The Indians Abroad

Overseas Living: NRIs & India abroad

Posts Tagged seasons

The Spring Time

Apr 11

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Entertainment, Trivial Stuff

The seasonal birds are back again. Red Robins are flying around with tiny branches in their beaks, looking for safe places to build their nests. The geese are migrating back from the south; flocks of ducks are re-acquainting with the freshly unfrozen water in the ponds. The tulips, the daffodils, the lilacs, the gladiolas….the roots of bulbs are bursting out in the garden soil. New sprouts are shooting out to enjoy the new season. Everyone – a plant or an animal – knows: it is spring again.

Put away your winter jackets; put away the snow shoes. It is time to come out of the hibernation; the spring is here.

It is time to admire the nature again. The trees are shaking off the freezing stiffness of winter. The new buds are opening up; the ground is unthawed; the grass is changing color from dry brown to lively green again.

Look outside, look around – a natural and beautiful canvas of prominent green and new spring colors is painted once more. Once again, the blue ponds and the new shrubbery are the living proof that there is no better artist that Mother Nature. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Snowy Mess

Feb 12

Posted by admin in Non-Resident Indian, Trivial Stuff

It is 6 in the morning; I am standing inside my nice and warm house, looking at my front yard. The front porch, the drive way to the garage – the whole thing is covered with snow again.

Hurray! Not really. Seriously, this is thirds day in a row that I am dealing with snow removing and shoveling. It is 3, well, at least 2, more days  than I wanted to snow-shovel.

The first day was fun. The nice fluffy snowflakes everywhere, glistening with the sunlight from the far horizon. I even thought of making a snow-man after the shoveling was done, but gave up on the idea thinking I am not a kid and it is too cold to deal with snow any longer. Instead, I came inside and had a warm cup of steaming tea, while looking outside and admiring my own work.

The second morning – yesterday, I woke up to another 3-4inches of new snow coating. I ventured outside and did my thing again – shoveled the driveway and the porch; cleared the side street where neighborhood kids walk to (and from) the school-bus that makes a stop in front of our house every morning and every afternoon.

I was all done, and was about to come inside, that is when a big snow plow, that was clearing the streets in our area, dumped a big wall of snow in front of my drive way. That is the most annoying thing about this big snow plows, they push the snow off the street to the sides, but in the process, end up creating more headache for every household. I hate snow plows – just for the record. Read the rest of this entry »

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Happy Winter Season! Hibernate and Celebrate!!

Dec 20

Posted by admin in Culture & Society, Trivial Stuff

“The woods are lovely, dark and deep.
But I have promises to keep,
And miles to go before I sleep,
And miles to go before I sleep.”
~ From “Stopping by Woods On A Snowy Evening” by Robert Frost

The Mother Nature always has a way to show its artistic touch. The colorful autumn is followed by a white blanket of snow and the cold chills of winter season that covers better part of the northern globe.

December 21 marks the official first day of winter season in America, when the day is the shortest of the year, and the night the longest. However, if you look at the snow covered outdoors, or if you ask the school crossing guards in the early mornings, or if you see the cardinals, Canadian geese and European robins migrating to warmer territories……you can tell that the winter has been here for many weeks.

Snow Storms and Bone chilling Cold
The better part of North America and Europe is painted white with fresh snow of December. The leafless trees, the rooftops, the roads, the frozen ponds..…everything is beatified with an accent of white snow. Some may say that there is nothing beautiful about winter – the opinions vary, the tastes differ. :)

In the cold days of winter, the old and wise may prefer to take shelter from the fierce weather and hibernate indoors. However, the shivering temperatures and frost bites of wintry chill are not enough to discourage the young ones who are busy with winter games. Making snowmen, sledding in the backyards, or starting a snowball fight with the next-door neighbors……are part of the daily rituals.

As the temperatures dip below freezing, the wrath of cold is felt everywhere. A few minutes of direct exposure to the freezing chill can get you in some serious danger and health risk. As I write this (on December 20, 2009), the better part of America is in the midst of a monster size snow-storm. Washington DC, New York and many Canadian cities are being hammered with heavy snowfall, with more than 20 inches of snow accumulation in last one day. The treacherous outdoor conditions are creating havoc for everybody – the blizzard and white-outs, the slippery roods, the snow covered walkways and frozen airports runaway…… The week-end before the Christmas, thousands of travelers are stuck on the road, or in the airports.

The train service between England and France is canceled for the weekend after the severe wintry weather in northern France caused the breakdown of six trains, stranding thousands of passengers on both sides of the English Channel on the weekend before Christmas.….

Well, you got the idea! Winter is not a pretty season when it comes to outdoor life!!

Christmas and New Year Parties
The Christmas holidays – the Christmas celebration – is the main attraction to look forward to in the winter season. The gift-giving, the music, the special meal, and the display of decorations including Christmas trees, lights, garlands, mistletoe……. The Christmas celebrations are a welcome break from the shivering outdoors. The kids wait for Santa Claus to mysteriously deliver their gifts and toys on the Christmas night. Most of the schools and business close for Christmas holidays. Those who love shopping and gift giving – including gifts for self – the winter is the best shopping season. Starting Thanksgiving, the stores and shopping malls offer some of the best discounts and deals of the year.
The Christmas is followed by the new-year festivities, where the nightlong parties are the norms. After all, winter is not all that bad if you look closer!

Winter Blues
Many poets and writers have symbolized the winter season as a ‘downer’ – when hope is scarce to find, when depression becomes a contagious disease. In fact, many of you may recall, in ‘The Lion, the Witch and the Wardrobe’, it is always winter and never Christmas; C.S. Lewis used winter to suggest the absence of hope in this classic. So, it is not so uncommon to face the ‘winter blues’ – the gloomy mood symptom blamed on the harsh cold weather. Read the rest of this entry »

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The Autumn: The fall, the colors, the change, the festivals…

Sep 22

Posted by admin in Consciousness & Awareness, Trivial Stuff, india abroad

In many countries including USA, the new season of autumn, (or the ‘fall’) begins today – September 22!

sxc_autumn_lake_1

“Autumn is a second spring where every leaf is a flower” ~ Albert Camus

It was summer yesterday; today’s morning begins the season of autumn. A reminder that the long sunny days are almost history now, the winter chill is waiting around the corner.
Yes, the autumn is here, the season of melancholy. Many consider this to be the time of solitude, other call it a perfect calm, to get in touch with spirituality.
The colorful leaves are ready to fall. In the beauty of colors lie the reality that gold never stays….
It is time to take out the blankets, get the quilts ready for winter to soon follow…..
The seasonal birds are ready to fly south….

Sounds pretty gloomy, right? May be not; you be the judge:

Just look around. Step outside and look at the Mother Nature. Everything is so colorful. The green leaves are slowly turning – to yellow, to gold, to crimson red!…. The canvas of mixed colors stand on every river bank, on every pond, along every street…. A magical view; just like any modern art – so random, yet so scenic. An illusion of paradise, some might say.
Everything around us is a reminder of transition. The fall is a taking over where the summer left. The life goes on; nothing wrong with it.

The farmers welcome the fall season with new hopes. The pumpkins are turning gold; the corn-ears are changing color. The long summer toils in the farms are finally ready to pay off; the crops are ripe for the harvest season. As they say, if you do not sow in the spring you will not reap in the autumn. …but only if you didn’t sow, I am sure you did… :) !

And, when it comes to the kids, there is no time for solitude or melancholy. The summer break is over; the schools are back in session. With new friends from the new classes, the new adventures have already begun. The Halloween season is around the corner, it is time to decide on the costumes for trick-or-treats. It is time to get the bags ready as the loads of candies and sweets wait to be consumed!

The stores and markets are getting ready for the new shopping seasons. The Thanksgivings holidays will soon jump-start the Christmas sales everywhere. It is time to replenish the supplies and stock up the inventories with new fashions and new trends. For young and old alike, there is something to look forward to – the new toys, the new stuff, and the new excuses to shop!

In India and for Indians all round the world, the autumn is a special time of the year. It is time to get ready for festivals. Read the rest of this entry »

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