October

So, October came and went, and I did not put anything new here for you to look at.

Partly this is because our cell phone/camera vanished on or about October 14. Without pictures to write about, writing these posts becomes more difficult.

Another reason there was nothing new posted is because in late September I became concerned about the banking crisis. Reading the news about sweeping financial system reform made me very concerned and so I flew back to the United States in a hurry, to make some adjustments concerning matters of financial security. That went well, but remains partially incomplete. Rebecca will make a trip there soon to continue that process.


Lots happens here, but at a slower pace, and much of it does not seem interesting enough to write about. After three weeks of hot showers, I am adjusting with some difficulty to our cold showers here, especially now that it is the Cold Season and temperatures dip into the mid 60s. Soon the nights will be in the 50s and while that sounds very warm for a cold season, without a hot water heater, it makes showering a character building experience.

Oh, the dog! Lots of people asked me about the dog when I was in the US. Enlil is well, and the missionaries that brought him to us returned last night to see how he was. The lady wanted to take some pictures for an after image. I also intended to do that but now must make do with her photos of Enlil until such time as I get a camera again. She is interested in doing some sort of international dog rescue work. I wish her luck, but I fear that everyplace has enough dogs of their own. You can find an dog like Enlil, starved and neglected just about anywhere.

Even so, Enlil is unique to me. Here are some photos.

Enlil when he first got here:






Enlil now:




Enlil continues to guard the yard from all any and all living things that do not live inside the house. Mice apparently escape his notice, however the cats that used to lurk in the yard still visit, though only when Enlil is asleep. One of the cats however is missing a piece of it's tail, and I hope that Enlil is not the cause of the lack. We sometimes take him for walks. I have read that dogs in his situation need a lot of exercise at this point to help rebuild all the muscle that was catabolized during the "lean" times.

While leashed and on a walk, he is almost timid, very aware of cars and bicyclists. I am pleased to say he does not seem to have that irrational hatred of bicyclists that many dogs exhibit. He seems to react to them as moving objects that could run over him. While on a walk, he never barks or growls at anyone or anything including dogs and cats. If there are two people walking him, he likes to walk between, especially if there is much vehicle traffic.

Inside the yard, off the leash, his behavior is different. I have seen guard dogs and in movies and television, I have seen attack dogs. Enlil behaves much like this, inside the yard. Various service personal that come to our house such as butane delivery and water delivery want to wait at the gate until we chain our dog. I think they prefer him to be chained rather than one of us just holding on to his ear or his collar. So, we chain him, and he tolerates this very well. He does not seem to mind being chained up, though probably because he is accustomed to being chained only for a short time.

While I was in the US, Enlil's presence here gave me great peace of mind that Rebecca would be ok while the boys were at school.