Blue Skies in Texas

We get blue skies in Bamboo Forest too, but less often due to Seattle-like rain and fog. Again, I took this photo when there were still leaves on the trees, so this is not a December photo. :-)

Backyard Scenes in Texas

Here are a few scenes from my parents' backyard. The photos were taken before winter hit. The backyard is, without question, a bird haven.

Merry Christmas from Texas


I am in the USA this Christmas. My parents' house is all decked out with decorations and lights, both indoors and out.

My oldest brother and his family are driving here on Christmas Day for a few days' stay, and my second oldest brother and his family already live here in the same town, so we'll all be in the same place at the same time this season. (I just have the two older brothers.)

We're hosting a bit of a small family reunion at my parents house the day after Christmas, one that will include aunts, cousins, and whomever else dares to claim us as kin and can come. :-)

My mom just celebrated her birthday this past Tuesday. We had a big blow-out for her on that day. At least I think it was a blow-out, because when it was all over I passed out on the sofa from exhaustion. Happy Birthday Madre!

Queen Mimi (my dog, in case you've been living on another planet and didn't know) is back in China and is doing fine by all reports. She's not going to like it a month from now when I am back with her, because I refuse to take her downstairs on the elevator for a morning walk before I have two cups of coffee, whereas apparently she has trained (tricked?) her current dogsitter to do just that.

Last night I thought I would have to get up in the middle of the night to build an ark, but now the rain has been replaced by a cold front. A few hours west of here they are getting snow, but we probably won't. It's cold though. I heard someone say it was colder than a cast-iron witch's elbow. I'm not sure what that means, but it sounds pretty cold to me.

Merry Christmas!

Worth Considering

"We talk of the Second Coming; half the world has never heard of the first." -- Oswald J. Smith

Worth Repeating

"In our lifetime, wouldn't it be sad if we spent more time washing dishes or swatting flies or mowing the yard or watching television than praying for world missions?" -- Dave Davidson

Autumn in the USA

Pumpkins, hay bales, turkeys, scarecrows, black Friday advertisements -- I think I am in the USA.

Turkey shoots, pick-up trucks, wearing shorts in November, rhythmic-sounding "ya'lls" -- I think I am in Texas.

Antibiotics, Advil, dentist appointments, insurance papers -- I think I am waiting to get a root canal.

If my tooth didn't hurt so bad, I'd shout: Happy Thanksgiving Ya'll!!!!

Wheeeeeee!!!!

Ha-HA! Master's gone to America and I am free-riding in taxis while she's gone. She would be so ticked off if she knew this!!!!!

Hey world, look at me! A dog in a taxi! Woo-hoo!

I like sightseeing too ya know! I kind of miss Master, kind of not.

Love,

Meems

Utter & Complete Takeover

Mimi here. Guess what? Master is packing to go on a trip to America -- leaving this Thursday -- and she's really busy and doesn't know it but I have COMPLETELY TAKEN OVER THIS BLOG!!! So, let's get right down to business....

Here's a photo of me looking gorgeous, the kind of "stare into the distance" look you get from other supermodels.

Master is leaving, and apparently it takes a village to take care of me when she is gone, so this lovely village lady is coming to stay at the house with me while Master is gone ... and she has a whole entourage of people who will step in to fill her shoes if needed. You know the drill: if for any reason Ms. Lu cannot fulfill her duties as Miss Mimi's Caretaker, the first runner-up will get a chance to take over her title and serve out her reign.

Ooooh. I really like Ms. Lu. She's really, really nice. I think she used to be a masseuse or something. It kinda seems that way.

Wow, I'm so relaxed, I just fell asleep right there in the middle of the floor. My leg joints are very flexible, don't you think?

Oh! I think I hear Master coming. I better run for now. Don't know if I will get another chance to post a blog before Master leaves Thursday with her computer, but if not, I'll try to write again in January when she gets back. I'm gonna miss chatting at ya! Please pray for us during our separation. Master does badly with her separation anxiety, ya know what I mean?

Love and Lickety Kisses,

Meems

Mimi Gets a Job!

Hey, Mimi here. Guess what? I got a job! I'm a satellite technician apprentice. Am I cool or WHAT?!!! Here's a look at my work day:

While the satellite boss tries to figure out what's what (and let me tell you, that took a long time), I decided to sniff his shoes and see where he'd been that day. He seemed to like it.

Here I am just listening to orders from the boss. I'm pretty sure I'm being a BIG HELP.

Uh, what tool did you say you wanted boss? You want some wire? How 'bout a thingymabob? 'Cause I see lots of them in here.

All in all, I don't like working. In fact, I found out that "apprentices" were not in charge, so of course I couldn't stand for that. If I can't be in charge, I quit. So that's exactly what I did, I quit. Back to my easy life as a regular dog now.

Mimi Says ...

Mac or PC? NEITHER!

Look people, I am sick to death of everybody and their blog spending all their time on computers. Doggone it, it is wrong. God gave you two hands, and it is very clear that one of them is for holding a coffee cup and the other is for petting me. If He had wanted you to use the computer, He would have given you four hands (like He gave ME, so if anyone ought to be using the computer, it is dogs, not two-handed people). So cut it out.

And please keep that hot coffee as far away from me as possible.

You people need to get your priorities straight. The best things in life are me...I mean free.

Love and Lickety Kisses,

Meems

Flowers Along the Moat

I used to live close to the historic Grand Canal, but now that I have moved, I live closer to the historic city moat that has been around since before the time of Christ. As I passed over it this morning, the bridge was decked out in bright potted flowers, as so many things are this time of year. Enjoy the flowers while you can, because winter's brutal blows are headed our way soon!

P.S. It's kind of fun to live in a city with a MOAT! I thought moats where just made-up things you heard about in fairy tales until I moved to this country.

Autumn in Bamboo Forest

The Parade of Roses? Not exactly, but displays made of flowers are all over town this time of year, every year, but especially this year to commemorate the country's 60th birthday. That flag is all flowers!

Hmmm. Wal-Mart? What you can't see under the Wal-Mart sign is a Starbucks, and the Burger King two doors down, and the Sephora and H&M shops inside. Don't get too excited about the Wal-Mart. They are not like the ones in the USA. There are far better places for me to shop in Bamboo Forest than this Wal-Mart. But I like the other shops in this mall just fine!

Flowers are not just for spring. Autumn has brought a surprising number of blooms our way.

A closer look at the same two flowers....

Ahh, look at this beauty I found when I was out and about! Her dog breath is as fragrant as any flower (an acquired taste), and she's just as lovely. I think I'll take her home with me!

Poor Fella

You gotta feel sorry for the guy who wrote the driving handbook for China. He (she?) did a brilliant job -- the book outlines all the logical driving rules, right-of-way laws, and safety maneuvers. Alas, it appears that all that hard work was for naught, because I'm QUITE SURE that besides me, no one has read that book.

Ignorance of right-of-way is just one of the annoying things I deal with on a daily basis. Add to that varying degrees of flat-out rudeness, arrogance, illusions of immortality, excessive speed, cell phone use, I-pod use, and daydreaming while driving, and you have a recipe for chaos...and other bad things.

In the driving handbook that no one has read, it says that if you get your driver's license through fraudulent means, you will lose your license for life. Yet I don't know anyone who got their licenses the old-fashioned way (which is to take the exam without cheating). I'm not saying these people do not exist (I'm sure they do), I'm just saying I haven't met one personally.

The above photo is taken in a bike lane, which is to the right of the main traffic lanes. This is one of the rare occasions in which there are no cars or pedestrians in the bike lane. Sometimes the bikes can't get through the bike lane because cars decide to use it as a parking lot.

The guy on the bike in the foreground has earphones in his ear.

China, I love you, but I'll love you more when the whole traffic thing gets a little more polite, you know what I mean?

Rescue the Perishing

Sunday, I was gone almost all day. I got home at 5 p.m., and was putting my electric bike in my garage when I heard a faint crying sound. I stepped out of the garage, praying that the sound was coming from outside my garage. No, of course it was not outside, it was inside. I could not figure it out. It almost sounded cat-like, but my garage door had been completely closed for days, so there was no way a cat could enter.

I got closer to the source of the sound, and realized my sofa (being stored in my garage, stacked high to the ceiling, small pieces on top of big pieces) was crying. There were thick flannel sheets covering the sofa. I moved them back. The big seat cushions were haphazardly positioned, and I moved one. There was a newborn kitten, by itself, struggling to connect with someone or something. I freaked out, of course, as people do when helpless mammal blobs are unexpectedly found in enclosed spaces of theirs. I found a box, put a sheet in it, and put the kitten inside.

Soon after, I heard more noise. Two more newborns, still with their umbilical cords attached to a wad of placenta, were located in a different part of the sofa, wrapped up in the cords so that they had almost died from it. I untangled them then went upstairs to get scissors and call a friend (who told me not to cut the cord; who knows if that was right or not).

I went back down with a flashlight, and saw that way back in the back of the sofa cushions were two big beady eyes, no doubt attached to the momma cat. I tried to get to the cat, and she ran scared to the back of my garage in the midst of heavy boxes (she did not flee out of my garage which is what I would have liked). I looked to see where she jumped from and found the fourth and final newborn kitten. (I hope there were only four or else my garage is going to be stinking in a day or two.) Birth fluid was all over my sofa. :-(

Anyway, when looking for momma cat, I found a drain hole in my garage, which is probably how the cat got in the garage to have her babies. I stopped it up. I put the box of babies outside my garage (but still in a sheltered area), but the momma still wouldn’t come out. For HOURS she wouldn’t come out, but finally she did later that evening. Momma cat is no doubt traumatized by this whole thing. Me too. But I think the momma cat definitely has the harder recovery.

I had things planned for Sunday night, but apparently God wanted kittens to be born in my garage instead. Rescue the perishing, pray for the dying... rescuing homeless animals is not quite what I had in mind for my mission in life, but between feeding the homeless dog Bon-Bon and rescuing newborn kittens, I'm starting to see a pattern.

Mimi knows NONE of this story. Don't tell her. She's got quite a jealous streak. ;-)

The Way Mimi Sees Things

How much is that doggy in the window? Priceless! Mimi loves her little picture-window perch from which she can look down on the world below. All three bedrooms have these kind of windows, and she has beds in two of the three windows (third room is closed off).

Mimi has dog buddies at our new locale. There is (sadly) a homeless dog who lives in this apartment complex. Since one neighbor said the dog didn't have a name, I took it upon myself to name the dog Bon-Bon and often give her something to eat, as do others who live here. (Bon-Bon has at least two other names that I have heard people call her after I named her. Sometimes I jokingly call her Bon-Bon-Hwa-Hwa-Little Bear, in case she recognizes any of those names.) Bon-Bon is friendly, quite cheerful despite her circumstances, about 1.5 years old, and seems to survive fairly well. One day when there was bad weather, some neighbors put BBHHLB inside the lobby of their building to protect her from the elements. BBHHLB followed me into a convenience store earlier today to buy Diet Cokes; I've acquired a shadow. Mimi and BBHHLB sometimes chase each other and tussle, something Mimi doesn't get to do with dogs that have owners. Mimi runs fast like lightning...much faster than the other dogs.

I just got back from a trip to Hong Kong yesterday, and I am tired and am suffering headaches. It was a dog update or nothing at all, so don't anyone hassle me about another dog update! Haven't had time to take other photos recently. Hope this finds you all well!

The Way I See Things

This (above) is the view out my small kitchen balcony. I am looking towards the east.

The photos above and below are taken from out of my larger balcony off my living room. The balcony faces south.

The people in the above photo are elderly folks doing their daily exercises, some with fake swords. Although this was not taken in the morning, exercisers meet every day at 6 a.m., unless it is raining. I enjoy their chatter and noises, although I am always still in bed when I hear them.

If you notice, the main road is wet. It was not raining, but water trucks run up and down this street all day and all night long, presumably to hold down the dust. It must work, because I don't ever see any dust on the road. I sure do hear a lot of cars sloshing down the road on non-rainy days though.

(Bad photos, I know. Better than nothing though, right?)

Technically, Moved

If you opened my blog hoping to see photos of my new apartment, sorry to disappoint, but really, YOU CANNOT SEE IT THE WAY IT LOOKS NOW!!! I am technically moved from the old apartment to the new, but it feels like this odyssey is never going to end. Boxes and what once was their contents are strewn all over the place. Looks like an internal tornado hit. I am really, really, really sore and the only reason I am writing now is because it hurts too much to unpack. I simply had to sit down for awhile. Though technically I have moved, technically, the result is that I can't move.

Finishing this house moving task is complicated by various tasks like getting curtains, hot water heaters, and keys; getting water bottles delivered, cleaning the old apartment, returning keys to the old apartment, trying to get money due me from various sources, finishing up contracts, and all sorts of what we call mah-fahn (trouble). I cannot even begin to tell you all the unbelievable stories of what I have experienced in the past few weeks, because if I did so you would be inclined to think all the people in this country were money-grubbing cheats who had problems telling the truth, and that is simply not the case. (Just some of them are that way, and apparently I have a way of attracting those types. Most of the people I meet are lovely.) :-)

When my [very serious] pain subsides, I will send photos and let you know HOW MUCH I LOVE THIS NEW PLACE!

Moving Pains

Every bone in my body hurts. Despite months of daily exercise, there is obviously no workout that equals packing up your house by yourself.

Last year I took about 6 weeks to pack, so I did everything methodically and carefully. This time I have about 5 days to pack, so there is nothing careful or logical about it. Everything goes in a box, any box, quickly. Last night I even gave up labeling the boxes. Part of one box's contents may go in the kitchen, part in the office, part in the living room, etc.

Last year, I was leaving a city and people I had lived among for a dozen years. This year, I'm not saying goodbye to anyone. That part is easier. Last year I had to take Mimi on a bus for 8 hours to move. This year, by taxi it may take 8 minutes. That part is also easier.

Yes, I found an apartment finally. The kitchen pictured in the following blog post is it. It now has a gas stove in the kitchen, hot water heaters, and all the other missing pieces. It is a new place. It is slightly smaller than where I live now, but I'm going to like it.

The movers arrive in the morning. They have to take apart wardrobe closets and bookshelves, and reconstruct them in the new apartment. So moving will take part of 3 days to complete.

In other news, Mimi got her annual shots yesterday. She's been sleeping harder and more than usual. It's easier to pack when she is not underfoot.

If you wrote me an e-mail, sorry to say I don't have time to write much e-mail in the coming two weeks. I have time to read it, just no time to write back. Sorry. Gotta run!

House Hunting in a Far-Off Land

Part One

You probably will agree with me that house hunting is a stressful activity. You have to consider price, style, cost, size, location, and a whole slew of things. Add to this the need to do all your negotiating in a foreign language, a really hard foreign language like say CHINESE, and ... well, let's just say you will want to start off the process with low blood pressure, because it is likely to rise while you are house hunting.

I found a decent apartment last week. Unlike most places I've seen, it has a nice kitchen (see photo above). Although you can't see clearly what's under the ventilation hood because a sliding glass door is in the way, I will tell you what is under it. NOTHING!!! You might expect to see stove burners under a stove hood, but that would be YOUR way of thinking. I pointed out this problem to the real estate agents, and they tried to make it sound normal.

I shouldn't have been shocked to find that in the bathroom shower stall, there are no water faucets for actually taking a shower. (What? I should pour buckets of water over myself.)

Alarmingly, there is no method of heating hot water for the kitchen or bathroom. Wow, cold showers! Fun!

Most shocking is the fact that this, so far, is the top-rated apartment on my list. Obviously, some things have got to change before I sign on the dotted line. I'll keep you posted.

Part Two

The organization I work for has rules limiting the size of apartments their employees should have. They also have rules that say we should live in unfurnished apartments (i.e. we should furnish them ourselves). On a worldwide level, this is an equitable arrangement, and should make for a cheaper rental fee. It sounds really good on paper.

But I live in a place where the rules don't fit. In a city of many millions of people, and with eight real estate agents working on it, I have found a sum total of ZERO apartments that are unfurnished.

My real estate agents call and say, "I found a place that is unfurnished." We get there and it is full of furniture. The agent says, "I'm sure the landlord will move it out." The landlord refuses. They can't afford to put it into storage. A wasted trip for me. This has happened at least 15 times, probably more. I lost count.

Some landlords propose that I use my furniture and theirs together, simultaneously, as if my goal in life is to live in a storage room, serving their needs at my expense. "Hmm, yes I think I will put my sofa on top of your sofa, a double decker!" One guy says I can just take his two king-size mattresses and stand them up along the wall for 2-3 years. Ah, yeah, well, not quite my idea of stylish decorating. (The bad news is that this place currently ranks second on my list.)

One couple suggested I sell all my furniture so I can use theirs. (This would be different than what my company wants, but I can't really explain this to the landlords.) I alternately suggest that the landlords sell their own furniture since I plan to stay there a long time. They look at me like I am an idiot. "We can't sell our furniture! It is too hard and there is not enough time!"

Uh, hello! You are natives of this city, know where all the furniture markets are, speak the language fluently and won't get cheated for being a white-skinned foreigner. It's too hard for you, but you think I CAN DO IT?!!!

Part Three

The very largest apartment I could rent is 148 square meters. I usually have one about 130 square meters. I tell the real estate agent my limit.

She takes me to an apartment that is 160 square meters (and has furniture). I got there, saw the size, and told her it was too big. She said it was the slightly cheaper than the one we saw the other day that was the smaller size. I said my company had rules about size. She looked at me like I was crazy. What company would not want to save money? A bad one obviously. How could I tell her that avoiding the appearance of ostentatious wealth was valued by my company; monetary values are certainly to be considered, but they are not the only values in the world. But she wouldn't understand this.

She suggests we lie about the size of the apartment on the contract. Well, I know she is trying to help me out, but you know, I'm thinking that lying to my organization is not an idea that was hatched on holy ground. I told her that people in my company could take one look at the apartment and know it was too big, and if their eyes failed them, they knew how to use a tape measure.

The next day she took me to see another apartment. It was 178 square meters. Obviously my real estate agent and I are having some disconnect. I'm not using her anymore.

Summary

Take a cold shower! Own your own furniture storage business! You don't need to eat! Rent a mansion!

Sometimes I don't know if I should laugh or cry. So far the chuckles are winning out, but I don't know how much longer that will last.

Desperate Housewife

In the last post, I mentioned that my parents (particularly my mom) might not like some of the photos. The good news is that if you withhold pictures of yourself from your parents long enough, they will like anything. My mom had been so desperate to see what I looked like that she said she liked them all! Go figure.

Did anyone notice that in the four photos directly below this post, Mimi and I have our heads tilted the exact same way? Mimi and I ... we are two peas in a pod.

Pulling My Hair Out*

I'm pulling my hair out because a few days ago, my landlord told me I have 30 days to find a new apartment and move out, and I live in a country where that is not easy to do. This is made more difficult by (a) a cold, (b) guilt over not having sent out the newsletter that I told you would be sent out by now, and (c) a visitor. It is not nice to do much apartment viewing with visitors in town. (Did I mention that my visitor speaks only Mandarin?)

So, here I am pulling my hair out (visual effect). If you don't like that look, as I'm quite sure my parents will not, you can view the PEACEful me below.

I'm guessing my parents are not too thrilled with this mod photo of me either. After all this time of waiting for me to post a photo, this is what they get. (No Ma, I know I'm not 20-something years old anymore, but I often hang out with people who are!)

I hope this will do. It is so hard to be serious when you are taking photos of yourself. Mimi hasn't learned photography yet, so you have to deal with what I can do myself, I'm afraid.

My newsletter is delayed by these unplanned events. Sorry.

*Actually, just kidding, no need for me to pull my hair out, I just need divine intervention. Really now, your prayers for me to find a good apartment in a timely manner would be very much appreciated. I want the place that He has in mind. Right now I really can't find a thing.

Miss Smarty Pants

Last night I was having dinner with friends, and the topic of my dog Mimi came up. I mentioned that dogs can be humiliated if they look bad (say, for example, they get a buzz haircut and people laugh at and ridicule them). I told my friends that Mimi can tell when other dogs have been to the groomer, feels jealous of this, and afterwards patiently lets me give her a shampoo/cut/blowdry without moving a muscle so she too can be a pretty dog in the neighborhood.

My friends didn't say what they were probably thinking, "this crazy dog-loving lady has a screw loose." (That's why they call them "friends," they don't insult you to your face.) I would have thought the same in my pre-Mimi years of life.

Today I read an article about dogs on the internet. It says that dogs have the general smarts of a 2-year old child, would trump a 3 or 4-year old child in mathematics, and have the socialization skills of a teenager. And what teenager doesn't compare their clothes and grooming to another teenager! See, I was right!

If you want to read the entire article, cut and paste this link in your web browser: http://news.yahoo.com/s/livescience/20090808/sc_livescience/dogsassmartas2yearoldkids

Meems has an amazing rubbery, stretchy neck that can contort (see photo above). I don't understand it, but I'm thinking of selling her to a circus. (Hahaha, no way, just kidding. How much do you think they would pay?)

Wanna Play Catch?

I have always said that the double decker buses along Hong Kong's Nathan Road are so close to each other that while stopped at traffic lights, passengers from different buses, if they wanted to, could swap recipes. I stand by that observation.

Along that same line of reasoning, if I had a baseball glove, and the boaters on the Grand Canal did too, we could play catch while I am standing on the banks of the Grand Canal. I took this photo from the banks, and I do not (yet) have a zoom lens. We were that close.

It was 100*F that day, and of course I went out at noon. This bright time of day is a bad time to take pictures, which is why these aren't the greatest, but I might as well show them to you anyway, no?

While I currently have a fascination with all things "Grand Canal-ish," there are other interesting things to see around town.

I love the architectural style of the black tile roofs and white walls in this city.

I love the canals and waterways that criss-cross this area. There is water everywhere!

This sunken boat illustrates the notion that one man's trash is another man's (uh, I mean another bird's) treasure. The little bird in the lower right hand corner has found a place of refuge on the wreckage, bless his/her little heart. We always mourn the loss of broken dreams, but some glimmer of goodness always seems to come from it if we look hard enough.

Hong Kong

I'm in Hong Kong right now. I took a few photos on Hong Kong Island today when I was out shopping.

A typhoon (hurricane) is headed our way and may hit tonight, so today it was pretty cloudy and windy, with hard rains off and on.

Hong Kong used to be called a shopper's paradise (probably still is called that). You can find just about everything under the sun in this city. If you don't have lots of money, you can shop at markets like the one pictured above. Or,......if your wallet is loaded, you can shop at the posh department stores and designer shops like the ones pictured above. Both styles of shopping are interesting...good places to people watch.
Oooh, baby blue double-decker cable cars...how pretty!

I'm supposed to leave Hong Kong tomorrow, Lord willing and weather permitting. I have to go to the airport one way or the other, but I have a feeling I may end up reading a book and drinking coffee there for the better part of the day. I had to come out to HK for visa purposes. I'll be glad to get back to my own place and to Mimi. Besides, my feet hurt from walking so much.

For those waiting for the newsletter I promised to have sent out "within the week," I may be a little late due to travels. Sorry about that.

Heartbreaking Tale

If you want to know more about what China is really like, I suggest you read the following news story:

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/news/worldnews/asia/china/5907368/Wave-of-suicide-sweeps-Chinas-graduate-class.html

(You may have to cut and paste this link in order to view it.)

It talks about suicide, and underlying issues of poverty, unemployment, hopelessness, marriageability, and unconsolable grief. I got choked up reading it, because it reminded me of so many I have known in this country who have faced these same kinds of issues, and reminds me of their tragic--practically non-existent--coping mechanisms. I think of former students, current acquaintances, and others who feel so depressed and so out of control. This one story can tell you quite a lot about what life is like for more of the average Chinese than you would dare imagine. If you want to pray for China, pray for hopeless people like Ms. Liu. They come in all ages, male and female.

Note: 6.8 yuan = US$1

Happy Birthday Padre - on the 29th!

My mom ought to be out of the hospital on Tuesday, just in time to help my dad celebrate his birthday on Wednesday the 29th. (I posted this a day earlier than his actual birthday.) Happy Birthday Padre!

My Turn

Hey, Mimi here. It's been several months since I last got a chance to write ... Master hogs the computer ... so I wanted to catch up and say hi to everyone. Do you like my picture? I'm pretty, huh? In the summer I open my mouth a lot to let sweat drip out. Most people think I am smiling when I do this. I am happy almost all the time though, so it's okay if you think I am smiling. The only time I am not happy is when I want a pastrami or bacon sandwich and I get Pedigree dry dog food instead. Then I whine.

(Note from Master: Mimi is not going to be happy on Saturday when I go on a trip for five days and she has new dog sitters to train. Poor doggy is pretty faithful to her master, and so please feel sorry for her if you can. Let me turn this back over to Mimi now....)

Not much is new in Bamboo Forest. There are lots of cats in the neighborhood who are not smart enough to run away when they see me. They just freeze and hiss violently if I get too close. Master won't let me eat them though, as surely I would like to do. Master spends a lot of money on dog food, but if she would just let me catch a cat, I could help save money. I don't understand. People are weird.

The gardeners finally mowed the grass yesterday. Do you have any idea how difficult my life is when the grass is taller than I am? This is only the second time in 2009 that they cut the grass. I'm just glad that I am taller than the grass again.

Well, I don't have much to say and my paws hurt from typing, so I'll close for now. Write sometime. Master and I like to get your e-mails. Love and kisses, Mimi

City View

This is the view from my balcony. I love a city view ... it is even better at night. This was taken on a sunny day. It is raining today.

Madre Okay

My mother is doing okay after her surgeries (one on Friday, another on Saturday). She ought to be able to go home on Monday. My dad and the two dogs will be glad to have her home again. Thanks for your prayers for this.

The weather is a bit drippy here in Bamboo Forest. Since most of my travels throughout town are by motorbike, the rain tends to keep me home more than I would be otherwise. I ran errands today in the light rain, but didn't venture far.

I do love the different seasons, but I wish summer was a bit longer and winter a bit shorter. I get out a lot more in summer.

My Madre's Knee and a House

My mom is having knee surgery again this Friday. She had knee replacement surgery last September. Sometime in early spring she was at a mobile health clinic and fell off the stairs, landing pretty hard on the ground. She had bruises and was pretty banged up all over. Her knee from the replacement surgery had lots of trouble, so they have to go back in and fix something (I forget, tendons or ligaments or something). Anyway, surgery is surgery, so please pray that hers goes completely well, and pray for a quick rehabilitation.

While my family is on your mind, please pray my brother James can sell his house in Montana so he can move to Texas. You know, trying to sell a house to recoup the price you paid yourself in the current housing market is quite a challenge, but our God is God of the economy too. We need a quick miracle in this circumstance. Thanks.

Black, Black, Black as Night

I live right in the path of today's solar eclipse. We've had sunny skies for many consecutive days, but during the eclipse we had clouds and much-needed heavy rain. But umbrella in tow, I went out to have a look anyway, of course, hoping for a break in the clouds.

(You should know that we don't have daylight savings time. First light is sometime after 4:30 a.m., and the sun is usually high up in the sky by 9:30 a.m. That's the time of the eclipse.)

And when the eclipse came, it was eerie and freaky. If scientists and news anchors were not around to tell us what was going on, like it was for people hundreds of years ago, I'm sure we would have all been running, screaming and thinking the world was coming to an end.

It got VERY, VERY dark as behind the clouds, the moon completely obscured the sun. It was blacker than the blackest night I have ever seen. I was standing outside on a grassy area, and it was so dark that I could not see to safely take a step. This lasted about six minutes. I could not get over how black it was. Usually at night, we have a little moonlight so we can see where we are going, but there was no light going on during the eclipse. It was oh-so goose-bump inducing cool! Everyone was quietly in awe, up until some pyrotechnic maniac a few blocks away decided to spoil the magical eerie moment by setting off fireworks.

I'm so glad I got to see this, the longest and best eclipse of the 21st century, and probably the only one for which I will live in its path.

High Fashion

I went to Shanghai the other day. I was on Huaihai Lu, one of the most high-energy, fashionable tree-lined shopping streets anywhere. Tiny little 20-something Chinese rich girls in their clicking high-heeled shoes, Louie Vuitton bags, short shorts or dresses, flawless skin and gorgeous hair swarmed like little bees in the hive of high fashion. How can so many Shanghai girls be so beautiful? I actually like to be in this atmosphere with outdoor cafes, coffee shops, designer stores I can’t afford to enter, and near these hopeful young rich girls that seem to have the world as their oyster.

As I walked the street in the sweltering humid day, I scanned the streets and saw something that has probably always been there, but no doubt my mind blocked out because it didn’t fit the image of this fashionable street. There were men, very poor men, some quite elderly with bent backs, who at every corner were scouring through the trash bins, looking for empty plastic water bottles that they could put in their worn dirty sacks tied to poles they carried on their backs. The men were absolutely filthy, and their dull clothing was in shreds. One elderly man was so emaciated looking that I would have gone and given him some money for food if a red light had not separated me from him for too long.

I admire these men who try to make a living, regardless of the humiliating nature of their work.They could have just as easily gotten a tin cup from home and sat at the train station as beggars all day like so many others do. These men sought to retain their dignity by working. And yet the fashionable ladies of Huaihu Lu were from another world and didn’t even seem to notice that the poor men existed.

The contrasts in this place are both startling and humbling.

A local Chinese garden view

Meat

I rode my bicycle to get some grilled lamb kebabs at the Xinjiang restaurant a few blocks away. Xinjiang (sheen-jahng) is comparable to a state in the USA. It’s way out in the northwest in the barren middle of nowhere. (Sounds like where I grew up. I must go sometime.) The people who are from there, for the most part, are a Chinese ethnic minority who are Muslim. They have exquisitely yummy good, which is why I went to one of their restaurants to get kebabs. I wasn’t interested in a complete meal, I just wanted lamb kebabs, so I went to the grill that is always located outside the front of the restaurants and ordered some for take-away.

These Xinjiang guys working at the restaurant do not look Chinese. To me they look like Turks. They speak Chinese, but it is not their first language. I order ten kebabs. The grill guy asks me if I want the pepper that goes on the kebabs. That’s the way they are supposed to be made, but because another customer before me had asked for some without pepper, he thought he’d better ask. I ask for half with, and half without. I start to tell him that those without hot pepper on them were for my dog who shouldn’t eat spicy food, but then I thought he might get mad that his chef skills were being used for the benefit of a dog. Do Muslims even like dogs? It was safer to keep my mouth closed on this subject.

(Before you judge me about serving my dog this kind of food, I would like to point out that this food designed for human consumption is 75% cheaper than one individual serving of dog food that I can buy in the high-priced pet stores. I would be more foolish to buy the dog food. Things are not the same here as where you live, so….)

I continue to look at these Muslim minority men, thinking about how different they seem than Han Chinese men. And then it happened. One of the Muslim guys standing around pulled the bottom of his t-shirt up under his armpits. That’s when I knew--he was really and truly a bona fide Chinese man at heart.

Oh yeah, I know, you think Britney Spears was the trailblazer of baring the midriff, but no. Long before anyone ever heard of Britney, Chinese men were pulling up their shirts to cool their midsections. In fact, after giving it some thought, I think it is entirely possibly that back ten years ago, Britney had a Chinese man as her stylist. Yeah, that’s got to be it.

I would like to point out that is not an attractive look. On the other hand, it is funny and I always want to giggle. I really would like to take a photo of this sometime to show you, so you can giggle too, but I’m afraid the man being photographed would notice, think I was into him, and try to ask me out or something. So, if you don’t mind, please either go with the mental picture or try it yourself at home.

The Grand Canal

Back about 1500 years ago, the Chinese government wanted to build a "highway" to transport goods between the north and south of China (no wheeled vehicles back then). Since most of the rivers run west to east in China, the gov decided to build a north/south running canal between Beijing and Hangzhou (which is several hundred miles south of Shanghai). The canal is still used to this day, and it is about a block from where I live. I love to go watch all the old-looking barges coming and going all day long.

The Pearl Market

Last week I went to visit the pearl market. I loved it! They had scads of booths selling freshwater pearls from a pearl farm, and the prices were rock-bottom. They had many different styles and colors (even in America, "chocolate pearls" are popular). I liked the turquoise too. They also had jade and other things. I only got to stay about an hour. I took a taxi out there, only to find it is out in the boonies. There was no public transportation to get me back to town, so the taxi driver agreed to wait for me if I only took an hour. I could have stayed three hours! Anyway, here's a couple of pictures of the merchandise....

4th of July

My American friends in Bamboo Forest threw an amazing 4th of July party. It was so fun!!! There were 25 present, and we had lots of yummy American-style picnic food on their first floor patio area. After dinner they had 3-legged races and water balloon throws. Then there were sparklers, fire crackers (noisy variety) and fireworks (the pretty kind that explode in the sky). I better leave their faces off the blog, but I'll show you the hot dogs on the grill so you can see how normal life can be here!