And some updates.
It has been a pleasant week with Vidur unexpectedly having a week off from school since they’re hosting some regional/national event and have children from other schools occupying the classrooms. Close on the heels of his exams getting over, this was a very welcome break and it gave him time to catch up on his hobbies and some lessons, too. The 9th std is tougher, particularly with CBSE, even though it is fun, so long as one stays in touch on a daily basis. In fact, their math teacher is kind enough to take the initiative to offer them online classes thrice a week, which we highly appreciate.
With heavy rains everyday at some time or other, the cold is doing its rounds. So after some dilemma about what to cook, we decided on pongal and parangikka vetha-kozhambu. I decided to make some chakra pongal also, since I could pressure cook the basics and to make it interesting for the cold-stricken boys. After a pleasant lunch, we’ve settled down to some Home Alone 3.
And Ashok and I – triggered by a suggestion of sundakkai – are busy fantasizing about marathangalikka – thamara kazhangu vethhal, kothavaranga vethhal…pavakka vathal….Oh, chill the spellings. Takes me back to our little garden where I’d pluck the ripe manatakkalikka (that’s what it was called) not marathangalikka :-)and pop it into my mouth. Tangy taste. The vathal is super-yummy. Also reminds me of how Mom would make all kinds of vathal – vendekka, pavakka, chenaikizhangu, potato…yummy.Oh, so blessed to have grown up like that. (I just read somewhere that Sundakkai vathal is Sundried turkey berry and manathakali vathal is Sundried Black Nightshade). How I wish I had a camera back then!
In the meantime, I have people saying “happy friendship day”. Everyday is happy friendship day, so long as the friends are there. Talking about friends, I had a smashing time last weekend with some facebook friends – we got together as a foodie meet which turned into a music meet at the end. Naturally this resulted in planning a music meet (which may turn into a foodie meet at the end 🙂 Whatever, whichever, it is fun. Nothing more exciting than the virtual becoming real – and continuing to be enjoyable.
Hmm. So Kishore Kumar’s birthday came and went. And those silly news9 channel fellas coolly featured a Kishore song’s video and had Kumar Sanu singing – how gross is that?
I know this is a little dis-jointed, but when I’ve been talking to Mom in my head, 🙂 go on….call me crazy! I think of her in everything I do. Her smile, her reactions, her joking, her teasing.
And it is going to be exactly a year and a half tomorrow. We’re feeding the kids at Seva Sadan.