A Little Busy

I just wanted to post a little note to say, Hamdulilla, I've been a little busy. 

Working for "my" property manager who has a company called McRae Enterprises.  So far, so good.  He has me doing "get ready" 's so new tenants can move in and "clean up" after construction for flood damage.

Then there is the end of Ramadan, and the Eid Celebration tomorrow.  I've never been here in Tennessee for it so we'll see how it goes.  They're having the Eid Prayer on the State University Campus.  There was no mention of festivities as there would have been at home in Tampa, Fl.

This has been a painful Ramadan not being around other Muslims to break the fast in the evenings with or to be able to volunteer at a local Mosque. To my knowledge and by the internet, there are only two mosques around and they are too far to go to each night.  iA, maybe next year.

I have an interview at UPS tomorrow, I don't hold out much hope for that one, but you never know. It's at 06:30 in the morning so I'll be able to do that before the Eid prayer and then I hope to get my drivers license later, iA.

Well, I'm sharing my pasta with the "Rody" and then we're crashing so I can function tomorrow.  G'night all.

What I've Been Doing - Part III

Can you see those tall candle holders on the wooden cabinet? Those were Mom's and so was the ceramic jar. The ones on top of Daddy's hutch were from my Daughter.

I really like the ceilings in this apartment.  We were very blessed to come across this place, Mom2 and I.  The owner and new property manager are in the process of improving the quality of their tenants and they said we were a very good addition.  They have been very good to us since we arrived. 

When ever there are any little problems they usually come by and fix them right away.  I often just text a list of any little things needing done to the property manager so I don't bother him and he has a list to refer to.  They replaced my fan over the bed because it was crazy wobbly, Man! lol.

Mom2 didn't want her table any more because it was way too big for our apartments so she gave it to her daughter and she game me the one she had.  That round one in the kitchen.  I had to drill some pilot holes and use special wood screws to screw the table to the slides that the expansion piece would have fit into and then the slides to the base. DUDE, what a mess. Rough handling in it's previous life, before my sister. 

Those shelves above are a God send.  There were a few things I refused to give up when I left the S.O. and my kitchen supplies were one of them.  Now that I can taste I enjoy cooking even more, so "I need all that stuff", as my Mom use to say. She was referring to a large purse and it was a joke, but it applies.  That clock in the center came from Mrs. Diane Bearman, she use to live next door in Florida, we all really liked her and her husband, Richard.  We lost touch after they moved.  :(

 

That's were the only bookshelf I have left ended up.  If you know me you know that I had six bookshelves full and was always absorbing more.  Putting a 16 year life into a 5' x 8' U-haul trailer and stuffing the bed of my full size Scottsdale 1982 pick-up isn't much space so you MUST prioritize!  It was very hard donating all of those books, but knowing that I WILL  be getting a Nook or Kindle and re-stocking my electronic shelves over time and at a much lower price per book is a small, but good consolation.  My desire for one of those became a "need" after this move.

Miss Diane also game me that sliver plater on top of said bookshelf.  It's sterling silver plated. I don't mind polishing so I think that's how I inherited it, lol. There is a cross stitch lily over it that I made for my Mom once, back when I could see Aida 24 without a well lit magnifying glass.

Aren't those cabinets great? I love how many there are and I have six drawers!!! In the last two places I've lived, mobile homes, I had only TWO, can you believe that! *&%^$  If I have anything to say about it, I will never live in another mobile home again!!   

Tah - Dahhh! The toilette, lol.  Tiny, but it's only myself, so no foul.

Those shelves will be going in the relatively near future!! They are functional, but Yuuckkk, like gag me with a spoon, lol.  

There were sliding glass doors in those tracks and the maintenance guys and I discussed my removing them since there were no handles and the frames came away from the glass when you pulled on it because there were no handles!  Soooo, we discovered that we couldn't remove the frame without serious damage to the tub.  We came to a compromise and got rid of the dangerous and seriously out of date glass doors for the dang frame with a curtain and rod.  It ain't perfect, but it's a LOT better than the original and I'm much less likely to end up with glass all over the place.

Well now it appears I haven't taken a decent picture of the computer/sewing/crafting room since I finally got it all together.  I'll be doing that in the near future. 

I have the feeling I'm about to run out of time.  I picked up Mom2 from the airport this evening so I'll be running around for and with her and I have a "second" job interview tomorrow, so there's a good chance I'll be working part-time, for now.  She'll be needing my driving services in the immediate future for the cataract removal also.  I love going with her, we always have fun together, but it is time consuming.  I know that at some time in the relatively near future I will no longer be blessed with her precents, so I'm taking advantage of every minute.  This time when I lose a parent I will be as prepared as humanly possible.

If you know my family, you know that both of my biological parents were lost to us with no warning, in my Mom's case and VERY little in Daddy's.  So I make a point of saying things that need to be said and spending as much quality time with the people I love.  I post "I loves yous" and "I'm proud of yous" on the Facebook pages of my children all the time too. Ya never know, ya know?  :-P

What I've Been Doing - Part II

Alrighty then, when you come in the front door this is the view. I finally got it all in there and organized.

The spotted pillows were my daughter's when she had a comforter to match.  I confiscated them a few years ago after she moved, lol.  I really need them because I'm short and it seems that everyone's furniture lately is made for people much taller than I am.

In the immediate foreground of the second picture, the

coffee table is actually Ma-maw's cedar chest.  I'm tasked to, in the near future, strip and polyurethane it so it doesn't look so mistreated.  It's really beautiful inside and since it's cedar, it's full of all of my blankets.

That table with the lamp has been in the room I've used every time I've been to Tennessee to take care of Ma-maw over the last three years.  The shade looked pretty yukky so I replaced it with the one I've toted all over the place this year(slightly dinged).

That basket in the foreground is full of the crocheting of my Mother and Grandmother's that I mentioned in the last post.  Behind that is my usual collection of what "I'm working on at the moment" knitting/crochet wise. when I started knitting, I read  that any more than three projects at the same time is too many, so I keep it at or below that, lol.

The furniture is from my step-sister, Belinda's, ex-husband.  He got a new sectional and decided to sell the old stuff.  We've planned for me to pay $50 or more when I have it or less, depending on whether I get a job sooner than later and what my other bills will look like, lol.  I didn't think it would fit at first, but surprisingly enough it did.

Can you tell I was an active part of the Obama Election? I stood outside of poling places and handed out pamphlets and answered question.  It was a lot of fun.  I was so happy when we actually won. I really didn't think America had actually gotten there.  I was so pleased to be wrong about that.

To the right is my corner curio cabinet that I was putting together when Robert fell from the pole barn, out back, in Florida.  I will probably never forget how scared to death I was.  God Bless our friends/neighbors for getting there SO fast. The man has amazing recovery abilities!

I hadn't seen some of that stuff, most of it actually, since 2006.  After my Father passed away in March of 06, we came home and put our FL home on the market.  The Realtor told us to pack most of the "personal" things like pictures and these things.

It was a very pleasant journey through the memories while unpacking them.

This is a close up of the top shelfs content.

That Lladro was Poppie's and Erica broke the flower off of it when she was about 3 yrs. old.  The flower is on the shelf just in front of the clown and behind the camels.

He got those on one of his many TDY's to Turkey.  I added the Arab coffee cups just last year.

The Blue Jay was my Mother's and the "Hat" ashtrays were gifts from my daughter while she was still on "Walk About" you know the wonder lust that many of us go through when we're young and want to conquer the world?

The kitty in the bright pink ceramic basket to the left of the door was a thank you gift from one of my friends, a Mark Roberts,  that lived in the same barracks that I did. The whole unit went TDY to Denmark and I hadn't been there long enough to go so I took care of everyone's pets, birds, snakes, and a turtle too, I think. There was even a Tarantula, but I didn't have to care for it.  Very cool though.   

There are five more clowns on the shelf just below, that were Poppie's also.

The little bed topper is one made by me.  A giant granny square without the "wholes" that little fingers and toes get caught in.

Well, actually, the stereo on that table is on top of the fridge now so I can hear it all over the house. That came from Ma-maw too, it was in the top of a closet.

I'm going to have to go to a pawn shop and find myself one of those stereos that have the turntable, CD, tape deck and receiver so I can continue to listen to all of my music.  I have cassettes from before my daughter was born, 22 yrs ago, and vinyl albums from before my son was born, 28 yrs ago.  So many wonderful recordings from when I got married to their father and tapes he made while he was in Germany before we got there and tapes my Mother made and some she bought,  too significant to just "let them go".  I'll have to get one before they stop making them, lol

What I've Been Doing - Part I

That framed picture above the bed on the left is a Surname research paper for the last name Elder(s), my maiden name. Erica and I got it at Busch Gardens - Virginia in 2002.




I'd almost forgotten that I had this set.  The kind of "forgotten" that comes rushing back as soon as you lay eyes on the box and then can't wait to open it, ya know?

The reason I'd almost forgotten was because they are only Double bed sized and they were my Mother's.  Some things are hard to look at sometimes.  She spent a small fortune, for good reason, on this set as you will be able to see.

It's all crocheted and it's so pretty.  I really love it.  I just bleached the sheets and the second set of pillow cases.  I'll get around to the bed skirt and spread.  They've been in a box since she was killed by a drunk driver in 2001 at Christmas time.

They obviously didn't have matching curtains because she would have gotten them to go with the set.  These are the ones she did get to go with it and they match really well.

The obsessive compulsiveness runs true in our family and in mine and my daughter's case, it's very appreciated because we recognize it as from my Mother. It also came from her Mother, so that's another good thing.  We're blessed to only have it to the degree that we want straight lines, as in pictures, and we generally have neat clean homes.  One of us will catch the other straightening something laying around on a counter in public, and tease the other, but that's just a nervous habit, lol.

So this is where it ended up and you know that I am constantly straightening it because of the OCD, but I don't mind, it means I touch it more often   :-D


I have a lot of her work and one table cloth/twin bed spread that was made by my Grandmother.  My Lord!  That one was A LOT OF WORK!  The cotton thread is so thin, it's just amazing.

Daddy's Hutch

 Living here means I am able to inherit Daddy's Hutch. I could have before, driving up here and then back to Florida would have been a TASK, to say the least.

I also received the Harley in the bottom.  It was a gift to Daddy from Rachel (Ma-maw) and Roy, Christmas of the year of Katrina.  They moved back to Nashville, Tn after they made it through that life changing event.

 The crystal bowl in the back left of this one is another of Daddy's things. That wolf was a gift from Ma-maw cuz I'm a wolf nut. You burn incense in it and the smoke rises through the open mouth. Cool ha?

Most of this stuff is just stuck in here until I get the corner curio cabinet together again and in the place it will reside in the living room.

The pitcher in the background with New York on it was Val's, or Poppy's, as my kids refer to him. His real name was Anibal Enrique Valentin and I was privileged to be married to him for a year and a day. My eldest child, Jacques, who is now 28, was born into his hands as was my daughter, Erica, 22 now. So much life without him, it's staggering in retrospect, so I won't.

The "Painted Pony" , sea shells, and state memorabilia were brought home to me by my daughter while she was in her "Wonder Lust" period. We all seem to go through it. My Grandmother did it, my Mother stayed in Florida and never left, and I rode all over the country with Daddy in an 18 wheeler then went Air Force, my son went out of state for college and then settled in another state after that.

These were purchased while we were married and stationed in Germany. I was very much into Asian art and Lladro Figurines at the time.

There is a table that sits in front of the girl holding the flower. It's a tea ceremony, very beautiful ceremony in life, very moving.  It's in another box I'm praying.

 There are a couple of antique books that Miss Wanda, Ma-maw's friend gave me and the Tonka Truck was for my grandson, Marcus, who wanted to see the kind of equipment I use to work with.

The box in the background was Daddy's and so was the three sided knife sharpening stone.  I got my habit of collecting cigar boxes from him and my love of old maps from both of my parents. Ma-maw said that he knew I would be the one to ask for it, He taught me how to use stones when I was a kid and again after I got out of the Air Force. God!, I was SUCH a Tomboy, lol.  Still am to a degree. Remember, I said I'd repaired the bed Ma-maw gave me. It required pilot drilling and special screws, etc....

So many little trinkets of a life....

I sat on the floor in my new living room and cleaned this for the better part of two hours.  It was pretty dusty and to complicate matters it had lived in a house with quite a few smokers, so I had to break out the Q-tips to get into all of the little nooks and crannies. It * "shines like a new diamond" now.

The last few months have been such a journey. No that was not a play on words. If you know me, you know that I have also actually been traveling quite a bit. I have always loved to "go", but I needed a good "home base".

I knew my nearly 16 year relationship was nearing an end. My children had grown up and were self sufficient with children of their own. So I let my heart go back to where it had wanted to go for so long.  I had to re-learn the religion that had called to me so many years ago. As the eldest of my parent's children I was very good at compromise, not any longer, at least in this.

That was the turning point.

That is a story for another post.   That was not a tease, just too in depth to navigate for now.



Blessings and Love to all,

Shafiah (wonderfully enough means, intercede or one who intercedes - compromise, get it? It was chosen for me.)

(* Rod Stewart)

The New Place

Ok, this was in Mom's old house.

THIS is the new place.

 Well, as you may have noticed, I hope, I've lost the "I quit smoking" last year extra weight!  Thank You God!! lol

Rody has too, mostly.  Poor guy, I was eating and OF COURSE he got a bit of everything I ate sooooo, you guessed it he added a couple of lbs too.  The Vet we saw in NC said it wasn't bad so I made a point of getting him to the park and going on walks quite a bit.

It helped me too, but it was really aimed at getting him healthy and getting him out of that cubicle we were living in.  It was really nice, but REALLY small.

As you can see, my computer is up and running, gotta have my Steve Perry music and be able to communicate with my kids! Unpacking and doing all that labor requires a lot of dancing around music, lol.

Sorry, if that is a bad mental image. Those of you who actually knew me before I gave up drinking, smoking anything , know I MUST  dance.  I love music, it has been the marker for so many events in my life, it's just one of those things that are an integral part of me.

As it becomes more presentable, I'll show more pics.  I REALLY need to do some planting out front so those will be a while still. The property manager will be having a front porch slab laid in the near future. He also  took me to pick out the carpet at Home Depot just before I moved in.  I picked a Burber because I liked the colors and it's easy to maintain Annnnd it hides flaws well  ;)  LOL, I keep forgetting I don't have kids or puppies running around making messes.  The next "four legged" kid will be a kitten.  I'm going over to the "feline side" as per Bukhari, lol. 

Well, it's getting late and I have to be up to pray in a timely fashion, so farewell for now.

P.S.
As a funny foot note, after leaving my bed on the floor so Rody could get up into it just after I bought it, I finally fixed the frame by replacing a piece of wood that had broken under my step Mom's son's weight (300lbs!) it is now up and guess who has decided he'll get up there now. I suppose he has lost enough weight that it's easier to jump up there, Yayyyy!  No snuggling from me though, that would be smothering. Hey at least he's not on the hard floor with those not so young bones any more.  Ok, enough rambling, night.

Noticing the common denominator? lol.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

A Life Deeply Appreciated

  My Rody

This is my ever faithful friend and companion of nearly 10 years.  He was born on October 26, 2000. 

The young lady who came by with the Christmas puppy for my daughter was a true salesman. She would have only one more puppy left and we were new to the area and from the "city" and felt like an acer was a BIG piece of land, lol. I took one look at that fur ball and fell head over heels in love! Dang girl, lol.

My daughter was anxiously waiting for her puppy to get old enough to come live with us. When the day finally arrived I have to admit to being a little excited too.  I'm a true sucker for a sweet furry face (on four feet).

In present times, if there is a new litter of kittens or puppies I make sure I stay far away from them! LOL, I can't afford any more children at this point in my financial life. I really love them ALL!

At any rate the reason for this Blog Entry in particular is that my Sweet Boy, as I call him, and the dear boy answers to it.  You know, he must think I'm gettin old too since I  don't call him Rody as much as I use to.

I guess that I just wanted to get it out in the world how wonderful a companion he has been all these years. I am feeling a little melancholy and I tear up every time I think of my life without him. I couldn't be expected to speak coherently on some occasions lately.

You see, he started having seizures in April of this year and he'd never had one before, that I was aware of. They got to be pretty often and then slacked off again.  I took him to the Vet while we were living in Asheville, NC and the Vet couldn't find anything wrong, but I couldn't afford the battery of lab tests.

I was afraid that the moving about the country could be a factor, but he's traveled with me a few times and had no ill effects. He's in the middle of a good spell right now, only one since we've been here, since the 19th, and none for two weeks before that.  He's begun to cough lately. Just little ones every once in a while, but dogs don't cough, not unless there's something wrong. He's been a pretty pampered dog as far as being exposed to the elements and diseases and he's gotten his shots every now and again, but not very timely due to the cost of just walking into a vets office, not to mention shots too!

When I hear him cough sometimes, I cry and I try not to let him see me because he knows I'm upset and that it's because of something to do with him. No matter what anyone says, these animals ARE NOT STUPID, they may not be able to add 2 +2, but God gave them that extra "something" to protect them from things they can't understand.  Truly, if your dog or cat doesn't like someone for no apparent reason, PAY attention.  There is something you don't know, but they feel it.  I can't tell you how many times one of the many dogs and cats in my life have proven to be right.

I know I am about to be in serious financial straights, but it's only money and I love him too much to let it hurt him, whatever it turns out to be. Gotta pay for the new place this month and then I'll be able to do a little work to supplement the Military Widow's Pension so I can get a full battery of tests to see where we are. I would be beside myself with joy to discover that I'm being silly, but there have been dogs in my family's homes longer than I've been in one of our family homes. I'd be willing to "bet" there have been dogs in my family as far back as the early days in Scotland. My father's people come from there and my Mother's are Native Americans with a little French and Irish thrown in just to be sure we get fired up instantaneously, lol. The point is that they have a long history in my family and I trust my instincts.

Since I'm writing from my step-Mom's computer I don't have a lot of good pictures of my Rody, but I always set up the computer as one of the first things when moving. You know, the bed, kitchen, and the computer, oh yeh and the bathroom  ;)