Give

Hi,
It's been almost a week since we moved in and we're starting to settle in, as we continue to go through the normal amount of trouble-shooting. Most of the things we're dealing with are correctable and at least we know who to call.
Your weekend song was "Mama Told Me Not To Come" as written by Randy Newman and (the hit) performed by Three Dog Night. The hint about the group referred to an old way of gauging the cold in OZ. The colder the night, the more dogs one needed to stay warm. So, a three dog night was pretty cold. Now you know. If you've never heard Randy Newman's version of his own song, check it out.
Let's start the week out with one you all know (Ha). "If you're down and confused, and you don't remember who you're talking to.
Concentration slips away because you're baby is so far away..." Clues: It's by a singer/writer who sang by himself, then with a trio, then a quartet. He's urging us to do something. Hmm.
Saturday was a big day around here. It was the day we had the Blessing of the House. The same five monks who blessed the land came to do the house. Everything was ready when they arrived a little after 9 o'clock. They got settled, were gived and iced lemon tea and then began. After a few prayers they went outside and chanted a mantra at all four corners of the property. There was throwing of water and some small stones were buried at each stop.
The next portion was a combination of hypnotic, interesting and grueling all at the same time. Lisa, Boot and I sat under the structure I told you about. There were strand of string that hung from the top and rested on each of our heads. For almost an hour we sat cross-legged listening to chanting, call and response and more chanting. There is a groove that evolved in the chanting that is wonderful. I have no idea what they said, but I had this mad urge to run down the hall, grab a didj and join in. I stayed put. After the ceremonial part, all the rooms were visited by the 'second' monk and water was thrown. We had to do some quick saves in the art room. After it was over, the monks were fed there one big meal. They remembered coming when it was just dirt and holes and they liked the house. We wrote on candles like before and were instructed by the head monk, to light out candle at 8 o'clock. Supat, our 'program director' informed me, in passing, that we got the 'all options' blessing. Hmm, no wonder it cost so much. I guess it could be a good thing in the long run. It was the first time we'd had a group of people in the house and it was very comfortable. While the monks ate at the dining room table, everyone else ate buffet style in the 'inside' kitchen, gathered around the island.
I have a ton of pics to upload so you can see how the place is looking now. Bear with me. I'll have to spend some time at Doi Chaang setting things up before it happens. We're only running at 480 kbps maximum speed at the house and that's on the PC laptop. You'll just have to be patient. (555)
We're discovering our neighbors. Not the ones next door, but the ones down by the river. It seems that there's a restaurant right behind the boat landing that features Karaoke at least 2 or 3 nights a week. They turn up the mike and it travels over here. With the front windows closed, it's very faint. The first night we heard it, it was almost painful a few times. Some people have no idea what they sound like and I guess that's half the fun. The other half of the equation is that everybody's half drunk and it all sounds good. Oh, how cruel. No, we won't be sitting in down by the river.
That's it for now, Have a Terrific Week.

Peace,
Danny

"To give pleasure to a single heart by a single act is better
than a thousand heads bowed in prayer."
~Mahatma Gandhi

Gettin' Funky, Thai Style

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