January

January 1st always marks three things: David’s birthday, David’s Name Day, and the beginning of a new year. This year was pretty low key. We stayed home all day and just relaxed and enjoyed each others company. David requested a Tex-Mex breakfast, so here are homemade tortillas stuffed with scrambled eggs, western potatoes, grated cheddar, pickled onions, and homemade salsa. Thank you Cheryl for your gift of jalapenos. They really add to the authenticity of the salsa!

Unfortunately I did not take a pic of the steak I made for our evening meal, but I think it turned out okay. On a whim, I decided to make a cake, which consisted of leftover items in the fridge lol. I had two green apples and some carrots, so I made an apple carrot cake, which turned out really nice. I did not have cream cheese to make a homemade frosting, but Andrea & Ty left a container of ready made vanilla frosting in the fridge, so I used that. I honestly don’t know why frosting was in the fridge, but I can guess that a sweet tooth was involved.

January 5: Well, it seems we are a haven for the area cats. Back in October, a calico momma cat showed up and we named her Shelley. A week later, her daughter showed up and we named her Stella. In looking at Stella’s coloring, we are pretty sure this guy is the father. He started showing up. We haven’t named him yet, but his working identity is “gray beard”. Next thing I know, this tiny kitten shows up, We’re doomed!

So far we have only Shelley sterilized, but our goal this month is to sterilize Angel (aka the Ungrateful One), Stella, and Gray Beard. Luckily our awesome Veterinarian Konstantina is giving us a volume discount.

Jan 9: About 5 months ago while putting groceries in the car, David felt a pop in the tendon leading to his right thumb. Instant pain. He couldn’t lift anything and could barely move his thumb or twist his wrist without excruciating pain. We bought a wrist brace designed for this injury. He nursed it for 5 months with very little relief. Finally he went to a doctor. Surgery was necessary. So today was the day. This was a day surgery using a local anesthetic. It’s kind of scary doing any kind of medical procedure in a country you aren’t familiar with, but we were both impressed with how everything went. Very professional from top to bottom. I must also mention that the cost was extremely modest compared to the US. So lets talk about the medical costs and procedures of an ex-pat living in Greece……

Dr Galanakis is David’s doctor and was recommended to him by another doctor who teaches at the University of Crete, and also has a practice. Anyway, the procedure that was performed on David was the removal of a sheath around the inflamed tendon that was causing the pain. Without insurance his fee was 400 euros. The procedure was to be performed at Creta InterClinic Mitera Kritis. The cost to the hospital was 600 euros without insurance. So, 1k euros for the entire procedure plus follow up doc visits. A procedure like this done in the States would cost WAY more than 1,000 euros (~1.1750 USD)! I love this country.

We checked in, David got a covid test, then we were sent to a double occupancy hospital room where these photos were taken. They wheeled him into a surgical room which from David’s description was utterly pristine. Every kind of anti-bacterial protocol was performed, then they wheeled him back to the same room after the procedure. The other guy in the photo was also having the same procedure done by the same doctor.

Follow ups: One week later his bandage was removed at the Doctor’s office. Two weeks later his stitches were removed. All looks well and David is cleared for regular activity. All in all, a very good experience and outcome. Glory to God!

January 12: It’s been a wet, windy, but mostly temperate winter here in Crete. One of the perks with all this weather are the rainbows. Check this one out!

Just because we live in Greece doesn’t mean we should only eat Greek food. Don’t get me wrong, I love Greek food. I was raised on it. However, growing up we also ate other cultural foods, primarily American and Italian cuisines. I was introduced to Tex Mex while living in Texas, and also Asian cuisine. Now that we are in Crete I sometimes get kidded for indulging in other cuisines. Like we’re in Greece, therefore we should only eat Greek food. With a fabulous kitchen, I have the ability to make whatever foods I choose. Thanksgiving and Christmas proved that when I learned how to make a lot of things from scratch that would normally be bought ready made in the states. We found a Chinese buffet in Heraklion that we really like, and a Japanese Sushi bar just 10 minutes away. Feeling like a burger? There’s Franks Burger Bar also near us, owned by a New York expat family, and of course Tex Mex at Amalia’s Kitchen who hails from Houston. There are lots of cuisines to try here!

Perfect for a cold and rainy day. Roasted tomato soup w/grilled cheese
Homemade Orange scone
New China Restaurant – Chinese Buffet
New China Restaurant
Homemade Banana chocolate chip muffins
Frank’s Burger Bar

January 19: We (okay, me) finally broke down and bought a TV. 65″ Samsung. Super thin and super heavy. For medicinal purposes of course (wink wink) to relieve my baseball depression blues. I pulled up Sonny Gray’s almost perfect complete game from last season.

One of the things I love about many restaurants in Greece is that desserts come with a meal. It is always a surprise when something sweet appears. We have been served fresh fruit, ice cream, spoon sweet, yogurt, or little slices of cake. One of our favorite places is called Kasaoulio. They serve a belgian waffle with nutella, nuts and ice cream. It tastes as amazing as it looks! Here in Crete, dessert is also served with Raki, an alcoholic white grape brandy. 35-65% alcohol and really packs a punch!

February

You gotta start the month off with a good breakfast! This one was a fast throw down. Scrambled eggs on a slice of gouda over homemade toast with homemade salsa on top. Paired with fresh strawberries and avocado.

February 7: Our half bath on the main level does not have the greatest layout. I AM grateful that there is a bathroom on this level, but like all the other bathrooms in this house, the design seems like an afterthought. The sink is so close to the toilet that in order to sit down, you must angle your legs sideways. I’m not even tall so I can only imagine how anyone over 5’4″ can get it done. I looked at many different renovation possibilities, but given our budget, here is the best we could do. I’m very pleased with how it turned out.

Old sink not only cracked, but no leg room
Stone shelf allowing for more legroom
check out the “barbie” mirror lol.
Bye bye barbie mirror

February 13: You would think living in the south for many years that I would have made this before. Nope! Here’s my first homemade biscuits and gravy, Cretan style. Crete has so many amazing sausage varieties and this did not disappoint. I can’t believe how easy this came together.

February 23: Back in Austin I learned how to make sourdough bread using a homemade starter. Four years later and in my own kitchen, I decided to make sourdough again. Took awhile to get the starter established, but here it is. While I was in the mood, I saw this YouTube recipe for a “pastitsio mac n cheese” that really intrigued me. I must say, this is the only way to eat mac n cheese! It was AMAZING. Using pastitsio noodles, 5 different greek cheeses (I used kefalotyri, Kasseri, Gouda, Graviera and Parmesan) and topped with bechamel.

February 28: Some people hop in the car to see their grandkids. Not possible living on the islands of Greece. So I hopped on a plane for a quick one hour purpose trip to Rhodes. Andrea & Ty were moving into temporary digs while renovations are being done on the family home in Paradeisi. This is the first time Kassiani is without her parents for a few hours. She’s doing great!

March

March 5: My next to last day of helping the Kromerakis family move into their temporary place in Afantou. Kassiani is starting to explore walking. Here she is walking to her big sister. Such a joy to interact with these two!

Friday, March 6: I got on the one hour direct flight from Rhodes to Heraklion Crete at 8am. Easy breezy, quick and inexpensive. Less than 100 euros. David picked me up and we went to one of our favorite places for breakfast and some much needed coffee. I was pretty tired from my babysitting adventures, but when David mentioned going for a ride up in the mountains, paired with the espresso running through my veins, well I just perked up! We had been seeing snow on the mountains all winter long so we thought we would go check it out. The mountain near our house is called Psiloritis (Mount Ida) and is the highest mountain on the island of Crete, with an elevation of 2,456 meters. In addition, there is a natural park which includes Mount Ida and is a UNESCO’s Global Geopark. Only 26 miles from the house, but it takes 90 minutes to get there. Unbeknownst to us, there was an international ski mountaineering race from March 6-8, with over 230 athletes from 15 countries participating in the event. We arrived late in the day so much of the day’s activities had already occurred.

The start of our journey with Psiloritis peeking in the background
Getting a little closer
Look what we found!
Those two little dots are people walking back to the road
UNESCO site
The church of the Holy Spirit
This is the Icon the church is named after
Saw much of this along the way.
Hmmmm………
Had a delicious meal in Anogia on our return. To Skalamata Restaurant. Highly recommend.

And then the clouds rolled in fairly quickly….

March 12: A day that ranks high on my list of special days. My new piano arrived – Casio GP-510 grand hybrid piano. Sounds like a grand but has a footprint of an upright and is completely digital. I can’t tell you how excited I am! I never was great at playing piano, but this will not only feed me musically, but will help my brain and my arthritic fingers.

By 2026