Took a Day off...no politics, no Internet, no phones

Yesterday I woke up with mental overload. There are so many things going on at the same time some more worrisome than others but equally draining the little motivation and energy I have left. Decided to give myself the day off.

I did not turn on my usual cable news channels, avoided the local news, did not turn on the computer and let the answering machine do its job.

I worked on removing more weeds with the hula hoe and dealing with the cats in particular "that black cat" who is making me more stressed out by the day.  I will write about that when I get a chance at Walter's World.

I did, however, watch my Spurs and perhaps I should have avoided that as well. Though they won it was only by one point and I practically had a heart attack. Were it not because of these darn medications I would have had a couple of beers to celebrate and de-stress.

This morning I treated myself to the breakfast buffet at Sirloin Stockade. Yes, I know I am not supposed to eat bacon so sue me...it went well with Tabasco sauce and an unsweetened ice tea.

They ran out of Menudo so had to wait a while for the next batch but it was worth it.

I have mentioned that I buy most of my Terlingua clothes at a store called Fallas. They sell irregular items, factory rejects, and cheap crap from China. This is where I bought my $5.00 Terlingua coat and jacket last year.

Went to walk off my breakfast and ran into an item my uncle wants. They have the same items as Marshalls but at a much cheaper price. Though it would cost me more to mail it to him than the item itself.

He wants Christmas motif pajama pants.  They had them for $1.99 but I will have to find out what size he wears.

This pillow made me smile because I saw that on an Aunty Acid saying the other day :-)

I'm sorry, did I roll my eyes out loud?

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.


Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Terlita / Menudo / Another record broken

I miss Terlita (my camping van) it has been patiently sitting in the garage since 2010 waiting for a new transmission that seems to never come as other items take priority.

Terlita is a full size 1991 Dodge Ram 150 van that I could fit everything and even throw in the kitchen sink...my Toyota Corolla...not so much :-(    Having a dedicated vehicle for camping makes preparing for the Chili Cook-off less stressful.  I can pack it ahead of time and when I return unpack at my leisure.

I need to go to Ciudad Acuña to purchase supplies for my trip and a bottle of Kahlua.  Looked at the Border Wait Times app and it was 60 minutes this morning...no thank you!  Headed to town instead as my lab results have been mailed.  I was surprised that there were so many cars at the post office, street, and Federal Building.  It's Saturday there are no trials and the post office is closed so what gives?  Apparently, there was a parade downtown.

I have been getting so little sleep lately two to three hours and my blood pressure has been high even when I take my medication religiously at the same time every day.  I have so much stress that I am hoping to erase when I am in my favorite desert.

I have been good since the last time I went to Sirloin Stockade and had four plates!  I was going to go pick-up some menudo at the drive-thru window of a little restaurant but it is quite pricey at $8.66 includes tax.  Decided instead to go to the breakfast buffet at Sirloin Stockade...don't panic...I did not have multiple plates on this occasion!

 The bowls are smaller than they appear since this is a buffet.

I had two bowls of menudo and a glass of unsweetened ice tea and that did the trick.

Headed to HEB to fill-up my car the going price today was $2.229 for unleaded and $2.499 for diesel. Then I went inside to purchase eggs so I can finally try out my Egglettes.

We broke a record set in 1938 of 93 degrees.  We had a low of 62 and a high of 95 degrees.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.



Aunty Acid Saying of the Day

Early to rise / Menudo / Barbacoa / Comparison Price Shopping

I was wide awake by 6:00 a.m. and since I could not go back to sleep turned on the TV so I could catch up on all the shows I have recorded on my DVR and hopefully delete a few.  I have been sleeping with my windows partially open as at least at nights it gets down to the very comfortable '60s.

My boys (my stray cats) were having none of that and came to sit by the window ledge and whine until I finally gave up and went outside to feed them.  Walked to the front gate to see if Mr. Joe's step-son's vehicle was there as I suspect he and his family no longer live there...me doing my happy dance!  Only to see that more litterbugs had dumped trash along the fence line.

Lined my five-gallon bucket, put on my plastic gloves and started picking up trash at 7:00 a.m.  The only person that came out was the nosy neighbor's son as he made his way to town I presume to buy breakfast.

Hum....breakfast?  Yeah, I can go for that.  I allow myself one day a week to eat whatever I want. The only problem is that it is Sunday and my favorite "menudo" selling restaurant now closes on Sundays.  If I want to partake in their delicious dish I have to buy it the day before.

Headed to HEB where they make a version of "light menudo" and "lower fat barbacoa" though they would not get a five-star rating from me...it was "eatable".  

It was so good not to have to encounter any crowds at the store that I took my time and went to price compare some items I have posted that I buy in Mexico.

Comparison Price Shopping

Garnier Nutrisse Hair Color sells at HEB for $6.97

The same item in Mexico sells for 39.00 Mexican Pesos divided by an exchange rate of $17.30 for the equivalent of $2.25 USD. That is a savings of $4.72 each which will more than pay for the $4.00 USD in tolls to cross to Ciudad Acuña.

I purchased a Garnier Fructis shampoo 650 ml for $39.60 Mexican pesos divided by an exchange rate of $17.30 for the equivalent of $2. 29 USD.

That same item was selling at HEB in Del Rio for $4.94 saving you $2.65 per shampoo bottle more than paying for the tolls to cross back to the USA which depending on the exchange rate range from $1.60 to no more than $1.80 USD.

While I still had 3/4 of a tank full I decided to top my tank as it is only a matter of time for prices to go up as high as they have in California where they are almost $5.00 a gallon.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Spurs Corner

I have often said that if I did not write it down whether in my Personal Journal or my Blog...then it did not happen...tonight I will subscribe to that philosophy...tomorrow it might be a different story.

I cheated :-(

I have a confession to make...I cheated last week...I had no idea Stripes sold menudo on weekends so I caved in :(

It serves me right that it would not be tasty because I also cheated on the establishment where I usually purchased it. There IS a reason for the price difference!

While I know most people in Texas know what a well prepared bowl of menudo should tastes like...if you happen to be from out of state and stop at Stripes for breakfast...don't make a judgement call.  It is like eating at Taco Bell and thinking that is what real Mexican food tastes like.

In order to right a wrong, I decided to go to El Taco Riendo, a very small restaurant that prepares excellent menudo, tacos and lunch plates.  Even the Sheriff's deputies were having breakfast here this morning...yes, you heard right MORNING...I went there at 7:30 a.m. because they run out fast.

The following picture is for Tffnguy of Terlingua or Bust fame and the story of his SAS shoes http://terlinguabound.blogspot.com/2014/08/old-shoes-what-not.html

Since my mother will only wear SAS shoes I can understand how he feels about them.  We have a factory in Del Rio and they also have a small outlet store where they offer the public a small discount from their regular store prices.

I was going to inquire as to whether or not they made snake boots, but alas they are closed on Sunday.

I have been very tired lately.  Last night I didn't even make a post because I kept on dozing off while on the computer.  Sleep is a precious gift when you suffer from insomnia, so I went to bed early.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Going to turn in early tonight

My legs have been hurting a lot lately and I have been feeling tired...no real reason why.  Last night I even went to bed early (for me) 11:30 p.m.  Woke up at the ungodly hour of 7:00 a.m. Having slept 7.5 hours is a miracle the equivalent of two nights sleep.  Remembering how much I got done the other day by starting my day early decided to head off to HEB.

No crowds, plenty of parking space and the only thing on my list were milk, eggs and oatmeal. There was this young man offering samples of "barbacoa" and boy it tasted delicious!  I did not even know HEB sold it on weekends.  Over heard a customer ask him if they sold "menudo" to which he answered yes...darn it all...decided to buy some too!  There is a reason why they tell you to never shop on an empty stomach :-(

Drove by the P.O. Box and it was full...when was the last time I came to pick up the mail?  Oh yeah, it was the last time I woke up early!

This evening I soaked my poor feet in warm salty water.  I think I am going to turn in early tonight...well, maybe :)

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.

Menudo / Barbacoa / Claire

Decided I needed to eat a good breakfast so I could focus on the task at hand...taxes :(     Mother lives in the southern part of the county so it is a long drive to the north of the city where the national fast food chains are located.  No problem, we have Taco Riendo a locally owned little restaurant not far from her house.

I had my sights set on a bowl of menudo, but lord and behold they sold out and it was still early :-(
What to do?  Went to check out a Carniceria (Meat Market) close to the laundromat I always go to but they were out too!  Darn, it wasn't even that late.....I have purchased menudo up until 10:30 a.m. before!

I could have probably gotten some in town but I settled for some barbacoa instead.  If you have never tasted barbacoa...you have no idea what you are missing.  I know this picture does not do it justice and it might even make it less appealing but trust me...it tastes delicious.  I cooked me a scrambled egg, chopped some onions, jalapenos and cilantro...warmed up some corn tortillas and had me a scrumptious breakfast. :D

All afternoon we were warned of a rain event but where mother lives she only received .04 of an inch.  The other day Captain Joey asked me about Claire the mare.  I had not seen her at her owners or his son's house but I saw her today back by the Duck Pond.  Will write a post on my other blog.  If you care to read it just click on my header picture and it will take you there.

Good night.  May you all have Terlingua Dreams.