Saturday stuff

The chili making pot is out, the meat is thawing, and I'm ready to make a boat load of it this afternoon.  It's not a hassle or hard to make.  I just figure when you're making some, make a lot.  Fred and his assistant are in the backyard blowing leaves before the monsoon begins again, so all is quiet at this end.

Yesterday I was thrilled to set up my pecan cracking station in the backyard at our outdoor dinner table, and cracked an entire basket of pecans gathered on Sis's and my walks.  The new house we've found has a totally different species of pecans and while I like Pecan Lady's pecans better, I'm keeping my vow never to partake of hers again.  Lady...if you can't be nice, you can keep your damn pecans.  I don't need 'um.  (But, I never said I didn't still want them.)

My favorite yard man in the world will be by this afternoon to drag all the bags of leaves he blew for us before Christmas, out front for the big monthly pick up next week.  Juan said he'd come--just to call him and remind him.  He does such an incredible job, it's like your yard's had a mani and pedi by the time he's done.  Our family has known his for over twenty years and it's always fun to see him and find out how everyone is.  His mother and grandmother used to make the most unbelievable Mexican food in the world.  Ohhhh, how I wish I had been able to learn how they did it and take notes.  Their black beans with cojita cheese makes my mouth water just to think about, and everything was made from scratch.  I swanney...they cooked for days one time when mom had his mom, Katerina, fix us a big comida.  The food just kept coming.  We about ate ourselves to death.  Katerina's black beans looked like regular old black beans--that is until you put them in your mouth.   Then they tasted like something from beyond our solar system.  Looking at this picture, I can almost smell them.  Oh, man.