Rainy January

So for the first 2 weeks or so, January was unusually warm and sunny. I remember stopping to think in unbelief, "It's the middle of winter!" However for the last week it has been raining and raining...nice, long, gentle rains! And it has been chilly...and windy!

The Sonoran desert has two rainy seasons, one in July and August when we get torrential rains in the afternoons a few times a week (hopefully) and then in December and January when we get sprinkles or like this year long gentle rains. I just learned this year from the kitchen ladies that the winter rains are called, "Equipatas."  I looked it up online and it means "little packages." Fun fact: Saguaro cactuses only grow in the Sonoran desert and there is evidence that these winter rains are crucial to their survival!

Alicia turned 18 the beginning of January and I was excited to take her to my house for an afternoon, now that she is allowed to leave campus (DIF COVID restrictions for residents). She is a fellow puzzle lover and helped me make this giant sandwich puzzle.

We've been experiencing some plumbing issues. Water was leaking out of the wall in our bathroom and on the other side of the wall in the kitchen. Thankfully, a nice elderly plumber was able to come and fix the leak and just today he patched up these holes you can see in this picture! We were extra thankful for our 2nd shower, since this one was out of commission for a couple weeks.

I've been enjoying cooking as always. In this video I'm explaining to my grandparents what I'm making: "Quekas," a corn dough empanada with beans inside!

Miguel's mom sent us a cheese wheel with some Christmas travelers and Miguel and I are enjoying it very much! If I understand correctly, this cheese is made with a roll of fresh cheese dipped in chili sauce and dried/aged. It's crumbly and has a stronger taste than the "queso fresco."

Here we enjoyed it with some beans and omelet!

After one of the rains last week, I spied this pretty fog up in the hills.

Saturday, the guys had a bachelor party for Scott Kieser. (Congrats to him and Arika Nuest on their engagement!) And Zoë invited me over for supper and the evening. I got to eat a Thai version of chicken and dumplings soup that included ginger, curry, and turmeric. Yum! And I got to try this homemade Taro ice-cream with boba pearls. Double Yum! 

Then we played several games and concluded with a scrabble rematch. 

Zoë even found our scores from November, so we could compare! (And we used the other side of the sheet!) In November she won, 304 to 216!

Saturday, she one again, but by only 34! I was pleased!

I'll leave you with a few lines of a song I'm attempting to write

"As our fingers form

As our laughter lights

As our pattering feet 

Burst into flight

As the questions come

As the answers fade

As the overwhelm 

of our life invades

He never looks away

He is here to stay

His compassion reigns

Justice will be laid..."

Thanks for your attention, love, and support!

 

Year's End...Year's Beginning

We had a lovely Christmas with the traditional Christmas Eve party at CVE. Lots of games, laughter, delicious pozole, presents, skits, and singing.

Below is a picture of all the ingredients ready for pozole toppings, lettuce, radishes, limes...

The week after Christmas, Marce and I made tamales with the older girls. Neither of us has a lot of experience with making tamales, but they turned out delicious and I gained a bit more confidence that I could do it again! Besides it was a lot of fun!

I've been enjoying the occasionally video chat with Carson, got to see him smile, and just wish I could squeeze those cheeks!

The hobbies I've been dedicating time to recently have been sewing and painting. Sewing because I decided to make some T-shirt quilts, and then decided to use the scraps for napkins, and then decided to use the scraps from that to make dog toys. Balto likes the colorful rope I made for him!

The motivation for pulling my watercolors out was the three clipboards I bought and put on my kitchen wall for decoration. I had three "posters" with Christmas themed words/Bible verses, but after the Christmas season, I decided I wanted to put some fruit up. (Marce's suggestion!)

Here's the result!

Yesterday was January 6th, Día de los Reyes Magos (Day of the Wisemen). The Mexican tradition is to eat a "Rosca de los Reyes." It's this bread (above) that is decorated with dried fruit and has plastic babies hidden in it. The hidden babies are to symbolize baby Jesus being hidden from King Herod.

Whoever gets a baby in their slice has to host a tamale party on February 2nd!

It's a fun tradition. At least now I know how to make tamales!

On a final note, COVID has finally infiltrated CVE after nearly a year of affecting our lives. Although we had a blast at our Christmas Eve party, many soon came down with sore throats and coughs...it's unclear if all of it is COVID or there's a cold and COVID going around, but several people have lost their taste and smell and there's been one positive COVID test, so we know it's here.

Miguel and I both had colds, me right after Christmas (when we thought it was just a cold) and Miguel over New Year's. Thankfully, no one has had severe symptoms and hopefully, we'll all be back to feeling healthy soon!

Please pray for the car washing and detailing business that Miguel is starting! He does a great job and Lord willing, I'm hoping it can flourish and bless us and those he cleans the cars for. After several months of job uncertainty on his part, it's nice to be pursuing something.

Thanks for the prayers and support!