To invite or not to invite

Yesterday she was telling that there is a way to invite people home or for any functions. The head of the family (it should be a man) should extend the invitations either over phone or in person. After all they expect it to be done to them so it is also necessary that they follow the same.

This conversation arose because she was not accorded a proper invitation from a relative.
Okay. I called him up and asked him to extend the invitation accordingly.
Today however she has a different view in this regard. I am sitting right beside her cousin brother and sister-in-law (SIL) and she was asking them not to extend any invitation for any functions. Her view now is since they are old and not healthy they prefer not to go out anywhere. She added that when an invitation is extended, she finds making up to the invitation an unwanted force thrust on them. She asked her SIL not to be so formal.
Oh god I though how could she tell this…..in my midst that too? Or has she forgotten what she had said to me.
Now I am lost. For my house functions do I invite or not. (oh I have this concession see, I am temporarily taking the charge of the head in my family – my husband being overseas and this concession is something that she arrived at – if the head of the family is not available immediately then the lady can take it upon herself to extend the invitation)

Awful attitude of a car driver (continuation)

Oh today his attitude was not that awful at all. He turned the car and brought it to the side where I was standing waiting for Deepu’s school van. I would not say his parking was perfect today. But at least he did not park on the centre of the road. A portion of the car was on the intersection and a portion of the car on the road side. Good I thought.

My Crow Friends

A few crows enjoy my morning breakfast and sometimes lunch too. As early as 6.30 in the morning they come to my kitchen window sill and start cawing. They are the first ones to taste my cooking (not a bad cook I am I suppose since the number has increased from one to many in the last few days). One crow in particular decided to trust me. In the sense the crow would put its head through the window grills to see if it could see something edible. Many times it sits on my window grill and now does not fly when I put out my hand through the window sill to keep something for it to eat. Once I place the food for it, it caws and ensures the others are there for their breakfast. Oh but it also ensures it is the first to have its breakfast. Most of the other crows ensure I either move out of their sight soon after I place their breakfast or at least assure that I don’t harm them or catch them.
Of late I noticed this in my crow friend – the daring one – it has got a companion for itself I suppose, they always come together. The other crow just sits a little distance away from my window sill. My friend as usual comes and caws sitting on the window sill and slowly moves itself towards the grill. As I place its breakfast, it fills its beak and goes towards its partner. Filling its partner’s beak with what it has taken, it comes again for more. I enjoy seeing this daily morning. I also talk to them, which is very amusing to my daughter who has a hearty laugh to see me do so. Hmm I sure would like to pat the crow on its head…for being so caring towards its partner and also for being daring and trusting me.

Awful attitude of the car driver

I was waiting for the school van to pick up my son. A car came up and the driver stopped the car right in the centre of the road – four streets intersect here – and was speaking on his cell phone. I thought he would move the car once his conversation is over, but no…the car stood there. Another car coming from the apartments had to horn several times for our driver friend to move his car. He backed the car for the other car to go and was back in the centre of the road again. 10 minutes passed and no sign of his moving the car. My son’s van picked him up and the van driver had to honk his horn to make the driver move his car. This time our driver friend refused to budge. I tapped on his window and requested him to park his car on the side of the road. His immediate response was…why should he move his car, was it disturbing me? Not wanting to lose my patience I told him it was as such not disturbing me but what he was doing is not right. His immediate response was - When a vehicle comes was he not backing the car. He added that he did not even let them use the horn. It is for just two minutes, when the person comes he would leave. If it is not disturbing me why do I bother, what can't I just go away like the other people on the road.
Losing my patience I replied that though his car remaining in the centre did not disturb me as such, there were two wheeler vehicles that kept honking the horn which seemed to fall deaf on his ears and yes, he did move the car, but why did he want to do it only on seeing and hearing the horn of the other car? Can he not just park it on the side of the road?
I asked him which taxi service he was operating for? He refused to reveal the information.
He was not willing to budge even a wee bit. Thinking and saying loud what a lousy driver he is and a not so good choice for the company he works for, I walked away.

Why did I just turn my back and walk my way? Why did I not ensure he moved the vehicle? Was it some fear that he would do something to me? I know I did a mistake by moving away. There were so many things I could and should have done. I could have tried further to put sense into his head. I could have noted the taxi number. I could have insisted in knowing for whom he operates. But I also knew I was going to scream at the top of my voice and just moved on. Pity I thought.