Sunday, October 27, 2013
B0B NOONAN AND SHIPMATE 1945
Here's Bob in his sailor suit at the end of WWII.A shipmate, Calvin Johnson , from Anson, Texas, is with Bob. The emblem on Bob's uniform shows that Bob was an Electrcian's Mate third Class. His combat ribbons indicate he was a participant in major engagments in the Asiatic Theater of Operations.
MOE THE BEAUTY CONTESTANT
Rosemary "Moe" Lynch was five years old when Aunt Lena Maietta submitted this portrait to a beauty contest. She would have had my vote!Thursday, October 17, 2013
AMAZING CROWS LEFT GIFTS
We had a platform in the woods which we used to feed the crows . Over a period of time, Mary discovered little gifts left there by the crows. They are amazing creatures---you might be surprised. The trinkets are parts of children's toys which must have lost in the woods for many years.
Monday, October 14, 2013
A GODSEND
UP THE UP STAIRCASE
This chairlift is god send! Up stairs would have to wait otherwise. Like tohave one to get
down cellar.
down cellar.
UP THE UP STAIRCASE
Here's how to get up and down the stairs. Wish we had another one to get down cellar!
Saturday, October 12, 2013
SHE'S GETTING THERE
Betsy, Charley and Bob a were here this weekend and were a lot of help to Mary and Peggy in caring for Moe. Here they are walking her down the street. An interesting historical event --.--in the upper right picture, Bob is using a cane owned by Grampa Tony Naples--god knows ho many years old it is. Moe used it fo a while, but when she went to Physical Therapy she was told the cane was too We got her a new cane
Thanks in large part to Mary and Peggy, Moe gets excellent nursing care.
Sunday, October 06, 2013
What I'm Reading
The Last Resort: A Memoir of Mischief and Mayhem on a Family Farm in Africa Paperback
by Douglas Rogers (Author)
This is an interesting and easy read about what happened to white farmers in Zimbabwe under Robert Mugabe's regime. It manages to be both informative and entertaining. As you may remember, Mugabe started repossessing white farms in 2000-2001 and appropriating them for "war veterans" who helped him solidify his grip on the country. For some reason, I keep hearing Stevie Wonder's voice singing, "Peace has come to Zimbabwe...." Really? What a mess. This is an ugly piece of the African political puzzle. Actually, most of Africa is characterized by militarism and violence. So sad. In my next entry, I will tell you more about Botswana's HIV prevalence rate (over 30% in some populations) and the link to violence against women and girls. That's what I'm doing here - exploring that intersection. It's a complete mind bender.
Stay tuned.
Highlights and Lowlights...
Hi All,
The exotic animals and game drives are obviously a highlight. I hate to be so uncreative, but the big cats are mesmerizing. I loved watching them, even when they did silly little things (maybe especially when they did silly little things) that reminded me of domesticated cats. You've seen pics of them eating, resting, and now sauntering around with their sibling. One of the two in the previous picture must have had something stuck in the bottom of his foot - he stopped periodically to lick it, eventually sitting down and doing what all of our pets do - biting his foot, rubbing it, trying to extract the foreign object. I love all animals, but these beauties are a special treat.
Lowlights: Well, speaking of cats, you may have heard about my first night house sitting. Cat was on the roof for 12 hours and I was tizzy worrying about him (dehydration, eventual heat stroke - can cats get that?) and the ruined relationship with my new boss (whose house I'm watching). Gulp. After staying up almost all night trying to coax him down and moving my car so he could jump on it for an easier landing, I finally found a ladder (at 6:00am) and grabbed that little SOB by the scruff of his neck! Necessity is the mother of courage. I never would have done that otherwise. I vowed to never let him out. But, after a few days, I realized he needed the exercise and adventure - I just made sure he couldn't get on the roof again. Just when I thought I was safe, see below. Cats are crazy bastards, but I'm growing to love them. I'll get some pics of this crazy cat playing with the dogs, cleaning their faces, sleeping with them...he's really fearless. The dogs love him.
Other low lights are constant dog barking at night. The one you see here is sort of a typical African street dog. Really cute and, like the cat, extremely hard to control. In typical Rita K. fashion after a long spell of continual barking from the neighbors dogs, I opened the front door and screamed at the top of my lungs, "Shut Up you Bastards!" Of course mine contribute to the mix when they're out, but it's not all night. So irritating.
The other lowlight is that there is almost nothing to do and the food is horrible.
Well, then, other than that I'm having a great time! Ha!
Highlights of Southern Africa
