December- looking back at the year

"Oh my! It's December already!", said my friend. The exact feeling had crossed my mind only a day earlier. What did I manage to do this year, and what are my plans for the next?

Well, one makes plans. And one can hope they come to fruition. I had made plans to visit India and that got a check mark on the list of things to do. 

My 21 year old graduated from school. The quest for a meaningful life for him continues. Many of his needs are being taken care of as of now, but this is a long haul process. I hope I continue to find great resources for him, with the help of friends and professionals. 

This year, more than ever, the importance of a good diet and exercise came to the fore. It will be one goal that will need continuous investment. It is easy to slip on this course, unless you make conscious decisions, keep away from fads and make sensible choices that will work. 

Through the year, on most major holidays, family get-togethers made sure there was plenty to do and fun was added in good measure.   

Some artwork was on the cards, that got done too. In fact, the result on that front was quite encouraging. Two projects for the home and one as a gift. An acrylic painting of bamboo and a crane that I have already shared in an earlier post, and two others. One was a wooden wall plaque, inspired by old traditional doors, covered with some metal sheets and other accessories. This one involved a lot of sawing, sanding and painting and was very rewarding in the end. 

Another acrylic inspired by traditional henna designs was gifted as an engagement gift. The colors in this one were beautiful!

A great find that was totally unplanned, was a group on a popular social media site called Birds of Texas. This was a great resource not just for information, but also getting to see incredible pictures shared by a lot of professional photographers. I started working towards honing my own skills. 

Here are a few pictures I took last week, of a variety of birds. 

More bird pictures and others later... until then... 

In search of the Roseate Spoonbill

Very recently I read an article which stated that if you've been to Galveston Island, chances are you've seen the Roseate Spoonbill, a very attractive looking avian inhabitant that spends a significant amount of time on the Texas Gulf Coast. I was surprised I hadn't ever read about it being in these parts.
The weather was cooling down and after seeing some gorgeous pictures of the bird, I decided it was time to head to Galveston to check out some of its favorite haunts.

We drove there and we got on the road which a lot of people on the birding group I recently joined had talked about. Some had seen the beautiful pink and white bird right by the roadside, preening itself. A mile down the road I saw a big flock of birds in the fields to my right, and there was certainly some pink visible. Excitedly, I got off the car, and took a few pictures. They were too far away, I decided, for a decent picture. We resumed the drive. A small marshy area on the side further down the road looked promising, so I was on my feet again. Before I could say Jack Robinson, two Spoonbills took to the air. I had no time to even adjust my camera. Click click click... a couple of poor pictures later, I found myself focusing the camera on an obliging Great Blue Heron.

We moved on, and soon, I saw about a dozen birds some of which I had never seen before. White Ibis, Grey Ibis, Osprey, Reddish Egret, Willet, Clapper Rail, etc. They all provided for some excellent photos. The Spoonbill remained a mystery.

Road construction on the way back was a good excuse to try out a new route to head home and I decided to take a long detour via the Brazoria Wildlife Refuge. We saw an alligator and a few Flycatchers and Ibis. That rounded up the Saturday birding trip. It was a day well spent, beautiful weather and some great picture taking opportunities presented themselves, only the one that I was after was a no show. I will see it when it's time, I told myself, or maybe not.

Sunday was spent catching up on chores and in the evening, as is the practice, my husband and son set out to go the temple. I usually stay home but it was another beautiful fall day, so I took the camera to check out the lakes adjacent to the temple complex. I often find my connection with divinity as I walk around those trails. On the banks, there was a Great Blue Heron and a Tricolored Heron, a Great White Egret and surprisingly, a White Ibis. I had never seen an Ibis here before. I took a few pictures and headed further around the bend. I had seen a few birds where the path curves around a hillock. A Great White Egret was pushing through the water and a bird with what surely looked like pink feathers was following it. I stared in disbelief! Was it really what I was seeing! Not just one, there were four Spoonbills moving very slowly. A tricolored Heron went past them, and a Great Blue heron too. The four lingered on for a little while longer, decided I was showing too much interest in them, and then took off to the other side of the lake.

I got to take a lot of pictures. Not perfect ones, the light was poor, but was I complaining? No way! What a perfect way to end a weekend that I had decided was going to be the Roseate Spoonbill weekend!

Zen state of mind

Last year, we found a nice walking trail around two large lakes separated by a hillock in between. It was a quiet place at the end of a small street. There were a few people walking the trails and it was nice to find a spot like this in the middle of the city. Armed with my camera, I had a wonderful time taking pictures of several interesting objects all evening. There were mother ducks guarding eggs, young ducklings with their mothers, great blue herons engaged in a courtship ritual and dance and some new kinds of birds I had never seen before.

Then there was this lone heron standing among these trees. Something about the setting made me feel wistful. His reflection in the water, the leaves enveloping his form, the rays of the setting sun and another day drawing to a close. It was my zen moment!

We continued with our walk, and found these bright yellow blooms on the other side of the hillock. The atmosphere was more upbeat here.

Scissor tailed flycatchers were playing on trees on the hillock, their silhouettes with those of the trees made a striking contrast against the grey blue skies.

Long after I got home, the tranquil atmosphere I witnessed at the lake stayed with me. I would often look at the pictures I had taken, to re-live that walk on that beautiful Spring day.

Then one day, I found an article about the art of painting bamboo, which has intrigued me for a long time. It is an oriental art that looks easier than it is. The idea and philosophy behind this art form is very interesting as well. It isn't about perfection of the form itself, as much as it is about the spirit it conveys.
I decided to try it out, the medium I chose was acrylic on canvas, as opposed to watercolor on rice paper. My zen moment was captured on canvas, as best as I possibly could.

My carbon footprint

When I taught High School Biology quite some time ago, my students tell me I was very passionate about natural resources and conservation. I used to talk about recycling and being an informed, conscious individual who makes an effort to show you care about the planet. At that time, very few used to take it seriously. People have gotten more aware with time. There is no dearth of people who want little to do about any of this, but it is encouraging to see so many others who try to make a difference.

Recycling has taken center stage, our recycle bins are bigger then ever and almost everyone's bins are overflowing when the collection truck comes by weekly. My father, who lives in India, has had a composting pit in his backyard for a while now. All his organic kitchen wastes go into it, so do the garden trimmings and leaves. Many from his colony have followed suit. I have been told that several conscientious building societies have opted for composting wastes. That is a big step because it is a collective effort and such efforts make a difference on the large scale.

I had seen a few programs on TV of people who make an effort to minimize what goes out from their house as trash to fill landfills. Recycling is big, paper, aluminum, glass, can all be recycled.
So how did I bring my trash bag to contain so little? My contribution to the landfill is now down to a minimum. I started a compost pit in a corner in my yard. Earthworms were in abundance and rains made sure everything was going great. Then I got composting tumblers-

All my vegetarian kitchen waste and garden waste goes into this. Since we are primarily vegetarians, almost all of my kitchen stuff goes in here. I don't add lawn trimmings to the batch I want for my vegetable patch, because I have used something for the weeds on the lawn. I need to find an alternative for that soon.
At the end of every 4-6 weeks, I have a fresh batch of dark brown, nutrient rich compost matter for my flower and vegetable beds. I hope this works well in the long run and I can manage to keep my carbon footprint small on this majestic planet of ours!
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As I wrote this, there was some article in the Washington Post. It talked about global warming, what scientists had to say about the planet and painted a worrisome picture of even the near future. As I finished reading the article and moved to the comments, here was one that was so on the other side, I decided to put it here so people get an idea how many kinds of thought processes are out there. Here it is-

"Hansen and the other top scientists haven't PROVED that this is going to happen.
Until they do, isn't it best to listen to the guys Koch and Peabody have hired to play scientists on Fox News, and just keep on burning oil, gas and coal?
After all, switching to renewable energy will certainly cost something.

I'm not about to keep using my lousy old iPhone 6 for an extra year or give up HBO and Cinemax, just because MAYBE the coasts are going to be underwater when I retire.
If youngsters want a livable planet when they grow up, they need to make it happen themselves.

I'm tired of worrying about the impact of my lifestyle on other people, especially when all I need to do is watch Fox News and believe the pre-packaged denial philosophy they so expertly package for their corporate sponsors.

My motto is: Live for Today - Babies are Overrated."

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Reap what you sow...

I am not talking about the post title as a moral, but it's literal meaning. The gardening bug got to me this spring and I planted a few seeds in the yard. I even made a raised bed with the help of a little muscle from the spouse. After a visit to one of my friends who has a green thumb and is an avid gardener, I was very inspired. I decided to start small. A quick trip to Home Depot brought home a untreated Cedar plank, cut to size, and some galvanized nails. Soon, my raised bed was ready, a little one, but I was very proud of it. Filled it up with some great soil and I was ready to go.
Herbs were first on the list and I planted a few seeds in a planter before transferring them into the bed. Three kinds of basil, (Thai basil for the first time-it's great in salads and Thai dishes), Oregano, Thyme, Chives, Mint, Rosemary, Garlic Chives were all on the list.

I got cherry tomato plants, no taller than 3 inches tall, from Whole Foods and put them straight into the bed. They started to grow... oh so fast! In no time, they were almost 4 feet high. I had to scramble to get supports for them, because in no time, there were laden with flowers and fruit.

There were so many little green tomatoes on the tree at one time! I was wondering when they would ripen. Patience!

Two zucchini plants were in the ground but I guess I didn't read up before getting them. To this date, they only get male flowers, and I have yet to see a fruit. I must follow up and see where I went wrong.

Meanwhile, my backyardigan friends were having fun in the yard, playing among themselves and getting a snack from me every now and then.

Bell peppers and Serrano peppers were also bought as little plants and they went into the raised bed too. Bell peppers have been slow, but I did get quite a few Serranos. The initial fruit were very bland but now they are finally getting some zing to them. 

The Thai Basil was happy, some pretty purple blooms soon appeared and the leaves garnished a whole lot of salads and curries.

Everything comes to he who waits... the tomatoes in abundance. For about two-three weeks, we got  approximately 30-35 cherry tomatoes to snack on everyday. Then it slowed down some, now there are a lot of flowers again. I actually graded them according to color.

Among flowers, from what I had earlier from last year, the Calla lilies bloomed, so did the Mogra (Asian jasmine), Pink Jasmine, roses and Gerber daisies. It was a small garden. I have a long way to go to get to the stage my friend is at, she hardly visits the store to shop for vegetables and herbs, she has them all in her backyard. It is a good start though, some hits, and some misses. You live and learn!

Thinking about my life...

The year began on a hectic note, we went out of town for our New Year get together with friends and got back on January the first, happy, thankful to have such wonderful friends, and very tired and ready to get a decent nights sleep. Soon after was our long awaited trip to India, which was going to happen for me after a long gap of 6 years.

The three week trip was moving quickly, I got to meet so many cherished friends and I was meeting part of my family after six years. Nostalgia hung heavy as we traveled down roads that were once familiar, now not used as much after monstrous highways took away the brunt of the traffic. Bittersweet moments were scattered all over.
One such meeting with my college room mate and very good friend went late into the night. She went down memory lane and stirred up so many little details I had forgotten. Among them was how we would rush to get to our favorite buses home after college. Along with buses run by the state government, private bus operators had some good buses running on almost all routes, and they had a nice schedule they would stick to. Some of these were 'express' buses that would travel non stop between two cities and were great for commuting students. We would hand over Rs.1 (half ticket for students) and take a window seat. The buses would play tapes of popular Hindi film soundtracks and the journey would end after a refreshing hour of cool breeze on the face, listening to some nice music, buried in one's thoughts.
My 16 year old niece often asks if we are going on a long drive, because she likes to sit at the back in the car, listen to her ipod and 'think about her life'. I always found that last line funny, until I realized that we used to do the exact same thing, except we used to board a public transport bus, sometimes wait for our favorite one because they'd play our favorite music and then get lost in our thoughts. Cars back then did not have radios or tape players, so our car drives used to be rather silent. I've realized that the accompaniment of music is quite a necessity if you want to get lost in thought.
Now I wonder what those thoughts were about, about how life would shape up? Or simply how and when I was going to finish my next assignment that was due, or was it just something that had occurred between friends? It's funny how every age has its own trials and tribulations, along with moments of contentment. There is a line in a song about childhood - छोटी छोटी ख़ुशी छोटे छोटे वोह  ग़म … small joys and small sorrows.
It felt like I had only blinked and a couple of decades had just passed by. Where did all that time go, and when did it happen... way too fast!

Spring in the step

When winter is on its way out, and spring is just around the corner, my mindset is that of an animal just getting out of hibernation. Plans flood my head, lots of projects say they want to get into action, and excitement is in the air. Daylight hours increase and that adds to the euphoria.

In the past, only a few of these well meaning, robust projects have seen the light of day. I hope to do better this year. If I maintain a log of how things have fared, maybe I will be more productive. Usually, the terrible Texas summers make me dive back indoors into the cool shade behind the drapes. However, there are plenty of indoor plans that I can work on at that time. Maybe I need an army of friends who will gently nudge me in the right direction when needed. Who am I kidding? Who has an army of friends? Well, maybe I should ask 2-3 of them and assign them with the task.

I know, I am rambling. That's precisely what happens when a person wants to achieve a whole lot and doesn't know where to begin.

Meanwhile, my camera suffered some setbacks during the latter part of the past year. Maybe I took it out in the rain. It does not focus as well as it used to. That can be very frustrating after you've gotten used to its impeccable performance in the past 4 years. So I am on the lookout for good recommendations. I feel I am ready to move to an intermediate level camera from my present entry level model.

I started writing this 2 weeks ago and didn't get a chance to return until today. A decent garden is now shaping up in my yard. I happened to visit a friend who has a very healthy garden with so much produce, she doesn't need to go to the store to get much. It was neat to see her get even mustard seeds from her mustard plants, so she harvests the greens and the seeds she collected lasted her for the year she said. That was so impressive and also inspiring. She has a compost pit too, so she rarely wastes anything organic. I decided to follow suit with all the vegetable and fruit waste. I have started small but intend doing more once I figure out how I will fare in our HOT summers.

Tough decisions

March is here, and I am facing a time in my life that I've heard others talk about. My autistic son maybe on the brink of leaving high school for good. The tough part is that I have to make that decision. The question is if I'm making the right one. I don't want to be the one forcing him to move on. He isn't having a good time there, it isn't meaningful anymore, not rewarding either. He may want to continue for the sake of company of peers. The pros and cons need to be considered and it's one of those moments when you want to pick the stones from the bag from 'The Alchemist'. Asking the appropriate question still will be my responsibility.

What follows will be even more challenging. I'm going to need to have a plan in place where I can keep him occupied and give him a feeling that his life still has a purpose. I will really need to step up to achieve that after years of the school taking care of those needs.