I believe that the moments in each day make our life what it is. Of course, the unexpected always happens and whatever preparations we make, Life surprises us. Many a time, we think that nothing happens in our life, but things do happen. I started writing to my Doddamma, my father’s elder brother’s wife in October 2017. She is 88 and is not able to hear properly. I post my letter to her every Tuesday. Both of us enjoy the letters. These letters have made it possible for me to appreciate the ordinary moments of life. I edit the letters and post them as Slice of Life every Tuesday.
15-04-19
For most Indians the New Year that starts on 1st January is according to the English calendar. We celebrate two new years calculated according to lunar and solar calendar. Today we celebrated Vishu and it is celebrated in many parts of our country. We usually go to the temple but this time we could not go. My husband is recovering from cough and wheezing.
I completed the stitching my sari blouse. Usually I complete the machine work and do the hemming and stitching the buttons in the evening. I am so used to stitching my clothes that something does not feel right if I get them stitched by a tailor 😊. In all these years I have got my clothes stitched just two or three times.
I am reading The Valley of flowers by Frank Smythe. It is a beautiful book. Some years ago my husband’s cousin, who is a botanist had been there. Just listening to him was fascinating. I got this book and the author gives beautiful description of the valley and the upper Himalayas. Books take us to so many different worlds, I cannot imagine life without reading.
(photo from the internet)
The weather has become very hot. We have a breadfruit tree in or back yard. There are many breadfruits but due to the heat they are falling when they are small. We use raw ones in our curries and other vegetables. I don’t know whether people eat ripe breadfruits. We don’t.
There is a mango tree in one corner of our back yard. It was planted long back by the previous owners. For the first time we have got some mangoes and they are tasty. From two raw ones I prepared ‘panna’ which is used to prepare juice. I was making it for the first time. I prepared the concentrate. We have to add water and prepare the juice. It is tasty and refreshing.
We have started playing scrabble after a long time. It is a very nice game and time just flies. Both of us are not really interested in TV programmes, actually I don’t watch anything, I would rather read a book or read blogs in WordPress. My husband reads a book and in between watches whatever sport is happening at the time 😊 Our son will be teaching German certificate course till first week of May, then he will be free in the evenings.
On the 12th afternoon we got the coconuts plucked. This person has been coming to our place for more than ten years. We have got ten coconut trees in our garden. Climbing coconut trees is a specialized job. Usually he cuts the coconuts and drops them. This time he tied the bunches with a rope and lowered them carefully. We now have to get the husks removed before selling them. We keep aside some for our daily use. Actually, for the agriculturists all this is quite an expensive procedure. They hardly get any profit. It is sad but farmers do not get the returns that they should get for all the hard work and money they put in.
We went for our daily evening walks to our favourite places. Going out in the evenings refreshes the mind and the body. Today evening we went to our library and from there went to the park near Venugopla temple. We like walking there. I met my mother’s friend and we enjoyed talking to each other. Yesterday night I cooked boiled rice, I keep aside conjee and today night I used it to make sweet corn soup. It is tasty. A good ending to a special day. Tomorrow is a new day.
Everyday Moments
Occasionally in life there are those moments of unutterable fulfillment which cannot be completely explained by those symbols called words. Their meanings can only be articulated by the inaudible language of the heart.
Martin Luther King, Jr.
Hindu calendar – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindu_calendar
Vishu Festival – Vishu 2019, Vishu Celebration, About Vishu Festival
http://www.vishufestival.org
Are There Any Health Benefits to Boiled Rice? | Healthy Eating | SF …
https://healthyeating.sfgate.com/there-health-benefits-boiled-rice…
aam panna recipe, how to make aam panna | mango panna
http://www.vegrecipesofindia.com › recipes › Beverages
Valley of Flowers National Park – Wikipedia
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Valley_of_Flowers_National_Park
Everyday Moments- (#SOL -2019)
Lovely piece. I hope your husband gets 100% fit soon. Nice pics of breadfruit and mangoes. Best regards. SAN
This is the stuff of life. I hope the wheezing stops soon
So much fresh food literally in your back yard. That sounds wonderful.
Hoping your husband feels better soon. As always thanks for sharing these entries!
Those viruses seem to linger a long time. At least he is home and not pushing himself to go out. I hope he is better soon.
I am with you on reading books over watching TV. There is so little worthwhile to watch. About all we watch is the weather. I am a big Scrabble fan. Great way to see what kinds of words we can come up with from the letters we pick plus the open ones on the board.
It is wonderful how you find so many things to eat growing around you. That doesn’t really happen in England, although traditionally, people have always gone out in August and September to gather blackberries which are nice in a pie. My wife has made dresses for my daughter but it is a great pity that more people do not make their own clothes. It would put an end to the ridiculous idea of things being “fashionable” and stop a lot of waste.
Your posts connect me to life in new and beautiful ways, Lakshmi. Thank you!