Happy Thanksgiving

I has to be Thursday if it is Thanksgiving! It's amazing how I have a hard time keeping track of what day it is. When Jim goes to work on Sunday, my brain still says that it is Monday. I understand that other people here have the same problem. I'm glad it's not just me.

A lot of stuff has happened since my last post.

-The inside of the house got painted. Now it does not look like a hospital anymore.

-I finally convinced the maintenance staff to clean the floors, after several attempts. I had to get to the Manager for 9 Pearls. I explained to him that my floors did not look like the office floors. I asked him Why? The floors got done the next day. They did not rinse them very well, so I mopped them with clean water. Then, I applied a polish. I had my maid, Maria do the first coat of polish downstairs, and decided that it would be too much work to explain to her how I wanted it done. Therefore, I dismissed her for the day and did them myself. Maria is convinced that I have the cleanest house in 9 Pearls Compound. She is very sweet and calls me "madam", which is ok, but in about 4 hours she says it about 100 times! It drives me nuts. She is concerned about me because she thinks that I don't have anything to keep me busy. She thinks that I am very lonely. She will learn with time.

-Jim & I can put the house in order now.

-I can find my way to and from Shell without getting lost.

-I'm not sure that it is a good idea to take a Shell defensive driving class, only to walk out to my car and have a parking ticket attached to the window. People park there all the time! I am told that they randomly go around about every 3 months on one day and give parking tickets. How lucky can I get!

-I know how to get to the Sheraton parking lot where it is free to park when I go to Shell. There is a van that drives people back and forth. Now that would be a boring job!

-Driving here is really not so bad. The only difference between Houston and here is that there are roundabouts here and no major roundabouts in Houston. And they even have roundabouts with cameras! OOoooh!

-The locals don't make their children wear seat belts. I saw a woman driving the other day with her child in her lap! I have also seen children sitting on the dashboard. The police only enforce the rules when they feel like it.

-I had my Shell practical driving test yesterday. I gave the instructor only one mild heart attack, as we were in a roundabout and someone in the left lane wanted to exit the roundabout abruptly. In my opinion, he should have moved over a lane before he wanted to exit. Actually, if I had hit him, it would be my fault because the center lane is for going straight through. The inside lane is for making a left turn or U-turn. The outside lane is for turning right. The problem comes in when each driver does not follow the rules. That's why you have to be a very defensive driver, especially in a roundabout. The instructor said that I was a good driver and very comfortable behind the wheel of a car.

-The sunset now lasts about 10 minutes.

-It is quite an adventure to go to the fruit and vegetables market just before Eid al-Adha. I bought a bunch of cilantro and one of mint and it was about $1.

-Eid al-Adha starts today. Therefore, Jim has a week off of work. Yeah!!

-We are having Thanksgiving dinner Friday afternoon with a large group of neighbors.

-My garden is coming along nicely. I purchased a few more rose bushes and another bouganvilla at the flower & plant market.

-I went to a very big imported foods store. Most things I can do without, but it is nice to know that they are there if I want them. They even had Blue Bell ice cream! Most things are pretty pricey.

-I have not decided/bought a car yet. I am still driving Jim's Kia Sportage.

-I have managed to attract some birds to my feeder, but they do not know how to open a sunflower seed. They like the peanuts though!

Have a Happy Thanksgiving!





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