Day 104 of Our Winter: The major change in the routine today was that Kanthi returned to her house in Nugegoda. She arrived here back in January before our trip to Thailand. Therefore, she had to go open up the house after almost a month! It seem quieter in the Minuwangoda house tonight.
The elder of the sister's went back in a PickMe rideshare. Luckily the cheapest fare offer was picked up by a Suzuki Wagon R so there was enough space for the driver, her, and the five large bags. She takes back provisions such as the free coconuts for cooking that grow here at the house. There wasn't too much Thailand bounty because they didn't spend a lot on shopping in Thailand. The big haul was the earlier trip to Dubai last December.
The plant Jay's holding is called is Polpala (botanical name: Aerva lanata) locally and is also known as Mountain Knotgrass. In the dry zones and village gardens of Sri Lanka, it is considered a powerhouse of traditional, Ayurvedic medicine. It is a wild, woody herb with small, clusters of white/pinkish flowers that look like soft spikes. As a tea, in Sri Lanka, the whole plant: flowers, leaves, and roots are dried and boiled to make a caffeine-free herbal infusion (tisane). It has a mild, earthy, and slightly "cooling" flavor. Some start the day with a cup to 'reset' their system.
