Rambling Thoughts and Loose Ends

I don't post here very often anymore. Perhaps it's because I don't have a lot to say about anything...at least nothing that anyone would find interesting.

Sure, I could post photos of every loaf of bread I bake or the the King Cake and jambalaya from Tuesday's dinner or the stuffed peppers and stuffed eggplant that I made two weeks ago or pics of Benni, the Dog doing dog things.

Our Mardi Gras was not as Elegant at Russ' and MP's

A View of Cochiti Lake

We took a day trip to Los Alamos (it's only 17 miles from Cochiti if you're a crow, but it's 68 miles (1 hour, 15 minutes) via Santa Fe or 110 miles (2 hour,s 20 minutes via Jemez Springs). The old route via an unimproved and slightly scary Dome Road, was 36 miles but took about 1 hour and 30  minutes).

In other words you can't get there from here (easily).

We stopped at the nearby Valles Caldera - the remnant of an ancient volcano. At over 11,000 feet it has it's own climate.

Moisture on the windshield caused the effect

In Los Alamos Smith's (Kroger's) Supermarket is on steroids. Competing with WalMart, but classier. It has a Pub with Beer on Tap if you aren't interested in shopping with the hubby.

And a whole section for clothing

Back in Santa Fe, near the Frank Ortiz Dog Park is a plaque commemorating those Japanese Americans who were interred in a camp there during World War II. Not many people know that Japanese-Americans were transported to this Santa Fe location and imprisoned for being of Japanese ancestry out of the fear and bigotry that grew out of the attack on Pearl Harbor.

Italian class was going well, so long as we were focused on conversation...I did live in Rome for nine months when I was a Junior in college, a lifetime ago, so started this class with a little knowledge...but when we started to conjugate verbs I got so confused.

I can use the same verbs in various tenses in conversation, but when asked to just conjugate them out of context...that is an exercise in frustration. I'll have one more class next week and then I'll be on my own...unless there will be another "more advanced" class.

Had my annual physical recently and as usual it involved some referrals for updated bloodwork (my bad cholesterol is good and my good cholesterol isn't so good and my triglycerides are high which is status quo for me).

Also got a referral for a ultrasound of my bladder and prostrate (because I mentioned frequent bathroom trips at night).

One of the "nice things about getting older" is I am getting to visit the various medical facilities and clinics in Santa Fe!

Well, the "prep" involved drinking 32 ounces of water 1 hour before the test, which I did. I drove into town and walked into the testing facility unable to hold it any longer. I told the receptionist that I HAD to use the restroom.
"OK," she said, "but just go a little."
"Impossible," I said.

When I was done she gave me two more glasses of water and by the time I was called in for the ultrasound I was at the bursting point again.

Thankfully the "full bladder" test was over within minutes; After a a restroom break I got the "empty bladder" exam. (all the tests came back OK).

But what I got in the mail this week was enlightening. A bill/statement.

Amount charged $ 389.00
Adjustment           $ 342.30
Insurance Paid    $   26.17
Patient Balance     $   20.53

So this is with a Medicare Advantage Plan. The "adjustment" is what the plan has brokered with the provider to just deduct from the bill. So does the provider just eat the $342 or is the charge just an arbitrary, inflated number to make it look like I'm getting a bargain?

If the charge is legit, the service provider is losing a lot of money. People with no insurance presumably pay the full price...and they are subsidizing Medicare/Medicare Advantage.

And just an added level of complexity, there are maybe 10 different Medicare "Supplement" plans offered by each private insurance company that come with a monthly premium that is NOT cheap.

Just saying..."Medicare for All" may not be what it promises to be.

Laura Pausini e Gilberto Gil - Seamisai / Sei que me amavas

I absolutely LOVE this song. I have Italian ancestry but I think I have a Brazilian soul. Laura Pausini is nice but Gilberto Gil has such a sensual, sexy, enticing voice, he gets right into my romantic groove. I'm including the lyrics and translation as I am studying Italian....The video also has the Portuguese lyrics which have beautiful sound.
Give it a minute to load...it takes some patience....

Seamisai

Laura Pausini 

Songwriters: Alfredo Rapetti / Gil Gilberto / Giuseppe Carella

Seamisai lyrics © Warner Chappell Music, Inc

Non dire no                                        Don't say no  
Che ti conosco e lo so cosa pensi      I know you and I know what you think             
Non dirmi no                                      Don't tell me no
È già da un po'                                   It's already been a some time
Che non ti sento parlare d'amore      That I haven't heard you talk about love or
Usare il tempo al futuro per noi        Using the future tense for us 
 

E non serve ripetere ancora               And there is no use in repeating again

che tu mi vuoi                                      that you love me

Perché ora non c'è quel tuo sorriso    Because now your smile for me

al mattino per me                                 in the morning has gone   
Perché non mi dai più niente di te       Because you give me nothing of yourself now

Se ami sai quando tutto finisce             If you love, you know when it all ends 
Se ami sai come un brivido triste         If you love you know like a sad shudder
Come in un film dalle scene già viste   Like a movie one's already seen   

Che se ne va, oh no                               That fades away, oh no 

 
Sai sempre quando una storia              You always know when a story

si è chiusa                                              has ended
E non si può più inventare una scusa    And one can no longer invent an excuse
Se ami prendi le mie mani                      If you love take my hands
Perché prima di domani finirà               Because before tomorrow it will end 

E non si può                                            And you can't 

chiudere gli occhi e far finta di niente    close your eyes and pretend there is nothing  

Come fai tu quando resti con me            Like you do when you lie by my side


E non trovi il coraggio di dirmi              And you don't have the courage 

                                                                 to tell me

"che cosa c'è"                                          "what's going on"

Sarà dentro di me come                           Inside me it will be

una notte d'inverno perché                       like a winter night because 
Sarà da oggi in poi senza di te                 It will be from now on I'm without you

 
Se ami sai quando tutto finisce                 If you love, you know when it all ends
Se ami sai come un brivido triste             If you love, you know like a sad shudder 
Come in un film dalle scene già viste       Like a movie one's already seen
Che se ne va, oh no                                   That fades away, oh no

Sai bene quando inizia il dolore                You really know when the pain begins
E arriva la fine più una storia d'amore      It comes at the very end of a love story 
Se ami prendi le mie mani                          If you love, take my hands
Perché prima di domani                             Because before tomorrow
Te ne andrai                                                You will go away

Non sarai                                                    You will not be
Qui con me                                                  Here with me

If you love you know

Versions: #1#2#3#4

Don’t say “no”, as I know you and I know

what you think

don’t tell me “no”.

It’s been some time now that I haven’t heard you

talking of love

using the future tense for us

and there’s no use in repeating to me again that you love me

because now that smile of yours in the mornings

has disappeared

because you don’t give me anything of yourself anymore.

If you love you know when everything is over

if you love you know, like a sad shudder

like a film whose scenes you’ve seen before

and that it’s going away now, oh no!

You always know when a story has concluded

and it’s not possible to make up more excuses

if you love, take my hands

as before tomorrow arrives

it’ll be over.

And it’s not possible

to close your eyes and pretend nothing happens

as you try and do when you’re by my side

and you don’t have the courage to tell me what’s going on

inside me it’ll be like a winter

night because

from now on I’ll be without you

If you love you know when everything is over

if you love you know, like a sad shudder

like a film whose scenes you’ve seen before

and that it’s going away now, oh no!

You know very well when the pain sets on

and the end of a love story has arrived

but if you love, take my hands

as before tomorrow arrives

you’ll leave, you won’t be

here with me

https://lyricstranslate.com

English translation

A A

If you love you know

Versions: #1#2#3#4

Don’t say “no”, as I know you and I know

what you think

don’t tell me “no”.

It’s been some time now that I haven’t heard you

talking of love

using the future tense for us

and there’s no use in repeating to me again that you love me

because now that smile of yours in the mornings

has disappeared

because you don’t give me anything of yourself anymore.

If you love you know when everything is over

if you love you know, like a sad shudder

like a film whose scenes you’ve seen before

and that it’s going away now, oh no!

You always know when a story has concluded

and it’s not possible to make up more excuses

if you love, take my hands

as before tomorrow arrives

it’ll be over.

And it’s not possible

to close your eyes and pretend nothing happens

as you try and do when you’re by my side

and you don’t have the courage to tell me what’s going on

inside me it’ll be like a winter

night because

from now on I’ll be without you

If you love you know when everything is over

if you love you know, like a sad shudder

like a film whose scenes you’ve seen before

and that it’s going away now, oh no!

You know very well when the pain sets on

and the end of a love story has arrived

but if you love, take my hands

as before tomorrow arrives

you’ll leave, you won’t be

here with me

https://lyricstranslate.com

English translation

A A

If you love you know

Versions: #1#2#3#4

Don’t say “no”, as I know you and I know

what you think

don’t tell me “no”.

It’s been some time now that I haven’t heard you

talking of love

using the future tense for us

and there’s no use in repeating to me again that you love me

because now that smile of yours in the mornings

has disappeared

because you don’t give me anything of yourself anymore.

If you love you know when everything is over

if you love you know, like a sad shudder

like a film whose scenes you’ve seen before

and that it’s going away now, oh no!

You always know when a story has concluded

and it’s not possible to make up more excuses

if you love, take my hands

as before tomorrow arrives

it’ll be over.

And it’s not possible

to close your eyes and pretend nothing happens

as you try and do when you’re by my side

and you don’t have the courage to tell me what’s going on

inside me it’ll be like a winter

night because

from now on I’ll be without you

If you love you know when everything is over

if you love you know, like a sad shudder

like a film whose scenes you’ve seen before

and that it’s going away now, oh no!

You know very well when the pain sets on

and the end of a love story has arrived

but if you love, take my hands

as before tomorrow arrives

you’ll leave, you won’t be

here with me

https://lyricstranslate.com

Give Us Our Daily Bread

One thing about not being able to sleep past 2 AM is that I get to make dough.

Rather than lay in bed and contemplate the ceiling or try to rub my sore back (Am I too old to be shoveling snow?) I finally got up, got dressed and went to my office - the kitchen.

Leon had mentioned cinnamon rolls...actually a co-worker of his was asking, so I woke up thinking about cinnamon rolls.

One not so good thing about not having a "recipe" is that when something comes out exceptionally well, you have no way of replicating it exactly.

My cinnamon rolls this morning were quite exceptional. I think I used a teaspoon of yeast in 1/2 cup water and 1/3 cup sugar; let that set for a few minutes, added a teaspoon of salt and a cup of gently warmed milk (2%) a half stick to 2/3 stick of butter, softened and enough flour (?) to make a soft dough. Beat it up, kneaded it gently and let it rise for an hour.

Then I formed the rolls by making a "rope" about 6-8 inches long, dipped each in melted butter and dredged them in cinnamon sugar, formed a spiral and placed them on a baking sheet and into a 375 degree oven for 20+ minutes.

After they cooled just a bit I frosted them with a thick confectioner sugar/water/orange extract mix.

Exceptional!



Then it was on to the bread. Actually I started the bread dough while the cinnamon rolls were rising.

I will say I am getting better every time I make bread. This morning I used 3 1/2 large coffee mugs of water, 2 teaspoons of yeast, a little sugar, salt and I mixed in a cup of whole wheat pastry flour with the King Arthur all purpose.

Those bread snobs who weigh everything: the water, the yeast, the flour. And they calculate the percentages of water to flour to yeast and salt. I have a kitchen scale but I think I would break it if I weighed my ingredients.

Besides, I've watched old Italian women on YouTube make bread in a large trough which probably holds twenty-five pounds of flour.

I think they take turns making bread for the entire neighborhood in one huge wood-fired oven that is prepared ahead and heated to probably over 900 degrees. It holds maybe 30 or more loaves of bread.

I don't have a wood-fired oven, but I heat mine to 475 degrees and place a large roasting pan with about 1/2 inch of water on the bottom of the oven and allow that to heat to steam point.

I brush my loaves with water and sprinkle on sesame seeds (cuz I like the flavor they impart) before taking them to the oven. The bread is done in 20 to 25 minutes.

Exceptional! If I do say so.

Insomnia bread. I beats tossing and turning.

Yesterday's Snow Will Be Tomorrow's Mud

How many times have I mentioned that one reason we moved to New Mexico was to get away from the snow in New England. Yesterday it found us.

We got hammered in our little village,but of course there was no snow at all in most of Albuquerque and friends in Santa Fe said they only had about an inch, most of which was gone by noon. 

Our share was 6 to 8 inches and will be around for a while. 

Then will come the MUD. I don't mind hiking with the dog in snow, but MUD here is another thing altogether. It's more like concrete, or should I say, more in keeping with the locale, adobe.  

Another day for that, but for now we're enjoying the white stuff.

 

 

For more pics see Benni's Blog

Total (Well Not Quite) Immersion

I've been getting back to my roots, so to speak, even though my particular roots are in Connecticut, my family roots are in the Southern regions of Italy, namely Calabria, Campania and Apulia.

So I've been watching lots of YouTube videos of Italian mamas cooking, making bread and pasta and various sauces; documentaries, news reports and music.

And I am taking a refresher course in Italian on Monday nights.

Today, I attended a concert by Newpoli Mediterranean Pulse - Ritmi Della Terra.
This contemporary group takes traditional Southern Italian music, e.g. the Tarantella, and gives it a modern flair. Despite my almost adequate knowledge of Italian, I have a hard time understanding it when the speaker is speaking fast, and an even harder time when they use any of the many dialects - of which Southern Italy has many.

The music of the group Newpoli is a celebration of those many regions and dialects, and while I had a very difficult time understanding the lyrics (actually I probably only picked up a handful of words here and there) I found the sound of the language, the sound of the dialects, somewhat familiar.

The music itself has a very plaintive quality and I would call it a mix of Italy/Greece/North Africa


Here are a few YouTube videos of Newpoli. 

I would caution that they may not appeal to most people's taste and I do find the female vocalists a bit shrill at times.  

Much better in person.

 Mediterraneo

 Nun Te Vutà

 

'Na voce sola

My grandparents and their contemporaries would often revert to their first language when they got together; I recall the cadence, the sing-song rhythm, the sometimes guttural sounds, the melody of vowels. 

I recall the many weddings of older cousins which I attended when I was young and the fun we had pretending to dance the tarantella when the live band finally played C'è la luna mezz'u mare, Mamma mia mi maritare. 

Here's a version that will give you an idea of the various potential spouses one might marry:

Blogger Issues !!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

THIS SEEMS TO BE A SAFARI ISSUE...NO PROBLEM WITH FIREFOX

Dear Readers: I cannot reply to you!!!!

When logged into my google account I can access my blogger dashboard and can make new posts from there, but I cannot post a reply to readers' comments on my blogs when I go to "View Blog" or go to my Blog address directly. Reply post says Post as "Google Account" "Name/URL" "Annonymous" None of these options work. Upper right corner of blogs say "Create Blog" and "Sign In" - When I sign in (again) it is like I've done nothing at all - I still cannot reply to reader's comments - the blog/s does/do not recognize that I am the blog/s owner. There used to be a "New Post" option and my avatar would appear in the comment/reply section. I am having a similar problem with Disqus - I have to sign in for EVERY comment I attempt to post. I have gone through settings on the blog and safari; I'm at a loss. This seems to be a Google issue as it is the same on all of my blogger blogs as well as on Disqus.

I am using a Macbook Pro with iOS Mohave 10.14.6. I'm not sure if this may have started with the update to Mohave.

Just A Short Political Rant

After reading/viewing the sparring among the democratic candidates these past weeks I am becoming fatigued, bored, disgusted and angry. "He said, she said, no, I didn't say." Blah, blah, blah. Sanders-Warren-Biden.

Sanders, (do I need to describe him?) just needs to go away as far as I'm concerned and unfortunately when he does, he will likely take his supporters with him...they probably won't vote out of spite.

Biden doesn't thrill me either, but his so called "cuts to SS" that the Sanders folks are screaming about, were, it seems to me from viewing the linked videos, in the context of an overall freeze on government spending - a proposal for fiscal responsibility - something the R's purport to be one of their principles but which democrats have actually tried and succeeded in achieving on occasion. Supporting a freeze on spending is not the same as CUTS in one program. And just because one supports a strategy does not mean that they are forever obligated to support that idea, even when time and circumstances change. Get over it.

Warren is acting like she tripped and just slid down the wrong rabbit hole into Never-never Land. Liz, get over it.

Pete is looking like a deer in the headlights. Get out of the way, Pete, or you'll be road kill.

I just wish we could all get past this pettiness and get unified. All our candidates have baggage of one kind or another, be it age, gender, sexual orientation, voting record, race, or personality. We don't have a candidate who can please everyone and fulfill everyone's fantasy of redemption. Get over it.

I'm afraid the democratic line-up is beginning to resemble the fight to the death of gladiators in the Circus Maximus. Unfortunately, whoever is left will be too wounded to face the lion. I don't think the debates are doing anyone any good. They are not debates but rather, "take the bait" and fight with one another. I'm disgusted.

They all need to get over themselves and do what is right for the democratic party, for the country and for our future. Just have a private meeting, decide who will run and the rest bow out gracefully. Yeah, I know, I'm a dreamer.

Selfies With Benni, Wrinkles, Gout, And Make Your Bed

Saw a photo of some young, sexy shirtless guy with tats posing with his Siberian Husky...so was inspired to do some selfies with our dog, our Weimador, Benni. Neither of us is pedigree, but Benni is by far the more handsome. See below.

Back to Stonewall yesterday posted a 1970's listing of the gay bars in New York City. Each came with a description of the venue and/or the clientele likely to frequent each establishment. There were a number of leather/western bars and private clubs; other categories included raunchy leather, backroom, disco, cruisy, intimate, fun, friendly, piano lounge, cabaret.

But there was one that I'd never heard before: "wrinkle room" 

And I thought to myself, "that's probably where I'd be relegated to now!"

And I admit, it made me laugh!

The gout acted up this week...something that's only happened once (well actually twice within a short time from the same trigger) in four years. 

The last time was days after I had started taking glucosamine/chondroitin. Left big toe was swollen and painful. When I tried to recall if anything in my diet had changed, the only thing I could identify was the G/C. So I stopped taking the pills and the gout cleared up.

I did some internet searches and found nothing that would indicate that G/C was a trigger. I thought perhaps it was just coincidental, so after t couple of weeks, I continued with taking the glucosamine/chondroitin hoping it would help with some aches and pains. 

Sure enough, gout in the right big toe flared up on cue. No more G/C for me, no more gout. That is until last Sunday evening.

We had been to a birthday celebration for a friend and I threw caution to the wind and asked for a gin and tonic. I am not a drinker and don't particularly like gin and tonic...but it was the only thing that came to mind when I was asked what kind of cocktail I'd like. Other's were asking for Scotch or Bourbon which I find distasteful. 

My drink was 3/4 gin and 1/4 tonic. I had a hard time downing it...sips at a time. So, does anyone know if GIN will trigger a gout attack? 

It flared up Sunday evening, had me down Monday and mostly cleared up by Wednesday...until Friday when I wore some rather tight-fitting hiking boots because we had a good snowfall...well, Friday night I was awake and in agony again till 2:30am when the second dose of indomethacin and ice pack kicked in to offer me some relief.

And on Friday Leon had been suffering some anxiety about work and we had to take Benni to the Vet because he'd been having diarrhea for two days since he must have gotten into something when we were walking in the arroyo and I wasn't watching him.

I told Leon that we've had such a good run and good karma, we can't complain. But maybe our karma has changed. Either that, or it was because we didn't make the bed Friday after getting up.

Lessons for this week. Embrace your wrinkles. Stay away from glucosamine/chondroitin. Don't let the dog eat dead animals or coyote poop. And always make your bed.

As you can see, Benni is not the easiest subject to get to pose for a selfie. BUT ISN'T HE CUTE?

Gettin Into the Italian

I'm not sure why I've been getting into my Italian (more than usual) but I have been making homemade pasta, Italian bread, manicotti, not to mention the Italian Christmas cookies.

I've been watching "Pasta Grannies" on YouTube:

And another food series, "Two Greedy Italians" - My father's parents were from Calabria so I was very interested in this episode. The part where they have to slaughter a pig made me get teary-eyed. I'm such a whoose. The men talk about the respect for food and how nothing is ever wasted.

Here are some of my creations. I usually don't even think of taking photos when I'm cooking so I don't have photos of some of the other pasta I've made.

The Cuccidati

Chocolate Totos

Crespelli (crepes) for Manicotti

Ricotta/spinach/parmigiano Filling

Rolled and Ready

Probably my Best Bread yet

I've also just started taking an Italian language course to brush up and hopefully improve on my limited conversational skills.

Is there a trip in my future? Not sure.

A Christmas Video From My Niece...Sorry I'm Posting So Late

An original song and music by Andrea DeFrancesco 

Pressing Holiday Questions

I just want pose a few questions that have been puzzling me about the Night Before Christmas.

1. What exactly is a "sugar plum" and where can I get some?

2. Does anyone still wear kerchiefs? and aren't handkerchiefs un sanitary?

3. Is the correct verse "Had just settled our brains for a long winter's nap" or "Had just settled down for a long winter's nap."? And is going to bed for the night really a "nap"?

4. Does anyone besides a window installer, house builder or window washer even know what a "sash" is? It sounds like a flowing scarf that some flamboyant queen might wear.

5. Does new-fallen snow have breasts?

6. This is a major question: Why would Saint Nick have a miniature sleigh and eight tiny reindeer? And doesn't Rudolph make nine?

7. Why is the "little old driver" also "chubby and plump"?

8. How many toys could fit in the miniature sleigh which was "full of toys and St. Nicholas too"?

9. What exactly made St. Nicholas laugh? And was the bowl full of jelly or Jell-o?

10. Not a question, but in any case,
Merry Christmas!

And speaking of dangerous windmills:

My Hubby Has A Cool Job

How many people see LongHorn Sheep at the office? 

This herd of sheep was passing through Kasha Katuwe-Tent Rocks National Monument in New Mexico this afternoon. It was the first time hubby has seen this spectacle since joining the ranger staff almost four years ago.

Sometimes it's just refreshing to see the natural world carrying on as if nothing is happening of importance in the world of us humans. 

This would be fine if we weren't slowly destroying the natural world these beautiful creatures call home...that we too call home. 

Wishing you all a wonderful Holiday Season. May we find solace and peace and comfort in the beauty of nature and in the company of our loved ones. Peace.

To Solve the Problem of Too Much Rain?

I don't usually post about the imposter in the White House but I had such a laugh when I read this transcript of his explanation of why he wants to change the EPA regulations regarding water conservation fixtures. It is hilarious to read, so long as you mentally suspend the reality that this man is really the president of the United States.(Link to JMG here). His words will go down in history:

Trump Complains About Toilets That “Take 15 Flushes”

December 6, 2019

“We have a situation where we’re looking very strongly at sinks and showers and other elements of bathrooms, where you turn the faucet on in areas where there’s tremendous amounts of water, where the water rushes out to sea because you could never handle it. And you don’t get any water. You turn on the faucet — you don’t get any water. They take a shower, and water comes dripping out, it’s dripping out very quietly, dripping out.

“People are flushing toilets 10 times, 15 times, as opposed to once. They end up using more water. So EPA is looking at that very strongly, at my suggestion. You go into a new building or a new house or a new home, and they have standards where you don’t get water. You can’t wash your hands, practically, there’s so little water comes out of the faucet. And the end result is you leave the faucet on, and it takes you much longer to wash your hands. You end up using the same amount of water.”

“So we’re looking at, very seriously, at opening up the standard, and there may be some areas where we’ll go the other route. Desert areas. But for the most part, you have many states where they have so much water that it comes down — it’s called rain — that they don’t know what to do with it. So we’re going to be opening up that, I believe. And we’re looking at changing the standards very soon.” – Donald J. Trump, alleged president of the United States.