A Lot of Catching Up to Do! - October 26, 2015

Well, folks have probably forgotten me after my long silence these past few months!  My India residence had the absolutely worst WiFi connection so I was seldom able to post.  

Besides that, my right shoulder has been insufferably painful and massage did little to relieve the agony.  I didn't get to San Francisco before departure so I was without my usual pain medications -the new Federal law states that you must have prescription in hand from your physician - no more phoning in to your pharmacy.  I can honestly say that Naprosyn does NOT alleviate that joint pain.  My total shoulder replacement is scheduled for November 18th so, thankfully, I should feel better as soon as the day after.  My left shoulder was done two years ago.  Of course, I will need about three months of physical therapy - and it is my right shoulder so I anticipate things will be a bit more difficult post operatively!  I'm trying to practice doing things with my left hand.

I flew from Mumbai to Tampa for a week with Charlene Payton, my dear friend of forty years.  I didn't really have jet lag, I don't think, but with her incredible sleep number bed, I made up for five months on that horrible mattress I had in Mumbai.  Blissful sleep, wonderful company, and great eating readied me for a week in New Orleans and my fifty year Charity Hospital School of Nursing reunion.

I stayed at the home of my friend of fifty years, Martha Meaux Genin.  What a joyful time we all had.  There were so many memories, a few tears, lots of laughs, fabulous food.

Finally, I made it to West Sacramento where I got the warmest welcome ever from my sweet granddaughter, Harper, and the granddogs.  She does not want me out of her sight now and I am being showered with hugs and kisses - when she isn't saying, "Nana, don't touch me!"  She has grown by leaps and bounds and has an incredibly amazing English and Spanish vocabulary for a 2-1/2-year old.

Now that I have really high speed internet, I'll be catching up on India posts and the rest of my world.  While this last stay in India was not my best, I do want to go back.  I can't end my visits to this "country of my heart" on a bad note.

More to come.......

Shadow Shot Sunday 2

Through My Lens Nr. 6 - Making Music in Jaipur - September 11, 2014

This visit to India, I did make it back to Jaipur, my favorite city so far, for a ten day stay.  I was fortunate to live there, once for six months.  I love the colorful city and spent a wonderful evening at a special event with lively music, good food, and colorful saris.

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Shadow Shot Sunday 2 - Wilted and Forlorn - August 30, 2015

I feel this way in the Mumbai heat!!

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Cats on Tuesday - Curious and Curiouser - August 18, 2015

Recently, I went over to visit my friends, the Toscanos, with whom I have lived on two of my previous visits to India. They have a menagerie of cats and feed and provide a wealth of love to litters of strays and wounded felines around their compound, even having some spayed in hopes of helping control the cat population.

Their resident cats didn't adore me but tolerated me and provided me, always, with a wealth of photographic opportunities.  One, Eddie, was the nosiest cat I've ever met, always investigating all my purchases, peering into boxes and bags.  I was always afraid that, one of these days, his curiosity would get him into trouble!!!

I had been on a shopping spree at Bandra's famous Bazar Road the day I visited so I was armed with an assortment of bags which Eddie resisted for about a second.  

Hey you, I want to see what's inside here!!!

Let's see...the neck rub might do it!

Maybe I should try to attack this striped bag....

Finally making headway...but my left foot is caught..good thing I have 9 lives!

Eddie gave me a scornful look, finally gave up and, worn out from his efforts, stretched, then took a nap.

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Bits and Pieces - July 31, 2015

Did brave the monsoon rains to have dinner with friends at Saltwater Cafe

I haven't spent any time lately on the computer.  Though I did purchase a "mifi" apparatus from Vodafone with a fairly good internet plan, I've just plain been lazy.  My right shoulder is bothering me so much, sleep, at night, is evasive.  I came to India without my usual pain medication because, at the last minute, I couldn't get down to San Francisco, for my prescription and, with the new U. S. laws, one must get the Rx in hand.  It cannot be called in to a pharmacy.  At least, now, I am really aware of how much the medication helped.  I suppose I could go to a doctor here in Mumbai but I don't want them to think I'm a 70-year-old drug seeking patient 
( even if I am ).  I am taking Aleve twice a day.  I do have a Costco-sized bottle of that with me - not especially good for my ulcer but my beloved friend, Charlene, in Tampa, just sent my 90-day refills of my regular medications.

Monsoon rains have begun again.  It's a bit different from last year. There was a good bit of heavy rain and flooding during my ten day visit to Jaipur, then a dry spell for awhile.  For the last couple of weeks, the rains began anew.  Living high on a hill, the winds are a bit more blustery but we don't really have thunder and lightning.  The clouds dump huge droplets, then we have an hour or two in which to run to the bazar or grab lunch somewhere, then it all starts again.  Rickshaws plow through the water which often flows over the floor and the flapping curtains do little to keep passengers dry.  Traffic comes to a standstill, horns blare, and tempers boil.  Street vendors race to cover their wares, and themselves, for the umpteenth time!

Spices, grains, rice for sale

These spices and grains are so beautiful.  I always wonder about cleanliness as they are exposed to everything - the elements, car exhaust, people handling them, dampness and humidity, etc.  Of course, they are cooked to make the fabulous Indian dishes that always smell so tempting and taste so good.  Just like a Westerner to worry about such things!  Having had a couple of bouts of "Delhi Belly" or "Mumbai Motion" in the past, I do worry from time to time.

Sundays in My City - Bits and Pieces - February 1, 2015 o

On the 3rd of February, it will be two months since my return from India!  My days seem so full, I can't catch up on all my projects and I still didn't complete Harper's stocking in time for her second Christmas.  I am determined to finish it before I return to India on May 5th.  I made the excuse that she is still too young to really find fault with her Nana's procrastination!

When Alex or Laura are working, I look after my granddaughter who will be two-years-old on April 13th.  She constantly amazes me.  Harper is so intelligent and is

learning Spanish as well as English.  Alex speaks fluent 

Spanish and reads her bilingual stories and identifies colors,

animals, etc, in both languages.  She is full of energy and

doesn't realize that Nana, at 70, can't quite keep up the pace 

that she does.  The other day, as we walked to the park, she

kept telling me, "Run, Nana, run," as I tried to match her little rapid footsteps!

My granddogs, Taffy and Bucky, are just wonderful with her,

tolerating having their tails and ears pulled - though we admonish her not to do so.  She constantly uses Bucky for a seat and MUST have Taffy, her doggie mother present whenever she goes in for her nap or bedtime.  If they go into

their kennels for a brief respite, she wants to go in with them!!

Watching Sesame Street with Taffy

I really miss San Francisco.  I've only been down once, for three doctor's appointments.  It's a hundred miles from Sacramento - thankfully, the gas prices have dropped to about $2.60/gallon - but, with my baby sitting responsibilities, I just can't get down there.  

I was able to see my orthopedist, Dr. John Belzer for cortisone injections in my right shoulder and left knee.  Probably, next time I'm home from India, I will have to get a total right shoulder replacement.  The procedure done on my left shoulder was such a success, I won't continue to suffer much longer with this pain. 

Thankfully, for the time being anyway, one of my really dear friends, Kris Bleything, has moved to Sacramento.  It is so nice to be able to have a pal to try out some of the area's restaurants and with whom to enjoy movies and to catch up on the latest gossip.  Last night, we watched a really nice Helen Mirren movie, "The Hundred Foot Journey."

I've managed to gain eight pounds since my return home, thanks to the ability to find so many good, reasonably priced wines and to access all sorts of decent restaurants near me.  

Alex and Laura are only about fifty miles from California's famed Napa Valley and there are several nice wineries within twenty miles of their home.  One of them, Bogle Vineyards, is in Clarksburg, only fifteen miles away.  I've always liked their wines, reasonably priced, and with many varietals from which to choose.  This past year, I attended a wine event at the Sacramento Convention Center and tasted their "Essential Red" for the first time.  It is a a blend of Old Vine Zinfandel,

Syrah, Cabernet Sauvignon, and Petit Sirah.  

Bogle 2012 Essential Red, received a rating of 91 points in Wine Enthusiast as well as a "Best Buy" designation.  In many stores in my area, it is available for under $12/bottle.  

Rich and complex, with flavors of boysenberries and sweet cherries, it is a wine that is sure to please, in my opinion.  Costco, this past week, had it for $8/bottle.

I've eaten at some good restaurants, especially Japanese places for sashimi and sushi - since I won't do raw fish in India.  The Bay area abounds in these, often within a block or so of each other.  Most of the time, these are a bit hard on the budget but worth the indulgence!

My computer is on its last legs so I have been trying to read the latest info in hopes of getting a new one before I return to India. I do have a tablet but it just doesn't seem adequate to me for blogging, research, etc.  Anyone have suggestions for me?  

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