“There are no strangers here; Only friends you haven’t met yet.” — William Butler Yeats
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We have just returned from visiting my husband at the nursing home. Today was a good visit, in that he was calm, comfortable – except for a sore throat – and made sense most of the time. He was happy to see us today, too. We told the manager about the sore throat as we left, so hopefully they have something that will bring him some relief.
An interesting thing – Harvey had a swath of talcum powder in the middle of his forehead and stripes of talcum powder on each cheek. We’re seeing if we can find out what that means, if anything –
We stopped at the chocolate place on the way home, always a nice part of our outing. Brian has hot chocolate – plus they bring him a tiny cup of hot tea. I always have a cold chocolate drink, and they bring me the tiny cup of hot tea, as well. Brian drinks my tea and we share a little cookie. We talk about our visit and then head home.
I picked up my laundry on the way back and now have it put away. SUCH a nice luxury. My laundry is a bit complicated: I do my undies and other incidentals in my bucket in the sink, then hang them on my drying rack on my balcony. I take Brian my sheets and towels on Fridays because he has a washing machine. I take my regular clothes to the laundry. It works for us. ____________________
This is my latest painted sketch.
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Brian found a video about the bird WE call the “Fur Real” bird! It turns out its name is a Koel bird. The people in Singapore describe its sound as “uwu” but we can’t figure out where they get that. I’m including a short video on the bird and its sound and you can decide what sound YOU hear…
NOW we’re trying to find out about a bird WE call the ‘woop woop’ bird…
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I’m hoping that the people who are being buried in this March snow, as well as the people under the threat of severe weather today and tomorrow, come through it well. I’m keeping an eye on all the news I can find and wishing everyone well.
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“Attitude is a choice. Happiness is a choice. Optimism is a choice. Kindness is a choice. Giving is a choice. Respect is a choice. Whatever choice you make makes you. Choose wisely.” ―Roy T. Bennett, The Light in the Heart
Sometimes our minds are our own worst enemies – worrying about things that MIGHT happen, imagining awful scenarios. I think this quote is so refreshing, so different, so optimistic. I like it. A LOT.
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This is my latest painted sketch.
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The Chiang Mai Air Pollution Index is in the ‘good’ range now, so I have the windows open, enjoying the breeze. It’s also funny that I can hear what’s going on down on the street better. There is a vehicle that goes by every half hour or so this morning. It goes slowly down the street, with a loudspeaker blasting out a woman singing a song in Thai. Brian tells me that this is a way of advertising things. I hope that SOMEONE likes this woman’s voice and the tune enough to buy whatever she is selling. It’s pretty awful to my uneducated ears…
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Leavitt Group News and Publications
I’m going to try to find a nice image for St. Patrick’s Day to sketch next. I want to sketch and paint something to go on my husband, Harvey’s, wall at the nursing home. I’ve been moving slowly on this, since I didn’t know if the staff and owners would be upset with me or not. Now that they have shown me it’s OKAY, my intention is to build a “Happy Wall” that he can see from his bed, reminding him that he is loved whether Brian and I are there that day or not. – This is the wall so far.
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BBC
I’m getting my place ready for Khun Nong to come clean tomorrow. I have changed the sheets on my bed, putting on a clean duvet (having taken the one that was on there to the laundry this morning.) I’ve gathered trash, and will put out fresh towels, leaving things so that she is able to clean as easily as possible.
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The Vision Gallery Edmonton
The only thing my doctor recommended from my last check up was that I drink more water. I’m sipping at a bottle of cold water as I type. I feel as if my eyeballs are floating and I’m getting added exercise from having to get up and go to the bathroom. I hope I’ll adjust to this in time.
It seems to me that Mother Nature is having a belly laugh watching so many in the U.S. trying to navigate through the snow and ice and havoc they create. She definitely has a taste for causing problems, particularly if you’re dreaming of spring…
Stay warm and safe, dry and comfy, wherever you are. Snuggle down and take care.
“The sound was the first thing that hit me. Not the thunder of artillery, though that was a constant, grumbling backdrop. It was the screaming. A high sound that cut through the dusty air of the clinic. I was a surgeon, but out here, in this makeshift hospital in a reclaimed school basement in eastern Ukraine, I was everything. And that scream meant someone’s world had just ended.
I threw down the clamp I was sterilizing and ran. The corridor was a labyrinth of sandbags and pale, scared faces. Our volunteer driver, Dmytro, was stumbling through the entrance, his face ashen. In his arms, he carried a woman, her clothes dark with blood.
“Doctor! Doctor, please! The market… the shell hit the market!”
He laid her on the first gurney we had, a creaking hospital hand-me-down from the 80s. I saw everything at once. The unmistakable swell of her pregnant belly, maybe seven or eight months along. The shrapnel wound in her shoulder, which was bleeding badly but was manageable. And then I saw her legs, the pool of blood rapidly spreading beneath her.
This wasn’t her blood. This was the baby’s.
“Operating room! Now!” I yelled, my voice a foreign, sharp thing in my own ears. “Nadiya! Prep for an emergency C-section! Maximum units of O-neg, go!”
My hands were moving before my brain fully caught up. We had no real operating room, just a storage room we’d scrubbed clean and flooded with surgical lights. No perfect anaesthesia, just ketamine and vigilance. No team of specialists, just me, Nadiya our fierce, experienced nurse, and a terrified young paramedic named Oleksiy.
The woman, her name was Oksana, her papers said. She was conscious, her eyes wide with a primal fear. Not for herself, but for the life inside her.
“My baby,” she whispered, her voice a dry rasp. “Please. Don’t let my baby die.”
I held her hand for a second. It was cold. “My name is Alex. We are going to fight for you both. But I need you to fight with me. Can you do that?”
She gave a tiny, desperate nod. Nadiya slid in the IV, her movements sure and swift. The distant crump of another explosion shook the building, dust sifting from the ceiling tiles onto our sterile field.
We couldn’t move her to a proper hospital. She wouldn’t survive the journey. It had to be here. Now.
The ketamine took the edge off her pain, but she was still with us. I made the first incision. A Pfannenstiel incision, the same one I’d made hundreds of times in my clean, quiet hospital back home. This was nothing like that. This was blood, and urgency, and the muffled thud of war outside our door.
Oleksiy held the retractors, his hands shaking. “Steady,” I muttered, more to myself than to him. I worked blindly for a moment, my fingers finding their way by touch and memory. The uterus. The source of the bleeding. A piece of shrapnel, no bigger than my thumbnail, had pierced the uterine wall.
I got the bleeding under control as best I could. There was no time for finesse. I had to get the baby out. I extended the incision into the uterus. The amniotic fluid gushed out, mixing with the blood. And then, I saw it. A tiny, perfect foot.
A footling breech. Of course. Nothing about this was going to be easy.
I reached in, my heart hammering against my ribs. I found the other foot. The cord, I could feel it pulsing—a frantic, beautiful sign of life. With infinite care, I began to guide the baby out. Hips, shoulders, and then the head, delivered slowly to prevent injury.
And then, a tiny, limp body was in my hands. A boy. Covered in vernix and blood. Silent.
The world stopped. The shelling, the shouting, the smell of antiseptic and copper—it all faded away. There was only this silent child in my palms.
“Come on, little one,” I whispered. I tilted him slightly, clearing his airway with a bulb syringe. I rubbed his back firmly with a sterile gauze. Nothing.
Oksana was watching, tears streaming down her face into the surgical drape. “Please,” she breathed again.
I bent down and covered his tiny mouth and nose with my own. I gave two gentle puffs of air. I felt his chest rise and fall.
I did it again.
And then, the most beautiful sound I have ever heard filled that bloody, desperate room. A thin, reedy, indignant cry. It was a sound of pure life, a protest against the cold and the shock. The sound of a soul declaring itself.
I placed the squalling, wriggling boy on Oksana’s chest. Nadiya was already there, covering him with a warm towel. Oksana’s good arm came up to hold him, a look of such profound relief and love on her face that it felt like a physical force in the room. It pushed back the darkness.
My work wasn’t done. I turned back to Oksana, to repair the damage to her uterus, to tend to her shoulder. My hands were still steady, but now they were filled with a quiet, humming energy. The energy from that cry.
Hours later, I sat outside on a broken step, the night air cold on my face. The fighting had moved further east, the thunder now just a distant grumble. I was exhausted, drained to my very core. My scrubs were stiff with dried blood.
Dmytro came and sat beside me. He handed me a chipped mug of hot, sweet tea.
“The mother?” he asked.
“She’ll be fine. Strong woman. They both will be.”
He nodded, sipping his own tea. We sat in silence for a while. Then he looked at me, a question in his tired eyes.
“Why do you do it, Doc? Why are you here?”
I looked down at my hands. The hands that had held a dying woman and delivered her son into a world at war. They were just hands. A doctor’s hands.
I thought of Oksana’s face. I thought of that cry.
“For that,” I said quietly. “For the chance to bring something into this world that isn’t destruction. Just for that one sound.”
And in the darkness of a broken city, with the taste of dust and tea in my mouth, that felt like enough.”
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This is a true story. When I read it, I simply sat, so moved, all by myself in my place, tears in my eyes. This is one story. It has a happy ending, thank goodness, but this is happening in so many places in our world – the ending maybe not so happy. Wonderful doctors and nurses are putting everything on the line, doing the very best they can under horrendous conditions, to try to do good in a world full of violence. There is no pay high enough. They do this because their hearts force them to use their skills when others would be running in the opposite direction. There is no way to thank them for this labor of love. They work when they are so tired it’s amazing they can stand up, much less perform life saving surgeries. They work when they are hungry, when they have to be scared out of their wits with bombs going off all around them. They work when the outcomes are not good, when there was simply nothing they could do, and then go on to try to help someone else.
I’m so thankful to these men and women. I’m proud to share this post with you. I want you to read and feel and absorb, and then hope you will share it wherever you can so that people are aware that people are living and dying in places all over our beautiful world. Please don’t forget that. Don’t get so caught up in the details of your world that you forget the wonderful things that are happening in the midst of violence and hatred. Do whatever you can to support these medical people, plus the military people in the middle of harm’s way, as well. Thank you.
Happy Valentine’s Day! May you spend the day with your special someone swamped by love and affection!
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My orchid plant now has THREE blooms plus another three buds! (This was given to me as a condo-warming present when I moved in in May. The blooms promptly fell off and I thought I had killed it. 😢 I’ve been holding my breath, trying to continue following the directions I was given ever since and am THRILLED it finally bloomed again.)
I’m hoping for a bit more before I send the photo to my wonderful adoptive family here to show them it still lives. 😁
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I’ve been to the gym, showered, had breakfast with my son, Brian, have my laundry out drying on my balcony, and have answered emails and chat posts.
I’m starting to write blog posts and then I’m looking forward to spending some time painting some sketches. It’s the usual for this time of year – windows open to the breeze, beautiful sunshine and warm temperatures, and me grinning as I type…
I’m sorry for the quality of this image, but I think the message is important enough that I’m asking you to overlook it. (I’m not a subscriber to Instagram where all of the images are larger and clear.)
My son, Brian, asked me to start giving myself 5 minutes each evening to “feel gratitude.” He said to sit on something comfortable, put my feet on the floor, close my eyes and simply think of something for which I’m grateful. He suggested that thinking of a mental image or picture might help. I pictured him kissing my husband on the head at the nursing home. Nothing happened the first night, but the second I felt the emotion rise up inside me, flooding my system and grateful tears began to run down my face.
My husband and I had thought that we might not see Brian again. We were getting older and time was moving faster. He lived across the world from us in Thailand. It took 24 hours of traveling, with flights and layovers, to get from Thailand to us, so we wouldn’t ASK him to come unless we really needed it.
That time came in February of 2025, when my husband and I got really sick at the same time. Brian took care of us in Arkansas, convincing us to retire in Thailand to be close to him. Now my husband is in a nursing home here in Thailand. We are all together now, as much as we can be. When I think of Brian hugging my husband, Harvey – kissing his head and telling him how much he loves him – my heart fills up and spills over. “Grateful” is just not a strong enough word for what I feel.
My “5 minutes” now takes a half hour or more each evening before I go to bed. I feel at peace, taking the time to FEEL the gratitude for the changes we have made, getting to be close to Brian, living in a new exciting country with wonderfully kind people who have welcomed us. I find new things for which to be grateful on a daily basis.
As Nanea says here so beautifully, “FEEL IT – BREATHE IT”. If you only have one minute every day, you’ll feel yourself slowing down, calming down, filling up with appreciation and love.
This is a re-post of an article written by Larry Edge of Substack. I related to it so many times that I asked him for permission to share it here with you.
I hope that wherever you are, you are having a happy day, either doing last-minute shopping, wrapping presents, decorating a tree, hugging a loved one, listening to Christmas music, enjoying a walk outside, or relaxing with a hot drink in your favorite chair.
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I’m back from the gym, showered, breakfasted and ready to make the rest of my day a good one. I’ll write my posts for the blog first, since I love reaching out to you, and then I’ll decide whether to paint another sketch, work on my jigsaw puzzle, or read my book.
Cromarty Arts Trust
I’m also shortening and hemming the sleeves of three stretchy tops I like. (There is less of me now, and while I don’t mind the tops being long and loose, I don’t like to have to keep pulling up the sleeves. I have cut off each of the sleeves and am hemming them so I can continue to enjoy wearing them.) I did one two days ago, and will tackle the 2nd of the 3 today.
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Live Science
I have gone from being a person who almost never used my phone in Arkansas to a person who HAS to have my phone here in Thailand. Brian is teaching me a lot of things I use constantly now – like Google Maps; a chat program he likes where he, I, and my adopted family can contact each other; a weather app, Pinterest, notes, lists, alarms, and on and on. I’m still not, and will never be, a ‘techie,’ but I’m delighted in all the things I can use it for now.
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Freepik
Brian will bring dinner to my place tonight, and we’ll back up the data on my phone and my computer as we do each week. I love our visits on Tuesdays, where we discuss everything in the world and he makes me laugh until my stomach hurts…
We went to visit my husband at the nursing home this morning. As visits go, this was a pretty good one. He seems to be comfortable, and was happy to see us. He made sense most of the time, except didn’t remember that we were in Chiang Mai, and thought the trip here was still ahead of us. He was confused about a lot of things, but not upset. He seemed interested in what we were telling him and liked looking a pictures on our phones.
He pulled out his nasal tube three times yesterday and his hands were in hard plastic ‘bags’ to keep him from pulling it out again. We tried to explain to him that if he eats and drinks enough without choking, they probably will be able to remove the tube. It’s heartbreaking that he will probably never be able to ‘come home,’ barring a miracle, but I’m very grateful that we found a place who calls him, “Pa,” and his nurse thinks the fact he is stubborn is an endearing quirk.
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KinderCare
I’m back to painting the sketches in my sketchbook and having a great time. I’m carrying the Christmas cards I painted so that I can give them out as I see people. The rest will be given when we will go to a party hosted by the family who ‘adopted’ Harvey and me as honorary grandparents. We keep showing Harvey pics of their son and daughter, but he probably won’t see them in person. By the end of the year, I may fill up this first sketchbook. I think I’m making some progress in trying to learn to draw what I see better. I have a lot of fun trying, and I have a 2nd book to start when this one is finished.
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My dolphins jigsaw puzzle may be more of a challenge than I can handle. I’m making extremely slow progress on it. The change of my chair to one that rolls around, though, is great. I can now roll up to one side or the other and see better what I’m trying to do. Brian is happy I’m slow because each time I finish a puzzle, he takes a picture of it and orders a print made of it on glass that I put on my ‘statement’ shelf in my living area. He teases me, griping about the cost of the glass prints. I have two so far…. 😛
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Today is ‘old lady yoga stretches’ day. I did my mile walk on the treadmill at the gym this morning, and will spend a good long time (30-45 minutes) with the yoga stretches. I’m adding a couple of new moves to my practice, as Brian has suggested some things that concentrate on my core more. I will also do the Internet balance exercises and may dance a bit, if I don’t run out of time…
Pngtree
I’m finally within about 5 pounds or so of my weight loss goal. I hit a new low this morning (hoooooraaaaaaay!!!!!!) I will see where I am and how I’m feeling with the loss of 5 more pounds and then decide if I want to go for 5 more. I want to be to the place I can maintain my eating, being able to splurge at times without guilt, enjoy getting some jeans that fit (I’ve taken in the waist of the ones I’m wearing three times now), and concentrate on my exercising – working on flexibility, balance and core strength, as well as trying to build up my arm strength.
After getting back from the gym, our day had a bit of a scary start –
I was waiting for Brian to text me to join him for breakfast. All of a sudden someone was trying to get into my place! I was worried it was someone drunk who was at my door by mistake. I yelled ‘who is it?’ and it was BRIAN.
He had texted me on our usual phone app, but I had not answered and had not appeared as usual. He got worried and came to my door. He discovered the extra key he thought worked on my door DIDN’T. I knew he thought I had done something to my phone that caused the problem.
We had breakfast and then he looked at both our phones. I’m kind of doofus and was afraid I had it set wrong somehow. It turned out that the problem is in the APP, not ME! It wasn’t sending audible signals as it always does. Brian is trying to figure out the problem and see if he can get it fixed. Meanwhile, I will get a VISUAL signal if I’m at the computer, or I can check manually about the time he usually texts for one reason or another and get a message that way. I hope it gets fixed quickly, as we rely on it.
It is on the maintenance guy’s list to change the locks on Brian’s door and mine, and they will have the same key, so at least we will be able to get in and out of each other’s doors, if needed.
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We are having a quiet day today. Brian will work at home until he has to get out of Khun Nong’s way when she comes to clean his place. He’ll work at the cafe and then bring dinner here.
I’m planning to finish blog posts, and then puzzle, paint, and read. 🙂🧩🎨📖
I did 3 more Christmas cards, just in case. I have one more person on my list I haven’t found yet. The rest are for people I SHOULD have listed, but didn’t or who might be at a Christmas gathering of some kind.
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I’m enjoying the ‘great window opening’ at my place this afternoon. It’s 82 degrees and slightly overcast today. It’s a wonderful day for opening up, airing out, and enjoying the beautiful weather. The cross breeze is really energizing and I’m loving it!
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I got a haircut this morning, so I’m looking less like a dandelion-gone-to-seed than I was. This man does a good job. He’s getting the fact that I only want to quickly wash it in the shower each morning after my workout and blow it dry. No rollers, no styling, no gels, no spray. Just clean hair that looks like someone had a plan.
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We’re having some trouble getting around the past couple of days. There is no holiday as such happening now. The tourist season is in full swing, but it has been since around the first of November. I’m not sure what’s going on, but we’re having to build in more time to get where we’re going, since we have to wait longer than usual to get a GRAB.
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The visit to Harvey yesterday was pretty good. He seemed to like the picture I painted for him. I was going to replace his birthday picture with the Christmas picture, but his nurse insisted I just add the Christmas picture to the wall. She indicated that I could cover the whole wall with pictures in time if I wanted to. Is she a wonderful person, or what!
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I hope that you’re having a fun day wherever you are, that you’re safe from ugly weather, and that you’re surrounded by those you love.
We are going to visit Harvey at the nursing home this morning. Brian is taking some grape drink and a pineapple pie (Harvey’s current favorites) and I’m taking the Christmas picture above. I’ll replace his birthday picture with this one.
I also painted this sketch yesterday. I’m really enjoying the new chair Brian got for me. It’s really comfortable. I scoot around a lot, reach for things, move things around as I sketch and paint, then refine the sketches. The chair is wonderfully comfortable and makes my time in my alcove even more enjoyable!
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My jigsaw puzzle is coming along slowly. I’m having a good time working on it when I can make the time. I especially love being able to leave it out ready to work on, rather than having it ‘bother’ anyone to have the ‘mess.’
I’m also delighted that I’m safer and much more comfortable since I moved the old art alcove chair to be my puzzle chair and we got rid of the older wooden one. I can actually roll around two the two sides of the puzzle now. It makes it easier to see that I don’t have the piece I need and say a couple of bad words… 😜
Brian has dubbed me “Goofus” of the “Goofus and Gallant” cartoon series that appears in Highlights Magazine for Children. I had never heard of it and so looked it up this morning. I’ll explain more in another post. Suffice to say that I’m loving this part of my relationship with our son. He insults ME and I tease and tickle HIM. We have so much fun
We just tried to go visit Harvey. We wanted to go today because Fridays are super-busy for us. I just wrote the post about the Yi Peng Lantern Festival and the Loy Krathong Festival. Apparently, the fact that the 2nd night of both festivals is tonight makes traveling anywhere really challenging. We ordered a Grab and then information came up while we were standing outside, saying they would charge more than twice the normal fare one way and that our wait time would be ridiculous. So what is a wonderful celebration tonight is not without problems for us today. We will go visit Harvey tomorrow.
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These are my latest painted sketches.
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Pixabay
I finished “Next of Kin: Rebel Ridge Book 1” the Sharon Sala book I told you about. I enjoyed it and would recommend you check her out. Now I’m re-reading “Watercolor Dreams” by R.G. Ryan, which is technically the first book in his Jake Moriarity series, though I just finished the “Prequel: The Last Happy Summer” that came out recently. I am looking forward to re-reading the 6 books I have and then getting more.
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I have rolled up towels on my window sills, hoping to contain whatever leaks I get from still more rain. I hope the rain doesn’t make the celebrations tonight impossible.
Isn’t this the cutest thing ever? I laughed when I saw it and had to share.
One nice thing that happened when we were at the visa place this morning was that the lady who always helps us said a bunch to Brian in Thai. Of course, I didn’t understand, and just smiled at her when she smiled at me.
Later, when we were outside waiting for our ride, I asked Brian what she had said. He told me she said that I looked good. She saw that I had lost weight. She liked my haircut and said I looked happy. 😊
Later still, when we were at the nursing home, the manager of the place spoke to Brian. I assumed that she was telling him something about Harvey, but it turned out she had noticed I had lost weight and said I looked good.
Two people there asked if I was feeling better, showing you how NICE Thai people are.
Makes me want to redouble my efforts to lose the last of my extra lard and continue exercising! 💪🏻
“There is a crack in everything, that’s how the light gets in.” — Leonard Cohen
I have read so many things about people ‘looking for happiness.’ If they just have _______________ (fill in the blank), they’ll be happy. They look to someone else to provide it for them. They look everywhere and unfortunately don’t find it. Their lives end with them still reaching for it.
One thing I have learned is that – as Leonard Cohen has said – a crack lets the light in.
As we all know, life is not perfect. We are all surrounded by life’s ‘cracks,’ things that might even bring us to our knees, thinking there is no way we’ll have light in our lives again. The thing I’ve learned is that the light comes from within you – as your strength does to live with life’s cracks. I can always see or sense people who have learned this. There is a deeper, more knowledgeable, more forgiving look in their eyes. We communicate immediately, acknowledging that knowledge and strength with no words needed.
When we discover we have ‘something’ inside that helped us so much, we must do several things: one – recognize the light; two – do everything we can to make that light shine brighter and brighter within us, making us grateful for all we have; and three – share that light with others. Offering it is the important thing. They may not be ready for it, but the fact that you’re there, and you care, IS the important thing.
My former mother-in-law was the role model for me.
When she and my father-n-law were in the process of moving to an assisted living facility, we were driving there together. I asked her how she felt about the move. She immediately answered, “I’m going to love it.” My surprise must have shown on my face, because she went on to say, “This will be my new home. I will make it mine. I will meet people, join activities, make it a wonderful place to be.” AND. SHE. DID.
She brought the light within her to all she met at the assisted living place. People were drawn to her because of her loving nature, her wide smile, her enjoyment of each day. She embraced her light, made it burn brightly, and passed it on to others.
Goodman Family Dentistry
“Nothing can dim the light which shines from within.” – Maya Angelou
I hope you’re enjoying these Halloween posts. Finding the really creative children’s costumes parents are making, plus gathering the wonderful Jack-O-Lanterns people are creating – and sharing them with you – is going a long way in not being able to participate this year.
In a Japanese zoo, pandas get their favorite red leaves brought to their cage to lift their spirits. Watching their joy is absolutely heartwarmingpic.twitter.com/86ZRWOcLAZ
After our errands this morning, my son asked me which art gallery I would like to visit. I chose a place named Kaew Gallery, which is near the old part of the city. I had looked at their website, seen several photos of the type of products they sell, and decided I would love to see them in person.
True to their photos, the shop was beautifully laid out with souvenirs, post cards, prints, jewelry, and more, but the main focus was on original art. My mind was boggled on the first pass through, so I gathered my impressions and was determined to take a more careful look the second time.
My son helped me up some pretty steep stairs (for me), and was I glad he did! A painting simply jumped off the wall and into my heart. It was a delicious blend of all the bustle in Chiang Mai, electrical wires strung across buildings and streets, flags and signs, the street crowded with vendors and vehicles – all the things I find fascinating about Chiang Mai, all painted in black and white.
The painting was a vertical rectangle. The bottom third of the painting was the part that captured my heart. Colors simply leaped from the canvas, bringing the city to even more life, adding the human element to this beautiful city. There were a couple of similar paintings on the first floor, but the rectangular shape was perfect for me.
The painting was apparently done by Kaew, the owner of the shop. I’m not sure if she was one of the nice ladies who helped us today, but we couldn’t have gotten better customer service. One lady took payment while the other carefully wrapped our painting so that we could carry it in the trunk of the Grab we called.
Brian helped me figure out where to hang the painting – my first really personal pick for MY place. It makes me happy every time I look at it.
I’ve already talked about some interesting differences between living in the United States and Thailand, but some more come to mind –
When you buy a set of sheets for your bed, you may be surprised to find that a ‘set’ of sheets includes a bottom fitted sheet and two pillow cases.
I told you that we replaced the worn out bed in my condo. We bought a set of sheets and a duvet while we were at the store. When the bed arrived, the company had sent a free entire bed set with it, including a bottom fitted sheet, two pillow cases, and extra set of pillow cases for cigar-shaped pillows, and a puffy duvet.
No one expects a top sheet here. Even if you have air conditioning, the climate here is such – and the culture is such, apparently – that everyone prefers the fitted bottom sheet and a light or heavier duvet. After trying the light duvet we bought and the heavier duvet they gave us, I have to say I LIKE only having only the one sheet, and I prefer the lighter duvet.
When you go to buy dishware, it is almost impossible to find a ‘set of 4 dishware set’ for example. If you would like a set of dishware that has 4 larger plates, 4 smaller plates, 4 bowls, and 4 coffee cups or mugs, that’s what you buy – individually. (We ended up buying 2 of each.) They do sell silverware in a ‘package’ of one fork and one spoon,’ though. You buy how many sets you would like and then buy the knives and any glassware individually, as well.
I think it’s the European manner of eating where you have a utensil in each hand as you eat. They do that here. I had never tried that before and felt quite awkward at first, but I’m learning now. They put down both knife and fork to pick up a spoon, and then reverse.
I believe I have already talked about water being very important here. Brian made it clear right away that you use bottled water for anything to do with eating, drinking, or cooking. The sun is so strong that it seems you can feel the sun burning your head as you wait to cross a street. Everyone carries a bottle of water with them in a carrier of some kind so they always have some. Umbrellas to protect both men and woman from the sun are routinely used by walkers. Dehydration can be a life threatening event even in the city, and can sneak up on you, particularly if you haven’t lived in the country long. I have humongous water jugs on my counter to transfer to smaller containers that are easier to manage.
I’ve already told you about removing your shoes when you enter any private home or many businesses. Most businesses will have a sign, and then a rack of slipper-type slide-on shoes. You leave your shoes there, transfer to the slippers, do whatever business you need inside, and then reverse the process leaving. I mentioned that I was quietly amazed that shoes are always still there waiting for you when you come out again. It’s the same with motorcycles, helmets, and even packages hanging from the handlebars. It would be unthought of for someone to bother someone else’s property. I asked about theft in Chiang Mai. Brian told me it happens, but usually it’s by foreigners…
This is a beautiful photo called, “Echinacea” by @Livvylove.bluesky.social. This simply makes my heart bloom.
My day has been another good one. Brian and I did our workouts at the gym, ate breakfast, regrouped, then went to the mall called, “Maya” (pronounced May-YAH’-ah), getting there soon after it opened at eleven.
I had asked Brian if we could look for a teeny tiny sewing kit so that I could fix a hole in one of my socks. He asked me if I really liked my socks. I told him honestly that they were too much for Thailand, being long and thick, and that I wished I had some shorter, ‘footie-type’ socks that would be better for the climate.
So, off we went to the mall, not for the sewing kit, but for new socks! I’m now the happy owner of several pairs of footie type socks, black, white, and some colors, that should last me the rest of my life. 😃. He’s also asked me several times recently if I wanted some make-up (and I decided maybe I needed to try to spruce up a bit) , so I bought some new foundation, and will use a bit more make up when we’re going out.
Today, before he needed to go to work, Brian showed me how to back up the data on my phone, plus how to back up my computer. I made a lot of notes, and will hopefully be able to do this on my own, backing things up once a week from now on. 💪🏻
I had fun in my art alcove this afternoon, choosing a sweet drawing of a dog’s face peering out of a sheet that surrounded him. Today I used watercolor, but am also enjoying using my colored pencils. I enjoy others’ black and white drawings, but prefer to try to add color to mine.
Tonight Kuhn Nong cleans Brian’s condo, so we’ll make ourselves scarce while she works. We’re talking about either going out to try some of the blander Thai food (I’m a wuss – plus trying to eat low carb) or ordering in and eating at my place. If we stay in, Brian wants to work on strengthening some of my passwords.
I’m not impressing anyone with my progress on my owls jigsaw puzzle. But, as I stood there looking at it, I reminded myself that 1) it doesn’t matter if I only do this one puzzle the rest of my life and 2) it doesn’t bother ANYONE for me to leave it out! THAT makes me grin from ear to ear!
I just started an old Nora Roberts book that I somehow missed and just bought used. I’m already deep into her story, but our days are so busy that I find myself waking up with the book on my chest… (part of that is because I’m still without a sofa until Thursday, and so am spread out on the bed reading.)
Thank you, (cawp coon KAH!) for following my adventures as I learn to live by myself for the first time ever in a beautiful, fascinating country that draws me to it and intimidates me at the same time. What a wonderful opportunity it is to build a life for myself here!
My first ever pedicure was with my husband (also HIS first) just after we moved to Thailand, shortly before his stroke in April. This was followed by my first ever manicure in Laos, when we were in the country for other business.
Today Brian offered to take me to a place where I could get both at one time. Little did I know that when I was looking at prices, HE was telling the ladies to give me the total SPA experience.
The basic thing, of course, was taking off the old polish, giving me the mani/pedi (I’ve never said or typed that before!), but the ‘spa’ portion was the extraordinary adventure. There was a massage chair that really worked on my back until they started painting nails. I had herbal scrubs of my legs and feet, arms and hands, as well as massage of all. My feet were soaked in deliciously hot whirlpool water. Lotion was applied to feet, legs, arms, and hands.
The kindness was what struck me most of all. They seemed to sense that all this attention was new to me, and a gift from my son. They brought us each a bottle of water. They helped me very carefully from the door, into the special slide type slippers after we removed our shoes outside, and over to the chair, helping me get into it without incident, and back again.
They watched me to see if anything was bothering me, and seemed very happy when I smiled the whole time, my cheeks literally hurting by the end of my time there. I said my mangled version of ‘thank you’ in Thai, folded my hands together and bowed. Then THEY were smiling ear to ear.
This was truly a gift – an adventure – a total pampering of one old lady who greatly enjoyed every minute.
I also told Brian that this was over the top on pampering, and that in the future, I would greatly appreciate the joy of their removing the old polish, shaping nails, and applying new polish as the total wonderful service.
I am so lucky to have a son who tries to make his mom happy each and every day. Part of it is to try to make up for the agony of Harvey being in the nursing home – an extremely painful situation. Part of it is the joy of discovering each other as people – that we are growing closer and closer as the days pass, enjoying spending time together. He is sharing some of his favorite places with me. I’m delighted to have such a wonderful guide – seeing so many fascinating things without having to worry about getting lost, if I have enough money, getting transportation, avoiding any possible dangerous parts of the city, just concentrating on the absolute joy of seeing so many new things, the people, the traffic, the flow of the city, the culture showing right in front of my eyes, trying to learn a few Thai phrases, etc. I’m the luckiest woman on the planet!
Today the IKEA guys came and dealt with power tools and 46 gazillion pieces to assemble my chest of drawers.
The drawers not only have side rollers on each drawer, but one in the center of each. The piece is heavy, sturdy – though they did warn us not to have something really heavy in the top drawer and then have all four drawers open at the same time. DUH.
I used my new step stool yesterday to empty the high cabinets in my condo, taking a lot of what I found to the trash and the recycling area.
I spent most of today bagging up my husband’s things, carefully sorting, putting things in bags, labeling the bags carefully, and then storing them in two of the high cabinets I cleaned out in the living room. We will be able to find things needed at the nursing home quickly and easily now, plus it gives me more space to spread out a bit.
This freed up my closet area which I rearranged so I can find my stuff easily without a lot of standing on my head now. I then arranged things in my new chest of drawers.
I pooped myself out with all of this and ended up ‘resting’ for a few minutes, which actually turned out to be an hour’s NAP!
The changes continue, with my old people-swallowing sofa leaving this Friday between 2 and 3pm. This may collide with my wonderful housekeeper, Kuhn Nong; so we’ll be here, ready for the movers before 2, hoping they come and go before 2:30, when Nong is due to start. We will warn her if they haven’t shown up before she arrives.
I will be without a sofa until June 5th – 6 days where my living area will look extremely empty, and I will be moving around, trying to find another comfortable place to sit. 😃. I’ll send pics as soon as the new sofa arrives. This will be the last big change in the condo.
This is the jigsaw puzzle I am trying to put together. I love owls, and the colors this has I think are wonderful.
The very BEST part is that I now have a “jigsaw puzzle table” and the puzzle is OUT, very close to the door, where everyone visiting can see it for as long as I am working on it! I may even coax a person or two to sit down and work on it with me. 🙂
Brian is coming down to pick me up to run errands around 10- 30-ish. We had to wear our “Thailand Rainsuits” again this morning to go to the gym and back for our workout. As we were putting them on before venturing into the downpour, a lady who works at the condo building came out to ask Brian how his dad was. From his gestures, Brian told her that some things were better, but that his dad remains very, very confused at the nursing home. I am so amazed and pleased that people all over the building are so kind and caring to ask. He has obviously made quite an impression here.
When we get finished with our errands, I’m going to spend part of the afternoon using my new step stool to see what is up high in my place. I will get it cleaned out and use it as good storage places.
I think I told you that I have headphones with my computer for the first time ever. Brian got a set for Harvey and me so that we didn’t drive each other crazy with sounds. I’ve told you I came out of the hospital with a large hearing loss for which we are now looking for hearing aids. My husband would drive me out of our office in the states with the high volume on the gory movies he loved. The headphones would make it possible for us to each watch a movie with volumes set where we wanted them, sitting side by side, without bothering each other, or one could watch TV and the other work at the computer with the headphones that canceled out the noise of the other. Even though I am by myself in the condo, I have neighbors who might not enjoy my choice of YouTube videos or TV movies, so I wear the headphones. Last night I tried it, playing a documentary of Jelly Roll! ☺️
I have been finding drawings I like on YouTube and Pinterest and trying to reproduce them in my sketchbook. I’ve been using regular pencils, colored pencils, and recently bought a set of watercolors. Since the whirlwind of our lives is calming down a bit now, I’ve been having a blast simply playing in my art alcove, enjoying the process under no pressure to try to make something I hope someone will like enough to buy. Can you see me grinning? 😁
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