Day 20: The tortoise and the bunny

 Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 20: The tortoise and the bunny

This morning I received an email from a friend who bought 160-gallon tank for her turtle, Penny. This reminded me of a time when, back in South Africa, I had neighbors who had a tortoise.

This tortoise, Alexander, would lazily crawl around the garden, sit by the gate watching traffic, or sit for hours in the sun.

Every now and then though, Alexander would get mischievous and park himself on the driveway to the house. When my neighbors, Paul and Linda, came home they wouldn’t be able to drive the car inside the garage because Alexander was blocking the way.

Picking Alexander up and moving him was not an option as he weight in the region of 50 kg (110 lbs) and Paul couldn’t really get a good grip on him. So the only option was to wait until Alexander moved or tempt him with something to make him move.

My son, Dieter, a small boy in the days was eager to meet the tortoise but Paul and Linda were not keen on letting Dieter close to their pet. Even though tortoises are friendly, and recognize their owners, there was no telling what Alexander would do when faced with a strange child.

So we took Dieter to the Bunny and Tortoise Park in Benoni. This park is home to a great number of big tortoises who are used to humans. Small children are even allowed to sit on them.

When we arrived at the park though, Dieter didn’t exactly take a shine to the tortoises, even seemed a little afraid of them. Instead the bunnies had his undivided attention. 

He looked at them, he wanted to catch one, but the bunnies weren’t keen on being caught. They saw him coming and hopped away.

Not getting anywhere in his catching endeavors he turned to mom and dad and pleaded “Can you catch me one?”

We didn’t think we would do much better than him but okay, we would give it a shot. While my ex-husband chased a small black bunny, I went in hot pursuit of a brown one. The both of us walked, ran and even plunged onto the ground a few times in an effort to catch a bunny, but the little buggers were faster than we were.

Tired, dusty and more than a little sore from hitting the ground several times, I eventually, eventually caught the brown bunny and handed it to Dieter. He looked down on the bunny and said, “I actually wanted a white one.” 

Well, thought luck, it had taken me the best part of half an hour to catch the brown one and it would have to do.

If he had asked to hold a small tortoise I gladly would have gotten him one, but catching another bunny … no thank you, those little buggers were way too fast.

Day 16: Are you chicken

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 16: Are you chicken

Just about everyone, at one time or another, has been asked … ‘Are you chicken?’ While some people might be offended by the question, it doesn’t bother me in the least. I am chicken, I freely admit it.

The first time I was called chicken was in Gold Reef City, Johannesburg, South Africa. We were standing in front of ‘The Golden Loop’ and my mother – ever the daredevil – wanted to go on the ride. She turned to my dad who puffed out his cheeks and shook his head. When she turned to me I did the same, with even more conviction. And with good reason.

During the testing phase of the Golden Loop, the carriage had come off the tracks and flown through the air. Take a look at the photo … do you see that flag at the top of the construction? That’s where it happened. Not ones, not twice, but several times. 

No way was I going on that ride.

The second time was right here in Toronto.

For my parent’s 50^th wedding anniversary, I had booked a table in the restaurant at the CN Tower. After our meal, we went to the lower level of the tower where there the observation deck and the glass floor are located. Mom dared me to walk across the glass floor.

Even though I’ve been assured that the floor is strong enough to hold ten elephants, I didn’t risk it.

A few years later the CN Tower opened ‘The Edge Walk’. An adventure where folks walk on top of the CN Tower. Dieter was all for it.

“How about it?” he asked.

I gave him a look. Wild horses couldn’t drag me up there.

“Chicken,” he said.

Yeah well, better a life chicken than a dead chicken.

I mean, look at what these folks are doing up there. Not a hair on my head even considers doing something so ludicrous!

A few days ago my dear son called me chicken again. He’d seen a video online where the camera first shows a normal sized spider and next shows a Goliath bird-eating spider. He saved the video to show me later. Then again, knowing my fear of spiders he thought it might not be a good idea.

“Is it big?” I asked him.

“Oh yeah,” he said.

“Bigger than a tarantula?”

“Much bigger,” he said. “Its legs are 30 cm (11.8 inches) each.”

OMG, that was a BIG spider. Did I want to see the video?

“Let me think about it,” I said.

“Chicken?” he said.

Yeah well, yes, right now I could only imagine the size of that beast, but if I actually saw it on the video … it might give me nightmares.

I debated for 48 hours and finally decided that I didn’t want to see it. Chicken or no chicken. And would you believe it … even though I hadn’t seen the spider, I had a nightmare about it anyway.

So, the next time someone calls you chicken, don’t get upset, go along with it. From one chicken to another, we’re not scared, we’re just careful. That’s my story and I’m sticking to it.

  

Day 15: A Funny Story About a Spider

Between You, Me and the Lamp Post

Day 15: A Funny Story About a Spider

I know, it sounds weird … a funny story about a spider? Funny and spider don’t exactly go together. But it’s true. And there’s no need to run for the hills ladies, I’m just as scared of spiders as you are so there won’t be any pictures of the eight-legged monsters.

The picture you see above is where the following story took place. It didn’t happen to me, but to Ray, a close personal friend. In all the years I’ve known him I never caught him in a lie, so take it from me, this is 100% true.

It happened a long time ago when Ray was still a boy. He was on his way home from school in Barberton, South Africa, on a particularly hot day in December. The road was a dusty brown flanked on either side by corn fields.

At one point, Ray got the distinct impression that he was being followed, but when he looked over his shoulder there was nobody there. He walked a few meters more, looked again, but no, he was alone. Or so he thought.

After yet another couple of meters he turned again and this time he looked down and saw that an enormous tarantula was about three meters away from him. Despite the poor condition of the road and the intense heat, Ray took off like an Olympic sprinter.

When he looked behind him, hopeful to be as far away from the spider as possible, he noticed to his surprise that the eight-legged monster was following him, sprinting with all its might. Ray recalled running even faster, panting and praying for help.

When no help came and Ray’s heart, lungs, and legs could no longer keep up the tempo he knew he had to slow down. But he didn’t want to slow down, he wanted to get as far away from the brown-haired spider that was still following him.

In the end, he had no choice. The temperature must have been a scalding 43 degrees C (110 degrees F) and his body was giving up.

Expecting that the tarantula would be upon him within seconds, he looked back and noticed that the spider had slowed down too. When he slowed down even more, so did the tarantula. Finally, Ray came to a stop and so did the spider.

Ray stood there, looking at the beast, completely puzzled. When he had rested a bit he moved forward and so did the spider. Ray was not in the habit of swearing, but he admitted thinking at the time … well, I’ll be damned. When he increased his pace, so did the spider.

Eventually, a few trees came into view and thankful for the cool of the shade, Ray decided to take a break. He was no longer scared of the spider, as it seemed it meant him no harm.

It was no surprise to him that when he rested under the trees, so did the spider. But this time, when he moved further away the spider remained where it was. Ray moved further and further away, but still, the tarantula did not move. After a while, Ray went on his way and the spider stayed behind.

When he got home and told his family about the spider, his mother nodded with understanding. 

“You seem to know why the spider was following me,” Ray commented.

“Of course I do,” his mother said. “The tarantula was hot and was walking in your shadow to stay cool. You said so yourself that as soon as you got to the trees, the spider didn’t follow you anymore.”

It made perfect sense. The tarantula had walked in Ray’s shadow the whole time and increased its pace when he ran faster and slowed down when he slowed down. As soon as they reached the trees it found another source of shade and didn’t need him anymore.

Ray didn’t like spiders but he had to admit, it was a rather ingenious trick and proved that spiders are smarter than he thought. 

The fact of the matter is, Ray said, spiders are more afraid of us than we are of them.

Somehow I seriously doubt that. As I mentioned earlier I’m terrified of them and I have quite a few spider stories. But that’s for another day.

Day 104: Let’s go Bowling

My Project: 365 Creative Writing Prompts

Day 104: Let’s go Bowling

Those of you who know Dieter and me know that we are dedicated bowlers. There was a time that we bowled three times a week: league on Thursdays, practice on Saturday mornings and more practice on Sunday nights. Whether it rained buckets, blew a gale force wind or froze the balls off a brass monkey, we walked to the bowling alley.

A serious illness forced me to drop out of the league and after a painful back injury, I couldn't even practice anymore. For five months I didn’t see the inside of a bowling alley.

Now I’m back though and to commemorate my return Dieter bought two T-shirts, a blue one, and a red one.

  

The blue T-shirt is typically me … bowling, cursing when I leave the 7 pin, 10 pin, or worse a split, then praying for a spare and doing the whole thing over again. My highest game ever … 257.

The red T-shirt suits Dieter as he makes a lot of strikes. In my opinion, it’s only a matter of time before he makes a 300. That is if he can keep his eye on the ball (so to speak). Whenever he has a good run, with five, six or even seven strikes in a row, he makes a mistake. He then comes off the lane, looking like a thundercloud, moaning ... “I forgot to lift” or “I went too wide”. When I asked him why he forgot to lift or why he went too wide, he merely shrugs.

I often wonder what Dieter thinks about when he stands on the approach. When a bowler gets ready to throw the ball, he/she is supposed to gather his/her thoughts about what he/she is about to accomplish. But what does Dieter think about … lunch, dinner, what to watch on TV, how much money he has in his account … who knows. Still, I’m confident that he will get it right someday. His highest game … 289.

It seems like yesterday when we started bowling. A new bowling center opened in Dalcrest, South Africa and since we knew the city planner, we were invited to the grand opening. I’d never bowled before and the idea of standing on the approach, being watched by everyone terrified me. So, I chickened out.

One year later I got the same invitation to attend the first anniversary of Dalcrest Bowl and this time I did go. I threw my first ball in the gutter, my second ball followed suit. The third ball rolled quite promising, but near the end, he veered to the left and once again ended up in the gutter. I adjusted my standing and throwing position, threw the ball and once again it looked good, only this time, near the end of the lane, my ball veered to the right and … you guessed it, fell in the gutter. I thought it was the most frustrating game I’d ever played.

When a lady approached me and asked if I wanted to join a league, I thought she was joking. In my first game, I hit … oh I don’t know, 25 or 30 pins, in my second I managed to knock down maybe 50, and in the third game, my score was rather similar. What would a klutz like me do playing with seasoned bowlers?

She convinced me though, I joined a league, started working with a coach, and … well, the rest is history. A few years later I was invited to represent Eastern Transvaal in the Interprovincials three years in a row.

Not only did the team do well, but together with Lorraine, I won first prize ladies doubles.

And so now on Saturday, I'm bowling in a fundraiser for the Toronto Cat Rescue. Donations are needed for medical care: spay/neuter and general health of the cats and kittens.

https://www.canadahelps.org/en/pages/toronto-cat-rescue-bowl-a-thon-9/

Namaqualand's transformation

While living in South Africa, a neighbor recommended we should visit Namaqualand. Apparently it was just the right time. I wasn’t sure what she meant by that, but I was prepared to take her word for it. So we went.
The 1111 km (690 miles) was quite a long drive and we hoped it would be worth it. Imagine our surprise when we arrived at our destination and we found a brown colored, barren land. This, this is what we had come all the way for! 

Not that we were alone. There were hundreds of other people there, strolling around, emerging from tents, having breakfast on blankets.

We soon found out that some of the people were reporters and photographers, having camped out at this location for days. According to them, any moment now something amazing was about to happen.

“This happens but once a year,” one of the reporters told me. “One moment there’s nothing but barren landscape, the next a sea of flowers explodes before your eyes.”

Flowers? Where were these flowers going to come from? I saw nothing but soil and rocks.

"You just wait," he said, "just tight and you’ll witness something you won’t forget for the rest of your life." So we waited.

Fortunately, we didn’t have to wait long. During mid-afternoon, dark clouds gathered over Namaqualand and when the first drops of rains splashed on the ground, everyone got terribly excited. 

Within minutes, I could see why. Patches of color started to sprout from the barren soil and the more it rained the more flowers started to bloom. By the end of the day, there were flowers as far as the eye could see.

This video shows the event in a way that I could never explain. Not to worry, you don’t have to watch the whole 51 minutes of it (although you might want to). At the 45 second mark, you can see Namaqualand’s transformation. 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-Gx-aCsURq0

If you prefer photos, this reportage shows some beautiful images.

http://www.atlasofwonders.com/2013/02/namaqualand-flower-power.html

A funny story about a spider

Blogging inspiration is running a little low these days, so a friend suggested that I dig into past experiences and share some of those.

Not a bad idea. So I thought about it and at first I came up with nothing. And then I saw the name Ray, and that gave me an idea … a story about a spider.

Don’t panic, I’m not going to tell you some frightening story. Quite the contrary, I’m going to tell you a funny story.

A funny story about a spider? I can imagine you have your doubts. The words spider and funny don’t exactly fit each other. And you’re right, I’m the first one to agree … spiders are a lot of things, but funny they are not.

Personally I’m terrified of the ugly creatures, but I’m also fascinated by them. So let someone mention the word spider and I’m all ears. And this is where Ray comes in. Ray told me a funny story about a spider. Not just any spider either, a tarantula.

If you have doubts about the authenticity of the story, I can tell you right now, it’s not a lie. Ray was a reverend and in all the years I knew him, I never caught him in a lie, big or small. So here it goes …

It happened a long time ago, when Ray was still a boy in a school in Barberton, (South Africa).  He was on his way home, on a particularly hot day in December, walking a dusty road, flanked by fields of corn.

At one point, he got the distinct impression that he was being followed; but, when he looked over his shoulder there was nobody there.  He walked a few meters more and looked back again, but no, he was all alone.  Or so he thought.

After yet another couple of meters he turned around again, but this time he looked down and saw that an enormous tarantula was about three meters away from him.  Ray took off like an Olympic sprinter, despite the heat and the poor condition of the road.

When he looked behind him, hopeful to be as far away from the spider as possible, he noticed to his surprise that the eight legged monster was following him, sprinting with all its might.  Ray recalled running even harder, panting, and praying for help.  (Even back then he was very religious) and he fully expected help.

When no help came and Ray’s heart, lungs and legs could no longer keep up the tempo, he knew had to slow down.  But he did not want to slow down.  He had to get away from that brown haired spider that was still following him!

Eventually, he had no choice.  The temperature must have been a scalding 43 degrees C (110 degrees F), and his body was giving out.  Expecting that the tarantula would be upon him within seconds, he looked back and noticed that the tarantula had slowed down too.  Weird he thought, and he slowed down his pace even more and the tarantula did the same.  Finally, Ray came to a dead stop and so did the spider.

Ray stood there, looking at the beast, completely puzzled.  When he had rested a bit, he moved forward.  As he moved, so did the spider.  Ray was not in the habit of swearing, but he admitted thinking at the time “Well I’ll be damned.”   When he increased his pace, the spider again mimicked his movement.

Eventually a couple of trees came into view, and thankful for the cool of the shade, Ray decided to take a break.  He was no longer scared of the spider, as it seemed to mean him no harm; but, he was rather fed up with it.  He did not seem to be able to get rid of the hairy beast.

It was no surprise to him that when he got to the trees and stopped, so did the spider.

But this time, when he moved further down under the trees, the tarantula remained where it was.  Ray moved further and further, but still the tarantula did not move.  After a while Ray went on his way, and the spider stayed behind.

When he got home, and told his family about the spider, his mother nodded with understanding.  “You seem to know why the spider was following me,” Ray commented.

“Of course I do,” his mother said.  “The tarantula was hot and was walking in your shadow to stay cool.  You said so yourself that as soon as you got to the trees, the spider didn’t follow you anymore.”

It made perfect sense.  The tarantula had walked in Ray’s shadow the whole time and had increased its pace when he increased his pace, and had slowed down when he had slowed down.  As soon as they had reached the trees it found another source of shade and did not need him anymore.

Ray did not like spiders, but he had to admit, it was a rather ingenious trick, and proved that they were much smarter creatures than he had previously thought.  Ray also used this story as a spiritual lesson.   People too often want to think the worst of others, especially if their appearance is different.   We suspect negative intentions when there really aren’t any intended.  

Now when you see a spider remember, not every one of them is out to get you.  In fact, most will do everything they can to get out of your way.

http://connymanero.weebly.com/

Terrorism in South Africa

James dP posted a picture of mandela this morning on Facebook.  A discussion followed.   I lived in South Africa for 15 years so I know a bit more about the country than those who merely read a book or saw a movie. Susan B remarked that mandela has received the Nobel Peace Prize, so that he must be a good man to receive such an honour.  I did some digging and found the following.  Note how mandela is mentioned to giving medals of honour to torture and kill men, women and children (some babies). Also note how desmond tutu, an archbishop no less, is part of the Truth Commission.  A  commission that gives amnesty to criminals such as torturers, rapists and murderers.      James, Susan, read and look at the pictures.                                                                                                                 How something like this is classified as an 'act of war' and part of a 'justified struggle' by the so-called Truth Commision chaired by 'Archbishop' Desmond Tutu, goes beyond the comprehension of any civilized true Christian. Such monstrous murders of babies like these resulted from landmines planted on private farm roads by 'valiant heroes of the struggle', who, believe it or not, were awarded medals for bravery by President of the New South Africa (Azania), Nelson Mandela. Medals for the killing and mutilation of whole families, innocent farmers, wives and children like this baby. Farm labourers were not spared, either. The photo of the wrecked tractor, which detonated a mine while ploughing, shown in the book "The Other Side of the Story, a True perspective" bears silent witness  to this.                                                                             [image 1] This victim of a necklace murder still has his arms tied behind his back. Although it is unthinkable for the normal human mind that people can dance and chant around a burning and begging human being, it actually happened in more than 400 reported cases. Why? One should ask the so-called 'Mother of the (Azanian) Nation',  Mr Mandela,  what she meant, when she said, quote : "With tyres and matches we will liberate this country", unquote... [image 2] Still another victim of the "necklace" murders by supporters of the ANC/Communist alliance. Note the steel rings of the tyre still around the bodies' neck. All of these people were civilians, and they were murdered for such reasons as "not taking part in illegal strikes", not adhering to party policy and not obeying "non-shopping orders" Many mother's were forced to eat the borax and washing-powder they bought for their households because "they dared to challenge ANC's orders not to buy from whites".           [