This month I’ve been tricked twice into divulging my name, and e mail. I liked some exercises on You Tube. My memory is not what it used to be. I should have saved the clip, but I didn’t (slap my head), instead I filled the questioner it asked (all the while giving me encouraging lines). It got my information. At the end I got a hefty bill if I wanted the guidance. I said no thank you to that, but now I get unwanted mail from the site adding to the spam in my mailbox.
Next today of all days, again I got sucked in. I started on an IQ test. Did all the questions, eagerly waiting for the answers. At the end I was asked to pay 16 bucks, which I didn’t. The site got my name, e mail. Now I will be blocking another unwanted trash.
Some of them are personal which can’t be shared, ie those in the name of God, and you want the rewards in the Hereafter to be saved from hell fire. Whenever I would say that I’m doing this (a good deed) so I’m not thrown into Jahannum (hell fire), my late husband would eye me, and remark that I must have done something really evil that I feel so afraid. I would be irked beyond words at his assumption, and would be mad at him for thinking badly of me.
I can mention the recent sacrifice I’m making of my time. My granddaughter Maryam wants me to play all the time with her. It does become irksome, cause I can’t do anything when she is awake. She dodges my footsteps, climbing my bed covered with food (she hates to wear a bib), running her dirty hands over my face. I can’t talk to anyone except her. If I talk to her mother, she cries to make me stop. If my daughter phones, I can’t talk. I can only pay attention to her royal highness.
Of course there is an instant reward instead of waiting for the hereafter. Her love for me, which is most gratifying. Her father bought a stool in the form of a lion for her. No one was allowed to sit on it by Maryam. Her Mom couldn’t use it as a foot stool. She would start crying the minute anyone touched it. It was hers’ alone. I sat on it, and she was dancing around me to the amazement of her parents.
I had planted the trees in our village home. Had first planted the lychee stones in pots. When the plants came out, I had them transferred to the ground. They grew into trees in no time. Come summer, and we had an abundance of lychees. We shared them with family, and friends.
You can see the Lychee trees in the background.
This was our front lawn in the village home. It has now become a memory along with my husband. I had to let go of our home when threatened with takeover by my unscrupulous step brother in law . I sold it in haste. To this day I have not received the full price owed to me by the buyer.
Second ones are cherries.
The first time I had tasted cherries were from our own backyard in Quetta, Pakistan. The house we lived in was an army house, and my late husband was posted there. There was a single tree of white cherry. There must have been another tree in the neighborhood, cause cherry tree requires pollination, if one is a distinct female one.
I became addicted to cherries, and waited every year for summer to eat them. When we lived in Peshawar, Pakistan, cherries would arrive in small boxes by air from Quetta. Those were the red variety. The shop from where we shopped for fruits, and vegetables would have them seasonally. My late husband would jokingly in a loud whisper tell the shopkeeper, “don’t let her know”, knowing fully that I would pounce upon them.
Third fruit on my list are fruiters. They are those small oranges called Mandarins.
They are so easy to peal. I like the sweet variety.
Fourth ones are Cantaloupes.
I like to nibble at the Cantaloupe seeds. They keep me from snacking while reading, or watching tv. Last year (to my wonder) they grew in my vegetable patch. The small animals which foray into our backyard didn’t give us a chance to taste them.
I have planted them again this year, but hasn’t the time to thin them out.
Fifth ones are grapes. I like both the varieties: the red ones, and the green ones. I don’t like the candy ones which are extremely sweet in taste.
When I first moved in my home here in Houston, I asked Son to build me an arbor for grapes. Originally there were four plants, only two survived. Last year they bore grapes. Thinking myself clever, I enclosed some of them in cloth pouches. The squirrels got the uncovered ones, and they were so devious that they had sucked the other ones through the cloth.
This year we have purchased a net to cover them. Let’s see what will the squirrels do this time.
I had planted the trees in our village home. Had first planted the lychee stones in pots. When the plants came out, I had them transferred to the ground. They grew into trees in no time. Come summer, and we had an abundance of lychees. We shared them with family, and friends.
You can see the Lychee trees in the background.
This was our front lawn in the village home. It has now become a memory along with my husband. I had to let go of our home when threatened with takeover by my unscrupulous step brother in law . I sold it in haste. To this day I have not received the full price owed to me by the buyer.
Second ones are cherries.
The first time I had tasted cherries were from our own backyard in Quetta, Pakistan. The house we lived in was an army house, and my late husband was posted there. There was a single tree of white cherry. There must have been another tree in the neighborhood, cause cherry tree requires pollination, if one is a distinct female one.
I became addicted to cherries, and waited every year for summer to eat them. When we lived in Peshawar, Pakistan, cherries would arrive in small boxes by air from Quetta. Those were the red variety. The shop from where we shopped for fruits, and vegetables would have them seasonally. My late husband would jokingly in a loud whisper tell the shopkeeper, “don’t let her know”, knowing fully that I would pounce upon them.
Third fruit on my list are fruiters. They are those small oranges called Mandarins.
They are so easy to peal. I like the sweet variety.
Fourth ones are Cantaloupes.
I like to nibble at the Cantaloupe seeds. They keep me from snacking while reading, or watching tv. Last year (to my wonder) they grew in my vegetable patch. The small animals which foray into our backyard didn’t give us a chance to taste them.
I have planted them again this year, but hasn’t the time to thin them out.
Fifth ones are grapes. I like both the varieties: the red ones, and the green ones. I don’t like the candy ones which are extremely sweet in taste.
When I first moved in my home here in Houston, I asked Son to build me an arbor for grapes. Originally there were four plants, only two survived. Last year they bore grapes. Thinking myself clever, I enclosed some of them in cloth pouches. The squirrels got the uncovered ones, and they were so devious that they had sucked the other ones through the cloth.
This year we have purchased a net to cover them. Let’s see what will the squirrels do this time.
What’s one small improvement you can make in your life?
I suppose there are levels of improvement. I maybe at the lowest rung of the ladder. I can see my faults, and try to improve upon them, but sometimes I do fail miserably. One of them is tolerance.
I don’t know why I’m made this way, but I dislike dirtiness around me, specially in the kitchen, and bathrooms. I have no tolerance for it. Sharing my home, I draw upon my inner strength not to say anything to hurt feelings. Mind you, it’s a herculean effort.
Breadcrumbs, food particles lying on the kitchen counter, or on the dining table, I grit my teeth, and sweep them clean. Same is the case with the oven top. If it’s used, it should be cleaned afterwards, but others may not see it that way. Dirty fingermarks on the microwave, or fridge’s door, none are bothered by that, except for me. There I go toiling…..
Same is the case with the bathrooms. I clean my own, and the guest one. There will be splashes on the mirror, and on the floor in the guest one. If I don’t look it now, and then no one fills the soap container , or put there a new roll. The wash basin is not clean, or for that matter the toilet bowl. Tolerance, tolerance, tolerance.
If it was the old me, I would have blurted something, but the new me counts my blessings, and keep quiet. There are other things in life, which compensate.
I feel so strongly about the King’s treatment to his own son. Harry shouldn’t be treated so shabbily. No wonder he left immediately after the ceremony. Charles should have been more gracious in his time of glory.
In Queen Elizabeth days all the immediate family used to be on the balcony. I missed Harry being there. He was made to feel a person non grata. Whatever his decisions he shouldn’t be treated abominably. He doesn’t deserve the discrimination meted out to him.
It became apparent on the Queen’s death. Harry wasn’t even allowed to be there at her deathbed. He had every right to be there. Everybody commit mistakes. Forgiving, and forbearing should be the King, and William’s attitude. It enhances their popularity in the eyes of people rather they diminish themselves by behaving churlishly in the eyes of the world.
List the people you admire and look to for advice…
The ones I look for advice are my children. They are the ones I trust, even when their views clash with mine. I know whatever they will be saying, they will always have the best interest in their hearts for me.
The first person to reach out is for Nola (daughter). Son does the same. Since Son lives with me, so we both talk things over, then reach out to Nola. She is really a sage.
Sometimes we completely differ in our views. There is the generational gap between us, so our thoughts may not be the same. I brought up the children by myself, as my husband being an army officer was away most of the time. They grew up sheltered. Tv time was restricted. Rarely I allowed them to visit their friends, however I always encouraged them to invite their friends to our home. This way I could keep an eye on them, and not getting into any shenanigans.
Being away from family dramas, and intrigues they have the goodness of heart which is rare nowadays. They can never believe that anyone can be mean, or can lie. I have seen kids who never listen to their parents, and they are always taking their friends’ bad advice, much to the frustration of their own parents.
Nola’s advice is to write the pros and cons, then ask Allah’s guidance before making a decision. That is the best course to take.
Last year in January 2021, I purchased a new house. My son, his wife, and small daughter live with me. I wanted us to move to the new one, but Son wasn’t in favor. His reasons were that where we were living at present was nearer to his sons. The sons live with his ex. Another reason was that the new house wasn’t adequate for our living.
I gave the house to a management company to manage it for me. It turned out that their screening of the tenant wasn’t enough. In February of this year the tenant didn’t give the rent. When faced with eviction notice, the tenant decamped with all the appliances.
When all this was happening, the management didn’t give me a clue. They let me know a month later on. They weren’t even going to tell me. They only complied when the sheriff wanted to meet me. The tenant had a fake ID. How it slipped passed the management, I don’t know.
The management slapped me with a bill of seven thousand for making repairs. After patching up my brand new home ourselves, and getting new appliances I’m still in search of a new management. I don’t know how I’m going to pay the taxes—- the regular one, and the mud tax, and the HOA. Then there is the insurance. It has gone up. When we reported the theft, the insurance person said they don’t cover theft, they cover damages to the home, or appliances. What a laugh?
I’m truly messed up over all this. This house was my income. I can’t decide what to do, worrying all the time how I’m going to pay the tax, and everything.
Today is Eid ul Fitr. This Eid is celebrated after the month long fasting which is known as Ramadan.
We come to Dallas for this Eid, and Nola (daughter) and family comes to Houston to celebrate Eid ul Adha with us. We almost weren’t going to make it to Dallas. Son’s boss made us wait till the last minute to grant Son a leave. We had packed our bags, loaded the car, and were waiting for the boss’ permission. We were facing a huge disappointment when the permission was finally granted.
We went to the mosque to say the Eid Prayer. Then we went to Ali Baba for the buffet. FJ (son in law) had made the reservation earlier, so had no trouble, despite the long line of people waiting to get in. The food was simply delicious.
What place in the world do you never want to visit? Why?
The place which comes to mind is Antarctica. It’s cold, and desolate.
It’s an icy desert with temperatures running minus forty degrees Centigrade in winter, and zero degree in summer. Antarctica is extremely cold. No one lives there permanently, except for scientists who come, and go, and work on scientific projects.
It has long periods of darkness in winters. I live here in Houston, which is a sunny place. During bouts of rainfall when the sun refuses to come out for days on end, I become despondent, and long for it to return to brighten our world. A place where a sun won’t be shining is a total No No. The only consolation will be seeing penguins.
Flowers and Breezes 