I know how it is outside in the world. The sadness in the news, the gloomy faces that you encounter in the grocery stores, all that on one side! But, on the other hand, the fun at home is immense and so satisfying for me at least.

It started with my birthday celebrations. I don’t remember when was the last time that I celebrated my birthday totally at home. My kids and husband surprised me by serving me three-course meals, cooked by them. I had yummy food to my heart’s content and was totally free the whole day. Since the cooking and cleaning too was taken care of, I just whiled away my time reading poems, and writing a short story. And to top it all, I got gifts too!

On Mothers’ day too I got a great day off. My husband made lunch for the mother of his kids. My kids made dinner and gave me a handmade painting as a gift too. I watched TV for as long as I could and then came over to write this. I even could leisurely talk to my mom in India for a long time.

It is indeed a time for me to linger in my passion a little longer… my passion for cooking! One day, during this quarantine, I just came up with the idea of cooking famous dishes from the states of India. And so, have been doing that since March. I know that it should have been done in 29 days, but then, I had to take breaks. I sometimes didn’t have ingredients and sometimes didn’t have the right recipes. So, taking breaks on and off, I have been traveling steadily, though slowly, through the states of India. It is fascinating to know the dishes, know why certain ingredients are used in certain states, and what makes that state famous for. It is very satisfying for me that I am learning new and complicated dishes from India. I confess that though I am from that country and have lived there for almost three decades of my life before coming to the US, I didn’t know half the cuisine of the country. But, it is better late than never….

With a lot of time on hand, I sometimes walk into my backyard garden and look at the plants. I joined a WhatsApp group of gardening tips and have been learning a lot about plants, bugs, and the maintenance of the plants. Though I don’t have a way to go out and buy more plants, at least, I feel nice to see the ones that are there, blooming. I have been trying to plant any and every seed to test my green thumb if not anything else.

The chatter, the banter, the loud voices, the arguments of the kids, the movies, the music, the songs…. It is getting additive. Now that the house is full of us, life seems so perfect. My older one was in the dorm for 4 years of her college and so we couldn’t see her that often. My younger one though with living us was busy with school, classes, orchestra classes, socials, her work. And of course, I went out to work and so I just had enough time to cook, clean, eat, repeat kind of scenario. I am sure, my husband, who has been working from home alone for years, finds it a change of scene with all of us at home along with him!

Perhaps, we have never watched so many movies together as a family to date. Unless, we go out to the theatre , of course. Now, most of the days, after dinner, all four of us land up in the media room and take turns in choosing movies and watching. We compete too as to who showed the best movie so far! It is fun to be like kids with the kids, isn’t it?

Quarantine has helped my family to bond well.. Since all are working or studying from home, we get to have lunches and dinners together. After their scheduled work, we get to play in their backyard or play board games in the house. We take turns and arrange picnics in the backyard over the weekends. I’m sure, despite all the inconvenience that the quarantine is causing, the bonding between families everywhere is surely improving.