Today I received a “pass” on my apartment inspection! I feel like I have now arrived in life :-) Ok not really, but it does mean my paint job with the blueberries was a job well done. The only comment was that I clean the ceiling vent in my half bathroom. I honestly would have probably never even looked up there had she not mentioned it. Sure enough there is some dust there. Sorry I don’t think to routinely clean my vents in bathroom ceilings, but now for the rest of my life I probably will.
Onto the onions I alluded to yesterday…there have been many moments where I have smelled this potent aroma of onions here. I learned that smell is actually wild onion that grows here. It is definitely overwhelming but explains why even some people smell like onions :-)
My drive home tonight was rather eventful. While I wish it was something really southern like a cow stopped in front of my car, (I feel like my friend Mikey would expect that (hiiiii)) nothing that exciting happened. I pulled out onto a street going the speed limit minding my own business, when this lady sped around a corner and miraculously I swerved to avoid a head on collision! These back roads make people drive crazy. The whole driving rule of keeping your hands at “10 & 2” is extremely helpful here not just for crazy drivers, but also to wave at any given moment. I feel awkward when I miss an opportunity to wave back at someone because I am steering with one hand. You awkwardly move your hand to wave after you’ve passed another car or the person is no longer looking. So when in the south keep your hands at 10 & 2 and anticipate lifting them at any given sign of a car or person. On my way home, I decided to stop at take the pictures below. It kind of made me laugh so you’ll have to read the captions.
When I arrived at my home, I got to meet one of my next-door neighbors I had not yet met, Gladys. She is 84 years old and a fellow Yankee! Halleluiah!!!! Haha! She is absolutely a doll and she was planting flowers. I noticed that she didn’t have an accent, which was how I found out that she has only lived here the past ten years and is from upper state New York. We talked about how different the south was (not that I grew up in NY) yet how kind everyone is here. Gladys is my neighbor who BLARES good old-fashioned Pentecostal preachers on Sunday morning! This past week reminded me of clips of Oral Roberts I’ve heard and it very well could have been him. It makes me smile :-) I love that I have praying neighbors. I will tear up if I talk too much about my other next-door neighbors! The kid is so adorable and his imagination absolutely astounds me! I want to play outside with him this weekend and chat with his mom.
Well that was my day in Hama Bama! My friend’s mom started calling Hamilton that years ago when everyone was traveling back and forth for ministry events here. I sent my mom some flowers for her birthday yesterday and one of the sentences read something like, “I wish I could be there but I am sending love from Hama Bama”. My mom asked me if I or the flower shop misspelled Alabama! Neither-it was very intentional.
Goodnight all! The sound of crickets is so normal now…weird.