Christmas at Kroombit Park, Lochenbar Cattle Station, Queensland

Why an oncoming car flashes its lights in Australia...

We wondered why an oncoming car was flashing its lights at us. The picture shows what we found on the main highway heading south in Queensland. We are now marooned in the newly formed island of Biloela, Australia, courtesy of Cyclone Tasha. Roads in every direction are impassable. We had planned to be at a beach resort by now, but are stranded up near the Outback instead. That's OK though. There is just more rain on the coast than here anyway.  Hopefully we can get out tomorrow though more rain is predicted all week.  Australia's 17 year drought has ended.

So this is the tale of our castaways,
They're here for a long long time.
They'll have to make the best of things,
It's an uphill climb.

The first mate and her driver too
Will do their very best,
To make the Jessi comf'terble
In their Outback island nest.

Thornes: The Holiday Rainmakers

So... if you need help curing a decade long drought, we are available during the Christmas Holidays 2011. We can provide references and proof of effectiveness with an enduring track record (see pictures below). *With an all expense paid trip, Larrie promises to wear his orange "Make It Rain" shirt (as shown in both).

Australia 2010... the river between us and the resort

Africa 2009... the river between us and the resort. 

Tomorrow we will try the crossing again. We just need to meet a bunch of nice Australians like our new found African friends last year.

FYI: We also found our rainmaking to be effective in both Singapore and Hong Kong during their dry seasons this year.

12 Days of Christmas - India

Some times I just wonder about things...

like why did this Sri Lankan elephant place this branch on its back?

One of many large open wells near villages in India

These wells are very, very deep.  As seen in the picture, there is no fence surrounding them. Unfortunately, sometime at night, children fall in and drown. Granite slab stairs, stuck into the side walls, are used to access the water.

Yes, that boy is on a bicycle covered in live chickens!

Granite is so plentiful in India, slabs are even used to make bridges

Facebook Status Updates May 19, 2010-Dec 11, 2010

Sat December 11, 2010, 12:28 am: YAY! Got my first Christmas card of the season this week... They are extra special living so far away from family and friends this time of year,

Sun December 5, 2010, 7:49 am: Bangalore friends: why are there all sorts of crackers tonight?

Sun December 5, 2010, 6:47 am: Jessi hates pink, so I put all of Larrie's Xmas presents in pink bags or wrapping, thinking I would save myself the time of applying name tags. I figured his masculinity could handle it, though from the look on his face... maybe not.

Sat December 4, 2010, 11:19 pm: You don't have to buy poinsettias every year here. You just plant them and they turn into a nice bush that turns read again the next year.

Sat December 4, 2010, 10:48 pm: we have a cat who is going to get a lump of coal for Christmas. He bit through the wires on the Xmas lights and won't leave them along.

Sat December 4, 2010, 9:53 am: Agh... Managed to sunburn my face hiking in the fields nearby Bangalore today. And now the temp has dropped below 70 degrees and it feels downright chilly. Seriously though, I'm not expecting much sympathy from my Montana or Minnesota friends.

Sat December 4, 2010, 5:20 am: We have a new house rule: should you be lucky enough to smash one of the elusive household mosquitos, you are the responsible for removing it's carcass from the wall. (Gentle reminder to my family.)

Thu December 2, 2010, 7:43 am: was silly happy, when I walked into a restaurant in the middle of Bangalore and it was fully decked out for Christmas with wreaths, lights, and deorated tree included. The experience could only have been heightened by a serenade of Christmas music, alas.

Thu December 2, 2010, 7:42 am: Saw my first ladybug in Bangalore today. Howeve, it was in our building, so I suspect, if they are anywhere near as prolific as ladybugs in Minneapolis, I'll be seeing a lot more, soon.

Mon November 29, 2010, 8:52 am: Wonders what kind of a week it will be when my first discovery of Monday was that some driving school decided to put my route to work on it's training circuit. The commute was already slow enough... without people looking terrified and going half speed.

Sun November 28, 2010, 12:06 pm: Wonders why all DVDs in this day and age don't have close caption. We are watching some that have only Spanish and French subtitles, which is better than nothing, but doesn't really help me. Ironically, the worst offenders are those sourced in th USA.

Thu November 25, 2010, 9:09 am: Appreciates how many of my India friends & colleagues have wished me Happy Thanksgiving today. It is that graciousness that has made India such a nice place to live the past 2+ years. I am thankful for having the opportunity to live here.

Wed November 24, 2010, 9:23 am: A 64 gb iPad is not big enough. Nor is one enough for a family of three. Luv it!

Sun November 21, 2010, 8:05 am: After traveling from north Bangalore to south Bangalore back to north Bangalore today, I commented to my driver he was getting a lot of mileage. He just looked at me quizzically. I guess when you live in the land of kilometers, the term "mileage" doesn't have much context.

Sat November 20, 2010, 6:11 am: Check out Target for iPad

Sat November 20, 2010, 5:42 am: Never would've guessed 25 years ago, at the Bryan Adams concert in Bozeman, Montana, that my next opportunity to catch him live, on stage, would be in Bangalore, India. I wonder, how does that rank, compared to the state fair circuit?

Tue November 16, 2010, 10:32 pm: already misses singing along at the top of my lungs to Christmas carrols in the rental car. Since my vocal talent is a bit lacking, my driver probably wouldn't appreciate the serenade, not to mention, you don't find Xmas music on the radio in Bangalore. Always open windows at home aren't conducive to my yowling there either.

Tue November 16, 2010, 10:21 pm: had a smooth journey back to Bangalore and got to my house about 4am.

Sun November 14, 2010, 11:20 pm: Headline on the Minneapolis Star Tribune paper today: A Month's Worth of Snow in a Day. Yep, I was here to see it in all it's glory. I think I experience all four of Minnesota's seasons last week. Spring on Mon/Tue, Summer on Wed (people were eating lunch at tables outside on sidewalks, Fall on Friday (saw folks raking), Winter on Sat & Sun. Whew!

Sat November 13, 2010, 2:15 pm: since I head back to India on Monday, I'm cramming my enjoyment of the holiday spirit all into this week. Snow, a radio station playing non-stop Xmas music, decorations already up in stores, and I even saw some lights on houses. Until you've missed a white Christmas for a couple of years, you can hardly imaging how happy I am today. Starting to feel a little homesick and I haven't even left...

Sat November 13, 2010, 10:41 am: Why oh why did I hope to see a little snow before leaving on Monday? Why didn't I wish to win the lottery instead. Dang my feet are going to be cold in my only yep options: Crocs or dress shoes!

Thu November 11, 2010, 9:10 pm: unless you are a masochist and enjoy pain, do not believe someone who says "Our sizes run big here and the leather stretches a lot, plus, if you get a half size bigger your heal will slip out". Just stick your tongue out and say "Liar, liar, pants on fire" and run away. Don't feel guilty for even a second. Especially if you would have to travel across half the world to return the shoes and they already know that.

Wed November 10, 2010, 10:43 pm: After wearing open toed sandals every day the last two years in India, my feet really hurt from wearing dress shoes in Minneapolis this week, and I have the blisters to prove it! I mean, who knew, that apparently, you develop calouses on top of your toes that prevent this kind of agony when you wear pumps on a regular basis. Another expat lesson learned.

Wed November 10, 2010, 7:33 am: kind of enjoys the first 3 or 4 days of jet lag when I can say sanctimonious phrases like: "I get up with the birds" or "I don't even need an alarm to wake up in the morning". By the end of the week, though, I've adjusted to my old night owl ways and almost need a gong to rouse me out of bed.

Tue November 9, 2010, 6:53 am: Jessi was duly impressed by my command of the language when I conducted a full business transaction in Italian in Venice. Of course it was at a coffee shop and included verbiage like cappuccino, venti, and panini. Do you think I should tell her most of what I know is limited to what I've learned a Starbucks? :-)

Mon November 8, 2010, 7:18 pm: ok, I have already decided I DON'T miss the short days of winter in Minneapolis. Of course, I do miss the long days of summer though.

Sun November 7, 2010, 10:34 pm: yeah, baby! I have a candy apple red Dodge Charger from the car rental this week. It's MINE, ALL mine, and ONLY mine for 8 blissful days. I can't adequately express how much I've missed driving the past two years. I'm FREEEEEE!!!!!

Sun November 7, 2010, 10:28 pm: was THRILLED to see the Statue of Liberty for the first time ever from the plane today. I still have Bruce Springstein's tune "Born In the USA" stuck in my head hours after silently signing it to myself while landing. (Dang ear worms... at least it wasn't "It's a Small World" or "Yummy, Yummy, Fruit Salad!" because those really get annoying.) I'm so HAPPY to be HOME for a week.

Sat November 6, 2010, 12:13 pm: is thrilled to hear stores are already decorated & playing Christmas music. Having missed the last 2 Christmas seasons in the United States, I plan to thoroughly immerse myself as much as I can in 8 days before I head back to India. It's my favorite time of the year!!! It is never to early to put up Xmas lights. :-)

Sat November 6, 2010, 11:02 am: since I have extra time on my hands in Venice waiting to catch my flight to the U.S., I wanted to update our blog. No luck... I would need to know Italian first. I couldn't even figure out how to sign in. Just because I'm in Italy, doesn't mean I suddenly am capable of reading Italian!!! Cut it out, Big Brother Google!

Thu November 4, 2010, 4:54 am: is heading to the U.S. for a business trip in two days! Yay! So excited for this surprise opportunity to get home for a week and especially for a chance to see the house we are trying to buy, which I've only seen over the internet. The offer is in, but the bank is very slow to respond so we don't know what will happen.

Wed November 3, 2010, 12:11 pm: checked 2 more off the "bucket list" today (even though one had been on the list less than 24 hours): Visited Greece & rode a donkey. In the morning riding a donkey up a cliff didn't sound like a good dea for either me or the donkey. After sampling both red and white Greek wine, by afternoon, it didn't seem like such a bad idea to ride one down. Yee haw!!! Not as fun as a camel, but still fun.

Mon November 1, 2010, 8:03 am: being on a ship in the Adriatic sea this week, learned that Europe also observes daylight savings time, though India does not. However, in Europe time changed this past weekend while the U.S. changes next weekend. Huh... all I know is it means a lot of later meetings in the evening for the next four months... blah & bluk.

Mon November 1, 2010, 5:00 am: scratched off another line from my "bucket list". Made it at least two feet up a rock climbing wall yesterday. It wasn't far, but at least both feet were off the ground. Of course, Jessi was at the top ringing the bell.

Sat October 30, 2010, 2:44 am: the romance must be over... today Larrie told me I was "not a fox". Later he clarified he just didn't like the Halloween mask I was trying on. He thought I was more of a cat. Whew!

Fri October 29, 2010, 3:24 am: After living in Bangalore, the traffic capital of the world in my estimation, for the last two years, Venice, with no cars, no motorcycles, and no honking, is a wonderful respite for a couple of days.

Tue October 26, 2010, 11:41 am: discovered Jessi can sing the India National Anthem quite proficiently but doesn't even know the name of the Star Spangled Banner. I guess we'll need to play catch up on U.S. specifics before she starts school in Minneapolis next fall.

Sun October 24, 2010, 3:17 am: is loading every CD I ever purchased into iTunes. This is going to take awhile...

Sat October 23, 2010, 12:57 am: how do you win a fight with your husband over whether something is green or brown when all your daughter will commit to is "greenish brown" or "brownish green". Smart kid!

Thu October 21, 2010, 8:50 am: is not happy with Jessi's school today. They had her compete against middle school kids instead of her peers in the shot put event at a track meet and of course she wasn't able to quality. Like Larrie & I were, Jessi is large for her age (9) and gets teased plenty. The one area where she feels good about her size is sports because of her strength. Couldn't they have let her have a day of positive body image?

Wed October 20, 2010, 9:33 am: when I requested a diet Coke today, I was asked if I wanted it "COLD or NORMAL" reminding me that many people in the world prefer beverages at room temperature.

Mon October 18, 2010, 12:51 pm: is feeling demoralized after an afternoon playing the Wii with Jessi and seeing my Mii get smaller and smaller while her's got bigger and bigger. What could shout "loser" more loudly???

Mon October 18, 2010, 1:41 am: Hey neighborhood jerk: just because we piled up some garden clippings to be taken does not give you the right to pile on with garbage including DVD cases. The gardeners don't take those. Next time do what Larrie had to do in place of your laziness, put them in a bag and in a dumpster. Be a responsible citizen instead of part of the problem.

Thu October 14, 2010, 10:55 am: Larrie met me at the van with an umbrella in hand so I could get in the house without looking like a drowned rat! I'll take that kind of consideration in lieu of a dozen roses any day.

Wed October 13, 2010, 9:55 am: Finds it disconcerting to be listening to the next door neighbors battling. I don't even know what it's about because it is in another language but the guy sounds like a total jerk. At least this time it is evening and not before a reasonable wakeup time on a Saturday.

Sat October 9, 2010, 8:21 am: If you live in India and buy something in Sri Lanka that says for sale only in Singapore and Brunei, have you done something illegal? And, where is Brunei anyway?

Wed October 6, 2010, 11:05 pm: had a "string hopper" for breakfast in Sri Lanka: think Ramen noodles formed into a pancake then topped off appropriately. http://www.roshani.co.uk/livingtoeat/index.php/2007/06/19/string-hoppers-a-bit-of-food-nostalgia/

Wed October 6, 2010, 8:13 am: Thinks there is something humorous about landing in the middle of a Swedish chainsaw convention at our hotel in Sri Lanka.

Thu September 30, 2010, 3:27 pm: Something scary has moved into the neighborhood. There are at least two of them and they are loud. If there is such a thing as night monkeys, that is what these sound like. They fire up about 2am.

Sat September 25, 2010, 11:34 am: Advice to anyone leaving the U.S.: If you buy a laptop when moving abroad, make sure it has an international warrantee. HP (which has stores all over the world) doesn't for our laptop which had an ant crawl inside and toast it to the tune of $1100. Bought a new Sony Vaio today, which does. Bye Bye HP, you s*ck!

Fri September 24, 2010, 3:14 am: found a new way to relax before giving a presentation to a room full of people: Trip in the hallway, things can only go up from there. (Yes, learned through personal experience.)

Sun September 19, 2010, 8:10 am: A fun thing about living here is learning other forms of English. For example "tiffin" is Indian English for "a lite meal" and "tucker" is Australian slang for food. (We get Australian TV channels.)

Sat September 18, 2010, 9:59 am: Walked out of the spa in a nearby neighborhood and finally saw my first big snake in India not in a zoo. About a 7 footer was winding it's way across the parking lot in front of me. I'm glad I was already in the car!

Fri September 17, 2010, 9:12 am: tonight I learned my driver can change a tire in 7 minutes flat and also, that he know the distinctly non-Hindi word "SH*T"

Thu September 16, 2010, 9:41 am: Arcane knowledge that comes from living overseas: toilet paper rolls are not standardly sized. An American brand will not fit on an Indian spool. I suppose it is because one is metric and the other is not.

Wed September 15, 2010, 11:38 am: thinks it is WAYYYY to easy to buy books through a Kindle. My credit card is going "ca ching, ca ching, ca ching". At least I used to have to drive to a book store or spend time on my computer and wait a few days for delivery. Now I found it very easy to drop $100 bucks sitting on my couch. I did that amount of damage in about 5 minutes the other night just following the trail of recommended books.

Tue September 14, 2010, 11:18 am: realized just how fun it is to be an adult sometimes when Jessi started campaigning for one of the remote control helicopters that were for sale all over Hong Kong. I thought, "Hey, I've always wanted to have one too!". She was quite surprised when I said "Give us two of those, instead of No." And, yes, I'm having fun with my new toy :-)

Mon September 13, 2010, 11:11 am: Jessi was all prepped to have chicken soup in Hong Kong until the lady in front of her scooped up a chicken foot. I couldn't convince her that a foot wasn't all that different than a drumstick. They are both part of the chicken's leg, right?

Wed September 8, 2010, 9:22 am: hopes there are Starbucks in Hong Kong 'cause that's where I'm heading tonight. Bigger bonus if Egg McMuffins are found. Who knew when I started this adventure two years ago that I would eventually rate the quality of my trips to other countries in Asia on what familiar U.S.A. junk food could be found there.

Sun September 5, 2010, 1:53 am: weird... someone down the street is playing Seasons In The Sun (Terry Jacks) anyone else remember that? And Que Sera, Sera (Doris Day) on an electric organ. Not the music I expect to hear in India (or prefer to hear, for that matter).

Sat September 4, 2010, 4:39 am: JUST A REMINDER TO MY NON-GAME-PLAYING FRIENDS &FAMILY: I play games that generate a lot of posts. This can be irritating if you don't play. If you don't want to see these, move your cursor over the game message and the word "Hide" will appear. Click on "Hide" for the game name - and not me! - Future messages from THAT GAME will be hidden

Fri September 3, 2010, 11:47 am: 3 hours at the spa today helped the muscle cramp in my leg way more that taking Advil every day for a week did. It was easier on my stomach too.

Wed September 1, 2010, 10:44 am: Wonders what the appropriate response to my 4th grade daughter skipping two classes after lunch with 3 of her friends to play with a puppy should be?

Sat August 28, 2010, 12:51 pm: is enjoying listing to the combination of toads that seem to be happy it rained this evening, crickets, and what must be a local festival or wedding playing cheery traditional India instruments. Very nice combination to fall asleep by...

Mon August 23, 2010, 7:32 am: was woken up by my cat tapping his paw against my lips in the night. What the heck??? Was he tracking a bug and thought it went in my mouth? Was I snoring? There are some questions, I'll probably never know the answer to.

Sat August 21, 2010, 6:42 am: Bonus! Not only were there McDonalds & Starbucks right outside the front door of our hotel, Universal Studios Singapore had roast turkey legs. Turkey is not easily or cheaply found in India.

Wed August 18, 2010, 12:06 pm: Is happy. I've heard a rumor there are Egg McMuffins and Starbucks in Singapore and that is where I am going tonight. Yum! Home cooking.

Wed August 18, 2010, 7:06 am: saw three monkeys on the way home today. This is the first time during my 2 years in India that I've seen monkeys on the way to & fro work.

Wed August 11, 2010, 10:32 am: Today a lady was run over in front of our house, literally. Several back bones are broken and her skull came open. It is unknown whether she will make it. We live in a quiet, gated neighborhood. Folks, get off the phone and pay attention to driving. It only take a second of distraction to hit something. There is no way your conversation is more important than someone's life. Hang up, please.

Sun August 8, 2010, 12:53 am: is really "BUGGED" that an ANTcrawled into my laptop and died smack dab in the middle of the screen. GROSS! Hopefully it will dry and fall down out of view. Oh well, I guess it could have been worse and fried the cpu of something. Dang ants.

Tue August 3, 2010, 10:12 am: had a very happy day! I went to the first Taco Bell to open in India. A bean burrito never tasted sooo wonderful.

Mon August 2, 2010, 9:32 am: Jessi is sitting here watching an Indian movie "3 Idiots" singing along in Hindi laughing her head off.

Sun August 1, 2010, 2:58 am: Jessi has evolved to a whole new level in her adaptation to living in India. Yesterday she ordered the spicy hot wings at the Bangalore KFC. And, believe me, if something is advertised as spicy here, it is HOT.

Sat July 31, 2010, 1:54 pm: a visit to KFC, a nice virtually empty small park with baby bunnies, 90 minutes at the spa, and finally a nice dinner at the new French place put a dent in my home sickness. When winter hits Minnesota, I'm sure I will miss it less though.

Fri July 30, 2010, 8:25 am: my daughter is downstairs wearing headphones listening to Queen and singing "We Will Rock You" at the top of hear lungs. I doubt she has any idea how loud she is, but she sure sounds happy! I can't help smiling. (Oops. just realized all my co-workers on the conference call heard her too. That might account for a couple of chuckles I heard on the phone)

Wed July 28, 2010, 12:56 pm: JUST A REMINDER TO MY NON-GAME-PLAYING FRIENDS AND FAMILY: I play games that generate a lot of posts. This can be irritating if you don't play. If you don't want to see these, move your cursor over the game message and the word "Hide" will appear. Click on "Hide" for the game name - and not me! - Future messages from THAT GAME will be hidden

Mon July 26, 2010, 10:36 am: is wondering why Facebook is suddenly suggesting that I travel to Iceland. Have I been complaining about the heat too much? Did they get their "I'" countries confused?

Sun July 25, 2010, 8:40 am: Jessi got to watch a cat -vs- snake smack down at the end of the block. She said it was quite a contest for a few minutes. Finally the cat got the snake in its mouth and bit it and shook it enough to make the snake go limp. Then ran off to have it for dinner, I guess. GOOD KITTY! I happy to report Jessi was wise enough to watch this from across the street. She said the snake was about 18 inches long or so.

Fri July 23, 2010, 8:53 am: learing of the day... how do you get a cockroach out of you toaster? Just turn the toaster on, the cockroach pops right out. There are some things I could have lived my whole life without knowing.

Thu July 22, 2010, 1:34 pm: This can be made into a meaningful set of sentences. Can you do it? that that is is that that is not is not is that it that is it

Wed July 21, 2010, 9:39 am: Holy Humongous Hairy Flying Critters! Someone must have infiltrated the cave, Batman! I saw many hundreds, if not over a thousand, monstrous bats flying overhead on the way home from work. They must have more than a 2 foot wing span. The sight would have made a great Hitchcock movie. Do they call them "flocks"?

Mon July 19, 2010, 1:20 pm: Yuk! again. I DO NOT LIKE certain species of bugs. Today, I am missing that wonderful, extremely cold, sub zero weather, that makes Minnesota inhospitable to quite a few gross creepy crawlies.

Fri July 16, 2010, 7:03 am: feels powerless. No, I'm not having a bad day... it looks like our backup generators are out of commission again.

Thu July 15, 2010, 11:41 am: Whoa! July 15 and I just saw my first 2010 Christmas season advertisement. Tickets for the Christmas Nutcracker performance in Minneapolis go on sale tomorrow. And I thought I started early when I put up my xmas lights the day after Halloween :-)

Thu July 15, 2010, 10:59 am: sorry Minneapolis friends... but I would guess at least 300 days a year, Bangalore has better weather than Minneapolis and today is one of them.

Mon July 12, 2010, 10:36 am: Ack... Jessi has acquired a Rubik's Cube which really means I have reverted to my elementary school obsession. The words "Help me, mom" were like falling through the looking glass.

Sun July 11, 2010, 8:04 am: Gotta' love a place where 2 hours of pampering in a spa costs about $30

Thu July 8, 2010, 8:34 am: I am available for adoption to a good home without rats. Will code for food! The #$@ rat is back. It is a strong one and got through the drain cover Larrie had put down. Larrie secured it again and within an hour the rat had pushed it free a third time. The drain cover is now nailed to the floor. YUK! I am avoiding the laundry area permanently. Pretty creepy to think of things coming up out of your floor.

Tue July 6, 2010, 12:34 pm: had to laugh out loud when Jessi commented that maybe Larrie needed "an extra chip" when he was bemoaning not remembering something. I was surprised she even knows what a memory chip is, let alone to make a joke about one.

Tue July 6, 2010, 9:34 am: ick! icK! iCK! ICK! Our cook couldn't find her aprons. She left them on the washing machine. Larrie looked behind it in the utility room & found them partially eaten & shredded to make a RATS NEST! It came in the sewer drain. Somehow it had pushed the grate off. ick! icK! iCK! ICK! I can't tell you how glad I am to have the two tabbies along. No way a rat is getting past them into our living area. ick! icK! iCK! ICK!

Mon July 5, 2010, 9:51 am: Ironic... the city is virtually shut down due to the strike and for the first time in recent memory we had stable electricity all day. Hmmmmm???

Sun July 4, 2010, 12:22 pm: had a party at our house last night and was amused to find a tomato slice under the pillow on our red couch this morning. I can visualize one of the moms thinking "Yeah! Sneaked one in on the hamburger" and her child thinking "Gee, I wish I had a RED couch at my house to hid the tomatoes, that worked REALLY well!"

Sun July 4, 2010, 9:55 am: weird... India is on strike tomorrow against rising gas prices and we've been told to stay in our neighborhood compound. There are nets up around retail business to prevent rocks from going through windows. No one really knows what is going to happen & if violence will break out. Saw an auto rickshaw with communist flags flying amidst blaring loudspeakers. Our driver said the message was to boycott driving tomorrow.

Sun July 4, 2010, 7:31 am: JUST A REMINDER TO MY NON-GAME-PLAYING FRIENDS AND FAMILY: I play games that generate a lot of posts. This can be irritating if you don't play. If you don't want to see these, move your cursor over the game message and the word "Hide" will appear. Click on "Hide" for the game name - and not me! - Future messages from THAT GAME will be hidden

Fri July 2, 2010, 5:02 am: thinks getting a work visa extension in Bangalore is nearly as fun as missing a flight & spending the night in the airport.

Thu July 1, 2010, 10:09 am: Plans to get out my left over Diwali sparklers on Sunday. I'm feeling homesick with the 4th of July coming up. Luckily, it gets dark at 7pm here so I don't think anyone will mind too much.

Sun June 27, 2010, 12:36 am: is disappointed. I was excited to find a very rare imported can of Diet Dr. Pepper yesterday in Bangalore and paid 2x the usual price for a soda. Put my mug in the freezer and this morning was anticipating how good a nice frosty glass of Dr. Pepper would taste. NOT one iota of flavor was in that can! RIPPED OFF AGAIN :-(

Sat June 26, 2010, 9:37 am: Errrgh! Three quarters of the way through a murder mystery and cable went off. Must remind self lights and water are on and working fine. Still, errrgh. Oh well, can always pay $2.99 and watch last 15 minutes from iTunes. But still... ;?$!!!

Tue June 22, 2010, 10:04 am: was awarded "Mother of the Night" by Jessi who was upset that she couldn't have microwave popcorn since we are on backup generator which means the microwave doesn't work. Who knew making popcorn the old fashioned "manual" way could generate such gratefulness!!!

Mon June 21, 2010, 11:41 am: was soundly taken to task by my daughter when I got my hair permed yesterday. She said I should accept myself as God made me and not try to impress others. Easy for her to say... she takes after her fathers side of the family and has naturally curly hair with body! She also told me I can't get a tattoo. How did I birth my own mother???

Fri June 18, 2010, 7:47 pm: is NOT happy. 6:11 am and NO water! Woke up to a strange gurgling sound and wondered "what the heck???" Tried to flush toilet because the sound seemed to be coming from there. Huh... nothing happened. Now trying to figure out what to use to brush my teeth. Maybe some Kingfisher beer... :-( AND if anyone can't tell, I really didn't want to be awake at 6:11am on a Saturday. I don't even get up this early for work.

Wed June 16, 2010, 7:46 am: was disturbed to be woken by my cat sticking his paws under my pillow like something live had run under it.

Wed June 16, 2010, 12:29 am: A tribute to Paul Singer http://www.retailsystemsresearch.com/_document/summary/1121

Sat June 12, 2010, 5:16 am: has a soapy head. JUST LOVELY... no water! It disappeared half way through my shower after I put shampoo in my hair. Have about 30 people are coming over tonight. I'm wondering should I call them & tell them to be sure to use the john before getting here? Cross my fingers & hope it comes back on? Cancel? MUST REMIND SELF... This is part of the adventure.

Sat June 12, 2010, 1:49 am: RIP Paul Singer. One of my memories of Paul is when I first started working at Target nearly 14 years ago. He was my boss's boss. I made a suggestion a couple of days after I started working there. Paul sent me a thank you note on a coupon for a treat in the cafeteria. I still have the coupon because the thank you note was such a nice welcome. To me, that was Paul, a person who cared and made people feel welcome.

Tue June 8, 2010, 10:36 am: Thanks to everyone for all the well wishes! I had a great day.

Mon June 7, 2010, 10:16 am: In a generous gesture, Jessi gave me her Baskin Robbins Lucky Game scratch card for my birthday. It seemed to be a very sincere gift. (She likes scratch cards). For my birthday I got a 10% off coupon to B&R plus the fun of doing the scratch off with a coin.

Mon June 7, 2010, 9:41 am: Thank you to everybody for the kind birthday wishes! Makes my day! :-)

Sun June 6, 2010, 8:33 am: oww! Tried eyebrow threading. I think that is just another term for minor masochism. There are some things that just once is enough!!!

Sat June 5, 2010, 9:49 pm: is drinking locally grown Sidapur coffee from Coorg, a coffee growing region about 5 hours from Bangalore. There is nothing like beans freshly roasted from the plant.

Sat June 5, 2010, 9:45 am: Yikes! Almost stepped on two toads bigger than my fists so I decided to walk in the street instead of the sidewalk. We've had enough rain in Bangalore recently that the toads are out at night and they are LARGE!

Fri June 4, 2010, 10:04 am: Jessi was happy to discover her much-liked teacher from 3rd grade has become her 4th grade teacher. Larrie and I are pleased too.

Fri June 4, 2010, 8:21 am: JUST A REMINDER TO MY NON-GAME-PLAYING FRIENDS: I play games that generate a lot of posts. This can be irritating if you don't play. If you don't want to see these, move your cursor over the game message and the word "Hide" will appear. Click on "Hide" for the game name - and not me! - Future messages from THAT GAME will be hidden

Thu June 3, 2010, 8:14 am: THAT's different! For a city with a record low temperature of mid-50's Fahrenheit, surprisingly it is hailing here. Just saw some horizontal rain too. I wonder if B'lore is subject to tornadoes. If I was in Minneapolis, I'd be heading for a room with no windows.

Wed June 2, 2010, 10:04 am: was treated to a welcome back lunch today in Bangalore. It is great having such wonderful friend on both sides of the world!!!

Tue June 1, 2010, 8:47 pm: woke up to the wonderful smell of fresh mangoes in the house similar to the delightful odor of a Christmas tree. We bought 12 lbs. yesterday and 8 have been consumed already. Did a taste test of three different kinds and indeed they had distinct flavors but all delicious.

Tue June 1, 2010, 9:39 am: Had a classic ride home from work... 6 lanes of traffic stopped at a light, about 15 water buffalo just ambling along which decided to cross against the traffic, 1 traffic control officer who just shrugged his shoulders. What are you gonna' do? There is no hurrying a water buffalo or changing their direction. I loved it because I was on the cross road & the buffalo barricade gave my car a chance to get ahead.

Sun May 30, 2010, 8:27 pm: Yuk, it looks like it is a cold shower for me this morning, which I detest. Power has been switching off every few minutes so our geyser (small water tank which must be turned on 20 minutes before shower) isn't working since we are on backup generator.

Sun May 30, 2010, 7:22 pm: Jessi shouldn't have any trouble getting out of bed for her first day of 4th grade tomorrow. She was up at 4:15am again today. Hopefully school will wear her out so she gets back on a normal schedule. Jet Lag, not fun for youngsters.

Sun May 30, 2010, 6:46 pm: wonders how long it will be until Facebook realizes I'm back in India and starts showing me India focused ads again. GMAIL has already figured that out. Big Brother is Watching...

Fri May 28, 2010, 11:21 pm: oops! Larrie just said "Happy 17th" and I said, "Oh, is it the 29th already?" I'm blaming this on jet lag.

Fri May 28, 2010, 11:03 pm: Dang! An anthurium thief struck at my house. How RUDE to steal someone else's flowers. I doubt the thief will get nearly as much enjoyment from them as I did drinking my coffee in their presence every morning. They were really pretty.

Fri May 28, 2010, 7:02 pm: Discovered there are birds awake at 3:48 AM in Bangalore. NOT something I've ever cared to research.

Thu May 27, 2010, 7:02 pm: was informed by our driver that indeed we got back in time to catch part of mango season. He stated that Badami mangoes are the best. Just tried one. I have to agree they are incredible. For all my U.S. friends: Did you know there are well over a hundred kinds of mangoes? When I moved to India I was perplexed when someone asked me my favorite. My response was "orangish?"

Thu May 27, 2010, 5:52 pm: well... 4:21am Bangalore time and we are all awake. Yes, jet lag is plaguing us. In fact, Jessi hasn't gone to bed yet.

Wed May 26, 2010, 3:30 pm: after a 32 hour journey door-to-door from our Minneapolis hotel to our Bangalore house, we are safely back in India. MUST sleep... SOON!

Tue May 25, 2010, 4:16 pm: if you've been talking with a friend about getting together soon, do it, because all too unexpectedly the opportunity may be forever lost. RIP Asif. I will miss your smiling face and always regret not getting our families back together for another pleasant evening. Thank you for being my friend.

Tue May 25, 2010, 3:18 pm: savored every bite of the most likely the last Egg McMuffin I'll have for another year. Wow, I missed them for the last 18 months.

Tue May 25, 2010, 6:31 am: is heading back to the future. Being on the other side of the world, Bangalore is nearly 12 hours different than Minneapolis. Just let me know if you ever want to know what's going to happen the next day. :-) Jet lag, here I come.

Mon May 24, 2010, 8:25 pm: is feeling the ambivalence and regret of trade offs as I get ready to leave for Bangalore. I will miss the long daylight hours of the MN summer and the fun in the evenings that it enables. At the same time, I'm reminding myself how much I love the relatively long daylight hours of the Bangalore winter compared to the darkness of Minneapolis in Dec/Jan.

Mon May 24, 2010, 8:22 pm: had a final infusion of the soul food of Minnsota's North Shore: the sweet fresh air, the vibrant green of spring, the lulling sounds of Lake Superior's waves. This will need to last me for a year. We fly back to India tomorrow. We were happy to find that our cabin's roof has been successfully repaired.

Sat May 22, 2010, 10:17 pm: has to say... I am SOOOOO glad that the show, The Nanny, is not broadcast in Bangalore. And... if it is, please, NOBODY tell Jessi. It is her new favorite and it is driving me crazy.

Sat May 22, 2010, 12:18 am: is winding down my 6 week visit to the U.S.A. Thank you to all my wonderful friends, family, and co-workers who have made this a terrific stay. We start back to B'lore on Tuesday at 10am and will get to our house about 4am Thursday.

Wed May 19, 2010, 11:13 pm: errrrgggh! My glasses just broke and I'm blind as a bat without them. My spare pair is in Bangalore, a world away. The sorta' good news is I have an emergency pair along. 12 year old glasses don't look so hot. (Not to mention they are about 5 prescriptions behind what I currently wear and scratched. I'm predicting headaches for tomorrow.) Cross you fingers for me that the optical shop can fix quickly.

Workin' at the cow wash, yeah!

 

It's cold outside... Brrrr... in Bangalore!

Earlier this week we had a day when it didn't even get to 70 degrees.  As you can see by this picture, the Bangaloreans are bundled up and drinking hot beverages to fight the chill. (Picture published in Times of India, 7 Dec. 2011)

Remembering Max

Max at the Cabin, 2007

I woke up the other day thinking about Max.  I do not know why.  Max, or her true name of Maximum Toes Cat, was a rescue kitten we got a couple of months after Alli's childhood cat, Jasmine, died in 1999.  

First, some background.  Just before moving to India, Max, a.k.a. Maxine so that the vet knew she was a she, was diagnosed with a cancer, operated on, and seemingly recovered.  We had decided to leave Max in the USA with Zander as we did not believe either would make the trip to India, nor would they be comfortable with their long hair.  So, both of the girls went to Montana with Alli's folks, and the boys came to India with us.  As I indicated in our last edition of the Babbler, both of the girls passed away last year. Max's cancer came back with a vengence, and it has taken us a year to ponder a proper eulogy for Max.  Alli had made some notes of things to remember, but to date has not posted.  Perhaps, that is why I woke up remembering her - Max was letting me know that she needed to be remembered.

Losing Jasmine was a huge hit to Alli.  It took the wind out of her sails for a few weeks, and she did not want to even think about going and looking for a new cat right away.  Zander was ten at the time, and she was enjoying the run of the house.  However, Zander had always been the "other" cat as Jasmine had never forgiven Alli for bringing her home, and Zander developed on the fringe of life in the house.

Alli had told me the story of how Jasmine came to be with her - how they chose each other.  As I recall the story, she was looking at kittens, I don't remember if it was a shelter or pet shop.  Anyway, she picked up Jasmine who nuzzled into her neck and began to purr - the bond was that quick, and it lasted 19 years.

A couple of months after Jasmine's passing, Alli awoke one Saturday morning and asked if I would go down to the Humane Society to look at kittens with her.  I said sure as it is always fun to show some affection starved cats a moment of love.  When Alli and I go shopping for her stuff, I quickly scout the offerings and point out items I think she would be interested in.  So, I made a quick perusal of the kittens in the room, and when I turned around to report my findings, there in the middle of the room was Alli with a little ball of fur nuzzled into her neck, purring.  I thought, alrighty then, I guess we're done here - the bond had been made, and we took Max home, but not before I asked Alli "Just how many toes does that cat have, anyway?".  You see, Max was polydactyl, and she had at least six toes on each foot - a good snow shoe cat for Minnesota Winters.

Alli puts Max as having 26 toes on four feet.  Her front feet had what appeared to be thumbs, and she could grip objects the way humans do, which was quite useful when she was walking the railing at the cabin.  And, it appeared as if she had her feet on the wrong side.  You know how a child's feet look when they put their shoes on the wrong foot?  Well, that is how Max's feet looked.

Ok, another digression to set the stage for Max's home coming.  Picard was in the house, too, and for those of you who remember Picard, he loved a new toy.  Once, while we were still living in Great Falls we bought Picard this motorized ball with an infectious giggle.  The ball had pegs sticking out of it, and it would bounce around the kitchen making its noises, which.drove Picard crazy.  He would pounce on it, bark at it, and had way too much fun chasing it around the kitchen.  We could only set the ball down for  two minutes before Picard was too crazed to control himself.  He loved a new toy, and he hated squeaky toys.  Cats were purrrrfect!

We took Max home, and Alli was planning the process of nurturing a new cat into the house when we were met at the door by Picard with a very expectant look on his face - "Did you bring me a toy?".  As far as Picard was concerned, Max was his.  They grew into the best of friends.  We took Max to the cabin with us, and she and Picard would romp and play and fall asleep on top of each other.  While we were driving to and from the cabin, Max slept on top of Picard.  When Picard passed in 2006, Max went into a depression which lasted about a year - she missed her buddy.  It was during this period that Max began to groom me.  As we sat in the family room watching TV, Max would sit behind me on the top of the sofa, and she would lick my hair.  I think that I became her new Picard bud, and obviously I needed some nurturing and grooming.  I must say, being groomed by a cat is a fairly weird feeling.

Max was a mouser, and our house in New Hope needed a good mouser.  Prior to Max's arrival, we had rescued over seventy mice from the house for relocation to other environments.  After Max's arrival, well let's just say there was a new sheriff in town, and the mouse harvest went way down.  Jessie came into the house next, and when Alli returned to work we began our relationship with Megan to be with Jessie while we went out for date night.  Megan was 12 at the time, and there were a few phone calls about what to do with what Max just brought up out of the basement.  Once, we came home to both Megan and Jessie sitting on the couch in the family room, feet up, Max was on the floor by the TV with a big paw holding down a still alive mouse.  I put on a glove and walked over to the cat to remove the mouse so the kids would get off the couch, when Max and mouse went upstairs into the living room.  Chasing her down, I wrested the mouse from her control, and she sauntered off.  The mouse then escaped my grip and was loose on the carpet again.  Max laid down in the middle of the living room and began to groom herself.  She looked up at me as if to say, "Dude, you wanted it, you catch it!", and so I did.  Never expect much from a miffed cat.

Max loved to play mouse ball.  We got some play mice from the pet shop.  I think they were made out of rabbit fur, or some such.  Max would sit on the stairs to the sleeping area of the house (we had a split level, so we had stairs everywhere), and we would stand  in the entry way and pitch the play mice to her.  Max would use her over sized feet to bat them back to us through the wrought iron railings.  Alli thought that Max was left handed after watching her play mouse ball, or it could be that she knew she could not backhand the mouse.

Another game with the play mice was to hide them around the house.  Max would hunt and find them while we were at work.  She loved the variability of this game, and she would stalk them once she noticed a new nose or a tail where it should not be.  We kept buying mice as they quickly disappeared.  We wondered where they went.  Then one Sunday I got busy with a new vacuum, and I moved a bunch of furniture around to clean under, and I found a treasure trove of well used play mice.

Then there was the "Super cat in the Target Bag" incident.  We came home from a foraging trip with many bags of stuff, which were put on the dining table to keep Picard from eating whatever might be in the bag.  I went downstairs to relax from the exhaustion of shopping when the damnedest clatter broke out.  Next thing I know there is the furry shape flying over me at great speed towards the back of the room, and then it zipped back over me and headed back upstairs towards the bed rooms.  I caught up with a very frightened Max who had gotten her head though the handle hole of a plastic shopping bag.  She had become Super Cat (put in your own Ta-Da) - totally freaked.  It took a couple of days to completely piece together the story of what had happened as we had not found the contents of one of the bags, and we thought we had left something at the store.  We had not, it was scattered about the living room and under furniture.

Oh, and then there is the example of what not to do with a cat.  Alli's folks had a lot of fun gifting us stuff for the cabin, and one of those gifts was a bear foot stool, which we named Calvin.  We got the bear after Max was grown, and she was making less frequent trips to the cabin.  Well, I took her into the cabin from the vehicle, and I stuck her face in Calvin's face, and she voided right there on my leg.  The girl had a weak bladder, and she lost it.  Cat 1, laundry 0.

Sundays at our house, when we were actually home, were lazy feline affairs in a sunbeam with coffee, the paper, and McMuffins.  The minute Alli unwrapped her McMuffin, Max was right there to help assure her that there was no waste of McNubbins.  The counter to this was the mess Max made while drinking.  She would scoop up some water in her paw and lick it off, while the paw was dripping all over the floor, and like normal cats she would also lap up water; however, she had a long tongue, and would get water all over the bathroom.  The bathroom cat dish always looked like a pigeon had just taken a bath with all the water that was scattered about.

Little oddball memories include how Max loved to listen to me whistle.  I whistle when I'm happy; Jessie sings, I whistle.  At some point, not sure when, but Max would come and sit in front me when I was whistling as if she enjoyed the playing of the instrument.  Regardless of where she was at in the house, she would come sit and listen to me whistle.  Or Max on the kitchen counter listening to the ice melt in the sink - we don't know why that fascinated her, but it did.  Or how she really hated to go into a cat carrier.  Whenever she saw the cat carrier, she headed for the ledge behind the furnace, and we had a devil of a time getting her flushed out of there.

I visited Max just before her death at Alli's folks house.  She had just completed her last chemo, and she didn't feel at all well.  She wanted nothing to do with me, and I thought she might be angry with me for sending her to Montana.  But a few days later as I passed through Butte again, she sauntered up to me with all the love of a cat missing her person, gave me a bump and wanted to be hugged.  I new I had been forgiven.

Alli has her own memories of Max, and possibly someday she will share them.  She has compiled a list of actions and behaviors that Max and Picard shared with our family.  For me though, Max was probably more my cat than Alli's.  For some reason, maybe it was that she bonded with Picard so much, she bonded with me.  It was hard to remain my normally composed self the day that Alli's folks sent the email informing us of her passing.  We knew it was coming, but we were still not prepared for it.  I have never been around a cat who displayed as much emotion as Max.  You could tell when she was hurting on the inside, when she was mad or depressed, or just wanted to be left alone to sulk.  And you could see how excited she would get when a spontaneous game of mouse ball happened.  I don't know, but I would swear she was more than a cat - she was a little human with a lot of fur, teeth, and claws.

You can never say goodbye to loved ones lost.  You can only remember them.  And this is to remember a little ball of fur that stumbled into our lives and left a hole in our hearts when she changed ranges.

Jessi at the stable

Whew, and we're not done yet

It has been awhile since I pontificated about something, mostly because of the inability to get into Blogger (the blog hosting service we use - see earlier post on that subject), but also we have not been in India much, and it takes time to compose and post, which when you word smythe those two words you get compost.  Proper composting takes awhile to beget fertile topics.

Alli decided that we needed to get out (of India) more, and set about a travel schedule for the rest of 2010.  Her decision was made in June shortly after our return from our USA visit.  Since that time we have escaped to Singapore and Hong Kong, we have toured Southern Sri Lanka, and we have cruised the Mediterranean after a wonderful visit to Venice.  Since it is now December our last trip of the year is to spend the holidays in Queensland, Australia.  Whew!

After all the travel, Jessi has gone on record that she is tired of airports, and that when we repatriate back to Minnesota, she does not want to get on an airplane anytime soon.  I think the girl needs to nest.  However, that is not in the cards as Alli begins to brood a bit if there are not trips penciled into the calendar.  So, a new round of travel planning is beginning, but I think it will be shortened by the realities of the task ahead of us - repatriation.

May 5, 2011 is the working date for our departure from India, which leaves us (as of this posting) with five months in India.  We have made an offer on a house, and we are awaiting news of that transaction.  Alli traveled to MSP after our cruise in the Med on a work trip.  She got to see the home for the first time - after having 12 inches of snow dumped on her.  Jess is all moved into the new house in her head - nesting has begun, and the campaign for a dog is unrelenting.  Jess is rather crafty about how she weaves a dog into a conversation.  She is hoping to catch me with my guard down, and promise a dog sooner than her 12th birthday, which is what I have committed to.

For my part, I just go where the winds blow me.  I have been busy with the Peerwater project that I have been volunteering on.  All the travel has eaten into the weekend bike riding schedule, and I have not been out on a ride for quite some time.

So, planning continues on travel and repatriation while dreams are hatched and discussed of remodeling the new home, dogs, and life in the USA.  I told Alli in Jan of this year that 2010 will evaporate, which it has, and 2011 promises to be just as fast paced with all the relocation, unpacking and resettling.  I don't remember time moving quite as fast when I was younger.  I remember being so bored because there was nothing to do.  These days, I look forward to those periods of time where there is nothing to do - with the corollary that nothing is left to be done, too!  I think that is Zen, but then it could just be seeking a quantum of solace in a busy world.

Where have the Tabbies been?

You may have noticed a lack of content flowing from us in the past few months.  We have been unable to get into the blog hosting service to add content for quite some time.  Every day I go out to see if I can login, and I cannot.  This morning, I got lucky; so, I thought I would broadcast a message letting followers of the tabbies know that we're still here.

I have been working to diagnose and correct the issue, but alas, I fear it is within Google, or India, or global DNS.  Either way, if our service continues to be spotty, then we're going to move the blog to a different hosting service to see if we can get back to blogging.

Alli has been able to sneak in a few things through email posts, but I require a much more robust environment.  So, stay tuned, and we will see if the issue is corrected, or whether we move the tabbies.

Not your average school bus

I would faint if I saw Jessi's school transporting her this way. The back of this truck was full of young school children being driven somewhere.  Sheesh... and we argue about whether there should be seat belts on buses.