Yin and Yang

I have sometimes wondered at the contradiction of things. How can so much hardship be tied with so much joy?

Raising a child involves endless work, constant attention, sleepless nights and exhaustion. But  some of the sublime joys of life are tied to being a parent. Very few things can give you the same sense of joy and satisfaction as seeing your child grow.

Gardening is another example. You spend the whole of spring and summer tending to the garden,weeding, watering the plants, nourishing and protecting them. It involves a lot of time and effort and in most cases simply uneconomical. But the feeling of seeing the bounty of Fall when you reap the fruits of your labor are incomparable.

This is the philosophy of Yin and Yang I learnt. Yin-Yang are two opposite principles of nature that cannot exist without each other. To skip the hardships seeking an easy path means to skip the joys too. Spring only comes when winter is over!!

To Kill A Crimson Rosella Bird

I couldn't contain my excitement as I aimlessly wander about the city of Canberra. Canberra is a birder's paradise with a stunning variety of local birds.

The loud and fearless Magpies, large numbers of Crimson Rosella's,  Sulphur-crested Cockatoos, Red wattlebirds, tiny Blue Fairy-wrens, the Black Swans on Lake Burley Griffin, Australian Wood ducks, a large flock of Black Cormorants .. the list goes on and on. The most beautiful of all I thought are the colorful red and blue Crimson Rosella's. They were all paired up and busy building nests preparing for the mating season. Spring is in full bloom here.

Picture courtesy:australianmuseum.net.au

My cousin was driving me around the main landmarks of the city. We were on the highway and going fast when a pair of Rosella's flying very low crossed our path. To our shock, the bird in front bumped hard on our windshield several times, went over the moving car and fell on the road. It all happened in a split second. There was nothing we could do. From the side view mirror I saw the two birds on the road. The injured one's fluttering body and its mate standing next to it on the busy highway.

Shock, sadness engulfed me! I shudder to think what happened to the birds.

What is it with Brits and Books ..

You will never find people of English origin without a book in hand. On buses, trains, while waiting... anywhere and any place seems appropriate to immerse oneself in reading. It seems to be awefully important to them.

I got to observe two vacationing families on a boat sailing along the coast of Rhodes Island off mainland Greece. A English family of four sitting directly opposite me was rather quiet. The father was immersed in his book, the mother in hers and two barely teenage kids also busy reading thier own books. They spent most of the journey in silence except for an odd comment here and there asking for water or sunscreen and an occasional glance at the far away horizon.

The Greek family of six on the opposite side of the boat on the other hand seemed to be having a lot of fun. The little kid running back and forth from mom to grandma, spoilt with a lot of kisses. They were loud, laughing and poking fun at each other, enjoying the ride, chatting and eating.

As I watched them it became clear to me that Life is to be lived first hand. Life simply cannot be experienced by reading a book devouring someone else's second hand accounts.

Red cardinal and Green grasshopper

The weather was very mild yesterday with a cool breeze blowing and the sun showing up occasionally from behind the clouds. Yes, it is September and Fall is here. Looks like the red cardinals love this weather. I spotted atleast four of them today nicely camouflaged among the red leaves and berries of Sumac.

Suddenly one cardinal leaped out of the bushes to catch a green grasshopper right in front of me. The grasshopper tried to escape several times only to be caught again by the cardinal. After a few attempts, the cardinal flew away with the grasshopper firmly held between its thick red beak.

Pressure canning with Christine Manning

Thursday morning was a busy time. The kids were off to summer camp. My mother-in-law and I got busy tidying up the house for a private class on pressure canning "Spaghetti sauce". The kids had spent the previous evening washing up 15 pounds of tomatoes in the backyard while I washed the mushrooms and herbs ( basil, oregano and parsley) for the next day.

Christine (of Manning Canning) was at our door a few minutes earlier than expected. She brought with her all the equipments, pressure canner, knifes, cutting boards, a large steel plan and every else that we would need. We got busy with cooking and chatting for the next 4 hours.

The end result was 5 bottles of authentic, yummy, flavorful "Spaghetti sauce"!

Baby Blue Herons

I see the beginnings of Fall. The days are getting shorter. The first colors on leaves are here, some yellow, some bright red. I had reached the end of the trail where there is a small swamp in a secluded area. I have seen the Blue Heron here several time. Today, I saw two birds flying over the swamp. From their flight and the pointed feet, I instantly recognized them. They were baby blue herons. Just slightly larger than a pigeon. It warmed my heart to know that the adult Herons had a successful mating season this year. The babies are thriving and I will see them around.

Caramel Candy ( aka Caramel Rava Laddu )

Yesterday my dear friend Pooja gave me a bowl of leftover caramel syrup that she had made to drizzle over brownies. With my daughter having such a sweet tooth, I am a grateful recipient of the sweet treats that she makes. She suggested that the kids could have apples dipped in caramel syrup as a snack. I didn't have apples so I used pears instead.

I wondered what else I could do with the extra caramel syrup. I turned to my mother-in-law who came up with the idea of making Rava laddu with the caramel syrup. She made it today and rolled it into small brown balls to fool the kids into thinking this is candy. This is what it looks like.

Brilliant idea isn't it! Now lets see if the kids get fooled :)