Out with the old (list), in with the new!

I think it might take me 60 years to declutter what it's taken me 47 to collect.  I've only made it through one small box in the last two days.  Here's why.  I have to read every scrap of paper and look at every picture and find a legitimate"home" for every item I decide to keep.  One thing I found is a list I made several years ago.  Across the top of the page is written "Things to do before I turn 50".    The list contains such lofty goals as "learn to dance salsa", "get my pilot's license", "learn Italian".  There are 10 such ridiculous things listed, not a single one of which I have even begun to do.  Rather than be a complete failure when I arrive at 50, with 2 1/2 years left to go before the big day, I've decided to make a new list.

Things to do before I turn 50

1.  watch all the Monty Python movies in a single sitting.  (preferably in Arizona, at my friend Tim's, with an endless supply of "homemade" popcorn)
2.  buy a fancy hat and wear it somewhere in public
3.  get something free through a masterpiece of complaining (saw this one on someone else's list and thought it sounded fun!)
4.  make friends with a complete, random stranger
5.  write and mail a letter to the President of the United States
6.  learn 10 words in Italian
7.  visit California (this is cheating a bit since I already have plans to attend my girlfriend's wedding on 10-10-10!)
8.  try some weed (could probably get some from my sister, or my daughter......)
9.  Memorize "The Raven" and recite it to an audience
10.  learn to write with my left hand.

Yes..... as I review this list, I think it is definitely more doable than the first list I wrote.  I might even start on #9 yet today!

I'm taking a break from "decluttering" because I'm getting ready to try a somewhat involved recipe for roasted vegetable enchiladas.  Spent the last two days gathering all the ingredients!  Needed to make a trip to the Mexican grocery store for poblano chilies (these will be roasted and ground with spices for the enchilada sauce) and the chayote squash as Scott's doesn't carry these "exotic" things.  But already had the dried ancho chilies and chipotles in my pantry.  Other vegetables to be roasted include butternut squash and mushrooms. 

I made Thai fried rice on Wednesday and thought about my ex-pastor and his wife the whole time.  Seemed like a recipe they would like; seasoned with curry powder and fish sauce and studded with cashews, shrimp, pineapple, raisons, peas, and red peppers.  And although the ingredient list seemed a bit lengthy, the whole thing came together very quickly in the end.  Next time, I'll make the rice a day ahead and use fresh pineapple instead of canned. 

Last night, I tried a couple of Greek recipes.  One was for Avgolemono soup (lemon soup).  I already have a pretty simple recipe for this which I love, but this recipe was a bit hardier.  It contained chicken and chopped up veggies as well as a sprinkling for fresh dill.  The other recipe was for Garides Tourkolimano (a shrimp dish).  This was o.k. but I've decided to never use frozen, thawed shrimp again.  The shrimp was mushy!  (If you are interested in these recipes, I got them from closetcooking.blogspot.com)

In other news, I lost three pounds of hair yesterday (no, I didn't shave my legs!).  I took a one-day break from yoga for a 9:00 hair appointment.  I'm very happy with the results and think it makes me look younger.  It's odd how "looking" younger makes me feel younger.  Felt full of energy and happiness all day yesterday!  I'll post a photo later if I can find time in my busy, productive day to take a picture!

Sorry for the boring post, but felt I needed to get something new on my blog before my "followers" wandered away out of boredom.