Taxes time

Hi Natty!  I hope you are feeling well today.  I want you to know that I love you with all of my heart, and that everything is going to work out just great for us inshaAllah.  So don't you worry about a thing, OK?

It's been a busy day for me, because Sunday is always a busy day.  But it's not Ramadan, so I'm not as worn out.  It rained in the evening, so I didn't have to do any yard work.  Instead, I made myself a big dinner.  Nothing fancy, just all the fries and chicken nuggets that were in the freezer.  I will be buying more tomorrow inshaAllah.  After this, I will be doing wardrobe with Mary Unknown7.  Then I have to fill in my tax forms.  Since I own a business, my taxes times is the month of June.  Anyway, I have to get to it.  I love you!

From Allah is our origin, and to Allah is our return

Natty, my condolences on your Nan.  It seems that you were available to be there with her, and from the gesture of her left hand it seems she really appreciated it.  I love you.

Metal blade

Hi Natty!  What's up?  I hope you are doing and feeling well.  I just got done finishing up the grass cutting, so I'm tired.  I used the metal blade today to cut what a plastic cable can't cut, like young trees and such.  Oh my God, the place is overgrown.  It's mostly because I don't have the strength to remove the adult trees that give spawn to the millions of baby trees on the ground: I need a team to do that for me.  In the meanwhile, I have to do the labor myself.  But today is the last of it for a while, alhamdulillah.  I had to lift that spinning blade above my head many times.  Ugh.  Then sweat took over my eyes, and I couldn't see anything with the protective goggles on.  I got it done though, now I want to sleep.  But I also want to work, doing work that I enjoy doing for a change.  I guess I'll nap until the night prayer, then get back on the computer.  At least I didn't have to cook.  My mother had some "lontong" left over, so I ate that.  Thanks, Mom!

Lontong

Hi Natty!  How are you feeling?  I hope you are keeping a cool head and heart.  Please be patient, my love.  I love you so very much.  It's past sunset here, and it's raining right now.  I did manage to get the grass cut, over at that very thick area behind my grandfather's old house.  I am praying to build a house for my wife there someday inshaAllah.  There's a lot of yard work to do, and the vegetation is so strong.  I don't want to just spray the area with poison, because the girl I love loves green.  Anyway I got the task done before the rain came down, but I still have a small section to do with the metal blade.  And it will all grow back.  My Mother gave me some of her "lontong" for dinner.  It's basically a stew where the broth is based on coconut milk and turmeric. Very tasty.  Thanks, Mom!

Spaghetti again?

Hi beautiful Natty!  I love you!  You are MY girl natty, and I love you with all of my heart.  I hope you are feeling good and healthy, and you are enjoying your place in this world.  Me, I had to cut the grass again to catch up with what was left to grow over Ramadan, and my feet hurt right now.  The spinning cable of the weed whacker sure kicks up a whole lot of plant and earth matter right up my nose, so I'm taken by a sniffle as I'm trying to work.  I think: cutting grass → nasal allergies → flooded sinus cavity → infected sinus cavity → an opportunity for the flu-type virus collective to take advantage of my weakened condition.  At least it's not the fasting month, and I am able to carry and ingest medicine as I work.

Yeah yeah I know, spaghetti again.  Spaghetti is a quick and easy fix for dinner after doing exhausting yard work.  Plus, I had a lot of sauce left over.  I was thinking that that sauce could be so much better, plus last night it gave me gas which means I didn't reheat it hot enough and I need to add coriander seeds.  Then this morning I went to buy produce for my mother, and they were selling "kampung" (village) eggplant.  So I bought that, then bought a can of tomato puree, recooked the sauce by adding the eggplant, coriander seeds and tomato puree with a bit of sugar, and it turned out so much better.  I have enough sauce for one more "spaghetti again" which is convenient because I have to keep cutting grass.  After that, I'm done with spaghetti for a while.  But I don't have enough spaghetti noodles...

Spaghetti again?

Hi Natty!  Aw don't you worry about a thing, my precious Princess.  Everything is going to work out just awesome for us inshaAllah.  You are such a beautiful girl.   I love you with all of my heart, and I will marry you inshaAllah.  OK?

Yeah, I had spaghetti for dinner.  I cut the grass in the evening, and spaghetti was the quickest and most filling solution.  Yeah, I made a lot of sauce the last time.  It just turned out that way, and I don't have room in my freezer.  I don't mind having spaghetti for days if the sauce were good.  It's not the best sauce I ever made, but it's good.  I still have a lot of sauce left though...

Hi Natty

Hi Honey!  Yes, I listened to your podcast.  I'm listening to your podcast, but you're not there.  😡  I just finished the sunset prayer, and watched the Jap kids video.  It's been a busy day.  I vacuum cleaned my mother's house in the morning, then cleaned out the reservoir in my bathroom, both after doing the usual cleaning up after the cats.  Lunch was ramen: I love ramen!  My ramen recipe has become so involved and time-consuming, but I can't have it any other way.  I only had time for a 5 minute nap before Mary Unknown7's session.  In the evening, I cut the grass.  The grass almost took over because of Ramadan, but I have more gumption to face it now I'm not fasting.  I guess I would have had more time to do things if I got to bed earlier, but I got caught up with computer work while watching "John Wick".  I got excited, suddenly 2 doors I thought were closed opened wide up again, then after putting in all that work I found that those doors were still closed even after though they were wide open.  Does that make sense?  I guess I would be more frustrated if I hadn't realized that my computer trail is very unique, by the Will of Allah.  So I didn't try too hard to win, only to adapt in the future.  "John Wick" is a great movie.  Some local kids killed my cat a couple of years ago when I let her out to find a mate.  But I didn't kill them.  I had to forgive them.

Selamat Hari Raya

Hi Natty!  How are you today?  I hope all is well with you, and you are feeling good.  Ah, I didn't have to fast today!  Today is the Eid, one of the 2 Eids that Muslims celebrate, this being Eid al-Fitr, the end of Ramadan.  I had to work of course, I don't get holidays.  I've been on my own all my life and had to work, so I don't have much of an emotional attachment to public holidays.  But when we marry inshaAllah, we will have to celebrate Ramadan and the Eid as a function of strengthening family.  Oh don't you worry about society Honey, I will be every much as isolated as you.  I have no friends.  It is family that we will focus on.  People usually prepare much festive food for the occasion.  My mother had a modest spread this year, so I ate some of that.  The Eid can be compared to Christmas, but the kids don't expect presents.  Instead, they expect cash.  Kids here used to go around from house to house, knocking on doors and yelling "Selamat Hari Raya!" and folks would give them cash.  Yeah, like Halloween.  Not this year though.  But you have to admit, cash is easier to deal with than buying presents right?  They can have presents on their birthdays.  That is a monumental enough task for me.

Qur'an 20200524

In the name of Allah, most Gracious, most Merciful.

14.  And when they see a Sign, turn it to mockery.

15.  And say, "This is nothing but evident sorcery!"

16.  "What!  When we die and become dust and bones, shall we be raised up?"

17.  "And also our fathers of old?"

18.  Say, "Yes, and you shall then be humiliated."

Those ranged in ranks 37:14-18

Spaghetti again?

Hi Natty!  How are you?  I hope you are healthy and happy!  It's the last day of Ramadan today, so no more mandatory fasting for this year!  I get to drink coffee in the afternoon!  I'm so happy!  Simple pleasures.  I think I managed to step up this Ramadan, inshaAllah.  It sure has been a busy one this year.  The first half of the month was full of aches and pains, and the rest was Internet chaos, all within the frame of Covid-19.  I can't say that Covid-19 is a blessing, but other than that it was a great Ramadan.  Thank You, ya Allah.

The most memorable meals this month were the beef jerky, and the spaghetti!  Yeah I had spaghetti again, for the pre-dawn meal.  It's a beef and onion sauce, onion being the thickening agent.  The beef and eggplant was a better sauce, but this one is a success alhamdulillah.  For breaking fast this dinner, I'm having steamed rice, crunchy anchovies, a couple of sunny side up eggs, and "sambal tumis petai" (bitter beans in hot sauce).  Very traditional.  I would offer you some, but bitter beans is an acquired taste.