Can You Bear It?

If you're tired of photos of Habu, then just skip this post!

But I just had to share a few more, cuz he's so purr-fectly cute! And I only have a few more days with him before I leave at the end of the season...

Yes, I play hard, but I know when it's time to rest!

Aren't I cute?

Yes, I DO nap hard!

Hmmm! Share a bed with Heidi? I'll have to think about that...

Isn't this just the best position from which to help Mimi with her computer work?

Great spot for another nap!

Anybody See a Resemblance?

Hahaha!

Apologies and Promises... and a Little Kitten!

I am so very sorry for my failure to post much this season. And I have promised a certain someone (Et voilà, Sylvie, je tiens mes promesses!) to post this weekend! Perhaps this will create some blog momentum for me...

So many topics, but I must begin with the story of the kitten rescue that happened about a week ago. Artist Keli happened to be at the right place--outside Medinet Habu, at the right time--just when some adults (not kids!) were nonchalantly abusing a teeny tiny kitten. A woman, one of the vendors outside the temple, picked the kitten up and was showing it around, and then she tossed it into a donkey-cart carrying sugar cane. The three men with the cart then proceeded to throw the poor little one onto the road. Keli yelled at them and whisked the kitty from the road and into the care of the Chicago House Crazy Cat Ladies!

Kitten seems to be in good health, is eating up a storm, and is into extremely heavy kitty sleep. She loves being around (which really means being held by) people. And there are plenty of willing kitty-sitters here. Keli, as kitty rescuer, has naming rights, but since she has not chosen one yet, I have taken to calling her "NoNa", short for "No-Name". This name comes courtesy of my Daily Challenge friends (Thanks, SueSea Q!).

Enjoy the photos!

Keli and Kitten 

Sorry for the poor quality of the photo but once NoNa was ensconced, I couldn't budge!

Running Out of Steam

Day 6 of uninterrupted blog posts! I think it's a record for me, but it's wearing me down... So, one last daily post tomorrow, and then a modified schedule, which will be more like once or twice a week, I hope.

Today turned out to be a bit stressful, but ultimately reassuring. I had been having some problems with my right eye--possibly significant new "floaters" and some blurriness on the right edge. So, I've been worried. Today I got in to see "Oculist" Doktora Fadia. She gave me a thorugh exam, then put drops in the eye and examined me again. I breathlessly awaited her verdict, which was "You are fine, Madame Mary!" She went on to say that I have the very tiny, extremely early signs of a cataract, and that it would not give me any problems right now. She prescribed regular use of sunglasses (luckily I have a prescription pair); an antioxidant vitamin supplement called Selenium-ACE, which I will take for one month; and eye drops, which I will use three times a day from now on.

I am absolutely thrilled that she didn't find evidence of any possibilities that would have been infinitely worse. A cataract I can deal with! In fact, my good friend Bette just had cataract surgery in September, and she says it's a snap. And on top of that, I paid out a total of only 225 Egyptian pounds (150 for the doctor and 75 for the prescriptions). That amounts to about $32!

I do have a few photos for you from CH today:

Buttons lying down on the job

Lovely, sweetly scented plumeria are beginning to bloom

More homegrown watermelons, and some blossoms too!

My newly refurbished shisha--notice the USA colors of red, white and blue! Shokran, ya Amer!

Tomorrow, I will share with you some experiences from our season opening in the Library!

Whew! Made It...

Ha! Bet I had you fooled! "No blog post from her today," I hear you thinking! Well, that was almost the case. But then I uncovered some real possibilities and... I got to go out into town for some errands:

The impressive line-up of trucks on-loading the supplies for Medinet Hbu, which opened today

My shisha/hookah/water-pipe/nargile/hubble-bubble waiting for repair

Tina has been working so hard to prepare the garden at Healey House for the sod delivery! The plastic is to keep the cats from digging up the newly prepared soil.

Wonderful fresh fruit at lunch--the watermelon is from our own garden.

A stop at the gas station to fill our minivan with benzene

One of the things I love about Egypt--all the bright colors!

Bash mohandissa Buttons waiting for the delivery of sod for the Healey House garden

No. 4! But Who's Keeping Score?

I'm not sure how much longer I can keep this post-a-day pace up, but I'm doing my best! These first few posts have to deal with within-the-walls matters, as I will not have an opportunity to venture out until the weekend. Today I can show you the view from my office...

...and some of the bikes which our workers use, both to get around the campus quickly and to commute between their homes and CH...

...and a few of the majestic Washington Palms to be found on the grounds...

...and two more of our coterie of cats, Dusty and Beau...

Dusty the Hierakonpolis Cat

Sitting Pretty

Beau the Wonder Cat

So-named because of his resemblance to Buttons

You'll be pleased to learn, I'm sure, that any cat who decides he or she would like to take up residence here is required to be neutered or spayed. We are lucky to have access to the services of Animal Care in Egypt for these operations.

And finally, a beautifully enameled vintage lamp from the courtyard...

She's Back...for Her 11th Season!

Just arrived in Luxor at about 6 a.m. yesterday morning--10:45 p.m. flight from Paris to Cairo, 5 a.m. flight to Luxor. Exhausted but happy! It's always good to come back "home".

Slept most of yesterday, but did manage a couple of photos of my first close encounter of the cat kind, with Buttons!

After doing a bit of unpacking yesterday (in between deep sleep sessions!) and this morning, I made my way to my office and started the procedure for preparing the library for opening, probably late next week. After lunch, I took these photos of the flora of CH (since I had taken the fauna shots yesterday!):

Milk and Wine Lilies...

...fill the foyer with the most wonderful fragrance!

The breezeway garden at the beginning of the season

See you soon...

Sunny Day

What a difference a day makes! This morning has been mild, breezy, sunny and clear, as opposed to yesterday's haze, smoke and dust. It was a morning for going up on the roof and enjoying my morning tea and the view. The birds were enjoying it too. There were bee-eaters, sunbirds, kites, doves and bulbuls!

And Beau was out-and-about today, too, enjoying the view from the roof.

Is it live, or is it Memorex?

Good friends Alain and Emmanuelle carried Carol Gillott's wonderful portrait of Beau in Paris (at Ladurée) when they arrived at CH:

I think she did a marvelous job! Merci, Carol.

More Hollyhocks and Beau at Play

The hollyhocks (all pink) are going gangbusters here at CH. Here are some of my latest photos:

The previous photos were taken during an early morning constitutional in the company of Beau, the Wonder Cat. It's hard to catch him when he's staying still!

I forgive the little dickens a lot because he's so darned cute!