Sunday, August 5, 2012

A New Family Member and . . . Chapter Done!


Well, lookee here! We have rescued a kitten!

This little guy was all eyes (gummed up and runny) and
ears. I doubt he weighed more than six ounces.
Kitty after 5 days on the Burnham diet.
Look at that fat belly!
His mother abandoned him with two others at Why Not Island.  I go over there a couple times a week to visit my friends Aidra, Norie and Daytha.

Norie told me how that same mother cat had abandoned a kitten there about 10 weeks ago. Luckily for that kitten, Norie’s dog had just had a litter, and was lactating. The dog, Sweetie, said, “OK, what’s one more?” and let the kitten nurse. The puppies went to other homes and the kitten stayed. The mother dog and kitten get along really well J. I frequently see the kitten sleeping on TOP of Mama Sweetie.

Well, this time when the abandoned kittens showed up, Sweetie was not interested in the wet nurse role. I didn’t see the other two kittens (thank goodness), but one of the kids brought him over to me. He was just bones and fur, and I thought, “This kitty is going to die today or tomorrow if I don’t do something.” So I brought him home. Figured he was between 3 and 4 weeks old.

Fast forward to today. We couldn’t be more pleased with the kitty’s progress. He’s grown up and out, and is definitely comfortable here at our house. FuWe is happy for a new playmate. The cat is Steve’s cat, and he will name him when he has “earned” a name. 


FuWe knows a little about being a mom. She's really good at licking the
kitty's butt. Kittens need it to help them move their bowels. Better her than
me having to wipe his bottom to help him out. But you can pretty much
assume that FuWe will NOT be giving me any more kisses.

The kitty feels pretty confident around a dog that weighs about
100 times its weight!

And if FuWe wants to rest and kitty wants to play - well, guess
who wins?
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The bad news is that the day this all went down was Tuesday, July 31. The deadline for the Children's Health Module for the Community Health Workers training manual was due on July 31. I managed to send it in by noon the next day. What a relief! I'm so proud of the writing.

Steve wrote one section, on vaccines. I had to dumb it down, of course, but he did the hard work. Thank you!

So . . . load off our minds. Only thing left will be finding the right illustrations and edits. We now have the three modules required for training in September. The Ministry of Health has some money coming in from the World Bank and another NGO, intended to focus on children 0-5 years old. The other two modules have been reviewed by all the Ministry folks who need to clear it. We have received some excellent feedback and suggestions from them. Looking forward to seeing the published chapters.

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We needed a getaway! Off to Placencia for a couple days of R&R. Easy easy time. Lots of rest and play, and eat and drink!

We met a delightful couple from Bedford, Virginia - Sharon and Scot. They were enthusiastic and fun. They were in Belize with a group that brought supplies (several hundred pounds, I think!) for schools here. They had already traveled to Dangriga to deliver supplies to Gulisi Primary School, and got a good dose of Garifuna culture while here. We enjoyed an impromptu chat at a coffee/pastry spot, and a good long visit at dinner on Friday night. By the way, Scot is a veterinarian, so I was able to get all my "rescued kitten" questions answered.

Enjoy the beauty of Placencia.

View from our veranda

Steve and I are two of the VERY few on earth who don't think
a hammock is comfortable. Nevertheless, I spent about an hour
in this one.

Sunrise

Picture of our new friend, Scot, and a pretty little girl.
Postcard-worthy, doncha think?
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Steve is now the de facto video expert at the Dangriga Polyclinic. He helped five different departments with their videos. Then he created a compilation of all five that can be played on the TV in the waiting room. Every time I see him, his head is over the computer, making one last tweak to perfect the videos.

********************************

Garifuna Glow Girls are meeting twice a week now. They continue to ask, "Miss, will we do Zumba today?"

We are set for a fundraiser on Saturday, September 1st. They voted to do a "checkpoint." That means they hang out at a speed bump, hold out a bucket, and get dollars.

They listed their expectations of each other - be polite, be on time, participate, respect each other, don't fight.

Here are some pics of the girls in one of their crafts activities.



3 comments:

Jim Weaver said...

Forget the lions and the lambs. Good job. Sweet story. We haven't forgotten you folks. Looks like things are going well.
Jim Weaver

Jim Weaver said...

I don't understand this system. They have asked me the same questions for the second time.
Jim Weaver

Jim Weaver said...

This system need to be revised.