Yak Attack

Teaspoon Tuesday: My dream house...

My dream house is a log cabin in the mountains. I once built a log house on two acres. It was a cedar log home, beautifully set against an acre of trees, with an acre of open space in front. It was just lovely. And, it was so over budget that I couldn’t afford to keep it. I was supposed to retire in it. This first photo is very similar to the house I built. But, it wasn’t in the mountains. And then, I went overseas.

Now I live in an apartment in China. Sometimes I wonder about what I am doing here and why. What are my motivations? Are we really making a difference? And lately, I have been weighing the costs. My sisters now are all becoming grandmothers. And what do I have to show for what I am doing? This is a very difficult time for me.

So my dream home would be in the mountains. Preferrably in Central Oregon, with a view of the Cascade Range from the big plate glass window in front. And to have the scent of cedar around me all the time would be ideal. I love the openness of a home, with good interior colors for decoration: maybe a tangerine color, with forest green, and a cinnamon brown. The colors could change, but right now, these are the colors I am into. A few acres would be nice. And a few neighbors in a caring community (not a ‘retirement community’) would be a great addition. This second photo may be more like my dream log house in the mountains. While I ‘dream’ about this, I truly hope it will be a reality one day…

Teaspoon Tuesday: A spoonful of soup

My favorite soup? My favorite fun soup is Nepali Chicken Soup. A very easy recipe: Put a BIG pot of water on the stove and start heating it. Throw in whatever vegetables you have available, a chicken from Nepal, and a big rock. Cook it for days and days and days, until the rock is soft. Then, throw away the chicken and eat the rock.

OK, this is because the chickens in Nepal are really, really tough. You can cook them for days and they still won't become tender. So, it was our little joke. (tee, hee!) I hope you enjoy Nepali Chicken Soup!

Teaspoon Tuesday: How to spend millions...

A blogging-friend of mine started a new blog-site called, "Teaspoon Tuesday". This week's prompt is 'what would you do with hundreds of millions of dollars?' This is so easy because, in America, they have billboards that tell how big the Lottery amount is. So when driving long distances, I can daydream about this to pass the time. I know that this isn't Tuesday, but here goes anyway: How I would spend millions...

* Pay off my house, my parents’ house, and the houses that my siblings all own and owe on.

* And buy a house for Jennie!

* Donate money to my church (so that they can pay off their mortgage), NW Medical teams, Khaden Rugs, Kunde Foundation, Healing the Children, St. Jude's Cancer Research Hospital for Children, Jian Hua Foundation, Far East Focus, and to Northwestern University Physical Therapy Program.

* Buy a car, not a fancy one, but one that is sturdy for the bad roads here. (OK, I am a little practical…)

* And then, put in a super-highway, a train, and an airport in a particular area of China that is so inaccessible because of the bad roads.

* Travel – go to the places that I have always wanted to go and have never been – Italy, France, Spain, Switzerland, Fiji, New Zealand, Antarctica; return to places I have been and would like to see again for follow-up on friends and patients – UK, Tajikistan, Kazakhstan, Uzbekistan Kyrgystan, Nepal; and back to the places I love going to – Hawaii, Thailand, Alaska, and Nepal.

* Take my friends Jennie, Cheryl and Lorinda on a trip to Disney World in Florida.

* And take my friends and family to the Olympics in Beijing in 2008.

* Buy LOTS and LOTS of books.

* Spend millions on cancer research, especially cancers that affect children, on the research and cure for Kashin-Beck’s Disease, which affects so many Tibetans, and for medical and dental care for all the children in developing countries.

Thanks, Deirdre, for this new blog site. I hope many more people spend a little time here.