There are good reasons that I haven't blogged in so long. Well, maybe not good ones but reasons, for sure.
It's difficult to explain but, basically, my energy has been going into survival-level functions: getting up in the morning, making it through a work day, dealing with the issues to and from the office, dealing with the issues with our steward, ... I realize that there really is no adequate way to describe it. So, let's just say I haven't had any emotional/mental strength to do even basic blogging.
There have been many times when something bizarre/absurd-but-normal-for-life-here has occurred and Jim has said, with great enthusiasm, "you should put that on your blog" and I've agreed ... and then done nothing. So those stories are gone from my brain at the moment but they might be retrievable at a later time. 'hope so!
We've been here almost 3 years now. I've been in my job for 2 1/2 years. And we've decided that the only way for the two of us to be able to survive here any longer is for me to leave the job. It's a job that is, well, impossible to fulfill after all -- helping ex pats and returning Nigerians to be happy here?!!! What was I thinking!!? I can't manage another's happiness. I can't even manage my own! We've had terrific and irreplaceable experiences but "happy" is not a word that would often fit. Joy in the midst ... surely. Hilarity ... often. Sightings of God's grace ... always!
So, I'm emerging out of the fog and beginning to breathe again. Tomorrow is my last day on the job! Any time something totally absurd happens today it's just a clear reminder that I'm making the right choice.
Then, very soon we'll be flying to the U.S. for a month! Wowie zowie!! Yippeeeeeeeeeeeee!
Thursday, December 11, 2008
Wednesday, October 22, 2008
Tuesday, October 21, 2008
More Thailand Photos
Often, on the rare occasions when Jeri can drive on the base to see her husband, she cannot get out of the car -- but they can visit through the window!
MORE PHOTOS TOMORROW!
Monday, October 20, 2008
Two Terrific Thai Weeks
It's been awhile since I've blogged, I guess. One reason -- I was in Thailand for two weeks, visiting Jeri. Second reason -- I had too much work to do before I left and after I returned to find time to blog! Third reason -- we couldn't get internet to work all weekend.
Quick report on my visit in Thailand--
Jeri and Boy live in an area of Thailand that lacks a lot of the "westernized" things you can find in Bangkok, Chiang Mai, and Phuket. So ... Jeri and I flew to Chiang Mai, rented a car, and drove with a pile of purchases back to Ubon (a two-day drive!). We had loads of fun in Chiang Mai -- eating at restaurants that are unlike what I can find in Lagos and she can find in Ubon, shopping in various stores, hunting for a sewing machine (and finding one!), visiting her old friends at her former church and at the Children's Home where she used to work, having massages, ... and catching up on our visiting!!! :-)
Oddly enough, shopping has lost it's charm in some ways -- the malls just seemed noisy and crowded. I guess that means that we are wayyyyyyyy out of touch with our former form of entertainment! The "drop" in "shop til you ..." came very quickly!!! But we were able to gather together some amazing finds --- lasagna and other pasta, jams, spices like cardamom and other "necessities"!
Our drive across the country was delightful though Jeri had to do most of the driving -- this right side of the car and left side of the road thing is a bit tough to get used to but when one can't drive anything on any side of the road and hasn't driven anything it months it's a bit easier than expected!
We had a great time back in Ubon -- working on projects in Jeri's place, visiting every favorite spot from my previous visit, trying a new favorite restaurant (garlic chicken that is beyond yummy!), playing with Machiato (their puppy!), ...
The highlight of the whole trip (other than spending quality time with my daughter) was seeing Boy and being able to hang out with Boy and Jeri, together, for awhile! We got to see Boy play football and, man, is he good!!!
So, the countdown begins for the next time I'll be able to visit Jeri and Boy -- hopefully Jim can be a part of the next visit!
EVERYTHING ABOUT THE NETWORK IS SOOOOOOOOO SLOW TODAY THAT I DON'T HAVE ENOUGH HOURS TO GET ANY MORE PHOTOS UPLOADED. I'LL TRY TO ADD MORE TOMORROW.
Friday, September 12, 2008
Of Salt, Onions, and God's Direct Involvement!
We had known for quite some time that Jide, our driver, almost lost his wife, Iyabo, when she was full term with their firstborn child more than 22 years ago. This week he gave us more details and told us that the doctors never had answers for the reason she had struggled. Well, I just couldn't let that sit so I googled it and found out some amazing pieces of information. Details follow:
She was 19 years old and within her last week of pregnancy when she started acting like she was not feeling well. She told Jide it was nothing. They went to bed but he did not sleep. He watched his wife. In the wee hours of the morning she got up and he followed her. Basically, he describes the sequence of events as though he lost her many times.
First, she apparently passed out. Her body was limp and didn't respond at all. Then she went into something he calls convulsions. Her teeth were clenched. Jide frantically fought her, forcing his fist into her mouth, forcing water and salt and smooshed up onions into her mouth. She made some noise like she was trying to speak -- this gave him renewed hope.
They were living with Jide's uncle at the time so Jide got his uncle to help. They tried to carry her to a medical hospital. It was not easy. As they were packing her, sometimes she would have a new seizure and at those times her body fought Jide with amazing strength! The first hospital refused her because they said she was dead and they weren't a mortuary. In the course of events, she had more seizures and Jide forced his hand into her mouth other times with water, salt, and onions.
They carried Iyabo to another location -- I'm not sure where. She was not responding. His uncle was exhausted, the other relatives who had gathered were exhausted and weeping hysterically. Jide's wife was limp. The family covered her with a cloth and told Jide that she and the baby she was carrying were dead. Jide went to see her and just kept, as he says, "tinking and tinking!" She would not respond. He sat outside the room in which she was hidden under the cloth. The family started making preparations for the burial. (Her family is Muslim and, therefore, believe in a fast burial.) Jide remained disturbed, troubled, and just kept tinking. It didn't seem right to him.
He snuck back into the room and uncovered her body again. He leaned his ear against her face and tried to listen for signs of life. One more time he stuffed his hand into her mouth. This time he shoved his fist down into her throat. Her body shook and she began to vomit.
Hollering for help from his uncle one more time, Jide lifted her again and he and his uncle carried her again-limp body to another hospital. Family members who had assembled contributed whatever money they had so that she could gain admission at the hospital.
At the hospital, within a couple of hours, they C-sectioned and Iyabo delivered a fragile baby boy. The doctors didn't have much hope that either would survive. They began giving some medications. The quick conclusion to the long story -- mom and son were in the hospital for 6 months! When one improved, the other worsened. Iyabo's parents and Jide had to sign a document indicating that they would accept responsibility for the baby, Samuel's, death (and possible murder charges) in order for the hospital to be willing to release Samuel. It was Jide's only option, he says, because his son was only weakening with the poor care he was receiving.
Back at home, the family gave Samuel traditional medicines and the baby quickly began to recover. Upon a subsequent visit by the hospital staff -- required by law because they were so sure the baby would die -- Jide said that the staff insisted this was not even the same baby. I'm not sure how Jide convinced the staff but they were, ultimately, satisfied. It was then that they asked Jide's family to teach them what medicines they had used!
But, that part of the story doesn't bring us any answers. No doctors could ever explain what might have caused Jide's wife to have the complications. That's where the internet comes in.
I did a search on Merck's Manual to find seizures in pregnancy. This could be another long story but the key points are: the search lead me to "preeclampsia and eclampsia" which follows from serious hypertension. Hypertension is a major killer in Nigeria and ... yes, Jide said that Iyabo had struggled with it. It appears that eclampsia can cause seizures, especially in mothers under the age of 20. Mmmmmmmm ... I'm no doctor but that was starting to look like it could be a lead. We'll never know for sure but it was making some sense to me. Then I read about the treatment -- get this -- saline solution and sulfates. So ... salt -- okay, got that ... I looked up the chemical content of onions --- sheesh all sorts of sulfates/oxidized sulfides, etc.
Why did Jide grab those items when his wife went into convulsions? He'd seen his father do that for others having seizures.
So, here we were 22+ years after the incident -- celebrating the life of Iyabo and Samuel and the other four children that Jide and Iyabo have since added to the family. And we gave God the glory for putting these ideas into Jide's mind -- water, salt, and onions -- in a time of panic!!! And we thanked God for giving Jide the determination to not give up even when those around him were planning a burial.
She was 19 years old and within her last week of pregnancy when she started acting like she was not feeling well. She told Jide it was nothing. They went to bed but he did not sleep. He watched his wife. In the wee hours of the morning she got up and he followed her. Basically, he describes the sequence of events as though he lost her many times.
First, she apparently passed out. Her body was limp and didn't respond at all. Then she went into something he calls convulsions. Her teeth were clenched. Jide frantically fought her, forcing his fist into her mouth, forcing water and salt and smooshed up onions into her mouth. She made some noise like she was trying to speak -- this gave him renewed hope.
They were living with Jide's uncle at the time so Jide got his uncle to help. They tried to carry her to a medical hospital. It was not easy. As they were packing her, sometimes she would have a new seizure and at those times her body fought Jide with amazing strength! The first hospital refused her because they said she was dead and they weren't a mortuary. In the course of events, she had more seizures and Jide forced his hand into her mouth other times with water, salt, and onions.
They carried Iyabo to another location -- I'm not sure where. She was not responding. His uncle was exhausted, the other relatives who had gathered were exhausted and weeping hysterically. Jide's wife was limp. The family covered her with a cloth and told Jide that she and the baby she was carrying were dead. Jide went to see her and just kept, as he says, "tinking and tinking!" She would not respond. He sat outside the room in which she was hidden under the cloth. The family started making preparations for the burial. (Her family is Muslim and, therefore, believe in a fast burial.) Jide remained disturbed, troubled, and just kept tinking. It didn't seem right to him.
He snuck back into the room and uncovered her body again. He leaned his ear against her face and tried to listen for signs of life. One more time he stuffed his hand into her mouth. This time he shoved his fist down into her throat. Her body shook and she began to vomit.
Hollering for help from his uncle one more time, Jide lifted her again and he and his uncle carried her again-limp body to another hospital. Family members who had assembled contributed whatever money they had so that she could gain admission at the hospital.
At the hospital, within a couple of hours, they C-sectioned and Iyabo delivered a fragile baby boy. The doctors didn't have much hope that either would survive. They began giving some medications. The quick conclusion to the long story -- mom and son were in the hospital for 6 months! When one improved, the other worsened. Iyabo's parents and Jide had to sign a document indicating that they would accept responsibility for the baby, Samuel's, death (and possible murder charges) in order for the hospital to be willing to release Samuel. It was Jide's only option, he says, because his son was only weakening with the poor care he was receiving.
Back at home, the family gave Samuel traditional medicines and the baby quickly began to recover. Upon a subsequent visit by the hospital staff -- required by law because they were so sure the baby would die -- Jide said that the staff insisted this was not even the same baby. I'm not sure how Jide convinced the staff but they were, ultimately, satisfied. It was then that they asked Jide's family to teach them what medicines they had used!
But, that part of the story doesn't bring us any answers. No doctors could ever explain what might have caused Jide's wife to have the complications. That's where the internet comes in.
I did a search on Merck's Manual to find seizures in pregnancy. This could be another long story but the key points are: the search lead me to "preeclampsia and eclampsia" which follows from serious hypertension. Hypertension is a major killer in Nigeria and ... yes, Jide said that Iyabo had struggled with it. It appears that eclampsia can cause seizures, especially in mothers under the age of 20. Mmmmmmmm ... I'm no doctor but that was starting to look like it could be a lead. We'll never know for sure but it was making some sense to me. Then I read about the treatment -- get this -- saline solution and sulfates. So ... salt -- okay, got that ... I looked up the chemical content of onions --- sheesh all sorts of sulfates/oxidized sulfides, etc.
Why did Jide grab those items when his wife went into convulsions? He'd seen his father do that for others having seizures.
So, here we were 22+ years after the incident -- celebrating the life of Iyabo and Samuel and the other four children that Jide and Iyabo have since added to the family. And we gave God the glory for putting these ideas into Jide's mind -- water, salt, and onions -- in a time of panic!!! And we thanked God for giving Jide the determination to not give up even when those around him were planning a burial.
Monday, September 08, 2008
Jide's bits of wisdom!
Jide, our fantastic driver, keeps our minds active with enlightening and often humorous comments and evaluations on what we see as we drive in our little world.
This morning's words of wisdom stemmed from his accident report on an accident-busy curve in the road. Almost every morning from Friday through Monday there are drunk drivers who neglect to notice that the road turns and they fly up over the curb, hit the trees or posts, and often don't survive.
This morning Jide reported that 4 people were seriously injured but amazingly survived their ordeal in the wee hours of the morning. They had been celebrating because one guy was going to be flying out of the country in a few hours. That won't be happening now ... he flew into a tree instead.
Anyway, while we were discussing the crazy accident and the consistently crazy drivers all around us, we had a guy on our tail that was honking his horn ("horning") for all of us to get moving. It mattered not that we were stopped at an intersection that was controlled by traffic police. Silly us for obeying them and waiting.
I moaned something about the overabundance of crazy and pushy and rude and self-centered drivers (non of whom ever need any driving test to get their license!) and Jide shook his head in agreed dismay and said:
"People should know to leave their tempers at home every morning. When he gets home at night, a man's temper will be waiting for him and he can pick it if he wants to." (Note: this is correct English in Nigeria. You don't "pick up." You just "pick.")
Works for traffic and a whole lot more!
This morning's words of wisdom stemmed from his accident report on an accident-busy curve in the road. Almost every morning from Friday through Monday there are drunk drivers who neglect to notice that the road turns and they fly up over the curb, hit the trees or posts, and often don't survive.
This morning Jide reported that 4 people were seriously injured but amazingly survived their ordeal in the wee hours of the morning. They had been celebrating because one guy was going to be flying out of the country in a few hours. That won't be happening now ... he flew into a tree instead.
Anyway, while we were discussing the crazy accident and the consistently crazy drivers all around us, we had a guy on our tail that was honking his horn ("horning") for all of us to get moving. It mattered not that we were stopped at an intersection that was controlled by traffic police. Silly us for obeying them and waiting.
I moaned something about the overabundance of crazy and pushy and rude and self-centered drivers (non of whom ever need any driving test to get their license!) and Jide shook his head in agreed dismay and said:
"People should know to leave their tempers at home every morning. When he gets home at night, a man's temper will be waiting for him and he can pick it if he wants to." (Note: this is correct English in Nigeria. You don't "pick up." You just "pick.")
Works for traffic and a whole lot more!
Friday, August 29, 2008
One Big Year!
The distance between age 20 and age 21 is bigger than the distance between most years.
Hang in there with me for a moment ... I'm not losing my mind. (Well, I might be but this still makes sense!)
A year ago we had no more teenagers in the family. I blogged about it. It seemed like a big event. But somehow age 21 seems sooooooooo much older than age 20. Joey is 21 years of age today!!! Maybe it's because he's now into his twenties a ways, or maybe it's because he's wrapping up his internship at his college, or maybe it's because we saw him in July, ... whatever the reason -- he seems much more mature than just one year older than 20!!!!
So, Happy Birthday Old Joey!!! :-) We love you!
Tuesday, August 26, 2008
Celebrating Jeri's Birthday Across the Miles
Jim and I are feeling so blessed to have a daughter like Jeri and today we celebrated her birthday! Well, the celebration was basically Jim and me singing a family version of a Red Robin restaurant "Happy Birthday!" Usually, to be done properly, everyone should be in a long line and the leader guides the gang through the house, weaving in and out of rooms, while everyone sings and claps:
Happy birthday, have a happy birthday
Happy birthday, have a happy day
Is there a birthday here?
Yes, there is a birthday here!
Happy
Birthday
Ha ha ha ppy!
etc.
(The photo is the only sample I have of another time and place where we sang the song!!!)
So, we sang and Jeri and her dog, Machi, marched and I'm sure the puppy will never be the same again!
We love you, Jerz! We hope you can hear our cheers and feel our bear hugs all the way to Thailand from here!
Sunday, August 17, 2008
Guns and Men
We have grown quite accustomed to seeing guns, so much so that I can't count how many I see on a given day. They are everywhere! There are always an assortment of men and their guns outside our office gates. And anytime we want to go to our beach hut, the gun-toting police (MoPol for Mobile Police) must accompany us in a separate vehicle. Trucks filled with uniformed men and their guns regularly "horn" (the term used for what we would call "honk") and force others to let them pass. The roadsides have police strutting around with their guns. Sometimes they use the guns to enforce a roadblock -- sometimes it's actually a legal roadblock but usually they just want some extra money for dinner.
With so many guns about, you'd think I would have blogged about them by now.
So ... here are a couple of anecdotes.
This week, one of our drivers was sitting in his parked Zulu Control (the name for our hired patrol teams with security experts and MoPol) truck awaiting a job. The MoPol in the front passenger's seat decided to clean his gun. He removed the magazine and discovered that a bullet was lodged in the chamber. When he started poking around inside the chamber with his finger, the driver began to feel "uncomfortable" and decided to exit the vehicle. Less than one minute after shutting the door there was a loud bang. Pointing upwards and toward the area where the driver's head had been just moments before, the gun discharged. The bullet tore through the roof, demolished the red and blue lights on the top of the truck, but injured no one. They don't hand out brains when they hand out guns.
The incident led to another fascinating discussion with our own driver on our way home from work. He told us of the time when a cousin was being buried. The cousin had been a policeman so the police attended the burial in full force. When the casket was being lowered into the ground, 7 policemen encircled the hole and did a "gun salute" -- three times they ceremoniously pointed their guns in the air and, following the proper shout from the commander, they shot their guns. At the first shot, 3 guns worked. For the second shot, 4 guns worked. For the final shot, 3 guns worked.
Between inept handlers, poor equipment, and a serious lack of ammunition --- these aren't very good odds if we actually needed protection! But, we're not too concerned. Most of the time when there is a problem the police are the first to drop their guns, shed their uniforms, and run. This is why we make sure that we carry enough cash, our mobile phones, and easy-to-pull-off-but-not-very-valuable jewelry. That way, the bad guys will be satisfied and we will be safe!
With so many guns about, you'd think I would have blogged about them by now.
So ... here are a couple of anecdotes.
This week, one of our drivers was sitting in his parked Zulu Control (the name for our hired patrol teams with security experts and MoPol) truck awaiting a job. The MoPol in the front passenger's seat decided to clean his gun. He removed the magazine and discovered that a bullet was lodged in the chamber. When he started poking around inside the chamber with his finger, the driver began to feel "uncomfortable" and decided to exit the vehicle. Less than one minute after shutting the door there was a loud bang. Pointing upwards and toward the area where the driver's head had been just moments before, the gun discharged. The bullet tore through the roof, demolished the red and blue lights on the top of the truck, but injured no one. They don't hand out brains when they hand out guns.
The incident led to another fascinating discussion with our own driver on our way home from work. He told us of the time when a cousin was being buried. The cousin had been a policeman so the police attended the burial in full force. When the casket was being lowered into the ground, 7 policemen encircled the hole and did a "gun salute" -- three times they ceremoniously pointed their guns in the air and, following the proper shout from the commander, they shot their guns. At the first shot, 3 guns worked. For the second shot, 4 guns worked. For the final shot, 3 guns worked.
Between inept handlers, poor equipment, and a serious lack of ammunition --- these aren't very good odds if we actually needed protection! But, we're not too concerned. Most of the time when there is a problem the police are the first to drop their guns, shed their uniforms, and run. This is why we make sure that we carry enough cash, our mobile phones, and easy-to-pull-off-but-not-very-valuable jewelry. That way, the bad guys will be satisfied and we will be safe!
Wednesday, July 30, 2008
Tragedy Strikes Again in This Land
When you hear a news report from this place with "official" numbers on loss of life, it's good to at least multiply the number by 5. For some reason the "officials" think that they look better if less people are thought to have died. But all of the locals know the truth so it just reinforces the untrustworthiness and complete selfishness of their leaders.
A fuel tank truck went up on a curb -- a common occurrence as the traffic jams ("go slows") cause people to drive anywhere they find an opening. The truck rolled and hit another truck. Both ignited into flames. This was shortly after 5 a.m. Workers on the mainland have to take dumpy transport buses at the wee hours of the morning in order to get to work by 8 a.m. In the area there were transport buses holding about 4 times the proper amount of passengers. (They only have to pay for the seat space so if they can arrange to sit on someone's lap they split the fare or if they stand between the person's knees and the back of the next seat, they can stand for a smaller price.) Some of those transport buses burst into flames. Overcrowded buses are impossible to evacuate.
So, the "official" numbers are that 12 died. But it sounds like there were at least 50 unidentifiable bodies at the morgue. Plus more than 12 were identifiable. Hospitals in the area have many more in critical condition.
This comes close to home for us because one of the passengers in one of the transport buses was a driver for our company. Thomas. A nice man. One wife. Five children.
The wife has tried, with the help of a couple of driver friends, to find her husband. But there was nothing recognizable about any of the bodies she viewed. Practically no one goes to a dentist. And those who have money and do go to dentists still wouldn't expect the dentist to actually have any proper records. So mysteries always remain. The children always hope that one day their father will walk through the door. There will be a mass burial.
The contract company that supplies our company all cars and drivers has done nothing to help the widow -- neither to search for the body nor to assist with expenses. The drivers are treated poorly by their company, to say the least. The widow's youngest child is 5 years old. Women and children have very little value here. Probably, she will move in with a brother or an uncle and try to earn her way. It's a rare man who would marry a woman with 5 children.
So, I'm organizing collections from the employees. Responses have been great. (Well, actually some of the locals have not liked the idea of giving the widow too much money ... like she doesn't need it or something and might waste it!!!) I get all excited when I see others step up with generosity and then I remember the situation ... it's nothing to be excited about. At least we can totally overwhelm the widow with kindness. And at least the drivers know that my driving force is Jesus.
A fuel tank truck went up on a curb -- a common occurrence as the traffic jams ("go slows") cause people to drive anywhere they find an opening. The truck rolled and hit another truck. Both ignited into flames. This was shortly after 5 a.m. Workers on the mainland have to take dumpy transport buses at the wee hours of the morning in order to get to work by 8 a.m. In the area there were transport buses holding about 4 times the proper amount of passengers. (They only have to pay for the seat space so if they can arrange to sit on someone's lap they split the fare or if they stand between the person's knees and the back of the next seat, they can stand for a smaller price.) Some of those transport buses burst into flames. Overcrowded buses are impossible to evacuate.
So, the "official" numbers are that 12 died. But it sounds like there were at least 50 unidentifiable bodies at the morgue. Plus more than 12 were identifiable. Hospitals in the area have many more in critical condition.
This comes close to home for us because one of the passengers in one of the transport buses was a driver for our company. Thomas. A nice man. One wife. Five children.
The wife has tried, with the help of a couple of driver friends, to find her husband. But there was nothing recognizable about any of the bodies she viewed. Practically no one goes to a dentist. And those who have money and do go to dentists still wouldn't expect the dentist to actually have any proper records. So mysteries always remain. The children always hope that one day their father will walk through the door. There will be a mass burial.
The contract company that supplies our company all cars and drivers has done nothing to help the widow -- neither to search for the body nor to assist with expenses. The drivers are treated poorly by their company, to say the least. The widow's youngest child is 5 years old. Women and children have very little value here. Probably, she will move in with a brother or an uncle and try to earn her way. It's a rare man who would marry a woman with 5 children.
So, I'm organizing collections from the employees. Responses have been great. (Well, actually some of the locals have not liked the idea of giving the widow too much money ... like she doesn't need it or something and might waste it!!!) I get all excited when I see others step up with generosity and then I remember the situation ... it's nothing to be excited about. At least we can totally overwhelm the widow with kindness. And at least the drivers know that my driving force is Jesus.
Monday, July 28, 2008
Blessed by a short visit with Joey!
Our dear son, Joey, flew into our lives for 8 days! What a total joy to have him around for awhile. It was interesting to see our world through his eyes. So many things which we've just learned to ignore became very obvious to us once again. He confirmed that this really is a crazy place to live!
We are thrilled with what God is doing in and through Joey's life. He's definitely got strong relational gifting and is superb in his work with young teenagers! Now he's back in Australia to finish up his internship with Student Ministries at Hillsong.
We had to work around work but squeezed in a lot of good times and good visits in his few days here.
Shots below include time at our beach hut, visiting our driver's family -- that's Jide's Dad with Joey, and saying our farewells. Final shot -- Joey in his own bus (as the only passenger), heading to the airport, with armed escorts following in the white truck 
behind the bus.We miss you, Joez!
Saturday, July 05, 2008
Happy 4th
Another 4th of July without fireworks, stars and stripes, ... It's hard to even remember what month it is -- they all look alike!
I wore blue and white clothes and a red watch to work -- that was the closest I got to celebrating America's independence.
But here's a strange twist that I didn't even catch until late last night.
Jim left for meetings in Paris yesterday. So some friends, taking pity on me, invited me to join a dinner party at their home. Lovely food, lovely time ...
When I got home, locked myself up tightly in the house, climbed into bed, and picked up the book that I had on my bedstand -- it hit me --
I had just spent the evening of July 4th with a bunch of Brits!!!
So, I read until I fell asleep
that book that I'd been slowly working through
without any previous thought of the season or approaching holiday ...
1776 by David McCullough!!!
Great book!
Great heritage!
Great independence!
Great country!
I wore blue and white clothes and a red watch to work -- that was the closest I got to celebrating America's independence.
But here's a strange twist that I didn't even catch until late last night.
Jim left for meetings in Paris yesterday. So some friends, taking pity on me, invited me to join a dinner party at their home. Lovely food, lovely time ...
When I got home, locked myself up tightly in the house, climbed into bed, and picked up the book that I had on my bedstand -- it hit me --
I had just spent the evening of July 4th with a bunch of Brits!!!
So, I read until I fell asleep
that book that I'd been slowly working through
without any previous thought of the season or approaching holiday ...
1776 by David McCullough!!!
Great book!
Great heritage!
Great independence!
Great country!
Wednesday, July 02, 2008
Monday, June 30, 2008
Rome, Part 1
There was soooo much to see that was photo-worthy in Rome. I'll post photos in parts. It might take awhile. Posting photos is sometimes an ordeal around here! :-) A reminder -- you can always double click on a photo to enlarge your viewing!
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