A Day in Flomaton, Alabama
All we knew when we started the day was that we wanted to explore a little bit north of Pensacola, maybe even up into the part of Alabama that is across the state line to the north (as opposed to the part of Alabama that is across the state border to the west). We thought we were having a very boring day until we wandered into Flomaton, and AdventureMan discovered a railroad museum.
Flomaton is at the very top of the map:
The railroad museum was also an older house, now the museum, and an older 2 room cabin out back, moved from its original location. Here is a recreation of the old front parlor:
The Railroad Collection room:
The log cabin was out back of the house, and had two women spinning wool into yarn on the porch, who very graciously allowed me to take their photo:
Inside the log cabin – we were told the couple who lived in this cabin had 12 children; they slept on the floor on pallets at night:
At the museum, there was a flyer about “Back to your hometown weekend” in Alabama, which just happened to be that very weekend. The town was full of returning people, there had been a parade and fireworks the night before (three former homecoming queens told me about this) and there was a street fair to celebrate Home Town Flomaton. 🙂
It was nearly lunchtime. We could smell Barbecue. The street fair was just a block away and there was parking right there, right by the fair. It was so much fun:
People were so kind and so helpful. This young woman was grinding corn, and we speculated that it must have been a great modern invention, and a real time saver, when it was invented. A woman passing by said she remembers her own mother using the same machine; all the corn was then taken to be ground, and stored in large airtight bottles in a dark ‘keeping room’ with preserves and food to get them through the winter.
This band was playing blues, gospel and country music, and they were pretty good!
As we stood and watched the choir, another woman welcomed us, and told us we really needed to see the new library (it was gorgeous!) and if we hurried, we could catch the Raptor Show at Otter Point. A Raptor Show!
Inside, there was a butterfly house, and several displays of local natural life:
There was also a wonderful hiking trail out over the wetlands, well maintained and beautiful:
The Raptor presentation was very well done, informative and funny, on many levels. They had a large audience of children, who learned a lot, and also adults like us, who also learned a lot. The bald eagle’s beak is deformed by PCB’s, which, although banned back in the 1970’s, are still present in the environment in quantities high enough to cause birth deformities. The only reason they were able to adopt the bald eagle, a protected species, was that while he can hunt, he cannot tear his food apart with his malformed beak.
It was a day full of gracious hospitality. People were so kind to us, and went out of their way to make us feel welcome and to explain what we were looking at. For a day that started with no clear goal, we felt like we had been abundantly blessed by happening across this beautiful October day in Flomaton, Alabama.
Zorba’s at Cordova Mall
I have to admit I am not a big fan of food court eating, but we were at the mall looking for 18 month pajamas with feet, and AdventureMan had seen Zorba’s and wanted to try eating there.
Zorba’s does a great business; all the health and fitness people were buying lunch there. I will also admit that the food court at the Cordova Mall has some pretty good choices; it is a step-up from most food courts and their standard fast-food outlets.
I ordered Chicken Schwerma, and it came with hummus and a small green salad. It wasn’t really like chicken schwerma, which is usually sliced off a huge revolving kebab in tiny thin slices, this was larger grilled chicken pieces, but it tasted good, and that is way more important that having it look like real schwerma.
The hummus was good. The salad was good.
AdventureMan ordered a side of Baba Ghannoush, which we both love. This one was delicious and smokey, the way we like it.
He also ordered a felafel sandwich, and he said that the felafel were homemade, not prepackaged, and the sandwich was delicious.
We don’t eat french fries. Most of the time it is easy not to eat them, most places buy huge packages of frozen ‘french fries’ and fry ’em up as they are needed, but they are anonymous and boring and not good.
Unfortunately for us, the felafel sandwich came with fabulous french fries, big french fries fried in a good oil, so they were delicious. Yes, I tried one. It was hard not to eat more than one!
All in all, a better than expected meal from a mall food court. LOL, the Egyptian server behind the counter kept thinking AdventureMan was Lebanese. 🙂
When Bureaucracies Function Well
This week AdventureMan and I explored something new in our lives – Early Voting. We had heard about it from our friends. It’s not like absentee voting, where you are mailed a ballot and you mail it back in after you have filled in your votes. With early voting, you can actually go to a voting place and vote.
We went after lunch, and we didn’t know where it was, but once we got near, we started seeing signs. Great signage.
When we entered the door, there was a lady there to tell us where to go – and more signs, too.
When we got to the right floor, there were signs with arrows and “Vote Here” on them.
When we got to the voting office, there were lots of people to help us get our ballot. When I messed up my first ballot (I hadn’t read an amendment carefully), they quickly did all the necessary paperwork and got me voting again. The second time, the machine accepted my ballot. 🙂
All in all, a fabulous experience. And – they gave me a sticker! We were so impressed with the careful attention to detail that had gone into getting us to the right place and getting our vote accomplished.
Later in the week, I had a mammogram. Being new, I am not in the system, so I have to go through admitting procedures every time I go to a new doctor or a new institution. At the West Florida Hospital, as soon as I got to the right room, I could see a sign telling me where to wait my turn. The receptionist was welcoming AND efficient. There were a lot of people waiting, and one by one we were taken in to have our paperwork done. No need for a pen; you sign on a machine, like you do for credit card purchases in many stores. Then you sit in a small hallway until someone calls your name and you become a human train as a guide leads you to your stop. That part was half hilarious and half annoying. If I knew where it was, I might have gotten there faster on my own, but . . . I didn’t know where it was. As far as systems go – it worked. It kept people orderly. It got a lot of people in and out efficiently, and fairly. No one can break into the lines, claiming to be more important. I am guessing if there is a patient whose malady is serious enough to take precedence, they have procedures they can follow separate from the normal intake procedures.
I have to stop and admire when bureaucracies function as intended, to help us more efficiently accomplish our business. It is when they become a stomping ground for nepotism and inefficiency that they earn my ire.
When I arrived in Qatar, my bank had a Women’s branch which was convenient for me and I loved going there. I was often the only customer, and the women taking care of me were always charming, helpful and friendly. When the same bank broke into another section and became an Islamic bank, instead of a normal bank working with Islamic customs, I was no longer able to use the women’s bank, but I’ve always remembered their personal customer service.
On the other hand, banking in Qatar could be totally tortuous, if you had to use the normal bank where Mr. Important would walk right in front of you as if you didn’t exist, or certainly, as if you were far less important than he was. In Kuwait, at my bank branch, you took a number, and it appeared to me that most of the time the number system was honored, unless it was a personal friend, LOL. Personal friends, or friends of the family, or a friend of a friend of the family always get to go first.
I suspect there are similar exceptions in Pensacola, but less transparent. Mr. Important has his own banker he can go to without waiting, probably in a private office, and it is invisible to the rest of us. Ms. Important, on the other hand, probably has to wait in the waiting room with the rest of us for her mammogram.
Paraprosdokian Humor
Thanks to my sweet daughter-in-law for these hilarious thoughts for the weekend:Paraprosdokian
From Wikipedia: A paraprosdokian (from Greek “παρα-“, meaning “beyond” and “προσδοκία”, meaning “expectation”) is a figure of speech figure in which the latter part of a sentence or phrase is surprising or unexpected in a way that causes the reader or listener to reframe or reinterpret the first part.
Paraprosdokian Sentences:
|
Ø I asked God for a bike, but I know God doesn’t work that way. So I stole a bike and asked for forgiveness. Ø Do not argue with an idiot. He will drag you down to his level and beat you with experience. Ø I want to die peacefully in my sleep, like my grandfather. Not screaming and yelling like the passengers in his car. Ø Going to church doesn’t make you a Christian any more than standing in a garage makes you a car. Ø The last thing I want to do is hurt you. But it’s still on the list. Ø Light travels faster than sound. This is why some people appear bright until you hear them speak. Ø If I agreed with you we’d both be wrong. Ø We never really grow up, we only learn how to act in public. Ø War does not determine who is right – only who is left. Ø Knowledge is knowing a tomato is a fruit; Wisdom is not putting it in a fruit salad. Ø The early bird might get the worm, but the second mouse gets the cheese. Ø Evening news is where they begin with ‘Good evening’, and then proceed to tell you why it isn’t. Ø To steal ideas from one person is plagiarism. To steal from many is research. Ø A bus station is where a bus stops. A train station is where a train stops. On my desk, I have a work station. Ø How is it one careless match can start a forest fire, but it takes a whole box to start a campfire? Ø Some people are like Slinkies … not really good for anything, but you can’t help smiling when you see one tumble down the stairs. Ø Dolphins are so smart that within a few weeks of captivity, they can train people to stand on the very edge of the pool and throw them fish. Ø I thought I wanted a career, turns out I just wanted pay checks. Ø A bank is a place that will lend you money, if you can prove that you don’t need it. Ø Whenever I fill out an application, in the part that says “If an emergency, notify:” I put “DOCTOR”. Ø I didn’t say it was your fault, I said I was blaming you. Ø I saw a woman wearing a sweat shirt with “Guess” on it…so I said “Implants?” Ø Why does someone believe you when you say there are four billion stars, but check when you say the paint is wet? Ø Women will never be equal to men until they can walk down the street with a bald head and a beer gut, and still think they are sexy. Ø Why do Americans choose from just two people to run for president and 50 for Miss America ? Ø Behind every successful man is his woman. Behind the fall of a successful man is usually another woman. Ø A clear conscience is usually the sign of a bad memory. Ø You do not need a parachute to skydive. You only need a parachute to skydive twice. Ø The voices in my head may not be real, but they have some good ideas! Ø Always borrow money from a pessimist. He won’t expect it back. Ø A diplomat is someone who can tell you to go to hell in such a way that you will look forward to the trip. Ø Hospitality: making your guests feel like they’re at home, even if you wish they were. Ø Money can’t buy happiness, but it sure makes misery easier to live with. Ø I discovered I scream the same way whether I’m about to be devoured by a great white shark or if a piece of seaweed touches my foot. Ø Some cause happiness wherever they go. Others whenever they go. Ø There’s a fine line between cuddling and holding someone down so they can’t get away. Ø I used to be indecisive. Now I’m not sure. Ø I always take life with a grain of salt, plus a slice of lemon, and a shot of tequila. Ø When tempted to fight fire with fire, remember that the Fire Department usually uses water. Ø You’re never too old to learn something stupid. Ø To be sure of hitting the target, shoot first and call whatever you hit the target. Ø Nostalgia isn’t what it used to be. Ø Some people hear voices. Some see invisible people. Others have no imagination whatsoever. Ø A bus is a vehicle that runs twice as fast when you are after it as when you are in it. Ø If you are supposed to learn from your mistakes, why do some people have more than one child? Ø Change is inevitable, except from a vending machine. |
Father and Son Send Camera into Space
Once again, my Kuwaiti friend has sent me amazing footage of a father-son Science project, where they found a way to send a camera and iPhone into the atmosphere, broadcasting what it saw back to earth. The video story is here:
Killing Us Softly: Women in Advertising
Thanks once again to my vigilant Kuwait friend who sends me these wonderful references, this time some really good YouTube videos about how women are victimized by the images we are given of ourselves in advertising, and how impossible it is for us to live up to them.
Reading for Saturday, October 16 from Sirach
I love it when our daily Lectionary heads into Sirach, one of the books Episcopalians and Catholics use (and maybe the Orthodox churches, I am not so sure) but which are not included in the Protestant bibles; I find the texts often illuminate or expand my understanding of other readings.
Sirach 3:17-31
17 My child, perform your tasks with humility;*
then you will be loved by those whom God accepts.
18 The greater you are, the more you must humble yourself;
so you will find favour in the sight of the Lord.*
20 For great is the might of the Lord;
but by the humble he is glorified.
21 Neither seek what is too difficult for you,
nor investigate what is beyond your power.
22 Reflect upon what you have been commanded,
for what is hidden is not your concern.
23 Do not meddle in matters that are beyond you,
for more than you can understand has been shown to you.
24 For their conceit has led many astray,
and wrong opinion has impaired their judgement.
25 Without eyes there is no light;
without knowledge there is no wisdom.*
26 A stubborn mind will fare badly at the end,
and whoever loves danger will perish in it.
27 A stubborn mind will be burdened by troubles,
and the sinner adds sin to sins.
28 When calamity befalls the proud, there is no healing,
for an evil plant has taken root in him.
29 The mind of the intelligent appreciates proverbs,
and an attentive ear is the desire of the wise.
30 As water extinguishes a blazing fire,
so almsgiving atones for sin.
31 Those who repay favours give thought to the future;
when they fall they will find support.
No Resistance
I am drawn like a moth to the flame . . . all these wonderful Christmas decorations! I still have to go through the boxes from storage and the boxes from Doha . . . .
It isn’t even Halloween, and Christmas is breaking through everywhere.
The last time we lived in Florida, Christmas was amazing. Since it is the dry season, there were fabulous, extravagant light displays everywhere. The child within me can hardly wait. 🙂
Marrakesh Vegetable Curry
We served this with couscous, but it would be every bit as good with rice – or even just plain. It was so delicious that AdventureMan said he wasn’t hungry any longer, but that he couldn’t stop eating it. It is SO good!
Marrakesh Vegetable Curry
Ingredients
• 1 sweet potato, peeled and cubed
• 1 medium eggplant, cubed
• 1 green bell pepper, chopped
• 1 red bell pepper, chopped
• 2 carrots, chopped
• 1 onion, chopped
• 6 tablespoons olive oil
• 3 cloves garlic, minced
• 1 teaspoon ground turmeric
• 1 tablespoon curry powder
• 1 teaspoon ground cinnamon
• 3/4 tablespoon sea salt
• 3/4 teaspoon cayenne pepper
• 1 (15 ounce) can garbanzo beans, drained
• 1/4 cup blanched almonds
• 1 zucchini, sliced
• 2 tablespoons raisins
• 1 cup orange juice
• 10 ounces spinach
Directions:
1. In a large Dutch oven place sweet potato, eggplant, peppers, carrots, onion, and three tablespoons oil. Saute over medium heat for 5 minutes.
2. In a medium saucepan place 3 tablespoons olive oil, garlic, turmeric, curry powder, cinnamon, salt and pepper and saute over medium heat for 3 minutes.
3. Pour garlic and spice mixture into the Dutch oven with vegetables in it. Add the garbanzo beans, almonds, zucchini, raisins, and orange juice. Simmer 20 minutes, covered.
4. Add spinach to pot and cook for 5 more minutes. Serve!
Water: Blog Action Day 2010
I am haunted by words from the great Prophet Isaiah, from a bible study we are doing this year in Bible Study Fellowship.
In Chapter 3, Verse 15 he says:
“What do you mean by crushing my people and grinding the faces of the poor?” declares the Lord Almighty.
The saddest thing of all is that he is speaking to his own people. He is also speaking to us.
Water is so fundamental to human life that we hardly think about it, yet, like all commodities, it is bought, sold, and while readily available in its natural form to many, it is scarce, rare and expensive to many of the poorest of the poor. Worse, it is hopelessly contaminated by fertilizers running from our fields, from the refining of our fossil fuels, from the effluent and poisons emanating from our factories, and from the sewage of an ever expanding earthly population.
I’m becoming more and more uncomfortably aware of my oblivious footprint on this earth, the amount of earth’s resources I am using up, much more than my equal share . . . not for life sustaining necessities like drinking and cooking, but by watering my lawn and washing my car, by letting the water run while I brush my teeth. The more I change my behaviors, the more aware I become of all the ways in which I waste. 😦
This is written for Blog Action Day 2010
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