TulipGirl

Today we took a day trip to walk among the animals on Crescent Island in Lake Naivasha. Crescent Island is no longer an island — after the El Nino weather pattern changes (in 1996, I believe) it became a peninsula. Yet, it is still a protected wildlife sanctuary, home to many species of animals living free from predators.

The drive there and home was. . . exciting. . . to say the least. This was our first trip out of Nairobi in our own vehicle (a 2004 Nissan Terrano, 90k African kilometers on it, standard transmission.) Shifting into fourth was a bit sticky, but Hubby finessed it just fine. But combine that with driving through the mountains, curving roads, with lots of slow moving lorries to pass? I was pretty calm, all things considered. Hubby has cat-like reflexes and is a great driver, but the situations were crazy at times.

We stopped along the way to look out over the Rift Valley. Amazing view. . .

Along the way, we saw some baboons, zebra, and had to stop for a herd of cattle and goats crossing the street.

When you visit Crescent Island, you get to walk among the animals. No fences, no pens. . . this is like a free-range zoo. While there weren’t many people there (our family and friends, and a group of adoptive parents who we only saw when we arrived), the animals are used to people enough that they don’t startle easily.

It was amazing to walk near the animals, watch them graze. I loved seeing the impalas running and jumping — it illustrated how brilliant the choreography in The Lion King musical really was, capturing the essence of the animals movements.

We also had a picnic lunch on the island, but almost as soon as we started eating, the rains came. We finished up in the truck. A monkey (not sure what kind) came up to the truck to retrieve a chip one of the boys dropped. He then scampered up a tree — but J14 got decent pictures of him.

As you can probably tell, I’ve been amazed at the birds we’ve seen here. The pelicans in the pictures don’t look as tall as they did in person — they were almost the size of C10 and R12! Besides the Great White Pelican, we also saw Yellow-Billed Storks and numerous other smaller, faster birds which I haven’t identified yet.

Probably the most exciting animals we saw, however, were the four baby giraffe. Our guide said that the youngest was 5 days old and the oldest was 2 months. We saw one mother giraffe with the babies, and in the distance another giraffe eating from the tall trees near the water.

This really was a fabulous family day, and a place we’ll be sure to bring friends and family who come visit. (hint, hint!)

For more pics, click here. We really, really need to get a better camera and lenses — Kenya is amazing!

“Mom, come look!”

I had unlocked and opened the doors to the back porch just a few minutes before, and was making my morning coffee. C10 called me out to the back yard and we saw a pair of amazing birds. Long legs, but not as long as a sandpiper, long curved beak picking at insects in the grass, and a touch of iridescent green on the leaves. My camera was out of batteries, and the one shot I snapped didn’t come out that great.

We watched for about a half hour, trying to identify this pair from our Birds of Kenya and Northern Tanzania guide. No such luck. We sat on the porch with camera and bird guide, watching these and the other birds flit through the yard. The smaller birds were faster, and we’re still learning which birds usually reside around our house. I had someone coming over for a meeting at 8 am, and when the meeting was over these birds were no longer in our yard.

But just a few minutes later we heard a raucous “Raaaah! Raaaaah!” C10 went out on the balcony and saw these birds in one of our trees. From the balcony they were at eye level and looked huge!

They love eating the berries or fruits off of the tree, one I need to ask our groundskeeper to tell me what it is again. I’ve asked about all the trees in the yard and pole, pole — slowly, slowly, I’m learning.

The second pair of birds are Silvery-cheeked Hornbills, and according to the guide book are pretty common to see in fruit-bearing trees in Nairobi. They may be common here, but still amazing to me. As I’m sitting here on the porch, typing this up, I’m listening to all sorts of bird songs. The raucous hornbill call is quiet. And I see a small black and white bird, some sort of shrike, I think. I never thought I’d be a birdwatcher, but it is just so amazing to see the variety of birds in our backyard. I’ll need to take the boys on one of the Kenya Museum Society bird walks soon.

A good midwife is a gem in the community, a woman to be treasured. I’m thankful for the women who have come alongside me, in the role of midwife, encourager, friend.

In support of the International Day of the Midwife on May 5th, I’d like to extend my personal appreciation to the following midwives and midwives-to-be. Several of them attended at the births of my children, others at my sister’s and mother’s births. A few were not physically present at those births, but nurtured me nonetheless.

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Much gratitude to Alisa Voss, Martha Breeden, Veronica Wagner, Carol Wolfson, Cheryl Hollifield, Tavish Brinton, Anne Sokol, Gurujan KhalKhasa, Stephanie, Kathy Nesper and others who have been with us, with woman. . .

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Own your home in Sarasota? Need to repaint it in true Florida colors like Spanish Moss, Dolphin Dance or Hacienda Clay? Get up to 10 gallons of recycled paint free.

Sobering.

(Via 2-10, I think.)

Ohio’s Peregrine Falcons – NestBox Cam

We’ve been watching this today–they are supposed to be hatching soon!

We have a couple of people on our gift list who have everything they’d ever want or need and are pretty hard to buy for. But, I bet none of them has their very own crocagator. I’m tempted. Buying a ‘gator is a very Floridian thing to do–even if they don’t get to unwrap it under the Christmas tree.

(For more ideas, check out the 2005 Gift Guide For the Hard to Buy For Bunch)

Ooooh! I love this hand made, fair trade nativity set! It’s finger puppets for children to act out the Christmas story, made by Peruvian women through a fair trade program.

Update: The one pictured is out of stock, but there is a smaller finger puppet nativity set here.

Q. 10. How did God create man?

A. God created man male and female, after his own image, in knowledge, righteousness, and holiness, with dominion over the creatures.

after his own image
Genesis 1:27

in knowledge
Colossians 3:10

righteousness, and holiness
Ephesians 4:24

with dominion over the creatures
Genesis 1:28, Psalm 8

(via OPC/CRTA)

Q. 9. What is the work of creation?

A. The work of creation is, God’s making all things of nothing, by the word of his power, in the space of six days, and all very good.

word of his power
Genesis 1:1; Psalm 33:6, 9; Hebrews 11:3

all very good
Genesis 1:31

(via OPC/CRTA)

Caution: Men, I’m giving you fair warning. Skip this post.

If you are a guy and still reading, scroll on past this on. I’m serious, guys. . . It’s about menstruation. See, I warned you.

I’ve been wanting to try out some body-friendly and eco-friendly products for my monthly cycle. Now that I haven’t been preggers or breastfeeding for awhile, it’s a more immediate need than it used to be.

I’ve been wanting to order a DivaCup for awhile. Other menstrual cups include the Keeper, Mooncup, and disposable Insteads.

Along with these, I’ve been insterested in trying out some mama cloths. We did cloth diapers–this seems easier and cleaner.

I found out today that GladRags, one of the best known companies for mama cloths, is having a special promotional–I no longer have to procrastinate or wait for a little extra $$ in paypal!

So, I’m blogging about GladRags today in exchange for a sample GladRags menstrual pad to try.

A dear “Titus Two” woman told me when I was a teen, that our monthly periods are wonderful reminders that God has created our bodies with the gift of fertility. I know some people may think that is hokey. But for me it was encouraging. These cloths look so soft, pretty and feminine, very much in line with viewing our fertility as a gift.

Update: Got my sample–just in time. Wow! After just one day using it, I’m a believer. Now I know why other women have been so encouraging to go this route. (And Bowden–they’d definitely be great for helping your daughters during the transition into adolescence. . .)

I feel sufficiently suburban today.

After church we took a Sunday afternoon nap, and then headed to Home Depot. We bought a goodly supply of home repair and lawn equipment, and came home to work in the yard.

Some of the google searches we’ve done today:
how to clean tile grout
cinch bugs and st. augustine grass
energy efficiency florida
celcius farenheit conversion

We joined the local organic food co-op. While I still get most of my produce from the non-organic roadside market and the grocery store, now each week I’ll be picking up a basketful of organic produce as well.

This week’s goodies include organic bananas, beets, onions, sweet potatoes and more. I don’t think I’ve ever eaten beets outside of Ukraine. It’s weird to have experiences I associate with Ukraine within an American context.

Right now I have a onion frittata in the oven, with a side salad ready for dinner.

For the beauty of the earth,
for the glory of the skies,
for the love which from our birth
over and around us lies;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the beauty of each hour
of the day and of the night,
hill and vale, and tree and flower,
sun and moon, and stars of light;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of ear and eye,
for the heart and mind’s delight,
for the mystic harmony,
linking sense to sound and sight;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For the joy of human love,
brother, sister, parent, child,
friends on earth and friends above,
for all gentle thoughts and mild;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thy church, that evermore
lifteth holy hands above,
offering up on every shore
her pure sacrifice of love;
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

For thyself, best Gift Divine,
to the world so freely given,
for that great, great love of thine,
peace on earth, and joy in heaven:
Lord of all, to thee we raise
this our hymn of grateful praise.

Lyrics: Folliot S. Pierpoint

This hymn is special to me because of my mother. I didn’t know it until she asked that I learn to play it. I took several years of piano lessons. Squirmed during practice, back always ached, had trouble concentrating. But I loved playing from my hymns in easy arrangements book. The church we attended at that time didn’t include hymns in Sunday service very often. But I would play them, all the verses, singing under my breath.

I’m posting it today for its praise of our Lord of Creation, who provides our sustenance, relationships, and sanctification.

I took this Earth Footprint quiz primarily to compare our lifestyle in the US with how we lived in Ukraine.

Our eco-footprint in Ukraine? 2.4
In Florida? 12

I think the Florida one might be a tad low, considering our water and electrical consumption. But the biggest factor in the difference, I believe, is due to transportation.

In Ukraine, we did not own a car. We primarily used public transportation. When the family went out all together, we’d take a taxi–seven people in a little sedan. I walked to the market or the grocery store, where I purchased mainly locally grown or processed foods. (Unlike most of our Ukrainian friends, I also indulged in imported items. Trust me, luxuries like boxed cereal and frozen veggies in winter were much appreciated there.)

Now, I don’t have any destinations within walking distance, aside from the park. We have two vehicles, and put quite a lot of miles on them each week. We do have electrical conservation appliances and try to limit our AC use to when its really hot–but this is Florida, and it is hot a lot. In Ukraine, energy conservation bulbs and appliances were unavailable. And the heating/hot water system was woefully inefficient (even though for our apartment, we did enjoy the endless supply of hot water! Except when it was turned off in the summer. . .)

Anyway, I haven’t looked through the whole site, and I’m prone to be skeptical of some of the things I’ve seen there. However, it’s a good reminder to be mindful of our consumption and lifestyle habits, and how they impact the world and people around us.

(Via Suburban TreeHugger)

I want these shoes. They’re from Green Toe line of Simple Shoes, minimizing the ecological footprint left by shoes.

I bet the Manolo, he would approve.