And still they gazed, and still the wonder grew
- Oliver Goldsmith, The Deserted Village
Let me retreat from the grandness of late, to rediscover and appreciate
Little things. - Liz Wagner
My friend was in a bind for someone to watch her little one, so I stepped in. Can't remember the last time I babysat; my days as an official daycare-giver are long past. I met them at their condo, and her daughter's first comment was, "Why did you cut your hair?" That's an existential question...
My diminutive companion and I walked to the new mall just across the alley from their condo. Our first stop was the Coffee Club, where she enjoyed her free "baby-cino," and the waitress asked if she was my granddaughter(!) She colored a picture, and confidently asked the waitress in Thai for another colored crayon. This from a four-year-old native Japanese speaker who chatted with me in English as well - smart cookie! We colored our black-and-white drink coasters. I said she should bring them both home, but she insisted I take mine for "my friend."
The mall was packed with kids, the first few days of the three-week(?) fall break for Thai students. We went up to the playland area, but her membership card had expired just days earlier, so we just walked around the mall, playing "Which cake do you want for your birthday?" at a shop that had strange, spongy, cake-shaped key rings. We stopped at the gigantic Pikachu for a picture - she looked so tiny in comparison. We enjoyed our afternoon together.
Life is somewhat subdued here since the king's passing - no loud music coming from the ubiquitous beer bars, most Thais wearing black. The newspaper reported some kind souls were giving away free black T-shirts for needy Thais who couldn't afford to buy one. A few places were also offering dying stations where people to bring their clothes to be dyed in big vats. For those who couldn't find black, or had to wear a uniform for work, they were allowed to wear black armbands or ribbons. I haven't been able to find any black ribbon in the stores (everything black is in short supply), so my one black shirt is getting lots of wear - blah.
Other Little Things:
Last week Tim and I were at Avenue Mall in the evening, and we passed one of the "bar cars" parked on the plaza. These customized VW buses park in the evenings, setting up plastic tables and chairs for their patrons. This particular bar car had a cute display on their counter:
At the pool last weekend, I noticed a little snail with shell, inching along the cement. It struck me as the quintessential version of a snail.
The little, but relatively giant, moth was perched on the wall as I passed the security desk on my way to church last Saturday. It was so big and intimidating-looking, I was afraid to get close enough for a good picture. I'm certain it could have put my eye out had it flown into my face! Another moth of average size was made to look giant by a trick of forced perspective. Beware! And a commonly seen butterfly perches on a flower outside our condo.
An item that definitely belongs in this "little things" post is one of the tiny Buddha amulets that monks hand out to people for good fortune. I may have talked about these before, but I wanted to illustrate just how tiny they really are. I dare not remove it from it's plastic sleeve, or I would surely lose it.
Finally, I must share the simple beauty of the little plumeria, or frangipani blossoms. Their trees line the pool area, and can be found all over Thailand. I so wish I could include their delicious scent as well.
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| Another interesting flower spotted on the hill, the Thai pink powder puff flower |
P.S. Congratulations, Cubbies fans!
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Thanks for reading!