Lots of Snow Last Night

Hey hi everyone! :-)

Here are a couple pics of the snow today - and Harvey and Pearl refusing to get out of bed :-/. Everyone's house covered in snow, unplowed roads, just the perfect weather for walking and having fun. This morning Harvey collected so much snow in his hair he was literally a canine snowball. He stopped mid tracks and whimpered for me to pull some of it off. And really good study happening in service these days. So that is excellent too. Okay hope all of you are having a great weekend too. Love, d :-)

The Variety of My Teaching Day

Hey hi everyone, :-)

I really have to get outside during the day here when it is pretty and snowy and show you some of the beautiful scenery. It is really beautiful with everything covered in white. However, since I basically go to work in the dark, and come home in the dark these days, I decided to show you a picture of my whiteboard. As you can see quite a bit goes on in the classroom each day. I teach grammar in the mornings, Global Studies and Debate in the afternoon. Work, but a lot of fun too. However, yesterday morning the director slipped into the classroom and whispered in my ear that one of the gentlemen in the college was leaving a mess behind constantly in the bathroom and since they didn't know who it was they were hoping I could somehow mention it to my male students. Well all my students are uni students as you know and they are all male except two, so I decided I would just have to give a straight-faced clinical lesson about it so I drew the toilet, and had arrows going in and out, and the puddle on the floor to indicate mistakes. I think it went over pretty good, as no one raised their hand when I asked if there were questions - except for one very loud exhuberant young guy that near the end of my lesson yelled out, "where is the male teacher!!!???" Most of my students are Saudi so having a woman teach them is odd enough for them, but then throw this subject on top. ....We actually have the most interesting conversations in class because before coming here to study they had never seen a women before without a burka and hajib, only their mom and sisters, absolutely no one else. Really, really, interesting culture.

Okay, better pics next time. :-/ Love to all though. :-)

d
ps* Harvey and Pearl are having a fabulous time in the snow. H spends hours running back and forth against the fence barking at deer - how much more fun could a dog have in life. :-/

Olympic Sledding Shoes

Hey hi everyone, :-)

I will post the first pics of snow this weekend. Just a few inches but really beautiful. However, I did find out which shoes could probably be used at the winter Olympics in a sledding sport. After there were a couple inches of snow I decided to walk outside with Harvey and Pearl, and slipped on a pair of Crocs. I started to walk down the hill and suddenly the shoes started speeding away...with me in them. :-( In short order, I was rolling, finally ending up on my stomach facing downhill (kind of the same memories I had of my preteen years learning to ski :-/ ) Anyway, for any of you that have a pair of old crocs sitting by the door...not a good idea to walk around in them in the snow.

Love to all,
d

Excitement This Week

Hey hi everyone, :-)

It has been a really good week or so here. Last week we had the CO. Really good talks, and encouragement for the congregation. Brother Golthrop is very down-to-Earth in the way he relates to people. We've also had some really good response in the service. Mom and I were on a call that eagerly wants to study twice a week. So now we are just getting it organized around his very busy work schedule. He is from India. I was thinking it must be so hard for him, or any new worker, to come here during the winter months. His part of India is very tropical and pretty, but unfortunately affected by the conflicts in neighboring countries. So he came here, but it is cold - very cold, and his family is back home. :-( I was talking to another East Indian man who arrived here last winter, and his arrival point was CALGARY. Can you imagine the shock of that...January getting off a plane there. He said he was wide-eyed because he was told it was cool in Canada during the winters but he had no idea what that meant. He didn't even have cold weather clothes. Brrrr.... Anyways, it will be really nice to see how the study progresses after he gets organized and into a pattern. And then mom started a study with a woman in her thirties. So there is good response coming from the territory. As Brother Schufeldt brought out in his talk last month, the increases in Canada and the US aren't just coming from the immigrant population. There is a real surge coming from the generation-Canadians/Americans too.

Well, my first nephew is getting married. So that is exciting! Brahm proposed to Whitney yesterday. They dated for a couple years, which sets a good example on taking time to get to know someone, and now are ready make a good team. Both are spiritual minded, so I am confident they will do good together. Don't know the exact wedding date yet, but I think it should be the first week in January or thereabouts.

Harvey and Pearl are doing wonderful. They are both wearing their winter outfits now as it is pretty cold here. I will have to get a pic on here pretty soon to show everyone. Snowline was down to 1500 feet yesterday so I am guessing maybe next week we will get some down at the house. ...But I am smiling because thanks to Dad and Keith snow tires are on my truck. :-)

Work has been just great lately. In the mornings I am teaching grammar in the mornings as usual and in the afternoons this semester I will teach one class of GLOBAL STUDIES which is speaking on world topics. I basically use the same format as the Theocratic ministry school, and the same counsel slip, so I will really enjoy this class. And then my second class is DEBATE this semester, which I really like too because it gets students talking and thinking about what is going on in the world.

So all in all, life in the Okanagan is working out very nice. Advice I can give to everyone is to realize that when you move anywhere - to another country or another region - set up time takes TIME. And sacrifices come along with that, whether it means a pay cut, or a change of work entirely, getting organized in your home. So don't less the stress overcome you, but just plod along one foot in front of the other until everything falls into place. For me, one never knows what other doors Jehovah God will open in the future, but what he is directing for me at the moment is really good. That recent Watchtower on contentment has good advice for all of us in it.

Okay, gotta run and shine up my teeth, and polish my skin before the meeting this morning. :-)

Love to all,
d :-)

Gorgeous Guatemala

A friend serving where the need is greater for the last six years in Guatemala just sent some pictures. What an absolutely beautiful country. May not be much change happen when the true paradise arrives. :-)

I Thought My Eyes Were Lying To Me

I have always told everyone what a "braniac" my little Harvey is, but you won't believe what he did the other day. He was out in the backyard, and obviously decided he needed a snack, so he went over to the garden grabbed the stalk of a carrot with his mouth then pulled up with all his might and pulled it up. He then shook it to get all the dirt off, and then ate it - a huge carrot! He had seen Otto do this before but just the fact that he figured out how to do this himself amazed me. Smarty pants. :-) But the little guy in this video may know a couple tricks Harvey still needs to learn. :-/

I am sitting here at work today for a few hours in the afternoon. I am teaching grammar in the morning and then have a gap until 4pm. :-( Hasn't happened before and probably be back to normal next month, but I am trying to use my time wisely. Studying my Spanish bookstudy material for tonight, and doing some Chinese lessons too. Might as well make the most of it. :-)

Anyway, I hope everyone is having a great week. If your dog can do more advanced tricks than the one in the video...or my brilliant Harvey's carrot pulling trick then let me know for sure. Sadly I had to leave Pearl out of this one - her best trick is just loving me. Other than that just, just having her tongue hangout, and bark at the fridge is what she is best at.

love to all,
d :-)

Baby Kroes on The Way!

Well Tyler and Janelle's baby is almost here. Went into labour last night so any time so the little one should be making its appearance. Mom and Dad are out there ready to make phone calls once he/she gets here. :-)

This was a great long weekend. First, Saturday, I attended the Special Assembly Day again. It was quite a bit bigger than the one I visited a few weeks ago - 700 people - so had to sit in the cafeteria. The speaker was Clayton Hansen. He was a really good speaker and I noticed he focused on Canadian experiences. That was unique because even though it is nice to know what is going on around the world - it is also nice to hear what is happening right here in Canada too. I really liked a couple points he made. One being that even though the governments of even the super power nations right now do have the best of intentions, but the reason they can't succeed is because brings in legislation to improve government laws and policies to improve life for people - the governments can't legislate peoples morals and ethics...and that is why life is deteriorating world-wide. Lots of food for thought.

Yesterday, as a massive Kingdom Hall work bee. We had a fantastic turnout of about 75% of the congregation. My raking partner was Lauren. She is studying French. And I am studying Spanish, and doing my Chinese lessons too. The company where I am studying my Spanish also gave me free Chinese lessons, so I thought "why not??" There are both language groups in the territory so why not try to learn both. Anyway, it was great that Lauren and I could work together because she was able teach me French words and phrases and I could teach her Spanish and Chinese ones. So excellent morning there, and then hung around the house doing stuff in the afternoon. And now TODAY...the actual holiday I have a laundry list of things i want to get done around here. Starting by curling this mop of hair on top of my head and then going to put all my summer stuff into storage to make room for all my over-sized winter clothing. Lots to do!

Okay, everyone have a wonderful day yourselves. Harvey and Pearl need a good scratch on the head so gotta run and get than done with too. :-) ....oh ya and that cute little cuz of theirs Otto too.

Love to all,
d :-)

Okay, I added Some Music

Hey hi again. :-)

As you will hear I added some background music. Thought it would be kind of nice as I was reading...or writing. But if you are reading this and you are thinking "oh my goodness, she is trying to drive me insane with this stuff!" ...don't want to be responsible for anyone's demise...so just scroll to the bottom of the page and there is an on/off button, and and volume button. Okay, happy listening!

Love again!
d :-)

Fabulous Special Assembly Day

Hey hi everyone, :-)

Can't believe it is already October 1st. However, this year is off to a great start. Last week Mom and Dad slipped off to a Saturday assembly day, and were telling me how great it was so I decided to take it in the next day...just EXCELLENT. A superb program. One of those assembly days where the information is presented is such a good way with really fitting interviews so that a person feels motivated to keep on going - or do more. :-) Warren Schufeldt was the visiting speaker. Over the years him and Al Hamacher have been my favorite speakers because both can and could, paint really vivid pictures with words. In the closing talk he was talking about living in a spiritual paradise as we do now, and drawing the parallel with residing in Yellow Stone. However, as much as deers love living in a protected paradise their are some that wander unintentionally, or intentionally, outside the park sometimes and end up with their head being a trophy on someone's wall.

Work has been coming together nicely. I am loving working with older students. They know that it affects their career and future studies so they are very serious and listen acutely. Also, I have a student from Saudi Arabia that I am learning a lot from about life there. It is even more of a flip culture than even Asia. Really gives good insight though too into some things mentioned in the Bible. Makes me think ahhhhh.....that makes sense now.

Harvey and Pearl are doing awesome. Getting lots of exercise. Pearl seems to suck up to my dad a lot. Makes me wonder if he drops crumbs on his chest or something. :-/ I really have to say their health is still doing great and I can't believe they have only been to the vet only once since leaving Korea. So hopefully they'll continue to be healthy little rug rats. :-)

Well, the next week should be good. I have my own Special Assembly Day next Saturday, so I will get to hear it all again - how good is that! Then Sunday a work bee. Weather is getting colder all the time. Some people try to say that it is still warm, but when you ride a motorcycle YOU KNOW when it is starting get cooler. :-/

Okay, will run. Have a wonderful week. Love to all,

d :-)

Got Back & Things Are Going Well

The trip home was wonderful. At one moment we were at a rest stop called Shasta River rest area. It was absolutely gorgeous. I think we were there the whole afternoon and enjoyed the grass and river and then drove at night when it was cooler. Harvey and Pearl had already impressed several people with their talent for belly dragging on the grass. :-/ I noticed something this year. There must have been a police crackdown on people that solicit at rest areas because of all our stops, there were no people asking for money or such. It was terrible when a person doesn’t know who was in need and who is a scammer. :-( Anyways, I think it took about 4 days to get back to Kelowna – 55 was a lot slower than 70 for driving. But that was okay. I had one man in a morning at a rest stop, yell out, “hey novice! I saw you in Palm Desert. Amazing that we are at the same stop again in Northern California." Mind you, he had already been to San Francisco so he was hauling a lot quicker than me. I also had several people tell me they saw me on the highway and my driving was fine. Of course they are referring to my sign I wrote on the back window of my RV warning people be cautious near me. I think I will leave it on there for a long time as people seem to be more patient when they know someone was admitting they are not good at something. - - Harvey and Pearl are did well the entire way. We were out of the 117 degree heat (for you Celsius people, subtract 30 and divide by two) by Northern California. My truck has really good aircon, but even I felt a little warm one afternoon as the heat kept getting higher and higher. I was really worried about going up the Grapevine, but just crept and crept and made it over. Then I was worried about Grants Pass, but we did just fine going very slow. Downhill was almost as hard as going up hill because it was a bit of challenge for me figuring out what was the right gain on the brake controls – too much and steering column shakes violently as the trailer hops behind (the big rigs ripple the pavement in the heat), and too little and I can feel all 7,500 lbs pushing me. Anyway, I said lots of little prayers asking for calm nerves and it went good. I think the plan was to get to Portland or somewhere close to it, and then drive the rest of the way the next day…but it took more time. This was definitely my longest haul yet, but now I am getting ideas for some other jaunts. It REALLY was nice to have a little apt on wheels right behind though because I could drive until I was tired and then just pull off beside a CHEVRON or some other safe place because I had everything with me and just had a good night’s sleep. My unit is definitely not anything outstanding compared to others, or expensive but I sure do love it.

Now being here, things are going good. I am teaching afternoons at the college, and will be doing a little tutoring – not big bucks but enough to cover the expenses. And right now the schedule is allowing me to have more time for study, so I am really enjoying that.

Living in the interior as opposed to the Coast is a bit of an adjustment. I was told that the weather would be similar to Korea and so far it is. So I like that. However, I am not used to wildlife walking around the houses. I don’t mind the deer, but I don’t like the huge coyotes and bears that wander around. I find that my eyes are darting everywhere when I am walking Harvey and Pearl, and I am very thankful the yard is completely fenced. I am thinking within a couple months the bears will be hibernating, which will make me happy as they are the ones I worry about the most. I hear others say, “oh they fill up on other stuff. You don’t have to worry about them eating humans.” In my mind, that comment converts to: ”they eat all the cats and small dogs in the neighborhood”. Anyway, we are living on a mountain so I guess wildlife can be expected. :-/

Other than this, all is good. I am riding my motorcycle back and forth to work which means cheap gas. I am enjoying getting to know people in the congregation, and gradually getting to know the area better too.

Well, I better run. I have a little study to do. My Spanish needs to be a priority these days.

Love to everyone,

D :-)

Zip Down, Zip Up

Hey hi everyone, :-)

Well, since I will be staying in Kelowna this year I had to run down to the desert and get my RV, just a quick down for a few days, and back up. It has gone well so far. We took off on Friday night. I decided to go down the 97 for a change, so the first night we stayed at a MOTEL 6 in Wenatchee. Pearl as usual had to give me heart attack right off the bat. I was giving them something called CHICKEN TENDER STRIPS for treats. On Friday night I was looking at them thinking "these things really aren't that tender...I wonder if they could ever hurt a dog???" Well, when we woke up on Saturday morning I tossed Harvey and Pearl each one, suddenly Pearl was struggling as one had speared her through the top of her mouth and blood was spurting out all over the sheets as she was crying and struggling to get it out. Meanwhile I was racing to put my clothes on to rush her to the vet. I had instant mental replay of my time in Korea where the item dislodged as I was running with a limp Pearl down the street. The bumping of the running obviously worked liked a heimlich. Anyway, she got it out but it was very scary...and now they are no longer allowed to have CHICKEN TENDERS...rather CHICKEN SPEARS for treats.

After going down the 97 though I think it is nice to do it once to see the scenery, but the I-5 is what I prefer. I didn't like having to slow down to 25 miles per hour to go through towns, and often I was the only one driving on long lonely stretches of road which made me feel a bit uneasy if I broke down or something.

Being down here we have hit the hottest stretch this summer - 114 yesterday and 117 today. But we are taking off this morning so hopefully will be out of it by lunch - even though I really do like the heat. I got the motorcycle in the back of truck. Tried several methods but was able to find two gentlemen on the street looking for work and paid them to put it in for me. It was fast and easy. Now off to the storage unit this morning to get the trailer.

Even though we have been out for some good walks while down here early early in the morning before the sun gets hot, I think Harvey and Pearl will be glad to be where it is a bit cooler. We went around the block last night and Pearl just stop and planted herself and wouldn't go further, so I picked her up and carried her. Even cold water in a dish in front of her wasn't even enough to coax her.

Well, better run to get the truck packed. Been staying at the MOTEL 6 downtown here. It is an awesome deal I think. During the summer months it is only $41 per night (45 in winter), and IMMACULATE. And each time I stay here Harvey and Pearl are treated so good. Anyway, for pet lovers it really is a great lodging place.

Okay, love to everyone. :-)

d :-)

Rolling With The Punches

Hey hi everyone, :-)

Hope you all are having a great summer. Things are going good here. I am in Kelowna. A lot has happened over the last five weeks. Haven't written as there has been SO much happening that writing hasn't really been on my mind. As I mentioned the summer assembly was excellent and then following that I house/dog sat for mom and dad as they went to Dawson Creek. Then Justin and Mel, Tyler and Janelle, and the rest of the family got together and stayed at mom and dad's house for a week. We all had SUCH a good time. Really really great to see everyone. I am still slowly but surely practicing my Spanish. Felt further inspired last night when I was talking to a sister at the beach. Her and her husband were asked by Bethel to move to Kelowna to help with the Spanish because of the work needing to be done here. She says it has really been excellent in response - so now I have to keep working at it. :-) I am going to stay in Kelowna longer than planned. When I first arrived it was just summer holiday, but about 10 days after arriving my teaching company in Korea started having financial problems and it has become quite unstable for work. I prayed about it, because basically Jehovah knows what I need...most importantly FOOD...and He came through. The college here advertised for a teacher so I called them and was hired. Teaching uni students and loving it. Seems like really nice staff who really care about their work and helping other people reach their other goals in life besides just work...mine being spiritual. So I am very thankful. And at this time it is only 4.5 days week and can be adjusted down when the time is right. I can't recommend enough praying to Jehovah about EVERYTHING going on in your life because when I person does, somehow things just work out better. :-) Harvey and Pearl are doing excellent. I was just commenting to mom and dad about Harvey's fur right now. He has struggled with terrible skin his whole life despite only eating the best food, but for whatever reason his fur is thick with good skin right now...so that has been an extra bonus to being here. My biggest challenge is getting to know everyone in the hall. I am glad I am supporting the Spanish because a small room of people is a lot easier. However, I have to say this congregation does have a tradition that is really nice for getting to know the brothers and sisters and bringing the congregation closer together - every Friday night they meet at the same beach with all their lawn chairs and bbqs and just hang out. They do it rain or shine. And I can personally say I know they do it in the not so good weather too because last night it was so windy and the waves were SO high it was like a "Jesus walking on the water" evening - waves were flinging the docks up, and the kids could practically surf the waves, but the barbecues and lawn chairs were still out. Really nice. Anyway, when life throws curve balls I have learned you can either break down and cry and lament about it, or put your chin to the wind and just make something just as good or better happen...and that is what I plan to do. :-)

Right now I am hosting two young Korean boys for a camp so today we are off to the Kettle Valley Railway for riding. Mom and Dad have been fabulous about taking them to see and do things too, so when they go home they should have so many good memories. Okay, everyone have a really great week...or month...depending how soon I write again. :-)

love to all,
d :-)

Well I Held My Breath And Jumped In

Hey hi everyone, :-)

Long time, no write. It has been a busy month. I got up here and then immediately went back down to the coast for the assembly. It was fannntassstic. I totally enjoyed the spin that was put on certain subjects - so same ideas of course, but just different way of presenting them. It really made me think about some things. One was supporting the Spanish Group while staying here in Kelowna. So I prepped my heart out and went to the meeting tonight - - and answered 3 times! I just thought if I think about how bad my Spanish is I would never get my hand up, so I dived in and had a great time. So now, next to Jehovah God, Google translator is my best friend. I also bought a package on the internet of online lessons called ROCKET SPANISH. It got the best reviews, so I thought I will be the ultimate guinea pig for them. And so far so good, people at the KH actually understood what I was saying. :-/ The other District Assembly thing that stands out in my mind was Ian Livingston's experience. He is an elder in Vancouver. He was saying that he has enrolled as a regular pioneer five times now, and will keep enrolling all the way to Armageddon if necessary. They were saying that too many people have the idea that if you had to go off the list once that it meant circumstances weren't right and wouldn't be again. But it doesn't have to be like that...keep enrolling and one day the circumstances just might be right and you can continue on. Anyways, it was very inspiring.

Staying at mom and dad's is absolutely fabulous. I have seen REALLY BIG deer walking through the back and Pearl and Harvey are loving it. Dad has the whole backyard fenced in with wire squares so they can walk out there safely. However, this week Pearl has taken up nesting upstairs in the house. Doesn't seem to care if I am up there or not. :-( When she hears something interesting she just runs out on the patio to check out the action below. I am glad that they are having such a good time. Harvey has found a fellow crazy dog in Otto. They are both happy to chase tennis balls around. Cheap and easy entertainment. :-)

Well, I am going to veg. Tired and meeting is in the morning. Everyone have a really great week.

Love to all,
d :-)

The Assembly Starts Tomorrow

Hey hi everyone, :-)

Well I have made it to Abbotsford for the assembly. Can hardly wait. Haven't seen most people for five years and it feels like a long time. I think it took about 35 driving hours to get to Kelowna. It is absolutely gorgeous up there. I can see why many people have moved from the coast up there - good weather and pretty scenery. Harvey and Pearl are having a wonderful time running around mom and dad's back yard. Took Harve all of 2 minutes to figure out the doggy door following Otto around. Pearl as usual is taking a little longer. She actually got out a couple times but then couldn't figure out how to get back in. :-( Anyway, another couple days and I am sure she will master it. :-) Well, I am at the Ramada Inn Conference Center for tonight, and then with Holgates for the other couple nights. Leanne is here from London so it will be super sharing a room with her and catching up. :-) Dad and Mom volunteered to take care of the furbies - first time apart from me. :-/ so a little anxious...me, not them I am sure...but it will give me time to do some good visiting, so I am very thankful. Anyways, I will update everyone after the weekend. Hope you all are having great assemblies this weekend and this summer and fall too!

Love,
d :-)

ps. couldn't download pics off the cam so will have to wait to show you some really cute pics I took - especially the ones of Ethan and Anastasia graduating their kindergarten classes.

We Are On The Road

Hey hi everyone!

We are on the road. Left yesterday morning after work. I thought we did pretty good getting to the border by 12:30 and on our way within 1/2 an hour. I am getting more confident with hooking my unit up. Even though Fausto the park owner volunteered to help me, I asked him to not to so that I can learn how to make sure everything is done right myself. So he though he came out and watched me do things from a distance, he just stayed away until it was finished and then came and eyeballed that everything was in good shape. That really is a great park to stay at - good owners, very helpful. ....The border guards were wondering why I wrote in large letters on my back window "CAUTION, NOVICE RV DRIVER". I am not that bad anymore but I want a wide berth because I don't have a second set of eyes watching for things...so it is better than having written instead, "CHICKEN AT THE WHEEL"...and basically gives people the right to honk at me if I am scaring them - which one Mexican man did when we were going up a winding here. I can be a bit of a line hugger at times and I think I was probably too close to him. Anyways, got here safe. We stayed last night at the SHANGRILA RESORT in Yuma. Absolutely awesome. Harvey and Pearl are beaching their furry bodies on the RV right now as if they are at a club med. It has everything here including excellent TENGO internet, so I highly recommend it. Well, we are off driving the remaining 2 or 3 hours to Palm Springs, so everyone have a great day!

Love to all,
d :-)

"OH NO Teacher! You sucked a very delicious meal into your vacuum!"

This morning I realized how differently cultures see things. I was teaching a class of 9 year old boys this morning when suddenly one of those crazy large bugs starting coming through my window. I squealed and told the boys that we were going to have stop for a minute while I killed a HUGE ugly bug coming through my window. They were all very excited, and told me that after I did it I needed to show them a picture. No problem. :-/ So they listened to the me using the vacuum for a minute then I showed them a picture of it. They were saying, "Wow, teacher, that is the largest grasshopper we have EVER seen." Then it dawned on them where it was now, and were, "OH NO teacher! You sucked a very delicious meal into your vacuum! This is so sad! So big, it would be delicious. :-(" They were all lamenting over and over that there may be many of these inside my vacuum, and how I missed out on eating them. .....yyyyyyeeee..uuuuk Anyway, it gave the boys some insight too.

Love to everyone,
d :-)

The Surge Protector Worked!

Before coming down here I read endlessly on all the RV forums for advice. Something that was discussed indepth was the use of surge/brownout protectors because of the power fluctuations down here. I decided to take the advice of some long-term full-timers and buy a universal surge protector that would take care of the entire unit. Not just because I have lots of computer equipment in here but because I went over and over in my mind what may happen if I was out on a 105 degree day and the power surged. The cheaper units are good but if you are not around to reset them then the power stays off until you get back. I couldn't have that with Harve and Pearl in here - two little pieces of grissle they would be in no time flat in that heat. ANYWAY, today it paid off. The power surged, the entire trailer shutdown - AC unit, everything. Then I held my breath...would this thing actually reset the RV? It did! I was so happy. ....hosing down Harvey and Pearl today, hot hot hot.

love to everyone,
d :-)

Alcatraz Island

I was able to discover a really cool place last weekend - Kino Bay...so was back today with Harvey and Pearl for more beach walking. Across the bay is an island that I think is fascinating. It is one of the largest ecological preserves for birds. One day maybe I will get to kayak out to it. :-) Driving down to Kino is quite something though. First time last weekend it took me a bit to clue in as to what was going on. It is a nice highway, BUT people were driving on the paved shoulder. Couldn't figure out why until I saw that people were deliberating making another lane for passing. I hadn't seen this before because going down to San Carlos the highway is even wider and there is no need to do this...but I have to say I caught on quickly....basically, watch for someone to speed up behind you, then veer to the shoulder. With so many cars and trucks doing it I was thinking that from a bird's eye view it must look like a checkerboard of cars moving all over the place. :-/

The beach was just fabulous today. Stopped by to check out a RV resort again that I saw on the weekend that has mediterranean style cabanas for each RV - really nice setup. I have to say I do miss the amount of active recreation I had in my life before, and need to get back to it. When I was in Korea I was either out out walking or riding my bike, or walking the canal or the fortress wall. For some people keeping busy that way is not a big thing, but to me I really enjoy it. Doing stuff around the home is nice but I sure do like the outdoors too. Sometimes a person has to be away from something for a bit to know how much they like it. So I just have to get that going in Mexico and it will be perfect. :-)

Harvey and Pearl are doing great these days. It is a tad warm for them I guess which explains why they are both spread eagle on the bathroom floor at the moment trying to cool down. Come 7pm and we will hop outside for a sniff around the park. After running like crazy on the beach today though they won't need much walking.

Well, I found another monster bug in my bathroom this week, and I tell you honestly it was before the meeting on Sunday, and if I hadn't promised to pick my Bible studies up for the meeting I would have just locked the door and waited for it to starve to death...and stayed home. HOWEVER, after 10 minutes of extreme crying outside the door (my normal reaction to finding bugs that look like they live on the dark side of the moon) I prayed to Jehovah and asked him to help me handle the matter so I could get to the meeting....or at the very least grant me composure so that when I saw it again I wouldn't faint. :-/ I opened the door slowly and beat at it with the broom making it fly somewhere that I couldn't see. Now time was running out to get ready for the meeting...so time for another prayer...AND I actually got into the shower and showered knowing there was a bug hiding somewhere in the room. For some people I know this is not a big thing...for me it is MONUMENTAL...with the emphasis on mental. Anyways, maybe it crawled down the toilet or drain but I haven't seen it since...even though I do a complete scan of the bathroom each time I enter it. :-/

Well, time to wash the dishes, so everyone have a wonderful week.

Love to all,
d :-)

A Good Reminder

Hey hi everyone, :-)

It is pretty hot here right now - 105 degrees for a few days. I have been monitoring it and we are about 5 degrees hotter than Palm Springs it seems everyday, with about 9% humidity. I don't usually have to watch Harvey and Pearl that close when we are outside right now because instead of running around the park I find them under the trailer keeping their paws off the hot rocks. But yesterday I got outside with a hose and bucket and washed the entire trailer to spiff it up. In a month we will be on the road so I don't want to look dusty going down the road.

Well, reading the news this morning was a good reminder about why I don't want to fly much now. For you non-pet flying families it is not a big thing, but reading about that lost dog was heartbreaking:
http://www.cnn.com/video/?/video/us/2010/05/11/wdiv.delta.loses.dog.WDIV

With all my best efforts I even came close with Harvey that time in LAX. You may recall me writing about it. I wouldn't get on the plane until they showed me they had found his carrier and had the cargo manager personally call to say they had put him on. They had found him in the wrong cargo section of LAX. (Always ask for VISUAL confirmation from the cargo manager before getting on the plane, despite the effort it takes to wait to be the last person on). The good part was, when they asked me what they were searching for, I told them to look for a dog kennel decorated like HANSEL AND GRETELS house in the fairytale. They phoned back quickly to say they had found it. Gaudy as it was to look at, it stood out like a sore thumb. Anyway, hope all turns out well for that couple searching for their little guy.

Well, we have the CO visit this week. I am really looking forward to it. Tonight we have the service meeting and special talk and then Thursday the bookstudy and special talk. Usually our meetings are on Friday nights and this is wonderful for me because by the end of the week I don't have to get up so early in the mornings and I can just sleep to catch up. This afternoon I thought I would lay down for a few minutes between studies so I would have extra energy for tonight but I fell into a 1.5 hour coma! When I woke up I realized I was 45 minutes late for a study, but he was still waiting so that is the great part - thank goodness for patient Bible students! :-)

Okay, have a wonderful day.

Love to everyone, d :-)

Harvey the Toy Piglet

Harvey makes me laugh. He hoards all his toys onto his pillow. And if he sees Pearl and me looking at him and he doesn't have his leash on he will munge them all into his mouth and start running around the park so we can't touch them, and he wants us to chase him...and just for fun we often do. :-) Additionally, he has become quite the park guard dog. Anytime anyone drives into the park, whether they are an RV, or the park owner, Harvey jumps up to huff and puff at them.

If I Can Do It, You Can Do It

Hey hi everyone,

As my title says today, part of the reason I tell all of you all the good things that happen...AND all the bad things is because for any of you that are contemplating living abroad, and wondering if you can do it, after reading my episodes and seeing me face them with all my faults and frailties...surely you will know that you can live anywhere you want to too. :-) ...so today I had a redo of one of my worst fears...the return of KUJO bug. Susan Ellis wrote me and said that she too saw a bug that looked like a cross between a grasshopper, scorpion, and spider, when she was living in Mexico, and that pretty much summed him up. There was lots of screaming, especially when it jumped and I couldn't see it and realized that it was probably on me somewhere so I started ripping my clothes off...the good part was that I had already closed all the blinds for the evening. And then I found him on my pile of clothes so grabbed my handy dandy sandals and squished him flat. During all this Harvey and Pearl were in run and hide mode, but after full of kisses to help me get over the panic part. I am pretty sure he came in the hole for the cable connector so tomrrow I will plug that with goo. When I lived in Korea there were not many bugs at all - probably because of the cold cold winters. Here is another story. The high point is, I think it is harmless...physically...mentally I am momentarily traumatized. However, tomorrow life will be back to normal, work will be good, service will be great, and I will be glad to be here.

Love to everyone,
d :-)

The Challenges

Hey hi everyone,

There aren't many big challenges to living here in Mexico compared to other places because there is so much available to a person - and service is great - and the congregation is great. BUT one little one for me came as a reminder yesterday. Pearl started barking like a crazy dog and when I walked into the room to investigate there was a HUGE bug on the ground. Kind of like a cross between a cocroach and a grasshopper. Truth be told, if it was a spider, I wouldn't be typing this right now...I would probably be either fainted permanently on the floor due to fear, or in a santarium...or is it sanitorium:-/ ....not sure which is the right spelling...just like the time last month when a brother and his wife came to visit with a few others and he asked me what flowers I had growing on my back fence - I told him I thought it was Clamydia...but then he said he thought that was a sexually transmitted disease...so I realized it must be Clamatis. Anyway, he basically gleaned the bulk of my gardening knowledge. :-/ Anyhow, I have tried to find out what type of bug it was by looking on the internet but it has proved a little hard because I am finding identifying body shape and markers is difficult once something has been squished. ...Hopefully I will not have the opportunity to look at one again - at least in real life.

d :-)

Getting Hotter.

Hey hi everyone, :-)

Here are some pics of life this week. I was invited to a cookie making party the other night. Wonderful idea with lots of yummy things to eat. Several of the sisters took cookie making stuff to one sisters house and we all made cookies. In this picture you see Sherilyn Fesik (Calgary-ite) making REAL cookies...she actually brought tupperware and sheets from Canada to do such things. Amazing to me...as I showed up with my box of Duncan Hines Choco cookie mix. It is obvious which of us is a "family woman", and I have to say her cookies were awesome! The other pic is me and Karina out in service. You wouldn't believe it. That thing Karina is holding in her hand is a flower. Even close up it looks like one of those plastic pom poms a person buys in a store. INCREDIBLE how beautiful Jehovah God makes some things. The other pic is of the park right now. It is basically a big dog park for Harvey and Pearl. They run and chase balls and smell strange things they find on the ground. SPEAKING OF STRANGE THINGS, that Pearl often makes me roll my eyes. As you know she is half Chihuahua and half Jack Russel. Well the little mutley loves anything stinkey or smelly - she could spend an hour smelling a leaf that another dog peed on the day before. Just as I was typing this I decided to go look for her and found her on the other side of the trailer licking the sewer line as if it was a popsicle. There is nothing on it, but if something is the least tiniest bit smelly she will love it. In her mind I am sure she would think Jehovah God was blessing her if a duck flew overhead and dropped a turd for her in her path. :-/ Someone warned me years ago of this terrier trait and I see it over and over. The last pic is of my front sitting area. I have shade cloth up to keep the heat off us, and a nice mat, and then you can see in the far back there is a patch of turf I put down for Harvey and Pearl to lay on. They LOVE it. Because the weather is so nice here this is pretty much where we spend our time. After work in the morning I sit in that blue chair and do my personal study....and then read Ann Rule novels....and then head out for service :-) It is a pretty simple life but I love it. Hard to believe but in about six weeks we will be the road to Canada for the summer. Pretty excited about it...seeing everyone...and doing stuff - - saw the cutest life jackets for Harvey and Pearl for doing lake stuff. Just to get dad riled I think I should have printed on the back of each one "Wally Kroes is our grandpa". Okay, okay, gotta run...everyone have a wonderful week.

Love to all,

d :-)

Had a Great Time in Phoenix

Hi everyone,
I have included a pic of the hotel that we stayed in while up there because for any of you that have pets and travel...or work while on the road like me...this hotel chain is fabulous. It was $65 a night BUT there was no extra charges for Harvey and Pearl, a really nice free breakfast in the mornings, and hardwired internet for those of us that need it for work. And this one in Chandler was central to all the big stores and had TONS of walking for Harvey and Pearl. It really couldn't have been better.

The drive up was longer than anticipated, mostly because we got in the line at the border with a guard that HAD to hassle everyone...and then let them go of course. US border guards just seem to be more difficult to deal with than others - many have something to prove it seems. But on the way back it was great. Fast border, great guards, and nice scenic drive. Found everything I needed while up there too - even a treadmill! Bought it off a good friend actually. Only thing is that I forgot to get the key for it so tht has to be mailed to me. HOWEVER...I love the internet...I went online and posed the question, "what do I do if I lost my treadmill key?" Got tons of suggestions of things that worked for other people - NONE of them worked for me. But I was determined so I went into the kitchen as a last resort and picked up the cake spatula and put it in the slot and wonders of wonders the thing turned on. So now if any of you hear of me being in the hospital with a cake spatula stuck in my forehead you will be able to imagine what happened. :-/ Anyway, I think it will work until the key arrives.

This week back to Bible studies and service. All good things. :-) When I get home this afternoon I am going to try and make PESTO. I have this jar of eggplant pesto from Trader Joes. I forgot to get more when I was up there, so I thought I would try making it from the ingredients printed on the jar. The only other item I forgot to get up there was kimchee. Debbie says there is a store in town that distributes it, so will get next time. I always enjoyed watching TV and nibbling at a jar of it...healthy too...so need to get it here. :-)

Okay, have a wonderful week everyone!

Love to all,
d :-)

HAVE YOU KILLED YOUR CHILD?

Hey hi everyone, :-)

I am having a really nice weekend. Bible study this morning after walking Harvey and Pearl on the mountain. I have to say that is one awesome place to exercise. One minute a person is walking on beautiful trails and further down a person can be walking on a private road that runs behind homes that a person could imagine in Beverly Hills – just gorgeous architecture up there. However, I decided I will have to get up and go earlier with the fur kids. We did not start walking until 7am and by 8am it was close to 80 degrees, about a quarter mile from the truck Pearl and Harvey both parked themselves under a tree and were prepared to spend the day lounging in the shade there. Thank goodness it was not that far and I could coax them to keep going to the truck. I carry cold water bottles for them, but they were still hot.

Well our meeting last night was good as usual, but I have to tell you about the local needs talk. The brother who did the announcements is a very cool brother from Germany. When he announced that we were going to have a local needs talked called HAVE YOU KILLED YOUR CHILD my internal alarm went off as I had never heard this subject before and I was wondering what terrible thing had happened in the congregation – had someone done something bad in their past…or was it an accident that happened recently…or how had this happened? Forget Brother Norbergs talk that followed the announcements. My mind was racing through all the possibilities of what and who this talk could be about, so basically everything he said just was blah blah blah through my ears. By the time the brother got up on the stage to deliver the local needs talk I was ready with pen and paper to write everything down, and then he announced his theme was HAVE YOU KILLED YOUR GIANT? Okay, not quite as intriguing of a subject, but purely a relief…at least now I knew for sure there wasn’t a killer sitting among us. :-/ I am always telling my students, harping constantly actually, that listening and pronunciation are the two most important English skills to learn. Last night proved it in spades to me how right those words are. :-) …and by the way, the REAL talk was excellent. It was about overcoming obstacles, that are big to us, to have a fuller measure in following Christ and helping others study the Bible.

Okay, have a great weekend. Harve and Pearl and me are lounging like sloths on the couch.

Love to everyone,
D

Little Smarty Pants Harvey

Hey hi everyone, :-)

This has been a fantastic week. I have met some really great people while out in the service work, and work has been great, and I love the hot weather. However, I am looking forward to spending the summer in Canada. It will just be nice to see everyone and do some things I used to do up there, and then I will be rearing to get back here after. :-)

Harvey has proved himself to be quite the smarty pants this week. He figured out how to pop the rear door of RV open by throwing his body against it. The lock is a bit sticky so this is easy to do if someone knows about it - I will be getting it fixed though.... Anyways, last Sunday I went out to the meeting and then meandered around town for a bit, and then worked my way home around 2:30p. First thing I noticed was this little shadow sitting on the big pillow in their pen - saw Harvey sprawled out like he was on a beach...but no Pearl. My eyes went big and I jumped out of the truck and ran to the door, practically ripping it off to see if the skinny white dog had made an escape also, but thankfully found her inside doing her usual welcome home dance. ...Grrr...and yay all at the same time. So, I tried to secure the latch better the next time I went out....only to come home and find Harvey again beaching himself in the backyard pen, but this time it was in the mid 90s and he seemed more than eager to get back into the RV to find the water. Lesson learned for him I hope. Anyway since then I have been locking it from the outside to make sure they both are securely trapped inside. :-/

All is great though, and we are heading off to Phoenix for a few days mid week, so will tell ya all about it.

Love to all,

d :-)

PS. you can see one thing in the photos I will be looking for in Phoenix - a salad spinner.

Checkpoint Made Me a Little Nervous

Hey hi everyone! :-) Hope all is well. Life in Hermosillo is going really good. Highlights of the week are that we had 71 at our Memorial. Last year there were 20 so that is a pretty significant increase. Bible studies are going good, so that makes me pretty happy too. The other awesome thing is that I found an EXCELLENT recreation area. I really like the beach for exercise, but the mountains for walking and hiking are much more my thing...especially with Harvey and Pearl. Well, about two weeks ago I was sitting at a table on the sidewalk at a local Caffenio having a morning coffee when a couple dressed in mountain biking clothes with their bikes came over to talk to me. They were telling me that the mountains here are laced with trails that they ride on daily. However, I forgot to ask them where the trailhead is. So earlier this week Harvey and Pearl and I went out "Sunday driving" and I decided to look for the trailhead area. It turned out it was just across from the other university. There were tons of trucks with bikes parked there and people out flying kites, and people on ATVs, so I parked the truck and took off up one of the trails. Absolutely WONDERFUL trails! We have been back three times this week now, and I have to say that this morning my calf muscles and ankles are a little sore. And once we really got walking I realized how much I missed hiking. Very peaceful and good exercise. Anyway, this morning, Saturday, since I don't have a Bible study until 10am I thought we should get up at 6:30a and get over there for a morning walk. As we were coming down the hill though I rounded a bend and saw two federal police trucks blocking the trail, with the officers out on the ground with their guns out. All I could think was "oh great...do I go the other direction...I don't know another way off this mountain...or do we sit in the bushes until they go.." Anyway they were whistling for me to come forward so I felt I had no choice, especially since there seemed to be only one route between me and my truck and they were in the middle of it. I called out that I spoke minimal Spanish so their expectations wouldn't be too high. They checked us over and then noticed that I was carrying a baton on my hip. They wanted to know why, so I explained in my terrible Spanish that if any MUCHO GRANDE WILD PERROS attacked us on the trails I could bonk them on the head. They didn't know the word WILD or BONK but understood when I gave them my best demonstration with my arms and mouth of something big with flailing claws, and gnashing teeth. I don't have much pride so I think my demonstration of it supposingly attacking us was pretty good, and then my demonstration of me disabling it was well understood because they smiled as if they understood. They wanted to look at it closely so I handed it over and then when they realized it was also a stun gun they absolutely thought it was the coolest thing and had to try it, so there were lots of smiles and laughs as they watched the blue streaks come off the end. I was relieved though when they handed it back. In the end they told me they were searching for the owner of a certain truck on the mountain, but when I told them mine was parked at the OXO they waved good-bye. ...Turned out good but I think the next time if something like that happens again I will hide the baton before approaching. Tonight we are having a congregation get together so that should be tons of fun again - lots of guitar playing and singing again I hope. Will tell ya all about it. :-)

Love to everyone,
d :-)

Life is Very Different in Mexico Than It Used To Be

I thought I would show some pictures that show how Americanized Mexico has become consumer-wise through the years. The culture is very different of course, and that is wonderful, but it is also nice to have some very familiar stores to go to when a person just wants to find something quickly that they know they would find back in their home country. Here are the three big ones in town here, and there is also an ACE Hardware, and a store called Soriana - which is actually a Mexican chain but a person can easily find anything there, and I guess I can't leave out MEGA then either. I was asking a sister when we were out the other day where the best place to food shop is in town from a Mexican standpoint, for prices and selection, and she said her family and friends all go to Walmart. I thought maybe she would tell me small shops, so I was a bit surprized. However, she did say that for vegetables and fruits the absolute best place is the huge outdoor market.

The meetings this weekend have been great. One point that was highlighted on Friday night that I think was really good is what was brought out about the label Christian - many people nowadays have called themselves Christian because they think that Christian means someone that believes in Christ, but in reality it means a person that follows Christs ways and lives by his standards that he taught. I thought this was very good food for thought. It actually reminded me of a HOUSE episode I was watching this week, where there was a woman who called herself a vegetarian...but she ate meat. :-/ She was asked how she could refer to herself as a vegetarian and eat meat, but she wanted to be one so badly that she ignored the fact that she wasn't living by the true definition of what one is. ...and another point I found fascinating was extra research by a couple of the brothers. In the scriptures, God says to withstand trials he will make a person like a copper gate. :-/ Mmm...why not gold or diamond chiseled? Well it turns out that copper is one of the few metals that actually is extremely difficult to penetrate because when it gets hit by heated items it doesn't puncture easily or get hot and melt but rather absorbs the heat (guess that's why it is used for making pots and pans for cooking), so that is why it was used as a protective metal in ancient times. So what Jehovah God was saying is that you will be like a copper gate and when you get hit by hot items of life and are under attack you will be able to figurately be just like a copper gate - if we make him our refuge. I thought that was extremely interesting.

Anyway, I am sure everyone else had great meetings too. :-) Have a wonderful week.

Love,

d :-)

$74 From Phoenix and The Misting System

I thought this was interesting information for anyone that wants to come visit. Apparently Phoenix is the cheapest airport to fly into for travel this direction. THEN there is a shuttle that does door-to-door delivery to Hermosillo for only $74. I thought that is was a fantastic price because years ago in Vancouver I used to pay almost $50 for the shuttle from Burnaby to Vancouver airport. Anyway keep it in mind, the ones I have talked to that have used it says that it is great service.

Today I spent the afternoon installing my misting system. Before moving here I was worried about how Harvey and Pearl would cope in the 50 degree celsius heat of the summer months, then I read on line of a dog breeder in Arizona that uses a misting system to keep her dogs cool through the summer. Sounded like a good idea to me, so after lots of research reading consumer reviews of misting systems, I bought the Ocean Breeze brand from Amazon for $20. It installed very easy but I will give you some tips. At first, I thought it would make it even more effective if I had all the misters facing the same direction inward - seemed like a good idea at the moment until I turned it on and immediately the patio area became exactly like a Korean sauna with mist so thick you could cut it - nice and cool mist albeit - but too thick for enjoyment...more like a VERY misty day in Vancouver - except you'd need to wear goggles and a windbreaker. :-/ After tinkering with things I figured out that the misters should be actually facing away from the intended cooling victim, and a person should buy one of those two headed faucet thingys so that the regular hose goes one direction and the one serving the mister can be turned to minimal water feed to control the amount of mist coming out. Now that it is done though I think we are ready for the 35 celsius heat predicted for later this week.

Hope everyone is having a great weekend!

Love to everyone,

d :-)

Mexico Is Turning Pearl Into A Dare Devil

Service was absolutely fantastic this morning. Worked with a young sister named Karina. She owns a candy shop in town here. We worked a territory not far from the Kingdom Hall which has a vet hospital. It worked out nicely that the vet spoke English and I was able to start a Bible study with him. Tomorrow will be our first session. So the day got off to a great start. However...after service I came home to eat lunch. I put Harvey on his lead and let him walk around outside. Pearl on the other hand prefers to lay on the couch while the door is open letting the air circulate. As you know I pretty much don't worry about her doing anything or going anywhere because she has so many phobias...liking walking up stairs...or down stairs...or through doors. Just last night as I lay reading in bed she stood at the bedroom door and cried for me to come a get her because the door to the room was not fully open and in her tiny chihuahua head she does not think she can fit through a door unless it is 100% open...."Pearl, come here...you can make it...the door is open enough...you have at least 8 inches on either side of your 4 inch body...you can fit" - but she stood there until I came and opened the door completely. :-/ Anyway, today I got a shock. I was talking on SKYPE to mom while eating lunch, and then got up after - no Pearl. I started ripping the blankets off the bed, hoping to find the white gerbil curled up underneath - nothing! So I run frantically out into the yard of the RV park and yelled PEEEAAAARRRLLLLL!!!! with all the worst scenarios racing through my over active imagination. Believe me, I am positive that everyone in a huge radius of the park including the university campus heard Pearl's name echoing off the hills...but then almost too good to be true, the skinny white dog comes running full speed across the park. As my mom said last year, one thing she noticed about Harvey and Pearl is that they both know their names and respond quickly...THANK GOODNESS...:-/ ...because I would have had to call Joe and Colleen and have them set up roadblocks checking vehicles for the munchkin at all exits from the city. :-) Other than this heart tremor, today was just excellent...as I said...good service and pretty skies.

love,

d

*ps Pearl is not allowed to lay on the couch with the door open anymore.

The Life of Harvey and Pearl in Mex

We had an excellent meeting with the congregation this morning. A brother from Guaymas (originally from Medicine Hat) gave the talk about the Trinity, and how the teaching is not found in the Bible. The scriptures he used as evidence were excellent, and his reasoning ability was great - thoroughly enjoyed it.

Here is a pic of Pearl, and Harvey's squirrel baby, sunning themselves in the yard. It is really nice here in the park as they have a lot of room for running around...and then laying around when they are pooped out.

Love to everyone,

d :-)

Something Clicked With Pearl This Week.

I have attached a picture of Pearl's face this week because something clicked behibd those eyes yesterday. You will remember that three months ago I bought Pearl a set of steps so that she could walk up onto the bed without jumping. I didn't think that jumping was safe for her because she is small. I even bought the model that was covered in sheep skin because I thought the softness might encourage her to use them. Well for three months this has been the drill: Pearl stands at the bottom of the steps and mews like a cat until I come pick up her bum and force her little legs to walk like chopsticks up the stairs. This has gone on several times a day in an attempt to teach her how to use stairs. Harvey on the other hand had no one touch his bum for stair training and trotted right up them. :-/ (Cocker spaniel smarty pants). Anyway, yesterday I was working at the computer and heard Pearl mew. I was just about to get up to help her up the stairs when I raised my eyes to see her venture up the stairs on her own - albeit was kind of like watching robot dog as she was kind of stiff and choppy...I thought she might "timber" off at one moment...but the high point is that she actually got to the top. I feel quite liberated at the moment as this now means not only will I not have to do the "Pearl chore" during the day, but during the night when she gets out of bed for a drink of water I will now not have to get up to pick her back up onto the bed. Life really is good. :-)

Had a fabulous Bible study today, so very happy. Also dropped the posters off at the university so will keep everyone posted on that one. Everyone in the congregation is doing good - sure enjoying being in a small group. You know that old news show called EVERYONE HAS A STORY. The point of the show was to show that everyone has a much more interesting journey in life than most of us know...well it really is interesting to see where people have been in their lives and how they got to where they are today....including some of the ones down here.

Anyway, have a great week. Love to everyone,

d :-)

Big Announcement Last Night

The letter came and we are a congregation now, as of last night. The brother that read the letter did a really cool thing too...he recounted the different ones arrival times to Hermosillo. I don't think I have ever heard everyone in a congregations name read from the platform before, but because there is such a small group it was possible, and it made it very personal for everyone I am sure. But anyway, now if any of you want to come to work along in the ministry work here, there is a REAL CONFIRMED congregation for you to attend. :-)

Love to everyone. Have a great weekend.
d :-)

The Coolest Trailer Pulled In Last Night.

I have to show everyone this trailer. A man in his sixties pulled in with it. He came over later to visit so I could ask him lots of questions. It is a teardrop and he pulls it with an XB. He used to pull it with a mini-cooper but just changed up. He has logged over 50,000 miles traveling through the continent. He says he gets 33 miles to the gallon and yesterday did the Durango Hill drive which is one of the most dangerous, but he said everything handled great. I LOVE hearing about people's travels.

Also, here are some pics of Harvey and Pearl and me in San Carlos on Monday. We just drove down to eat lunch on the beach. Gorgeous still bay water that was crystal clear. When I threw Harvey into the water for a dip, you should have seen how fast Pearl moved - it was like suddenly she became a rock crab. Never saw a dog cover 30 feet so fast to get away from me. :-)

Okay, hope you are having a wonderful day.

d :-)

Okay, This Is Not About Bragging...

Hey hi everyone, :-)

....instead it is about being so happy about something and wanting to share it. This morning we had such a great time in service. Cheryl Keller sent me a great presentation for the Bible Teach book this morning and I decided to use it. I was able to start two Bible studies, and hopefully a third with a man who took the book and is considering the study course. Then on the way home I decided to stop and talk to the administration office at the big university. They were exceptionally nice. I actually just wanted to know where I could post a little notice letting the students know my name and number if they wanted a study, but the woman took me upstairs to meet the academic director of the university, and let me show her the book (Bible Teach book) and tell her about the course of study in it. She thought it was just grand and asked me to make 20 posters so that she can have them posted around the campus for the students to call me. It was really unexpected, but I am so thankful in many regards for the opportunity. All the brothers and sisters are having wonderul results in their volunteer (ministry) work here and I am just so grateful I can be part of it. :-) ...other than this the weather has been awesome and life at the rv park couldn't be better. :-)

Have an absolutely wonderful week!

Love to all,
d :-)

Congregation Bonfire

We had such a great time tonight. A couple in the congregation that have a home WAY out in the country invited everyone over for tamales, corn and a bonfire. It was absolutely super. Before going I was a little worried because my GPS said: "This route takes you on dirt road, are you sure?" So to be on the safe side, with visions of my head of that family that got lost and died in Death Valley Nevada, I decided to phone Joe and ask him to confirm the directions. In the end I ended up following Patricia and their group as they drove, but the GPS was right - dirt, rustic, road for part of it. Anyways, there are some brothers in the hall that are excellent guitar players and it was so fun listening to them. Brother Norberg knew some Johnny Cash and some other great songs (good voice), and the other brothers knew some beautiful Spanish songs, so it couldn't have been a better time. I attached a little clip for everyone. Hope you are having a wonderful weekend too!

Love, d :-)

Great Week, Getting Organized

Hey hi everyone :-)

Hope everyone is having a great week. This week is still one of organization but it has been really good. Went out in the ministry work on Tuesday and had a really good time. I personally didn't speak with anyone but Joe and Col were saying of the nine homes they visited something like 4 of them had serious discussions that they are returning on.
My internet connection is almost installed. The park internet has been fabulous but I am still going ahead with the private internet connection too to be on the safe side due to work. Couldn't ask for a better park though - super clean, secure, with great internet connection as I mentioned.
Harvey and Pearl and I are heading down to explore Kino Bay on Monday - Joe, Col, (Sophie their dog), Alejandro and Patricia, are going that day too so it should be really nice. I will show some pics of course. Getting one of Harve with a snorkel on his head may be difficult, but one of him rolling in the sand or Pearl chasing a bird may be doable. :-)
I feel like I have been all over the city now...and I like it. It is definitely not a tourist city, but for someone that wants to have all the amenities of a city and still enjoy the Mexican culture then it is perfect. It feels small compared to Seoul, but the roads are nice and wide for the most part, and it is easy to get around.
Okay will run. Yesterday I had a headache but today back in top form so I have a bunch of little projects - including studying my Spanish - before the meeting tonight. Everyone have an awesome weekend.

Love,
d :-)

What A Great Week So Far...

A Good Day, and My Truck is Washed

Well I feel somewhat accomplished today. First I found my way to the KH with no trouble and listened to an excellent talk on the resurrection hope. Then after, I drove around looking for a truck wash as I can't stand all the dirt on it from traveling down here and rain the other day. However, I didn't find one by the time I got back to the RV park, basically because I don't know what I am looking for. So I noticed that beside the security guard in the RV Park is a huge hose on a tap, so I thought maybe he would consider washing my truck, so in my worst Spanish, I walked up to him and said "yo pagar tu lavar mi truck". He nodded his head yes so a deal was struck and he washed the truck. This may work out just perfect for the future. Now I just have to find a laundry person I can pay and life will be absolutely perfect. :-)

Love to everyone,
d :-)

Good Intentions

Hey hi everyone...

Wanted to give you all an update on the congregation as I was supposed to go to my first meeting last night...unfortunately I couldn't find the Kingdom Hall. Apparently I was sitting in the gas station parking lot around the corner of it during one part of my search but it was very dark with lots of traffic and I missed it. Anyway, after an hour of searching, going up and down every street in the area, before I got to the teary-eyed stage, I headed over to Soriana. It is a big Mexican change of stores. Did a little shopping then headed home to wait for the meeting to be over so I could call Joe and Col and find out from them if they found it, and just how far away I was. As I mentioned at the outset, I did pretty good in that I was basically in the same block, so tomorrow should be a cinch. Today now I have just been milling around the RV doing cleaning and reading. Joe and Col are coming over later. It is desperately cold in the mornings here so I am very thankful to have the heat of the RV - if not I would for sure rattle myself to death by teeth chattering. Harvey and Pearl are doing good. I notice that with Harvey on the white rice diet recommended by the vet that the carbs are really helping him get his energy back. I am attaching a picture of a jack rabbit. You may find this hard to believe, but the rabbits in the farm area behind the park are truly the size of Harvey - no exaggeration. I initially thought it was a coyote running between the bushes, but they are just massively huge rabbits. Okay, talk to everyone later.

Love,

d :-)

Well It Is Hard To Believe...

Hey hi everyone... :-)

It is hard to believe but we are finally here - result of lots of prayer...and hard work too...but definitely mostly prayer :-) There were a few moments when I wondered if it was going to come together. Even though I had a wonderful time living in Asia, this move has even brought greater satisfaction to my life. I have been wanting to move to Mexico for a long time so it is really hard to believe at moments that it has finally happened. About 10 days ago, we faced a big hurdle - "healthy as a horse" Harvey, was sick for the first time in his life but it was a big one, and after 3 days of him laying motionless and being in pain I was wondering if he was going to press his paw against the wall and leave me a "goodbye mama note". But things turned around. He developed pancreatitis which is life threatening. Usually the doctors will insist that the dog be kept in the hospital on IV in an attempt to help them but since I told him I would sit beside him ( more than ANY nurse) and give medicine in ANY way necessary if he let Harve lay at home instead. However, on the morning of day four I was wondering if "this was it" because he was down on his fluids again and I couldn't get him to tke any even with a syringe down the throat, but then I got this idea. I noticed as he was laying practically comatose for those three days that every time I opened up the HAPPY HIPS bag for Pearl that even in his dire state his ears would wiggle a little. So I got this idea that I would make some home made chicken broth (nuturients but no pieces in it) and then I decided I would go sit in front of his bed by his head, call his name to get his eyes to slit open and then make an animated display of grinding HAPPY HIP pieces into the chicken broth. He just layed still while I did this, and then I mved the bowl of broth close to his face, and gradually his tongue slithered sideways out his mouth and I held the bowl so he could put it in - then after he tasted it he raised his head a little and lapped up the whole cup of it just to get the piece of HAPPY HIPS he could see resting on the bottom. At this moment I was so glad that I am such a mush heart and have no spine for giving treats which has resulted in Pearl and Harvey being addicted. Within one hour of him drinking the chicken broth I started to see an improvement, and within two hours I had a feeling that things were turning around. By mid morning I put his jacket on because the illness had made him hypothermic with temperature only of 98 degrees. I then gave him one last pain killer (opium based to control the pain) and put him in his buggy for a push down the trail. I just thought the fresh air would help him too. Anyway, he is moving slower still, but seems to be on the path to getting better. He has been eating white rice and chicken breast these days as that is what the vets recommend for healing dogs (easy to digest and nutritious) but the surprizing part is that is was ready to go on Friday when I planned to take off. Now that we are here him and Pearl are just loving the park. There is lots of room to run and walk...and roll...and I have a special RV dog yard that I bought for them from GOGO pets so they can hangout outside now without being on a lead.

I have included some pics of our travel down. The dark one of the trucks was our first night on the road. We had to park amongst the big rigs so that I didn't have to unhitch.

The second one is of Harvey and Pearl rolling on the turf in the park. They built a putting green in the middle of the park for people that want to practise their golf. Pearl and Harvey love it so much that they just roll and roll and roll.

Tomorrow night is the first meeting at the new congregation. I will tell you all about it later. And also I will include some pics of the city. It is big but not high. I am pretty sure I will like living here - easy to get around and everything a person needs, and wonderful people every place I have gone.

Okay, more updates later. Lots of love to everyone.

d :-)