Spring is coming

Istiqlal (Independence), 4 Ayyam-i-Ha, 164 B.E. - Friday, February 29, 2008 about 5:10 PM PST

Spring is coming
bringing back memories of Oklahoma
and my grandparents.

Spring is coming,
Easter is coming
bringing back memories of Blackwell
and Easter Egg Hunts
in the field of the air port across
the road from my grandparents' house.

Spring is coming
and when the sun crosses the vernal equinox
I will celebrate Naw-Ruz
and a New Year.

Spring is coming
I am older,
I am wiser,
I am looking forward to eating a chocolate Easter bunny
I am remembering my grandparents,
I am celebrating a New Year,
I have changed in many ways since I left Oklahoma.

I am Thankful for coffee

Istijlal (Majesty), 3 Ayyam-i-Ha, 164 B.E. - Thursday, February 28, 2008 about 10:16 AM PST

I am thankful for coffee
for the rich robust flavor of a
100% Columbian brew.

I am thankful for coffee
the aroma of French roast
on a rainy evening.

I am thankful for coffee
for the bitter "cowboy"
coffee my grandfather drank;
the coffee that left a few grounds
in the bottom of the cup;
the coffee that tasted bitter
after heating in the pot
with the grounds still in it
all day long.

I am thankful for coffee
for Turkish coffee sipped
from a dainty cup.

I am thankful for coffee
for the percolator needed
to make "cowboy" coffee that
reminds me of Grandpa.

I am thankful for coffee
for the drip coffee maker needed
to make a rich French roast
in the early evening.

I am thankful for coffee
for the paper filters
needed to make coffee
that goes well with the setting sun.

I am thankful for coffee
for the coffee plantations where
the beans for this wonderful brew
is grown.

I am thankful for coffee
for the men and women
who earn a living by picking
the beans that are ground
for my morning cup of "joe".

I am thankful for coffee
for the electric coffee grinder
I use with gourmet beans.

I am thankful for coffee
no matter what kind of cup I drink it from,
or where I get it,
or how its brewed.

I am thankful for coffee
for everything that goes into
creating a good cup of coffee.

The Days of Há

Fidal (Grace), 1 Ayyam-i-Ha, 164 B.E. - Tuesday, February 26, 2008 about 8:38 AM PST

The Days of Há, Intercalary Days, have begun. This year is a leap year so there are five days instead of just four. These are the days Baha'is prepare for the Fast. Intercalary days are for charity, hospitality, and gift giving. I'm not sure what I'm going to do for Mom this year, we're probably going to remain home until February 29. On the 29th I take her to pick up her senior food allotment, but I don't think we're going until after 9:00 AM because we have to go to the bank first. I can't go anywhere without gas and I think I have just enough gas in the car to get us to the bank and then to the gas station.

Mom's birthday is March 19, I'm not sure what we're going to do for her birthday either. She wants to go out for pie and coffee, which would be nice. I'll see what we can do, she has a birthday coupon for Marie Calendar's, so we'll probably go there, but not until after March 1. That won't be a problem because neither Mom nor I are going to Fast. Mom's 86 going on 87 and she doesn't have to Fast anymore. I'm on medication so I don't have to Fast either.

Naw-Ruz is on March 21 that begins a New Year. I have to finish rewriting my personal mission statement before the 21st. I also have a lot of other things I have to finish before then. I'm going to be busy for the next few weeks and won't have time to worry about anything, which is probably good because worrying interferes with writing and solving problems.

The Empty Place in My Front Yard

Jamal (Beauty), 18 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Sunday, February 24, 2008 about 4:02 PM PST

There is a empty place in my front yard. An elm tree used to stand there, but early Valentine's Day the wind blew it down. Last week it was removed and now there is a empty place in my front yard. I can see the sky much better then when the elm tree was there. I can now look out my living room window and see the corner across the street. The streetlight shines directly into my front yard and night.

I miss the elm tree. I will get used to not having it there, but for now I miss the elm tree. The empty place in my front yard looks naked and lonely without the elm tree standing there. I still have two stone pine trees on that side of the driveway and an olive tree on the other side, but I miss the elm tree.

I still have to get rid of the stump, but that won't be for a while because I have other more pressing matters to attend. The elm stump will remain where it is for at least another couple of months or until I can find a way to remove it without too much difficulty.

There is an empty place in my front yard, like the empty place in my soul that misses Oklahoma winters and springs.

I'm fixing Leftovers

Jalal (Glory), 17 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Saturday, February 23, 2008 about 11:46 AM PST

I'm fixing leftovers today in the slow cooker. I don't have a Microwave any more it died, so the only way to cook anything is in the slow cooker, the toaster oven or the toaster. The leftovers I have aren't the type I can fix a toaster oven or a toaster, so the slow cooker is my only option.

I'm going to have to start pricing Microwaves next week. I think the first place I will look is super pawn. I don't know if the have this type of thing in there or not, but I can go in and see. Besides I want to see what the have in the digital camera line as well.

I may have to go to Walmart or K-mart for a Microwave. Having a new Microwave would be nice. The last two I've had in the house were used when I got them, so a new on would be nice. I think the first place I'll look is online see what type of options I can get and the prices. I don't want to go looking for something like that without knowing what I want and what I can get within my price range.

If I don't get a Microwave soon, I'm going to have to learn how to baking a cake in a slow cooker and I don't think that's going to work out too well. I much prefer baking in a Microwave. I think I'm going to have to wait until close to the end of March to get it though. So far this year I've had to get new tires (January) and have the elm tree removed (February). I looking forward to the next ten months of 2008, I can't wait to see what else comes up.

On the bright side I now have three computer mice. I sent for a three button mouse with some gift points I had and received three mice through the mail. One was the mouse I sent for and the other two were smaller. Last year I sent for a radio alarm clock and received two. I have some other gift points to use, so I am looking forward to see what I get through the mail when I use those.

A Week without Coffee

Jalal (Glory), 17 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Friday, February 22, 2008 about 6:18 PM PST

A week without coffee,
without the robust aroma
of 100% Columbian beans
wafting through the house.

There is no reason for this
I am not fasting
or giving up coffee
for anything other
then lack of planning,
lack of forethought.

A week without coffee,
drinking only hot herb tea
is not a joyous occasion
or a reason to celebrate
anything other then
forgetting to keep change
in the box marked
"Coffee Money."

Thankful Thursday in Las Vegas

Istijlal (Majesty), 15 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Thursday, February 21, 2008 about 10:13 AM PST

This morning I am thankful for the Tablet of Ahmad revealed by Baha'u'llah. Every time I repeat or read this prayer I feel the presence of the Holy Spirit. I have the prayer memorized, but sometimes I read it. Especially in the early morning before Mom gets up, I read the prayer aloud. That is how I memorized the prayer; I read it aloud over several different day. I think about a month or two.

This morning I am thankful for the bright beautiful sun I saw when I went to the garage to see if I turned my light off last night. I looked out my living room window and saw my headlight reflecting the rising sun. I thought I had left the light on, so I went out to turn them off, but found I had turned the headlight off last night.

This morning I am thankful for the rain we received yesterday. It was a cold winter rain, the type that you expect to turn to snow at any minute. I enjoyed the rain, even though I was driving in it and the window on the driver's side won't roll up when it is raining.

This morning I am thankful for the slow cooker that I am cooking the chicken in this morning. When the chicken finishes cooking, I am going to take it out and put in some bow tie pasta.

This morning I am thankful for the cloudy sky after the bright sunrise. It looks as though it may rain again today, since I didn't look at the news this morning I don't know what the weather report for today says.

This morning I am thankful for the neighbor's cat that walks across my yard every day. She is a black cat with orange and yellow markings. If I am outside when she goes through the yard she rubs against my leg.

This morning I am thankful for having dirty sheets to put in the washer. I like to turn the water on, put the soap in the machine, and then watch the washer fill up with water before putting the sheets in. I like to see the suds the soap makes as the water runs into the machine.

This morning I am thankful for the chill in the morning air in late winter. It reminds me of winter in Oklahoma and staying at my Grandparents' house.

This morning I am thankful for the view of the sky that I now have through my living room window. The elm tree is gone, while I will miss the tree, the new view of the sky and the streetlight shining directly into my yard makes is absence less noticeable.

This morning I am thankful for the slight breeze that is blowing. The breeze moves the limbs on the stone pine trees in my front yard and the limbs appear to be waving good morning.

The Elm Tree is Gone

'Idal (Justice), 14 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Wednesday, February 20, 2008 about 11:38 AM PST

The elm tree is gone, blown down by the wind, then cut up and carried away. I can see the sky clear for the first time since moving into this house. The tree planted by the former owners and stood for many years. Until today, I did not realize how much of the sky those limbs hid.

Today it is partly cloudy to mostly cloudy. There are patches of blue sky peeking through the white clouds. The clouds look like the wool of newly washed sheep. It is beautiful and windy out today.

The stone pine trees still stand and their limbs blow in the wind. I notice the absence of the elm tree more today then I have since it blew down on Valentine's Day. I will miss the elm tree, but my new view of the sky is beautiful. Another advantage of the missing tress is that the street light now shines directly on my front lawn and into the living room window.

My Microwave Finally Bit the Dust

Fidal (Grace), 13 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, February 19, 2008 about 9:33 AM PST

My Microwave oven went out yesterday. I checked the breakers to see if a break had tripped, but no luck. The Microwave is no longer working. I am going to have to either get another used microwave or buy a new one. This is not a good time for the Microwave to die, I just had the elm tree removed from the front yard and at the beginning of the month got a new set of tires for the car.

For the next few weeks, I will use the slow cooker or the toaster oven to cook everything in. That is unless I can find a used one on Freecycle or Vegas Trader. I have announced on Freecycle that I want a Microwave, but no responses yet. I have not ask on Vegas Trader yet because I am not sure what the budget will allow. I am going to miss that Microwave because I have enjoyed learning to cook new things in it.

The Never Ending Pile of Laundry

Kamal (Perfection), 12 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Monday, February 18, 2008 about 11:37 AM PST

I don't remember my Grandmother having a never ending pile of laundry. She did laundry once a week on Saturday. My Grandfather built her a laundry room at the side of the house where she kept her washing machine. I remember Grandma doing laundry in a wringer washer. She would was the cloths in the machine and then put them through the wringer to get the excess water out before putting them into the rinse tubs. She put her cloths through two rinses, the first had blueing in it and the second was just plain tap water.

I do remember Grandma using a washboard to scrube cloths with stains in them. She had a special tub for prewashing clothes. She would prewash the clothes with a scrube board, wring them out and then put them in the washing machine. I remember her using the old wringer washer for years until Grandpa bought her an automatic washer.

Grandma never seemed to have a never ending pile of laundry and she did it only once a week. I on the other hand do laundry everyday and it seems I'm doing the same amount of cloths everyday. I know there has to be something that I'm doing wrong, but I'm not sure what it is. If I let the laundry go just one day it gets bigger.

I'm writing a Linked Lune

Jalal (Glory), 10 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Saturday, February 16, 2008 about 5:12 PM PST

A Lune is an American poetry form similar to the Haiku. There are two forms of the lune one is written using a syllable count and the other a word count.

Lune form one is 3 lines with 5 syllables, 3 syllables, and 5 syllables.

Lune form two is 3 words, 5 words, and 3 words.

See Write a Lune and Write an instant lune".

The Elm Tree in My Front Yard

Istiqlal (Independence), 9 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Friday, February 15, 2008 about 10:48 AM PST

The Elm Tree in my front yard is now lying across the yard. The wind late Wednesday night or early Thursday morning blew the tree down. It uprooted the tree and it feel across the yard toward the street. Some of the limbs were blocking the sidewalk and the street, but the city trucks came yesterday and removed those limbs. I have to deal with the rest of the tree, which means I have to find someone with a buzz saw to cut the tree up and remove it.

I suppose I'll have to get estimate from tree removal services to find the cheapest. I haven't had trees removed from the yard since we moved in several years ago. Then I had palm trees taken out. That didn't cost me anything except gifts for the guys who removed the trees. I think having the elm removed might be a little more expensive. On the bright side, the tree didn't fall on the garage roof or take out any power lines or street lights.

Happy Valentines Day

Valentines Day brings back pleasant memories from grade school. Every year when Valentines Day feel on a weekday, my grade school class would exchange Valentine cards. I remember making little mail boxes out of card board. I think we used the empty cereal boxes and decorated them with red hearts. Each student would put his or her name on the box. The teach always made sure that every student gave cards to all the other students in the class.

I remember going to the store with my mother and buying Valentine cards. The type of cards we bought came in little books and I removed the cards along to dotted lines. The cards came out of the book easily, I would sign my name to each card, put the card in the envelope and then write the name of a class mate on the outside. I remember writing the first name of each student and then on Valentines Day, I would take the cards to school and put them in the proper "mail box".

We would open our mail boxes and take the cards out about an hour before class ended. That day we had cupcakes, decorated with hearts, chocolate milk and little candy hearts with messages on them. I still like the little candy hearts, all though I prefer chocolate candy most of the year.

Backing into my Garage

Istijlal (Majesty), 8 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Wednesday, February 13, 2008 about 6:52 PM PST

I finally did it, I backed my car into my garage. Now this may not sound like a great accomplishment, but my driveway is one of those that curves when it goes into the garage. Normally I don't back into it because of the trashcans and everything else setting inside. However, my car wouldn't start yesterday because the battery was too low.

The reason the battery lost the charge was a combination of leaving a door slightly open and a loose cable. I'm going to have to get the cable fixed, but in the meantime I'm going to be backing into my garage because it's easier to put jumper cables on the car. If I drive it in the way I normally do then the car has to be pushed out of the garage before the jumper cables can be attached.

I'm going to have to get the cable and have someone attach it. It's times like this that I wish I had taken shop in high school. When I went to high school it wasn't considered proper for girls to take shop classes and boys to take home economics. I took home economics, like all the other girls, I made a suite and I learn a little about cooking. The only thing I use from that class are the cooking skills. A shop class that showed me how to work on cars would have been more useful, but women then were suppose to go to high school, on to college and then get married. Once they got married, they were expected to stay home and raise children while their husbands went to work and made a living.

Is the Glass Half-Empty or Half-Full?

Fidal (Grace), 6 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, February 12, 2008 about 1:08 PM PST

Is the glass half-empty or half-full? I am asking myself this question. I always thought that I looked at the glass as half-full, but my perspective changed in the past year. Recently I realize that I have view the glass as half-empty for the past year. I know this is simply part of the process of transformation, but the realization that my perspective had change was somewhat of a shock.

I have had several "break-throughs" in the past few months, but the one about my perspective shook me up the most. I like the half-full perspective much better then the half-empty view of the glass of my life. I know it is just a matter of perspective because the two glasses have the same amount of liquid in them, it just how I see the level of the liquid and which part of the glass I am looking at. If I focus on the top half of the glass and see only the empty space then the glass is half-empty. If I focus on the bottom half of the glass and see the liquid then the glass is half-full.

My grandparents always saw the glass as half-full, but they lived for over seventy years and probably encountered both perspectives in their lifetime. They chose to see the glass as half-full because that is the perspective that encourages faith.

My Grandfather and the Price of Gas

Kamal (Perfection), 5 Mulk 164 B.E. - Monday, February 11, 2008 about 3:50 PM PST

I paid $2.86 per gallon yesterday when I bought gas, at a self-service with a mini-mart. It got me to thinking about Grandpa Newland. My grandfather griped when gas prices rose 2 or 3 cents. He would really gripe at the prices today, especially since he would fill his tank himself. When Grandpa bought gas there were only full service stations, which meant that an attendant filled the tank and checked the fluids. However, my grandfather could fill the tank himself, but with an attendant, I don't think he ever thought of filling the tank himself.

I can't remember Grandpa changing his own oil, but he did check it himself. Which reminds me, I have to check the oil in the car tomorrow morning when I get home or while I'm parked somewhere waiting I check my own oil (Grandpa would be proud of me) and put it in if its needed. I don't check the transmission fluid or the brake fluid, I stop at a fill service for that about once a month or so.

Actually, there was a time when I never thought about checking the oil myself, but times and people change. There was a time when I never thought about getting gas anywhere but a full service station. I don't mind filling the tank myself or I wouldn't if I ever put more then $20 of gas in the tank. Grandpa would really gripe at spending $20 on gas and not getting a full tank. Lately all $20 gets is about half to three-quarters of a tank. Yesterday I put only $2.86 in the tank which bought me a gallon of gas.

Beauty is an attribute of God

Jamal (Beauty), 4 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Sunday, February 10, 2008 about 3:20 PM PST

It's a beautiful cloudy afternoon in Las Vegas. This morning I looked out my living room window and saw blue sky. This afternoon I look out and see white clouds, so there isn't going to be any rain soon. The sun shine through patches in the clouds giving the day a spiritual feeling.

All right, I'm in a better mood this afternoon then I was this morning. I went to get gas and was over joyed that I had enough money to get 1 gallon of gas. It apparently doesn't take a lot to make me happy. I must admit that I did a rant this morning in my writing.com blog. I feel sorry that I wrote so much, but I haven't gone back and deleted the entry. The entry was part of a journal contest I'm participating in on writing.com. However, I don't think that is why I didn't delete it.

I completed my Write Week Essay

Jalal (Glory), 3 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Saturday, February 9, 2008 about 9:27 AM PST

Write Week is the first seven days of each month. In that time one writes 5,000 words and completes the writing project within that week. I wrote a personal essay entitled Light of the World. I used the free write technique on this essay and wrote 5,325 words.

In this exercise, I didn't time myself, rather I wrote until I wrote myself out on each section of the essay. I began each section with a scripture verse to start the thought process about the subject. Normally when I free write I give myself a specific time, which ranges from 5 minutes to 30 minutes. I think I like the range of 5 to 20 minutes best. However, with this essay I seemed to have a lot to write about each time I began writing.

I'm going to do a lot of rewriting with it because some of what I wrote had more to do with how I felt about writing then on the subject itself. I'm going to let Light of the World set for a few days before beginning the rewrite. I have other project to finish so there won't be a problem finding stuff to write about.

My Grandmother's Cat

Istiqlal (Independence), 2 Mulk 164 B.E. - Friday, February 8, 2008 about 4:21 PM PST

My grandmother's cat Jay
slept in her hen house during the day,
he curled in an empty chicken's nest
and slept while the chickens laid their eggs.

Jay seemed to like the clucking of the hens
he never chased or stole the eggs
he just curled in the empty nest and slept
until my grandmother called his name.

Thankful Thursday, February 7, 2008

Istijlal (Majesty), 1 Mulk (Dominion), 164 B.E. - Thursday, February 7, 2008 about 8:58 AM PST

Today I am thankful for

1. counting my blessing at least once a week;
2. the pink sunrise that announced the new born day;
3. the music that wakes me up at 4:00 AM everyday;
4. there being 29 days in February this year;
5. the beauty snow on Mount Charleston;
6. the bright cloudless morning;
7. the days getting longer;
8. morning prayers and meditations;
9. the Feast of Mulk Mom and I attended last night;
10. cookies for breakfast.

I Need a new Photo - Continued

'Idal (Justice), 19 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Wednesday, February 6, 2008 about 9:20 AM PST

I'm considering putting this photo on this blog. It's the newest picture of myself I have. This photo was taken at a poetry reading, but I'm not sure of the year.

I don't have any newer photo at this point and since I don't have a camera I'm not going to have someone take any photos of me for a while. At least not until I get a makeover.

I Need a new Photo

Fidal (Grace), 18 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Tuesday, February 5, 2008 about 7:37 AM PST

This is a high school photo taken in Shawnee, Oklahoma, several years ago. I used this photo when I first started this blog. I changed from this to a picture of me taken at Disney Land. I'm going to change the photo on this blog again. However, I'm not sure which picture I'm going to use. I think the most recent picture I have of myself is at a poetry reading.

I don't think I have a picture of myself taken in the last two years. I have a Tupperware container of photos in my closet, which I'll look through before deciding which one to use. I'm considering this decision carefully, normally I use spur of the moment decision making. It cuts down on a lot of worrying, but everyone should attempt something different occasionally and putting a lot of thought in this decision may help me improve my decision making abilities.

Leap Year Memories

Kamal (Perfection), 17 Sultan 164 B.E. - Monday, February 3, 2008 about 5:03 PM PST

In leap years my grandparents always paid more attention to national events. Not that they didn't know what was going on nationally in the other years, but leap years were special because of the presidential elections. The thing I remember most about the leaps years going to the polls with my grandparents and waiting for them to vote. Grandma and Grandpa always voted, but my grandfather never tried to tell my grandmother who to vote for.

Another thing I remember about those leap years was that my grandparents never put down any of those running for any office national, state or local. Grandma and Grandpa always discussed the issues not those running for office. Maybe that's why I prefer to discuss the issues myself rather then anything else.

I Finally Got a New Mouse

Jamal (Beauty), 16 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Sunday, February 3, 2008 about 10:26 PM PST

My new mouse arrived Thursday and I connected it today. There seems to be something special about beginning the week with something new. I didn't know how much fun it was to use a mouse until I connected it. Maybe I need to get out and get a life.

Today is cloudy and windy with a chance of scattered showers. I won't get out today because I have things to do around the house. I'm catching up on things I didn't get completed Thursday evening. I was ill that evening in pain and throwing up. I went to bed early but didn't get much sleep. So I'm catching up of stuff today. I'm doing fairly well at catching up too.

The only writing I have to catch up on are some Flash Fiction Stories. Because I was ill Thursday, I'm three days behind on those, but not for long. I left the Flash Fiction for last because they are short and I usually use prompts to get them going.

This week I'm going to post the themed entries on different days then I originally planned. I'll get them all in, but I don't think I'm going to do them on a specific day. After all variety is the spice of life, in addition I don't want to get in a rute with my entries.

My Grandfater was Successful

Jalal (Glory), 15 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Saturday, Febraury 2, 2008 about 12:52 PM

My Grandfather was successful
at being a guardian angel;
he kept an eye on all four grandchildren and a dog
when we went to the lake,
into town
or to spend an evening on our cousin's farm.

I don't think I ever thanked him for saving my life
when I played hide-n-seek at my cousin's farm
and hid in a old fridge;
he found me and took me out
said nothing to Mom,
but had the door removed.

I don't think I ever thanked him for saving my brother's life
when we went to Lake Carl Blackwell
and the life jacket Tom wore
became water logged;
he took my brother to shore
and got him another jacket.

I don't think I ever thanked him for saving Pop Corn's life
when she was shut in a hot car,
he took her out and gave her water
and took us all home.

My Grandfather was successful
at being our guardian angel
and I don't think I ever thanked him,
before he passed on into the next world.

My Grandmother Recycled

Istiqlal (Independence), 14 Sultan (Sovereignty), 164 B.E. - Friday, February 1, 2008 about 12:43 PM PST

My Grandmother recycled
before it became fashionable,
she was raised on a farm
in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centaury
so everything that was usable
had to be used and reused.

She made patchwork quilts
from leftover material and pieces of dresses,
she used worn out underwear for cleaning rags
and dust cloths.

Grandma recycled everything possible
glass jelly jars were used as juice glasses
in larger glass jars with lids
she would put bacon grease or chicken stock
and place them in the fridge for later use in
gravy and stew.

And now I follow in her footsteps,
but I do it my way
by selling aluminum cans for gas money
or to pay the Internet bill.