Back to the Real World

On January 1st, we returned to Bermuda after visiting for one week with our dear friends Roger, Diane, and Caroline who live in California. Roger and Diane were part of our adoption group 10 years ago when we became new parents in China. Our daughter Abby is now nearly 11 and Caroline will soon be 10. During our vacation with them, Abby and Caroline played computer games like "Heritage of Kings" and "Age of Mythology," emerging only when hunger forced them from Caroline's room. Fortunately, these games are very educational and demand considerable skill...particularly for parents!

Well, back to Bermuda. The "winter" weather has begun in earnest now with a severe thunderstorm night before last. I was awoken at 3:00 a.m. by thunder, lightning, a slamming shutter, and nervous dogs. One of our dogs, Molly, a yellow lab, began to whine and pace back and forth outside of Abby's door. When I let her in, she jumped on Abby's bed and stayed there all night to protect her "puppy."

Speaking of dogs, one the British ladies in the New Islanders' Group told me an amazing story yesterday at a coffee. Back in England, a friend's family was gone one day when the pet gerbil escaped from his cage. When the family returned home, they saw their yellow lab waiting for them with a tail hanging out of its mouth. Of course, everyone's first thought was, "Oh no!" But when the yellow lab opened its mouth, the gerbil was perfectly alive and well...albeit a bit anxious. One can only think that the yellow lab "understood" that the gerbil wasn't supposed to be outside its cage and had scooped it up to keep it contained until the family returned.

When we moved to Bermuda, we brought three of our animals: Jacoby (Abby's cat), Molly (the yellow lab), and Shadow (a Patterdale Terrier). Bermuda is very strict about what breeds can be admitted to the island and each animal's vaccination history has to confirm to an exacting protocol. After bringing three animals into the country, I can say with some authority that it is a task that should not be undertaken by the faint of heart. Major stress, but achievable. We immediately put in Invisible Fencing so the dogs could run around and play in their own space.
Here are photos of the critters (see above).