Fairies

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Antuco in Israel

Antuco made friends where ever he went. Here he is with the guard outside the Damascus Gate in Old Jerusalem (Muslim Sector).

These are Soldiers in Bethlehem. They are smiling because the young girls in our group had just taken pictures with them leaving them in a good mood.

This Tourist Police officer could barely keep from laughing at the idea of a monkey wanting his picture. I promised I wouldn't show his superiors.

I liked the costume of this guard. He was inside the Treasury at Petra. Good smile. The most diligent of guards was Gila, our guide. Tough as nails when it came to keeping track of her charges. Borne in the US, she emigrated to Israel as a very young woman and lived on a Kibbutz for a number of years. Now she is a certified guide and very up on her history of the region (both old and new Testament).

Our organizer and leader, Pastor John Delancey. Gentle person with a wealth of knowledge about the region. He has been there several times and is going back in March 08.

Last but certainly not least is our fabulous bus driver, Acrom. He could put that bus in spots I would only dream of getting my Subaru.

Jerry in Israel

Our trip to Israel was really delightful. I tried to get shots of Jerry enjoying himself. Bus rides were long and cramped. Here he is at the Siq - entrance to Petra. He really enjoyed this part of the trip. Can you see his smile?
The trip to Petra takes us through a long canyon called the Siq.

Once through the Siq Jerry found a bench to sit on and wait until I had finished exploring. That's him sitting on the right end of the bench against the canyon wall. (You could recognise him, right?)

Been there, Done that. Where's my T-shirt?
We had to get on a boat (part of the tour) at the Sea of Galilee. I really wanted to get a "Christmas Card" photo of us there. Don't think this one will do.Honest, folks, he really was enjoying himself.

We have determined that my dear husband is not a traveler. This trip was most difficult for him. The getting there and back is arduous. The climbing in and out of the buses for the numerous stops was trying. So I guess I'll be the world traveler of the family. Not a bad title. And Jerry will stay home and fret that I'm OK and be able to take care of the cats so they are not so lonely.

Pictures

Here I am at Arbel. This is the southern end of the fertile plain of Ginnosar. I believe this was the day after I sprained my ankle so did not go to the farthest lookout point with the group.

Then there was the camel ride in Petra. Notice the red hat. Picked that up in Jerusalem. It is a grand hat. My hair refused to behave the whole trip and my curling iron only worked when it wanted to and only for short periods of time. The camels seem to always have a second beast roped to them. Maybe a youngster learning the ropes. As I was positioning Antuco on my camel after the ride, the second camel became very curious. I told him(?) not to bite Antuco and he looked at me and started to snuffle my face. Really a very sweet camel, soft mussel. Neither one spit or grumbled at me as had been noticed at other camel stops. I had walked down the road way another mile or so past the treasury when I decided I had seen enough and hired the camel to bring me back up. Just as I arrived in the Treasury yard, a large group of tourists stood right in front of Jerry so he didn't get to see my triumphant entrance. That is Jerry, sitting on the end of the bench, with the vest and purple shirt on. I took this from the porch of the Treasury.

We're Home

What a trip. Lots to see in that little country. The bus took us all over Israel; from Tel Aviv to Caesarea to the Northern boarder with Syria down to Jerusalem, into Bethlehem (occupied territory - our guide couldn't go with us only our driver), then down to Egypt and up to Jordan and back into Israel. Check points at every boarder. Guards with guns everywhere (even in the hotels) - they really want to protect those tourist dollars.
Mishaps included: Day 5- dismounted the bus a bit too clumsily and twisting my left ankle. Opted out of the Jordan baptism the next day.
Day 8 - developed a case of food poisoning(?). Up all night with "those" symptoms. Really cleaned things out. Imodium works great. I stayed in the hotel recovering the next day. The tour director suggested I start taking the full spectrum antibiotics we brought so I did. Got the whole seven days into my system (in the allotted seven days) and on Day 16, high above the Atlantic Ocean I broke out in hives, all over my face, chest, back. Hives hurt. Hives itch. Got to the hotel and tried to get some sleep. To no avail. Had Jerry go out and purchase some Benadril. Two doses of that did not touch the hives. By 1:30 in the am I said enough, and we went to the urgent care five miles from the hotel for an epinephrine shot and a scrip for steroids. The doc said I should be fine in about three days.
Got lots of pictures of Antuco with various soldiers. I should have counted cats. (There are lots of them all over the area). When I get the pictures loaded onto the computer I'll post them.

Israel

I'm here. Getting very tired. Sprained my ankle but doing fine now. Taking loads of pictures. Will post more when I get home. (or later)

Happy Turkey Day

I have previously posted pictures of birds that come to our feeder. Sparrows, flickers, quail, hawks, magpies, and starlings have all helped themselves to a quick repast in our back yard. But today tops them all.

We had five hen turkeys (wild ones) make it into our back yard and spend some time foraging in the Virginia Creeper. Now, we have seen wild turkeys in the mountains north of here but this was a first for us. We live two miles from the center of town!

What a treat! Guess they felt safe because I ordered my Thanksgiving bird just today from Eggers.

Musings on hair

Went to the dentist yesterday. On the way to the procedure room, one of the hygienists remarked on the color of my hair. She said she really liked the color of it.
All my young life I hated the color of my hair. I wanted straight black hair. I had wavy red hair. I had one girl friend whose hair was a bit lighter than mine. Guess I identified with her.
For the next 50 years or so I permed it, colored it (wanted a brighter color) and often just let it do it's own thing.
Then as I neared 60 I started looking at my hair color in a different way. It is unique. You can't get this color from a bottle. It has pretty much stayed the same since my Mother clipped my first lock and put it in my baby book. I have some grey coming in now (actually, it looks more blond than grey). I'll probably not turn grey like others my age, rather the red will fade and get lighter (turn yellowish) until it becomes almost white (I'm told it will happen that way, anyway).
In the mean time I'll truely enjoy the color it is now. Just as I've come to appreciate my overall shape and general abilities.
Acceptance, yes. Appreciation, definitely.

October

The weather here turned cold rather fast. We had a lovely warm September then all of a sudden it was October and cold. But the cool-down was not gradual enough to produce the wonderful colors we had last year. I rather thought last year's trees were outstanding as compared to now, so I looked back on my site and sure enough. Those vibrant colors are not showing up this year. Maybe I am a bit early in my observations. I'll see what another couple of weeks bring.

Jerry & I, in preparation for the trip, received our flu and pneumonia shots yesterday. They were doing them for free at the Senior Center and I figured why not? I'm thinking all those hours in the closed ventilation system of the planes, all those little beasties just looking for new hosts, and who knows what we will run into in Israel, right? Yesterday I was fine. Jerry was a bit sore at the shot site. Today I feel like I've been "rode hard and put away wet" as my dad used to say. Meaning that I either am reacting to the shots or am really just tired. I'll relax this afternoon and do some yoga this evening and see what happens.

Maritha

Saturday I was finally able to go shopping with Maritha. It was quite an experience. We first went to Walmart where we picked up some tights, a couple of long sleeved t-shirts and a winter coat. Maritha was quite hesitant and shy about looking and picking out something.
OK, there really wasn't much to choose from anyway. A quick stop at Arby's and off we went to Kmart.
The girl learns quick. She marched right in to the girl's department and started looking at the dresses, pants, and shirts like a seasoned shopper. We found a couple of dresses, some cute jeans, warm snugglies and some snow boots.
When we got home she had to pull everything out of the bags and hold them up for everyone to see. She sure looked happy. I think we did just fine without a common language. Mostly I would sign. She watched my response about sizes and really tried to find the right tags. She picked mostly Pink. I pointed out purple and blue, she went back to pink. Guess she is a girly girl under all those boys cloths she has been wearing.

Musings on money

All my life I have felt like I have been scrimping along. When I started earning my own money babysitting, I would record every cent in a little accounting book - earned and spent. I could tell you what I bought or where it went. This habit carried from 5th grade through nursing school.
My first husband took charge of finances and had a good head for dealing with a growing family and small income. We did OK. No impulse shopping, no running up the credit cards. We would go on vacations IF we had saved up the money for it. Good, solid financial planning.
However, I felt like I didn't have "my own money" so I opened a savings account (behind his back) for my "pin" money. Why did women feel like they had to do that in those days? I wanted to feel like I could make a purchase without having to ask for money.
We split, and I had a terrible time getting a Shell Gas, JC Penny's, Liberty House or, Sears credit card in my name because all of our credit was in his name. My, how times have changed.
Husband number two dumped all financial responsibilities on me. He gave me his checks, I had to figure out how to pay the bills. He was good at running up the credit cards, I was diligent in paying them off. Because of this, we had no savings to use for vacations or planned out big purchases. I used training from my early life to work out finances in this union. I was in charge of all monies, but still felt financially poor because it was my responsibility to make ends meet.
Enter husband number three. He came into my life with a sound financial background, pays the bills, makes sure I want for nothing. But I can't break old habits. I shop for bargains, even in the grocery store I find it hard to purchase say, bell peppers at $1.00 each when I know I can get them for $.25 at the little outdoor produce shed down the road from us.
Why this musing? As I was doing my morning ablutions I was reflecting on how I always used to dream about having enough money to dump everything in my closet and buy all new. I can, financially, do that now. But, I can't. It would not be a good use of time or money. I pick up a shirt or blouse now and then. Don't feel guilty if I wear it a couple of times and it just doesn't do so I give it away. I don't think I could be happier if I had a LOT of money. Having some left over in my checking account at the end of the month makes me smile with gratitude for blessings uncounted.
I am glad I had the times of lean. It makes these times of plenty all the more sweet.

Test Results

The PA called today with a glowing report. Basically, my heart is in great shape and the Cardiologist does not anticipate any cardiac incidents in the foreseeable future. So, I'm happy.
Etienne family update: Got on line and looked up what the two elementary school aged kids would need for school. Then Jerry & I filled the list. Took the supplies over today. Jean Marie will have a book bag waiting for him at school with some supplies in it already, we just filled in the blanks. Maritha's bag weighs a ton. She was sooooo happy when I told her these were HER supplies and the boys couldn't have any. They had to take everything out of the bag (6 pks of paper, 6 folders, 10 spiral notebooks, crayons, colored markers, pencils, colored pencils, glue, scissors etc.) and then put them all back.
I told the older boys I would get them a back pack each and see what supplies they need.
It is great to see what they are learning already. Words like hi, hello, Thank You!, numbers etc. Even the Papa is picking up words.
The neighbors have really opened their arms to this family. There is a boy (frosh at G-Prep) living two houses down. He is over quite a bit just talking and getting the kids used to English. There seem to be a few other refugee families in the area because a man from Rwanda came by today - he recognised the World Relief worker as she was taking the kids to the park and wanted to say Hi to the parents. And some women that were at the school meeting I attended last week came by to visit.
Wanted to get to the garden today to harvest the tomatoes before it freezes (yes, that ugly word is creeping into the weather forecast already). Didn't make it. Sewing class tomorrow. Maybe Wednesday? Who knows. At least I have brought my houseplants in.

Yes, I'm still alive.

I have never been so "Up tight" about a test before in my life. I arrived at the Cardiologists 15 minutes early and the took me right in. Hardly had time to unwind the cord on my i-pod. The nurse gave me a quick rundown on what to expect and told me to put on that little gown with the ties in the front. She stuck at least 10 patches to my chest and hooked me up to the EKG leads. Another nurse came in and started the IV. I was shaking. NEVER have I been that nervous. Hind sight... There was nothing to be nervous about. They ran a base line read from the leads and took them off. Next a guy comes in carrying a lead box with a lead encased syringe containing radio active stuff that he injects into my IV. Then I was laid out on a the X-ray table and for the next 15 minutes the machine commenced taking pictures. Whoops! My liver got in the way and I had to have them retaken. First I was lead back out to the dressing room to drink some apple juice and eat some peanut butter crackers. Time to dig out the i-pod and chill. I kept it going when I climbed back on the table. This 15 minutes went by much more smoothly. And the pictures were better. Then they hooked me back up and put me on the tread mill. I had to get my heart rate up to 160 - And tell them when I only had 2 minutes left in me. How does that happen. Anyway, when I hit the 160 beats mark, I said enough (and had to go two more minutes). They pumped more radio active stuff in while I was still walking, stopped the machine and had me sit and rest for 15 minutes, then back on the X-ray table for 15 minutes more of pictures.
Thanks. Those look good. We'll give these to the doctor and he'll write up a report and send it to your doctor in three or four days. Next week I'll get a call from my doctor saying every thing is fine and I'll be OK until .... whenever.
The fact that I don't smoke, don't have a family history of heart problems, have decent cholesterol, and get daily exercise all contribute to a good prognosis. I'll keep you posted.

???

Went in to the Dr. this morn to have a check on this acid reflux that's been bothering me of late. He ran an EKG and found a slow heart rate and a funny thing going on on the T (what, line? bar?). Anyway, I'm off to the Tread Mill EKG Thursday morning. Running on a Tread Mill for two hours shall surely put me under.
More later.

Hooray for me!

Started line dancing on Monday. Two left feet? Let's say that my left foot doesn't know what my right foot has done so it doesn't follow well. But it is fun.
Got to the lazy point this summer. Munching a lot. Couldn't get those jeans zipped. Back to weight watchers. Problem is they have this neat charm thingy I'd love to earn but you have to loose 10% of your body weight to get it. 10% of my body weight is more than my goal. My scale says I've lost 10 pounds (those same 10 I put on this summer) - theirs says only 4. Why is that? Both scales were synced when I started. Oh well. It's all weight gone (for a while - wait, that's defeatist).
Entered items for the grand girls and myself in the fair. As expected Casey (the one who likes to "do" sewing) came away with a lot of Red ribbons (needs improvement) and Sydney (who likes to "learn" sewing) got mostly Blue (first place). Surprisingly (or not) mine all got Blue and two of them got Purple. I took pictures but can't find them right now. I'll post them when I do.
Off now to a Red Hat meeting then to a Lay Speaker Training in Coeur d'Alene. Never a dull moment.

Garage Sale-ing

I so wanted to take Martha (the 11 year old girl) out shopping today for a dress to wear to church. But I got nixed by the World Relief people. First of all I had not gone through the background check required for all drivers and companions. Downloaded the forms, filled them out, and delivered them on Friday afternoon. Then they do not want individual members of the family going on outings without all the rest of the family for a while. I am not about to drive the van with a family of 8 who do not speak English.
So, what to do? We went Garage Sale-ing. Jerry says he had never done that before. How can that be? I got the morning paper out and took down the addresses of 8 sales that said "kids cloths" and "toys". I bought two night gowns, a toy fire truck and some rubber stamps at the first stop. All the others were a wash. I next stopped at the NW Christian Thrift store and found some dresses for Martha. Then had to stop at Office Depot to get some stamp pads for the rubber stamps, a ream of copy paper (for drawing and stamping) and a package of colored markers. Oh, I found an 18 " doll which I'll give to Martha later (after she has been cleaned up) and some maracas which the boys loved.
Took the lot to them and was received so warmly. Martha broke into the biggest smile when she realized that I had brought things just for her, things she would not have to share with her brothers. It will be fun to see which dress (if any of the ones I brought) she will be wearing tomorrow.
It is so fun to see who ends up with what. I take something out of a bag and expect JeanMarie (age 5) to want it, Erike (age 14) latches on to it. Or I thought the rubber stamps would be of interest to Martha or Erike and Raphael (age 17) shows more interest (I think I saw him drawing yesterday).
As we were leaving Jerry told me to swing by the grocery store. Then he proceeded to purchase a watermelon and a dozen large muffins which we then delivered back to the house. By that time there were two car loads of people there. Their friends from the refugee camp who had arrived last month and one of the companion families.
Tomorrow should be organized chaos at church - or not. I do want to see about getting into the coat reserve to see if anything will be of interest to them.

Day Two

Two days of eating regularly and sleeping have really improved the demeanue of the Burundi family. Mom and Dad (Maryana and Mashimango) are always smiling when I pop in. The kids stop playing in Phil's back yard and come running to greet me. Today I took over two "play in the dirt" type trucks for the little boys (Eritie and JeanMarie) and a large red wagon. All six kids had to have a turn at playing with them. Just warms the heart watching their innocence.
Yesterday I played a card game (9 up) with Erike, Raphael and Martha. Using signs I was able to get most of the concepts of the game over to them. They can count in English and could determine (very accurately) their own scores.
I rushed out last night and scoured Value Village for sweat cloths for all of them (coming from the tropics to September in Spokane can be a bit of a shock to the system - they were cold.) Then went to Fred Meyer and spent almost as much just on socks for all. (Haven't even delved into underwear needs). Maryana was wearing a Muumuu today (I didn't give her that) so now I know what to be on the lookout for for her. When I went up today, JeanMarie was wearing the jacket I had picked out for Martha. Go figure.
This is such a brave family. There are other families from the same refugee camp here in Spokane already who have been visiting, much to everyone's delight.
I am told that they will be worshiping with us on Sunday. I can't wait to hear them sing a song to us.

Burundi Family Arrives

Off the plane came today a family of eight refugees from Burundi looking very tired and dazed.

Here they are getting introduced to their interpreter (in the short sleeves - back to the camera). They are all in identical grey sweatshirts.

Imagine setting out from the middle of Africa one day and landing the next in Spokane.

Mom and dad with five boys and one girl. Such a close family. I think that is the girl next to the white fist. The family resemblance is so great I could only tell which was the girl by the sandals she was wearing.

The two youngest boys delighted in the toys I brought for them. They were quietly occupied while the adults waited for the baggage.

I think this boy is the 15 years old. He looked drained. Bet they will all sleep tonight.

Carpets

Called a company, recommended by a neighbor, to come in and clean my carpets. Today was the day. In walks the most "Fiddler on the Roof" typically Jewish man in Spokane. Jerry immediately started a conversation with him. He was very intelligent, articulate, interesting to listen to. Of all things, to be in my living room listening to a Jewish Rabbi. His views of Judaism, the Palestinian thing, the history I have been reading, all makes one stop and ponder. If the Jews are the "chosen people" who are the "chosen people" of the New Testament? I thought Christians were. Many more ideas were thrown into the air and are slowly settling in my consciousness.
We definitely need to have him in for coffee just to listen to him again.
P.S. His son did an excellent job with the carpets.

Holy Land

Our tour guide has sent us literature to read (I haven't done so yet), suggested books to read (Jerry has read all and more), and I have taken a summer missions class on Israel and Palestine which only caused me much mental distress as I did not pay attention, growing up, as this history was unfolding. Now I am in catch up mode. The "Israel/Palestine" book from the study made me mad at the Israelis. I read "Queen Nor" and became angry at the interfering Europeans. I am now reading "Daughter of Persia" and "Exodus". At least "Exodus", even though a novel, seems to be filling in a lot of the blanks and pulling the pieces together. I'm only 1/3 of the way through.
CNN aired a three part series on "Warriors of God" this week. Did anyone else watch it? The first night was about the Jews. Very good, informative. The second was about Islam. Also good. Explained the reasoning behind martyrdom. I was out for the third one on Christianity. Jerry watched it and was not impressed.