A for Amber

Soon, I will get to the "B" entries in "My Polish Alphabet".  For those of you who are not familiar with the series - the Alphabet is about things, places, and people that come to my mind when I think about Poland.

Since I have reminded myself about another "A", today

A is for Amber

 

The part of Poland in which I used to live is rich in amber. After a storm, the Baltic Sea throws on its beaches small, brownish pebbles - raw amber. If you are lucky, you can find a bigger piece as well. It is said that raw amber contains positive energy, which is why wearing jewelry made from raw amber may be beneficial for one's health. Pieces of raw amber are also one of the ingredients of a tincture used by some for medicinal purposes.

Polished amber is a totally different matter - polishing turns a dull stone into a pretty gem. In the Baltic area of Poland, there are many jewelers shops and jewelry stores that offer amber items. Most often, the polished, old, congealed resin is framed in sterling silver. Personally, besides typical brown/yellow amber, I like the red and also the green version of it most.

When in Texas, I once was browsing through a catalog of an online jewelry store based in one of the US states. They happened to have amber jewelry made in Poland. What really surprised me, however, was the information given in the item description. It claimed that in Poland, amber jewelry is a traditional "good luck" gift for a bride on her wedding day. I found it quite stunning. Why? Well, I had lived in Poland for quite a few decades, attended weddings there, and never had I heard of such a wedding custom. I guess the retailer created that story to increase the sales of their products. Or it is me who is uninformed?

All in all, amber jewelry is a good but rather pricey gift for any occasion. I would certainly appreciate it!

In Gdańsk, there is a museum of amber (which we have visited as well). In the museum, you can see very interesting artifacts on display, including amber crumbles with insects that drowned inside the resin ages ago. There, you can learn about the history of amber as well.

By the way, do you know that amber is commonly called "Baltic gold/gold of the Baltic Sea"?

 

 To go to the Website of the Museum of Amber in Gdańsk - click here. 

One of the Baltic Sea sandy beaches in Poland

My Cosmetic Side: Aroma & Aromatherapy

I have always been interested in many different things considering the outside world and lifestyle. One of them is beauty and cosmetics in general, which is obviously quite a common interest for a woman (and not only). A reason why I started this blog was a thought, it would be my beauty related posts space. And at the beginning I was writing about my favorite cosmetics mostly. Nevertheless, after some time I got bored with the topic, mainly because my interests are so much wider than the beauty stuff. Do not get me wrong, there are specialists in the field which share very interesting information about e.g. makeup brands and their products, and I find reading their articles quite involving too. On the other hand, in my opinion, life, the world, means loads more things to learn, discover and experience. That is why I skipped writing on beauty items for quite a long time as it became too monotonous and one sided.
However tiresome it got then, it did not change the fact that the beauty routine and all the items connected with it are quite an important part of my life. I do not spend all day long in front of the mirror (maybe a few hours ;-)) but I would be incredibly miserable if I was not able to take care of my skin, hair and body as I am used to - which leads to the cosmetics world again.
That is why, every now and then, I am going to write about 'My Cosmetic Side' - including my favorite items and certain products I have been using. I will keep the alphabet pattern but, very likely I will not limit myself to this frame only.

Here is the entry for today:

Aroma & Aromatherapy

Since my nose is rather picky considering choosing the scents it tolerates, I associate aromatherapy with the distinctive aroma which is pleasant according to myself. And I do not mean any special kind of  healing treatment. Just a nice, scented bath can be a relaxing experience, especially when we can enjoy it after a long day. Read more about it in the post I wrote some time ago.

Talking about aroma and aromatherapy - the use and meaning of it may be quite unexpected. A couple of years ago, in the summer, we happened to have a biting flies season in our area. They were tiny and quite annoying, especially that the little creatures seemed to choose me mostly as the most interesting object to bite. It resulted in the big, red, itching spots on my skin which did not go out for weeks. I tried to use some insect repellents but they did not help much. That was why I finally decided to use the natural carnation oil which I had brought from Poland. I rubbed it all over myself - mainly the legs and arms as, due to summer temperatures, they were uncovered and most exposed to biting flies attacks. I smelled like a carnation field. The flowery aroma was quite strong but, luckily, I was not allergic to the oil. It did not irritate my skin, it must have irritated the nasty flies, though, as they stopped bugging me. I was really glad then. The carnation oil saved me.

My Music ABC: A

I have been thinking of this post series for quite a while. Music has always been important in my life that is why I would like to mention it on my blog too. However, I am not going to write any encyclopedia-like or biography texts because you can easily find it somewhere else. I would rather tell you about the artists/composers that I like/have liked most, used to find them most interesting and on some moments of my life connected with their music.

At the very beginning, I need to say that my taste in music has always been quite eclectic and I have enjoyed listening to various kinds of bands, singers - music in general. From classical music to rock and some heavy metal. This may be found unacceptable by many music fans as some people tend to prefer one genre only. I do equally take pleasure in listening to a symphony orchestra and to a hard rock band. The experience is totally different and enjoyable in totally different ways.
Do not worry, I am not going to talk about each and every artist/group I have listened to - will choose a few considering each letter of the alphabet.

To sum up, from time to time, I will share my music side on the blog, trying not to bore you as well.

The Alan Parsons Project

In 1991 it was still the time when it was not easy to get interesting LPs at music stores in Poland. That is why, while visiting friends in Denmark, I was happy to buy myself one of my most favorite records: 'The Turn of a Friendly Card' by Alan Parsons Project. I had known the music very well and was quite excited about getting the LP. However, my friends had not heard about the group so, when we came back to their place, they kindly offered to listen to the album together.
We did not talk during the music perception. I liked it of course but, since the friends did not say much about it, somehow, I had a feeling they did not find it as interesting as I did. Well, maybe I was wrong but I was really grateful I could enjoy my LP at once and they were so nice to share it with me.
I bought something else then, but I will mention it in My Music ABC later - when I get to the letter 'P'.

The Animals
'The House of the Rising Sun' , of course, but I much more like 'Don't Let Me Be Misunderstood'.


Accept
Somebody has told me that I must have a twisted personality to listen to such music. They did not know me at all - it was just their judgment. Maybe it was them who were twisted? Well, I still like some of the songs by Accept - let's say many - never liked all of them. 
Metal heart? Maybe - partly only.

 'I'm just a soul whose intentions are good;

Oh Lord, please don't let me be misunderstood....'

PS
I forgot to mention Adam & The Ants. Can anybody remember them? Their music was so full of a positive and jolly spirit.  I also liked their image and the costumes Adam and the band members wore. It was so much more interesting than the girly looks of most of the bands of the 80s! My neighbor - a girl at my age and of a totally different music taste - hated to hear Adam & The Ants when she popped in to visit me. She usually turned off my cassette recorder then. Anyway, I was quite happy when I got a (second hand) BRAVO magazine, brought by someone from Germany, with a poster of Adam Ant. I found it really cool so, of course, I displayed it in my room. And it stayed there for quite some time...

Follow my Pinterest Music board

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Credits
Picture of 'Turn of A Friendly Card' album cover from: http://www.amazon.com/Turn-Friendly-Card-Parsons-Project/dp/B000IOM1Z0/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1450284532&sr=1-1&keywords=the+turn+of+a+friendly+card;
Picture of 'Metal Heart' album cover by Accept: https://www.amazon.com/Metal-Heart-Accept/dp/B00138KBT8/ref=sr_1_1?ie=UTF8&qid=1547573785&sr=8-1&keywords=metal+heart+accept
 Quotation from the lyrics 'Don't let me be misunderstood' written by Bennie Benjamin, Gloria Caldwell, and Sol Marcus.
Picture of Adam & The Ants album https://www.amazon.com/Antmusic-Very-Best-Adam-Ants/dp/B00000INLA/ref=sr_1_1?s=music&ie=UTF8&qid=1547573954&sr=1-1&keywords=adam+and+the+ants

My Texas Alphabet: A for Aloe

The idea for this alphabet post series comes from ' The Alphabet of My Emigration' by Dee Dorota L., member of The Polish Ladies Abroad Club, who has relocated to England.
I have also decided to join the project and write about My Texas Alphabet twice a week.

This week I am planning to have more alphabet posts than two, as I need to catch up with the pace of the project. What is more, the letter which comes after 'A', in the Polish alphabet, is 'Ą' . Obviously, it is not part of the English alphabet so I thought, I would have two 'A' entries instead.

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Aloe Vera is the only plant that I have managed to grow successfully on our patio, in the heat of the Texas summer. Well, the only one so far. Since it is a succulent, it enjoys the hot sun rays and does not need much watering. Once a week is enough. Watering is not the problem, though, I could do it more often if it was required. 
We used to have  a couple of Aloe plants at home in Poland. I liked them - they were rather old, but not too large, despite their age. Besides being decorative, Aloe Vera is also quite a good medicine (topical use) which heals minor skin burns - from sunburn to 'kitchen burns'.

I am wondering how big our succulent will grow, considering the local weather conditions. I like gardening and enjoy the beauty of flowers and other plants. I only need to find some other heat-proof ones which would be able to stand up the Texas summer. Soon, I will get a bigger pot for this Aloe Vera, to let it 'stretch its legs' and enlarge properly. Maybe it will bloom too?

'Ą' entries by Polish Ladies Abroad (in Polish)

Dee/ Nie zawsze poprawne zapiski Dee: 'ą jak w początku'
Anna / Zaczynam od początku: 'ą jak ąę'

UPDATE:

Our aloe plant grew big and, as you can see in the photo, we sometimes used it as a second Christmas tree. Sadly, the winter freeze in February 2021 killed our PT and it is no more.

The little plant pot is the original one/size of the aloe plant when we bought it. Later we had to replant it twice - place in in bigger pots.

Our beautiful PT

My Texas Alphabet: A for Aloe

The idea for this alphabet post series comes from ' The Alphabet of My Emigration' by Dee Dorota L., member of The Polish Ladies Abroad Club, who has relocated to England.
I have also decided to join the project and write about My Texas Alphabet twice a week.

This week I am planning to have more alphabet posts than two, as I need to catch up with the pace of the project. What is more, the letter which comes after 'A', in the Polish alphabet, is 'Ą' . Obviously, it is not part of the English alphabet so I thought, I would have two 'A' entries instead.

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Aloe Vera is the only plant which I have managed to grow successfully on our patio, in the heat of the Texas summer. Well, the only one so far. Since it is a succulent, it enjoys the hot sun rays and does not need much watering. Once a week is enough. Watering is not the problem, though, I could do it more often if it was required. 
We used to have  a couple of Aloe plants at home in Poland. I liked them - they were rather old, but not too large, despite their age. Besides being decorative, Aloe Vera is also quite a good medicine (topical use) which heals minor skin burns - from sunburn to 'kitchen burns'.

I am wondering how big our succulent will grow, considering the local weather conditions. I like gardening and enjoy the beauty of flowers and other plants. I only need to find some other heat-proof ones which would be able to stand up the Texas summer. Soon, I will get a bigger pot for this Aloe Vera, to let it 'stretch its legs' and enlarge properly. Maybe it will bloom too?

'Ą' entries by Polish Ladies Abroad (in Polish)

Dee/ Nie zawsze poprawne zapiski Dee: 'ą jak w początku'
Anna / Zaczynam od początku: 'ą jak ąę'
Joanna / Grugrubleble: Przygody z francuską mową
Agnieszka / Zapiski szwedzkie: Ą jak nawiĄzywanie znajomości a może Pan lub Pani Ącka ;) i w końcu zwĄtpienie…
 

My Texas Alphabet: A for Air Condition

The idea for this alphabet post series comes from ' The Alphabet of My Emigration' by Dee Dorota L., member of The Polish Ladies Abroad Club, who has relocated to England.
I have also decided to join the project and write about My Texas Alphabet twice a week.

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I always wonder how people managed to survive Texas summer heat when they had no air condition. Especially in the early pioneer times, when they had no electric fans either. Cooling systems make the hot and humid weather conditions less oppressive and miserable. And I do very much appreciate the positive sides of the AC and the fact that it helps survive the summer days, and nights also. It simply makes breathing possible. On the other hand, it is not my favorite technology invention at all.
I have noticed, most Texans place themselves as close to the cooling systems and fans as possible. The closer, the better. I do the opposite. I do not like when the cool air is blowing straight on myself. I am simply not used to it and the cool air flow makes me suffer: I am cold, feel uncomfortable and get a headache. That is why, when in public places, I try to avoid that closeness as much as I can. Which is not easy - there are plenty of AC holes in each (e.g. restaurant) ceiling, not to mention a million fans cooling the air as well. Sometimes the air happens to be so cold that, if I could, I would put on a winter hat to cover/protect my head. And sometimes I did use a scarf....

My AC 'allergy' must be found quite weird by some locals. Fortunately, my husband understands it. Anyway, it happens we need to change seats when the 'air conditions' is too shivery (according to me only of course). Sometimes, it also causes a kind of awkward situation, when a person hosting us at their place tries to be kind and make me feel comfortable and places a big fan very near me. I always appreciate the hospitality and care, so I hate to tell them I do not enjoy the fan treat.

I think a reason for my AC intolerance might be connected with the totally different climate conditions I am/my body is used to. It was much colder (both in the summer and in the winter) where I lived most of my life.  When you needed fresh air, it was enough to open a window, and the air condition was not needed at all.
According to my theory - in Texas, a cool breeze means relief because, most of the year, it is extremely hot here. Where I used to live - the chilly wind meant danger to the body (especially when it was freezing outside) - possibly cold and sickness. Maybe, that was why my body was programmed in a certain way and still reacts like that, despite the change of climate conditions around me. I do not know, but I have learned that I need to sleep under a (thin) blanket, even during the hottest Texas season. If I do not, and use the usual summer bed-sheet only, I quickly get sick. But I am not complaining. Oh no.

All in all, I am glad we have a good AC system in our place. Luckily, it is possible to adjust it to my 'likes' so I am able to enjoy its advantages too. And soon, the time of the day will come, when it gets unpleasantly hot outside and inside. And I will need to turn on the air again. Glad I can!

'A' entries by Polish Ladies Abroad: 

Dee / A jak Anglia 
Anna Maria / A jak mój ulubiony mąż
Gabi  / A jak AIESEC
Agnieszka / A jak... Agnieszka w Ångermanland
Kropka / A jak Addison
Anna / Anna postanawia znaleźć Alternatywę
Justyna / A jak Alex 
Anna / A jak Ameryka
Karolina / A jak Aquitaine 
Viola / A jak Abstrakcyjne rozwiązania
Joanna / A jak Adaptacja
Jagoda / A jak Algeciras – port na Cieślinie Gibraltarskiej po hiszpańskiej stronie