The Heater Saga Continues

Today, a very nice gentleman came to give me an estimate on the heater. Apparently, since 2008, regulations have been changed so, there is a little bit extra work that needs to be done. They will install new piping for the water that will be generated by the combi boiler (I keep referring to it as the heater but, that is what it is). A new type of gas valve needs to be installed both for the gas cooktop and for the new combi boiler. 

He gave me three options for my SIS and BIL to choose from. I also inquired about the price of the online controlling system. It would be nice to be able to heat the apartment before any of us come back here in the winter, through our cell phones. Armed with all the necessary info, I sent a detailed message to both of them. Once they decide what they would like to purchase, I will order it. 

I have been told, it will take about 3 hours on Friday or on Saturday. Then, the Natural Gas provider company will come and approve the installation next Friday. 

This is a company I have dealt with before. I think, 3-4 years ago, we bought mom's combi boiler from them. They have been in this business for quite some time so, I am hoping, they will do a decent job.

I am so thankful for the Central Heating at my apartment complex. 

Tomorrow, my friend and I are going to complete the deed transfer transaction if all goes well. 

Now that, I am stuck here till the end of next week, I went grocery shopping. I will fix breakfast sandwiches for the road tomorrow and take a thermos full of hot water and some tea bags plus, instant coffee. I know, I know instant coffee is not the real thing. Just for the road trip since, it is going to be cold. There is a Fast Train between the two cities and many people prefer that nowadays so, there are no decent coffee stops on the way. All rural, with small villages, quiet a boring road.

I was planning to go to the cemetery today but, it is a rainy day, so I will do that next week.

On Sunday night, I sent the short list of candidates to the Client. I expected a "thank you, we will look at them and let you know" kind of a short message. At least to acknowledge receipt of the mail right? No, nada! It is so sad to see even the smallest bits of decency are vanishing. Is it that hard?

Why? Why? Why?

I came to Ankara yesterday to deal with the piece of property which I have mentioned in a previous post.

Due to COVID, now all applications are online which is a great opportunity..... Well.... Only, if the system works. The application was delayed until 5:30 p.m. which means, we cannot go to Konya and handle the in person part of the process which is signing paperwork, tomorrow.

One day delay no problem, right? I am not upset about that. Not muchanyway but,..........

Bigger problem is that, when I arrived yesterday, I turned on the heater and it started leaking. SIS and BIL called a service provider to fix it but, apparently they have called an unauthorized company, or rather a scammer. So, a fast "service" and a bunch of money later, the thing is still leaking. I only realized that the guys were scammers after they left.  Sİnce the heater kept leaking, I got suspicious and remembered that I did not see the logo of the product on their work gear and decided to check the authorized service providers and voila! I should have been smarter about this but, 5 hours of driving on 4 hours of sleep does that to you.

So, I called an authorized service provider today. They came, looked at the heater and told me it would be expensive to fix it. I relayed the information to SIS and BIL. They decided to purchase a new heater. Fine... But, that also means, I cannot leave Ankara when I am done with my own thing. The present heater is leaking and until a new heater is installed, there is no way for me to go. Thinking that I would be here only biriefly, I haven't brought much stuff. Looks like I have several light loads of laundry ahead of me.

Now, my SIS and BIL were here three weeks in September. and then they were here couple of weeks ago. Uncle was here for about 10 days or so recently. So, why does the darn heater decide to kick the bucket when I am here? Couldn't he (it must be a man) break down while others were here? Arrrgh!

I am glad, I brought the food items that could spoil. At least, when I go back home, I will not have to deal with rotten vegetables and moded cheese.

Hope, you are having a better day...

Thoughts on Retirement, Part Time Work and Change

I am afraid this will be a long post. So, if you do not have the time, you're welcome to skip it. However, I will appreciate all the input or advice you may have to offer on my thought process below.

Most of you may know, I am retired and I do like to be retired but, it is also kind of boring.  Even so, until recently, I wasn't really willing to take on work even part-time. However, the recent developments in the country made me think harder about this.

I have saved a nice nest egg to complement my retirement income but, with what's hapening in the country lately, I am concerned that we are headed to a hyper inflation period. Nobody understands why the current government is taking the country to an economical doom. It is a complicated story so, I am not going to dive into the details of it but, the economy is a mess. Here is a simple piece of info to show you how bad things have become:

USD 1= 1.91 TL end of 2011

USD 1 = 3.52 TL end of 2016

USD 1 = 12.08 TL last Friday and this happened within a few months. It used to be around 7 or 8 TL earlier in the year.

My nest egg consists of  USD (60%), TL(22%), Gold and a small amount of Euros. So, I can say that, my nest egg increased in value with the increase of USD but, that does not mean much. I never want to dip into the non-TL part of my nest egg until after the age of 70 or better yet 75. I have been supplementing my pension with mostly the interest I was earning on the TL portion of it. This year, I had to dip into the principal but, not significantly.

The president of the country (the p is not capital intentionally just to show how much I "like" him) is the kind of person capable of doing anything just to stay in power. He is creating a big divide between the  people which may lead to civil unrest so that he can declare a State of Emergency to avoid general elections in 2023. If that does not happen, he is prepared to take the country to war with one of the neighboring countries. That could also be a reason for a State of Emergency. This is how bad the situation is.

Part of the reason why I am so concerned about the future is that, our family is small but, other than my SIS and BIL, the rest are not well of and their lives may become harder down the line. They may need some financial assistance (although it is extremely hard to convince them to accept such help). Besides, there are already some health issues in the family. I sincerely hope and wish, we shall never need to spend loads of money for health reasons. I would rather have us use it for good days. So, I am seeing my money sort of like an insurance for the whole family in the long run too. This does not mean that I will not spend my hard earned money on myself. I still would like to travel, enjoy vacations and family get togethers. 

I guess, I was able to give you dear readers (who has loads of patience to read this)  a summary of my situation. So, you see the thought of additional income has all of a sudden become "interesting" while I still do not want to go back to working full time.

Some of you may know that, I was complaining that I was sucked into a part-time IT Recruitment job, I had a bad experience  with last time and decided not to continue doing it early this year. The owner of the company is a friend and she practically begged me to consider it once again a month ago. I accepted one project that requires finding two senior level positions and laid down my rules and my friend  agreed to them. 

So far, the job did not make me stressed yet. We are at the verge of submitting our Short List to the Client. It can go downhill from here like last time or it can go smoothly. I have diligently selected the candidates to be submitted so, I am hoping for a smooth sail. We'll see. If this project is successful, I will receive a nice chunk of money that will enable me not to touch my nest egg or rather the interest generated by the TL portion of it next year. My initial motivation was to just do this one project and call it quits. I just realized, it doesn't have to be that way. My friend assured me, I can take on as little work as I like and doing one project at a time is not all that time consuming. So, may be it is now a good idea to keep on doing it for a while at my own pace.

Recently, I have also been approached by a medical association, a non profit organization whose President is the husband of a High School mate. They needed someone business minded to oversee their operation on a part-time basis. We had a meeting a week or so ago and he and a couple of other doctors told me about their organization in detail. I like how involved they are in their field and how much more can be done. Their only problem is that they cannot pay me much. Instead of saying "no", I thought about what I would be willing to do for them at that payment level. The pay is almost symbolic but, with the economy tanking badly, a regular additional income might not be so bad after all. Right? Besides, I think this is the kind of thing that will make me feel good about myself.

I have always wanted to volunteer for a nice cause but, I am not as selfless as the people who throw themselves fully into the cause they believe in without expecting anything in return. I am sure, I have mentioned about being a bit selfish before. So, I figured I could do this on a half-paid, half volunteer basis. 

This morning, the President of the organization called me and I told him  how we can make this work. I cannot be available as much as they want due to the small pay but, I can act as a consultant and we can  tackle a a couple of projects at a time on my terms. I can participate in their management meetings and offer them guidance, ways to improve certain processes and generally my experience as a consultant who has a business background. I will also help them deal with international relations. They need someone with language skills to build bridges between sister organizations in other parts of the world. I can do that.

The President wants to work with me so, he will take this to the Board and let me know what the they say. So, this still may or may not happen. Either way, I am cool with it.

I know I was very reluctant to work initially, but, adapting to change is a must in life. I also consider it a true skill to cope with change. I will still be the boss of most of my time. Besides, I am not using all this spare time in a productive manner anyway. Perhaps if I lived in a peaceful part of the world, it would have been different. They say geography is your fate. I guess it is true. 

So, what do you think Dear Readers? 

HAPPY THANKSGIVING! to all who celebrate....

 

Age and Aging

When mom passed, I fished out old dia positive photos, bought a scanner and scanned them. I put them up in the Cloud and gave the link to my family.

Few days ago, when my sister was looking  at some pictures from our parents' engagement party she called me and said "Do you realize, in those pictures our grandma on our dad's side was two years year younger than you are now and our other grandma was two years younger than I am now?" Wow! They looked so elegant, so matronly and for the life of me, I could not imagine myself and my sister posing like that. A fun fact is that uncle was a 7 year old boy in those engagement party pictures. Lol!

I have never been married and although my sister is married, she does not have kids. I guess that is part of the reason why we do not realize our ages. We do not have kids and grandkids in our lives as most of our friends do. Our lives are not much different than what they used to be when we were in our twenties or thirties. May be, it is also the way people dress nowadays. Jeans, T-Shirts and sneakers are our go to attire. Back in the 60's and 70's, people dressed differently.

Meanwhile here is the truth: We are aging! Wow! We have health problems. We no longer enjoy certain things we used to enjoy when we were younger like loud music, cramped restaurants and bars (pre-COVID of course). I am going to turn 55 next year and my sister will turn 48. We have both quit coloring our hair. My sister's hair is all gray. My temples are all gray and the rest of my hair is still a dark brown with a few gray strands. SIS now needs reading glasses. I always had glasses because I have myopia since I was 8.

When did all this happen? 

A Quick Trip Next Week

Finally, the 5 year wait is up for me to take over 1/3 of the house in Konya. To make a long story short, the house was left to my mom and two uncles by their parents. When my younger uncle was having trouble with his business, I wanted to take over his share but, someone told me that if he sells to a family member, it could be questioned during the liquidation of his business. So, a friend of mine took his share over. No money exchanged hands, the property sales tax was paid by yours truly. If my friend had sold me that share within the 5 years following the sale, she would have had to pay a ridiculuous income tax so, we decided to wait. As of last month, she is exempt from that tax. Therefore, I can now "buy" this share. Again, there will not be any money exchange, just the property sales tax.

So, this coming Sunday, I will be going to Ankara. My friend gave power of attorney for the sale of "her" share to another friend of mine who will come with me to Konya. It will be a day trip from Ankara, just three hours each way. 

When the transaction is completed, I will own 5/6 of the house and my SIS owns the remaining 1/6th. We both inherited mom's share and with this transaction, I will have purchased everybody else's shares. My late uncle's family (older uncle) wanted to sell their share a few years ago and I had bought it.

The house is in shambles and there is no way we would like to spend money to make it liveable again. So, it will be sold one day. We haven't put it up for sale yet. Uncle looked for a few real estate agents while he was there but, I would not put it up for sale during the winter anyway. 

Some people keep breaking into the house so, there were a couple of broken windows and the doors and windows need reinforcements. Uncle hired a guy to put up basic grates and replace the broken windows. There was still some stuff in the house such as office desks, chairs and what not. Uncle also hired a junk dealer to come and clean those up. Once the grates are installed, at least it will not be broken into. Who knows if they are dealing or doing drugs in there. I am not sure if these will be all done when I go next week.

I have been gradually cleaning up kitchen cupboards/cabinets and drawers so, I just did not feel like cooking today. I had leftover chili and a pancake for lunch. Dinner was a piece of grilled salmon and some chips with a bottle of beer. I do not consume much alcohol anymore but, today I wanted to have a small bottle of beer. When I was younger, I could handle alcohol better. Especially after menopause, not so much. 

I am not moving as much as I want to because, my sleep is quite out of whack and I feel miserable during the day. I must go to bed around 11 o'clock whether I fall asleep or not. Starting tonight, I will do that.

As for work, I have my short list ready to be submitted to the client. I must write 5 short reports. No big deal. I have been very diligent in selecting the candidates. Only 6-7 people out of about 90. I am just hoping that they will hire at least one. They are looking for 2.

Hope, everyone has a nice week!

Holiday Season for Me and My Family

This is my favorite time of the year in the US. Last time I was there, I made sure I spent the entire Holiday Season. I came back home after the New Year. 

Here in Turkey, Halloween is an imported occasion and only a handful people celebrate it and I am sure most of the population don't even know about it. Thanksgiving is obviously not a thing over here as well.

Most of the population is Muslim so, no Christmas celebration either but, we do love the decorations so, you can see Christmas decorations for celebration of the New Year starting in December. Many people frown upon this, saying that this is a Christian celebration but, people who enjoy the celebration of the New Year and the decorations, do not care about their opinion. Lol!

I like to decorate my home a little. So did Mom and so does SIS. I have a lot of small decorative items I bought from the US and here in Turkey. I do not decorate a tree because, honestly, I am lazy and my apartment is not even big enough for all the stuff I already own. This year I will be visiting my sister for the New Year so, I doubt I will decorate at all. May be only a few pieces on the entertainment center and on my family room windows.

I love the Thanksgiving food, a nicely roasted turkey, stuffing, gravy, mashed potatoes, cranberry sauce, green bean casserole, sweet potatoes and a pumpkin pie. Even when I am by myself, I roast a whole turkey but, my family prefers roasted chicken. So, this year I will be making that for them. 

My sister told me she wants only the roasted chicken, the gravy and the stuffing from my Thanksgiving menu. The rest of the dishes will be food everybody likes. Circassian chicken (shredded chicken, finely chopped walnuts, bread crumbs, fat free chicken stock), Russian salad (mayo, diced cucumber pickles, diced carrots, potatoes, peas), rice stuffed grape leaves (she will buy those). I do not know if she will make or buy the dessert. They are not fans of pies so, I am thinking she will make a chocolate cake mom used to love. Or she may want me to make cinnamon rolls. (I told her Cinnabon opened three stores in Istanbul and TGIF is also back. She now wants to come visit me).

I may make my menu after the New Year when I get back home. Lol! We'll see.

I miss the season in the US but, darn COVID and darn Government (USD has doubled up against TL since my last trip), a trip to the US is not possible this year. May be next year. Who knows?

Thankfully, my BFF who lives upstate NY and I talk thru WhatsApp almost every day and we watch crime dramas together online. So, although I miss being there, I do not miss her because we are in touch all the time. She started this tradition right after my mom's passing and we kept it up. Now, she has some family concerns and I am trying to be there for her. Being 5000 miles apart is not an obstacle to be besties. We have known each other since 1990 and back then, she was like a big sister to me when I was having trouble with my ex-boyfriend whom she still "lovingly" calls Shithead.

When we met, we immediately clicked. I am also good friends with her husband who is a lot older than I am. They are truly wonderful people. We have traveled together, they came to visit me, went skiing in NY and in Canada, or just stayed home and watched movies during all these years. I love to cook for them. True friends can be anywhere. Right? I just sent them a small Thaksgiving gift for the whole family to enjoy. She always has her whole family for Thanksgiving and her niece handles Christmas. I know the rest of her family well and we are also friendly too. After I got bitten by her nephew's dog, they told me I officially became part of the family, because the little devil bit everybody. Lol!

I better post this and go to bed before midnight for once. Hope, everyone is having a nice and relaxing weekend.

Gray Sky, Windy, Dark Day

Today is one of those boring dark Fall days. When sun is out, it is always cheerful and nice.

My freezer and fridge are well stocked. I do not think, I will need to buy anything till the end of the month except for yogurt and may be some fresh veggies.

I had bought couple of bunches of spinach a few days ago and I am washing it. Have I ever told you I hate washing fresh spinach (and purslane too). Waste of so much water. It is sold in pre-washed packages too but, I like the root part as well so, I always buy fresh bunches. I will sautee it with a little onion, add a handful of rice and minced/chopped meat (pre-sauteed) and cook it with a little tomato sauce. I usually serve this with plain yogurt (garlic or not). Yum!

My grocery store started offering a store brand frozen pizza. I wanted to give it a shot. So, when saw that they were BOGOF, I decided to give it a shot. At such a low price it was worth it. I put one in the freezer and heated the other. It turned out to be very decent pizza but, next time I make it, I will add some sauce and cheese to the edges. Even then, at this price, I think it is worth it. 

My sister and her husband are in Antalya at a big resort hotel. The bank gathers all branch managers and senior managers every year for a conference. Last year, they did not do it due to COVID. I called them to ask how they were doing and as I understand that the management does not stuff them in boring meetings all day. They have free time till Friday morning and then, the General Manager is going to deliver a speech and they will check out in the afternoon. Apparently, the bank wants them to have free time, mingle and get to know others that they do not come to contact with. Yesterday, they even swam! SIS said it was a so so day but, that never stops our family to jump in the sea. We all like cold water. 

Once, mom and I went to this beautiful island in the Northern Aegean Sea. It was mid-March and the outside temp was 18 degrees C, and 64 degrees F. I was the only one swimming as people bundled up in jackets and coats came to watch me swim. Lol! Mom even decided to try the next day but, when the water was knee deep, she turned back and told me I must have been real crazy. Guess, I was a sea creature in a past life. 

Uncle went back to Antalya so, the kids (we refer to SIS and BIL as kids although they are 47 and 49) will be staying with him Friday and Saturday nights. Hope, the weather will be nice over there so that they can enjoy another couple of beach days.

Busy Day

I had 4 interviews scheduled for today. I am glad they are over. It is a windy and chilly day with gray skies today. The kind of day you need to be under wraps with some hot chocolate and a good book and a nap later on. I did nap before my 4th interview because I had very little sleep last night. No hot chocolate though...

Yesterday I tried a Southern dish: Chicken and dumplings. I found the recipe online but, I did not like the dumplings when I made it. Need a better recipe. Any recommendations?

My sister and BIL are doing fine thankfully. However, tomorrow they are heading to a resort hotel for a two-day conference. Their bank does this annually but, they did not have the conference last year due to COVID. I just do not understand what changed. I think it is reckless to gather hundreds of managers from different cities just for a stupid conference.

SIS and BIL will be wearing N95 masks under regular surgical masks. Still, I am worried.

My BFF's sister is hospitalized due to Influenza H, a form of bacterial menengitis. I am very friendly with her too. Hope, she recovers and gets back home soon. My BFF and I have been wondering how she could have contracted it with all COVID precautions such as masks, sanitizers etc. She went in for her annual health check and got a flu shot before this. 

Gotta go and prepare dinner now. Have a good one!

Glorious Fall Day

Today I woke up late to no water and electricity as expected. I quickly cleaned myself without a shower. Lol! Went across the bridge to the European side and met my friends at this beautiful, huge park. We walked a total of 13K steps but, it was nice and leisurely. There is a nice cafe so,we grabbed some lunch and sat in the sun outside. Normally our group consists of 5 people but, this time it was just three of us.

I am glad we got together. I left them a little before 5 p.m. and got stuck in traffic. Sigh... It took me an hour and a half to get back home. Decided to quickly run into the grocery store and get veggies and sandwich fixings. 

I was famished when I got home so, I made myself a nice sandwich and my belly is happy now.

It looks like the electricity was not out for long. I checked the cup in the freezer and the coin is still on top of the frozen water. 

Hope, everyone has a nice weekend!

Electricity and water out on the same day?

I saw the sign for upcoming repairs on water pipes at our apartment complex for tomorrow about a week ago and made a mental note to fill a few buckets for flushing the toilet and a couple of big bottles to wash my hands. 

The day before yesterday, the electricity company sent an SMS for some planned maintenance for tomorrow for about 5 hours! What!!!??? 

I am sure the maintenance crew needs electricity for the pipe repairs so, I do not know what kind of a day tomorrow will be. Most probably the pipes will have to wait another day or two. I have already filled  buckets and bottles but, my plan is to escape from home. I will be meeting up with friends to go on a long walk and spend the day outdoors. It is chilly but, I am sure, by layering up, I can be comfortable.

I am hoping that the freezer will be OK and the electricity will be available earlier than scheduled.

Today, I had one load of laundry to be taken care of so, while I had water, I started that and just heard the washer chime telling me it's done. Time to go and hang them up on the drying rack. 

Tonight's dinner will be leftover homemade hummus from the day before. It will be dinner with some crackers and tea. Lunch was a salad with smoked salmon and capers. 

My BFF in the US is a teacher. This year she is totally fed up with misbehaving kids and ignorant parents and is seriously considering to retire making this school year her last. She already has her plate full at home so, I cannot blame her. After I hang up the laundry, I will call her so that, we can watch another episode of Spooks. 

Hope, everyone is having a good day!

Do I need.....? Forget it!

The other day, I have fished out my hats, gloves and scarves and decided to keep them by my entrance either on the small table or in the closet right there. Then I started to look for a cute box or basket online. As always, it hit me within a few minutes into my search. I have more stuff lying around in this apartment than I need. There is a basket full of unnecessary stuff in the bathroom. Everything in it was collecting dust and I had covered it instead of sorting through the contents and getting rid of them. Just dumb...

I finally emptied the basket and lined it with a piece of quilt someone gave me. No backing, just the quilt. I think it was a piece she made attending a local quilting class. It wasn't serving any purpose, now, it is. My hats, scarves and gloves have a new place in the entrance closet. Perfect! 

On one hand, I try purging stuff, on the other, I am looking for new things to buy. Why? I keep thinking about my grandparents who did with a lot less than I do. Everywhere I look, I see excess. Why do I have so many tablecloths? Why do I have so many mugs and glasses and kitchenware I barely use? Yes, some of them were gifts but, why keep them if I am not using them?  In addition to my dilemma, the items I use most frequently are in poor shape. Scratches, small cracks and yet I cannot part with them. I have a Pyrex baking dish with a lid that I bought back in 1990 from a Shop Rite in Yonkers, NY. Can you imagine? One of these days, I will solve this problem.... I hope...

I made some sort of a tabouli for lunch and had it wrapped in lettuce. I use lots of finely chopped fresh parsley and peppers (Italian or Cubanas will do).

Having a bean salad for dinner. I have some arugula to use up. I will chop it and add it to the bean salad. This is my first vegetarian day this week. I have decided to eat vegetarian meals at least two days a week. 

I am thinking of making an egg salad for lunch tomorrow. Got yogurt soup for dinner. May be soup and cheese topped sliced bread in the toaster oven for dinner? Sounds good for now. 

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After I typed the above, I took a break and  just spoke to my sister and freaked out completely. A guy with whom she went on customer visits last week, was tested COVID positive today! He was vaccinated so, he did not feel sick at all. He lost his sense of smell yesterday and then he went to get tested. Now, my sister is sharing a bed with her husband, they went to visit her in-laws over the weekend and they flew both ways! They went to a cardiologists office with her FIL! My uncle and they stayed in the same apartment! For the next 10 days or so, I will be a nervous wreck. She never takes her mask off when she is with other people but still, I am extremely worried. She had three Sinovac vaccines. I am hoping that she will be protected. So will others too of course.

I begged her to use one N95, one regular mask on top of that from now on.

Saturday

Spoke to my SIS today. My uncle told them that he did not think her FIL was doing well. It has been a while since he saw the FIL and he can notice the difference better. He told my SIS and BIL to take him to a cardiologist. They did today. Apparently his heart is beating too slowly. The doctor is taking him off one of his medications gradually. They also told her about the Alzheimer's and the drug they are now giving him. I guess that was interfering with one of his heart medications. I am glad his heart was checked out because, I am sure he did not go to his cardiologist since March 2019. Mom and I used to drag him along with us so, he had to go every six months. That was the last time we all went together. After mom's passing, I did not go to any doctor due to COVID till I had a check-up in Istanbul this year and now, I have a doctor here.

I told my SIS to get one of those small pulse-ox devices so that, the caregiver can check his pulse every day.

I did a load of laundry today. It never ends, does it? I find myself loading and unloading the diswasher and doing laundry constantly. When I was working, the diswasher would only be used may be once a week. All those dinners out and take-outs did not do a favor to my body but, it sure was easier.

Tonight I am going to fix myself a smoked salmon and avocado toast or roll because I have a giant avocado that I must consume. Half of it will be saved for tomorrow. May be a burrito or on top of a rice and bean bowl? 

I had a vegetable soup with a small slice of whole wheat bread for lunch. 

The weather was very nice today but, it has turned now. The wind brought many clouds and we now have a gray sky.  

When my uncle was here, he ordered a new backpack online. It was big and sturdy and the price was excellent so, I decided to order one for myself in a different color. I found the same exact bag with a 10% higher price at the same online platform. Then I looked up a few other places and guess what? I found it 15% cheaper than even what my uncle paid for it. What the....? I checked the seller and it turned out to be the same exact seller. So, I ordered it and it arrived today. It is the same bag. So, this seller is pricing his products differently at different platforms? I guess it is because of the commission he has to pay is different. But, increasing the price by 10% in a week? That doesn't sound right.

I am happy with my purchase. My old PUMA backpack is about to kick the bucket. It is also not as big as this one I just got. I love my old backpack and will keep on using that for lighter duties. 

Gotta go and fold some laundry and put away. Hope, everyone is having a great weekend.

On Sphagetti Squash

I baked the sphagetti squash yesterday. I cut it up lengthwise and brushed olive oil before sticking it into the oven. When it was done, I used two forks to scoop up the "sphagetti". I left it in the skin and added pasta sauce from the freezer and some shredded cheese on top. Back to the oven till the cheese browned. I enjoyed it and it turned out really yummy. I think, while they still have them, I will grab a couple more. I am planning to make a veggie soup so, the remaining half will go into that. 

Yesterday I picked up extra boxes of Barilla pasta on sale, although I do not eat much pasta these days, I am sure on some cold days I will want some. 

I also found really soft persimmons and bought some. They are too sweet and possibly high in calories but, they are my splurge for the week. At their peak, they are extremely soft and do not transport well. Luckily, they are grown in areas around in Istanbul as well as other parts in the country.

I have been feeling and acting very lazy lately. Gotta get back to an active lifestyle. 

Hope everyone has a nice weekend!

Can't really find a title really...

I took my uncle to the airport today. It was such a beautiful day. Nice and warm. Feels more like the Spring than the Fall.

I then did a quick grocery run and came back home. This time, I went to a different store just to see their prices. Opened the app on my phone for my favorite store and compared prices. All brand name items were almost the same. The store brands are inexpensive when compared to my favorite but, honestly, I like my store. When the price is right, when there is a BOGO type of sale on items I frequently buy, I take advantage of that. 

Gotta get my act together and take care of some organizing around my home so that, I can ask the new cleaning lady to come and work her magic.

I found a bunch of things that cannot be given to charity and I will be cutting them up for rags. Price of paper products are off the roof these days so, using rags may save a few cents. 

There are a few projects in my mind. On top of my list is taking down the contents of the kitchen cabinets and sorting through them. This has been in my mind for so long that I need to take action soon. It will not take a whole a lot of time but, you know, I am lazy when it comes to house chores. My oven needs a good cleaning too. 

I typed the above and left my post as a draft for a few hours. Then, my sister just called to tell me that her MIL's caregiver had to be taken to the hospital due to high BP. Her FIL has been diagnosed with Alzheimer's so, sometimes he gets confused. When my SIS found out that he is taking the caregiver to the hospital, she asked my uncle to go see what's going on. Poor uncle could not even prepare his dinner. He went to the hospital and took my sister's FIL back home and will stay with the caregiver till she can be taken home in a few hours. Good thing that he flew there today. 

I wish it were a normal thing for elders to go to nursing homes and assisted living facilities in this country like it is in many others. Unfortunately, it is something frowned upon by most of the population and I know my BIL will never even consider it. That is why they have the caregiver. Now she is sick too. I hope, she will get better soon and treated for BP and she will not want to leave to go back to her country. 

BIL's father refused to move to Izmir with them when the bank placed my SIS and BIL in Izmir 7-8 years ago. They are both branch managers at the bank and they cannot take a few days off here and there so, they keep going to Ankara every three weeks on the weekends to check on them. It is a hard life for them and I am concerned about my sister too since she already has an autoimmune disease. Tomorrow they will be flying to Ankara for the weekend late at night.

I worry about them but, that doesn't solve anything. Sigh... 

Monday Monday...

Today I had a meeting with the new customer so, I worked a few hours to prepare for it. 

Uncle is flying to Ankara on Thursday. He is a bit bored here because, normally in Antalya he rides his bike, fixes and cleans his boat and spends a lot of time outdoors. However, he did get to see his friends more than once and enjoyed their company. Tomorrow we will go on a boat ride on the Bosphorus if the weather permits. 

My cleaning lady called me to say she is pregnant and that she will not be able to work for a while. However, she also said, her cousin can replace her temporarily. After uncle leaves, I will give the cousin a try.

Not much to write about today. Wishing everyone a nice week.