I am rather happy to be alive. To love, to enjoy peace, to be happy with what I have: family and friends who care, a nice neighborhood, air to breathe, food to eat, clothes to wear and good health. Well, almost. If you think I am being mushy, well, yes, I’ve got reason to be. I would be the first one to admit that life is pretty precarious – I am not sure what news I’ll get each time I hear the phone ring. The last of my aunts, my Mom’s sister, is still in a coma. We know we can’t do anything about it. Her chances of survival are less than slim. Yet we pray, because we like to hope and believe in miracles. We want to.
The past week, we have had long power outages (like 15 hours at a time) and after the initial worry of pending work piling up, stuff in the fridge (oh yes, it is a big thing for me), wet weather – I decided to make the most of being offline, yet again! We went out and socialized with friends and went out for dinner and had a couple of wonderful evenings. Since we went to another area, we skipped the power cuts.
One day, in heavy rains, we set out to see a house a friend had bought. We completely lost our way and had a good ride around the city. The rain was refreshing, actually. We had candlelight dinners at home and also spent time together singing in the dark. Our favorite game is “antakshari” – which is sort of like a song-tag. The person who starts sings a song – and the syllable their song ends with must be the next person’s song’s starting syllable. So let us say you sing a song, for example: (lets take a Beatles song – “Love me, do“)
“Love, love me do;
You know I love you;
I’ll always be true,
So please….love me do”.
Next, it is my turn and I must sing a song that starts with “do” Not the word – but the syllable. So I’ll sing…..um…… “Do you know where you’re going to” by Diana Ross (theme from “Mahogany”) … and so on. Get it? Except, we play it with Hindi songs.
There are many more games, but I’ll make that another post, eh?
During the times we went out, I took longer than usual to shop and checked out a few things I had been meaning to. I usually rush through this. I also got more time to cook and prepare things for my kitchen shelf from scratch.
So let me show you some of the things I’ve been up to, besides doing a lot of reading! (Click photos to view enlarged version).
Cooking, of course, and in this cold weather, the kitchen has been an even nicer place to be. This is what I had on my plate today, ready to make lunch. Tomatoes, cabbage, carrots, capsicum (peppers?)
I prepped it – keeping some for salad – I love salads- and rest of it to stir-fry for fried rice. Love the colors!
Visited a new mall in our area. It has a huge bookshop – one of our favorite places. The chain had a branch that was pretty far off from where we lived, so we’re excited that this one is just within walking distance from our place. Yay! And I love, love, loved seeing a little girl busy reading, with a stack of books next to her! I also loved her shoes!
I took a walk around my area, as I always do. This cactus has fascinated me for a long time. It is quite tall, as you can see. These guys renovated their house and had the sidewalk paved. I am not sure if this cactus is rooted, or if they’ve just placed it there on the concrete. If it weren’t rooted, it would dry up, right? Maybe the stem is inside the ground. Anyway, I love how it looks.
Pomegranates. Love this fruit. I enjoy peeling it, and storing the pearls in a box to eat later. Tastes lovely with fresh mint leaves. Try it! Also love to add it to my curd (yogurt) and rice.
Oh, it is the season for rose apples. As kids, we called them love apples. One of our teachers had a huge tree in her garden and would encourage us to pick them, and take them home in baskets. This teacher was also my Mom’s teacher – yes, folks, my Mom and I both went to the same school – and we even had the same teachers! I always have lovely memories when I see this!
I love this overhang on the wall of this house. The sun suddenly came out and it was glorious to see them lazily swaying in the gentle breeze. See those little white flowers?.
On the way back from school yesterday (yes, Saturdays are full working days at school for Vidur) – I saw yet another tree that had uprooted itself on the side of the road – it fell on the building just beyond the wall, across this enclosure on the left; again, luckily, no damage. And no one hurt.
I am always fascinated at how a huge tree, rooted to the spot for years, just tips and falls over. It has probably been building up for a while…see the pavement built around it!
Yes, folks, life is bouncing back to normal – and I am looking forward to a wonderful week ahead!
Let us now head to Unknown Mami’s blog – she hosts this fabulous link up – and travel the world from there.
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Cheers!
Vidya
49 comments
Love the pictures as always Vidya!Yes indeed, our lives are so short and every moment lived is something we need to be grateful for – isn’t it?Hope and pray that your aunt gets well soon. And yes, in cases like coma and others we know we need to be ready for anything.Coming to these wonderful picture – this time you surely have gone all green! I love salads too, though we hardly get much of a variety our end, except for a few months, or then it’s quite far from where we stay. But yes, these are the right foods we need to have.Thanks for sharing. 🙂
Thanks for the lovely comment, Harleena!
Love this and love you.
xo
I love you even more, Kim! Hugs!
I love the photos. Rose apples? Heard about them for the first time!
I love those girls shoes. I had similar one in shades of purple.
🙂 Thanks Hajra! Rose apples – they are also called “paneer fruit” here in Bangalore.
I just loved the look of that little girl! So bright!
Have a great week, Hajra!
Live every day to your fullest and don’t go to bed mad. When life gives you lemons make lemonade or stirfry. Hope next week is better and fulfilling.
What a beautiful comment! Thank you! Have a great week ahead @retired not tired!
Oh how I love your Sunday posts and your beautiful photos! And now I’m craving fried rice! I may have to put together some yummy ingredients for my own soon. Glad to hear things are getting back to normal my friend. Thanks for sharing your beautiful world with us! XOXOs
Ah, Terri! 😀 I make fried rice every Sunday and simply enjoy cutting the veg for it. Thanks for your lovely comment, yes – we’re bouncing back quickly and getting ready to celebrate the big festival of lights – Diwali!
I fantasize about meeting you one day and having a fun time! Hugs!
Dearest, Vidya,
So many wonderful photos. I LOVE the girl reading w/ her lovely shoes showing.
& I love you more than 10 Siberian Tigers because you make my heart smile.
Thank you for that. Xxx Hope you are well…you seem to see the light thru any storm.
Kim! Hugs! She was a pretty girl! I love you more than a garden of those rose apples. They look lovely, just like you!
Thanks Vidya!
Always look forward to Sunday and reading about your neighborhood. Loved the little girl and of course the food because I, too, love to cook so much. The little rose apples are so interesting looking.Glad you’re all recovering from your storm.
xoxo
Betsy
PS And of course LOVE your outlook on life and making a storm into something fun!!
Thank you, Betsy! These days, whenever I get “zucchini” I think of you! Yes, the storm has passed and life is rapidly coming back to normal!
Hugs!
Sunday is my day for picking the things I like to do and coming to your Blog is high on the list Vidya. Please come to my kitchen and cook for me…your preparation looks so delicious.
I’m so grateful that you’re such a shutterbug…the walk around your neighbourhood with you is always a fascinating trip.
Thanks for sharing my sweet friend.
Love Elle
xoxo
Hugs, Elle. I always look forward to your comments! I’d love to come and cook for you. Better still, I’d love to have you over here at my place!
You know, the folks around our area are used to seeing me whipping out my phone and taking photos of everything 😀 I think they find it very amusing.
It is such a pleasure to have you here, Elle!
Oh Vidya, I LOVE that song-game idea!!! I may have to play it with my class on Wednesday night.
I not only LOVE what the little girl at the end of the book aisle is WEARING, I LOVE how it coordinates with her colorful surroundings!!
Do let me know how it goes, Keetha! Yes, that little girl had me enthralled for a few minutes as she rapidly kept turning pages. She looked just perfect in her surroundings!
I love the fresh veggies. We have vibrant, beautiful vegetables too. I love them. Coincidentally I ate an apple today too. They are sometimes hard to find in Honduras. I cooked it down with hot oatmeal as it was not very fresh, being imported from God knows where. I hope your life gets back to normal soon.
Apples match oatmeal perfectly, Laurie. I also love oats with bananas, almonds and raisins! Life is back to normal. The storm has passed and we’re busy bouncing back! Thanks for your comment. Just loved the murals over at your blog!
All the vivid colors of the vegetables and fruit is so pretty. I love Pomegranates, but I don’t I’ve ever seen a rose apple. They are such a delicate pink.
Tara, it looked too good to eat! I love bright colors! Those rose apples are available only during these three months – Oct / Nov / Dec. The tree looks beautiful!
Thanks for your comment!
That tree is so sad. 🙁 It didn’t have much space before it was yanked out! Once again you inspire!
Yes, Jodi. The tree was around for more than a decade. I was sad to see them chopping it up. I wish we could uproot our own negative thought processes, chop them up and recycle them!
Thank you, Jodi.
Vidya, IF you get a comment from “Marcus Woods” – – – that is really me. He worked on my computer today and I didn’t realize my lappy was still signed into HIS g-mail account.
Goofy me.
I love that, Keetha! You know, my son’s name is similar to mine,and I didn’t realize a couple of days ago that he was logged into a social media site. I just wondered why my picture looked different. And then, felt rather sheepish to discover I had commented through his account. 😀 Hugs!
Oh so beautiful..It is only when our routine is disturbed that we find time to discover these beauties around us. Btw, I have never seen those fruits all my life 🙂 and a cactus that big too..I liked the pic of the lil girl too. You have a great weekend 🙂
Welcome, Found In Folsom! (Your blog is so pretty!) I love clicking photos all the time and there’s plenty in our area to see! We’re lucky to live in a city where all sorts of exotic fruit and veg is abundant.
The pic of the little girl is my favorite, too. It was so sweet to watch her struggle with the rather large book!
Thanks for visiting. Do come again!
I subscribed already 🙂 So, don’t worry. I will be there to eat up your comment space as much as I can..actually, I was reading your other posts but something came up in between, so I just subscribed and left 🙂
Vidya, you do have a good attitude towards challenges in life! Very inspiring to come and read this today!
Thanks!
Lori
Thank you, Lori. Lately, I have been feeling quite humbled looking at what is happening around us here. Hugs!
Love the photo of the girl in the bookstore. Reminded me of me at that age 🙂
Sandi, I can so visualize that. 🙂 You’re so vibrant! Thanks for visiting!
I love your descriptions and photos Vidya. They are so evocative and very beautiful 🙂
Thanks so much Carolyn. Glad you’re here!
I have never heard of or seen a rose apple and now I REALLY want to try one!! There are peaches here that are squashed looking like the rose apples and they’re really good. Must find rose apples!! Love all your pictures…as usual 🙂
Thank you, Me! 😀 The thing about the rose apples is, the taste is so subtle, it feels like one is eating water!
The game with the songs is one of our favorite games. We always play it with the children.
Love you <3
Great to see you, Nikky! Yes, I love the game so much, too. Great for all ages!
Oh, I so want to come eat at your house. I loved the colors on that plate!
Galen, my home, and my heart are both open for you! Welcome!
Hi Vidya,
I wish your aunt a refuah Shleimah, or in English a speedy recovery.
The Hindi song contest sounds like fun. I would probably win because I know exactly 0 songs in Hindi so everyone would over estimate their chances against me, but thanks to the earpiece and Vidor’s help I would succeed. 😉
Thank you, Jack, for your kind wishes. A week into this post, and it is status quo. We’re just praying she doesn’t suffer, now.
Indeed, I’ll make sure you are in Vidur’s team. 😀 He always wins this game!
Hi Vidya,
I loved this post – the colours of the vegetables, the little girl in the bookstore (I could happily lose myself for hours in a bookstore!) singing in the dark, wandering through neighbourhoods, enjoying the sights and the gentle breeze. Lovely. And it’s amazingly freeing in a sense, when we are unplugged for a bit – isn’t it?
I’m off to eat part of a pomegranate now… mmmm…
Christine xo
Christine, so good to see you here! And I am right there with you, doing all the things you described! It is definitely liberating!
Enjoy your pomegranate!
Hugs! Vidya
Life is an amazing privilege, isn’t it? Though I can never spell that word right. I loved seeing your display of colorful vegetables and the interesting plants around your neighborhood.
I’m so sorry about your aunt. Miracles can happen though, we never know! There’s power in prayer. with love, Sandra
Hugs! Sandra. There are some words I always get wrong on the first go and privilege is one of them. There, I had to do that twice!
We’re hoping for a miracle, too. Although in what form it will manifest, we don’t know.
Thank you, Sandra.
This might be my favorite set of pictures to date from you. The food shots are great and the shoes in the bookstore shot could not have been more perfectly staged.
Claudya, I was thinking of Put Pie when I clicked the little girl’s photo. It looked so much like something you would have posted. 🙂 Can you believe I watched her shuffle books for almost 15 minutes before I grabbed my phone and took her photo?
Hugs. I am always grateful to Sundays, thanks to you!