More Houses........ and Ashram Dogs

Here is a selection of some more cheerful houses in this area.

On December tenth last year. one of the ashram dogs, Brownie, gave birth to two puppies under a bush in the rain. I covered her hiding place with some plastified cardboard but when that finally wilted, she was taken to a place under the staircase. There she brought up her two girls, named Candy and Chocolate. They have become regular guests at my house, sleeping on the old coach on my terrasse and enjoying some treats I keep for them. Unfotunately Chocolate had an accident on the construction site 3 weeks ago. Yesterday she was finally euthanisd after all our care was not able to help her. Candy is well and joining her cousins, two boys and a girl, born on Christmas day, as they discover the ashram world.

Do you like it colorful?

Last week I spent two days in the holy city of Tiruvannemalei in Tamilnadu state. Every month on the full moon night, millions of Indians go to this city for a pilgrim's walk around the mountain Arunchala, which was the home of the saint Ramana Maharshi. It was the full moon during our stay and we walked around the mountain the day before the crowds arrived, begining at 6 a.m. to avoid the heat. At the end, we landed in a small village on the outskirts of the city. It was the most beautiful example of people living simply in harmony with each other. The clay streets were swept clean. Everyone was out in the street plying their trade or milking the cow or bringing the childen in their perfect uniforms to school. Another delightful aspect was the colorfully painted houses. It was as if children had used pots of leftover paints to decorate the surfaces of the house...with plenty of fantasy and freedom.