Month: June 2018

Struggles with Lawn Care Part 1

My struggles with homeownership continue. Fast-forward to my third house, I am currently living in a 1960’s house with 3-bedrooms, and 2-baths. I recently posted about my first-time homeowner lawn care experience. You can read about it here.

Lately I’ve been watering my front yard in hopes of getting a lush carpet-like lawn, like my neighbor Debbie’s, and of course, the Beautification
Award. The problem is we haven’t fertilized in a while. Or ever. The soil is light brown and there are mostly weeds, with small patches of St. Augustine grass.

I pointed out the depleted soil to my husband, and he said, “Oh yeah, I’ll fertilize it.” Um, news flash, the lawn needed more than fertilizer, it needed amendments, topsoil, stuff like that. I couldn’t imagine when he would have the time or energy to do it.

The next day, my doorbell rang. It was Jose and Francisco. They had a truckload of topsoil and wanted to fertilize my front yard. It seemed like a gift from heaven.

I thought it was a good deal. If we were to have a sod lawn, we’d first have to remove the existing weedy lawn, till the soil, add topsoil and starter fertilizer, and then lay the sod. The sod alone for a plot 60′ x 28′ would have cost more than $1,400.

Fist pump, “YESS!” and from my front porch, I watched them spread the rich, black soil and seed. It took an hour and a half. It was hard work.

“This seed costs $18 a pound, Mama,” said Jose, as he swung the seeds into the ground.

My friend Jerry came by, held his nose and said, “Whew, something smells bad!”

I didn’t notice. What I smelled was the sweet odor of receiving a Beautification
Award.

“Make sure you water it, Mama,” said Jose.

I promised I would. A half an hour later, it rained. Another gift.

Later that evening, I told my friend, Tavo, “I just got a truckload of topsoil and fertilizer spread on my front yard. I’m going for the Beautification
Award, you know.”

Tavo’s eyes widened. “I’ve been trying to get that award for years!”

My husband shook his head. “There are other people going for that award besides Nanci?”

You remember when you were in elementary school, and you vied for the shiny gold trophy that came with the Good Citizen Award? Yeah. It’s like that.

Getting back to my lawn, it rained again that night, and again the next day. I’ll keep you posted on the progress. Below is a picture of the current state of my front lawn. Wish me success!

My First-Time Homeowner Lawn Care Experience

The first house my husband and I bought was in February 2001 in Euless, TX. It was a 1960’s 3-bedroom, 1.5-bath house with a huge front and backyard. Unfortunately, because we bought the house during wintertime, we discovered the yard lacked an automatic sprinkler system.

By the time summer came around, I knew I was in trouble. Outside in the blistering heat, with a newborn son in one arm, and a garden hose in the other, I could only nod to drivers as they slowly passed by. They must have thought I was crazy.

Our neighbor, Jeff, although a renter, was a grass whisperer. He would carefully lay out his homemade water sprinkler system, made from PVC pipe, and water his thick, luscious, emerald green St. Augustine grass. I had a full-blown case of green grass envy.

Then I discovered that the City of Euless has an award they give out to residents and businesses to highlight the efforts of keeping Euless beautiful. Called the Beautification Award, these monthly awards are presented between May through October.

The winners get a plaque in their front yard for a month. Their name and picture of their house are displayed at the library and on the city’s website. I determined that I was going to get that award. Now I just needed to live up to it.

I planted pansies, irises, liriope, alyssum, dusty miller, lambs ear, rosemary, lavender, and lantana. I dutifully followed Jeff’s advice, even watering close to his lawn to get the runners from his yard to come over to mine.

Sometimes I’d see Jeff spread his leftover fertilizer on my front lawn, and even water it for me!

But to no avail. I had crabgrass, dandelions, dogfennel, ground ivy, henbit, you name, it, I got it. Oh yeah, and fire ants. And don’t get me started on the bamboo patch the size of Rhode Island, with briar and poison ivy along the chain link fence.

By 2010, we moved on to another house, and the yard looked like this:

Sorry.

I don’t have an excuse, except my name isn’t Jeff.

But just because I couldn’t get the award with this yard, I still plan on getting it.

So, here’s the takeaway:

  • If you aren’t experienced with lawn care, buy a house with a smaller yard.
  • Get an automatic sprinkler system installed.
  • Hire Jeff.

The Art of the Open-Ended Question

As the mother of a teenage son, I was counseled to get the lines of communication going with him by using open-ended questions. What are open-ended questions? How are they different than closed-ended questions?

Closed-ended questions are questions that have an answer of either YES, NO, or a few words. Here is an example: How was your vacation? These kinds of questions are likened to multiple-choice questions on a test. These questions typically open with Are? Do? Who? When? Where? Which? Sometimes they begin with What?

Open-ended questions are ones that require an explanation and encourage discussion. Here is an example: What fun things did you do on vacation? These types of questions are like essay questions. These questions typically begin with How? Why? In what way? Sometimes they start with What?

The benefit of using open-ended questions is that you demonstrate an interest in the other person. I certainly want my son to feel I’m interested in him.

Before I opened my mouth, I asked myself, “Is what I am about to ask an open-ended question or a closed-ended question?” At first, I was surprised to find that my mind more readily went to closed-ended questions. I felt like I was learning to speak a different language. But the more I practiced it, the easier it got.

Of course, many times when I asked the open-ended question, hoping for a discussion, I got shut out with an “I DON’T KNOW.” Teenagers say that a lot. I’m not sure why, but I think it has to do with that they aren’t up to having a conversation at that moment. They may be thinking about something else, or they may not be interested in the topic. I try not to take it personally, realizing that I will have other opportunities. The point is I must keep trying, and not give up.

Occasionally, my open-ended questions worked, and we would get into animated discussions, usually revolving around cars. Note to moms with teenage sons: they like to talk about cars. Not just makes and models of cars, but about all the different parts of the cars. You’d better read up on motor mounts and drive axles.

Once the discussion gets started, I realized that I needed to be careful to encourage it, which is another skill altogether. If my son says something I don’t agree with, or it is shocking, I needed to not jump in with a “This is what you should do…” or chastise or criticize.

I made it a goal to have a minimum of 15 minutes of conversation with my son every day. I told him this was a requirement. The first day we did it, it was awkward. The second day we had a 45-minute discussion. Bingo!

Open-ended questions are useful in many relationships. Parents, educators, counselors, journalists, investigators, mediators, and salespeople should especially learn this skill. Conversations with workmates and even strangers can become more vibrant and satisfying.

What about you? In what areas of life have you been effective in using open-ended questions?

Peruvian Food – El Tesoro del Inca

Peruvian cuisine is a mixture of influences from the indigenous people including the Inca and cuisines brought in from Europe (mainly Spain, Italy, Germany), Asian (Chinese and Japanese), and West Africa.

Meats commonly are chicken, beef, and fish. Staples consist of corn, potato, rice. Vegetables used are tomatoes, peppers, particularly aji amarillo, a yellow pepper.

El Tesoro Del Inca is an authentic, down-to-earth Peruvian restaurant found in a strip mall at 733 N. Beltline Rd., Irving, TX 75061, located just 5 minutes from DFW Airport.

As soon as you enter, you will be welcomed by a friendly waitstaff. Traditional music plays in the background, and the walls are decorated with Incan paintings. Six large screen TVs line the walls, showing sports.

There is a raised platform for live music where musicians play traditional mountain music on Saturdays and salsa on Sundays. The interior is modest, with glass cases filled with Peruvian souvenirs and sweets. It’s a mini-market for Peruvian and Columbian foods and clothes.

Inca Paintings

A Market of Peruvian and Columbian Products

Appetizer: We received a small bowl Cancha, toasted corn. The large-kernelled corn called maiz chulpe or maiz cancha chulpe are tossed with oil and toasted in a hot skillet until they are browned and puffed, and then sprinkled with salt. It was addicting! The American snack “corn nuts” is a close equivalent, but the American version is much harder to chew.

Cancha Corn Nut Appetizer

Purple Corn

Drinks: Chicha Morada is a beautiful purple corn drink. High in antioxidants, it tastes like bubble gum. The purple corn is boiled in water for about 40 minutes. The corn is tossed out, and fruits such as pears, pineapples, apples, lime are added to the liquid. Some traditionally add cinnamon and cloves, but they don’t do it with theirs. The mixture is boiled and strained. This drink is best served cold, with ice.

The strained remnants from the chicha morado make a pudding substance used in a dessert called Mazamorra Morada.

The most popular drink of Peru is Inca Kola. Some people might describe this bright yellow soda as tasting like bubblegum or cream soda. The secret ingredient is lemon verbena. To Americans, it’s an acquired taste. You can order it by the glass or 2-liter bottle.

My husband had the Tallarines Verdes con Bistec, seasoned beef steak with pesto spaghetti and a slice of boiled potato. The steak was thin, the pesto sauce was flavorful, and the potato was cold and unseasoned.

I had the Aji de Gallina, which consists of shredded chicken served with a creamy yellow and spicy sauce, made with aji amarillo (a Peruvian yellow chili paste), cheese, milk, bread, garlic, and pecans, served with white rice.

Tallarines Verdes con Bistec

Aji de Gallino

Our friend had the Lomo Saltado, sliced beef (tenderloin or in Spanish “lomo”) is stir-fried with peppers, tomatoes, onions, garlic, coriander, cumin powder, and soy sauce, served with fried potatoes, parsley, and white rice.

His wife had the Tallarin Saltado Mixto, a Peruvian and Chinese fusion stir fry with spaghetti noodles, beef, chicken, shrimp, tomatoes, and onions.

Lomo Saltado

Tallarin Saltado Mixto

As we ate our meal, I was impressed with the friendliness of the owner. He opened the glass cases of cookies and candies to give them to the children of the patrons. I witnessed a sweet interchange between a little boy and his mother, as he took her to the glass case, pointed to a beaded bracelet, and ask her for it.

El Tesoro Del Inca is an excellent introduction to Peruvian cuisine. This place is down home, and most customers are families. Be prepared to linger at your meal and enjoy a taste of Peru’s food and atmosphere.

Hey World, Here I Am!

I’ve wanted to write a blog since 2008. Family and friends said, “Go for it!” Then, life happened, but four houses, several renovations, three years of homeschooling, an operation in the family, and lots of other things later, here it is!

I am a list maker, so you are going to see a lot of lists. I’ll start with a list of the lists I want to share:

  • 100 Self-Care Activities for the Body, Mind, and Spirit
  • If I Had Only 100 Things
  • Favorite Quotes
  • Things That Make Me Happy
  • 100 Ways to Show Love
  • “No Spend” Activities

I’m also going to post about ethnic cuisine. Dig in! I will share different kinds of food and review restaurants mostly located in the DFW area, but I’ll be sure to offer links to recipes that are similar. Eatin’ good!

You’ll also get to read my thoughts on being creative, stuff around the home, money, relationships, and general reflections. Basically, this blog is going to give you a glimpse of what it’s like to be in my brain.

So, get ready world, this is happening!