AfricanKelli

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A friend passed away yesterday. She’d been sick for quite a while, but the end came quickly. Even though we’d watched her lose her hair, grow it back, lose it again, fight countless infections and battle what seemed like 1,000 hurdles, I woke up yesterday morning fully convinced she’d rally. We’d celebrated her return to great health before. Ever the optimist, I was so painfully wrong.

Many of us had time to get to the hospital to say goodbye. She’d been in and out of the hospital for several years. By the end of the afternoon, I watched half a dozen nurses and doctors come to the ICU to see one of their favorite patients for the last time.
Something about watching a surgeon and nurses cry made the day that much more difficult; I always think of medical professionals as having some sort of super-human capability to deal with this sort of sorrow, but come to find out they are as startled and shaken by death as the rest of us.

A ray of light in all of this was watching my friends and her family gather. Judy worked with international students — many stopped by. She was loved by her church, and the minister was there to hold her husband’s hand. Her mother, sister, cousin and children were around her bedside too. The hallway was full of people she’d touched, including a handful of kids who’d spent many a summer at her house eating crazy dishes (eggs del monico) and listening to her stories of playing on Fire Island as a kid and going to graduate school at Columbia. She introduced me to the theater and regularly made sure their family had an extra ticket to the Broadway shows coming through town. She was an avid reader and loved swapping books, talking about music and taking long walks with her dog. I never heard her raise her voice or say a mean spirited thing about another person. She was truly a graceful woman and I will really miss her. We all will.

Today, I’m honoring Judy by being mindful of the countless blessings that surround my daily routines. From the gorgeous sunrise this morning that I may have otherwise overlooked to the simple breakfast I’ve just enjoyed — life is just too short to let the little things go unnoticed.

Thanks for your kind words yesterday. If you have a second today, please send good thoughts and prayers to Judy’s family.

~K

With several friends in the hospital, my thoughts are muddled.

Here is to a peaceful, graceful and loving week for us all.

~K

My mama’s fabulous meatloaf, with a layer of Hatch chiles through the center, El Pato spicy tomato sauce on top and a side of roast broccoli. Fresh bread, Petite Syrah and an appetizer plate with figs, pears, almonds and Dubliner cheese. A good meal, even better the next day as a cold meatloaf sandwich.

Thanks to the second pan of meatloaf, I am officially looking forward to bringing my lunch to work this week.

~K

I’ve never been terribly good at math. In part, I think it’s because at an early age I was labeled a good reader and that side of my education was nurtured. Also, I’m damn lazy when it comes to numbers. I’m lucky if I get the right amount of air pressure in my bike tires, have any clue what kind of gas mileage my car gets, and have yet to find a time in public health when x/y= anything. Sorry Mrs. Theile, while you were a lovely pre-calculus teacher, I couldn’t care less today than I did in 11th grade about equations — with the lone exception being me + free time = happiness.

This lack of mathematical prowess does bite me in the ass every so often. Knitting, for example, can take a bit of math patience that I don’t seem to have — especially if you are altering a pattern. Overdraft fees? Yep. They suck and yet I cannot for the life of me seem to keep enough cash in my checking account. I once had a teller explain to me that a debit card isn’t actually a credit card just because it has the Visa symbol on it. I nearly clocked her, but the fine would have cost too much. Do they take debit in jail?

Times, they are a changing. While they may have said there would be no math, they lied. My checkbook is proof pudding. I’m cutting back, making thriftiness tres chic in my house and dreaming of a Clinton economy when we were so flush and happy, no one noticed the Beret floozie gallivanting in and out of the oval office.

Money can be scary. Having it, not having it, knowing what to do with it. I had a long series of conversations with my parents this weekend about my desire to buy a house. When it comes right down to it, my dad finally said what no one else was willing to say — I want too much. I work in a field where the profit margin is low and the fulfillment is high. I’ve made that choice and it doesn’t necessarily come with a giant back yard and a garden and doggie door. I’m not giving up on my dream of having a bit more space, but I am taking a new look at my environment and appreciating what I own.

I’m also saving as much as I can and stopped by the bank this week to pick up a new check register. I’ve decided I’m going to record every penny spent in October and then take a closer look at my discretionary spending. I imagine this little experiment will provide me with enough shock to be truly horrific come Halloween. Care to join me in this walk toward budgetary accountability? I might just learn how to do some math in the process.

In the meantime, I’m officially celebrating all things creatively cheap — like buying books at the library for $1, hitting the dollar store for produce (bell peppers, tomatoes, onions, sweet peppers, carrots, etc. All fresh. All $1.), recycling magazines and music with my girlfriends, cleaning out my closets and donating all stuff unused to Goodwill (space is luxurious), walking and riding my bike more, using my coffee cup for the refill price, and most importantly — loving what I have. Getting out of the materialistic mindset is long process, but I love how freeing each step seems to be.

I’m going to have that house, dog and garden — even if it takes a few pickle jars worth of coins to change my savings habits.

~K

Fall is my favorite season, hands down. For Phoenicians, it’s like a big scoop of ice cream on top of homemade apple pie after suffering through a dry, disgusting pot roast of a summer. I simply cannot wait for the cooler temperatures to arrive. I’m planning my annual Flagstaff road trip for a pumpkin patch shopping spree (and Beaver Street Brew check in) and looking longingly at the stack of long sleeves in my closet currently begging for attention. Soon, my friends. Soon.
In the meantime, I’m surrounding myself with shades of a new season. One of my favorite colors is eggplant. It is flattering to wear, royal and always catches my eye. I turned that Debbie Bliss yarn into a shrug for another Fall birthday baby. I’m not quite done with this project yet. I’m hoping to add one of these fabulous Heather Bailey pins to the lapel too.

{Did you know Heather Bailey lives in Phoenix? I think we are supposed to be friends. I could use some advice on the whole domestic business thing and I’m certain she’d love some of my cooking. We could swap. I should email her.}

Pumpkin. All things in Fall should be pumpkin. Bagels, soup, breads, and even the puree in yogurt. I love the stuff and like Finny and Rachael Ray, burnt orange is another favorite color. This is also a particularly fun Fall because my African-Australian roomie hasn’t ever celebrated Halloween and he’s is aptly like a kid in a candy shop at the thought. He can’t wait to “carve gourds and scare the wees.” I can’t wait to watch.

I picked up these two cloth napkins at the Crate and Barrel outlet store for $3 — soon to be new Fall handbags.

I know the seasons are changing because it is suddenly dark when I leave the house in the morning. I’m enjoying seeing the stars as I ride my bike. Although, to be honest I would like this season much more if it were cold enough to send the mosquitoes away already.

What are you doing to celebrate the change in season?

~K