My friend, A :-) wrote about "Ten Places You Hang Out", but if I did that, it would be home, work, and my husband listed 8 times. So instead of boring you with how much my hubby and I hang out together, I thought I would choose Ten Traditions From Kosovo, or at least, from my hubby's family.
1. Bread is a gift from God. Bread is not stored on the table, it should be put away. If it is moldy it should not be tossed into the garbage like a basketball (yeah...I've done that). Instead it should simply be thrown away. Bread crumbs should be cleaned up from the table and the floor and they should not be walked on.
2. Blessings. One should (quietly, to themselves, if they wish) thank God for their food before eating, and invoke God's blessing when leaving the house, driving, working, or any other time you feel like it. It's a personal thing, not a public display.
3. Shoes. Off at the door. Slippers or socks are for inside. Leave the outdoor dirt outside. We break this rule when we bring in groceries, but we never wear shoes upstairs.
4. Animals. Animals are supposed to live outside. They should have food, water and shelter and be cared for, but they don't belong in the house or in our beds. However, hubby broke this one when he found our bunny, Tuki. He loves Tuki and our bunny lives in the laundry room downstairs. He happily hops out to greet us and begs for treats. He also chews on the legs of the kitchen table, but we don't care because it's old and chewing wood is good for bunny's teeth.
5. Household duties. My hubby is the man of the house. He does the man stuff (heavy things, taking out the garbage, washing the car, and working very hard at Rumiano. He takes care of me and wants to do things to make me happy. In turn, I do the cleaning and cooking, but he also leaves all the money responsibilities to me. Thankfully I will be leaving my job the end of this year, so I can have more time at home and hubby can take the car to work. With the shorter days, the street he takes to come home is as dark as a black hole, and sometimes it's pouring rain and cold. I've been picking him up on my lunch break on the days I work.
6. Respect. It's not good to gossip about your spouse.
7. Food. I talked about bread, but there are other foods that have a deep meaning to Albanians. Pita, or spinach pie, is nothing like what the Greeks cook. It's much better. Albanian Baklava is also much better. It's made with a light sugar syrup. The Greeks use honey, and although we love honey, their version is too sweet. Pickled peppers, flavorful paprika, yogurt, olives, soft cheese, smoked beef sausage, all very traditional foods from Kosovo.
8. Coffee. Turkish style or cappuccino. Kosovo is such a joy to visit with all the coffee shops and bakeries with pita and other goodies. I make Turkish style coffee for my hubby. When we drive to Brookings we sit and enjoy cappuccino together and talk.
9. Things not to do. Pork should be avoided. It carries diseases and parasites, and traditionally, Albanians don't eat pork. However, if a person is starving and pork is the only thing there is to eat, one should eat, and not starve. Hair should be tied back when one cooks. Don't scratch your head while you are cooking. Never place scissors for cutting hair or hair brushes on the table. Don't cut hair in the kitchen. That is a big no-no. Sneezing...I have seen his sister-in-law open the window and sneeze outside so as not to spread sneeze droplets in the house. Don't touch a lot of things in public places, and wash your hands right away.
10. Beauty. Albanians love beauty. They install beautiful tiles around their doors and hang gorgeous sheer curtains over their windows. Homes are simple and uncluttered, but what is there is beautiful.
Tuesday, November 17, 2015
Friday, November 13, 2015
Stories from the Past
Some things I don't talk about much were my teen years, I guess because I feel like I'm shallow or bragging that I got to spend so much of my time in Hollywood just acting like a groupie. After living 8-1/2 years in the desert just north of Blythe, California, my parents and I moved to Los Angeles. It was the summer of 1963, and we had moved from 110 degrees to 80 degrees in Bell, California. I was cold, so I put on a sweater. The neighborhood kids asked if I was sick. I told them no, I just moved here from the desert and I'm cold.
"How come you aren't tan", they asked?
"Because it was too hot to lay in the sun."
I don't think they bought it.
We didn't stay in Bell very long. We started out living in a spacious 2 story apartment, but my dad's inability to find work mushroomed into problems. First they repossessed our car, which meant my dad had to take the bus. Job after job turned him down simply because he had bad legs.
When we lived in the desert my dad had massive blood clots in his legs. He nearly died. They stripped the clotted vessels from his legs. After a time (I was little...I don't recall how long) he came home, only to come down with pneumonia, so he was back in the hospital. I remember my dad was in and out of the hospital for nearly a year. My mom didn't drive, so we depended on neighbors to drive us the 22 miles to Blythe to visit my dad.
The story returns to L.A. The leg surgery left my dad with poor circulation in his legs. He wore compression stockings and took medicine. That's why no one would hire him. He passed all the intelligence tests with flying colors, but never a physical. Finally he made his way to Norris Industries. He took all the buses to the end of the line and then walked I don't know how far, a mile or more. They had a government contract, so they had to hire him regardless of physical condition. We were already behind on the rent, so we moved into a tiny house on a huge lot in Bell, California. My parents slept on a hide-a-bed in the living room and I had the only bedroom. It seems we always lived in tiny houses, so much so that spacious ones never feel like "home" to me. (I still feel like I'm staying in a hotel in this 1296 sq. ft. spacious duplex).
One morning my parents were roused by pounding on the front door. Some man was shouting, "Anyone in there?" My mom opened the door to find a man and a crane with a wrecking ball, ready to smash apart the house! Apparently the landlord sold the property and forgot to tell us to move. They had to give us time to move.
We ended up renting another tiny house in Bell Gardens, California. I went to Google Maps and typed in 6933 Ajax Ave. and came up with a giant shopping center, so that residence is history as well. We lived next door to a family with 3 kids and one older son in the Navy. All four shared the mother but the older son was from a previous marriage. We met when he came for a visit. I was just turning 18 when we met. We ended up getting married. He was my first husband and the father of my daughters. But that's another story.
The older daughter and I became fast friends. I also met two other girls from Long Beach at the Teenage Fair in Hollywood. Most of my teen years were spent in Hollywood. It was a fun time, before the bums hit the streets, before drugs ruined it. The girl next door and I would take the bus or the girls I met at the fair would pick me up (one had a car). I saw the Beetles in concert twice. I saw the Animals at the Hullabaloo. Here's a little bit of Hollywood from the Producers Library, KHJ and Wilshire Blvd in the 60's.
I met Mark Lindsay after he did an interview at one of the radio stations. The front door was heavily guarded, with teenage girls trying to enter. I grabbed my girlfriend and said, "Lets go around back!" The back door was unlocked, so we crept in through a back storage room, and crouching down outside the booth, we could see Mark and the DJ. After a few minutes Security found us and ushered us out the FRONT door, much to the dismay of the other girls. After a time, Mark came out and signed autographs. At one point I was standing in front of him. He was so tall, and those brown eyes....then he bent forward and kissed me on the lips, and then he was gone.
The three of us, me and the two girls from Long Beach, used to attend every concert by Sky Saxon and the Seeds. They were so used to us being at their concerts they would scan the audience and wave when they saw us. At one of the concerts the lead singer, Sky Saxon, pulled me up on stage. I was mortified, and my shin was skinned. He took me back stage and cleaned my leg with his handkerchief, and then signed it! I still have it lol
My girlfriend from Long Beach worked as a receptionist at the Century Plaza Hotel. There she met the Young Rascals. The drummer, Dino Danelli, fell in love with her. One day she and I were driving everywhere, having fun. Later she dropped me off at my house and she went home. She was still living with her parents at this time. Turns out Dino had been sitting on her porch for 5 hours waiting for her to come home. She told me they walked by the beach and he proposed, but she turned him down. She didn't want that life.
We used to go to the free tapings of teen music TV shows. We found out you could just write to the studio and they would send free tickets because they needed an audience. It was guaranteed to be a long day because they would tape several episodes in one day. We saw many personalities and musicians.
The last I heard from my girlfriend from Long Beach was many years ago after I had married. She had been unlucky in love, having hooked up with a married man and broken up when she discovered the truth. I don't know where she is or if she married. I have searched, but cannot find her. I guess she didn't want to find me. I'm still in touch with "the kids next door". The youngest girl, a real beauty, sadly passed away from cancer. The brother and older daughter are in my friends list on facebook.
I sold almost all of my KRLA Beats and teen magazines for pretty good prices a few years ago.
"How come you aren't tan", they asked?
"Because it was too hot to lay in the sun."
I don't think they bought it.
We didn't stay in Bell very long. We started out living in a spacious 2 story apartment, but my dad's inability to find work mushroomed into problems. First they repossessed our car, which meant my dad had to take the bus. Job after job turned him down simply because he had bad legs.
When we lived in the desert my dad had massive blood clots in his legs. He nearly died. They stripped the clotted vessels from his legs. After a time (I was little...I don't recall how long) he came home, only to come down with pneumonia, so he was back in the hospital. I remember my dad was in and out of the hospital for nearly a year. My mom didn't drive, so we depended on neighbors to drive us the 22 miles to Blythe to visit my dad.
The story returns to L.A. The leg surgery left my dad with poor circulation in his legs. He wore compression stockings and took medicine. That's why no one would hire him. He passed all the intelligence tests with flying colors, but never a physical. Finally he made his way to Norris Industries. He took all the buses to the end of the line and then walked I don't know how far, a mile or more. They had a government contract, so they had to hire him regardless of physical condition. We were already behind on the rent, so we moved into a tiny house on a huge lot in Bell, California. My parents slept on a hide-a-bed in the living room and I had the only bedroom. It seems we always lived in tiny houses, so much so that spacious ones never feel like "home" to me. (I still feel like I'm staying in a hotel in this 1296 sq. ft. spacious duplex).
One morning my parents were roused by pounding on the front door. Some man was shouting, "Anyone in there?" My mom opened the door to find a man and a crane with a wrecking ball, ready to smash apart the house! Apparently the landlord sold the property and forgot to tell us to move. They had to give us time to move.
We ended up renting another tiny house in Bell Gardens, California. I went to Google Maps and typed in 6933 Ajax Ave. and came up with a giant shopping center, so that residence is history as well. We lived next door to a family with 3 kids and one older son in the Navy. All four shared the mother but the older son was from a previous marriage. We met when he came for a visit. I was just turning 18 when we met. We ended up getting married. He was my first husband and the father of my daughters. But that's another story.
The older daughter and I became fast friends. I also met two other girls from Long Beach at the Teenage Fair in Hollywood. Most of my teen years were spent in Hollywood. It was a fun time, before the bums hit the streets, before drugs ruined it. The girl next door and I would take the bus or the girls I met at the fair would pick me up (one had a car). I saw the Beetles in concert twice. I saw the Animals at the Hullabaloo. Here's a little bit of Hollywood from the Producers Library, KHJ and Wilshire Blvd in the 60's.
I met Mark Lindsay after he did an interview at one of the radio stations. The front door was heavily guarded, with teenage girls trying to enter. I grabbed my girlfriend and said, "Lets go around back!" The back door was unlocked, so we crept in through a back storage room, and crouching down outside the booth, we could see Mark and the DJ. After a few minutes Security found us and ushered us out the FRONT door, much to the dismay of the other girls. After a time, Mark came out and signed autographs. At one point I was standing in front of him. He was so tall, and those brown eyes....then he bent forward and kissed me on the lips, and then he was gone.
The three of us, me and the two girls from Long Beach, used to attend every concert by Sky Saxon and the Seeds. They were so used to us being at their concerts they would scan the audience and wave when they saw us. At one of the concerts the lead singer, Sky Saxon, pulled me up on stage. I was mortified, and my shin was skinned. He took me back stage and cleaned my leg with his handkerchief, and then signed it! I still have it lol
My girlfriend from Long Beach worked as a receptionist at the Century Plaza Hotel. There she met the Young Rascals. The drummer, Dino Danelli, fell in love with her. One day she and I were driving everywhere, having fun. Later she dropped me off at my house and she went home. She was still living with her parents at this time. Turns out Dino had been sitting on her porch for 5 hours waiting for her to come home. She told me they walked by the beach and he proposed, but she turned him down. She didn't want that life.
We used to go to the free tapings of teen music TV shows. We found out you could just write to the studio and they would send free tickets because they needed an audience. It was guaranteed to be a long day because they would tape several episodes in one day. We saw many personalities and musicians.
The last I heard from my girlfriend from Long Beach was many years ago after I had married. She had been unlucky in love, having hooked up with a married man and broken up when she discovered the truth. I don't know where she is or if she married. I have searched, but cannot find her. I guess she didn't want to find me. I'm still in touch with "the kids next door". The youngest girl, a real beauty, sadly passed away from cancer. The brother and older daughter are in my friends list on facebook.
I sold almost all of my KRLA Beats and teen magazines for pretty good prices a few years ago.
Thursday, November 12, 2015
Today was a nice day to be home
It's been chilly, we're running the pellet stove much longer. Thankfully it doesn't cost much. Also, twice a year we get an energy credit from the state of California. It was enough to pay our next two electric bills! The credit can be used however you want. The state hopes you will use it to weatherize your house, but since we are renters, we just had them apply it to our bill(s).
My plants didn't seem to suffer from the cold night we had. It's been chilly every night, but no more frost. I love our sunny days. I was out in shirt sleeves for part of the day. My plants:
My plants didn't seem to suffer from the cold night we had. It's been chilly every night, but no more frost. I love our sunny days. I was out in shirt sleeves for part of the day. My plants:
I have been transplanting the succulents that seem to stay wet into a new potting mix of pumice, some red lava rocks and very little soil. With the rains we get they must dry out fast or they will rot. This is my first attempt at growing succulents outside in winter.
In other news, my daughter bought herself a violin. I wish her well in her lessons. I think that's great.
Well, the table is set, dinner is done, just waiting for hubby to text me to come pick him up. It's almost 7:30. They must have had a lot of cheese beds to clean.
Tuesday, November 10, 2015
Once Again I have Skipped Days
My hubby and I both worked Saturday. Sunday we drove to Springfield Oregon, in the pouring rain, in the mountains, on curvy roads. I was hoping hubby's wanderlust wouldn't take him so far again in winter. It's too stressful. Thankfully he agreed, no more long distance driving in bad weather. For me, the highlight of the trip were the fall colors in Grants Pass.
We have native Maples here that turn golden. There are many along the Smith River. If we get a Sunny Sunday maybe we can go so I can get some pictures before all the leaves are gone.
Today is Tuesday, and for those who write during National Blog Posting Month (NaBloPoMo---I have trouble wrapping my head around the abbreviation) it's "Ten on Tuesday". Ten what, I wonder?
1. Ten things I'm thankful for.
2. Ten things I miss from the Midwest.
3. Ten things I've gained.
4. Ten things I lost.
5. Ten things I'm afraid of.
6. Ten things I love about where I am.
7. Ten things things I would change if I could.
8. Ten Poems I've written
9. Ten pets I've had
10. Ten places I've lived.
There's my ten. Maybe I will expand on some of them....later.
This morning was cold, 37 degrees at 7 am, with frost. That's a heavy frost on the roofs across the street. It melted as soon as the sun came up.
Friday, November 6, 2015
Under a Starry Sky
4:30 am, I have the day off, so I told hubby I would warm up the car for him. "Are you sure?" he asks. "Yeah, it's fine!" I answer as I grab my jacket. After all, I'm not working today and yesterday his throat was sore.
I walk out into the chilly night under a canopy of stars, not as many stars as the desert, but far more than in the city. I see my familiar friends...Orion, the Pleiades, Cassiopeia, and a most beautiful crescent moon with a trio of planets, Venus, Jupiter and Mars. I start the car and rush back in to grab my camera. "The moon! It's beautiful!" I tell hubby.
I take a few shots. I know they won't be great. I just don't have the camera for good moon shots.
Later, after I edit them, I am reminded of my high school science extra credit report that I did mid-winter in Los Aangeles. Amid "freezing" temperatures (I thought), I set up the telescope each night and trained it on Jupiter. I hand-drew the positions of the 4 larger moons. My teacher was impressed.
My telescope followed me to the Midwest, but it was rarely used. Summer nights were humming with mosquitoes. I detest wearing repellent. It requires a lot of spray to ward off bites. Bugs love me, mosquitoes, fleas, you name it, if they bite, they will find me. Then there is the humidity. I absolutely detest humidity. I was married 41 years to first hubby and for 41 years I heard, "You'll get used to it." But nooooo I never did, and I moved out of it as soon as I could.
Winter is another story. Midwest winters are COLD. not L.A. at night or Crescent City at night cold, but freeze your @ss off cold. Fall...now that I do miss. I miss the colors. We have fall colors here, but the predominant pine forests keep the landscape mostly green. I left my telescope with my older daughter, her new hubby and his two kids. That's OK.
Changing the subject. I worked yesterday. It was crazy. A large portion of residents here receive government checks, apparently, because they all swarm into Walmart soon after the third of the month. As everyone does, items are not placed back in proper spots on the shelves and unwanted items are jettisoned off shopping carts everywhere. I had a cart full of items to return to the shelves, plus straightening up plus stocking. My department manager lamented about the mess and the fact that no one is there on Sundays since they gave me that day off.
"I'm not giving up my Sunday." I answered.
She told me she will need to talk to her manager. She even tried to make me feel guilty by telling me that she and her boyfriend work completely different shifts and never get to see each other, and that she might need to come in to work on Sunday. She is understandably stressed. Walmart always pushes Department Managers to the limit.
My hubby, having gotten home early yesterday, dropped me off at work and bought me a coffee. I took him aside and told him what my manager said. "Don't give up your Sunday!" he said. "Even if they give you bulls__t, don't do it. Quit if you want to. It's not your problem if they can't find someone to work on Sunday" he reassured me.
This month is a strange one at Walmart. Corporate HQ told the managers to cut employee hours by 1,000 hours. Everyone has their hours cut, but the same amount of work needs to be completed. The holidays are coming, and even more work must be done, by the same few people, in fewer hours. Overtime is absolutely NOT allowed. If anyone in the store works overtime then payroll goes over 100%, and that is darkly frowned upon by Corporate. Employees who repeatedly clock out late will be "coached" (scolded) . Furthermore, Walmart stock is dropping and share holders are nervous. Corporate tries to explain it by saying it's because they had to raise employee wages and because of all the shrink in US markets. Shrink is theft. Walmart...the store everyone loves to hate, but they still shop there.
Enough of that. It's 6:38 am, time for my nap. I want to get some things done today, and then take a walk with my hubby when he gets home from work. Here is a moon shot from this morning.
There was a third planet somewhere, but it's not showing up...
I walk out into the chilly night under a canopy of stars, not as many stars as the desert, but far more than in the city. I see my familiar friends...Orion, the Pleiades, Cassiopeia, and a most beautiful crescent moon with a trio of planets, Venus, Jupiter and Mars. I start the car and rush back in to grab my camera. "The moon! It's beautiful!" I tell hubby.
I take a few shots. I know they won't be great. I just don't have the camera for good moon shots.
Later, after I edit them, I am reminded of my high school science extra credit report that I did mid-winter in Los Aangeles. Amid "freezing" temperatures (I thought), I set up the telescope each night and trained it on Jupiter. I hand-drew the positions of the 4 larger moons. My teacher was impressed.
My telescope followed me to the Midwest, but it was rarely used. Summer nights were humming with mosquitoes. I detest wearing repellent. It requires a lot of spray to ward off bites. Bugs love me, mosquitoes, fleas, you name it, if they bite, they will find me. Then there is the humidity. I absolutely detest humidity. I was married 41 years to first hubby and for 41 years I heard, "You'll get used to it." But nooooo I never did, and I moved out of it as soon as I could.
Winter is another story. Midwest winters are COLD. not L.A. at night or Crescent City at night cold, but freeze your @ss off cold. Fall...now that I do miss. I miss the colors. We have fall colors here, but the predominant pine forests keep the landscape mostly green. I left my telescope with my older daughter, her new hubby and his two kids. That's OK.
Changing the subject. I worked yesterday. It was crazy. A large portion of residents here receive government checks, apparently, because they all swarm into Walmart soon after the third of the month. As everyone does, items are not placed back in proper spots on the shelves and unwanted items are jettisoned off shopping carts everywhere. I had a cart full of items to return to the shelves, plus straightening up plus stocking. My department manager lamented about the mess and the fact that no one is there on Sundays since they gave me that day off.
"I'm not giving up my Sunday." I answered.
She told me she will need to talk to her manager. She even tried to make me feel guilty by telling me that she and her boyfriend work completely different shifts and never get to see each other, and that she might need to come in to work on Sunday. She is understandably stressed. Walmart always pushes Department Managers to the limit.
My hubby, having gotten home early yesterday, dropped me off at work and bought me a coffee. I took him aside and told him what my manager said. "Don't give up your Sunday!" he said. "Even if they give you bulls__t, don't do it. Quit if you want to. It's not your problem if they can't find someone to work on Sunday" he reassured me.
This month is a strange one at Walmart. Corporate HQ told the managers to cut employee hours by 1,000 hours. Everyone has their hours cut, but the same amount of work needs to be completed. The holidays are coming, and even more work must be done, by the same few people, in fewer hours. Overtime is absolutely NOT allowed. If anyone in the store works overtime then payroll goes over 100%, and that is darkly frowned upon by Corporate. Employees who repeatedly clock out late will be "coached" (scolded) . Furthermore, Walmart stock is dropping and share holders are nervous. Corporate tries to explain it by saying it's because they had to raise employee wages and because of all the shrink in US markets. Shrink is theft. Walmart...the store everyone loves to hate, but they still shop there.
Enough of that. It's 6:38 am, time for my nap. I want to get some things done today, and then take a walk with my hubby when he gets home from work. Here is a moon shot from this morning.
Thursday, November 5, 2015
Short Sunny Days
It rains often here in winter, but the sunny days are glorious. I only have a few minutes to write before I leave for work, 2 pm to 9 pm...yuck! I'm bringing yogurt and potting soil to my daughter. She is off work but shopping, so we will meet up in the parking lot. I bought the wrong yogurt, It has Aspartame in it, so I can't eat it. I made up a soil mix for her succulent starts. I added some of the pumice I bought in Brookings. OK, I'm on my way soon.
Wednesday, November 4, 2015
How is it Wednesday Already?
How was it I didn't write yesterday and the day before?
Because when my hubby works the early shift my days blend into each other. I get up at 3:30 am. light the pellet stove, put his lunch together, wake him up, decide if he can take the car or I need it, in which case I drive him to work, come back, eat something (because I'm always hungry in the morning), go back to bed, wake up, try to focus on a small lunch and not cave into a second breakfast, figure out the rest of the day.
Do I work today [] Yes [] No
Do I have something for dinner and time to cook it? [] Yes [] No
My new work schedule gives me Sunday off (yay!) and fewer days per week (yay!) but later hours, such as 3 to 9 pm (boo). There is no way I can fall into bed the moment I get home, so I'm often up until 11 pm, which only gives me four and a half hours before I get up again. Even on days I don't work I usually can't fall asleep early enough to get 7 or 8 hours sleep before 3:30 am. I also can't fall back asleep after being up for over an hour, so typically I take my nap about now...7 am. Another 4 hours gives me a less-then-ideal 8 hours of broken sleep. That gives me some time to wash clothes, cook, play with my succulents, pick up my hubby from work or go to work.
If any of you are wondering why I even get up, I have always gotten up with my hubby. I did it with my first hubby and I do it with my new hubby. My choice. Period. End of story.
One more week of early shift and he will be on another shift, maybe the late shift, meaning my sleep won't be broken. More later...I'm off to take my nap.
Because when my hubby works the early shift my days blend into each other. I get up at 3:30 am. light the pellet stove, put his lunch together, wake him up, decide if he can take the car or I need it, in which case I drive him to work, come back, eat something (because I'm always hungry in the morning), go back to bed, wake up, try to focus on a small lunch and not cave into a second breakfast, figure out the rest of the day.
Do I work today [] Yes [] No
Do I have something for dinner and time to cook it? [] Yes [] No
My new work schedule gives me Sunday off (yay!) and fewer days per week (yay!) but later hours, such as 3 to 9 pm (boo). There is no way I can fall into bed the moment I get home, so I'm often up until 11 pm, which only gives me four and a half hours before I get up again. Even on days I don't work I usually can't fall asleep early enough to get 7 or 8 hours sleep before 3:30 am. I also can't fall back asleep after being up for over an hour, so typically I take my nap about now...7 am. Another 4 hours gives me a less-then-ideal 8 hours of broken sleep. That gives me some time to wash clothes, cook, play with my succulents, pick up my hubby from work or go to work.
If any of you are wondering why I even get up, I have always gotten up with my hubby. I did it with my first hubby and I do it with my new hubby. My choice. Period. End of story.
One more week of early shift and he will be on another shift, maybe the late shift, meaning my sleep won't be broken. More later...I'm off to take my nap.
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