Cold - As Far as the Eye Can See!

Yep, it's *cold!*

Our warned-of winter storm has begun

And there is no warmth in sight :-(

Irresistible Sculpture

We went to a party at a friend's house tonight, and met "Craig Phelps," this irresistible sculpture

Why that name? Babs (our friend) saw the ad on Craig's list, and the physique seemed similar to Michael Phelps => Craig Phelps...
She hasn't been able to track down any information about the artist: Lenora Mark (1991), but many of us would love to see more!

Apparently, he's irresistible to many; Barbara and I joined a fan club ;-)

Spanish Again :-)

I was trying to think of the last time I spoke Spanish; at first, I thought it had to have been a year and a half ago in Costa Rica. Then I realized that I'd had some short conversations here in New Mexico - part of hiking and other meetups. And yes, I read some Spanish in my Facebook feed, but things (e.g., my brain, my ears, my mouth) were getting rusty!

Well, last night, we went to an Intercambio party, and had actual, *sustained* conversations! For hours! It was great - so many words were just on the tip of my tongue, then I heard them - and remembered!

Quebramos la piñata...

(Photo swiped from Gabriela :-) )
I don't think I've had a swing at a piñata since I was 8 (ish) - young, anyway! It was certainly a lot of fun!

Potluck Egg Cups

'Tis the season for potlucks!
And these are amazingly good, and travel well! I had them hot, but I suspect they would be great cold as well (reminds me of the time I had cold quiche at a farmer's market in France).

Egg Cups*

Preheat the oven to 375F. Lightly grease a 12-cup muffin pan.

Distribute in muffin cups:
- cooked and crumbled bacon (~3 strips)
- 1/2 onion, chopped, cooked in bacon drippings
- 4-5 mushrooms, chopped, cooked with onions
- 1-2c chopped, cooked green veggies (asparagus, green beans, broccoli)

Mix, then pour over vegetables:
- 9 eggs, well beaten
- 1/4 c milk
- suggested seasonings, to taste
--- thyme
--- basil
--- tarragon
--- nutmeg
--- chipotle and/or green chile

Sprinkle on top:
- 1/2 cup shredded cheddar cheese

Bake for about 15 minutes, or until the egg cups are well set and a tester/toothpick inserted in the center comes out clean.

Let rest 5 minutes, then remove from pan, and eat or wrap in foil to take to the potluck.

Remove foil and microwave to reheat.

Pre-oven:

~~~
* Based on this recipe: http://www.rachaelray.com/2013/06/egg-cups-good-go-to-and-to-go-breakfast

To Do This Week

To Do this week:
- be happy
- do what you love
- give love
- enjoy time with others
- keep learning
- be yourself and love who you are

A friend shared this meme online; I love it! And this week just happens to fill the bill!

We went to a lecture at a local museum - it was about what the folks in Los Alamos (metro area with highest percentage of PhD holders in the nation) are doing to increase our plant-based fuel - I was out with Rick, met interesting new people, and we learned some new science!

I went to a "Civic Hack" night sponsored by the Code for ABQ group. It's not quite a year old, but has several projects in work; one aims to make it easier for the people of Albuquerque to see where the city spends its money (currently, you have to sort through reams of paper to find out), another is mapping pedestrian problems (bad sidewalks, history of falls, etc). Then there's ImagineABQ (yeah, check the link!), collecting ideas for a better Albuquerque. This one evening checked all the boxes for me!

But the fun didn't stop! Our apartment had scheduled some plumbing repairs (no water available for several hours), so we went out to lunch, then furniture shopped - what a beautiful day it was! And successful!

Having a newly dedicated project area, I spent some time painting :-) I have a picture in mind that has some difficult aspects. I've thought about it a lot, now I've tried a few things... Well, I learned a bit. And I have a few more ideas to try. If When I get it right, I want to paint this one on a large (for me) canvas.

Those are the "To Do" highlights - let's not forget these:
- morning coffee
- cook something new and interesting
- read a fun and absorbing book
- sudoku
- neighborhood walks (with Rick, in the sun!)
- Big Bang Theory, new episode ;-)

And chores - because when they're done, they keep life pleasant :-\

More Stuff?!?

YES! More Stuff!
Last Spring, in Travel Heavy - Live Light, I posted about downsizing and improvising. But I also had a wish list (repeated here for your convenience and my edification :-) )
- a small table with 2 chairs for dining
- we're hoping to find a mattress that works for us. Easier said than done - currently, we have two air mattresses plus various "padding."
- at least one more real end table (We're getting a bit tired of the unstable box)
- a hand mixer. Although, I don't bake as much as I used to, and I have come to like my fork-mashed parsnips (replacing mashed potatoes)
- a serving platter and bowl; I'm looking for something that combines a NM souvenir (and perhaps handmade experience?) with practicality. I'm not in a hurry tho - I have a cookie sheet and largish cereal bowls that work pretty well...

Well, we're making strides! Albuquerque has *tons* of thrift, consignment, second hand, used-stuff shops - and you can kill yourself trying to see them all! We hit 4 or 5 this afternoon, and finally found this item on my list (sort of) - it has 4 chairs, and two of the sides drop. We moved my painting station over to the next window - that table is now (yay!) just for my projects (and for pressing into service if we have people over).

Our last visit to the consignment shop gained us this! It's a sleigh platform bed (appropriately mussed), with (wait for it) a *real* mattress!!

That freed up the footlockers we had been using as part of a platform; they are our new end tables :-)

I've decided I don't want a hand mixer. I have a blender that I don't use as  often as I used to, and a mixer would just be another gadget taking up space.

I finally broke down and bought a generic pyrex bowl. I use it a lot, but I sure would like something with pizazz! Today, we passed a pottery shop - I may have to go back that way and see what's what...