People

Hi,

We had another overnighter that left the yards soaked this morning.  It was still a little mushy when we took Daku out, but he’s a dog and didn't mind a bit.  It turned into a great day, even with the clouds.

This ‘Zany Day’ song has a lot of friends and most of them wrote to me.  It’s by a group known for it’s zaniness.

“Who’s always writing on the wall?  Who’s always goofin’ in the hall?  Who’s always throwin’ spit balls?  Guess who (Who, me?)  Yeah, you!  Who walks in the classroom cool and slow?  Who calls the English teacher Daddy-O?  __ __, __ __, he’s a clown, that __ __.  He’s gonna get caught, just you wait and see.  Why is everybody always pickin’ on me?.”   Hint:  You know his name from a comic strip, though it’s a different kind of fellow (555).  

This morning we went down the highway to Sinthanee to get a microwave oven.  The one in the little apartment started doing things it shouldn’t, so we replaced it.  This progress thing can be quite amazing sometimes.  We found one that can also be used as a grill.  While they were getting us a new unit, we strolled around in our never-ending search for the perfect coffee maker.  We found one that looked promising and got a bonus toaster in the deal.  Cat needs a toaster in her apartment at school, so we all win.  Yea.  

We went to Work@Home for coffee and a visit with Katai.  She told us about her visit to England and Scotland, and how difficult it was to concentrate while dealing with Jet Lag.  We totally understood and she had us laughing.  We told her about our trip to Singapore and we compared notes.  Thowan, her husband, just returned from China, where he and his driver won first-in-class at a car rally competition.  Then the conversation turned to remembering Blue.  We all managed to keep it pretty upbeat, focusing on the good memories.  Blue used to love to go to Work@Home when he’d visit Chiang Rai, even before we lived here.  

Today’s photo is the view from the car when we’re returning home from some of our adventures.  Around the bend is a little shanty village, that new place, our neighbor, and The Big Brown House.

Several of our friends had been telling us about a woman who teaches swimming to small children.  She also teaches Thai and English.  We met her at The Wanderer this afternoon for coffee and details.  If the pool wasn’t so cold, she could start teaching Neetchanon next week, but Natcha said she really doesn’t like cold water.  When it’s warmer we’ll get her started.  The cold water can’t stop the Thai lessons from happening.  Lisa and I will have two lessons per week, working at our pace.  That sounds good.  Khun Awe graduated from a college in Wisconsin with a degree in Public Relations and Promotion.  She grew up as a stateless person in Mae Sai, and told us most of her story.  She worked hard and met some people who helped her get documentation.  She was invited to share her story at the United Nations as part of a project to help people world-wide, that face the problem of not belonging anywhere. She was subsequently part of a group that was able to get a new law passed that enables thousands to gain legal papers and be Thai citizens.  We were inspired by her persistence and bravery.

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

                 Peace,

                           Danny

“I’ve learned that people will forget

what you said, people will forget what

you did, but people will never forget

how you made them feel.”

~Maya Angelou