Coconut tree inside the bathroom

A friend and I are planning a vacation to Kerala. While going through the websites of different resorts, we were struck by the description on one of them for their villas, which listed amongst its many attractions – ‘a coconut tree inside the bathroom’!!!

Hmmm….a coconut tree inside the bathroom…..I mean, really? Why would anyone want a coconut tree, or any tree for that matter, inside a bathroom? I am sure that the plentiful coconut trees outside the bathroom would suffice just fine!

Now, if you are taking a dog along, well, that's another matter entirely.....

Everything is relative

We make ourselves the centers of our universes. Well, most of us. I, me, myself…..

I wonder, if we kept in mind the actual size of the universe, would we still do the same? Karen Shanley, in her recent post talks about the relative size of astronomical objects and it is enlightening to know that ‘our world’ is so minuscule in the actual universe. And this is the universe that we have discovered. Who knows how many undiscovered universes are floating around.

If we keep Karen’s beautiful pictures in our minds, they would probably help us keep our egos out of things and situations. And dealing with stuff would be so much easier.

The next time a person brings their ego into a problem thereby making the problem worse, I would tell them, ‘Do you know the size of Antares’? And what do you know? There goes their ego crashing down!

Today....

How can I let today go without talking about it? Today is the day summer has officially turned into monsoon - in my part of the world - even though there has been no rain. The sun was sulking behind gray clouds all day, the immense sharp heat of the last few weeks toned down considerably and the air was relatively less warm.

Today has been a day of promise and hope, the promise of rain and the hope of ending the great Indian summer. At least for a year…….

Pigeon Capers - 2

Once the pigeon brigade are through with the juvaar, they hope on to the liquid part of their ritual.....the builder has very considerately provided a tap on the terrace under which I keep a small plastic bucket, always filled. The pigeons will take turns to hop onto the bucket edge and dip their heads into the bucket and daintily sip water.......Once in a while I keep the tap dripping just a little, and they will stand directly under the tap so that the water falls on their feathers....once they have been 'watered' adequately, they will spread out on the terrace, flattening themselves on the floor, pecking their feathers continously, drying and cleaning themselves parallely.....there's a system to their actions..which is evident only if you see them for a long enough time regularly.....and though it's been almost 8 months now, I still don't get tired of seeing their daily rituals.....
The best part is their standing in line...the bucket is small and can only take two or three pigeons at a time, the rest will hang around waiting for their turn......just like people at an ATM.....