Wednesday, September 30, 2015
Tuesday, September 22, 2015
THE HOT DAYS OF ENDLESS SUMMER ARE NOT OVER HERE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
The hot days of endless summer - heat waves - are not over yet here in Southern California. I'm so done with this weather. I simply long to wear sweaters, and to really enjoy hot cups of coffee in the morning, and to take walks with my dog in the rain. (Who cares if she gets a little wet. I'll shampoo her once we're back in the house.) Here we rarely need or wear coats. Maybe to attend Mass of Christmas Eve, maybe if it ever snows again in the high desert where people still own furs, maybe at the beach when the wind is kicking up.
Yesterday was the Autumn Equinox. From now on the days will get shorter, the nights longer. But there are no leaves changing color or falling here. They are fried, with burn spots, and yellow from water being the answer to heat. I got a plum tree that is barely holding on. My sunflowers even suffered.
The worst thing about the heat is that my productivity suffered, as did my concentration and my willingness to be physical just about anywhere besides the pool.
The pools were open at great expense to the tax payers, as hardly anyone uses them. I went swimming a half dozen times and then, while the heat still seared, they closed.
All summer I tried to shower less, shutting off the water while I soaped and shampooed, and I flushed less too. Yet in my neighborhood there were a number of people who were still out there, against the latest rules, watering every single day. Their idea was that they could afford the water. Their idea wasn't that they need to preserve water for other uses, such as farming and drinking.
While there is always talk about desalinization (removing the salt from ocean water) plants along the California Coast, well, they may as well be talking about more nuclear power plants. Meanwhile the wind farms along the high way out to Palm Springs seem to function on most days, so there still must be some wind cooling things off.
All this said, I reserve the right to complain about too much rain and cold later in the year!
Yesterday was the Autumn Equinox. From now on the days will get shorter, the nights longer. But there are no leaves changing color or falling here. They are fried, with burn spots, and yellow from water being the answer to heat. I got a plum tree that is barely holding on. My sunflowers even suffered.
The worst thing about the heat is that my productivity suffered, as did my concentration and my willingness to be physical just about anywhere besides the pool.
The pools were open at great expense to the tax payers, as hardly anyone uses them. I went swimming a half dozen times and then, while the heat still seared, they closed.
All summer I tried to shower less, shutting off the water while I soaped and shampooed, and I flushed less too. Yet in my neighborhood there were a number of people who were still out there, against the latest rules, watering every single day. Their idea was that they could afford the water. Their idea wasn't that they need to preserve water for other uses, such as farming and drinking.
While there is always talk about desalinization (removing the salt from ocean water) plants along the California Coast, well, they may as well be talking about more nuclear power plants. Meanwhile the wind farms along the high way out to Palm Springs seem to function on most days, so there still must be some wind cooling things off.
All this said, I reserve the right to complain about too much rain and cold later in the year!
Wednesday, September 2, 2015
SLOW COOKING AMERICAN VERSIONS OF HUNGARIAN INSPIRED FOOD!
SLOW COOKERS, previously known as CROCK POTS, are increasingly popular these days. It's so easy to throw your ingredients in, set a temperature (high or low) and timer (6-8-10 hours) and go off to work or shopping, come home hours later to a ready meal, with the house smelling of wonderful cooked food.
Hey, my dog loves it. On days when I slow cook, upon arriving back home, she doesn't just leap up to say hello to me and wag her tail, she almost attaches herself to my ankle as I go from room to room, making sure that I don't forget about her when it's time to eat. And I do give her a small portion of the meat or vegetables that were cooked. It wouldn't be fair to torture her!
Now there are so very many recipes on the Internet and in cookbooks that I'm not going to give recipes here. I'm just going to tell you about some of my versions of Hungarian food, call it Hungarian-American food, that I've been successful with. Some of this may make you laugh!
Trader Joe's, a chain store, has a spice called 24 Seasonings Salute, and I swear by it. It is the only prepared mix of spices I use. According to their web site, "Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute is a smooth blend of onion, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard, coriander, garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato, lemon juice and lemon oil. Leave the other spices out and add 21 Seasoning Salute to a vinaigrette, sprinkle some on burgers, steaks, or chicken, before you cook them, or add a dash (or several) to soups, sauces, dips, and even scrambled eggs. Need a quick breakfast idea? Mash a scoop of avocado atop a slice of toast, and sprinkle 21 Seasoning Salute atop the avocado. It's always a good idea to sprinkle the blend into your palm first, and then break up the spices with your fingertips to release their essential oils, delivering the best of all the components. We're selling each 2.2 ounce jar for $1.99, every day."
Remember when you load your crockpot that the heat rises inside of it and so the meat should go ON TOP of all your veggies. Also, how thick you should cut a carrot or potato, and other veggies, may also be about how long you plan to cook. So the longer you'll be gone, the thicker the cut.
TRY THESE COMBINATIONS!
Carrots, onions, sour kraut, pork or beef, and (in the last hour of cooking put on top) egg dumplings with caraway or mustard seeds made by mixing flour, sea salt, seeds, and egg.
Kidney beans, Black Beans, and White Beans, green beans, chicken, and tomato.
Mix oatmeal and flour and sugar or brown sugar. Throw some in the pot. Add cut apples. Or Apricots. Or Pears. Throw some more dry mixture on and around the fruits. Cook on a low setting. Serve hot over vanilla ice-cream or yogurt.
Hey, my dog loves it. On days when I slow cook, upon arriving back home, she doesn't just leap up to say hello to me and wag her tail, she almost attaches herself to my ankle as I go from room to room, making sure that I don't forget about her when it's time to eat. And I do give her a small portion of the meat or vegetables that were cooked. It wouldn't be fair to torture her!
Now there are so very many recipes on the Internet and in cookbooks that I'm not going to give recipes here. I'm just going to tell you about some of my versions of Hungarian food, call it Hungarian-American food, that I've been successful with. Some of this may make you laugh!
Trader Joe's, a chain store, has a spice called 24 Seasonings Salute, and I swear by it. It is the only prepared mix of spices I use. According to their web site, "Trader Joe's 21 Seasoning Salute is a smooth blend of onion, black pepper, celery seed, cayenne pepper, parsley, basil, marjoram, bay leaf, oregano, thyme, savory, rosemary, cumin, mustard, coriander, garlic, carrot, orange peel, tomato, lemon juice and lemon oil. Leave the other spices out and add 21 Seasoning Salute to a vinaigrette, sprinkle some on burgers, steaks, or chicken, before you cook them, or add a dash (or several) to soups, sauces, dips, and even scrambled eggs. Need a quick breakfast idea? Mash a scoop of avocado atop a slice of toast, and sprinkle 21 Seasoning Salute atop the avocado. It's always a good idea to sprinkle the blend into your palm first, and then break up the spices with your fingertips to release their essential oils, delivering the best of all the components. We're selling each 2.2 ounce jar for $1.99, every day."
Remember when you load your crockpot that the heat rises inside of it and so the meat should go ON TOP of all your veggies. Also, how thick you should cut a carrot or potato, and other veggies, may also be about how long you plan to cook. So the longer you'll be gone, the thicker the cut.
TRY THESE COMBINATIONS!
Carrots, onions, sour kraut, pork or beef, and (in the last hour of cooking put on top) egg dumplings with caraway or mustard seeds made by mixing flour, sea salt, seeds, and egg.
Kidney beans, Black Beans, and White Beans, green beans, chicken, and tomato.
Mix oatmeal and flour and sugar or brown sugar. Throw some in the pot. Add cut apples. Or Apricots. Or Pears. Throw some more dry mixture on and around the fruits. Cook on a low setting. Serve hot over vanilla ice-cream or yogurt.
Tuesday, August 4, 2015
NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC PHOTOGRAPHY CONTEST WINNERS WHITE FROST ROMANIAN VILLAGER OF PESTERA
Romania, Land of Fairy Tales
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
HUNGARIAN YOUTH LEAVING THE COUNTRY - SHOULD YOU STAY OR LEAVE? SOME ADVICE and THINGS TO CONSIDER before COMING TO THE UNITED STATES!
Since I'm descended from Hungarians who did leave Hungary in the 19th Century, how can I advise anyone to STAY in Hungary when they may rightly perceive that life in another country could be better for them?
I will try.
Just the other day I overheard two young people from Czechoslovakia talking in Czech on a park bench. A couple months ago I met young people here from the Ukraine. They all look so healthy and blond, but I dare not ask them HOW THEY CAN AFFORD THE RENT! It's been a while since I met young recent Hungarian immigrants. But in each case, I first ask them "Are you here as a tourist or are you here to stay?" Often they laugh or say they don't know and I suspect they came as tourists and are now trying to figure things out.
THAT IS THE WRONG THING TO DO! A lot can go wrong, so at least PLAN AHEAD!
The world is an extremely different place than it was prior to the World Wars, and air travel and electronic communications mean that IF YOU LEAVE HUNGARY you may not be cut off from those who remain behind as my ancestors were. That's a positive. And it may be that visiting friends and family left behind will be as easy as affording a ticket.
Though many Hungarian men came to the United States as seasonal industrial workers and returned to Hungary to do seasonal agricultural work for the family farms before making a DECISION to become American Citizens over a hundred years ago, the process was blocked for years because of the difficult politics of the World War I era. Hungarians were one of the ethnic groups who had to wait if their process wasn't complete because they were considered foreigners who might be spies. Some of them waited into the 1920's.
BEFORE YOU CONSIDER LEAVING HUNGARY do extreme research on the rules for entry of the other country you hope to live in, the rules for staying, and what you may be expected to do once you get there, including how much money you should have with you since you may not legally earn any for some time. As for the United States, life can be very different depending on the region, state, city, or local that you go to.
Consider that Hungary is providing incentives for youth to stay in the country of their birth.
HERE IS MY ADVICE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY COME TO THE UNITED STATES - MAYBE EVEN MY STATE OF CALIFORNIA!
These days there seems to be far more opportunity to learn the most useful second language in Europe and that is English. BE SURE TO HAVE EXCELLENT LANGUAGE SKILLS before you leave and once you are in your country and city of choice, take more lessons from a local to have a good accent. There are very few Hungarian speakers in California. You may have to head to the local HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN CLUB to find any!
Although accented English can be charming if a person has a large vocabulary, a heavy accent can still be a barrier for employment unless you are very well educated - say in the sciences - or you have a relative that owns a restaurant.
I've met people who did jobs well beneath their education, like working at a car wash, in order to be employed and earning money at something who did progress after they were speaking well. (Working at the car wash where I live has become the cash job for Mexicans but not so long ago you could find Israelis doing it. There's no shame in a days work honestly done.)
CASH JOBS? It happens all the time in the big cities, and though it's not true that no Americans want these jobs, and it is true that there can be an INS raid and you can find yourself in deep trouble, what is true is that Americans hire recent immigrants for cash because THEY WANT TO PAY LESS THAN THEY WOULD PAY AN AMERICAN. It may be that you'll find work as a live-in nanny or maid or gardener. More likely they will expect you to commute to their home and live elsewhere, even in with a half dozen other people in small apartments.
CLOTHING: You can wear sports shoes or casual shoes for everywhere but... Though you may find casual clothing OK for the job you get, for interviewing it's still best to dress like you're going to be the next CEO, suit and tie, serious shoes. Tattoos? If your body art can be seen you'll probably be thought of as an artist, musician, or part of a subculture.
SOCIAL LIFE? MARRYING AN AMERICAN? Read everything you can about cultural differences, especially if you are unmarried and are interested in meeting and maybe marrying someone from your chosen country. Perhaps more than business, this is the area of social life that is most perplexing. It is perplexing for those of us who already live here and is still sometimes called "the battle of the sexes."
What do women want?
What do men want?
I would think they want someone to be respectful and loving to them.
BIG CITY YOUTH are EXPERIENCED SEXUALLY and may not think of having a fling with a recent immigrant as anything but sex, not love, and not a relationship. So if you are in the mood for a fling with an American ALWAYS USE CONTRACEPTION and PROTECTION. There is a herpes epidemic and HIV/AIDS is still a threat.
Women should know that American men will likely think of you (or anyone from a previously Communist country of Europe) to be "exotic" or expect you to be sexier or more feminine (i.e. more willing to do everything his way) than an American born and raised women. You may not by nature be this way but will have to speak up for yourself to be known. It's up to you to protect yourself from predatory men. They are out there and some of them hate innocence. The best way to do this is to go out on the town to meet people with a like-minded girlfriend and stay sober and alert.
Men... American women are looking for responsible men who they can count on!
Try to make friends before you try to have a lover, but whatever you do, error on the conservative side. Find yourself out on the town with a wild bunch? Be careful. You can get into troubles that they can't because you are not yet a citizen.
SMOKING AND DRINKING? You may have to change. No doubt people still smoke and drink for the companies that sell cigarettes and various alcoholic drinks make a fortune. Still, there is a huge trend towards healthy living that means that many people no longer imbibe, and it isn't even especially religious but more of a holistic and spiritual way of living and seeing life, including the conservation of Mother Earth. There are SMOKING BANS in many cities. You may not smoke on the street or in a restaurant when there is a smoking ban and can even get fined.
COST OF LIVING... HIGH! (Are you wealthy?)
An average one bedroom rental is over $1000 a month in Los Angeles, and you may have to have excellent credit and references to get it. Aim for a two bedroom for $1200 to $1400, a compatible room mate, and an income of at least twice that, three times that is better.
Standard grocery stores are bringing in more and more organic but expensive produce and other items for sale that one used to have to go to a specialty "health food" store to buy. On a budget it may be impossible to eat the highest quality produce. Millions of Americans can barely afford to eat at all and use a government benefit to buy groceries. The least expensive produce is often not surplus but ready to expire.
MEAT EATER? Most people have cut down on how much meat they eat, especially meat like pork and beef, preferring chicken, turkey, and fish. Partly this is because meat is becoming unaffordable, with prices going higher and higher because of the drought, partly it is the trend towards vegetarianism or Mediterranean diets. When you see a fat American, that person is usually fat from sweets, breads, beer - carbohydrates - than overeating good foods! There is a big emphasis on eating enough vegetables and eating twice as much vegetable than the meat on the plate.
Hungarians eating American hot dogs and versions of sausages may be disappointed and consider them bland and over-processed or drowning in condiments.
There are peppers here, the hot ones mostly in Mexican markets, but there is little zeal for cabbage. People are eating broccoli and cauliflower more than ever. For groceries consider that the ARMENIAN OWNED stores do import some Hungarian meats and cheeses as well as the biggest cabbages for the stuffing.
PEOPLE CARRY BOTTLED WATER WITH THEM EVERYWHERE.
COFFEE and COFFEE HOUSES! They're everywhere, and there are still people talking to each other in them, even though long rows of people are more attached to their lap tops and cell phones. Search out the local, privately owned coffee houses and smaller chef or family owned restaurants. As for the coffee itself, there are so very many varieties imported that you can have your choice, but expect to pay about $2.00 on the average for coffee in a paper throw away cup, often more, and it will not be especially thick or dark. Many people avoid any caffeine except for an early morning wake up cup.
CELL PHONES? Opt for a PREPAID phone from Metro-PCS. There are many small companies. This one has unlimited everything for $40 a month and some fairly inexpensive phones.
CHURCH? Fewer young Americans are declaring themselves to be affiliated with a church or religious. Still church can be a good place to start socially so you may want to visit various congregations and see what you think. Be aware that there are still cults thriving in the United States, that they didn't all end with the 1960's, and some of them are "Christian," so if you want to worship rather than become entrapped, stick with the big well known denominations and avoid store fronts, street preachers, and cute girls with flyers inviting you places when you land at the airport.
C 2015 Magyar American BlogSpot. All Rights Reserved.
USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN HUNGARIAN!
I will try.
Just the other day I overheard two young people from Czechoslovakia talking in Czech on a park bench. A couple months ago I met young people here from the Ukraine. They all look so healthy and blond, but I dare not ask them HOW THEY CAN AFFORD THE RENT! It's been a while since I met young recent Hungarian immigrants. But in each case, I first ask them "Are you here as a tourist or are you here to stay?" Often they laugh or say they don't know and I suspect they came as tourists and are now trying to figure things out.
THAT IS THE WRONG THING TO DO! A lot can go wrong, so at least PLAN AHEAD!
The world is an extremely different place than it was prior to the World Wars, and air travel and electronic communications mean that IF YOU LEAVE HUNGARY you may not be cut off from those who remain behind as my ancestors were. That's a positive. And it may be that visiting friends and family left behind will be as easy as affording a ticket.
Though many Hungarian men came to the United States as seasonal industrial workers and returned to Hungary to do seasonal agricultural work for the family farms before making a DECISION to become American Citizens over a hundred years ago, the process was blocked for years because of the difficult politics of the World War I era. Hungarians were one of the ethnic groups who had to wait if their process wasn't complete because they were considered foreigners who might be spies. Some of them waited into the 1920's.
BEFORE YOU CONSIDER LEAVING HUNGARY do extreme research on the rules for entry of the other country you hope to live in, the rules for staying, and what you may be expected to do once you get there, including how much money you should have with you since you may not legally earn any for some time. As for the United States, life can be very different depending on the region, state, city, or local that you go to.
Consider that Hungary is providing incentives for youth to stay in the country of their birth.
HERE IS MY ADVICE FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO MAY COME TO THE UNITED STATES - MAYBE EVEN MY STATE OF CALIFORNIA!
These days there seems to be far more opportunity to learn the most useful second language in Europe and that is English. BE SURE TO HAVE EXCELLENT LANGUAGE SKILLS before you leave and once you are in your country and city of choice, take more lessons from a local to have a good accent. There are very few Hungarian speakers in California. You may have to head to the local HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN CLUB to find any!
Although accented English can be charming if a person has a large vocabulary, a heavy accent can still be a barrier for employment unless you are very well educated - say in the sciences - or you have a relative that owns a restaurant.
I've met people who did jobs well beneath their education, like working at a car wash, in order to be employed and earning money at something who did progress after they were speaking well. (Working at the car wash where I live has become the cash job for Mexicans but not so long ago you could find Israelis doing it. There's no shame in a days work honestly done.)
CASH JOBS? It happens all the time in the big cities, and though it's not true that no Americans want these jobs, and it is true that there can be an INS raid and you can find yourself in deep trouble, what is true is that Americans hire recent immigrants for cash because THEY WANT TO PAY LESS THAN THEY WOULD PAY AN AMERICAN. It may be that you'll find work as a live-in nanny or maid or gardener. More likely they will expect you to commute to their home and live elsewhere, even in with a half dozen other people in small apartments.
CLOTHING: You can wear sports shoes or casual shoes for everywhere but... Though you may find casual clothing OK for the job you get, for interviewing it's still best to dress like you're going to be the next CEO, suit and tie, serious shoes. Tattoos? If your body art can be seen you'll probably be thought of as an artist, musician, or part of a subculture.
SOCIAL LIFE? MARRYING AN AMERICAN? Read everything you can about cultural differences, especially if you are unmarried and are interested in meeting and maybe marrying someone from your chosen country. Perhaps more than business, this is the area of social life that is most perplexing. It is perplexing for those of us who already live here and is still sometimes called "the battle of the sexes."
What do women want?
What do men want?
I would think they want someone to be respectful and loving to them.
BIG CITY YOUTH are EXPERIENCED SEXUALLY and may not think of having a fling with a recent immigrant as anything but sex, not love, and not a relationship. So if you are in the mood for a fling with an American ALWAYS USE CONTRACEPTION and PROTECTION. There is a herpes epidemic and HIV/AIDS is still a threat.
Women should know that American men will likely think of you (or anyone from a previously Communist country of Europe) to be "exotic" or expect you to be sexier or more feminine (i.e. more willing to do everything his way) than an American born and raised women. You may not by nature be this way but will have to speak up for yourself to be known. It's up to you to protect yourself from predatory men. They are out there and some of them hate innocence. The best way to do this is to go out on the town to meet people with a like-minded girlfriend and stay sober and alert.
Men... American women are looking for responsible men who they can count on!
Try to make friends before you try to have a lover, but whatever you do, error on the conservative side. Find yourself out on the town with a wild bunch? Be careful. You can get into troubles that they can't because you are not yet a citizen.
SMOKING AND DRINKING? You may have to change. No doubt people still smoke and drink for the companies that sell cigarettes and various alcoholic drinks make a fortune. Still, there is a huge trend towards healthy living that means that many people no longer imbibe, and it isn't even especially religious but more of a holistic and spiritual way of living and seeing life, including the conservation of Mother Earth. There are SMOKING BANS in many cities. You may not smoke on the street or in a restaurant when there is a smoking ban and can even get fined.
COST OF LIVING... HIGH! (Are you wealthy?)
An average one bedroom rental is over $1000 a month in Los Angeles, and you may have to have excellent credit and references to get it. Aim for a two bedroom for $1200 to $1400, a compatible room mate, and an income of at least twice that, three times that is better.
Standard grocery stores are bringing in more and more organic but expensive produce and other items for sale that one used to have to go to a specialty "health food" store to buy. On a budget it may be impossible to eat the highest quality produce. Millions of Americans can barely afford to eat at all and use a government benefit to buy groceries. The least expensive produce is often not surplus but ready to expire.
MEAT EATER? Most people have cut down on how much meat they eat, especially meat like pork and beef, preferring chicken, turkey, and fish. Partly this is because meat is becoming unaffordable, with prices going higher and higher because of the drought, partly it is the trend towards vegetarianism or Mediterranean diets. When you see a fat American, that person is usually fat from sweets, breads, beer - carbohydrates - than overeating good foods! There is a big emphasis on eating enough vegetables and eating twice as much vegetable than the meat on the plate.
Hungarians eating American hot dogs and versions of sausages may be disappointed and consider them bland and over-processed or drowning in condiments.
There are peppers here, the hot ones mostly in Mexican markets, but there is little zeal for cabbage. People are eating broccoli and cauliflower more than ever. For groceries consider that the ARMENIAN OWNED stores do import some Hungarian meats and cheeses as well as the biggest cabbages for the stuffing.
PEOPLE CARRY BOTTLED WATER WITH THEM EVERYWHERE.
COFFEE and COFFEE HOUSES! They're everywhere, and there are still people talking to each other in them, even though long rows of people are more attached to their lap tops and cell phones. Search out the local, privately owned coffee houses and smaller chef or family owned restaurants. As for the coffee itself, there are so very many varieties imported that you can have your choice, but expect to pay about $2.00 on the average for coffee in a paper throw away cup, often more, and it will not be especially thick or dark. Many people avoid any caffeine except for an early morning wake up cup.
CELL PHONES? Opt for a PREPAID phone from Metro-PCS. There are many small companies. This one has unlimited everything for $40 a month and some fairly inexpensive phones.
CHURCH? Fewer young Americans are declaring themselves to be affiliated with a church or religious. Still church can be a good place to start socially so you may want to visit various congregations and see what you think. Be aware that there are still cults thriving in the United States, that they didn't all end with the 1960's, and some of them are "Christian," so if you want to worship rather than become entrapped, stick with the big well known denominations and avoid store fronts, street preachers, and cute girls with flyers inviting you places when you land at the airport.
C 2015 Magyar American BlogSpot. All Rights Reserved.
USE GOOGLE TRANSLATE TO READ THIS ARTICLE IN HUNGARIAN!
Thursday, July 9, 2015
SNAPDRAGONS GREW AT MY BEST LITTLE GIRLFRIENDS HOUSE
As a child, my best little girlfriend had a garden that featured bright red snapdragon flowers. When I think back to being a child in the summers, I think of how aware we were of all the plants and trees and even the weeds! Maybe because we were short enough and low enough to the ground to notice them!
I was lucky to have a rural existence as a child.
My girlfriend's father was German and her mother was Croatian. He taught her which plants were edible, which were poison, and which were just for picking.
C 2015 Magyar-American BlogSpot
C 2015 Magyar-American BlogSpot
Saturday, July 4, 2015
Thursday, July 2, 2015
DROUGHT and the TOO HOT SUMMER - THE INSECTS ARE COMING INDOORS
Insects of all types are coming into homes, and in some cases rats and snakes are following.
You've probably heard that we are in a drought.
You're probably in a drought too.
I love to cook but dishes - not so much. I usually let them soak overnight and do them in the morning. Ah well, one day I noticed a roach. Where there is one there are - many. So I started washing and drying my dishes after years of letting them air dry. One day I dropped some water on the floor, there was a coin sized drop, and I saw three bugs run out from under the stove in daylight to drink from its edges as if it were a pond.
As a friend said, "To them it was."
So I went out and bought those boxes with the glue inside that trap interested bugs; a hideous death. That only proved to me that the roaches were invading.
So a person who manages an apartment building told me to get powered sugar and boric acid powder, mix it up, and put it in little containers here, there, and everywhere. My place is damp and soon enough this mixture was no longer powder. So I bought an ORGANIC, SAFE TO HUMANS AND DOGS, spray, that has an intense clove smell to it.
Let's just say that I am just now winning the battle, and it took having to be willing to spray the bugs dead and watch them die.
But it's not just typical roaches coming in for they have only lead the way being the most survivalist, it is also spiders (big and thin and small and fat), mosquito hawks (waiting for mosquitos to land in my laundry presoak), as well as centipedes, ants, flies, fruit flies, and well, some I can't identify.
Someone told me they all hate the smell of pine sol and also lavender. Though I was washing down the inside of the refrigerator with bleach and the bathroom with ammonia, I got the lavender.
Under my steps, a mostly shaded area, where there are pots that include a huge rubber plant and a plum tree, I water. There I found a Red Salamander clinging to the underside of a basket! A grasshopper has been eating my geraniums and was on my sunflowers yesterday morning. I moved him using a piece of cardboard. I could imagine him making a claim to the territory under my steps.
All sentient beings want to live. And they all need water.
We are to save fresh water and reuse the not so fresh. I'm taking fewer showers and shorter showers. I'm going swimming one day a week for about an hour which isn't substituting as a bath but which makes me feel fresh. When I rinse out a tea pot or a coffee pot, I used the rise for plants. When I rinse dishes I try to pour the rinse water into standing pots that will need some soaking. And so on.
We have all been asked to let our lawns die and to voluntarily cut back our use of water.
And now we fear fires.
Is there global warming? I think so.
Is the drought really a "Conspiracy" of big corporate entities that actually own plenty of water and are going to create a fake drought so they can kill off people in this world?
I don't think so.
But people are dying of heat and dying of dehydration already, mostly in countries where the poor are already living close to the earth.
One of the interesting things about drought is that it makes people stock up on bottled water from other places, and some people day from the less expensive tap water, and all in plastic. If these plastic containers get hot in the sun the plastic leaks into the water, we drink it, and that plastic remains in our bodies.
I wonder to myself if this water, product of Iceland or Mexico or Russia, is depriving people who actually live there of water.
I hope not.
C 2015 Magyar American BlogSpot All Rights Reserved
You've probably heard that we are in a drought.
You're probably in a drought too.
I love to cook but dishes - not so much. I usually let them soak overnight and do them in the morning. Ah well, one day I noticed a roach. Where there is one there are - many. So I started washing and drying my dishes after years of letting them air dry. One day I dropped some water on the floor, there was a coin sized drop, and I saw three bugs run out from under the stove in daylight to drink from its edges as if it were a pond.
As a friend said, "To them it was."
So I went out and bought those boxes with the glue inside that trap interested bugs; a hideous death. That only proved to me that the roaches were invading.
So a person who manages an apartment building told me to get powered sugar and boric acid powder, mix it up, and put it in little containers here, there, and everywhere. My place is damp and soon enough this mixture was no longer powder. So I bought an ORGANIC, SAFE TO HUMANS AND DOGS, spray, that has an intense clove smell to it.
Let's just say that I am just now winning the battle, and it took having to be willing to spray the bugs dead and watch them die.
But it's not just typical roaches coming in for they have only lead the way being the most survivalist, it is also spiders (big and thin and small and fat), mosquito hawks (waiting for mosquitos to land in my laundry presoak), as well as centipedes, ants, flies, fruit flies, and well, some I can't identify.
Someone told me they all hate the smell of pine sol and also lavender. Though I was washing down the inside of the refrigerator with bleach and the bathroom with ammonia, I got the lavender.
Under my steps, a mostly shaded area, where there are pots that include a huge rubber plant and a plum tree, I water. There I found a Red Salamander clinging to the underside of a basket! A grasshopper has been eating my geraniums and was on my sunflowers yesterday morning. I moved him using a piece of cardboard. I could imagine him making a claim to the territory under my steps.
All sentient beings want to live. And they all need water.
We are to save fresh water and reuse the not so fresh. I'm taking fewer showers and shorter showers. I'm going swimming one day a week for about an hour which isn't substituting as a bath but which makes me feel fresh. When I rinse out a tea pot or a coffee pot, I used the rise for plants. When I rinse dishes I try to pour the rinse water into standing pots that will need some soaking. And so on.
We have all been asked to let our lawns die and to voluntarily cut back our use of water.
And now we fear fires.
Is there global warming? I think so.
Is the drought really a "Conspiracy" of big corporate entities that actually own plenty of water and are going to create a fake drought so they can kill off people in this world?
I don't think so.
But people are dying of heat and dying of dehydration already, mostly in countries where the poor are already living close to the earth.
One of the interesting things about drought is that it makes people stock up on bottled water from other places, and some people day from the less expensive tap water, and all in plastic. If these plastic containers get hot in the sun the plastic leaks into the water, we drink it, and that plastic remains in our bodies.
I wonder to myself if this water, product of Iceland or Mexico or Russia, is depriving people who actually live there of water.
I hope not.
C 2015 Magyar American BlogSpot All Rights Reserved
Thursday, June 25, 2015
MORNING GLORIES - MY FAVORITE FLOWER WHEN A CHILD
As a child I loved the Morning Glories.
I watched them, open and close, sprout up and die back.
My neighbor has a whole fence of them and says they grow like weeds.
But an entire seed pack of them failed to thrive in my garden.
Saturday, June 20, 2015
HUNGARIAN / HUNGARIAN-AMERICAN STEREOTYPE : ONLY BOYS COUNT? ARE HUNGARIANS SEXIST?
A Russian woman told me that Hungarians only count boys, so if you ask a Hungarian mother how many children she has, and she has five children, but three are boys, she will say 3.
In 2015?
I personally cannot believe that it's this bad, that Hungarian's do not value females as much as males, but since MAGYAR-AMERICAN is now available in Hungary on a Hungarian server, I would love for some of you who are presently living in Hungary to make some comment!
I have heard and overheard women in my own family, of the previous generation to mine, say things like "now our name is carried forth," when a son's wife gives birth to a son, showing some concern that the surname continue on to the next generation, which it might not be if their son's only have daughters.
But to not value their daughters? To not speak of them, to have no pride in them, to act as if they had never been born?
No way!
While the women of my family in the previous generations were raised to be wives and mothers, and thought that this was the most important thing they could do with their lives, they were also not educated to have meaningful work or careers, and then if they went to work for pay, it was after the children were launched into adulthood. Still, their work was valuable to the family. In their households, boys and girls performed tasks that were assigned by gender. This, however, doesn't seem to be exclusively Hungarian.
It also seemed to be about living in the city, rather than the country. Country living, agricultural living, is hard work for both sexes. Many tasks that were "Women's Work" in the Old Country or In the Country, would be considered by some to be not especially feminine.
For instance, breaking the neck of a chicken (killing it), plucking the feathers, butchering it, and turning it into food, isn't work that most people do now. The last person I ever met who did it was an immigrant born in the 19th century.
It might be that the husband and boys were supposed to do the yard work and the wife and girls do the housework and cooking, but what I witnessed was that husbands were also stuffing home-made sausages, "manning" the outdoor grill, and wives were heading out , driving cars, to buy groceries.
C 2015 Magyar-American BlogSpot
Monday, June 1, 2015
Wednesday, May 27, 2015
WE NEVER EVER GIVE UP! HUNGARIAN/ HUNGARIAN- AMERICAN STEREOTYPE
My own aunt once said to me, "Never Give Up! We Hungarians NEVER GIVE UP!"
She was proud that of all the countries the Communists invaded and took over it was the Hungarians who had resisted really becoming Communist the best. She said it was because they had resisted more than anyone and that the resistance was still going on. She felt that the Communists would be out of Hungary first of all the countries they had taken over...
Over the last several days I've had tremendous problems with being run around, disrespected and picked upon, by strangers. I've been feeling like I have a "Beat Me!" sign over my head. I hate that feeling!
To give you some idea...
I was shopping for new summer tops, shoes, and a new slow cooker with a timer. (You just know I plan to make stuffed cabbage!) After I'd exhausted the possibilities closer to home, I set out to a certain department type store that will remain unnamed where they were having a sale. It takes me over an hour to get there and half the way there I realized I had forgotten my wallet. I decided to continue on and shop anyway, after all, I might not find anything to buy and not having a wallet would then not be an issue. I shopped for over five hours, trying on dozens of tops for fit and color, found the perfect slow cooker with a timer, and a pair of sandals I really liked. So I went to the cash register and asked "How long can you hold things for me?"
She said 24 hours. It was 3 PM. They pulled out a plastic bag, I neatly printed my whole name, the name was taped to the bag, and it was handed over to a security guard to take to the back room. By the time I got home it was near 5 PM, and I was tired so I decided to go back the next morning to arrive when they opened.
I arrived and asked for my bag. A cashier went back to find it. She came back and told me there was no bag with my name on it. So I asked for a manager. Before a manager could show up another employee went to look for the bag and came back to say there was no bag. Finally I told the manager that I had spent five hours in the store the day before, plus a few hours commute, and I couldn't believe that they had lost my bag. The security guard had taken it back there. She went to the back, FOUND my bag, and returned to hand it to me.
I continued to shop, because this time I brought along a couple outfits that I wanted to match. The store had special deal. For every 50 dollars you spent, they would give you $10 to spend there the following weekend. I determined that I would go up over $100 to get $20 and use that to buy new towels. So I got in line and told the cashier that was my intention. I told her I would put things down on the counter in the order of their importance to me, starting with the slow cooker, then some tops, and she should subtotal. She told me I had gone up to $103, so I decided not to take 3 of the shirts. She gave me a receipt and I hauled out a big bag.
But it was hot and I felt like I needed a treat. I decided to go get some coconut water and some nuts to snack on before I went home.
After I finished my treat, I was looking in my wallet, looked at the receipt and realized that the cashier had NOT heard me. I had earned only $10 rather than $20 because I had not gone up to $103 before tax. So I went back in, called for another manager, and we fixed the issue.
I got home. I got up early to walk my dog. That was when I noticed that there was a car parked in my space - again. The very same neighbor whom I have talked to nicely about this three times in the last year. He's a college student. He's a Christian. What doesn't he get? When I track him down to talk to him he does this cute little boy, awe shucks routine. I could tell his mom on him but I've heard her use every curse word in the book.
Worse, when I went to throw out my garbage, I noticed this neighbor had filled my can with his refuse, which puts me to work, because I'm the one that has to haul it out to the street. Suddenly I felt infuriated. I slammed some doors, I put notices on his car and his door to remove his vehicle, and then, shame on me I guess, but I dumped his garbage that was in my can on his porch.
I FELT "TALKING ISN'T COMMUNICATION IN THIS CASE!" Maybe behaving like an idiot will do it!
The next weekend I returned to the department store with my $20 coupon and a 20% discount and got my towels with an additional $1. off for being a "early bird." I took the bus there that stops near a wonderful international produce company. I went in and bought a huge heavy cabbage, as well as Cibola onions, carrots, and other items to make my stuffed cabbage in my slow cooker. On the way in a security guard questioned by big bag of towels, which I refused to leave in an open, unguarded nook, telling him it was fine with me if he wanted to follow me around the store since I don't steal. On my way to select a check out I noticed the same security guard as well as a cart not quite in line but abandoned with a few items in it. So I said to him, "Is that person coming back because I'd like to check out but I don't want anyone to get mad at me." The guard said to go ahead into the line.
A moment later a woman pulled up, saw me, and got mad. "I'm sorry," I said. I don't know you. I didn't know that was your cart. And I asked the security guard and he told me to get in line."
"Oh All Right," she said. But she didn't mean it. She basically took a tantrum throwing her items down on the table behind me.
As I headed out the door with two small grocery bags and my big bag of towels, I thought to myself "I'm not ready to die. But I hate this world. I can't wait to get to heaven!"
Surprisingly, as I got to the bus stop across the way and sat down, a car pulled up. It was someone I haven't seen in three years, someone who is a Christian by Conversion, and he was offering me a ride. "I don't think so, not today, I said." I didn't want to take a ride from someone and then not have them in for a visit. My place is absolutely not in order - all that time away from housework shopping!
So he went around the corner and parked, and came back to talk to me - about Jesus.
The bus arrived, I got on, and now my packages felt heavy. A nice woman got up so I could sit down. She got off. Then another woman got off from the front seat that was nearest to the driver, a seat where I could watch for my stop from. I decided to move there, holding the big bag on my lap, and the two small to my side.
Suddenly I heard a voice behind me, a woman. "You should have stayed in the seat where you were. Then I felt a vicious shove to my back! So there I was being assaulted by a stranger, probably a person not well mentally. The shove was hard enough to crack my back, like a chiropractor.
"Stop the bus and call the police!" I called out.
The driver did not.
When I got home I called the police. They said to call the bus company. The bus company said to call Monday. On Monday I called. I got the run around from "Customer Relations" when the woman who anwered shifted me to one of those voice mails that is never answered. I told her I wanted a response in writing and would give her my address. The voice mail was too short for much of a message. So I called the police again and they said to call the sheriff whose territory the bus was running through and who takes care of crime on public transportation. I called the sheriff and learned that one of them would have to travel pretty far to come out to "talk" to me. I wanted to know if there was a camera on the bus that might have recorded the woman's speech and violence towards me. Is she perhaps on parole or probation? What if I encounter her again? As you can guess this went nowhere, because she was a stranger to me. But I think it shows that I was determined to stand up for myself.
A few days later I went out the door to my City Councilman's office with a long letter about issues in my neighborhood from increases in crime, graffiti, fire-hazard empty lots with tall dry weeds, out of wack traffic signals and auto accidents, furniture out on the parkway that no one calls for pick up on but me, and people burying their dead dogs beneath trees in the park.
When I got there, to my surprise, his assistant assigned to my area was there in person. I realized that I'm a bit of a CITIZEN ACTIVIST, that I do care about my community, and that maybe some of my efforts will change things for the better, if just a bit.
So if you ask me if this HUNGARIAN -AMERICAN NEVER GIVES UP, well I'd say yes.
Now, finally, about those stuffed cabbages...
C 2015 Magyar-American BlogSpot
Monday, May 25, 2015
Thursday, May 21, 2015
DO YOU HAVE ONE VIOLIN BOW OF ROMANI (GYPSY) BLOOD?
How Romani are you?
I've met more than one Hungarian who claimed to be part Romani, but in talking to Romani while doing some Canadian Hungarian research, I was told that the two never mixed.
As is the case now, DNA can tell the truth.
I wonder how many people have tried to explain their yellowish or dark without a tan skin, or even skin that tans easily, as mine does, as being part Romani? (The Romani have been determined by DNA research to have been from India originally.)
There are other explanations, of course, such as Jewish, Tartar, Mongolian, Italian, etc., and frankly, while there has been intermarriage, like official marriage, in churches, temples, mosques, and civil, there has also been rape.
I've met more than one Hungarian who claimed to be part Romani, but in talking to Romani while doing some Canadian Hungarian research, I was told that the two never mixed.
As is the case now, DNA can tell the truth.
I wonder how many people have tried to explain their yellowish or dark without a tan skin, or even skin that tans easily, as mine does, as being part Romani? (The Romani have been determined by DNA research to have been from India originally.)
There are other explanations, of course, such as Jewish, Tartar, Mongolian, Italian, etc., and frankly, while there has been intermarriage, like official marriage, in churches, temples, mosques, and civil, there has also been rape.
Monday, May 18, 2015
HAPLOGROUPS - DO YOU AND PRINCE WILLIAM SHARE THE SAME R30B MT DNA or R1B Y?
EUPEDIA.COM HAPLOGROUPS OF EUROPEAN KINGS AND QUEENS check this out!
Tripped across this site which has an impressive list... and I'm thinking HOW DO THEY KNOW? The answer is that direct descendants have been tested when possible. Well, I haven't joined the group, but I thought you might find this interesting. There are no HUNGARIANS on this list and the POLISH Kings and Queens remain a mystery, but there are a lot of Germans, Austrians, and some Romanians.
EXCERPT: Kings of Romania
Ferdinand I (1865-1927) => H (mtDNA)
Michael (1921-) => H (mtDNA)
Tripped across this site which has an impressive list... and I'm thinking HOW DO THEY KNOW? The answer is that direct descendants have been tested when possible. Well, I haven't joined the group, but I thought you might find this interesting. There are no HUNGARIANS on this list and the POLISH Kings and Queens remain a mystery, but there are a lot of Germans, Austrians, and some Romanians.
EXCERPT: Kings of Romania
Ferdinand I (1865-1927) => H (mtDNA)
Michael (1921-) => H (mtDNA)