Noury's Creative World…

You know when you have a dream of realizing something.  Today I am going to share with you how was it when I saw for the first time the world-famous icon, and the image of the visualisation of my dream, the Tour Eiffel.  She was the symbolism of my dream of being in Paris.

This is how she looked for the first time ever to Milagros and to me when we were walking from our hotel to finally meet Eiffel.  It was a moment when time stood still.  We were walking and talking and all of a sudden I looked to the left, and there she was peeking at us.  I became speechless.  Wow…finally…I felt very emotional and I think I shed a tear  because it meant that dreams do come true.

At last!  Here I was staring at one of the most famous icons in the world.  It took me 46 years to finally see it and touch it.  What an undescribable feeling.

After Milagros snapped a few pictures, and the moments of awe, we decided to go on a boat ride that takes you all along the River Seine and brings you back where you board it.

We were all the time in admiration when looking at buildings and bridges that you only see in books, movies or magazines and there they are, within reach.  It was such an incredible experience being among so many people of different cultures and you just feel as one of them.  There are so many house-boats along the Seine and other floating restaurants.  Just takes your breath away!

After being soaked with unbelievable moments all in awe, we docked back at Eiffel and decided to get in line to make it all the way to the top.

When we finally made it to the top, it was just like the icing on some dreamy cake that was in storage for us.  What a beautiful feast for your eyes of such a splendorous old city!  The buildings are so classic with the kind of architecture you don’t see anymore in our newer cities.  Before we made it to Eiffel, we admired the tall doors, all wood,  and the arches, and the iron gates that led to the entry ways with side gardens before you get to the door.  I felt as if I used to live in Paris in my previous life, if there is such a thing.  I felt as if I belong there.

Now, I know you were expecting to see a picture of me at the top also.  It just happened that fate will have it that I forgot to put on my sunglasses, and guess what…the bags under my eyes became a distraction to the view, so I decided no picture of me to show you at the top.  It is what it is.

After such an incredible experience, we went to the souvenir shop at the Eiffel and bought just a few mementos for us to last an eternity.  I am speaking for myself.  Hopefully Milagros will feel the same way also.  Then we started walking back to the Le Mon Hotel, had dinner at a nice cafe along the way, bought some pastries and baguette to take back with us, and c’est fini, for now. Another day in Paris to follow some other time. 

Au revoir,

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  My french lessons are going very well, merci beaucoup!

 

I am trying to assign a task for myself to do every day,  from my list of things to accomplish for the different months of the year.  This month, one of them is to…cough, cough, finish the crooked fabulous piece of heirloom quilt.  I have assigned Tuesdays to work on it.  No particular reason.  I guess last Tuesday I ran out of things to clean and then looked at the bag with all the stuff for the now very famous crooked quilt, and decided, Tuesdays will be good to attack this task.

So today I plunged into it even before lunch.   I took things out of the bag, and noticed that I have to put together the two sheets that are supposed to be the back of the CQ (you know, crooked quilt).  I played with the idea of hand sewing the two of them together, but then I thought that a hundred years from now, my humble hand sewing attempt was going to look embarrassing,  all undone and probably Milagros will never unfold the CQ.  To remedy that I went upstairs and took out my one and only… sewing machine!!

This is the background story of my sewing machine.  When Ron and I moved into this house in 2006 we were looking for some curtains for our tall windows.  Couldn’t find any we liked.  So we went to a fabric store and had a quote for them to make the curtains for two windows, and the price was pretty high.  Me, being the thrifty person that I have always been, quickly calculated with my ever awaken neurons that we could purchase a sewing machine,  I could do the curtains, and then still have the mechanical apparatus forever.  I will not go into the stories that developed while I was trying to make the curtains, thanks God the fabric had stripes, so all I had to do was follow the lines, but I will think it twice before opening my mouth so promptly again.  Anyways, the curtains shown above are the ones I made.  We really liked them and I really feel very proud now when my realtor tells everybody I made them.  Come to think of it, do you think that’s why the house hasn’t sold.  Hummmmm…

So today, I took out the machine, proceeded to set it up and forgot how to turn it on.  Then I remembered there was a little light bulb involved so I thought that maybe a switch would do the trick.  Right on the side, bingo!  Then after sewing for a while, the thing that I was praying not to happen, happened.  Bobbin ran out of thread!!!!

First, I tried the lazy way.  To see if I could fake it and just do it taking a chance.  No dice.  Had to search for the Manual.  Grateful I found it.  After a few moments and trying a few times, finally it happened.  The beautiful sound of a bobbin being fed.  Life was good at that moment.  I finished my task, put everything away, and proceeded to have my lunch.  After doing the dishes, worked on the CQ for around 30 more minutes, folded it and put it back in the bag.  No, as you can tell, this will not get done in February.  Not too many days.  Good excuse.

I try to keep busy every day, have this crazy demanding and hard to get along boss.  Myself.  I have tried for 62+ years to quit, but as of now, still working hard is the best way to keep her happy.  Probably you are thinking I am losing my screws up there.  No, I am ok.  Always been a type A.  I find that as long as I am busy, I don’t have time to be negative or have “la depre.”  It works for me.

The title of today’s posting is the motto of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineering, adopted during WWII.  Ron used to use it most of the time whenever he was approaching any task.  Another lesson in the book of Ronisms.

Hope you’ll adopt it as needed.

Au revoir!

Your Happy Contessa

Remember when I posted about going to do my good-for-me walk at my Community Center?  Well, that was not working for me.  I felt like the little rodent that goes around a circular cage and just goes nowhere.  It is always running in place.  That’s exactly how I felt.  So due to that excuse, I wasn’t walking too much.  But last week on Wednesday, I felt my legs getting kind of lazy, so I thought, OMG, the blood is not circulating the way it is supposed to do.  I need to do something for my many-happy-birthdays body.  Otherwise, if I don’t take the bull by the horns, my time to convert back to energy may be closer than I imagine.  I try not to imagine too much in that department.

So there I went for a walkabout in the outer spaces.  Beautiful weather today and twice last week.  Immediately felt my blood circulating at a faster pace than it had been doing, and I could feel the oxygen full of whatever stuff is in the air we breathe, going around my neurons, because I felt full of energy and vibrant.  I felt good that I was doing something for myself.  If I don’t do it, who is going to do it for my 62+ years body.  We need to be kind to ourselves and that include le garbage we send down our throats and our pipes.  Think twice before we put, trying to find a nice word to describe what I feel like saying without being crude.  We have to think twice before we put into our mouths any manure.  Bad manure.  Get the point?

These are some of the pleasant to look at things I found today during  my walkabout.  I stopped to talk to Charlie, the builder of my house, then stopped to take some pictures and pick up my mail, and had in general a good time on my wild outdoors.

Then, after having lunch, I proceeded to go upstairs to my intellectual corner, where this blog gives birth everyday to a wonder posting;  talking about getting off track.  After seating at my desk, I started the process to continue to re-learn the french I studied in high school.  I studied for months before I went to Paris, but after the trip I just stopped. 

I read in the newspaper yesterday, I think, that learning another language, researchers have found out,  slows down Alzheimer.  I manage in English, Spanish, and dabble in French.  So French it is right now.  My daughter gave me a very expensive software package for French before we went to Paris, and it is very good, but I found this one for $2.99 at a store together with one for Italian, so I am giving it a try today.  It is not too bad, kind of pushy when you need to pronounce back the words, but nothing I cannot manage.  So I am going to go back and forth between these two packages to keep from becoming forgetful.  Don’t need any help in that department.

I am doing what I think is best for me at this time in my life, and by sharing with all of you my mundane experiences, I hope that somehow you find something to ponder on, disagree about, or some enlightenment.  That is the whole purpose of my postings.  But most of all, I am doing this for myself.  It gives me something to look forward to during my day, and sharing good things makes me happy.  Leave it alone, it gives me the opportunity to practice my English.  Webster has become my best buddy.

Until the next experience,

Your Happy Contessa

“If we keep waiting for just the right time to begin something, we may never begin anything.  Let’s begin where we are right now, with what we have and what we are.”  Me,  from some books I have read along my journey.

 

I kind of live in a very special bubble.  I like it that way.  I didn’t used to be that way.  I used to have a need to be informed, know whatever was going on in the world.  This need to know.  Didn’t like to be in the dark. 

The picture above is moi on my first and most precious happy birthday, because I thrived on just giggling, smiling and plain being happy.  I was oblivious of what was going on in the world and it seems that I was very content being that way.  Look at my happy smile. 

But as I said before, change is good, remember?  After millions of changes in my thinking, physical arrangements, and lots of happy birthdays, I was caught by  surprise when today while talking to one of my friends in Florida, she asked me if I knew the latest.  I said, what about.  She went on to tell me.  I said, no I very seldom watch the news anymore, I just flip through the main networks and listen to the headlines, and if the world seems to be just as I left it the last time I checked, I move on to watch my recorded favorite soaps.  I have created this universe where my soaps are more fascinating, interesting and informative (full of eastern wisdom).  Also, they make me laugh.  I feel so much better when I laugh so much that tears cloud my sight.  That’s a good laugh.  It is the only exercise my internal organs get to do, because when I laugh, my insides move along.  Neat.

I told my friend about me and my ignorant universe, and then thought to self, hey, that’s not a bad title for a posting.   Here I am developing a whole essay about ignorance.  On the other hand, later on while having a conversation with one of my sisters, I told her that knowledge and information are empowering.  Have I been talking through both sides of my mouth?  Ignorance vs knowledge.  Serious matter.  But being the smart cookie that I am, I decided after these two very challenging  conversations that I was going to select the best of both.  I am going to play ignorant when it is to my advantage (sounds like something Ron would do) and play mighty knowledgeable when I needed that card.  Do they call that poker face?  What is a poker’s face anyways?  I think you need dark sunglasses for that, right.  I already have quite a supply in my house.  They protect you from showing the very big bags under your eyes.  Have quite a good number of them.

As far as I am not hurting anyone, and I don’t think I am, I am going to try to go back and analyze what kind of dynamic was going on in my mind when I was a little girl, and try to go back being that way.  I am reversing the aging process.  No professionals involved.  I am going to pretend I am just starting to dream big dreams, and to think I can conquer my oyster.  Sounds to me pretty exciting and gives me lots of hope to continue making my dreams come true.

How about you?  I’ll call it the “Pretend Game.”  Let me pretend I can accomplish anything I set out to do.  And do it.

I need to get going.

Your Happy Contessa

“I’ll think of it all tomorrow, at Tara.  After all , tomorrow is another day.”  Scarlett O’Hara – Gone with the Wind.

It is the journey…not the destination…Right.  I had all these plans for today (remember that most of my postings are written the afternoon or evening before).  Beautiful weather, good disposition, going to the Mall in Raleigh, hoping to find good opportunities to look good in new outfits paying very little, etc.  You get the picture.  Then after dealing with the little tick tocker, decided it was time to get ready and ready I got. 

Then suddenly…the mood totally changed.  Drive all the way to Raleigh?  Not so appealing, going to the outlet mall…what did I really need?  Nothing.  So there was I all ready to go, looking really cool, no socks for the first time in months, my jean jacket, hair looking at its best, … and out of necessity I ended up going to my favorite hangout.  The big-box-looking store that does not need to be named.  Just look at the picture.  If Martians were to land anywhere USA,  talk about confusion.  All of them look the same anywhere you go.  Is that a good or not so good thing.  Leave it to the experts in Marketing.  What we don’t know that they know.  We have become like little robots, we don’t even notice architectural or pleasant to look at buildings.  Because there are non-existent.  They feed us visually the same manure.  Thinking about it, boxes-looking buildings are in.  I guess it is a thing of being cost conscious for them and for us.  Our made-in-Asia goods can be had for a song and a half,  because realistically, that’s what we can afford.  I am for inexpensive stuff also.

So my all grandiose plans ended up at the big W.  Nothing to complain about, but I felt like I had a date, and then it was cancelled.  A good thing came out of my shopping experience.  I bought a magazine that is supposed to tell me how finally I am going to get what I want, how I want it and when I want it.  Magic.  This magazine was placed on top of about twenty others pending to be read, and a funny thing, all of them promise the same thing.

We are such a gullible society.  But as one of my favorite sayings goes, “it is what it is.”

With this startling renewed and improved wisdom, I will be in touch with y’all next Monday.

Hasta pronto,  and make sure you do have a very lovely and happy weekend.

Your Happy Contessa

Depressed…this is a word that has been recently annoying the heck out of me.  We use it so lightly.  When we don’t have a valid reason for anything…there it goes…”I am depressed.”

Ok.  Let me go first go ahead and list some things we SHOULD NOT DO  when we are feeling not so groovy…

• Get on the weight scale.  Depression is a heavy burden, around five to 10 pounds extra.
• Look at yourself on a full length mirror.  Depression will only increase.
• Go shopping for skinny jeans.  They definitely won’t fit.
• Eat donuts or greasy stuff.  They have a tendency to hold on to depression for longer periods of time.  Forget about ice cream.
• Call someone who usually has a little black cloud on top of their aura.  Their aura is most of the time gray to black.

Open the fridge, when you are still feeling full with stuff you just ate ten minutes ago.

Look at your face and hair roots with a magnifying 10x power mirror.  It only gets uglier.  Notice mine is a very small one.  The less I see, the better I feel.

• Look at your hands if you haven’t put on lotion.  Mine look as if I am 100 years old.
• Look too closely at your husband’s face.  You will notice you are starting to look like him.  Sorry guys.  This one I’ll leave for y’all to interpret.  Do not want to get in trouble.

All in all, do not feel bad about being blue, depressed, unmotivated or whatever other labels we can come up with.  Enjoy this condition while it lasts, and because we are feeling so like doing nothing, just go and open that fridge again, take out some cake, ice cream and have a lot of it.  After doing that, you will really feel a notch higher of depression, so the first level of depression would not feel that bad after all.  Hope you do have a sense of humor.

That was good.  I feel somewhat better now.  Move on to next episode of…depression or not.  I think being with “la depre” is part of living, especially when we enter the zone of wanting life to be more and more and more.  Most of the time I carry my “depre” with me wherever I go, and say to myself, “tough, it is what it is,” and carry on.

Cheers,

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  I do not want to minimize the genuine condition of depression.  If that’s the case, do whatever you think is necessary to be able to function in your universe.

 P.S. #2 – Totally unrelated fact I just learned recently.  Let me share.  The Prime Meridian, or Longitude O (zero) is the north-south line from which every place on Earth is measured in terms of its distance west or east.  It is actually a brass line that runs through a courtyard at the Royal Observatory in London.  The Prime Meridian is the world’s timing lodestone, the source of Greenwich Mean Time (GMT) from which all time zones are calculated.  This information I am quoting from an article in my local newspaper by Kristin Jackson of the Seattle Times.  Credits just in case.   I find it fascinating to learn things I wasn’t aware of before. 

 Come to think of it, learning is a good way to combat “la depre.”

Meet the ladies at my dental spa.  Really, you must be thinking I am nuts, but honestly when I go for my dental visit, that’s exactly how I feel.   I feel like having a spa experience.  They have such good karma there.  Always checking if you are doing ok and working around you so then you feel as if you are having a dental spa experience.  No, they haven’t paid me for this endorsement.  I am doing this because I remember that when I was a little girl (so so many moons ago) going to the dentist was like being taken to the executioner.  First, the dentist was a male, probably thinking that he was God’s gift to the world and he could do whatever he wanted in my mouth, and if you moved a nano-inch, or dared to complain that you were hurting, well, that was too bad.  You would end up with a broken tooth and running out of the door.  It happened to me once.  Before I met these ladies, my heart would skip beats and hands would get sweaty whenever I thought of going to the dentist.  That’s why I think these ladies are so awesome.  Oh yes, I forgot.  My ADD showing up today.  Their names are:  Left to right Kathy, Megan, Dr. Zombek, and Joan.  They are so gracious and listen to all my blabbing.  Have you noticed how much I like to blab.  But they are very considerate and just listen to me.  I introduced them to my blog.  Hope they like what they are hopefully reading.

They are very generous too.  They send you home with a bag of goodies, ie., toothbrush, dental floss, and toothpaste, so you don’t have any excuses the next time they see you,  for having bad teeth.  The goodies are given when you go for your maintenance check ups, and I guess for good behavior.  I am just kidding.  You walk out of there feeling very good about yourself and grateful you found this group of ladies to undertake such a difficult maintenance.  I owe it to them my now beautiful smile.  I am sure you are thinking that I am being so nice and expect something in return.  Nope.  They are nice to go to.  I am the one who feels sorry for them.  Having to deal with my teeth. 

Ok, enough of my mouth and its population already.

SURROUND YOURSELF WITH THINGS YOU LOVE…

Coming back from the spa, when I opened my house door, I noticed that I really like my living quarters.  It reminded me of a book I read that stated somehow, that if someone came to your home that didn’t know you at all, what they saw, it was going to be the impression they would have of you.  Our surroundings define us.  I remember when Jacqueline Kennedy was dying in a hospital bed, she asked to be taken back to her home.  She wanted to die surrounded by her books, her family, friends and her favorite things.  I love my home and feel very grateful and blessed to be able to have such a comforting and inspiring place. 

To my dear absent muses, if you don’t hurry up and come back North, you may find yourselves without a job.  What’s going to be?

Hope you enjoy my posting and go and get yourself a spa.  You’re worth it and so are your teeth.

Chao,

Your Happy Contessa

 P.S.  From my soap “India” – “Many things have happened in our lives, but what really matters is what is happening now.”  Raj (the extremely handsome Indian) to his gorgeous Indian wife Maya.  Both of them had relationships before their marriage and are building their own love story now.  This quote can be applied to different gamut in our own lives.

As far as I can remember, I have always been a control freak.    So I was surprised at my reaction this morning when I was taking my daily doses of my sunny sun, reading a book at the same time on being efficient and being busy doing the things you want to accomplish, because as this guy says, “if you keep on doing the things you always do, guess what, you are going to get the same results.”  I had been exposed to that concept earlier in my life, but this time when I looked up to the sky to ponder again on that one, my eyes caught a glance of the little tick tocker that I always use to keep me abreast of how much time is passing through my day.  The sound of the tick tock this time did not go unnoticed.  I thought “here I am reading a book on efficiency and other good-for-me stuff, and this little beast is trying to tell me to get off my derriere and get going with the things I need to do today.”  Believe or not, I got up, put everything back on its place, including the tocker and headed downstairs to get going.  Such a small apparatus was able to control such a big me.

I looked at my list of the things I wanted to accomplish for February, and at the top of the list was the forever famous crooked quilt.  As you can see, I have made some progress and there is a batting being placed.  I had to do more trimming today, on the quilt and the batting, and I have been thinking that if I keep this up, by the time the quilt is finished, probably it will be a quilted handkerchief.  Horror!  Cancel, cancel, cancel that thought!  Later, after the constant trimming, I proceeded to iron two sheets I had purchased to put on the back side.  As the process started…

I found out that the ladies behind the manufacturing of these sheets believe in the same principle that I do.  Crooked system rules!  I took a picture of the label to show where these sheets came from, but later decided that I don’t want to receive visits in the middle of the night by some Asian cartel.  So here I have a crooked quilt, crooked by now batting and crooked back sheets.  It is becoming an awesome unique crooked piece of heirloom unforgettable quilt.  What else is new in my life.  Maybe I am sort of crooked put together individual.  You would tell me if you thought I was not exactly conforming to the evenness of a good level.  Would you?

Even this posting needs some trimming already.  Unfortunately I haven’t figured out yet how to crop things at WordPress.

The piece of wisdom today I think is…Get off my backside and get moving in a different direction if things are going to get done and are going to change.  Remember, change is good.

Hope today is an uncrooked sort of day,  and Lord please give me the strength to deal with my tiny tick tocker.  Give me a break!   Oops!  Forgot, the dentist.  Have to go and open my mouth very wide today.

Sayonara!

Your Happy Contessa

I learned something new!!!  Yeah!!!  Did you noticed there is a title under the picture?  One more for the neurons to remember.  Oh yes, this is supposed to be about my hair (didn’t I write something that had to do with it already?).  One more won’t hurt, while the muses are away. 

I went for a driveabout to take my ever rebellious hair for a change of color, to see if its attitude would change also.  Keeping my fingers crossed.  Went to see Miss Misty at the shop…

Miss Misty is such a delightful young lady.  She patiently listened to my babbling during the whole process.  I love to converse with anyone around me.  Now I understand Ron.  He would talk to anyone, anywhere we went.   

 Sorry Misty, I had to crop myself out of the picture, bags under my eyes were growing and expanding as the seconds went by.  Signs of the process of having had too many happy birthdays.

Why do humans color our hair?  I’ll tell you at least why I do it.  If you would see how I look with gray hair, you would literally run away.  I look like the great-great grandmother I don’t have.  That’s why I particularly do it.  Not a pleasant sight on the mirror, even in the dark.  Most men look kind of attractive with gray hair, I look like the scary lady from some dark lagoon story.

As you have noticed, modesty is not a forte of mine.  I have to give compliments to self, because the spirits around me do not yet know how to express themselves in the slow human language.  Did you notice the sunglasses?  To cover the you know what.  I like the darker tone of hair color.  Maybe the hair will be more subdued.  Hope.  Hey Milagros, I am learning how to take pictures of myself.  Always learning.

Usually in my postings, there is some valuable message hidden, in this one I am still searching for that moment of enlightenment.  I guess during this sugary sweet day (afternoon of St. Valentine’s) that moment is not going to happen.

Sorry.   You will just have to put up today with an episode of my unruly,  now darker than ever hair.  It could have been worse.  I could have had returned from the shop without any hair at all, and nothing to post about.  Not too bad of a comeback.

Angels in my neighborhood…

The way it looked when my angels delivered it…

Their names are Miss Kim and her delightful and ever so pretty daughters Little Miss Hannah and Little Miss Loran.  Around 5 pm today (Valentine’s Day) I heard my door bell ring.  I opened the door, and guess what.  My real tangible Valentine’s for the day.  A red velvet cake with pink frosting.  Is life full of blessings and with lots of angels around us.  This lovely family has adopted me since Ron went back home.  They have always been there for me in significant days, such as today.  As of this moment of typing half of the cake is gone!  Very delicious, homemade too.  Thank you Lord for allowing some of your angels to populate our planet and make a difference in people’s (like me) lives.

With a moment of gratitude and a very full stomach, I must admit this Valentine’s Day has not been that bad at all.

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  “Love is never absent or too far away from us all.”   Me

“Learn to love yourself first so you can feel what is to be loved, and then you can proceed to love those around you.  If you don’t know how it feels to be loved, how are you going to be able to feel what is to love others.”  Noury

A movie line comes to mind …”you complete me”…  You better be complete before entering into any kind of relationship.  If you expect this “right” person to complete you, and then this person leaves you to complete somebody else,  you are left hanging in there semi-complete.  Come on!

This Valentine’s is not going the way I envisioned it.  Sounds kind of strong.  Doesn’t it?  But this is the way I feel.  Even with friends, you have to be a content with yourself person before you even try to make friends.  So it is with family.  We don’t have the power to make anyone happy;  or anyone’s attitude towards us should have the power to ring the bell of happiness.  That is delegating too much power to others, or thinking that we are God.

Let me put on my sweet St. Valentine’s hat.  The above card was made by my daughter for me when she was around seven or eight.  I treasure this card.  When I had the bookstore, I placed it on the window for everyone to see during the whole month of February.  It was the effort behind making the card and thinking what to write on it that is so meaningful.  She even put some roses inside it.  Thank you my dearest Milagros.

I wish every one of you a happy day and go and get yourself something that brings a smile to your face (ie., 72% cocoa chocolate bar) and some fresh flowers if that makes your heart swell with joy.  I am getting my hair colored by a professional, because I hope that will make me happy.  Hummmm…..The after-the coloring episode at a later posting.

My warmest love goes to a precious little girl who was born this past Saturday at 27 weeks.  I pray that she and her parents feel so much love for this precious gift to have each other.  My best wishes for the three of them.

I will like to close this posting with a grateful heart for having each and all of you that somehow have touched my life. 

Namaste.

The Spirit in Me salutes and honors the Spirit in You.

Your Happy Contessa