The carnage by Israel in Gaza still goes on. US is not stopping the sale of arms to Israel. Of the hundred senators in US government only fifteen abstained from voting. The rest said yes. Here is a meme made by AJ.
Happiness
The daily prompt: what are the five things that can bring you happiness?
Today when I got up, I was in so much pain. Usually I wake up at five in the morning to say my Fajr Prayer. The intense pain in the back woke me at three. I applied the Lidocaine Patch, but there was no relief.
Later on I made it to the kitchen to make breakfast for myself, so that I could take pain medication. That even didn’t work. I detest going to a doctor, what to do? I opened my book of duas, put my hand over the pain area, and read the dua over it. At least the pain became manageable.
Sorry about what I am going to say: In moments of pain nothing can bring you happiness. You want to curl up, and die.
The Story of a Cat
What animals make the best/worst pets?
For now I don’t like keeping any pet animal. It’s simply another chore, so I don’t know which animal is the best, or the worst. For me keeping a pet is a no go, although my Son has foisted upon me the looking after of his cat.
One day this cat wandered into our home, and decided to adopt us as his family. It started pitiful meows outside our garage. Son promptly put out some food, and water out for it. My grandchildren Maryam, and Musa were ecstatic to see the new member of our family, and wanted to pet it, which the cat didn’t allow.
I asked the neighborhood on Next Door if anyone’s cat was missing, posted a photo, and description. No one answered. Much to my dismay the cat was going to stay. Son bought a lovely home, cuddly toys, and a bed for the intruder. Since my daughter in law, and children sleep till late, I’m the person looking after it.
Recently we went to Dallas to spend Eid with my daughter, Son acquired an automatic dispenser for food, and water for his pet. The dispenser has a camera, so many a times, he talked to his pet while we were away.
Before the automatic dispenser the neighborhood cats had a field day with getting all the cat food they wanted. Poor Chinka (that’s what Son named the cat) would hide in the bushes, when the neighborhood cats would saunter in, and devour its food. Chinka would come out of his cowering session after the cats had finished, and gone away, and then meow for more food.
After being forced to have an animal, I think a cat makes the best of pets. It’s clean, and doesn’t lick you, and covers you with saliva (which I don’t like).
Skiing
What Olympic sports do you enjoy watching the most?
Skiing has been my most watched Olympic Sport. Recently I haven’t done that, as there is a dearth of time. In the past I could sit for hours entranced watching all the events. I was mostly interested in ski jumping, and cross country races. It was fun routing for favorite ones, and saying duas for their winnings. It is a rarity for me now.
Autobiography
You’re writing your autobiography. What’s your opening sentence?
Simply put. I don’t know, or nothing comes to mind. Every individual among us has a mismatch of events, memories, experiences , and the list goes on. Only some of us are the creative geniuses who can gather all the episodes of life, put them in a cohesive form, make them spellbinding for others to read.
Wish I was such a person. Alas! I’m not.
The Comfy Ones
Tell us about your favorite pair of shoes, and where they’ve taken you.
I can’t decide which one is my favorite? I buy a shoe when I fall in love with it. Then take care of it fanatically. My shoe falls apart while languishing in my closet. Never from misuse. The only exception are walking shoes. They tend to expire more quickly, rather their heels disappear from friction with the road.
Then there are the Minne Tonka ones. I bought them in every color, and beads. They are the ones I use when we are taking birthday pictures. They are flat, and v shaped. They are perfect, but uncomfortable. I wear them till my toe, and the next finger to it starts chafing, then I change them to wear something comfy.
I stopped wearing heels a long time ago. In a hurry, I was twisting my ankle. Thrice I had minor fractures. When it started needing more time to heal, I stopped wearing high heels.
My go to shop for shoes is Macy’s, but occasionally I do find something worthwhile at Ross. Many a times I lament the fact that I’m size eight. Why? Because every other woman is that size. While there be beautiful shoes lying in other aisles, the aisle number eight won’t have any.
I had a pair of English shoes. Shoes from England tends to last longer. Probably they are made to last forever. They gave a boost to my short height. Wearing them I felt elegant ( haha). Often I wore them to the village, till my husband’s niece remarked, “ Aunty I looked at your feet. You have the same shoes on for the last…….”The question was why do you observe what I’m wearing. I have never looked, or remembered what that particular group had on their feet.
It was embarrassing. I could feel that I had been the topic of discussion among them. It was bye to my old shoes. After that I meticulously wore something different telling my contemptuous relatives silently that I do not lack in footwear.
Once Only
Have you ever unintentionally broken the law?
I have never broken the law intentionally, or unintentionally, but I once cheated in class. We were having a test in eight grade. The teacher left the class. Everyone took out their books to take the test.
Seeing this, I became worried that the others will have better marks than me, so I took out my book too. Although I knew the answers to most questions I left the book open on my desktop. When the teacher returned, one of the girls told her what happened in her absence.
When she asked me the question whether I had cheated too, I felt so ashamed of myself. I nodded in the affirmative. It was like falling off a pedestal. I was like the kind teachers gave my example to other students. I can never forget the disappointed look she gave me.
My Dream Home
Write about your dream home.
A home on a lake
A home with a view
Of mountains, and trees
Sunlight through the windows
Outside, everywhere green
Calm, and peace
In my heart, and hearth
I will call that place
My dream home
Rice
What’s your favorite thing to cook?
At the moment I’m sick with flu, and craving something different from the chicken soup I made three days ago. I have been having it twice a day, and I’m wishing for something different.
My favorite thing is rice. Rice with peas is the easiest. Just sauté an onion. Add water. The ratio is one cup rice to two cups water. Add green peas, salt, black pepper, cumin seeds, about 6-7 cloves for two cups of rice. I always like to add two whole green chilies to rice. I remove them once rice is cooked. It adds flavor to the rice. Rice with mutton requires more effort, and energy, but together with chickpeas, and raisins it is heavenly.
Sometimes I make it with mung beans. It is easily digestible, but the mung beans require soaking it for a few hours, and then pressure cooking, so cooking needs a lot of time, and you can’t make it at the spur of a moment.
And then there is another form of rice which I like. It’s called ghatey roojay. This is its’ name in Pushto. This form of rice is very popular in the north west region of Pakistan. The rice is cooked with beef, and it’s extremely tasty. At weddings, and parties most people have it made.
One thing I have noticed is everyone has a different touch with rice. It’s unique in its’ own way.
Flowers and Breezes 