Well, after almost 3 weeks from when I first caught the latest round of the plague, I'm finally feeling almost normal. Which is good news because I've been dying to get out and go walking now that the weather has finally cooled down. It's been in the 70's this week though I think it did reach 80 the other day. In December! lol
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I was cleaning the floors in the apartment today and whenever I clean the floors, I thereafter have to clean the bathtub since that's where the dirty water gets rinsed out at.
Today, as has unfortunately happened before, I was leaning over and scrubbing the far side of the tub and I felt something in my left side protest at me. Uh oh. Sure enough this evening I can feel that I've strained something down there near my middle. I don't know why I'm not more careful since this has happened before and it's not like I forget, but I somehow always seem to think it will be fine.
Maybe it's delirium after cleaning the floors. lol
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I find it strange that the onions we get from the store here or whatever market, are the dirtiest pieces of vegetable that I've really ever seen.
It's like someone digs them up after every layer that grows and rubs some dirty sooty stuff on them and then plants them again, so that when they are finally well grown and ripe, when you go to use them you have to peel off about the first 50 layers.
And the dirt isn't just dirt. It does seem very soot like. It gets on your fingers when you're peeling the onion and you really have to do a decent scrub to get it off.
I realize that things aren't made "pretty" here like they are for the grocery stores in the States, I just find it really strange. Maybe that's just how onions are when they grow and in the States they go through some cleaning process before they're put out on the shelves for the consumers.
I've also found that although the regular veggies are edible, much like the onion they are not very nice to look at. Wilted, small, non-uniform, dirty, not smooth, etc.
Unless you buy Organic. There's a company here that does sell what they claim is organic fruits and veggies and some other things and I have to assume that their claim to organic is true. And if it isn't I have no way to know. But their veggies and fruits look so much nicer. A little more expensive of course, but to me, it isn't just how something tastes, I like it to look nice as well.
I realize this is a problem of someone who has the ability to be picky about food, and I realize many people, especially in a country like Egypt, don't have that luxury.
We don't buy organic all that often but whenever I get the chance I try to pick a couple of things up from the import store.
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And it seems that it's vampire season again.
The mosquitoes went away when the summer heat came. I guess they can't handle it.
And now that the weather has cooled down they are back and in force!
When we first moved in here last December, we were getting a ton of mosquitoes in the apartment, even with the windows closed.
We aren't sure where they're coming from exactly since there isn't an obvious place for them to get in.
Perhaps one of the cracks along the wood doors to the balcony or a hole in a screen somewhere.
I think though, that it's time to invest in a mosquito net for the bedroom.
As much as I enjoy seeing my husband play "hunter" to try to kill the suckers, enough is enough.
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Still no work on the pictures. No real surprise there I suppose. I will keep making the intention to get them done soon. It will happen sooner or later.
It's amazing how relaxed (lazy?) you can become when you let yourself.
With no job to rush off to every morning and no real schedule to keep, I find I just don't get stuff done.
Perhaps I should make myself a schedule....
4 comments:
Finally! A blog entry. LOL Glad that you're feeling better. Sounds like you pulled a muscle while stretching to clean the tub. Perhaps regular stretching exercises would alleviate that in the future. Still waiting for vanilla shipment. Maybe I should check the front porch. LOL
I don't know what kind of soil they grow onions in in Egypt, but I've been growing them forever and I never have anything that looks like you describe. They should have a few flaky layers on the outside and the dirt - stuff that looks like regular dirt - there might be a little on the outside layer. It sounds like maybe it is the soot from when they burn the fields or worse yet, some sort of mold. Neither very appetizing. And the other vegetables, if they're limp they're too old, nothing to do with how they're grown, but rather how they've been handled since they've been picked. I'd for sure stick with the organic if only because they're more appealing to eat and have to be healthier than the 'over the hill' ones.
Actually, stretching probably would be a good idea. I've been meaning to start some yoga but haven't quite figured out the floor situation since we only have tile and no carpets at all. Not very comfy!
I think the Vanilla is being delivered on Wednesday? I checked on Saturday I think it was and it showed scheduled delivery for Wed., but I haven't checked it since then.
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I had considered that perhaps the "dirt" was soot from them burning the fields but I don't really know. I'm not sure how I could even check.
I don't think it's mold but that thought did occur to me as well. It's just that it's on all the onions that we get unless they're the organic ones. Hmmm....
An addition to the onion discussion: Hank says that most of the vegetables in Egypt are grown within a short distance of the Nile and the flooding puts silt on the fields and that's the black crud on your onions. I guess I never thought of that since I don't garden near a major river. :-)
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