“Whenever the pressure of our complex city life thins my blood and numbs my brain, I seek relief in the trail; and when I hear the coyote wailing to the yellow dawn, my cares fall from me – I am happy.” ~ Hamlin Garland
“Elephants love reunions. They recognize one another after years and years of separation and greet each other with wild, boisterous joy. There’s bellowing and trumpeting, ear flapping and rubbing. Trunks entwine.” – Jennifer Richard Jacobson.
I got curious about whether Thai people celebrated Halloween or not; especially if the kids did the equivalent of “trick-or-treating.”
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“Phi Ta Khon Festival (Ghost Festival) 2025. The Phi Ta Khon Festival, more commonly known as the Ghost Festival of Thailand, is a colorful part in Thailand’s rich tradition of ghost and spirit folklore and bears a passing resemblance to Mexico’s Día de los Muertos or “Day of the Dead.”
Rooted in Asian culture, it is an annual event held to honor and appease restless spirits. Its origins can be traced back to ancient Buddhist and Taoist beliefs. According to ghost festival history, the gates of the underworld open during the seventh month of the lunar calendar.
The Ghost Festival, or Phi Ta Khon, is not held in Chiang Mai but in Dan Sai district, Loei province, during the rainy season, typically late June to early July. It is a colorful festival featuring participants in elaborate ghost masks and costumes, parades, and religious ceremonies to honor spirits.
Activities:
Parade: A major highlight is the main parade on the first day, featuring participants in elaborate ghost masks and costumes.
Religious ceremonies: The event includes prayers and ceremonies at local temples, such as Wat Phon Chai.
Rocket festival: The second day often incorporates elements of a rocket festival (Bun Bang Fai) to ask for rain.
Symbolic rituals: A tradition involves a symbolic discarding of costumes into the river to let go of suffering. “
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This is a much more serious celebration than our Halloween, and though children are included, the masks and costumes of the adults are what have the concentration.
We had some of this as part of our breakfast the past two days. This Thai fruit is called a Pomelo. It’s much like a grapefruit, except it’s sweeter and the sections are huge compared to any grapefruit I’ve eaten in the States.
“The biggest citrus is really an improved grapefruit; a pomelo is at once both sweeter and easier to eat. For convenience, buy one that’s already been cut up (stand back and watch Thai supermarket employees wield immense cleavers).”
Thankfully, it only sprinkled this morning, so my laundry is now out on my balcony drying on my drying rack. I’ll still keep a close eye on the weather, ready to leap up and bring my rack inside, plus put a sheet under it to catch any drips. 😊
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This is my latest painted sketch.
I go for a massage tomorrow. As you age, your bones become more brittle, your muscles more prone to injury; so it’s super important to me to have a massage therapist I can trust. (I was really upset to have to leave Lynn, my wonderful therapist in the States.) I feel as if I’ve won the lottery to have had TWO experts tend to this old body, making me feel loose and wonderful again for a time. It’s beyond price to be able to put yourself in someone’s hands you KNOW won’t hurt you, knows exactly how hard to pull, push, kneed, or twist to get all the knots and sore spots to recede, if not leave altogether.
Because I’m so delighted to have found my second terrific therapist, I’m going to try to paint a thank you card for her. She speaks very little English. I speak even less Thai, but a card, my mangled attempt to say, “Thank you” in Thai, plus a huge smile and saying “yes” to another massage NEXT Friday should get my feelings across. 🙏🏻
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I have done the prep work, mostly, for Khun Nong, my housekeeper coming tomorrow. I’ve changed the sheets on my bed, I’ve gathered trash to take out, I’ve straightened things so that she will find it easy to clean.
We will go to visit Harvey at the nursing home tomorrow. Because Friday is my busiest day, when I go to breakfast at my son’s place in the morning, I’ll take my sheets and towels he washes for me, plus my sketchbook, drawing supplies, my Kindle, and my sweatshirt so that we won’t have to disturb my housekeeper while she’s working. We’ll go to Bri’s when we get back from the nursing home, grab our stuff and head for the cafe where we stay until Khun Nong is finished.
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I hope you are having a great day or evening, and that you are aware and grateful for all you have.
One of our favorite things to do up on top of our ridge line in Arkansas was create yard critters from scrap metal. We originally went to scrap yards, but insurance liability issues caused them all to close access to their yards. We ended up using used 20 gallon propane tanks and scrap tools and things we found at yard sales, plus things we had in the shop.
Our “Welcome Robot” doffed his hat at visitors, while giving the house number. We used a larger propane tank for him. He weighed about 200 lbs. A huge gust of wind would blow him over, or down the hill to the side of the driveway. We ended up putting a large chain around his neck, then attaching one end to a tree down the driveway farther and the other to the pole behind him – the stand for the owl and a driveway bar we put down when we were gone for any length of time. The wind would still make him LEAN, but we could pull him up and put something under a foot or two to stabilize him.
Our “Flying Pig” hung from a tree over the driveway, attached by a strong line to a branch. He ‘flew’ down the driveway, informing visitors that the time had come for pigs to, indeed, fly…
Our “Farmer Robot” stood to one side of our garage door. We had fun attaching tubing for arms and legs to the propane tank body, then finding the box for his head, flattening tubing for his feet, installing cat’s eyes marbles, and then adding the work gloves and his bandana.
Our “Mallard Duck” was attached to a pole in the middle of a brick planter in the back/side yard. He was up in the air, taking off. His head and beak were some kind of cutting ax type tool we got at a garage sale. Wings and tail were cut from sheet metal and attached to the propane tank. Rods were bent into shape, welding shorter parts for his feet.
Our “Patchwork Popadoo” Bird is shown here in our shop at my painting table before we put him out in the yard. He had fan parts as wings, various tool parts as his head, beak, and head ‘feathers’. He had bended metal for his legs and feet.
Our “Penguin Cleaning Robot” was made with a propane tank, oil funnel for his hat, farm disk of some type for his head, metal cone for his nose and other welded parts for his feet. We put fireplace tools in his gloved hands and spruced him up with his bright red bowtie. bowtie.
Our “Thanksgiving Turkey” received a permanent reprieve from becoming someone’s dinner. He’s made of a propane tank body, cut out feathers from sheet metal, a farm tool part for his head and beak, rolled up metal for his headpiece and wattle and ‘wings,’ and rods for his feet. He lived at the base of a tree at the top of the driveway.
And, finally, we didn’t create anything with this one – I just painted it. We had a 1,000 gallon propane tank between the house and the shop. It was white and really stood out. I tried to make it look like a watermelon. The propane fill-up guy laughed his head off when he came up to fill it, took a picture, and left laughing. It made my day. :0)
This is a bit of exaggeration, but it was really pouring outside when I woke this morning to get ready to go to the gym. My windows started leaking, so the ‘bucket brigade’ started.
I ended up texting my son that I would be opting out of the workout this morning, having to monitor my leaks. I have rolled up towels all the way across the windows in my main living area, plus in my bedroom right now. I’m seeing which towels need to be wrung out into my bucket every few minutes.
It’s supposed to be nearing the end of the rainy season now. Apparently, Mother Nature hasn’t received the memo yet. It’s really coming down hard. Brian said he wouldn’t go to the gym, either, if the rain continued this hard. So far, he wasn’t having leaks in his place, thank goodness.
When the rainy season is definitely over (sometime in November, I think) work will begin on the exterior of our building. Repairs and repainting will happen then. Resealing my windows from the outside is on that list of things that are due to happen.
I’m hopeful that the NEXT “rainy season” I can just look out and think, “Wow, it’s raining hard,” rather than having to participate in it quite so much…
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! 💪🏻
The Puente de la Mujer is a rotating footbridge for Dock 3 of the Puerto Madero commercial district of Buenos Aires, Argentina. It is of the cantilever spar cable-stayed bridge type and is also a swing bridge, but somewhat unusual in its asymmetrical arrangement.
One of the wonderful videos I get to watch while I walk my mile on the treadmill in the mornings is of Buenos Aires, Argentina.
There is a really impressive waterway for ships that we walk along, getting closer and closer to this amazing bridge. The whole thing swivels out of the way when a ship needs to go through!
There are paved trails and naturals trails through wooded areas, sandy beaches, mountains, and more in this video. I traveled across the Plaza de Mayo with its beautiful buildings. Buenos Aires is a stunning city, even when you’re only ‘traveling’ on hiking paths!
Getting visas renewed in Thailand is a master class in understanding the laws and gathering what is needed and submitting it before the deadlines pass.
Thank goodness we have access to a company who handles this for us. It doesn’t cut out a lot of hassle, but it makes it possible to get it done without tearing out ALL of your hair.
We went this morning, taking our 90-day reporting paperwork, plus the papers from the hospital and Harvey’s doctor in hand. Brian’s and my paperwork still requires an expert, but it’s very straightforward compared to what is necessary for Harvey medical visa renewal. We got an appointment for Harvey to be evaluated at the hospital and the main doctor to fill out the two sheets of paper required. Today the lady gave us about 20 sheets of paper (I don’t think I’m exaggerating) that she needed to have thumbprinted by Harvey. We already had pictures of Harvey at the nursing home to prove he was there.
We had to go to the nursing home after seeing her to get the sheets thumbprinted. It took Brian, me, and the nurse to get it done. Harvey kept trying to rub the blue ink from the stamp on his face in-between thumbprints. We managed to avoid that, but not by much. We got it all done, visited with Harvey briefly, and then had to leave to get the stuff back to the visa place. (I was glad to see Harvey, apologize for not being able to come see him yesterday. I got two kisses from him. 😊
Just after we walked into the door of the visa place there was an explosion nearby and the power went out in the office. We were able to complete what we had to do with our phones and were good to go. She will call us when we can pick up Harvey’s visa and get the stamps for ours.
We left at 10 and didn’t get home again until 1:30. Whew!
That was our big thing for the day, so I’m relieved we got it accomplished. When we get things back, we’ll be legal for another 90 days!
This is David M. Bird. He is the creator of “Becorns” his whole series of characters created by natural materials and then photographed in natural settings with animals to create an entire “world.”
I can’t say enough about his creativity in creating the characters, or his expertise in the photography of the characters in all kinds of different settings.
He offers Prints on paper, canvas, and metal. He also offers calendars and note cards. I love them and wish I could buy the whole collection. They really speak to me!
“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.
I had to opt out of going to see Harvey with Brian this morning. My system was backed up. I had a bad bout and texted Brian I wouldn’t be able to go. I went back to sleep after all was over and slept until about 2pm. I still feel a bit weak, but MUCH better after the extra sleep.
Brian’s report on Harvey was pretty good. Harvey still had the nasal tube in (plus a bag on his right hand to keep him from pulling it out). The nurse brought cake for him to eat, and he was able to eat that. Brian said he looked better. He ‘responded’ when Brian talked, but didn’t ‘answer’ much at all. He was concerned that I wasn’t there, but calmed down when Brian explained it wasn’t anything serious. So. Good visit today. 😁
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Our ‘grandson’ (we were adopted by Brian’s friends and have been named honorary ‘grandparents’ as they welcome us to Thailand) had a 4th birthday. We were in the ER with Harvey, so couldn’t go to the festivities. Brian sent him a big picture book about spiders. Our grandson LOVED it. His parents were kind and sent Brian a picture plus a video showing him opening and then looking at the book with great interest!
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This is my latest painted sketch
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I hope you have a happy day. I hope some of you have Columbus Day off from work.
“Rest is an art that should be practiced, for all the good it can bring us.” – Unknown
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With my husband’s sudden trip to the ER this week, we’ve had a stressful couple of days. Both Brian and I have really needed days where we didn’t have to get out – where we could try to breathe, relax, and rest.
“When you rest, you catch your breath and it holds you up, like water wings…” — Anne Lamott
I’ve used the time to myself to work on my new puzzle, paint a little, talk to friends, and do mindless chores around my place. I’m beginning to unwind enough that I may be able to rest better tonight.
“Sometimes you need to give yourself a break when you’ve had a lot of life change.” — Barbara Freethy
Harvey is not doing well. He’s hanging on, but barely. We are treasuring every moment that we can actually communicate with him now. It is becoming more and more rare. We will go see him in the morning.
I hope that YOU are getting the rest you need – whatever life is throwing at you. We are all in this world together. Virtual hugs to you. 🤗
“Every morning was a cheerful invitation to make my life of equal simplicity, and I may say innocence, with Nature herself.” –Henry David Thoreau
@elkep.bsky.social
“There is no Wi-Fi in the forest, but I promise you will find a better connection.” – Ralph Smart
Anschi – @anschiro.bsky.social
“Whoever you are, no matter how lonely, the world offers itself to your imagination, calls to you like the wild geese, harsh and exciting—over and over announcing your place in the family of things.” – Mary Oliver
Photography and Art Gallery – @U42-Steve C.co
“If you truly love nature, you will find beauty everywhere.” – Vincent van Gogh
These are some new thank you cards I’ll leave for Khun Nong when she cleans my place.
PNGEgg
The last few days have been stressful. My husband spent the last two days in the ER at the hospital for double pneumonia, high blood pressure, high fever, and low blood oxygen.
I have trouble looking at this objectively for lots of reasons – low blood oxygen was what I died of TWICE in the hospital in Arkansas in February. It scares me. I’m seeing a definite pattern of symptoms in my husband. He was in the emergency room for the same symptoms in August.
He isn’t eating enough. The doctor wanted to put in a permanent stomach tube. Harvey and I have always been against things like this when our time comes, so we have said no. They ARE using a nasal tube right now, though, to supplement what he is able to eat normally. I’m trying to prepare myself, but it’s difficult. We’ll go see him tomorrow.
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Yesterday we had a quiet day, so we were able to decompress a bit. I worked on my jigsaw puzzle, painted the thank you cards, wrote posts for the blog, read a bit, did my laundry, etc. It was nice to move from one activity to the next with no particular time frame. I almost took a nap, but my brain was too busy to allow me. Maybe today…
I hope that the weather is calming down wherever you are and that you are able to get outside and enjoy fresh air, sunshine, wonderful temperatures, and glorious sights provided by Mother Nature.
As I walk on the treadmill each morning, I’m in awe of the videos on the treadmill screen. Someone I guess has a business of traveling to different locations and filming paths one can walk in each location. They do it with great expertise. You feel as if you are actually there, walking on the path, turning when they turn, walking up steps, over rocks, down slopes, across bridges – even off the edge of cliffs when the camera plays with your mind, giving you a gorgeous view before changing to another path.
I’m enjoying virtual vacations as I try to improve my balance, my steadiness, and my stamina.
There is a nice video about Hawaii. I usually have to research, using my memory of what I’ve seen, to figure out the location because it isn’t given on the video. Certain places like Hawaii are easy to figure out, though I can’t tell you where each location was.
This image was taken by Tasha Marie of Unsplash. (I’m trying to give you the FLAVOR of the images on the video, since I can’t give credit to the actual image makers.)
There is a gorgeous stretch of sandy beach, where you walk along, admiring the nice waves coming in on your left. The video moves you closer to the water as you walk, getting your feet wet, then finally walking in the waves a bit. It’s glorious. The only thing missing for me is sandpipers skittering across the sand on their long, long legs, making me laugh.
Mike Sirotin Photography
There is a lava field in one part of the video similar to this one. There are white markers along a ‘path’ considered safe to hike on. The lava field covers part of a road in one area of the video. It’s awe-inspiring to see what power nature has to change the landscape of our world.
This image is similar to a section of the video where you hike through heavily wooded jungle-type areas with sometimes very narrow paths. You can almost hear the call of birds as you walk.
Photo by 1234Kidswilltravel
Waterfalls large and small spill into creeks rushing beside your path as you walk, or off in the distance a bit, making you goggle at the majesty of nature.
I hope I’ve given you an idea of the expertise of the people who create and sell videos to gyms – and I guess they are available if you purchase your own treadmill to use at home.
They provide a distraction from the fact you’re exercising, if you’re a lazy person like me; they provide focus so that I can let go of the handlebars and concentrate on changing my balance as needed to stay on the paths; they show you places in the world you probably won’t ever get the chance to actual visit – led by someone who won’t let you get lost!
The glass print of my owls jigsaw puzzle finally arrived yesterday.
This glass print of the personality painting my dad did of me when I was about 6 is still in the center – the place of honor – on my shelf. Our son had it made for me after we moved to Thailand when he saw how sad I was to leave it in Arkansas. He brought it to me soon after I moved into my place here as a housewarming present. It’s made me feel my parents are here, too. Isn’t he wonderful?
This print of a painting by a good friend is on the other side of my dad’s painting. I’m delighted to be able to display his work. He has sent us a print at Christmas for some 20 years. We had to leave those, too, so it was a delight to get a letter – with a card print – from him here recently!
My plan is to only have really meaningful things on this shelf. I particularly love the idea of preserving jigsaw puzzles when I finish them, since I give the actual puzzles away when I take them apart again. It’s kind of a “statement shelf.”
Only in America …do drugstores make the sick walk all the way to the back of the store to get their prescriptions while healthy people can buy cigarettes at the front.
Only in America …..do people order double cheeseburgers, large fries, and a diet coke.
Only in America …..do banks leave vault doors open and then chain the pens to the counters.
Only in America …..do we leave cars worth thousands of dollars in the driveway and put our useless junk in the garage.
Only in America ……do we buy hot dogs in packages of ten and buns in packages of eight.
Only in America ……do they have drive-up ATM machines with Braille lettering.
“Do the best you can until you know better. Then when you know better, do better.” ~ Maya Angelou
University of Central Florida
Maya Angelou was such a wise woman. So many of her quotes resonate with me.
Harvey is being moved from the ICU to a private room this afternoon. He seems to be doing better, though was not alert. We talked to various doctors and then waited for the nurse from the nursing home to arrive before leaving. We were there about four hours.
I’m trying to concentrate on putting one foot in front of the other, doing the best I know how to do each day, and then doing the same thing the next day.
Stressing about the situation doesn’t help. I’m trying to SEE what is going on as objectively as I am able, base decisions on FACTS – not emotions. I’m not being totally successful, but I’m doing better than I was.
I’m doing everything I can to relax when I can. This helps me stay calm when we’re having to really listen and make decisions based on what they recommend plus what we know about Harvey.
Halloween has always been one of my favorite holidays.
Back in ‘days of yore” (1492 when I was young) we trick-or-treated. I got together with my friends and we walked down to the neighborhood close to us where the houses were closer together and people were wonderful about turning their porch lights on to show you were welcome to come knock on the door.
We didn’t have our parents with us. We roamed for a couple of hours, going from welcoming house to the next until our containers were absolutely groaning from the weight of all the goodies we loved and we were finally tired from all the walking. We made our way home again where we dumped out our goodies on our beds and dove in to eat at least a couple of things before our parents announced it was time for bed.
Back in the ‘olden days’ parents didn’t have to worry about their children getting hurt or abducted. They just said, “have a great time” and got ready to answer their own doors for visitors.
Now parents either go with their children from house to house holding their hands or follow the kids in their cars. OR they arrange parties in their homes or go to community parties overseen by trusted adults.
Gone are the days of spending pennies on a costume, gathering your friends, shrieking in delight when you got good things or were “scared” by someone in a frightening mask. All you needed was a flashlight, a big container for goodies, and your friends…
These images are all from Pinterest. I don’t imagine I could get my condo building to approve any of these water features, but I can sure drool and dream!
This is the haircut I got today. I got him to give me a good cut for my recalcitrant hair, blow it dry, and NOT put any sprays or goop on me!
Latest painted sketch.
This is the jigsaw puzzle I’m working on. I think it’s gorgeous, but it does have a LOT of black on either side, across the bottom, and in the middle, making it hard to figure out what I’m working on.
Here’s what I’ve done so far. I’m going really slowly, but I don’t get any prizes for doing this quickly. 🤪 I’m having a good time.
We had a hard rain storm necessitating rolled up towels in the window sills and my bucket again this week, but I have all the towels dry now, ready to go into action again. The rainy season supposedly ends the first of November. I’ll be happy to see this season go. The building is supposed to be painted on the exterior in November or so, with repairs done to the outside, so I’m hoping my problem will get solved then.
I’m hoping you’re having a good day wherever you are and that things are going well.
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