Months that begin on a Sundays

Jamál (Beauty), 14 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Saturday, January 31, 2009 about 5:44 PM Pacific Time

It is after sunset in Las Vegas on Saturday, January 31, 2009. Tomorrow is Sunday, February 1 and February has a Friday the Thirteenth in it. When a month begins on a Sunday, it has a Friday the Thirteenth in it.

Friday the Thirteenth, itself does not bother or fascinate me. It is the idea that a number like thirteen can be unlucky. If you look at thirteen, it consists of two numbers a one and a three. The numeric root of 13 is 1 + 3, which equals four. If thirteen is unlucky, the logical conclusion is that four is unlucky as well, but four is not considered unlucky.

Looking at 13 another way, thirteen is composed of two odd numbers a one and a three. Odd numbers are supposed to be lucky. Yet when these two lucky numbers are put together, they make an unlucky number, which is thirteen.

These are just a few thoughts on the number thirteen before we enter the first of three months in 2009 that has a Friday the Thirteenth in it.

I don’t remember my Grandfather worrying

Istiqlál (Independence), 12 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Friday, January 30, 2009 about 12:44 PM Pacific Time

I don't remember my Grandfather worrying over bills and stuff like that. Maybe he did, but didn't let his grandchildren know he was worried. Grandpa was a spiritual man; he didn't go to church every Sunday. He believed in God and he let his grandchildren know that he believed in God by the way he acted.

Grandpa made sure we went to church and he went himself on Christmas and Easter. He said prayers at meal times and he respected other people's religion by not talking bad about it or them. Grandpa emphasized that God would take care of us and when things got tough he put the situation in God's hand. After he put the situation in God's hands then he did what he could to solve the problem.

I don't remember Grandpa worrying, but I do remember him praying. I don't remember Grandpa being distracted, which is what worry does it distracts a person. So I guess one of the lesson my Grandfather taught me is put everything in God's hands and don't worry.

Have Car Will Travel

Istijlál (Majesty), 11 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Thursday, January 29, 2009 about 3:40 PM Pacific Time

I have a car now and the tags, so I can go any place I want. Today I went to Walgreens to pick up a bottle of Mom's meds. It's nice to be able to call the prescription in and pick it up the same day. When I didn't have a working car, I had to plan the prescription pick up to coincide with other errands. I then got on the bus and spent the entire day going from one end of Las Vegas to the other. Never mind the 1/2 or 3/4 mile walk from the bus stop to my house.

Now I can go anywhere in Vegas, anytime I want as long as I have gas in the car. I noticed today that gas prices are going up again. It's interesting because as soon as my old car stopped running, gas prices began to go down. I have a working car and gas prices are going up again, an interesting coincidence.

I don't know if I'm going anywhere this weekend. Friday or Saturday, I may go to the recyclers and sell some cans. I collect aluminum cans and sell them for gas money. It doesn't bring in a lot of money, but it's enough for maybe a gallon or two of gas. Sometimes a couple of gallons is all that's necessary until the next paycheck or PayPal deposit.

January 2009 Late Winter

‘Idál (Justice), 10 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Tuesday-Wednesday, January 28, 2009 about 3:21 PM Pacific Time

It is snowing in other parts of the United States. Here in Las Vegas we have no snow, at least not in the valley. I am cold, but it is winter and a person is supposed to be cold in winter. That does not help because I am tired of being cold.

I remember growing up in Oklahoma. I remember the snow in Oklahoma. Children have a different view of snow and cold then adults. I do not remember noticing the cold as much as a child. I remember my hands and feet getting wet and cold.

When our hands and feet got wet and cold, my grandmother would make us hot chocolate. She also make us hot chicken soup. While the soup was heating she would make us change our shoes and socks. We put on warms dry socks and house slippers. Then we sit down at the kitchen table where we ate hot soup and drink hot chocolate.

Perhaps that is why I like hot soup when I am cold. Today I am drinking Hobo soup out of a hot chocolate mug. I make Hobo soup by combining all the leftovers into the slow cooker and letting it heat. Tomorrow we will have Hobo Stew because I found some leftover chicken in the freezer. I think we are about to the end of the the leftovers, so next week I am going to have to start making fresh stuff again so that we can have more leftovers.

I got the car registered today

Fidál (Grace), 9 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Tuesday, January 27, 2009 about 4:40 PM Pacific Time

I got the car registered today. I got a copy of the title for the old car, so now I can have someone tow it away. Someone is coming for the old car either Wednesday or Thursday and then I can drive the new car all the way into my driveway.

This whole business with the car has gotten me to thinking. All the problems I've worried about over the past few months have worked out. Mostly without my help because in many cases I could do nothing about the situation. I look at the past few months, I look at the past year, I look at the past two years and what do I see? I see God's hand in my life.

The difficulties I have encountered have taught me something about humanity and about myself. God worked his will in my life and taught me something about the human race and myself. I still have difficulties because that is part of living. However, those difficulties will come to an end.

God reveals his will in our lives. We have to look close sometimes to see the hand of God working, but God is always there assisting and helping us along. What we, as individuals, need to do is continue to pray and continue to work. God reveals his will to us. As we live our souls are transformed and our faith grows, but we have to look at the events in our lives and see God's hand.

The idea was simple

Kamál (Perfection), 8 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Monday, January 26, 2009 about 7:54 AM Pacific Time

I idea was simple, focus on uncluttering and setting up a spreadsheet with all Mom and my debts in it. My filing system can only be described as creative and it isn't working for me. Therefore, I decided to revamp it and unclutter. I didn't post to any of my blogs all weekend and I didn't get as much done as I wanted to do.

I did succeed in getting somewhat depressed about the bills, but that passed after I got into the process of putting the stuff into the spreadsheet. The idea is to just put the dollar amount down without thinking about it and I don't get depressed. This is another step in my process of transformation.

All right, I did get some stuff accomplished over the weekend. I took one can of trash to the curb on Friday evening for pick up Saturday morning. I found out that it is a two hour walk to and from the Food 4 Less on the corner of Sahara and Eastern. I also found out that if I do take that walk again, I'm going to take a push/pull cart with me no matter how little I get.

I bought enough stuff Saturday to carry home, the problem was I didn't consider my back and how it would feel after I carried the items home. My back is fine now, but Saturday night and Sunday morning it didn't feel so good. This is another step in my process of transformation. As long as I learn from my mistakes, I'm doing OK.

Vineger in the Mop water

Istiqlál (Independence), 5 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Friday, January 23, 2009 about 1:04 PM Pacific Time

My grandmother put vinegar in the mop water when she mopped her linoleum floors. The house had linoleum throughout the house. Grandma never had carpet or tile in her house. When she mopped the kitchen and bathroom floor she put vinegar in the mop water.

I'm not sure why she did that, perhaps it was to make the linoleum shine or to kill germs. I never did ask her why. There were a lot of thing Grandma did that I never asked her why she did them. Now I wish I had because it would have been nice to know. My grandmother used vinegar for a lot of things. She used vinegar when she cooked. She used vinegar when she cleaned.

I remembered this last night when I went to clean the spaghetti mop head. I have to get a new mop head for that mop, but for now I'll just clean it with vineger. I don't put very much vinegar in the water because a little bit will do. I've about decided that I don't like spaghetti mops. I don't like sponge mops, they are worse then spaghetti mops. At least, a spaghetti mop cleans up better then a sponge mop.

I have to get a new mop head and I'm considering getting a new mop. I know it's a waste of a perfectly good mop handle. I'm still looking for the perfect mop to mop my floors. All right, maybe there is no such thing as the perfect mop. Perhaps what I need to do is look for the attributes I want in a mop and then find one that comes close to what I want.

I have to admit that the perfect house-cleaning item would be a robot or a house that cleans itself. I want a robot that will do everything from laundry to mopping the floor and cleaning the toilet. However, I still need to get another mop head the next time I go shopping. I also need to make a grocery list, but that is another blog entry.

My Mother is going to have cataract removal surgery

I took Mom to the eye doctor on Monday, January 19, and we received the letters today. One was from her health insurance provider they approved procedure and the other was from the doctor's office. She has an appointment to consult with the surge0n, an appointment for the surgery itself and three follow-up appointments.

I put the two of those appointments in the planning calendar, but not the other three. I'm not sure why I didn't put all to them in the planning calendar at the same time. All the appointments are in the same letter, so I have no excuse for not putting them in.

Mom is 87 and her birthday is coming up in March. In 2007, she was in the hospital for surgery and in 2008; she went into the hospital for another surgery. This is an out patient procedure and I have the instructions on what she needs to do after the cataracts are removed. I am just going to take a deep breath and leave everything up to God.

Life isn’t Easy

Istijlál (Majesty), 4 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Thursday, January 22, 2009 about 8:03 AM Pacific Time

Life isn't easy for anyone. I don't think life is supposed to be easy because it's learning experience. Living in this world is instruction and education for our souls. Education isn't difficult, more difficult some people then for others, but always difficult.

We American's are entering a new era for our country; the next four years will be difficult and require sacrifices. As human beings, we don't like sacrifice because it requires us to give up something and we don't like to give anything up. However, sacrifice is necessary for our souls because it helps our souls grow and acquire the wings we need when death's door opens and the soul steps through leaving our bodies behind.

The next four years will teach us many things about our fellow human beings and ourselves. We need to look beyond ourselves and place our trust in God by whatever name we call the divine creator. We need to trust in the creator and remember the Golden rule, which the revealer of every religion known to and practiced by humanity restated.

Sometimes I just want to give up

‘Idál (Justice), 3 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Wednesday, January 21, 2009 about 12:25 PM Pacific Time

Sometimes I just want to give up, throw in the towel, curl up in the fetal position and let the world pass me by while I cry. I won't of course, I'm not the type to give up. My mother keeps telling me I'm not the type to give up and she is right.

I think what I need is a vacation or to go to a Las Vegas restauran and order a King Cut Prime Rib with raw horseradish, a baked potato, salad and cup of coffee. Unfortunately, I can do neither in the near future. I have to register a car, I'm transferring the plates, but I still don't know how much it will cost. I will check out the DMV website to find out an approximate dollar amount.

Today for lunch, I had sloppy joes made with chicken. No matter how good a person's imagination is, you can't make chicken taste like beef. I know that chicken is better for me then beef, that's beside the point. I want Prime Rib!

A vacation would also be nice. Maybe I can manage the vacation or something close to it. I do have a good imagination, so I can write myself into one of my stories about a vacation. It doesn't come close to the real thing of course, but it might do for now. I have to admit that writing this blog entry has helped a bit. I'm less stressed and smiling.

An Historic Day draws to an end

Fidál (Grace), 2 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Tuesday, January 20, 2009 about 4:47 PM Pacific Time

The sun is setting and turning the western clouds light pink. It is the end of an historic day for America. A new president was sworn in today and a new era for the United States of America began.

I watched the inaugural ceremony on TV. The ceremony was beautiful and well planned, as are all inauguration ceremonies. The crowd watching the ceremony was much larger then any I have ever witnessed.

I give thanks that I lived to witness an African-American become president of the United States. I am 62 years old and remember the freedom marches. Growing up I watched the TV news and saw the stories on TV. I have witnessed history. I have lived through history.

I'm not sure what else to write. I suppose I could compare the American culture today with the way it was when I was growing up. However, I don't think I'm going to do that in this entry. Most of us over 50 know how the culture has changed. Those who are younger need to ask their elders about the difference.

Now America needs to get behind the President Obama and show our support. America is a nation composed of people from many different backgrounds. We need to show respect for every person in this country and the world. We need to be tolerant of the differences, while finding the similarities. We have to remember that we are all one family, the family of humanity.

Looking for things to be thankful for

Kamál (Perfection), 1 Sultán (Sovereignty), 165 BE – Monday, January 19, 2009 about 7:44 AM Pacific Time

In the past several months I have made daily entries in my gratitude journal. I am going to continue to make daily entries for the rest of 2009 and then I will decide if I need to continue the entries or I can go back to once a week. The entries consist of at least ten things I am grateful for that day.

The reason I am making daily entries is a combination of stress in my life, my mother's health and the economy. I have found that listing things I am grateful for helps me overcome depression. I cannot be depressed when I have so much to be thankful for.

Learning gratitude is part of spirituality and the process of transformation. I remember growing up, my Grandfather always state at least one thing he was thankful for when he said prayers at meal time. The only time I heard Grandpa pray was at mealtimes. However, I know he said prayers at other times as well. My Grandpa Newland was a spiritual and not a religious man.

Grandpa went to church with us when he could. He never judged other people by their religion. It did not matter to Grandpa what a person's religion was. Spirituality was more important to Grandpa then religion. While a person's religion may influence spirituality, spirituality and religion are not tied to each other. However, I suspect gratitude may have an affect on spirituality.

It’s Sunday Morning in Las Vegas

Jamál (Beauty), 19 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Sunday, January 18, 2009 about 6:40 AM Pacific Time

It's Sunday morning in Las Vegas and the sun is just rising. I've been up since 4:00 AM, in that time I put eye drops in Mom's eyes, give her today's first pill, made coffee, washed and dried one load of cloths, and got on line. My Internet connection is too slow and my browser refuses to let me use more then two tabs for tab browsing. Normally I can use three, but this morning it's being difficult.

My mother lived in Las Vegas right after she and my father were married, which was during World War II. Mom worked as a maid, which meant making beds and stuff like that, at University Medical Center (the hospital wasn't called that at the time Mom and Dad lived here). My Dad was stationed at Nellis Air Force Base because he was in the Army Air Corp.

Things have changed a lot since World War II, but some of the difficulties we face today are the same as those faced by people then. Apparently, the old saying is true "The more things change the more they stay the same."

My parents divorced when I was in grade school. I remember my father as a tall and handsome man. Most of my memories concern my grandfather, who was my father figure after my parents divorce. I don't remember seeing a lot of my father after the divorce and since he died a few years ago I won't get to see him in this world.

Creative Cooking in Winter

Istiqlál (Independence), 17 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Friday, January 16, 2009 about 5:22 AM Pacific Time

I have a cupboard full of spices in jars that I never use. I am not sure how old they are, but I do know they have been there at least four years perhaps longer. I am going to have to throw them out because they are not any good any more. I suppose I could look at the sell by date or the use by date; however, that is only going to confirm what I already know.

I use spices; I just use the prepackaged spices. Yesterday I made macaroni and I used the beef stew spice package to season it. Before my brother and his wife went back to Colorado last year, they brought us a bunch of prepackaged spices. I have used those and I am almost out of prepackaged spice, so I am going to have to put those on the grocery list the next time I go to the store.

My grandmother never used prepackaged spices, actually I do not think they had them when I was growing up. Grandma used spices from the jars or fresh spices, but never the prepackaged. In one way, I am like my grandmother when it comes to cooking because I normally do not follow a recipe. That is why I like the prepackaged spices. I can dump the package into the food I am cooking without measuring any spices.

I will have to post some of my recipes because I usually make things in a slow cooker or in a microwave. Since neither the stovetop nor the oven work, those are the only appliances that I use regularly. Sometimes I use an electric skillet, but even then I use the spice packages.

Life is a learning process

Istijlál (Majesty), 16 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Thursday, January 15, 2009 about 11:29 AM Pacific Time

Life is a learning process. Learning new things is part of the process of transformation. I learned at least two things this week. First, check the health insurance for things like the way they handle referrals to other doctors. Second, when it comes to eye infections, go to an eye doctor and not your regular GP.

I've known for a while that Mom's eye problem was more then just needing glasses. I made an appointment with an eye doctor and took her to see him. They accepted her medical insurance. However, she needed to go to a retinalgist and her insurance specific the group of eye doctors she has to have a referral from. So I made another appointment for next Monday for her to see a doctor in that group. I had the doctor we went to fax the information to their office and I'll take a copy of what I have with me.

As for her eye infection, it was more involved then what we thought. The eye doctor gave her a prescription and we're putting the drops in her eyes twice a day. However, she is going to have to go to another doctor, which means a referral, because of a blocked tear duct.

I guess this just goes to show that you never stop learning. No matter how old you are there is always something new you can learn. I'm not sure how I can apply this week's lessons to my own life, but I'll figure that out.

I would complain, but it only makes the situation worse

Kamál (Perfection), 13 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Monday, January 12, 2009 about 1:45 PM Pacific Time

I would complain, but it only makes the situation worse. At least, the situation seems to get worse the more I complain. I learned this lesson over the past two years. The more I complain the worse the situation gets, while the situations in my life improves when I stop complaining.

I do have a lot to complain about, but there are people in this world who have more to complain about then myself. I need to have my car smogged and transfer the tags from my old car to the car I have now. I need to get a new fridge because the old fridge is falling apart. I need to have the dryer checked because I don't think it is working properly. In addition, my mother needs a hearing aid for each ear and both of us need new glasses.

In the present economy all of this is going to be difficult. However, I don't need to complain. Instead of complaining, I need to take action of some type. Therefore, I will take two types of action one is prayer and the other is finding another source of income.

At least the cloths dryer is working

Jamál (Beauty), 13 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Sunday, January 11, 2009 about 1:50 PM Pacific Time

At least the cloths dryer is working. All right, other appliances are working as well, but the cloths dryer was the one I didn't think worked. I'm still not sure how well it is working, but it is working.

Grandma Newland never worried about automatic cloths dryer working. Even after Grandpa bought her an automatic washer, she still hung her cloths out on a cloths line to dry. We did have a cloths line here, but it broke and I haven't put a new one up. Until recently I didn't think about it because we had the dryer.

I think I'll put another cloths line up later in the year. The old cloths line wouldn't dry an entire load of cloths at a time. Not that I can dry an entire load of cloths with the dryer, but I'm not sure whether the problem is with the dryer or overloading the washer. Anyway, I have an automatic dryer for now; I think I'm going to have to get someone in to check it as soon as I have the money to pay the technician.

However, before I have anything done with the dryer, I'm going to have to get a refrigerator. The fridge is next to get, so hopefully the dryer will continue to work. However, just incase it doesn't I'm going to have to figure out how to put up a full cloths line in my backyard. Because with a line to hang the cloths on I won't have to drive to the launder mat.

Coffee and Memories

Istiqlál (Independence), 10 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Friday, January 9, 2009 about 8:01 AM Pacific Time

Drinking coffee brings back pleasant memories for me. Both my father and my grandfather were coffee drinkers. I learned to drink coffee from Grandpa Newland. When I was very young, about 3 or 4, I was sitting on my Dad's lap and he was reading the Sunday morning Comics to me. While he was reading, he was drinking coffee. I reach up, pulling the cup of hot coffee onto my lap. Dad rushed me to the hospital.

You would think that after that experience, I wouldn't want to drink coffee, but that isn't the case. I enjoy coffee. I enjoy all the memories that accompany a cup of coffee. For me coffee is a comfort food. Another thing about coffee that is interesting is that it doesn't keep me awake. I can drink coffee before right going to be and still sleep.

Coffee memories
pour across my waking mind
warm the cold sunrise.

Courage is part of encouragement

Istijlál (Majesty), 9 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Thursday, January 8, 2009 about 4:52 AM Pacific Time

Courage is part of the words encouragement and encouraging. So is it any wonder that if a person receives encouragement or finds something encouraging then she receives courage. Courage and encouragement are a part of the process of transformation.

It takes courage to face yourself and overcome self. It takes courage to develop spiritual attributes. It takes courage to replace bad habits with good habits. All these are a part of the process of transformation.

Some things I find encouraging and therefore derive courage from are

1. The Baha'i scriptures and prayers
2. Memories of my grandmother and grandfather
3. Memories of my father
4. My mother who will turn 88 on March 19, 2009
5. The smell of coffee in the early morning, which brings memories of both my father and grandfather
6. The writing.com spiritual newsletter that comes out once a week

That is only a small list of things, which give me courage because they are encouraging.

I dream in color

Fidál (Grace), 7 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Tuesday, January 6, 2009 about 3:22 PM Pacific Time

I dream in color. I don't know how many people dream in color. I don't know if either of my Grandparents dreamed in color. I wish now that I had asked Grandma and Grandpa if they dream in color, but until I became an adult I thought everyone dreamed in color.

I didn't know that dreaming in color was unusual until I had a conversation with a friend. I was describing the dream and the colors I saw. My friend was surprised because she didn't dream in color.

I don't know if dreaming in color is a rare phenomena or not because I seldom discuss my dreams with very many people. Actually, I don't think dreams are discussed very much at all. I know in conversation I accidently over hear in restaurants and malls, people aren't discussing their dreams.

Most conversations you overhear are rather mundane. People discuss the price of gas. People discuss politics. People discuss their friends and enemies. However, most people don't discuss the dreams they have at night.

I asked my mother, but she says she doesn't. Mom says she doesn't remember her dreams. I don't know if my dad dreamed in color. I haven't asked my brothers or sister. Maybe I should find out if they dream in color. I wonder if there is a genetic component to dreaming in color.

I dream in rainbow hues
of reds and vivid blues,
in green and yellow,
in all that my eye can see.

Life is a 365-Day Challenge

Kamál (Perfection), 6 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Monday, January 5, 2009 about 8:14 AM Pacific Time

Life is a 365-day challenge in 2009, but it was a 366-day challenge in 2008. I'm getting philosophical in my old age. I turned 62 on December 24 and since then I have begun to look at the events in my life a bit differently then I used to. Maybe it's because the past two years (2007 and 2008) have been so stressful and challenging.

This year I decided that I need to be more proactive when it comes to my personal transformation. In both 2007 and 2008, I attempted to look at ways I needed to change, but I let the events of the year get in the way. However, I want to make 2009 different and I want to take action on a personal level.

The first thing I need to do is unclutter my life, which was a goal in both 2007 and 2008. However, I didn't get as much achieved on that as I hoped and my e-mail boxes are more cluttered now then when 2008 began. I am considering doing a mass delete on some of the folders that I send items to and beginning fresh.

Another problem is my cloths closet, I need either a bigger closet or less cloths. I also need a new chest of drawers, but that is on the back burner until I get a new fridge. The new fridge is the most important thing at the moment.

It's times like this that I wish I had my grandparents with me again. I could really use some advise from both Grandma and Grandpa, but since the only other person in the house is Mom I'm going to have to ask her or just decide for myself what to do with a few things.

I think one thing I need to do is set deadlines and limit the amount of time I spend uncluttering one area in a day. Oddly enough this morning I'm looking forward to the process, but I have only just begun. I may want to wait until I have completed uncluttering an area or an e-mail folder before I decide how I feel about it.

I remember Sunday afternoon with my Grandparents

Jamál (Beauty), 5 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Sunday, January 4, 2009 about 7:14 AM Pacific Time

It is January. It is winter. I am remembering a Sunday afternoon in summer that I spent with my Grandparents. It was a Fourth of July holiday and we were waiting for sunset to "set off the fireworks". We were staying at the lot they rented on Lake Blackwell for the night. Grandma and Grandpa had a "trailer house" (most people call them mobile homes anymore) on that lot.

I remember the mobile home had a bathroom, but when we used the toilet, we had to go to a wooden outhouse. I think we could take a cold shower in the bathroom, but I am not sure about that because I was a child and the events occurred a long time ago. I remember the outhouse because there were spider webs in it and I was afraid of spiders.

As I said, it was a Fourth of July holiday and we were waiting for Sunset. My siblings and I were setting off firecrackers. In addition, Grandpa took us in his motor boat for a ride up and down the lake. Grandpa water-skied that day as well, but the real excitement would come after sunset when we set off the "real" fireworks.

Waiting for sunset
we passed time lighting
firecrackers and skiing.

I am working on a group of poems about my childhood and my grandparents. I also think I will write a poem about the outhouse. Most places have indoor plumbing anymore and outhouses are things of the past. I think we need to remember them.

The wooden outhouse
had spiders and smelled
the spiders made me nervous.

I Remember Standing in the Doorway of my Grandparent’s house

Jalál (Glory), 4 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Saturday, January 3, 2009 about 10:11 AM Pacific Time

I remember standing in the doorway of my Grandparent's house, in Blackwell, Oklahoma, and watching the snow fall. It wasn't the first snow I had ever witnessed because at the time I must have been six or seven years old. It wasn't the first snow of that year either, because my Grandma Newland was going to make snow ice cream and Grandma didn't make that until after the second or third snowfall of the year.

I remember I was standing in kitchen door and I heard a cabinet door opening. I turned to see what was going on and Grandma was taking a stone mixing bowl out of the cupboard. Next, she opened the drawer with the mixing spoons and removed a large wooden spoon. After that, she got the vanilla flavoring down and took measuring spoons out of another drawer.

My Grandpa then took the stone mixing bowl and went outside. He went around the house to the front yard. There he filled the mixing bow with snow and brought it back into the house. Grandma took the bowl from him, measured a teaspoon of vanilla, put it into the bowl and mixed the flavoring into the snow. Grandma then took cereal bowls out of the cupboard and filled them with the snow ice cream. This was my favorite winter treat.

You can’t judge a New Year by the way it starts

Istiqlál (Independence), 3 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Friday, January 2, 2009 about 8:27 AM Pacific Time

You can't judge a New Year by the way it starts. A year can begin either good or bad and then change half way through. There are ways to begin the New Year on a high note, but that doesn't mean the year will remain going well.

The beginning of a New Year is like the beginning of a day. It starts out either good or bad depending on the person. This year, for the most part, started on a good note. My checking account wasn't overdrawn on January 1 and Mom got a raise on her Social Security. However, just because the year started out good doesn't mean it will stay that way. Anymore then a day starting out bad means it will go from bad to worse.

All a person can do is hope and have faith. Say prayers, at least three times a day, and hope that the day will improve. If a day or a year starts out bad, then they can always improve. If they start out good then they can always get worse. However, the day or the year can just as easily do neither.

My grandparents never seemed to let the way a day began or end affect their mood. If the day began bad, then they did something to cause the situation to change. Sometimes the only thing they could do way pray and they did. Prayer changes things, it changes either the situation or the person's approach to the situation.

Good-bye 2008 and Hello 2009

Istijlál (Majesty), 2 Sharaf (Honor), 165 BE – Thursday, January 1, 2009 about 1:49 PM Pacific Time

Happy New Year

You know that it's going to be a good year when

your bank account isn't overdrawn on January 1.

I started off the New Year right with a prayer right after I got out of bed. In addition, I received the holiday edition of the local newspaper and I have half a tank of gas left from the gas I bought last year.

I'm looking forward to 2009 and to celebrating Naw-Ruz on March 21. I reset my writing word count goal and increased it by 19%. Now I have the time between January 1 and March 21, to determine if its too low or too high.

Today, I'm not worried about anything and I do have several things to worry about. However, I put aside my worries on the first day of the year, not matter what year or when I celebrate. This means that I put aside my worries at least twice in 2009. On January 1 and on March 21, this gives me a chance to unstress for a little while.

Happy New Year