This morning at 8am Tammy, The Tamale Lady, delivered 2 dozen tamales to me hot from the steamer. Tammy is a Pentecostal lady who makes the best tamales I ever tasted, and that's saying a lot since I used to think my M-I-L, who was a native of Monterrey Mexico, made the best. I don't know where Tammy learned to make them but they are devine. She makes them authentically, with real corn shucks and masa and a delicious filling--they're like potato chips--you can't eat just one.
I had ordered a dozen hot and a dozen extra hot. For breakfast I ate seven of the extra hot ones  right then and there, ooohing and aaahing with every bite. What made it such a pleasure was listening to Pavarotti at the same time. It is simply orgiastic to eat one of those superb tamales straight from the steamer while Pavarotti sings Turandot's Norma.
Then my yard care guy came and mowed and Weed-Eatered etc. I gave all the beautiful wildflowers time to bloom and re-seed before hiring him to cut the grass. Now the house is clean, the yard looks good and I'm full of tamales--life doesn't get much better than that!

susil (And I hope you have a tamale and Pavarotti moment today!)