Lessons in Photography

First you find a teacher,

who teaches you to see light.

You will go to places

you've never been.

Be introduced to friends,

and animals,

people,

places,

and things.

 You'll learn techniques

about adding light to the dark,

and freezing time.

You may capture a tender moment,

a private thought,

or a silent prayer.

And you will remember

in your mind,

in your soul,

in your heart,

Forever.

Photos by the author.  No copying without permission.

South African Marine Rescue and Education Centre (SAMREC) - Part 1

I first mentioned SAMREC in a two prior posts, Cape Recife - Part 2 and Meet Timbit.

Cape Recife is the nature reserve that SAMREC calls home and Timbit was the African penguin that we "adopted" after he was rescued and taken to SAMREC.

I mentioned the Flying Penguin Cafe where we had a bite to eat, and told you about how we came to adopt and name Timbit.  What I didn't tell you about was the amazing work that this organization does.

Since those posts I have had the opportunity to visit and observe SAMREC in action several times.  Each experience has taught me something new about their organization and the dedication of their volunteers.

SAMREC employs just 2 staff.  The rest of the staff are volunteers.  They all give of their time selflessly to run education programs, fund raise, manage the facilities, treat and feed penguins, provide rescue services, participate in community outreach events and all the other things that dedicated non-profit volunteers do.


If a member of the public finds a penguin, bird, or marine animal in trouble, help from SAMREC is just a phone call away.

The day after my parents arrived to visit in October 2011 we went to Shoney's beach, not far from our house.  While the kids were playing in the surf, climbing the rocks and searching for shells, I had my camera out looking for cool photo opportunities.

This is a photo I took of a young cape cormorant.

Normally, getting that close to a cape cormorant would be impossible.  Like most wild birds, they fly away long before you can get anywhere close to them.  I immediately knew something wasn't right.  I was able to get within a 2 meters (I didn't want to go any closer) of this little guy and he didn't move, he barely even opened his eyes at first.

So, I called SAMREC to let them know about him.  It was kind of like placing a call to 911emergency services (10111 here in PE).  They wanted to know what kind of bird, where he was, what my name and number were and what I was wearing so they could locate me.  They asked me to stay with the bird, if I could, and told me that their volunteers would be there as soon as possible wearing bright blue SAMREC t-shirts.

At the time I didn't know what kind of bird it was, not being overly familiar with South African bird species, but I knew that it was behaving very un-birdlike.  His sides were heaving as he breathed, his eyes were closed and he showed no interest in moving for the first 15 min. that I was sitting with him.  My children and others were making noise and climbing on the rocks near him.  Due to his colouring he was very difficult to see so, I stayed near him and warned those that came close, that he was there.

After about 20 min. he started showing some signs of life.  He opened his eyes, stretched his wings and jumped down, from the rock he was on, to one closer to the water.  He rested a few more minutes and then he jumped in the water.

Great, I thought, as he swam away.  Here, I've called SAMREC to come and rescue this poor bird and he's swum away.  Not 2 minutes after he had swam off the volunteers from SAMREC arrived.

I met them on the beach to explain what had happened and apologize for troubling them.  They were very gracious,  said it was no trouble at all, and that they were just glad he was able to get back into the water.  What we didn't know was, while we were talking, the bird had swum out, gotten tired and come back to shore on the other side of the inlet.  After the volunteers started to walk away, a young boy whom I had spoken to, while I was watching the bird, ran up and told me that the bird was on the other side of the inlet.  The SAMREC volunteers got right to work.

One of the volunteers very quietly and cautiously approached the bird.

He did his best to get away from her, but he couldn't fly. The volunteer gently caught him and did a quick test to see if there were any injuries.  Then, they put him in a pet carrier.  After a quick report to me that he seemed to be exhausted and not injured, they took the cormorant to SAMREC.

A few days later I visited SAMREC with my parents, brother, niece and nephew.  We discovered that our volunteer tour guide had been on the other end of the phone when I had called about the cormorant.  He told us that the cormorant had been exhausted and dehydrated when he came in.  They examined him, fed him, gave him some fluids to perk him up and a day later he flew off, healthy and rested. 

So, once rescued birds are able to fly off again, they do but, penguins don't fly.  Penguins can be released in two ways, by boat and by beach.  Timbit was taken back to the island by boat. 

On December 3rd, 2011, we got to experience a beach release.  In December, the United Nations Climate Change Conference took place in Durban, South Africa and the Sustainable Seas Trust (a multi-national African trust dedicated to charitable, socioeconomic, scientific, educational and philanthropic purposes) declared December 3rd, 2011 as Sea Pledge Day.

On Sea Pledge Day, SAMREC coordinated with  the South East African Climate Consortium Student Forum (SEACC SF) to host Sea Pledge Day at Pollock beach.  


They kicked off the day with a penguin release.   Please pardon the clip length, but penguins are pretty slow on land :)

.  Next post: How they do it.




 

The foster experiment

Back in the fall of 2010, dh and I had been contemplating a move to a property that was more country than suburb.  We were even getting our house ready to sell.  One of the things that the kids wanted to do when we got to the country was get a playmate for Bruin, the family dog.  Bruin is a very social dog.  He used to have regular play dates and spent off leash time with buddies most mornings when I walked the kids to school.  Dh and I tentatively agreed that with more space to run we would consider the idea.

By Christmas 2010 we were pretty sure that we were coming to South Africa so a second dog wasn't going to be in the cards.  When we found out how much it cost to move one dog half way around the world we knew there was no way we would be getting another dog.  So, I told the kids that I would consider fostering a dog in South Africa. 

Bruin arrived in South Africa with no adverse affects.  He loves the larger property. The water retriever instincts of the poodle and golden retriever mean that the pool is his favourite place to be.

Here in PE there are no leash free parks for dogs to play at.  Most families have more than one dog for socialisation so there really isn't a need.  There are dogs next door, but Bruin can't really play through a fence.  He was lonely.

We didn't realise how lonely until we had a friend (with a border collie) stay at our place to take care of him while we travelled home for Christmas.  When we got back poor Bruin was in mourning for weeks.  He was constantly looking for his buddy, Phinn. 

It was time for me to start looking at the possibility of fostering a dog.  One of the things that never occurred to me before we moved was the stray pet population. It is huge. On a daily basis we see strays, or dogs with the pan handlers on the street corners. Sometimes the pan handlers have little pups with them and use them as a tool to gain sympathy from drivers hoping for more money. These strays or "pets" aren't spayed or neutered and the problem just keeps getting worse.  I knew there were lots of strays for adoption, but searching on the Internet and asking around gave me no leads on fostering. 

We were taking a trip to Cape Town and when I took Bruin in to the kennel I mentioned to the staff what a difficult time I was having finding information about fostering.  She told me that the kennel actually had several dogs that they kept for the local Animal Anti Cruelty League.  She said she would find out about fostering and said she had the perfect dog for us. 

After dropping Bruin in his run, she introduced us to Boebie.  She was a 2 1/2 year old Boerboel cross and she was beautiful.  The kids immediately took a liking to her, she was friendly and energetic, a little bit shy, but she'd been at the kennel for about a year.  The staff told us that she had a history of intolerance for other female dogs, but she shared a kennel with a male dog and seemed fine with males.

This is Boebie.

Since Bruin is such a well socialised dog and has never shown any aggressive or dominant tendencies, we thought that he would be the perfect companion for Boebie.  I suggested that the two be introduced while they were both at the kennel.

The kids were so excited all weekend in Cape Town.  I read up on fostering, shelter dogs and what to expect while we were driving.  I also read up on the Boerboel, an African breed.  We came up with the name Chloe for when she came to our home. 

I found out that all that was required was a home visit to ensure that our property was safe and suitable to foster.  A couple of weeks later we had our home assessed by M, an animal behaviourist, who was in charge of placement. M and I had both been told that the introduction between the dogs had gone well at the kennel and M was immediately approving of not only our home, but my experience in training Bruin.  She was impressed with how "balanced" a dog Bruin was.  So, a few days later I went to pick up Chloe.

We had both the dogs on leash at the second introduction in the driveway of the house and Bruin was his normal nosey friendly self, but Chloe took immediate offence and dislike to him.  Things didn't improve in the first few hours, so I called M and she came by as quickly as she could to assess the situation.  We walked the dogs side by side and they were fine and then Chloe would, seemingly out of the blue lunge at Bruin, teeth bared, and growling.  She got close enough once that first day to take a chunk of hair out of Bruin's side, missing the skin thank goodness.  Bruin didn't know what to think.  Given his lack of dominance he backed right off and never even attempted to fight back.



Chloe was a loving and beautiful dog with the children and with dh and I.  She was terrific on leash.  She took to the crate easily. In every way she was a great dog, except with with Bruin.

With dh and I both at home in the evenings one could manage the children and one the dogs.  We really wanted to provide a home for Chloe and kept trying.  During the day the kids were at school I could manage Bruin verbally and Chloe was constantly on leash.  On day 5, dh was out on a business dinner and I had to manage on my own with the children and the dogs.  That was when I knew it wasn't going to work. 

Bruin was becoming fearful with each unpredictable lunge from Chloe and he was becoming tentative to approach me even when I didn't have Chloe. I was scheduled to go to Cub Scout camp the coming weekend and dh and I knew that he could never manage 2 kids and both dogs at the same time.  We agreed it was time to call an end to the experiment and with a heavy heart I reluctantly returned Chloe back to the kennel.  The kids came with me and they were sad, but they also knew that no one was happy in the situation.  They saw how much being with Chloe kept me from spending time with them and they were more relieved than sad in the end.

M and I kept in contact and though our experience with Chloe didn't turn out like we had hoped, dh and I hadn't given up on the idea.  It was going to be done differently though.  I told M that due to other commitments it would be a couple of weeks before we could even consider trying with another dog.  She told us of a wag walk that was being held a few weeks later.  It was a fundraiser for the AACL and would provide an opportunity for us to bring Bruin and introduce him to many of the AACL dogs.  M had decided that Abby, who was on a foster farm was the perfect match for us. 

Abby was a pavement special.  11 months old.  Her mother had been picked up and Abby was born in a cage in the middle of the night at the shelter. Abby was kept at the shelter until she was weaned and then she and her brothers were sent to a large farm that they use as a foster facility.  The farm has upwards of 150 dogs on site.  Abby's health was in question and they were concerned about her eyes as they were very red and teary.

The day of the wag walk we put the whole family, including Bruin into the car, and took an extra leash just in case we needed it to bring Abby, or another suitable dog home.

We introduced Abby and Bruin and it didn't go badly, but I wasn't really convinced.  Abby was shy and uncertain, she had never been on a leash before (or worn a collar for that matter) and she fought it many times.  After a brief 2 km walk she was exhausted, lay down and wouldn't budge.  She was thin and her eyes looked terrible.  I was very concerned that she would not be a good match for an active dog like Bruin and expressed my concern to M and the other staff from AACL.  They all felt that the stress of the situation was causing Abby's behaviour and that if we were willing to take her and make sure that her eyes were attended to, that even a short term placement would be beneficial to her health. 

We stayed for a long while at the wag walk.  The kids were totally taken with most of the animals.  We saw Chloe/Boebie there too.  She was just as unpredictable and aggressive on that morning as she had been at our home.  It confirmed that we had made the right decision.  After a good long rest Abby got up.  She took a few treats from my hand and climbed into M's lap for a snuggle and that's what made up my mind.  She looked just as happy and content in M's lap as Bruin does in mine.

It was decided, we were taking her home.  We walked out with Abby on her new collar and leash and the minute we got to the road and a car drove by she bolted back to the rest of the shelter dogs.    I ran after her and carried her back to the car, she was shaking.  She lay down immediately on the floor and Bruin stood, I like to think protectively, over her. 

When we got Abby home we left them both on leash, but there was no need.  Bruin tried to play, but Abby wasn't interested so he left her alone and she hid in the bushes.  She was shy around the children, they moved kind of erratically for her and she wasn't too sure.  In fact she wasn't sure about anything, I had never seen an 11 month old puppy acting less like a puppy. 

It's been two weeks now since we brought Abby home.  She's still Abby, we didn't change her name because she really is an Abby.  She is approaching the children and enjoying calm pats.  If they move too quickly she still shies away, but it's getting better every day.  She is playing with some of the dog toys and short walks don't exhaust her anymore.    She's been know to grab the occasional sock or shoe.  Her eyes have improved dramatically, but too much sun makes them red again.  Most importantly we're starting to see more of her personality and less of her anxiety. 

Oh and the thing that I was most worried about, well here's how that turned out.

Birdies Part 2

When we moved here it was April, the beginning of fall.  There were 2 abandoned nests, from some bird or other, falling apart on the walls above both the front and back patios. 
Given that the house had been empty for so long we weren't sure if they would be back in the summer, but we were hopeful. 

Flash forward 5 months to September.  I'm out in the braai and a small bird flies right under the balcony and hovers for a fraction of a second then flies away again. A few minutes later the same thing.  I was so excited that I grabbed my phone for a quick video.

It went on like this for weeks.  Birds, we thought 4 of them, would do a low fly in, hover in various spots under the balcony and fly off again. I set up my camera trying to get a good shot so I could identify what kind of bird they were. 

Not a great shot, but we were able to identify them as lesser striped swallows. 

After about 3 weeks we found this on the wall.

Just a few splotches of something and some peck marks that were the same shape as the nests we had seen when we moved in.  It was like they had drawn a blueprint on the wall.  Cool.

After weeks of flying and hovering they had started building.  They were partially through the first nest and it was accidentally knocked off by a worker.  They started again in the exact same spot.  That one fell down too.  They started a third time but moved the nest over about 10cm.  It took about 1 1/2 weeks to finish.

It was the most amazing thing I have ever seen.  They would fly up with their mouths so full of mud that they couldn't even close their beaks.  They must have had it all the way down to their gullet because when they started to cough it up onto the nest I couldn't believe how much was in there.  Here is a photo of them in the building process.

I won't bore you with all the photos, I took several every day to document their progress :)  This was the final product.

You can see, to the bottom left, the mud stains from the first two tries.  I found it so interesting that the mud is in different shades.  Obviously from different locations. It made me wonder was the darker mud more like clay so the base of the nest is more sturdy?  I have no idea, but I makes me appreciate mother nature even more than I ever did.

Just before we left for Canada we thought that the eggs must have been laid.  We were sad that we would miss the hatching, but looked forward to coming back to PE to see the little swallows.

Sure enough when we came back there were 4 little ones already fledged and flying around.  Here are 3 of them are perched on our back door.

Not long after we got home I opened up the accordion doors to the back yard.  It really opens up the whole back wall of the lounge area to the outside.  Well the poor little baby swallows over shot the nest, got confused and did a bit of a tour of the house.  The kids were squealing and one poor little swallow couldn't figure out how to get itself out.  It was exhausted from flying at the window so I had to help it by scooping it up on a soft broom and lifting it out the window above.  What an adventure for the kids.

I had wondered how many eggs a swallow would lay and I had assumed 4 until a week or so ago.  I guess they had been running out of space in the nest for the 6 of them because I found a dead hatchling at the backdoor.  It obviously didn't survive very long from the looks of it's tiny featherless body.  So this pair laid 5 eggs and 4 survived. 

It is March now and we haven't seen the swallows for a few days, so maybe they have started their migration North. 

I look forward to watching it all unfold again next year and hopefully we'll be around to hear and see the chicks when they first hatch.

The paper boy

Are there people in your life that have had a lasting impression?  People who have passed through your life and enhanced it in some way you'll never forget.
There are in mine. 

I met one of them here in PE.

When we came to South Africa it became readily apparent that the unemployment rates, that we had been told about, were not an exaggeration.  The entrepreneurial spirit of this country amazes me.  At virtually every robot (traffic light) someone is selling something.  From USB sticks and sunglasses, to garbage bags and hand made tin watering cans, people are out there trying to earn a living.  Some just ask for money, but many of them try to sell something to make a buck.

It gives new meaning to the phrase drive through when you see a table with carafes of coffee at the side of the road and someone weaving in an out of traffic selling coffee and biscuits.  It's ingenious.  Totally dangerous, but ingenious.

With all the warnings I had been given about crime in this country I was leery to open my window,  while sitting at a stop light, when we first got here. I couldn't sit an pretend these people aren't there or look through them, so I would look at them, shake my head and mouth "No, thank you."

Every morning on my commute to the school we would pass the paper boy.  He walked among the cars selling Die Burger, the Afrikaans newspaper and The Herald, the English paper. I never wanted a paper, I got most of my news from the MWeb news app on my phone. 

Every once and a while I would see someone roll down their window to buy a paper.  There was one man in a blue compact car who never bought a paper but he would have a chat through his open window. 

Over time the paper boy got to recognise our car.  He would smile and wave and I couldn't help but smile and wave back.  For a month or so it was our routine.  Every morning he would smile and wave and I would smile and wave back from behind my window.  It was a great way to start a day with his enormous smile.  Rain or shine he was out there smiling with his newspapers.

One day I decided to roll down my window, just 1/2 way.  "Good morning Ma'am" he said to me.  "Good morning." I said back.  A few days later I asked him how much The Herald cost.  He told me R5.  I said to him "Well then, every Friday morning I will buy a paper from you".  So, that Friday I rolled down the window, all the way, and bought my first paper from him.  I handed him a R10 note and as he reached for change I told him that the extra R5 was for his brilliant smile.  I didn't think his smile could get any bigger, but it did as he said "Thank you Ma'am".

It went on like this for weeks.  Mon - Thurs I would roll down my window to say good morning.  Some mornings he would say in a thick accent "Nice weather" or "Rainy day today Ma'am".  On Friday's I would give him R10 for a paper and a smile.  Some mornings (never a Friday) he would be restocking at the nearby Spar market and I would drive through without talking to him.  Without fail the next day he would say "I missed you yesterday Ma'am"

I once asked him what he did after he sold his papers, if he had another job.  He said, "No job Ma'am, I just go home and sit all day."

One week we were scheduled to go to Cape Town, so I told him on Monday that I would need my paper on Thursday that week.  He was ready with my paper Thursday when I stopped at the light and he wished me a good trip. 

When we returned from Cape Town he asked about our trip.  I told him Cape Town was a beautiful city and we enjoyed it very much.  Then, as the light changed to green and I started to move away he said he was going to Durban.

I was running late the next day and didn't have time to say hi or ask about Durban. The next day he wasn't there.

It's been 4 weeks now since I've seen him.  He must have moved on to Durban for good. Regardless of the morning I was having, whether I was tired or rushed,  grumpy or happy he was always there with a smile.  He never failed to lift my spirits and start my day off on a positive note.

I am glad I gave him the extra money for his smile.  It wasn't enough to keep him in PE, but I hope it was enough to let him know how much I appreciated it.  His smile encouraged me to open my window and talk to him.  It motivated me to buy a paper from him and gave me something to look forward to on my morning commute. 

He was a complete stranger to me. I never got around to asking his name.  Still, I will never forget him and I will never underestimate the power of a simple smile.

The view from my balcony

We returned to South Africa from a month long visit back home.  It was fantastic to see family and friends.  It was also interesting to hear some of the questions that they asked and some of their preconceived notions about this country that we currently call home. 

I found myself in a very strange position.  Here in South Africa I am constantly disabusing people about the stereotypical information that they have heard about Canada. What I found myself doing while I was home, was educating my Canadian friends and family on what South Africa is really like.

Some of the comments and questions didn't surprise me.  Yes, we have McDonald's.  No, we don't live in a mud hut.  Yes, we have electricity (most of the time). No, not everyone does.  Yes, we have chocolate.  No, we don't have chocolate chips.

Some of our friends thought that wildlife like lions and leopards roamed freely thorough the country and posed a threat to us.  I know that out in the wilderness or farming communties you'll hear of the odd leopard or two that have been spotted, or are making problems by killing livestock, but it doesn't happen in the cities.

When I explained this to a Scouter friend of mine here in PE he said, "Well, it's our own fault.  That's what we advertise about our country.  Every brochure about visiting South Africa has a safari animal on it".  He also said "That's how South Africa markets itself, so that's what people all over the world assume."  He's absolutely right.

The questions that bothered me the most were the other comments about safety.  It's not something that I've spoken to in my blog and wasn't sure that it was something that I should, but there were just too many comments that really caused me to feel defensive about my new home.  The 2 most concerning were "Are there armed guards patrolling the perimitter of your compound?" and "What kind of gun do you have?"

This is the view from my balcony.  This is what I see when I go up in the morning with my cup of coffee. It is my reality.  I sit quietly.  Sometimes the dog joins me.  I watch to see what flies by or lands on my bird feeders.  I see the city in the distance, just a blur really.  Sometimes I take up my laptop and write my blog from up there.  I love that view.  I love the sense of tranquility and peace it brings me.   I am struck every day by the sheer beauty of this country and feel blessed for this opportunity.

If I shift my point of view just a little bit, this is what I see and it too is my reality.

There are two fences.  One to keep the dog in and an electrified one to keep criminals out. 

Homes have a security systems with panic buttons in every room. In Canada we have screens on our windows to keep the bugs out, here they have burgler bars to keep the criminals out.  In Canada where people have one or two dogs for companionship, families here will have 3, 4 or more for protection.  Sometimes they are German Shepards, Boerboels or Bull Mastiffs, true guard dogs. More often than not they are border collies, Jack Russels or shelter dogs because loud and barky is just as much of a deterent.  Where schools in Canada have closed circuit televisions and controlled entry locks on doors, schools here have security company vehicles patrolling the grounds or guards at an external gate.    

I know a woman who walked in on a thief at home and was held at gunpoint while the thief escaped at the age of 14.  That same woman was a victim of a theft while at university age and her neighbour's car was stolen out of thier driveway when she was an adult.  You might think this woman is South African. It was me. All those things and others happened to me in Canada.  I have met friends here in Port Elizabeth whose families have never been touched directly by crime in all thier lives in South Africa. 

Are there more risks to living in South Africa than in Canada?  No doubt about it.   Are crimes in South Africa more violent than those in Canada?  Yes, from what I've read.  Do I live as a privledged member of this society who can avoid crime? Some might say yes, but others may say that affluence makes me more of a target.  Are there certain areas that I would never go at night? Yup, but there were areas like that in Toronto when I lived there.  Crime can find you anywhere and I know that first hand.  

Townships are where you hear that crime happens the most.  So, was I nervous the other weekend when my GPS sent my friend and I through a township because the main road was blocked?  Sure, but what I saw were children playing, women hanging out thier laundry and people returning home with shopping bags.  People going through life.  Just like the last time I was in a township.

Living here is much like the view from my balcony. It all comes down to perspective.

You can focus on the fence.  See South Africa as a scary place, full of risk.  You can choose never to come here.  You can choose to come here and look at the country from safely behind your electrified fence, never venturing out unless you have to.

Me, I prefer to look past the fence.  I want to see this country in all it's glory (or not).  I want to meet the people who call it home.  I want my children to truly understand how people live in other countries.  I want them to acknowlege any barriers that they face and move beyond them.  I want to be a participant and not an observer.

So, no I do not live on a compound.  No, I do not own a gun.  What do I do? I pay attention and stay alert the same as I did in Canada or anywhere in the world that I have ever visited.  If you don't believe me, then please, come for a visit, and allow me the privledge of showing off this stunning and complex country that I currently call home.

How time flies

I can't believe it's been so long since I have had the time to post here.  My apologies to all of you who have been wondering.

Here's a quick run down of the last several months with more posts to come on specific adventures.

Since the last time I posted my parents, brother, niece and nephew have been to visit.  We experienced our first agonizing weeks of grade 4 final exams (and I mean the 2 hour, study for weeks, multiple term exams).  We spent the month of December back at home and January was a write off with back to school and all the organizing it takes at the beginning of a school year.  Then there was a quick trip to Cape Town and of course the constant repairs to this rental property, to which there is no end in sight. Sigh!!!!

I promise I'll try to be better at posting.  I'm working on it.

Birdies - Part 1

I love birds.  I always have.  Back in Canada I had bird feeders and used to love seeing which species I could attract depending on the plants I planted and the seeds I used.

When we were moving, there were certain things that we had to make decisions about. One of them being the bird feeders. It's illegal to move seeds or even remnants of seeds. In order for the movers to move the feeders we would have needed to thoroughly wash them and disinfect them. I decided to donate to friends that also liked birds instead.

Seeing as I had chosen not to bring our feeders I was excited to go out and purchase one here.  I had brought my sheppard's hooks from Canada to hang them on, so I got a tube feeder set up in the back yard, just outside our window and I waited.  And waited.  And waited.  It was fall/winter so the varieties of birds were limited but not one of them wanted my seeds.  

One bird that we saw everywhere was a medium sized black and white bird, A called it a penguin bird.  We would see it perched on fence posts, or our arbour in the backyard.  It especially loved the supports for the enclosure around the trampoline.  It's actual name is the common fiscal, a member of the shrike family. 

Even though they are all over the place it's been hard to get a good photo of one.  I never seem to be able to get my camera out before it flies away.

I couldn't figure out why they didn't want my feed.  It was winter after all.  I supposed maybe it was because winter here isn't like winter in Canada where food is scarce.  Here nothing freezes or gets buried by snow, there are still berries on the trees and grass seeds.  Still, they were the only birds around and they had to eat.  I tried changing the type of seeds, nothing.  I put the seeds in a flat dish and that attracted the doves and pigeons that couldn't sit on the tube feeder, but I saw no other birds. 

Oh well, so much for focusing on the birds, maybe in the spring I reasoned. I decided to inspect the different plant life in and around garden instead.  Our house had been empty for 2 1/2 years and there had been a severe drought before we moved in so the gardens were in pretty sad shape.

Take the acacia tree in our front yard. The main stem was damaged and you can see where the healthy, beautiful green truck changes to dead grey trunk.

Our neighbours have a healthy acacia tree, which looks like this.

The cool part of the acacia tree is what it looks like up close.

Each spike is around 10cm long.  I have been told that giraffe's are the only mammal that can eat the leaves without hurting themselves because their tongues are so long, but I don't know that for sure.

Anyway, one morning I was out gardening and watering around the half dead acacia tree and I notice something strange.  There was a big black beetle impaled on one of the spikes.  After picking the kids up at school I told them about this neat thing I had found on the tree and took them to see.  The beetle was gone.  "Yah, right, there was a bug there." They told me.

So, I kept an eye on the tree just to see what happened.  Every few days a bug of some description would appear.  Once there was even a snail.  It was always the same spike too, but I never saw anything else near the tree.  Eventually, the kids saw it too.

This went on for weeks.  I assumed it must be a bird of some kind, but I had no idea which one. 

I mentioned it to the gardener that I had helping me clean up the gardens and he said  "Oh, that's a butcher bird doing that."  I said, "Pardon me?"  He explained that the common name of the common fiscal was the butcher bird.  It's called that because it catches bugs or small rodents and then uses acacia trees to age the bug.  In a few days when it has aged sufficiently it comes back to eat it.

Well, now it made sense.  My bird feeder wasn't attracting any birds not only because they had all migrated north for the winter, but because the birds that were left were carnivores.

Now that spring is truly in full swing the birds have migrated back.  I've seen the bird feeder used by weavers, though they are often chased away by the fiscal's. The bird calls start at 0400 every morning. It has been interesting to hear all the different calls. Unfortunately, I have been unable to determine which call goes with which bird.  The trees behind our property are a little bit too far away to get good pictures with my current lens, so though I said in an earlier post that a telephoto lens wasn't necessary, it would be nice to have for the birds. 

Our most exciting observations of bird life have been very up close and personal, but that's for another post, so stay tuned.

No laughing matter

When we moved here the kids were 5, 7 and 10.

We were told that, in all probability, they would all pick up an accent to some degree, but the most influenced would be our 5 year old.

One of the things that we noticed was the use of the expression "Jagh"  Only the "J" is like a "Y" sound.  I would compare it to myself using "really" or "seriously" when something needs special emphasis or when someone says something unbelievable.  Where my "really" or "seriously" would be higher pitched and shortish, sounding like a question, the "Yawh" is a very breathy, deep and loud exclamation. 

We were sitting at the kitchen table one day several months ago, eating dinner.  Either B or T, I can't recall, said something outrageous and out of the mouth of our little 5 year old came a loud, deep, breathy "Jagh".  It was so unexpected and so strange to hear from our little girl, dh and I looked up at each other and burst out laughing.  A was not impressed with our laughter.  In fact she clammed up, wouldn't speak and glared at us for a good long while. 

Now, I know that you should never laugh at your children.  In fact, there have been many a time when I have, almost literally, bust my gut from successfully holding in my laughter when one of the kids did something funny.  This was just not one of those times.

Dd censored her comments for weeks after that incident.  Until just recently, actually.  She has started saying "Jagh" again and "Oh my word" is a phrase we here quite often.  I know when she enters grade one in January and they start teaching her the "proper" pronunciation of phonics and words, her speech will change even more.

So as we think about heading home for the holidays I implore those of you who will see us, to please contain your laughter when our children say something unexpected or strange.  We learned the hard way that it's no laughing matter.

Spring has sprung

I love spring. Always have. The way the crocus poke up through the snow. The way the rabbits used to eat all my tulip leaves, a centimeter at a time, as they pushed their way through the still frozen ground. 

Each spring from the time I was a little girl we had a saying in our home.

Spring has sprung
The grass has riz
I wonder where
The birdies is
We left Canada just as spring was starting and arrived to fall in Port Elizabeth. The leaves had fallen off the deciduous trees, the grass was browning and the birds were migrating north.  Yup, it's weird to say, but the birds migrate north from here.  I missed spring and I'm glad it's finally here. Spring, like everything else here is different.  There are no daffodils or tulips or crocus. It doesn't get cold enough over the winter for them to flower. Here they have daisies in the spring and road construction crews. You'd think, with the weather not going below about 14C, that they would work year round. Nope. Spring weather here, means construction just like in Canada.

Spring in our neighbourhood also means the wildlife are "twitterpated" as Thumper would say. The nyala had a fawn about a month ago, but they are very shy and I never got a picture of it when it was really young. Yesterday, as I was driving out of the subdivision I saw a baby impala. I only had my phone on me so the photo's not great, but here it is.

It was all legs, as you can see, and not too steady on them yet.  The neighbour texted me this afternoon to tell me that an impala fawn had been born. I texted back that I had seen one and asked if there were more.   She said no just the one that I had seen, but she told me that we could expect another 7 babies in the next week or so.  Silly me, I stopped counting at three pregnant impala's and figured I was just seeing the same ones over and over again.  Obviously not. 

So things are busy here in the spring.  My camera is getting a workout trying to capture all of the different and exciting things that I've seen.  I'm glad spring has finally sprung, that the grass has riz and if you stay tuned and I'll even tell you where the birdies is.

Getting here

We have had the opportunity to fly internationally a few times with our children.

The first time was in 2003 just after my brother and his family moved to Switzerland.  T was an only child and 20 months at the time. So, it was 2 adults, 1 child,  2 flights. Good odds. Great experience.

We did the trip to Switzerland again several years later.  We tagged along with mom and dad that time, but we had 2 more children by then. A was 2 years old, B just turned 4 and T 6.  Still 4 adults, 3 kids, 2 flights are still pretty good odds. The flights were tiring, but we made it to and from Switzerland without incident .  P had booked separately from the rest of us and was upgraded on the way back so each of the adults took turns in the quiet seat which helped.

The first trip to look and see Port Elizabeth, T got to come with us.  He had just turned 10. Again, good odds, 2 adults, 1 kid, but there are 3 flights to get to Port Elizabeth and total travel time, not including the check in time at the airport in Toronto was 36 hours.  That's a long time.  Still the odds were good.  The trip started out with a blip at security in Toronto when the scanner picked up an unidentified metal object in one of the carry ons.  We were perplexed and after a very thorough search it turned out that a metal pencil sharpener, shaped like a cannon, had wedged itself into the lining of the carry on.  Not sure how that happened, but we had a good laugh with the security personal after they finally found it.  Other than some boredom on the long layovers in London and
Johannesburg, and 5 out of 6 flights having minor delays on the tarmac, it was a good trip.

After all of these positive experiences I reasoned that another international trip would be a breeze.  We'd done it before.  We realized that the 36 hours, 2 overnight flights and long layovers might be a little bit tough on the younger 2 children, so we opted to fly through the U.S rather than Europe when we moved here.  It was still 3 planes but the first and last flights were around 2 hours and the middle flight, though longer, meant only one sleep on a plane.  I rationalized that a 15 hour flight meant more time to sleep after the take off, safety and meals at the beginning.  Somehow, that 6 1/2 hours from Toronto to London Heathrow only netted about 4 good hours of sleep time and that just wasn't enough.  Total travel time flying through the U.S. not including check in time in Toronto 22 hours. Yeah!

Now, had we been packing for a visit, I would have managed with 2 or 3 suitcases tops.  This time however we were moving our lives.  I knew that we were arriving late at night and we were going straight to our new rental home, which was completely empty.  We asked P's company to help us source a king sized mattress for P and I and some bar chairs for the breakfast bar prior to our arrival. Still, I needed some place for the kids to sleep and something to eat for our first morning there.  We needed clothes for several days, food prep stuff until our air shipment arrived and things for the kids to do until our sea shipment was scheduled to arrive some 6 weeks later. I also needed bowls and toys for the dog who left 2 days before we did and would arrive the day after.  In the end we were 2 adults, 3 children,  5 carry ons, 10 full sized (max. weight) suitcases, one car seat and one booster seat.  I was optimistic, but the odds were not looking good.

It took a bus to get us to the airport, and no, I am not exaggerating.  It was an actual bus.  Mom and dad followed behind in their car to see us off.  We were arriving in plenty of time to check in and have lunch together before we went through security. 

We arrived at the airport, got all of our bags on carts with help from mom and dad and the bus driver.  We checked in, got our boarding passes for Toronto and Atlanta, and got our baggage claim tickets.  The first time we flew to PE the bags flew straight through with us.  This was a different route and a different airline so I was paranoid that P and I would need to retrieve our mountain of bags, all by ourselves, at some point before PE.  I probably should have asked that question sooner than at the check in counter, but ask I did.  4 times.  Yes, the bags were checked through, baggage claim tickets said so.  Phewwww, we were good to go.

Glitch number 1.  Flying through the states meant that immediately after checking in we would need to go through U.S. customs and we were considered to be on U.S. soil.  Great, because we wouldn't need to waste time at customs in Atlanta, but it meant no lunch with mom and dad and our goodbye's were cut short at the check in counter. I wish I had known that there would be no time for a leisurely goodbye.  Would it have changed the way we flew? No, but it would have changed how we had done things at home before we left for the airport.

The wait at the airport was uneventful.  The kids had each been given a new toy specifically for the trip.  They explored the various activities, books, snacks and fun stuff that I had packed to keep them occupied and the time at the airport went fairly quickly.

We boarded the flight to Atlanta on time.  Carry ons

Glitch number 2.   T is sitting beside me and bends down to retrieve his headphones which he had removed for take off.  As he was returning to an upright position he accidentally dump his entire glass of juice directly into my lap.  So, 30 min. into our 22 hour travel itinerary I am soaked through, pants, underwear and all.  Sigh.  In my planning I have ensured that I packed PJ's and an extra set of clothes for the children.  Unfortunately, I was not insightful enough to pack an additional pair of underwear for me.  Part of me started thinking that having to retrieve our luggage in Atlanta would have been a good thing.  Anyway, off to the washroom I went to try and salvage the situation.  We're 35,000 feet up and my choices are limited.  Choice number one.  Strip off all the wet stuff, put on the dry PJ pants that I did bring with me and go commando for the rest of the journey.  Not a chance.  Choice number 2, try to dry off the pants and underwear using the toilet paper in the bathroom and make do.  I preferred not.  I was left with choice number three.  Take off the wet pants, dry off the underwear as best I could, put on the pants and shove them full of toilet paper so they didn't get wet too. 

By the time we arrived in Atlanta the toilet paper had done it's job and been discarded, but I was determined to find underwear in the airport in Atlanta.   Unfortunately, with a short connection time and a gate a zillion miles away, new underwear was not to be had.

I made do as we checked onto our flight to Johannesburg.   Thankfully, the flight was on time and uneventful.  We had made the right decision.  After the initial take off, safety, and food stuff it was lights out and time to sleep.  The kids all eventually fell fast asleep and I'd guess had 8-10 hours of sleep each.  P slept better than I, but I still managed 5 hours or so which is pretty good for me.  By the time we arrived in Johannesburg everyone was bright eyed and bushy tailed.  We landed a bit late and knew we wouldn't have much time to catch our flight to PE.  We got through customs as quickly as the cue would allow and headed for the check in counter. 

Glitch number 3.  We arrived at the check in counter and the attendant asked where our luggage was.  I confidently told him it was on the way to PE.  Then I showed him the baggage claim tickets that said Port Elizabeth on them.  Apparently the attendant in Toronto had been mistaken, our luggage was only checked to Johannesburg and was enjoying a lengthy ride on the carousel in the arrivals section.  Can you say panic?  T started to say over and over again, "we're going to miss our plane".  The next hour passed by in a blur of P and I trying to keep it together while attempting to catch what was the last flight to PE that night.  A lovely gentleman had been standing near the check in counter and heard our plight.  As we wandered away from the desk completely frazzled he offered to help locate airport staff to assist us.  It took what seemed like hours and we were just about to give up on him and head back to arrivals ourselves, when he showed up with airport staff in tow.  Together the 7 of us rushed back to arrivals.  The airport staff took us through staff security, all the while scolding us that we should only ask airport personnel with ID for help.  The furthest thing from my mind when we were speaking with the gentleman at the check in counter was if he was airport staff or not.  He offered to help and we needed it. We found our bags and he grabbed another airport staff to help.  The bags were easy to find as they were the only ones left on the carousel and we threw them all on 4 carts. Quickly, through security again, our first helper joined us as we left arrivals and he raced with us back to check in where they let us skip the cue so we could make the flight. P gave the non-airport staff helper a tip and we were rushed again through another staff security clearance and the airport staff saw us all the way to the gate. P tipped him and we thanked him profusely for all his help.  I have never in all my life been so full of adrenaline as I was during that hour at the Johannesburg airport. 

We made the plane, but we were very concerned that the luggage might not have, given the rush. The luggage had the inflatable mattresses that the kids were supposed to sleep on, car seats to get us home, and everything else but the kitchen sink.  The flight was uneventful, but I couldn't shake the feeling that  my kids weren't going to have a place to sleep tonight.  At least the Garmin was in my carry on with directions to the house already programmed in, so even if we didn't have bags at least we'd get home.

Upon arrival in PE, as excited as we were, I think we had all had enough.  We just wanted to get into the rental "bus" and get home.  Thankfully, the luggage did make it onto the plane, a potential glitch averted.

Glitch number four.  We arrive at the car rental to find that the mini van was a manual transmission.  An automatic mini bus could not be had in PE apparently.  The first car I ever bought was a manual transmission.  I had never driven one, but I was a recent grad, manual was cheaper and man did I ever think I was cooooooool driving my 1994 metallic purple Chevy Z24 Cavalier with a stick shift. When P and I got married I still had the purple Cavalier and at least one of our cars since then has been manual.  So, it shouldn't have been a problem, right?  Well after 22+ hours of travel, a major glitch in Johannesburg, driving on the wrong side of the road and having to manoeuvre the stick with the left hand it proved to be interesting getting out of the airport parking lot.  Several false starts and stalls later we made it out of the parking lot and home.

A second potential glitch was averted when we ran out of room for the luggage in the rental van.  Thankfully, P's boss had shown up at the airport to welcome us and he was able to take the bags that didn't fit in the van.  He also let us follow him home, so even if we hadn't had the Garmin we still would have made it.

If you're thinking that the first thing I did when we got home was to go and change, you're wrong.  By that time I had totally forgotten about the spilled juice.  It was late and more important to get the air mattresses unpacked and made up for the kids.  I had to unpack sheets and make P's and my bed.  I think I did manage a shower before I finally fell into bed, but I'm honestly not 100% on that. 

As it turned out P's bosses wife had considered that we were moving into an empty house so she filled the cupboards with 5 of everything we would need to eat with.  There were some staples in the pantry and fridge, so we would have something for breakfast and there was even instant coffee for P and I.

I can honestly say that after that flight experience I was really glad that we were staying for a good long while before I would have to do it again. 

So, what will I do differently on the return trip when we visit in a few weeks? Just 2 things.  Pack less  than 10 bags, 5 carry ons and 2 cars seats and yes, take an extra pair of underwear, just in case.

Cubbing in South Africa

As I prepare for our first cub camp this weekend. I thought it was about time that I posted on the Cub Scout experience here in South Africa.

While the principles (Jungle Book) and organization (sixes) of Cubbing are the same as in Canada, the design of the program is quite different.

In South Africa, Cub Scouts is a co-ed group for children ages 7 - 11.  Only cubs 8 years and older can go to camps.

Since we arrived here, Scouting South Africa has republished their Cub Trail into a series of 8 books or manuals.  I will describe each in detail a bit further down.

Cub Scouts in South Africa uses sixes just like in Canada, however, the youth are also divided by year groups which are called advancement stages.  They are Caracal (7),  Cheetah (8), Leopard (9) and Lion (10).   After a cub turns 10 they begin to prepare for their transition to Scouts at age 11 and can work towards their Leaping Wolf Badge and their Link Badge.  The series of books outline the requirements for advancement and interest badges, along with information about the program and Scouting in general.

The Cub Trail books are as follows:

Welcome and Membership badge
Interest badges
Follow the Caracal Trail
Follow the Cheetah Trail
Follow the Leopard Trail
Follow the Lion Trail
Leaping Wolf Badge
Link Badge

The welcome and membership book outlines the basics of the program and the requirements of becoming a Cub Scout.  In Canada we would call these Cub Scouts Tenderpads, but I have not heard a specific term used here.  The book introduces new youth to "pack calls".  Such as, "PACK" means silence.  "PACK-PACK-PACK" means gather in a parade circle.  In the parade circle the pack stands either at "ALERT"(feet together hands at sides) or "AT EASE" (feet apart hands behind the back).

Cubs are not permitted to be in full uniform or participate in the Grand Howl until they have completed their membership badge.  The must know the cub law, promise and motto.  Demonstrate the left handshake and Cub Scout salute.  They must understand the Grand Howl and know when it is used.  Lastly, they must know the stories of BP and Mowgli's brothers.  Once a cub has completed the 7 requirements he is ready for his investiture.  Scouting occurs year round in our group.  Youth join, usually one at a time, throughout the year. This is  unlike what I experienced in Canada where the Scouting year started in September and large groups of new participants would join.  So, investiture here happens when a new Cub is ready rather than at a larger beginning of the year ceremony as we generally did in Canada. 

The Interest Badges book covers a range of badges and their requirements that are outside of the Cub Trail advancement badges.  The badges are: Aircraft, Aquanaut, Artist, Athlete, Birds, Boating, Chess, Citizen, Civil Emergency, Collector, Computer, Conservation, Cooking, Craftsman, Cycling, Drawing, Engineer, Entertaining, Family Camping, First Aid and Health, Fishing, Food for Life, Flying Models, Gardening, Geologist, Handcraft, Home craft, Landscaping, Linguist, Machines, Masks, Model Boats, Naturalist, Nature Craft, Outdoors man, Pets, Photography, Projects, Recycling, Religion and Life, Repairs, Scholar, Secret Codes, Showman, Signalling, Singing, Skies, Sportsman, Swimmer, Traveller, Working Toys, World Friendship, and the World Conservation badge. 

Each badge has a set of requirements, just like in Canada.  Some are complete all, some are complete a set number of a suggested list.  Badges can be completed at home or at meetings, just like in Canada.

Here is where the program becomes different. 

Follow the Caracal, Cheetah, Leopard, Lion Trail books.  Each Cub takes roughly the same trail each year, but each year the trail changes, just a little bit, and becomes more challenging.  At all times the activities are age appropriate and encourage a Cub to Do Their Best.  At the Caracal stage there is lots of explanation, references to the Jungle Book and easier tasks.  For example, one trail requirement is called Living with Nature.  Each book describes the natural world and has different requirements. 

A Caracal must know the Outdoor Code. They must go for a nature ramble and listen to and identify sounds and natural objects.  Then they make an item using natural materials.

A Cheetah needs to choose a living creature and research it or, describe the uses of trees and take care of a tree for one month.  They also need to make a poster telling others about the Outdoor Code.

A Leopard must build a bird-feeder and observe the birds that visit for 2 weeks or, care for an animal or living creature for one month.  They also must find out about a plant or creature which lives in either fresh or salt water.

A Lion, who by this time knows a great deal about Living with Nature, is required to find out about 2 endangered species in South Africa and tell the pack about them.

Stops along the trail include fires, knots, first aid, safety, creativity, recycling and sensations, among others.  Each follows the same principals, but increases the challenge based on the Cub Scouts age.

The Leaping Wolf Badge book is an extra challenge for the cubs.  It can only be awarded in the final year and can be done in conjunction with the Lion badge.  The book incorporates some of the trail activities with some of the interest badges.  I would equate it to that of the six star award in Canada.

The Link Badge book is sort of like a welcome and membership to Scouts.  It talks about the Scout Promise, Law and Motto.  It reviews the Scout sign as well as some outdoor skills (axeman ship and knotting) and requires a visit to the troop.  A cub is awarded the link badge at the going up ceremony.

So, that's how the program goes.  I'm still trying to work my way around this different way of doing things and every once and a while I inject some good old Canadian fun, like last week, when I had the kids doing a relay race.  They had to race down a course to a recycled water bottle,  unscrew the lid and dump the 6 marbles inside into a metal cake pan. Then they were instructed to pick them up one at a time, put them back in the bottle and screw the lid back on.  Not such a hard relay until you add the  Canadian twist and make them wear winter gloves.  They loved it so much they made me promise we'd do it again some time. 

And then it hits you

When you hear that you're going to be moving half way around the world there are certain things that you know. You know it's going to be an adventure.  You know there are going to be challenges. You know that there are going to be things that you miss, especially family.
I've heard that every relationship has a honeymoon period.  A period of excitement and discovery.  A period of settling and adjustment.  The same can be said for this adventure.

When we first arrived it was pure excitement.  Lots of new things to see and experience.  Never knowing what was behind the next corner. 

It went on like this for months, the adrenaline rush.  With technologies like Skype and the telephone in a lot of ways I never felt that far away.  The kids are still able to show babcia and dziadziu (grandma and grandpa in Polish) their artwork from school or their newest treasures from our adventures.  They could show off the shell they picked up at the beach or the new curtains in their rooms.  We talk to grandma on the phone every Sunday.

We've kept family present by eating Eggs McUncle L several times a week and the guest room is babcia and dziadziu's room.  There are photos of family and friends around the house and we remember everyone in our prayers each night.  The boys each have their own email accounts to keep in touch with friends.

Somehow, I was coasting along, managing until the middle of September.  And then it hit me. 

Back in the fall of 2010 my cousin got engaged.  We were all thrilled for her. Her fiance (now husband) is a gem.  Fits right into our family.  The first time we met, he got a brief handshake of introduction, but by the end of the visit it was bear hugs from everyone.  When the engagement was announced dh and I had just returned from Germany.  Dh had been at a company meeting of his global team and I had tagged along.  The next global team meeting was tentatively scheduled to be held in South Africa.  So we joked with them that dh may not be able to attend as he might be in South Africa.  My cousin and her fiance said, if the opportunity presented itself that I might as well skip the wedding to go with him.  I told them I would never miss their wedding for a trip.  Turns out I was wrong.

First, I missed the wedding shower, but I worked out a gift with my mom.  I wrote a letter to my cousin and her fiance with product placements for the gift portion.  I did a voice recording and I sent it back home so it could be my voice reading the letter with mom presenting each of the gifts.  It was as close as I could get to being there.  With Skype calls both before and after the shower I didn't feel too far away.

The wedding was a different story. I promised mom I'd send a note via email to be read at the wedding in our absence.  Then I started to write the note or tried at least.  There was so much that I wanted to say, but I just couldn't get the words onto the screen.  The time when mom and dad left to travel to the wedding came and went and no email.  I checked into sending a telegram, but that wouldn't have made it in time either.  So when the words finally came it was the morning of the wedding.  In a last ditch effort to "get it to the church on time" as they say, I sent my message to the reception hall, desperately hoping that they would check their email on a Saturday.  I sent it urgent with a request for a delivery receipt and read receipt, but I never got confirmation of either.  For the 2 days it took, until mom sent an email that the message had arrived in time for the wedding, I was feeling homesick and sorry for myself.

Somehow, until the wedding I had never really felt that far away from home.   As the wedding came and went, I found myself thinking about my grandparents.  3 of my 4 grandparents emigrated to Canada from Poland back in the 1920's and 1930's.  They left their homes and families to forge a better life.  They arrived with nothing.  They did not speak the language.  They had no friends, no support, no jobs.  They only had a dream, determination and a strong work ethic.  Communication with family was by letter mail, sent by ship, taking months to arrive.  If I recall correctly each of them only visited Poland once in all of the decades that they lived in Canada.  Why did they feel the need to leave their home?  Why did they leave everything they knew behind?  It think they wanted a better life, not only for themselves, but for future generations.  They wanted the opportunity to do better and to enrich their lives. 

Our situation is different.  We came to South Africa for a job, spoke the language, arrived with all of the things that were important for us to bring, all of the things that we would need.  We have the benefit of telephones and Skype.  Our communication with our family can be instantaneous.  We know that we will be going home, both during our assignment and at the end. 

Would I have had the courage to do what they did?  Nope.  But, thanks to them I have been given a different kind of opportunity.   So, in the future, when I miss out on some family event or start to get homesick, instead of feeling sad or sorry for myself, I will remember them and be thankful.