A smart combination

Maria Fernanda Smart is combining art techniques in a beautiful way. Thank you Angie for telling me about his fantastic artist.

"What's for dinner?"

I really miss writing my thoughts down! I think them ... but I don't collect them unless I blog. I was reflecting on my statement about being furious which seems incongruous with what I feel about my life ... content and calm. Yes, content and calm right now, with my lifestyle, with my day to day. I sit here in my family room, at beautiful skies, watch the clouds glide by OR, was in the last week, watch rain come pouring down. But it all seems wonderful right outside my window.

The cats lay around, snoring, content in their complete laziness. The dogs are only interested in what food I have on me. The girls come in and out of here, visiting, or telling me a story. The crows fly over. A jetliner is heading someplace exotic. I listen to the birds serenade the neighborhood, wrens, sparrows, junco, house finch, crows. They are all happy because Bri is good about feeding them. The neighborhood kids laughing. 

I mean I am still angry about losing my job, I miss my job ... I really miss being creative and productive but I have almost cut that out of my life. I know it is still hidden there somewhere because I get so tickled and excited when I find myself on Pinterest. My mind starts racing about all sorts of creative ideas. But my heart just isn't quite up for jumping in.

And I am angry with the world. So much so that I don't really want to be around other humans right now. I am angry with men that sit behind trump laughing when he makes some sick, stupid joke about God knows what ... usually at someone's else's expense. I am angry that the entire world isn't as upset as I am about having this fucking criminal sitting in the Oval Office, shitting on our constitution. I want the whole effing world to be as enraged as I am. They probably are ... I am just not talking to them (or anyone).

I know this is not making sense.  

My favorite time of day now is the hour we all start discussing dinner. "What's for dinner?" Someone will throw it out there. Then the discussion starts. My suggestion is always refried bean/cheese quesadillas. And everyone laughs. I could live on refried beans and tortillas. My next suggestion is always, bell pepper, cucumber and humus. More laughter from the group. 

Then everyone gets serious. I start thumbing through my Something Yummy Pinterest board. Matt usually has the winning suggestion. Nothing sounds good to the kids because they are picky little eaters.

I didn't have that luxury growing up ... being a pickly, little eater. I ate what was put in front of me, no questions asked. The same as I do today, I might add, because I am just glad and thankful that someone else has cooked a hot meal for me to enjoy. 

Matt has driven off to the store ... with that question in mind ... "what's for dinner?".  

And I am still pondering my anger question.

And what is on TV tonight? I watched the New The Four Seasons (I loved the original too). Netflix then suggested I would like Friends From College, which I did! Alpha Males (Filmed in Spain, is dubbed). Jo Nesbo's Detective Hole is back on Netflix! ...  And Bri made homemade brownies to eat while watching ;) I bought walnuts to make walnut crescents cookies. 

We (the collective WORLD-WIDE-WE) don't deserve anything nice!

I am f*cking furious this morning. Okay, I am furious every morning, but I am especially mad THIS morning. I cried, I swore.

I was just having this discussion with Bri yesterday about how short-sighted it is to just go blow up countries! Homes, housing, businesses, not to mention the lives lost! Destroying other countries, what is the point of that????

My point was, that if the US was at threat of being bombed to smithereens every day, I bet we would be a little more considerate about bombing other countries. 

I have also been posting some historical sites in Iran. I mean HISTORICAL... not 250 year-old stuff, but thousands of years old. Beautiful, intricate mosiacs.

Ancient & Achaemenid Sites

Persepolis (Shiraz): The ceremonial capital of the Achaemenid Empire, founded by Darius I in 515 BC, famous for its grand staircases, palaces, and detailed reliefs.
 

Pasargadae (Fars): The capital of the Achaemenid Empire under Cyrus the Great, housing his tomb.

Bisotun (Kermanshah): A significant site along an ancient trade route featuring a 6th-century BC inscription and bas-relief of Darius I, crucial for understanding cuneiform.

Naqsh-e Rostam & Naqsh-e Rajab (Shiraz): Necropolis featuring rock-cut tombs of Achaemenid kings (like Darius II) and Sassanian-era reliefs.

Susa (Khuzestan): One of the world's oldest cities, serving as the Elamite and Achaemenid capital. 
 

Islamic Architectural & Cultural Sites 

Naqsh-e Jahan Square & Ali Qapu Palace (Isfahan): A massive 17th-century complex featuring the Ali Qapu Palace, Sheikh Lotfollah Mosque, and the Shah Mosque, representing Safavid architecture.

 

 

Jameh Mosque of Isfahan: An architectural masterpiece tracing Islamic artistic evolution over several centuries.

Golestan Palace (Tehran): A 19th-century Qajar-era palace complex combining traditional Persian design with Western influences.

 

 

And now these imbeciles have gone and bombed   The Golestan Palace – often known as the "Rose Palace".

 

We, I mean the collective world WE don't deserve to have nice things. We can't  protect the wonderful animals we have. We can't help ourselves from destroying our air. We can not treasure anything of importance. I am disgusted with this world!

Cleaning 101 from a toothpick cleaner

I am a toothpick cleaner, always have been. I can live in messy ... but once I start cleaning, I can't stop until it meets my standards.

Having a mother and grandmother who were constantly frying for dinner ... chicken fried steak, fried chicken ... I learned at an early age now to clean a greasy kitchen thoroughly. (I am sure this is one of the reasons I love to eat cucumber, bell pepper and humus!)

My grandmother NEVER deep-cleaned her greasy kitchen and once I started, I could not stop. I mean I would SCRAP the dried, old grease from her Formica back splash.

Having a 'clean' kitchen was a requirement in my childhood home. Thankfully, I really love to clean but more importantly, I love a clean room. The way it makes you feel accomplished when you finish the task. My finishing touch is always a spritz of good smelling room fragrance. 

So the kids fry a lot of meals here and I am compelled to do my "grease" cleanup routine. This means, around the stove top, back splash and side tiles, the vent hood, wash the grates, wash down grease from teapot that sits on the stove top.

So when I say "I did the dishes" ... this is what I am really doing! 

My favorite part of the day is when we start thinking/discussing "what's for dinner". Especially since I never have to cook it ;)

The Camellia is blooming in the neighbors yard, big, luscious, pink flowers. I tried to grow on in our yard a long time ago and it died. I always feel so lucky to have it right there at my eyesight from my desk window.

Bri reminded me the other day, we have a lot of cleanup and pruning to do soon in the yard.

The rain. It rains in one direction for a couple of hours, then in another direction. I am tired of watching raindrops pour down the windows, even more tired of having the wipe down poor Murphy, who comes in soaked. But he loves to be wiped down.

Murphy is such a 200-lb baby. In the middle of the night, he gets lonesome, or sad, or something and I wake up with a huge nose in my face. Him, just standing there, staring at me .... waiting for something? Sometimes he will get up and lay on my legs, which means, you can not move one inch. Or I check his food and water or give him a couple of pretzel/peanut butter treats from Costco. He is such a great, gentle dog with the kids and family members. So intimidating elsewhere. But Murphy is the most sensitive dog I have ever been around.

 I am doing, watching anything to try NOT to pay attention to the madness going on. I think I mentioned I have LOVED watching Turkish Rom Coms! They are almost all dubbed whereas the Spanish Rom Coms or Novellas are subtitled. The Spanish could learn something from the Turks.

On Netflix: Love Tactics, Thank you, Next, Old Money are a few. The women are beautiful (usually all lawyers), the men are fabulous, they are all rich, the plot, silly, even they classify them as "goofy, romantic". But I can not get enough. You can thank me later ;)

PS the trailers are not dubbed but the show is.