A Good Thing

Great but sad (for me) news... Phaphitaya has been adopted and will be leaving to live with her new family in the Philippines on March 27th.   I was sad when the volunteer coordinator told me this yesterday morning.  However, I am so happy that Phaphitaya now has a family and a home and at least I can have two more visits with her before she leaves.  After she leaves, I am going to care for another volunteer's baby while she is on vacation for two weeks and, when she returns, I will get (yet another) new baby.  

I was just outside with the dogs and noticed how much our landscaping has grown in the last couple of months.

I posted this photo on December 6, 2011 of the view from my kitchen window.  

Compare it to the photo below that I took this morning...

 

I posted this photo of my Hokie Birds on October 16, 2011...

And this is the photo I took this morning...

The view from our balcony on September 9, 2011...

And this morning...

 The view from our front door on August 6, 2011...

And this morning...

Everything sure has grown in the short time we have been here.  I expect we will have quite a jungle once the rainy season begins.  I also spotted the first banana blossom & baby bananas on one of our trees in the front yard and will have to keep an eye on it as it ripens.  I am very interested to taste these bananas and see how they compare to those that we buy in the grocery store (which are very similar to the bananas sold in the U.S.).  

The fabric for the family room and dining room drapes finally arrived last Thursday.  I wasn't given a date when they would be finished but the seamstress works quite quickly so, hopefully, it won't be too long.  Both of the fabrics were just what I wanted and the colors were very true to what I saw online.  I was going to have valances made for the two kitchen windows (to match the dining room drapes) but I found ready-mades in the same fabric on line.  I calculated that it would cost more to order the fabric  online and have them made here so I ordered the ready-mades instead.  
Window #1:

Window #2:

 The fabric up close:

Our dinner this evening...mussels with some type of a vegetable saute.  PeePorn also made rice, a fruit plate and a salad.  Yum!  

Have a great Tuesday!