A cup of Assam Tea

While we are experiencing a sweltering summer in New England, at the same time, we are appreciating what summer has to offer. Many fairs and festivals have flocked by.  This weekend, we visited an indoor/outdoor upscale vintage-inspired market at Harwinton Fairgrounds in Litchfield County, Connecticut, called  Vintage Market Days .  As a vintage hoarder, I find visiting the vintage market relatively new. There are vendors from the home state of Connecticut to Massachusetts, Newyork, Pennsylvania, and North Carolina who brought a wide array of architectural Salvage, food, antique furniture, Crocks, toys, vintage clothing (different decades, from Victorian and Art Deco), linen accessories to name a few all under one roof and everything vintage inspired. It was a three-day event from August 19-21, 2022. The market is suffused with unique, one-of-a-kind antique and vintage-inspired goodies, live music, and local food vendors. If you're a home decor enthusiast seeking unique...

  If you follow my blog, you must have read my last two weeks' posts on "Quebec City...rekindles and reminisces romance with the past" and "Where to eat in Quebec City.   During our last visit to Quebec City, we visited Montmorency Falls, located approximately 15 miles from the city.  83 meters high, with a picturesque landscape, is a must-visit for Quebec City.  A beautiful walk with a few vantage points where you can see the falls close, or from some, you can see a panoramic view of the falls. If you don't want to, you are still covered, as they also offer cable cars. If you're an outdoor enthusiast, you're covered. They also offer a zip line and rock climbing. It was an easy walk for us, and we were charmed by the beautiful view.  For this easy, breezy excursion, I chose a maxi dress and a denim jacket, and complemented this look with a piece of Assamese jewelry. More often than not, Assamese pieces of jewelry are worn with traditional attire. At the t...

Are you one of those super-productive people the second that spring hits? It’s as if the minute you hear the birds singing and feel the days getting warmer, you immediately create your to-do list for spring. Declutter, deep clean, wash the curtains, and more. Trust me - I know so many of these people and I’m one of them! However, this spring, so many of us are in the middle of a huge transition: moving! Seriously - I’ve never seen so many people moving at one time. For those of you who are moving, instead of tackling your spring cleaning checklist, you are packing up boxes and signing copious amounts of paperwork for our loan and house contract, right?! Well, the transition will be so worth it when you get into your new home…and the process of making a house a home is one of my ultimate favorite things to do! If you are not sure where to start, here are my favorite steps to follow: Deep clean before moving in and open up your windows The first thing you will want to do when making a ho...

      About 17 years back when I moved to the USA, the same year in one December winter morning I experienced the snow for the 1st time. My husband made it like a surprise. He called me to the window and open the blinds for me. I was awestruck by the beauty of nature's confetti with a little silver sparkle. It was like a dream. I remember how I spent the whole watching natures snow wonder, how the rooftops, tree grounds everything filled with snow. Slowly, I got used to the snow. Until I got my driver's license, I never realized how difficult it is to drive on snow. Probably even now driving in snow is my biggest fear. At the same time, we often take a beautiful drive to see snow-covered surroundings.  A few years back, proving the weather forecast wrong a massive snowstorm hit when we were on our way from NewJersey to Connecticut. It was one of the scariest drives ever with whiteout and back to back traffic.  In 2011, an untimely snowstorm hit New Engl...

After moving to the USA when I tried sticky rice in a suburban Thai restaurant in my city, the taste exactly felt like the bora saul in Assam. That reminds me that Assam has a huge connection with Thailand and is believed to be Assam Ahom king came to Assam in golden stairs from Thailand. While migrating Ahom brought food from Thailand to Assam and probably sticky rice is the result of Ahom's immigration from Thailand.    In Assamese culture, bora saul or sticky rice has great significance whether Bihu  or any festivity. Whether making a flattened rice cake (pitha) or as a cereal or preparing just by itself,  it serves any occasion or festival.    A mild flavored, luscious in taste, small oval in size after cooking it gives little silky texture. Without this glutinous rice, Bihu  festivity is incomplete.               Variety of Pithas from Bora Saul or Sticky rice   A snippet of Bora sau...

      Growing up in the early 80s, a piece of white rectangular cloth with crimson border and flowery designs on the edge was a quintessential part of my Assamese household. Today whenever I use a Gamusa, it feels like yesterday,  when the softness of Gamusa wiped me up after a bath, the crisp and sweet smell of new Gamusa presented on a special occasion.       Whether it is a festivity, or special occasion or mundane task, one thing is for sure, in every Assamese household, you will find Gamusa. Ga means body and Musa mean a wipe, so it is technically a towel, but Gamusa has a deeper place in Assamese culture and a greater place in every Assamese heart. You can’t imagine any Assamese cultural celebration without Gamusa. The look      Gamusa in traditionally woven in cotton threads with red borders in all the four sides in a rectangular shape and motifs or designs on one side but sometimes could be found on either side as w...

          Ah, we are in the last few days of 2018. This year has been a year of endurance and test. There were several life-changing events,  my grandmother's died, my neighbor passed away untimely and a friend went through almost death and survived. I saw so closely the unpredictableness of life. Also, my dad being hospitalized a few times and still not well. There were so many times my heart sunk and I lost my cool. At times, I tried to escape in the books, music, shopping and what not, but at the same time learned to appreciate things that I have, and take care of things before it's too late.      All these difficult times, one aspect that kept me going is hope and hope for tomorrow. Without hope, no one can probably survive. Hope is like a flamboyant river that just knows to flows above all hurdles. With the hopeful hope for 2019 - you, me and everybody, wish you all a very prosperous new year 2019!

      Holiday has been my favorite season putting up the tree, buying gifts for my kids, baking Christmas cake but at the same time, I love to visit Assam during this time. Probably this year I miss more because my dad is not keeping well. Whenever I feel homesick I take memory walk with photos. The flora and fauna in Assam are so exotic and unique. Without any particular order let's take a visual tour.        My original homeland Assam bestowed upon every season with natures own delight with flora and fauna. Here I am mostly sharing winter flora fauna. Hope you will like it.