From My Diaries /Since April

 

None of us like 2020. The year of the disasters! I can’t say that is the worst year  for sure, World War II comes to mind first, and then I did a bit of research and learned that; Professor Michael McCormick, who is the one that had claimed 536 AD to be the worst year (due to the extreme weather events probably caused by a volcanic eruption early in the year, causing average temperatures in Europe and China to decline and resulting in crop failures and famine for well over a year.) and said this about 2020: “It has clearly been a bad year so far and we are only 2/3 of the way through.” 
December is at the corner. So, I hope, I wish and I pray for the last month to not bring any other bad event to anywhere or anyone. We already have a virus problem that kills people everyday. 

What a year...

Wild fires in Australia, airplane crashes in Iran and Pakistan, social unrest over the killing of George Floyd, the deadly explosions in Beirut, shooting down the Ukrainian airliner PS752, killing 176 people on board, violence in Delhi, a locust swarm outbreak in East Africa, earthquakes in Turkey. 177 people died here in Izmir which is the city I live. 

Aria and I stopped by D&R that day to buy new books.I always miss the smell and the sound of a new book. Suddenly, I feel like my blood pressure was getting high for a second. Because, it happens sometimes and I say” is that an earthquake? Then the books dropped on us from the shelves. We ran out the store. It was scary. We were lucky that there were no major damage or death here in Cesme, unlike the centre. Some of them were relocated to tents after the disaster. People in Izmir/city center are still trying to get back to normal.

Have you you read the book Pyramid by Tom Martin? It’s the last book I read that I grabbed from my son’s shelf. Since the subject is about the secrets of the universe it caught my attention and hunger to read it all day long.

An eminent Oxford professor is murdered. But authorities are calling it a suicide. Oxford professor Catherine Donovan finds herself chasing the truth all around the world trying to save it from certain destruction. She meets Dr. Rutherford, a classicist, and together they chase the late professor's death trail, led by gematric clues. It is an easy and enjoyable read. 

 In fact, everything was repeated all over the world. Aliens weren't coming or restarting life. It was the man who always managed to gain access to advanced technology. But selfishness would turn the earth into a cloud of dust, again.

  They are the good ones who have broken the secret of the universe and the bad ones who do not realize that they are part of the universe.

                                         A little bit of this, a little bit of that.

When he started to Kindergarden

2020

I can't believe that Aria is a college student. He is studying Applied English and Translation in Izmir University of Economics. He chose French as his third language. 

Class 2020 is unlucky. They couldn’t start this long awaited exciting life stage as they had hoped. Masks, social distance with friends and finally online education because of coronavirus. They couldn’t even have a prom. Sometimes I forget and call him;

Me: Honey, I have fresh coffee, do you want some? (Yelling to his room)
Him: Mooom, be quite! I’m in the class 😅 

Anyway, we are thankful for technology that allows him to join class online. Unfortunately, it was not the college life they all waited for. 

The class that studied for only half a term last year, the exam stress combined with a mask in the hot sunny classrooms where the air conditioners are not operated because of the virus precautions, the pandemic struggles in the education system, the curfew is for under the age of 18, the days are short when there are limited hours.

I found peace while listening to nature.

Pomegranates from our garden.

It was a windy day. But that's ok. We were out together and taking nature pics.

...and spending time in the kitchen always makes me peaceful

Olives I picked up from our garden.

Since 2020 made a bad start and insists on being a horrible year for the world, I think Halloween was one of the enjoyable days of this year. Making pumpkin pancakes and watching our jack’o lantern in the front yard was fun. Aria carved the pumpkin and made eyes and mouth very well. Success! What do you think ?
No trick or treating since we moved to Turkey.. Costume parties? Yes, it’s not common but there is! Anyway Covid-19 doesn’t allow such a thing this year anyway. So, getting in the kitchen together and making pumpkin pancakes with cinnamon & ginger topping was definitely fun, as much as eating them 😁☺️
So thankful that we all are healthy and together 🙏

I had 4 cups of coffee while waiting for him to come out from preparatory exam across the campus 😃 He got 1st place with 96%!! 🙏

The day was hard but a gift arrived at the end of that day, which was very thoughtful 👌🎊

We opened the candy package first and couldn’t stop having another one 😊

Happy Thanksgiving! Hoping a better one for next year for all of us 🙏

From My Diaries/ Quarantine Days

As the coronavirus continues to spread “stay home / wash hands” days made us largely more creative. Some of us, started to sew their own mask which I‘m also one of them and started to learn American Sign Language as an interest.
Many are taking notes with their experiences of living through a pandemic. Spending more time in kitchen to try new recipes is also possibly added to our daily routine. If you have been reading this blog for a while, you probably know that cooking has always been a part of my day.

Ta da!! As they’re packed with fiber and protein, here is my latest favorite!!! We all need eating healthy more than ever. White beans dip is turned into our family favorite lately. Dry beans are easy to store like pasta, rice, oats. Canned goods are also easy to obtain. Probably most of us have beans in our pantry.

I used cannellini beans. Guys you know what, any white beans can be used instead. Just try with any kind you already have at home.

Ingredients;

1 cup dry cannellini beans
(cooked or 15 once can cannellini/drained)
2 tbsp olive oil plus 1 tablespoons for drizzle.
1/2 tsp ground turmeric
1/4 tsp black pepper
1/2 tsp dried basil
(or 1 tsp fresh, finely chopped)
1/4 tsp dry mint
(or 1 tsp fresh, finely chopped)
2 gloves chopped garlic (minced)
Salt,
Juice of half a lemon
A couple table spoon of water if needed.

If you use high quality olive oil, you don’t need to sauté garlic and herbs before mixing with the beans.
Transfer the beans and all the ingredients (except oil which is reserved for drizzle and water) to the food processor. Process a fairly smooth puree. Add reserved water or more if necessary. Place into a bowl. Drizzle with reserved olive oil and ready to taste! Easy and tasty!

We are living out the movie Contagion. The only name “Corona” I knew was a beer I liked to have with a slice of lime till a few months ago. Now, it turned into a scary name.

Yesterday I watched the movie “ World War Z”, you'll remember the last scene if you saw the movie; Brad Pitt walks across the zombies drinking a coke after hit the machine. It was a cool scene. The virus Solanum has had an antivirus. I hope, Corona does has it soon too.



Did Sylvia Browne predict the Coronavirus?

“In around 2020 a severe pneumonia-like illness will spread throughout the globe, attacking the lungs and the bronchial tubes … "(Chapter 7).
It is really astonishing. .

If you already read the book “End of Days” you know another one she predicted is “in 2020 for a sitting president to die of a heart attack.”

We see loss of lives all over the world. Sadness, fear and worry. . We all miss to connect each other the most. Walking without s mask, shopping, stopping by a coffee shop, watching a movie in theatre.
At the beginning of this crisis, we watched the movies about viruses. Listened to the news every minute, follow the numbers climbing (which I don’t trust if the declaration is honest, anyway) Right now, I don’t even want to hear the words ‘Virus”, “Covid-19”, “Quarantine” exc. I hope no more people get this virus anymore, no more people die, anyone who is fighting with it, beats it and gets better soon. I pray for all, sending positive thoughts on their way.

Last couple of days show that the number of new cases is lower than the number recovered in Turkey. That means, the good days, the freedom is at the door, hopefully!

Boost your energy with Pranayama/ Lion’s Breath
Lion’s breath might help you to let madness, sadness, worries let go.
It might look hilarious if you have never seen or tried this breathing technique before, but it works well.

If you feel like you're suffering from anxiety, try this pranayama. Better than complaining , to hurt someone around you, spreading negative energy or to keep madness or fear in you. Just sit down, breath in deeply through your nose then open your mouth and breath out like a lion, make that sound “haaaaaah!!” Don’t be shy. Open your eyes wide, look up. Stick your  tongue out. After repeating it a few times, you will feel calm.
Perfect for getting rid of negative thoughts in your mind.

-During Corona Days, April 2020/ TR- 

Today has been quiet so far. Here in Turkey, after the travel ban between cities, weekend lockdowns also started. Taking pictures when possible is giving me a chance to breath so far. Those photos are taken all the way through the closest grocery store to home and I want to share with you guys the nature of beauty in April here.




A view of Boyalik Beach Hotel, Cesme/TR










..from my birthday. I was lucky enough to be surprised with a cake by my husband and son.



Hello 53! What a year!

Celebration of national holidays have also changed. Last Thursday, Turkey celebrated the 100th anniversary of the nation's April 23 National Sovereignty and Children's Day. Families with kids at 9 p.m. stood at the front yards of their homes, windows and balconies of their apartments to sing the national anthem while waving Turkish flags.