It’s been another run-around-town morning. I dropped the kids at school, went for another appointment with the dermatologist (this time she cut a suspicious mole off my leg), and then to drop off the donations for the tornado victims. Now I have to tend to my son’s new pet.
The children have been asking for a pet for a long time and I have been resisting. I had two cats before I had children and I loved them dearly. The problem was that the cats did not love the children. By the time we were preparing to move to Egypt the situation had gotten so bad that I had to keep one of cats secluded in my bedroom and run a happy-cat phermone plug-in just to keep her from marking all of my things (guess who she blamed for bringing the children into the house??) I was at my wits end with what to do with the cats. They were clearly not happy with us and they were aging to boot – and Egypt does not have very good veterinary care for house pets. I was extremely lucky that at just about the same time a friend from North Carolina wrote me an email and told me her cats had just died and she wanted to adopt two older cats. Is that good timing or what? We went back and forth a few more times to iron out details and then I shipped her two aging cats. It was harder than I would have thought to let them go, but it was for the best. That was nearly six years ago and the cats have been restored to their former spoiled status and are living out their golden years in style. I still get status reports from time to time.
So no more cats. I’ve also vetoed dogs. Not only don’t I want to be stuck with the responsibility of walking a dog several times a day while the children are in school, but can you imagine having a dog with what has been my lifestyle for the last decade? How could I leave a dog for nearly two months every summer? I would go broke with kennel fees and the dog would go nuts. I have friends who bring their dogs with them when they travel but I have enough to keep track of with two children and six suitcases thank-you-very-much.
I have also nixed birds, rodents, and fish. I don’t think that birds belong in cages and there is the same problem with the vacation schedule. Also, who do you think would ultimately be stuck cleaning out the cage / tank? No thanks. I have many better things to do with my time!
Last weekend, my son found a pet that I could find no immediate objection to: a Venus Flytrap. It’s inexpensive, quiet, does not require walking, and eats bugs. What’s not to like? We’ll see how it goes. If there is one pitfall it is the frequency with which my son wants to feed it. If Venus Flytraps can become obese, ours will. It’s a good thing the new pot I found for it it is roomy…
One thing I have always loved to do is to haunt thrift stores. It is amazing to me what great stuff people give away. I think it is amazing to my family and friends how much pleasure I get from finding something I love in a thrift store. I was nearly giddy last week after getting my daughter two pairs of name-brand jeans for $.37/each.
Given the fact that I still don’t have a very clear idea of where I’ll be living in the near future, I had been trying to restrain myself – to only purchase necessary and useful items of clothing. Then I went to visit a long-time friend who lives in northern Ohio over spring break. She has a collection of colorful vintage water goblets that she used on the table for Easter dinner. It was so pretty and I liked them so much that I decided I’d like to get a few myself. She took me to a local antique mall and here’s what we got:
It looks like a modest start, but I will admit that there are multiples of a couple of these. All in all I ended up with nine.
This second collection is the result of an all day shopping trip I took with the friend that I’ve been staying with – in her 100+ year old house. (See – I never really stood a chance!) It’s funny how now that I’m looking for them, I see these goblets everywhere. Just between you and me, this isn’t even all of them. How could I resist the lone olive green goblet I saw sitting on the shelf at Goodwill for $.50? Or the set of amber goblets I found, with a matching relish tray, at the thrift store for a grand total of $5? The prettier colors are harder to find and cost more of course. My mission now is to try and find a few more in colors I don’t have (dark blue and another purple).
I can only imagine how my grandmother would laugh to see me collecting all the old dishes that she no doubt gladly got rid of.
I went to visit my friend in northern Ohio again this weekend and I could not resist going back to the antique mall, just to look. This time however I was drawn to dishtowels and tablecloths. It’s not a surprise particularly – as a quilter I really am a textile person. And since I have been hand-washing my dishes for the last six years, I deserve some pretty towels to amuse me.
Aren’t these great? Some of them seem to be totally unused – too pretty? Who doesn’t need a dish towel with measures and equivalents printed on it?
This linen apron was obviously well used and yet it is still in fairly good condition. They really don’t make things the way they used to.
I loved this towel the minute I saw it – so wonderfully kitsch. It even has a pocket for a dowel at one end so it can be displayed! Again, it looks unused.
Oh yes, it was a very good year
I won’t bore you with pictures of the tablecloths but they are every bit as much fun. Looking at these items made me start thinking about the evolution of how people dressed a table. My own mother used printed terry cloth tablecloths for a while before she moved to placemats. I suppose people stopped using nice tablecloths when women started working more and didn’t have time for ironing. Dishtowels went out with dishwashers. Kind of a shame really.
I may or may not be able to use the glassware and the linens for their intended purpose in the near future, but if nothing else I can wrap the goblets in the linens for storage and / or transport. See – there is a method to my madness.
And in case you were wondering, Mother’s Day was very satisfying as well. I got flowers, presents, plants, and cards plus a waffle breakfast.
I met my April goal of getting my book HERE TO STAY proofed and formatted for print (it will be available on Amazon any day now, I swear!) and now I have a new goal for May: to do the same for ONE CRAZY SUMMER. Getting the next two books into print format is especially exciting for me because they have never been available in paperback before. I love the ease and flexibility of digital books, but there really is something special about holding your own book in your hand.
What is frustrating is how many typos and errors I continue to find. These books were all first published by a small press – how many different people read them in that process? How can there still be problems? I’d love to blame all the typos on the fact that I needed glasses all this time, but I guess we would all have had to be blind for that to be the case. It’s probably the reverse – reading these books over and over and over again to find the errors is probably what did my eyes in!
This time I’m sneaking up on the typos: I’m reading the book backwards, last chapter first and so on. Keeps me on my toes and I can catch the typos unaware. So far so good. It’s only the 5th – I should reach my goal by the end of the month no problem. (Famous last words!)
Kind of fitting that I spend most of Cinco de Mayo reading a book set in Mexico – however we ate Chinese food for dinner. Go figure.
In other news, Mother’s Day is this weekend. My son apparently has big plans for me. I know this because the little man is very excited and also very bad at keeping secrets. He is desperate to tell me his plans now and I keep shushing him. What a sweetie. I wonder if his gift will live up to all his hype? Undoubtedly
It’s International Star Wars Day – get it? May the 4th? First I’ve heard of it, but I thought it was cute. In the wise words of Yoda: “Train yourself to let go of everything you fear to lose.” I feel like I’ve been working on that all of this year… with mixed results.
This year has gone nothing like I hoped or expected it to. I tried to start it right, by throwing myself a birthday party for a milestone age that I wasn’t particularly thrilled about reaching, but it has pretty much been downhill since then.
Since I’m hanging out in the US right now, I decided to use this time to do all the necessary doctor appointments, one of which was for an eye exam. I’ve never worn glasses, but in the last couple of years I’ve noticed my left eye is definitely weaker than my right. Not only that, but it waters constantly. I thought at first it was allergies but then realized it was more likely eye strain. Duh. I have reading glasses for computer use, but had never gotten in the habit of using them since I can actually see.
The eye doctor did a thorough exam and gave me the verdict: not only glasses, but bifocals. First I have my face peeled off and now this. I think I’d have rather he diagnosed a cataract – at least they could remove that!
I’d more easily accept this if I couldn’t actually see pretty well anyway. I can even read tiny print without (too much) difficulty. My weepy left eye tells another story though so I guess I’ll have to suck it up, like all the rest. At least I don’t have to wear them all the time.
Homeless, precancerous skin damage, bifocals. I love the sunroof in my “new” car, but it does highlight all the white hairs colonizing the top of my head. I’m planning to go to the dentist soon. What’s next, dentures??
May the 4th be with you… because the year is still young…
Whenever I think of Easter, I think of dyed eggs, Easter baskets filled with plastic grass, chocolate bunnies and eggs, and a big dinner – preferably featuring baked ham. My family was not particularly religious when I was growing up, but there were a few constants at certain holidays and candy featured heavily at Easter.
Easter is in fact celebrated all around the world, and the differences in traditions from place to place can be both very interesting and somewhat puzzling.
Bermuda: Bermudians celebrate Good Friday by flying home-made kites, eating codfish cakes, and eating hot cross buns.
Europe: In parts of Northwestern Europe large bonfires, called Easter Fires, are lit on Easter Sunday and Monday. While there are various explanations for the origin of the Easter Fires, the most common Saxon tale is that Easter is a time when spring becomes victorious over winter and the fires were to chase the darkness of winter away.
Sweden: In the days leading up to Easter Sunday, children dress up as Easter witches, wearing old and discarded clothes. Traveling from home to home in their neighborhoods, the children trade paintings and drawings for sweets.
I know many Christian holidays have pagan roots, but dressing up like witches at Easter? It’s a bit better than Sweden’s other tradition which is to have the boys beat the girls with switches in the early morning – but at least the girls get to have their turn in the evening!
I found another great site called Easter Bunny’s.net. They have information on a long list of countries, a few of which I have included below:
Egypt: Lent in the Coptic Church of Egypt lasts for 55 days, which includes a preliminary week of modified fasting. No meat, fish, eggs or milk are supposed to be eaten during Lent. This fasting is extended as Lent goes on so that by Holy Week people are observing a stricter fast, in which they eat mainly vegetables and beans.
During Holy Week, people go to church every day. There are services leading up to the main Easter service on Saturday night, which lasts until 3-4 a.m. on Easter morning. Bells are rung to proclaim Christ’s resurrection, and there is a procession with the newly lit candles.
Easter Sunday is spent visiting friends and relatives, and there is a special Easter dinner in the afternoon. Easter Monday is a public holiday because of an ancient spring festival (called Sham al Nassim) which is celebrated on this day. People spend the day outdoors in parks or gardens and exchange colored eggs.
Mexico: In many communities, they may enact a full Passion Play from the Last Supper, the Betrayal, the Judgment, the Procession of the 12 Stations of the Cross, the Crucifixion and last but not least the Resurrection. In some communities, flagellation and/or real crucifixion might also be included. The enactments are often spectacularly staged, costumed and acted, with participants preparing for their roles for nearly the full year leading up to Semana Santa.
Papua New Guinea: On Easter Sunday a church service is held, and at this service there is the Easter Tree. At the front of the church is a small tree or if they are unable to have a tree several branches are tied together, on which sticks of tobacco and packets of cigarettes are hung. After the service, these are distributed amongst the congregation. The people then return to their homes for a feast of leftovers usually from the Friday feast.
Chocolate bunnies and baked hams are pretty tame and rate a big fat ZERO on the self-sacrifice scale next to fasting and crucifixion reenactments. (I don’t know what is up with the cigarette trees.) To each his own I suppose.
My children were very concerned how the Easter Bunny was going to find them this year since we are not at home. I told them it wasn’t going to be a problem. I’ve always just said that the Easter Bunny was magical, like Santa, which was always a good enough explanation. Last weekend they saw the movie Hop and now they really like the idea of a big egg shaped vehicle pulled by a flock of fluffy yellow chicks. Um…Okay…
However you choose to spend your Easter holiday (or not) I hope you have a pleasant day. I’ll probably spend mine biting my tongue about how much candy the kids are eating!
The last couple of months have been difficult to say the least – it’s very hard to live your life when you don’t know what is going to happen next. Will my family move back to the US permanently or will we try to go back to life in Egypt in the autumn? If we stay, should I start looking for someplace of my own to live? Where? Which of course leads to the question of whether or not I should look for a job.
My husband is looking for jobs of course, but he’s been working in a fairly specialized field for a long time and the jobs at his level are few and far between. I have the opposite problem: I have a master’s degree in my field but next to no practical working experience since I’ve been a full time wife and mother for the last decade. Entry level would likely be all I could qualify for, which is fine, only even then I probably don’t look so good on paper next to a shiny new college graduate. Knowing how the game is played going in makes reading job ads a fairly depressing exercise in what is very much an employers’ market. I know that I could learn to do all that an employer might require, but getting the chance to prove myself is the trick.
Here’s the cover letter I’d like to write:
To Whom It May Concern:
I am writing in response to your ad for ____________________. As you can see on my resume (attached) I have a bachelor’s degree (with honors) and a Master’s in Library Science. Shortly after graduation, I worked for two years in corporate libraries doing online research and organizing their specialized collections before I moved abroad.
I did not work in a library setting in my decade abroad, but nonetheless I honed many valuable skills. As a full time mother and wife, I became a champion multi-tasker. I can do laundry, dishes, cook dinner, and help with homework simultaneously while also chatting online with friends across the world. Time management is another area of strength: I can not only keep my own schedule but those of two active children in my head. I can take care of a family of four including housework, homework, eleven hours of tennis lessons per week, two nights of soccer practice plus two Saturday soccer games (fall only), and still find time for two evenings of yoga classes.
Food management is also a talent: I can make a tasty and nutritious dinner in half an hour from assorted and seemingly unrelated ingredients lurking in my refrigerator and pantry. Need last minute snacks for a class / soccer team? No problem, I’ve got you covered whether you require healthy / fun / convenient / vegan / allergy friendly food.
I also possess incredible attention to detail. Nothing escapes my notice: stains, leftovers, homework / chores left undone, dust bunnies. Need something found? Just ask me. I know where everything in my house is at any given moment. Need confirmation? Just ask my husband or children.
Some might call all of the above talents micromanaging. I just call it efficiency.
As a mother I have honed and expanded my interests in science and health matters: I can now diagnose and treat a variety of illnesses and identify those which require more specialized attention. I have also gained considerable skill in psychological counseling and support. Note: I am not licensed to practice either of these skills outside the bounds of my own family or the sideline of a tennis court / soccer field.
In my time abroad I have traveled extensively which has taught me to appreciate other cultures. Traveling has also allowed me to learn how to navigate airports, bargain in souks, and communicate by way of charades and smiles. I have been to over ten countries and have paid for the tickets and related expenses by making and selling quilts. In addition to quilting, I am also moderately talented in costume design. If ever you require a handmade Tudor-style velvet hat, I have a pattern.
In addition to my many domestic talents, I have also written and published four novels both digitally and in print as well maintaining a website, an active blog, and an alter ego for the last four years. In short, yes, I can type and have good computer and communication skills.
On second thought, nevermind. I withdraw my application for your position. I see now that I am over-qualified. Thank you for your consideration and best of luck in finding the right applicant to suit your needs.
I’ve had this song in my head for a few weeks now – I think chorus is somewhat inspiring for my current circumstances.
I get knocked down
But I get up again
You’re never going to keep me down
When I looked up the rest of the lyrics, I found it strangely fitting for the way I spent my Saturday night – on a neighborhood roaming cocktail party which ended with karaoke!
Pissing the night away
Pissing the night away
He drinks a whisky drink
He drinks a vodka drink
He drinks a lager drink
He drinks a cider drink
He sings the songs that remind him
Of the good times
He sings the songs that remind him
Of the better times
“Oh Danny Boy
Danny Boy
Danny Boy…”
I’m happy to say that I didn’t actually get knocked down on Saturday night, though there were some others who didn’t look so steady on their feet by the end of the night! And I sang my first karaoke song – Wham! “Wake Me Up (Before You Go Go)”. Thank goodness there isn’t a video of that scary and not very musical moment!
There are plenty of ways in which I am very, very different than she was. My mother would never have moved out of the country – she was very impressed when I moved from Louisiana to Ohio after college on my own, but incredibly distressed when I moved overseas. She never understood my love of travel, particularly to the sort of places I like to go – she thought my trekking trip to Thailand last January was insane. Her health wasn’t good in the last few years of her life, but she once told me that there was more than enough to see in America to fulfill all of her travel wishes.
I love to listen to people speak English with different accents, particularly Irish and Scottish, where my mother had some sort of irrational dislike of English accents. I love many different international cuisines, especially Thai and sushi. My mother’s favorite food was mainstream American. I once bought her a Cracker Barrel gift certificate for Christmas which was very well received as were gift boxes from Omaha Steaks and Hickory Farms. (It’s much harder to ship sushi!)
The older I get however, the more I can see some of the similarities. The face I see in the mirror is still my own, but my hair is darkening and beginning to frost itself in the same way my mother’s hair did. I have my mother’s hands and I learned much of my snarky, sarcastic sense of humor from her.
There is one significant and striking way in which I am becoming my mother however. My mother hated to go out after she got home from work, and particularly after dark. If I ever told her I needed to go back to school for some special event or to the store for some school supply, she would do her best to either arrange alternate transportation for me or to convince me I could wait til the weekend for new pens / glue / paper. God forbid I should want to run an errand if it was both evening and raining.
As a child, I didn’t understand her aversion to going out again at all. Now? Once the sun goes down I have no interest in being out and about. Funny thing is that I often have fun once I am out – it’s just a hurdle to convince me to leave my house. I may like to travel but I’m a homebody at heart.
I’ve also noticed that just lately my taste for exotic cuisine is on the wane and I’ve developed a real craving for old favorites from my childhood. Chinese Hotdish, anyone?
I write books for fun so why is it so hard to write my own bio? I am an American currently living in Cairo, Egypt. Aside from writing, I'm a married mom of two under ten, a decent (if reluctant) cook, an encyclopedia of random scientific / medical facts, a wine lover (but not a snob!), and a Capricorn. I love to travel, spend time with good friends, and laugh at life's surprises. View of life - definitely half full.
