Mix

Hi,

Here in Chiang Rai it was sometimes cloudy, sometimes sunny, but there was no rain.  More of this would be nice.

The ‘Easy Monday’ song was “Still The One” by Orleans.  Oh, now the clues make sense, right?  It’s time for another ‘Zany Day’ song.  “The problem is all inside your head, she said to me.  The answer is easy if you take it logically.  I’d like to help you in your struggle to be free, there must be __ __ __ __ __ __.”  Hint:  There is a number involved in the title.  It’s a song about making an exit.

When Natcha returned from taking Nitchanan to school she told us that our street was indeed closed at the main road.  Now the question is, how long?  This afternoon I used an alternate route to get downtown.  It took about the same amount of time.  It’s good to know more than one way to get anywhere (555).

Today we went on a little road trip.  We began northbound on the Super Highway, stopping in Ban Du for hot-spot cream for Daku.  Then we continued up the highway to Doy Din Dang for coffee and a special chat with Tamako.  It’s always so pleasant to sit in the little coffee shop with no walls, surrounded by their forest. It makes for easy conversations about whatever comes to mind.  We covered everything from dogs to global warming to art world politics.  We also met a new person from America who is friends with Tamako and Somluk.  

From the red clay earth of Doy Din Dang we traveled south to the other end of Chiang Rai, by way of the by-pass road, east of the city.  After a quick visit to HomePro we reversed our course and made it home by lunch.  

The last time we lunched at The Wanderer I enquired about the ingredients in their new ‘Young Coconut Custard Cake’ and learned that there was no dairy involved.  I tried a piece and now I have a new favorite dessert in the woods (555).

Since Gong’s return from Chiang Mai and cooking school, he has been making little gourmet dinners.  We haven’t had one yet, but I’m sure if we asked he'd cook something up for us.  His presentations are beautiful.

There is something about a ‘blue sky day’ after so much rain that brings people out into the streets.  This afternoon I drove downtown for a meeting and the streets were busier than I’ve ever seen on a Wednesday.  

Feels like a Wacky Wednesday.

                        Peace,

                                  Danny

         

“Teachers can change lives

with just the right mix of 

chalk and challenges.”

~Joyce Meyer

Genius

Hi,

Chiang Rai had a rainless day today.  It was a relief to not have to deal with things related to rain.  The air was clean and the temperature was mild.  The sun even tried to peak out a few times.  

This week’s ‘Easy Monday’ seems to be stuck at one person knowing the song.  That can’t be.  Read/sing a little more of the chorus and let me know you know this:  “You’re __ __ __ I want to talk to in bed, __ __ __ that turns my head.  We’re still havin’ fun, and you’re __ __ __… __ __ __ that makes me laugh, __ __ __ that’s my better half.  We’re still havin’ fun and you’re __ __ __.”  Clue:  An individual who remains dearest.

This evening we will go to the temple for the first service commemorating the passing of our dear friend Sutheera’s father.  Earlier this year her mother passed away.  Her dad and mom arranged the memorial at our house for Blue.  Times like these make me very grateful for the people in my life.  They also remind me of the ones who are no longer here.  

We basically spent the day at home.  Lisa’s left hand is very swollen from the injection yesterday.  The doctor told her it would happen.  She’s half-way through the 2 day ice therapy suggested by the doctor.  Along with that, there are the effects of all the medicines that they put in her yesterday.  

Out on the main road that intersects with our soi (small street) there is road work going on.  Actually, it’s work that is in the road.  It looks like there is a storm drain project starting because a long trench is being dug.  I have seen these projects in other areas and they often take a long time to complete.  We may be using an alternate route for months.  Oh well, if it keeps things from flooding then it’s worth it.

Today’s photo is from the Hill Tribe exhibit at the mall.  The thing to remember is that all of these designs are hand-stitched.

Have a Happy Tuesday.

                         Peace,

                                   Danny

“Common sense is genius

dressed in its working clothes.”

~Ralph Waldo Emerson

Teacher

Hi,

The weather here can be wrapped up in one word: rain.  Saturday wasn’t so bad, but since Sunday afternoon there has been some degree of moisture falling from the sky, and it hasn’t really ended yet.  It’s a lot cooler too.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “Fever” by Little Willie John.  The song was covered by Peggy Lee, with additional lyrics and became a big hit.  It was a hit for Mr. John, but mainly on ‘Colored Radio’.  You see, in the late 40s and most of the 50s, radio was segregated.  Songs like “Fever” were often re-recorded with additional lyrics, by white artists who gained national attention, airplay and sales.  They also got more money by being writers on the ’new' song.  For those of you old enough, I’m sure the name Pat Boone rings a bell, especially for some of the awkward hits he had that were covers of R&B tunes.  That’s why I like to give credit to the original artists who first brought their songs to prominence.  The story is much deeper than this, and you can research it if you want.  Now, rant is over, time for ‘Easy Monday’.  “We’ve been together since way back when.  Sometimes I never want to see you again.  But I want you to know, after all these years, you’re __ __ __ I want whisperin’ in my ear… We’re still havin’ fun, and you’re __ __ __.”  Hint:  It’s from 1976, by a group named after a southern city.

Sunday morning we had a visit from Wild Kingdom.  It began when Lisa went out with Daku, early in the morning.  She noticed a little orange kitten all balled up on the side of the yard.  Daku didn’t see it, but it took off and hid behind the water tank.  A little later, she went back out and Chopper was chasing it from behind the tank and caught it.  Lisa jumped in and rescued the cat, but in the process, got bitten on the hand by the cat.  Her screaming at Chopper caused him to let go, but the damage was done.  I looked up and the cat was doing one of those ‘arched back’ poses on top of the wall.  We thought it might belong to our neighbor, but later found out it doesn’t.  There has been a lot in the news about a rabies epidemic in parts of Thailand, and we’re in one of those parts.  Lisa wrote to our vet and he finally answered, insisting in all caps, that she go to the hospital and get the series of shots, just in case.  This afternoon we went to Overbrook and spent about 3 hours dealing with the parts of the treatment.  Today she had to have 5 injections, including a tetanus booster that had just expired.  The injection at the site of the wound is swelling, just like the doctor said it would.  

That was just one part of Sunday morning.  Around 9:30am, Natcha and Nitchanan were going out on the motorbike and didn’t put Chopper in the pen.  He followed them and when the gate opened, he made a break for it.  He immediately met some of the ‘dogs from the hood’ and we gave chase.  He turned away from the direction of the main road and headed into the corn field with a couple of dogs.  Have you ever tried to find a dog in a corn field?  Next to impossible.  Chopper was finally brought home by Cat’s sister Toi, who loves dogs and, as Natcha put it, is a new person for Chopper.  Now everyone will be more careful about making sure he is secure when the gate is opened.  

In other news, we’ve discovered two new possibilities for Mexican food in Chiang Rai.  There’s a little place around the corner from The Wanderer that’s open from Tuesday through Saturday.  We’ll be stopping by soon. The other is in Ban Du and is owned by our friend Aye and Hans, who own ‘Aye’s Restaurant’ downtown.  We had dinner there Sunday night and she told us all about it.

Today’s photo was taken at the mall during a Hill Tribe exhibit.  We had never seen this tribe before.  More tomorrow.

Have a Great Week.

                     Peace,

                               Danny

“Of all the hard jobs around,

one of the hardest is being

a good teacher.”

~Maggie Gallagher

Friday Funnies

Hi,

Most of today was that typical 'cloudy with the threat of rain, but no rain’.  The air was cooler and that was a pleasant change.  

Only one reader, Barry, knew the ‘Zany Day’ song.  It was “Glass Onion” by The Beatles.  I know, that was a little obscure.  Here’s an ‘Old School Friday’ that everyone knows:  “You never know how much I love ya, never know how much I care.  When you put your arms around me, I get a feelin’ that’s so hard to bear, you give me __.”  Hint:  This 1956 classic has been on our list for a long time.  Something has come over the singer.  Oh, and we’re talking about the original version of this song, pre-Peggy Lee.  Now that should be a hint.  Music history lesson on Monday.

Yesterday’s photo of the steamroller prompted my friend Claire to do some research.  It was built by Aveling Barford, a company in England who specialized many years ago, in heavy machinery for road-building.  The photo below is their ‘Prancing Horse’ logo up close.  The three-wheel roller was a centerpiece of their catalog.  The one that I saw was on the yard of a government facility.  Steamrollers have a very special place in the hearts of the civil engineering ministries.  In front of every agency that deals with roads, there is a steamroller in a place of prominence in front, sometimes on a mound of dirt.  

This morning we went to The Wanderer for coffee and roti.  When we first sat down, there was some jazz playing   and I wanted to know who it was.  There was no way to identify the tune or artist because it was playing from a Youtube channel called ‘Jazz in the morning’ or something similar.  There are these channels with hours of music and they are widely used by the shops here.  They get seamless music all in the same genre, for free.  

Today’s photo was taken at The Wanderer.  These are antique bells.  The material is thin, giving more of a ‘can’ sound as opposed to a brass sound.  

Downtown, at the Talat, we got the last place on the block, with the aid of the ‘parking guy’.  He’s one of the people who collects ‘4 Baht’ for parking.  The difference with him is the ‘arm dance’ he does while directing you into your place.  He’s got style.  Once inside and past the open tables of shrimp, crab, and squid, we heard a beautiful soprano voice.  A few yards ahead was a blind woman walking with her mic, a music player and a little wooden box.  Behind her, with one hand on her shoulder, was a younger woman, also blind.  She was just enjoying the music, with a big smile on her face.  It was a stirring sight.  A little later we saw her predecessor, who still sings almost in tune, but has the heart of a lion.  We just went to look around and then get some pellen at the ‘notions’ shop, but we ended up doing a little holiday shopping and heavy browsing.  It was a fun morning.

This afternoon, around 4pm, the rain came.  It began with a loud announcement and then settled into a steady downpour for about 2 hours.  

Have a Wonderful WeekEnd.   Time for the ‘Funnies’.    Don’t forget, Formula 1 is in Germany this weekend.  Zoom.

                            Peace,

                                   Danny

Original

Hi,

It was another beautiful, dry day in Chiang Rai, despite the forecasts of rain in the afternoon.  

The ‘Zany Day’ tune is a real curve ball for most of you.  Since we’re committed to it, here’s another verse of a truly zany song.  “I told you about the walrus and me, man you know that we’re as close as can be, man, well here’s another clue for you all: The walrus is Paul.  Standing on the cast iron shore, yeah, Lady Madonna trying to make ends meet, yeah looking through a __ __.”  Clue:  The album was white, the word chaos was intentional and if you don’t know, that’s perfectly OK.

This was the morning we took the van to Suzuki for a 6-month servicing.  We were told that it would take 2 hours so we set out on a Bus Station street adventure.  First stop was ‘Sound & Brown’, the modern/industrial style coffee shop that plays cool music.  Today, as our coffee came to the table, we realized why we had doubts about this place.  The cup is a part of the coffee experience.  If the cup is awkward, then the experience will be ‘off’.  The cups at S&B look like 'to go’, with no handles, but the coffee is hot.  In addition, most of the chairs are cool to look at, but are made of tubing, including the back.  They’re off the list until further notice, unless we just take the coffee to go.

Purse and shoe ‘alley’ further down the street is always interesting.  So many things to look at, and sometimes take home.  It was time for a break by the time we reached the end of the fun zone.  We stopped at Ban Chivit Mai, a coffee shop and bakery, indulged in one cookie each, and decided to get a foot massage to fill in the second hour of our wait.  This time Lisa got a different operator and I got the one she had last time.  It worked out great and we left with happy feet.  Rather than walk all the way back to Suzuki, we got a Tuk-Tuk to take us the long block.  It was worth it since we were so relaxed.

This afternoon we drove up to Mae Chan, where I had another appointment with Dr. Mark aka Dr. Happy.  We had further discussions on how to lessen the low-back discomfort and then he tested me, meaning poked at the places that looked like they were inflamed.  He was right and so the acupressure points were treated with his magic potion.  On the way home I got a support belt to try and keep me more upright.  Hmm, this is going to be interesting. 

Today’s photo was taken in Mae Chan, next door to Dr. Happy’s place.  Nothing like an antique steam-roller to spark the imagination.  Note the prancing horse on the front.  No, pretty sure it’s not a Ferrari (555).

It was a busy day, and now it’s time to settle down with the Asian Games and the U.S. Open.  

Have a Thrilling Thursday.

                      Peace,

                                Danny

“Be yourself, the world 

worships the original.”

~Ingrid Bergman

Wealth

Hi,

Chiang Rai had another rainless day.  There were many beautiful cloud formations as well as some pretty impressive, dark mountains of moisture looming in the sky.  

The ‘Easy Monday’ song was “God Only Knows” by The Beach Boys.  Here’s another easy one, disguised as a ‘Zany Day’ song.  “I told you about strawberry fields, you know, the place where nothing is real.  Well here’s another place you can go where everything flows.  Looking through the bent backed tulips, to see how the other half lives. Looking through a __ __.”  Hint:  1968 England, many references to past records and lines from songs by four wild and crazy kids.

This morning we went to Chivit Tamma Da for coffee on our way to Makro.  It didn’t take long to find what we needed and before we knew it, we were in a short line and out.  Our next stop was the mall, but since Browney Pet World was on the way, we stopped for dog stuff.  Chopper is in a chewing phase, not quite done teething.  As a result, some of Daku’s toys have been ‘hurt’.  One of them is his green, after dinner, food-dispensing favorite.  With a little work, he could get kibble to drop out and that was his dessert.  Now it just pours out, due to Chopper chewing on it.  We found a possible replacement at Browney’s, but time will tell as to whether Daku will embrace it the same way.  As I write, Chopper is chewing on a bone and Daku is lying on the floor, looking despondent. 

We went to the mall for lunch and just parking the van was an ordeal.  There is a massive ‘renovation’ going on and the people in charge of routing the traffic have lost their minds.  There has also been a mental lapse on the part of the people scheduling the work.  Every lane had rows of double-parked vehicles, which meant that there was no room to roll them out of the way for the cars in the actual stalls.  Unless one gets there early, it’s a madhouse.  Today we did not get there early.  

This afternoon I spent some time with Nitchanan while Natcha did some work in the kitchen.  We worked a new puzzle that she likes.  There are animals and she’s slowly learning their names.  It’s a pretty good trick since some of them are not their normal colors.  Like the purple Hippoo.  She gets the Zebra because it looks like a zebra.  Then it was pencil time.  She holds up a colored pencil and asks me to tell her what color, in English.  Then we scribble on a piece of paper.  Big fun for sure.

We had dinner at Melt In Your Mouth.  We didn’t realize how close to closing time it was.  There were a few people on the porch outside, and inside it was just us.  By the time we left, it was empty.  Today’s photo was taken at ‘Melt' at Sunset.

Feels like a Wacky Wednesday.

                     Peace,

                               Danny

“The only wealth which you

will keep forever is the wealth

you have given away.”

~Marcus Aurelius

Karma

Hi,

Cloudy with occasional sunshine and a guarantee of rain.  This forecast could be posted every day and it would be correct.  Last night (Sunday) we saw a spectacular full moon, at first through the clouds, and then up high, by itself.

The ‘Old School Friday’ song was “A Fool In Love” by Ike & Tina Turner.  It’s clearly time for an ‘Easy Monday’ song.  This one from 1966 should do the trick:  “I may not always love you, but long as there are stars above you, you never need to doubt it, I’ll make you so sure about it.  __ __ __ what I’d be without you.”  Hint: Stirring ballad of love and commitment from a most unlikely source.

Saturday morning I drove up to Mae Chan, about 45 minutes north of Chiang Rai, where I spoke at a recovery center.  I have known members of the staff for a long time, but never actually drove out there.  The grounds are very tranquil and even though it’s within a village, it’s quite isolated from ‘city life’.  A perfect setting to clear the mind and focus on what’s important.  

In Bangkok, there is a new attraction at Siam Paragon.  It’s a replica of part of the cave where the Wild Boars football team was trapped.  There is extensive information about what it took to rescue the boys as well as a chance to crawl through a small space.  It has not been advertised much, but word-of-mouth is bringing families who want to learn more.  Part of the focus is on the efforts of individuals from all parts of the world, and how much of a group effort the rescue became.  There is a plan to move the exhibition to other regions of Thailand.  

This morning we went to Big C and then Starbuck’s and the vet.  We timed our outing to be home for lunch.  When we arrived, Natcha had mowed half of the front lawn, done a bunch of work in the house, and was ready for us to return.  It was pretty amazing, considering the yard thing is usually done with Gong.  She likes to run the mower, but it’s still a big job.  Yesterday, she and Nitchanan were about to leave the house and Nitchanan didn’t have her helmet on.  We mentioned that she should be wearing it and Natcha said that she didn’t like it.  Well, that held no water.  She has to wear it.  The helmet was put on her head but she cried and complained.  The classic line of the day came from Lisa as we discussed this issue:  “It’s time for a grandmother to take charge”, and that’s just what happened.  Natcha got the loving, grandmotherly lecture about the importance of protecting the baby.  I think it may have sunk in this time.  

When not complaining about having a helmet on her head, Nitchanan can be an absolute joy.   

Have a Great Week.

                     Peace,

                               Danny

“The idea of karma is that

you continually get the teachings

that you need to open your heart.”

~Pema Chodron