Waiting for a Visa

Our nieces want to visit us here in the US. One lives in Sweden; the other lives in Denmark. They were born in Iran. They are the daughters of my husband’s brother. We visited them and their family in Iran in 1996 and then again in 2009. A lot has happened since then. Each of them married and moved to Sweden and Denmark. We visited Denmark around 2014 and the other sister who lives in Sweden joined us there. We have stayed in touch all of these years. So it makes sense that they might want to visit the US. They are both naturalized citizens of their respective countries. Usually one doesn’t need a visa to travel to the US from Sweden or Denmark. But because they were born in Iran and have family in Iran, they visit them routinely - most often to visit their mother and most recently to attend their brother’s wedding. And since they have traveled to Iran within the last five years, they need visas to get in to the US. So they inquired at the embassy about the process. The first available appointment is next July 2023. And then it would be another six months to learn if they would be granted visas. Each of them has reason to return to their county as each has a young child at home. With the pandemic taking another surge we aren’t too disappointed they aren’t able to come now because we would be stuck in the house. And who knows what will be going on a year from now? All I know is that it can be difficult to travel for our family when they are associated at all with Iran - even if they don’t live there anymore. Aren’t we lucky? 

Pinterest Pin Favorites

I started a Pinterest account many years ago. The focus was to highlight my digital art - mostly pet portraits. But I also have other boards for Capitol Hill - which is mostly made up of my blog contents, garden, baseball autographs, France, England, Copenhagen and Iran. I rarely look at the stats for these boards, but for whatever reason I checked them out the other day. I wanted to see which images had more than 100 impressions. By far and away the highest pin at 966 impressions was columns at Shiraz. It seemed a lot of the highest numbers were related to Iran - Persian new year and museum pieces. Modigliani Art from the National gallery were also well liked and I can see why. The images are very quirky and he has quite a style. All the others are a mixed bag of Alexandria Halloween and tunnels, parking garage, and DC attractions. So what I learned is is that none of my digital art gets a lot of attention. So in the end the original intention hasn’t been realized. But I’ll keep posting images ecause it’s an enjoyable hobby. 

The Spirit of Nowruz at the Library of Congress

I miss the old days! I worked at the Library of Congress for ten years. We really enjoyed going to the library for all sorts of programs. I liked it even more after I retired five years ago. Since we moved to northern Virginia two years ago, it was a great excuse to take a ride in to town, see the program, and then if it was late afternoon, we would catch a bite at the Hawk and Dove for dinner. Well, that hasn’t happened for over a year. But the next best thing is to watch a virtual program. The first program was yesterday and the subject was a film about the spirit of Nowruz. I received an email about the program about a week ago and signed up for it. We got comfy on the couch, followed the link, and watched the show. A familiar face was introducing the guest speaker, and the film was a documentary in nature - very colorful and interesting to watch. My husband is from Iran, and I have visited the country twice -  so we like the Middle Eastern section program options. It wasn’t quite the same as actually going to the beautiful building - right now it is surrounded by a barbed wire fence. But it was an opportunity to recreate our old way of life. For a moment it felt like we were actually there, so I guess it was well worth the time. I sent Hirad a Happy Nowruz email at the Library and thanked him for getting the production on Zoom. Maybe some day we will be able to venture out again. 

Broken Frame

We have had it for a long time. It’s a picture frame that is made out of metal pieces with hues of green and blue. Inside the frame is a photo of me and my husband in Iran. It was taken in 1996. I am wearing a chador that my husband’s brother made for me. I didn’t need to wear it most of the time, but I had to for this place - a very religious site. So when I was dusting around it the other day, I haphazardly placed it back in its spot. A few seconds later it came crashing down to the floor. All of the tiny metal pieces around the photo splintered apart. They are a decorative element. So I gathered them all up and placed them in a baggie - thinking one day that I will eventually glue them all back in place. Since the frame - from a distance - looks the same, I haven’t been inspired to put it back together. I will hang on to the metal pieces. I just don’t feel like doing anything about it - now. 

Amber Beads

Back in 1996 we took a trip to Iran to visit my husband’s family. It was my first overseas trip. We went on this visit for three weeks to potentially adopt a young child and for me to meet a lot of relatives. It was a very exciting adventure. That was over twenty years ago. In the end the adoption just wasn’t possible for a variety of reasons beyond our control. So much has changed since then. Our two nieces and nephew are very grown up - two are married, with children, living in other countries. We stay in contact to this day. Many of the people I met are no longer with us. This week I was reminded of this remarkable journey by a string of amber beads. I don’t recall exactly where we got them, but I think my husband’s brother had something to do with it. They are “prayer beads” and are quite heavy. Out of curiosity I asked my husband about the value of these beads. He started examining them closely with a magnifying glass and flashlight to see if there were any bugs or plant life inside. I don’t think there is. But it hardly matters because this little trinket means a lot to us and is priceless. I kept a lot of the photographs and look at them occasionally. It was probably one of the most memorable places I have ever been. And the amber beads are simply lovely. 

Gilan Sewing Kit

One of my shirts has needed a button replacement for quite awhile. So today I looked at the shirt to see if there was an extra button located on it somewhere and once and for all do something about it. It’s a shirt I got a while back at one of my favorite Midwest shopping spots that no longer exists called Zita’s. They may still have a wedding boutique, but all the rest is long gone. We don’t have what you would call a huge supply of thread and needles - just a few colors and a pack of needles. So when I looked through the bag I came across a tiny sewing package you sometimes get in a hotel. But this one was unique because it came from Rasht, Iran from the Gilan Hotel. We stayed there nine years ago when we went to visit Iran with some of our American friends. My husband is from there, and from that city. We had a small group of six and traveled all over the country, including Rasht. So now my Polish shirt has a button sewn on with thread from Iran. It’s an interesting combination since I am Polish and my husband is Iranian. 

Old Men in Yazd and a Fish Pond on Capitol Hill

It's been awhile since the last art show at the Library of Congress.  I have participated in it over the last four years. Then there was a hiatus, and a year passed without an event. I retired in February, and made sure I was on the mailing list for updates since retirees can continue to contribute their work. Last week I received a call for art notice and that the fair was scheduled for October 2016 through April 2017. The email included the necessary paperwork - guidelines, registration, and agreements. Since I already had my selections made, it was easy to put together. The toughest part was getting the documents to print on my very old HP printer. For whatever reason, I couldn't print from my laptop, but could save the images to my iPad as a photo, and they printed. What was even more curious is that the copy function would only work from a color document and not with black and white. I hate it when these things happen! But as long as I can find a work around.... Anyway, yesterday I brought the two items to the Library and then had lunch with a colleague on the sixth floor cafeteria. This year "Old Men in Yazd" and "A Fish Pond on Capitol Hill" made the cut determined by a process of elimation of my then colleagues before I retired. My husband loves the old men image; I like the fish pond. Hopefully, one of them will get noticed! 

Persian Carpet Critters and Flowers

When we lived in a big house in the Midwest we needed big carpets for all the rooms. So we had several Persian carpets that were made of silk and other materials. We even had a wall hanging in the dining room. They were simply lovely! When we moved to DC we had no space for any of them and we left them all behind. Now we have collected three over the last ten years - all about the same color scheme, with some common elements. I especially love the whimsical animals that are incorporated somehow and the beautiful flowers. The horses and birds are cute, and the Isfahan carpet we brought home from Iran is probably my favorite. The creatures look mythical but bring a smile to my face every time I look at them. I do miss our carpets but they unfortunately would not have fit in this house. I just read something today that people with less possessions are happier? I tend to agree with that and am content that we downsized to this tiny space. But I can't help but think about them once in awhile. I guess I'll need to look at some old photos and continue to appreciate the ones we live with now.