The Quiet Park

I am surrounded by small parks where I live. I love it. The park by the street is always filled with people (mostly elderly men playing cards). The traffic noise is ever-present. It's fun to go there if you want to feel like you are in the big middle of life! But if you want a few moments of peace and quiet, you go the other direction, to the park I call "The Quiet Park."

And she's off! Mimi is enjoying the sunny days of spring, galloping through the grass at The Quiet Park, on her way to chase cats, bite children (like the boy below perhaps?) or sniff where other dogs have been. She's always mindful to stop and smell the roses blades of grass along life's way.

Look at this kid! Not only is he safe from getting any kind of scratch, but not even Mimi could bite through all that garb!

Spring in the Kingdom

Finally! Shadows have made a comeback because the sun is out! I'm back in Bamboo Forest enjoying the early days of spring.

White flowers on trees were the first to appear, followed by red ones on trees. I don't know what kind of tree this is that blooms with white, but it's a beauty.

I took this photo this morning. Can't wait for the magenta flowers to open up!

Today was the first day for these pink blooms to appear.


Spring is always stunning in the Middle Kingdom. I didn't see a whole lot of this kind of thing growing up in a desert (though I must say, I loved it there too).

Fall like rain

“Let my teaching fall on you like rain; let my speech settle like dew. Let my words fall like rain on tender grass, like gentle showers on young plants.”

-- The words of God from Deuteronomy 32:2
(NLT)

P.S. I’m experimenting with bigger photos.

Somewhere down the road

Terraced farmland, as viewed from my seat on the train.

The skies are grey in the villages, and even more so in the cities. It's dreary season.
Coffee (below) adds some excitement to the trip, of course! :-)

I’m on a rail trip this week, about 500 miles away from my lovable 15-pound Pekingese fur ball. 

The train is as modern as they come (better than any airplane I’ve ever been on), but the further away I get from Bamboo Forest, the more antiquated the scenes that pass my line of vision.

The mountain villages may be far from the big-city sophistication, but what lovely landscape greets the farmers each morning!

I got off the train in a big city of about 10 million. It is dirty and dreary. They need to run the whole fleet of motor vehicles in this town through a car wash. Some sun would be nice, but even if the clouds lifted I’m not sure we would see it through the polluted skies.

This morning it was raining cats and dogs and my friend and I got drenched in our unsuccessful bid to flag down a taxi. We gave up after half an hour and scrapped our plans for the morning. It is still pouring.  

It's still cold too. I'm wearing three pairs of socks inside my fur-lined boots and even have on two layers of long johns. Winters are brutal almost everywhere in this country, even when {sigh} the calendar officially says spring.

If rainy season is in the summer, then what is this? 

Bring it on!

Winter is cruising towards the finish line and the first buds of spring are peeking out of their hiding places. Can’t wait to see the trees covered in pink (might be God’s favorite color)!

That's my apartment building in the top photo.

Biking in the kingdom

Next time you go buy ice cream out of a sidewalk ice cream freezer, remember this poor guy (top left) who had to haul one on the back of his bike, and the gal (bottom right) who wears a dress in WINTER on a bike.

Living life in the bike lane is not easy. I know for sure.

The face masks are for warmth. The guy talking on a cell phone is a danger to other bikers. This, too, I know from experience.

The Plush Pink Cave

My sweet little darling spent most of the winter inside her posh resort, otherwise known as her cubicle. It must be nice and cozy inside. I’m supposing. I’ve never been inside it.


That hair sticking out the front is part of her really long bushy tail!

Dull

My mind is as dull as the grey skies outside. Day after day, I look out my big picture window and see wet-slicked pavement, bike riders wearing bright-colored raincoats and pedestrians carrying umbrellas. The elderly who usually play cards at the park downstairs are probably sitting at home, watching TV, bored out of their minds.

I want to be busy, check a bunch of work assignments off my to-do list, update my blog, finally answer long-unanswered emails or go out to meet new people. But I am overcome with rain-induced dullness.

On a dry day, it could take up to half an hour to get a taxi. On a rainy day, taxis are all full. I could stand outside an hour in the cold rain and still not flag one down.

I could take a bus, but it also requires long waiting times, only to get on a standing-room only bus next to people whose wet umbrellas and outerwear are pressed against my own. It feels yucky and disgusting.

The last available transportation option is my e-bike. I could don a brightly-colored rain poncho, but when I got to my destination, I would have to fold up the wet plastic, stuff it inside a bag, do my errands, unfold the wet thing and put it over my head (and bulky winter coat) again. It's messy.

You've probably got a car. You probably cannot fathom the lifestyle of someone like me who doesn't have one.

So I stay in, waiting for a break in the weather, jetting out the door the second it stops, hoping it will stop for at least an hour. I need groceries if nothing else.

A few times I went out to coffee shops hoping to meet new people, but the shops were basically empty. No one else wants to get out in this weather either.

I vowed I wouldn’t let the weather slow me down this winter. I am still trying to fight against failure. The next two weeks' forecast shows more rain, so I'm going to make an effort to overcome the dull days of winter in the Middle Kingdom.

Activities for a cold, rainy day

I went to the Marvel Comic book website and made myself into a comic Super Hero. I did it for a team-building project (i.e., I kinda had to do it...I can't see myself doing this for any other reason). What do you think? Do I look fashionable and scary?

You can go there too -- it's fast and free:

http://marvel.com/games/play/31/create_your_own_superhero

You get to choose your hair color, clothes, weapons, etc. but not your age, skin elasticity or body shape. So if it doesn't look true to my age, it isn't my fault. If you decide to make yourself into a Super Hero, send it to me so I can see!