Happy New Year

At the dam on New Years day 2011

 January 1 and 2!  Although the whole rest of the family stayed up to welcome in the New Year, the Sanjay Choudhrie family all fell asleep too early.  But January 1 rolled along splendidly.  We are the early birds around here, so we have had nice mornings of lolling around the farm.  Sanjay has taken long and fast “walks” each morning, while I choose sitting around the porch drinking tea and eating as my hobby of choice.  Visiting India is not good for the spare tire.  

We took a walk to the dam in the morning, which explains the pictures added to this post, all of them taken by Daya.  The damn creates water for all of the surrounding fields, which are lush and bright green right now with new wheat.  Saturday is market day, so we met many people bringing their wares to sell.  Handmade bamboo baskets, fish, and lots of other this and thats.  The Saturday market is a great experience, but we didn’t make it this time. 

Person carrying basket to Saturday market in Padhar

Ashish and Lisa

The party happened last night.  With a huge tent erected on the lawn and chairs brought it, we were ready for a big onslaught.  It was really very cold here, which was my first experience of a cold India, so we froze ourselves and the guests, but had a lovely little program, including a speech by Sanjay and a performance by the Choudhrie family singers.  Dad and Mom both told some of the stories gathered in 50 years of marriage, which were very fun for me to hear and learn.  Again, we were the big sleepy heads and our girls both fell asleep during the program before they could eat. 

We feel so blessed to be here for this event.  It is satisfying to see our girls begin to relax and fit right in.  They both agree that this would be a good place to live. 

Today will bring a long “family” party with breakfast and lunch served on the patio.  I think a long walk is in the works too.  And then I have to preach for the small English speaking service at the local Lutheran church.  Which is what I’m going to get to work on right now. 

Lemon meringue pie. Yum!

Sanjay, sister Manju, who know how to make pies amongst many other things

The former chicken coop and now our room.

Andy taking a break from playing and taking care of Buddy the lab.

And now, a word from Daya:

Lots of Stuff in India

By Daya Joy Choudhrie

There was a party yesterday and there is going to be one today.  Yesterday was the party in Hindi, and today will be the English one.  Last night at the party, there was a really suspicious thing going on.  Everyone was spilling their tomato soup and no one knew why. 

I got to name one of my grandpa’s calves, and its name is Fluffy.  I named it Fluffy because it is really fluffy.  There is another calf that is really shy and won’t let me or my sister pet it. 

Our beds are kind of hard here, but we can manage them.  We have been very sleepy from the time change.  It is night here when in New Mexico it is day.  So when it is day here, in New Mexico, it is night.  No one knows how to travel through time, like on an airplane when you are traveling through time to get to India.  I bet not even astronomers know.  No one will ever know except for God.