Trading the Golden for a Yellow

Personally I think the summer in Shanghai last year was much worse than the heat we are experiencing in these hottest months of Chiang Mai right now but I think poor Ginger would beg to differ. She wasn't ours yet last summer but it occurred to me that I think the Gazzollas had gotten her clipped before I started watching her for them over the break. I thought she might appreciate it if I did the same for her this summer.

I had found a place around the corner early on to buy dog food and was relieved to learn that they also provide grooming services. We managed to communicate enough that I understood I was to bring Ginger in on Saturday. As I handed her leash to the groomer this morning, I asked her "clip?" and she gave me a confused look. So I said next "Shave?" and she shook her head 'yes'. "Labrador?" she asked me and I thought to myself "well, no, she's a Golden but it's a minor detail. Your English is way better than my Thai so who am I to argue with you about my dog's breed?" So I said "yes" and handed her over.

As I waited for the groomer to come back and let me know when to pick her up, I ordered another lovely iced cappuccino from the "coffee bar" at the front of the store. Inexplicably they have a little counter set up near the cash register and the employees, in their Purina Pro Plan, Purina One PetMart employee shirts will make you a drink to order. You can even get a shot of Johnny Walker Black or other distilled spirits! Like I said, there are little coffee bars everywhere in Chiang Mai! It's a bit surreal.

Eventually the groomer said to come back after 12:00 so I headed home to do some more of that dreaded organizing, the need for which seems endless at my house. A few hours later I returned to the shop to pick up my girl. It quickly became clear to me that, what the groomer meant was while I had handed over a Golden Retriever, what she would be giving BACK to me would be a Labrador Retriever!

I was expecting her to have slightly shorter hair, not to have transformed into a Yellow Lab! I did a double take and was about to say "wait, that's not my dog..." But then I decided to have a little fun. When we got home I said "Ginger wasn't ready so I just took whatever dog they had available." Conrad looked at her, horrified, and said "Mom, we can't take someone else's dog! Bring it back and go get Ginger!" I had to convince him that I was joking and this actually was her.

I have to say they did do a really nice job, though, for about 18 USD. The clipper tracks are noticeable in the photo but you can't see them on her in real life. And they didn't leave her with that big fluffy lion head that some groomers do after the shave. I think she is so much happier. Now she can actually feel the cool of the tile when she lays on the floor.

It is a bit hot today so I may go lay down next to her. Better yet, I'm getting in the pool! Wanna join me?

Exploring the Neighborhood

At the beginning of the month we moved into our long-term house. The container arrived, and after battling to get the Landlord's furniture out before all of ours came in, the trucks delivered our stuff. The movers brought the boxes into the house and our stuff exploded all over. I keep telling myself that it takes a few weeks to get a new house unpacked and organized but in the meantime the chaos and disorganization is killing me! It short-circuits my brain. Where did all this stuff come from? And where is it all going to go?

In an effort to get a break from the unpacking and give Ginger her minimum required exercise, I have been exploring the neighborhood a bit. There are great little coffee shops all over Chiang Mai; at least 4 of them are within walking distance of our house. The other day Ginger and I took a walk to Doi Chaang, the closest one. Shortly after arriving last month, Heinz and I had stopped by there on the way home from dropping the kids off at school and posted this picture on Facebook.

For under 6 dollars, we can have a great 1 egg, toast and bacon breakfast with a lovely iced mocha. (Half that price if I just have a regular old cup'o joe.) Now that we are permanently in the neighborhood, it's just a 15 minute walk (probably not even long enough to burn off the calorie intake!)
To get there, I walk down this six-lane divided highway with a beautiful view of the foothills beyond.

 We have arrived at our destination.

        

The wait staff is very pleasant and, although it is never crowded, there is always a steady stream of customers. Plus the wifi is free and they play a great selection of music.

The walk back home provides me with a view of this arch, with it's pictures of the King and Queen, well-loved and smiling benevolently, spanning our street.

We won't go all the way down to it though, we'll turn off into our complex instead. Here is the entrance to Lanna Thara so you will recognize it when you come to visit us.

Just inside the entrance is this cute little fountain. I wish they would turn it on. I would love to see the elephants spraying water.

When we get home we will say hello to our backdoor neighbors, if they are around, usually mowing their lawn: the Brahma bull and the 5 brown cows, keeping the rice field tidy.

These guys are often the only neighbors I see for days! Everyone seems to be tucked up fairly tightly in their houses in the April heat.

I have come to love my morning walks with Ginger. Once the house is finished (and I've made a lot of progress!) I'll be able to enjoy the coffee shop run on a more regular basis. I just need to be sure to walk off all the calories I'm taking in from these delicious iced mochas! It will literally need to become a coffee "run"! Maybe when it cools down a little more...

A little further down the street from Doi Chaang is another great place that we just discovered. It's a bit too far to walk but just a 5 minute ride to Nic's Restaurant and Playground. The food is great and there is an awesome pirate ship play area for the kids in the back.

You may notice Conrad hanging out in the rafters in the picture below, although he wasn't brave enough to go up to the Crow's nest in the picture above (which, truth be told, is perfectly fine with Mom!

"Spider" pizza and french fries for the kiddos;

Tapas and a margarita for Momma. As this is Heinz's two weeks (plus 4 extra days this time!) in China, this lone Momma needed that little pick me up! Conrad loved it and could have stayed there all night. He made the short ride home endless, insisting that we had to go back there for dinner every night. The irony of course is that he never actually ATE anything for dinner this time! Oh well, at least he had fun and burned off a lot of energy.
Noise with dirt on it, as the saying goes:

(By the way, Aunt Jenny and Aunt Fran, do you recognize the shirt? It is getting difficult for him to take it off as it is getting tight. I said to him "Perhaps it is time to stop wearing it if it is getting too small?" Predictably, a look of sheer horror crossed his face!)
The humidity seems to have arrived with the rainy season. The breeze seems a bit less strong and a tad less consistent but it is still not unbearable. Or maybe we are still just in the Honeymoon phase! Either way, I often do not use the air con during the day. It usually rains once a day for about an hour or so and then everything dries off pretty quickly. It is a refreshing change from the Plum Rains of China where it seemed to rain every day, all day, for about 3 weeks straight last year.
There are so many aspects of our life here that I can't wait to share with you all. Slowly, slowly we are getting the house in order and then my brain will follow. Maybe, eventually, I will get around to updating that profile!

Come join us for a coffee. A hug to you all~