There’s More to the Story

A couple of days ago I shared on my Instagram account, theknittedhome, some rude responses I received from a comment I had left on a public Instagram account.  Background...I was following some Instagram accounts exclusively promoting Egypt.  They were not "personal" accounts so to speak.  Now for some background..

Gamal Abdel Nasser took over Egypt in 1952 and deposed King Farouk.  Nasser launched initiatives to nationalize politics, the economy and society.  My husband had completed his Phd and had a great job teaching at the University of Cairo.    But, he knew he had no future in Egypt in a country with this type of new mentality.  He immigrated to the US in 1970.  Fast forward to today and Egypt is suffering from severe economic difficulties yet, they have this strong, many times, misguided nationalism.  It's a fascinating subject to study.  

The original post on Instagram that I commented on, was in regard to the rude comments the people were posting about the person's skin color in the post.  I just shared that should it even matter what color the person is.  When I mentioned MENA  it was in regard to the last US Census were Egyptians would be considered "white" when filling out the form.  I was only stating a fact; nothing more.  But you can see some of the nasty comments that I received.

I could care less about the comments as I feel for these young people and their ignorance of the West.  And, I'm not talking politics.  I'm talking about freedom to do as you wish.  Egypt is a very collective society and you have to fit in that little box.  I would do very poorly in this type of society and although you can say I'm conservative (I hate that word by the way), I am a non conformist and I like to be different and creative.  And, so does my husband.  He considers himself 110% American.  As do our children.  We do not hold the onto the idea that "we are Egyptian".  My husband left his country over 50 years ago.  We are Americans and proud of it.

You know I spend each summer in Turkey where I can go and explore and no one pays any attention to me.  It's been over 10 years since my last trip to Egypt and I have no desire to visit but I may in order that the grandchildren can see their grandfather's homeland.  I've never stayed in a hotel in Egypt, or gone sightseeing in a fancy air conditioned coach.  I've been in taxis, trams, Metro, buses and trains to Upper Egypt and Lower Egypt.  

There are so many Egyptians who hate the West and yet they readily use our technology every day, and drive Western cars for example and yet since 1978 the United States has provided Egypt with over $50 billion in military and $30 billion in economic assistance.  Does that make any sense?

I could write so much more but there is no need.  I cannot change the minds of 100 million people. 

Wishing you a great summer!

Pat

I'm Here but My Lilly is Gone . . .

Hello dear friends.  It's been such a long time since I have written but I am still here.  Lots of things have happened; some good and some not good.  My dear, beloved cat Lilly passed away on January 6, 2020.  She was my sweet kitty for almost 13 years.  She was 15 years old.  She was diagnosed with pancreatitis a year ago and at Thanksgiving, she started to become very ill.  After numerous trips to the vet, it was decided that it was best to say our goodbyes.  It comforts me to know that she is now in a better place and pain free.  I loved that little ball of fur so, so much.  Both my husband and I are now adjusting to life without our Lilly.

As you can see, we still have her here with us every day.  She will always be in our hearts.

It's a scary time out there for all of us right now.  I've never experienced anything like this before.  As both my husband and I are over 65 years old, we are in "home isolation" per the advice of our governor here in California.  We are one of the lucky ones as there are so many people hurting out there.  And, their lives will never be the same once this is over.  I've tried to keep myself busy with my needlework.  Have you ever heard of brioche knitting?  After many, many hours of teaching myself this type of knitting, I had some success.  But the project above is on hold as the yarn frays and fuzzes and looks terrible.  So, I will try again with a different yarn.

I feel bad that I can't be out there and helping others in some way.  I've been trying to reach out to those in need and send them cards.  It's been fun working with my watercolors creating some cards.  Right now, I'm crocheting some filet crochet mats to send along with the cards.  At least is keeps me busy and hopefully will bring a bit of cheer to those in need.

Please be safe dear friends and take care of yourself.  Take precautions and if you can't go out and about, contact a friend of family member who can help you.  It may be a long time until things get back to normal but we can encourage each other and keep in touch.  If you would like to "chat" via my blog, I'm here to listen and write back.  

Keeping each of you in my prayers,

Pat

PS - If you wish to comment, I will try my best to reply :)

A Scammer and Blog/Instagram Etiquette

Hi Everyone.  Sorry it's been so long since I wrote a blog post but I'm still here.  The reason why I was away for so long was because I discovered Instagram!  Yes, and maybe it's not a good thing...

For the past few years I really enjoyed writing my blog and meeting such interesting bloggers.  Another blogger I follow recently joined Instagram so I did, too.  It's fun but it's taken me awhile to "weed out" those I don't want to hear from or follow.  I've met some nice ladies who share the same interests as me and some of them are old blog friends!

But, that said, I find that people are not always so polite.  Awhile back it got very political in regard to the craft community and it ruffled my feathers a bit. My dear daughter gave me some great advice which was do not get involved.  But, is there an etiquette you follow with your Instagram friends?  I mean, almost every person's account on which I comment on, they in return comment on my account in a nice, positive, polite manner.  Although, there are a couple who would never reply in return regardless of how many times I  comment on their account.  Does this make sense?  I'll add a further caveat in that I feel many people out there in social media land are prejudice and ignorant.  In this case, people of the same race but who live on different continents.   What?  Yes, I guess I've had my head in the sand.  Remember, I do not belong to Facebook and my only experience has been this blog.  As I've said, I've met some lovely, kind people who are gifted in many ways and they share those gifts via Instagram.  I now feel I can somewhat "navigate" through Instagram although I'm always on guard.

Speaking of guard, I think my blog needs a guard!  I was looking back at some old posts and there was one in which a blogger stole my photo, posted it on her site and has not removed it nor has she given me any credit.  It's a joke as she is a scammer in my book.  Please be aware of Craft Passions.  She has put up a false disclaimer saying people have given their permission to share their patterns/photos.  I've never heard from this person before and she, to date, has not responded to my email!  Such is life.

Life is very good here in SoCal although we are experiencing the "May Gray" which proceeds the "June Gloom".  Lilly is alive and doing well and sends her meows to everyone.  I wish you all a wonderful, relaxing weekend.  I'd love to hear your thoughts about my ramblings.

With my best wishes,

Pat

Happy Easter

Happy Easter 

Wishing you all the blessings of this Easter,

Pat

I Feel Sad Tonight to Be An American Woman

Good Evening.  I'm writing this post since I'm at the age where I feel I have to be true myself.  I've always embraced being outside the box and being my own person.  So, that's why I'm speaking up tonight.  You may not agree with what I say and you may not read my blog again.  But, that's OK as I have to be honest to myself.  

I "listened" to the State of the Union Address tonight.  I knew the women of the Democratic party were going to wear white.  I know my history of woman's rights.  But tonight was too much. When President Trump spoke about his dislike of the late term, third trimester abortion laws that New York recently adopted, many in attendance stood up and applauded.  Not one of those women in white stood up.  Why?  What is wrong with you women?  You surely don't represent what I feel.  

Do you think it is now the new "normal" to abort a child in the third trimester?  Why in the world, if you are so smart and savvy do you even find yourself needing an abortion?  What about birth control?  And, don't tell me you can't afford it.  Have you seen anyone out there today without a cell phone?  If you can afford a cell phone, you can afford birth control!

It boggles my mind that this is the face of today's American woman lead by non other than the latest star, Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez.  Or, how about the newly elected Palestinian congresswoman who used the "F" word talking to her constituents? (And, for your info, my very best friends are Palestinians whom I love dearly) Where are you manners women? What are these women trying to prove by having such uncouth behavior?  It makes me ashamed to be an American woman in today's society.  That why I'm speaking up.  I'm not a follower on this band wagon to degrade our society even more.  

This isn't meant to be democrat vs republican as our political system is a huge mess with both parties.  It's meant to be a wake up call of what has happened to people's moral compass?  

I'm an Orthodox Christian and a few years ago I read an excellent article by a well known Orthodox writer, Frederica Mathewes-Green. It was about another "star", Gloria Steinem.  I'm sorry but I have no regard for Gloria. She doesn't embody any of the values I have been raised with.  And, to answer your questions, I'm not an uninformed housewife with her head in the sand.  I've worked in the business world and I still run my husband's business day to day.  I'm the go to person in regard to all aspects of the business dealings.  But, what I am proud to say is that I am  a woman, wife, and mother, with value.  A woman who I feel is cultured and most of all kind.  The dearest compliment I received a few years ago was from my children who said I was successful in raising them and having our family.  To me, that is something that I will always hold dear to my heart.  Rather than climbing the corporate ladder to attain what?  An empty ceiling?

I love being me and I will stand up for my values.  I hate profanity, rudeness, and women who have no kindness of heart.  Wake up everyone as we women are the heart of the home.  You take that away and just see what our society will look like.

Regards,

Pat 

Trying to Catch Up with my Blog

Hello my dear readers.  I'm sorry it's been so long since I have written anything on this blog of mine.  Time gets away too fast sometimes!

I returned home from Turkey before Thanksgiving.  It was so much fun getting to explore more of the vast city of Istanbul.

Of course, I took my knitting with me.  I finally completed this shawl, just before Christmas.  It took me over 3 months so I felt a bit lonesome when I had finished it :)

My watercolors made their appearance for a short time to complete a Christmas card for my dear friend in Scotland.

Lilly is alive and well.  She will be 14 years young next month.  I can't believe where the years have gone.

All the family was here for the Christmas holidays and it was a joyous time.  We had some healthy food too like the hummus pictured above that I made.  Super easy recipe.

I took the Christmas trees down the day after Christmas but it took me a couple of days to complete my cleaning.  I felt good after the house was put back in order.

We've had some lovely weather and I loved seeing the sunset the other night.

A couple of days ago, we went to the beach with our friends and I called it the calm before the storm as we are expecting a week of rain!  Yes, I'm excited as I love rain and we need it, too.

This is me trying to do a selfie!  Oops, not so good but I wanted to show you the beautiful hand knitted shawl/scarf my dear friend Christine knitted for me.  It's a most cherished gift.

That about does it for the update on what's been happening around here.  I will have the pleasure to babysit my little granddaughter this week so I'm looking forward to that.  And, there's a new knitting project on my knitting needles that I will share later.

Oh, almost forget - I joined Instagram.  I'm not on Facebook or Twitter or anything else but I did join Instagram.  My son told my daughter that "Mom has fallen through the rabbit hole".  It's fun.  I love it!  And, I've found many of my blog friends over there, too.

I hope your new year is off to a wonderful start.  Lilly sends me best wishes to each of you as do I.

Until next time,

Pat

My Home Away from Home in Istanbul

Hello dear friends.  It's been awhile since I wrote so I thought I'd give up an update of what's been happening.  I was in Turkey for a month and returned back home a little over a week ago.

A few years ago, two different acquaintances told my  husband and me about this beautiful country of Turkey.  At that time, we thought there not a chance we would ever go there.  Fast forward a few years and it's our favorite place to be!  I think the reason why we love it is because it's a huge country, with a modern society and yet retains the charms of it's past.

(Turkish lunch of pide and borek along with tea = $3.25 for two)

We purchased a new high rise apartment on the Asian side of Istanbul in an area called Maltepe.  We had viewed this development over four years ago when they were building it.  Do you recall when the Turkish Lira crashed back in August?  It was bad for Turkey for good for investors.  Hence, the new place.

That's our place in the middle of the photo in the high rise with the pillars. Those who regularly follow my blog, know that my husband is a Copt.  For many years when the children were growing up we'd go to Egypt for vacations.  It was fun back then but everything changed with the revolution back in 2011.  Our last visit there was in 2010 and the city had become so overcrowded that it was almost impossible to get around.  And, it was a chore to get anything accomplished.  

Fast forward to 2014 when we discovered Turkey.  First of all, geographically, it's a huge country.  President Erdogan has continued the modernization of this country by building on it's infrastructure.  There are major highways, tunnels, public transportation and other amenities to name a few.  For example, while Greece is the neighboring EU country, Turkey is far more developed. And, the people are welcoming and never stare at you if you're a foreigner. (believe me, this is something that irritates me to no end)

Along with all the modernization, there still is the old ways like the weekly public markets.  I loved going to the market each week and finding amazing foods at a fraction of the prices we pay here.  And, best of all, there were no tourists.

Turkish are very accomplished builders.  We bought this place after only seeing it one time.  A fast decision but one that turned out OK.  Above is the kitchen. Since this photo was taken we have added a large island cabinet to the side of the cooktop area.

My son and his fiance' decorated the interior.  They had custom made furniture made for very little money.

Since this photo was taken, an area rug has been added.  Sorry for the poor photos but the first week we were there, we had overcast weather.

The unit is roomy with an upstairs that has three bedrooms and two more baths.

My husband loves to sit in the wingback chair and watch the sea in front of him.

There's still some work to be done but it should be enjoyable in the summertime to sit outside on the deck.

Those are the Prince's islands you are seeing in the distance.  My husband and I love to travel but we're now at a stage in life where we want conveniences.  At the same time, I want to stay in a country where I can feel I can blend in and be part of the culture.  Turkey is a place where I can accomplish that.  Yes, the language is a bit of a barrier. But, when Ataturk took over, he changed the Turkish alphabet into Latin letters.  It's very easy to pick up words that you can actually read vs it being in Osmanli alphabet.  A new metro/subway was built in 2012 and it's just a few minutes walk down the street from where we are.  It's easy to get around in this huge city.  And, Turkish love using their credit cards and debit cards.  Also, items are priced with bar codes just like here.  You can see why I love shopping there as it's so easy.  I hate being in a place where you get ripped off because you're not one of the locals.

There was plenty of time for my knitting too, when I wasn't busy helping with the home. I don't mean for this post to be political in any way.  But, Turkey is a very organized country that has embraced the modern world and yet retains the charms of the Ottoman Empire.  I love organization and I don't do well with chaos.  Something must be going OK with Turkey as the people have disposable income. I've never seen so many restaurants/tea shops as in Istanbul.  As for the language, they are willing to have patience with you. I felt bad on my part that I only know a few Turkish words.  My plan is to attend language school next time I go there.  For an American who is used to big spaces, big cars, all kinds of consumer goods, Turkey has all of these things.  And, best of all, Turkish produces most of it's consumer goods themselves.  Excellent quality and beautiful designs.  And, the people are polite and welcoming.

I hope you have enjoyed this little glimpse of my Turkish life. Wishing you all the best,

Pat  

PS - My children say I have gone down the rabbit hole as I signed up for Instagram!  You can find me there if you wish.