Patriotic Plants

I was at Walmart last week, and they had houseplants for sale.  The plastic pots were covered in red fabric and decorated with little sarapes, the brightly colored blankets that are traditional to Mexico.  There were also little bows in the colors of the national flag.  They were, of course, for Mexico's Independence Day which is less than two weeks away.

I bought one.  It was some kind of succulent.  I searched on Google, but I was unable to identify it.  Then, this weekend I went back and bought another plant.  I knew what this one was, and it is truly a patriotic plant.  The "nopal" or prickly pear cactus plays a role in the legendary story of the founding of the Aztec capital, and the eagle, perched on a cactus, devouring a serpent, is part of the national coat of arms and flag.

  

Patriotic September

In front of the World Trade Center there are flags from many different nations.  But yesterday, as I walked by, I noticed that the flags of other countries had been replaced with Mexican flags.

It took me a moment, but then it registered.  This is September, the month of Mexico's Independence Day (September 16th).  All month, homes and businesses will be decorated with the national colors.

I turned around and saw that the entrance to the World Trade Center was decorated with patriotic banners, flags and a sign saying "Viva Mexico".

Later, around the corner, I saw a vendor who was selling Mexican flags and other patriotic trinkets from his bicycle.

A Kitchen Experiment

I found a recipe on the internet for something that was described as "avocado bread".  It contains no flour, and it sounded interesting.  I decided to try it.

There are just a few ingredients... an avocado, an egg, a small carrot and cheese.

The recipe called for parsley, but I didn't bother with that.  However, I did add some sauteed onion and garlic, which several people in the website's comments section said they did.

In a bowl I mashed up the avocado with the egg.  I grated the carrot and cheese into the mixture, and added the onion and garlic.  I seasoned it with salt and pepper.

You are supposed to form two "pancakes" with the batter on a baking sheet covered with parchment paper.  Well, I don't have a baking sheet, and I could not find parchment paper in the supermarket.  So, I used a large oven-proof frying pan that I have, and coated it with a bit of olive oil.  My "pancakes" were oblong instead of round.

The recipe says to bake the "pancakes" in a pre-heated 350 F oven for 20 to 25 minutes.  The problem is that the ovens I have used in Mexico do not have a pre-heat setting, so I simply had to guesstimate when the oven was hot enough.

The result is supposed to be like bread.  In fact, the recipe suggested using it to make a sandwich.  The finished product, however, was very soft and loose.  I was barely able to get each slice out of the pan intact.  If I were using my oven back in Ohio I might have used the broiler for a few minutes, but Mexican ovens do not seem to have broilers either.

Even though the consistency was nothing at all like bread, and it would be impossible to make a sandwich with it, it was very tasty.  I garnished the slices with cherry tomatoes cut in half.

I tried making it again for Alejandro.  I added a little bit a flour to the batter, and left it in the oven a little longer.  It still was not anything like bread.  However, it did taste very good.

Another DVD

Yes, I am a dinosaur.  One of the few pieces of furniture that I had shipped from Ohio when I made the move to Mexico was the cabinet which holds my collection compact discs of music and the DVDs of photos from my travels.

The top four shelves are filled with DVDs, each one of a different trip that I made. Before I moved, I bought a new DVD / Blue Ray player and a large supply of blank discs and cases in case those products should become obsolete.  I figure I have enough discs to last for my remaining years of travel.  Since my laptop does not have a disc drive, I bought an external drive so that I can burn new discs.  And, yes, every so often I will pull one of those discs from the shelf and watch it.

I recently finished another disc to add to the collection... one of our trip to England this summer.  I have a "video studio" program on my laptop to produce these picture shows.

I selected my best photos and video clips and organized them.  The program allows me to add musical background (which I select from my compact discs).  I have lots of music from Mexico, but selecting appropriate music for a travelogue of England is a bit more difficult.  For the grandiose architecture of London I used some pieces by Baroque composers recorded by the London Symphony Orchestra.  On another CD I have some pieces by the British composer Edward Elgar.  For lighter music, I used some cuts from a disc I have of the flautist James Galway.  (Yes, I know he is Irish, but close enough.)

After finishing, I then burned the show onto a disc.  Here's a snippet with pictures of the interior of the medieval Christchurch priory and music by Elgar. 

Now it's time to work on the photos of Switzerland.

Nice Looking Curtains

Last month I wrote that we had gone to a fabric shop to order new curtains for the living room since the old ones were looking shabby and torn.  We ordered them on August 8th, and they were supposed to be ready for pickup in 20 to 25 business days... in other words, the first half of September.

Last Thursday, August 27th, I received a message that the curtains were ready.  On Saturday, Alejandro and I took the Metrobus to go to the store.  I was afraid the curtains would be bulky and hard to carry on the bus.  After all, we're talking about full length curtains for a window thirteen feet in width.  However, they were neatly rolled up in a package that fit into a large shopping bag.

When we got home, we moved some furniture and the house plants, got out the step ladder and hung them without difficulty.  We were really happy with the way they look.

 Detail of the fabric

They really brighten up the room, and, even though they have a woven pattern, they seem to let in more light than the old ones.  At the equivalent of about 60 U.S. dollars, they were a bargain.

Truck Art

Every Sunday there is a large "tianguis" or outdoor market held in my neighborhood.  It stretches for blocks along Filadelfia Street.  Some of the vendors arrive with their merchandise in trucks that are parked on the nearby streets.  Some of those trucks have interesting paintings on their sides.  Last Sunday, when I left the apartment early to watch the marathon runners, I saw a couple of trucks that I had not noticed before.

  

Here Comes September

Time to turn the calendar to September.  This month's picture on my calendar which features photographs from my travels to Germany is of the Church of Saints Ulrich and Afra in the city of Augsburg.  

A church has stood on this site since the 8th century.  The current structure dates from the 15th century.  In the 1930s it was given the status of a basilica.  Augsburg straddles the Catholic and Protestant regions of Germany, and the Peace of Augsburg in 1555 established the peaceful coexistence of Catholicism and Lutheranism in Germany.  Thus, it is appropriate that a Protestant church (in the foreground) is attached to the Catholic basilica.