shabbat shalom 09.07.09

Hi everyone, Lots going on this week. First, the final "Alifa report". Alifa the Turkish Van cat died today. She hadn't been eating during the last three days and was pitifully thin. I was having stomach problems these last few days as I debated whether to keep on pushing Alifa to stay alive or to let her go. I knew it was time but I hate to call that shot every time I have to do it. I took her to my vet. Her kidneys were hard and lumpy (scar tissue) and she was jaundiced. This was the end of the line for her. I agreed to euthanize her, and she went gently, as she had come into my life. She was a sweet cat, and at least I was able to give her a month of quality living before she went into system collapse. She always jumped down from the sofa and came to me when I entered the room, and loved being brushed. Caring for sick animals like that gives me some sensitivity for people who are caring for sick relatives. It lies on your heart like a darkness that goes with you all the time, no matter how careless or happy the immediate circumstances in which you are at the moment. There is always the thought of the sick one at home…..thank God all my other critters are healthy right now. I need a rest from this. So while Alifa was dying at home, I passed my 56 th birthday, and indeed I didn't do anything about it except go to bed early and get a good night's sleep. Now that it is over, I can relax, and plan a movie and a good dinner. My boss remembered, and brought me a book, my sister sent a couple shirts, and I got a lot of greetings on email and Internet from the virtual world in which I spend a lot of time. The Indians I know in my conservation work especially make me smile; Indians have a passion for birthday parties and I have several friends from the great subcontinent who never miss my birthday. India is my next big travel target, I think. The conservation work enabled me to get to know some Indians and make personal connections. I'd like to go and spend a month, see Bombay and Kolicuta, and then up to the hills in the north, Darjeeling and Assam. We should have a conservation meeting in India during the next couple years and I have to save for it. Work goes forward fast here. We migrated my half million record database from ACCESS to SQL-Server yesterday (after ten years of asking to do this) and now are reconnecting the front end forms. This is a first step in what I see as my last work in the Nature and Parks Authority. I have six years left here if I retire, as planned, at 62. That gives me just enough time to set up an information system which is really modern and easy to use, along with a monitoring program in the field. The time is right since the people now want it, and I am holding a grant that helps a bit on the work. On Saturday, I plan a "mangel" (BBQ) in the back yard with friends. None of them keep kosher so I will be able to indulge in some good pork sausages from a Christian butcher shop in Beit Jala who does German quality sausages, as well as Iranian "chelo kebab" from ground lamb. I am also going to try making kebab from the turkey bulk sausage I learned how to make this week, and make some tabbouleh and spanakorizo (Greek spinach rice), and watermelon and baklawa. A real Mediterranean meal. One of the best aspects of living in this part of the world is our incredibly good cuisine….especially for the grill. That's about it for now. I've been lying low while focused on my work and feeling rotten about my cat, so not much in the way of social life. Guess I'll start poking my head out of my shell now…. Shabbat shalom, Linda