The Saturday Photo Hunt - Colours - Cricket - March 8, 2014

It's always easier, when your brain is on Sabbatical ( or when you are in the 
company of a baby for a whole month - as I have been since my return from 
traveling most of January about some of the cities in which I've lived in the former 
Southern U. S. ), to have nice blogging memes to help stimulate blogging posts.
"Colours" had me pouring through hundreds of photographs this morning.  India
pictures are the most colorful in my collection although I do have some other 
wonderful ones from other travels.  Of course, seeing them made me very
wistful to get out the suitcases and start look at reservation sites.  I do plan to
head back to India in the next few months.  That country is now so much a part
of me!!

This colorful group of young cricketers played in the courtyard outside my

"home" in Sahar Village, Mumbai, almost every day.  They always called for

Aunty Carmen to come out and cheer them on.  None of the fancy cricket 

clubs has ever captured my heart as these youngsters did.

I am participating in

The Saturday Photohunt

Add your colorful photo to join in the fun!

Monsoon Merriment - August 24, 2012

At long last, Jaipur had a torrential downpour which lasted all night and
well into the next day.  School was cancelled and my landlady had her 
two grandsons to watch over. I was at my computer, enjoying the 
downpour on the roof, listening to the happy screaming of little Vishu,
who often sits patiently with me as we search the skies for returning 
peacocks.  Today, however, fully clad, he was splashing joyfully in the 
huge puddles created by the rain.  Since there was a great "swimming 
hole" right in front of my room and I could take photos from the dry comfort 
of my porch, I called him over.  He was most obliging and I got some delightful 
shots.

Whenever I have my camera out around Vishu, he has to perform Hindu dances

for me.  He is such a character ...AND he is a pretty good dancer, wet or dry!

When he didn't have a toy boat available, Vishu was very creative and put

his shoes to good use!

Sadly, that night, Jaipur experienced massive rainfall which caused the worst

flooding since 1968 and several lives were lost.  Even with this amount of rain,

the late beginning of monsoon, has not been of much benefit to farmers who

needed water for their crops much earlier in the growing season.  However, for

animals who were dying of thirst, this brought some relief.

Ruby Tuesday 2 - A Delightful Indian Preschool - July 23, 2012l

My guest house shares space with a preschool here in Jaipur, Rajasthan, India.  My
private entrance, in fact, is next to that the children use but, since they leave about
noon, I still have my privacy and I enjoy seeing them come and go.  I keep thinking
I should ask the teachers if I could sit in on classes so I can learn Hindi!!!  I love
these bright, colorful signs out front which are perfect for Ruby Tuesday 2.

I am participating in Ruby Tuesday 2

Add your bit of red to join in the fun.

A Christmas Poem for Children

A Christmas Poem for Children

The snow has started falling,

And the angel’s on the tree,

There are cookies baking ,

For my sister and for me.

There’s a huge roaring fire,

To keep us cozy and warm,

And Grandpa and Grandma,

Arrived before the storm.

We had a festive dinner,

With lots of special treats,

Followed by desserts,

And once-a-year sweets.

Our house is full of cheer,

Bright bows and sprigs of pine,

Every room is glowing,

Resplendent and so fine.

Mama tells of Christmas customs,

In lands so far from home,

Some mysterious and exotic,

Where we hope some day to roam.

Papa reads the Christmas story,

Then we’ll soon be tucked away,

To dream of jolly Santa Claus,

For tomorrow is Christmas Day!

Carmen Henesy

Copyright © 2008 Carmen Henesy. All Rights Reserved.

Blessings

Blessings


Though I mutter about the drizzling rain,
And, as I grab my umbrella, I complain,
For the parched earth below, the glistening drops
Are a blessing.

Work is brutal and the hours long,
And, I wait impatiently for the closing gong,
But every week, when my paycheck comes,
The money is a blessing.

They run shrieking about in whirlwind play,
And seem to ignore what I have to say.
Yet when I hear their prayers at night,
My children are a blessing.

Our country, at times, seems such a mess,
But regardless of this, I must confess,
That to live in the United States, to me,
Truly is a blessing.

I'm growing older, that's for sure,
And, try as they might, there's no cancer cure,
But I woke up this morning,
And that I regard as a blessing.

Carmen Henesy

Copyright (c) 2009 by Carmen Henesy
All rights reserved.

The Soul of a Child

I had a phone call this morning from a dear friend, delightedly announcing the birth of her first grandchild.  I have a bit of a cold, a remnant, I think, of my European vacation, so I won't go yet to see the new addition to the family but I made a card out of a poem I wrote a few years back.  On my morning rounds at the hospital, I always stopped by the newborn nursery ( a huge place at San Francisco General Hospital ) and gazed in awe at its precious inhabitants.  They were the inspiration for this poem.  The baby in the picture is my son, Alex, now 27-years-old, 6'4" tall, and soon to be married.  I didn't have any other baby pictures handy so I hope he will forgive me for using his.

The Soul of a Child

I gaze through nursery windows,
At babes so newly born,
Tightly wrapped in pink and blue,
Stocking caps their heads adorn.

Their needs right now are simple,
They know not yet of strife,
I pray it will remain this way,
Throughout all of their life.

I hope they never suffer,
And wish them food and love,
And, most of all I wish for them,
God's bounty from above.

I hope these babies will succeed,
And the angels will have smiled,
Every step along the way,
Upon the soul of every child.

Carmen Henesy

Copyright (c) 2007 by Carmen Henesy
All rights reserved.