I have returned from my sojourn in Michigan and the R&R was good for me as my frazzled nerves needed calming. The photo above shows the lovely view of the park and lake near the Man in Motown's apartment in the Detroit suburbs. Since the weather was great, we spent a much of our time together enjoying the scenery and walking the trails around the lake. Great therapy for a stressed out Kay!
Greater Detroit is a very diverse area and large ethnic populations of every stripe are present and accounted for throughout the area. Arab and Indian markets and Hispanic supermercados proliferate along the main streets as well as about every kind of ethnic restaurant one could imagine! I was fascinated as we went through The Man's favorite Arab Market--the products like fresh dates and fresh figs and a vast array of unusual olives and other Arab foods aren't often seen in my neck of the woods and the prices on these exotic (to me) items are excellent. I marvelled at the loveliness of the Arab women in their traditional long dresses and veils and was enchanted at the contrast of the garb of many of the little Arab girls who sported veils with sneakers and blue jeans. In my little city, most immigrants assimilate quickly -- probably because a support system isn't in place for them and also the 'redneck' mentality espoused by many here. It's been a long time since I've spent time in such a cosmopolitan environment and I truly enjoyed it.
The Man wanted help with decorating in his place (pictures, etc.) and enlisted my assistance so shopping trips were in order. I think Kay-in-Shopping-Mode was a bit disconcerting but he soldiered on rather well with it. I'm an inveterate bargain hunter by inclination and necessity and I'm sure, it can be unnerving to the uninitiated. He is a typical male and hates shopping unless it's for electronics or computers. The result of our trips looks great and his white walls are a bit less bare. He's happy and that's what matters.
Probably the nicest pleasure of my trip was meeting the Man's mother. Mrs. F. is a lovely, dear lady who says, "I tell people I'm 93 1/2 because every day counts at my age." This wonderful, extraordinary lady is the mother of nine children, grandmother to 20, and great-granny to another 20 so far. She still reads s lot and does crossword puzzles although she prefers easier ones these days as the hard ones try her patience. We tried to encourage her to take the computer classes offered at her assisted living facility in their computer lab but she doesn't think she could do it. I had visions of getting her into blogging and listed on the Ageless Project and hanging out with Millie, GoldenLucy and my new friend, Incendiary Granny -- all in their 80s and positively delightful. On the other hand, I respect my elders' wishes. I figure when one hits their 90s, they can say and do (or not do) whatever they want! I hope when I get that to age I'm still blogging my little heart out!!!
So all in all it was a great, relaxing trip but as always, not long enough and I'll be returning there during the holidays. And that's a good thing! Now I'm back in harness and juggling my frenetic existence as usual! ARGH!!!!!
Happy Blogging!!!!!!!!!!!! Kay
Kay seemed rather interested as we shopped at my favorite Arab produce market in Dearborn, MI. I’m rather used to the population of properly dressed Arab women who were my neighbors for a few years and should have been watching Kay’s response as well as shopping. One interesting point is that most of this population are recent newcomers and so prefer to speak Arabic. However, all the kids speak perfect English because that is how they are taught in school. Therefore, mama may say something to them in Arabic, but the kids usually answer her in English. There are no public school classes taught in Arabic in that neighborhood (the largest Arab population in the U.S.). Also, when the adults went to school in their homeland, they were required to take either English or French as a second language. I speak both, but not much Arabic. Unknown to Kay, because of the amount of people and the noise level in the market, is that I always say “hello, good by and thank you” in Arabic to local proprietors and they always reply to me in English. With the older business owners who do not yet know English well, we use French.
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