The Wandering Minstrel

Tex-Mex Chicken Chili Verde with Cornbread. The Better Half blends chopped broccoli, diced potatoes, chopped celery, tomatillos, a chopped Anaheim chili and shredded chicken with all the appropriate savories and spices in a crockpot. Shown here, the chili is served with cornbread on the side and garnished with avocado slices and freshly-ground black pepper. We enjoyed this good stuff during halftime of today’s Senior Bowl college football game. Clickable image.

The Better Half and I went to the dog park with our dog pack. On the way back, we stopped at the post office to check the PO Box. TBH aimed her camera at this shiny ‘79 Lincoln Continental whose license plate reads “1979 TOY.” Clickable image.

The Better Half and I have been watching NFL playoffs this weekend, but there is still enough time to enjoy our weekend meals. Yesterday, it was home made chicken pot pies (yum!) and today we had this great southern tradition - chicken fried steaks with mashed potatoes, savory bacon green beans and cut corn. The steaks weren’t the usual bottom round cut, but beef tenderloin (filet mignon). TBH also sauteed some baby portobello mushrooms. Clickable image.

I called our landscaper today to ask what we should do to try and recover from the javelina debacle. His advice was to cover the trees until we get past the freezing temperatures over the next couple of months. The Better Half had some old bedsheets she was going to retire, so we covered the trees and secured them with a few clothespins.

Clickable image courtesy of TBH

After winter he says to prune the trees to eliminate any frost damage to the tips of the branches. At that time, we have to decide whether a fence will be necessary after the new growth starts. We don’t really want to erect a fence so maybe we can dust the area with javelina repellent.

We’re still learning . . .

The Better Half and I decided to drain the spa for the winter season. Even though we are likely to get 70° + days during the winter months, we figured that keeping the spa heated up would be a losing proposition.

Clickable image - ice chunks coming out of the hose

I hooked up the hose to the drain on the spa after running the other end down to the wash west of the house. I was mildly surprised by the chunks of ice coming out of the hose as the water started draining. I should have expected that since there was a layer of ice floating on the water in the bucket under the RV drive hose bib.

After we got the spa drained, I went to the spa manual and read the section about winterizing. I have to get out the shop vac and remove the water standing in the spa’s internal plumbing pipes to avoid freezing damage.

I saw a bumper sticker in town the other day that said “RETIREMENT IS A FULL-TIME JOB.” I’m beginning to believe that very thing.

Our Turbo Tax 2011 CD arrived in the mail this week. We decided to get the tax early so that we can adjust the withholding for 2012 when the new year starts. We also want to know whether we need to make some adjustments to the 2011 year since there is still a month left to do charity and to pay property tax (yes, bummer - we still pay tax on our property in LA County).

I still have not loaded the Turbo Tax program on the computer but it will be in place this week. Meanwhile, I used the widget below to get a quick and dirty estimate. The usual caveats and disclaimers apply, so take the results with a grain of salt.

The Better Half and I spent our Black Friday here at the little house. We ate leftover turkey, watched some football and relaxed. We were miles away from the insanity in the malls of the big city.

We will probably spend the next couple of days here at home before resuming our grueling retirement routine.

P.S. If you don’t have a QR code reader, the encoded message at the right recommends that the Obamination should fire Eric Holder. Or, better yet, appoint a special, independent prosecutor to get to the bottom of Holder’s dirty little Fast and Furious anti-gun ploy.

After a short, but eventful, trip to the Kalifornistan house, we’re back home. The drive back took about 5 and a half hours and was uneventful, which is a good thing - and was a good transit time, as well - it can take up to six hours or more, weather and traffic dependent.

Clickable image - Welcome sign courtesy The Better Half

After crossing the bridge spanning the Colorado River from Blythe, CA to Ehrenberg, AZ, we are always greeted by this welcome sign. When we see this, we know that it’s only 115 miles and another two hours before we get home. It puts us in a really good mood.