December 18, 2025 Breakfast - Two fried eggs, a slice of toast and a slice of pork tenderloin Lunch - an SPLASH wrap at Slate Street Museum restaurant. Snack - Enchiladas. Dinner - Leftover Grilled Lamb, roasted vegetables, corn on the cob, couscous, and tzatziki

December 18, 2025 Breakfast - Two fried eggs, a slice of toast and a slice of pork tenderloin   Lunch - an SPLASH wrap at Slate Street Museum restaurant. Snack - Enchiladas. Dinner - Leftover Grilled Lamb, roasted vegetables, corn on the cob, couscous, and tzatziki

I slept in our new bed last night for the first time and i5 is wonderful.

I awakened at 6:45 and dressed and met with Luke and Suzette at 7:00 to go over the plans for his house remodel. After Suzette left for work at 8:00 I cooked two eggs each over easy for our breakfast and toasted a slice of sourdough rye and heated the leftover pork tapa and ate a slice of pork with my eggs and toast. Willy made scrambled eggs and joined us for breakfast. Luke then prepared for a session at 9:00 and Willy made breakfast.

We worked until 10:45 when we all three walked around the block. This was the first real exercise I have had since the trip to Japan and it allowed me to walk 5000 steps today.

When we returned I drove to the Albuquerque Art Museum to meet our book club group. We ate lunch in the Slate Street cafe in the museum. I had a SPLASH wrap, salad, a slice of bacon, guacamole, wrapped in a tortilla and toasted in a sandwich press. I was mostly salad, so not very filling.

We then visited the big Germany Art from 1910 to 1945 exhibition. I liked it for the third time. 

At 2:00 I drove home.

Willy was having a snack of enchiladas so I had a snack of enchiladas also and checked my portfolio and it had recovered about half of what it lost yesterday, so the market was starting to go in the right direction.

I have a new theory. The smart money fellas know that unemployment and inflation are rising and they are easing out of the market, so the market is going to drift downward until Trump realizes that he cannot support the economy or his approval rating with his lies or sales pitch (in his mind). His speech to the National Wednesday evening was a desperate attempt to stop the erosion of confidence in him that would fool very few intelligent people. 

If his approval rating continues to slide, is when we will see if economic policy will kick in. I am hoping that that is shortly after New Years, so my portfolio will have a lower value due to the downward drift we are currently in.  My portfolio’s value has drifted down approximately 6.4% from its high a couple of months ago.

Talking about intelligent people, I went to a seminar on Tuesday sponsored by the federal bar dealing with AI issues. The speaker was a professor at UNM law school who deals with technology and the law. One of the statistics she gave was: 30% of Americans have a college degree, 1% of Americans are doctors and 1/2% are lawyers. The statistic was given in the context that lawyers have a special duty to maintain their mandated ethical standards, but the subtext was that lawyers have the special duty to guard the rule of law that is part of the bedrock of our democracy. That makes me think lots of folks around Trump are going to jail when the country reverts to Democratic control. There are already signs that the shift back to proper functioning of government is occurring. This week four Republicans voted for the discharge petition to have a vote whether to extend the ACA credits for health insurance and the vote by the Republican majority Indiana legislature to not redistrict to increase Republican congressional districts were strong signs of the return to a more normal functioning government.

As unemployment and prices rise I hope more folks will see reality and stop accepting Trump’s lies as truth.

Perhaps I should feel happy that my little family unit has the capacity for critical thinking that sees through Trump’s attempt to create a dictatorship and more importantly can make the right financial moves.

I was sleepy by 3:00 and took a nap until 4:00 and watched Ari and then at 5:00 drove to the Main library and picked up the January book club. Suzette was making a snack of slices of chicken breast garnished with basil Mayo.

Dinner - When I returned home we drank a glass of red wine and watched the interview with Michelle Obama about her new book, The Look.. Then around 7:30 we boiled three ears of corn and then heated plates of leftover grilled lamb chops, roasted vegetables, and couscous and fetched the tzatziki and mint jelly from the fridge. I poured out the last of the wonderful Red Tail Winery red and then half way through the meal opened a bottle of California Embroidery Pinot Noir that tasted flat compared to the New York red. How our taste changes as our palate becomes educated to better quality.

After dinner and during the interview I squeezed the juice out of 14 lemons and Suzette found her recipe for lemon curd and fetched the butter, eggs, and sugar. 

                                   The last two of 14 lemons for to juice by hand

After the Obama interview we made a batch of lemon curd. We had never made lemon curd and it was amazing to me that it was a variation of a simple Hollandaise Sauce, heating sugar, eggs, and lemon juice to 170 degrees until they thicken and then add butter. So it is actually a sweetened Hollandaise Sauce. Viola.

Suzette went to bed at 9:30 and Willy and I watched a very exciting game between Seattle and the L.A. Rams for the Western NFL Conference lead. Both teams were 11 and 3 and both were playing at a high level. A fluke two point conversion late in the 4th Quarter tied the score at 30 to 30 and sent the game into overtime. Then LA. Scored to make it 37 to 30 but in overtime rules both teams have a chance to score and Seattle scored to bring the score to 36 to 37. Overtime rules dictated that if the score was tied after the first two possessions, the next score would win. So Seattle ather than kick the extra point and give the ball back to LA. elected to go for a two point conversion, which was successful and Seattle won the game 38 to 37. A great game.

I tried to blog but fell asleep at 10:30 after a day of satisfying leftovers and an exciting new recipe, lemon curd.

We have lots of lemon juice because we peeled 13 lemons for the limoncello, so now we are converting the lemon juice from those lemons into lemon curd that we can give as Christmas gifts.

Suzette and my food trip just keeps going.

Bon Appetit 

December 17, 2025 Breakfast - Shrimp in Lobster Sauce and rice. Lunch - No. 16 at Lime. Chicken Soup with egg noodles, roasted pork and wontons. Dinner - Enchiladas with Guacamole

December 17, 2025 Breakfast - Shrimp in Lobster Sauce and rice. Lunch - No. 16 at Lime. Chicken Soup with egg noodles, roasted pork and wontons. Dinner - Enchiladas with Guacamole 

The market took a deep plunge today so I stopped watching at 7:45 a.m. and dressed and around 9:00 ate the leftover Shrimp in Lobster Sauce from lunch yesterday at East Ocean.

Then I worked at my desk until 12:30 when I drove to Lime Vietnamese restaurant at the corner of Eubank and Montgomery to meet Monica for lunch. She had just returned from Romania. She and Aaron and I founded Earn, so we had lots to talk about.

She ordered an appetizer of fried egg rolls and she ordered her favorite dish: salt cooked Shrimp and. I ordered my new favorite, No. 16, Chicken Soup with egg noodles, roasted pork and wontons. 

I was unable eat much so the waiter picked the noodles, pork, and wontons in one container and the broth in another container to take home.

We talked until almost 3:00 when I drove home.

As soon as I arrived I meditated from 3:25 until 4:00.  Then with Willy’s help Suzette put the new King sized bed together and she and I made the bed and then made the bed in the guest bedroom for Luke, who is arriving this evening.

Dinner - Enchiladas with Guacamole  At 6:30 we started preparing dinner. Suzette had picked up a roasted chicken at Costco along with twelve bottles of Gruet Brut sparkling win.

I chopped 1 1/3 onion and 6 or 7 cloves of garlic and Suzette deboned and chopped the dark meat from the chicken and started boiling the carcass with a mirapoix.in a large casserole.

Then Suzette blended green chili and chicken broth to make a green enchilada sauce, while l sliced about 1/2 lb. of mushrooms and three zucchini and fetched the container of sour cream I bought at El Super yesterday and a container of requeson. 

Then Suzette assembled the enchiladas in a 10 x 18 inch Pyrex baking dish.

She moistened the bottom of the baking dish with sauce and laid a layer of tortillas on the bottom. Then she lay layers of zucchini and requeson and more sauce and another layer of tortillas and then the mushrooms and chicken and some more zucchini and sauce.

Finally she lay a third layer of tortillas and poured the rest of the sauce over it and then she added thin slices of cojita cheese on top and baked the enchiladas for 1/2 hour in a 350 degree oven. She was talking when the timer went off and I turned off the oven,which may have been too soon, because when we served the enchiladas they were a little moist.

While the enchiladas were baking I made guacamole by combining 1/4 red onion minced, four cloves of garlic, salt, seven avocados, juice of one lime, some Cholula red sauce, and chopped fresh cilantro.

I fetched the bag of chips and we ate guacamole as an appetizer.

Willy fetched three Negra Modelos from the garage and we ate a wonderful dinner. 

We went to bed at 9:00 and Willy said he would pick up Luke, whose plane was delayed in Denver at 10:00.

Tomorrow we make lemon curd.

Bon Appetit

December 16, 2025 Breakfast - Granola Snack - Bagel with cream cheese and fresh fruit Lunch - East Ocean Dinner - Pita Pocket Sandwiches with lamb

December 16, 2025 Breakfast - Granola Snack - Bagel with cream cheese and fresh fruit  Lunch - East Ocean  Dinner - Pita Pocket Sandwiches with lamb

I woke up at 7:00 and watched Squawk on the Street while I dressed. Then at 7:30 I ate a bowl of granola with milk, yogurt, blueberries, and bananas.

Then I drove to the Federal courthouse to attend the CLE on AI given by a Professor at UNM Law School who specializes in AI.

The federal bar sponsored the CLE and provided Dunkin bagels and cream cheese and fresh fruit platters. So I smeared a bagel with chive cream cheese and took a bowl of fruit. I had been craving green grapes and there were lots of them on the fruit platter along with cantaloupe, strawberries, water melon, pineapple, and kiwi. I nibbled through the three hour lecture.

When I returned home I saw a message from Mike, so I called and we met at East Ocean at 1:00 for lunch.

We each ordered dinner portions of our favorite dishes; shrimp in lobster sauce for me and Kung Pao Chicken for Mike.  We caught up on Kit and Joy’s operations and Mike’s running. He thought he will exceed the 1700 miles he ran last year, this year and I described our trip to Japan.

At 2:30 we said goodbye and I drove to El Super to buy produce and enchilada ingredients. I bought cucumbers, red onions, green onions, green beans, broccoli, sour cream, requeson, plain LaLa yogurt, carrots, avocados, corn chips, cookies, and tomatoes.

I then drove home a bit before 4:00 and unloaded by 4:00 and watched most of Ari. Apparently every one is reacting to the nasty things Trump said about Ron Reiner.

Dinner - Suzette had a busy day with Christmas parties at the Center, and forgot a chicken.

At 5:00 the plumbers came to clean the clogged kitchen line and then the furniture store delivered the new king sized bed that is our Christmas gift to ourselves at 5:30.

I took the Red Tail Ridge wines to the basement at 6:30 and then started to make the tzatziki by peeling , seeding, and dicing a cucumber and lightly dusting the cubes with salt. I then added juice of a small lemon, pressed two cloves of garlic, and added 1 cup of Greek yogurt.  Suzette went to the garden and picked a large handful of fresh mint that I chopped and added to the tzatziki while Suzette and Willy put together the new bed frame.

I also checked the market and my portfolio was up marginally by .3%

I opened a bottle of the Red Tail Ridge 2022 Teloldego that was delivered yesterday and chopped lettuce, tomato, and sliced the meat from one of the lamb chops we grilled yesterday and some red onion, while Suzette heated two half pitas and smeared creamy feta cheese inside each pocket.

We then filled each pocket with the ingredients and finally some of the fresh tzatziki. 

We liked the wine. It was ultra smooth .

I watched a re-run of Finding your Roots at 7:00 and then two episodes of House Hunters International and went to bed in the guest room.

I walked4500 steps today with the assistance of two glucose pills, I am making good progress.

Suzette at 9:00 and I at 10:30 after blogging this entry.

Bon Appetit

December 15, 2025 Breakfast - Granola with blueberries and banana. Lunch - Roast Pork tapa with Spinach, and Couscous. Dinner - Grilled Lamb Chops with Couscous, and Roasted Vegetable Medley

December 15, 2025 Breakfast - Granola with blueberries and banana. Lunch - Roast Pork tapa with Spinach, and Couscous. Dinner - Grilled Lamb Chops with Couscous, and Roasted Vegetable Medley

Finally I feel like we are back into our normal routine of eating and cooking excellent Cuisine.

I awakened at 6:45 and ate a bowl of granola with blueberries and bananas, Greek yogurt, and milk around 7:00 because I was hungry and had a doctor’s appointment at 10:15.

I watched the market go from strongly positive to mildly negative by 7:45 and then lay down until 8:30 when I showered and dressed.

I drove to my appointment at 9:40 and finished the appointment a couple of minutes after 11:00.

We were grilling lamb chops for dinner, so I picked up 6 pita and some candy at Qud’s on the way home. I asked for fresh pita, so the owner went to the kitchen and bagged. 6 freshly baked pita and charged me accordingly.

I then drove home and at noon heated Leftover Roast Pork Tenderloin with apples and onions on fresh spinach and couscous. I drank water with lunch, which is now an added dimension to my diet.

At 1:00 I watched the first half of the Bournemouth v. Man Union fixture. When I left at the half to do some work for a client Man Union was up 2 to 1.

When I returned 40 minutes later in the 83rd minute the score was tied 4 to 4 and I had missed 5 exciting goals. Alas the fixture ended in a draw.

I then finished my work and rested for a few minutes and watched the news that was dominated by the shootings at Brown University and the Chanukah mass shooting in Sydney, Australia.

Dinner - We cooked dinner at 6:00. Suzette had found a recipe for a roasted vegetable medley, including butternut squash, red onion, cranberries, asparagus, and red beets garnished with feta or on this evening, crumbled salty cojita cheese. Suzette blanched the squash whole in the microwave for a minute to make it easier to cut and peel and added the asparagus about ten minutes from the end of the roast to keep them crisp.

I opened a good bottle of Kirkland 2020 JME Selecion Reserva Rioja. It was very smooth and complemented the thick cut lamb chops. The lamb chops were the thickest we have bought at Costco and Suzette was able to grilled them to rare, so they were delicious, especially with some of Suzette’s homemade mint jelly.

The roasted vegetables were delicious also and had a Christmas color scheme with the green asparagus and the red vegetables and cranberries.

I loved the couscous also, so I would say this was an excellent meal and far better than any we could find at any Albuquerque restaurant.

Willy joined us for dinner and introduced me to the water from his new water filter.

We gave Willy a Terry’s chocolate orange for the first night of Chanukah, which he immediately opened.

I had a cup of Earl Grey tea later with a piece of one of the slices.

We tried to prepare an invitation for Christmas Eve but were not successful in attaching a photo of us in Japan.

Suzette was tired and went to bed after Antique Roadshow at 8:30 and I followed at 9:30 after watching a few minutes of Monday Night Football and reading about how to dematerialize Indian company stock.

I think we will make enchiladas again tomorrow night, if Suzette brings home a chicken.

Bon Appetit