Resting Places

"A good friend is like a star. You may not always be able to see them but you know they are always there. So how many of these stars do you have in your solar system?

And here is another thought provoking question,

Are you one of those stars to others? Make it a great day." -Gary Coxe"

You my blog friends are the stars in my solar system.

Double Whammy - Inflated Cold and Food Prices

(photo from The Hindu newspaper)

Gone are the warm sunny days of December, the cold has intensified in the past few days plummeting the mercury down to the 30s and 40F (10 below C)

8 people have died in my city. (According to the evening news 56 in our state of U.P.) Read a report from The Hindu newspaper HERE

Yesterday it was 1.5 C about 33 F. Brrr ...that 's freezing in an unheated house. Mama keeps in bed under quilts and blankets and when she emerges out of her warm 'cave ' I turn on the small blower heater to provide moderate succor.

I feel colder in the daytime when a chilly wind is blowing. I like reading in bed , but last night I couldn 't hold a book in my frozen hands ( have to hunt for my gloves). I don 't have woollen socks and was wearing cotton ones and Ma gave me her extra pair this morning. I also don 't have proper shoes fit for this weather - mine are too thin.LOL.
Everyone has to wear lots of woollen clothes to keep warm, even indoors. ( picture us like the cartoon above). Doing housework wearing all that armour is quite a task. Specially washing with icy water.

I like to drink lots of hot unsweetened tea and soup.

I made my veg soup with fresh spinach, and bottle gourd (lauki). Last night I made Borscht soup with beets, carrots and cabbage etc. Tried to follow the Russian version, but mine was quite Indianized - I have saved some to have for supper .

My Sheeba also feels very cold. I cover her up as much as possible - but the silly girl wriggles out of everything. She likes to sit on top of the sheets. She likes my old jacket.

Her hair is sticking to all our warm clothes and blankets. I brush them off with a clothes brush and a second later they come back on. I don 't have a solution. John the Baptizer (fore - runner of Christ) in the New Testament times used to wear clothes made of camel 's hair but I feel I am wearing clothes made with dog 's hair. LOL.
My very old vacuum cleaner is too heavy and unwieldy and I can 't use it anymore. I am dreaming of buying a light , small, user friendly one which is about Rupees 2000 ( $50).

But we praise God for all the comfort we have. The poor and homeless people, daily wage and migrant workers don 't have it so good.

Many of them camp out in the open on sidewalks and pavements, under trees or huts and tents made cardboard or plastic sheets. The district administration provides bon fires for warmth, but they are not enough, don 't last very much and not everyone can benefit from them.

The top 2 photos are from my city. The 2 below are from Delhi and Jammu. They were taken from the Times Of India website.

With falling temperature food prices have risen 14 -16% in the past one week. Its hard to put together a decent meal. The prices are pinching us very hard. Money disappears so fast, I feel I 've lost it or have been robbed.I try to use veggies from our garden. We give away lots. I also give away clothes fire wood etc - whatever I can spare. People are closer to the poverty line than ever before. Our poverty line is determined by a certain amount of calories one consumes per day. Millions are living below the poverty line.

On this evening 's news our Home minister P Chidambram said India cannot survive if inflation shoots up like this. I have developed a personal strategy to cope with the price inferno. I convert the prices into US $ and they appear much cheaper. For example if I say 1 doz eggs cost $1.50 its easier to accept it than saying Rupees 48. At least it doesn 't sound so expensive. LOL. So in my mind I keep converting. Indians living in the North America do the opposite and they can hardly take a bite out of a McDonald's burger. LOL.

But in everything we give thanks to God for taking care of us.The Bible says "In everything give thanks for this is the will of God".

I want to end this post with this MUST WATCH video - on a happier note

You must watch this amazing and incredible display of talent, ingenuity, expertize, innovation , imagination, story telling and artistry.
This is what the Internet was created for that we might see amazing things like this.

Cakes, Kids and A Story

On Dec 30th I made 3 fruit cakes, from scratch as usual. ..no package mixes for me.

They are fresh out of the oven. 2 I gave to Sonia and one was for guests.

We also got cakes as gifts. I bought store bought cakes to put in packages of Christmas goodies to give to economically backward people. They appreciate them so much.

On Dec 31st I was invited to my cousin 's birthday party. Dr AD is a skin specialist and cosmetic surgeon.

Here he is cutting his birthday cake. It was followed by a very nice dinner.

Seated is aunt Joy, his 80 year old mother. She is a heart patient and has been sick for some time. But everyone was glad she could come out and interact with friends and family that night. Behind her on the right is her daughter Cheenu who llives in UK. She is married to a British man and has a young daughter.(20 plus). Her younger sister was also present , but I could not get her photo. Both of them live in the UK. They are very talented musicians and film makers.

This is a family of doctors and musicians.

Aunt Joy 's two sons , one daughter in law, a sister in law and a grand daughter are doctors.

Let me introduce Ryan to you. He 's my youngest 6 month old nephew.

smiling at his Mom.

We sisters used to babysit his daddy Rajat when he was born. We treat him like a walkie talkie doll, and now here is his son.

This tiny Bible was gifted to me by my friend Holly . It has a verse from each book of the Bible in it. Also the tiny Angel in the header. On her blog Holly has some very pretty tags.

THE STORY OF THE DIAMOND MERCHANT

On Christmas day a guest preacher told us the following story.

Once a wealthy diamond merchant was travelling by train from Mumbai (Bombay) to Chennai(Madras). In his possesion was a priceless diamond . Getting this information a diamond thief, member of an international gang booked his seat right next to the merchant with the intention of robbing him.

ON the day of the journey the two men boarded the super fast air conditioned train. And during the course of a few hours they made friend s with each other. When night fell the diamond merchant covered himself with a blanket and went off to sleep in his berth.

Making sure that his co-traveller wa\s fitfully asleep the thief sprang into action. H e made a careful search of the merchant 's luggage. When his meticulous search did not yield the gem, he went through the sleeping man' s pockets , socks and even shoes. But he was greatly puzzled when he could not find the diamond.

When morning dawned both men were about to disembark at the Chennai railway terminus. Not wanting to lose his opportunity the befuddled thief could not control his curiosity.

He confessed to the merchant that he was a much wanted diamond thief and had boarded the train with the intention of a heist. He searched the businessman 's luggage the whole night but could not find the stone.Please could he tell him where he had hidden the gem as he was ashamed of his rare failure.

The merchant smiled, reached across the aisle , opened the thief' s hand bag and took out a black velvet pouch containing his prized possession.

"I knew all about you friend", he said.," Expecting you to rummage through my luggage I hid my diamond in your bag, because you would never suspect it to be there. After that I fell into a peaceful sleep assured that my gem was in your safe keeping".

The red faced thief hung his head in defeat and disappeared into the pressing crowd of passengers.

How often do we look for the attributes of God and the fruit of the Spirit in others. Do we reflect on our own lives and examine ourselves for the same things?

Just a PS to say that its pretty colld here. Temp in the 50s F

Flowers, Friends and Anguimorphs

This photo was taken by my Mama on the morning of the rickshaw mishap day.
Our winter garden (I should call it Christmas Garden) looks so colorful

A few more windows and iron frames are left to be painted. (In India one has to fortify their house with iron frames on the windows and verandas for security sake.) Then we will have to clean the stains, spots and spills. I bought some very expensive industrial level cleaning liquid for that -hope it does the job. I am taking my own sweet time to re-settle everything. Rushing tires me. But I am missing some nice Christmas music programs in various churches.

In India people start decorating their homes very close to Christmas or on Christmas Eve like we did. We have lots of music, church and institutional socials and dinners before that. And of course shopping and baking of cakes. Remember from last year, (photos too) I told you , people take their raw ingredients to the baker 's workhops and they bake their cakes etc for them. Rich Christmas fruit cakes are a must for North Indian Christians. A legacy of the British Raj. Wedding cakes are also baked this way.

These cute graphics are my friend Holly 's creations. She offers them free on HER BLOG
Penniwigs. She will brighten your celebrations.

You can also visit her Etsy shop and order graphics and special handmade jewelry. Holly very kindly sends me lovely gifts to brighten and cheer up Mama and me and good ol ' Sheeba.

Now for everyone like me who hates lizards there is good news.

LIZARD VENOM CAN TREAT HIGH BLOOD PRESSURE

Scientists claim to have found evidence that newly discovered venoms from 'anguimorph' lizards contain toxins which can be used to treat high blood pressure levels in people.
For its research, an international team, led by Dr Bryan Fry of University of Melbourne examined the unexplored group of venomous lizards called anguimorphs -- a group that includes monitor, alligator and legless lizards.
"We only recently discovered that venom in lizards was not restricted to the gila monster and beaded lizard, but it is in fact much more widespread - so we set out to examine this unique group, and discovered completely novel toxins.
"We showed a great diversity of toxins in anguimorph venoms. The drug design potential of these novel venoms is highlighted by the fact that three of these new toxins act to lower blood pressure," Dr Fry said.


The research took four years to complete and involved collecting venom from lizards all over the world, followed by complex laboratory studies to analyse the exact properties of the venom.
"It was a huge undertaking but the result is well worth the effort - we have discovered completely novel venoms, and shed light on evolution of venom systems in animals.
"The results obtained highlight the importance of utilising evolution-based search strategies for biodiscovery and emphasise the largely untapped drug design and development potential of lizard venoms," Dr Fry said.
The findings have been published in the 'Journal of Molecular and Cellular Proteomics'

(Taken from Indian Express)

We have a bunch of resident lizards in our house. They are quite friendly but assume they own the property. At least they can be put to proper use . (smile)

I am so glad India snubbed China and is participating in the Nobel Peace Prize ceremony for the Chinese dissident Liu Xiaobo in Oslo today

Read the story HERE and more HERE

I know where I am going

Trust in the LORD with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways acknowledge him,
and he will make your paths straight Proverbs 3 ; 5,6

God has been good to us. We had to make some tough administrative decisions regarding our church ministry. God gave wisdom, courage and determination for that.


If I had a choice I 'd be a follower rather than a leader, but if God has given me a responsibility I will fulfill it to the best of my ability.
My friends thank you for your prayers and kind thoughts.

I have not been too well, I have a cold and sore throat, but I am managing with pills.
(Update on Tues AM - Not feeling well at all)

I will have visitors through the week.


Many of my friends have come to the city to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the Christian Agricultural and Technical University. Two brothers who were very close to our family visited this evening . Mom and I were so happy to meet Alan and Tigi
We talked of about old times and missed those who were not present. They chatted with my sister Namrita on the phone. We have so many happy memories. Time when I was relatively carefree and healthy.

We praise God, He has been good to us and both these brothers are doing very well at their jobs and also sharing God 's love in practical ways.


Life real and sculpted.
The next two photos were taken with my mobile phone on an impromptu encounter with an ikka -horse cart in the market place. ( I don 't carry my digital camera with me at all times)


Ikka means one -a one horse cart. They can only move on a few roads in the city.






The horse looks well cared for.

The next three photos are from a photoblog. This is a life like sculpture of a tonga
somewhere in Delhi.
Here is the tonga wala and a lady passenger. The girl looks a bit lost, but the driver appears very confident. "I know where I am going ," he is saying, that 's why I gave that title to my post.



Its a very dramatic and expressive work of art.
One wonders what kind of conversation is going on between the driver and passenger.

Even the horse wants to put in a word edgeways.

My dear friend Holly took a blog break and is back to sharing her vintage creations again. She shares very attractive graphics which you can download for free. This cute image is from Holly. She also creates beautiful jewellery which you can order from her Etsy shop. Holly has gifted me with her pretty creations and lovely surprises and also my doggie bayti Sheeba.(Bayti is Hindi for daughter) Pay Holly a visit HERE

I also want to introduce you to Doris 's excellent blog. Its a boon for care givers . Her gentle heart warming posts encourage me so much. I am learning a lot from the way she deals with residents in a nursing home. Drop by and visit Doris HERE

WHILE BLOGGING I

TWIST TURN RELAX ENERGISE
IDEATE CONFER LEARN UNLEARN
RACE PAUSE CELEBRATE INTROSPECT
ESCAPE CAPTURE BUZZ CHILL
INDULGE ARRIVE DEPART
WHISPER SHOUT WALTZ
PLAN UNPLAN ROCK ROLL
EVOLVE TRANSFORM CREATE ABSORB
PLAY WORK SHINE SEEK DO UNDO
Pretty cool eh?
I found this list in an ad for the Taj Hotels and thought it fits with my blogging activity.
You can add to the list.

I want to say here that sometimes commenting on a blog is like writing A LETTER TO THE EDITOR OF A NEWSPAPER. Your comment gets published but there is no response from the blogger, and no return visit. And you are their follower too and comment quite regularly - I don 't find that encouraging at all.

My friend Ron of the Old Geezer blog ha s some ideas ,thoughts an d questions about blogging check out THE OLD GEEZER BLOG

For some real handsome cats, creative cards and knitting drop by KATHRYN 's BLOG'.You will fall in love with her kitties.

Our frangipani is blossoming. They look so pretty.

Herons fly into the grassy patch behind the church.

They grab tasty bites of insects frogs and other creepy crawlies.

But if I try to get a closer shot, they fly way. They are nervous birds.

Today I made my first batch of bagels. I heard people talk about them, I just had to try.

They are supposed to look more civilized but who cares, they are pretty edible. Mind you I don 't know what they are supposed to taste like. LOL.

I got the recipe from a Jewish website so I know I was getting an authentic recipe. And he says they come out right after lots of practice. So comforted am I.

Its been raining since the past 3 days, -its cooled down considerably - temps in the 80s and 70s.. Our electricity supply is quite regular, another reason to rejoice.

Need prayers for my country - the Temple - Mosque dispute (Ram Janam Bhoomi and Babri Masjid) is causing a lot of communal tension, discord and fear among people. Everyone is walking on egg shells as the High Court is supposed to pronounce a judgement on the issue on Sept. 24th.

I shall write about it in another post, many people in the West don 't know about this important issue facing the two religious groups of India.

Today the Hindus observed Vishwakarma Pooja. God Vishwakarma is the god of all metal things.. So technicians, factory workers, mechanics and metal workers take time out to worship their implements, machines, gadgets, tools even vehicles. A man came over and asked for some banana leaves from our garden for his pooja.

We gave the leaves but advised him against idol worship telling him to seek the true and living God who is unseen and not made with hands.