January 7 Iran and current

Memories of Iran

I drove from Paris to Iran, in the late 70s. With my luck, the revolution broke out the very day we crossed the border into Iran from Turkey. Of course we had the radio on, but who understood it? Not my Irish friend Bernard, and not me - though I did speak a bit of Farsee.

We got to Isfahan at nine, and curfew was at nine. I talked a soldier into letting us drive to mom and dad' s house. We were followed by two tanks and six jeeps, each with guns trained on us.

We came around the big circle, and the command was barked to Stop! Berhnard didn't understand, and kept going. I yelled at him to stop. Immediately there was something cold in my ear - the muzzle of a machine gun. I peed the seat of the car. We heard sporadic gunfire as we drove home.

My mother was shocked when we drove up at ten. "Only you," she said. "They're shooting people left and right and you just drive right in!"

Current Day

It snowed for once last night. It is so beautiful here, we live in a preserve, the Radnor Lake preserve. It's all hills and forest. And so white right now, that the deer can be easily seen in the forest at the bottom of the hill. Normally you can only see them when they're on the grass, nibbling the grass.

We also have foxes, possums, all the normal stuff, and coyotes. Several years back, I used to feed what I thought was a baby fox. He was so cute. He'd just stand there staring until I fed him leftovers on a paper plate.

He was strange. He'd stand part way down the hill, and stare me right in the eye. In a couple of months, he grew so much we realized he was a coyote. He still stared at me, on the edge of the hill, every night. He'd stare before he was fed, and he'd stand there afterward. Strange animal.

Jokers

On Joker's, we are all worried about Bilbo. He had a toe removed, and they're looking at the one next to it now. Hopefully just one removed.

Oh Jeez, just read in the Animal Corner forum that chihuahuas are being airlifted from California to New York. Evidently they're piling up in the shelters in CA, thanks to cute dog movies. Here's hoping New Yorkers take them. I hate reading things like this.