Alas this was today

Ten years back this day today we had a bumper Appricot crop, so delicious, sweet and full of fragrance.

About 35 lbs in one picking load on June 23, 2012.

Total crop was estimated to be about 200+ lbs

This year has Venn one of those year with lean crop.

Aliens Descends into my Bedroom on June 23, 2012

Aliens (Gobind and Jania) descend and capture my bed room all night and were found in sound sleep in the early morning, with no nightmares at all as an exception.

Summer of 2012

Our Pet Tweety turns 10

Our pet Tweety, a yellow headed Amazon Parrot, is 10 years old today. Amazons are known for their exceptional vocal abilities, playfulness, and dexterity with their feet. They are very loyal, loving companions; having them is somewhat like having a two-year-old-human child in ability and temperament for 50-plus years. They have an average life span of +80 years.

Tweety has learnt to sing 'Happy Birthday' and sings along with when Shiv is doing music. He is happiest when 'Sa Re Ga Ma Pa' show is on the TV. He will sync instantly with the beats and music tunes of every song that is being played.

He is very fond of girls or ladies, as the door bell rings and he responds with a Hi, we are sure there is a lady at the entrance. As the guest comes in he will say "how are you doing?" he will never forget his gestures of saying Bye when the guest is leaving. Yes the guest has to be a female. The Veterinary expert has the reason to declare him a male.

He sometimes moves his neck round and round to follow a song and at that point, Tweety is at his best.

Tweety eats what we all eat. He will start making a peculiar sound when you sit on the dining chair. He would love to eat hot morsel well dipped in cooked veggies or grams. Try him a cold loaf, he will simply refuse to use his dexterous feet to grab it and will walk away with back to us. After two morsels, he will go and drink water and come back and ask for final third one to complete his meal.

He loves to have green chili and mango seed and all fruits.

He also scares strangers. I had a visitor from India using our guest room on the ground floor. During the mid of night, he felt the need of water to drink. As he came into the family room passing by his cage, Tweety suddenly surprised him with ferocious sound resulting him to retreat to his room. Next day in the morning, the guest gave the details of his angry behavior. I apologized for his unwanted activity, incidentally his cage was left unlocked inadvertently,

One day he skipped through an open door and flew high in to the Sky on a hot summer day. Harvinder while watering the plants, saw a very beautiful and colorful bird flying through our back yard but it took a while for her to realize that it was indeed our Tweety who was enjoying the freedom.

We were very scared as we see lots of hawks flying around here and usually they pounce upon the smaller birds and pets as prey. So all of us ran after him who had by then perched himself at the top most branch of a nearby street tree.

As Shilpy whistled around, he immediately responded with 'Aaja, Aaja' the gesture she had trained him. Now at least we were relieved that he had not flown away to a far distance. Shilpy finally could pursue him to get closer when she could catch him and finally brought him back to his abode. He almost took our hearts out.

We thoroughly enjoy his existence. We do not send him for baby sitting while we are traveling, a very nice and caring Sinha family in our neighborhood visits him to feed him.

Thanks, Tweety for being with our family.

Gobind and Jania graduate in 2012

Gobind wears a graduation cap to move forward to Fourth Grade

Jania picks up First Grade

Not A Joke; Khalsa School, San Jose Gurdwara.

Today in the Sunday Khalsa School in San Jose Gurdwara, there was a long line for registration of the kids for the next School year.

In a corner people were grouping around to look for the book by Parveen Kaur Dhillon.

One of the onlookers, a lady, was anxious to know more about the writer. My daughter-in-law Shilpy Kapoor being a close friend of Parveen tried to explain that this book was very well written by a highly educated and a Ph D in Children Education.

To this, the lady immediately questioned me to ask the author why the Gurdwara Committee members were always found fighting with each other.

Perhaps the fighting parties never had their schooling in Sunday Khalsa School San Jose.

My abode in Jangpura Extension

I                                                                               

In the final stages of redevelopment of A-21 Jangpura Extension in Dec 2011. Presently I own two floors and the basement.

History:

After getting uprooted from Pakistan, our family also settled as refugees in India. My dad Vasdev Singh got a job of rationing inspector in Panipat, while my uncle Inderjit Singh got a job in Financial Commissioner Office in Shimla.

We had an approved settlement claim of Rupees 2 lacs in lieu of significant residential properties in Multan and huge commercial properties in Loyalpur, which fetched us a monthly income of Rs 700 in early 1940.

We were also allocated 100 Acres of Agriculture land in village Badbar in District Barnala in Punjab and anther 36 Acresr in District Patiala. All these properties and cash of Rupees 8000 in the Bank belonged equally to two brothers with widow grandmother Karam Devi controlling the household. In winters, she will stay with us in Panipat and in summers she will move to Shimla.

My father had a widow step sister Harbans Kaur who had married in a rich family. Her husband Attar Singh was a Chief Engineer in a big Manufacturing unit owned by famous Punj Family. Her husband left a fortune forger and she preferred to stay alone in Gurdaspur. When she exhausted her money, she moved to Panipat with us and died in 1967 after prolonged illness.
In ran auction, my father's bid was accepted and we were proud owner of this house A-21 Jangpura Extension in 1955. Since both families were not living in Delhi, the house remained on rent till 1964. We had couple of court cases with the tenants and when we got an opportunity we rented it to Telegraph department at a pricey rent of Ra 350.00 per month to get rid of frequent headaches of private tenant.

With my getting a job in Delhi, my father constructed a two bed room and a Drawing on first floor.

In mean time both brothers decided among themselves in a written agreement dated oct 22. 1971 on a Rs 2.25 Stamp Paper that the GF will be owned by my uncle and first floor and above will be constructed and owned by my father. My uncle will pay my father a sum of Rs 10000.00 in lieu of price of half of building presuming the cost of construction did not esclate for 15 years, My father ceased to have the right of rent of the GF after the payment of Rupees 10,000.00 was made to him on 13th Jan, 1977. The decision was vetoed through a Civil court.

The above agreement was also taken to the civil court and a decree to this arrangement by the Senior Sub Judge was Issued and that the rights of ownership between the brothers finally cemented.

The ground floor remained rented to Telgraphh Office for about 45 years. The Government decision to do away with the telegram business eased the vacation of the ground floor by them.

After buying out the share of my cousins as decided by my respected father late Vaasdev Singh and respected uncle Inderjit Singh amicably through a court order mentioned above. 

I sub contracted through a builder to demolish and redevelop the property into Four floors, a Stilt for Parking and. Basement. The builder advanced me money to pay off my cousins and hence a modern four strory building has been finally erected with a stilt and  lift. My sister Tripat and her husband Tejpal and their son Harry helped me to overcome so many hurdles to make it happen.