Cobra in the Kitchen

I went into the kitchen this afternoon to make some tamarind juice. And uncharacteristically, for this time of day, Miss Dufus was sitting on a little rug by the back door, looking into the store room. In fact, I scared her when I reached around her to put something in the trash. She jumped back and left the room. So I put the tamarind into the pot, and was a little ways away from the door. I saw the snake. I thought it was one of those green snakes with a red neck band. I hollered at M, "Snake in the kitchen!" He said o.k., and came in, and got a stick. I think he figured he would just get it to wrap around the stick and then he would let it go outside. If they aren't poisonous, he isn't much for killing them. He made a noise of some kind, and I turned around to look, and saw it with a spread out hood. A cobra. Mike said, "Get the camera!" I said, "Why! It's a cobra! Who cares about a picture!" But I got the camera, and through some shaky moments that I cannot describe too well, the snake ended up in a plastic jar. Unfortunately, he wasn't wounded bad enough to die, and is, as we speak, still alive and existing in that plastic jar (lid tightly on, TTL) in the kitchen. It regurgitated the frog it had apparently just eaten. TTL for that too, because if he didn't have a frog in his throat (sorry!) it could have been a worse situation.

In case you're wondering, M is at the hardware store right now, getting the necessary stuff to fix the kitchen door, so that frogs (and snakes) can no longer sneak in underneath.

I know, trust me. Your warning: BE CAREFUL. Thanks--

puppy

The puppy died this afternoon. Poor little guy, nobody wanted him. He got real quiet today, we thought it was because he finally got warm. Then I realized it had been quite a while since he cried to eat. So I tried to wake him up, and he just was too far gone, I guess. I kept telling him to try to wake up or he wouldn't make it, and I think it was just too hard, too many things against him. I am sure at this point it was the will of God, but you hate to see it. And you probably don't want to hear this all. But the poor little guy just laid in my hands, I talked to him to try to wake him, and he finally stood up and tried to get air, and couldn't try anymore. I know he is at peace now. A short little unwanted life.

the last thing we need

is a puppy. But yesterday some dog came by while we weren't home, and birthed one, right on our lawn. And left it behind, umbilical cord and all. We were blissfully ignorant, until some of the kids coloring at our front doorstoop went out to look at the thing "isn't it pitiful?" on the front lawn. We tried to find the mother, and tried to give it away multiple times since yesterday. We couldn't bear to just watch it die, so now it is drinking hubby's lo-fat milk for the coffee....and sucking on my finger between naps in the shoe box. All the cats are living in fear.

help!!!! We don't want or need a puppy, trust me. A bunch of people told me, "just take it and drop it off at the temple" (that's what they do with unwanted animals, and it is a mess). OOOOOY, what next? I shudder to ask............

Now that I think about it....maybe Khiow wants a puppy. Whaddaya think????

the truth about Boomerang

is that he must be a typical Thai male. He wants/has a family at both ends of his "territory." I started to make this into a philsophical diatribe, but I think I won't try to attach too much meaning to a cat's "lifestyle." Suffice it to say, Boomerang has two households. He shows up here in the evening, stays half the night, takes off, comes back in the wee hours. Always in time for meals.....

But we always know he's on his way, cuz of the jingle bell they installed on his collar......

cat calamities......

Thursday was not a good cat day. We were already planning a day of tourist stuff, and Dinkey was outside. Before long, he and Boomerang came close to a confrontation. Someone who will remain nameless thought he'd break up the fight, and walked in between them. Well...that just made everyone nervous and set everything off. I am not sure who chased who, but both cats ran in the open kitchen door. Then, Miss Dufus stuck her nose in the middle of the business, and something went terribly wrong. Dinkey got confused or nervous (doesn't take much) and he somehow got into a BIG confrontation. But with Miss Dufus. Boomerang was just standing there watching, like "what is going on?" and Dinkey was TEARING MISS DUFUS UP. Fur was going everywhere. How it stopped I don't know, but then Mike grabbed Boomerang (the catalyst, I guess) and threw him outside. Miss Dufus had blood coming from the top of her head, and from her face. She was and still is kind of shaken. I really don't know if Dinkey ever realized who he was tearing up. Miss Dufus' face swelled up last night, but today looks better. Bad ol' Boomerang.

I forgot to mention, that last week we were heading out to run errands and all the cats (including Boomerang) were asleep somewhere in the house. Well, Boomer's owner drove up in the driveway looking for him! She wanted to take him for shots!! I brought him out, and she said, ooh, he is asleep.....does he sleep in the house at night? I said, well, that depends on him.....(answer is yes, most every night....he walks around the house with his jingle bell collar jingling until I let him in.....) So I guess she still "owns" him, although I could tell, right then, she was re-thinking whether she wanted to pay to get him his shots..........

then again....

I am kind of sorry I said this was the "unofficial" side, because sometimes things get interesting and I want to talk about that BUT......

Sarah and I both got chikungunya. For me, it was a second time, for Sarah the first. We had to cancel one day of class. It is the whole thing all over again. Joint pain, fever, full body rash. Now I hear that it takes up to a year to clear out of your system, and that you can get it multiple times. It is kind of a joke around Thap Lamu now, with our students and with us, but it really isn't funny because it really slows you down. The fortunate thing is that you don't worry too much about any body else catching it, because technically they will get it from a mosquito and not from you. HOWEVER, if they are around you when you have it, and the mosquito first bites you and then them, they stand a real good chance of getting it. TTL, we are pretty much over it now, Sarah still has swollen feet. My feet hurt off and on, but I was able to jog yesterday.

As far as I know, we will all go to BKK on Sunday, she will fly out on Monday morning, and we will fly back here. We have been sooo busy with classes, but has been a lot of fun, in spite of chikungunya.......

what's new with you?

I just have to stop in to say hi. We made it to BKK and back safely to pick up our friend Sarah who came for a visit. We enjoyed our tour of the palace and had interesting (required) visits to two jewelry "factories" and a tailor shop. Made it there and back without any major weather, airline or airport excitement, which is extremely good.

Had a good turnout at our meeting on Sunday and made it back home before dark. Today we had our first adult class with good participation.

Kitties are all well. Not fighting TOO much. Boomerang got put outside tonight when he was chasing Stinkey.

We have had lots of rain. I got SOAKED this morning when I went out to jog, most of my neighbors found it pretty entertaining. A neighbor informed me (like I did not know it!) that I was soaking wet!? Two different people in our village did stop and ask me if I wanted a ride (on a motorcycle) back home, which I politely declined.

Had a nice blessing today. The people that wanted to study English wanted a contract, which we told them we could not do, but that they could study for free. They showed up today and donated four good tables for our teaching room and 30 stools.

Sarah has encouraged me to get back to my piano practice. I have no confidence in myself in this area, but at her suggestion I will try to get back into it. I did sit down and practiced a good while last night and a few minutes this evening.

Got a package today from America and was a lovely way to round out the day. See you later!