Hi Everyone --

This has been a busy week -- Doug's old boss (Reno) has been here and we have had dinner with him almost every night. Either I cook or we go out to dinner. It has been nice to have an American point of view around for a change. We have another week of his company, then he returns to the US.

We took Reno to the market yesterday so he could see where I get our fruits and vegetables. Doug took him in the back where a person could get fish, chicken and mutton if they wanted. I just can't handle that at all. As we were coming out, there was a little ditch/drain that I have never seen anything in. That day it was flowing with blood from the freshly slaughtered goats. There are just some things that I just don't need to know about or participate in!

Last night we were invited to dinner with the family that just got baptized. It takes about an hour to get to their place. Our regular driver was off this weekend too, so we had to miss some turns and backtrack and finally follow Vijay on his motorcycle to get to their place. We got there about 8:30 p.m. They shared all about Vijay's family -- he has 5 brothers and sisters and they are all well educated and working and married and doing well. There is a lawyer, a policeman, 2 nurses, a professor at the university, a veterinarian, a doctor, an electronics guru, and various other educated professionals between the brothers and sisters and their spouses. Most live in Pune or nearby in the village they come from.

We were invited to sit on the floor on a mat to eat. Then everyone left the room and we were alone. The custom is that visitors are fed first. We asked Vijay to eat with us and he had rice with us. The kids and the grandma and grandpa all went into the kitchen to eat. They brought out the food on stainless steel plates and they kindly brought us spoons -- Indians typically eat with their hands. We had chicken byriani, chicken in sauce, chapatis, cucumbers and tomatoes, and bread. It was very good -- a little spicy but not too spicy. Then she brought out grapes and apples for dessert. They were very kind and very hospitable to us. Now we will have them over for "American" food sometime. I'm sure sitting up at the table and eating with silverware is going to be a challenge for them too!

Today is the family day at the factory for all John Deere workers. We got invited because Reno was here. I hope we get to tour the factory -- I've never been out there. They will have lots of fun things for the kids, dancing, music, traditional dancers, a fashion show, and then serve dinner at 9:30 p.m. It's about an hour from our house to the factory. Sounds like lots of fun! Hannah is not excited!

We hope everyone is well and that the weather starts to calm down.
We love you lots!
Lucinda