Painted House

One week and one day to go. Preparations continue. Invitations go out (and I realize I forgot everyone on the US including my family – stay tuned). The house has been painted outside and mostly in. Some level of nominal cleaning and organization is underway. Gravel is replacing the dirt, pots of flowers and plants come in by the dozens, a water garden has emerged, or should I say submerged. A new front porch adorns the entrance to the house to the delight of Meow's grandmother who sits above it all and watches the comings and goings of the household and life of the neighborhood. It's sad that grandfather now lies in a dream inside the house on what I think is his deathbed as I know how much he enjoyed the small balcony that preceded it. Holding still wonderful memories of his warm soft smile greeting us w hen we'd come in the driveway. In any event it seems a good portion of the extended family has been employed or engaged in the undertaking of preparing this home to host a wedding. Actually just the morning ceremony will be at the house – the night party is in an empty lot across the street. "Who owns it?" I asked Meow last week. "We don't know". OK that is Thai style for you…

Tonight as the warm golden sun sets over the rice fields and into the mountains of Myanmar (Burma) to the west the front yard of the family house is invaded by a gang of scrappy and scruffy kids come like the biblical locust descending on us. It's time for a lot of chatting and too many questions fired at me in a relentless rat-ta-tat Gatling gun barrage – kids don't accept that I can't understand. There are questions about the wedding. (Meow tells me they are all excited and we decide we need to have ice cream and treats for the them) I feel so irresponsible my Thai isn't better. Here I am about as deep as one can get into Thai life and I've got only rudimentary skills. My resolved to study harder stiffens bolstered by an hour or so of study today. Damn-it - I will learn to communicate fully.

My life here in the family home and Meow's annex becomes ever more comfortable. Sun has set and the golden green wildness of the back lot is now a black hole to sink my eyes into. At last the roosters who seem to cockadoodle all day long have shut up and decided to listen to the crickets out in the bush; punctuated by the occasional dog chasing away the sprits that wander up and down our little street and make trouble for us. Now it seems the ducks next door have decided to make a racket and a lone rooster just won't let it go. And out in the distance just beyond the threshold of hearing I can discern the final echo of the gang of kids and a baby's cry. Teeming with life it is. Blessed with a chance to be part of a simple life am I.

Comments

Thanks for sharing your joy. A lucky man. A lucky woman and boy.

[GGBerry]

How nice, happy man :) Sukhothai is complete peace. Good to know you love it there. Anyway, Congrat on your wedding!