Look Who's Home!

I didn't even let this poor girl get a bite to eat after her long day of traveling here from California (they don't feed you on airplanes anymore) before I took her picture. Anahita flew in for Lisa's wedding. Shirin and Gabriel get in tomorrow night. More pictures to come as the weekend unfolds.

Cupps Cafe

Finally Rock Hill qualifies as a college town. Why? We now have our very own slightly sloppy (see the fan just sort of plugged in behind Saeed?!) coffee house across the street from Winthrop. Saeed and I checked it out and even ate lunch there. They have great salads, sandwiches (two vegetarian options), pastries and (of course) coffee. They have wireless access and a cozy environment in which to study, read, or play a game. We felt that it was a bit expensive for what we ate, but the food was good and I suppose if you hung out there for a couple of hours it made up for the "rent" they don't charge. For those of you who know Rock Hill it's in the old Parrish's Flower Shop on Cherry Rd.

He's been open maybe a month or two. Hope he makes it.

I had a hummus on rye and a spring salad. I took this picture for Shirin who always puts her meals in her posts!

The guy said they ordered small tropical fish (see the tiny violet fish) and were really surprised when the big yellow one showed up with the others.

The view across the street is Winthrop dorms:

and:

Quiz: Guess Who?

There may be more than one picture per cat, there may not be an equal number of pictures per cat, and spelling counts!

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Happy Yard Boy

Grinning from ear to ear behind that beard.

Why is my yard boy happy? Because he found out he is allowed to water his outdoor plants. We are now on our 26th day without rain. The temp today is predicted to be 104*F; this will be our 9th day over 100*F. All this is pretty unusual for SC; we are typically not over 100* and expect daily afternoon showers. Water restrictions were announced a week or two ago; no watering of lawns (except twice weekly between 9 pm and 5 am) and no car washing. Apparently some people were ignoring it so now they've announced fines.

Saeed, ever the honest one, has stood by watching his plants cope with the lack of water. He tried once to go out during the prescribed hours but it was pitch black and he couldn't see anything. Yesterday he called to inquire what defined a "lawn;" since we have no grass perhaps ours wasn't a lawn in the traditional sense. The ban apparently is not against hand watering with a hose, since that involves small areas for short periods of time. Hallelujah! Too bad he didn't find this out 26 days ago.

This bush, which was ill to start with, is a goner.

Our elephant ears back in July ....

.... now.

Our baby dogwood tree with it's tag still on.

From top to bottom of picture you can see the ivy as it grows out from under the shade tree into the sun... dark green to light green to brown.

Happily, some of our plants have done well. Saeed has tried to plant some things that are hardy.

Our magnolia tree is doing fine. I just took this picture because these cones are so cool. They're big and fuzzy and drop to the ground to spread their seeds. Wish I had taken a picture of the beautiful white flowers two months ago.

An hour later... still grinning. He does love his plants.

I'm happy to say that the forcast for tomorrow and the next week involves rain. We'll see if they're right.

The Stare Down

Don't let this innocent pose throw you off. There's a reason this chubby girl has squeezed herself between the the posts.
Aha! Banu is down at the bottom of the stairs seemingly sitting politely, however...

... there's actually a stand off at the OK Corral. Before I interrupted with my camera there was an intense stare down opposed by an equally intense stare up. Banu could easily run up before Lupe could extricate herself from the bannister posts, but apparently that's not how this game works.

Our Lives Begin To End The Day We Become Silent About Things That Matter.

Another one of my heroes is Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
(Thich Nhat Hanh was the first I wrote about on July 22.)

He was blessed with the gifts of eloquence and conscience. We all know he had faults, but he can be credited with "walking the walk" and with putting his life on the line. Not long ago I finished a book he wrote called, Why We Can’t Wait. It recounts not only the Birmingham campaign but also examines the history of the civil rights struggle and the tasks that future generations must accomplish to bring about full equality for African Americans specifically and the oppressed generally. Dr. King's eloquent analysis of these events propelled the Civil Rights movement from lunch counter sit-ins and prayer marches to the forefront of the American consciousness. I wasn’t sure I could part with this book but someone wanted it and I thought perhaps spreading his ideas instead of hording them was a better choice. I may purchase a copy to put next to my other books of consequence.

King heard a lecture on Mahatma Gandhi and the nonviolent civil disobedience campaign that he used successfully against British rule in India. He eventually became convinced that the same methods could be employed by blacks to obtain civil rights in America. He was particularly struck by Gandhi's words: "Through our pain we will make them see their injustice."

At the age of thirty-five, Martin Luther King, Jr., was the youngest man to have received the Nobel Peace Prize. I wish he had had more time to do his work. There aren’t enough of us fighting for the needs of the oppressed, the weak, those in poverty. Are we complacent because we’re comfortable? Are we any more tired or busy than he was? Are we in any more danger than he, a black man in the 50’s and 60’s, was? Simply put, most of us just don't have what it takes.

I encourage you to read some of his books. Till then, a few quotes:

Injustice anywhere is a threat to justice everywhere.

It is not enough to say we must not wage war. It is necessary to love peace and sacrifice for it.

The hottest place in Hell is reserved for those who remain neutral in times of great moral conflict.

The past is prophetic in that it asserts loudly that wars are poor chisels for carving out peaceful tomorrows.

The ultimate measure of a man is not where he stands in moments of comfort and convenience, but where he stands at times of challenge and controversy.

We must learn to live together as brothers or perish together as fools.

At the center of non-violence stands the principle of love.

I look to a day when people will not be judged by the color of their skin, but by the content of their character.

I submit to you that if a man hasn't discovered something that he will die for, he isn't fit to live.

I was initially disappointed at being categorized as an extremist, as I continued to think about the matter I gradually gained a measure of satisfaction from the label. Was not Jesus an extremist? An extremist for love, truth and goodness.

Aaaargh! Don't Drink That Water!

My old buddy Kim once gave me a coffee mug that said, "Another cup for my cat to drink out of when I'm not looking." In fact she named her cat "Jose" after her (then) new kitten was found to be dipping his paw to the bottom of her Jose Cuervo and licking the tequila off his paw.
As teetotallers we are still not off the hook. Observe the dippers at work. Advise: never set your glass down and walk away.

Banu:

Lupe:

Perhaps the problem in drinking out of the designated water bowl is that we have swimming mousies and swimming rubberbands at our house. I'm not sure how I feel about the kitties sullying their own drinking water and then seeking out mine.

This used to be a floating candle; Shirin made it for me last Christmas. I tried to float a candle in it but it kept getting in Obi's way.

And here's Gabriel's Christmas present to us two Christmases ago. It serves its pupose well as a drinking fountain, but apparently it's also just fun to watch. Frosty:

Tippy:

Calvin: