Monday

Dancer is Missing Daughter

Today, I was determined to get back to my regular cleaning routine.  I did a load of laundry, dusted the living room, dining area, and family room, took down the holiday greeting cards, cut up some of them to make gift tags for next year, cleaned the fridge, took the kitchen trash out, and took the big trash bin and the yard waste bin to the curb for pick up on Tuesday morning.

When I went into my daughter's room to put away some of her laundry, I found a certain kitty cat on her bed.  He wasn't sleeping, his eyes were open, but, he didn't move, not even when I came back to the room to take a picture!  Just look at that face!  Someone is missing his favorite person.

I also sat down at the piano with one of my daughter's first piano books (my piano book hasn't arrived yet) and played a few of the pieces.  I definitely need to brush up on my sight reading, especially when it comes to the notes that are above or below the ledger lines (other than Middle C!).  LOL!  But, I know that I will eventually be able to know my notes, again.  Then, I played a couple of the songs I play by ear, just for the pleasure of it!

Later in the evening, I video chatted with my daughter.  She said she had a restful day before going back to work, tomorrow.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Caring, concerned friends
- Working appliances
- What I was able to accomplish today
- Video chatting with my daughter
- Access to online videos and music

Today's joyful activities included playing the piano.

Monday's To Do List:

- Load of laundry - DONE

- Dust living room, dining area, family room - DONE

- Clean the fridge - DONE

- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up - DONE

- Water the garden, front and back
- Walk for 30 minutes - DONE

Tuesday's To Do List:

- Dust and tidy my bedroom

- Water the garden and the house plants
- Bring the trash cans in
- Do dishes

How was your Monday?  What are your plans for Tuesday?

20 Questions

Eileen  at A Bracelet of Days had posted these questions on her blog, today, and had invited others to join in, so here are my responses:

1. What was the last thing you put in your mouth?  Tea, with milk and sugar.

2. Do you sleep naked?  No, I don't.

3. Worst physical pain you ever been in?  Right after four impacted wisdom teeth were pulled out in one go!  My entire face was swollen and I even got tired of ice cream, which I never thought I'd be!

4. Favourite place you’ve ever been?  Home, by which I mean my childhood home.  I left it when I was 11 years old and I still think of it as my Home.  I have been to other places, visited many countries, and lived in some of them, but, when I dream at night, I often see myself in my childhood home.

5. How late did you stay up last night?  I tend to be a night owl; I was up till a little after 4:00 a.m. this morning.

6. If you could move somewhere else, where would you move to?  Other than going back home?  Wherever my daughter decides to settle down, eventually.  

7.  Christmas or New Year?  New Year.  Although I do participate in celebrating Christmas, I am not a Christian, and New Year has always meant a new beginning.  

8.  When was the last time you cried?  On New Year's Eve, when I placed some freshly cut roses by the photograph of my mother on the living room mantel.  My mother loved her roses and it seemed rather poignant to me that there were still some roses in the garden to pick for her on the last day of December.

9. What's the last photo on your phone?  A photo of Dancer, tearing a tissue he took out of the box!  He was sulking because I had covered up the jigsaw puzzle!

Dancer Stands Guard over his Kill!

10. Two of your favourite movies? Fiddler on the Roof and Hello Dolly. I like musicals!

11. What's your favourite season?  Summer

12. Which famous person would you like to meet?  U.S. Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg

13. If you could talk to ANYONE right now, who would it be?  I used to think it would be my father.  He died when I was seven and I felt I didn't get to know him as a person.  But, now, I don't know.  What would I even talk to him about?   

14. Are you a good infuence?  I hope so!  At least, I like to think so.

15. Does pineapple belong on a pizza?  Yes!  Definitely!

16.  You have the remote, what show would you be watching right now?  It's 2:15 p.m. as I type this; I normally don't watch any TV until after 3:00 p.m. when the news programs come on (I'm a news addict), but, if I were to watch TV now, I'd watch something on one of the public TV channels - either the science channel or the National Geographic channel.  Or, maybe a cooking show.

17. Three people who you think will play along?  Hm, maybe Akasha, Anne, and Sharon?

18. First concert?  I probably participated in school concerts and dance recitals before I attended any type of concert as a member of the audience!  I know I took part in a school concert when I was 7 years old (in 2nd grade) - because my father died just before that and, apparently, there had been some debate over allowing me to attend the final rehearsal, which was held before my father's funeral.  My mother thought that it would be OK, but was worried that it would be thought unseemly, by the extended family, that I should be allowed to dance while my father's body was still laid out in the house as was our custom.  Apparently, she conferred with my oldest half-brother, who, at 23 had suddenly become the head of the family, and he had agreed with her that it was fine for me to participate in the rehearsal.  Nevertheless, I was smuggled out of the house, through the back door, without being noticed by others, and taken to school for the rehearsal.  I remember all the teachers gathering around me to express their sympathy.  

19. Favourite food?   Dessert!  LOL!  

20. When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?  I wanted to be a teacher like my mother, but, after my father died, I was told I should be a doctor like him!  No, I didn't become either! 

I hope others will participate; please let us know in the comments, if you do decide to participate.  

Daughter Leaves on Sunday

Freshly Picked Oranges 

This morning, I picked a dozen oranges from the tree for my daughter to take back with her, along with a few sprigs of curry leaves as she said she had almost come to the end of the curry leaves she took with her, earlier.

I also gave her most of the love cake we made and a package of frozen fish curry to take back.  I offered her chicken curry, as well, but, she declined, because she didn't have a lot of room in her suitcase, this time, as she had some new clothes to take back.

I dropped her off at the airport just before 1:00 p.m. and came home.   Daughter had a safe flight and a safe subway ride from the Oakland airport to Berkeley and a safe walk from the subway station to her apartment (she chose to walk rather than wait for the bus, as buses are on the Sunday schedule, which means they don't run as frequently).

I had planned to take it easy after I dropped her off, it being Sunday, but, I decided to go ahead and do a couple of loads of laundry.  Doing a load of laundry always makes me feel like I've been productive!  LOL.  I washed another quilt, a knitted blanket, and the sheets and towels daughter used.  I am so glad that my daughter talked me into getting the bigger (more expensive) washing machine as it doesn't have a central agitator and the larger capacity makes it easier to wash the quilts.

Later, after tea, I watched the evening news and spent a little time doing the jigsaw puzzle, at least, until a certain kitty came to "help" and started to bat the pieces off the table ("You don't need that piece, Mummy, or that; they are just the background pieces!")  LOL!  That was my signal to cover the puzzle and do something else!  I remade daughter's bed, put away the rest of the laundry, and went online to watch some videos and listen to music.

Daughter, meanwhile, had unpacked and put away her stuff, aired out her apartment (it had been closed up for two weeks), and gone to the dollar store to do her weekly grocery shopping!  I video chatted with her, later in the evening, and she sent me pictures of her planner drawings that capture the highlights of this week:

Drawings for Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday

On Monday, she went to see the movie, Frozen 2; Tuesday was New Year's Eve; on Wednesday, she was excited to start using her new 2020 planner.

Drawings for Thursday through Sunday

On Thursday, we had dinner at our neighbors' house and ate kufta.  On Friday, we went to my cousin's party where we asked "Alexa" to play Sinhalese music and it played "Single Ladies", instead, much to our amusement and chagrin!  It was so funny!  On Saturday, she went to an escape room (and, I guess, didn't manage to escape in time!), went to watch the touring Broadway production of Frozen, and, was officially asked to be her best friend's maid of honor!  Then, on Sunday, she flew back to Berkeley (from the Burbank airport to the Oakland airport).  I love how she captures the highlight(s) of the day!

Today, I am grateful for:
- Daughter had a safe flight back
- Fresh oranges from the garden
- Friend R calling to check on me
- Neighbor T calling, too
- Being able to listen to the songs from my past

Today's joyful activity was spending the morning with daughter and video chatting with her in the evening.

Tomorrow, I am planning to go back to my regular weekly cleaning schedule that I haven't been doing for the past three weeks or so!

Monday's To Do List:

- Load of laundry

- Dust living room, dining area, family room

- Clean the fridge

- Take trash cans to the curb for Tuesday trash pick up

- Water the garden, front and back
- Walk for 30 minutes

How was your Sunday?  What are your plans for Monday?

Dancer Helps on Saturday!

Dancer Helps with the Puzzle

Today, my daughter went out with her friends for the day - an escape room, lunch, ice cream, and a touring Broadway musical show.

While she was gone, I did two loads of laundry.  While the first load was washing, I decided to try to fit a few more pieces of the puzzle together.  Dancer had not been interested in it while daughter and I worked on it.  I guess he figured that with daughter there, I didn't need additional help.  But, Mummy doing a puzzle all by herself?  Of course, Dancer had to come and help!

"Try that piece, Mummy"

It doesn't quite fit, Dancer.

"Don't worry if the pieces don't fit, Mummy; I will bite off bits to make them fit!"

Thank you, Dancer, but, I'd rather you didn't bite them off! 

Then, it was time to put the washed load into the dryer.  I covered the puzzle pieces with the table cloth to keep a helpful kitty off the pieces! 

Around that time, I had one of those ocular migraines/eye auras, with wavy lines of color distorting my vision.  Fortunately, I no longer get the migraine headaches that used to follow.  I don't get them that often, any more, and I don't know quite what triggered today's aura - perhaps a lack of sleep, perhaps because I hadn't eaten anything, perhaps I was dehydrated, or, perhaps, my eyes didn't appreciate having to look at all those puzzle pieces!  Anyway, I warmed up some of the food I had brought home, last night, and ate that and drank more water.  After a few minutes, the aura faded and I was fine, again. 

Just then, friend R called to ask if she could visit and, although she wanted to call a ride service, I said I'll come and pick her up.  We exchanged gifts, had a cup of tea and some love cake, and chatted for a couple of hours.  Afterwards, I drove her home.  We are planning to get together to have lunch, later this month.

After I came home, I put away the laundry and went on-line for a bit. 

Later, after daughter came home, we stayed up chatting for some time and then, she packed her suitcase as she is leaving, tomorrow.

Today, I am grateful for:
- Dancer helping me with the puzzle!
- Daughter had a fun day with her friends
- Getting together with R
- A new glass butter dish to replace the one that broke more than a year ago
- The ocular migraine went away without any accompanying headache

Today's joyful activities included visiting with friend R and daughter and I giving each other facials.

Plans for tomorrow include taking daughter to the airport.

How was your Saturday?  What are your plans for Sunday?

Love Cake on Friday

Love Cake

Thursday night, my daughter and I stayed up till the "wee hours of the morning", doing our jigsaw puzzle!  She went to bed a little after 4:00 a.m. and I, well, by the time I cleaned the litter box and said my nightly devotions, etc., it was close to 5:00 a.m., when I got to bed!  Then, I couldn't fall asleep until almost 6:00 a.m.!  I woke up once, around 9:00 a.m., but, went back to sleep and slept till 11:00 a.m.  Then, after a cup of tea, I went back to doing the jigsaw puzzle until my daughter woke up!

In the afternoon, we went to the post office so daughter could mail her package to her friend.  I took the opportunity to post my gas bill payment and buy a book of stamps. 

After we got home, we decided to make the love cake.  This is a flour-less, semolina and cashew based cake with lots of eggs, pumpkin preserves, and spices.  This is a cake that is usually made at the holidays, along with the rich fruit cake that is also known as Christmas cake (but, made for weddings, as well).  My daughter, however, doesn't like fruit cake, so we only make the love cake, which, she does love!  I really don't know why it is called love cake.  According to one story, young women were supposed to make a love cake when a suitor called on her, in order to prove that they were accomplished cooks, but, I don't know how true that is.  My own theory is, you had to love someone very much in order to make this cake which requires so many expensive ingredients and the love and care that goes into making it, especially in the days when everything had to be cut and stirred by hand!  I have written about making love cake here and here.  We didn't make any in 2019, but, we were determined to make one this year!

Daughter did most of the cutting and chopping using the blender so things got done fairly quickly.  I roasted the semolina and mixed in the butter while she mixed the eggs and sugar.  Then, we added the semolina to the beaten egg mixture, the cashews and all the spices (nutmeg, cinnamon, cloves, cardamom) and flavorings (rose essence, almond essence, vanilla, and orange blossom water), the pumpkin preserves and some ginger preserves.  We poured the batter into a 9x13 inch metal baking pan and a 9x9 inch glass baking pan that I had lined with parchment paper and brushed the tops of the batter with beaten egg whites to achieve a glossy finish.  My recipe calls for a "moderate" oven and says to bake until the top is nicely browned.  My daughter always complains about my old recipes as they don't give any specific oven temperatures or times!  But, love cake should be baked at a lower temperature for a longer time; it is a very moist cake.  I baked the cakes at 250F for 1 hour for the smaller cake and 2 hours for the bigger cake.  I test with a bamboo skewer to see if they are done.

In the evening, M came to tend to the garden and my daughter went out to dinner with A's daughters (they made plans on New Year's Eve), but she came back by 7:15 p.m. and we went to my cousin R's birthday party.  Cousin P and her daughte; the party was held at aunt T's place.  It was mostly family and a lot of fun.  We didn't leave until after 2:00 a.m. and my cousin sent me home with a whole tray of food!

Today, I am grateful for:
- Making the love cake with my daughter
- Cousin P and her daughter giving us a ride to the party and back
- Family gatherings
- Good food and conversation
- Friend M working on the garden for me

Today's joyful activities include making the love cake and attending the party in the evening.

Tomorrow, my daughter is planning a day out with some of her friends - more escape rooms, lunch, and maybe a musical.  I am planning to stay home and maybe do some organizing and decluttering.

How was your Friday?  What are your plans for the weekend?

On the Second Day of the New Year

Lemon Centerpiece

Today, I slept in, again, and then, did a load of laundry; more bedding from my daughter's bed - this time, the quilt she used when she was having her cold and cough. 

We had planned to go to the post office in the afternoon, but, daughter was not quite ready with the gifts she wanted to mail to her friend.  I wrote out a check to pay my gas bill, but, I didn't mail it, today, as I was going to drop it off at the collection box at the post office; will do so, tomorrow. 

I put water to the front garden, today.  Not a lot, but, just enough to keep the little osteospermum seedlings growing.  Some of the seeds are just starting to germinate and I want to encourage them to grow.  Then, I picked more lemons from the backyard to create a centerpiece for the dining table.

I also picked some flowers and greenery from the garden to create an "ikebana-inspired" flower arrangement for the living room:

Ikebana-inspired Flower Arrangement

I am sure the placement of the flowers are not quite correct, but, I enjoyed creating the arrangement and that is what counts, right?

In the evening, my daughter and I went over to neighbor S's to dinner.  We enjoyed the dinner, which included traditional Armenian New Year's food, such as kufta (sort of a stuffed meatball)  and blinchik (a type of meat filled crepe, that is fried), and a yogurt soup that is served with the kufta.  There were also some really delicious oven fries one of her daughters had made, which she knows I like - coated with mayonnaise and seasoned with paprika, onion powder, salt, and pepper.  After dinner, we were treated to a variety of desserts including dried fruits, chocolates, homemade cookies and baklava made by S's mother, and a type of gingerbread cookies, which S had bought:

Lebkuchen Cookies

Afterwards, we exchanged gifts and S sent some food home with us, as well.

But, the best part of the visit is - S is a piano teacher (she taught my daughter to play) and she will be giving me piano lessons, starting this month!  I had taken piano lessons as a child and then, stopped.  Since then, I've played mostly by ear, using the few chords that I know.  I can read some notes, as long as they are not too many octaves above or below middle C, but, I'd like to be better.  I am not very good at teaching myself to play so, S is going to start me off with a very basic beginner book for adults and we'll take it from there.  I have to order the book and then, once it arrives, I will start my lessons!  For now, I will go once a week, although S thinks twice a week is better.  I am looking forward to learning to play the piano, again!

After we came home, daughter and I started on the other jigsaw puzzle.  I did a little bit, but, daughter is making good progress! 

Today, I am grateful for:
- Dinner with S and family
- A working washer and dryer
- Water for the garden
- Garden fruits and flowers
- Starting piano lessons

Today's joyful activity was having dinner with S and family.

Plans for tomorrow include going to the post office and, in the evening, going to cousin R's birthday party.

How was your day?  What are your plans for Friday? 

New Year's Day 2020

Christmas Jigsaw Puzzle

I slept in on New Year's Day, having gone to sleep after 4:00 a.m. on New Year's Eve.  I find that I am more likely to sleep in when my daughter is home because she likes to sleep in, too! 

I did a load of laundry - the sofa dust covers and the table cloth I had used at dinner.  Later, I lint rollered the sofas and covered them with the washed and dried dust covers. 

Breakfast was a tangerine.  Lunch was a pita bread with leftover chicken curry. For dinner, I made coconut roti, which we ate with more leftover chicken curry.  Afterwards, I had a piece of the butter cake friend A had made and brought to share and some grapes.  I am very cognizant of the fact that there were no vegetables included in yesterday's meals (other than the onions and tomatoes I had put into the chicken curry).  There will be a salad somewhere in today's meals! 

In the evening, I broke open one of the Christmas jigsaw puzzles.  The puzzle is a picture snowmen and gingerbread cookies! 

1000 Pieces!

My daughter helped and, about an hour or so later, we had the border done:

The Border is Completed!

Then, we spent the next couple of hours trying to figure out the rest of the puzzle with very little luck!  We managed to get bits and pieces of some of the cookies put together, but, even though we looked at the picture on the cover to help us, we didn't have a lot of success!  Finally, just after midnight, I put the border pieces and the bits we managed to fit together onto a board (had to break up the border because the board wasn't big enough) and put the rest of the pieces back into the box to work on, another day.  I didn't want to leave everything out on the dining table, in case a certain kitty decided to play with the pieces!  He didn't come to help us, which surprised me, but, I guess he figured that daughter was helping, so he didn't need to.  No doubt he'll help when it is just I working on the puzzle, another day! 

On New Year's Day, I was grateful for:
- Being alive to see another new year dawn
- Having daughter home to see the new year in and celebrate with me
- Both daughter and I being in relatively good health
- The blessing of new year greetings and well wishes from family and friends, including blog friends
- All the comforts of my own home

My joyful activity of the day was doing a jigsaw puzzle with my daughter.

Today (Thursday), I am doing another load of laundry (the bedding daughter used when she was sick).  We might go to the post office, later in the afternoon, so daughter could mail a package (combined belated Christmas and early birthday gifts) to one of her friends who lives in Hawaii.  I will also probably mail off my gas bill payment at the same time.  I am also thinking of going to the bank to take out some spending cash for this month.  In the evening, daughter and I have been invited to dinner at neighbor S's house.  Her two daughters and my daughter have been friends since they were toddlers (her older daughter is 2 years older than my daughter and her younger daughter is 2 years younger; they used to play as children, all the time).

How was your New Year's Day?  What are your plans for today?