Ampilatwatja

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Welcome to My World.

1. The first week in any place entails adjustment and ‘learning the ropes’ – my first week in this Aboriginal community has certainly been a lot of both.
   
   It would require too many words to fully explain the culture, history, atmosphere and people, esp. for a mere blog. I’m learning so much! and one day can tell you more in person, if you care to know.
   
   Here is a snapshot of what my world has been like since arriving:
   
   Orientation of the clinic started with learning to change the oil and change the tire on the 4WD late-model Land Cruiser that I would be in charge of to drive to even further out communities to hold clinic. If I roll-over, have a flat, run into a cow – tough shit. No satellite phone and an hour’s drive from here. “Oh, and here’s a bag of water and toilet paper you should take with you ‘just in case’ you get in trouble”.
   
   My first night on call I had to coordinate evacuating a sick baby out of the community using the Royal Flying Doctor Service. At 2 a.m. I was driving the length of the landing strip to make sure there were no ‘roos, cows, horses or people in the way so the plane could land.
   
   On my first morning run, I ran with a stick to try and scare off all of the community/wild dogs that figured it was their business to bark/follow me. By 8:30 a.m. the entire clinic staff already knew that I had gone jogging that morning….getting used to a small community.
   
   A pack of wild brumby’s (horses) apparently come into town every night looking for water. As I was driving the ambulance home at 2 a.m. one morning, I had to wait for the pack to cross before I could continue.
   
   While seeing my very first patient, I about jumped out of my seat when a very loud squeal came out of no where. (As my family knows, I’m easily scared sometimes.) The patient had a good laugh at me … it was only the donkey outside of my window.
   
   Speaking of the donkeys: they seem to aimlessly wander around the community without any real purpose, except that one of them has learned to push down on the door handle with its mouth and open the door to the house! “No worries”… “He’s just saying Hi”, I was told.
   
   On the first day I was told that I was now in charge of the clinic and the house of the main nurse who has gone on holiday for 3 weeks. He left me with his keys, his house, the clinic and his 2 dogs. Not that they replace Buster what-so-ever, but it is nice to have the little things do excited flips when I come home. Oh yeah, and they shit in my bed the first night. Ugh.
   
   The cockroaches fly here.
   
   The fire pit, bright starry sky and the guitar that I’m learning on are my greatest forms of entertainment so far. That and the donkeys on the porch.
   
   A huge footy tournament (Australian Football League) is in town this weekend. Teams from all-over the NT drive up to 700 km to come to this particular community to play.
   
   The doctor out here ironically is also from the US. Nice guy with a colorful history who is teaching me all about his juicer!
   

Alice Springs, Central Australia

Alice Springs has been really good to me. I've been here for the last week enjoying the sights and sounds of Central Australia, while waiting on my training and job to start with the Remote Area Health Corp. I scored a remote job within a week of landing, but paperwork and some lag time bought me another week. It's been a good relax time, allowing me to explore a bit, take a didgeridoo lesson and read alot.

My 5 senses have been inundated with:

• the wafting smell of eucalyptus on morning runs and afternoon walks. It's everywhere! and I can't believe we actually pay for this at home.
• the constant sound of humming of cicadas at night and flocks of colorful galahs around every corner,
• the taste of deliciously divine Australian yoghurt (which I simply Cannot get enough of...)
• touch of the baby kangaroos that I played with every afternoon, as part of a wildlife rescue organization in-town, WIRES

plus, my 6th sense tells me I'm doing the right things for the right now. All is well and I'm happy.

After cultural training the last 2 days, I'm ready to be sent out to my community in the morning. Ampilatwatja (pronounced um-bludder-witch) is a community of about 600 that will take me about 4 hours off-roading to get to. There is a physician there and a medical student will be going with me. (EJ--I totally take this as a sign that good things will happen when you come) I'm super excited, although naively, because I don't really know what I'm walking into. Up for the challenge! Went on a big grocery trip today to stock-up and I leave about 7 a.m. in the morning.

Not sure about internet and certainly not cell phone. Will be out there through the New Years. Keep checking back on the post to the left for my address. I have full faith and confidence that I won't be let down when the mail plane arrives!

Missing many of you in so many ways.
xx. SJ

The Translator

There are very few times in my life where I literally am physically unable to put a book down. This book did it to me and I spent yesterday morning engrossed in the story. It reminded me a lot of A Long Way Gone, which I read last summer (equally as memorable) and even more of The Devil Came on Horseback, a film I saw in Portland several years ago. I became obsessed with the film and have it in my personal DVD collection, if anyone would like to borrow it.

The Translator: A Tribesman's memoir of Darfur Daoud Hari
(Thanks, Barb!)

As a member of the Zaghawa tribe in southern Sudan, Daoud grew up experiencing the peace of the region when Arab and non-Arab tribesman cohabited together. In 2003, when he was only a child, his village was attacked and destroyed. He was literally taken by the attackers as a translator because he knew Arabic and English from school. From them, he escaped and roamed the deserts, helping the dying he found along the way. Eventually he made his way into Chad and became involved with international aid groups and reporters as their translator. To do this he risked his life to going back into Darfur time and time again with reporters. He was eventually caught and jailed, beaten and tortured for being a "spy". The US Embassy, Congressman and the UN eventually teamed up to save Daoud's life and bring him to the US. He currently lives in Baltimore as a resettled refuge.

This is a humbling tale of selfless courage told in Daoud's voice. It is simple to read and through the simplicity he makes so many poignant observations on humanity, love, courage and truth. I think what I liked most about it is his ability to convey a complex political situation, not to mention a devastating story, with gentleness and compassion. I don't know that I could do the same if my family and home had been destroyed and I had the journey of this man. His story is amazing. Loved the book.
(Nichole, I know we both like this stuff. Get it and let me know what you think!)

The Translator Website

The Summer Day

Mary Oliver

Who made the world?
Who made the swan, and the black bear?
Who made the grasshopper?
This grasshopper, I mean-
the one who has flung herself out of the grass,
the one who is eating sugar out of my hand,
who is moving her jaws back and forth instead of up and down-
who is gazing around with her enormous and complicated eyes.
Now she lifts her pale forearms and thoroughly washes her face.
Now she snaps her wings open, and floats away.
I don't know exactly what a prayer is.
I do know how to pay attention, how to fall down
into the grass, how to kneel down in the grass,
how to be idle and blessed, how to stroll through the fields,
which is what I have been doing all day.
Tell me, what else should I have done?
Doesn't everything die at last, and too soon?
Tell me, what is it you plan to do
with your one wild and precious life?

Thanks to Ethan for bringing this poem to my attention.

Awareness

Awareness: The Perils and Opportunities of Reality

Anthony De Mello

(Thanks, Casey!)

This book was passed along to me on a whim by a friend who thought I might like it. And, despite the heavy Christian undertones, I indeed did. I’m secretly a sucker for self-help books and this one spoke to me in many ways. Although De Mello does include some Buddhist parables, Hindu insight, as well as conservative psychological analysis, this book was a bit too “Jesus-y” for me. (is that a word?) However, I believe he hits on a lot of salient points re. wisdom, growth, change, insight, and spirituality that would speak to every reader differently. These below being what I walked away with. I recommend this book as an easy read.

Wake Up! The book calls us to do and become aware of the “I” vs. “me” in each of us. “I” being the solid, unchangeable essence that cannot be affected or wavered by outward forces, and the “me” that, he argues, should be given the freedom to feel disappointment, frustration, devastation and selfishness, but not to identify with it. Allow the feelings to flow through us, but do not fight them off. Instead, attempt to understand their root and why we are affected. Even in suffering, we should not fight to feel better, but rather just acknowledge the feelings and let them move through us.

“Pleasant experiences make life delightful. Painful experiences lead to growth. Pleasant experiences make life delightful, but they don’t lead to growth in themselves. What leads to growth is painful experiences. Suffering points up an area in you where you have not yet grown, where you need to grow and be transformed and change. If you knew how to use that suffering, oh, how you would grow.” p.107 (don't know if I fully agree with this)

“Here comes a low feeling. Instead of getting tense about it, instead of getting irritated with myself about it, I understand I’m feeling depressed, disappointed, whatever. I admit the feeling is in me, not in the other person. I don’t identify with the feeling. “I” is not that feeling. “I” am not lonely, “I” am not depressed, “I” am not disappointed. Disappointment is there, one watches it. You’d be amazed how quickly it glides away. Anything you’re aware of keeps changing." P. 177

He strongly states that the more we try to fight and better ourselves, the more we give power to our faults. Rather, he states, that we should have a certain degree of passivity.

“The harder you try to change, the worse it can get. … The more you resist something, the greater power you give to it. …. You always empower the demons you fight. That’s very Oriental. But if you flow with the enemy, you over come the enemy. How does one cope with evil? Not by fighting it but by understanding it. In understanding, it disappears." p.121

“I thought of a nice image for that, a sailboat. When a sailboat has a mighty wind in its sail, it glides along so effortlessly that the boatman has nothing to do but steer. He makes no effort; he doesn’t push the boat. That’s an image of what happens when change comes through awareness, through understanding.” P. 159

“Insight. Not effort, not cultivating habits, not having an ideal. Ideals do a lot of damage. The whole time you’re focusing on what should be instead of focusing on what is. And so you’re imposing what should be on a present reality, never having understood what present reality is." P. 152

On Listening to Life:

“Now, you need awareness and you need nourishment. You need good, healthy nourishment. Learn to enjoy the solid food of life. Good food, good wine, good water. Taste them. Lose your mind and come to your senses. That’s good, healthy nourishment. The pleasures of the senses and the pleasures of the mind. Good reading, when you enjoy a good book. Or a really good discussion, or thinking. It’s marvelous. Unfortunately, people have gone crazy, and they’re getting more addicted because they do not know how to enjoy the lovely things of life. So they’re going in for greater and greater artificial stimulants." P. 164

“…What kind of feeling comes upon you when you’re in touch with nature, or when you’re absorbed in work that you love? Or when you’re really conversing with someone whose company you enjoy in openness and intimacy without clinging? What kind of feeling do you have? Compare those feelings with the feelings you have when you win an argument, or when you win a race, or when you become popular, or when everyone’s applauding you. The latter feelings I call worldly feelings; the former feelings I call soul feelings. Lots of people live empty, soulless lives because they’re feeding themselves on popularity, appreciation, and praise, on “I’m OK, you’re OK”, look at me, attend to me, support me, value me, on being the boss, on having power, on winning the race. Do you feed on that? If you do, you’re dead. You’ve lost your soul." P. 184

I’ve often said to people that the way to really live is to die. The passport to living is to imagine yourself in your grave. Imagine that you’re lying in your coffin. Any posture you like. … So imagine you’re lying flat and you’re dead. Now look at your problems from that viewpoint.

Changes everything, doesn’t it? P. 169 (I would go one step further and add, not only look at your problems, but the course of your life. Are you proud of the one wild and precious life you’ve lived?)

An Italian poet said, “We live in a flash of light; evening comes and it is night forever.” It’s only a flash and we waste it. We waste it with our anxiety, our worries, our concerns, our burdens." P. 170

The Kindness of Strangers

Thank you, Tim & Barb!

I left Darwin this week being reminded of how the kindness of strangers has sustained me on so many of my travels; my time with Barb & Tim were no different. This lovely couple completely opened their home and world to me the past week and a half. THANK YOU BOTH so much for being so generous and kind to me. And, thank you, Connie & Paul, for making the effort to see that I was looked after so well in Darwin.

Barb, you were so great to teach me all the details about South African history/apartheid/the orange farm you grew up on, lending me books to read, showing me how to drink champagne with hibiscus flowers, and even buying my favorite avocados and fruit mince pies from the shop! Not to mention saying 'Darlin' every other word! I will miss our morning rituals on the patio over coffee and then a swim.

Tim, I am so thankful that I had you there to assess my knee and deem my quads weak!, And to lend me your weights and your Scientific News magazines. Thank you for looking out for me at the Sports Banquet and making sure I had my James Squire. I will forever remember what a mango tree looks like and and how much you loved them so.

You two were simply the best to give me your keys, your car, and share your tropical space for my time there. I do hope you’ll take me up on my offer to repay you in a visit to Mississippi.

The Geographer's Library

The Geographer’s Library

Jon Fasman

(Thanks Chris & Paulene!)

This book was a bit of a stretch for me; nothing that I would normally pick up to read. Thanks to Mr. Bruno (RIP 2/09) for tearing the pages out of the book that belonged to Chris & Paulene, and me ending up with the damaged one in my possession after buying them a new copy. Since I hated for it collect dust any longer, I thought I’d give it a shot despite a couple of chunks of missing text here and there.

This novel is based around an obituary that is being written by a journalist, Paul Tomm, and the murder he uncovers in the end. Essentially, a reclusive scholar dies under weird circumstances and while Tomm is trying to pursue the deceased’s story, he finds himself involved in a tale of stolen alchemical goods tracing back almost 900 years. Every other chapter is a historical glance at whose hands the articles landed in over the years, mostly in Russia and the Middle East. Names and places were very obscure to me, making these sections really difficult for me to read. However, also the story had a present day plot about Tomm meeting the individuals who help him unravel the story, including (of course) a love story involved.

Overall, I wouldn’t recommend this book, unless you enjoy a bit of a murder mystery/quasi history lesson. In other words, I recommend this book to no one but Adam (if you’re reading this A, get the book. You’d love it!).

“A wife. I have a wife.” In prison I had learned to suppress all thoughts of her; now, warmed by the possibility of return, in my mind she thawed, first slowly and then uncontrollably. As I remembered her hands, her voice, her smell, I began shaking and bawling right there in front of a strange family. I couldn’t bear thinking of her anymore. P.132

Sunday was momentous and unremarkable. Everyone is entitled to one—maybe two—such days in a lifetime: a day spent not in the middle of love but at the beginning of it, maybe, a day that passes like the morning after a snowstorm or a broken fever, when everything seems almost too sharp to bear. Our actual activities that day were prosaic: we rose late; I made toast and fried eggs; we went back to bed; we drove to the New York border and took a long walk along a river; we stopped at a large and empty roadside tavern with the memorable slogan “Flyin’ Darts and Chicken Parts,” where we ate wings and played darts until ten-thirty, when we drove home again. … By the time we got home, we were treading a little less carefully with each other…. P. 176

It was an ideal conversation with an ex: flirtatious enough to produce residual little flutters, but noncommittal enough to avoid trouble; long enough to end with an ellipsis, but not so long that either of us got any ideas; glib, but with a warm and serious turn at the end, but not so serious that either of us brought out the knives. I was feeling ticklish; she tickled, and I went home almost missing her. P. 218

I always seem to read the Acknowledgements section, and this one is certainly very sweet: Finally, a note to my future self: If your son, two months after meeting a girl, tells you he’s headed for a tiny island without electricity, running water, or a way off, with the girl and her brother, parents, cousins, aunts, and uncles, do not panic. It might turn out okay. Many thanks for George and Paula Krimsky for ensuring that it did, and fo

r countless kindnesses large and small. But thanks to them most of all for raising an extraordinary daughter, without whom I would never have gone to Russia or written this book. The Geographer’s Library is for Alissa. So am I.

Tam's Australia

A friend here in Australia (Thanks, Tam!) sent me this picture to correct my last one, along with these hilarious posts. Got to appreciate the Aussie humor. I will be working near the 'S' in angry natives. I hope that's not a sign...

Q: Does it ever get windy in Australia ? I have never seen it rain on TV, how do the plants grow? ( UK ).
>
> A: We import all plants fully grown and then just sit around watching them die.
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>
> Q: Will I be able to see kangaroos in the street? ( USA )

> A:Depends how much you've been drinking.
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>
> Q:I want to walk from Perth to Sydney - can I follow the railroad tracks? ( Sweden)
>
> A: Sure, it's only three thousand miles, take lots of water.
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>
> Q: Are there any ATMs (cash machines) in Australia ? Can you send me a list of them in Brisbane , Cairns , Townsville and Hervey Bay ? ( UK)

> A: What did your last slave die of?
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>
> Q:Can you give me some information about hippo racing in Australia ? ( USA )

> A: A-Fri-ca is the big triangle shaped continent south of Europe .
> Aus-tra-lia is that big island in the middle of the Pacific which does not
> .... Oh forget it. Sure, the hippo racing is every Tuesday night in Kings Cross. Come naked.
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>
> Q:Which direction is North in Australia ? ( USA )
>
> A: Face south and then turn 180 degrees. Contact us when you get here and we'll send the rest of the directions.
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>
> Q: Can I bring cutlery into Australia ? ( UK )
> A:Why? Just use your fingers like we do...
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>
> Q:Can you send me the Vienna Boys' Choir schedule? ( USA )

> A: Aus-tri-a is that quaint little country bordering Ger-man-y, which is
> Oh forget it. Sure, the Vienna Boys Choir plays every Tuesday night in Kings Cross, straight after the hippo races. Come naked.
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>
> Q: Can I wear high heels in Australia ? ( UK )
> A: You are a British politician, right?
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>
> Q:Are there supermarkets in Sydney and is milk available all year round? ( Germany )

> A: No, we are a peaceful civilization of vegan hunter/gatherers.
> Milk is illegal.
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>
> Q:Please send a list of all doctors in Australia who can Dispense rattlesnake serum. ( USA )

> A: Rattlesnakes live in A-meri-ca which is where YOU come from.
> All Australian snakes are perfectly harmless, can be safely handled and make good pets.
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>
> Q:I have a question about a famous animal in Australia , but I forget its name. It's a kind of bear and lives in trees. ( USA )
>
> A: It's called a Drop Bear. They are so called because they drop out of Gum trees and eat the brains of anyone walking underneath them.
> You can scare them off by spraying yourself with human urine before you go out walking.
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>
> Q:I have developed a new product that is the fountain of youth. Can you tell me where I can sell it in Australia ? ( USA)

> A: Anywhere significant numbers of Americans gather.
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> Q:Do you celebrate Christmas in Australia ? ( France )
>
> A: Only at Christmas.
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>
> Q: Will I be able to speak English most places I go? ( USA )
>
> A: Yes, but you'll have to learn it first.

These were posted on an Australian Tourism Website and the answers are the actual responses by the website officials, who obviously have a great sense of humour (not to mention a low tolerance threshold for cretins!)

I miss Buster and I miss iced tea.
So much so that I've pretty much been lusting after them both all day.
Yeah, I said lusting. That's what its felt like.

A Hike to No Where: Some Forest near Sipsey River Wilderness

Planning to take a couple of days to hike a 13 mile circuit circuit and ‘rough it’ with the crew turned into a hike that lead us to a campsite literally about 300 feet from the car. Yeah…intrepid hikers we are. How in the heck did this happen? Well, when the blind lead the blind, typically this is the outcome.

Our crew: Benjamin “My Ax is My Best Friend” Lambert, Elizabeth “Benjamin…I really don’t think this is the way” Holcombe, Matthew “I just got back from Alaska and I have a roll-y suitcase on my back” Fitz and Stephanie “Wait…look at these snail shells and mushrooms, ya’ll” Holcombe, all started down the wrong trail, not seeing the obvious signs pointing us the right way. Plus, somehow we trusted Benjamin when he put a week’s worth of sexual favors on the table as the bet that he knew where he was going. “Whatcha want to bet this is the _____ Creek?” (I would argue Elizabeth won that bet!)

Sipsey River National Forest encompasses about 25,000 acres – all of which were at our disposal; however none of which we saw. Driving most of the day to get there only heightened the hilariousness of it all when we realized that after 5 minutes on the trail we managed to miss the entire NF. Old wagon trails and “the arc of the sun in the Northern Hemisphere” being our only guides, Benjamin lead our group through some amazing scenery….sort of. Well, for the first hour it was pretty nice, but once we started beating down thick weeds and having to resort to “Look…trees this size would not be in the wagon trail”, we should have listened to our guts and searched for an alternative trail. However, what did we know? Lost in the woods, turned around without any compass, straining to hear the ‘water’ that did not exist we traipsed and tramped our way in the ‘right’ direction.

With the sun quickly setting and no creek in site, we managed to resort to hiking to a road where we were picked up by a nice gentleman that realized we were lost. Piling us into the back of his pick up truck, he took us to his remote cabin in the woods. It was lonely out there and Elizabeth was already planning our escape route. When his wife pointed out our location on a map, we were dumbfounded at how we got there. Benjamin, our fearless leader, took it kind of rough, until we were able to make so many jokes about it that eventually he realized none of us cared. It was hilarious at that point.

After we were despondently dropped off at our car by this nice stranger and realizing it was already dusk, we compromised on a small waterfall area that had been inhabited before. Hennessy Hammocks were quickly hung, a slow fire starting (Thanks to the petroleum jelly cotton balls!) and dinner on the way. The boys made sure there was meat to cook, so as both of the dogs drooled, we polished off a dinner of smoked sausages, macaroni and cheese and about a pound of cream cheese & pepper jelly. The cold was creeping in and my eyelids were growing heavy, so Buster & I crawled into our hammock for the night. We left the boys upe beer themselves, just thankful that the waterfall was there to drown out their chatter all night. to finish off the rest of th

After hot chocolate and fake eggs the next morning, we rolled back to the car to drop off our gear. No need being further fools and carrying it on our backs when we didn’t need to. Benjamin was determined to get us on a specific trail that “was the most popular one” in the forest apparently. After wading a small stream to make it to this trail, we spent the day practicing Ninja moves and talking about Fitz’s adventures at the fishing lodge he worked at in Alaska, as well as ideas of the perfect Halloween costume. It was a lot of fun and such a memorable hike – despite it being nothing that any of us had planned for. ‘Tis life.

After a stuff-your-face lunch of wheat berry salad, sandwiches and a few beers, we got back on the road. Leaving the navigating up to the boys was a lesson learned in keeping my mouth shut. Not only did the map look upside down at one point, but we ended up in small back-woods towns with bridges out and no road signs. I figured it best to chomp on the boiled peanuts as my road snack and go to sleep … except that was impossible b/c at the most inopportune time Elizabeth’s window decided to break and remain stuck in the down position. Buster, Monty, Elizabeth and I meshed and molded ourselves around each other to keep warm, ending up resembling a pile of human play-doh.

The hike was so fun and I'd totally do it again. I learned that planning is important, but not near as important as going with the flow and enjoying the memories. Thanks guys for such a funny experience!

Big, Huh?

I made it. Finally here. Trying to sort out work as a remote nurse and fortunately things are falling nicely into place.

I was strolling down the street yesterday and came across this office. Went in to have a chat on positions and walked out highly impressed with their work, focus on cultural education and flexibility in work/assignments. This is not the agency I thought I'd work for, but I felt really good about them, better than any of the others. So far, they're my top choice for employers. Fingers crossed to be out on assignment in T-1 week!

ummm...Mom?

"May I ask you a personal question?" he says.
"You can ask."
"You've never been married?"
"That's right. Does that shock you?"
"It surprises me. Not many heterosexual women who look like you make it to forty without getting married at least once."
"Is that a nice way of asking what's wrong with me?"
Kaiser laughs. "It's a nice way of being nosy."
"You'd think I'd be a prize catch, wouldn't you?"
"Yes, I would."
"A lot of guys think that. From a distance."
"What's wrong with up close?"
"I'm not like most women."
"How so?"
"Well, it goes like this. I meet a guy. Good-looking, successful, independent. Doctor, journalist, investment banker, A-list actor. Whatever. He can't wait to go out with me. I'm a not-so-ugly woman in what a lot of people see as a glamour job. The first few dates, he shows me off to his friends. We like each other. We get intimate. Then, in a week or a month, I get a new assignment. Afghanistan. Brazil. Bosnia. Egypt. And not a fly-in-and-out Dan Rather junket. A month on the ground schlepping cameras. Maybe this particular guys is making international partner the next week and wants me at his celebration party. Maybe the Oscars are the next week. But I take the assignment, I won't even discuss turning it down. And by the time I get back, he's decided maybe the relationship isn't working out after all."
"Why do you think that is?"
"Because most guys have the one-up gene."
"The what?"
"The one-up gene. The have to be in the superior position. They love the idea of being with me. But the reality is far from what they envision. Some don't like that I make more money than they do. The ones who make more money than I do don't like it when their friends act like my job is more important than theirs. Some can't take the fact that I have a higher priority than them in my life. I don't mean to complain about it. I just want you to understand." ....

Mom is reading Dead Sleep by Greg Iles right now. She left me a note on the counter this morning that said "Read page 160. Remind you of anyone?" Umm...no. I mean, Yes. I mean..I don't know.

Helpless Hummingbird

This is probably the most random occurrence for me...ever. One of those "this will never happen again moments".

A few weeks ago we had a beautiful, sunny spell in MS -- 75 every day, blue bird skies. I got way too excited and immediately opened all the windows and doors of the camphouse and left them open all day. The breeze was amazing (I have a thing for wind...) and the ambiance was totally memorable. HOWEVER, I did not consider that the poor little hummingbirds would be totally confused. I learned my lesson.

2 hummingbirds got caught in the cabin with me for 2 days. The loft ceilings prevented me from ever having a chance to catch them, so literally they flew for 2 days straight, continually ramming into the large glass paned window. I felt terrible. Buster loved it. (you can imagine him running back and forth trying to 'catch' them)

Eventually I found one of them dead and the other became so weakened that he sort of drifted down and I caught her in a baseball hat. Now, this might seem a bit surreal b/c who is ever able to catch a hummingbird?? Current article proves how impossible this might sound. Well: "this guy" did. (imagine me w/ 2 thumbs pointing to my chest.)

I was always the kooky child that wanted/had every pet possible, but even in my attempts to get my very own monkey, I never thought a hummingbird was possible! (I would have wanted one of those too.)



I caught this hummingbird and was determined to rehab it back to life. I fed it sugar water until it gained enough energy to fly. Taking it outside to be in the sunshine, I thought, might encourage it to fly away, but instead it just rested in my hand for about 10 minutes (Buster was going crazy!) before it eventually took the first flap and made it up into a tree. Who knows if it survived past there or not...

I, however, now know what it feels like to feed a hummingbird out of my hand. weird.

Latest Painting

Fruity Bread

A little birdie dropped the seed into my head this weekend of breakfast bread. I quite literally am in love with toasted bread with a good coffee in the mornings. Yesterday, I was on a roll (and quite obsessive) with baking two different types to see which I liked the best. The following is the winner. I totally recommend a strong cup 'o joe to bring out the "flavors".

I mainly love that this recipe allows me to use my bread machine (to make the dough) but required me to get my hands dirty and complete the bread with kneading, rising and cooking in the oven. Basically, I had to put some of 'me' in the process instead of relying totally on the machine. Sometimes I find that it is all too easy to rely on the ease of the bread maker. Isn't that considered cheating to hard-core bread aficionados? And for the people that will enjoy some of my bread, does it mean they will be eating a piece of me? I'm beginning to think like Tita in Like Water for Chocolate.

(thanks to www.whatscookingamerica.net)

Breakfast Fruit Bread

1 1/4 cups warm water (110 degrees F.)
2 eggs, room temperature
1 tablespoon oil (olive oil, canola oil or vegetable oil)
1 tablespoon sugar
1 teaspoon salt
1 teaspoon diastatic barley malt (optional)* - I use.
4 cups bread flour
1/2 cup whole wheat flour
3 teaspoons instant active dry yeast
2 to 2 1/2 cups of mixed chopped nuts and chopped dried fruit (such as raisins, dates, apricots, apples, cherries, etc.)** - I mix mine with flour.

* Also called gluten flour, instant gluten flour, pure gluten flour, and vital wheat gluten depending on vendor and manufacturer. This is flour with the starch and bran removed. Gluten is the natural protein in the wheat endosperm which, when combined with water, forms a taffy-like dough. This retains the gas and steam from baking.

** To keep dried fruit and nuts from sticking together, put them in a small bowl with approximately 2 teaspoons flour; stir to thoroughly combine.

Place all ingredients except nuts and dried fruit in bread pan of your bread machine. Select dough setting and press start. Check the dough (don't be afraid to open the lid). It should form a nice elastic ball. If you think the dough is too moist, add additional flour (a tablespoon at a time). The same is true if the dough is looking dry and gnarly. Add warm water (a tablespoon at a time)

After approximately 15 minutes of the dough cycle, add nuts and dried fruit, and continue dough cycle. NOTE: If the addition of dried fruits causes your dough to get too sticky, don't worry. Add additional flour now or add it when you do the kneading process. When dough cycle has finished, remove dough from pan and turn out onto a lightly floured surface. Form dough into an oval, cover with a cotton towel or plastic wrap and let rest for 10 minutes.






After resting, turn dough bottom side up and press to flatten. Shape dough into a loaf and place on a baking sheet that has been coated with cooking spray or on a silpad. Cover with plastic wrap and place in a warm spot to rise for approximately 20 to 30 minutes or until doubled (time can vary depending on room temperature). After rising, slash the bread with a very sharp knife making three 1/2-inch deep diagonal slashes.

Oven Rising: Sometimes I use my oven for the rising. Turn the oven on for a minute or so, then turn it off again. This will warm the oven and make it a great environment for rising bread. If you can't comfortably press your hand against the inside of the oven door, the oven is too hot. Let it stand open to cool a bit. Sourdough rises more slowly than yeast bread; Always remember, the longer the rise time, the more sourdough flavor.

Preheat oven to 350 degrees F.

Bake for 25 to 30 minutes or until loaf sounds hollow when tapped.

Remove from oven and cool on a bread rack. Let baked loaf cool for 30 minutes before cutting (this is because the bread is still cooking while it is cooling).

What I'm Learning/Thinking About Today.

Are Your Friends Making You Fat?/Is Happiness Catching?

A compelling look at yet another set of reasons of why it is imperative for each of us to surround ourselves with people that we want to emulate.