The Happy Gardener

I needed that rain. After spending the day working from home on this warm, muggy day and after the kinda distracted and discontented week I've had, I was very happy when the breeze from the open windows brought news of upcoming rain. And it came at the right time - when I finished a big chunk of work and was ready to take a break for the evening. I stepped into the balcony and hobnobbed with the drops and it was as much fun as it used to be when the monsoons finally came to my city in India. And the 20 minute downpour followed by the sun breaking through the clouds inspired me. I undertook one more of my therapeutic home cleaning and re-organizing efforts. It's amazing how much stuff you accumulate that you can easily do without. (Remind me to talk about Jerome K Jerome's amazing thoughts on the same subject - in a a philosophic vein). I was pretty happy once I was done - got rid of a bunch of things and made the apartment more airy. I think there was some parallel between...

I'm chasing after you in the gathering dusk, you're racing far ahead, fading into the sunset. Can't catch up to you, can't hold on to you, always looking back, wondering when I first lost you. And this sand in the hour glass, it's rushing fast. This river of continuum, it gushes past. The clock unwinds, the moon tugs the tides, while I'm caught in between what was and will be. So I'm letting go, I'm tired of the chase I'll find some peace in this moment's embrace. Just take my hand in yours, let's run to the daybreak and burst into this life, finally awake. Finis

Most everything in this wondrous world can be explained by evolution. But there are times when one just cannot deny the presence of some higher power, some One above it all. In fact, I think I have irrefutable proof for the existence of such a power. So last Friday I traveled from Portland, OR to Boston in the longest possible route. This also included a red eye flight. During this flight, I exchanged my aisle seat for a middle seat so that a Dad could sit next to his wife and 5-6 year old daughter. I didn't sleep a wink in the flight and had been tired when I boarded the flight. Through that long sleepless night, I kept thinking about that nice warm shower in my own bath (I had been away from home for 2 weeks at that point and I was really looking forward to being back in my own place) and that thought kept me strong. When the flight landed, I got out, got my baggage, hurried to the taxi stand and got a cab home as quickly as I could. As soon as the elevator reached my floor, I ch...

Have more than a couple of incomplete posts but haven't really found the time and inclination to sit down and finish them up. Tonight too, I could have done this post an hour ago but instead, I spent that time being fascinated with the various options and settings that blogger gave me to redesign my blog. As usual, it was hard for me to pick one template that I liked but I realized that really, I could have a template a day, if I chose to. Having attained this wisdom, I promptly settled on one and here I am. It was a good weekend. An ultra pleasant visit to Seattle to see dear old J & co. And a lovely drive back to OR along the scenic 101. It's crazy because, after a while, your mind adjusts to the amount of beauty around there and tries to push it into the background. Around 6 hours of driving, all on simple roads, along the coast, evergreens all along the way, through little towns in between, with occasional photo stops, through a few mountains and one really cool bridge,...

There's stories of course. But the pictures are cooler. And easier to post :-) A few pics at home from last week And a few from last night, on the Historic Columbia River Scenic Highway...