Wednesday, January 30, 2013

Midweek Reflections on Calendars and Time

‘Idál (Justice), 12 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Wednesday, January 30, 2013 about 8:55 A.M. Pacific Time

February has 28 days this year. If it passes as quickly as January, then on February 27th or 28th, I will feel as if a tornado pass through my life leaving behind a jumble of unfinished task and goal. I have a 2013 Emergency Preparedness wall calendar from the Southern Nevada Health District beside me on my desk. All right, I know I am suppose to hang a wall calendar on the wall, but it does not do me any good hanging on the wall.

If I hang the calendar on the wall by the phone, then I have to go into the breakfast room to look at it. That is too far to walk while I am planning my February schedule. I have to plan specific housecleaning goals for February because I have a lot of stuff to get dispose of before Thursday, February 28. Some of the items I will give away, some I will throw away, and some I will put in storage. I also have to plan time to work online, but I think I will do that at night.

I want to get a few things accomplished in February. I do not want to reach the end of the month and feel as if a tornado struck leaving fragments of unfinished goals scattered in its wake. I know I have physical problems which prevent me from standing up for long periods of time, but that does not mean I am unable to do housework. The housework just takes longer especially when it comes to sweeping and mopping floors.


Tuesday, January 29, 2013

Two months and counting

Fiḍál (Grace), 11 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Tuesday, January 29, 2013 about 4:15 P.M. Pacific Time

Precisely two months ago, Mom passed away. I miss her today as much as the day she passed. I know I will always miss her, but eventually the anniversary of her death will be just another day. At least I hope that will be the case because I want to remember Mom as she was when she lived and not the day she died.

I received a certificate though the mail today. It said that a seedling is being planted in memory of Mom. I think it is fitting that I received this certificate today, because it symbolizes life rather then death. It symbolizes a beginning rather then an ending. A seedling in memory of my mother will help in the reforestation project overseen by the Forest Service.

Monday, January 28, 2013

Monday, Monday

Kamál (Perfection), 10 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Monday, January 28, 2013 about 11:55 A.M. Pacific Time

I remember a song from my youth with the words "Monday, Monday," the next words said something about not liking Monday. I think the Beatles recorded it, but that is all I remember about the song. I wish I could remember more because today I would like to sing that song.

This morning I did a load of laundry, when I went to take the clothes out of the washer they were still very wet. This has happened before, that event was cause by the cord from a pair of slacks got tangled around the agitator. I thought that was the problem this morning; however, when I emptied the washer nothing had gotten tangled. The other possibility is that the load was unbalanced.

If the problem was not caused by an unbalanced load, then I have to call a repairman to fix it. I am not looking forward to that because I will have to wait until after February 4th when my check comes in. That means I have to be extremely careful with the clothes I have and not get anything on them because I do not have the time or the money to go to the laundromat. I still have two or three of Mom's adult bibs in the house, so I may begin wearing those when I eat, just to be on the safe side.

Sunday, January 27, 2013

The Last Sunday in January 2013

Jamál (Beauty), 9 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Sunday, January 27, 2013 about 8:45 A.M. Pacific Time

It is the last Sunday in January 2013. It is a beautiful and chilly (at least to those of us whose internal thermostat is out of whack) day in Las Vegas. The wind is blowing and the birds are singing, of course, birds have feathers to keep them warm so they do not have to worry about their body's thermostat.

It is the last Sunday in January and there is a puddle of water in my driveway. The water is the results of a late night winter rain. I am not sure when it rained because I did not look out my front door before I went to bed, so it is possible the rain came early this morning.

It is the last Sunday in January and I am think back over Saturday's events. I believe it rained sometime during the day as well as late at night. It is not raining today, in fact the sky is blue, the sun is shining, and the wind is blowing; all in all, it is a nice day, a good Sunday morning.

tree limbs are waving
their shadows are dancing
music of the wind

Saturday, January 26, 2013

Cornbread on Saturday Afternoon

Jalál (Glory), 8 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Saturday, January 26, 2013 about 2:45 P.M. Pacific Time

I made a casserole dish of cornbread this morning. I know that I should have used another type of baking pan, but I made cooked the cornbread in the microwave and the casserole dish was the only microwave safe contain big enough. Since I did not want to go to the store and look for the proper microwave safe baking pan I improvised.

This morning, after finishing the cornbread I fixed it with a can of soup. This afternoon, I will fix something else with the cornbread. Perhaps I will fix it with peanut butter and jelly or melt some cheese over the cornbread. I fixed a peanut butter sandwich with the last two slices of regular bread yesterday. I purposely did not purchase any bread this week because I knew I would fix the cornbread for Saturday and Sunday.

I do not like to have much bread in the house because there is a good chance it will mold or go stale before I eat it. The cornbread will last this weekend, I just have to figure out different foods to eat with it. I might try adding some vegetarian beans to the cheese and cornbread or maybe some other type of vegetable like peas or carrots.

Friday, January 25, 2013

Rembering Mama watching rain

Istiqlál (Independence), 7 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Friday, January 25, 2013 about 3:35 P.M. Pacific Time

It is a cloudy Friday afternoon, I am wondering it is going to rain again in Las Vegas. As I look out my window, I remember how much Mama liked the rain. Mom enjoyed sitting in the living room and looking out the window at the rain. I miss sitting on the couch with Mama and watching the rain.

a gray cloud cover
hiding the afternoon sun
the promise of rain

Tuesday, January 22, 2013

Tuesday Thoughts on Jauary 22, 2013

Fiḍál (Grace), 4 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Tuesday, January 22, 2013 about 2:55 P.M Pacific Time

This morning, I received a care package from one of my brothers. I contain food items, which included a large bag of coffee. It is a brand that I have not tried before, so I am looking forward to making a carafe. I have to find space in the cupboard for the items, I think I will put the coffee in the refrigerator. Normally, I would wait until I opened the coffee to put it in the fridge, but I think that is the only place it  will fit.

It is a nice day in Las Vegas, when I went out  for the newspaper this morning it was warmer then yesterday. The wind is still blowing, but the temperature is nice. Yesterday I turned on the television and watched the news, the meteorologist said we would have warmer temperatures this week. I like warm temperatures better then cold temperatures because my joints do not  hurt.

Sunday, January 20, 2013

Morning Coffee in Las Vegas

Jamál (Glory), 2 Sulṭán (Sovereignty), 169 B.E. - Sunday, January 20, 2013 about 8:35 A.M. Pacific time

This morning, I am drinking coffee from Mom's favorite coffee cup. The design on the cup is a man playing a musical instrument, I think  the instrument is called a base fiddle. Mom always like to drink her coffee from this cup, so I decided to put my coffee in it today. I  believe this decision has something to do with missing Mom.

Mom and I always preferred our coffee dark and strong, but when she became ill I changed to a lighter blend of coffee. I did not change to decaf because neither of us liked it, I think it had something to do with the taste or the way it made us feel when we drink it. This year, I changed back to the darker blends of coffee because I prefer the taste.

Normally, I do not drink more then one or two cups a day even though I make coffee in a 12-cup carafe. When I have leftover coffee, I use the microwave to warm it up the next day. There is no use wasting a good cup of coffee, especially when warmed over coffee taste almost as good as fresh coffee. Of course, I use a drip coffee maker instead of a percolator. Because of the way a percolator works it brews stronger coffee.

Thursday, January 17, 2013

Thankful Thursday: January 17, 2013

Istijlál (Majesty), 18 Sharaf (Honor), 169 B.E. - Thursday, January 17, 2013 about 6:10 A.M. Pacific Time

The past five days have been interesting and stressful. Today I am thankful for
  1. The Mourner's Bill of Rights I received at the bereavement group I attended last night
  2. The 2013 Emergency Preparedness calendar I received Wednesday
  3. The two loaves of free bread, one white and one wheat, I received Wednesday
  4. The dark gourmet supreme coffee I warmed in the microwave this morning
  5. The technician who fix my heat pump on Tuesday
  6. Online dictionaries
  7. A working microwave
  8. Peanut butter and grape jelly sandwiches
  9. Warm winter sweaters
  10. The memories of my mother

Saturday, January 12, 2013

A cold weekend in Las Vegas

Jalal (Glory), 13 Sharaf (Honor), 169 B.E. - Saturday, January 12, 2013 about 4:50 P.M. Pacific Time

no wind this evening
sunset blue sky slowly fades
no clouds in the sky

I am expecting a cold evening. I just checked weather.com and the temperature in Las Vegas is about 40 degrees. I will warm up a can of mixed vegetables for supper. I have apple juice in the refrigerator, so I think I will warm that  up as well. I still have a lot of work today, so that should warm me up. I think I will wait until morning to take anymore recyclables or trash to the garage. It is cold out there, I can stay warmer if I remain in the house.

Friday, January 11, 2013

My first afternoon nap in 2013

Istiqlal (Independence), 12 Sharaf (Honor), 169 B.E. - Friday, January 11, 2013 about 2:00 P.M.

wind in the oak tree
a chilly and cloudy day
no birds are singing

The wind is blowing and the limbs of the neighbors trees are waving. The limbs of my tree is probably also waving, but I cannot see it. The clouds hide the sun, so there are no shadows cast today. This afternoon I am sleepy; therefore, I am going to turn the computer off and attempt to take a nap. This is the first time this year I considered an afternoon nap.

I will take my prayer book with me so that I can say prayers before trying to go to sleep. I am not sure I will be able to sleep because, but I will give it a try. If I cannot sleep then I will get up and wash the dishes or something.

Friday, January 04, 2013

I changed purses

Istiqlal (Independence)  5 Sharaf (Honor) - Friday,January 4, 2012 about Sunset Pacific Time

I finally did it, I changed purses. My black purse was too small, so I emptied the white purse. The white purse belonged to my mother. It has sit on the floor in her bedroom since November 29, 2012. Until today I just could not face taking her stuff out and putting mine in. Today was different, I brought the white purse into the living room and took everything out. I am putting some of the things back in. Mom's two wallets and the make-up bag. It is comforting knowing I am carrying Mom's purse.

One of Mom's wallets I will use. I will put my new driver's license in, some paper currency, and change. In her other wallet, I will put pennies. I normally do not carry pennies in my purse, I save them in a jar. I feel good about using Mom's purse because there are pleasant memories associated with it. I miss Mama, I will always miss her, but carrying her purse helps.

Tuesday, January 01, 2013

New Year's Day 2013

Fidal (Grace), 2 Sharaf (Honor), 169 B.E. - Tuesday, January 1, 2013 about 9:05 A.M. Pacific Time

On January 1, my Grandmother always made black eyed peas, so today I have a batch of  black eyed peas in the slow cooker. Yesterday, I washed them and then put them onto soak because this is the way you make black eyed peas. I seldom buy canned black eyed peas, I think it is because Grandma never fixed black eyed peas from a can. When the peas are about done, I add the rest of the ingredients to the slow cooker.

When I went to the grocery store yesterday, I bought a package of cornbread already made and a whole pumpkin pie. All right, when Grandma fixed her New Year's Day meal she always made her own cornbread and pumpkin pies. I buy these items already made because it is easier for me then making them and cleaning up after the meal. In addition, I only have a microwave oven and I have not attempted to make cornbread or bake a pie in the microwave. I will attempt both of those projects sometime in 2013, but not on January 1.