Adorable. Yes, in a way, tiny kittens are adorable. Although they look a little bit like rats. And they are so pitiful.
I found a little black kitten that was in a terrible way. It smelled ever so bad, and its eyes were stuck shut from infection. (It was old enough to have its eyes open.) So I washed his face till his eyes opened up, and when I put him down, he walked like he was blind. After a couple minutes he started walking normally. Then I gave him a thorough bath, which is not always a good idea when they're very small because they chill easily, but he really needed it. Afterwards he shivered a lot, but even before he stopped shivering he was purring and pouncing on everything that moved. After he was dry we put him outside and he ran off.
October 2, 2010
New Residents
This one prefers to be outside where it can get more sun. It is Solanum Lycianthes Rantonneti. It grows in warm climates. I know they have it in South Carolina. So why not Texas?
This is one of the nicest things about this apartment. The artist is Mangeri, but I must not be spelling his name right, since I can no longer find him on the internet.
A tame cat. No, he doesn't live here.
This one does live here. I have seen him twice--once on the floor and once on the ceiling. I think I prefer him on the ceiling. You can probably guess why.
A nearby playground. I don't think these make good city trees. Maybe they would grow straighter if there were a mass of them planted together all about the same size.
Our neighbor's nice planter sometimes gets used as a doorstop.
This is one of the nicest things about this apartment. The artist is Mangeri, but I must not be spelling his name right, since I can no longer find him on the internet.
A tame cat. No, he doesn't live here.
This one does live here. I have seen him twice--once on the floor and once on the ceiling. I think I prefer him on the ceiling. You can probably guess why.
A nearby playground. I don't think these make good city trees. Maybe they would grow straighter if there were a mass of them planted together all about the same size.
Our neighbor's nice planter sometimes gets used as a doorstop.
October 1, 2010
Kokie
A couple days ago I took a walk down to the next street where there are lots of stray cats. Actually on every street there are lots of stray cats. There are too many stray cats. But there are no mice or rats, so hooray for the cats. Occasionally you meet a tame cat, and I did, and stopped to pet it, which prompted a woman to ask me if I wanted a kitten. She didn't want it because she had four dogs. So she took me to the woman who had the kitten. It was tiny kitten, really too young to survive without its mother, but I decided to take it home. It could die just as well at my place as at hers.
It was nearly impossible to feed it. I had to soak milk in a cloth and let the kitten suck on the cloth. The kitten was always screaming. I kept it in a walled-in area outside. (I certainly don't need a house cat.)
Today I walked down the same street and two boys saw me--they must have seen me before but I don't remember seeing them--and asked me if I had their kitten. They told me they had bought some special kitten formula for the kitten and were going to feed it with a baby bottle. So I ended up giving the kitten back to them. It probably wouldn't have survived on cows milk. They will hopefully get a syringe or kitten bottle. I don't think they could master the trick of prying the kitten's mouth open while it tries to grab you with needle-sharp claws, holding a cloth in its mouth and dripping milk onto the cloth--a three-hand job really.
I believe I understood one of the boys to say the kitten's name was Kokie. Anyway, it sounds good. That's the fourth kitten I've tried to help. I'm not sure why people even care about them, there are so many.
It was nearly impossible to feed it. I had to soak milk in a cloth and let the kitten suck on the cloth. The kitten was always screaming. I kept it in a walled-in area outside. (I certainly don't need a house cat.)
Today I walked down the same street and two boys saw me--they must have seen me before but I don't remember seeing them--and asked me if I had their kitten. They told me they had bought some special kitten formula for the kitten and were going to feed it with a baby bottle. So I ended up giving the kitten back to them. It probably wouldn't have survived on cows milk. They will hopefully get a syringe or kitten bottle. I don't think they could master the trick of prying the kitten's mouth open while it tries to grab you with needle-sharp claws, holding a cloth in its mouth and dripping milk onto the cloth--a three-hand job really.
I believe I understood one of the boys to say the kitten's name was Kokie. Anyway, it sounds good. That's the fourth kitten I've tried to help. I'm not sure why people even care about them, there are so many.
September 30, 2010
Holidays
If you want to know all about Jewish holidays, check out Wikipedia. It has more than you'll ever want to know. There are all sorts of prescribed readings and rules and varying traditions. What I write here is a brief observation of what I see in my own neighborhood.
Rosh Hashana is New Year's Day, and that's when they go off daylight savings time. People eat traditional foods, such as apples dipped in honey, which is the only one I remember because it sounds really good.
The evening before Yom Kippur I was sitting at a playground and there were hardly any children there. Finally one little girl came running at top speed to the swing set, and she was dressed in a white skirt and blouse and white shoes and socks. After that many of the people I saw were wearing white shirts and a few wore white kippas. The next day all stores were closed and no cars were on the street. The traffic lights were all set to blink yellow. I took a walk down the hill and sat down for a rest. While I sat there a group of eight boys, all about eight years old, came racing by on their bikes down the hill (a three-block-long hill) and around the turn.
I remember when I was about 8 years old our family being in New York State while my father went to school. We rented a house owned by a Jewish lady who was wearing white for Yom Kippur. That would have been in the middle of September when I should have been in school. But knowing how the calendar changes from year to year, maybe Yom Kippur was in early September and school started a couple weeks later.
In late September is Succoth, which lasts a week. The evening before Succoth I was at a shopping center when a truck unloaded a pile of about 60 Succa kits. They have a metal or wood frame, sides made of plastic, sheets, blankets or whatever, reeds and palm leaves on the tops, and may be decorated inside. People put them on their balconies or in an empty lot and eat their meals there. (Light provided by extension cord.) A family whose balcony is opposite our bedroom sang every night. It was a nice sound. Maybe I'll eventually learn to sing some of those songs. I looked on you-tube and found nothing like it. Once you start adding musical instruments it isn't the same (really spoils it).
Last night was another special event of some kind. I took a walk around the block and passed 5 synagogues. (They're average looking buildings that you don't notice during the day.) In one of them they were really getting excited and jumping up and down, and the music suffered. Today is still a holiday. This is the day the Torah readings for the year are finished. I don't know to what extent the rest of the Bible is read, or whether the Writings and Prophets hold as high a place as the Torah.
On my calendar I counted 83 holidays (including 52 Sabbaths) when stores are closed, plus 5 fast days and 2 other national holidays. It is quite nice to be outside and see groups of people walking to or from synagogue services on many of these days. Many of the women wear dresses and hats, and the men wear white shirts with the sleeves pushed up. (It's hot, you know.) Through the open windows you can hear the sounds of families gathering together for meals.
Rosh Hashana is New Year's Day, and that's when they go off daylight savings time. People eat traditional foods, such as apples dipped in honey, which is the only one I remember because it sounds really good.
The evening before Yom Kippur I was sitting at a playground and there were hardly any children there. Finally one little girl came running at top speed to the swing set, and she was dressed in a white skirt and blouse and white shoes and socks. After that many of the people I saw were wearing white shirts and a few wore white kippas. The next day all stores were closed and no cars were on the street. The traffic lights were all set to blink yellow. I took a walk down the hill and sat down for a rest. While I sat there a group of eight boys, all about eight years old, came racing by on their bikes down the hill (a three-block-long hill) and around the turn.
I remember when I was about 8 years old our family being in New York State while my father went to school. We rented a house owned by a Jewish lady who was wearing white for Yom Kippur. That would have been in the middle of September when I should have been in school. But knowing how the calendar changes from year to year, maybe Yom Kippur was in early September and school started a couple weeks later.
In late September is Succoth, which lasts a week. The evening before Succoth I was at a shopping center when a truck unloaded a pile of about 60 Succa kits. They have a metal or wood frame, sides made of plastic, sheets, blankets or whatever, reeds and palm leaves on the tops, and may be decorated inside. People put them on their balconies or in an empty lot and eat their meals there. (Light provided by extension cord.) A family whose balcony is opposite our bedroom sang every night. It was a nice sound. Maybe I'll eventually learn to sing some of those songs. I looked on you-tube and found nothing like it. Once you start adding musical instruments it isn't the same (really spoils it).
Last night was another special event of some kind. I took a walk around the block and passed 5 synagogues. (They're average looking buildings that you don't notice during the day.) In one of them they were really getting excited and jumping up and down, and the music suffered. Today is still a holiday. This is the day the Torah readings for the year are finished. I don't know to what extent the rest of the Bible is read, or whether the Writings and Prophets hold as high a place as the Torah.
On my calendar I counted 83 holidays (including 52 Sabbaths) when stores are closed, plus 5 fast days and 2 other national holidays. It is quite nice to be outside and see groups of people walking to or from synagogue services on many of these days. Many of the women wear dresses and hats, and the men wear white shirts with the sleeves pushed up. (It's hot, you know.) Through the open windows you can hear the sounds of families gathering together for meals.
September 15, 2010
One man's trash, another man's treasure
I think this ironwork is a treasure. Do you see the goats on it? And as usual, treasure in Jerusalem is found amidst ugly electrical wires and cars parked on the sidewalks. This was in En Kerem.
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Two Verses
Romans 11:30-31
I find these two verses fascinating.
There are two groups of people that didn't believe:
vs 30 "Ye in times past have not believed God"
vs 31 "Even so have these also now not believed"
There is one result:
Both groups obtain mercy. "But God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all."
There are two means to the result:
Group one obtained mercy "through their unbelief"
Group two obtained mercy "through your mercy"
"Your mercy" here means the mercy that we received, but if you jump to Matthew 18:23-35, you can see that those who receive mercy should also show mercy.
23 "Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
Romans 11:22 "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."
I find these two verses fascinating.
There are two groups of people that didn't believe:
vs 30 "Ye in times past have not believed God"
vs 31 "Even so have these also now not believed"
There is one result:
Both groups obtain mercy. "But God hath concluded them all in unbelief, that he might have mercy upon all."
There are two means to the result:
Group one obtained mercy "through their unbelief"
Group two obtained mercy "through your mercy"
"Your mercy" here means the mercy that we received, but if you jump to Matthew 18:23-35, you can see that those who receive mercy should also show mercy.
23 "Therefore is the kingdom of heaven likened unto a certain king, which would take account of his servants. 24 And when he had begun to reckon, one was brought unto him, which owed him ten thousand talents. 25 But forasmuch as he had not to pay, his lord commanded him to be sold, and his wife, and children, and all that he had, and payment to be made. 26 The servant therefore fell down, and worshipped him, saying, Lord, have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 27 Then the lord of that servant was moved with compassion, and loosed him, and forgave him the debt. 28 But the same servant went out, and found one of his fellowservants, which owed him an hundred pence: and he laid hands on him, and took him by the throat, saying, Pay me that thou owest. 29 And his fellowservant fell down at his feet, and besought him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay thee all. 30 And he would not: but went and cast him into prison, till he should pay the debt. 31 So when his fellowservants saw what was done, they were very sorry, and came and told unto their lord all that was done. 32 Then his lord, after that he had called him, said unto him, O thou wicked servant, I forgave thee all that debt, because thou desiredst me: 33 Shouldest not thou also have had compassion on thy fellowservant, even as I had pity on thee? 34 And his lord was wroth, and delivered him to the tormentors, till he should pay all that was due unto him. 35 So likewise shall my heavenly Father do also unto you, if ye from your hearts forgive not every one his brother their trespasses."
Romans 11:22 "Behold therefore the goodness and severity of God: on them which fell, severity; but toward thee, goodness, if thou continue in his goodness: otherwise thou also shalt be cut off."
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