fishes, bread and wine," kinda story. Well, he was so revered in Spain, his story followed the big, bad Spaniards when they came to this continent.


And that leaves La Virgen de Guadalupe, a personal fav of mine. Being a major beaner, she's one great lady to me and I never have stopped loving painting her. I have another order for her and she will be in colours that are not traditional...hey, my other crazy wants her to match her living room, so I will comply.

Another saint I would like to paint is San Martin de Porres, who my maternal grandfather worshiped. I don't know much about him, other than he had been a slave living in Peru, but my grandfather, who grew up in Northern Mexico and educated by Methodists, loved this guy. He's next on my list of saints to paint and get a bit more background.

So some random stuff:

• Why are people so rude,especially during the holidays?? That's the time to be extra patient because of all the rude people!! Just be nice, people, is that so hard??
• Why are people still harping about that damn Mayan calendar? If the end comes, well, it comes, can't do a thing about it other than vote out some of the bastards in Congress right now and God help us with a president, Demo or Republican...gawd, I hate politicians!! Anyway, the experts are saying it's the end of an era, whatever that means...hey, change is good.
• Was listening to a CD the other day in my studio, "The Best of the Birds." Loved them when I was in high school back in the 60's, but I heard this one song about a horse sung by Roger McGuin...he's talking about capturing this horse and putting his brand and making it his wife!!!!!!!! HUH!!!!!!!!!!???????????? Now that's just wrong!!!!!!!!!!
  

I know there are more things that have popped in and out of my gray cells, but I can't think of anymore right now. I probably need to write them down and keep records of them, like my "dichos," or "sayings." Like many of you, I grew up with all kinds of sayings, both in English and Spanish, but the ones I usually find myself saying, are the ones in Spanish. It's hard to translate many of them for any kind of effectivness in English and visa versa, but one of my favs is, "El Diablo no se huele su cola," or, "The Devil doesn't smell his own ass." I think that one is just as effective in both languages!! LOL

Well, my friends, it's time for me to "pack it in," as a dear friend of mine from Manchester, England used to say as we were saying our goodbyes. Hope you all had a wonderful Christmas and I also hope you aren't one of those people who still lights up the Christmas tree and exterior lights still on the 14th. Around here, many people leave everything up till the 6th, Dia de los Tres Reyes, or the "Day of the Three Kings," or better known as the Epiphany. Many folks enjoy a cup of coffee, milk with their "Rosca," a special pastery for that day. I'm going to do some experimenting and try to come up with a better recipe because as lovely as Rosca, with it's hidden hard plastic baby Jesus that has been the cause of some major dental problems, is, it tastes like cardboard. Once I figure that out, then it's on to a "kinder and gentler" substitute for the plastic baby Jesus. Peace out.