Each morning - I get up about 5:30 or 6 and walk around and watch the town wake-up. Like to start the morning with tea. Here the tea man heats water by charcoal file in a copper pot (like a still), and makes tea by mixing scalded milk and tea from another straining that rests in hot water and adds a little sugar. Then cools the tea by pouring from one cup to another and then hands the finished product to "me". Prices are on the rise - a cup of tea is 8 rupees (60 rupees/US$) - up from 5 rupees 5 years ago
Cooling tea - and watching the tea drops form as the flow from top to bottom
Then off for morning milk - about as fresh as it gets
Patient cow
A team effort he holds the cow while she milks
Back to the rice fields - preparing the bunches of rice seedlings for planting (tomorrow)
A mechanical cow - for final prep of the rice field
Hauling rice straw
Harvesting rice seedlings
Bunches of seedlings placed for planting tomorrow
Taking a rest
Hmm - woke up
At a nearby rice field - high water in the well. Monsoons this year have restored the water table. Sometimes, the water here is down maybe 10 meters (30 feet) and things get tense. Here is the same well in February - almost a year ago Wells with low water level in Feb 2014
Reflections of a water tower. This year, there is running water from this tower that is filled from local wells. No longer must you hand pump water at individual wells (we provided about 10 bore wells maybe 10 years ago).
Off to Gingee for some shopping - in the rain
Vege man and colorful veges, ginger root, chiles
Colorful veges
A balancing act - riding a bicycle and holding an umbrella
Hauling food for the cattle
Not a mechanical cow - real cows for plowing
Texting
Preparing for tomorrow's planting
C. Frank Starmer