Thursday, April 30, 2009

It looks like a cloudy afternoon

Istijlál (Majesty), 3 Jamál (Beauty), 166 BE – Thursday, April 30, 2009 about 4:37 PM Pacific Time

The afternoon is turning out to be cloudy. Of course, I didn't look at the news or weather this morning, so I don't know the forecast for today. I didn't even get my intermind.net e-mail checked this morning. Mom and I left the house sometime between 6:00 AM and 6:30 AM to go to Desert Springs Hospital.

Mom had outpatient surgery. The doctor opened the blocked tear duct in her left eye. Tomorrow she has an appointment to see the doctor at 9:45 AM. In addition, we have to pick up some prescriptions that Walgreens before we go to the doctor.

I still have to check both my yahoo.com and intermind.net e-mail before I go to bed tonight. I may not go to bed at all, but just stay up and get caught up on the writing today's adventure prevented me from completing. I also have research to do for two items I'm working on; oh well, someone once told me that sleep is over-rated. I'm beginning to think he was right.

Maybe its the fact that I don't sleep the same as I did when I was younger. Used to I could stay up all night and once my head hit my pillow I'd fall asleep. Now, I can fall asleep on my keyboard, but if I get up to go to bed I can't sleep. I toss and turn, look out the window and count the number of times the metro helicopter flies over the neighborhood without going to sleep.

Perhaps I'll just lay down on the love seat and go to sleep. I can fall asleep either lying down or sitting up on the love seat without any problem. However, if I get up and go to my own bed then I'm wide awake.

Wednesday, April 29, 2009

I’m going to be using a Solar dryer for a while

‘Idál (Justice), 2 Jamál (Beauty), 166 BE – Wednesday, April 29, 2009 about 2:39 PM Pacific Time

My electric dryer went out, it doesn't dry cloths anymore. It runs, it just doesn't dry the cloths so there isn't any reason to use it for anything other then a counter to hold objects. I'm going back to the old fashion way of drying cloths. I'm going to use a solar dryer, i.e. a cloths line and cloths pins.

I'm going to have to get a new cloths line though because part of the line I'm using broke and fell down. I can't get it to stay up so I'm going to have to get some cloths line cord or something similar to put up.

Hanging cloths on a cloths line brings back some fond memories from my childhood. My grandmother always hung her cloths out to dry. I remember grandpa put up a thick wire to hang the cloths on. I wonder if you can still get something like that to hang cloths on. I'll have to see when I go to the store on Friday or Saturday. In the mean time, I'm going to have to work with what I have.

I can hang a few cloths on the patio, but not sheets because sheets don't dry properly that way. Besides the sheets wrinkle if they're hung on the patio. If they wrinkle, then they have to be ironed and I don't deal well with ironing sheets.

My grandmother ironed sheets and my mother ironed sheets when she was young. In my 62 years, I don't remember every ironing sheets and it's something I'm not looking forward to doing. All though, I have to admit it would be a new experience and one shouldn't reject new experiences without careful consideration.

Tuesday, April 28, 2009

Things I have to be Thankful for Today

Fidál (Grace), 1 Jamál (Beauty), 166 BE – Tuesday, April 28, 2009 about 9:52 AM Pacific Time

This is Tuesday and not Thursday, the day I usually make my gratitude list. However, today started off on a downward note, so I think I need to list a few of the thing I'm thankful for today. I'm not sure if it will change to tone of the day, but it will help change my mood and point of view.

Today I an thankful
  1. that last night was the Feast of Jamal (Beauty)
  2. that Mom and I were able to attend the Feast last night
  3. that I had enough cash for the co-pay to the hospital for Mom's out patient surgery Thursday
  4. that I could buy $15.00 in gas yesterday
  5. that we have enough coffee and paper filters in the house to make a fresh pot of coffee today
  6. that I found two empty aluminum cans in the hospital parking lot yesterday
  7. that its too warm to have the heat on and too cool to turn on the cold air
  8. that my virus scan program runs automatically on start up when I miss the last scheduled scan
  9. that I still have one cloths line up in the backyard to dry cloths
  10. that I have coupons to get veggies at the Farmers' Market

I think listing what I have to be thankful for helped. Maybe I should try this more often when the day or the situation begins looking dark.

Sunday, April 26, 2009

I have the Blahs today

Jamál (Beauty), 18 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Sunday, April 26, 2009 about 11:35 AM Pacific Time

I have the blahs today and I don't want to do anything. I'm not sure what the problem is except, perhaps, the weather. We've had some weird weather lately, first it warmed up to about 90 degrees and then it cooled down again. I haven't checked the weather report today, so I'm not sure what the forecast is for this coming week. I don't think the weather was this way last year.

Lately, it's been too cold to have the cool air on and too warm to have the heat. Not that I'm complaining or anything like that. The longer the temperature stays this cool the lower the power bill is. If the air outside the house is 90 degrees then inside it is 80 degrees. Anything under 80 degrees is too cool for the cold air to be on.

Anyway, I have to push myself to get any work done because I have the blahs. I know that isn't a scientific term. However, it does explain how I feel lately. Of course, there could be a physical reason I'm feeling this way, but I don't know what it could be. Since I have to push myself, make myself do anything I'm behind on almost everything.

Friday, April 24, 2009

Going to bed early

Istiqlál (Independence), 16 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Friday, April 24, 2009 about 6:25 AM Pacific Time

I've been going to bed early the past few days because of being tired. I think my iron count is down, but I'm not sure. I'll find out Monday when I go to give blood, if the count is too low they won't take my blood. Between now and then I'll increase the foods that contain iron and cut down on the diary products.

Having milk on breakfast cereal is overrated. I prefer yogurt or something else. Perhaps I'll put applesauce on my cereal instead of milk. Since Mom can't eat applesauce we have a lot of it in the house and somebody has to eat it. I know the cereal I eat contains iron. I'll have to read on the applesauce cans to see if it contains iron as well.

I have a tendency toward low iron and I don't like to take iron supplements, so I have to get my iron from the food I eat. I know there are some veggies that are high in iron, but I'm not sure which ones at this point. I'll just have to do a little be of research to find out.

Tuesday, April 21, 2009

How do I remain optimistic in today’s world?

I remain optimistic in today's world and through the crisis confronting humanity and myself. I remain optimistic because of Baha'u'llah and the scriptures he revealed more the one-hundred years ago. Every day I wake up and recite a prayer reveal by Baha'u'llah my optimism is renewed. I cannot read the prayers or writings of Baha'u'llah without finding hope. Baha'u'llah reveals hope for both humanity and the individual.

Today is the First day of Ridvan, the twelve-day celebration of Baha'u'llah's proclamation of his mission. This afternoon, I am going to the Baha'i Center and celebrate the First Day of Ridvan. Today is one of the three Ridvan Holy Days. The First Day of Ridvan, The Ninth Day of Ridvan, and the Twelfth Day of Ridvan are Holy days on which work is suspended. Today I am celebrating and I cannot celebrate without writing about the reason I am celebrating.

Today I am celebrating the Declaration of Baha'u'llah.

Happy Ridvan

Fidál (Grace), 13 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Tuesday, April 21, 2009 about 7:14 AM Pacific Time

Happy Ridvan!

Ridvan is the twelve day period, which celebrates the Declaration of Baha'u'llah. This is the First Day of Ridvan and in 1863 Baha'u'llah entered the Garden of Ridvan. He spent twelve days in that garden before he left Bagdad. During that time, he said good-bye to friends and declared his mission.

I will make several entries about this over the next twelve days. Some of those entries will be about the history of the Festival of Ridvan. Some of those entries will be poems about Ridvan celebrating the Declaration of Baha'u'llah.

Happy Ridvan!

Monday, April 20, 2009

I am allergic to my laundry soap

Kamál (Perfection), 12 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Monday, April 20, 2009 about 7:10 AM Pacific Time

I am allergic to my laundry soap. I think I have written about this before, this is a different brand of detergent then before. However, the problem is the same. The laundry detergent has additives in it and I cannot use a powdered or liquid detergent with additives. I have to buy a detergent without additives of any type.

One of the problem, of course, is that my washing machine does not use two rinse cycles. Since I am not going to buy a machine with two rinse cycles, I have to buy a detergent without additives in it. I am also going to read the ingredients on the box or the bottle very carefully.

I remember, when I was a child my grandmother doing laundry. The first machine I remember her using was a wringer washing machine. She would wash the cloths, then she would run them through a wringer into the first rinse. Grandma had two huge washtubs she used to rinse the cloths. After she put them through the first rinse, she would then put them through the wringer again and into the second rinse.

I always thought Grandma used the second rinse because she used bluing to make the cloths whiter. Now I realize that the second rinse also removed soap residue from the cloths. Anyway, what I am saying is that a second rinse is not a waste of water. It is essential to get the soap residue out of the cloths.

Sunday, April 19, 2009

I'm tired and it's only Sunday

Jamál (Beauty), 11 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Sunday, April 19, 2009 about 2:34 PM Pacific Time

I'm not sure at this point whether the coming week is going to be a good week or a bad week. I thought this morning, when I heard the nightingale sing that it was going to be a good week. However, that was this morning and it's afternoon now.

Mom's had a difficult day and I don't know whether there is anything I can do to make her day better. I want to cry myself, but both of us being unhappy won't solve the problem. I just gave her a medication that's suppose to help he situation, I hope it does. because she has a doctor's appointment in the morning that we can't reschedule.

Mom is scheduled for surgery on April 30 and the appointment tomorrow is the presurgery consultation. Mom's going to have a tear duct unblocked and it has to be done before the cataract surgery on the left eye. The only thing I can do now is to watch what Mom eats very closely and read the labels on the package. I know the problem is caused by something Mom's eating, but neither of us is sure which foods.

One of the foods that cause it is apples. I suspect Mom's been eating some of the cut up apple in the fridge. When I cut an apple up for myself, I'm going to have to make sure I eat it up or put in a container that is difficult to open and make sure Mom doesn't eat any of it. Another cause of the problem is high amounts of dietary fiber and we have several boxes of cereal in the house containing large amounts of dietary fiber. I know Mom hasn't opened any of the boxes, but there is a plastic container hold some of the cereal, so perhaps she eat some of it this morning.

I'll finish the cereal in the plastic container off in the morning, but that doesn't help he problem tonight. All I can do is ask for healing prayers and hope the medication I just give her helps. In the meant time, I suppose I just need to remember the nightingale's song. When I heard him this morning he sounded so carefree and happy.

Saturday, April 18, 2009

Friday seems like a lost day

Jalál (Glory), 10 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Saturday, April 18, 2009 about 2:17 PM Pacific Time

Friday seems like a lost day. My mother and I spend almost the entire day in doctors' offices and didn't get home until about 2:00 PM. After we came home and ate, we went to the bank, got gas, went to the grocery store, came home again and ate.

The next time we spend the entire day in doctors' offices, I'm taking a peanut butter and jelly sandwich with me. I ate breakfast before we left at 8:55 AM, but didn't eat anything else until we returned home at about 2:05 PM. My ulcer didn't like that and as a results, I wasn't feeling very good when we got home. We ate, which calmed my ulcer and then we took the two checks which came through the mail and went to the bank.

Anyway, Friday seems like a lost day because the only thing I wrote were a couple of poems that morning. I didn't get them posted to the poetry journals until today and I'm behind on everything else. I always get behind when we're out all day. I know it can't be helped, but that doesn't make catching up any easier. I did learn one thing after yesterday's experience and that was to take a sandwich with me when I suspect I'm going to be out of the house all day.

I guess a day isn't last if you learn something from the experience. Still I'm in the process of catching up with things I was already behind on. I'm going to close this now because I just heard the mail drop through the slot in the door. I'm expecting another check, which I hope comes today. However, it probably won't come until sometime next week, but I'm going to remain hopeful.

Thursday, April 16, 2009

I need more cereal bowls

Istijlál (Majesty), 8 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Thursday, April 16, 2009 about 6:47 PM Pacific Time

I have three cereal bowls left from three different sets of dishes. I have a cupboard full of dinner plates, some with chips out of them, but still usable. I have saucers and medium sized plate, but only three cereal bowls. Now with only two people in the house you wouldn't think there would be a problem. However, there is a problem and that is I can't put the cereal bowls in the dishwasher because we don't run that until its full.

I've watched the local freecycle group, but haven't found any cereal bowls that aren't attached to sets of plates. I don't want an entire set of dinner plates, I just want more cereal bowls. I like to use cereal bowls for other thing then just cereal. I cut my apples into small pieces so that I can eat the apple. I put the pieces in a cereal bowl and then decide I want a bowl of cereal, but I don't have another bowl because my mother likes to do the same thing with her fruit.

Three cereal bowls aren't enough for two people. Two people need at least four cereal bowls. Eight cereal bowls is even better because we might want something else on the side such as ice cream or Jell-O. Of course, I could always put my ice cream on my cereal, I've never tried ice cream on cereal so it might be good. At least, with ice cream I wouldn't have to add sugar to the cereal the way I do with milk.

I think I'll go to one of the dollar stores next week and see if I can get some more cereal bowls. Since I have three bowls, I only need to get five more to make a set of eight. Eight cereal bowls would go nicely with my mismatched set of coffee cups.

Tuesday, April 14, 2009

Slow as molasses in January

Fidál (Grace), 6 Jalál (Glory), 166 BE – Tuesday, April 14, 2009 about 7:38 AM Pacific Time

My Internet connection is slow as molasses in January this morning, which has nothing to do with the reason I haven't made an entry in four days. I'm going to get DSL sometime in 2009, but I'm not sure precisely when that will occur. Therefore I'm going to have to be patient. I think I've written that before, but my patience is wearing a bit thin when it come to the Internet connect.

I've decided against cable modem or wireless, simply because I would have to change Internet providers. I don't like changing providers because of the hassle concerning e-mail accounts and business. The second reason is the cost of DSL versus the other two. DSL is somewhat less expensive and I have other places to put my money at this time.

The advantage to DSL is not tying up the phone line. I have an answering machine that works properly most of the time, so if I don't have time or want to answer the phone I can let the answering machine pick it up. I don't have voice mail through the phone company right now. I just have the basic phone service, which gives me a telephone line and a phone number.

The biggest problem with using a telephone line connection to my provider is the speed of the down loads. I have to wait until night or Sunday to download updates or anything else. I would like a faster download time and the ability to take phone calls when I'm working. No I don't have the ability to make phone calls with my computer.

Thursday, April 09, 2009

I am attempting to be upbeat and positive

Istiqlál (Independence), 1 Jalal (Glory), 166 BE – Thursday, April 9, 2009 about 11:25 AM Pacific Time

Jalal began on the evening of April 8 about sunset. It's a new month and a new nineteen-day period of goal achievement and transformation. I relate all events in my life to the process of spiritual transformation. I'm not sure how I'm doing in that process because sometimes I think I'm making progress and at other times I'm not sure what progress I'm making.

Today, I'm not sure how I'm doing in the process. The one thing I'm sure about is that Jalal appears to be an eventful month. Between now and 9 Jalal (April 17), I have to do research on macular degeneration and then discuss it with Mom. Mom's got a appointment with a retinal specialist to consult of methods of treatment.

Mom is a bit hard of hearing, so before we see the doctor I need to discuss any questions she wants answered. I'm attempting to be upbeat about this entire process and stay positive. Sometimes I just want to sit down and cry, but Mom's going to ask why and I don't want her getting depressed. It's easier for doctors to work with patients who are in a positive or hopeful mood.

Between now and the 17th we will say the Long Healing Prayer every day. Mom likes to hear me say that prayer aloud and after I say it, Mom is always in a hopeful mood. Mom still has to know all the treatments for macular degeneration and the prognoses, perhaps I'll just discuss enough of it with her to find out what questions she wants to ask the doctor and then let the doctor discuss everything else.

Monday, April 06, 2009

Welcome Monday

Kamál (Perfection), 17 Bahá (Splendor), 166 BE – Monday, April 6, 2009 about 6:18 AM Pacific Time

Good morning world! A new week began yesterday and a new work week officially begins today. It is a chilly morning in Las Vegas, the sky is transforming from deep silk black to hazy blue. When I look out my living room window I see a pale blue and pink sky. I haven't checked my e-mail yet so I have no idea what the weather forecast says.

I suppose I could turn on the morning news, but then I would have to go into a different room to watch. This morning I would much rather be drinking coffee and making blog entries. I'm going to move the T.V. back into the living room sometime between now and June 15. Not that it will matter because after June I won't be able to get digital broadcasting, so Mom and I are going to have to find something else to do when we eat.

I'll miss lunch and dinner in front of the television, but since I have to make a choice between a new fridge and digital reception, I'm getting the new fridge. I'm not sure what brand of refrigerator I'm buying; however, I do know it won't have an ice maker or a place in the door to get cold water. I want a simple refrigerator with a freeze that saves energy.

Welcome to Monday and may the rest of the week be as bright as dawn is this morning.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

This butterfly is going to bed early

After a long week and having difficulty writing, I have decided to take out my dentures and go to bed early tonight. I'm going to say a few prayers and get a bit of sleep; tomorrow I will wake up early and write.

Wednesday, April 01, 2009

Happy Poetry Writing Month

‘Idál (Justice), 12 Bahá (Splendor), 166 BE – Wednesday, April 1, 2009 about 8:55 AM Pacific Time

This is April Fools' Day a day of fun, foolishness, and fools errands, which is what many call writing poetry. I believe writing poetry good idea and since April is Poetry Writing Month I'm going to make this entry about poetry instead of fools. True a poem can be about foolish things, looking like a fool or even the emotions that make fools out of everybody. However, writing poetry itself is not foolish.

Poetry expresses emotions such a love or passion. I write bitter love poems myself, which is why I normally do not post love poems on this blog. I also write spiritual poems, fantasy and science fiction poems, as well as other forms of poems.

National Poetry Writing month is devoted to the joys and frustrations of writing poetry. Any action that is worth doing and helps in the transformation of the human soul includes frustration. Writing poetry assist in the spiritual transformation of the individual by helping a person express emotions.