Noury's Creative World…

What do these three images have in common?  They are driving me out of my comfort zone too early in the morning.  Oh, before I forget, my lovely dentist did some x-ray (got zapped for the 4th time in a week) and found out nothing is wrong with my so much altered dental system.  You should have seen the x-rays.  I looked like a creature from outer space.  Thanks to the suggestions of a good friend, I did not have any problem driving in ice mixed with rain conditions.  Roads were pretty decent.  And some pills are helping to ease the pain.  Something looks swollen there.  I am dragging the pain with me to continue with my life.

Let’s go back to the three images above.  Oatmeal, I am deep breathing as I think about eating this good for me stuff again this morning.  Then I remember that my mother suggested I add vanilla extract to it and then she said, it makes it taste a little like vanilla ice cream.  ?  I have to admit, it makes it taste better.  So I’ll postpone the oatmeal issue until after the beginning of the year.  One down, two to go.

Christmas greeting cards…why am I having such a difficult time doing that?  I guess I miss Ron’s assistance and I don’t have him to share the complaining as to why we have to do that.  Sorry, but it is the truth.  If I do five a day, I should be finished in a few days, but even that train of thought is not working right now.  Maybe I’ll send them after the first of the year.  Two down, one to go.

Ads…so many and so little money to spend.  Do you think the people who love you will be understanding if you just say “Merry Christmas” and “I love you very much.”  I am laughing right now because that thought will get a you know what reaction.  As they say “show me the money.”  Do you think I can postpone this until the first of the year?  Last one down.

I am back to square number one. 

As my good faithful oatmeal is waiting for me, I leave the rest to your good Imagination Department.

Roads look good from inside the house, so I should do my before I leave the house chores, get ready and stretch  a bit my comfort zone.  My mind goes blank just thinking about walking into a store.  Am I alone with these feelings?

Au revoir,

Your Happy Contessa

A toothache…2 am…tried to psych myself that it was a product of my imagination…but the Imagination Department was a bit weak at that time of the morning.   Around 6:45 am, made coffee, got the newspaper from the frozen lawn and by 8:30 am had to call the dentist.  Brave ladies they are.  They were at the office.  Good or bad?  I thought.  After some back and forth conversations, the dentist will see me today at 12:30.  I don’t have an ice remover, so a wooden spatula will have to do.  You can imagine how I feel about having to drive with this kind of weather.  But the toothache is more powerful than any fear.  Remember, it is those creatures that adapt to change that will survive.  Today the rubber meets the road.  Literally.

Oatmeal is waiting for me downstairs.  I am getting a bit tired of this good for you breakfast.  Have to find a substitute for another healthy one. 

Too much going on at the same time.  Can my limited mind handle all of this?  Now my daring self is saying “Bring it on.”  Yes, I can handle it all.  Wow!

All of a sudden the oatmeal doesn’t taste that bad.  Yes, I am eating as I type.  Told you.  I can handle anything.  I am impressed with my other daring self.

In case I did not mention it, it is bloody cold inside and outside the house.  If I turn on the heater more than 70 degrees, the static is out of this world.  Just as I was turning on the computer, I got a second degree of electric shock.  No wonder the little circle was kind of wimpy today.

Well, here you have it.  Toothache and all I am moving on.

Carrying all my woes,

Your Happy Contessa

Well, where should I start.  Had a meaningful visit with my mother and brother in South Florida, where had to wear a hat to go to bed (the draft coming through the windows was just incredible).  Celebrated her 85th birthday, where she entertained us with her singing old songs,  and in her own ways she let us know she was still in charge.  That’s my mama on the left and my brother Rafi on the right.  Obvious, but wanted to make sure you knew who is who.

We went to the giant Wally World everyday.  I almost lost it on the last visit.  So many people!  Couldn’t do much anything else, as it was a bit chilly for the writer and mama and Rafi.  To wrap this one up, it was a good visit and I hope next time I’ll be living a bit closer.  Oh, I forgot to mention in case you are wondering…the patting at the security check didn’t materialize.  X-raying my internal organs was more than enough for them.  I did not eat anything before I left for the airport so I wouldn’t expose anyone to decaying material.  How thoughtful of me.  And also a sprinkle of sarcasm.  It was kind of sad to see what has become of us as a society.  I read the following once -“It is not the strongest or smartest of the species that survives, but only those that accept change.”  I am for survival.  Let the process continue.

My friends, I am back like the spy that came from the cold, have to do some shopping and focus on my next adventure on Amtrak next week.  I am going to the city where we have the largest conglomerate of greed and egos, all mixed up together to look down at us and decide our fate.  Yes siree, I am off to Washington D.C. next week.  I love that city.  So much culture, diversity and restaurants from almost every place in the world.  My favorite, Indian cuisine.

Having had breakfast (oatmeal), having paid some bills, I must get ready to face the tundra outside and get on with the business of my day.

I missed you all and glad to be back.  Thanks Raylene for taking me to the airport and getting me back home safe.  I appreciate you very much.

Your Happy Contessa

I am going South to be with my mother for her 85th Birthday! 

My mother, as all mothers are, is a very special person.  I wouldn’t have thought that whenever she was chasing me and my sisters with a broom in her hands and my grandmother will be asking “who is she killing today?”

Her life is full of drama and traumas.  Just like yours and mine.  So it makes her a normal inhabitant of planet Earth.  I inherited from her the spirit of giving.  You couldn’t pay her a compliment on anything because before you knew it, there she was giving it to you.  She did her good deeds without any advertising and my father always had an open account at the hardware store and the “mercaditos” (small grocery stores) because she was always fixing someone’s house and sending bags full of groceries to a particular person or family.

We always had eggs and chickens to eat, because that’s how the people from the country will come to visit her and try to return favors she would have done for them some time ago.  One of them, I remember vividly, wanted to give me a chicken because I was the oldest daughter and visiting home (I used to live in the Virgin Islands at that time) and she wanted to honor me.  I looked at mama with horror  painted on my face, and she took the chicken herself so the lady would not feel bad.  I just smiled and gave the lady a big hug.

Every Saturday there will be a line of people waiting for my mother to give them food and some money.  “Los limosneros” (beggars), as they were known, were some of my mother’s favorite people.  She was not a socialite, because she came from a very humble background, and kept to herself, but her heart was and still is very giving.

I know all of us, or most of us, have, had or will have issues with our mothers, but as a mother that I am now, I totally understand why. 

My daughter gave me a sweatshirt for Christmas when she was around seven or eight and she painted the phrase “I am the Mom, that’s why” on the shirt.  I still have it and will treasure it forever.

I honor my “mama” and all mothers,  because we have been given this unique opportunity to know what real pain and real love is.

Mama, Feliz Cumpleanos, Happy Birthday and Bon Anniversaire.  Te quiero mucho.  I love you very much and thank you for being my mama.

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  Due to the fact that there is no cable or internet connection where I am going, I will be absent for a few days.  I should return early next week.  Thank You!

This is the most expensive piece of equipment I have ever purchased in my life.  I had to buy the house to get it.  So today it has become the handiest one ever.  No batteries or electricity needed.  Just legs and the will to go up, down, up, down.  I figure that because my walking partner and I decided not to walk outside today (the wind puts the temperature in the 20’s),  I had to be creative.

Last night, before falling asleep, I figured that if I go up and down twice every fifteen minutes, that should help me to avoid getting my derriere grow sideways and to a larger size.  Even though God knows I could use some help in that department.  But let’s keep it at that for the moment.

The things one has to do to keep alert, alive and motivated.  Otherwise, I could jump in my car right now and hit I-95 South as fast as I could.  But the reasonable thing to do at this moment is just be still and keep warm.  I have to venture out today, to mail Christmas greetings, pay my water bill (today is the last day before I pay a penalty) and get some food.  The chicken soup is long gone, and oatmeal for breakfast and dinner is getting old.

There you have a glimpse on one cold day of my life.  But, I am grateful that I am still around for whatever reasons I need to be.

Have a sunny and warm day.

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  I learned how to do spell check!  It was killing me every time I spotted a typo.  Let’s hope it gets better.  Even though the principle of GIGO still applies.

Went for the daily walk with my walking buddy, even though it was high 20’s when I last looked on television.  I thought, are my lungs and brain going to be able to cope with this shock to my system or am I creating my demise before my time is up?  Stay with me.  The darling muse of the creative thoughts is just peeking through the door.  She is not too coopertive this morning.  Maybe didn’t like the weather.

To blog or not to…that is the question.  Here we go.

Life is like a classroom, you decide at what grade you are going to get stuck (like I am right now with the uncooperative muse) or if you want to make it to the next grade level.  If we keep repeating the same mistakes, the teacher is not going to promote you and there you are over and over again.  Your friends have moved to the next grade level, and there you are with the donkey hat, without realizing that it depends on you to move on in life.  You should hear my laughter right now.  Something is ringing a bell in my head.  What mistakes should I focus on, that one or the other one.  So many mistakes and so little time to analyze.  Well, I will just drag my mistakes with me and pretend they belong to somebody else.

The bottom line of this lesson,  cannot think the proper word for this case, you know when you read a story and the principle you are supposed to grab after you finish reading is the….moral, that’s it.  Had to think in spanish and then the brain translated to english, but had to check Webster first.  My best buddy right now.  Oh, yes, let me continue with my evasive thought.  So the moral of the story is you cannot be a new you thinking and holding on to the way you used to think and do.  New way or thought, new you.  Easier said than done, especially after many many happy birthdays. 

Wow, today’s posting really drained me out.  I have to re-read this one to see if I get it.  Let’s hope tomorrw the other muse is more cooperative than this one.

Your Happy Contessa

Dashing thru the snow…in a black wheel carried sleigh…all the fun ?  This is something totally unexpected by me.  Snow now?  I got so, I mean, in a state of shock that all I could think was…I don’t know. 

For the first time ever, my nerves got me to cook homemade chicken soup with beans, real beans, I mean, hard beans that had to be cooked for two hours.  I took onion, garlic (you should smell the house) and a big pot, put olive oil, added the stinking onion and garlic, chicken, celery, carrots, beans, a bit of salt, pepper and Mrs. Dash.  No way this house is going to sell tomorrow with all these odors.

After two hours of watching the beautiful snow fall, and taking some pictures for all of  you to appreciate from far away, it was time to taste the famous potion and all the stuff in it.  Well, well, well, not too bad I thought.  So maybe I can cook after all.  All I need is some premature snow fall to motivate me. 

Had dates for dessert (needed something sweet to wash down all the good tasting stuff) and watched the end of the Duke (BB) game.  Life doesn’t feel that bad right now.

The above part was drafted last night, while the excitment was going on.  Now it is sunny, snow melting, and house smells somewhat decent.

Hope you have a good, good day.

Your Happy Contessa

Yesterday I went to do some shopping for gift giving.  What I didn’t realize at the moment when I got in my car, was that my super ego, with her super red hair got in the back seat also.  She couldn’t wait to get to the store.  But I was oblivious of what was going on.

I walked into the store and went straight to the items I had in mind for a relative, but my peripheral vision caught a sight of a beautiful white sweater that my super ego thought I would look just classic and great in it.  No trying it I thought.  It looks just like me.  With the best intention of continuing with my mission, that it was about others, not about me,  I took one item that was on the list for a relative, but ego decided that I needed one just like it too.  Why to fight the feeling, I thought.   Moving along, I saw the section of the skinny jeans.  I thought, I think I need one in dark blue.  After trying three or four pairs, decided on one that was just perfect for my next trip to Hialeah to visit my mother.  Continuing on the search of a gift for another relative, my red haired ego saw in the Boys Department, a beautiful red sweater that looked that it belonged with those jeans.  I can fit in some of the unisex sweaters in that department.  They are cheaper too than the same designer’s sweaters  in the Women’s Department.  Grabbed that gorgeous red sweater and then became a little anxious because I only had one item in the basket from the intended list of shopping for others.

After finishing, well, not really, I had to leave the store, because I was getting tired of trying things for self, and not focussing on the real purpose of the trip.

Came home and went straight to try the sweaters with the jeans.  I don’t know what happened.  The super red haired ego I think stayed in the store, and I just looked like a sack of old potatoes with shoes on and a wig on top.  Was it the lighting?  Did my stomach went through an increase in size in just a brief moment?  Where was the moronic red haired ego?  I couldn’t believe the difference!  Words cannot describe what went through my mind when I was looking at myself in the mirror.  Who was that?  Where were the goddesses of beauty, good looks and charm.  They went back to their mythological country I think.

Needless to say, I felt as if someone had given me a beating.  Calmly I folded the three items, put them back in the bag and took them away from my sight, so I could analyze the situation.

Today, as fast as I could, I returned the items, but of course, on the way out, managed to get two additional items for my super inflated ego that was waiting for me in the store.

This is the end of this particular odyssey, and there are many more to come, because as you will realize, I only got one item from the list for my relatives.

Ohhhhhh…the blessings and whatever else of the season.

Your Happy Contessa

Books have been an integral part of my life.  I don’t remember reading much during my childhood, only the classics for school and Vogue magazine in Spanish.  That one I loved.  That’s how Paris became my dream, from the time I was fifteen.  It took me 46 years to accomplish that one, and  I celebrated my 61st birthday, along with my lovely daughter at Le Grand Colbert in Paris, France.  Staff was just delightful.

Let’s go back to the books.  As you have noticed, I have a tendency to deviate from the subject matter.  ADD?  Always had a suspiction I was one of those.  No problem.  I think most of us have that characteristic.  Now, don’t anyone be offended.  Everybody has something.  If it isn’t one thing, it is another.  You see, again, I am leaving my focussed point.

Books have been my best friends and advisors when I have been faced with some big impact situations.  What I like about books is that you are gaining somebody’s else experience without having to go through it, most of the time.  Also, they open the door to so much knowledge, that according to one of the characters of my favorite soap, “India,” that’s the only thing that cannot be taken away from you.  Almighty knowledge.

Books accommodate everyone.  There’s a book for each personality, trait, style, and mood.  You cannot help it but love them.

I think the best feature the United States of America has is its library system.  In the country where I was born, still to this day, you cannot take books out of the library, if there is any in your town.  In the 1940’s when I was born, in my hometown there was not a library then.  I grew up under a dictatorship, and he subscribed to the mushroom theory.  Keep them in the dark, feed them **  and watch them grow.   A library is the most important place in any town, USA.   I cannot imagine my life without that fringe benefit.

Love used book sales.  I would leave my house at midnight (when I used to live in Florida) to get in line for one of best used book sales in the South.  Gainesville.  By 9 am, when they would open the doors, I felt kind of tired and in a zombie zone, but the rush of adrenaline was incredible.  I forgot to mention, my belated husband and I used to have the cutest and best antiquarian bookshop in Florida, I think.  It was located in Mt. Dora.  He didn’t like the use of the word cute.  He was kind of a serious bookseller.  He enjoyed every second of that phase in our lives.

Honoring books, libraries, bookstores, and used book sales, I remain,

Your Happy Contessa

Yesterday, when I was paying my almost daily tribute (visit) to my favorite big rectangular box looking giant, I passed by the canned goods section and my local Food Pantry place came into mind.  I remembered when  Ron and I used to take supplies to them once in a while, but I have not been back since Ron converted into beautiful energy.

It helped that the goods were on sale, so I picked my favorites, corn and peas.  Then went to the breakfast aisle and got these mixes for pancakes.  No contribution to obesity on my account.  No sweet stuff that is not good for anyone or for their teeth.  Remember, I just finished paying my contribution to my favorite dentist, so I know how painful it is to depart with your dinero.

Anyways, let me not get carried away here.   I know for sure that all of us are good stewards, but sometimes picking a few canned goods and whatever else comes to your mind, will make a big difference in the lives of people that are right now facing a challenging situation.  Today it is them, tomorrow, it could be me.  Who knows.

You should have seen the line when I went to deliver the goodies.  I returned to my car and cried and pondered about those people’s lives.  Let’s share the blessings.

Your Happy Contessa

P.S.  I know your mind.  Pancake mix?  It was the best next thing, compared to the sugar coated stuff.  Cereal?  Sometimes there is no milk available, and pancake can be dinner.  Try putting some of the corn in the mix.  Very versatile.  I was full of good intentions.  Believe me.