The worry lines

You could see the wide smile a mile away as cheering from a super-excited audience drowned the repetitive "thank you". Sometimes, you were reminded of legends such as Gandhi, Mandela and Martin Luther King who energized people with their sheer presence. The flags, the banners, the posters and the youthful crowd warmed the cockles of the heart - for there was hope and there was a groundswell of support for change.

Today, a few days after the number game has been put to rest and the competition vanquished, we also see the worry lines crease the brow. Responsibility lays a heavy hand on even broad shoulders. This one is yet green and uninitiated. And hopefully, in not too distant future, the head will wear the crown lightly and with humility and wisdom. Until then, I hold my breath and wait to exhale.

The subject of my thoughts is conspicuously inconspicuous but, hey, this is a name all of you see, hear and talk about these days.

PS: My loyalties were with the competition but I take this loss lightly because we aren't getting a raw deal and the real "enemy" waits to be tackled !

Summer da jawab nahin !

Its summer when you have daylight streaming in at 5:30 AM and the birds are busy at the feeder before your morning cup of tea is ready. Its summer when you drive up to the farmers market to take in the sights and smells of flowers and fruits, vegetables and freshly baked bread. Its summer when bing cherries flaunt their luscious red and green beans cant hold back their freshness. Its summer when you can walk around the yard with minimal clothing as you would dare to. Its summer when the wooded trail is swathed with wild flowers. Its summer when the kids are out on their colourful bicycles and their parents sheperd them on the wooded trails. Its summer when the evening sun sinks to vibrant hues behind a green cover that is so soothing to the computer-fatigued eye. Its summer when garage sales abound and tiny tots sell their lemonade. Its summer when you see a 90-something couple prefering to walk across the street hand in hand to lounging in deck chairs. Its summer when the young and hip drive around in their convertibles with itsy-bitsy pieces of clothing and flashy eyewear. Its summer when the gas stations keep the price ticker going up all the time. Its summer when the outdoors are bustling with life - fishing, running, walking, dog-walking, biking or doing anything to keep from going in and losing contact with precious sunlight.

Its summer *because* this season is a good lesson in life on how to stay grounded in the here and now without fretting about the past and worrying about the future. A potent lesson indeed.

Bird sightings

On Sunday 11th May at Whitewater state park :

The common grackle
American Goldfinch
Oriole
Ruby-throated hummingbird
Red-necked Grosbeak
Tree swallow ( a spring swallow has a blue head and back and a white belly. In summer the head and back turn brown !)
Black header Chickadee
Swift
Red-headed woodpecker
Pileated woodpecker
Common crow

All this without binoculars. Which led me to believe that with a pair of binoculars it must be paradise out there !

Virtual travels Eastward

Yesterday was the annual fund raiser at the local public library here. It was titled "Wine, wit and wisdom". Before I step in to the details, I do wish to say how wonderful the public library system in the USA is. A few cents from each dollar paid by taxpayers goes towards the upkeep and each county has its own elected body to run the network of libraries. The Rochester Public Library (http://www.rochesterpubliclibrary.org/) is well stocked and a very pleasant place to spend an evening browsing for books, music, movies or simply curling up with a book and a cup of hot chocolate. It has a elected body but the worker bees are mainly volunteers who are passionately devoted to their jobs.

The fund raiser saw over 250 people and the President told us that this was a record ever. There were all sorts in the crowd - they young, the old, the single and the groups all dressed in their party wear. Wine and a few short-eats were on the house (sponsored by a local restaurant). The entry fee was $50 per ticket. Each person could choose 2 classes or presentations to attend. I chose "Hope for Sudan : ..." and "Meats and cheeses of Spain".

Dr. Celestin Musekura is a doctor in theosophy and spends his life trying to rehabilitate young lives in the poverty stricken, strife-torn Sudan. Sudan got independence from the British in 1956 (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sudan) but as is their wont, they left the country fragmented by religion and race. The killings have never stopped. Some of the pictures Dr.Musekara presented were gruesome and revolting. But there were also those of hope. Girl children in uniforms, women in classrooms learning to read and write, children drinking from borewells with fresh, clear water are all signs of revival. But how long should a Nation suffer before it gets back on its feet ? Does Bob Dylan know ?

My next event was delightful to the senses palate inclusive. Chef Schoville could be mistaken for a college student - feeding others keeps aging at bay I suppose ! We were introduced to 4 cheeses of Spain including Mahon a sharp cheese with the flavour of olives and Cabrelas a strong, blue cheese made out of both cow's and goat's milk. I skipped the red meat but got to taste some wonderful black and green olives with sea-salt and fresh bread. It made a fine meal. I also tasted membrilo (pronounced mem-bri-o) a spread made of a fruit called quince (it resembles a berica - a cross between a pear and an apple). The Spanish it seems are a fun-loving people who like to think of the French as the country cousins when it comes to cheese !:)

My take-away from the evening was how small events could be big eye-openers for the willing. Rochester grows on me steadily this winter....