These young women made history!

As a nation we are used to becoming European Champions in Women's Volleyball but, Gymnastics? This is absolutely a first. 

I watched them with tears of joy. These young women made us so proud!

Soooo tired.... But proud!

Recently, I was being too lazy but finally, the mess and the dust bunnies got to me. Today, I decided to clean the rest of the apartment. I did well but still, there are things to do. 

I tried my new cordless vacuum and totally fell in love with it. It has handy accessories with which you can easily dust and get to small areas. 

I love my Dyson but it is bulky so, taking it out of the closet and out of it's box frequently is a chore. This new one is great for frequent use. 

After I dusted with the new vacuum, I went back to my Dyson; vacuumed and mopped the family room, vacuumed the entrance and the kitchen too but was too tired to mop them. That is for tomorrow. Oh and I managed to clean up the most messy bathroom cabinet too. There is still work to do in the bathroom but, I am gradually getting there. 

I put away some groceries which were being quarantined too. The coffee table  and the dinner table are neat and tidy, unnecessary stuff is put away.

Yesterday I was mad at myself because, I had spent the day mostly sitting. Today, I am proud of myself.

I also cooked dinner and there will be leftovers for tomorrow. 

Now I am ready to brew some tea, sit back, relax and watch my Star Trek: Discovery on Netflix. 

I would love to share a beautiful concert by the Oratorio Society of Queens. I am friends with 3 of the singers in that chorus. Enjoy!

Happy Thanksgiving!

Thanksgiving is my favorite US Holiday. Last Year I was in South Carolina celebrating with friends. I hope, I will be able to do that again in the future...

Wishing everyone Health and Happiness in this Holiday Season! 

Nice day, more fish!

Today, I decided to drag my big arse to the Swedish Market at IKEA and then to the seaside to walk. I am glad I did because, it was a very nice day. Isn't it hard to believe the below pictures are from a megacity with a 15+ million population. It is a very long promenade with a bike lane, many small cafes (all closed now due to Covid-19) basketball courts, playgrounds and simple outdoor exercise equipment. You can rent a bike at various stations.

I selected a part where there were just a few people and walked for about half an hour. If the weather is nice tomorrow, I will repeat it.

As you can see from the above picture, there were lots of seagulls and shags around the same spot. So, I guess there were a lot of fish there.

The islands are called the Prince Islands. They are very nice unless you go on weekends and on holidays. There are no cars except for Emergency and Service vehicles. There used to be horse driven carriages until this year but, now there are electric vehicles provided by the local government for a small fee. 

The ferry rides to the islands are pretty cool. You get to see the islands and the city from different perspectives. 

Then I went to the fish market right on the promenade and got two kinds of fish. I had bluefish (again) for dinner and I may try to make fish patties tomorrow, with the bonito I bought.

Having fish and a salad for dinner was both tasty and easy. 

After dinner my BFF who lives in the US and I watched another episode of Bosch on Amazon Prime Video. 

I should be going to bed but, I am not sleepy enough yet. Another night to struggle with sleep...

 

Grocery Shopping

Today, I went to an open market for veggies and fruit. I bought string beans, celery roots, a small cabbage, an avocado, tomatoes, cucumbers, peppers, tangerines, and two quinces.

Then I went to the grocery store and stocked up on meat. Ouch! That hurt. Meat is so expensive nowadays. Anyway, for at least two weeks if not more, I think I am all set.

Today's menu is Baked Bluefish and Carrot Salad. I shred the carrots and use lemon juice and olive oil for dressing. I also bought some real nice fresh bread too. Easy peasy and yummy!

I am getting sick of cleaning the kitchen, filling and emptying the dishwasher. When I was working there were only dinners I had at home and they were mostly takeout. I would cook over the weekend and the cleaning would be done in one day. I remember using the dishwasher once or twice a week. Nowadays, it is almost everyday.

However, I haven't forgotten the time when we had to actually wash the dishes so, I am never going to be ungrateful. When I was growing up, we did not have a dishwasher. They were too expensive and were not considered a necessity. After dinner, mom would soap the dishes and I would rinse them. It was a mother daughter bonding time. When I started working in the US, my apartment came with a dishwasher. This was in January 1990, when I was not even 23 yet. I fell in love with my diswasher and immediately decided to get one for mom. So, I sent money home to buy a dishwasher as a Mother's Day gift to my mom in May. Although she preferred personal gifts rather than household items, she loved it and appreciated it very much. 

Cranky

Today I feel cranky. No, I am cranky. Why is that?

Too bad, there isn't anyone to bug or deliver sarcastic remarks to. I would make a perfect Dowager Countess today. 

Oh well...

Distancing

Due to COVID-19, it has become essential to socially distance ourselves from others, pay attention to hygiene and wear masks when out and about. Clear rules. 

Although, it is difficult to stay away from friends and family, when push comes to shove, it must be done. It is not so hard to distance yourself from people especially if you live alone like I do. However, I find it hard to distance myself from my own brain. Negative thoughts surface so quickly and I feel depressed when I overthink and overanalyze things of the past that I can no longer change.

Recently to avoid myself, I started to watch the cheesy Hallmark Movies. Most of them are about Christmas. I love the decorations so, they are pleasant to look at but, they are all pretty girls, handsome guys, one minor misunderstanding, a big happy ending and oh! everything is so romantic! Yeah right... There is a saturation point with these movies too. So, only one per day, no more!

I am thinking exercise might also help so, I will come up with a routine which has some sort of variety because treadmill gets old fast. Walk Away The Pounds videos and some Yoga or Pilates may be? I dislike the floor exercises so, I found a few online Standing Pilates videos I would like to try.

Today I got up late as usual and before I ate and showered, I vacuumed the floors. I decided to treat myself to a brunch of crackers, avocado and smoked salmon with coffee. It was yummy.

Gotta go and put the dishes away before preparing dinner. I am thinking of deep cleaning and re-organizing my kitchen cabinets and drawers too. One of these days...

Friday the 13th

I remember being dragged to the first Friday the 13th movie by mom, way back when I was possibly at 8th or 9th grade. Yikes! I still do not like Horror Movies. She loved them. Thankfully, there are only three and a half hours for today to be over and no problems so far. Lol! 

Today I took a break from purging and took it easy. I even treated myself to sushi because, I had such a craving. I baked some veggies for later use, made a banana bread and cooked some other veggies. 

I have no idea why Banana Bread is called bread. To me, it is cake (like angel food cake, or pound cake) and I am gonna have a slice with tea in a few minutes.

I had been given a small butternut squash by an old friend. I finally baked that too. I think some of it will be going into some pancakes. Pancakes can be heated up in the toaster so, I am sure some will be frozen. Do not know what to make with the rest. Will see. May be I can make a double batch of pancakes? Any other ideas?

Hope everybody has a great weekend!

Pants and Jackets: Final Edition.... Tops? Coming Soon

Pheww! I'm done! I selected 6 pairs of pants, 1 Gray, 1 Black, 4 Navy. And no, none of the tailor-made ones made the list. I found that my shape and the fashion has changed considerably. If times were normal, if I was working full-time and intended to work for at least another 5 years, I would have taken about 5 of them for alterations. The fabrics were the best. But, hey, a challenge is a challenge right?

Here are the winners:

It was easy to select 4 jackets because there were only 7 to begin with. I have set aside a black jacket to go with the gray pants, a mustard colored jacket and a blue-gray jacket to go with the navy ones. One of the jackets is thick and can be worn in cooler days. I kept my beloved "pied de poule" jacket to go with the black pants.

The picture is not so great but, here it is:

Tops will be rather easy because I do not have a whole lot of them anymore. It will be a matter of selecting the ones to go with the selected pants and jackets. Now it is time to go wipe down the section of the closet to place my new work wardrobe. I wonder how much use they will get.

I was planning to go to the grocery store to get the bags and other things today but, I just did not feel like it. 

I will give away the hangers too. I usually put such things in a box in front of my apartment and put a sign that says they are free to take and they usually go real fast. In the past, I have given away some books and some knick-knacks that way. Wish we had garage sales here although, I understand they are a lot of work.

I have a pair of brand new skis and two tennis rackets I would like to sell. I never sold anything online before. I also have a very old pair of ski boots. I do not know if they can still be used. I will give them away for free along with the skis. 

I am just hoping that my motivation keeps going. There are a bunch of things that need to be taken care of. All the closets need to be re-organized. I hope, I will be able to do all this before the end of the year. 

My sleep problems have re-surfaced. I cannot go to sleep before 3-4 a.m. and I get up around noon time. Why my day is so upside down I do not know. Today, I tried to get up at 8, 8:30 and at 10:00 but, each time I turned off the alarm because I needed the sleep. I need to get more tired during the day so, I think I will try to exercise and keep physically more active during the day.

Who knew? Pants Edition: Part-II

Who knew that trying on 32 pairs (I found another one in hiding) would be a long and streneous exercise?

I admit I did not have to try all of them but, I had to try some of them twice to make up my mind. 

I cannot quiet remember who told me this but, good design is supposedly based on these three pillars: Form/Fit /Function. I would add Cost, Quality and Reliability to these but, I digress. I kept these in mind while making my selection and I kicked myself in the butt because of the ones I had to give away with tags still attached. 

When Evans and C&A decided to withdraw from Turkey, I remember running to the stores and buying many discounted pants and tops. I have worn all the tops and the money I have spent on them is OK. As for pants? Not so much.

I am a size. 18-20 US, 22-24 UK, 54 Turkish. I am tall (5'9"or 1.75cm or what is left of it after menopause), have a big butt and weirdly long legs. I always need to buy the Long versions of all pants or else, they look funny. 

As I was halfway through my exercise, one of my very very old friends called. Apparently, two of her neighbors had contact with COVID-19 positive people and now are waiting for their test results anxiously. When I told her what I was doing, she congratulated me and then told me today is a big sales event all over the country and that she had oredered some summer tops heavily discounted and urged me to look too. Gosh! I am trying to get rid of stuff! I laughed it off but of course, went online to look. Having worked for some textile companies as a consultant, I know their costs so, what seems to be a big discount is no discount at all. I shook my head and made myself a cup of coffee. Then I went back to work on my closet.

I must say I decided to call it a day, when my BFF called from the US to watch Bosch, Season 1 Last Episode.

So, I will be done with pants tomorrow. I need to walk to the small grocery store right by me to get some garbage bags to pack them. There is a collection box for clothing items and you cannot dump giant bags since, it's opening is rather small. So, I will put 4-5 pairs in smaller bags, mark them and put them in the boxes. I need to get eggs, carrots, cheese and walnuts so, the short walk to the grocery store is needed. 

Today, I had a gluten-free day and haven't felt sluggish at all. I wish it weren't so hard to give up bread and pasta. I don't think I will give them up totally but cutting down on them makes sense. 

The Challenge: Pants Edition

Today I took 31 pairs of pants and a pencil skirt out of my two closets and put them on my guest bed.

Here is the picture:

Tomorrow I will select only 6 of them to keep and the rest will be donated. I think, my closet will thank me.

The only resaon why I held on to so many pants was partly because of my weight. My size is not easy in Turkey and I have always been afraid of not being able to find my size when I needed a new pair of pants.

Some of the pants you see have their tags on. So does the skirt. I haven't worn a skirt in at least 15 years if not more. It has a Dress Barn tag on it. 

Some of the pants have been tailor made with real good quality fabric and workmanship. 1-2 may be among the ones kept. Most of them are too small and even if I can be that size again one day, I do not need them since I no longer plan to work full-time. Besides, if I go down two sizes, then it is not so hard anymore and I can find things that will fit me.

Then I sat down and thought more about this. Some of the tailor-made ones were made by my father's tailor. When I was 11-12, dad and I went shopping together and bought a corduroy fabric to have matching pants made. It was so much fun! I always liked to go shopping with dad because, he was just like me, taking his time, looking at different things, understanding the trends and etc. Mom on the other hand, was practical and would buy the first thing she thought was OK at the first store she would walk in.

Then dad continued to order pants for himself for another few years from that place. So, when I went back many years after his passing, the tailors, two brothers recognized me because I look so much like my father I guess. They asked for dad's name and pulled his last measurements from their files. It was a very emotional moment. 

I think part of the reason why I kept the tailor-made ones is just that. Just a tie I still have with dad. I know it is mushy and probably stupid. I will donate the pants. I loved both my parents to the moon and back and I already have their genes in me so, I do not need material things. 

He was only 54 when he passed 26 years ago. If  nothing goes wrong, I will be his age next year. Wow... just wow... The things we bury in our minds and hearts...

Plans for the week

Today, I did a big grocery run at two different stores. I had checked the fliers last night so, I knew where to get which product.

Tonight I am having sea bass on a bed of potatoes and sweet potatoes in the oven. Today, I found locally grown sweet potatoes ever! They were pricier than regular potatoes but still, less than half of the imported varieties. I always cringed when I paid for those imports. 

I have decided to make lasagna without noodles. I will use eggplants which I have already cooked in the oven. When I turn on the oven, I like to make at least two things. I have cut the eggplants lengthwise and soaked them in salty water before oiling them and cooking them on a sheet. They are ready for tomorrow.

I will also be cooking Thom Ka Soup tomorrow. I think, I will have enough leftovers for another day of both dishes. There will be chicken salad in this week's menu. I will also be trying the frozen hamburger patties of one of the stores I went to. My sister said it was really good so, I will wrap the hamburger patty in iceberg lettuce and forgo the bun.

There are tons of greens and radishes to make salads with. I will possibly make a chili at the end of the week.

Although I made lists, I forgot to buy carrots, pickled cucumbers and eggs. No big deal. There is a smaller grocery store within 5 minutes of my apartment.

Tomorrow I will dust and vacuum the entire apartment. Thinking about it makes me wanna run. I need to mpo the floors too but, let's not go that far yet. If I can, I will.

On Wednesday, I will dump all the pants I had been hanging on to and take a picture for Treaders. Lol!  The pants are the biggest mountain I need to climb. I will feel very light once they are gone. There are a few outerwear items mom used to wear. I will donate them too. Sigh...

I wish everyone a good and fulfilling week as we approach the end of the year real fast.

Treaders! I challenge Thee!.... and me...

In my last post, I had mentioned that I did not feel ready to let go of my work clothes which I no longer need. Yes, I do work part time, but that requires only a few decent looking pieces. In her comment, Treaders from Random Thoughts talked about the same thing.

Sooooo, I decided to challenge both of us to purge our work clothes by the end of this month! Of course, there must be rules so, here are the ones I could think of:

1. We will count the tops, jackets and bottoms by November 15th and share on our blogs.

2. At the end of the challenge, we are allowed to keep a maximum of 6 tops, 4 jackets and 6 bottoms. These should cover all seasons so, we need to select wisely.

3. Everything set aside shall have to be donated latest by November 30th. So no keeping them around our homes beyond that point.

3. Just couldn't think of a reasonable penalty?

Any ideas? Anybody else who want to join?

Drum roll please!

When it comes to doing things around the house, I am the queen of procrastination. Normally, my suitcase would sit on the floor for days and things would be scattered around. 

As soon as I got up today, I found the motivation to put my beach things away, exchange the contents of my IKEA SKUBB boxes, and neatly put away everything. So, now I have my warm clothes in my closet. YAY! All set to face the cold seasons.

Next job is to clean the refrigerator so that I can grocery shop. In the afternoon I must collect my deliveries from the Management Office, pick-up my meds from the Pharmacy. 

I still have too many clothes in my closet which I will never wear again. I just can't make up my mind. Most are work clothes which I have needed only three times this year. I can definitely get rid of a bunch. I guess, I am not mentally there yet.

Before I went to Ankara, my SIS was there and she took everything she thought she could wear from mom's closets. She also made a pile to give away. Now there are only night gowns, shawls and some shirts that I can wear. The rest are household things left from mom like bedding, towels, etc. which we can all use. 

I feel so accomplished and proud of myself because for once in my lifetime, I emptied my suitcase poperly right after getting back home and put it away. Small joys of life are the things that keep us going right?

Today is a very dark and rainy day. It is 13℃ which is 55℉. Only 10 days ago, I was at the beach using an umbreall to keep in shade. Lol! Well, it is getting colder in Antalya too. 

I hear my washing machine announcing that it is finished. I better go and hang up the laundry. 

Home Sweet Home!

I am finally home. It feels sooo good. Before I left I had put everything in place so, coming home to a neat apartment is fantastic! It will need to be dusted and mopped in a few days but still...

The best part is; I have food in the freezer! Tonight's dinner is shrimp scampi and smoked salmon on two slices of toasted bread. Yum!

My fridge is lmost empty so, I will clean it thoroughly before I buy groceries. 

I have washed everything in Ankara so, when I open my suitcase, I will just put everything in their places and voila! I will be done.

Can you tel I am excited to be home?

Prepping for the winter

With COVID-19 on the rise again, it looks like I shall be homebound this winter. I spend too much time on the Internet and I am determined to exercise, eat healthy and spend time doing different things each day.

Reading is my number one hobby so, there's that.

I found a lot of yarn and knitting needles among mom's belongings. I have crochet hooks and other knitting needles along with a lot of yarn at home too. Mom bought them but never had time to knit any of it. So, I have plenty of knitting and crochet material to play with.

I have always wanted to make granny squares and I will be trying my hand at that. I bought some very colorful yarn for granny squares.

I also have a coloring book for adults. It is buried somewhere in my bookcase. Time to dig that up and the coloring pencils too.

Add the sewing projects I already have on top of these, there is plenty to keep me occupied and happy. Well, I hope so anyway...

I think there will also be many Zoom Meetings with friends to fight the solitude. 

Today, I just felt this urge to go shopping. As I can not go to a Mall and wonder around carelessly, I walked into this store I really like. They offer very reasonably priced textile products. I bought myself two sweaters that I can wear at home during the winter. They are 50% real wool and 50% acrylic. Pure wool is hard to find and extremely expensive these days. Honestly, this mini shopping excursion felt good. Then I thought about this and believe it or not, my last shopping trip was in the US in January to buy something for myself. No wonder I felt like it.

Tomorrow, I am heading home (hopefully).

Nope, I am not home yet

Yesterday afternoon, a terrible headache started to bother me. I drank plenty of water to no avail. So, I decided to check my BP and of course it was pretty high. I fought with it till early hours in the morning and decided to postpone my trip to tomorrow. If I still do not feel any better, I might postpone yet another day.

BP or not, I took the old lady to the cemetery. It was very emotional for her and she thanked me many times. Every time I come to Ankara, I try going to the cemetery so, from now on, I will ask her if she wants to go with. It is so sad to see her trying to take care of her bed-ridden husband all by herself. If I were living here, I would do more for them. I call them every week to say hi. I told them I had many friends and in case they needed anything, I can easily ask my friends so, they should not feel troubled by anything. I can even hop in the cr an be here in 5 hours if need be. 

In the Spring, when I come back here, I will find a sitter for the husband for a few hours so that, I can take her out to lunch or something. She only goes out to grocery shopping in her neighborhood. While we were driving to the cemetery she was shocked to see how much everything has changed. Poor dear.

I still have a lingering headache. Had dinner an hour ago, so I better wait another hour to check my BP again.

Meanwhile, I have two assignments: 1. My BFF in the US wants to paint her foyer with a dark tan-ish color. She loved the foyer's color of the Irish mansion in Marcella, the TV show. She showed me her three colors she selected and told me to find out which one is more like it. So, I gotta go back to a few episodes. Lol! What a task right? Yesterday we spent a half hour trying to see which sample she had, worked better under different lights in her foyer on Whatsapp Video. Love the technology. Makes it possible to be best friends with someone who lives 5 thousand miles away.

2. My SIS and BIL will be purchasing a Hybrid Toyota Corolla and since I am considered  a bit of a car enthusiast (yeah right, rolling eyes), they told me to compare and contrast the options within their budget. 

So, I better go tackle my assignments in order not to get in trouble. 

85 to 40 in a week and a busy day

I was at the beach last Monday enjoying a beautiful 85 degree weather. Today, I went to my eye doctor early in the morning. And.... my car's thermometer said it was 40 degrees! Then I rushed back home to pack whatever my SIS and BIL left to be donated. I wrapped each pair of shoes individually and I placed the huge bags in my trunk.

I bought a nice potted cyclamen to bring to an old colleague and a good friend of my father's. We lived in the same neighborhood and my mom was also very good friends with his wife. Whenever I am here in Ankara, I always call them up to see if they need anything. The gentleman is bed ridden and his wife is 80 years old. She took me up on my offer this time and I took her to two grocery stores and she stocked up on quiet a few items. After bringing her purchase home, we visited for about half an hour and I kept my mask on. As I was saying goodbye, she gave me a huge bowl of Turkish style meat filled ravioli. I hadn't planned dinner so, I appreciated that very much.

I had to ditch a friend for lunch because I needed to visit two other older friends who know each other. If I had visited one and not the other, potentially, one might have felt hurt. Yeah! I know, I have sensitive friends. Oh and BTW, I had seen the friend I had to ditch just three weeks ago. Anyway, one of them got a potted cyclamen too and the other got a bouquet of gerberas. I will buy some potted chrysanthemums for myself when I go back home. Flowers always cheer one up. We all need some color and pretty things around us in these depressing times.

We sat with a good distance from each other at both houses and I kept my mask on when I was not eating or drinking. We may not be able to see each other in person for a long time in winter. We shall have to rely on apps to talk to each other. One of them gave me a butternut squash she grew. 

I stopped by the appropriate charity boxes for the donations and when I came home, I jumped in the shower, heated my dinner and gobbled it up. Then my BFF who lives in Upstate NY and I watched another episode of Bosch. I still have a few things to pack and need to put the kitchen in order. 

Tomorrow morning, I will load my car and pick up the lady I visited today. She told me she wanted to visit the cemetery and she had no means to go all by herself. So, we shall be visiting my parents and her son whom she lost in January. Mom knew her son well and she was devastated to learn that he had passed. After I drop the lady off at her home, I will take off to finally go back home.

I am sure, I will be very exhausted tomorrow night when I reach home.