FLU SHOTS...YES, NO, YES, NO???

Sam's comments...63 days and counting!

I have been doing a lot of research on flu shots. Both the regular flu shot and the H1N1 flu shot. We are both in excellent health, in our early 50's, and have never received a flu shot in the past. I have been hearing and reading various opinions. Beginning in December, we will be traveling in Mexico for about 5 months.  My opinion is to get them both.  However, I am afraid of having a reaction...worse yet...I don't want to get ill from getting the shots.  I have heard stories that the first year some people are sick more often.  I never get sick.  I worked for 26 1/2 years and never had a sick day!  Amazing.

What do you think?

Thanks to socialmarketing.blogs.com

SLOW COOKER AND COMET WERE MY BEST FRIENDS TODAY

Sam's comments...64 days and counting!

I mentioned before that Bob's family is in the process of selling mom's home. The house is/was full of stuff from over 40 years of accumulation. The past week or so, the family has been sorting through things and creating a "garage sale" pile. Of course, every item must be examined. Things that haven't been used in years (no one even new they existed) somehow have become very important...go figure. So, all this "stuff" was boxed and trucked over to his sister's home. Her daughter and friends were going to have the garage sale. Well...that was the plan. A week later, all the stuff came back. Now the garage sale was going to be at his mom's house. How many times, can this "stuff" be touched without anything happening to it? I certainly call this mis-management. Now the weather is changing...for the worse...rain and cooler days.

The other day they had their first showing. The house was a disaster!! No way would I ever let anyone look at this mess. Remember all of the garage sale items? That's right, they took up the family room, living room and master bedroom. Anyway, the feedback from the couple and realtor was..."THE HOUSE WAS A MESS". That's all it took because yesterday, Bob took truck loads of the garage sale stuff and delivered it to Salvation Army. Hurray...we can now see the floors!!

So, I am sure you are wondering why my slow cooker and comet were my best friends today. Well, I went with Bob to do some cleaning. Before I left our home, I put some country pork ribs in the slow cooker with a chipotle BBQ sauce. While I was cleaning today, my favorite cleaner was comet. In the past, the only comet I new was a reindeer.

I was certainly happy to walk in our home tonight after 7 hours of cleaning to smell my dinner. I finished our dinner off with some boiled cabbage that I sauteed with butter, onions, and caraway seeds. I also sauteed some granny smith apples with butter, brown sugar, lemon juice and a little lemmon zest. Of course, a glass or two of wine.

Thanks for letting me vent.

COLD DAY TURNED WARM

Sam's comments...65 days and counting!

Well, today is a very dreary day and a sad day.   First of all, I broke out my blue jeans and put them on this morning with a sweatshirt.  This is the first time in many many months that I have put on long pants...yuck!  The other thing...I was drinking my coffee, reading the paper online, and doing some miscellaneous things in my office, and I was chilly to the bone.  Bob looked at me and agreed it was cold in the house.  So...the sad thing...we put on our furnace.  Do you believe it...it isn't even October.

Bob left and went to help at his mom's house.  The house went on the market last Friday.  However, there is so much that still needs to be done.  Forty years worth of "stuff".  It's hard to do all of this because his mom is still living.  And of course, there are six siblings and no one agrees on anything!  Anyway...after Bob left I went to our lower level to do some ironing.  After about 15 minutes, that iron certainly warmed me right up...I certainly won't tell Bob.  He'll just tell me that it is part of my change of life...blah, blah, blah.

So, a cool, rainy, chilly fall day deserves a nice oven roasted chicken, roasted oven vegetables, mashed potatoes, and a nice glass of wine.  This will indeed perk up any sad day. 

BEAUTIFUL FALL DAY

Sam's comments...66 days and counting!

Today was a beautiful day in Michigan.  It was in the mid 70's and sunny.  Earlier today, I took some pictures on my back patio.  My geraniums and million bells were absolutely gorgeous.  I also wanted to share a picture of my herb garden that consists of the following:  sage, basil, parsley, mint, oregano, thyme, rosemary, onion chives, garlic chives, and tarregon.  I love my herb garden, and it looks very lush at the moment.  It is right off the kitchen on the patio...very convenient while cooking.

The next couple of days, we are to have a high of 59...can you really call that a high??... with heavy rains and high winds.  I am certainly glad that I was able to take advantage of today and spend it outside.  I guess it will be inside chores for the next couple of days.

ROASTED TOMATILLO CHILE SALSA

Sam's comments...67 days and counting!

Last week, I harvested much of my vegetable garden.  It is hard to believe it is the end of the growing season already in Michigan.  We planted the garden around the 20th of May...four months later it's all over...or perhaps just beginning.  The beginning part is deciding what to do with all the produce. 

Last year was the first time we planted a tomatillo plant.  The plant had all kinds of green wrappers all summer long...but we ended up with nothing!  This year we decided to give it another try.  Last week, I picked about 30 tomotillos.  I was so excited.  Now I had to decide what to do with them as I have never cooked with them before.  So, I checked some recipes on the Internet and found a Roasted Tomatillo Chile Salsa from Tyler Florence.  Looked easy enough to make so I tried it earlier this week and served it with Chicken Enchiladas to our friends for dinner.  I also made Stuffed Poblano Chilies (also from my garden) and a light, refreshing, and easy Key Lime Pie.  I had so much food left over that my neighbors were the benefactors of my leftovers.

Since I am new to this blogging...I'll have to learn to take some pictures to share with my readers.  So for now, I'll share with you the recipe for the tomatillo salsa.  I promise to share the other recipes soon.

ROASTED TOMATILLO CHILE SALSA (Tyler Florence)

1 pound tomatillos, husked
1 white onion, peeled and quartered
4 large garlic cloves
2 jalapenos
2 teaspoons ground cumin (I added more because we like this flavor)
1 teaspoon salt
1/2 cup chopped cilantro leaves
1/2 lime, juiced

Preheat oven to 400 degrees F.   On a baking tray, roast tomatillos, onion, garlic and jalepenos for 15 to 17 minutes.  Transfer the roasted vegetables and any juices on the bottom of the tray to a food processor.  Add the cumin, salt, cilantro, and lime juice and pulse mixture until well combined but still chunky.

I used this as my base to make the Chicken Enchiladas.  Two days later, I made another batch of salsa and served it with tortilla chips...yummy.

Enjoy

COUNTDOWN BEGINS!!

Sam's comments...68 days and counting!

Counting to what you may ask?  Bob and I will be leaving Michigan the beginning of December for a 4 month journey (once again, getting away from the Michigan winter).  Our first stop will be Oaxaca, Oaxaca.  Where is Oaxaca?  It is a state in southern Mexico.  It is rich in heritage and culture...so I hear.  This will be our first time in this coloniel city.  The city of Oaxaca is located in the valley of one of the three great mountain ranges that cross the state, the Sierra Madre del Sur, at an altitude of 5,000 feet.  It is the capital and main city of the state, and has a population of nearly half a million people.  No...we won't be at the beach...the weather will be cool at night and beautiful during the day.

We will spend the month of December renting the ground level of a home.  The upper level is the home and studio of the owner who is also an artist.  We will be spending both Christmas and New Year's in Oaxaca.  Then...off to San Miguel de Allende for three months.  We are both very excited.  We better study more spanish...but when!  You would think that retirees have all the time in the world...I don't know how I ever had time to work.

With only 68 days to go, we have so much to do before we leave.  Bob is helping to prepare his mom's home for sale...not an easy task...I'll leave it at that!  He is spending almost every day on this task.  We have also thought about selling our home since we aren't here half the year.  Oh well, one thing at a time.

INTRODUCTION

This is our first post to our blog.  Just a few months ago, we couldn't even begin to tell you about blogs. 

My husband (Bob) and I (Sam) will probably both be writing and sharing thoughts on this blog.  We have been married for over 27 years and have no children.  We are best friends and share a lot together. 

In 2006 Sam retired after working for a Regional Bank for 26 1/2 years as a regional sales manager.  She was 48 when she retired.  Sam was very involved in the community and served on many non-profit boards.  Definitely a Type A personality.  While Sam was retired, Bob was still working from home with his forensic accounting business.  In the fall of 2006, Bob stopped accepting new clients. 

In January 2008, we took the plunge and left the Michigan winter behind.  We headed for nicer weather.  We spent three months (sight unseen) and lived in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  San Miguel is in the center of Mexico, 6400 feet up in the mountains, and is a great town.

I (Sam) have been following a few blogs and find them very interesting.  The inspiration for writing this blog came from a friend we met in San Miguel de Allende, Mexico.  Her name is Billie and she is one of the most interesting people I have ever met.  Thanks Billie...we hope our blog is one tenth as successful as yours.

More later...