August Approaches

Fiḍál (Grace), 18 Kalimát (Words), 170 BE - Tuesday, July 30, 2013 about 7:24 AM Pacific Daylight Time

August approaches
triple digit temperatures:
Can we expect rain?

August is the start of school, at least that is the way I remember it from my childhood. Now August means more triple digit temperatures. Now August is just another hot month with worries about the power bill and staying cool. Sometimes I miss the Augusts of my childhood, but them I remember the Oklahoma heat and humidity. I was miserable! I did not like the heat rash and I could not get rid of it throughout August.

July is ending
wind and monsoonal moisture:
Will I miss the rain?

The heat and humidity does not bother me as much  in Nevada. During monsoon season, I notice the drop in temperature that come with the clouds and the rain. Is this because I am older? Is this because I can cope better with the heat? Is this because I have more important things to worry about? The answer to all three of those questions could be yes.

Saturday in Las Vegas

Jalál (Glory), 15 Kalimát (Words, 170 BE - Saturday, July 27, 2013 about 11:25 AM Pacific Daylight Time

clouds are gathering
gray indicating moisture
will it rain today

gentle breeze blowing
limb on the pine tree hanging
will it fall today

cloudy Saturday
is cooler then yesterday
the birds are singing

Las Vegas morning
clouds concealing the blue sky
the birds are flying

I got lost again this morning

Fidál (Grace), 11 Kalimát (Words), 170 BE – Tuesday, July 23, 2013 about 5:15 PM Pacific Daylight Time

I got lost this morning, but this time I know how I got lost. I turned right instead of left. When I turned right, I thought I was turning east and I was actually turning west.

This incident occurred about noon, so the sun was high in the sky. I do not think this had anything to do with me getting lost because I did not look at the location of the sun. I finally figured out I was going west on Tropicana instead of east.

I made a u-turn at a stop light with the turn signal green. It is not a good idea to make a u-turn if you only have a blinking yellow light because oncoming traffic does not stop since they have a green light. All right, I do not trust some of the drivers here in Las Vegas or for that matter in any other city where I am driving.

I made the u-turn and went back east on Tropicana until I came to Maryland Parkway. I turned north onto Maryland, which was a left off Tropicana. I knew I was going north because of the gas stations and fast food restaurants on the corner of Tropicana and Maryland. It was then that I realized why I get lost.

I do know my right hand from my left hand, but I am not always sure which way is west, east, north or south. I can find my directions if I know the landmarks on the corners; however, if I am in a strange section of the city and do not know the landmarks then I do not know which direction I turn.

Another Thunderstorm Last Night in Las Vegas

Jamál (Beauty), 9 Kalimát (Words), 170 BE – Sunday, July 21, 2013 about 9:30 AM Pacific Daylight Time

There was another thunderstorm last night in Las Vegas. Winds and flash flood warnings, as well as lightning, thunder, and rain, accompanied this storm. This morning there are two small puddles of water in my driveway, while limbs and branches from trees litter all the yards in this neighborhood.

Fortunately, I took my trashcan in the garage yesterday afternoon, so it did not fill with water the way it did the night before. I do not know why I left the trashcan sitting in the driveway since Wednesday. I will not do that again.

The pine tree in my front yard is still standing. Because we had high winds both Saturday and Sunday night, I consider it a miracle that the pine tree is still standing. The only debris I have seen today are from the trees, so I guess people are trying to avoid littering this neighborhood. Of course, I have not been on Eastern or Maryland Parkway today, so I do not know how the litter situation is on those streets.

Lightning and thunder
Wind, rain, and flash flood warnings
A normal monsoon season

Saturday Poem

Jalál (Glory), Kalimát (Words), 170 BE - Saturday, July 20, 2013 about 12:18 PM Pacific Daylight Time

Saturday
wind blowing through an olive tree
 wind making the Stars and Stripes dance

Saturday
feathery clouds sail across the sky
birds sing and fly from tree to tree

Saturday
after last night's thunderstorm
a peaceful day

Day by Day I am making progress

‘Idál (Justice) 5 Kalimát (Words) , 170 BE - Wednesday, July 17, 2013 about 10:15 AM Pacific Daylight Time

I am making progress. I am moving forward a little at a time. Sometimes I wonder if I am making progress fast enough. Sometimes I think I could go faster or make better decisions. However, I am doing the best I can under the circumstances.

Yesterday, my sister came down from Searchlight and took several of Mom's unfinished or never got started craft projects with her. She took the paints that went with them or, at least, those I could find. She knows someone in Searchlight who does  that sort of thing and cloud find people to do the projects. I made some progress getting something out of the house.

I am doing the best I can under the circumstances. Today the circumstances include depression and tears, which have nothing to do with the stuff my sister took back to Searchlight yesterday. Today I am depressed about bills and the choices I need to make to pay them. At this point, the only action I can see to take is prayer because that is the only action I can take right now.

I am making progress
sometimes it is two steps forward
and on step back,
but it is progress just the same.

The Glass Lid

Jamál (Beauty), 2 Kalimát (Words), 170 BE – Sunday, July 14, 2013 about 8:40 AM Pacific Daylight Time

I found a glass lid in a cupboard I am cleaning out. The lid was sitting on the shelf not attached to anything. I do not know where the lid originated because I do not remember having a round casserole dish; at least I think the lid goes to a round casserole dish. I looked in the other shelves and did not find anything it would fit.

The problem is what to do with the lid. I know I should throw it away, but what if I find the dish it goes to after I take it to the trash or the recyclable. Logic tells me that I probably will not find the dish because I suspect Mom put the lid in that cupboard before the Alzheimer’s stole her memory. She could have broken the dish and simply put the lid in the shelf in case she needed it for something else.

Putting things away that one might need later, is something both my mother and my grandmother did. It had nothing to do with Alzheimer’s or any other form of dementia. It was a action left over from growing up on a farm or during the depression. One simply did not throw things away. It is something my parents taught me as a child. It is something I have to get over because keeping things like that is becoming stressful.

I have to take a deep breath and put the lid in the glass recyclables. I have not other choice, but the questions still lingers. What if need the lid for something or I find the dish it fits? I have to ignore the question and put the lid in the recyclables. I think once I do that then the stress will depart and I can throw other things away.

Driving in Las Vegas

Jalál (Glory), 1 Kalimát (Words), 170 BE – Saturday, July 13, 2013 about 2:59 PM Pacific Daylight Time

I went to the bank this morning to deposit a check at the ATM. I noticed three different cars doing things they should not have done, but there were no traffic officers to catch them. I know that the patrol cars cannot be every place at once. I know that the police do the best they can, so we drivers must be on the lookout and drive defensively.

The driver of the first car had a dog in the car with her. The dog was sticking its head out of the driver’s side window and she had a hold of its collar attempting to keep the dog from jumping out of the car. I do not know if she was wearing a seat belt, I do know dog should have been in the backseat with a seat belt on. I think you can get seat belts for dogs at anyone of the pet stores.

The driver of the second car ran a red light from the left turn lane. He did not turn left, but instead through that lane and ran the light going south on Maryland Parkway. All the cars in the other lanes were stopped waiting for the light to change, which it was about to do. However, the driver of the fast car apparently did not want to wait or (giving him the benefit of the doubt) did not have working breaks.

The driver of the third car was going west on Oakey Street and made a left turn from the wrong lane. I was in the turn lane waiting for the light to change and the driver of the third car was to my left in a lane that is not a turn lane. When the light turned green I he put on the gas and turn across three lanes of Maryland Parkway in front of me. Fortunately, he was faster at getting his foot off the brake and onto the gas.

It is unusual to witness three different poor driving incidents in one trip. I am glad that I said a prayer of protection before I backed out of my garage for the drive to the bank. I am going to continue saying a prayer of protection before backing out of my garage.

Clouds over Las Vegas

Istiqlál (Independence), 19 Rahmat (Mercy), 170 BE – Friday, July 12, 2013 about 4:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time

white clouds hide blue sky
humidity is rising
triple digit temperatures

Monsoonal Moisture and Triple Digit Temperatures

Fidál (Grace), 16 Rahmat (Mercy), 170 BE – Tuesday, July 9, 2013 about 3:30 PM Pacific Daylight Time

I drove to the Baha’i Center about 11:30 this morning. There was a partial cloud cover, which seemed to cool the temperature. I do not have a working air conditioner in my car, so I have to drive with one window down. Driving to the west side of town was comfortable and pleasant.

Today was the Commemoration of the Martyrdom of the Bab. During the program consisted of prayers, a biography of the Bab, videos were shown, and a lunch was served. The lunch consisted of sandwiches, potato salad, vegetables, and desert. I left about around 1:30 pm and drove directly back to the house.

As I drove back, to the east side of Las Vegas I noticed the heat and the humidity more then I did earlier. Of course, it was afternoon and that is when the temperatures rise into the triple digits. The clouds had started to move out of the valley, I noticed more close to the mountains then I did above the valley. Still the humidity made the drive home a little uncomfortable. I think I will have to roll down another window when I drive the car in the afternoon.

Thunderstorm Sunday in Las Vegas

Jamál (Beauty), 14 Rahmat (Mercy), 170 BE – Sunday, July 7, 2013 about 10:23 AM Pacific Daylight Time

We had a small thunderstorm her in Las Vegas, I did not see any lightning, but I did hear thunder and see rain, so I suppose lightning occurred. I turned off the computers, fixed myself breakfast, and sat down on the couch to compose blog entries during the storm. It has stopped raining and I do not hear any more thunder; I think the storm has passed. I will finish this entry and my breakfast before posting this to my blog.

As I look out my window, I can see the limbs of the neighbors’ oak trees waving. I can also see patches of blue sky between the clouds, so it may not rain in my neighborhood any more today. Since I do not hear any thunder grumbling, I am going to put more ice in my coffee and go back to the computers.

I enjoyed the little bit of rain. The rain was gentle and there was not enough of it to flood the area. There could be flash flood warnings for the Las Vegas area, but unless were get more rain I doubt that we have to worry about the flood problem today. I will have to check the local news later to find out if it rained on Mount Charleston or in the canyons surrounding it. They could use some rain up there to help extinguish the Carpenter Canyon fire.

A Doctor’s Appointment This Afternoon

Istiqlál (Independence), 12 Rahmat (Mercy), 170 BE – Friday, July 5, 2013 about 10:20 PM Pacific Daylight Time

I have a doctor’s appointment this afternoon. I need a refill on one of my meds and I have to have a blood test before I get the refill. I know I should have called at the end of last week or the beginning of this week, but I did not call. I know I am fortunate to get an appointment to see the doctor in that quickly.

I also know that I am attempting to write this entry while I am yawning. Since I need to be wide-awake before I drive to the doctor’s office, I am going to close this now. Perhaps it would help if I ate a sandwich or something like that.

Evening on the Fourth of July: A Poem

Weariness sits in,
I yawn,
but I am not planning to sleep.

It is the Fourth of July,
Independence Day,
time to celebrate America's birthday.

I listen
as the celebration begins
with booms,
bangs,
cracks,
and pops.

I smile,
I laugh,
remembering my childhood;
the celebration has not changed
in the last 66 years,
we still commemorate
with noise abandon
and sparkling sky rockets.

Happy Birthday U.S.A.

 

Midweek Reflections: What I have learned about my depression

‘Idál (Justice), 10 Rahmat (Mercy), 170 BE – Wednesday, July 3, 2013 about 11:18 AM Pacific Daylight Time

July 3, 2013 and the year is half over. There are only a few more months until my birthday and I turn 67. I have to begin making some changes in my life and my attitude. It seems to me that I have spent the last six months depressed; however, I know that is not true.

I know that there have been hours, days, and weeks during the past six months that the depression did not rear its ugly head. I have learned that if I get out of the house, especially during the daylight hours I am less depressed.

I know that worry adds to my depression and that prayer helps alleviate the worry. When I put a situation in God’s hands, I worry less and therefore am less depressed. I also know that taking action on a situation alleviates my worry, which helps disperse the darkness and negative thoughts that indicate I am depressed.

Another thing that helps assuage my depression is writing. It does not seem to matter what I write because focusing on the words takes my focus off my depression and worries. It also helps to write about what I am worried about, which I do in my off line journal.

One Test After Another

Fiḍál (Grace), 9 Raḥmat (Mercy), 170 BE - Monday, July 1, 2013 about 9:10 PM Pacific Time

Extreme heat warnings and triple digit temperatures are bad enough, but now my cell phone doesn't work. It worked this morning, but this evening it is dark. I can't make any calls and when I put it on the charger it doesn't respond. I call customer service (on the land line) and was told there was a three hour wait. I, therefore, went to the website and sent an e-mail. I will try customer service again in the morning.

It is just one test after another. The triple digit temperatures, I can handle or at least tolerate. The extreme heat warnings, I can deal with, as long as I remain hydrated and can find a cool place in the afternoon. I am not sure what I will do without a cell phone. I know that I spent years without one. I know that I have a land line, so I am not cut off from the world.

The cell phone has become a part of me. It is an extension of who I am. Perhaps I have become too dependent on it. It has all my contact numbers, which I did not back up in another document. If the numbers are still in the phone's memory when I get it working again, if I get it working again. In the meantime, I will send e-mails to everyone reminding them of the land line number and asking them for their phone numbers.