Lean

Hi,

Right now it’s 7pm in Chiang Rai and ‘They’ say it’s 92F and feels like 95F.  That’s about right.  This whole week will be over 100 degrees.  This will go on until mid-May, when the rain is supposed to come.  Hmm, a trip to an island would be a dream about now.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “A Fool In Love” by Ike & Tina Turner.  So, that leaves us to conquer the mighty ‘Easy Monday’.  “Let me tell you how it will be, there’s one for you, nineteen for me ‘cause I’m the __ __, yeah, I’m the __ __.  Should five per cent appear too small, be thankful I don’t take it all, ‘cause I’m the __ __, yeah I’m the __ __.”  Hint:  This 1966 tune is from the first person perspective of a person some of us paid ‘tribute’ to recently.

In any other time of the year the high temperatures we’re having would make the heat the talk of the town.  It started out like that until the bad air appeared.  Now that’s the main topic of conversation.  Over this weekend it seemed like each day topped the last as the ‘worst day yet’.  We’re not doing any outside things besides walking to the car and into various buildings.  We keep the air filters going in the house and wear masks when out with Daku.  

Songkran is over and things around town are returning to normal.  The weekend seemed weird on the streets.  Blocks of storefronts closed, very light traffic, and not a lot of water throwing around us.  Except for cities where the water and partying in the street is the thing, Songkran was rather subdued throughout the Kingdom.  It was celebrated, but the water thing wasn’t such a focus.  There was a street in Chiang Rai where the kids seemed to gather, but we didn’t see many roving trucks or the multiple ‘water stations’.  With most of the work-force on a ten day vacation, there will be some catching up to do around town.  We have a list of things that were put on hold during Songkran.  Time for the fixing to begin (555).

One of the mainstays of my Recovery when we were in the states, was a Sunday morning meeting.  Now we have one in Chiang Rai and this past Sunday was the first.  It has taken some time for this to evolve, but now that there are two Recovery centers in the area, things are changing.  

Sunday we lunched at The Wanderer and had dinner at the mall.  We ate at Sizzler and this time we saw lots of friends who were also dining there.  One couple has a coffee shop we used to frequent.  We hadn’t seen their twins since they were toddlers, so it was a surprise to see them at six years old.  On the way home I thought about the people we have met here and the families we’ve seen grow up.  A lot has happened in 8 plus years.

Today’s photos show a contrast in air quality.  The first pic shows blue skies over Chiang Rai.  The second was the sky this morning.  …a thousand words.

Have a Great Week.

                  Peace,

                            Danny

 

“Lean too much on the approval of people

and it becomes a bed of thorns.”

~Tehyi Hsieh