This and That, and Then Some More of This - Mexican Chicken

This past week has been devoted to my attempt to integrate the fibromyalgia into my daily life. But ha! What a grandiose idea! Do what I can, stop when I can't. Okay, it works in theory and to a certain extent it works in practice as well, but there's the Basic Rule of Life that says "Sh*t Happens" and when it does, all my aspirations go right out the window.  

Balance Bangle

Simply put, I am seeking to achieve a sustainable balance, but that dream crashed and burned just yesterday when it became annoyingly apparent that we were going to have to groom one of our Yorkies. Romeo, who also answers to the name Puppy, a veritable Wookiee of a doggy, needed to be shaved and bathed, verily scrubbed within an inch of his life. We had the tools, we had the talent - in my next life, I think Rob and I will open a dog grooming shop - and after 2 1/2 hours on my feet, my Little Man looked positively splendid and even better, he smelled clean. Best of all, he was very happy with the results. Happy Puppy, happy Mommy, right?  

Well yes, happy but in pain. Add to that the panic attack that had been knocking at my door all afternoon and into the night, and I woke up today in something of a mess. Yesterday had its rough spots - I was fighting exhaustion and narcolepsy, and had to take a caffeine tablet to ensure I could drive to my appointment without falling asleep behind the wheel - but hope springs eternal, and in my head, at least, I made plans to get out and walk around a bit. My plans for that nice morning walk are rapidly dissipating and I am on the cusp of heading back to bed. No. I am going to put down the iPad, pick up Horatio Cane and hobble to the lakefront. Now. With my earbuds and music turned on medium-high, because it is one of those days when normal sounds are driving me mad. Cars driving past my house. Barking dogs in my house. The "ka-chunk" of the electric stapler. Mad, I tell you.

The walk was just what I needed. Clear-the-head refreshing. I never get tired of the views from the lake. And whatever was bothering me is gone for now. I can't change it, I can't fix it, and I refuse to confront the miscreants. (Now if I could just dismiss Donald Trump as easily. He scares me, more than Jimmy Carter, more than Barack Obama, more than Bush 43. God bless America and protect us from the crazy guy with the bad spray tan. Amen.)

Some of these pictures are from last week's walk/photo shoot:

Big Toho Marina

This looks like the Adirondack chairs are sharing a view with the courthouse.

Another one of those mixed juxtaposition pictures I love. This time it is comprised of my former office building, the Berlinsky Community House, and The Monument on Monument Street.

The Monument in all its glory.

Pretty marsh weeds

The ubiquitous Sandhill Crane

"You lookin' at ME?" 

(He became a bit confrontational when he saw me taking his picture.) 

Not impressed with the current outdoor sculpture around the pond behind City Centre.  

Rusty Fish. Feh. 

For just $9500 you too can own this lovely gator sculpture.

 (Gives new meaning to the insult "dumber than a box of rocks".)

Earlier in the week I actually did some cooking, starting with Paula Deen's recipe for Mexican Chicken and making a few changes to spice it up. Unfortunately, I rather carelessly deleted all my notes of the recipe changes. I seem to recall using Campbell's Poblano and Queso soup instead of the cheddar cheese soup, and using an extra can of that (so 4 cans of soup instead of three), and I also drained the excess liquid from the canned tomatoes. I spread refried beans on the tortillas, which were extra large and fluffy. The beans were a new product from Bush, something about smashed pintos, onions and bacon. I layered the tortillas and chicken filling (for the chicken, I field-stripped a rotisserie bird from Publix) with slices of pepper jack cheese and finished the casserole with cotija and shredded sharp cheddar over the top. Baked it at 350 for 45 minutes. I think I added 2 teaspoons each of cumin and granulated garlic to the creamy filling and lots of black pepper. It was delicious and spicy in a good way. I think I took pictures.

I did, I did! Hope they help, but if not, just make the original recipe. It's really good comfort food.