Attitude Adjustment

Day Eighteen - Thirty Days of Thanksgiving

I knew this move would be hard in some ways, downsizing and all. But I decided to make the best of it and tell myself that I'm having an adventure in a large RV instead of a misadventure in a tiny home. 

I'm grateful for the knowledge and ability to change my attitude. I haven't always been able to in the past. Something that has really helped me is that wonderful neighborhood on YouTube of lovely people with great attitudes and senses of humor. A daily does of humor does wonders! 

Really Good Food

Breakfast on Friday, prepared by our hostess:

A bowl of rice, a bowl of soup; upper left is eggplant, very delicious; upper right, salmon, below it is fish eggs, the yellow is a rolled omelet; the two red spears are crab; greens, shredded cabbage, melon and grapefruit. All of it fresh and delicious. I wish I knew a better word to describe it; it was all really, really good. Some of the tastes and textures were new to me, and fish eggs were an absolute first! But I didn't feel like spitting anything out. I ate it all and enjoyed it.

Breakfast on Saturday.

Yogurt, the small square dish held a seaweed mixture (like gelatin); rice porridge; on the long rectangle dish: citrus (some kind of Japanese cross), shredded cabbage, broccoli, avocado, one wedge of tomato, two difference kinds of fish eggs; tempura-green bell pepper, pumpkin and a couple of things I can't remember; two ham rolls. Again, totally delicious!

I didn't think to take a picture of breakfast the first day, but want to say that the soybean soup was the best way to start a cold morning. It was creamy like half and half, and tasted like sweet corn. I enjoyed the whole heavenly bowlful. That was just the beginning; then we were served a plate of an omelet, two 'lil smokie type sausages, and the shredded cabbage, veggies and fruits. There was also a tiny cup of soybeans that we were instructed to stir rapidly with our chopsticks; the stirring produced a stickiness to the beans (not sure how they were prepared) then we slurped them up, sort of like slurping jello. At this point I wasn't very adept with the chopsticks so we all had a good laugh as I tried to maneuver food from the plates and bowls to my mouth.  

The three delicious breakfasts, all plated so beautifully, and presented so elegantly (I experienced dish envy big time!) inspired me to put more effort into making the breakfasts I serve every morning more visually appealing. It takes just a few minutes more and a bit more thought but makes the meal so pleasant and interesting. 

I fell in love . . .

. . .with Japan and Korea. It was such a fantastic trip I want to share some photos and impressions.

First up, this unflattering frame of me in the home of our hostess in Japan. We stayed in their traditional Japanese style family room, sleeping on mats on the floor. I was surprised at how comfortable they were.

I'm living in the dark ages . . . their car had a screen which doubled as a television. Incredible! And a little distracting.

On our first full day there we went to see the Skytree Tower in Tokyo. Here I am with my friend, mother of the exchange student we hosted in 2003. We ate lunch at a restaurant on the 32nd floor in the building at the left of the photo.

Pasta with tomatoes and cheese for PFCMom

Pasta with olive oil and veggies for Noble

Skytree Tower is about 640 meters tall; built to be taller than anything around it so it can broadcast the television signal clearly and without interference. There is a shopping mall near the base of it.

Here are Noble and I with the tower in looming over us.

 

And the view from the observation deck on the 450th "floor" was spectacular. 

Here are some of the interior support beams:

And here we are standing on a glass viewing floor looking down at the ground below.

Finally, not for the faint of heart, my first experience with a "squatty potty". I encountered these in the airport, subway and bus stations. Good thing I'm not squeamish or a germophobe, as they are a bit smelly, but otherwise not a bad experience. When you've gotta go, it doesn't matter so much.

More tomorrow, stay tuned.

One thing leads to another

A friend of my mom's told about the day she noticed some dust on the window sill of her laundry room and wiped her finger in it to see how thick it was; pretty thick, so she got a rag and dusted it, then noticed how dirty the windows were so she washed them; which led to washing the curtains, which led to sweeping the floor, but before she could do that she had to put away a whole bunch of things that were out of place; and before she knew it it was time to fix supper! I was teen at the time and hadn't yet had one of those days.

Ever have one of those days?

Just wanted to announce that my laundry room is clean and tidy again. We've had the cats in there because of the extreme cold and our Tim had barfed in the laundry sink and on top of the chest freezer. That is what started it all. Cleaning up that led to sweeping, which led to moving things around and putting things away; I cleaned the litter box before we could smell it; and found a kitchen cabinet door I had taken off that still had the handle on it which I removed and put on the drawer where the handle (wooden) is stripped. Whew. Got everything put away, all the dust swept up and the room looks roomy again! Now I can start on the actual laundry.

Although I'm behind on my other work, I thought that unclogging the laundry room was a good use of my time for this morning, what with the snow falling outside and all.

Some Things Never Change

I'm reading a gentle book called Village Diary by Miss Read, the observations of a Headmistress at a country school in England during the course of a year, and came upon this description:

    What I do feel that the modern child lacks, when compared with the earlier generation, is concentration, and the sheer dogged grit to carry a long job through. Teaching through playing is right. It is, in fact, the only way to teach young children. But as they get older they find that any attainment needs application, and fun alone will not bring completion to a project. This is the danger-point. The older generation, resigned to hum-drum methods and a whacking here and there if there were any marked falling-off from hard work, got almost all their satisfaction from seeing the job completed and perhaps a word or two of approval as a tidbit. They were geared, as it were, to low returns for much effort.
    The child today, used as he is to much praise and encouragement, finds it much more difficult to keep going as his task get progressively long. Helping children to face up to a certain amount of drudgery, cheerfully and energetically, is one of the biggest problems that teachers, in these days of ubiquitous entertainment, have to face in our schools; and the negative attitude, in so many homes, of 'How-much-money-can-I-get-for-how-little-work?' does nothing to help them in their daily battle.

Miss Read wrote this in 1957! (The year I was born.)

 

 

Warning: Not an upbeat post.

Well, what else can go wrong today. I'm trying to post about my wonderful vacation to California to Noble's graduation and I'm informed, by the little gnomes who live in googleland, that my "PicassaWeb Album" (whatever that is) is full! It won't let me upload pictures. I didn't know I signed up for any kind of an album, I just want to import some pics from iphoto and it won't let me. ARGHHHHHHHH.

Earlier today while I was talking to PW in Utah I rubbed my itchy eye and then noticed I couldn't see; I'd popped out my lens and I had no idea where it went. I frantically searched and when I found it, well I found two pieces! ARGHHHHHHHHH! I bawled! Literally sobbed. I am so sick of being blind and needing lenses to begin with and then to break one and have to wear my 22 year old BC glasses (that's birth-control for those who aren't in the know, as in very ugly!) and not be able to see very well anyway is more than I can deal with right now. And it's right before Christmas and this wasn't anywhere on my list of things to do or buy. I ordered a new lens anyway because I'm feeling fat and frumpy as it is, I'm not wearing those emergency glasses any longer than I have to. I have a new prescription, but was waiting until the new year to get new glasses, you know, after the trip to California and after Christmas. Deep breath, think calm thoughts. . . .

When I went to make breakfast today I found that Somebody (Dandylion, it turns out) had taken the leftover sausage for his lunch so it was not there when I wanted to use it as part of the breakfast today. ARGHHHHHHHH! What is wrong with these guys, can't they read my mind and know what I'm going to need? So I had to improvise, again.

The weather is cold and gloomy and I'm ready to crawl in my cave and hibernate until spring like any respectable Mama Bear. And the forecast for this weekend has me thinking of thermal undies and fur coats. Sunday's high is supposed to be 31 and the low 13. Well doesn't that sound just lovely!

Anyway, when I figure out how to get some pictures up I'll write about my absolutely wonderful 8 day vacation in California; where the weather was sunny and warm, and there were flowers everywhere and about just how much fun I had with Noble.

Until then, I'm headed for my cave.

Science in the Kitchen

I mentioned that my oven is still not working properly. We have had to eat less than lovely cookies, oven fries and pizza.

Yesterday I conducted an experiment to see what the actual temperature is in the oven.

First I turned it, the oven, on to 350 degrees and waited for the beep to tell me it is up to temperature. Well actually, first I put the new oven thermometer into the oven and THEN I turned it on.

When it beeped I turned on the oven light and looked at the temperature through the window. It read 325. That's 25 degrees low, but I can compensate knowing that. Let's try a higher temp. I turned it up to 400 and waited for the beep, then looked again and it read approximately 375-380 (hard to tell). Okay, it's fairly consistent. Now, let's turn on a timer and see what the temperature reads after 15 minutes. I puttered around the kitchen for 10 minutes and then looked and saw it read 325, and when the timer dinged at 15 minutes the thermometer read 300. No wonder the pizza was practically raw!

This is not good. TopDad already replaced what he thought was the problem, the thermostat. But it still was not working right (I mean 30 minutes for cookies?) so I bought a thermometer and finally got around to testing it. IT failed.

I can do without a lot of things in a kitchen: dishwasher, disposal, counter space, cupboards, I'd even be willing to give up my microwave. But I CAN NOT do without an oven. For very long, or very happily.

It really is true that you never know how much you use something until you don't have it. I never realized how many times a day I washed my hands until we were five days without running water. YIKES! I didn't think I planned so many meals around baking until I can't do it anymore. YIKES!

And just when we think we're getting ahead and going to have some breathing room in the budget and actually put something away for savings, the darn oven goes. Well, who said life was supposed to calm and easy. How boring would that be anyway.

Have a great weekend! And I'll just enjoy the rain without cookies to go with my hot chocolate.

My Kitchen - The Rest of the Story

I like to think of myself as an honest person which is why my conscience demands that I tell the rest of the story of my kitchen. I've given you tiny glimpses but not the big picture. Today I'm sharing that.

Join me for a tour of my totally inadequate humble kitchen, little changed from when it was built in 1922.

View from the door of the Dining Room into the Kitchen

We'll begin at the sink, and make our way around the room
These were the only cupboards, and counter, in the room when I moved in.
Next to the sink is the door to the Laundry room, and then outside.

Can you count the doorways? Left to right: Laundry room, Pantry, Dining Room

Next to the door into the Dining Room are some shelves and the stove

Another view of the shelves, with a corner of the work table - such spaciousness

Next to the stove is the original chimney, then the freezer/workspace, with cupboards installed this year
and the refrigerator placed in front of the door to the Living Room.

And here's the fifth door which goes down to the basement.

In front of the windows are the other set of shelves for all my pans and appliances.
The work table takes all the floor space.

This is probably not the worst kitchen in America, just the worst I've ever lived with. In spite of all the inconveniences I will count my blessings--I have hot and cold running water, lights, a fridge, and a stove (although the oven still is not working properly). I have a vintage dishwasher, I mean, I am the vintage dishwasher, 1957 model. I have an ice cream bucket for collecting scraps for the compost pile instead of a disposal, and I have a ceiling fan and windows for cooling and ventilation.

What more could I ask for? By the way, I read another blog where the engaged young woman talked about the log home her man was building for her and the open shelves she designed and how wonderful they were going to be. HOGWASH! Open shelves are the worst! All the grease, dust, dirt, cat hair and other disgusting floaties land on everything on the open shelves and you have to wash anything you want to use. It makes for a horrible lot of work. Give me cupboards with doors, please!

There you have it Rozy's Kitchen, in all it's cluttered glory. Doesn't this make you grateful for the kitchen you have?

Spread the Word

Rather than listening to soundbites on mainstream media news outlets, or other places, read what 400 economists, including five (5) Nobel Laureates, have to say about Candidate Romney's economic plans contrasted to President Obama's plans.

http://economistsforromney.com/

There is no question in my mind, especially after seeing the film, 2016: Obama's America, last night, that our current president is the wrong person to lead this nation, and if we allow him to be reelected we can kiss life as we know it, liberty, and our pursuit of happiness goodbye.

I believe Mitt Romney is the right man at the right time; raised up by God to be a righteous President. I also believe that God never forces His children, so it is up to us to act upon the circumstances that are before us. Educate yourself about Mr. Romney, his values, his morals, and his policies, both domestic and foreign. If you don't agree with something he says, ask yourself "Have I ever agreed 100% with any presidential candidate?" Don't throw away your vote on someone else (especially if they have no hope of winning) as that just means that the vote is split three ways and the incumbent can win.

I listened to Mr. Romney's book and found his world view totally refreshing. He believes in the greatness of the United States of America and that our nation has a God given destiny to shine as a beacon of liberty to the whole world, and as a protector of God given rights throughout the world. We do not go to war to conquer, or for land, or enslavement of a people; we go to war to liberate and to restore freedom, to put down tyrants who murder their own people.

We need a strong America, morally strong, financially strong, educationally strong, and militarily strong. The world is more peaceful when America is strong. When we are weak the bullies come out of the woodwork and grow stronger.

I love America! My two grandfather's immigrated here from Norway and Scotland. They came for a better life in a free nation. I'm going to vote to preserve that freedom and make America strong again.

How did that get in here?

Last night as I was reading in bed before turning out the light to go to sleep I was interrupted by Dr. Hair saying "Mom, there's a bird in my room and it just flew downstairs." I threw on a robe and we went downstairs to let the bird outside. I saw it flying around the kitchen, then it went into the pantry and Dr. Hair saw it go into a big box where I keep plastic containers used in lunches during the school year. I got a dishtowel and draped it over the box and took the box outside. Once outside on the patio I pulled the towel off expecting the bird to fly out of the box to freedom. It didn't! So Dr. Hair grabbed a flashlight and I looked into the box where I could hear the creature moving around but couldn't see it. I moved the containers around and finally got a glimpse of it. It wasn't a bird but a little brown BAT!!

I wish I'd had my camera handy, but didn't so couldn't get a picture. The little thing looked just like a cartoon creature peering over a cool whip container up into the light beam of the flashlight. It didn't make a sound and to get rid of it I finally had to dump the contents out onto the concrete before it finally took off.

Bats are useful for eating insects, especially mosquitos. But how it got into the house is still a mystery.

Several weeks ago I found a baby snake in the basement. It was not a friendly snake either, as it kept opening its mouth and striking. I don't know what kind it was because I couldn't hold it to get a good look at it. I captured it in a quart yogurt container and took it out to the garden. How it got in or where it came from I have no idea.

Many years ago in Virginia we occasionally found baby snakes in our house; they were beautiful light grey with a dark necklace. They never opened their mouths or struck so I could pick them up and hold them. They were smooth and lovely. Only once did I find more than one at a time. Weird. But true. No idea where they came from either.

I'm not the kind to scream about creatures in the house. I've battled all sorts of insects, reptiles and mammals in my time. Good thing too, what with raising four boys.

Struggles

I've been dealing with vertigo, again, this week. It drives me bonkers! Thursday I decided to just work in spite of the dizziness. I fell down only a couple of times; but I got back up and continued. I keep thinking of the pilgrims and pioneers who moved from place to place expanding this country from the Eastern Seaboard to the West Coast. Those men and women had to work whether they felt well or not. A cow doesn't wait patiently to be milked; crops have to be grown in order to be able to eat. They couldn't call for pizza delivery or Chinese take out. So I girded up my loins and took fresh courage and just went to work--next door at the rental house my parents bought and we are preparing for rental occupancy. We have a deadline to meet and have to get all the work done soon whether I feel well or not.

Sorry for not blogging about interesting things this week. I hope to do better next week.

Sometimes Comparisons are Helpful

Often at church we're told not to compare ourselves to each other, and that's a good thing. We see each other at church and compare our worst self, the one we know intimately, to the best, Sunday self of the others in attendance.

Once in a while, though, a comparison is a good thing. I try really hard to keep my house clean, not just tidied, de-cluttered, and such, but clean, as in windows washed, walls dusted and washed, floors swept and vacuumed, bathrooms clean, kitchen scrubbed and clean, etc. Because I live with a bunch of males that don't see things my way it never quite measures up to my standard, but over the years I've learned to live with it. During the time I had lots of little children my standards had to be regularly retrieved with a posthole digger.

Sometimes I have gotten really envious of someone else's beautiful home, wondering why can't I have a well decorated, lovely home like theirs. Occasionally I go to someone's home and leave with the feeling that mine, in comparison, is absolutely wonderful.

A while ago I had occasion to go inside a home while waiting for a ride to an activity. Immediately stepping into the house I was overpowered by the smell of animals. It actually made my eyes and nose water. An area rug on the floor was so covered in animal hair that I couldn't see the color. Dust and debris covered all the furniture, piles of papers and books were everywhere. It was pretty disgusting.

Later when I returned home I felt better about my humble, but CLEAN, home. Sometimes comparisons put things in perspective and I find I'm on the long end of the stick!