I was up and at ’em this morning because I knew I was facing a very difficult transcription job, my first one since mid-October (not counting a tiny easy one I did in Nogales). I’m officially back at work full-time! Anyway, I knew this one was going to be a bear and the best way would be to chop it up into bits and give myself good breaks.
I stopped around 9:00 to get some fruits and veggies and then I headed down the street to the butcher shop to hopefully get pork chops for dinner. They only had one, so I decided to save it for lunch another day and instead do chicken tonight, since I am insane. I have no problem buying pork from that shop because it is prepackaged and frozen. Chicken gets chopped up in front of you and the less I say about the process, the better. 🙂 I plan to do like last year and get my chicken cooked for me from the Chicken Lady on weekends, but she wasn’t working this past weekend and I wanted chicken. It was $49 for two huge chicken breasts and a good sized pork chop. I didn’t take note of the price per pound, but I did the math last year and meat is way cheaper here than what I pay in Canada, even for pork, which is a decent deal back home.
I got home and got to work on the chicken. I’m used to the orange colour of the flesh, but had a hard time getting past the odour last year, the main reason I gave up buying my own. But this chicken didn’t have that smell, yay! I chopped it up and threw it in a bowl, then doused it with some Italian dressing. I happened to have an unopened bottle left when I was packing and I use it almost exclusively as an easy chicken marinade on days when I’m not feeling too creative.
Once the chicken was in the fridge, I went back to work before changing into jeans because I was going riding at 11:00! It was just my friend Joan and I today because Janet only just arrived and Sue won’t be here till the 4th of December. Well, there was a family from Chicago, too, but our groups got separated because Joan and I are way more experienced. It was fun to catch up with Daniel and, like last year, our ride doubled as conversation lessons! We also got in two canters and got a chance to see the new pathway under construction near the beach. I’d call it a boardwalk, but it’s made of sand. 🙂 I’ll hike out there another day and get pictures.
Even though we only wanted to be out an hour, we were out almost two! Time just flies when you’re on a horse, even if your creaky body is protesting. 🙂 I cannot get jaded or blasé about how amazing it is to canter down a palm tree lined beach with a glorious tropical sun beating down at me. This is the Good Life I’ve heard so much about!
My bad knee was completely locked up by the time we returned (I have to remind Daniel to get me another saddle; I had a hard time with the stirrups on this one last year, too), so it’s a wonder it didn’t collapse when I dismounted. I should learn to dismount from the other side, even if I’ll get odd looks. But it makes no sense to drop onto that leg since it’s a recipe for getting hurt. Anyway, I was pleased by how easily I was able to mount and dismount, as it showed me that I’m in better shape than I thought I was!
I was famished by this point, so I headed home to make a quick lunch and get back to work. By 3:00ish, I only had an hourish left, so I headed to the beach for a beer, chips, and salsa. I was disappointed that my pico de gallo had no peppers in it and the server offered to either have serranos added to it or to bring me another salsa that is spicy and I could mix the two. I decided to go that route and the combination was very yummy! I can’t believe food not being spicy enough is now a problem!
While I was enjoying my snack, there was a group of drummers making music with a few gals putting on a dance performance. I left them a tip, so my break cost me all of $70 for booze, entertainment, food, and tips! I love it here! 🙂
When I got in, I made the final push on work and finished at 6:00. For dinner, I sautéd a chayote with some onion. Dang, I missed chayote! I made sure to cook the chicken well past the point I would have called it done back home and it was very tasty! I added an avocado squirted with lime juice as a side. Since dinner was so reasonable, I had a small bowl of the pineapple coconut yoghurt I also missed as dessert!
Oh the boring life of the Isla :(( You really need to learn to spice it up 🙂
A boardwalk!!!! This I have to see, wait I will be there Sunday. We have decided to ease into setting up. Beach walk, unload the car and just veg. Monday we’ll get out stuff out of the bodega and start the set up.
“Just another day in Paradise!” goes the song!
Now that you are on medical back home, is there anything than can be done with your knee? It is such a drag living with something like that.
I saw a doctor about my knee a while back. Was told I’d have to wait till I’m in my 50s before they’d consider replacing it and it’s a five to ten-year waiting list. I was also told I needed to lose ‘at least 150 pounds’ before I could get a referral. I weighed 200 pounds at the time…
I saw another doctor this past summer and he told me no one would refer me for knee pain unless I lost another 100 pounds or so. I weigh 165 pounds. And I should add that I am 5’6″ tall with big bone structure and while I could stand to lose more weight, this is a healthy weight!
So what this means is that Canadian doctors will not refer me for the knee replacement. Even if I wanted to do like I did for my reduction mammoplasty and shop for a referral until I finally wear someone down, my living situation in Canada is not conducive to a good recovery from this surgery. So I am investigating having this done at my own cost in Mexico. One of my riding buddies did it and is going to give me the scoop.
Here is John and Brenda’s story about her knee surgery that she is having trouble with. Not trying at all to scare you off because I also know several people who have had successful treatments. My brother needed two new knees and they kept telling him he was too young until they started telling him he was too old! It is a big decision, life altering really. You could talk to Brenda, they are a very friendly couple from Calgary who take their horses with them to Arizona for the winter.
http://johnbrendasincredibleadventure.blogspot.com/2015/10/complex-regional-pain-syndrome-crpsrsd.html
I went through the experience with my dad, actually, and saw how it would have changed his life if he hadn’t been diagnosed with cancer and died very shortly thereafter. I am getting a crooked back from the joint being out of line and making my leg shorter than the other one and I am getting a giant bunion on my foot. It’s going to get worse over time. The risks of the surgeries are worth it to me.
Knee surgery can really change your life for the better. My sister just got put on the list in Edmonton, she is very young and grossly overweight. It is a case of finding the right doctor. I do agree Rae that you can’t properly recover in Canada, you won’t be able to do the stairs nor get into your loft bed. The Isla sounds like a good place to recover. You also need to speak to Joy who just got her hip down.
I’m going to wait until I’m settled somewhere long-term (ie. very likely Mérida), where I would be close to a hospital/treatment facility. I’d have to rent an apartment in Regina for at least six months if I did this in Canada. If I were to do this in Maz (very big if), I don’t know if I’d want to do it on Isla because I might have difficulty getting in and out of the lanchas and I don’t see myself being Isla-bound for several months!
Anyway, this is five years down the road, methinks, because I don’t have the money right now.