I want to Grow...

a garden. I have never grown one on my own ever. It has been there already before I moved in or somebody was hired to grow one. I never had much interest. I do not know why. Well, that is not to say that I have never attempted growing one...

I remember when I was in my fifth grade my brother and I wanted to have a terrace garden. So we collected some bricks from a construction site, hauled them up and arranged it in a rectangle at a corner. We then picked up some soil what we thought would be perfect for growing plants and filled up the rectangle.

Then we bought a tomato, a few green chillies, and a dhania and sowed them like we saw on the fields. In neat rows and separated by vegetable. The garden flourished. Right after our first crop we lost interest. The garden died.

But together we planted a neem tree in front of our house. Took a small sapling from a street side, displaced it but gave it ample water and sun and let it grow. When I went back to the house after 10 plus years, the tree was big. Three times my size. Giving shade to the house and it looked beautiful. I hugged the tree and felt a sense of accomplishment.

Then when I was in my 6th grade, I planted another neem tree in the new house we moved to. And again this one too grew big and pretty like all neem trees are...once again same emotions...

That was the last time I really made any attempt at planting trees until I moved to Dallas. In 2007 a few months before Babs was born the Sai Baba temple was giving away Tulsi plants. I picked two up. One I gave to my friend who promptly killed the plant and another I kept for myself. I killed it after a year and a half. Same thing but I prolonged its life and death. We were upset. Now what are we to do if Dallas weather is bad? Tulsi is not famous for braving cold I think.

Anyways a few weeks ago, at a friend's bridal shower we were given a grow kit for flowering plants. I got Zinnia and my friend got a Marigold which she left at my apartment. So now they are both sitting on the window waiting to sprout. I am hoping the sun and the drops of water I pour will help. If this works, then I want to have a mini-garden on my balcony or at the entrance and on the ouside kitchen window sill. How I wish...really...knowing my penchant for killing plants...

Anyhoo, I will update with pics soon :)

Love

ART

A gardener at heart but not in reality.

Vacations

There are many types of vacations, some travel for fun, adventure, honey moon, visiting family, taking a break, stay at home vacations, etc. I decided to take one for myself. The last one we did was visiting G's family in CA and this time I told G that I wanted to visit my parents in TN. G said he could not make it because I was planning to be away for a week and so it was me and Babs who packed our bags. I don't think Babs knew what was going on at all, I am not asking her consent about such things as yet :P

So off we went to Chattanooga on an hour and half flight. Babs was kept entertained by our fellow passenger, an 8 year old girl who was happy to play with Babs. It was smooth. I reached home and then a friend of ours drove down from Ohio to join us for a couple of days. It was fun. We went and rode the incline railway and ate out and then relaxed by the pool and kiddie play areas with Babs. I realxed.

My body also agreed that I relaxed. I could feel that I was not stressed, I was not on a time run. I did not have to wake up at a certain time, clean the house, cook dinner, cut veggies, or any of those things. Mom and dad took care of all that for me. They cooked all my favorite dishes and Babs too. They let me sleep in and have long showers. I even got my eyebrows done and hands waxed on time for a change. I saw Sun TV, Vijay TV and K TV. Babs and I got to spend so much time together. I was happy.

This is what I call a perfect vacation. Where I am right now, all I want is a couple of hours of uninterrupted sleep. Not beautiful hills or sweeping valleys, although I got to see both of them :) (bonus), but peace. I don't want stress when I am vacationing. The stress which shows on your face when you return from a vacation and say, "I want a vacation from a vacation."

There is a sugam (happiness) when you are at your parents house. The same sense of security that you had as a kid. Familiar smells, food, pace, love, attention, care and best of all no sense of guilt.

I realized that such vacation should be taken at least twice a year and I am sure it will do me a world of good. I want to thanks Dad and mom for doing this for me, indulging my kid, making her rotten and making me more spoilt. I love the two of you for the kind of unconditional love I get. I am not sure that I can ever repay it but I will try my best to do the same for Babs.

Thanks.

ART

PS: While I was out in TN relaxing, Mr. G here partied. Ore kallula rendu manga (one stone two mangoes). He got a break too and was relaxed when I got back. Isn't that brilliant? What more can I ask for?

Poo Poo

in the Potty...

My daughter Poo Poo'ed in the potty today. What an achievement. I am a proud amma. Although I did not help her to learn to do it, my baby sitter did, I feel proud of her deed.

I cannot share it without grossing anyone out anyway...so might as well do it and leave it here so I will know the date and I feel like I climbed up on the roof and screamed it out loud.

Sorry folks, but when you become a parent all milestones are great milestones and you want to celebrate them :)

Love y'all.

ART

Amma Clumsy...

So Babs is actually talking now. Not blabbering but talking. She does have her moments when she tries to explain herself in a funny way and you are looking at her and wondering what on earth was that and she gets frustrated with you and you at her and so on...but on most occasion she talks. And I want to call it Bab-ble.

So off we were on our vacation. The day we were heading back I told myself, "Phew, no accidents and Babs is actually been good so far in the trip (healthwise)."

Dad and mom came with us to the airport and they waited looking at me and Babs as we walked through the security check-in with a very sad face that I cannot describe adequately with words but I am sure y'all can understand. I had to take our shoes off and put Babs shtrollo (stroller) on the scanner and our diaper bag and so on. So I told Babs to sit on a table right next to me, removed her shoes and mine, put them on the basket with my diaper bag and was ready to pick Babs.

The official lady asked me, "Do you have any liquids?"

"Nope, just two boxes of baby food."

"Oh that is fine."

"Do not put your shoes in the basket let them run directly through the scanner."

Fine, I remove them and place them on the conveyor belt.

Dude over the scanner screamed, "how many ounces of baby food?"

In the background I hear my parents scream, and then I see Babs on the floor flat on her face. My mind was in twenty thousand places. For a few seconds I could not put two and two together. My daughter had been right next to me, how did she land on the floor? I quickly picked up a screaming and wailing Babs and I began crying too. No, wait, bawling.

I held Babs close to me, who was asking for her Thatha (grand dad) and Amamma (grandma) and was crying hard. I held to her and tried to distract her but I could not hold myself back. And once again in about 4 minutes my angel of a daughter whose lower lips were bleeding stopped crying. I went through the security checking and on the other side, put her back in the shtrollo (stroller) and tried to dry my eye, dab her wound a bit more and kiss her and wet her with my tears.

Dad called, "Stop crying, please. You are breaking our heart and we can see you from where we are."

"I am done crying."

"No you are not."

"Ok now?"

"Fly safe and let this be a lesson. Do not leave Babs unattended."

"Of course dad. Bye."

With tears still in my eyes I looked at Babs and she was looking at me bewildered and then said, "Amma Roya (cried or crying)."

"Yes jaanu. Amma roya because Amma Clumsy."

"Amma Clumsy."

"I am so sorry jaanu."

"Amma Daboo (dumb)." And she said this with the cutest smile a bleeding lip can give.

With that my tears vanished and we ran into our flight as we were the last passengers boarding it...

And what wonderful co-passengers we had...well that will have to wait for a separate post.

I freaked out seeing my daughter on the floor and bruised and bleeding although only on her lower lip. She cried and she wanted me to hold her and it tore my heart because I was the villain who had made her fall and yet she wanted me and trusted me (although she kept asking for her grandparents once in a while). But the best part is that she put the smile back into my face until G went through the whole enquiry process and made me feel worse all over again but only for sometime :) So all is well. Babs lips healed the day after itself and she will never ever be left alone again.

F.O.

Ya seriously...What is the deal in following F.O without Rafa? I can watch it for Fed but without Rafa it is like not having pickle for curd rice. You wont understand that if you had never received a curd rice dabba with no pickle...

Well of course I was talking about French Open, what were you thinking about?

It was shocking to see him leave and even in that he was gracious. My Rafa, the best tennis player ever not just in the game but also in grace. I am going to miss you for the rest of the week and hope you come back with a bang for the W. Get some rest and more practice and do not pay any heed to that Soderlings sodden behavior.

Vamos Rafa.