Monday, February 27, 2012

forgot the recipe


Pernil

Joe's Pork Shoulder Roast



1 Pork Shoulder
1 can of Coca-cola
2 cans of Sunkist orange
( or 3 cans of Dr. pepper)
6 Garlic cloves (whole)

Rub:
1 tablespoon salt
2 tablespoons brown sugar
1 tablespoon Cumin
1 tablespoon orange zest
1 teaspoon lime of lemon zest
2 tablespoons chopped cilantro
1/2 teaspoon ground hot red pepper (my dry red peppers require 1/4 teaspoon)
1/2 teaspoon smoked paprika
1 teaspoon Goya Salzon

Mix ingredients for rub

slice the fat portion of the ham, criss-cross down to the meat
Rub in the spice mix with your hands on both sides and place the ham fat side up in a large oven pot.
Place deep random cuts into the pork and push whole garlic cloves into them
Add the Sodas and let the mixture sit overnight.
Take  liquid and rub mixture in the pot and ladle it over the meat.

Begin cooking at 220 for 2 to 3 hours.

Raise temperature to 275 for 5 hours.

Broil for 10 minutes and then remove pot and let rest.




Gift of nieighbors

I live in a very mixed neighborhood and we all talked with each other and look after each other.
We visit and share.
Yesterday a knock on the door brought our neighbor with her 4 month old daughter.
We shared coffee as i was cooking dinner.
(Pork "pernil", my style if you must know, the recipe to follow)
The pork came out before she finished her coffee and we sent some home with her.
Later in the evening was the fiancee, looking for some tools that we have.
They have shared their food with us, Dominican and Peruvian.
A knock on the door this after noon, brought another neighbor from El Salvador with chicken soup and fresh flour torllias..
wonderful, flavorful chicken soup, so full of flavor and chicken which was so tender....
She uses yucca, i know and celery and carrots and onions and it cooks forever,,,
Our Italian neighbor invites over for a cuppa of coffee (espresso, of course) and homemade Italian cookies and treats.
The Jamaican neighbor cooked jerk chicken when ever it warms up.
The Polish neighbor sends over porogies, venison (from her husband) and pickled herring (fresh).
A very good friend, who happens to be Indian, sends over real Indian food for my great pleasure.
so if you ever wonder where my food taste to compare to restaurants in the area, neighbors and friends!

Sunday, February 26, 2012

A question of sight

The last few days my vision has been different
and i use this term very specifically
because i do not know if it is good or bad!
When i wake up, there is always a period of time when the "diplopia" or double vision is less.
It usually is best in low light, such that i can see singly for numberous inches,
without glasses.
The last view days my wake up time in bright light has been a few feet.
The problem is later when i try on my glasses,
things are fine at first,
but then everything is double,
even with the glasses...
Are the eyes improving so much that the glasses are too much?
Or are my eyes going further out still?

The doctor has been very surprised at the improvement.
From just after the operation, where they where 20 points out
to recently when they were 11 points out with a great deal of maneuverability holding things single.
Did i over work them at the last week of work?
It is possible, it was a rough, busy week,
but there was more than a week of rest before that,
where even my balance improved significantly.
yesterday, i couldn't even move a bowl of soup 5 feet without spilling it....
Questions, questions!

Saturday, February 25, 2012

Strange good times

While i was away, i had some "interesting" things happen...
Only to me!
Had a very significant alergic reaction eating a chicken dish at A HEALTH FOOD STORE/RESTAURANT!
Only could have happened to me!
Had a great compassionate experience at the Virginia DMV!
all i can say is WOW!
Saw a beautiful rising moon in the early morning hours at the farm.
I went back to sleep after tho...
Went through 21 very large boxes of photographs and such from my mom...
tens of thousands...remember she was an artist,
so if she saw something that might be incorporated into a painting,
it was photographed for future reference.
I found pictures from early Cyprus - from the teens of my grandfather and great grandfather.
Found my dad's pilot licence (in French of course)!
Going though her paintings, i tried to move a 4" x 6" beam with my head...
Ow, that hurt!
Fortunately, her work was highly sellable and there are not That many paintings, but enough.
My house now has them on the wall in lots of places.
Put aside an old tapistry from my grandmother (whom died when my mom was 11) for my aunt..
Got swarmed by the geese and ducks and chickens and turkeys looking for a handout and fell down among them.
That was kind of fun cause they hooted and hollaredat me like they were concerned for me or something!
prepared a garden for the spring (which seems to be coming early.
It was a lot, busy, fun enjoyable.
Oh yea, we went out to eat often and had some really great food -
Italian (the suace was proper Dan) and some very great seafood (in Va Beach, what do you expect?)

Wednesday, February 22, 2012

Immersed


In Work, Dentists, Doctors and Taxes,
I think i got it all covered.
Those seem to devour me,
but thee is a one year anniversary coming
and all of that pales in comparison
for last year i was scrambling.
Scrambling to see what must be done,
what could be done
and did all that i could to make things comfortable
and then it was over.
So when all the other "things"
want to
or
seem to
devour me,
i go back
and
things are better.


A picture

or

a painting

or a "thing"

give me great relief.


Saturday, February 18, 2012

returned

not really sure of the day,
a bit dazed from the late night/early morning train ride home
with a companion who could not sleep and talked.
woken to early by the  "girls" who stay over while i was away.
Awash still in the memonries of
photos
so many photos
and paintings

so many paintings
and
other "things"
that i had to review.
They cling to me like a robe and caress my face.
So much beauty,
so many memoriess....

Tuesday, February 7, 2012

So much going on

i probably have a dozeb "posts" running around in my head,
but first a word from my sponser...

Oscar
He has been gone some 3 years,
but the other morning he came visiting,
meowing at my door,
calling for me.
I am left with questions:
Is he coming back?
When?
How?
Will I know its him?
I have not thought abut geetting anther cat since he and his partner left me to recover.

I was thinking about the many connections we make in our life
and then they surprize us.
I say good morning as i walk in to work to those i meet,
they have all returned my greeting.
Yesterday, there was conversation with two of them,
more than just a greeting.
It is a completion or the begining of more,
just talk, but now there is more of a connection.
This important,
The circle of completion,
we all need it.

It will be dropping out of computer land for a bit,
but before i do,
Today we have a visitor,

Roxanne
Roxanne
a welcome one...



Our neighbors baby,
just for a bit




Saturday, February 4, 2012

An Elaborate ruse

They are pulling a trick on me
an elaborate one.
They are telling me that it is February
and that i did not go into a coma for 2 or 3 months,
but i know better.
My garden does not lie.
The oregano is sprouting,
as is the fennel
and chives.
The Forsythia are budding,
The weeds are growing in the garden
and i have not even tilled the soil yet!
It is over 50 F

They are telling me the Super bowl is tomorrow, but it can not be,
I do not know who won?
and everyone is telling me it is February.
They lie!

Thursday, February 2, 2012

an alternate story which might explain things also

This morning i posted something which was meaningful, but there is an alternate explanation

There was once an old farmer who sold his mule, telling the buyer that the mule was very obedient.

Well after numerous tries, the buyer found the mule would not even start to go home with him and went and got the farmer and asked what the deal was.

The Farmer picked up a nearby 4 x 4 and hit the mule over the head and the mule immediately went to the buyer.

The farmer explained "You got to get his attention first!".

Early morning thoughts


An Old Story



When i was a young man

and a new Christian.,

I fell into a group of evangelical Christians

and there was a story circulating among the group

telling of how shepherds would deal with sheep that had gone astray.

Whether the story had any truth to it,

i do not know,

this group would tell many stories that they said were truth to get their points across,

that were not.

To the story,

they would say that if a lamb strayed too much,

the shepherd would break the leg of the lamb,

so it would not wander,

but because the lamb could not get around,

the shepherd would then carry it, until i bended.

The point of the story?

Sometimes i feel like that lamb who kept wandering

and that i have been broken and carried around,

so i would not stray.

So all of the trouble and difficulty that i have been through

because of the removal of a death dealing tumor,

the double vision,

the lack of balance,

is only being brought closer to my shepherd.

Wednesday, February 1, 2012

confusion of the weather

after a difficult day at work,
i truly enjoyed the walk home.
i forgot the month and thought only of how it felt,
like late April maybe even May,
My Lord it was 60 F today!
(yes i use the symbols of what temperature scale i am using, F, C or K, just for clarity).
There seems to be so little clarity these days,
except the weather...
I will enjoy it!