Phagwa Hai!

Sunny, cool day, which is actually milder than yesterday!  Definitely feels like warmer weather is starting up, although I don’t want to jinx anything!  But it’s the end of March, and according to legend, we should be in the middle of storms since it was so mild at the start!  Jerry is being a cuddler today.  He climbed on my lap every chance he got, including trying to knock the phone out of my hand while I was talking with my doctor!  Don didn’t sleep well last night; his pain meds cause insomnia sometimes, so he was up until almost noon when he finally started dozing off.

I slept reasonably well once I did fall asleep.  I had one of those nights when it took a while to drop off, but it was ultimately restful.  So I learned this morning that sliced smoked salmon is lox!  I always thought that lox was some sort of spread, rather like the excellent salmon-cream cheese one that I get sometimes.  I’m not a huge bagel fan, but it’s denser than other breads, so it’s recommended for me (more calories) and a good chewy one is enjoyable.  All good, and I must say that the occasional lox and cream cheese on a (half) bagel makes for an excellent breakfast/snack/light supper idea!  I had an appointment with my endocrinologist who commented that the last time we met was in February 2023!  Anyway, my results are all good, and I only need insulin on the days when I take steroids and my dose is lower.  Apparently I’ve lost more than 40lbs in the last year and a bit which affects how my body processes insulin so we don’t want to chance too many lows.  I’m relieved.  

Today we celebrate the feast of Holi (or Phagwa, as we called it in the Caribbean, from the name of the month in which it occurs — Phalunga.)  A lovely, colourful time, where we once again note the triumph of good over evil.  There are several stories about the origins of this festival, but I rather like the one about Krishna and Radha — Krishna had fallen in love with Radha, but was embarrassed that his skin was a very dark blue, while she was fair.  His mother suggested that he paint her and her friends to match him, so he splashed her with abeer (coloured liquid) and everyone had fun.  Current celebrations involve spraying with coloured liquids or powders, getting delightfully multicoloured, lots of dancing and food.  There is no celebration without food!

I miss the easy sharing of festivals that’s so common in Trinidad.    I mean, being able to join in neighbourhood celebrations of things like Phagwa, Divali, assorted prayer celebrations, Eid, Christmas, Easter and so on.  Canada is trending towards recognizing that multiculturalism means more that just accepting different Christian denominations!  There was a time when having Catholic and Protestant students in the same class counted as being “open minded.”  I like it better when there’s acknowledgment of a variety of festivals.  At the very least, it means new fun foods to try!  More prosaically, it broadens the mind and overall experience to see how many ways cultures underscore the triumph of good over evil!  One of these days, maybe we’ll be able to see evils like racism and war come to an end.  I live always in hope!

It seems that my substitute worker has ghosted me today… my regular worker will be released from hospital tomorrow (🙌) for which I’m grateful.  She’ll be off work for another week as she goes through her recuperation period, so I’ll see her then.  Meanwhile, dinner is to be decided… so much work!  😝 Good night!