Entertaining

This was a busy, fun-filled day as I head toward a vacation next week.  I spent the morning playing music, visiting the newly reopened French collection of the National Gallery, and having lunch with one of my dearest friends.

Then I rushed home to finish making dinner for our Spanish teacher.  I quickly set the table with Colombian black pottery I had bought in La Chamba over 35 years ago and which had sat in boxes in my attic for several decades.  

Then I set to work completing the oven-baked beef empanadas, a preview to the cuisine of Chile.  This is a shot before they went in the oven.  The interesting thing is the secret ingredient in the crust:  tequila.  For once I followed the recipe and they were delicious with a spicy chimichurri sauce.

I also put into service a tea set from Colombia about the same era.  It’s funny how these things have sat around collecting dust for years, just begging to be used.

Dinner with Lia was great as we moved from English to Spanish and back again.  She said she will really miss seeing us on Tuesday and Friday afternoons, so we agreed to continue our lessons probably with less frequency when we return.

The only negative to my day was a letter from the GEHA insurance watchdogs who have determined that my MRI Lumbar Spine will not be covered because it was not medically appropriate.  My surgeon surely thought it was appropriate, so I hope he can give me some ammunition to fight this.  Otherwise I may end up having to pay thousands of dollars out of pocket for a 30-minute procedure.  Healthcare in this country is in an abysmal state of affairs.  Arghh!