I'm Back

Hey all,

Well I'm back, safe and sound but with a broken finger where it attaches to my hand. Hence, I'm writing this with one hand, hunt and peck style. Slow!

It's funny: even with all our fabulous experiences in Zambia (see my zambia blog), I still missed home more than ever, especially dear hubby. And I really missed the canine kids. DH tells me they missed me, too.

BUT, I was able get a canine fix while there: the dear missionary couple we stayed with after the conference (the Moyers) had four dogs and at least two cats, my favorite of which is Rajah.

Just look at him:





























That's me (before I broke my hand) with Rajah at the Moyers' home in Kabwe, Zambia: he's a leaner like Elsie and would love you to pet him all day.

He's a Boerboel (a cross between a mastiff and a bulldog, or a mastiff and a great dane depending on who you talk to), a recognized breed in South Africa, also known as the South African Mastiff. And they are a fabulous breed.

He're Rajah with his female companion (can't remember her name just now):















Isn't she beautiful?
















This breed is marked by fierce loyalty, intelligence, affection, and obedience, and they make fabulous guard dogs. In fact, the local Zambians won't enter the Moyers' wall-fenced, gated yard (necessary for nearly all homes because of rampant theft) because they say the Moyers keep two "lions" there. ;o)

But they're gentle, affectionate lions as long as they know you're okay.

And they helped me miss home that much less. Especially Rajah.

'Til next time,
Joan (whose hand really hurts, but who's TREMENDOUSLY thankful to be back home on U.S. soil--we Americans don't have a clue how good we have it here...more on that to come).

Down, but not out!

Well, this is me after I broke my finger falling at Vic Falls. I'm still numb here in this picture after they injected my hand and nerves so they could realign the bones, so I'm a smiling happy camper. :o)

The break is right up against the knuckle in my left hand (the pinky finger bone mms. from the joint). I have more discomfort now from the nerve irritation than from the bone, but it's all slowly getting better .

The docs here in the States will resplint my hand and finger on Friday to give the bones time to knit before they mess with redoing the splint.

I post this only to let you know I'm okay and that we see God's grace in countless details.

Thanks for praying! 

Ownership?

Well, I think I've finally gotten blogger to work this morning! And my little camera is taking pictures just fine. It'll be a nice (small, lightweight, portable) addition to our Zambia trip.

So here's the exchange I captured this morning on my little digital:






Got anything to play with, Mom?















There it is! I see it! It's MINE!














HA HA, Ridge! I got it and you don't!















Ah, c'mon Ridge...I was only teasing. Give it back!












Ah...these kids...when will they learn!

When will we?

When it comes right down to it, who of us truly owns anything? It's all just entrusted to us for a time (as they say, hearses don't pull u-hauls). That's a great reminder for me as I jet across the Pond to another continent. Well, two actually -- first Europe (London), then Africa (Zambia).

There but for the grace of God go I.

'Til next time,
Joan (whose fingernails are now far shorter so she can key on this keyboard without hitting two keys at a time).

Testing My Camera - Depressed Doggies

Hey all,I'm just getting ready to leave for Zambia and am testing my little pocket camera to see if its photos will load well.

I didn't want to take my "good" digital camera (too big in size, too expensive to risk being stolen or confiscated), so I found a teeny-sized one on eBay that should do nicely (yup, good ol' eBay) .

So I'm trying out the camera, as well as testing the software necessary for dealing with downloading and uploading photos from the cameral to my laptop, especially since my laptop has become the team laptop for this trip. :o)

When we update our Zambia blog while we're over there, we'll do so from this computer (boy do I need to cut my fingernails; this keyboard is SO much smaller and flatter than my desktop's ergonomic split keyboard -- long nails makes it tough to key).

So here are some pics (the poor canine kids are SORELY depressed with Don gone again, and me not paying them much attention). Can you tell?

And I've discovered that I can upload pictures using Picasa. BUT I haven't been able to do a direct upload through Blogger's photo option yet (Blogger is giving me fits again!).

Oh well. I guess I'll have to try again later. TTFN (ta ta for now!)

Joan 

Snuggle Withdrawel

Poor Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge. They're in serious snugggle withdrawel.

You see, Daddy Don traveled to Ireland and France for work last week, came home for the weekend, then flew to upstate New York where he'll be until Thursday morning.


I leave for Zambia the same Thursday afternoon a few hours after Don gets home.

AND with all my Zambia preparations AND my work deadlines AND having to deal with insurance companies after youngest son's accident (he was rear-ended; not his fault) AND doing airport runs for hubby AND moving oldest son home from college for the summer AND squeezing in pre-trip family time (visiting daughter at college and going to Mom's for a Zambia send-off dinner) AND the usual stuff (bills, laundry, meals, etc.) and, well...the poor canine kids aren't getting much attention or snuggle time--certainly not as much as they're used to. Ridge in particular has become quite a snuggler (even enjoys the puppy pile, meaning he snuggles with us even if we're already snuggling with Baxter or Elsie). :o)

So they're depressed. And it shows. Poor kids.

I've been trying to spend evenings with them, but time is tight with Zambia looming. At least firstborn son, Dan, is home now, so he can snuggle with them a bit. The LOVE Dan. Just like they love us.

So snuggling with Dan will have to do. Don and I just aren't available right now (he's away, and I'm prepping for Zambia).

I wonder how they'll be while I'm away (two full weeks)? Will they miss me? I know I'll miss them! It's funny how attached we become. :o)

'Til next time,
Joan

Checking In

Sorry folks -- it's been six weeks. And I'll only be able to do a brief update now, since next week I leave on two-week short-term missions trip to Zambia, Africa.

I've been swamped: we're in the middle of house renovations, and I had a blecky reaction to a vaccine I needed for the Africa trip, and I got sick, and my youngest was in a car accident (he's okay, just really whiplashed), and hubby has been traveling again (in France and Ireland this wee), and...well you get the idea.

The "kids" are fine; enjoying spring. It's been a fabulous spring so far: high temps in the 60s and low 70s, lows in the 40s and 50s (MY kind of weather). None of this go-from-winter-directly-into-summer stuff this year. It's truly been spring, and it's been delightful.

We've had too little rain, though (we're already in a declared drought-watch here in PA).

But the last time it rained, we saw something we haven't seen in years: a rainbow (full-color, no less). Check this out (I even captured it on my digital camera!):

















































Way cool! Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge were oblivious, of course -- just wondering what all the hubbub was about as I ran around trying to find my camera.





































They may have been oblivious, but I sure wasn't! In the midst of the last several week's challenges, what a terrific reminder it was of God's presence and provision!

'Til next time,
Joan

The Birds!

When I was child, one of the scariest movies to trouble my safe little world was Alfred Hitchcock's The Birds. Today the movie just seems hokey; then it gave me pause. Every time I saw more than a bird or two roosting in the towering maples outside our home, I was certain what I'd seen in the movie was about to be realized in my front yard. ;o)

It's amazing how childhood memories stick with us through our adulthoods.

Earlier this week, when it was in the 70s here in SE PA, I felt like enjoying a few minutes with the doggies out on our back deck. The sun felt good; the air smelled sweet with the promise of spring. My revelry in the pleasant outdoors lasted about three seconds; then the birds came.

They were just starlings, I believe. And they meant no harm. But thousands upon thousands (I kid you not) flew in droves over our backyard.

Sometimes a few would stop to rest in the trees on our back hill. But mostly they just flew over, cackling as they flapped overhead.

That's how I knew they were coming: I heard them first--just like in the movie.

Talk about a throw-back to childhood memories. The BIRDS! ;o)


My gut reaction (childhood fear) gave way almost immediately to fascination. And I wasn't the only one intrigued by the birds' arrival: Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge stood fascinated, silently tracking them in the sky.

Elsie has the strongest hunting and retrieving instincts of the three. Baxter and Ridge soon grew bored. But Elsie could've stayed and watched for hours.

Thankfully, after literally tens of thousands flying over in several, punctuated waves, The Birds phenomenon stopped.

It was quiet again. And still.

Amazing, isn't it, how noisy nature can be! I never really thought about it before. But nature can create quite a ruckus.

It's a ruckus the canine kids enjoy. This was one ruckus, however, that my childhood mind can live without!

'Til next time,
Joan 

A Lab Point of View (Part Two)

You can tell me to stop helping you put out the bird seed, but...














it's just in my nature to help. :o)













You can work at the computer, but...



only if you let me nudge your mouse hand and only if you explain to me what you're doing.








Ha! You can say this is your recliner, but...




we know differently. Move your feet, lose your seat. :o)

A Lab's Point of View (Part One)

You can read, but...













only if you let me nudge and butt the book or magazine enough so that you finally give up reading and pay attention to to me. :o)


















You can eat, but...













only if you're willing to share. :o)

Back from the Flu

Sorry it's been a while. I've been down and out with some sort of virus (low-grade fever, chills, sweats, aches and pains, whopping headache, dizziness, weakness, exhaustion, etc.). It hasn't been fun; and it's going on six days now, although today I'm starting to feel human again. Not 100%, but definitely better.

Poor kids: they're feeling neglected. I've been sleeping most of the last five days away (and sleeping soundly all night--if that says anything).


Elsie's depressed. She hangs out on the doggie bed by the fire and yawns a lot. Poor girl wants to be touched and held and played with. I just can't do it when I'm sick (the last thing I want when I feel lousy is face washes by dog tongues and 80 lbs of Lab on my lap ).








Ridge is depressed, too, but he hangs out on the couch cushions. He's gentle with me and seems to know I don't feel well.








Nothing seems to get Baxter down. He's as relaxed and low-key as ever (Mr Sprawl seen here on the recliner). And he's as sweet with me as ever.



At least the kids got their usual romp in the woods today with Dad. So everybody's content for the time being.

Hopefully I'll be back to form in the next day or two (this being sick thing is getting old). Then the kids and I can romp (it's good for them and good for me). :o)

'Til next time,
Joan

Too Much Stuff!

"Oh no! What's Lab marketing come to!"

Lab Stuff

If you've read any of my posts here you'll know I love Labrador retrievers: not just my three, but the breed itself. It's a fabulous breed, one my husband and I will stick with for our lifetimes.

But one part of Labdom drives me a little nuts: Lab stuff. Not Lab supplies or training materials or even a few select items that display a love for Labs (baseball caps, t-shirts, jewelry, or maybe even a decal or two, etc.).

But do we really need these items (found in a recent general search on eBay):

Lab puppy bookends (and I'm a book lover and addict! I'm even an author, but bookends?)
Lab Franklin Mint collector plates
Lab puppy belt buckles
Lab roller-ball pens
Lab collectors' bottle openers
Collectors' 18-wheel truck with Labs painted on the side
Lab-decorated cigar and pill boxs
Tin "Wanted!" sign for Labrador retrievers
a Neimann-Marcus Five-Dancing-Labradors statue (they don't even look like Labs)

I can understand Lab-decorated neck ties, keychains, portraits, socks, Christmas ornaments, door mats, leash hangers, stuffed animals, notecards, wall-paper borders, figurines, playing cards, and the like (all quickly found through an eBay search) ; they make at least a little sense to me. I can see why people would buy them

But roller pens and toy trucks?

Just when is enough stuff enough? Just when has breed marketing gone too far?

Okay (true confessions), I'll admit that hubby and Iuse three Lab mugs between us (all received as gifts); he wears one Lab baseball cap; we each own a Lab sweatshirt, and I have a Lab nightshirt. And we enjoy them all.

We also own boatloads of Lab training books, gift books, videos and DVDs, and veterinary manuals.

But I seriously doubt well ever buy a $150 Neimann Marcus Lab statue or a Lab roller-ball pen.

How silly.

I suppose one man's junk is indeed another's treasure.

At least the breed itself isn't tainted by marketing; Labs are still Labs, and will be for the foreseeable future.

What do you think about Lab stuff? Is it good, bad, or irrelevant?

'Til next time,
Joan

We Love the Outdoors, for Good or Bad

The kids (canine variety) just love the outdoors.

It doesn't matter what time of year, what type of weather, or how cold it is. If they can be outside, that's where they want to be.

The only exception is summer heat, but that's another story for another day.

They especially love to be outside when it's messy: muddy, rainy, icy. Go figure.

Well, Don took Baxter, Elsie, and Ridge for their usual lengthy Saturday morning romp out along the dirty roads and streams near our house. And, you guessed it: they loved splashing in anything they could get their paws into: mud, ice cold water, drainage ditches.

Silly, muddy, muddy kids.

Thankfully we have a somewhat mess-free backyard. And the kids love to hang out there.
They stay pretty clean, all things considered (not that they care; I care, though, especially when they come inside!).

They stay mud-free just about everywhere in the back yard, except when they visit the lower corner beyond the crabapple tree. That's a mud pit. And, of course, it's right next to where the neighbors come and go, so the dogs loiter there so they can bark and race back and forth when the neighbors walk by.

It figures. Their one guard post happens to be the only mud pit in the yard.

So, we decided to throw some straw in the mud pit to at least tone down the splash factor.

Elsie, Baxter, and Ridge had to help, of course.

And they did.

But even two bales later, we still have a mud pit.

And muddy dogs.

I guess that's just part of living with Labs. :o)

I'll take muddy paws and underbellies with Lab kisses and faithfulness any day. To experience the good, we accept the bad (or at least learn to live with it).

Sounds a lot like life to me.

'Til next time,
Joan

Sleeping in Peace

The Elsie girl sleeps soundly in Don's lap. It's her favorite place to snooze, and she rests comfortably there.

Always. Without exception.

Such peace. Such contentment. Such rest.

Head nestled close; feeling the warmth of her #1 human; hearing his heartbeat--she must feel secure, like a pup nuzzled close to her mother.

I suppose that's why she sleeps so well: All is well because Daddy is near; he'll protect her.

I wish Don could do the same for our girl-child.

When Sarah (the human girl-child) came home earlier this week, she'd just completed necessary tests for the new job she's taking as an EMT in Wilmington, Delaware. She's a college student, too, and works on campus as an EMT, but working for the City of Wilmington is something quite different (more like a war zone, we're told).

In the two days prior to her testing, Wilmington EMTs had to deal with a scalping (yes, skin and hair removed from the top of the skull) and a fatal shooting (two gun shot wounds). The ambulance is marred with bullet holes.

Oh, and Sarah announced on Monday that she was purchasing a bullet-proof vest to wear over her chest plate! Apparently the city requires both as part of the EMT uniform.

Yikes.

That's my little girl we're talking about (well, not so little anymore)!

Sometimes I miss the days when Sarah was small enough to nestle against her Daddy's shoulder and fall asleep--something she loved to do and did readily. The world seemed far less dangerous then.

Frankly, sometimes I wish I could nestle against a human shoulder secure in the knowledge that all is safe and well. But I'm a grown-up. We know better.

So I suppose I'll try to nestle into the arms of my Heavenly Father; the only One who can truly protect Sarah from harm, if He chooses to do so. Then maybe I'll sleep better when I know the sweet girl-child is riding ambulance on the city streets in Wilmington.

Gulp.

'Til next time,
Joan 

Looks Can Be Deceiving!

At first glance, what would you think was happening in this photo?

Nope. Baxter is NOT snarling or growling, or even unhappy for that matter.

I captured this picture of him at the end of his yawn (which Sarah is mimicing). He's only yawning while Sarah is leaning against him.

That's all. Honest.

But, boy-oh-boy, it doesn't look that way.

The false assumptions we could make about this photo make me wonder: how much of what we see in the media (print, digital, electronic...doesn't matter) is actually what's happening?

I could, if I wanted to, take this photo and present a case for the aggressive behavior of Labradors (how silly, really, knowing the breed as I do, and knowing they don't have a single aggressive bone in their bodies). The picture sure seems to make that point, though.

Knowing its context and knowing the real action in the picture, I could never use the photo that way.

But unscrupulous journalists certainly could.

Just how accurate is what we see on TV and on the news and in magazines and newspapers?

I suspect a healthy dose of skepticism (or at least critical thinking skills) is in order when it comes to photography and implied lessons or arguments made from photos.

Baxter's yawn is a case in point if I ever saw one.

'Til next time,
Joan

Littermate!

As far as the canine kids are concerned, Sarah (our sweet, 19-year-old, girl child) is just another littermate.

Sarah dropped by for the day yesterday from college (yay!). She had job-related tests to take only forty-five minutes from our house, so after her tests she scooted home for the afternoon and evening, then drove back to school late last night.

She said she needed a break from campus life. But I know the real reason she came home:

She need her Lab fix; in particular, she needed a Baxter fix (see top photo).

The canine kids love her to death. She's just one of the gang. And she loves them--all three of them.

But she and Baxter are buds. Special buds. Maybe it's because she still lived at home when Baxter came to us as a 6.5-week-old. He's the only one of the dogs she "grew up" with (Ridge came to us as an adult; Elsie came to us as a 7-week-old, but Sarah lived away at school by then). And she and Baxter were inseparable then.

Then again, maybe it's because Baxter is Baxter. He seems to have a similar bond with Daniel (our 22-year-old son). But then again, too, Dan was here for Baxter's puppyhood.

In any case, the canine kids love the human kids and the human kids love the canine kids. And the fact that they do warms this mother's heart. :o)

It just makes me smile to see them romp and play and giggle and snuggle together. I love what our Labs bring out in our kids and what the kids bring out in our Labs: they seem to bring the best out of each other.

And both bring the best out of me.

Oh, that the world were filled with giggling children (of all ages) and wiggling Labs! What a wonderful world it would be.

'Til next time,
Joan 

Togetherness

Last night I went to our Zambia team meeting. (Have I mentioned on this blog that I'm going to Zambia in May with three other middle-aged women as part of a short-term missions trip to teach at a women's conference? If you're interested, I put a link to that blog in the sidebar on the left where you can read about it.) It was our third team meeting so far.

I came home scared.

Hmmmm.

It's not that I haven't been to Africa before; I taught in Kenya in 2001 as part of another short-term missions trip, that time at a conference for pastors and their wives.

It's not that I haven't traveled internationally; we lived in France for three months in 1996 because my husband was temporarily relocated there. We bopped around several European countries while we were there (did plenty of customs stuff). That experience plus our trip to Kenya should be enough to ease my mind.

It's not that I can't teach; I teach a two-hour class nearly every week from September to May (January 0ff). And I'm good at it (at least people tell me I am).

It's not that I don't know the people I'm going with; they're good friends, and to boot, one is my identical twin sister--we even get to room together. Yay!

It's not that I'll be gone that long; the trip is only two weeks start-to-finish, with direct flights and same airline both ways (easy travel).

It's not that I don't have my passport or current immunizations or travelers' insurance; all that's taken care of.

It's not that Don and the kids (canine and human) won't do just fine without me; they're more than self-sufficient.

So what's bugging me?

I think it's that I'm going without dear hubby. I've never traveled internationally without him. I've traveled some in the states (flown to Chicago or California or Florida) without him, but never overseas, and never where a passport and visa were required.

Harrumph. I don't like having this knot in my stomach; I feel like Ridge and Elsie both look in the picture above: neither is happy where she/he is because they're apart from each other.

I feel that way now, and we still have 76 days to go until we leave (but who's counting?).

That's probably it; I just don't want to go without my hubby and best friend. :o) We're so used to being partners in everything (except work) that doing this trip on my own feels threatening.

I think.

I'm not sure.

I just have this awful tightness in my throat and churning in my tummy.

Maybe I'm just nervous period, and last night's meeting (where we received confirmed flight info, teaching schedules, itineraries, etc.) made it all seem so real.

Now I understand a bit more about the canine kids' need for togetherness. It feels secure.

At least I'll be with my seeeeeester (and two other good friends). That will help.

Besides, if I took Don with me, the canine kids would have to be kennelled for a couple of weeks; something we don't want to do.

Oh well. I'm committed. It's Zambia in May or bust.

'Til next time,
Joan