A Post I Started Writing Almost Eight Years Ago -- La Toma de Zacatecas

As Super Husband and I gear up for another international adventure, I'm reminded of the one I neglected to write up.         Wow, written out like that it sounds terribly ominous.
It's not.

For Super Husband's first Spring Break as a bilingual elementary school teacher we jetted to Zacatecas, Mexico for ten amazing days filled with sightseeing, family, and delicious, delicious food.
We arrived in Aguascalientes on a Friday around lunchtime, and after being picked up by Super Husband's aunt and uncle, one of seven sets on his father's side, we were whisked away for gorditas. A great meal to reintroduce our palates to real, in Mexico Mexican food.
We spent that evening at his grandparents' house, surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins eating pipián and shrimp soup.
Saturday morning we drove with his aunt and uncle and their two children to El Cerro de la Bufa, a hill instrumental in Pancho Villa, Panfilo Natera, and Felipe Angeles' taking of Zacatecas in the 1914 "revolucion mexicana".
The view of Zacatecas from the hill is pretty breathtaking, and makes it easy to see why it would have been strategically important.

Zacatecas seen from El Cerro de la Bufa

The Cerro also has a new camera obscura, allowing visitors to view attractions in the city up close, and in real time.
This "real time" bit was very, very important to the woman operating the camera, as she repeated it about 12 times in our 15 minute look at the city.
From there we made our way to breakfast, where Super Husband and his 18-year-old cousin consumed an amazing number of gorditas (Super Husband was put to shame by his cousin's appetite), and then on to the Museo Rafael Coronel, a museum of Mexican folk art from Zacatecano Expressionist painter Rafael Coronel's collection, and is housed in the former Convent of San Francisco.
The collection, which includes Diego Rivera sketches and pre- and post-Columbian pottery and sculpture, is based around the gigantic mask exhibit. "The Face of Mexico" is a collection of more than 5,000 masks from pre- and post-Colombian Mexico, and puppets from around the world, including a set of wayang kulit puppets depicting a scene from the Ramayana. (This was of special interest to me as wayang kulit are Indonesian shadow puppets.)

There is definitely such a thing as too many masks

 _____________________________________________________________________________________

And that's the last thing I wrote on this blog.

2016 was an amazing year. The rest of that trip was lovely - we ate Tortas de Malpaso on the way to explore to Chicomostoc/La Quemada, an archeological zone and cultural heritage site, and Tosticarnes in Jerez, we were so very spoiled by Super Husband's family. In late May we traveled around Spain and England, and in early July Super Husband returned to Zacatecas to spend three weeks with his family while I tackled projects around our house. We flew to Hong Kong and on to Southern China immediately after his return for a lovely holiday and where I officiated a friend's wedding ceremony. We returned to Zacatecas together by car that December for Christmas, and spent an incredible New Year with his grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins in Guanajuato. January of 2017 brought news that we would be welcoming a Fire Rooster to our midsts and we returned to Zacatecas that summer to share in the joy of expecting the next generation. Super Kiddo was whisked to his father's homeland before his first birthday, where he enjoyed being the center of attention and all the fruit he could get his chubby baby hands on. In November of 2018 Super Kiddo and I flew with my parents and sister to Peru, where the first few days were considerably dampened by my succumbing to altitude sickness but where Super Kiddo took some of his first steps atop Machu Picchu. In February 2019 we traveled to California for my great-uncle's funeral, and spent a day at Disney Land reinforcing for Super Kiddo the concept that it is, in fact, a small world after all. December of that year saw us heading to Maine, and the home my parents had just purchased there, for the first time -- little did we know that events of the coming months would see us relocating to the Midcoast! 

That rather nicely glosses over the turmoil of the entire pandemic. 

We did manage to travel some during these last four years - mostly between our homes in Houston and Midcoast Maine, but also to visit my sister in Denver, and to La Jolla, California for yet another celebration of life.

Super Husband continues to teach, now as a high school math teacher in a 220+ year old boarding school with much local prestige. He is finding adjusting to life in the Midcoast more difficult than anticipated, and really laments losing access to Houston's superb culinary scene. Super Kiddo is now a first grader at our local elementary school, where I also serve on the PTO as Secretary. Math and PE are his stated favorite subjects, but he has recently begun to read anything and everything. Working at our local public library filled my days until very recently, when I stepped back to return to university full time.

It is my intention to return to semi-regular postings here, but to be quite frank, I haven't really decided what that'll look like. Musings and rantings, pictures of tiny bees, and maybe an occasional poem, or maybe I'll forget about this entirely for seven more years. 

Let's see.

It's Been Too Long

I can't believe I let myself go over a year without writing anything here.

I can't even use the excuse that nothing exciting happened…
Super Husband and I have been pretty busy people, all told.

So much happens in a year that I don't know where to start catching up. Chronologically? By order of importance? What pops into my head? An amalgamation of all of those?
That last one seems most fitting.
Super Husband graduated and is studying for the alternative certification test to teach with HISD.
We went to Key West last May, I went to Colorado in September and March, and we're going to Colorado next week.
My sister and I went to the Bahamas last month, and it was lovely!
I'll put up some pictures of all of our trips this weekend.
We're also making lots of changes to the house, like switching rooms, painting things, and actually cultivating a (small, mostly wild) garden.
And we cannot forget about the newest addition to the Super Family --Vahla. She's the current winner of the categories Most Adorable, Smallest, and Feistiest. She and Hyoga are tied in the Stand Your Ground category, and Midna couldn't care less about any of it.
What else... what else?
The only things that come to mind are mundane, like my new semi-collection of incense burners, our entry-shrine to Buddha, and my renewed resolve to declutter the house.
Or the fact that sometimes the dogs and I give each other heart attacks when they're under the table and I move my feet.
Truly nothing worth writing about, certainly.
So I'll leave it at that and get busy choosing photos to publish.

Bolillo and Coke for the Ride

It's a rainy Sunday here in Houston. Looking out one of the back windows I'm watching the bamboo sway wildly in the wind as water drips from the roof in the foreground. It's a grey day. A grab-a-cup-of-coffee-and-torment-Super Husband-with-budget-spreadsheets kind of day.
He has escaped my torture by going to El Bolillo to buy, you guessed it, bolillo. Bolillo is a smallish, loaf of white bread, reminiscent of French bread in that it has a soft interior surrounded by a crunchy shell. Super Husband's mother loves to remind him of the time that he told everyone that bolillo with real, Mexican coke was just about the best thing in the world. He was six, maybe. But we have a single bottle of coke in the fridge for him, just the same.

A lot has happened since January 10th (the last day I posted anything).
One event in particular has contributed to my... writer's block, shall we say?
Because my readership is comprised mostly of people who are also Facebook friends or members of my extended family, this will not be new news to most of you. That said, I feel obligated to explain, perhaps for posterity, for future generations (hah), for... catharsis, to explain my two month leave of absence.

On January 21st, just before noon, I paused the novela I had promised myself I would watch no matter how silly and started doing the prep work for a mixed berry cobbler. Super Husband's father and I were discussing something inconsequential when I received a phone call from my cousin. This wasn't out of the ordinary, we had planned to meet up that day. What she said, though, wasn't "How does 6:30 at The Hobbit sound?" or anything equally benign. She called to inform me that our grandfather's heart had stopped.
This news, rather understandably, ... ... shook me to my core? ... changed my entire world? ... Still, almost two months later I have no words that even come close to describing the hole that he has left for so many of us.
Writing this is one of those times when a nearby box of tissues is necessary for me, the familial watering pot.
Okay. Let's take a break. Count to ten. Do some breathing exercise. Let's... let's go ahead and change the subject, shall we?

In other news... So, there's not that much other news for me, Wonder Wife, but Super Husband has a ton!
He loves his bike so much that he's going to take it on a two day, 180 mile ride from Houston to Austin on April 12th and 13th for the 30th Annual MS-150!!! If you have a few dollars (or more) burning a hole in your pocket, consider putting it to good use by donating to MS (Multiple Sclerosis)  research, and help Super Husband beat his $400 fundraising goal!
Yesterday he trained for the MS150 by going on a 60 mile ride through the Magnolia countryside. Amazing, beautiful, and great, are only some of the words he used to describe the experience. He has also joined the Space City Cycling Club, and has been biking to and from school.
Tour de France? Probably not, but it certainly reduces our carbon footprint, and increases his cardiovascular health.
I haven't had a chance to use my own bike as much as I'd like, but now that the weather is warming up a bit I won't have to worry about blustery winds and freezing rain. Plus, I'm thinking about putting some of that lovely tax return money to good use by buying a trainer. No, not a personal trainer. A bike trainer. One of those things that you hook up to the back wheel so that you turn your real bike into a stationary bike. Genius.
Super Husband has also been substitute teaching at an "inner-city" high school three days a week, which he both loves and hates. Some days he comes home energized and excited, and others he comes home cursing any and everyone younger than we are. When he told his sister where he was teaching she said "Bless your soul." So, obviously he's not alone in lamenting.

And now it's time to deal with the cracked gas line that we need to replace before hot showers are an option.

Tis the Season to Sneeze

Ten days into meat free mania! 

Woohoo. 

I wish I could say I have more energy and feel great, but I'm pretty sure my body is too busy using any extra energy to fight off this cold/flu that seems to be going around.

Everywhere I turn someone is coughing (Cover your Mouth!), sneezing, or sniffling. Lucky for me I don't get colds during cold season... No, I only get summer colds. Why? I have no idea. But it's true. It has been years, and years, and years since I had a cold that wasn't made all the worse by 95 degree heat. But I digress..sort of. Anyhow, I have a "remedy" that has been working this winter, and worked all last year, too. It is, for me at least, an instant pick me up. A vitamin c, antibiotic, flavour packed tea that can get you drunk, if you want. 

The original recipe that I found on Pinterest (I forgot to pin it, or I'd give credit where credit is due) called for the addition of whiskey, of which I was fresh out. A little improvisation, and a lot less alcohol went into my version, which is best since I took it to work. You really oughtn't get tipsy while teaching, it is considered a no no. 

Bug Battling Brew:

Makes 1 large, or 2 small mugs worth

Juice from 1/2 a lemon (or 2 Tbsp)

Your choice of tea, brewed (I used English Breakfast and Chinese green teas interchangeably, but it would be good with almost anything) 

1/2 tbsp honey

1 inch cube ginger, cut into thin slices or diced (this is pretty strong, but I like ginger. Cut back to 1/2 inch cube, if that seems like too much) 

1 shot whiskey (OPTIONAL) 

And voila! That's really it. Just combine those ingredients in your mug or cup, and drink it down. I drink/eat the ginger pieces, but if that's too much for you, you can let them steep for up to five minutes, then strain them out. Drink it warm for the lovely, soothing properties. 

**I've never made this with the whiskey, so don't hold me accountable if it's foul. I've heard it's great, and works like magic for colds and flu symptoms, so I included it. If I were to make it with the whiskey I might be inclined to get that new honey whiskey I saw a commercial for somewhere... That might be good.** 

Also, eat lots of garlic (roasted, toasted, raw, it matters not) for its anti-everything-yucky properties. 

Oh, garlic, you are my staple, my culinary base, and my favorite medicine. 

There you have it! 

Of course these aren't going to help if you're doing silly things like running around in the snow without shoes on and overly taxing your immune system, but they'll give you a boost, or be the difference between a bad day, and a day, and sometimes that's all you need. 

Happy New Year

Happy New Year!
It is officially 2014.
We rang in the New Year by throwing coins and orange peels into our front entryway.
I then had a bowl of ice cream and went to sleep.
What a way to begin the year.
I woke up this morning and made what I hope will become a tradition: New Years Day Pancake Buffet.
Regular syrup, cinnamon sugar sauce, pecans, dulce de leche, and three different jams were all available for toppings. Had I thought about this yesterday I might have prepared more, or stocked up on fresh fruit. Alas, this was a last minute happening.

We've been asked a few times over the past couple of days what our New Year's Resolutions are. I'm sorry to disappoint, but we don't really have any. None that we've stated as such, anyway.
Super Husband has been flirting with a return to vegetarianism for the past two weeks, and now that the new year has started he is cutting meat out completely.
I will be joining him on this dietary journey.
We've purged our fridge and freezer of all meats (except for some tilapia in the deep freeze for ceviche. Mmmm. Ceviche).

I am also in possession of a beautiful new road bike, shiny red and black. And of course the helmet, gloves, bike pants, water bottle, water bottle cage, and... no, I think that's it. Who knew you needed an entire store's worth of inventory to go on a simple bike ride? Super Husband did, of course and he's been very diligent in making sure I have all of it.

So, while we haven't necessarily said "Our resolutions are to eat better and exercise more" we are taking steps in those directions.
If I were being totally honest I'd say we probably make some small commitment to that end every year, and then we allow life to get in the way.

There are a few other things on my list for 2014, but I didn't consider them "resolutions" until I was typing this up and realizing, that that's exactly what they are.
a- I'd like to be tidier around the house, better about washing clothes because the basket is getting full, instead of because I want that shirt that's buried 3/4 the way down.
b- I'd like to be better with our money. Don't get me wrong, we don't spend frivolously, but like most people, we could cut out the extras and still be living a perfectly happy life. We really need to up the amount we're saving, and then stop digging into it.
c- I want to get back "into" cooking. I love to cook, but the size and layout of our kitchen means that some of the grander designs aren't plausible. I have begun to look for recipes less for their excitement, and more for how many dishes they'll dirty. This is unfair to my palate and my pans.
d- That vegetable garden I've been planning for three years is finally, really, truly going to become a reality. Maybe not in it's originally planned state of grandeur, but by golly I'm going to have squash, zucchini, tomatoes, and carrots by the end of this summer!

According to our horoscopes 2014, and the coming Year of the Horse, should be favorable ones for this Leo-Dragon and Pisces-Snake couple. Hopefully, that's true, and we'll be doing everything in our power to make it such...
Did someone just say Spring Break in Chiapas?

Once again,
Happy New Year!

Trips and Travels

I'm going to stop apologizing for not posting weekly, I promise. 

But really, I'm doing y'all a favor, because I don't have have anything particularly interesting to say these days. 

That's not to say that I'm not full of wit and verve, because let's be honest, I'll be full of that well into my octogenarian days. Our weeks have been, mostly, filled with the mundane aspects of everyday life in one's home country. 

Super Husband and I have both been working, trying to regain some of the savings that we'd built up in Beijing and then run through during almost three months of unemployment. 

We've also made a list of places that we'd like to go before we have children. It's a long list, so who knows if we'll get to all of them, but we'll do our best. We're currently debating where should be first, India and South East Asia, or Europe. We're leaning towards the former, as Europe is generally more family friendly in terms of public transit, and "health concerns". 

Here's our list, as it stands now. There's no particular order to the list, it's just the order in which we thought of the countries. 

1. India
2. South East Asia
3. Turkey
4. Morocco
5. Peru

Wait, hold the press -- A quick search on Kayak shows that a trip to Turkey may be in our future. 

Oh, how I love to travel. So long savings, hello spice market. 

Speaking of travel, I diiiid just make a 2,000 mile drive. Houston - Dallas - Childress - Amarillo (this is where it got exciting, because we were on Historic Route 66) - Tucumcari - Albuquerque - Phoenix - Barstow - Bakersfield - San Mateo. 

Although not exactly a vacation, it was still nice to enjoy even the illusion of traveling. And I got to bark at the Sea Lions, just like Nonnie taught me. 

And it's always nice to be missed. Hyoga and Midna will hardly leave my side for fear that I'll be leaving for more than a few hours again. 

School, Work, Volunteering, and HELP

I've been seriously neglectful the past... month. But in my defense, reading about the mundane daily activities of someone living around the world from you is about 1000 times more interesting than reading about someone living 15 minutes away. And lately our activities have been pretty mundane. But I do have a few nuggets of exciting news to impart, plus a call for your help:
Super Husband was accepted into a "continuing education" certification program for English-Spanish translation and interpretation at the University of Houston, which he takes on Saturdays. He also received his acceptance for readmission to the university for the Spring 2014 semester, so he's back on track. Woohoo. Did I already talk about his bike? Super Husband is the next Lance Armstrong. Without the dopping... or the tour du France... Okay, so really, Super Husband loves his new bike, and has decided that EVERYONE and their mothers should get a bike because biking is the most awesome time. I'll be getting one soon. Super Husband is also the proud new owner of the Limited Edition Zelda WiiU, and Zelda Windwaker. But not even Zelda could break up his love affair with DCUO (DC Universe Online, an MMORPG (Massive Multiplayer Online Role Play Game)). DCUniverse takes up a lot of our down time, and is causing us to miss out on our favorite shows. But that's okay. Some evenings I actually prefer to watch CougarRed Arrow (his character) or Sage (mine) run and fly around a digitized Gotham, Metropolis, and The Watchtower, and beat up the bad guys. And right now it's The Witching Hour, which means that everything is all decorated for Halloween. A game after my own heart. Oh, speaking of Halloween, we carved pumpkins last week, but they're already rotting into indistinguishable lumps of orange. I guess we'll wait to replace our orange blobs until a little closer to the big day. No use buying three sets of pumpkins, even if the spiced, toasted seeds I baked were delicious.
So, that's Super Husband's new news.
And in the Wonder Wife camp, it's pretty exciting, too. But there's a tiny backstory, so bear with me.
A couple weeks ago was Family Weekend at my little sister's university, up in Arkansas. Dallas is a little more than halfway to her university, so I drove up to Dallas to hang out with my dad and go see a movie, and a Leon Redbone show that Thursday evening. The movie turned out to be Girl Rising, an absolutely amazing documentary about the struggles of girls around the world, and the overwhelming desire, and need, for girls' educations. The film was aired by The Gendercide Awareness Project, and I was so moved by the film that the next morning I browsed their website, and others about gendercide. I'd never really heard of gendercide before, and definitely didn't realize that it effected the entire globe. So I sat down and wrote an email, explaining that while I would love to be able to support the cause with a financial donation, my strength lies in my ability to donate my time. (I've sent more than one of these e-mails to different charitable and NGO organizations since I was in my late teens, and GendAP is the FIRST organization to get back to me with anything other than a pre-fab, "thanks, but we need money" e-mail.) After meeting with the founder and president of the organization we hit upon a plan to bring the message, outreach, and fundraising to the Houston Area. So, starting later this year I'll be organizing screenings of Girl Rising, talks to schools, churches, and anyone who is interested, and raising awareness of an issue that effects our entire planet. (If you would like to learn more about gendercide, and the work that GendAP does, please please please feel free to e-mail me.)
So there's that exciting, amazing, wonderful news. And then there's also the fact that I got a job. I'm nannying for a really, really nice family in West U. They have two kids (4.5 and 2.5), and a beagle, and they enjoy collecting twigs, doing crafts (but not with the twigs we collected, because that would be unreasonable, apparently), and asking for something to eat and then telling me they don't like that particular thing that is exactly what they asked for. Yay.
I'm pretty sure that's all the interesting stuff that's happening here... So now the call for help:
In addition to neglecting the blog as a whole, I've neglected to do some of the things I promised for it. Specifically, a helpful guide for moving to and living in Beijing.
I can only think of so many things. Okay, so I can think of a lot of things... Buuuut I bet you can think of some super helpful things, too!
I NEED your questions, your advice, your qualms, and your queries.
Please please please!
I have a pretty decent sized list already, but I need more, I tell you. More! Hopefully by the end of next week I will have enough stuff to make a Moving to China tab on the blog.
And with that, it's time to savor my coffee, and continue reading Unnatural Selection.