Happy Diwali

Happy Diwali to my many Hindu readers. Okay, probably none of my readers are Hindu, but Happy Diwali anyway. I'm big on celebrating any and all holidays.

I may not have any Hindu readers, but I do have a Hindu neighbor; a lovely girl from Delhi who is mid-20-something with a 3 year old son. She and I regularly exchange homemade food. I send her banana date bread and cookies and get wonderful sambas, currys and pilau in exchange. I knocked on her door a couple days ago to inqire if her family in Dehli was all safe after the recent bombings. Thank God, they were.

Just yesterday, I was locked out AGAIN. I knew Hubby was home, sleeping right through my doorbell ringing, phone calling and door banging. She took me in, fed me apple slices and Pepsi and we watched a Bollywood movie with Amitabh Bachan and Shahrukh Khan before hubby finally woke up, found my note on the door and came to collect me. It's very nice to know your neighbors.

I think I'll go make some date cookies to distribute to all the 6 apartments on my floor on Eid day. (possibly 2 days away) Getting to know your neighbors takes effort, but it's worth it. I have met all six neighbors. One day last week thick smoke filled the hallway of our floor. I knocked on all the doors trying to identify the source of the smoke. It turns out that the Irani man at the far end of the hall fell asleep while baking bread. I learned we have two Irani families, three Indian and one bachelor pad of Pakistani white-collar workers. There are usually around 5 pairs of shoes outside the door.

Wow! Before I could even publish this post, my neighbor came over to give me sweets and a nice hug. Tonight the hallway smells of incense and the sound of firecrackers still fill the air as I type this post and prepare for bed.