Dorothy Emails from Oz

Our newly married Mrs. Abez was in Oman on Eid day and we missed her like madness: apparently she missed us too 'cause here's the Eid mail we got from her the next day. It seems Dorothy has flown off to Oz and Kansas isn't looking so black,white and boring anymore. Share the love, share the madness.

AssalamuAlaikum and Love to everyone

I've been trying to call but apparently no one has roaming (outgoing)
in their phones. Which is a nice way of summing up "Why the hibbity
dibbity can't I make phone calls from Oman?!?!" Bogus.

In any case, Eid mubarak to the family that can never, ever be
replaced. I miss you guys like mad. Owl and I have had Eids on
our own, but I've never had an Eid without some member of our family
circus before, and it's kind of lonely. Of course people are lovely
and accomodating, and one house even had sheer khurma, but where's the
German-chocolate cake and the Momma who baked it? Where's the sheer
khurma and my own Abbu to sneak it directly out of the bowl,at 3a.m.?

And my Owlie, I miss you. Enough said.

Zaman, you're a weirdo for all seasons, and that is enough said. (and stop
eating the top off the cake you bum!)

gtg, we're going out again and I just want to wish you all a huge Eid
Mubarak and love and love and more love. I miss you guys.

Love,
Abez

Lifelong Dream turns Nightmare

Today my husband’s lifelong dream of riding a jet sky was fulfilled. We went down to the Dubai creek where they have rentals and he and Large Hulking Son (LHS) took a spin. Owl and I watched from the shoreline till they returned and beckoned us to join. Owl then took off as the passenger with LHS driving. They soon returned and Owl took the driver’s seat and I climbed on the back. She took off on her first driving experience with me hanging on for dear life. She jerked and roared and I slipped and screamed. Every time she lunged, I nearly slipped off and pain shot through my hip joints. What can I say… is it my fault that I’m a 52 year old with the hip joints of a 75 year old?

After just 5 minutes of me yelling, “I’m falling! I’m falling, go slower.” She didn’t have enough experience or control to start off slowly and it was lung, and pause, and lunge and pause the whole time. We limped back to the dock where I disembarked. I didn’t kiss the shore, but it was tempting. I’m really not a chicken. I enjoy motorcycle rides, but her jerking the gas lever kept dislodging my grip, making me slip each time and she wouldn’t stop long enough for me to regain my seat. She really nearly dropped me with me screaming the whole time.

Sooooo, my husband’s dream became my nightmare. He always fanaticized about us riding jet skis together, but I think I’m done.

Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali to my many Hindu readers. Okay, probably none of my readers are Hindu, but Happy Diwali anyway. I'm big on celebrating any and all holidays.

I may not have any Hindu readers, but I do have a Hindu neighbor; a lovely girl from Delhi who is mid-20-something with a 3 year old son. She and I regularly exchange homemade food. I send her banana date bread and cookies and get wonderful sambas, currys and pilau in exchange. I knocked on her door a couple days ago to inqire if her family in Dehli was all safe after the recent bombings. Thank God, they were.

Just yesterday, I was locked out AGAIN. I knew Hubby was home, sleeping right through my doorbell ringing, phone calling and door banging. She took me in, fed me apple slices and Pepsi and we watched a Bollywood movie with Amitabh Bachan and Shahrukh Khan before hubby finally woke up, found my note on the door and came to collect me. It's very nice to know your neighbors.

I think I'll go make some date cookies to distribute to all the 6 apartments on my floor on Eid day. (possibly 2 days away) Getting to know your neighbors takes effort, but it's worth it. I have met all six neighbors. One day last week thick smoke filled the hallway of our floor. I knocked on all the doors trying to identify the source of the smoke. It turns out that the Irani man at the far end of the hall fell asleep while baking bread. I learned we have two Irani families, three Indian and one bachelor pad of Pakistani white-collar workers. There are usually around 5 pairs of shoes outside the door.

Wow! Before I could even publish this post, my neighbor came over to give me sweets and a nice hug. Tonight the hallway smells of incense and the sound of firecrackers still fill the air as I type this post and prepare for bed.