The Skinny on Silk

There is the worm from the cocoon and...

That is why they have to keep the crows away from the outside tables.

We learned a lot about harvesting silk that day. Most impressive was that each cocoon unwinds to up to 3,000 feet of thread and that to start the process they put the cocoon in very hot water and then we were told that the worm dies a very natural death. Did anyone ask the worm?

Money exchanges hands, the farmer gets paid and the silk goes on its way to becoming a beautiful creation.

Worms, The Good Kind

On the way to the Safari we stopped for a visit at the silk worm auction.

Rows and rows of cocoon filled tables were the first thing we saw just inside the gate.

Then we followed men with huge sacks on their heads and...

Found a room inside with fifty times more tables filled and ready for the sale.

The Birthday

Ice Cream...

Gifts...

And Ronald...What self respecting birthday girl could ask for more? ? ?

(One day we were returning from meetings on the other side of the city. We turned right on a big street near out neighborhood and stuck in the center divider were hundreds of red flags. What holiday were they celebrating? There are so many in India. In a few blocks more we turned left and red flags streamed down ahead of us on that street too. Then we realized they were advertising that MacDonald's had come to town. India had arrived!)

Happy Birthday

Our friend Stefi had a birthday and we took the whole family to MacDonald's.

When we called to have the family pose the father put his arm around his wife's shoulder and we told him how American he was and he liked the idea.

This is the first time that the family has had the fast food experience or really eating out in general except biryani at a street stand.

We bought Stefi cake last year so this is the second time around for fancy cakes.

Protesting

School children can be involved in popular causes, but it is a controlled "protest." An area of the street is protected and notices are posted of the time for the protest and lots of police show up first. When all is in place then the students march in support of their opinion.

Up On Poles Or In The Depths Of Buildings

It amazes people when they see electrical wires in India looking like spaghetti. One day I came out of Church across town and at the bottom of the stairwell I happened to look right where a half sized door was opened. Sitting on the floor of an "elf sized" room two men pondered over yards and yards of electrical wires of at least six different colors. Swirling around and around the wires had tangled themselves and piled up to a couple of feet high. The men did not look like they knew what they were doing, but everyone in India is an electrician so I just hoped they would live through the day.

Schools

Everywhere in India children attend classes in interesting uniforms. These can be children from modest, even very modest homes but still these are the fortunate ones. Public schools in India have fees. Also you must buy your own books and provide your own uniforms. You purchase the fabric from the schools and hire the taylor man on the street to make your outfits.

We saw a brand new PUBLIC school (owned by a minister's brother) It has a/c, white boards and computers and costs 76,000 Rps. Be happy to live in the Land Of The Free!

Friends And Food

When the missionary couples get together for a conference they try to find time to go out to eat. Here are the last eight of twenty-four of us at a little upstairs French restaurant. Now one couple is in Utah, another couple will be in Utah in a week and Alaska has already claimed the other couple. We just got a phone call with details of the next conference and guess what? We will be the only ones left. We travel to Bangalore one more time. Luckily there are two couples coming from Sri Lanka.

So since oak meal with raisins is my breakfast most days (tasty but basic) we will search out a special meal while we are attending the last zone conference of our mission.

The Play House

The first Sunday our one nursery child would not go in the little house.

The next week he was an expert at going through the front door and throwing toys in and out of the window.

The third week a new child came and now we are up to four.

If you build it they will come.

A Sewing Project

Our friend the auto driver found this table at a used furniture store. As near as I could learn there was not such thing as a card table in India. I wanted to build a play house for the nursery room in our new meeting house. This table worked after we had it welded here and there and stabilized in other ways. Ideas come easy but they are difficult to execute.

The next step was to sew the house. No one seems to have a sewing machine here and if they do it is the peddle with your feet type (which by the way I learned to use here. My grandmother would be happy because she tried to teach me when I was ten and I just could not do it. If you break the rhythm the machine reverses and you are sewing backwards.) Mostly men sew on the streets and the Tamil speaking tailor on our street teamed with me. I gave him about a ten minute assignment. He would run down the street and sew and return and I would give him the next step.

It worked despite the language barrier. We now have toys and a comfy place to sit for the childen. PROBLEM, we only have one child.

My Birthday

My birthday was in August and the primary children gave me a dress.

Our branch president at the time (he is now the president of our new district) shopped and picked it out.

If you notice where the flowers end across my knee you will see the length is the latest fashion, short...

But finally I found a brown skirt in Sri Lanka and could wear my special gift. Thank you Primary!

Morning

In the morning we were packed early and ready to leave. We said goodbye to the tiger doll...

Earlier we thought this smiling tiger doll might be the closest we would get to the real thing. Coming to this beautiful forest land, we had adventures and before the airplane ride tonight we would have more, but for now it is time to say so long to the safari.

Dinner

There is no doubt what our main topic of discussion was at dinner that night. The next morning we would leave the forest early and by evening we would be on a plane returning to our twelve million people in Chennai. Tonight however it was all tiger talk and then a deep sleep and good dreams.

What My Mother Told Me

As we traveled back to our forest "home' the sun was almost down and it seemed that the whole world took on the colors of our tiger. Thoughts came of sharing our adventure with our children and grand children. Then we realized one of our mothers had prepared us for this moment by often quoting the poem of William Blake. Tiger, tiger, burning bright In the forest of the night. . . Did He who made the lamb, make thee?