Bits of life

A-25 Words-1450

log till eight in the morning. Next morning by the time I got up, Jonathan had already had his shower and went down. I walked to the balcony only to find him doing his stretching on the front lawn with a yoga mat spread on the lawn. It was a good idea to exercise in the open before the sun started blazing.
Soon I brushed my teeth and took a shower, dressed and went to join others in the hall. Breakfast was ready. I went to the kitchen, said “Good Morning Betty,” and poured myself a cup of tea. The cheering cup of tea was a must for me. Ashley advised me to drink warm water with half lime squeezed into it, and with a half teaspoon of honey. This according to her kept the body light and the system intact. I had to postpone such remedies, which were definitely for the good of my body till Ashley joins me as my better half. I smiled at myself at being lazy and somehow found an excuse to avoid work of this kind. I think many of us suffered from this habit of postponing things especially those involving our health. But I know by experience that if you cultivate and continue certain healthful and healing habits you would be grateful to the person who advised to do so. By experience I mean my mom’s experience. She suffered from breathlessness a few years back. When my father took her to the doctor all did was to give her some tablets and asked her to use the inhaler. She took the tablets and became weak and the inhaler she used for two days and threw it away saying that it was of no use. She went on suffering this breathlessness which she suspected came from breathing in a lot of dust and dirt. They have blocked the holes in the diaphragm that surrounds the lungs and made it difficult for the air to get in and get out. After a year or two of suffering she had an occasion to travel to a nearby town with my dad and myself. Her breath problem had started again. This was observed by a fellow passenger. He asked her to breath slowly and count till ten and repeat it two or three times. Somehow it made her comfortable for a while.
The next important thing that happened to her was unforgettable. A vendor came in selling some books in the compartment in which we were traveling. My father was looking into the books and their titles. He found an interesting booklet the title of which was “simple home remedies.” He bought it and started reading it. Suddenly, he smiled to himself and went to mother to point out something he found interesting in the book.
Later she too read it and followed the remedy advised by the writer. It was like this.
He advised the reader to try the following remedy to cure the allergy born out of breathlessness. He advised a kitchen remedy for which the following ingredients were necessary.
Seven or eight of garlic cloves, a small measure of milk, a half teaspoon of honey and a pinch of cinnamon powder.
Method to cook: this is very simple and could be tried anyone interested in it.
Take the garlic cloves into a small vessel preferably made of steel or copper. Add some water and let it cook till the garlic cloves are soft. Water gets absorbed. Add some milk and bring it warm. Remove the vessel containing cloves from the stove and add cinnamon and honey. Drink this solution for a month or two and you will have found your remedy for breathlessness. Garlic has the property to cleanse the blood and thereby it helps to clear the blocks in the diaphragm around the lungs. Your breathing becomes free. You will breathe in the normal way, not gasping anymore. The nightmare is over. Besides the above use, garlic also maintains nervous system to remain strong. Those who are suffering from neurological disorders are also advised to follow this garlic recipe.
My mom, to this day feels grateful to my dad for buying that book containing home remedies.
Alongside of it my mom also went to yoga classes where they taught her wind releasing exercises from the joints so as to make them flexible and light. Breath control was another yogic practice she cultivated. No wonder she could do any amount of work and still didn’t complain. To this day she remained agile and active. She also had no skin blemishes. There are hardly any wrinkles on her face or neck. Her eyes remained bright. There were no black rings around them.

After that interlude, I came back to reality. Uncle John had already got his house guests to gather in the portico and asking his car and land rover and tractor and pick up drivers to take them to the wine festival venue. We got packed into the vehicles and soon were speeding to the big shed where the festival gathering was taking place.

We reached the venue in the middle of the vineyards. There were a number of people from the town that uncle John invited to join us in the event. There were big tubs filled to half with grapes. There were a number of chairs and umbrellas in place to let the guests sit down and enjoy a cup full of wine.

We had been advised by uncle John to wear suitable clothes for the grape stomping. Knee length skirts for ladies or shorts for all were advised. The atmosphere was already festive. Ashley and I joined a small group to stomp. We got in and the feel of the grapes gave rise to a tingling sensation in the feet and legs and we could not stop stomping as if to get rid of that feeling. We started enjoying the stomp as the mood took us. We felt free to stomp. As we stomped on I saw Elvira and uncle John in a tub of their own as did Ryan and Cathy. I could see Cathy had been having a wonderful time stomping and screeching as the wine around her ankles started making her feel slippery. I saw her giggling like a teenager and getting full fun out of the activity she was keen to attend.
Unlike Cathy and Ryan, uncle John and Elvira seemed to dwell in a different world altogether. They were stomping in a leisurely manner looking into each other’s eyes. It is as if they were making it up for the lost years. They knew each other, yet it took them more than a decade and a half to return to each other. There appeared the hand of fate in their connection and the way it was reestablished. As Elvira had confessed she had a feeling of coming home in the arms of the young man who saved her from a dire situation. The rough touch of the cheese cotton shirt he was wearing felt comfortable to her soft cheek as she turned face into his chest. She could hear the steady beat of his heart. He carried her as though she weighed very less. Elvira was tall and well built and not an easy person to carry. To uncle John however, she was a much sought after damsel and that he wanted something permanent with her. He needed her like he needed the Emerald Farm to come home to and to relax. I hope they had finally met to stay together and make Emerald Farm their home.

I saw uncles Rod and Jeremiah relaxing under the canopy of a huge umbrella with a wine glass each. They wore Stetsons on their heads and colorful Spanish cotton shirts on their backs looking like a couple of idle old cowboys. I saw their sisters, mom and aunt Sarah approaching them and sitting on the two chairs facing them. If uncle john joins them then the number siblings would be complete, the original five at one place after many many years. I saw the four of them exchanging conversation and soon they got up and were heading to the stalls that sold food of many varieties. My mom took some salad and a tuna sandwich and fresh orange juice. Aunt Sarah loved chicken fried rice with a side dish of mixed vegetables and a coke. Uncles went for beef preparations and beer. Typical choices like in every other area of life.
Ashley and I too felt the pangs of hunger and so went to pick up some food for ourselves. We were joined by Cathy and Ryan and later