99 Cent Tacos NO BULL!

Last evening we went to Tacorito Tuesday at El Torito with Duke and Janet. Was it the cool and rainy Eugene weather or the lure of the cheap taco that drew us like a magnet? We willingly went and enjoyed some good conversation in spite of the tv sets all on and running the NIT non -stop which actually wasn't a bad visual.
The tacos were hand made and entertainment in itself to watch the young man knead the masa into dough balls, use a taco press to make that well known shape and then sizzle it on to the hot griddle. The place was packed and after receiving that hot taco with your choice of hot filling, you went to the little salsa bar to put on the lettuce, cheese and the variety of salsas. Duke and I tried chicken and Mike had the carnitas while Janet opted for a salad.
It was a good evening and we made plans for a return visit . Of course, being in a Mexican ambience we had to relive our favorite memories of a trip we all made to Mexico once.
Two tacos and some entertainment........a couple of bucks.......the reliving of our trip. ..Priceless.

Mike's Writing Blog

Bonnie has been on me to post some of my short stories and essays. Unfortunately, they are too long to post here on the View From Eugene. I have set up a separate blog for my stories and a clickable link on the right side of this column.

Bon asked that I share the story of Beady-eyed Bob, one of the many squirrels she counts among here friends. The story is not finished, but "Chapter One" is now posted.

Mike's Writing Blog

Bonnie has been on me to post some of my short stories and essays. Unfortunately, they would be too long for our regular blog. So, I have set up another blog and linked it to the View From Eugene.

I have a story about one of our squirrels currently under construction -- Bonnie asked that I post part one.

Enjoy

--- Mike

P.S. - MORE ON QUINOA

This is the quinoa product we bought at Costco-- it is a four pound bag. A half a cup fluffs up and makes more than the two of us can eat in one meal. When I made it, I used a can of chicken broth to give a little flavor.

If I remember right, I paid less than $10. The bag is resealable.

-- Mike

Organic Grains

Have you heard of Quinoa?
It is pronounced Keen-wah and a friend told us about it. It is an ancient whole grain and considered one of the best sources of protein in the vegetable kingdom. It is simple to prepare as rice and can be used as a delicious side dish, pilaf, or stuffing. The flavor is light and slightly nutty. It can be cooked in water or a broth. The brand we tried www.truroots.com

We went to a class at the library Sunday on Photo Management: The Basics.
The purpose of the class is to help become more comfortable working with photographs and images within the virtual world of computers and ?to have fun.
My goal was attaching and sending images via email as a way to stay in touch with families and friends. Mike wanted to learn about sending video clips. As we are planning our big driving trip to the Midwest next month we hope to send photos and interesting posts as we drive along.
The class recommended doing photo management through FLICKR. We are currently trying the site out and hope to have a link soon.

Book Club

I am in a book club with eight women that has been meeting for a year.
Our taste in reading is very eclectic. We have tackled historical fiction to fluff.
Our last read in February was "The Girl with No Shadow" by Joanne Harris. Everyone seemed to enjoy this one.....the sequel to "Chocolat" and those who did not commented not liking the magical references to mesoamerican myth and legend. I found it to be delightful and enjoyed the author's deft style in creating mouth watering descriptions of the Chocolaterie shop in the Montmarte district of Paris.
Although we do discuss the books and utilize reading guides to help us along the way. we also have a light dinner together at the meetings and enjoy catching up with one another's lives.
Book clubs are social and yet we are reading something. I would highly recommend becoming part of one.