Mish Mosh...

OK...

I've hit a little wall here.  This past two weeks I have had a very bad cold, managed to get a groin pull (Isn't that a SPORTS injury?  Hello!?!?) and I have had to prepare for playing two masses today.  I have run out of blog ideas that aren't too hard to pull together in a day or two.  (I also came up with a version of "Agnus Dei" to the tune of U2's "Children of the Revolution" that might get me excommunicated!) 

But I only did one serious walk.

So today will be a little mish mosh and I hope to redeem myself soon with some interesting posts.  I also hope to get back into some decent walks.

The View...

Kathy and I never get tired of the view from our condo.  I have seen incredible vistas in North Carolina, Utah, Colorado, and other scenic locations, but I am always stunned by the beauty of the city as framed by the sky, clouds, and sunlight of God's making.  It's as if humanity's creativeness and God's come together to make something more beautiful than each could have done alone.

The Streets

During a walk in the neighborhood we found an old piece of construction machinery that hadn't been used in a number of years and was covered in vines and greenery.  One of my enduring fantasies is to think about how the city would look in one hundred, two hundred, and a thousand years after humanity disappeared suddenly from the scene.  This is a start, I guess...

Here's a railroad spur that hasn't been used in about two years...

You'll notice the plastic cup in the foreground which will probably be there in 3000 A.D.

Artistry

Pilsen is home to a lot of murals.  It probably has to do with the fact that there are a lot of railroad embankments running through the neighborhood and the Mexican tradition of painting murals which has been supported by numerous art agencies in the last twenty or thirty years.

Some, such as those above, are quite beautiful.  The first one is from a mural protesting Tax Increment Financing, a tool which is supposed to help communities, but often ends up going to bigger developers with debatable benefits to the communities.  The second is painted, believe it or not, on the wall of a Mexican derived pizzaria!

Of course, this is Pilsen.  So we have to have our obligatory "Lady of Guadalupe".  This is from St. Procopious Parish, which has really opened itself to the community and has become a vital part of Pilsen.  This is Catholicism at its best, in my opinion.

Of course, the urban hipsters moving into Pilsen need to get their mark in as well!

This "mural" was drawn on a doorpost on 18th Street.

Finally, you know there has to be a recipe.  We celebrated Ilene's 53rd birthday by going to Blue Man Group and then coming over to our condo for a Mexican meal.  Here is a recipe for Chorizo that will have you making it from scratch each and every time.

Chorizo
2 lbs. ground pork shoulder
1 cup white vinegar
2 tablespoon fresh ground black pepper
2 teaspoons salt
2 tablespoons ground cumin
6 tablespoons Mc Cormick chili powder
4 tablespoons fresh minced garlic
2 tablespoons onion powder
2 tablespoons paprika

1.  In a large bowl, mix all of the above ingredients well.
2.  Cover with plastic wrap and place in refrigerator fir 24 to 48 hours.
3.  Check every 12 hours and pour off any fluids that accumulate.
4.  After curing, either freeze the chorizo or fry it.