Water attack

Ann was playing tug-o-war with Jezzy on the porch last weekend. When the dog got hot, Ann decided to give her some water. Some of the water got in Jezzy's mouth; most got on her head.



But Jezzy had her revenge.

Humpty Dumpty Meets Transformers?

So these posters started springing up all over Chiang Mai last week. Some sorta conference, I suppose. If I had to guess, I'd say the theme is the danger of allowing nursery rhyme characters to have progeny with giant robots.

Releasing the Khom Loy Lanterns

Once the prayers are finished and the lanterns are full of hot air, the Buddhist releases his lantern, hoping his troubles and misfortunes float away with it. It joins a thousand other lanterns into a majestic flight viewable for miles around.

1 Kings 2

Continuing in my study of 1 Kings, I've posted chapter 2.

Lighting the Thom Loy Lanterns

Every year in Chiang Mai they begin the Loy Khratang festival by releasing Thom Loy lanterns. This is a Buddhist ceremony where families release mini hot air balloon-like lanterns into the night sky, praying that the lanterns take their bad luck and misfortune with them. Though I say "mini," some of these lanterns were 5 feet tall and 3 feet in diameter. The larger ones were made out of a polyester material; the smaller ones out of tissue paper (like the stuff you put into a Christmas bag).

First, a family unfolds the lantern. The bottom of the lantern is a rigid ring from which a flammable coil is held by wires. The coil is set on fire, and the fire fills the lantern with heat.



The family raises the lantern high, says a prayer, and then releases it into the night.



Although many people released their lanterns one or two at a time, whenever they wanted, the main Buddhist ceremony, complete with chanting monks, responsive chanting, and group prayers, released a thousand lanterns at once (more of that in the next post).

1 Kings 1

I've began a study of 1 Kings, and my work with chapter 1 can be found on my website.

My dog is a combat professional

Today my dog viciously assaulted an unarmed carrot. We had read that Yorkies like carrots as treats, so I cut off a small piece of one and gave it to her to eat. She licked it a few times, shook her head as if the smell irritated her, and then began her assault. With an impressive array of combat moves, she snapped at it, held it down, and slapped it across the room. The fight lasted about 5 minutes, and when our dog was convinced the carrot no longer posed a threat, she let it go. I'm pretty sure this carrot won't bother her again.

5 minutes of fun

Wanna have 5 minutes of pure fun? All you need is a 2 inch piece of Scotch tape and a Yorkie. Put the tape on the dog's nose and watch her go nuts trying to get it off. Or put it on her tail and watch her spin in circles trying to get it. If you don't have any tape, a ball will work.

Swim Meet

Our kids have been swimming with the swim team at Grace International School, and yesterday they had their fall swim meet with other international schools here in Chiang Mai. Though the weather was hot--at least it wasn't raining--the kids had a blast swimming and hanging out between events. Jacen swam the back and breast strokes; Emmy freestyle and breast.

My dog is a pacifist

We were at the vet this week getting yet another vaccination--I swear this dog is getting more shots than my children ever did--and in walked someone else with a kitten. Jezzy is in Emmy's arms sitting not 2 feet from the cat. Never once did she bark, growl, or struggle to get out of Emmy's grasp so she could tear that cat apart limb-by-limb. Sigh. My dog's a pacifist. Or maybe she's just a product of her Thai culture. ;-)