Ticks, fleas, and Arabic food (but not at the same time)

Wednesday, June 11, 2025

I wrap up academic work before 6 PM. The dogs are ready for sleep, as am I. Maybe a pack of ramen first? Ramen comes in many flavors, many kinds, and from countries across the Asian Pacific. Tonight, I choose "Korean" with half a spice packet and sesame oil instead of the hot oil provided. Good but salty.

Look at all the avocados from our garden! We start giving them away - we trade kinds with our friends who want them. (They may have a different variety.) Our huge tree has grown from a spindly plant on the Porch for years after I planted a pit from an avocado I particularly liked. As soon as we shoved the plant into the garden, it took off. It's been hard-trimmed many times.

The dogs patiently wait for treats and attention. It's always a race to see who can sit by my seat as I work. If a dog gets up, another quickly lays itself down beside me.

Thursday - Happy Birthday, Waldemar!

For Waldemar, it's not a party but a long trip home from a conference in the US. We call a few times before he boards his first of two flights. The sun is shining on the bromeliads, waiting for him.

The morning light glows through an all-red alium.

The houseplants we used to pamper? They get cut back off the guava tree, with leaves ranging from 4"-12" (10-25 cm). The grey-pink leaves on the right are crushed, soaked, and packed into the mouth to soothe toothaches. People here have all kinds of medicinal uses for our former "houseplants."

The pond pot gets yet another coat of concrete before it is covered against the rain. Hopefully this layer will seal its perpetual leaks.

Whenever I'm feeling homesick for Seattle, I look at this pitiful ivy. Our Seattle garden walls are covered in it. Here the plant limps along in its little pot.

I finish my classwork this morning, thank God. But instead of resting, Anton and I spend 3 hours at the vet. After lunch, we hop in the car - poor dog jumps in the back, thinking we're going for the hike that we skipped this morning. Nope.

Side note: did you know that a restroom (called a "toilet" here) can be squeezed into 3'X3' (1 square meter)? I'm as surprised as you when I push open the door at the doc's. Pull up your knees! and don't touch the wall 3" (7cm) away, if possible. There's no sink for hand-washing, but see the tap above the water bucket? A long-handled scoop full of water is normally used as an alternative to toilet paper.

We wait a half hour for the tick-test to be delivered to the little clinic. A motorcycle courier can deliver almost anything - food, clothes, packages, you name it - across the city for 50c-$2. The city is abuzz with GoJek, GoFood, GoSend, and other motorbikes.

The results are processed on the spot. Anton has been bitten by a tick. PakG finds the bite on his head.

That's why Anton is lethargic, and perhaps why we had a "good walk!" He left the cats alone, too. He has small skin hemorrhages and black poop. He starts a 2-week regimen of meds - which he happily ingests, buried in papaya cubes.

All the dogs get anti-tick liquid soaked into their upper backs.

Back home, the women have baked 3 kinds of cookies. It's enough to refill what has been eaten in the last month.

Sooner than it seems possible, the Porch lights come on and night falls. How can it be 6 PM again? The dogs happily go into their crates to sleep.

Friday

We don't walk though the sun is out. The repair of the pot-pond continues. Another coat of cement, which is dry in early morning.

By day's end, it's painted. Oh no! they've painted part of the clay plant stand inside the pot - we've sometimes used it to elevate a bouquet. (I guess that's over!) The paint dries overnight. Over the past weeks, the dozens of fish from the pot swim in 2 old bathtubs at the far end of the yard. I hope they survive the moves. Some are at least 4 years old.

The dogs are supposed to rest and I don't mind a day off from walking 10,000 steps. We stop by the grocer before Anton's 11 AM appointment at the vet for an injection. The meds were not on hand yesterday. He's calm and cooperates.

Avocados get shared by the neighbors. We'll have more in a few weeks but who can eat 50 or 60?! at a time. They're picked green to ripen in a paper bag or on the kitchen counter. If we're lucky, that ripeness gets spread over a few days. When we refrigerate them, the process stops.

Lunch with Dina is good, her introduction to Middle Eastern flavors. We get back after 2 PM to unpack groceries. I'm packing a suitcase as well - what will I need next week?

W's due home in the afternoon. Traffic is typically "Friday afternoon" so his ETA gets later and later - PakG picks him up from the shuttle stop. It's been +26 hours since he left LAX.

Meanwhile Melvi finds fleas on Bailey. So all the crates need washing with bleach and soap. (On and on it goes. Still more reliable than security guards ... ) We haven't had sick dogs before so this is a new thing. It's dogs or guards here ...

We take a short walk before it's time for W to crash into sleep!

Saturday

W and I work through tomorrow's talk first thing, sitting on the Porch in the sunshine. The chore of the day is to finish packing. Travel is more complicated than it used to be. Air tags. Liquid limits. Extra visa requirements. And every country may have different plugs so we need the right adapters for charging our gear.

We try a very short (2 block walk) but Anton starts to huff and his nose bleeds = he has low platelets, which means another trip to the vet. The breeder, on WhatsApp, is a wealth of knowledge. She tells me by the time he has nosebleeds, it may be fatal. She lost a dog that way long ago. The other big dogs go along to give blood for a transfusion. He's at the clinic overnight for observation. Prayers appreciated.

I find a bite on my ankle similar to the spots on Anton's stomach. I'll keep an eye on it, especially since I fly out tomorrow. Meanwhile I print notes, syllabus, and PPT outlines just in case I have a computer meltdown without my tech "expert" along.

Sunday

Church. Shuttle. Airport. That's the plan. Prayers appreciated.

Read more:

*The Lord your God you shall follow, him alone you shall fear, his commandments you shall keep, his voice you shall obey, him you shall serve, and to him you shall hold fast. Deuteronomy 13:4

*You shine like stars in the world, holding forth the word of life. Philippians 2:15-16

Moravian Prayer: Holy Illuminator, we pray that we may reflect your truth and hope, mirroring your grace to guide and stay bright in darkness. Grant us courage to illuminate the path towards your eternal promise. Amen.