Garden Beauties

Garden Beauties

10 Fabulous Fall Pictures of Minnesota

Last week, we went for a long drive towards Lake Superior in Duluth, Minnesota and saw some breathtaking sceneries along the way.

Here are 10 beautiful pictures that will make you smile and brighten your day.

Every leaf looks like a flower, isn’t it? It is glorious around here this season.

Also, I wanted to wish you all happiness, peace, success and prosperity as the beautiful festival of Navratri starts from today🙏🏻. Jai Maa.

Hope you liked the pics. Take care and stay blissful!

Paw Things#4 – A blog by a Dog (cute pics included)

 

Hi, there! I am Happy. It has been long since someone wrote something about me. Hmmm…so, I took the liberty to post my own Paw Things with many selfies and pics.

I am all grown up now, but still have that cute puppy face. Don’t you think so?

In January, I was unwell for about a week and there seemed to be a major health issue. It scared my family. But all turned out well in the end.

I am all hale and hearty now. I love to run in the snow and sniff around. I probably scare off the hibernating rabbits and squirrels. But what the heck, Spring is coming…they should gear up!

No, snow does not bother me at all. I love to eat a mouthful every now and then, when no one is watching.

There is something about the lake. I love to meditate near it.

This is my favorite spot. And my favorite thing in the world? Sleep Yoga!

I always wait for the boys to come from school. It is super exciting when they get down from the bus and run towards home.

I had fun sledding with the boys!

Yesterday, the boys enjoyed adding effects to my pic. Hmmm…do I look grumpy? Grumpy-Happy Dog!

Hope you enjoyed my pictures. I think Spring is around the corner and we will have more outdoor activities. I will share more pics soon. Till then, bye from Happy! Love Bark!

Minneapolis Today!

Though it is bitterly cold today with dangerous wind chill in Minneapolis, the Sun is shining. And when Sun shines in Minneapolis, it warms heart and spirit. The frozen land gets a feel of magic with the sunlight accentuating the shades and curves of the place. See for yourself!

Driving through Downtown Chicago

Last month, we had a chance to drive through Downtown Chicago! The day was not particularly bright but quite pleasant. I remembered Downtown Minneapolis as we passed along the dominating skyscrapers, and compared the cities. If I may personify them, Minneapolis appears as an extremely beautiful ballerina while Chicago seems to be a gorgeous business woman.

We couldn’t spend much time there but here are a few interesting pictures of Millennium park and surroundings.

The Lake, Wild Flowers and Sunset!

Behold how the lake looks this summer after months of staying frozen and white! Yellow, white, purple and pink wild flowers outline the shimmery delight while the departing Sun gently touches it with scarlet and gold. Suddenly, it is full of life with sweet birds, butterflies and insects. Truly, what a transformation!

Below is the lake in winters….

Amazing, isn’t it! Change is the only constant!

Four Seasons through my window!

Last year, I vowed to capture the beauty of Four Seasons through the window of my house in order to blog it for your enjoyment. Today, on a warm summer day, I finally got all the four pictures.

Summer made the outside world look like this.

When it was Spring…

When it was Fall…

When it was Winter…

Did the music of Four Seasons touch your heart? I hope, it did!

​

A letter to my classmate!

   
Hello,

Hope this letter finds you good. I felt an immediate need to write to you after visiting your facebook profile via our common friend’s profile. I was looking for a tall, gawky person but saw a different man there – aged with lined face and a pot belly. I was aghast! There was no sign of the boy who would enter the classroom bustling with energy, taking on the world in his languishing stride. 

It seems as if time has flown since I last saw him after our board exams (Kabuliwallah syndrome… remember the story?). We were sixteen then… fresh and so full of excitement to take on the world. I had half expected to find the same boy and initiate a chat with him. But for the first time, I experienced how much the world has changed… how much I have changed! In a flash, I felt being transported from teenage years right into my thirties.

He and I studied together from kindergarten till tenth. Although, we were never best of friends! Infact, I remember the boy was mean to me a number of times and I myself was not a model of good behaviour but we were comfortable around each other. I also visited other classmates via your profile but everyone has changed. Most of us have put on weight, have moved to different places, undergone varied experiences. Life truly has taken a toll on us.

I tried hard to find some semblance, something of the past in your picture but …I gave up.  You looked comfortable around your family…a typical man of the world who goes to work in the morning, returns home tired and waits for dinner to be served at night. Your wife is beautiful and kids are cute. One of them resembles you. I am glad life has been good to you. But again, you are so unlike him. He was fidgety and non-conformist. You are a stereotype family man!

He was ambitious, boisterous and haughty but you seem to avoid confrontations. He questioned everything and you seem to accept everything. I like that you are happy and settled but I liked him better – my happy go lucky classmate who would make the class laugh with his pranks. He was non predictable and creative, you are adjusting with what life has offered you. Good for you!

 I smile thinking that once upon a time,  my classmates were an intrinsic part of my world. I had enjoyed their encouragement and would take any discouragement to heart. Many a times, they were harsh and judgemental.

My classmates held the power to make or break me. I didn’t know then that all this would change so drastically. And that I would no longer have to compete with or conform to anyone’s notions. It felt good when I moved on from teenage angst towards maturity but in the process, I took you all for granted. I had never thought I would never find you all ever again…not in the same way. 

I get nostalgic remembering the last parting image of my classmates – excited bunch of boys and girls who loved to chat,  bitch, scream and dream. Where did they all go?

Lately, some of you crept into my memory and reminded me of those sweet-sour school years. Perhaps, wanting to re-live the past encouraged me to visit your FB page.  I wanted to meet you all and have a chat online. But I guess…I have lost the connect.

If my letter encourages you to find him – the gawky teenager, somewhere deep within you, then kindly let him know that I am thankful to him for being a part of my childhood. 

May be, my letter would make you  curious and you would want to check back my profile. But I warn you – you will hardly recognise me – a married woman with kids. You would not know what to say to me.

But perhaps if you let that tall boy visit my profile, he might find the quiet girl who loved doodling and reading. They will connect, have great conversation and laugh together like youngsters do. Please find and send him once for I am sure we all miss the innocent, musical laughter of our wonder years! Then, may be we will reconnect again with our past.

Best wishes for everything,

Your former friend

  
Images courtesy Google

Balloon Full of Colours for You!

  

Green teeth, yellow hair, red face and blue hands…anything can happen during the festival of colours – Holi. With the onset of Spring, this festival, brightens each and every corner of India with love, forgiveness and togetherness. Even, foreign countries have embraced this fun festival with open arms.

Holi always takes me back to my girlhood days. In those days, we had a large field in front of our house and my father would make arrangements for playing Holi with colours and water. We were a huge family of uncles, aunts, cousins as well as our staff. And we made sure no one stayed dry that day.

  
Since morning, soon after breakfast, we would start playing with coloured as well as mud water till late afternoon. And after having a delicious lunch, we would get dressed and play again with dry colours. We would also pay respect to our elders by colouring their feet in the evening. In return, we were given blessings and sweets followed by an elaborate dinner.

The tradition would bring us closer as one family unit. I had taken those days for granted and yearn to go back to Holi of the yore. Things have changed, times have changed, single families are emerging but vibrant and sweet Holi always remains the same. This festival always encourages community feeling and reunites family members.

  
Holi encourages to reach out to others with the colors of joy. It teaches to love and forgive. It teaches to avoid discrimination of any kind. It teaches to be comfortable with each other through pranks and jokes. It is an amazing festival!

This year will be a dry Holi for me here in America. But I will make sure my kids play a little and know all about it.

Meanwhile, wishing you a very happy, colouful and fantabulous Holi!

Images courtesy Google

Madhubala – Fairest of them all…

  Arched eyebrows, classic features, mischievious smile…the Venus of the silver screen was born to captivate the very heart of India! Yes, I am talking about Madhubala, who was and remains the most beautiful actress of Indian film industry.

Her face had an unforgettable charm and expressions were priceless. No wonder, her popularity went beyond borders. She appeared in American magazine Theatre Arts in 1952. The magazine remarked, “The biggest star in the world, and she’s not in Beverly Hills.”

  

The first para says – “The actress with the greatest following, in numbers and devotion, is not to be found in Hollywood, but on the opposite side of the planet – in Bombay, India.” At that time, she was just nineteen. She had joined the film industry at the age of nine and never looked back.

    
Large languishing eyes, full lips and an aquiline nose, the camera couldn’t help loving her. Also, her unique appeal arose from a combination of personality traits – playfulness, sensuosness and innocence. She never looked wanton or cheap in her movies rather dignified and adorable. 

Who can forget her lovely expressions in the following song sequences  – Aaiye Meherbaan, Mohe Panghat Pe, Ik Pardesi Mera Dil Le Gaya? It seemed that she  tantalized the camera with every move. She was truly an actress par excellence.

It was a pity she died young at the age of 36 after going through trying times in personal life owing to break up with the superstar Dilip Kumar. She married the versatile singer actor Kishore Kumar but could not enjoy marital bliss for long as she fell terribly sick due to a heart disease.

  

 Here are some pictures of the timeless beauty, whose face still seems to be attracting fans. She continues to be every artists’s dream portrait and every poet’s muse in India. 

  
 
  
  
  
 
  

  

‘I Love You’ in the Snow

  What a lovely morning! Yesterday’s snow blizzard has left the world around me covered in a sheet of soft snow. It is a sunny day today and sunlight is gently alighting on the snow, giving it a sweet golden glow. 

  
Have you ever noticed? The sun and snow make a gorgeous, passionate couple. But their romance is always shortlived as they are extremes. They refuse to compromise and live together, respecting each other’s identity. I know, sooner or later, either sun will make the snow melt into oblivion or a snow storm will overpower the warmth of the sun. But for now, they look angelic together!

 As I slide the blinds of our little window, to admire this shortlived romance, something catches my eye. A big ‘I Love You’ on the snow carpeted ground takes me by surprise. Perhaps, last night or early this morning, someone braved the cold to engrave that for his or her beloved. It looks sweet and reminds me of sunny, sugary, youthful romance.

  
It is the month of February and Valentine’s day is nearing. Love is in the air and now engraved on the ground. Ah! I inhale the purity of love! 

 After a while, I want to play Sherlock and find out the lovers involved in this wonderful display of love. The footmarks around the engraved letters ‘I love you’ seems to be that of a man. The lover has written it hastily to surprise her. I keep a watch and wait for the beloved to arrive there. No one comes! Perhaps, she has seen that through her window. “Who is the lucky girl?”, I wonder!

Since a college is nearby, there are a lot of college-goers in our apartment. And such love extravaganza can only be expected from someone in his 20s. I make a few guesses and keep looking out at intervals.

  
My mind wanders back to the romance of sun and snow. Unearthly, sublime, stunning! But so shortlived! 

Love was dreaded and considered a frivolous word when I was growing up in a conservative set up. I never wanted anything to do with Love. I loved my books and the characters in it. That was it. Gradually, I learned to be comfortable around the four letter word. Lo and behold, now, I enjoy observing it!

I take my seat by the window to play Sherlock again. I wish this lover and his beloved have a life like the sun and snow but not short lived rather everlasting. I hope they respect each other’s individuality and not try to win against each other.

The glorious glow of love seems to be everywhere at this time of the year. My watch is on…hope the mystery lovers show up!

( This is based on a true incident. All pictures are mine except for the first one, ie, courtesy Google.)

Random sketches of the eye!

  When I was a little girl, I used to love sketching. I drew faces and figures all over my copies and books. I would often get frowns from my parents and teachers but it would never deter me.

My aunt is a lovely artist and I drew inspiration from her works. Even my sisters loved to draw figures and landscapes but I primarily focussed on the face, specifically the eye!

These days I hardly paint because colours demand a lot of time and effort. And also because I don’t want my kids to get supercreative and make artworks all over the house. But I do sketch a lot whenever inspiration strikes me.

Today, I felt like sketching the eye and I drew some random sketches in about fifteen minutes.

Here are the pictures…hope you will like them😀

  
  
  
  
And finally, a sketch of Krishna, I made recently.