Tuesday, November 11, 2008

I am very impressed with myself - I FINALLY got the house all cleaned up after being vacant for two months - and in the process I even managed to part with 'treasures' that I no longer use - this is a very impressive feat as I am known to be a bit of a pack rat. Must admit that having to dejunk when I left Canada certainly makes it easier to get rid of superfluous 'stuff' - leaves room for things that I need and use. Even cleaned the microwave and toaster oven - toaster oven looks like it is new. Actually need to clean the stove/oven - sigh - never ending this business of cleaning house - but at least the bulk of the cleaning is done and now I just have the 'normal' accumulation to deal with.

Today I went out and got a few things at the produce market - got some bananas, grapes, lettuce (thank goodness it is lettuce season - soon there will be lots of romaine lettuce and the head lettuce will be great as well), tomatoes and cucumbers - the latter two are staples in an Egyptian home - as they regularly have a salad with tomatoes and cucumbers. Even got busy and made a salad - so now there is salad in the fridge - no excuse not to eat it - I always have good intentions and then the thought of making a salad just does me in - it is such a chore - not really- but do find it tough to 'cook' for one person - hope to work on that aspect of being on my own - I know I need to eat better - but it is so easy not to.

Today after the produce market I took Sharon to the post office - she had received an 'official' notice that she had something to pick up - a handwritten note on a piece of recycled paper - think all it said was her name - of course it was all in Arabic - she uses my home address as her place does not have a street name - let alone an address.

Looked like it was going to rain in the morning - black clouds gathering on the sea and coming inland - we got a few drops - but nothing that amounted to anything - so I was a good suzy homemaker and watered the garden - managed to get rid of two ant colonies in the process - now I need to restock on the Raid - although I am tempted to go with the corn meal -although I have yet to find any of what I would call corn meal - what they call corn meal is very fine - almost like flour - but should give it a try - a lot less costly than the Raid.

Last night went with Suzanne and visited Mom - Gehan was also visiting so it was nice - got to kill two birds with one stone. Gehan will be getting ready to head to Mecca for Hajj - I think she leaves in a week to ten days - she is very blessed - earlier in the summer she headed to Mecca for Omrah - a mini hajj - same procedures/routine - but not as 'important' as doing Hajj. She entered the lottery and won - so she and her husband are able to go at a subsidized rate - both of them can go for what it would normally cost one to go. Would be nice to be able to go over for a visit before they leave - but I doubt that will happen as there is no way I will go on my own. You have to visit in the evening and I refuse to drive at night in this city - parking is a disaster and driving is bad enough during the day - but even worse at night. Very few people drive with their headlights on - so ....

Yesterday Sharon and I went to AWA - was kind of nice to go - but expensive - had to pay my membership - 50 LE as well as the weekly fee of 15 LE and then paid for my ticket to head to Cairo on the 14th of December to take in the Maadi Women's Guild 2008 Christmas Bazaar - looking forward to the break - but will not really be able to enjoy it as I will not have any money to spend - but such is life.

Anyhoo - that is my big news for the week - not much to report.

3 comments:

Lynn said...

YAY! Don't you just love it when lot's of things come together? I bet it feels good to be home and getting things done. I completely forgot that it was an entire 2 months that you were gone. IT didn't seem like that long while you were here.

Hope you find some corn meal! IT really does work!

Susan said...

Oh, I do love the Christmas Bizarre at CAC. Can't wait to see photos of all your purchases. Today I am carrying to rag-rug bags that I bought at the xmas bizarre 6 years ago! I was even stopped in a gym in Seattle about those same bags. Apparently this woman had volunteered in Moqattam years ago teaching English to the women who make the rag rugs and rag rug bags. Indeed, the world is really quite small.

on the edge said...

I had a wild hair the other day and ended up cleaning the whole house too ! Scared the you know what outta me , lol ! I must be ill ! I tired that corn meal , which by the way, I use Italian polenta instead of that corn flour that they call meal here .I had to literally put the corn meal in the ants direct path , where they had to stomp through the stuff , make sure every thing else they might want to eat was gone , BEFORE they finally took the bait .I had filled one little dimi tasse cup with the stuff . They took all that and then another saucer full before they stopped coming ... in that spot .