23-02-2020
Sunday afternoon we had a shock of our lives when we saw dark clouds in the sky. It was windy too. We were thinking it was looking like the monsoon season. I had kept some wild flowers to dry in the sun.in the terrace. The plants of these flowers are found by the hill side. We gathered them one evening. All parts of the plant have medicinal value. We call it Kodagasana in Kannada. I ran up to bring in the flowers and I was just on time. It started pouring. It rained heavily for half an hour and was drizzling for quite some time. Many parts of our state have received these rains. All the plants around us look happy and green 😊. They had been covered with dust and we thought they would have to wait till June to become green again. But farmers everywhere must have suffered a setback.
We purchased two kgs of tamarind, we use it in our cooking. I add salt to it and keep it in the sun for a day and then store it. I made some tamarind squash. It is very tasty. I kept the dried flowers in the fridge. I made chutney powder from last year’s flowers. And a little Kasahaya powder. It has spices like cumin, coriander seeds and black pepper. We make a refreshing drink using it.
These are happenings in our daily life and at the same time the number of covid cases have been increasing in some states. Our neighbouring state, Kerala is having a lot of problems and a lot of checking is happening at the borders. At the same time people are attending social functions and very few wear masks. We were thinking of attending a cousin’s son’s wedding on the 21st but we dropped the idea. Nothing may happen but why take a risk? We sent a message to the cousin, he understood. Another cousin who is a doctor has tested positive and is in the hospital. He is recovering.
Saturday evening we went to a tree park in our town. It was started a few years ago but we were going there for the first time. It was nice and we were thinking we should come there when our grandchildren come for vacations. The park is named after Thimmakka, an environmentalist. There are so many like her who do their work with passion and do not just talk. People like her make a nation.
The bulbuls are trying to build their nest inside the house and we are keeping the windows closed. I keep wondering why they want to build inside when there is the open world outside. One bird flew inside when the windows were open and was confused about going outside. I opened all the windows and flew out. How can birds be caged ?!! But they are. That is life.
Sahaja Siri: Kodagasana/ Kodasige / Kutaja flower Tambuli https://www.sahajasiri.com/2018/05/kodagasana-kodasige-kutaja-flower.html
Tamarind Sweet and Sour Drink, Imli Masala Drink recipe – Tarla … https://www.tarladalal.com/tamarind-sweet-and-sour-drink-imli-masala…
kashaya recipe | kashayam powder recipe | shunti jirige kashaya https://hebbarskitchen.com/kashaya-recipe-kashayam-recipe-kashayam
Mukhamani 
Comments are welcome :)