Drying My Babies

Do you remember lifting your squeaky clean children out of the warm bath and wrapping a soft warm towel around them and gently drying them off? You started at the top and worked your way down to their pink little toes. Well...thats what I did with these the other night when I pulled them out of their hot bath...

A Father's Day Memory

Forrest Spencer Corzine 1911-1971

I was rather startled this morning with a reminder of a kindly deed my father performed when I was in my teens. But it was so much more than just a 'kindly deed'. It was a life saving gift bestowed on a little girl who was, because of my father's kindness, able to grow up and have a family of her own.

Her name was Luella. I wish I could remember her last name. I have often tried to recall it and it just won't come.

She lived across the street from us in a very broken down little house with her family, which consisted of her mother and grandmother and her uncle Wendell who was mentally handicapped [and whom I used to tease on occasion, along with my friends, but that is a blog post for another day]. Luella could only get around on crutches (on good days) since both of her legs bent backwards at the knees. She had contracted polio as a very young child and this was how she was left to cope with life. I had great sympathy for her. She was a beautiful child with long, blonde hair and a pretty face. I was fascinated with how the joints worked (or didn't work in her case) and how she seemed to go about her play as best she could with a patient smile.

My father didn't just wave and cross the street to chat with her on occasion like I did. He seriously pondered her drastic situation and determined to DO something to make her life better. He was a Freemason and as such he had availed himself of the opportunity to become a member of the Al Malaikah Temple of the Shriner's organization in Los Angeles. They sponsored the Shriner's Children's Hospital where orthopedic and burn care was offered free of charge to qualifying children. He talked to Luella's family about the possibilities for Luella. They thought it over and decided that they would like to give Luella a chance for an improved quality of life. Luella was very brave (as those who are handicapped so often are). She submissively and humbly went through several painful operations over the ensuing years, which improved her situation immensely. She never became 100% perfect as to her legs and spine, but was vastly improved by the care she received.

My father didn't stop there - he and my Mom kept in touch with her over the years, often taking gifts and allowing time for visits to see how she was doing.

I guess I didn't really stop to ponder or fully appreciate those momentous events at the time, but took it in stride as something that anyone would do - no big deal. But now as I look back I realize what a really big thing it was. Life saving in fact. Huge in its effect on the life of a very small and frail individual. He may have gained his Exaltation for that one act alone and I just thought it was ordinary. How small and shallow I was.

Happy Birthday Scott! To honor this special day of days...April 15, 2010

Since I can't provide you with a cake, I thought I would give you an eye full of them to enjoy today - along with my best wishes. Perchance the food services there at the City of Hope might have a piece of cake for you - or at least a Ding Dong or muffin with candle to help you celebrate.

You may not remember your first cake



Staff in the kitchen preparing your cake?



Lemon Mascarpone - can't wait to try out the recipe!




Cheesecake Factory Temptations
(You can have your pick of the litter next time you come up)




Now to settle down for a bite...

I love you!
Mom

Londolozi Game Reserve

The anticipation was building to a crescendo over the days I spent in Africa leading up to our 3 day stay at the Londolozi Game Reserve. Touring an African game reserve was something I had wanted to do as far back as I could remember and here I was on the threshold of it.

Tuesday August 9, 1988 "Drove to Londolozi game park. A misty, cloudy day - first such weather since I arrived. As we arrived at the game park and entered the gate we soon began seeing animals. We arrived at the camp at lunchtime. Checked in - had a quick nap and then were off in the land rover for the first drive out. It rained."

I should probably tell you now about the land rovers. If you're like me you'll be asking first off how it works. Do they frighten the animals? The land rovers have no covering so are the tourists in any danger? The animals have grown up on the reserve and therefore have no fear of the vehicles. Even in darkness when the spotlights and headlamps are shining the animals take no notice of them because they are used to them. They do not perceive humans as prey when they are sitting in the vehicles. Sitting being the operative word here - for if you stand up or get out and walk around then you become something that may look like a meal to the big cats. Those who are smart remain seated.

We went out morning and evening when the predators are most active.

The game reserve consists of over 16,000 hectares of wilderness. Trackers sit up at the front of the Land Rover looking for fresh animal tracks, while rangers drive through ravines and thickets in pursuit of elusive animals, all the while thrilling guests with their outstanding knowledge and unforgettable stories.

Many of the rangers and trackers at Londolozi grew up living off the land and therefore have an incredible knowledge of the area and deep cultural connections to the fauna and flora. In addition Londolozi’s rangers specialize in photographic safaris and where possible will position the vehicle for the guest to get the best angle for photographic purposes. We were so impressed with the knowledge our guide had of the animals. His description of the giraffe's 'supphose' was most amusing. The trackers were so in tune with nature they could even tell when a lion was in the vicinity by the call of certain birds who warn other species of their presence.

The cottages at Londolozi were lovely. Since there was no electricity in the game park our quarters were lit each night with gas lamps. We did, however, have hot water for showers. Since the time of our stay at Londolozi the quarters have been refurbished and are a little more lush. But actually they were quite nice at the time. The thatched roofs smelled of the sweet grasses from which they are constructed - very calming as you drift off to sleep. One night I was awakened by the sound of a lion's roar, a convincing reminder of where I was. The lodge doors and windows were reinforced with 'monkey wire' which is impenetrable to the little pests. They broke into the camp store while we were there and ransacked all of the candy!

The 'boma' where meals were served was surrounded by an impenetrable fence of bamboo and other components. Breakfast and lunch were served in the tree house. Monkeys of course lived in the tree as well - so you needed to guard your things. They wouldn't grab and run if you were right there but if you turned your back for a moment they were quick!

We went out night and morning for three thrilling days.

These photos are not our own (sadly I haven't located ours and hope to find them soon) and are from the Londolozi website itself. But the photos represent some of the big game we saw while there. The exception is that we saw a young bull elephant amongst some trees and got quite close - not this mother and baby. The elephants use their tusks most skillfully - breaking limbs and reducing them to bite size pieces.

We saw a lactating female leopard with kill several days in a row. The guide thought she had two cubs - but they were kept hidden understandably. The kill in the tree may invite the question "How did she get it up there?" The short answer is she drug it up with her jaws - we saw her do it. Incredible strength.

The giraffe is one of my favorite animals of all and I was saddened to learn that the young are especially vulnerable to the big cats. We saw a baby giraffe skeleton one day when we were out - a sorrowful sight indeed - but this is the way of nature. Even the lion who is at the top of the food chain knows his limitations and will not get too aggressive with some of the animals, thereby avoiding risk of injury. Hyenas in a group can actually steal the lions kill and they will let them get away with it. The hyenas powerful jaws can devour the bones and all. Apparently they have the last laugh. (Sorry)

We also had the option of going out on a walking tour along the Sand River with a tracker. Phill and I very much wanted to enjoy all the adventure available while there so the 4 of us went. Phill, myself and the tracker. Last, but not least the 4th member of the party - the rifle! We were able to observe a family of hippos in the Sand River. They spend their nights out in the grassy areas grazing and due to their sensitivity to the sun they spend their days in the river relaxing. It's true what they say on the Jungle Cruise at Disneyland. When they yawn and wiggle their ears they're upset - so we tried not to provoke them with our presence. They can come up out of the river in a big hurry if they want to. We think they seem big and clumsy - but they're not at all and can move at an incredibly fast pace. We watched our P's and Q's. As we were walking along there was a rustle in the nearby grasses and the tracker put up his hand signalling for us to stop and remain silent. He checked things out and found it was just a wart hog. No great cause for alarm - but keeping a respectful distance is always a good idea in these parts. This walk was an incredible adventure!

I kept a list of all that we saw while on safari:

Eagles, zebras, sable, diker, wild boar, impala, baboon, kudu, giraffe, water buffalo, white-tailed mongoose, male lions, white rhino (at a distance for safety - very unpredictable), red-tailed oxpecker, waterbuck, wildebeest (gnu), vervet monkey, female leopard, crested francolin, hippo (large family w/male), crocodile, Burchill's cuckoo, hyena family at warren, night ape (very tiny), white-faced owl, male elephant, steenbok, hare, secretary bird, yellow-billed hornbill, lilac breasted roller, squirrel, willow warbler.

If I never have the opportunity to go to Africa again - I have the vivid memories of this marvelous and unique experience.

Excuses, excuses...

When I promised the next issue of my African story last night I forgot I would be attending the play "3 Days of Rain" tonite - in which my daughter has a starring role. And this being a holiday weekend I will be missing in action for a couple of days - so if the few of you who are keeping watch on my blog are watching and perhaps wondering - please note that the next installment will be published sometime Sunday. Londolozi awaits...

Have a good weekend all.

Beautiful People

Zulu village children dressed in traditional fashion. They were friendly and sweet
and in spite of their shyness seemed comfortable with us.

Journal entry Tuesday July 26, 1988

"...It has been my impression so far, looking into the faces of the native people here, that they are a happy people. Not that their lot in life is good but that they have a happy outlook."

In spite of the fact that their lives are hard in the extreme.

Previously mentioned was the fact that while in Africa we were privileged to meet people from all walks of life. They were uncommonly kind and have somehow succeeded in turning graciousness into an art form. I know there may be unkind, rude and indifferent people there as well as here - but I did not meet any.

Worker at the Swaziland Candle Factory which has been set up
to help the natives earn a living. The African women most always cover their
hair with a cloth. This headress is quite plain but most are very colorful and tied
in a variety of ways. I thought their mode of dress most attractive.

In this photo taken at Phill's company picnic - you can see the unspoken love
expressed here as one of Phill's co-workers is holding the sleeping
child of another worker.

I especially wanted to share this photo in spite of the small image of the boy. He is
wearing a straw hat, blue blazer and tie with shorts and knee socks. He is on his
way to school! This is the traditional garb for young school boys. The older boys
wear the same but with long pants. Photo taken in the town of Pietermaritzburg,
South Africa. Children there seemed polite, intelligent and comfortably
conversant with adults.

An authentic Swazi village kept at the National Swaziland Museum.
We arrived just as they were about to close but the native
guide insisted on giving us the complete explanation and tour and
seemed delighted to be able to do so.

The Swaziland open air market was filled with hand made
items. I had a field day! I did not feel it would be
appropriate to bargain with them to get the price down.
I had so much and they so little...and the prices
were already very low.

When we were out away from the city we often saw women carrying items of all sorts on their heads. A huge bundle of sticks for firewood, bundles of laundry, even a 5 gallon jug of water. You know the liquid must slosh around as she walks - but it stayed right on her head. Amazing!

One day we were in a small town that consisted entirely of natives. The women had clothing and other wares spread out on a grassy area and seemed to be carrying on a busy trade. If they noticed us they didn't seem to mind our presence. I felt completely safe.

Another day we went to Gold Reef City and went down about a mile into a gold mine in an open elevator wearing hard hats with lamps on them. We were able to tour the mine and learned that a new language "Funigalo" was created so that the natives (who have among them more than 50 separate languages) could communicate with one another and with the mine bosses.

Phill's friends at Church, his co-workers and literally everyone with whom we came in contact bent over backward to make us feel welcome, at home and truly loved.

Considering all of the difficulties South Africa continues to experience I am, nevertheless, reminded of a quote from The Diary of Anne Frank:

"Despite everything, I believe that people are really good at heart."
- Anne Frank


Tomorrow: Londolozi

Life in Apartheid South Africa

Johannesburg, South Africa

Rather than attempting to give you even a brief overlook of the history of Apartheid in South Africa (although an interesting story it is a little more bleak than I want to get on my blog - plus there are a lot of internet sites that have a pretty thorough treatment of the entire history if you desire further information) I thought I would share just a little of what we saw and experienced and how it affected us during our time in Africa. My husband was working there for 7 months and I was there for the last 3 weeks of that time and we were very blessed during our stay to have a lot of interaction with all walks of life and came away with some definite impressions.

In case you don't know me very well you may not be aware that I have always, as far back as I can remember, entirely rejected the notion that any race of people should be considered inferior to any other and have similarly found the maltreatment of anyone based on that premise to be extremely repugnant. You need to know that about me. It is very much a part of who I am.

Apartheid was in effect during our time in Johannesburg and had been for many years. Some of the rules had been recently relaxed in order that the government might gain greater support among black Africans, but in the eyes of most of the world it was still an ugly and unacceptable rule of law. The United States being a leader in its opposition to Apartheid had set in place strict sanctions against South Africa. Some of those were that none of South Africa's airlines would be allowed to fly into the U.S. Similarly no U.S. airline would fly into South Africa. That fact dictated that I fly to another foreign country that did not have in place those same sanctions. Thus my flight to Frankfurt, Germany and from there to Johannesburg.

My husband had originally gone to Johannesburg to work for a company there on a trial basis. The thinking was that if he liked it after 6 months our entire family would move and take up residence there. This was an adventure that all of us eventually embraced and were excitedly looking forward to. When our 15 year old son first found out he wouldn't be able to get his drivers license there until he was 18 he was not at all enthusiastic about going. Several months after my husband left home for South Africa our son made up his mind that he very much wanted to go anyway. He felt he would have a great adventure and the sacrifice would be worth it. Even our daughter who was attending Berkeley at the time on a full ride scholarship decided she would leave school to take up her education over there until if/when we returned. Our youngest two daughters as well as myself were looking forward to an adventure from the get go. Phill looked at beautiful homes in the area that were quite large, some of them complete with tennis courts, lovely thatched roofs (an endearing style over there - more on that another day) that could be obtained at fairly reasonable prices. He also noted that most of these homes had razor wire on top of their surrounding walls, an ominous sign. In spite of any drawbacks, everyone eventually came on board and loved the idea of going. Yet as the weeks and months wore on Phill felt more and more as if it wasn't a good idea to stay permanently. For one thing he was having to pay taxes in both South Africa and the U.S. This due in part to the aforementioned sanctions. There were a lot of other financial incentives for him to stay in the U.S. After much discussion with me and much prayer he eventually made up his mind to come home at the end of the trial period. We had to trust him on this as he was the one living there and had a clearer picture of the situation our family would be in. Not all signs were bad - but enough negatives were on the list to sway his eventual decision not to stay. Much disappointment all around.

We decided that I would go to be with Phill for the last few weeks so that I could have the opportunity to see Africa - a dream come true.

After my arrival, on our first trip out to the indoor mall for some shopping my purse was opened and inspected by guards at the entrance. They were checking for bombs. The African National Congress (organized by black Africans) was now in the throes of a desperate effort to gain equal stance and power in the South African governmental process. There had been many bombings in recent months and white Africa was being ever diligent.

Phill had been attending an LDS Ward there in Johannesburg all during his stay. The members were warm and friendly. Many families had made a point of inviting him into their homes for visits and meals and now that I was there they graciously included me in those invitations. One of the families had a black African living during the work week in their garage so that it was more convenient for him to work for them. Most Africans lived in townships at that time which was a way of segregating them by law from the white population. The townships had no electricity or indoor plumbing. They were at the extreme end of poverty. Crime and killings were rampant. This gentleman was their friend and they loved and respected him, but due to the law of the land he could not stay in any part of their home other than their garage.

Soweto Township - today it has been much improved and although it
still has its slum areas, it is slowly becoming a much more desirable area.

During my stay as we drove outside of South Africa into such places as Bophuthatswana, Swaziland, Zulu villages and other areas, the homes of the natives were in stark contrast to the average white family's dwelling.

The day we visited Mafeking we were stopped 3 times on our return to Johannesburg at roadblocks that had been set up by soldiers with machine guns and tanks. They were stopping cars due to a recent triple murder and coup attempt in Bophuthatswana and the concern about undesirables infiltrating. A little frightening to we Americans who are used to driving about fairly freely in the U.S.

This is not to say that we did not have a pleasant stay and wonderful experiences there as you will see in days to come. It was the trip of a lifetime for me, but Apartheid hung over the land like a choking pollution.

Tomorrow: The beautiful people