Boogerman

Our cat Horace died last week. He had been sick for awhile with some sort of virus that caused his to sneeze, but otherwise led a healthy, happy indoor/outdoor life. He had been our pet for about 15 years. It was sad not to be with him to say our goodbyes. We all made acrostic poems for our homeschool writing session. Jane also made an acrostic poem, but refused to let it be published on the blog. I also wrote one, but dedicated it to my mother who turned 70 May 23rd.


The Tube
By Bruce Iverson

H issing at Max and Jane when toddlers.
O vercome, eventually, by their love for him
R esting peacefully now.
A lways my great friend
C uddling with us often
Every cat lovers’ dream, my horsey boy

Boogerman
By Max Iverson

H e was the best cat in the world
One of a kind
Restful and relaxed
An awesome dude
Couldn’t stop shooting boogers
Everybody loved Horace

Apartment by the Numbers

Apartment By the Numbers
A Bit of Whining

0 number of racks in our oven

6 number of slats that dislodge on the back of the couch when you sit on it.

2 number of resident dogs.

48 the number of degrees of the “hot” water in our shower.

6 o’clock the time we need to start dinner or we can no longer see well enough to cook(unless wearing a camping headlamp)

2 degrees F is the refrigerator that freezes all our food

5016 meters high is Volcan Tunguaraha we can see from the roof on a clear day (last eruption 2006).

2 the number of other families living in our “complex”. (all are related except for us; Sister Mary says Banos makes DePere look like Chicago)

3 the number of times we heat up water on the stove to do dishes (camping style)

1 number of slats broken on our bed so no more than 2 people can sit on it or it will collapse.

6-8 number of roosters that crow outside our window at all hours except dawn.
Many breezes that blow the fresh mountain air through the apartment.

3 dishes of food the neighbors brought over to share with us.

1000’s of people who live in Ecuador without any running water (hot or cold)

countless number of blessings our family has to experience such a great opportunity in Banos , Quito and all of Ecuador (although this is not the perspective of all members of the family)

On the Move

We are off to Baños tomorrow a.m. until June 9th. We will be working with a foundation (FUVERESI)that helps disabled people (autistic children, rehab after an injury etc...). HOpefully the internet cafes there work better than in El Centro by our house. I still can´t seem to load pics from the Galapagos. We look forward to catching our breathe and starting a new routine of volunteering, homeschooling and Spanish lessons while in Baños and catching up on communications. Thanks for all the emails, snailmail and blog comments. Even if I have not replied recently; I will soon.
Beth

Seduced by the Enchanted Islands

Just returned from 8 (7 nights and 6 days on a boat)days in the Galapagos and kind of have that post big event blues. Bruce will exude later how amazing the trip was, the following is Max s (unedited)top 5 list from the Galapagos.

1. snorkeling with all the fish, turtles, sharks and rays
2. lounging on the beach and playing with the waves
3. swimming and playing with the sea lions
4. the people on the boat. (the Sweeds the most)
5. hiking and seeing all the lizards, iguanas, birds, and crabs. Oh and the food on the boat was AMAZING

Worst things (1 and only 1)the heat
wishes I wanted to see the Northern islands