April 21, 2026 Breakfast - Pain au Chocolate Lunch - Crazy Fish Dinner - Leftover BBQ Pork, Ratatouille, and Green Rice

April 21, 2026 Breakfast - Pain au Chocolate Lunch - Crazy Fish Dinner - Leftover BBQ Pork, Ratatouille, and Green Rice

 I slept until 6:00 and worked until 7:00 when I listened to Trump for 15 minutes.  He talked the market down again today with my portfolio losing approximately.0833%.

But after the close Trump said he would extend the ceasefire indefinitely to give Iran the opportunity to respond, so the futures are moving up for tomorrow.

Then at noon we drove to Crazy Fish where I ordered a Chirashi bowl which included two slices each of raw salmon, yellowtail, Aji tuna, white tuna or Escarole, and Albacore tuna plus a pile of seaweed salad and squid salad and a small bowl of fresh wasabi on a bed of sushi rice. Suzette ordered a crunchy roll and.fried oysters that we shared. I ate half of the chirashi and boxed the other half for tomorrow’s lunch.  The oysters came with an interesting dipping sauce that seemed to be a mixture of catsup and sweet chili sauce.

After lunch we walked to Birdland and picked up a check for March and April rent and talked to Nikelle for a few minutes.

We then drove home and I watched the market close and I rested until 4:00 when I napped until 5:00 when Louis Schultz called and we had a pleasant hour long conversation.

When I returned to the TV room Suzette was talking to her sister, so I joined the conversation for 1/2 hour until I became hungry and fetched the leftover Ratatouille, Korean BBQ Pork, and Green Rice we cooked on Saturday.

Suzette chopped the larger pieces of pork into bit-sized pieces and we each filled our plate with some of each and then microwaved our plate of food.

I opened and poured glasses of of a very pleasant bottle of 2022 Le Revuer Cotes Du Rhone red I bought at Trader Joe’s for under $10.00.

After dinner watched Finding Your Roots and then Suzette whipped cream and lay a mound of it on bowls of Fig/quince/apple cobbler warmed in the microwave that we ate under the gazebo by the pond with sips of Vara Late Harvest Albariño. 

The water Iris are in full bloom so we enjoyed seeing them in the sunset.

We went to bed a bit after 9:00 when țhe results of the Virginia redistricting referendum evidenced that Virginia would redistrict to eliminate any Republican advantage in the mid-terms.

Bon Appetit

April 20, 2026 Breakfast - Gravad Lax on Bagel. Lunch - Salad Semi-Nicoise Dinner - Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Asparagus and Roasted chicken

April 20, 2026 Breakfast - Gravad Lax on Bagel. Lunch - Salad Semi-Nicoise  Dinner - Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna with Asparagus and Roasted chicken

I worked briefly this morning and then tried to go to Tricore but could not find a parking spot, so I came home at 8:30 and made breakfast of slices of Gravad Lax and red onion on two slices of toasted bagel smeared with cream cheese.

Suzette and I then commenced bidding on art offered in the Santa Fe Auction’s Etcetera Auction today.

I spent all morning bidding on four works of art and got three of them and let the fourth go at $2500.

Here they are.

https://www.santafeartauction.com/auction-lot/erin-currier-johnny-tapia-mi-vida-loca_5365F82395

https://www.santafeartauction.com/auction-lot/after-cady-wells-desert-scene-1933_304A995F06?catalogReferredQueryParam=%3Futm_source%3DSanta%2BFe%2BArt%2BAuction_PL&utm_medium%3Demail&utm_campaign%3Dautoregistration&utm_content%3Ddefault&utm_term%3D356139&scrollPosition%3D5365f82395

https://www.santafeartauction.com/auction-lot/ronald-davis-holed-cube-sssv-2011_F451BABF0E?catalogReferredQueryParam=%3Futm_source%3DSanta%2BFe%2BArt%2BAuction_PL&utm_medium%3Demail&utm_campaign%3Dautoregistration&utm_content%3Ddefault&utm_term%3D356139&scrollPosition%3D5365f82395

I called the auction because I kept getting a “time to bid has been extended” and was told, when there are two persons bidding the time to bid is extended for ten minute intervals to allow time for another bid.

So I relaxed and bid normally instead of waiting until only a few seconds remained. I own an encaustic by Ron Davis so let the one that is not as good as mine go for $2500, which would result in a price of over $3000 with bidder’s commission and tax.

I love all three works I bought, so it was a great way to grow my collection at less than wholesale prices

When rhe bidding stopped around 1:20 I made a salad which romaine lettuce, grape tomatoes, cucumber, Red onion, avocado, and Kalamata olives. More interestingly, I made a Dijonnaise dressing seasoned with Herbs de Provence and garlic, lemon juice and olive oil and Dijon Mustard that tasted of Southern France.

I also melted Manchego cheese on slices of baguette.

                                                 The remarkable Dijonnaise dressing

After I watched the market close as I ate, I checked my portfolio and happily had a slight gain.

I then drove to Tricore at Encino Medical Plaza for my draw.

When I returned at 4:00 I was tired and napped until 5:00.

Dinner - We decided to eat leftovers for dinner. Suzette reheated squares of Spinach and mushroom lasagna with leftover steamed asparagus drizzled with the remaining Dijonnaise dressing and slices of roasted chicken from Costco.

I poured out the last two glasses of Kirkland Pinot Grigio (now 5.49) and we ate under the gazebo in the warm slate afternoon sun. The area around the pond has never looked better with the rose bushes, columbines, and water lilies all in bloom.

After dinner we watched the cut roses and put them in vases in our bedroom where they aspirate an amazing aroma.

At 7:00 we watched Antiques Roadshow and went to bed at 8:15.

Bon Appetit

April 18, 2026 breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Pasta and Spaghetti Sauce. Dinner with Nancy and Cliff - BBQ Pork with Green Rice and Ratatouille

April 18, 2026 breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Pasta and Spaghetti Sauce. Dinner with Nancy and Cliff - BBQ Pork with Green Rice and Ratatouille 

I watched an early PL match and then ate my usual granola with milk, mango yogurt, and blueberries.

For lunch we heated leftover lasagna noodle strips covered with leftover Spaghetti Sauce that was a mixture of roasted vegetables and the meat and mushroom sauce I made several days ago.

Then we went the symphony at 6:00 but it was mainly choral music, so we left at intermission at 7:00.

We watched Kara Swisher’s new special on living forever at 7:00 on CNN while we heated the dishes and Suzette thickened the liquid cooking juices from the pork into a thick sauce by the addition of cornstarch.

At 8:00 Nancy and Cliff came with a new Italian wine and several Argentinian cookies that combined two short bread slices with a lemon cream filling that were coated with chocolate.

Suzette immediately served plated of pork, rice, and Ratatouille with the pitcher of sauce and I poured glasses of Archer’s Summit Vireton Pinot Gris that went well with the slightly spicy pork.

After dinner I served the Karen’s Bakery Lemon puff cookies filled with lemon cream.

We said goodnight at 10:00 and went to bed after a pleasant dinner and evening of conversation.

Bon Appetit 

April 19, 2026 Breakfast - BLT and Egg Sandwich Dinner - leftover Lasagna with Steamed Asparagus and Roasted Chicken

April 19, 2026 Breakfast - BLT and Egg Sandwich  Dinner - leftover Lasagna with Steamed Asparagus and Roasted Chicken

I woke up and watched an uneventful 0 to 0 tie between Brentford and Fulham and drank a Latte Macchiato and  a much more exciting win by Liverpool over Brentford.

Then Willy came over at 9:30 to watch the biggest PL fixture of the season, No. 1 Arsenal vs No. 2 Man City. Willy has a bet that Man City will win the PL this year, so we cheered for Man City and they won to draw within three points of Arsenal.

At Halftime we made bacon, lettuce, tomato, avocado, and egg sandwiches that were really delicious.

Yuen after the fixture, Willy left and we drove to a musical concert put on by amateur musicians in which Jeff’s wife, Jeanette, played piano.

After the concert we drove to Costco and shopped for some basics such as olive oil, liquid laundry detergent, and bought a roasted chicken, several cheeses, and cream. I got tired and bought a chocolate soft ice cream and ate some of it while Suzette checked out.

We then drove across the street to Home Depot where Suzette bought mulch for the rose beds.

Finally a bit after 4:00 we drove home and Suzette mulched a rose bed while I ate two roasted chicken drumsticks.

Dinner - At 6:00 we made a simple dinner. Suzette steamed a handful of asparagus, cut up the two thighs from the roasted chicken, and heated squares of leftover Spinach and Mushroom Lasagna. We drank the last of the Red Newt Dry Riesling and then opened a bottle of Kirkland Pinot Grigin, now $5.48 at Costco and still a great wine value.

We watched Eva Longoria in the CNN series, Discovering France episode on Provence and to our delight, it included a segment on the roses of Bandol.

At 8:00 we watched rage Forsyths Saga on PBS and the went to bed at  9:00.

Bon Appetit

April 17, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Leftover Chirashi. Dinner - PPI Roasted Vegetable, Ratatouille, and Spaghetti Sauce over Pasta

April 17, 2026 Breakfast - Granola. Lunch - Leftover Chirashi. Dinner - PPI Roasted Vegetable, Ratatouille, and Spaghetti Sauce over Pasta

I woke up at 7:25 in time to watch the market open up again. This was the 13th session in a row for the NASDAQ to close up. The last time a 13 day winning streak occurred was January 9, 1992. Today ithe NASDAQ was buoyed by Iran’s agreement to open the Strait of Hormuz that sent the NASDAQ to a close up 385 points and increased my portfolio to a new new high up an additional 1.6%.  

I ate a bowl of granola with milk, blueberries and mango yogurt at 8:30 and worked until 10:00 and then drove to Costco to pick up a prescription.

Then I drove to my 11:00 appointment at podiatry and after that I drove to a non-appointment at the Vein Clinic.

So I was free by 11:50 and drove home and ate the leftover chirashi from yesterday’s lunch at Crazy Fish. I must admit that the fish tasted better today than yesterday. I heated the sushi rice and made several cups of green tea to go with the fish, seaweed salad, squid and burdock salad, and shredded daikon.

I watched the Market close and then checked my portfolio and then typed a bit and lay down at 3:00 and rested until 4:00 when I started watching the news. A tentative ceasefire is better than no ceasefire, so no one seems to care whether Trump is lying or claims to having made peace for two wars he and Israel started.

I ate two snacks, the first was slices of Granny Smith apple garnished with grated lime zest and sugar and the second was a slice of toasted whole wheat bread spread with a thin layer of peanut butter and honey.

Suzette came home at 5;30 and after her cocktail we decided to cook a simple dinner using leftovers.

We boiled several clusters of Pappardelle pasta and garnished the cooked pasta with a mixture of roasted root vegetables, ratatouille, and the beef and Mushroom Spaghetti sauce I made several days ago.

I opened a bottle of Kirkland 2020 Barolo red wine that was delicious. So we has a great and simple no-cooking meal, except for boiling pasta.

After dinner we watched the Magic of Belle Isle starring Morgan Freeman and Virginia Madsen on Netflix and went to bed at 9:00

Bon Appetit