Meeting the family...

So, I've become a father again! This time it is to two feisty little Basenji dogs. One is a male, and the other is female (brother and sister). I'm pretty sure the boy's name is Jack, but I'm still torn on the girl's name. I'm sort of liking Daleela, or Sheila, or Lula or maybe Fulana. When you say Jack's name, he sort of looks around, but none of the other names work for the girl.

This is the girl, Lula (?) licking Fernando's face. Lula would be an homage to Tallulah Bankhead, notorious Alabama socialite who threw it all in the face of her traditional family and moved to Hollywood to star in sexy movies, drink whiskey, get cigarrette voice, and dabble in the lesbian arts.


This is a photo of Jack climbing onto my lap. It's the safest place, because there are lots of things to chew everywhere else. Not to mention pee and poo. Even a little vomick in transport cage (and in the back of my car--it was a long ride for them).


Jack is the bigger, lighter colored one. He's also probably the sweetest.

Daleela is darker, smaller, and much feistier. She'll jump on Jack's head without provocation. And bite! I fully expect her to pick up smoking within a month, and cursing soon after.

Now, Jack is feeling comfortable on my lap for 5.6 seconds until he figures out what is so interesting to Fulana on the floor.


But they are awfully cute, and awfully sweet. It's just their first night here--they've had to travel about 4 hours by car, and to add insult to injury, have their vaccinations today too.


So, they're asleep now--let's see for how long!

We love you Mr Havisham!!

So I took my school club back to the orphanage today, and once again found a couple that I want to take home. We sort of taught them about Halloween, and colored pumpkins and made spiders, and got costumed up in crepe paper. This is my favorite vampire (there were a couple of others as well).








Over here on the right is my other favorite vampire, and below is my favorite clown (He looks like a sad clown in this photo). Any of which I'd gladly adopt. I found out today that most of them are not really orphans (of the dead parents type). Instead, most of them have families, and for one reason or another (economic difficulty, court order), have been taken away from their parents--some of them temporarily, some of them only part of the time. My favorite vampire, for example, goes home on the weekends. So maybe I won't be taking them home. Plus, they make me really tired! Maybe I'm too old to be a mother.

I want that baby! I think I got the best one!

Besides, they've got more than they can handle, right? So these were the words running through my brain when I went to visit the orphanage at which my school club (that I sponsor) visits twice a month. The main purpose of the project is to teach the big kids how to be caring and aware of those less fortunate. But I've got Holly Hunter's voice telling me to go back in there and get me one of them babies!

Yeah, I got all that 'help the poor' cred already. No one can say I haven't helped out with some of the poorest folks around. But did you see how cute they are? Isn't it time they started giving back? The little guy in the white shirt didn't leave my side the whole visit. And I like to imagine that some time down the road, people will stop me and say 'aw, he has your eyes!'

Yeah, and I could raise him in Arizona. I do like Scottsdale, mind you.

No, I'm not totally off my rocker, but it was fun for a day, and will be fun to go back in a couple of weeks. And get to know all of them better, spread a little knowledge and some treats. Try to make the bigger kids learn a little something, open their eyes and all.