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Hi,

We seem to have moved into the afternoon shower/nightly rain part of the show.  Things are growing very fast around here.  Chiang Rai is very, very green right now.

Well, this week’s ‘One-line Zany Day’ song was a winner, even though a few of you missed the exact title.  Here’s more:  “Just tell your hoodlum friend outside, you ain’t got time to take a ride.  __ __ (Don’t talk back).”  Hint:  It’s by some guys who are good friends with Charley Brown and Little Egypt.  They’re ‘Zany Day’ regulars.

After eight years in Thailand there are a few things that we’ve become used to.  One of them is the geckos.  They are little lizards that live in the house and eat insects.  We first encountered them while living at the Wancome Hotel during our first month here.  At night we would hear a ‘chirping’ sound and thought it was coming from birds outside our window.  Then one night we saw a gecko and it began to make sense.  They climb walls, walk across the ceiling sometimes, and are usually quiet.  When we moved to the rental house in October of 2007, we had lots of them.  There was one who lived in the bedroom and at night it would begin it’s chirping.  One night Lisa made a ‘Shhh’ sound and it stopped.  That became the method of quieting our friend.  She theorized that it may have thought it was a snake.  Here, at the Big Brown House they are all over.  They hide from us so it’s not like we see them all the time, but we spot them running for cover when we enter a room.  The babies are very tiny, and sometimes get caught in the kitchen sink and need help getting out.  Nothing like living with nature.

One of our stops on our morning adventure was the Healthy Market.  On the northern side of the market is the Flower Market.  It is a row of vendors who make floral arrangements for various occasions.  Today there seemed to be an abundance of small garlands, so I took this photo.  They are given as gifts, for merit, hung on the rearview mirror, and on spirit houses.

Having rain at night is fine for us, we don’t go out that much in the evenings.  It’s rough on the people who do business at night, like the Night Bazaar folks and the outdoor restaurants.  We may be out in it this weekend though.  There is an opening at Art Bridge on Saturday, and dinner on Sunday at Le Meridien.  Let it rain.

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

                Peace,

                          Danny

“When I discover who I am,

I’ll be free.”

~Ralph Ellison