Good Morning USA!

We had a rare phenomenon last evening that I felt I must share with you. Clouds!! As we were leaving the compound to go to a farewell party for one of David's coworkers, David made the spectacular sighting. Clouds are something we just take for granted back in southeast Texas. Now of course, these clouds were not about to release any of the wet stuff, but nonetheless they were clouds. While we're on the weather, I will report that it is quite noticeably cooling down over here. We've been topping out around 98 and cooling down to near 80 at night. The word is that any time now the weather is going to start being just wonderful with lower humidity. We're looking forward to that, but really have not had any trouble adjusting to the heat. As you can see in the pic to your right, there is much construction going on in this country. Everywhere you look there are cranes, orange cones, road machinery, road blocks, and half completed buildings. It's an ongoing process here. Changing the subject (and you know I never do that), I wanted to give a report on the kitty cat. Just in case you are tuning in, Erica, this cat is a basket case. He is definitely psychotic, even by cat standards, which brings me to his new name. Kristi has officially named him Sykes...a little Freudian slip perhaps? He attacks constantly, unprovoked. I have scratch marks up and down my legs where he climbs up me. I have resorted to wearing pants all the time. I can be sitting on the couch and he will jump from no where and attack my face, totally blindsiding me. I keep telling myself he's just a kitten, but I'm not so sure that he's not part tiger. We're going to give him a little more time, but Erica, I will hunt you down in the USA & ship him to you if he doesn't straighten up!! As they say quite often here in Qatar, "patience, have patience".

Hey Guys! It's a lazy Ramadan Saturday afternoon for us here at the Knox villa. We went to 9:00 mass this morning and belted out a few bars of "How Great thou Art". It just doesn't get any better than that no matter what country you are in. Aferwards, we dropped Kristi at the school to meet a friend to get in a little soccer practice. No word on who's on the team, yet. David & I did a little furniture browsing while we waited on her. I need a vote on this bedroom furniture. David didn't have much to say about it, but for some reason it really caught my eye. Totally not a style that I would normally pick out, but as they say, "when in Qatar"...isn't that how that goes? I know you're dying to know how my Doha Golf Club lunch date went. Well, I enjoyed it so much that David, Kristi & I headed out there yesterday for lunch. We didn't get to eat in the same cafe that the girls & I ate at because we weren't dressed "to code" if you know what I mean. We weren't ragamuffins (if you don't count the 5 inch hole in Diva Kristi's jeans leg), but no jeans were allowed. Anyway, we ate in the more casual bar/cafe area that was still very nice. The food was great and the golf facilities were beautiful. The Qatar Masters is scheduled for January 24th...Bob & Sherry? We're counting on David to snag some tickets for that. Nothing like a little pressure. Oh, while I'm thinking about it...true story. Yesterday afternoon we ran by the local grocery (mom & pop 7-11 style) to pick up some "fresh" milk...that would be the non-buttermilk variation. Anyway, when we pulled up in the parking lot, the grocer ran out of the store to come take our order. When's the last time that happened to you? Ciao!

Settling In

You guys are probably wondering, "why so far & few in between?". Well, it's like I told you it would be...we're settling into life here in Qatar. Not everyday is an adventure any more, well you might need to exclude the driving on that. Everyday that I drive, I am truly amazed at what these people do in traffic. It is beyond total comprehension. A blog in itself. I've gotten back on the saddle, since my oven has been fixed (actually, the maintenance man showed me how to operate it) and my vent is going strong. We did have a nice meal of chicken parmesan. Totally edible, I must say, but not that there wasn't room for improvement. You might also be happy to hear that Kayla & Dustin are faring quite well in the kitchen. Kayla decided to make Swiss Steak and asked me to "dumb down" the recipe (no further comment). She was in the process of cutting up the steak & gathering ingredients when she realized someone had used the frozen onions & bell peppers. Who does that? Hmm, maybe the salsa man aka Dustin. She promptly requested that he run to they grocery to pick some up. You know, young ones...they must work on their own timetable & this wasn't on Dustin's timetable agenda. Long story... ensuing argument, Kayla behind closed doors & much to be done in the kitchen. Dustin puts on his chef hat after he consults his Tennessee JoJo on what to do to solve his cooking dilemma. She mentions a few spices to substitute for the onions, but Chef D has also discovered that he has no lemon juice. Soy sauce, lemon juice...same consistency, right? Okay, soy it is. Nick the roommate is peeling potatoes & boiling them whole. Dinner is at what time? Anyway, after another consultation with JoJo on the art of mashed potatoes, dinner is served. A little coaxing from Dustin to have Kayla join them for the feast & all is well. As for over here, we're doing a balance of cooking & takeout, which is pretty amazing if you know my track record. Tomorrow, I'm off to the Doha Golf Club for lunch with my next door neighbor & her friend (Canadians). Yes, it is still Ramadan and I'm not quite sure how they are allowed to serve food in the daylight hours. Some of the American hotels here do the same thing for a small fortune. Anyway, it will be my first outing with lady friends & I'm really looking forward to it. Gotta scoot, it's a cooking day!

A BIG SHOUT OUT TO MY NIECE, JANA....HAPPY 27th BIRTHDAY!!!!!!!!

Takeaway...that's what I'm talking about!

For all of those (Regina) that are worried if we're getting our bellies filled during this Ramadan season, rest assured we are thriving. Well, sort of. I've actually cooked SEVERAL times. Ha, take that!! I've even recycled leftovers into new meals. Now, albeit, I don't know if it's appreciated. Somehow I think all those involved would just as soon that Ellie Mae stay out of the kitchen. Yes, the dinner bell has been the smoke detector(s) going off. And yes, Qatar does equip their homes with these gadgets, as hard as that is to imagine. I totally filled the house with a thick layer of smoke while pan frying meatballs. Seems that our kitchen vent was on, but the louvers were closed off & no air flow was happening. Too scientic for me....so the scientist, aka David, fixed it with a rubber band. Anyway, I got right back on the horse the next night & was broiling sirloins. I noted it was really taking quite some time. The mashed potatoes & cucumber/tomato salad were ready. Surprise, the broiler element doesn't work. I had to pan fry them, but thank goodness the vent was working. I decided that this is all an omen from the takeaway (Qatari for takeout) gods. As you can see in the pic, we need to call the colonel for our "Iftaar" meal. You can't say I haven't tried. Back to the pool & bonbons for me.

It's a bouncing baby cat!!

We'd like to introduce to you a new member of our family. I'd tell you his name, but we're having a little difficulty deciding. The names in the hat thus far are Arabia (our other cat's name is Saudi...cute, huh?), Catar (Kristi says no, but it's my choice, and Felix (Granddaddy's suggestion, hmm...I wonder where he came up with that?). Any & all creative name suggestions are welcome. Anyway, a couple in Doha rescued this tiny kitten from the streets and nursed his badly infected eye back to health. Kristi & I had been searching local Doha info sites to see if we could find a kitten to adopt. Well, the rest is history. The couple came by today with him & it was love at first sight. Kristi & he are a perfect match. I promise you, Match.com could not have done any better!