Joy

Hi,

This morning we got the water back. We also got our clothes back, and our friends have a new puppy. It was a good day in Chiang Rai.

The 'Easy Monday' song was "The Weight" by The Band. It's a good one you should know. One year earlier, during the 'Summer of Love' many were singing this song: "Those schoolgirl days, of telling tales and biting nails are gone. But in my mind, I know they will still live on and on. But how do you thank someone, who has taken you from crayons to perfume? It isn't easy, but I'll try...." Hint: It's kind of a song of appreciation. There's a movie of the same name, and the title is four words. Tomorrow you'll get the hook.

The long water saga is over. Before I tell you how it ended, I must tell you about last night. We went for a swim. I wish I could say it was a moon-lit swim, but it was very cloudy. The frogs offered a concert from the waterfall jungle, and the vibe was mellow. After we got out of the pool we went to the side of the house where the big tub of water was waiting. With a plastic bowl, we had to scoop out water and pour it on ourselves. Keep in mind that this water is cold. Once it was done, water had to be hauled upstairs for the evening. Truly an experience.

This morning Boot was determined to get some satisfaction about this water thing. She went to the office when they opened and came back shortly with a guy who works for the department, and he fixed the problem. It seems that someone, probably kids walking by, had turned off our water at the controls on the road. The water people had nothing to do with it, yet they kept telling us when it would come back on. We just had to laugh. The water guy took me out front and removed the handles, and we'll keep them inside so it can't happen again. My head keeps playing with variations on Bob Dylan's line about the 'pump don't work 'cause the vandals took the handles'.

We had a water appreciation moment, washed things and went into town. Khun Orn, our new seamstress, did a great job on the alterations and it hardly cost anything. We picked up a fruit basket for our neighbors as a way of saying 'Thanks' for the water. The pet supply store is next to Sahapaiboon, where Atom and her sister and brother work. Their family runs the company and we figured they might have their new puppy with them. Atom wasn't in so we have to wait to see the newest addition to their family.

We did get to see a dog on our outing though. A stop at Work @ Home Bakery gave us a chance to visit with Jonathan, the English Golden. It was mid-morning and he was pretty laid back, but happy to see us.

It's time for Wacky Wednesday.

Peace,
Danny

"Recognize joy when it arrives in the plain brown
wrappings of everyday life."
~Judith Viorst

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