Thursday, October 28, 2010

Cloths will dry on a cloudy day

Istijlál (Majesty), 13 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Thursday, October 28, 2010 about 4:20 PM Pacific Time

My grandmother would not hang cloths on the when it was cloudy. The cloths did not dry, of course, she lived in Oklahoma and I live in Nevada. I hung cloth on the line this morning and they dried. I did not rain, but it was mostly cloudy all day.

Most of the cloths I can wash at home and they dry on the line. However, I have to go to the laundromat with the sheets. I do not have a dryer and sheets dry better in an electric dryer then on the line. When I dry my sheets on the line, they look and feel wrinkled. Since I do not intend to iron sheets, I take them to the laundromat.

Grandma ironed her sheets because she did not want to make the bed with wrinkled sheets. I want my sheets unwrinkled when I make the bed, but that does not mean I am going to iron a sheet. I cannot take wet cloths to the laundromat, so I have to wash the items there.

I remember helping Grandma hang her laundry on the line. That was fun I enjoyed the experience.

Wednesday, October 27, 2010

An oatmeal morning

‘Idál (Justice), 12 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Wednesday, October 27, 2010 about 9:46 AM Pacific Time

Considering that, Mom is on a low fiber diet, I am not sure that fixing oatmeal is a good idea. However, I am fixing oatmeal anyway. I woke up this morning wanting oatmeal, so I am going to fix a batch in the slow cooker. It takes the oatmeal longer to cook then on the stovetop, but it will cook.

I am fixing oatmeal this morning. I am fixing enough so that we can have fried oatmeal on Friday or Saturday. I think if I am careful about how much oatmeal Mom eats there will not be too much of an issue. Anyway, I will see how the oatmeal affects her today and in the morning.

The Nutritional Facts on the box indicates that oatmeal has 4g of dietary fiber, which is 2g more then Mom’s diet calls for. According to the label, the dietary fiber in oatmeal contains 2g of soluble fiber and 2g of insoluble fiber, whatever that means. Mom’s doctor did not specify the type of dietary fiber, I did not know there was a difference until I read label.

Since I am on a high fiber diet, the amount of fiber does not matter to me. When Mom fixes her own breakfast, she fixes peanut butter sandwiches. I Mom had her way she would eat peanut butter sandwiches or peanut butter and crackers all day. I cannot let her eat the same thing everyday, so I fix most of the meals. As long as she gets at least one meal with peanut butter Mom is happy.

Monday, October 25, 2010

The joy of opening my flatware (silverware) drawer

Kamál (Perfection), 10 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Monday, October 25, 2010 about 10:53 AM Pacific Time

Opening my silverware (flatware) draw is an adventure and a mystery. Mom washes dishes and puts the spoons, forks, knives, and other items away. The problem is that she does not always put them back in the same drawer they came from. We have five draws in the kitchen. There is a junk drawer, a flatware drawer, and three other drawers. I had the drawers neatly arranged, with slicing and other sharp items in their own drawer.

Whenever I open a kitchen drawer to take a utensil out, I am surprised. I open the junk drawer and find a soup ladle. I open the silverware drawer and find a screwdriver or vegetable peeler. I never know what I am going to find when I open a kitchen drawer. Sometimes I open the draws and find the lids off peanut butter jars or margarine containers. These items are always clean and dry; it just that I put the containers in the recyclables and my mother put the lids in the kitchen drawers.

Mom has short-term memory issues and mild Alzheimer’s disease. She is not going to harm herself with sharp objects; therefore, she does the dishes. I keep a subtle eye on her (because if Mom thinks I am watching her she gets angry) just in case there is a problem, but she washes the dishes and puts what she can away wherever she thinks they go. I am always surprised when I open a kitchen drawer.

Sunday, October 24, 2010

A week remains in October 2010

Jamál (Beauty), 9 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Sunday, October 24, 2010 about 12:57 PM Pacific Time

About seven days remain in October. About two months remain in 2010. It seems the month and the year has flown past. October was an interesting and stressful month. Twenty ten has been an interesting and stressful year. It well become even more stressful if I do not put some sort of schedule into action. I know that I have accomplished a great deal during the month and the year. I cannot see what I have accomplished because my efforts are scattered and I do not have a schedule.

When I worked outside the house, I never worried about schedules because I went to work and came home at predetermined times. Since I am home and have to work online, I have to have a schedule. I have struggled with the schedule for the past several years, without much success. Therefore, I think I will take a new approach.

The mistake I made in the past is not including interruptions in the schedule. This time I am including interruptions as part of the schedule. I plan to write in ten or fifteen minute intervals and then do something else. Most of the interruptions I encounter are random, but expected because the interruptions occur as a results of Mom losing her glasses, jewelry, etc. Most of these interruptions occur during the morning.

In addition, I have to set the writing and other activities I want to accomplish during the day. I know I cannot accomplish everything I want to in a single day, but if I work it properly I can accomplish a great deal more then I have accomplished up to this point.

Saturday, October 23, 2010

I know what I want for my birthday

Jamál (Beauty), 9 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Saturday, October 23, 2010 about 8:26 PM Pacific Time

On December 24, 2010, I will be 64 years old. I know what I want for my birthday and it is not to be 46 again. Despite the fact that I am living on a fixed income and the economy does not encourage the survival of a person on a fixed income, I would not want to live my life over again. I have lived through good times and I have lived through bad time. I have learned that the old saying “This too shall pass.” is true.

I have learned that happiness and sadness are reoccurring through out a person’s life. I have learned that a person needs to know the things that bring joy into his or her life. One of the things that bring joy into my life is hot sauce.

Hot sauce brings me joy and adds interesting flavors to my recipes. I like hot sauce. I like hot sauce on my eggs. I like hot sauce on my sandwiches. I like to cook with hot sauce because of the flavor it adds to meat recipes.

I want a basket of hot sauce for my birthday. I found a website where I can get a basket of hot sauce. I found a place that has several different baskets of hot sauce. Hot Sauce Vault has a large selection of gift baskets containing this tasty condiment.

Thursday, October 21, 2010

My Portable Memory Arrived

Istijlál (Majesty), 6 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Thursday, October 21, 2010 about 4:42 PM Pacific Time

My portable memory arrived today. I ordered it on October 17, 2010 using survey points. I did not expect it to come today, so it was a nice surprise. The postal carrier left it at a neighbor’s house by mistake. The neighbor brought it over after he arrived home from work. The memory is a Dane-Elec 2GB Capless UBS 2.0 Flash Drive.

I am ecstatic. I can now begin backing up my documents and cleaning off my hard drive. The first thing I need to do is decide the names of the folders. I am placing my stories and poems on the flash drives as well as CDs. This way I have two back up copies of the documents.

I am putting the final copies of the novels and poems on the flash drive. The drafts and other items go onto the CDs. I may make an exception sometimes, depending on the items I am composing.

It does not take a lot to make me happy. I get excited over little things, like a new flash drive, a pint of chocolate ice cream, or a piece of medium rare prime rib. Perhaps I should get out more; anyway, I am happy to have my new flash drive.

Wednesday, October 20, 2010

Spaghetti and Spicy Mustard

‘Idál (Justice), 5 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Wednesday, October 19-20, 2010 about 12:53 Pacific Time

Life is like spaghetti and spicy mustard. All right, that does not seem to make much sense. I emptied a bottle of spicy must a few days ago, but there was still some mustard left. Instead of throwing the mustard away I put it in a pot of spaghetti.

I did this for two reasons. First, I needed something to use with the mustard. Second, the flavor sounded intriguing. I am a good cook. I am a creative cook. I do not like to waste anything; therefore, I put the mustard in the spaghetti while it was cooking.

I poured vegetable oil, in addition to some water, into the mustard bottle to rinse out the remaining mustard. Then I emptied the bottle of mustard into the spaghetti. The aroma of the spicy mustard and the spaghetti was tantalizing. After that, I opened a can of spaghetti sauce and put it in the pan.

I prefer to make spaghetti sauce from scratch, but we received the sauce when we picked up our commodities and I needed to use the sauce. The canned spaghetti sauce tastes good; true not like the homemade sauce, but it will do in a pinch. I am cooking for only my mother and myself so the canned sauce works well because it is quick and saves some time when I make lunch or dinner.

Tuesday, October 19, 2010

I have a cell phone

Fidál (Grace), 4 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Tuesday, October 19, 2010 about 11:56 AM Pacific Time

I finally bought a cell phone in May 2010. I don’t know how I lived without one; it’s became invaluable especially when I’m out of the house and someone else is staying with Mom. I kept the landline because I need it when I’m away to call in. I also like the idea of having a phone I don’t have to answer.

My phone has a camera. I used it a couple of days ago to take some pictures of Mom and the cats. I still have to figure out how to sent the pictures to my e-mail so I can upload them to my blogs. I know the process can’t be difficult. I attempted to send one of the pictures to both of my e-mail addresses, but the process failed. I’m going to attempt it again, but not until I have read the instructions thoroughly a couple of times.

If I still can’t send then I’ll call technical support. I don’t like to call technical support unless I have to; however, I need to learn how to send my pictures to one of my e-mail address. I want to post my own pictures to my blog and I remember how to do it if I figure it out myself.

Monday, October 18, 2010

Sunday seems like a lost day

Kamál (Perfection), 3 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Monday, October 18, 2010 about 11:27 AM Pacific Time

Sunday seems like a lost day because I did not get much writing accomplished. I spent most of the day getting my online accounts in a spreadsheet and figuring out how much money or points were in each account. I wanted to know when I could have the points converted to merchandise or cash and when I could have the cash transferred to PayPal or request a check.

I converted the points in one account to a restaurant gift card, in another request a money transfer to my PayPal account, and from a third ordered a 2GB USB 2.0 GB Flash Drive. In addition, I set up the spreadsheet so that I have the account URLs, my login information, how much I have in the accounts, and the goal (either cash or merchandise) I am working towards.

Most of the accounts in the spreadsheet are survey websites. After due consideration, I have decided to unsubscribe to some of them. I am not sure which at this time. I will make that decision by the end of the year.

Saturday, October 16, 2010

Orange Juice

Jalál (Glory), 1 ‘Ilm (Knowledge), 167 BE – Saturday, October 16, 2010 about 10:24 AM Pacific Time

Mom doesn’t like to take her medication because she thinks only sick people take medication. I’m not going to get into that issue with Mom. Mom has Alzheimer’s disease, but she doesn’t know that is the problem. If I tell her she isn’t going to believe me and will argue or get angry.

Mom will take the pills without too much difficulty; however, Mom takes a powdered medication another problem. She doesn’t like to take the powder, but she has to take at least once a day. I read the directions on the box and it says it’s all right to mix the powder with juice or coffee.

I haven’t gotten up enough nerve to mix the powder with her coffee. Mainly because when I pour her coffee, she is in the room. I mix the powder with her orange juice and she doesn’t protest. Of course, when I mix the two she is in another room; she doesn’t know there is anything except orange juice in cup or glass. I don’t like doing it this way, but I have no other choice because she has to take the medication.

Friday, October 15, 2010

Mom wants a job

Istiqlál (Independence), 19 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Friday, October 15, 2010 about 8:10

Mom wants to go to work again. She keeps talking about finding a job. I wish she could find a job because it would make her happy. Mom worked until she was 84 years old; she stopped working because the hotel-casino went out of business. After that she couldn't find another job.

In 2007, Mom went into the hospital for a bowl resection. In 2008, she went into the hospital because of an infection in her leg. Mom has had cataract surgery on both eyes, a tear duct opened, and been diagnosed with Alzheimer's disease. In addition, she has macular degeneration; I don't think Mom is going to be able to work outside the house.

Thursday, October 14, 2010

A Thursday Sunset in Las Vegas

Istijlál (Majesty), 18 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Thursday, October 14, 2010 about 5:49 PM Pacific Time

I look out my living room window and see the clouds reflecting the setting sun. The clouds are shining bright with the sun's reflected light. It is evening like this that I am glad my computer is in the living room. There are disadvantages of having the computer in the same room as the T.V. set, but it is evenings like this that makes up for the disadvantage.

Bright edge clouds glisten
At the end of a long day
October evening

Wednesday, October 13, 2010

Cool weather is coming to Las Vegas

‘Idál (Justice), 17 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Wednesday, October 13, 2010 about 5:34 Pacific Time

Cool weather is coming to Las Vegas, I'm not sure exactly when, but it's coming. I know this because it's October and I've lived in Las Vegas for over twenty years. October begins warm, sometimes even hot, and ends cool. I turned off the cool air on Tuesday and haven't turned on the warm air yet.

Right now, the temperature in Las Vegas is too hot for the heat to be turned on and too cool for the cold air. Therefore, I have my air conditioning unit turned off. I hope I can leave it off until after Thanksgiving, but I will have to wait until November to see how cool this desert will get at night. If the November temperatures don't get below 50 degrees, I will put some extra blankets on the bed at night.

Normally, it doesn't get cold enough before the end of November or the beginning of December to turn on the warm air. However, the weather in this part of the country can get weird sometimes. This year we had a lot of rain in January and February, but not too much rain the rest of the year. I'm not sure what to expect this winter, so I think I'll check our sweaters in the next couple of weeks to see if they need fixing or washing. If the sweaters need fixing, I may use that as an excuse to get new ones. We haven't had new sweaters in several years and Mom will enjoy shopping for them.

Tuesday, October 12, 2010

An interesting week so far

Fidál (Grace), 16 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Tuesday, October 12, 2010 about 6:21 Pacific Time

An interesting week and it's only Tuesday. Yesterday I went to the store and bought a filter for the air conditioner. I know that sounds unexciting, but it wasn't. I managed to get Mom to go in the store with me. Sometimes, Mom wants to stay in the car; however, since we went in the afternoon she thought it was too hot to sit in the car.

Maybe I should take her out in the afternoon more often. Unfortunately, tomorrow we have to go out in the morning. That means it's going to be difficult to get Mom out of the car. I'll just have to be persistent, especially when we go to the doctor's office to get Mom her vitamin shot.

Monday, October 11, 2010

Working on Columbus Day

Kamál (Perfection), 15 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Monday, October 11, 2010 about 10:53 AM Pacific Time

I'm taking a short break to rest and catch my breath. I have cloths hanging on the line drying, which I have to check in a few minutes. I have water heating in the slow cooker for either pasta or rice. I'm not sure which I'm going to put in when the water boils. It depends on how impatient I get because the water has to boil before I put the pasta in, but with the rice it doesn't matter.

Mom did the dishes this morning and cleaned the cat litter. I hope she will sweep her vanity and bathroom this afternoon. They probably need mopping, but I will worry about that tonight after she goes to sleep. I still have to see if Mom has laundry in her bathroom, but I'm going to wait until she is busy in the living room or the breakfast room. Mom gets upset when I take laundry out of her bathroom.

It's a good thing Columbus Day isn't a Holy Day. I don't mind working on national holidays, but I don't like to work on Holy Days. I'm rested, so now I can get back to housecleaning. I think I'll sweep the kitchen floor before I check the cloths on the line.

Sunday, October 10, 2010

Plans for the coming week

Jamál (Beauty), 14 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Sunday, October 10, 2010 about 1:26 PM Pacific Time

It's Sunday afternoon and I have a full week ahead. Monday is Columbus Day and I think the schools are closed. I don't know what else will be closed Monday. I had plans to go pick up some free food and a couple of loaves of day old bread; however, I'm not sure if the places I plan to go will be open.

I may just take the chance they will be open and go tomorrow. Mom is usually in a much better mood is she gets out of the house, so it may be worth the trip. I would prefer to make just one trip to the places I'm going, but if they are closed tomorrow then I'll have to go back on Wednesday.

I can't go on Tuesday morning because I'm having someone come in the check the heating system. If we need the heat this winter I'll turn the system on, so I ave to have it checked before November. I'm hoping we can get by without heat this winter. We're still trying to pay off the cooling bill from summer. The biggest part of the electric bill is the cold air in summer and the warm air in winter.

If I can keep the unit off, the electric bill runs less then $100.00, but if we use the unit then the bill is over $200.00. That takes a large chunk of the budget and we're on a fixed income. Living on a fixed income sucks, if I could take a job outside the house it would help. However, Mom can't stay by herself and I can't afford a paid caregiver.

I make a little money online, but that isn't enough to pay the power bill when we use the central air. I think it's central air we have, all though it could be a heat pump. I'll have to ask the tech on Tuesday when he arrives what type of unit we have. Oh well, things will work out, I just have to keep on keeping on.

Thursday, October 07, 2010

Neon Thursday

Istijlál (Majesty), 11 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Thursday, October 7, 2010 about 11:53 AM Pacific Time

It’s Thursday, the day Neon, the Arts, Entertainment, Culture, and Fashion page, appears in Las Vegas Review-Journal. One of the articles in this section is “Show Us Your Purse”. This article features different local businesswoman and her purse every week. Some of the women featured in this article have designer handbags and others carry non-designer purses. I do not know who writes this feature, but Craig L. Moran is the photographer.

“Show Us Your Purse” asks several interesting questions about the handbag each woman carries. The question I find most intriguing is “What’s the strangest item you’ve carried in your bag?” I can understand this question because I have carried many strange things in my purse, or I should say purses, over the years.

In 2007, when my mother was in the hospital for a bowl resection, I carried her false teeth in my purse. I put them in the night she went into the hospital and took them out of my purse about a week or so later. Then in 2008, I had a potato in my purse. I went to a farmer’s market and bought a small mesh bag of potatoes; the bag broke and so I put the potatoes in my purse because I did not have anything else to carry the potatoes.

In 2009, I carried an empty printer cartridge in my handbag. I have not carried anything extremely strange in my purse in 2010, but the year is not over yet. I still have about 2 ½ months to put odd items in my purse.

Monday, October 04, 2010

Flash Flood Warning and Severe Thunderstorm Watch

Kamál (Perfection), 8 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Monday, October 4, 2010 about 1:35 PM Pacific Time

According to the e-mail in my inbox, there is a flash flood warning for Clark County until 2:15 PM PDT. In addition, The Weather Service issued a Severe Thunderstorm Watch for Mohave County Arizona, as well as Clark and Lincoln counties in Nevada. I am home for the rest of the day, so I don’t have to get out in the severe weather. I rolled up the car windows before coming into the house. It can rain all it wants now.

I’m glad it didn’t rain this morning. I had a doctor’s appointment at 10:00 AM and had to drive across town to the office. The drive was nice, even if traffic was a bit heavy. I rolled my windows down, so that I could feel the breeze as I drove to the office. I have no air conditioning in my car, besides fall is that in between time of year. It’s too cool for cold air and too warm for the heater.

Driving with the windows down reminds me of my childhood. I remember riding in Grandpa Newland’s car and feeling the breeze coming in the windows. Mom enjoyed the breeze this morning, she commented on it as I drove back from the doctor. She also commented on the dark clouds that were gathering in the east.

It’s a nice day in Las Vegas, even with the warnings, it’s a nice day. I can look out my window and watch beautiful white clouds against the blue sky. It’s too cool to turn on the cold air and too hot to run the warm air. It’s a nice day in Las Vegas.

Sunday, October 03, 2010

Mom enjoyed herself at the Baha’i Center in Las Vegas

Jamál (Beauty), 7 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Sunday, October 3, 2010 about 2:51 PM Pacific Time

This morning, Mom and I went to the Baha'i Center in Las Vegas. Mom smiled during the spiritual and musical portion of the program, I have not seen Mom smile so much in a long time. She saw several old friends, who live in different communities in the Las Vega valley.

We ate breakfast and lunch. Mom ate more today then she has eaten at two meals in a long time. Mom always eats more when she goes out then at home. I wish I could get her to eat more at home. I wish I could take her out to eat more often.

Friday, October 01, 2010

Thursday was not a lost day

Istiqlál (Independence), 5 Mashíyyat (Will), 167 BE – Friday, September October 1, 2010 about 5:46 PM Pacific Time

Thursday was not a lost day because I spent most of the day driving across town. I went to the auto shop because I thought something was wrong with the car. There was nothing wrong that I needed fixed right away. I have to take it back the end of October or in November to have some work done.

I spend most of today driving across town as well. It is a good thing my car is easy on gas. Mom enjoyed herself today because we went to the store for some coffee and peanut butter. We also bought two packs of soda and some candy corn.