These musings will be random as something in a book or a conversation or a movie or video prompts a post–might be educational, advisory, just off the top of my head or even political or theological………..maybe even a recipe for folks working internationally as well as friends in North America!

20 January 2024–Snowbound–Day 6

The temp has not gotten above freezing –one morning it was 2 degrees–since Sunday, but the 8″ of snow is down to 2 or 3 inches in many places.  Our little street never gets scraped and there is still ice and snow on it although occasional traffic goes up and down. Our cars have not moved. Just checked the mailbox and there has been no pick-up or delivery for at least 2 days–what happened to “neither rain, nor sleet , nor snow….”? This morning it was 8 degrees but warm weather is coming Monday and Tuesday the high might get to 60 degrees!!

Forced home confinement means the Christmas cards have been read, addresses verified,  and tallied and my 2023 income tax records are on the table in front of the TV, ready to be organized while mindless programs run in the background. The final episode of Reacher, Season 2, aired yesterday and now I have to wait (hope) for a Season 3. Even though I had read the book, many details were forgotten and all 8 episodes entertained–highly recommended if you like thrillers  and a good story line and aren’t put off by violence. Not sure how Lee Child’s consistently produces.

When searching some some evening viewing (when no college basketball was on), we ran across Caedfal. Derek Jacoby played superb Claudius in the late 1970s PBS series. His Caedfal is similar and engaging–it’s an old series but was quite fun and we’ll watch more of it, I watched it years ago and have read a number of the Ellis Peter’s Caedfal books which I recommend if you enjoy medieval settings for mysteries.

16 January 2024

With 7-8 inches of snow in our yard and a temp of 15 degrees, blogging again after many months seems appropriate—snowbound!!

Sharing about streaming series, books, and movies is always fun plus offering opinions on anything whether I have any expertise or not.

Currently, my streaming obsession is Season 2 of Reacher on Prime (yes, I’m helping enrich Bezos)—I’ve read all the Lee Child Reacher books, including the book that Season 2 is based on –Bad Luck and Trouble.  The episodes come out weekly and it’s the first series I’ve watched that I’ve had to wait for the next episode.  This Jack Reacher actually looks like the Reacher in the book—casting Tom Cruise for Reacher in the movies was a poor choice for a man-mountain character described in the book.

Ted Lasso might be one of the best series ever—sad that it appears Season 3 was the last. Somehow, foul language is de rigueur in most TV shows for ages 13 and above.  Blatant sex as well.  Folks wanting to ban books don’t seem to care about what is broadcast.  

Speaking of book banning, my favorite stories are those about communities where some clever person starts showing all the sex, violence, treachery, incest, murder, and betrayal in the Bible. 

The series “Succession” won several Emmys in the drama category a few days ago and I’ve started watching it. Not bad so far but a number of the family-linked series—law, business, etc., have a similar feel for characters and interactions.

Movie Reviews—Really personal opinions

Highly recommended is “Elvis.” Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker received some poor reviews but I thought he was great—didn’t even recognize him. Elvis’ music always entertains and Austin Butler sang although some melding was done of his and Elvis’ voices. Butler won several awards and a well-deserved nomination for an Academy Award as best actor.

Directed by a woman, “Barbie” has grossed about 1½ billion dollars.  I waited till I could stream it for free and was glad I didn’t pay to watch it—I fell asleep in the middle but did see most of it.  In some ways the movie was like a cartoon with actual humans rather than toons—so much pink!  The plus of the movie is the strength of the women Barbies in relation to men but the underlying theme seemed to be about a doll’s fear of being —and then desire to be—human. Maybe I should watch it again and to stay awake throughout.

“Asteroid City” had greater appeal because of our September road trip across the US that included a stop at Arizona’s Meteor Crater. This movie had a toonish feel and was a combination of road trip and sci-fi.  

Streaming offers access to hundreds of movies and I watch some.  More opinions later.

27 September 2023

So much has happened in Nashville and globally since I blogged in May that I’m not sure where to start. The aftermath of the March Covenant School incident 2 miles from our house where 6 persons–3 children and 3 adult–were gunned down with an assault weapon stays in our conscience due to the red and black ribbons tied to mailboxes all over Nashville including our own. Although much rhetoric came out of our governor’s office about proposed gun legislation in a special Tennessee session, nothing occurred.

The pleas for funding of the coming 2024 presidential election plus candidates across the US and petitions to sign for gun reform, assault weapons bans, school lunch funding, etc., etc., fill my text messages and my email DAILY!

As I type, I’m watching the HBO documentary series Savior Complex that premiered today about Renee Bach, the young woman who created an NGO to feed and treat children in Jinja, Uganda. Although feeding malnourished children was original goal, she began offering medical services while having no medical credentials. Those without HBO can read the NPR ( https://tinyurl.com/mthcufkp ), Rolling Stone ( https://www.rollingstone.com/tv-movies/tv-movie-reviews/savior-complex-hbo-renee-bach-uganda-serving-his-children-missionary-1234831305/ ), and Wikipedia ( https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Serving_His_Children ) articles. Likely none of these will be positive about this mission/NGO enterprise that has been closed down.

Highly recommended book: The Covenant of Water, 736 pages by Abraham Verghese, set in the Kerala area of southern India, tells an engaging family saga of early to mid 20th century. Verghese’s previous book Cutting for Stone was also a terrific read.

Entertaining movies: Elvis with Tom Hanks as Colonel Parker (I didn’t recognize him–saw his name in the final credits) and Hey, God, It’s Me, Margaret (film version of Judy Bloom’s book for kids) were both viewed on a plane and are recommended, especially the first if you love Elvis songs.

Seeing America: Last Friday we returned from a 4600-mile road trip around the US starting here in Nashville and through Kentucky, Missouri, Kansas, South Dakota, Wyoming, Utah, Arizona, Texas, Oklahoma, and Arkansas. Stops included the Badlands, Mt Rushmore (the clouds parted just long enough to get a glimpse of the faces), Crazy Horse Memorial, Yellowstone, the Tetons (they still have small glaciers!), Jackson Hole, Salt Lake City, the Grand Canyon, Meteor Crater, the Petrified Forest, and in Arkansas, the Christ of the Ozarks in Eureka Springs and Crystal Bridges Museum in Bentonville. This trip was in the plans for 20 years after a similar trip with my mother and cousin on the way to our son Van’s wedding in Colorado when John flew.

20 May 2023

While tweeting and Facebooking and writing congresspersons to ban assault weapons as well as trying to ward off thoughts of the possibility of an economic Armageddon in the US, mindless TV viewing and intriguing books provide a mental escape hatch.  As I work my way through British police series such as Morse, Lewis, Vera, Midsommer Murders, and the like, Ted Lasso on Apple TV—set in London but not a crime show– might be one of the best—funniest—series ever.  

The following are my favorite books of the past month or so.

Armageddon: What the Bible Really Says about the End by Bart D. Ehrman   (2023)An obsession with the end times that began decades ago by a number of Christian groups has an outsized influence on public policy.  Must read if you ever wonder what drives Christian Nationalism, lack of concern for climate change and global warming, and even US foreign policy at times when certain groups are in power.  For 2 millennia groups have been waiting for the end of the world as we know it and the Christian groups in this camp are heavily influenced by their interpretation of the New Testament book of Revelation and the Hebrew Bible book of Daniel.

I Fired God: My Life Inside—and Escape from—the Secret World of the Independent Fundamental Baptist Cult  by Jocelyn Zichterman  (2013).  The last chapters could have been written last week—not 10 years ago—as she warms about Christian nationalism, fear of the government (although the schools named let students the government loans) and Democrats, and believing about living in “the last days” before Jesus returns.  This biographical account of a woman who grew up in Independent Fundamental Baptist churches offers a horrifying peak into a totally hierarchical and patriarchal Christian denomination wherein women are under the domination of fathers and husbands in every aspect of life from cradle through higher education.

Veritas, by Ariel Sabar. (2020).  If true crime in the  academic community relating to controversial papyrus fragments that might change the Christian faith landscape excites you, Veritas is your next read.

4 April 2023–Senseless tragedy

The March and early April weather has devastated communities across the country. Several storms have passed through Tennessee in the last two weeks but our street was spared although the neighborhood had some big trees and huge branches down.

The biggest “unnatural” disaster was the school shooting 2 miles from our house at the Covenant School here in Nashville last Monday, 3 April, where 3 9-years-olds and 3 adults were murdered with an assault weapon.

On Thursday, the 6th, friends and I joined more than a thousand people, including many high schoolers, at the TN State Capitol to protest TN’s lax gun laws and demanding red flag laws, safe, storage, and a ban on assault weapons. Yesterday, many high schoolers in this area walked out of school and rallied at the State Capitol once again for the same issues. The conservative politicians who–I believe– have a super majority here are refusing to admit there is a problem and they are working to further weaken the already lax TN laws–they say they can’t do anything beyond thoughts and prayers and making gun ownership even easier. We need to know how much funding each of them gets from industries that profit from everything from guns themselves to all the safety equipment that is promoted as well as security agencies that will be asked to find more armed guards for schools. A growth industry with no data that it will save any lives. And we know the 10-ban on assault weapons saved many lives.

Death and taxes…Finally this morning I sent to my tax person all the efforts of the past month in pulling together tax info, receipts, forms, etc. My biggest mistake was ditching my 2022 paper calendars that would have made organization so much easier.

Clover seed report–A few patches of clover are peeping up. Grandkids are coming to visit and they will get a chance to plant some–our yard has plenty of brown spots to fill–had the first mowing yesterday–am planning to cut back on mowing this spring/summer and let grass (well, weeds, clover, unnamed ground cover) get taller between cuts.

College basketball season finally ended last night–sad to see the San Diego State Aztecs fall to UConn. I wore my Aztecs shirt all week–no magic. Congrats to women LSU team–what a night! Go SEC!

21 March 2023–Spring returns, sort of

The weather has been below freezing in the morning but warming up a bit during the day. The clover hunt turned up a few tiny 3-leaf plants today–I threw out some more clover seeds today in hopes the predicted rain will help.

The Women on Track meeting today discussed the Tiara Syndrome–the theory that women believe hard work and being effective in their work will lead to success and advancement. Turns out this doesn’t work unless women are more proactive and self promoting. A number of strategies were suggested. This group helped me tremendously in years past with similar programs that encouraged sharing accomplishments (other persons, not just mine) rather than waiting for persons in leadership to notice.

19 March 2023–27^oF^—Brief snow flurry at 7:20 am

Hoping today to get taxes is the right format for the tax professional.

Every day I go out and look at the brown patches in the lawn where we sewed clover seed last week to see if any tiny leaves are poking up. I may see a few but the cold weather isn’t helping. Our yard is weeds and very little grass, but it’s green–except the brown spots. When it get warmer, we’ll put out more clover seeds–I bought 2 pounds. Clover supposedly feeds bees and butterflies and will help save the earth. We fly so frequently that it will require much clover and many low-watt light bulbs to offset our carbon footprint.

The Oscar nominee movie for today–Triangle of Sadness–the main characters appear to be a male model and a female model couple who take a luxury cruise with a group of wealthy guests and wherein everyone on board suffers a fancy dinner in a rough sea with vomiting (except the drunk captain played by Woody Harrelson and an oligarch, both immune to the rock ‘n roll) and other undescribed exciting adventures so as not be be spoiler. Fortunately, it was included in my Hulu subscription–no extra charge. Easy to see it’s lack of awards. Rotten Tomatoes classed it as a comedy–I’d vote for disaster movie. Somehow it won a Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival last year–likely based on the last hour inspired by Gilligan’s Island (message me if this reference is beyond you).

18 March 2023–Basketball, more tax organizing plus viewing comments

Vanderbilt men’s basketball news–Vandy beat Michigan today 66-65 in the NIT with a come-from-behind rally in the final minute of the game. Proud of their first round win over Yale, too.

Explain to me why we don’t get to calculate hours spent on tax prep and get some kind of deduction. I pay the tax consultant and that used to be deductible–I think. Many Tennessee schools are on spring break this week–I’m assuming that’s why I haven’t received an answer from my tax person to several questions emailed 4 days ago.

Several friends recommended The Queen’s Gambit about a female chess prodigy. I thought it was a movie but it turned out to be a 7-part miniseries available on streaming and I finished it yesterday. Why do I think everything I’ve watched recently is too long? Guess these filmmakers get paid by the hours of screen time. Fortunately, with streaming one is able to stop and start whenever one wishes. Our cable TV in Botswana had that feature for regular programming. My preference is still for programs that have one plot per episode–my theory is that explains much of the Law and Order success. Another great series is Midsommer Murders that has run for 20 plus seasons. Those British episodes tend to be an hour and a half–about like a movie before the current 2+ hour style.

17 March 2023–Saint Patrick’s Day and taxes

Another day of tax organization and Oscar nominees–today’s was The Fabelmans about a coming-of-age filmmaker wannabe. Those of you tempted to pay the $5.99 to stream it as I did, just wait till it’s out for free. Steven Spielberg directed–it’s not Jaws or Raiders of the Lost Ark, or E.T. Over 2 hours of family and high school angst is about 30 minutes too long–the proselytizing scene (likely make some of u want to see it) and beach volley ball were highlights.

The PBS 2021 version of All Things Bright and Beautiful, the James Herriot vet series set in Yorkshire, was recommended by a friend and is reasonably entertaining; but I still prefer elegant murder mysteries or police procedurals such as Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache in Three Pines or Agatha Christie’s Poirot and Miss Marple or Colin Dexter’s Morse or its outstanding spinoff Inspector Lewis. The books that inspired these are also excellent and highly recommended.

16 March 2023–Tax organization season

The annual “gather tax records and receipts celebration” began this week and I make it slightly less ornerous by watching Academy Award nominee movies and other mindless offerings on my many subscribed streaming services delivered via my Fire stick.

Google fiber came down my street over a year ago and I signed up immediately and dropped the cable internet service. Finally bit the bullet (yes, an overworked cliche) and called AT&T a few days ago to cancel our last remaining cable service–I demoted our cable channel choices many months ago to save money but feared streaming might not bring in everything we might want to view. I was wrong–my Hulu package offers live sports and news. I haven’t turned on the cable in a year except upstairs and in the library where we have 2 old bulky 30 plus year old TVs with no HDMI slot for a Fire stick.

14 March 2023–More Academy award critique

Just watched the animation nominee Puss ‘n Boots: The Last Wish and it ranks above Everything and below Wakanda. Puss was a lovely accompaniment to sorting through tax receipts and waiting for the semi-annual heat and air inspection. Next was Mrs. Harris Goes to Paris which turned out to be nearly as good as Tár. Excellent acting and lovely story line–filmed in Budepest, London, and Paris. Guess the Oscar choosers prefer special effects over elegant sets and plots.

Below are my thoughts on the first 3 nominees viewed–

13 March 2023

After watching Wakanda Forever yesterday before the Academy Award winners were announced and after just finishing Everything Everywhere All at Once knowing that it swept all the top categories, I’m puzzled over exactly what the committee finds “best in show.” Both of these films were too long for me but 30 minutes on the cutting floor for Wakanda and an hour plus for Everything might have improved both in my opinion. At least Wakanda grew out of comic book characters and provided extraordinary visual effects. Everything offered fairly interesting special effects but it seemed in the final 20 or 30 minutes to become a sci-fi Hallmark movie. I won’t spoil it with too much info, but I’m glad I could multi-task during the film by organizing my tax receipts.

All I ask of a film is–if I paid $15, would I have been entertained and gotten my money’s worth. Yes, to Wakanda and Tár and a definite no to Everything. Actually, I streamed all 3 of these films and Tár was 2 standard deviations superior to the big winner. Maybe the Oscar committee thought Cate Blanchett had enough trophies already.

Below was the start of a Swiss adventure that began with a wonderful few days with the Swiss Tarpleys and ended with nearly 2 weeks in “COVID jail” in 2 different Swiss hotels as John and I had sniffles that turned into COVID positive. The first hotel was in a ski village and the last week was in a Geneva hotel near the airport.

Updated 12 March 2023–after a year + break…………..

March Madness has allowed Vanderbilt men to win an SEC quarterfinal game over Kentucky but lose yesterday to TX A&M. What a ride the last 11 or 12 games have been, and now we’ll watch the NCAA bracketing to see if we get picked or maybe go to the NIT.

Good news Dept.: Vinyl records outsell CDs for the first time since 1987 https://tinyurl.com/2p83hpcx

Thoughts on the Oscars upcoming–Having watched only one nominee–Tár–I have little experience for a opinion. Cate Blanchett’s acting in Tár was exceptional and the movie quite engaging as I watched at home on streaming. Elected not to pay $20 to view another nominee.

Star Date–17 January 2022–Geneva, Switzerland–Hoping to fly to the US on Friday if we can get negative Covid tests on Thursday. International travel is difficult.

Ted Lasso, the Apple TV series, has been the highlight of our Geneva time so far. Highly recommended!!

Watching high-level professionals get excited about Wordle [https://www.powerlanguage.co.uk/wordle/ ] according to their reports on Facebook and Twitter provides comic relief–OK, I did one and it’s sort of an “adult” or kid Hangman, if I remember Hangman correctly (one FB post revealed that parents and kids compete each day). Likely the New York Times crossword and spelling bee will continue as my time filler.

“Don’t Look Up” is a highly-recommended Netflix movie—watched it 2 days ago—great cast—funny and scary –and reviewed in Scientific American. “Don’t Look Up Illustrates 5 Myths That Fuel Rejection of Science. The farcical allegory of climate change shows the pitfalls of relying solely on technology and misunderstanding scientific certainty.” https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/dont-look-up-illustrates-5-myths-that-fuel-rejection-of-science/

Other current movies enjoyed recently include “Dune” and “Guardians of the Galaxy” with the Swiss family Tarpley and the Disney movie “Jungle Cruise,” recommended by an adult friend. Older movies that have been entertaining include two Jack Reacher films that were surprising true to the books that I’m addicted to. I love the “Equalizer” films and have rewatched them and have enjoyed the new Equalizer TV series but haven’t decided if I’m going to pay to watch more episodes–somehow I saw the first 2 or 3 for free. After a steady diet of Christmas movies over the holidays and before Switzerland, my favorites now are action, adventure, mystery, and crime.

Last week from Leukerbad I restarted the Covid Info Digest after a holiday break of several weeks. We got to Geneva by train last Friday and tested positive for Covid Saturday although we both feel fine. Got lots of time to read and watch films and surf the net.

Book Review: Bad Blood by the Wall Street Journal investigative reporter John Carreyrou tells the story of recently-convicted Elizabeth Holmes and Theranos, the company she created and funded in Silicon Valley with fraudulent methods supposedly to revolutionize blood analysis. This book reminded me so much of Blind Eye: How the Medical Establishment Let a Doctor Get Away with Murder by James B. Stewart about Michael Swango, a murdering doctor, who got away with killing patients in the US and in Africa. Terrific read and demonstrates how people can ignore the obvious.

Star Date–15 November 2021–Nashville, TN, USA–In state with high Covid count, low vaccination rate, and state leaders such as the governor who don’t want mask mandates regardless of the science.

The jackhammers are at work in the basement as the dry out process begins. Hopefully will be done by tomorrow evening. After arriving in Nashville on the 10th of August, house upkeep has occupied much our time. Our friend from church made another stop to pick up some excess furniture from the basement for our church refugee ministry.

Star Date–23 October 2021–Nashville, TN, USA–In state with high Covid count, low vaccination rate, and state leaders such as the governor who don’t want mask mandates regardless of the science.

Covid continues to affect everything and how folks have been convinced that vaccination is some sort of government plot to harm persons is hard to comprehend. But when one lives in a state where the governor announced that children don’t get covid, it makes a strange sort of sense. Some people don’t know that the shots are free and that suffering from a severe case of covid that requires hospitalization can be bankrupting. The saddest deaths are those of health care professionals and school teachers.

After living in the States for 2 1/2 months, being in our own house continues to be a joy even though repair persons visit on a regular basis as we clean the basement in prep for the dry out trenching in November. A church friend who works with our refugee resettlement ministry has helped carry out and haul off items stored there over the past 20 plus years–everything from baby items to clothing, linens, furniture, housewares, etc., etc. Many Goodwill trips helped reduce the library in addition to debriding filing cabinets of old tax and bank records for shredding as well as finding old school records, family and friend photos have proved many memory lanes trips. Mailing photos and letters and papers and books to our kids and to friends and family has been such fun.

John started his “part-time” gig with the Pan African Academy of Christian Surgeons as academic dean on September 1st–he spends hours each day on Zoom or the phone in committee meetings and conferences. In November we go to a medical missions conference in Louisville.

Star Date–9 September 2021–Nashville, TN, USA–In state with high Covid count, low vaccination rate, and state leaders such as the governor who don’t want mask mandates regardless of the science.

A month ago today we flew from Gaborone to Johannesburg and on to Atlanta and Nashville. The flight from J’burg included several folks (men and women) who had been hunting in South Africa and it was impossible to avoid hearing them discuss their kills–zebras !!!!, antelopes such as sables, and other equally-harmless wildlife. One man did say he got a buffalo which is quite dangerous, but the thought of shooting zebras somehow seemed akin to going to North Carolina and shooting those wild ponies. Hunting is legal in parts of Africa in certain areas such as private reserves but still seems barbaric rather than sport. Years ago I saw a mounted giraffe head on its neck and thought that anyone can shoot a giraffe–it is not sport–they often wander around near people’s homes and cause no harm.

After arriving in Nashville and settling back in our house that we just walked out of on 2 July 2016, we started taking care of various non-emergency but needed house repairs. So far the plumber, window cleaners, electricians, tree trimmers, basement dry-out services, and gutter repairers have visited. Our perpetually-wet-when-it-rains-hard basement will get the inside trench process in November and requires everything around the basement walls to be moved away at least 3 feet. Because spce was available, we stored many things that likely needed to be given away or even tossed out. The past 3 weeks have been used to clean out unneeded books (some mailed to friends and charities and many to Goodwill), baby items leftover from grandchildren, household items such as kitchenware and excess Christmas decorations, and unneeded clothing.

Star Date–2 September–Nashville, TN, USA–In state with high Covid count, low vaccination rate, and state leaders such as the governor who don’t want mask mandates regardless of the science.

Since leaving Gaborone, Botswana, on 9 August, events that stand out include good flights, contact with friends and family, and settling in to our new (old) home base in Nashville. Getting our required Covid test is Gabs for the flight on Airlink to Johannesburg as well as to board the Delta flight to Atlanta and Nashville was organized and efficient. Our 10-hour layover in J’burg in the comfortable Shangololo Lounge ( we subscribe to Priority Pass that works in many airport lounges globally) offered food, drink, and wifi. The Delta plane was only half full so we had each a row to stretch out on and get some sleep. Getting through customs with our Trusted Travler status was the fastest ever and all 6 bags arrived.

Star Date –5 August 2021– –Lockdown Day 487– Internal travel permits required. Covid cases are rising and deaths, too.

Countdown to departure–4 more days. Every day I check both Airlink and Delta to see if our flights are posted and on time. Currently, we are eating out the freezer and frig. I made one last grocery run last week and likely overbought on fresh veggies but will just give away anything left over. On Friday, women come to clean–they work for the apartment complex here. I’ll get them to clean the frig. On Tuesday the owner of the apartment came over to check that all the furnishings were in place. No problems.

Tomorrow afternoon the surgery colleagues are having a little coffee for John’s last day although officially that was last Friday. These 3 years have been productive and we’ve made some life-long friends.

Star Date –30 July 2021– –Lockdown Day 481– Internal travel permits required. Covid cases are rising and deaths, too.

Book Review: Am reading Forget the Alamo–a history of Texas before independence and statehood and the settlers’ early efforts to preserve slavery in order to make money growing cotton at a time the Mexican government was making slavery illegal–in the ealy 1800s!!! Who knew that Mexico was morally ahead of the US at this period? Somehow those Davy Crockett TV shows and movies may not be telling the whole story. Jim Bowie is described as a bad actor. The term “critical race theory” (CRT) has a technical academic definition but very few who wish to pass laws that forbid its teaching in schools of all levels could accurately define it. The CRT controversy seems to put fear in teachers who wish to share documentable American history which discusses those unfavorable periods of the American story that describe the horrors of slavery and the unfair and illegal treatment of the original inhabitants of the North American continent.

Today is John’s last official day at University of Botswana and he has 2 weeks of terminal leave till 15 August when his contract ends. I continue to check our flights daily on Airlink and Delta for any changes.

Star Date –24 July 2021– –Lockdown Day 475– Internal travel permits required. Covid cases are rising and deaths, too.

Three dinner parties with fully vaccinated folks (one at a friends’ house, two here in our apartment) and a lunch with friends today at the Bull & Bush, Gaborone’s first pub, are the highlights of the week. Only 16 days till we head to the airport for Johannesburg and on to Atlanta and Nashville–I check the schedules every day for our local carrier from here to J’burg and also check Delta for the Atlanta leg–so many cancellations and changes have happened to friends traveling in the last few months has us very cautious. Also rules can change about how long a negative Covid test is valid for (72 hours currently). A big lab here can do same-day tests so we’ll go early Sunday morning and then start the travel early Monday morning and hope there are no surprises.

For 3 years I’ve been on quest to find Botswana football team shirts. No luck. But last week as I was returning from the bank at the River Walk Mall trying to get the online banking working, I walked by a sporting goods clothing shop and asked if they had any shirts that said “Botswana.” They did–only smalls and mediums for the Botswana Football Association team but a few for local community teams in larger sizes–I bought 35—they were on sale down from the equivilent of $60.00 to about $13.00. The season last year was never allowed to start so they figured it was time to clear them out–my good luck.

The rising Covid cases in the US (and globally) are disturbing as we get ready to return to a state in the bottom 10 of vaccinated citizens. Even more discouraging are the cases of Covid contracted by vaccinated persons. I’m planning to wear a mask frequently indoors and will be selective about outside events if there are crowds. I have cautioned our church about having any unmasked services–guess I just don’t trust the mask honor system plus we now know that vaccinated persons might be contagious if they contract Covid. If I personally know people are vaccinated, I will remove my mask inside, but these are with very small gatherings. I hear some persons who spoke loudly on the media against vaccinations are now changing their statements to encourage vaccines–but this is in the face of their personal experiences and the overwhelming evidence of the dangers of being unvaccinated.

Politicizing the idea of proof of vaccination is unwarranted (I can think of stronger, more offensive words)–everyone who has travelled to Africa and other places must show proof of yellow fever vaccination. The yellow health card has been around for decades–it is not a plot against freedom–it’s a plot against contracting and spreading a deadly disease. We are in the dark about the long-term consequences of Covid and we know many have already died and are continuing to get sick and even die.

Our residents’ permits expire on 15 August, so we are OK with the 9th August departure. John’s last official day is 31 July and the last two weeks are terminal vacation.

John’s quite busy tying up loose ends as he prepares to transition the leadership of the surgery program. We just got ethics approval to move forward with a survey about the Covid Information Digest I’ve been putting out on behalf of the University of Botswana Dept. of Medical Education since April 2020. We want to know if recipients find it useful and if they want to continue receiving it.

Star Date –15 July 2021– –Lockdown Day 466– Internal travel permits required. Covid cases are rising and deaths, too.

The planned trip to the Thakadu River Camp on 14-16 July in the Madikwe Game Reserve just across the nearby border in South Africa has been cancelled because of travel restrictions and rising Covid cases. We were 4 couples and the camp said the reservations can be used any time between now and the end of the year. We will likely transfer our booking to someone because we will be leaving here in 25 days.

Yesterday I inventories my canned goods and spices–turned out I had 5 little jars of mustard–they are short and got pushed to the back in the cabinet. Wanted to know what I had and try to use it up.

Star Date –7 July 2021– –Lockdown Day 458– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone but Covid is still striking medical students and others.

The US birthday came and went here. The church John now attends in person–Cathedral of the Holy Cross (Anglican)–did note it in the bulletin but otherwise we had no gathering with friends. Botswana had just celebrated President’s Day on 1 July so we did have a holiday last Thursday. On 25 July the Rev. Becca Stevens from the Episcopal chapel at Vanderbilt will be preaching at Holy Cross. A long-time relationship between the chapel and Botswana means we’ve met several folks from Nashville during our 3 years here and the last visitor was in March 2020 just before the lockdown. Masks are still required everywhere, hands are sprayed with sanitizer and temps checked before entering any business or restaurant, and liquor sales were shut down about 3 weeks ago–the 3rd or 4th liquor restriction since the original lockdown in April 2020.

With 33 days to go before we head to the airport for Johannesburg and on to Nashville via Atlanta, many loose ends need tying up and lots of last-minute gifts require purchase. Yesterday I walked to the mall for a bank visit to request copies of bank statements from September 2020 to the present which are not showing up on our online banking site (The statements just came in my email as I was writing this blog–terrific service). Then gift shopping from the open-air shops in the mall walkways for African clothing items.

Each time I grocery shop these days, I’m thinking, “Will this be the last time I have to buy: muesli, mustard, flour, peanuts, frozen onions (yes, we have frozen vegetables), canned mushroom soup, dish washing liquid, rice, olive oil, sunflower oil, balsamic vinegar. etc.” My cooking is based in part on trying to use up the items in my kitchen cabinets and freezer. After watching Seaspiracy, the Netflix documentary, a month or two ago, I’ve let my canned tuna sit but today I made tuna egg salad to use 2 of my 4 tins. I made lasagna a week or 2 ago to use up some of the lasagna noodles I “hoarded” 6 months ago but I’ll never use them all. I had several months when they were unavailable so when I saw them at Pic ‘N Pay, I bought 4 or 5 boxes, not knowing they held twice as many noodles as other packaging.

Recently discovered a wonderful Asian Indian grocery store a few weeks ago. I’ve tried more new recipes in the past 5 years than in the previous 30 years including Indian dishes such as lentil stew. Hope I can continue cooking interesting dishes when I get back. Part of the reason for all this cooking was having the time plus here in Gaborone having all the ingredients.

Next week the 2-day trip to Thakadu River Safari Camp with 3 couple friends is complicated by a possible tightened lockdown in South Africa that will be addressed by their President on Sunday. Currently, the camp–two hours from here across the nearby border–is operating but I’ll need to call on Monday after the governmental address to learn if conditions have changed. If we are able to go we will have to get Covid tests on Tuesday that will last 72 hours to get across the border and back again on Friday. We’ve visited the camp before and it’s lovely– all game drives and all meals included–so if it gets cancelled it is not a tragedy.

Book Review: The Girl with the Louding Voice by Abi Daré (2020), set in 2014-2015, tells about an economically-poor 14-year-old young Nigerian woman and starts in a rural village and moves to Lagos. Won’t say too much in order not to spoil the story but will give it high marks as an entertaining book that gives a glimpse into modern Nigeria.

Tony Hillerman and his daughter Anne Hillerman are well-known writers of novels about the Navaho people and I’ve tried to read everything they’ve written. Just learned about another author who writes about modern-day Navaho area of the Southwest, R. Allen Chappell. I just finished Yellow Dirt: A Navaho Nation Mystery which is the latest in his series.

Star Date –23 June 2021– –Lockdown Day 444– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

Sad News: So depressing to wake up and learn (not surprisingly) that the Voting Rights Act had failed to pass in the Senate. We in the US now live in parallel universes with Democrats, progressives, and liberals pushing for expanded ease to voting as well as strengthened safety nets, infrastructure, public education, and healthcare while Republicans (many, not all), evangelicals (many, not all), and political conservatives apparently believe that certain groups of people need to control the political landscape as well as the economy and seem unbothered by the obscene governmental financial handouts (as well as reduced taxation) given to institutions, companies, and individuals who already hold so much wealth and capitol in our country.

Star Date –22 June 2021– –Lockdown Day 443– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

Good news. At 5:15 am this morning my friends and I went to the community center a few miles from our homes to register for our 2nd CoviShield (AstraZeneca from India) today which was the date we were given on 30 March. We returned at 7:30 am and waited for about 2 hours on the veranda with a number of community members–it was quite chilly (50 degrees) as winter began yesterday in the Southern Hemisphere. Success! We were home by 10 am. I had some mild side effects the next day after the first shot–sore arm and fatigue– but fine in 2 or 3 days. Covid cases appear to be rising here so it ‘s reassuring to have increased protection.

Star Date –20 June 2021–Father’s Day (US & Botswana) –Lockdown Day 441– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

My vaccination passport has the 22 of June as the date for my second AstraZeneca shot. My friend and I are hoping there will still be vaccine available on this Tuesday. Several shipments have arrived in the past 2 months. Botswana still has a mask mandate and social distancing for which I’m very grateful.

If all goes as planned, in 50 days (thanks to Delta who keeps track of days till departure) on Monday, 9 August, we will board a flight to Johannesburg where we get on the Delta partner KLM and head to Nashville via Amsterdam and Atlanta. In anticipation of trying have only 4 or 5 pieces of luggage, the OCD me did a practice pack of all my clothes in one suitcase –I told John I thought I just needed one bag. I got 90% of my stuff in–mostly, I wanted to know if I had room to buy a few more t-shirts and souvenirs.

A few days ago I made one of our favorite recipes, Cajun Potatoes. We got the recipe at least 30 years ago from the old PBS TV cooking show Cajun Chef. The recipe is sliced raw potatoes, sliced onions, grated cheddar cheese, red pepper flakes, flour, salt and pepper–and most of a bottle of white wine. I always hated peeling potatoes so only made it occasionally through the years. Here in Gabs most of the potatoes have very thin skins that don’t need peeling. Turns out slicing potatoes is very easy if you don’t peel. So you put a layer of potatoes in a 9×13 lasagna pan (which I now always line with parchment paper–another trick I only learned in the last 2 years) and sprinkle flour on the potatoes along with red pepper flakes (I use them on pizza and brought out a whole Costco bottle 2 or 3 years ago and still have most of it), salt and pepper, then a layer of onions, and a layer of cheddar cheese. Repeat the layers, pour most or all of a bottle of white wine around the edges, cover with foil, and bake at 375 degrees (or so) for 2-3 hours (depends on your oven). The flour and wine create the white sauce so it’s really spicy scalloped potatoes.

I need to add the recipe to my little recipe collection. The only ingredient that might be hard to find in Africa is the pepper flakes and I think I’ve seen them here.

Star Date –18 June 2021 –Lockdown Day 441– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

The monkey family returned briefly a few weeks ago to check out our trees and the trash bins across from our balcony. I sometimes see them in other yards when I walk in the neighborhood. Seeing them is quite random. The only reliable wildlife are the warthogs on the UB campus that John sees nearly every time he walks to or from his office, but he sees monkeys there, also. Every day I see interesting birds in the trees by our balcony but I only recognize the doves.

The past 3 weeks have involved 2 virtual library conferences as well as reading, TV viewing, and helping a newly-arrived University of Botswana faculty couple get settled here in Gabs. Oh, and looking for cabbage recipes when John arrived with the largest cabbage I’d ever seen that he bought from a street vegetable seller on his trek from his office to the apartment two nights ago. I did share half with our friends and used her recipe of stir-fried cabbage in bacon drippings–quite delicious.

The first virtual meeting was the Academic Baptist Theological Education Network, new group just a few years old, and the second was the American Theological Library Association that I’ve been a member of since the mid 1980s.

The cleaning women came this morning. They started back 3 or 4 weeks after a break that began in March 2020 when the apartment complex stopped all cleaning services to follow the Covid-19 guidelines issued by the Botswana government that voided all unnecessary contacts and meetings. A few months ago they allowed meetings that involved 50 or less persons so John started back to in-person church a month ago as he is fully vaccinated. My friend and I are hoping that we will get our second AstraZeneca on Tuesday, 22 June, as written in our vaccination records, small books that resemble passports.

Book Review: After noticing that what seemed like every book club in America choose to read and discuss Where the Crawdads Sing, I finally signed up on the Nashville Public Library waiting list and got it a few days ago–finished it yesterday–not the best book I ever read but decent–slightly fairy tale-ish. Mystery/naturalism combo–I guess book clubs had a lot to discuss. No spoilers but I didn’t give it 5 stars on Kindle.

The third August Snow book by Stephen Mack Jones came available yesterday from the library so that’s my current read.

Today’s random movie on cable was The Last Words (2017) with Shirley MacLaine–about a woman wanting help to write her obituary–worth watching.

Star Date –28 May 2021 –Lockdown Day 420– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

Movie Review: When Dame Helen Mirren and Sir Ian McKellen headline a film, watching is a must–The Good Liar (2019) tells about a con artist (McKellen) who preys on helpless older ladies (Mirren)–no spoilers–just find it if you like mysteries and terrific artists. In looking at the reviews after viewing, I think it was underappreciated–it made money but wasn’t a blockbuster–I hope it will get the appreciation it rates by word of mouth.

While I like to think of myself as reasonably tech savvy, I learned today of the button on my cable TV remote control that offers 5 times as many on-demand shows and movies—-of well, I have 69 days to enjoy it–not that I’m keeping count. I admit that I do some of my work with the TV running–I do a great deal of web surfing for various projects that doesn’t require full attention.

Star Date –26 May 2021 –Lockdown Day 418– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

Been 2 weeks since I blogged. Starting to look towards our 9th August departure and purchased a one-way ticket to Nashville yesterday vis Johannesburg, Amsterdam, and Atlanta.

Movie Review: The Devil Has a Name (2019 film) with Martin Sheen, David Strathairn, Kate Bosworth, and Alfred Molina shows the power of polluting oil companies and the effects on a farmer who chooses to sue–worth a watch–hard to tell the good guys/girls. Without a guide, the offerings from the cable on-demand are quite random.

Star Date –14 May 2021 –Lockdown Day 406– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

As our time here shrinks, we are trying to connect with friends we’ve been unable to see during the Covid lockdown so we are meeting folks for breakfast tomorrow at our nearby No. 1 Ladies. So nice to have nearby options for outdoor dining.

One of my guilty pleasures is watching Air Crash Investigation, a National Geographic series. Today was Sully Sullenberg’s miracle landing in the Hudson along with a couple of other crash landings with no casualties.

When trolling for a new mystery series to read, the August Snow series by Stephen Mack Jones, appeared. Snow, a Mexican-African American former Detroit policeman, lives in an ethic Mexican neighborhood in Detroit and is a crusader for the right. Lots of descriptions of Detroit, poor and rich and gentrifying. Highly recommended.

Star Date –13 May 2021– Ascension Day–Botswana National Holiday –Lockdown Day 406– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

Today is a national holiday in Botswana–Ascension Day–it’s also a holiday in Switzerland and other places. Yesterday was the end of Ramadan–Eid al-Fitr–Eid Mubarak is the  greeting for a holiday. We are having lunch today with friends at the nearby No. 1 Ladies Detective Coffee Shoppe–a favorite because we can walk there. Also it’s outdoor eating so plenty of ventilation. Masks are on everyone here and only a few folks are vaccinated–some older people (like me) and some health care professionals like John.

In less than 3 months–8 August–we’ll be heading back to Nashville. We hope to get in one more safari in July–we are using a deposit we put on a camp when we thought our kids and families would visit us in 2020.

Star Date –10 May Lockdown Day 403– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

Whoever writes Young Sheldon is brilliant–the new season started on our cable TV here recently in Botswana (from South Africa). Today was the self-proclaimed athiest Sheldon and the equally-gifted friend Paige forced to attend Vacation Bible School at the local Baptist church.

The 2020 British film Military Wives starring Kristen Thomas Scott was offered by the On-Demand channel yesterday. After their husbands/partners leave for an Afghanistan tour, women left on the base form a choir–it was inspired by real events and is touching–worth a view–premiered at the Toronto Film Festival 2019.

Star Date –7 May Lockdown Day 400– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

The monkeys returned and one swung in the tree by our balcony for several minutes last evening before joining his family (5 or 6 of various sizes) in the rubbish bin corner across the driveway. The weather turned cool last week–50s at night and low 70s in the day. I had to wear layers until today when it was slightly warmer.

John and I attended virtually the hybrid AfroSurg meeting in Cape Town Tuesday and Wednesday–outstanding sessions. Two of our surgery faculty were able to attend in person to represent Botswana–most physicians here in Gaborone are now vaccinated with the first dose. Hopefully, many future international conferences will be hybrid and allow more attendees from low- and middle-income persons to attend and even present virtually without visa, air ticket, and accommodation requirements. Face-to-face networking has numerous positive attributes but sometimes attending in person is difficult or even impossible with visa and/or financial barriers.

Today the notice came that the letter co-written by our colleague Dr. Bedada and John and me was printed in BMJ Global Health: ‘Decolonising’ the decolonising rhetoric’ (https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3/e005604.responses). The impetus was a response to the article “Decolonising global health in 2021: a roadmap to move from rhetoric to reform” ( https://gh.bmj.com/content/6/3/e005604) written by persons who did not acknowledge an academic connection with an African institution–all representing high-income countries. One of the current problems revolves around advice concerning low- and middle-income country issues from persons who live and do most of the work in high-income countries –they may visit and do some work in these places but aren’t on the ground as local residents are.

Star Date –May the 4th……..be with you. Lockdown Day 397– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations have been given to many healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

Book Review: The Making of Biblical Womanhood: How the Subjugation of Women Became Gospel Truth (April 2021) by Beth Allison Barr. a professor of history at Baylor University. Highly recommended to learn more about the role of women throughout history in relation to patriarchy and with evangelical churches in the modern era. She explains how complementarianism (in a nutshell, “men lead and can follow any religious or secular path, woman follow and provide home and child care but can’t be pastors, and that is divinely ordained”) came to be a plank in Southern Baptist thinking as well as other evangelical communities.

Star Date –28 April 2021—–Lockdown Day 391– Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations continue being given to healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

The Oscars have spoken and Nomadland deserved all it received. Frances McDormand never disappoints and the film was touching, heartwarming, and sad on numerous levels. Hulu made it available some time ago but I feared it was depressing so only watched it yesterday. Ever since the 1997 Fargo I’ve been a McDormand fan. I subscribed to Disney+/Hulu when they made Hamilton available. I actually watch more on Netflix but view the cable TV more than any of those. Oddly, Hulu won’t allow me to use the VPN which “tricks” websites into thinking I’m in the US. A number of sites–including Vanderbilt–often won’t let me in unless I’m using the VPN.

Another worthwhile film is the 2011 thriller Unknown with Liam Neeson. Many plots twists–no spoilers–recommended.

Star Date –23 April 2021—–Lockdown Day 386–Lockdown continues. Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations continue being given to healthcare workers here in Gaborone.

If one has reliable electricity, slow cookers are a gift. And if you have a good supply of the liner bags (I do), it’s even better. Lentil curry, chili, chicken curry, and pinto beans were on the menu in the past week weeks.

Mindless TV–Flipping through channels Southern Gothic popped up–a true crime show. True crime shows are on several channels but this was the first time I had seen this. After watching a Birmingham, AL, pastor and his song leader convicted of killing the song leader’s husband, a second episode began. Dickson County, TN!!! A 2002 reenactment of the murder of Lee Ann Mangrum whose body was found in Turnbull Creek. Gum Branch Creek in front of our farm house in Burns runs into Turnbull. Somehow I have no memory of this murder and trial–guess since it wasn’t in Nashville, I missed it.

Saw Stephen King interviewed on a news show (BBC, I think) a few days ago and he mentioned his book Dead Zone. I haven’t read much King but I checked it out as a Kindle book from the Nashville Public Library (what a God-send it’s been for me here in Africa) and started it today.

Star Date –20 April 2021—–Lockdown Day 383–Lockdown continues. Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations are being given to healthcare workers.

Our On-Demand cable TV has started showing Queen Latifah’s The Equalizer–it’s terrific. I loved the Equalizer movies and have watched them a couple of times. My latest mystery binge included the newest Louise Penny’s Armand Gamache and 2 older ones I had missed. The most recent novel All the devils are here: a novel was set in Paris rather than the more usual Quebec.

Star Date –10 April 2021—–Lockdown Day 373–Lockdown continues. Internal travel permits required. Vaccinations are being given in the communities and hopefully soon for healthcare workers.

We got 2 Xmas cards this week via a friend’s post office box–family photos for our fridge!  I just learned Monday that int’l mail to a few countries including the US had started back up so Wednesday on my mall shopping trip (every 3 weeks) I mailed my Xmas cards addressed and stamped since December–just to snail mail folks–I sent most by email.

On Thursday I made the lentil stew recipe–I double it because we love it so much and very cheap slightly bruised apples were at the store –it’s the only recipe I have that calls for apples. 

Had excitement at 12:15 am Wednesday night–just as my medical education colleague was getting ready to do her 5-minute presentation for the VIGH global health conference, there was a nationwide electrical outage.  My power came on before the whole program ended at 2 am our time and I was able to give a synopsis of our project.    Something to blog about along with movie, TV & book reviews.  I admit I watch a lot of mindless cable TV–I’m not watching the Chauvin trial and it’s taken over CNN, BBC, and Al Jazeera in the evenings here so I’m only getting news via my online subscriptions–NYT, Wash Post, Atlantic, etc.

John got his 2nd vaccine at the US Embassy yesterday–they had extra Pfizer from the doses sent for staff and offered to US citizen healthcare workers who had patient contact–John does a weekly breast clinic.  I’ll get my 2nd AstraZeneca in June–if they have vaccine.  My friend and I waited all day at a community centre and got our first 10 days ago.

On Thursday I looked up from the computer and had a monkey sitting on the balcony door sill and eying me–I jumped up I chased him (her) out–was afraid it would come all the way in –shades of Kijabe–first monkey I’ve seen on our balcony & only the 2nd time I’ve seen monkeys in our complex here although John sees monkeys and warthogs at the UB campus frequently. This monkey was likely one of a troup that was playing in the trees right across from our complex gate Thursday morning. We have an arboretum a few blocks away.

Yesterday afternoon and evening was our time in the virtual Unite for Sight Global Health Conference sponsored by Yale Thursday–Sunday. John and I were in separate panels–mine was on building the workforce and his was on unexpected happenings while working internationally. The wi-fi cooperated and both went smoothly. John has a couple more virtual talks in the next few weeks but I’m done.

As August approaches we are beginning to make more plans for the time in Nashville including family visits as well as reunions, meetings, and medical checkups. John’s last official work day is 31 July and then he has 2 weeks of terminal leave. So far this year he hasn’t taken any vacation. We have a deposit on a safari camp in July just across the border in South Africa about an hour and half from here. We’re hoping we are able to use it.

Star Date –4 April 2021—–Easter Sunday–Lockdown Day 367–Internal travel permits were revoked over the Easter weekend to slow the spread of the virus. Vaccinations beginning in the communities and soon for healthcare workers.

Today for Easter we watched the 1973 movie version of Godspell starring Victor Garba as Jesus–had to rent on Amazon Prime (these subscriptions all have many holes and add-ons requiring more money)–but so worth it–excellent thing to do on Easter and reminded me of the time in D.C. when we lived in Bethesda, MD and saw the stage musical Godspell at the Ford Theatre with a group of church friends.  So good to have a faith community and live performances are always enjoyable.

Really got the idea for the movie from one of our sons who put on Facebook that he showed it to his 2 young kids.  The NY background was stunning and one bittersweet scene (in retrospect) was a routine on the roof of the Twin Towers that ended with a shot moving from the roof to a panorama of both towers and the NY skyline. Only ten actors plus the city of New York. Highly recommended for the memorable music and inventive staging.

One resolution I’m making when we get back to Nashville is to take more frequent advantage of TPAC for plays, musicals, and maybe some opera. Might even attend the symphony which John loves. We only live 3 miles from downtown –I could even take the city bus for matinees and there’s always Uber or Lyft if you hate to drive and park.

Star Date –3 April 2021—–Lockdown Day 366–Internal travel permits were revoked over the Easter weekend to slow the spread of the virus. Vaccinations beginning in the communities and soon for healthcare workers.

Day 2 of the Easter 4-day holiday here in Gaborone has us eating our Saturday brunch breakfast of leftover French toast, fried eggs, and bacon and doing laundry. A week ago for part of our wedding anniversary weekend we gave each other haircuts. I told John he was officially a barber-surgeon now. We enjoyed the leftovers of ribs and chicken schnitzel from our anniversary lunch on 26 March for several meals during the week. The Bull & Bush servings are quite generous.

On Friday this week, the 9th, we are part of global health panels for the Yale Unite for Sight Conference which is fully virtual for the 2nd time. Not too much prep for a panel–I’m discussing the positives of the pandemic (Covid Positive) for academics here in Africa who were able to attend the American College of Surgeons meeting last October as well as conferences in South Africa and other places with minimal costs and hassles. The lockdowns have meant my own conferences and committee meetings were virtual–no air tickets, visas, or hotels.

Star Date –2 April 2021—–Lockdown Day 365–Shops open but the lockdown and travel restrictions extended till the end of March and curfew (8p-4a) will continue but liquor sales are permitted. Internal travel permits were revoked over the Easter weekend to slow the spread of the virus.

The day after my vaccination was spent lounging around with TV and a book–fatigued and a slightly sore arm. Yesterday I was about back to normal. Today is the first day of the 4-day Easter weekend. I’m watching the ocean plastic pollution documentary Seaspiracy on Netflix–not sure we can eat any more fish although we are thawing a package of hake, a South African favorite, for supper tonight. The film blames the commercial fishing industry for up to half of the plastic floating in the ocean–and that plastic straws get all the publicity but it’s actually plastic nets and lines that are the true culprits.

Star Date –31 March 2021—–Lockdown Day 363–Shops open but the lockdown and travel restrictions extended till the end of March and curfew (8p-4a) will continue but liquor sales are permitted. Internal travel permits were revoked over the Easter weekend to slow the spread of the virus.

After spending from 9:30 am to 4 pm awaiting a vaccine with a colleague friend–we both got our 1st AstraZeneca (called Covishield here because it’s produced in India) yesterday. We actually started out at 7:30 am–first clinic gave out their daily supply between 4 and 5 am!!  Tried a 2nd place–put our names on a list for a session that began at 2pm–we were nos. 48 & 49–sometimes there are only 50 doses but they said there were 80. The health professionals are trying to be very careful and not waste any doses.

We were anxious but finally got in–Answer to prayer. We are scheduled for the booster on 22 June–a different schedule than Pfizer & Moderna but so grateful to have it.
They think most docs may get shots starting next week right after Easter.  John was able to get a vaccine 2 weeks ago and will get the second shot next week.

Easter is a 4-day public holiday here in Botswana with Good Friday and Easter Monday. We have no special plans.

Tomorrow, 1st April, marks the one-year anniversary of the Covid Info Digest that I’ve been distributing 6/days/week. Who would have guessed a year ago that we would still be in the depths of the global pandemic. The encouraging news of vaccinations in some African countries as well as high-income countries doesn’t overshadow the continued spread and daily death tolls. We may be wearing masks for many more months even as we get to travel and interact a bit more.

Book Reviews: Reading about true crime and murder in Music City Nashville is double entertaining, especially seeing the names of well-known people and even a relative as characters. Murder in Music City: Corruption, Scandal, and the Framing of an Innocent Man by Michael Bishop (2017) was a cold case project that Bishop spent years researching. A fun surprise was the mention of Dr. Ed Tarpley, a distant cousin of John’s, as the physician of the “innocent man.” Equally entertaining is Monster City: Murder, Music, and Mayhem in Nashville’s Dark Age (2018) by Michael Arntfield, another true crime book.

Star Date –25 March 2021—–Lockdown Day 351–Shops open but the lockdown and travel restrictions extended till the end of March and curfew (8p-4a) will continue but liquor sales are permitted

Almost a month since I’ve blogged. Lots going on. Had an illness scare but got tested after a week and, fortunately, it was negative for Covid. Watched a number of movies and my regular TV series. For the last week March Madness comes on each evening with reruns of the previous day’s games plus the evening’s live games that last way past my bedtime. The time differences here in Botswana range between 6 and 9 hours from North America. Of course, the SEC teams are our favorites with Arkansas and Alabama are the final hopes. I especially enjoy when long shots like Oral Roberts do well. Florida State is my current favorite with connections to several family members.

Although we’ve been stuck for a year, the recent Zoom connections with old friends from our years in Bethesda and Baltimore, Maryland, are “priceless.” We’ve never lost complete touch but sometimes many years elapse between actual face-to-face visits. Being able to actually see folks as we visit via Zoom makes it almost as good as the physical closeness. Discussions always include vaccination updates as well as family news, books read, or recreational interests. Some are fortunate to be near family while others of us are quite distant from some or all of our kin.

Very encouraging news about friends and family in the US who are now partially or fully vaccinated. We have registered here for vaccination but no schedules yet. The weather here turned into our “fall” a few days ago–pleasant temps, 60s to low 80s. The appalling news about the two mass shootings–Atlanta and Boulder–put a dark cloud on the news of widespread vaccinations. The Atlanta shooter is trying to blame his sexual addiction–he’s just a serial killer. The Boulder shooting– with no clear motive yet being shared in the news–took place a few days after the city ban on assault weapons was lifted by a judge relating to lawsuits from the NRA. The US is ruled by the insanity of believing gun rights extend to rapid-fire military-style assault weapons. I grew up with guns, have a sharpshooter badge, and enjoyed eating the squirrels and rabbits (bush meat) my father hunted, cleaned, and were then cooked by my mother. The fine shotguns and rifles my father used needed frequent reloading –they didn’t fire multiple times in a few seconds.

Movie Reviews: The ads for Cats have been running for months on our cable TV and a couple of weeks ago I finally watched it. The reviews were fairly negative–and not wrong. I normally love musicals but I was watching the clock after about 10 minutes. Supposedly, it was faithful to the stage version, but except for a couple of the well-known songs, it was oddly unentertaining for me. I did sit through the whole film but just to say I had seen it all. Must admit the premise never interested me and I hadn’t seen the stage version–just a few clips on various TV shows about Broadway. It had a tremendously-long run as a Broadway musical–I think it was appropriate for all ages like Lion King (which was fabulous)–otherwise, I’m mystified by it’s popularity.

A recommended film is the 2008 Passengers (not to be confused with the sci-fi film of the same name). Won’t spoil it but it’s about the aftermath of a plane crash.

Star Date –27 February 2021—–Lockdown Day 325–Shops open but the lockdown and travel restrictions extended till the end of February and curfew (8p-4a) will continue as well as ban on liquor sales.

Good news–the Botswana government announced the vaccine rollout, likely for March. Healthcare workers will be first, followed by persons over 50. They listed all 6 major vaccines but not sure if that was informational, or if several will be available. Thus far the word on nearly all vaccines is most encouraging so whatever comes will be welcome.

Star Date –26 February 2021—–Lockdown Day 324–Shops open but the lockdown and travel restrictions extended till the end of February and curfew (8p-4a) will continue as well as ban on liquor sales.

Wifi users are like farmers in some locations such as ours–we are dependent on the weather. In the past 2 weeks, two severe thunderstorms have caused our usually-reliable internet provider to go down. The first time for about 48 hours and the second time half a day. Yesterday brought rain; but all was well until we got up this morning and there were no signals on our regular internet service or my phone hotspot which is a different network. In the previous outages we had the option of using John’s UB office. I went to his office the first day but that evening my hotspot was working and saved us the next day. The second outage was rescued by my hotspot but nothing this morning. Here in John’s office as he does his weekly breast clinic, I have a hot water kettle, coffee, tea, & snacks. Even a private bathroom. The Covid info digest has been sent off so I can catch up on Twitter, Facebook, and online newspapers, and new services.

No extraordinary TV or movies to report although I did get to see Jaws 2 and a number of Hallmark rom-coms in the last 2 weeks. Law & Order: SVU comes on at 12:30 pm each day and occasionally I see one I had missed in the last 19 years or however long it’s been running. NCIS: New Orleans is oddly compelling (the first series with actors wearing masks at times) but I can’t stand NCIS: Los Angeles, even though one of the stars is my age mate–the original NCIS is pretty good. Mr. Mayor is a bit uneven but overall humorous and entertaining–Ted Danson is hard to beat. CNN rounds out every evening and is our supper fare unless there’s a golf tourney or other sports event of interest. College basketball games are replayed on our ESPN channel the following day–but not Vanderbilt. We watched one or 2 Vandy games via computer ESPN. John often listens to the play-by-play which is more reliable than the computer live video.

Keeping up with the political scene is alternatively encouraging and depressing. The continued belief in a stolen election is literally crazy but that’s how some people view religious commitment. The attack on voting rights is the most worrisome this week. I also watch closely the investigation of the Jan 6 insurrection–those invaders must be punished. The vaccination news is very encouraging–the vaccines are in South Africa, Ghana, Zimbabwe, and a few places in Africa–we hope they will get here soon. Such good news when I get word that family and friends are getting vaccinated.

Star Date –12 February 2021—–Lockdown Day 310–Shops open but the lockdown and travel restrictions extended till the end of February and curfew (8p-4a) will continue as well as ban on liquor sales.

Chinese New Year– the Year of the Ox, begins today February 12th. Our across-the driveway neighbors reminded us last night with a few fireworks. Always fun when neighbors do fireworks or string lights for special holidays. Sunday is Valentine’s Day, currently celebrated with chocolates and cards and hearts in many African countries as well as the US and the West. The impeachment trial of the former US president occupies much of the news reports but with a group of the jurors telling the press that they plan to acquit even before weighing the evidence, the major value becomes the truth being revealing with words and film. A judgement of guilty would be a miracle–but so was the Georgia runoff.

The devastating Covid-19 spread as well as vaccinations in high-income countries is reported in great detail–both good news some places and disappointingly slow in others. The low- and middle-income countries keep hoping for vaccine deliveries and a few are reporting that they will have some doses soon. No timeline heard here in Botswana.

A perk here in Gabs are the movie channels with a mix of classics, fairly new films, romantic comedies, and thrillers. This week I watched the original 1975 Jaws, first time I’d seen the entire film. The ‘maybe” Moby Dick allusions were a fun surprise. Remembering a visit to the Universal Studios maybe years ago reminded me of seeing the mechanical shark used in the movie–my memory is that it was only the front third of a shark–and in the movie there are no full-length view of the behemoth fish below the water line.

Another first-time viewing of the pop-culture rom-com favorites Bridesmaids was not that great–not sure why it’s so popular but it was a treat seeing the Good Place judge as the co-star bride-to-be. The whole premise was bizarre–rich women verses poor girls, nice girl acts crazy stupid–oh well–won’t spoil it if any want to give it a try.

The new season of NCIS: New Orleans is worth watching–the first drama I’ve watched that’s been filmed during the pandemic (unless you count the insurrection and the impeachment) where actors are wearing masks and one is in a wheel chair. The diverse cast present entertaining, socially conscious stories — so recommended on several levels.

Star Date –31 January 2021—–Lockdown Day 298–Shops open but the lockdown and travel restrictions extended till the end of February and curfew (8p-4a) will continue as well as ban on liquor sales.

A cyclone from the Indian Ocean started across Mozambique about 8 or 9 days ago and has brought rain to Botswana for the past week and in looking at the forecast, rain will continue for another week or so. Today we are have thunderstorms mixed with rain and the temps range from 68 degrees to low 80s.

Working from home has the advantage of just enjoying the rain and overcast. Ever since living in Nigeria where the overcast days of rainy season were the most comfortable, I’ve preferred overcast skies to bright sunshine. In Africa, rains often cause temperature drops so if one is in a hot climate, the rains bring relief as well as aid for the farmers. Of course, floods can be devastating but rain is often a blessing.

Hearing of friends in the US get vaccinated is welcome news but we’ve not had any word here when vaccines will be in the country. My April trip to Nashville will likely be cancelled because air travel is considered risky just like gyms and bars. We will be returning to the US mid August when John’s contract here ends.

The 6/week COVID Info Digest continues to roll out. Here’s the link to the most recent issues COVID INFO DIGEST – MAGGIE’S MUSINGS (maggiesmusings688820798.com). This week I helped edit several papers, worked with a medical student group doing a required research project, peer-reviewed a journal article, attended a virtual committee meeting for a proposed global surgery organization, and watched a lot of mindless TV and movies. The Invention of Lying with the British comedian Ricky Gervais offered some theological insights about a world wherein no one lies–until one day a person figures out how to lie for his own advantage. Recommended–funny but thought-provoking and a bit heretical-edgy with pizza box lids as stand-ins for famous stone tablets. A James Bond retrospective appears to be running on one of the cable channels and I’ve watched a couple. Impressive at times and also a bit dated at other times.

Whenever I wash plastic bags for reuse or try a new recipe (was stuck on my standards in the the US–made tuna croquettes yesterday for the first time ever), I’m reminded of how life is different here than when we were in the States. My awareness of reuse and recycling has been greatly increased although I always recycled in Nashville. One big change is that I’ve realized high quality resealable plastic bags are not disposable. Another shift is trying to avoid buying plastic containers for food products when it’s a option such as ketchup or other condiments. Glass is much heavier to handle but not as great an ecological threat. I also have begun purchasing refills for dishwashing liquids and baking products rather than another bottle or jar. Hummus, some fruit, and yogurt come in high-quality plastic containers with nice lids. I save them all and reuse myself and give our drivers and the workers in our apartment complex the extras when I have all I need. Anything with a lid–jars, etc.–is saved and passed on. Some recycling goes on here but one must deliver to the sites. I rinse cans (tins) and put out separately in the rubbish bin area as I’ve seen workers collecting them at times. Glass and plastic bottles become trash. Fortunately, the city water here is clean so we don’t need to purchase drinking water and the containers that involves although many folks here do buy water.

Star Date –26 January 2021—–Lockdown Day 293–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones and Covid testing required for entry and exit. Waiting to see if curfew will continue as well as ban on liquor sales.

Now that the inauguration has taken taken place peacefully and President Biden has begun to guide the US Covid initiative and bring us back into WHO, Paris Climate Accord, and other international cooperatives, the world seems brighter. So many bumps ahead but at least someone is charge that does not seem driven by personal profit and aggrandizement.

Watching those politicians who encouraged the attack on the Capitol beg for forgiveness in the name of unity makes me angry. Every person who broke into the Capitol must suffer the legal consequences that should include time in prison. A policeman died and the lack of concern is stunning. Trying to bring down a fairly elected government is treason. No proof was ever demonstrated of fraud but the lie continues to be repeated.

Covid cases here have been to rise more rapidly and no word yet on vaccines for this part of Africa. Masks continue to be required everywhere and we try to avoid any gatherings except the grocery store.

Cable TV continues to provide a potpourri of movies and TV shows. Currently, James Bond movies are running back to back and I watched Dr. No, Diamonds Are Forever, and Goldfinger so far. Adam Sandler and Jack Nicholson provided an interesting relationship in the sort-of dark comedy Anger Management. The Hallmark Christmas movies are gone for now but provided hours of mindless entertainment. Arachnophobia, co-produced by Steven Spielberg, offered semi-horror–not my usual genre, but the Spielberg name encouraged me to watch. John Goodman as the exterminator, a recalcitrant, not-overly-bright sheriff, and some odd small-town residents, added comic relief from an otherwise scary-in-places film.

Star Date –19 January 2021—–Lockdown Day 286–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones and Covid testing required for entry and exit. Curfew through 31 January and no liquor sales allowed in stores, restaurants, or bars.

TV Review: Tension is high after the insurrection on 6 January; escapism and entertainment including drama and humor are needed. Ted Danson rules!!! This morning I flipped through my On Demand cable options and a short feature called Mr. Mayor popped up. Since I was only trying to kill time till Air Crash Investigation (don’t ask why someone who flies (flew) regularly watches this) came on, I picked the 20-minute pilot episode (nothing is as long as scheduled in US due to commercials). The show was funny and intelligent and it is now added to my schedule along with Law & Order: SVU, Bull, FBI, Blacklist, CNN, Al Jazeera, ESPN (John), and random movies. The Good Place still provides thoughtful, humorous, and entertaining episodes–even in reruns –Danson and team are superb.

Following the arrests, videos, and information from the 6 January Epiphany Insurrection at the US Capitol occupies each evening on CNN. The thought that some elected officials may have been involved in the planning is hard to process but not totally unbelievable. Trading opinions and arguments on Facebook is part of my way of dealing with the frustrations of trying to understand how people can trust unverified verbal assertions over courts including the Supreme Court about the election fairness as well as religious justifications and references to the summer BLM protests as though one perceived ‘wrong’ justifies violence and law breaking. One bright spot is the threat by corporations to defund politicians who voted against certifying the Biden/Harris win. Some cynical Facebook and Twitter sharers think money will still flow secretly.

Praying for a peaceful transition tomorrow and grateful for the increased protection from National Guard troops that should have been at the Capitol on 6 January. Awaiting findings from the ongoing investigation and hoping for the arrest of every person who entered the Capitol illegally, especially those who were involved in the death of the policeman and the rioters.

Star Date –Orthodox Christmas–7 January 2021—–Lockdown Day 274–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones and Covid testing required for entry and exit. Curfew through 31 January and no liquor sales allowed in stores, restaurants, or bars.

3:42 am EST (10:32 CAT Gaborone)–Rev. Black is praying over the House and Senate joint session that certified Biden-Harris as the 46th president and vice-president. Not sure we can breathe freely until the inauguration but it was a huge bridge now crossed. Watching the crowds storm into the Capitol yesterday was heart and gut wrenching. Those persons must be prosecuted–these were federal offenses. I’ve written my two senators (who reversed their stand on protesting the election after the riot) and my representative to seek prosecution of those terrorists–they are not patriots–they are thugs–mostly white thugs.

The miracle yesterday was the Georgia runoff results that will send 2 Democrats to the Senate–a true miracle orchestrated by the hard work of Stacy Abrams and her colleagues. Voter suppression is real in many places as well as gerrymandering of districts. We now are praying–and working and writing and calling–to move forward on voter encouragement and fair representation.

Star Date –EPIPHANY–6 January 2021—–Lockdown Day 273–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones and Covid testing required for entry and exit. Curfew through 31 January and no liquor sales allowed in stores, restaurants, or bars.

As the Christian community on this day–Epiphany– honors the visit of the Magi to the Christ child, the whole world watches the Georgia senatorial runoff.

The past week of anxiety over the Georgia runoff has also involved cutting John’s hair, doing Zoom meetings, reading mysteries, and I’ve begun watching Deep Space 9 on Netflix.

New Year’s Day was marked by cooking the black-eyed pea dish, hoppin’ john. Just the two of us like people in many places.

Covid cases are rising here and a holiday curfew was extended until 31 January. We had planned a short trip by air to the Okavango Delta in a few weeks but are having second thoughts and may cancel. We’ve had only 45 deaths for 2.3 million people but have now recorded over 15,000 cases.

Star Date 30 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 273–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones and Covid testing required for entry and exit. Curfew through 3 January.

The past 4 1/2 years in Africa have taught many lessons from the global academic to new cooking techniques and recipes. The holiday season and the contact with family and friends reminds me of the learning experiences from Zoom for pleasure as well as business.

Washing plastic bags
Discovered the joys of cooking and baking with parchment paper
Read e-books almost 100% of the time
Xmas lunch for two
Frequently watching films on cable TV and on the computer

Movie Review–Family Viewing and adults–Bridge to Terabithia–2007 and based on a Newbury Award-winning book. About friendship, bullying, imagination, and tragedy. More complicated than the average movie for children and offers opportunity for discussion.

Star Date 28 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 271–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones and Covid testing required for entry and exit. The President declared a curfew from 7 pm to 4 am that began 24 December and goes through 3 January.

FLASH!! Sitting here watching movies from my On Demand cable option, Venom, a Marvel Comics film, was directed by Reuben Fleischer whose dad John was in med school with and whom we’ve been friends with since that time. The brother Lucas and dad, David, had bit parts–I always watch the credits. Quite entertaining–recommended,

Then I watched another Marvel Comics-inspired movie, Captain America, who is a woman! I always thought the character was male. Very fun movie–recommended.

Star Date 21 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 264–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones.

Christmas Movie Recommendation: Last Christmas with Emma Thompson (2019) in a minor role–but anything she’s in, I’ll watch. It’s a romance-fairy tale centered on a near-do-well girl whose family emigrated from former Yugoslavia to London and she works in a Christmas store.

No Christmas plans–we will celebrate with Zoom calls on Christmas Day and Boxing Day (the 26th) with family plus some favorite holiday food. Just watching CNN discussing the road shut downs due to Covid-related travel bans on UK and lorries waiting to move in both directions between UK and Europe–even predicting food shortages. Here in Botswana, we were very dependent on the lorries from South Africa that were always allowed to bring goods and food, even when borders were closed to normal travel. We never had any serious shortages.

Star Date 20 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 263–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones.

Tremor/slight earthquake–that was the excitement today at 12:44pm as we were enjoying brunch with a couple at the No. 1 Ladies Detective Coffee Shop. It’s already made the news–Magnitude 3.6 earthquake 6 km from Gaborone—10 km depth. According to the online map we were almost on top of it–first we thought it was a heavy truck but the vibration kept up for 30 or 40 seconds. The little news blub listed a number of tremors in this area of Botswana and South Africa over the past 5 years but none in Gaborone.

Growing up in Burns, Tennessee, occasionally we would feel small earthquakes/ tremors. Burns is only 200 miles from Reelfoot Lake formed in 1811-12 by some of the strongest earthquakes known in the US in modern times–quakes felt in DC and even Canada.

PS–In response to some Piranesi comments on Facebook, I added these thoughts: Finished reading it last week–decided it was an adult Narnia tale–a secret portal into a different world, an evil presence, an innocent, and a savior — though honestly, it was a slog in the middle but the last few chapters were pretty good.

Star Date 18 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 261–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing but permits needed for internal domestic travel if crossing zones.

The Christmas holidays began for me at 6:35 pm last night as my Zoom with a group of the 4th year medical students working on a research project ended. John actually works next week for a few days. Med school ends today and starts back on 4 January. Currently, we have no plans to travel anywhere–a number of folks actually go to the game parks this time of year–travel permits are required–not sure if Covid tests are needed, also.

This morning my end-of-term celebration was watching the final episodes of the The Undoing with Nicole Kidman and Hugh Grant. This HBO 6-part series was quite entertaining–recommended for those who like court room who-dun-its. Kidman lives in Nashville so is a hometown favorite and a talented actor. Hugh Grant is always good.

Random TV: While waiting for my daily Christmas movie and flipping channels, Murphy Brown with Candace Bergan popped up. First time I had seen it–although it ran from 1988-2018, and it was funny and timely–how did I miss it? Must have been on opposite Law and Order reruns.

Star Date 15 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 258–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing.

Yesterday the electoral college certified the Biden/Harris ticket as winners of the 2020 presidential race. But, of course, more protests are coming to the House of Representatives. We watched the slow and painful process on CNN–well, I watched about a third and couldn’t stand it. Too much painful memories of folks who want a dictatorship instead of democracy if one-person one-vote means ordinary folks of all colors and religious beliefs have an equal say in who leads our country.

Sadly, I fail to understand the adulation of some communities including faith groups with the current president and conspiracy theories concerning the election that have no proven basis in fact (unless you accept YouTube videos, Facebook memes, Tweets, or other productions with no credible references accepted by courts of law attached). What’s the origin of this strong desire to believe that whatever the current (not for long) president and his enablers shout out MUST be true—because they say it over and over and over? Another group espousing these theories is the one that gathered recently in DC to demonstrate–but with no police or troops to control them–in support of the unproven theories and their disdain for people of color as they burned BLM banners. The current president supports them and their tactics because they support him—the level of threatened violence against government officials and health care providers is the highest in my memory.

Some social observers posit the election turmoil is really a cover to hide the inexcusably-deficient response by the current administration to the Covid pandemic (not to mention a tremendous fund raiser for money that will be used in a number of ways). The vaccine effort was commendable but the 9 months of terribly-orchestrated efforts will not bring back the lives of 2+ hundred thousand who likely died needlessly–masks and social distancing were the pre-vaccine. The politicization and denigration of mask wearing and social distancing by certain faith communities –“my faith will protect me” is also incomprehensible. I always remember the quote by Senator Mark Hatfield many years ago about believers who “wrap their Bible in an American flag” –it appears to mean I’m free to go where I wish, masked or unmasked, infected or uninfected, and this is personal freedom. Actually, the Scriptures talk a lot about corporate responsibility and safety (Sodom and Gomorrah, the jailer and his family, where 2 or 3 are gathered). The last thing our country’s founders wanted was a theocracy–we were founded as a secular nation with freedom of religion. Am happy to argue this point. American Christians can’t even agree on what it means to be a Christian (not all Christian faith systems are created equal) but that doesn’t stop some groups from attempting to impose their beliefs/ideology on others, even to point of passing laws.

Book Review: Piranesi by Susanna Clarke finished 5 minutes ago. Odd sort-of fantasy book — an interior novel–world inside a world and a mind inside a mind with some hints of influence from Plato’s Cave. In the Umberto Eco school of books likely bought but maybe not read all the way through. I never read a review if I think I might want to read the book some time–no spoilers for me. I’ll now go back and see why it was so popular. Glad it was a library book and that I didn’t pay $15.00 for it. I gave it 3 stars on Kindle rating.

Star Date 14 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 255–Shops open, land borders opening and some regular daily flights to South Africa ongoing.

Ten days have gone swiftly as I’ve begun sending out the email version of our annual holiday letter in addition to some Zoom meetings of various committees and assisting medical students with research projects. Also admit to viewing daily Christmas movies for a bit of escapism in addition to background for doing the emailed notes.

The best news relating to the election aftermath is that all the legal cases trying to overthrow the election are being thrown out or unreviewed due to lack of any credible evidence of voter fraud. Sadly, millions of Americans still believe the current president was robbed of the election–the divide in our country is Grand Canyon deep And the way the current president mishandled the pandemic but seems to be given a pass by his supporters is beyond my comprehension. We live in parallel universes.

Movie Review: Yesterday’s troll of cable channels landed on a film entitled Hail, Caesar. I usually Google any unfamiliar films to see if they might be worth while. When the Coen Brothers meet George Clooney, that’s a must-view combination. This 2016 comedy was completely unknown to me but likely could be a wannabe cult favorite as it appeared to be a take-off (sort of, maybe) on Blazing Saddles, that Mel Brooks classic 1974 Western comedy that couldn’t be made today for it’s utter lack of political correctness. Hail, Caesar is set in Hollywood sound stages mostly in the very early 1950s (before McCarthy) with a number of themes including Communism, theological correctness, and Hollywood undercurrents. The scene with the Orthodox priest, a rabbi, a pastor, and a Catholic priest providing guidance on a The Robe-type film’s religious appropriateness (read–won’t offend anyone) is almost priceless.

Book Review: When I finish reading Piranesi, Susanna Clarke’s latest best seller, will let you know my opinion. I thought I was far down on the reader waiting list at the Nashville Public Library last week but suddenly it was available—not sure what that means.

Star Date 4 December 2020—–Lockdown Day 245–Shops open, land borders beginning to open and some regular flights to South Africa started 1 December.

Big project related to the surgery program training program sent off last night so today is a laid-back day that has started with surprisingly-entertaining comedy-sci-fi film, Pixels, recommended for a family viewing (Cast–Adam Sandler, Kevin James, Michelle Monaghan, Peter Dinklage, Josh Gad). Offers nostalgia for the old video games like Pac Man, Donkey Kong, and others I didn’t recognize–and watch the credits. I keep thinking about all the folks who left the theatre or viewing of Black Panther when the credits started and missed the end of the film.

Tomorrow evening we will enjoy a Zoom reunion with church friends from our time in Bethesda, MD, when John spent 2 years at the Cancer Institute of the NIH in the 1970s. In the past we’ve gotten together a few times, but it’s been years since we’ve seen each other as a group. Sunday is brunch at an outdoor venue with a couple with whom we’ve become friends with here in Gabs. A week from tomorrow we will attend virtually a bar mitzvah of the grandson of close friends from Vanderbilt undergrad days and also surgery training.

Checked by the post office on Monday and there’s still no date when letters can be mailed–I have a sack of Christmas cards to mail whenever–they may be Valentine or Easter greetings.

Monday night at 1:30 am our time, we’ll be doing the Vanderbilt International Journal Club on “Medical Education in Botswana in the Time of Covid-19”. 5:30pm CST, Launch Meeting – Zoom (outlook.com)
RSVP for VIJC (vanderbilt.edu)

Star Date 28 November 2020—–Lockdown Day 239–Shops open, land borders beginning to open and some regular flights to South Africa may start 1 December.

Home: Bird #2 flew through our house Tuesday and flew out — no homes have screens here so fresh air requires open windows. Made guacamole, sweet potato casserole, and green bean casserole in anticipation of US Thanksgiving.

Work: Preparing a portfolio to submit to the South African institution where our surgery residents will rotate for about 2 years has occupied much of this week. The survey will be virtual so we are trying to gather as much information about the education program here to send them. John’s also had medical student Zooms to add to other responsibilities. With medical education colleagues, I’ve been working on tutor interviews and manuscripts–all virtual.

Book Reviews:

The Damnation of Theron Ware  by Harold Frederic and written in 1896 but containing thoughts and descriptions that could be currant–considered an American classic novel but I never heard of it until it was recommended on Twitter as a book about religion and sex (more mental than physical) involving Methodist and Roman Catholic clergy in rural upstate New York areas. Entertaining and thoughtful–worth a read (and remember, I like thrillers, mysteries, and sci-fi)–an excellent book club choice–lots to discuss, especially if one is interested in personal as well as corporate religion. Don’t want to give anything away.

The Bell by Iris Murdoch and published in 1958 concerns a very small lay community situated next to an Anglican abbey with cloistered nuns. This book was also a Twitter rec on Ruth Graham’s feed–has social, religious, and sexual overtones–but is also a good read.

Holiday (not Botswana)–Thanksgiving–I made sweet potato casserole, angel biscuits, and green bean casserole–we ate it with leftover KFC chicken from John’s birthday.  Just the 2 of us marking the occasion seemed appropriate because so many in the US were in small gatherings.

Black Friday–Africa does Black Friday altho they have no idea about US Thanksgiving connection.  I had to go to Riverwalk Mall yesterday to the post office to get my  August  attempted -mailed packages returned and then sent on–successful with paperwork but who knows if it will work this time–at least they took the packet for Switzerland–the previous service didn’t serve the Swiss.

First Sunday of Advent — Tomorrow.

Star Date 23 November 2020—–Lockdown Day 234–Shops open, borders beginning to open

The Twelve Days of Christmas greeted us at the mall Thursday as we went to get frozen onion rings to accompany John’s birthday supper of Kentucky Fried Chicken–we then walked to KFC for carry-out including original recipe chicken ( I think that’s all they offer), fries, and morogo (spinach)for the birthday supper. The next birthday celebration took place Saturday afternoon as we Zoomed with our three families–so great to see all the grandkids and their parents. The San Diego group were at the Legoland Hotel just north of San Diego as Saturday November 21st was Peter’s birthday (not much activity at the park but the boys love hotels). The Gambier and Swiss families were in their homes. All six of the parents are teaching and working by Zoom although the kids go to school some days each week at present. The final birthday activity was walking to the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency coffee shop for brunch yesterday with two friends.

On Facebook today, Leeman posted a picture of their house front displaying the Christmas tree in the window. Not to be outdone, I pulled our little artificial tree and lights out of the closet and set it up–the tree is so tiny I use African earrings for decorations. I also assembled the wooden Advent wreath I had a carver in Kijabe, Kenya make 4 years ago–it’s five short candle holders in a square shallow tray–I’m sure I asked for a round tray but that’s what I got.

Thursday is US Thanksgiving but we will not get together with anyone here. We hope folks in the US will forego gatherings due to the pandemic but the news indicates many people plan to travel and gather. The Covid numbers in the US are depressing. I do a daily Covid update and–besides the deaths–the worst aspects of Covid are the long-term problems suffered by many. To refuse to wear masks because one thinks they might as well get it and be done with it is totally foolhardy. We feel fortunate to be here in Botswana even though travel is difficult and we can’t send mail out but maybe in December when a few regular international flights will begin, I can get my Christmas cards off.

This birthday week has been busy at work. John and his surgery colleagues are pulling together all the documentation needed for the South African medical institutions where our residents will spend about 2 years to get training not available here in Botswana. We’ve also been involved in helping with manuscripts for publication submission as well as some end of year reports of activities. My third year medical student got ethics approval for her research project — I’m just her advisor and she did an excellent job.

We’re in the rainy season at present with occasional rains–not every day. This afternoon the sky got dark, lightning began, and a terrifically-hard downpour (the hardest I’ve seen here) occurred for about 10 minutes and caused the cable TV to go off briefly. Then the sky cleared and a bright sun came out and is shining as I type. John got home around 5 pm and took his daily swim–the little pool here has been such a benefit for him. I never swim–just do my yoga and now I’ve started walking a 1.5 mile loop several days a week–it’s so easy just to sit around when working from home.

Star Date 16 November 2020—–Lockdown Day 227–Shops open, borders beginning to open

Jingle Bells rang out of the electronic store today as I went to mail my snail mail Christmas cards, hoping they would arrive before Christmas. Sunday was spent addressing about 50 cards–the other Christmas letters will go by e-mail. I also needed to follow up on a puzzling message received from the post office which turned out to be the request to pick up the packages I tried to mail to grandkids a month or 2 ago. Apparently, the lockdown means that air mail doesn’t go out on those occasional flights that come in. Also means my Christmas cards are still with me as there’re no letters going international either presently. I was able to buy stamps for the letters and they’ll go out some day. Government has announced 4 flights a week to Johannesburg starting December 1st so maybe mail will resume–I’ll just have to keep checking.

The supermarkets in the mall with my post office now have Christmas trees up–no Thanksgiving to compete with in November.

Star Date 14 November 2020—–Lockdown Day 225–Shops open, borders beginning to open

Happy Diwali– the Hindu festival of lights– several of our neighbors in our apartment complex are celebrating tonight and it lasts about 5 days. Lights are decorating their balconies and there were fireworks across from our balcony tonight. Very festive and colorful.

Tensions from the US election still hang over us as we hear about lawsuits and accusations that so far appear mostly baseless. The terrible news about the coronavirus surge in the US and in Europe is appalling and we heard “Doctors Without Borders –MSF worked with vulnerable groups in New York and on Puerto Rico; in nursing homes in Michigan and Texas; with migrant farmworkers in Florida; and with Native American communities in Arizona and New Mexico” ( https://www.msf.org/united-states-america ).

Star Date 10 November 2020—–Lockdown Day 221–Shops open, borders beginning to open.

The government announced that travel restrictions are starting to lift. Some of the land borders are opening soon and on 1st December the airport will open to regional flights starting with Johannesburg where we fly to get a Delta flights to the States. Presently, we aren’t planning travel until April but this might be the start of that possibility.

The election news with the Biden-Harris ticket garnering the most electoral college votes as well as the most popular votes is bittersweet with the current president making unproven accusations of voter fraud. How a ballot is fraudulent with a vote for a Democrat for president at the top and votes below for a Republican for Senate or the House is beyond me.

At the mall today Joy to the World met me at the electronics store where I needed an adaptor.

Why did no one ever tell me how great parchment paper is for cooking? I never had a roll in my house growing up and bought my first roll a few years ago for some recipe I’ve now forgotten and never made. When I was in the States last September I went to my basement pantry and took anything I thought might be useful because of space in my luggage–spaghetti and that roll of parchment paper. Turns out it’s a miracle aid. I’ve lined the pans for lasagna, roasted vegetables and last night the lemon pepper crusted hake. The pans just need swishing out if you are generous with the paper (learned the hard way when being stingy) and it’s biodegradable so I’m saving the earth (maybe).

Star Date 6 November 2020—–Lockdown Day 217–Shops open, borders closed

The First Noel was wafting out of the electronics store at my mall today in Gaborone! And I didn’t find cranberry sauce or turkey!  Christmas decorations are starting to appear.

Awaiting the US election results has been nail biting but hopeful as the blue votes steadily crept up–still waiting. Trying not to get my hopes up. And I keep thinking of those long lines of early voters who waited for hours to vote and all those folks who mailed in ballots and prayed they would be counted.

Star Date 5 November 2020—–Lockdown Day 216–Shops open, borders closed

Two days passed election day and the world–and we–wait for the final ballot count which may not be for several days. One of our non-US colleagues here said they check updates every 2 minutes. As reported a week ago, no viewing CNN or Al Jazeera for the past week and only a few checks on Wednesday morning (Tuesday night in States). Now it’s every hour or two when awake. Then we can look forward to court cases. The results suggest that many US citizens are living on a different planet from me and view the world through totally different lenses.

Avoiding the electoral projection map for the past week made awaiting Election Tuesday much less stressful. We are 7 hours ahead of the east coast so it’s 1 pm here and the vote counters may just be restarting unless they work through the night.

US Thanksgiving is 3 weeks away and some stores here actually brought in turkeys so I guess Americans have made some impact. I plan to look for sweet potatoes (they are available) and cranberry sauce. We aren’t big turkey fans but it would be fun if I find one. Will make a supermarket run tomorrow and do my bi-weekly shop.

ODing this week on Hallmark Christmas movies and mindless TV–even watching ESPN at night instead of CNN and other news.

Star Date 28 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 208–Shops open, borders closed

Have sworn off CNN and other TV news as of last night–can’t watch another electoral college projection map!!!!  Will read papers online.  Really scared about next Tuesday–but praying. 

The new normal of Zoom meetings is pretty good. Two weeks ago I was able to attend virtually the Women Leaders in Global Health 2020: The Power of Diversity meeting with virtual breakout sessions and lively discussions. Our Dept. of Medical Education meets about once or twice a month and we are able to conduct our business with the primary glitch related to audio volume at times. Most of my editing and research assistance was done virtually before the pandemic so I have kept reasonably active. Th

Likely we’re here till April at earliest since the last word several weeks ago was 6 more months of emergency and then we finish next August and will be back in Nashville.

Africans have embraced Valentine’s Day, Easter, and Santa but Halloween has escaped the notice of the folks here in Botswana. Can’t speak for other countries. The only Halloween reminders are Facebook posts and some random ads. Then All Saints Day on 1st of November followed by Election Day Tuesday 3rd November. Election Day is far scarier this year than Halloween. This time next week we MAY know the outcome but I fear what supporters of both sides might do in the aftermath of the reports. No previous election has been as frightening to me.

Star Date 23 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 203–Shops open, borders closed

The presidential campaign debate started at 3 am our time. John turned the TV on at 4 am for us to watch a bit. The debate was much calmer with the mike mute. The commentary this morning on the debate seems to favor Biden but who knows how watchers would vote. Our Nashville home is just a bit over a mile from the Belmont University campus that hosted the debate. Neighbors in the Belmont area including the Catholic church and our street participated in a candle prayer vigil during the debate for hope and peace.

Keeping up with the news has mostly been via CNN but I’ve heard good things about Al Jazeera news service and now I watch that every day in addition to CNN and BBC. Al Jazeera is quite balanced and covers the US election, coronavirus, and the world. I learned more global news in 30 minutes on Al Jazeera than I had learned in several days on CNN. The current unrest in Nigeria is frightening. We still have many friends there in a number of towns and are concerned about their safety although the current reports are mostly from Lagos.

Below in 21 October is my review of Race the Sands. I forgot to mention the Narnia overtones in addition to Dr. Doolittle and National Velvet. I had checked it out as an e-book from the Nashville Public Library. What a service it is to have access to the terrific Nashville Public Library and I’m guessing even more folks are reading e-books during this Covid-19 era. When people criticize our society for too much government intervention, they conveniently forget their reliance on national and local government for clean water, reliable electricity and gas, good roads, free public education, and an armed forces system that provides jobs and training in addition to national protection. Department of Defense hospitals and the Veterans Administration health care hospitals are the only US health systems wherein there is no difference in care and outcome regardless of ethnic or socioeconomic backgrounds. Social security and Medicare are vital to millions of US citizens.

Star Date 21 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 201–Shops open, borders closed

October in Botswana is the first month of our spring equivalent but we are hitting the 90s most days with clear skies and no rain predicted for more than a week.

Book Review: Race the Sands by Sarah Beth Durst –Written by the friend of one of our friends, is a fantasy novel featuring strong women, difficult-to-control monster race animals, and royal intrigue. With no sex or foul language but plenty of controlled violence, it is recommended for anyone who can read. It’s not Dr. Doolittle or National Velvet but has elements of both. The story was compelling enough to be a page-turner and most entertaining. Highly recommended.

Star Date 17 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 197–Shops open, borders closed

Great news!!  Our mail-in ballots received in Nashville–Date Ballot Received by County:10/12/2020. I was almost afraid to check online but decided to look this morning! The election is out of our hands–much prayer–on both sides of the competition. Voting is really all that most of us can do besides contributing to candidates and speaking out when the opportunity arises–or when we make the opportunity. Grateful to the U.S. Embassy here in Botswana that offered a webinar in mail-in voting and also allowed us to send our ballots via the diplomatic pouch with no postal charge. I’ll email a thank-you today. These are the services we want protected along with environmental protections, health care for all, infrastructure including internet connections, and so many other services a democratically-elected government offers.

So grateful to family and friends in the US who are calling, carrying signs, and doing all they can to help the Biden-Harris ticket.

Star Date 11 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 191–Shops open, borders closed

The movie Four Weddings and a Funeral kept running through my mind although  yesterday we had only one funeral and one wedding– one on Facebook and one on Zoom. This was the second distance funeral and our first ever distance wedding .  Surprisingly, the process works and one feels a part of these events that are connected to people with whom we’ve had many years of friendship and/or work relationships.  The Zoom platform allows grouping folks and we had a lovely visit with friends during the virtual wedding reception post ceremony.  The Facebook live streaming is not interactive in the same way but one doesn’t have to worry if your mike is muted or not. My greatest worry is being unmuted and saying something embarrassing.

The Zoom world of connections seems to be the “new normal” as we hear describing this Covid-19 pandemic world frequently.  Friday night (we are currently 6 hours ahead of the US East Coast timewise) we attended a global surgery meeting and the committees were separated for their discussions.  It’s like magic and works surprising well. Last week the American College of Surgeons 2020 Clinical Congress, scheduled for Chicago, went totally virtual.  In so many ways this virtual conference was a huge benefit to our colleagues in parts of Africa and in low- and middle-income countries.  No need for travel funds or difficult-to-obtain visas.  No registration fee was charged, continuing education hours were offered without cost, and the platform was easy to access if one has sufficient Wi-fi connections and bandwidth.  Kudos to the ACS leadership for making the meeting possible for so many around the world. I actually wrote and thanked them.

In addition to the social events, my AT&T U-verse subscription allows us to watch ESPN SEC Network games such as Vanderbilt getting drubbed by South Carolina. Oddly enough, ESPN is on our cable TV but shows more important games than Vandy. NFL football is now available as well. Is this the “malling” of the entertainment world? I use the word “mall” because those folks who traveling internationally and do any shopping must have noticed that the new malls in Dubai or Kuala Lumpur or San Francisco or Cape Town are more like each other than they are like the cultures of the countries in which they are built.

Political Commentary–The current political situation in the US is frightening and depressing. Most of us are hanging on–and praying–till the election day and the fallout from the outcome of the election. How people who have any concerns for the US as a society and democracy can continue to support the current president and his minions is beyond my comprehension. And their refusal to repudiate domestic terrorists such as those in Michigan is irresponsible and contributory. Just praying that voting will not be suppressed in many places and the count will overwhelmingly support the Biden/Harris ticket. VOTE!!

Movie Review—Basic Instinct (1992) with Michael Douglas and Sharon Stone popped up on Netflix as an option. I like mysteries and this has an odd plot as the policeman Douglas seeks a killer–is it or is it not Stone? This R-rated movie had some surprisingly graphic scenes. R-ratings cover a very broad spectrum. Recommended–but not for the feint of heart or the easily offended.

Star Date 8 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 188–Shops open, borders closed—About midyear equivalent today

The Social Dilemma, Netflix documentary about social media is frightening–and means most of us “preach to the choir” when we post our thoughts on Facebook, Twitter, or other media apps. Highly recommended, sobering–and remember that tech folks don’t give their kids screen time. Now I understand why.

Didn’t watch the VP debate last night but have have seen a few snippets this morning and read a number of reviews. Likely few people are susceptible to mind changes now. If the complete fiasco (actually tragedy) of the Covid-19 pandemic handling doesn’t make folks know who to put in charge, I give up trying to convince anyone to support Biden-Harris that isn’t already on board.

After viewing The Social Dilemma I realize we are all being grouped with likeminded folks, even if the likemindedness is based totally in fiction.
Did u know:
There are folks who support a flat-earth theory? When did the Vikings
and Columbus make it to North America?
And false reports travel 6 times faster than fact?
And our profiles are sold to advertisers so they can target us with products
or services we already like or can be persuaded to try?

Star Date 6 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 184–Shops open, borders closed

Strange few days:

1. US president off to Walter Reed for Covid-19 treatment, does a joyride, and returns to White House while likely still contagious–no support for masks. No surprise–why would his behavior change?
2. A bird finally flew into our 1st floor (2nd floor to Yanks) flat through our open sliding glass door off the little balcony, made a circle, and flew out. We leave that door open frequently for breeze so it was inevitable.
3. On Friday night while trolling through the cable TV channels which come from South Africa, the SEC Game Day appeared! Seems as though our cable company has added ESPN so we now have US college football and on Sunday the NFL games. We had to use the ATT subscription on the computer for John to watch Vanderbilt-LSU in the middle of the night.

Star Date 2 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 180–Shops open, borders closed

Breaking news just as we got up this morning–the current president tweeted that he and his wife had tested positive for Covid. Every news report on the internet had this as the lead story. No way to know at this stage what this means for the election or the coming debates. Very unsettling.

Star Date 1 October 2020—–Lockdown Day 179–Independence Day for Botswana and Nigeria–Shops open, borders closed

Today is the second of a 2-day national holiday for Botswana but tomorrow is supposed to be business as usual but schools are out. In Botswana ‘pula’ means rain and money. Every meeting ends with “pula, pula” as we are mostly desert here. Last night we had a hard rain so it was a blessing for this holiday period and was even mentioned on the government Facebook page. The rainy season usually starts in October so maybe it will just be the first rain of this period.

On Monday the Botswana government announced a 6-month additional emergency period. Possibly means that borders and international flights likely won’t reopen on a normal schedule until next February or March. Fortunately, our situation here is quite comfortable.

Night before last John set the alarm for 3 am so we could watch the presidential debate–what a catastrophe for the US people–and even the world. We managed an hour and turned it off. Then yesterday we read news and watched CNN about the debate–outrage was the most common expression. How the current president’s supporters can continue to maintain loyalty to a person who clearly wants to be a US dictator is beyond my comprehension.

Movie Review: Watched Long Shot (2019) about a journalist and the Secretary of State–light-hearted and uplifting in a romantic, feminist, good government sort of way–in other words, a modern-day fairy tale. Seth Rogen and Charlize Theron starred. Recommended for a couple of hours escape from the current political nightmare.

Star Date 27 September 2020—–Lockdown Day 175–Shops open, borders closed

Movie Review: A friend suggested we watch Enola Holmes, recently premiered on Netflix and immediately well received. Did you know Sherlock Holmes had a younger sister in addition to his older brother Mycroft? Set in 1884 and focusing on the 16-year-old Enola, two of this mystery’s sub themes are a vote in the House of Lords that would allow more men to vote and women seeking greater rights. With a PG-13 rating, the movie would be terrific family viewing.

Star Date 26 September 2020—–Lockdown Day 174–Shops open, borders closed

Exciting week as we scheduled our first-ever virtual interview session for applicants to the surgery residency here at University of Botswana and held them yesterday. Only worry was wi-fi failure but it stayed adequate from 7:30 am till we finished up before 5 pm. Zoom lets you have a session as long as u wish and ours was about 10 or 11 hours.

Weather yesterday got to upper 90s but cooled off into the 70s at night. Had a very brief shower–a few sprinkles– in the late afternoon. John got to swim after the interview session ended–I always pass on the pool–water’s too cool for me. I stick with yoga.

College football starts in the SEC today and we might try to catch a game late this evening–the 6 or 7 hour difference makes afternoon or evening games in the States hard to watch from here if u aren’t a night owl.

Star Date 20 September 2020—–Lockdown Day 168–Shops open, borders closed

John & I cut each other’s hair yesterday–I’ve cut his before but it was his first try on mine–both are fine.  I’m saving $18/ week cleaning my own flat and $10 on each haircut.  I go every 4 or 5 months and John the same, maybe more.  I bought electric clippers here for John’s hair.  Cheap–$11. When I got my last haircut in March, I told Boxo to cut it short–ear level–and his cut was good till a few weeks ago when it looked shaggy.

Star Date 19 September 2020—–Lockdown Day 167–Shops open, borders closed

Sad news as we awoke and learned that Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsberg had died–just when one thinks 2020 can’t get worse. The rush by the current administration to fill her seat is disrespectful and despicable

Star Date 18 September 2020—–Lockdown Day 166–Shops open, borders closed

Voting-by-mail week–With the most critical election in our lifetime in about 6 weeks, we’ve been anxiously awaiting our emailed Tennessee ballots that came yesterday. The Tennessee process is that you can receive an email ballot to fill out but it must be returned in the mail–not emailed. One must print off an affidavit to sign and enclose separately with the ballot which must be put in a plain, unmarked envelope. The US Embassy provided the vote-by-mail info months ago via a webinar which shared a link to a mailing-label printout. This morning
1. I printed off 2 sets of ballots and affidavits
2. John and I each filled out a ballot and signed and dated the affidavit
3. I put each ballot in a plain envelope and sealed it
4. Put each signed affidavit with its proper ballot envelope in a separate
plain envelope (ballots are disqualified if affidavit is inside the ballot
envelope)
5. Carefully taped the printed labels for Nashville on the envelopes
6. Emailed the US Embassy and explained my taped labels (our printer
won’t print envelopes) and was reassured by someone who
answered quickly that they sounded OK
7. Called my regular driver to take me to the Embassy where I dropped the
ballots in a box on the outside Embassy wall where they will be collected
and sent to US in the diplomatic pouch–no postage required
8. In a couple of weeks I can email Nashville to learn if our ballots
received–not sure if we’d try again–can’t vote twice–a dilemma

Book Review: Just finished Jesus and John Wayne: How White Evangelicals Corrupted a Faith and Fractured a Nation by Kristin Kobes Du Mez. Well-expressed history of the 20th and 21st century Christian movement that has profoundly influenced so many of the current evangelical communities. My note on Facebook was: “Just finished this must-read book about how the manly, muscular, patriarchal Christianity movement explains the evangelical support of the current president.”

Zoom meetings, yoga, email and Zoom research advice to novices with a little bit or no experience, editing manuscripts being prepared for submission to journals or for ethics review, reading on two books–Umberto Eco and Yaa Gyasi–and the usual TV watching of CNN, Law & Order, Ransom, Bull, CSI, golf (Thurs-Sunday evenings), etc., and a bit of college football have filled the week.

Covid cases are rising here in Botswana and today we posted a total of 13 deaths since March. The weather has changed with lows in the 60s and highs, upper 80s; so John has reinstated his afternoon swimming laps when he gets home. Wednesday I made a childhood recipe–tuna noodle casserole–the second time I’ve made it here and maybe the second ever. Have all the ingredients for lasagna for next week. We did have brunch last Sunday at the No. 1 Ladies Detective Agency open-air coffee shop– with a family of five whose father came to work at the University of Botswana last year and is John’s colleague. Tonight is Kentucky Fried Chicken I picked up on the way home from the ballot-drop run.

Star Date 8 September 2020—–Lockdown Day 156–Shops open, borders closed

The past week since my last blog hasn’t been busier than usual but projects, requests to review manuscripts, searching for news items to include in the 6/week Covid info digest, preparing lasagna, lentil stew, corn bread, and other dishes, online ordering of books and gifts for family and friends, watching TV, and reading Kindle books has pushed aside an occasional urge to blog.

For a couple of months I’ve been trying compose in my mind an e-mail script to share with family and friends and neighbors that would be the equivalent of door-to-door canvassing for the Biden-Harris ticket. It starts with “Knock, knock, I’m Maggie Tarpley and want a few minutes of your time to share why I’m going to vote for Joe Biden for president on November 3rd.” Likely I will preface this note to family and friends who are clearly in the current president’s camp as thoughts that are not meant to damage relations and there will be no hard feelings if they dismiss my words or even choose not to read, but that I think it’s important to reach out and explain my stance. I don’t expect to change any minds but I will regret it in the future if I fail to speak up.

1. Joe Biden and many Democrats do not condone abortion but the issue is so personal and complex, they don’t think it is the one issue to overshadow all other vital issues confronting US citizens including health care, education, infrastructural support such as roads and bridges, voting rights, support our veterans, and so on. The quote “But abortion stops a beating heart” can be answered with “Police brutality can stop a beating heart, Domestic violence can stop a beating heart, Child abuse can stop a beating heart, Lack of health insurance or access to health care can stop a beating heart, the Lack of sufficient food and proper shelter can stop a beating heart, the Death penalty can stop a beating heart (and it might be innocent), etc., etc., etc.” Father @JamesMartinSJ believes to call yourself ‘pro-life’ means to revere all human life—including the Black community, migrants and refugees, people experiencing homelessness, LGBTQ+ teens, and people in prison—not just unborn children
2. The current president’s refusal to fully implement the  Defense Production Act in order for the necessary production of sufficient personal protective equipment (PPE) for health care workers and other on the front line was inexcusable. The subsequent fighting over supplies between states and the government was inexcusable. American companies were capable of producing all that was needed but the administration’s efforts were too little, too late, and there are even shortages of these supplies in some places right now.
3. The current president’s magical thinking that the Covid-19 was a hoax and a ploy to damage the economy caused the proper response to be too little, too late. Mocking the use of masks and failure to be a role model for masking and keeping social distance is likely responsible for some beating hearts that stopped. His lack of leadership in implementing a vigorous, national tracing and testing program allowed the uncontested spread of the virus across the country. Our per capita deaths are the worst in the developed world because of our delayed and inadequate response. The death toll above 180,000 is beyond belief–how many 9/11 equivalents?
4. Viewing the current president’s mocking of a man with cerebral palsy, his refusing to condemn a 17-year-old shooter who apparently shot and killed two persons exercising their right of free speech, denigrating veterans who served and died for our country, and his apparent lack of offering concern for those 180,000 Covid deaths as well as the millions who have suffered and are in some stages of recovery, compel me to support the ticket that is running against him.

Please share your own thoughts with me and I welcome any corrections if I have misstated any points.

When the election is over, I hope we will still be friends. I pledge to continue to support the US and work for those issues that I believe must be addressed, regardless of the election outcome.

Star Date 30 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 148

College football reigns–sort of. John got up at 4:30 am our time here in Botswana to watch ESPN’s kickoff of the college season with Austin Peay (one of my schools as well as Leeman’s) and Arkansas Central. Sadly, AP lost in the last minutes but it was fun to join with the US sports community. I’m waiting to hear how many folks watched this clash between 2 lesser known teams when it was–literally–the only game in town.

The drama of return–or not– to college campuses in the US and other countries is a complicated issue. Many adults struggle with wearing masks and keeping physical distances and college students have never had such restrictions and seemingly are coming to terms with rules/guidelines in some schools better than others. Some friends have created a bracket to see which schools close first–not sure any money is involved.

The most recent violence in Portland exacerbated by the trucks with supporters of the current president carrying weapons is frightening. The Tennessee law threatening convictions and loss of voting privilege for certain types of protesting near the capitol is depressing and likely unlawful in itself. How waving automatic weapons in a threatening manner is more acceptable than carrying signs and marching.

Star Date 28 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 146

TGIF–Another movie review: The Manchurian Candidate (2004—Denzel Washington, Meryl Streep, Liev Schreiber, Jon Voight) came on our cable TV this morning as I sat down to surf the web for various projects.  About 10 minutes into the film there’s a TV news cast running in the background that that is related to a national presidential election– sounds exactly like it might be reporting events of today—only difference was the lack of a pandemic.  Creepy.  Clearly this movie is an update from the 1959 cold war book as well as the 1962 movie (Frank Sinatra, Laurence Harvey, Janet Leigh, and Angela Lansbury) because the war has shifted to the Kuwait war of 1991. The movie has some fascinating premises that are likely updated from cold war to powerful business interests related to privatizing of government programs. Could have been filmed last year. Highly recommended. Not I may watch the 1962 version on Prime or Netflix.

When the Iron Curtain fell in 1991 and the cold war ended (officially), I quit reading spy novels because I thought they would no longer be relevant. John LeCarre and Graham Greene were favorites and I found my way back to that genre a few years ago. Multinational industrial, financial, or cyber crime makes entertaining reading as well as exciting film. I avoid drug and organized crime entertainment.

Star Date 24 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 142

Movie Reviews: With a quiet Monday and no manuscript to review or Zoom meeting to log on to, Catch-Up offered several films including two choices based on true events that turned out to be informative as well as entertaining. Boy Erased (2018) detailed a Baptist preacher (Russell Crowe) and wife (Nicole Kidman) who enroll their 19-year-old son (Lucas Hedges) in a gay conversion process. Bad Education (2019) starred Hugh Jackman and Allison Janney (Kenyon College alum) as school administrators in a highly-rated Long Island public school system who embezzled millions from that system in the 1990s and early 2000s. The case was broken by a student reporter in that high school’s newspaper!

Borders continue to be closed indefinitely and several circulating rumors hint that full travel options may not be available for months. A few residents have been able to return to Botswana on cargo flights via Ethiopian Air which is one of the only airlines with regular flights in and out of Africa. Flights out occur about once a month–you have to register to try to get on one.

Highlights of the Democratic convention last week were viewed the day after on CNN–I actually never watched those conventions when we were in the US. Everything we saw was impressive–a Zoom convention was a success. This week we’ll see what the Republican do. The angst in the US over possible voter repression and post office problems are very disturbing. We are registered to vote absentee in Tennessee–just waiting for them to be sent out. As soon as they show up, we will mail them back via the US Embassy diplomatic pouch.

Yesterday was my birthday. For the first time here, we ordered carry-out–from a nearby Thai restaurant in the mall. We had 2 friends over to share the occasion–sat on our little balcony all afternoon. A highlight was a Zoom call last night with all the kids–a complete surprise that John arranged. Leftover pad Thai and other stuff are a bonus.

Star Date 18 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 136

Believe it or not, Lovecraft Country appeared today on the Catch-Up of our cable and I’m watching the first episode. Been reading on Facebook that it is on HBO but I never read the Lovecraft stories–well, maybe one or two. After 30 minutes it seems to be based on the Green Book movie but I’m sure creatures will come. Appears to be set in the mid 50s (dated by song “Whole Lotta Shakin’ Goin’ On) when segregation was in full bloom–painful in places so far. No spoilers.

Each time I check out Catch Up, different shows pop up. A terrific police show–Tommy– began a month or 2 ago about the first female chief of police in Los Angeles–never heard of it until it arrived. Lincoln Rhymes Bone Catcher miniseries is playing–I’ve read all the books so it’s fun–not the same as the book but quite entertaining. A few movie are always available, half for kids or those who like animations. TV is useful because I can surf the web and work on the daily Covid update while watching.

The weather is much milder in the past week–here in the city our morning temps are mid 50s to 60 and gets into the mid and upper 70s–80s are predicted soon. Still dry but quite pleasant.

What’s old is new dept: Just learned Jamie got a turntable and some vinyls for his late (April in August) birthday gift. In Nashville we have a turntable I got John several years ago to replace the 1980s Radio Shack stereo that died. We have many vinyls and John listens to them regularly. When the cousins get together, we always have a dance party with oldies but goodies records–been 5 years since we all gathered in Nashville. Last year July in Ft. Erie, Canada, was a full reunion. The one planned for this July in Botswana fell victim to the pandemic. Who knows tomorrow?

Got an email yesterday concerning our Dickson High class reunion–hoping for 2021. So nice to hear about a chance to gather, even next year. I wrote a reply to all on the mail-out telling where we are and what we are doing in this time of Covid.

Star Date 15 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 136

Saturdays with no schedule for me is like most of my other days but is a treat for John who keeps a regular week-day schedule although he did work from home several days this week until the recent 2-week lockdown was lifted. Botswana is diagnosing more cases and some were related to schools.

During the last several months both of my laptops started having technical problems. The sound system on the big Dell began coming and going 4 or 5 months ago. External speakers and headphones worked for a while but in the last month, the sound deteriorated. The little Dell lost half it’s screen projection a month ago. Now that so much of our communications, meetings, and teaching are online, I had to have a computer at home that did more than email and word processing. What a break for me when the 2-week lockdown was lifted at midnight Thursday night. Yesterday morning I walked to the nearby mall, looked at every low-level, cheap laptop in the 3 computer stores and bought one of the cheapest available, a Lenovo with a 1-year parts and labor warranty that will get me through this final year. Today is John’s second anniversary of our time here. Our plan is to leave next August as John’s 3-year contract ends. We have our residents’ permits valid through 15 August 2021.

Several times a week someone sends me a paper to read or edit and I distribute a daily Covid info update, but I still have plenty of hours that I use use watching mindless TV. Did you know that almost every one-hour TV drama episode is actually only 43 minutes of story–when I watch “Catch-up”–the DSTV version of On-Demand–there’s a time-stamp in the corner. I’m fascinated about film story telling and editing and how the directors are able to craft a fully-comprehensible storyline–maybe two–in 43 minutes. Even more fascinating is how few words are required–I often watch Hulu or Netflix as closed caption so as to not bother John. The actual dialogue is quite sparse but i never noticed until I began watching with no sound. The visuals and productions are actually quite brilliant and there are so many terrific series as well as films from the US, UK–BBC–ITV, Australia, Canada, Nigeria, etc.

The weather here as turned from cold at night and cool in the day to cool at night and warm days–highs in 70s and low 80s and dry. Quite lovely.

Star Date 10 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 131

What’s different for us in the era of Covid-19? 

Vocabulary: Until the last few months, we never used the terms “TGIF” on Friday  or “over the hump day” for Wednesday.  

Food: We’ve been eating  with more variety as I look at recipes online nearly every day. Food items added to my repertoire include wild rice (courtesy of Minnesota visiting friends) and mushroom soup, hummus, Mexican cornbread, and oven-roasted green beans, onions, broccoli, and brussels sprouts.  Notice that these are NOT slow cooker foods–a real sign I have more time to cook.  I continue to use the slow cooker on our favorites–pinto beans, pepper soup, lentil stew, chili, vegetable soup, black-eyed peas, and chicken curry.

Eating Out Is Eating In: Kentucky Fried Chicken has become our guilty pleasure a couple times a month. An outlet opened a few blocks from us at the first of this year. Restaurants are allowed to offer carry-out during lockdown. The Spar grocery store sells individuals pizzas and I keep a few in our freezer. Sunday morning breakfast is a jam-filled doughnut from the store.

Crafting: John & I both love ball caps for sun shades and I crafted for us face shields from  ball caps purchased at Riverwalk Mall and a clear plastic shield sold with a separate head band at a pharmacy several kilometers away.  I cut a slit across the top of the shield for the cap’s bill to fit through and used binder clips to hold the shield to the side of the cap. Last Thursday a man stopped me as I was putting groceries in my driver’s car and asked me how I made it–he wanted to do one for his school-age daughter. Of course, I gave him directions.

Travel (or Not): Riverwalk Mall, 2 or 3 blocks from our apartment, got a visit several times a week and now I go 2 or 3 times a month for big grocery excursions.  Sometimes we walk around inside the apartment complex–a fair number of residents do this–some masked, others not.  We have kids here in the complex and they almost never wear masks when playing.

Entertainment: Even though this is the same as before Covid, we appreciate it more now. The cable TV offers American, South African, Canadian, and Australian TV series as well as sports. Currently, the PGA golf tournament runs till 4 am–very fun for John. The Wi-Fi is pretty good and I can watch Netflix, Hulu, Disney, and Amazon Prime with our VPN. Reading is made easier via the Nashville Public Library e-books as well as Kindle books from Amazon.

Star Date 7 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 128

Three monkeys just ran across the lawn below our balcony so I took it as a sign to blog! We almost never see monkeys in the apartment compound but I do spot them occasionally in our neighborhood. On the University of Botswana campus–about half a mile away– has monkeys and warthogs most of the time. Cows and occasional horses walk through our street to graze. My driver friend said they all belong to a village about 5 or 6 miles from here. Not really a problem–just need to watch where you step.

Today is day 8 of the most-recent lockdown because cases began rising and they seemed to be coming from schools–this is a bad sign for the US as schools there start with face-to-face teaching. Each day I scan the New York Times, Washington Post, Guardian, sometimes the Tennessean, and check Twitter and Facebook for Covid info in order to put out the daily Covid info digest for University of Botswana folks. At night we watch CNN and sometimes BBC. The Covid spread in the US is just beyond belief–never realized how vital competent leadership at the top is. Sadly, we are without.

Star Date 2 August 2020—–Lockdown Day 123

You may have to sign into JStor but this is fascinating info–I found it on Twitter and am now reading the source of the claims.

Revisiting Black Medical School Extinctions in the Flexner Era

https://www.jstor.org/stable/24632042?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3A634853610583755a9dcfba63221180a9&seq=2#page_scan_tab_contents

Choosing the Student Body: Masculinity, Culture, and the Crisis of Medical School Admissions, 1920-1950

https://www.jstor.org/stable/3218063?read-now=1&refreqid=excelsior%3Ac21ffc68a08d6a5a9f1625895185fe4b&seq=1#page_scan_tab_contents

Star Date 31 July 2020—–Lockdown Day 121

At 8 pm last night the government went on TV and other media and announced a minimum 2-week lockdown due to rising cases in the last weeks–a second death occurred a few weeks ago. This closed hospital clinics and many non-essential businesses. Hopefully, groceries and pharmacies and petrol stations will be open as they were in the previous tight lockdown. Today was the last day of class for medical students and hopefully they’ll be able to Zoom or WhatsApp in for final assignments and presentations. Fortunately, I’m all done. We were hoping to have friends over for lunch tomorrow–I cooked Nigerian pepper soup, spinach, and black-eye peas yesterday– but now it’s doubtful if they can get here. Will know later in the day. Once again the African proverb proves correct–Who knows tomorrow?

Star Date 30 July 2020—–Lockdown (sort of) Day 120

Congressman John Lewis’ funeral just ended as President Barack Obama gave the eulogy. Presidents Clinton and Bush also spoke earlier in the service and a highlight was the Rev. James Lawson’s words. A touching memorial for a man who devoted his life to working towards equity and equality for all Americans–nearly being killed by state troopers in the Selma march. Pres. Obama urged us all to vote. The election in November is the most important in my lifetime and we hope we can get our absentee ballots cast from Botswana.

Many references were made to the young people who came together in Nashville in the late 50s and early 60s to attend American Baptist College, Fisk, and Tennessee State (A&I at that time)–The Children–written about by David Halberstam in a book by that name–highly recommended if anyone wants to know more about that vital period in the Civil Rights Movement–Nashville became the first Southern city to dismantle the segregation of public spaces and later when schools were desegregated, there was no violence–although there was some “white flight” to private schools, including Christian.

Tomorrow is the last day of classes for the medical students–I had my last Zoom ethics class for final year med students this afternoon–the 5th Zoom class this week for seniors in order to finish them out before they leave. Our classes were cut off in March when the students were sent away for the pandemic so they could shelter at home. We had the 2nd death in Botswana this week–a 72-year-old man. Breaking news! Just now (8:30 pm) the government put Gaborone under another lockdown–two weeks this time.

Star Date 18 July 2020—–Lockdown (sort of) Day 108–Botswana Presidents’ Days long weekend

With nights in the 30s and a daily high in 60s with lots of sunshine, the weather continues lovely, if a bit chilly. Air Botswana is resuming domestic flights this weekend, likely due to the 2-day national holiday Monday and Tuesday, the 20th & 21st (Presidents’ Days), giving many of us a 4-day weekend. Still no idea when we’ll be able to leave the country. South Africans who live here and want to visit their home must apply for a permit from the South African consulate that takes 6 weeks just to get approved in order to cross the border. Yesterday, the required quarantine for Botswana citizen returnees was reduced from 14 to 10 days. They likely will need to quarantine on their way back. Not sure if non-citizens or non-residents can come into the country. We got our residency permits renewed this week and are good through 15 August 2021 when we plan to return to Nashville. I was thinking of an end-of-September US visit, but presently with the pandemic condition of the States, I may just ride it out till next year. Sad that we may be safer in Africa than the USA.

How anyone in the US cannot realize that the lack of leadership at the very TOP is responsible for the horrid state of affairs related to cases and deaths is beyond me. The politicizing of masks is criminal. The re-evaluation of how we view our history and what has been omitted is long overdue. I do pray for peaceful resolutions but understand the anger. I continue to send letters to my Senators, knowing full well that Blackburn and Alexander are unlikely to cross the current president on any issue. I am very cautious about the polls favoring Biden–we all must be vigilant and do our part (VOTE) — no one can pass on this election. I have family and friends who don’t agree with my viewpoint but I’m trying to decide how to approach them at least one time with a plea to consider the consequences of 4 more years of CP.

On Tuesday, the US Embassy here in Gaborone hosted a very helpful webinar on absentee voting. I had downloaded the forms for us a couple of weeks ago but needed help on filling them out and how to submit to Nashville to get an email ballot. We emailed the forms Thursday and got replies yesterday that they were received. We haven’t tried to vote absentee since Bill Clinton’s second term–and I’m not sure those ballots ever reached Tennessee. Luckily, his success wasn’t dependent of us.

The University of Botswana students are back on campus and John meets almost daily (keeping social distance) with several small groups of medical students rotating through surgery plus he goes to breast clinic on Fridays. Most of his committee and business meetings are Zoom or other online systems. The medical ethics course I took over in January needs a couple more sessions for two of the med student classes. The room we use is an auditorium so I’ll be able to keep away from the students–the meeting times haven’t been set yet but it likely will be in the next week when I already have a medical education webinar and maybe an Africa standing committee meeting for the international library group (IFLA). Both are currently scheduled at the time we met the ethics class previously.

Working from home continues to be enjoyable as I’m not too busy to enjoy some cooking, reading, TV, yoga, as well as watching my avocado seed sprout get taller. Last Saturday we went to the mall for a big grocery shop so no need to go anywhere this weekend. The latest addition to my repertoire is roasted broccoli and green beans. A salsa and cottage cheese mixture has become a favorite dip and I’m starting to make guacamole again since we found good avocadoes from a street vendor. I got more canned chickpeas for another round of hummus. I had been buying hummus here but this is cheaper and tastier. We gave up hummus in Kenya and Rwanda as it was almost never available.

John is enjoying the golf tournaments from the US that our cable carries live in the evening due to time differences–we are 6 hours ahead of the East Coast. Fortunately, it is a sport that John always watched on Sundays in the US. Many folks will be depressed if there are no college football or basketball games this fall. My VPN allows us to watch a fair number of American sports when they take place. It also helps with logging on to the Vanderbilt library at times. Many institutional firewalls don’t seem to like African access–it’s hard to tell what causes difficulties at times.

Star Date 10 July 2020—–Lockdown (sort of) Day 100–Until borders open and travel is possible, lockdown continues

Cooking has become a lockdown pastime for many of us. I actually enjoy thinking about favorite foods and if they can be prepared here. So far, most things have been possible, This week I made a vegetarian lasagna for the first time in Botswana as well hummus for the first time in many years. Lasagna is hard to mess up if all the ingredients are available. Hummus is more of an art in flavor and texture, even with a recipe. I spotted tahini in my supermarket as well as tinned chickpeas and decided to try again. I looked online for a recipe (5-minute hummus) that also had some comments suggesting adjustments. Months ago I found a hand-held immersion blender at the mall and bought it to make pea and potato soups. I used that blender on the chickpeas, lemon juice, olive oil, garlic, and tahini. It’s not really designed for such stiff items–more for liquids–but it worked by lifting it up and down. Paprika and extra olive oil made it even better.

Star Date 8 July 2020—–Lockdown (sort of) Day 98–Until borders open and travel is possible, lockdown continues

TV Review: “Young Sheldon” could be the best television series in the past 3 years. No blood, murder, violence (ingredients of many of the shows I enjoy). The show revolves around a Southern Baptist family with a genius 10-year-old living in small-town Texas in the late 1980s. Maybe it’s my small-town Southern roots that influence my thinking but the writing and acting are superior. Somehow it’s hilarious without demeaning the faith of the characters and their dealings with a self-proclaimed Atheist Baptist genius kid. Oddly enough, it’s the spin-off of “Big Bang Theory” that is funny but not recommended for Sunday school classes–“Young Sheldon” should be watched by Sunday school classes because of themes it provides for in-depth discussions of family and faith issues.

Star Date 7 July 2020—–Lockdown (sort of) Day 97–Until borders open and travel is possible, lockdown continues

Last week the news reported petrol problems in South Africa and then on Thursday when coming back from a grocery run at the mall with my driver, we saw long lines at the petrol station next door to the mall and almost couldn’t get out. Colleagues who live outside the city may get stuck at home because of the petrol shortage. Friends shared that tips about petrol cause people to get in line in the middle of the night. The expat email group circulated a note saying that truckers in South Africa are going on strike today. Botswana depends on truckers bringing many kinds of food and manufactured items. Gaborone is lovely place to live, in part because of the easy availability of food and other items. Don’t know if this trucking strike will change this–depends on how long it lasts.

Fun in Botswana: Each morning while fixing the coffee I check my sprouting avocado seed on the window sill. I tried some seeds from the grocery store avocados but they never sprouted. Then John brought a beautiful huge avocado from a street vendor and when I cut into it, it was already sprouting–the resulting guacamole was also terrific. Many years ago my mother sprouted avocadoes so I guess I’m channeling her. Also on the sill are tomatoes ripening–I now buy green ones for the first time–I didn’t know it was fun to watch them ripen–I had always stored them in the frig previously. The vegetable bin was getting so crowded from buying several weeks of food at a time that it also saved space.

Our apartment came with cable TV and WiFi. Gaborone has the best WiFi connections of any of the African places we’ve lived. Watching old American shows like Law and Order plus more recent ones fills the days when I have mindless computer work. CNN runs as we eat supper to keep us informed on all the COVID and political activities–very depressing. John enjoys now that golf tourneys have started again. I read Kindle books downloaded from Nashville Public Library and Amazon. My online news subscriptions include The New Times, Washington Post, New Yorker and Vanity Fair John also gets the Tennessean. Movie and TV memberships are Netflix, Amazon Prime, ATT U-Verse (for sports when they were being played) and the newly-acquired Disney+/Hulu/ESPN to see “Hamilton.”

Star Date 4 July 2020—USA Independence Day–Lockdown (sort of) Day 94–Until borders open and travel is possible, lockdown continues

July 1st was President’s Day here in Botswana, a national holiday, so this was a 4-day work week. Currently, John is “attending” virtually a 2-day surgery meeting in Pretoria, South Africa along with our surgery faculty, 2 trainees, and a couple of other medical officers headed to surgery. When the only expenses are registration, these virtual meetings are economically attractive but getting away from one’s work is part of professional conferences. When attendees are all in their work towns, it’s hard to guess if the impact is equivalent.

On my 2-weekly trip to the nearby mall Thursday, sporting my face shield and mask, I spotted an electric hair clipper for about $10. John’s last haircut was in March so it’s about time. When we got married, I cut his hair for years but gave it up as styles changed and butch cuts went away. The haircut/trim done on the balcony (to control hair clippings) is not perfect but decent and the clipper was the same cost as a haircut so price is right and we can avoid a salon visit. The weather here is dry and cool–30s and 40s at night and mid 60s or low 70s in the daytime. I haven’t turned on our heat yet–just bundle up in the morning–long underwear and lined jeans are a uniform except during yoga.

The Covid situation globally, and especially in the US, is appalling. The current administration had no excuse for not tackling the problem in March as other high-income countries did–except the hesitation appeared to be linked to strategy of maximizing profits for favored friends as well as –in theory–keeping the economy from getting frightened. All that accomplished was refusing to get PPE produced at a defense-level rate as well as ignoring scientific advice about testing and tracing programs that had to be supported at the national level to be effective. So here we are with the highest case reports since the pandemic began. The Current President’s drive to Make America Great has succeeded—- he got us to the top spot– No. 1–in Covid deaths and cases.

Masks have become symbols of oppression not protection for a group of leaders who seem unfazed by the skyrocketing diagnosed cases as well as an unacceptable death count. I keep thinking about how many jet crashes the deaths represent–a 777-300 can carry 550–just divide 131,500 by 550=230 jet crashes!!! Compared to 9/11 where about 3,000 died, Covid is equal to 40 9/11s. Air travel would cease if this were an aviation issue. Why does the Current President and his minions in the Senate seem unfazed? The Senators from Tennessee get regular emails from me begging for PPE, testing and tracing support–the results are discouraging as they both are members of the reigning party–but I can always hope–and pray.

And the radio silence about the intelligence regarding Russian bounties on American and coalition troops in Afghanistan…………….

Entertainment Review: On the 4th of July, we remember independence from England and I celebrated by being one of the many who subscribed to Disney+ in order to watch a 2016 film of the original cast (I think) Broadway stage hit “Hamilton.” Worth the investment for the 2 hours 40 minutes of song and dance with the most diverse cast since “Lion King.” Much of the music/lyrics was rap and it worked. Lin-Manuel Miranda is a genius–and can sing as well as write and direct or produce or everything. A side pleasure was seeing members of the cast who also act on the TV police series that I watch here in Botswana as I do mindless computer activities.

Guilty secret–the Disney+ sign-up had an alternative offer–for a bit less than twice the $6.99/month, one could choose an addition of Hulu and ESPN. Since Hulu had been on my radar for some time, I took the deal. Hulu’s offerings do supplement the Netflix and Amazon Prime we already had. My first Hulu choice was the 2019 Academy Award-winning subtitled Korean film “Parasites.” No spoilers but the film is fascinating from plot to filming. Won’t say anything about it–different, intriguing, not sure how accurate is its portrayal of modern-day Korea …..

Star Date 30 June 2020—Lockdown (sort of) Day 90–Until borders open and travel is possible, lockdown continues

On Facebook there a poster going around that encourages the support of public education through taxes even if one has no children in the public school system–reason is that lack of support makes for a stupid electorate. This issue is so complex, I had to respond and wrote on one such post : But it’s more complex than this. The wealthy need to pay their fair share of taxes. Period.. I’m happy to pay taxes for schools and social services and I have no children in TN schools. Private and parochial education is a choice and should not drain taxpayer money from the public system (and note the founding dates of many private schools–coincides with integration in some places–as well as the fact they don’t have to educate children with physical, mental, and social challenges although some offer athletic and academic scholarships). Public schools can be great if supported properly. When people discuss choice in public education such as magnets and charters, they conveniently overlook the lack of transportation that may accompany those “choices” that means only people with sufficient income or personal vehicles can take advantage. “No school left behind” might be an equal target with “no child left behind.” And teachers should be paid a living wage and respected as they are in Europe and other high-income countries.

Star Date 22 June 2020—Lockdown (sort of) Day 82–Until borders open and travel is possible, lockdown continues

Today my musings will be a mixture of political and theological thoughts as well as some pop culture. The current world events bewilder, exhaust, and terrify. The worst pandemic in 100 years rages almost unchecked in the US, filmed police brutality causes major protests around the globe, statues are being torn down, the most important US election this century occurs in November, school schedules from preschool through university are in flux –to open or continue online.

Facebook offers interchange opportunities. These are issues I thought about and sometimes shared:

A query from a friend about abortion rights–My response: Such a personal decision. I cannot judge either decision (abortion or give up for adopton) but Roe vs. Wade became law primarily to stop illegal and self-induced abortions because many women died or had terrible complications. People also forgot that Baptists supported it when first passed. There is risk in having a baby if u don’t get good antenatal care and pregnancy can interrupt a person’s life in many ways, especially if u are poor or very young or a student. And why are men not held responsible in any meaningful way? Getting someone pregnant does not seem to ruin the lives of many men. I also don’t quote the “I knew you before birth” Bible verse because there are numerous other verses where believers are instructed to kill–even babies. such as 1 Samuel 15:2,3, Hosea 13:16, and Psalms 137:8-9. Yes, those were enemy children, but innocent.

On a Lancet article “Challenges for the female academic during the COVID-19 pandemic”–Women comprise 70% of the global health workforce and more than 50% of medical graduates in many countries. Despite this, women and gender minorities remain underrepresented in medical leadership. Only 22% of full professors in American medical schools and 23% in Europe are women. Women of colour are particularly underrepresented; only 0·5% of full professors in American medical schools are Black women.

A Reuters article said: Vatican urges Catholics to drop investments in fossil fuels, arms–My thoughts are that if we did the equivalent of a space race for sustainable energy, we could shift profit from fossil fuel shareholders to non-fossil fuel investors. And how many know that the fossil fuel industry actually gets subsidies from the government? “Conservative estimates put U.S. direct subsidies to the fossil fuel industry at roughly $20 billion per year “[https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-fossil-fuel-subsidies-a-closer-look-at-tax-breaks-and-societal-costs]. Be so much better to subsidize renewable energy — I heard the Chinese build one solar farm every week on average!

Change of pace–Movie Review: Somewhere I read that the John Wick films were favorite of boys and men. The on-demand cable option here offered all 3 John Wick movies for Father’s Day weekend–yes, it’s Father’s Day here as well as in the US. What a shoot-em-up action-packed trio! And each one has sequences that appears more like a video game because of the number of bad guys that get shot up, stabbed, or otherwise taken out as well as wild motorcycle and car chases and crashes. Mostly male actors–Keanu Reeves plays Wicks–but a few strong women are tough and ruthless. Dogs have major roles, surprisingly enough. Long on action and a bit short on plot which runs through all 3 films. Not recommended for the feint of heart or someone looking for intellectual stimulation.

Statue

Star Date 19 June 2020—Lockdown (sort of) Day 79–Juneteenth in the US–June 19th, the day in 1865 when word reached Galveston, Texas that the war was over and all previously- enslaved persons were free. The Emancipation Proclamation was in 1863 in the midst of the US Civil War that ended in 1865 when the South surrendered. I admit that until a week or two ago, I had no idea of what Juneteenth meant–had just heard of it. There are so many holes in my knowledge of the history of the people of color in the US. The Black Lives Matter movement is reminding many of us about how little we really know about the Black experience and the experiences of all people of color in our country.

After no social life since March, this weekend we are meeting a friend for lunch Saturday in the Brazilian steak house at the nearby mall and going to the home of friends for Sunday lunch. We always wear masks (I also use a face shield jerry-rigged to a baseball cap) when we go anywhere. Yesterday was grocery day–after the recent brief lockdown, keeping a couple weeks supply of food seems prudent. Probably not necessary for the food itself as we could always get groceries, but stocking up means less trips to the shops and limits exposure–we are in a country where most cases continue to be truck drivers bringing goods from other countries and drivers are all tested at the borders.

Now that students are back at the University, teaching strategies still involve some online learning for larger groups. Our medical education colleagues continue working with faculty via Zoom or similar programs to help faculty with how to best handle the online teaching and assessment. We met today to plan a webinar where faculty already using remote teaching can share with others who wants to learn more. All around the globe medical schools wrestle with handling the clinical rotations and ensuring students are properly protected.

Our surgery faculty and residents are registered for a July meeting in Pretoria, the first virtual surgery conference of the “new normal.” Possibly our annual fall surgery meeting in the US will be virtual but no word yet. Most of the spring and summer professional meetings are cancelled or went virtual. At present we couldn’t have traveled anyway.

Star Date 17 June 2020—Lockdown (sort of) Day 77–On Friday night total lockdown was reinstated after 12 cases were diagnosed but reversed last night.

In keeping with advice to keep a journal during this 2020 pandemic, I’m trying to update the happenings here in Gaborone. Somehow the days pass quickly and making notes only occurs to me every week or so. When the original lockdown was eased almost 2 weeks ago, life seemed to be settling in to masks, hand sanitizer, and temps taken in the shops which all were then open. Then on Friday, 12 more cases added to the 48 diagnosed here caused a reinstatement of the tight lockdown. But last night the announcement came that the lockdown was lifted.

The bright spot after weeks of protest over Mr. George Floyd’s tragic death and the long-overdue focus on Black Lives Matters–maybe the protests had some influence in a roundabout way– is the announcement yesterday that the Supreme Court ruled that the civil rights law of 1964 protects gay and transgendered workers. Almost as astounding was judges refusal to hear several 2nd amendment cases. More important cases are coming soon–we’ll see how they rule then.

How teaching and learning are going to look is the current issue facing schools and universities all across the globe including here in Botswana. Connectivity is an issue even in the US. Now that students have returned to campus, wi-fi connectivity won’t be the issue it was when students were scattered across this country the size of France. Likely there will be online teaching to limit close contact even with instructors and teachers in the same community. Blended learning– a combination of online and face-to-face — is also on the table.

Star Date 10 June 2020—Lockdown Day 70–Most restrictions easing but borders still closed. No word on when international flights will start back up.

Last night the funeral service for George Floyd was held at the Fountain of Praise Church in Houston, TX and CNN broadcast all 4 plus hours across the globe. I watched from the opening music to the processional out of the church, about 10:30 pm here in Botwana.. A number of prominent persons as well as family members spoke in this dignified but life-celebrating service. George Floyd’s life was shared in personal and loving terms, making his senseless murder even more tragic. Joe Biden spoke via a video clip and the Rev. Al Sharpton gave the keynote eulogy with a plea for justice for African-Americans and change in the governmental structure that permits events like this murder to possibly go unpunished.

The half-hearted response from some members of the current administration about the multiple cases of police brutality that have gone and continue to go unpunished sickens one to watch. Apparently, some cities are already making changes to allowed police procedures. We can only pray that reforms comes soon before more persons are harmed such as the 75-year-old Catholic peace protestor who was knocked to the sidewalk, suffered a head wound, and was ignored by fellow “peace keepers.”

No other police brutality case has captured world attention like George Floyd’s death. In Ghana, a wreath was laid in his honor at the W.E.B Dubois Centre in Accra. Protests for Black Lives Matters are taking place in major cities around the world and broadcast on CNN and BBC and other news services we get on cable TV.

In 11 days winter will start here in southern Africa. Our temps are in the low 70s in the day time and get down into 40s at night. No rain for more than a month so likely dry season. Gaborone is right on the edge of the Kalahari desert so we a low rainfall–the hope is to get enough each year to keep the local reservoir/lake full enough to supply steady water. City water is very clean and we don’t filter or boil.

As things loosen here, restaurants are starting to allow in-house dining. We had our first meal out last Saturday at the Gaborone Club, a tennis and lawn bowling club we found on a stroll through our neighborhood 2 weeks ago. Membership not required to use their small café but everyone entering the premises signs up and has a temp check. Servers and diners (2 others) wore masks but only one person playing tennis was masked. Masks are required in public and most people comply as well as keep some distancing when waiting to enter stores or restaurants. Sanitizer is sprayed on hands as well.

Star Date 7 June 2020—Lockdown Day 67–Most restrictions easing but borders still closed

Another Sunday of a Facebook church service from our Methodist church in Nashville and a Sunday School Zoom class. The past week has seen a loosening of some restrictions with liquor sales resuming Wednesday but travel outside of Botswana is nearly impossible as borders are closed and only an occasional repatriation flight on Ethiopian Air for those who feel they must leave. One issue that could affect flying out is the slight chance of getting quarantined for a week or two in transit if there are any delays in making connections. A rumor is that the Botswana border won’t reopen until September but there has been no official word. The only recent cases are truck drivers who get tested as they enter the country and the only death was in the first week when an elderly, frail woman returned to the country. So far we’ve had a total of 40 diagnosed cases.

The news from the US is both horrifying and hopeful. The peaceful protests against police brutality are overdue and the fact that brutality is continuing and being filmed makes one think it may be worse than imagined. The clearing of the Square for CP’s photo op with the Bible in front of the Episcopal church near the White House was terribly disturbing as was the later photo op at the Catholic church. Using a medical evacuation helicopter to help drive protestors back was an abuse of power–a symbol of help becomes a weapon of force. The hope is that there is attention on health and civil rights inequities faced by people of color. I use Twitter and Facebook to spread my disgust about the response of the current administration to the COVID pandemic as well as the violent response to peaceful protests. And yes, I did see there was looting but someone posted that protestors protest and looters loot. We can’t let looting detract from the vital message of Black Lives Matter. The worrying aspect of protests presently is the possibility of spreading COVID-19. Many but not all wore masks. Physical distancing and masks continue to be important in slowing the spread. I also use a plastic face shield at times.

Movie Recommendation: “The Admirable Crichton” (YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=h-5X8yqZV1E&t=5345s)– is a British film from the 1950s about the upper and servant classes during the time of Suffragettes — not exactly a comedy or drama –sort of a combo–but definitely worth watching and the price is right–it’s family fare as well–perfect for COVID time–with a chance to discuss afterwards.

Star Date 29 May 2020—Lockdown Day 58–Some restrictions easing

This week a loosening of restrictions began here in Botswana. The retail stores including those in my nearby Riverwalk Mall were allowed to open; but each customer gets a spray of hand sanitizer and must sign in with name, ID number, phone number, place of employment, and area of town where one lives. The grocery stores continue to be well supplied so meal prep is fine. This week the menus included guacamole, black beans, Spanish rice, vegetable soup, corn bread, angel biscuits, and store-bakery pizza, For the first time in Botswana, we enjoyed one of our favorite dishes from a recipe that came from Kelly Moore, a Vandy medical student at the time and now a public health immunization consultant working from Nashville. In the US, I use 3 cans–1 corn, 1 black beans, and 1 tomatoes with chilis–just dump together and heat–great as a side dish or over rice or spaghetti. I brought dried black beans from the US in November but kept forgetting to buy a can of corn. Used regular canned tomatoes and cayenne pepper.

The University of Botswana is working towards opening the campus for some of the students. Most staff are back and cleaning and preparation are ongoing. Not sure which student groups will be returning in the medical school but the goal is to help the final years to finish and move forward as interns.

Still no word on when the borders will open for more than returnees and trucks bringing food and supplies. So far 35 cases have been diagnosed and all the recent cases are truck drivers. Only a few cases appear to be transmitted here in Botswana–most were returnees or truckers. The only death was a frail older person who returned at the very start of the lockdown and was in quarantine. All returnees are currently required to spend quarantine in a hotel for 2 weeks. Air Botswana is scheduled to start flights on June 1st but no word if the flights to Johannesburg or Cape Town will go. More and more events in the fall in the US seem to be going virtual or are simply canceled. We aren’t sure when we will be able to get back to Nashville. Currently, the tourist game parks in South Africa and here are closed. Some possibility of July openings but no real news.

The news from the US isn’t as pleasant as our Botswana home dining. Death count from COVID passing 100,000 is unacceptable and heartbreaking although many folks seem to just shrug. The lack of response from the federal government regarding medical supplies and protective equipment is unconscionable while rapid response was launched for meat production and against fact checking. The death of another unarmed black man in police custody is tragic–no words are adequate–and can be stopped if there is collective will and leadership from all levels of government as well as from well-known and respected faith leaders. We must admit that the US is a violence and gun culture and there is a tacit permission for using excessive force and guns as problem solvers. My personal greatest outrage and disappointment is the lack of response from many of the white Christian leaders–ministers, politicians, and lay persons. These same Christians wave around arguably-ambiguous Scriptural interpretations about gender issues, the role of women in religion, and freedom of reproductive choice.

Guilty Pleasure Dept.: Sitting at home all day with mostly busy work allows me to watch cable TV and one of my favorites is “Law and Order: SVU.” Been watching this for many years in the US and then found it here. Honestly, the storylines continue to be entertaining and unique. The best part is that each episode plot stand on its on so if you miss a few weeks or even years of episodes, the episodes make sense. So many TV dramas these days are mini-soap operas or serials and the system here of shows can be random–old mixed with newer.

Emma Thompson in “Nanny McPhee” (2005) is her usual terrific self–a children’s movie with an all-star cast–Colin Firth, Derek Jacobi, Angela Lansbury. Highly recommended for a family movie–or even adult time. A fairy tale but in this time of COVID we need fairy tales–especially with happy endings.

Star Date 24 May 2020—Lockdown Day 53–Happy Memorial Day Weekend to US Friends and Family

CP now mulls advice to resume nuclear testing after withdrawing from the Open Skies Treaty–just another day in paradise! A professor at the Naval War College says that nuclear testing in the Cold War era was quite lucrative and there are old guard who miss that money trough. Five new COVID cases in Botswana this week–first new cases (total 30) in several weeks–mostly truck drivers, we hear. Many experts are predicting a surge of cases across Africa in the next several months. We don’t know when travel will return to normal and the borders between Botswana and neighbors will open to normal traffic. Air Botswana is scheduled to begin flights on 1st of June but we don’t know what restrictions will be placed on those returning from other countries. For 2 months returnees have been placed in 14-day quarantine–this strategy caught the first 20 plus cases.

Distance Business–Just called the company that looks after our heat and air system in our Nashville home for the 6-monthly check. Fortunately, friends are using the house and will let the technician in to check over everything related to the A/C .

Star Date 21 May 2020—Lockdown Day 50–Happy Ascension Day–Public holiday in Botswana! Gaborone, Botswana

Beautiful weather for Ascension Day as well as for loosening of lockdown restrictions a bit at a time. Retail stores such as clothing, furniture, appliances, and electronics are now allowed to open. Social distancing and masks are needed to enter stores where one must sign in in and have a temp check. Numbers of customers are controlled. Groceries are well stocked and travel restrictions are easing–for weeks one needed a permit to travel through various zones of town and the country. Travel was only permitted up to 60 miles. No alcohol sales yet. The permit was necessary for the short distances I walked–around this neighbor and over to the nearby mall. My phone’s step counter reports that a mall run with stops at several shops and 3 groceries added up to 3,800 steps and 1.2 miles.

The work done for distance learning in the university may be useful at some point but there is a move to get the students back to campus in the next few weeks if all safety measures to prevent virus spread can be put in place. The clinical learning presents the biggest challenges, here and all around the globe.

Star Date 19 May 2020—Lockdown Day 48–Gaborone, Botswana

In reading about DeVos sending COVID funds to private schools, it brings up the idea of fairness. If private school receive any federal money, they must be required to take intellectually and physically and emotionally challenged students in the same proportions as public schools. It’s only fair. People have no idea how much public money helps vulnerable populations that receive FREE high-quality education available only through the public system. The Current President likely has many supporters whose children have benefited from these programs and yet they don’t connect the need to support public education because sometime the programs are actually in special private schools that receive government or state money to accommodate these children. Many private schools are designed for intellectually and socially-abled children — not special needs children. These schools should not receive emergency funds because they mostly serve financially able families–sure, there are some scholarship children, but most of the student body pay tuition–and that’s choice. Here’s just one example: Special needs vouchers cost Wisconsin public schools $5.6 million in first two years. https://www.jsonline.com/story/news/education/2018/07/24/special-needs-vouchers-cost-public-schools-5-5-million-first-two-years/808882002/

Star Date 15 May 2020—Lockdown Day 44–Gaborone, Botswana

In show business, name recognition is everything–good or bad–because people forget why a name is memorable. But if memorable, it must be good. I think the Current President gets a million dollars of free campaign publicity every day just as in 2016 when his buffoonish and outrageous words and actions seemed so entertaining to every media outlet, conservative, liberal, or moderate. Those of us hope to see the CP defeated in November should stop using his name. Not necessary. Always apparent. I won’t try to edit Facebook or Twitter posts when sharing, but I will try to avoid “uttering” the name.

The Current President’s recent ploy of blaming President Obama for everything wrong in the US reminds me of the old Flip Wilson catchphrase “The devil made me do it.” Sadly, some of you reading this weren’t born in the 1970s when he was a television star. If an outsider is to blame, then no blame falls on the perpetrator–never his fault–does this sound familiar?

The latest report of the advice son-in-law Jared Kushner gave CP that too much testing and case reporting would rattle the stock markets is criminal if one believes a criminal action is, among other definitions, a volitional act that causes irreparable harm. Repeated studies demonstrate that vigorous and targeted testing and contact tracing is key to slowing the spread and saving lives. Everyone mourns the lack of coordination that may have allowed the 9/11 tragedy as the verbal autopsies assert. The casualties from delayed responses to COVID-19 are already many times greater than 9/11. The fastest responses were from persons in early coronavirus briefings who used their insider knowledge to dump stocks before the stock market crash.

Sitting in Botswana and watching the drama unfold nightly (daytime in the US) concerning the COVID-19 decimation of Americans is unsettling and appalling. Deaths that exceed wartime casualties and many that might well have been avoided with a coordinated and scientifically-based response are depressing, embarrassing, anger-inflaming. Yesterday’s appearance of whistleblower (and hero to many) Dr. Rick Bright before Congressional lawmakers revealed the loss of time between knowledge of the coming pandemic and any meaningful action to address the scourge. Coupled with the Kushner comments on protecting markets and other instances of reports about officials trying to steer PPE and other supply business to those with connections in high places, the massive scale of mismanagement beggars belief. The importance of a huge voter turnout in November is underscored.

Star Date 14 May 2020—Lockdown Day 43–Gaborone, Botswana

A week from today–“Ascension Day is traditionally celebrated on a Thursday, the fortieth day of Easter (following the accounts given in Mark 16:19, Luke 24:51 and Acts 1:2), although some Christian denominations have moved the observance to the following Sunday” (from Google). Oddly enough, Ascension Day (honoring the day Jesus rose into heaven 40 days post Resurrection) is a public holiday in some European countries such as Switzerland. Wonder why a “Christian” country like the US ignores it?

Star Date 13 May 2020—Lockdown Day 42–Gaborone, Botswana

Just another day. COVID INFO NEWS DIGEST distributed. 30 minutes of yoga with my YouTube yogi. Egg poached in the microwave in a water glass and now computer time with mindless TV running in the background. Yesterday I made a “bandana-style” folded mask out of some fabric I bought a year ago for a tablecloth. It’s a 2nd mask to add to my baseball cap-attached mask I wear whenever I go out.

Star Date 12 May 2020—Lockdown Day 41–Gaborone, Botswana

Somehow the past week has gone by quickly. A week ago we were making the final tweaks on our virtual grand rounds for the Vanderbilt Office of Health Sciences Education–7 pm our time and noon in Nashville. Our biggest worry was that the wi-fi connection for Zoom would go off but all went well–we had 25 minutes of slides and then questions and answers from friends and family that we had sent the link to–shameless self-promotion to paraphrase Click and Clack the NPR car men. Turns out it was their first virtual rounds.

The University of Botswana continues to work on implementing distance learning (emergency remote teaching) that was officially launched yesterday. Some are using Zoom but WhatsApp on their phones is what the far-off students (Botswana is the size of France) are most likely to be able to access.

Working from home continues to agree with me and John’s goes to his office weekdays. We did get out to the nearby Riverwalk Mall on Saturday morning. Botswana is doing a very gradual opening. Most stores are still closed but groceries continue open and the drill is to check temperatures and spray hands with sanitizer–some even require signing in with name and address.

Last night’s supper was Indian-style lentil stew in the slow cooker. Should get 2 or 3 more meals out of it–I double the amount and it’s up to the brim.

Star Date 5 May 2020—Lockdown Day 34–Gaborone, Botswana–Cinco de Mayo

Rant: Celebrating Cinco de Mayo seems inappropriate as we hear and watch and read about the unsettling news from the US concerning responses to strategies to minimize COVID contagion and even death. The threats and violence against lawmakers and health experts is terrifying as officials seek to keep persons safe and balance that with providing essential services and making sure people have enough to eat if they can’t work. Stimulus money gets to wealthy groups and big businesses while others can’t even sign up for unemployment due to demands on the system. The willful blindness and acceptance of lies about procurement of PPE and the materials required for testing is beyond belief. Using the full force of the executive office to insure meat production (which is hardly necessary to healthy eating) and refusing to use those same powers to increase the manufacturing of vital health equipment and materials will surely be judged by history–but future historical accounts won’t help those who don’t survive now.

Life: Even after my rant to honor Cinco de Mayo, guacamole and beans and rice are on tonight’s menu. Nice avocados are hard to find here–we were spoiled in Kenya and Rwanda–but Woolworth’s (Woolies to us locals) had a 4-pack of lovely ripe [DO NOT SQUEEZE the packet warned] avocados Saturday when we braved the near-by mall. They were perfect and I made the guacamole Sunday.

Last night at 7 pm Botswana time and noon in Nashville, we did our Zoom grand rounds for the Vanderbilt Office of Health Sciences Education. Our biggest worry was losing our Wi-fi connection–our server is pretty reliable but does have spells of loss. Two tiny hiccoughs, hardly noticeable. Our topic was “Medical Education, Botswana, in the Time of COVID-19.” We both use Zoom for meetings and Sunday school and church but had not ever done a live formal presentation with slides–turned out much easier than I thought. Guess that’s why those insider traders were buying Zoom stock back in February.

People frequently ask us what it’s like to live here and I always answer, “Easy.” Living so close to the South African border where almost everything is available, we eat well. Cooking is fun because most ingredients are readily available, not like some places. Thought I’d share some of our recent dishes and the recipes.

Friends brought us Minnesota wild rice and a cookbook and I’ve made the creamy mushroom soup and wild rice recipe several times. Even if you don’t have wild rice, the soup is delicious and pretty easy. I had never made mushroom soup before–only used or ate the canned type:

Rice: Wash 1/2 c. wild rice 3 times in hot tap water and the put in 1 1/2 c. water and simmer for an hour or so till water absorbed.
Soup: 2 spring onions, thinly sliced
1/2 lb. mushrooms, sliced
3 Tbsp. butter (might need more butter or oil),
1/4 c. flour, 4 c. chicken broth (I use bullion cubes),
1/2 c. cream,
2 Tbsp. sherry
Saute onions in butter till soft, add mushrooms and saute (extra olive oil or butter might be needed) till soft. Add flour slowly and cook 5 minutes or so. Stir in broth & bring to boil, stir till smooth and flour cooked–I keep simmering till rice is done. About an hour.
Recipe can be doubled but same amount of wild rice–I’m sure soup would be great without the rice (From: The Best of Wild Rice Recipes, B. Ojakangas).

Guacamole
2 large ripe avocadoes (4 small ones)
½ small onion, chopped fine
1 T. lime juice—or juice of 2-3 limes
Several dashes hot pepper sauce such
      as Tabasco
½ t. salt (to taste)
Mash avocadoes with a fork.  Add other ingredients and stir and mash together.  Taste and correct seasoning.
Cover tightly and store in frig. Air makes it turn brown.

Star Date 1 May2020—Lockdown Day 30–Gaborone, Botswana

Happy Labor Day in Botswana–a national holiday. Several folks have suggested that we should all keep a journal of our lives during this pandemic so I’m going to try to be more intentional and regular with this blog. So here I am–2 days in a row!

John stayed home from the office but is working away on his computer. I’m in my office (living room couch) so I guess I’m at work also. Just another day–started off with dumping ingredients in the slow cooker for my friend’s recipe for Louisiana Red Beans and Rice. Used pintos–couldn’t get kidney beans the last time I shopped but had everything else. Guess I’ve never used real red beans. Next was looking for news updates for my daily digest that I send to the University of Botswana medical school faculty and a few others. Then my 30-minutes of yoga–I do that 5 mornings a week. Several years ago I read that the conceived wisdom (of that moment) was 2 1/2 hours of exercise per week was adequate for good health–5 times 30 minutes…. I liked it and adopted it–not looking for further studies.

Our weekend project is getting ready for our virtual grand rounds talk Monday for the Vanderbilt Office of Health Sciences Education. The title is “Education, Botswana, in the Time of COVID-19.”

Star Date 30 April 2020—Lockdown Day 29–Gaborone, Botswana Margaret.tarpley@vanderbilt.edu

Is lockdown guilt a real diagnosis? The lockdown days are pretty much the same as my pre-lockdown days—working from home, surfing the net for information for various projects, editing manuscripts, mindless TV (Law & Order, Criminal Minds, endless “breaking news” reports repeated on CNN, old movies), reading on my Kindle, and cooking soups and stews in the slow cooker. With our adequate warning of the lockdown, we stocked the pantry and frig a month ago and then 10 days ago donned homemade masks and braved the nearby mall to restock. Without children who need instruction or an older relative requiring care or a pet needing a walk or food, I enjoy the same pleasant apartment with adequate wifi as before the lockdown and have been just as busy–maybe busier — than before.

My only added medical education duty is to send out a daily update on COVID-19. Combing through online news, journals, Twitter, and Facebook with occasional tips from colleagues and friends is surprisingly fun as well as instructional. Also provides me with Tweets and Facebook posts of my own.

Since I also have the opposite of SAD–seasonal affective disorder–and get energized when skies are overcast, dark, or rainy, then I guess deriving pleasure from the lockdown is in character. The weather is also changing from very warm in the day time to highs in the 70s and lows in 50s at night. Fall weather and in a month or two it will get quite chilly at night and in the mornings–our AC units actually have a heat setting and we use some heat in June, July, and maybe August.

The worst part of the lockdown is watching and reading about the devastation the pandemic wages on victims, healthcare workers, first responders, families, and communities around the globe. Most baffling is the horrendous response of the United States leadership who declare the Defense Production Act for meat packing facilities but not for those items essential to testing and protecting healthcare workers and others who risk their lives every day to serve patients and provide vital services. Refusing to heed medical advice offered by some of the finest scientific minds in the world is incomprehensible. Hamburgers, pork chops, and chicken deemed essential, but swabs, reagents, and protective gear optional? History will judge these decisions but many folks won’t survive to read the accounts. Every day I’m reminded of the Emperor’s New Clothes–just saying “we’re doing a great job” doesn’t make it true or visible.

My colleagues in medical education have expended countless hours trying to work out strategies for implementation of distance learning (emergency remote learning) for the medical school faculty. We meet on Zoom and share ideas and duties. Medical students are scattered all across Botswana, a country the size of France, and Wi-fi connections not uniformly strong.

The pandemic affects all areas of medical training. Eliminating all operations except emergency and life-threatening situations sets back surgery and ob-gyn training for residents as well as students. Hospitals here and around the globe are losing income from elective operations and clinic visits. John goes to his nearly-empty office building during the week but mostly interacts by Zoom or phone with colleagues and students. With only 2 surgery residents, he can observe physical distance in a conference room several times weekly for teaching sessions. He has made contact with a couple of students for educational sessions but connection issue likely double the time required. Distance learning isn’t easy. The government has negotiated some data for students with poor or unaffordable connectivity.

Book Recommendation: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (2019) by the British feminist, author, and journalist, Caroline Criado Perez, explains how women have been overlooked and ignored–sometimes deliberately– in social, political, and medical issues as well as research. This is likely the most influential book concerning women for me since Handmaid’s Tale.

Star Date 20 April 2020—Lockdown Day 19–Gaborone, Botswana

Just sent this message to my Republican senators–and yes, it’s true.
“As an NRA marksman, I value hitting the target. TN is not there. Keep Tennessee closed till most citizens are tested for COVID-19. In the long run, we will all be safer and ready to return to the hunt and to jobs.” Got the NRA badge in high school at 4-H camp.

“The Emperor’s New Clothes” by Hans Christian Andersen has been on my mind since 2016; but in this time of COVID-19 pandemic, it comes to mind daily, especially during news broadcasts. Here’s the link to the tale for those who’ve not read it in many years http://www.online-literature.com/hans_christian_andersen/967/ or perhaps are unfamiliar with it.

The upshot (spoiler) is that two con men claim ‘’that they knew how to weave stuffs of the most beautiful colors and elaborate patterns, the clothes manufactured from which should have the wonderful property of remaining invisible to everyone who was unfit for the office he held, or who was extraordinarily simple in character.”

The con men/weavers request fine silk and gold thread and then pretend to weave this cloth and the king’s trusted advisors pretend to see it because they don’t want to be thought stupid or unfit for their duties.

Ultimately, the king puts on these beautiful clothes “as light as a cobweb; one might fancy one has nothing at all on, when dressed in it; that, however, is the great virtue of this delicate cloth.” He can’t see or feel them but doesn’t want to be thought unfit or simple.

He goes out in public and the crowd “admires” his clothing until a little child say, “But the Emperor has nothing at all on!”

The tale concludes:

“Listen to the voice of innocence!” exclaimed his father; and what the child had said was whispered from one to another.

“But he has nothing at all on!” at last cried out all the people. The Emperor was vexed, for he knew that the people were right; but he thought the procession must go on now! And the lords of the bedchamber took greater pains than ever, to appear holding up a train, although, in reality, there was no train to hold.

Star Date 18 April 2020—Lockdown Day 17–Gaborone, Botswana

Another outing to the nearby mall this morning with John before breakfast–on quest for cabbage and green bean or asparagus. Successful for cabbage slaw but no green beans. The wifi sometimes comes and goes–likely due to many other folks also online–but the cable TV is pretty reliable so there’s always Law & Order, Criminal Minds, and National Geographic. Being able to check e-books out of the Nashville Public Library is a blessing as is Amazon Kindle and Kindle Unlimited. One of my time passers is searching for the latest info on COVID-19 to share with the med school faculty and finding news reports to put on Twitter and Facebook–some political (well, many …) and some informational. COVID-19 is an industry–altruistic, risky, and life-preserving for many, and profit driven for others. Also likely to assist academic promotions if the flood of publications is any indication.

Book recommendation: Invisible Women: Data Bias in a World Designed for Men (2019) written by Caroline Criado Perez is about how women throughout history and even today have been systematically ignored and the results of that omission affect everything from medical research to transportation system designs. White men are universal standards. I’m sending copies to women who might enjoy it. Online shopping is global–so nice to be able to reach out via the internet and it turns out Amazon is a big Post Officer user so I’m also supporting our postal system–and, indirectly, voting by mail! Who knew shopping could be political?

Star Date 17 April 2020—Lockdown Day 16–Gaborone, Botswana

Beginning to run out of fresh vegetables and fruit so decided to “brave” the nearby Riverwalk Mall this morning and had a good run. Wearing my jerry-rig mask I visited 2 supermarkets and got grapes, oranges, tomatoes, potatoes, corn-on-the-cob, hummus, but no cabbage (used for slaw and vegetable soup) or green beans or asparagus. Lots of iceberg lettuce (which I don’t buy) but onions are back. The stores had a fair number of folks but not crowded at all. More ex-pats were wearing masks than locals–one register clerk out of 4 or 5 had a mask.

Star Date 13 April 2020—Lockdown Day 12–Easter Monday—Gaborone, Botswana

To blog or not to blog–that is the question (and why does Shakespeare have all the good lines?). Whether it is better to work on a distance learning module for medical ethics or to suffer the self-doubt of preferring to communicate personal opinions from an armchair expert on a range of global and domestic issues for an extremely limited audience of friends and family, most of whom (but not all) agree with my point of view already. Blogging is easier than curriculum development and don’t let anyone tell you different! Also much more fun and requires far less prep and research.

Today I wanted to rub in the fact that in many places, including Botswana, Easter Monday is a public holiday, unlike the US. Also Good Friday, thus creating a lovely 4-day break. Of course, it’s now somewhat meaningless with staying home anyway except for the work-at-home folks. And did you know Ascension Day (39 days post Easter) is a public holiday in all 26 Swiss cantons as well as a number of European countries? Thursday, May 21st this year, for anyone interested.

One of my daily tasks is the information update sent out to staff. Here’s a link to what the email reported today: https://maggiesmusings688820798.com/13-april-2020-covid-19-update/

Star Date 12 April 2020—Lockdown Day 11–Easter Sunday—Gaborone, Botswana

Easter message:
On this highest holy day for Christians, many folks are hungry, worried about keeping their shelter, and terrified of illness that might keep them from working to support their family and themselves–and this is in the United States. Also remember the world and how difficult the situation is where economic inequities, war, and natural disasters are added to the pandemic. Read Ecclesiastes 1:18 (GNB)

Christians today are saying, “He is risen! He is risen indeed!” But we must act to help others if these words are to have meaning and not be just an empty call and response.

Look at the Rev. Dr. Barber’s words and think and pray. Easter message: https://maggiesmusings688820798.com/easter-message/

Star Date 11 April 2020—Lockdown Day 10—Gaborone, Botswana Entertainment Tips:

“Unorthodox”, the 4-5 part miniseries on Netflix is recommended. Hope it’s an accurate depiction of Hasidic Jewish culture in Brooklyn. Based on Deborah Feldman’s 2012 autobiography Unorthodox: The Scandalous Rejection of My Hasidic Roots.

Easter is a 4-day weekend (Good Friday through Easter Monday) for much of the world where there is significant Christian influence. Sitting in my living room looking out the open glass doors (78F) to the small balcony, my thoughts are that this lockdown for me is the “old” normal. We elected to use drivers and taxis rather than own or rent a vehicle and transportation is a bit like having Uber or Lyft on speed dial–never a problem and help with bags as well. I’ve always worked from home here in Gaborone and only left the apartment complex 3 or 4 times a week–to the nearby mall for groceries, to church on Sunday morning, and to the university for a couple of med student classes. My YouTube Yoga 5 mornings/week remains constant and surfing the internet for various projects and information searches continues. By request, here’s a link to pictures of our apartment https://maggiesmusings688820798.com/gaborone-apartment/

The medical education dept. requested that I do a daily news digest on COVID–19 for the med school faculty and that requires my searching recent journals, news reports, Twitter, and even Facebook for worthwhile information to share. This continual information seeking allows me to find articles to share on Facebook and Twitter–and offer my unapologetic “liberal” spin –on news that is frightening and embarrassing for an American. Watching volunteer mask-stitching exercises to supply hospital workers as well as private citizens and seeing nurses donning garbage bags as protective covering is beyond belief as responses to this emergency in “the richest country in the world.”

Self-fulfilling prophecy” came to mind as I thought about a future justification for blaming the federal government for the woeful, shameful, and delayed response to the coronavirus pandemic—not blaming the leaders who are perfect, just the “federal government”— and a further eroding of regulation and oversight with increasing privatization of systems–putting more and more power into the hands of the military-industrial complex that Eisenhower warned against in his presidential farewell address in 1961. Maybe I now sound like a conspiracy theorist.

The dire situation created by this pandemic with clear evidence emerging of health disparities and inequities would appear to make the case for a universal health care system in the US a no-brainer. But, alas. How persons can refuse to support implementation of basic options is hard to comprehend. The irrational (to me) fear of universal health coverage in the US stems from a lack of education as to what it truly means as well as the plethora of misinformation spread by those with a vested interest in the status quo. The government already contributes a huge portion of health care financial support but it gets little public credit, even from those who benefit. The worst is when folks use the example of how many of the Canadians are dissatisfied with their system–a blatant lie–I actually know a fair number of Canadians (some are family) and have heard almost nothing negative and a great deal of positive reports. Universal coverage is not cosmetic surgery or new joints for everyone dissatisfied with old ones or death panels. Universal health is about keeping blood pressure under control and getting the needed insulin for diabetics and having proper care during pregnancy and birth and keeping children healthy, and on and on. The real death panels are those groups who fight against basic health coverage for all in order to maximize profits for some person, group, or some institution. For those without insurance or who are underinsured, untreated high blood pressure can be a death sentence and a preexisting condition can be a death sentence.

Message to seniors on Medicare (universal health for older Americans)–Seniors (Gray Panthers if anyone recalls were one very vocal group) in the past fought for your health benefits for a population on fixed incomes. You should be fighting now for universal coverage for your children and grandchildren, many of whom are not as well off financially as you are today.

Star Date 6 April 2020—Lockdown Day 5—Gaborone, Botswana

Today offered MacGyver challenges–first, constructing a mask for walking through public spaces and, second, repairing the 7-year-old iPad cover that fell apart last night. After trying a bandana, cowboy-style, around John’s face and then wrapping an airplane eyeshade with a bandana, the third try involved a cowboy-style bandana with the ends tucked into the baseball cap adjusting strap. Worked today but who knows tomorrow? The iPad cover is back on the iPad after duct tape to the rescue. Everyone should have a roll of duct tape handy.

Everyone’s fear these days is the overuse of the internet with stay-at-home workers on Zoom or Skype or some other go-to-meeting app and others streaming movies or sports reruns or just aimlessly surfing the net or checking Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, or other sites. Guess I just described myself.

Botswana now has 6 reported cases, primarily brought in by travelers and diagnosed in quarantine. I stay home and John works in an almost-empty building. Thinking about cooking is fun. Had a request today for my Nigerian pepper soup–if anyone else is interested in this slow cooker easy recipe that can be vegan or not, just look down towards the bottom of this blog.

Star Date 5 April 2020—Lockdown Day 4—Gaborone, Botswana

Today on Twitter was a terrific OR scene with 4 or 5 women surgeons and comments about the changing face of surgery and the need for more women to choose surgery as a career. But there may be good reasons why this is moving less rapidly than some would hope, although tremendous progress has occurred in the last 10-15 years. The system must be examined in addition to the culture. Medical institutions are studying pay differentials, promotion criteria, and creating additional academic tracts, but these are only part of the system deficits. The spotlight should also be focusing on provision of sufficient, appropriate, and convenient (not just additional) on-site childcare with breastfeeding options as well as breast-pumping rooms, more attention to generous parental leave policies, adding elder and family care leave with pay & benefits, improved clerical and IT support to eliminate night-time computer pt. record-keeping….. In a survey done of housestaff several years ago, we learned that even single males believed that guaranteed child care would make a residency position more attractive. All of these issues are PEOPLE friendly, not just women friendly.

Article in today’s New York Times by Nashville’s Margaret Renkl is worth reading “In the American South, a Perfect Storm Is Gathering” https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/03/opinion/coronavirus-Tennessee-southern-states.html?smid=fb-share&fbclid=IwAR2NDuwPgMofJ-f9q6dQ5zNnMxzoNId857eUcoFJ-7-A07M3KjzSNlvn5wY– Expanding Medicaid became a political football unwanted by certain states — now it appears that those states’ most vulnerable will suffer–again and repeatedly.
How did the health of a nation become politicized? I fear we must follow the money and see who profits the most–sort of like those book and TV mysteries and police procedurals.
COVID-19 will enrich many as well. We live in a society where the world turned upside down. Experts are replaced by cronies and sycophants. Military heroes are demeaned and war criminals glorified. Truth-tellers are fired or even get death threats. Christian business owners turn employees out with no safety net.
Voting is the answer and we must protect this privilege for ourselves and for others and exercise it.

With Nashville the Buckle on the Bible Belt as well as Music City USA, this Washington Post opinion piece by Kristin Kobes Du Mez is worth your time. “Some evangelicals deny the coronavirus threat. It’s because they love tough guys. White evangelical conservatives don’t take the novel coronavirus seriously because they believe in a muscular Christianity.” https://www.washingtonpost.com/outlook/2020/04/02/conservative-evangelicals-coronavirus-tough-guys/

Suggested activity if physical distancing is maintained: Picking up trash in the neighborhood wearing sturdy rubber gloves is a great exercise for kids (and adults) and helps the environment. Just need gloves, a bag, and -now–a mask. Kids likely love masks! Maybe a reflector vest is needed on a highway but kids of joggers should have those. Trash is everywhere in public spaces where traffic isn’t an issue. Was reminded of this after seeing a Facebook post by a friend suggesting a scavenger hunt for recyclables. Movement with purpose is much more fun! Just messaged my friend to inform him I used his idea.

Star Date 4 April 2020—Lockdown Day 3—Gaborone, Botswana

We’re still at 4 cases in Botswana–all from the travelers quarantine which shows benefit of that exercise and the government’s effective proactive efforts.

Trolling the web and making frequent forays in Facebook and Twitter fill the day. A bonus today was streaming the 2 Vanderbilt chief resident grand round presentations from yesterday. We also watched two other chiefs last week–all 4 talks superb. Hooking the laptop to the TV and viewing in 40″ splendor adds to the experience although I miss the sausage biscuits we had at physical surgery grand rounds.

Since it’s hot-breakfast Saturday, homemade biscuits were on the menu along with bacon, sliced tomatoes, and fried eggs. Haven’t made them in many months, but biscuits are extremely easy–they were considered “quick breads” when I was in 4-H as a kid. I use self-rising flour, oil (just pour in with the milk–no cutting or blending), and milk, stir together and pat out on the counter–no rolling. Cut out circles with a water glass and bake! The Pic ‘n Pay bacon here is great but there’s no sausage like Tennessee sausage.

Book Recommendation: John is reading David Halberstam’s The Children about the students from the 3 historically black schools in Nashville–Tennessee State (A&I), Fisk, and American Baptist College, who led the civil rights movement in Nashville. I read it years ago because I volunteered in the library at American Baptist and was privileged to meet some of those students who had become pastors and academic leaders.

Video Worth Viewing: Those looking for an entertaining Netflix documentary that sheds light on the religious mindset of some of political leaders in Washington should pull up “The Family,” a 5-part miniseries based on the book by Jeff Sharlet. We’ve actually heard Doug Coe, a principle in the series, speak several times. No spoilers but it’s eye-opening.

Star Date 2 April 2020—Lockdown Day 1—Gaborone, Botswana

History continues to be made as we face an epic and unique global phenomenon.  The 1919 flu epidemic affected the world but 20^th and 21^st centuries medical advances and information delivery  differentiate the 1919 and 2020 pandemics.  A number of friends and colleagues suggest we should all make notes or keep a journal. Many of us are emailing family and friends regularly (maybe more often than pre-pandemic) and those communications can be saved for family and even future historians.  My plan is to retrieve my emails and pull them together by date and hope save in a file that will be retrievable in the future—the cloud, hard drive??

What am I doing now that lockdown has occurred? Actually, the same things I did before because I’ve always worked from home here in Gabs. Most of the day is spent trolling the web for information for various groups. The University of Botswana medical faculty want up-to-date info; therefore, I was tasked with providing a daily information sheet with links about news, coronavirus science, and educational resources starting the 1st of April. This week I also:

— did literature searches for several folks as they look towards possible research topics

–peer-reviewed a manuscript for a surgical journal

–sent updates to family and friends of the situation here in Botswana. Government very proactive here–closing schools and university almost 2 weeks ago and instituting a travelers 2-week quarantine. Had our first 4 diagnosed cases this week–all in quarantine as they returned from international trips

–went to the nearby mall for groceries but bought much larger quantities in anticipation of 4 weeks of travel and purchasing restrictions–sadly, no onions

–used the slow cooker for a tasty and fairly easy potato soup recipe found online. Also finally assembled and employed the hand blender purchased last year to puree the potato chunks–magic!

–did a 30-minute yoga workout each morning

–watched mindless TV while doing boring web searches

And it’s only Thursday!

Seen in the media and my reactions:

Health professionals being fired for revealing supply and equipment deficits.  “Incredible and horrifying–medical ethics teaches that telling the truth is the right thing to do–healthcare workers should be honored not punished!!”

Physical (sounds better than social) distancing will flatten the curve and save lives.  “Explains vital nature of physical distancing and staying home in this period.” 

Saw in a business journal that supplies in short supply are actually being allowed to be exported for profit.  “Did u know masks are being allowed to be sold overseas?”

The US got a late start in taking COVID-19 seriously.  “Tragic–trying to close the barn door after the horse has escaped….we all should be angry as we watch not only strangers but family and friends contract this virus.”

Read about a potential money-saving ventilator that could have been a life saver today that got lost in the shuffle of consolidation by a big-business medical device manufacturer. “The for-profit model of medical devices is why we need government intervention.”

22 March 2020–

Greetings from Gaborone, Botswana. Presently, it looks like we will weather the COVID-19 storm here where, as of today, no case has been diagnosed–but likely it’s a matter of time. The Botswana government and leaders are proactive–schools have closed, gatherings of >50 are discouraged, social distancing encouraged (shoe bumps, elbow and shoulder bumps allowed). The medical students at the University of Botswana were released 3 days ago so my medical ethics class is over for a month or more.

Some of u may have seen this excellent article–None of us should judge the faith of those we disagree with politically. We can’t read hearts. Civility is needed on both sides. https://www.ncronline.org/news/opinion/who-made-us-god?fbclid=IwAR0-krF3dAgQQr-QSL1MnFXLrhG5DrNLHeeOHhT8UEQQcrz6oskZ5mbzBDw

I don’t apologize for holding “liberal” views but years ago in the 1990s when the Southern Baptists were splitting, we noticed the ultra-left and the ultra-right were not dissimilar — both seemed to espouse “my way or the highway.”
It’s embarrassing when liberals make disparaging remarks about others. Loving your neighbors and your enemies should prevail on both sides of the aisle.

20 March 2020–The world turned upside down!! Who would have thought 10 days could bring so many never-before experienced happenings? Then today we are hearing about profiteering from delays in informing Americans about the seriousness of COVID-19. “It’s an ill wind that blows nobody good…” but the possibility of greed driving the withholding of the seriousness of the coronavirus pandemic to protect rich persons financial interests goes beyond bad towards evil. We will wait to see verifications but we know insider trading happens–remember Martha Stewart served jail time–

For persons who want to move beyond following news reports on CNN or BBC or Fox or those persons who are looking for alternatives to reruns of TV shows, the following is a list of online educational and entertaining options:

FUN THINGS TO DO WHILE STUCK AT HOME

YOGA WITHOUT A TEACHER– Google SHELLEY NICOLE—YOGA TEACHER youtube—VOLS 1, 2, AND 3 (I alternate each morning, 5 days/week) –if I add the hot links, it puts pictures on the blog–not sure if that’s allowed.

INTERNET ARCHIVE–Internet Archive is a non-profit library of millions of free books, movies, software, music, websites, and more.

https://archive.org/

CHATTERPACK.NET

https://chatterpack.net/blogs/blog/list-of-online-resources-for-anyone-who-is-isolated-at-home?fbclid=IwAR1J-9tbgECqsEwdROMacIVnox9all7WPY8b5GoLwqmYXuBr9VIoTj2IueU

A list of free, online, boredom-busting resources! Click on any of the underlined headings/links below to find out more. Sign up for the FREE monthly newsletter here Virtual tours Roman fort  Museums from around the world – Virtual, online tours Access to 500 Museums & Art Galleries – Free, online Future Learn – Explore the architecture and history of Rome, walking around a 3D digital model of the ancient city, with this free online course. Virtual Tours  – Virtual online tours – including zoos, landmarks in foreign countries, etc. Aquarium – Georgia aquarium allowing you to tour under the sea Online learning University of Alabama – Free online archaeology and Egyptology Uni courses (create an account to log on) Open Learn – Free, online courses, Open university  BBC languages – Learn languages online free FrenchTeacher.Net – Free French study packs Sociology courses – Free online study Creative courses – Free online study A range of short, free online courses   Geography and nature National Geographic Tutorful – Top Geography websites, YouTube

15 Broadway plays on film and where they are available to watch–I haven’t watched any but thought it was worth sharing if u haven’t seen it–

https://www.playbill.com/article/15-broadway-plays-and-musicals-you-can-watch-on-stage-from-home?fbclid=IwAR0ltsD5729XqHL6wOeCcxJWT_1RVzzZ5FuOm6TWs6WcWVZfnuLCr6MIc-Y

10 March 2020–2020 purports to be the most exciting year in decades–coronavirus, quarantines, universities ceasing all classes except online, meetings cancelled, presidential primaries and an election that affects the globe, crashing oil prices, and stocks falling, etc., etc., etc.

Faced with an upcoming trip from Botswana to the US in 3 weeks, John and I are “reviewing the situation.” One of the 2 meeting–Unite for Sight at Yale–has been changed from a gathering to an online version. No word on the second meeting. Potential quarantines in unexpected places make travel risky but exciting in a weird sort of way.

18 February 2020–The past few weeks included the impeachment without conviction (no surprise) and continued disarray for Democrats as they (we) try to pick a candidate to face President Trump. Sad to watch the Senate do a rubberstamp rather than seek to examine the evidence. John Bolton’s book will be a best seller but some reports of censorship are worrisome. The Bloomberg movement with many millions of personal money invested in the campaign for the most powerful position in the world is actually quite understandable–if someone has enough money. Even moving into 2nd place in polls and qualifying for the debate tomorrow is late-breaking news as I watch CNN from Botswana. The coronavirus outbreak leads many news reports as quarantines continue and airports around the world are checking passenger temperatures as they seek to enter a country. On Friday, I returned from a committee trip to Tunis via Paris from Botswana and observed health checks in the airports with additional forms to fill out here in Botswana.

On the plane the only movie I watched was “Jojo Rabbit,” about a young Nazi youth recruit in the last months of World War II–no spoilers but I highly recommend it–6 Academy Award nominations with one win for adapted screenplay. Some of the reviews I read were mixed but I thought it was worth its recognition.

Check out the recent 2020 Newbery and Caldecott award winners in children’s literature, especially during Black History month:

New Kid by Jerry Craft— the first graphic novel to receive the Newbery
The Undefeated by Kwame Alexander and illustrated by Kadir Nelson, won the Caldecott Medal

I’ve sent copies to family and friends and am hearing good reports.

28 January 2020–Cursive handwriting and breastfeeding: What are common denominators? Both are related to good starts–one in school and one in life. Some studies show that starting cursive rather than printing in K-1 is related to improvement in learning to read. Myriad studies encourage breastfeeding from birth through 6 months or longer if possible. Cursive writing hasn’t made the cut in all the testing that is worshipped by current educational institutions but one study showed slightly better scores on SAT essays written in cursive (https://www.nytimes.com/2006/09/03/weekinreview/03lewin.html).

So back to breastfeeding. Breastfeeding is a choice–not every woman even wants to –or is able to–breastfeed. Breastfeeding is a healthy choice, but breastfeeding in public continues to annoy, embarrass, and be “seen” as something to be done behind closed doors–likely more for the sensibilities of those who might see it happening rather than the mothers committed to giving their children a healthy start. Don’t forget the convenience factors of freedom from formula and cleaning equipment. Getting clean and appropriate spaces to pump has gotten traction in many workplaces but only as an uphill effort. Breastfeeding in public is legal in all 50 states (https://www.whattoexpect.com/first-year/breastfeeding/breastfeeding-in-public/) but news reports declare pushback in public spaces.

Hopefully, the following article is a satire or send-up—if not, it very much explains why folks may treat breastfeeding women without respect (https://www.theodysseyonline.com/why-women-should-never-breastfeed-in-public). Children need to see public breastfeeding–my sample of one is that when I was 7 or 8 years old, I was riding a public bus to my elementary school in San Diego and a woman was breastfeeding her baby. I never forgot it and I became a breastfeeding convert at age 7 or 8–and never waivered.

My soapbox oratory is based on my belief that not just legalizing public breastfeeding but encouraging it will hopefully lead more folks to respect and promote it, not just tolerate it.

Last words: Encourage schools or home schooling parents to bring back cursive handwriting and be an advocate for breastfeeding in public. Maybe these are not equal issues but I only promised random thoughts–not logical.

22 January 2020–As the Trump Impeachment trial begins, the Davos World Economic Forum concludes, sugar is still subsidized (see Fox News https://www.foxnews.com/opinion/john-stossel-welfare-for-the-rich-the-incredible-truth-about-americas-multibillion-dollar-sugar-program), fossil fuels continue receiving government tax breaks (https://www.eesi.org/papers/view/fact-sheet-fossil-fuel-subsidies-a-closer-look-at-tax-breaks-and-societal-costs), and attacks on the Affordable Health Care Act abound despite evidence of its effectiveness, the world keeps rotating.

Leeman Tarpley Kessler granted permission for his Martin Luther King Day, Mt. Vernon, Ohio, address to be shared:

Leeman Kessler, Mayor of Gambier January 20 at 7:46 PM

My friend was kind enough to write down my speech from today’s Dr. King Breakfast at MVNU.

“In 1962, when my father was 17, he had his name added to a list – a list of enemies of the state of Mississippi. He was protesting a segregationist speaker along with his friends and they refused to stand when Dixie was played. Three years later, my grandfather was put on that same list – this time for demanding justice, for defending another pastor who had been shot in the back of the head for preaching against segregation.

This list was compiled by the state of Mississippi’s Sovereignty Commission, was paid for by taxpayers, and this list would go on to include over 87,000 individuals over the 20 years it was compiled. The list was used to intimidate, it was used to harass, it was used in coordination with local government and hate groups to get people fired, to get people evicted, to drive them out. And it was all done in the name of community and fighting back against perceived chaos.

And I tell this story to people for two reasons: the first is to show that even though my family benefited from the power of white supremacy, the power of segregation, no one was immune to the threat that racism requires, the violence that white supremacy demands. And the second thing is to show that this work was work. It was paid for, it was active.

I think it is very easy for us to think about racism, to think about white supremacy as some sort of natural state – something that happens in the past, we can forgive it because its just the way things are and it takes work to push past it. But that’s not true; hatred requires work, active work. We know that from the way that propaganda was pushed about the lost cause myth in order to justify a war to defend chattel slavery. The same lost cause myth was used to defend white supremacist domestic terrorism for decades. We know it took active work to do redlining. We knew it took active work to create sundown towns, to put racial quotas in immigration.

A good friend of mine is an economic historian and he has a line I think about a lot, which is that “there is no place in America that got as white as it did by accident.” It took work. And because it took work to build, it means that it takes work to dismantle. You can’t be passive; you can’t just hope it will go away. We see the work of hatred; the work of racism still at play today and there is still a great deal of work left to be done.

As an elected official, I have to remember that all of this work that happened to build white supremacy, to build segregation, it all happened with the complicity of government – on the federal level, on the state level, and on the local level. People of good faith who thought they were building community, people of good faith who thought they were building bulwarks against chaos, they turned a blind eye to injustice, or used the strict letter of the law to enforce injustice.

And so as I look at my own role in government, I have to ask myself how am I confusing chaos with community. How am I allowing my own privilege, my own prejudices to conflate these two? And I think the answer to comes down to “who is my neighbor?” That is the greatest defense against this confusion. The broader you can define who your neighbor is, the broader you can define who belongs, the richer a world you’re going to create. I think that is the important work that we all have to do – and it is work, it is hard. It has taken centuries to build up this racist structure; it may take centuries to tear it down. But that is the work that we’ve been given to do. God bless.”

11 January 2020–What a crazy 9 days since I blogged–brink of war, another airplane tragedy, horrible fires, impeachment—hard to know what to share that doesn’t seem trivial–watching a rerun of the Golden Globe awards, reading a couple of Swedish mysteries as well as the sequel to the Handmaid’s Tale, attending medical education meetings, angsting over the launch of a training program, watching a Facebook video of a son’s swearing in as the mayor of an Ohio village, etc., etc, etc.

Did you know that defense contractor and weapons maker stock prices rose when the Iranian general was killed? (https://www.commondreams.org/news/2020/01/04/if-you-are-wondering-who-benefits-weapons-makers-see-stocks-surge-trump-moves-closer). Did u know oil prices rose at the same time? (https://abcnews.go.com/Business/wireStory/oil-prices-surge-stocks-slip-us-kills-iran-68050405). If this doesn’t bother you, I believe you should think harder about the consequences (other than profits if u invest in these things). If we think outside the box, maybe the companies that make weapons of mass destruction should return all profits to the US treasury to be used for peaceful infrastructure projects rather than enriching shareholders. But who would invest if there was no profit? Do we ever wonder if the endless wars we’ve been involved in are encouraged by those industries that profit? Even as a child, I wondered if companies would make weapons if it was nonprofit.

And while we are thinking outside the box, let’s bring back the draft for women as well as men this time. Why shouldn’t women have opportunities such as post-service education?

Would we fight endless wars if we thought our educated middle-class kids had to go? Currently it is a choice, but the multiple tours forced on many folks contribute to PTSD and catastrophic injuries and family problems from long separations and put a huge burden on the VA and other veteran services who often are not provided the financial support deserved that allows them to serve those who have sacrificed so much. Regardless of how one feels about war, we are obligated to do our best for those who serve, even if we must pay more taxes.

A tax cut that primarily benefits those who already are financially comfortable is wrong–morally repugnant and very unchristian from my perspective– if it means cutting back on services to the hungry, the young, the poorly educated, those medically unserved or underserved. And don’t you dare tell me that Canadians are unhappy with their health care system. I have both family and friends who think it is terrific–not perfect–but still to be envied by those in the US who have little or no coverage. Look up where the US falls in health indicators–if you think we are excellent by the world’s standards, you would be mistaken. We are No. 28 (https://www.thelancet.com/pdfs/journals/lancet/PIIS0140-6736(16)31467-2.pdf). Slovenia and Greece among others are higher than we are but we did beat out Estonia.

2 January 2020–Happy new year! Not one to do annual resolutions, this post will share about a resolution from 10 years ago–regular exercise. Every internet feed and news article touted regular exercise, something I interpreted personally as “lifestyle exercising.” I walked fast, used the stairs at work and home, and didn’t try to park next to the store entrance–this worked up to a point but wasn’t designed for flexibility. Yoga became a ubiquitous term from the football field to corporate offices. One week a notice appeared in our church bulletin that yoga classes would be offered at church. Since I worship convenience and church was walking distance from work, I started to go and the time I picked–mid morning once a week–was so poorly attended, I often had private lessons.

Eventually, the class moved to Wednesday at 6 pm and was the exercise highlight of my week. After moving to Kenya and then Rwanda in 2016, finding a class was not so easy but I did find a regular gathering in Rwanda. Then Botswana in 2018 offered classes at a local gym but the times (6pm or 630pm) were awful for someone who could walk over in daylight but needed a taxi to get home in the dark. Why I never thought of YouTube in my first 2 or 3 years, I’ll never know; but when I finally explored that option, I found my teacher and have 30-minute workouts every morning in our apartment–free!

Why some Christians have no problems with Christmas trees and evergreen decorations that were once likely symbols of non-Christian faith systems and think yoga exercising is a form of non-Christian worship, I don’t fully understand. I just googled Christian views of yoga–some declare that it shouldn’t be practiced by Christians—but stretching is good and healthy–one friend calls it “nonreligious yoga”–guess that works and I’ll try to use that term in appropriate settings.

29 December–How many folks know what a VPN is? Even though several weeks ago I purchased a 3-year contract for VPN service (80% off–couldn’t resist even though I wasn’t exactly sure how it worked but if I did figure it out, it was a bargain), just now I was forced to google to learn that VPN means “virtual private network.” After hearing folks say that VPNs were handy when living or traveling internationally, I still didn’t know I needed one until my quest to secure a way to stream the College Football Championship games for John. First, I asked around about Gaborone, Botswana, sports bars or some American group that watches U.S. sports but couldn’t locate any so was forced to go to Plan B. I know my Nashville cable carrier allows streaming of stations they broadcast, so if I could reach that, I could get the games. One problem with living in Africa is that web sites recognize where we are located when accessing sites and we often get blocked for services such as streaming. VPNs appear to disguise the user’s location–I can actually choose where to report my location–voila–a “virtual” location.

John watched much of the Memphis–Penn State game last night and this morning at 6:30 am our time (CAT) got to see the 4th quarter of the electrifying Clemson-Ohio State 4th quarter with the last second win for the Tigers. The time difference (8 hours ahead of Nashville) causes issues as most important games are in the middle of the night here.

28 December–Several days behind in blogging as I think about watching “White Christmas” on Christmas Day via Netflix. Never had watched it before although the title song has been heard hundreds of times over the years. What a fun movie! Shows that violence, profanity, and nudity aren’t required for entertainment—well, at least for some of us. Most of our colleagues and friends travel during these holidays but we stayed put–our only gift exchange was a bag of peanut M&Ms.

Every Saturday, John and I enjoy a hot breakfast. Today was easy pancakes (I cup self-rising flour, I cup plain yogurt and 2 eggs) with homemade maple syrup (2 cups sugar and 1 cup water brought to a boil and add 1 t. maple extract and 1 t. vanilla) and fresh blueberries (lots being grown in Africa for export–blue gold). Had to order the maple extract from Amazon in November because our Nashville stores don’t seem to stock it any more.

23 December–Four twenty-something women and I formed the audience for the 2:15 pm matinee showing of “Frozen II.” No children in attendance but someone left a booster seat in the chair next to mine so apparently some small-stature types have seen it. The storyline seemed a bit complex for the very young and some of the scenes were intense but I got my money’s worth of entertainment as well as getting to keeping up with what my grandkids (and kids) are likely watching. Perhaps hoping for discernable character development in a Disney animated feature was a stretch, but likely those who watched the first film innumerable times (I heard rumors it was on a loop in some homes–no hard data) knew what was going on better than I did. By the end, I think I figured most of it out. Presently, “Coco” remains my favorite animated film of the past decade–actually brilliant.

22 December–Who knew Adam Driver, a.k.a. Kylo Ren of the “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker” film viewed yesterday, stars in the Golden Globe-acclaimed “Marriage Story”? Just watched “Marriage Story” on Netflix (yes, we get it in Botswana) and then checked all the 2020 Golden Globe nominees–MS got 6 including Driver and his co-star Scarlett Johansson! Now that I live within walking distance of a theatre with first-run movies and have Netflix and Prime, I’m going to try to keep up with hyped movies–so far, I’m enjoying those I’ve watched.

21 December (shortest/longest day of the year, depending on hemisphere)–Guess we just returned from our Christmas present to each other — “Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.” This film got a highly positive review from John–“Maybe my favorite Star Wars.” If strong women, diversity of cast and characters, fast-paced action, video-game-style violence, and space warp travel ring your bell, go see this entertaining movie. Here in Botswana, we shared the 11 am showing at our nearby shopping mall cinema with one or two other folks–but it was released on the 16th so maybe there were long lines then. No spoilers in this review (unless u count above comments). We always stay through all the credits–those hundreds of folks (maybe thousands) who worked in some capacity deserve someone to see their names—plus we saw the real ending of “Black Panther” that a number of folks missed when we stayed through the credits. Won’t tell u if staying through the credits reveals further action.

20 Dec 2019–What a week!! Last week elections in Britain that appear to bring Brexit closer and the Weds in the US when the House voted to impeach President Trump. Now drama shifts to our Senate to see who will support conviction or acquittal (just had to check spelling on acquittal :)). No matter one’s party, politics, or beliefs, the news of what is happening in our country and around the globe is disheartening!!

Now if only automatic weapons could be banned–as one who grew up in a “gun” home where hunting was a norm and rifles and shotguns were part of the furniture, the idea of automatic weapons as sport arms was unthinkable. I even have my NRA perfect target from 4-H camp rifle range.

Greta Tintin Eleonora Ernman Thunberg as Person of the Year offered a spark of hope that some people see climate change as a coming disaster for our children and grandchildren. Just learned her middle names and “Tintin” reminds me of the graphic novels (we called them comics) about Tintin the adventurer.

First blog–Since we are currently living and working in Africa, my first rant will involve the need to recognize the sources of African academic literature including medical and scientific resources that may not be found in Western databases, African Journals Online (https://www.ajol.info/index.php) should be bookmarked by anyone doing research on African topics. Useful resources include

• African Journals Online (AJOL)       http://www.ajol.info/
• Bioline  http://www.bioline.org.br/
• African Index Medicus from the World Health Organization with the Association for Health Information and Libraries in Africa (AHILA).  http://indexmedicus.afro.who.int/#
• AAS Open Research (African Academy of Science) https://aasciences.ac.ke
• African Journal Archive (The African Journal Archive is  retrospective open access service preserving and making available African journal articles, some dating to 1906, from a number of publishers and societies in Africa)  https://journals.co.za/content/collection/open-access
• The African e-Journals Project from the Michigan State University Library has digitized full text of articles of eleven social science and humanities journals.   http://digital.lib.msu.edu/projects/africanjournals/ 
• AfricArxiv— A free preprint service for African scientists     https://osf.io/preprints/africarxiv
• DOAJ  by Country https://doaj.org/search?source=%7B%22query%22%3A%7B%22filtered%22%3A%7B%22filter%22%3A%7B%22bool%22%3A%7B%22must%22%3A%5B%7B%22term%22%3A%7B%22_type%22%3A%22journal%22%7D%7D%5D%7D%7D%2C%22query%22%3A%7B%22match

More Rants

On-site child care in hospitals should offer hours that fit with the schedules of medical professionals who work 7 days a week and often start before 6 am and are on duty till late in the evening. Article after article on the difficulties faced by women physicians with children almost always mention–often deep in the text–that concern about child care is one of the heavy burdens bourn by these professionals. The two-physician couples are increasing common and acceptable child care is often an issue. In 2013, at Vanderbilt we published an article showing that residents, male and female, would rank higher a program guaranteeing child care for trainees–The case for on-site child care in residency training and afterward (full text at https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC3771163/).

Climate change is real and scientifically provable. Why do we trust science for medical advancements or improved aircraft but deny the obvious evidence of melting glaciers and ice sheets, rising sea levels, and increasing average temperatures. The UN Climate Action Summit opened today in New York–23 September 2019. The Chinese are building a solar farm each day–what is the US doing? Although I’ve committed to low-energy light bulbs, my air flight carbon footprint is embarrassing. Even though the planes will fly without me, I am part of the problem. We have cut back drastically on consuming beef, chicken, and other meats, but here in Botswana, recycling takes a great deal of effort and I don’t.

Admitting the truth about climate change seems to be related to how it affects short-term profits rather than the future of global inhabitants, especially the poor and powerless. This article from the Los Angeles Times in 2015 might be of interest–

Big Oil Braced for Global Warming While It Fought Regulations By Amy Lieberman And Susanne Rust (http://graphics.latimes.com/oil-operations/) Dec. 31, 2015

Water—”If it’s yellow, let it mellow. If it’s brown, flush it down.”  Inspired by living in an area where water to flush wasn’t always in the commode tank and might come by pouring a bucket in the bowl,  a friend needlepointed this aphorism for us many years ago and I still have it tucked away in a bathroom closet in Nashville.  A reminder of times past.

In much of urban North America, water seems limitless as well as cheap but in many places in the world, folks struggle to haul water from standpipes or buy it from water trucks.  Why do we think we have to flush every time? Seems like it’s a rule from early toilet training or from kindergarten where it might make some sense.  In our own homes, maybe we should rethink the yellow vs. brown condition. 

Another frightening fact is the amount of water required to produce certain food items including meat.  The Guardian (UK) article might be a place to start  — How much water is needed to produce food and how much do we waste?https://www.theguardian.com/news/datablog/2013/jan/10/how-much-water-food-production-waste

Some think wars of the future will be over water, not oil or other mineral resources.  Maybe water is already a factor.

Book Recommendations:

John Killinger’s Seven Things They Don’t Teach You in Seminary— Reads like a good novel for pastors–past and present–and their families, for PKs (preacher’s kids), MKs (missionary kids), and all folks who have been active in mainline or evangelical churches.

Lee Child’s Jack Reacher book series–all are great reads–well written and entertaining.

Although this story about strong women in Mississippi came out 10 years ago, The Help by Kathryn Stockett is worth rereading (or reading for the first time) as we continue to see race issues play out daily in the news. The movie adaptation received several Academy Award nominations and might be an acceptable substitute.

Recent Movies

In order to keep up with my kids and my friends who enjoy movies, I occasionally catch a recent release. In the past few months I’ve actually gone to the theatre to see “Avengers: End Game,” “Once Upon a Time…in Hollywood,” and “Joker.” See above for more recently-viewed films.

Netflix offers fairly recent movies as does my cable TV system here in Botswana. Just watched on Netflix Meryl Streep in “The Laundromat,” a depressing but fascinating 2019 dramatization of the 2015 Panama Papers story wherein global financial crime touches all of us. The most depressing aspect is how the rich and powerful avoid paying their fair share of taxes.

Highly recommended is the 2017 “The Children Act” with Emma Thompson as a British judge in family court. Issues addressed involve medical ethics, religious concerns, personal relationships and boundaries therein.

Watched “Joker” in the theatre because of all the hype and varied reviews. Very dark–not exactly entertaining but the Joaquin Phoenix acting is superb. Then a few days later I saw him on the plane in “Walk the Line” that earned him an Oscar nomination playing Johnny Cash. Guess I’m out of touch with entertainment culture—I didn’t know who he was until the “Joker.” Extraordinary performer.

Viewed the new “Lion King” on the plane–animals are realistic but it is not better than the cartoon or the stage play. The music was especially disappointing.

Adapting Favorite Recipes and Using Cookbooks from Africa

Living in Africa the past 3 years has encouraged me to adapt my favorite easy slow cooker recipes for a place where ready-to-use foods aren’t always available. One recipe , Nigerian Pepper Soup, has evolved from totally from scratch to totally from ready to use and back to a hybrid. At the beginning the recipe came from a Nigerian friend and terrific cook and involved peeling, chopping, and food processor grinding. Eventually, I was using cans of tomatoes with chilis, frozen onions and green peppers. Back in Africa meant a return to peeling and chopping if cans and frozen items weren’t available. Borrowed a slow cooker in Kenya but found a 220-volt cooker online in the US for use in Rwanda. Sadly, it was broken in my luggage on the way to Botswana; but fortunately, they are available for sale in Botswana, so it was my first kitchen purchase.

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Efo (Nigerian Spinach)   1   32 oz. bag of frozen chopped spinach 2    10 oz. bags frozen chopped onions 1     T.  olive oil or other oil Salt to taste Pepper to taste   Heat oil in large sauce pan.  Add onions and sauté until thawed.  Sprinkle generous amount of salt and pepper on onions.  Stir in spinach and add more salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes—hour, stirring regularly to avoid sticking.

Efo (Nigerian Spinach)   4 or 5 bunches fresh spinach, chopped 4 chopped fresh onions 1     T.  olive oil or other oil Salt to taste Pepper to taste   Remove stems from spinach before chopping leaves. Heat oil in large sauce pan.  Add onions and sauté until thawed.  Sprinkle generous amount of salt and pepper on onions.  Stir in spinach and add more salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes—hour, stirring regularly to avoid sticking.

Nigerian Groundnut Soup (Vegetarian)   4 15 oz. cans of tomatoes and green chilies 8 oz. tomato paste 6 bouillon cubes (beef or vegetable) 10 oz. frozen chopped onions 2 or 3 oz. frozen chopped green peppers ½ to 1 c. smooth or chunky peanut butter   Dump all ingredients in a large slow cooker and cook on low all day—8 hours or so. Serve over rice or Nigerian yam if you have it.

Nigerian Groundnut Soup—Kijabe Style (Vegetarian)   10 fresh tomatoes, chopped 16 oz. tomato paste 6 bouillon cubes (beef or vegetable) 2 onions chopped 1 green pepper chopped ½ to 1 c. smooth or chunky peanut butter 1 T. cayenne pepper ground—or more if you like it hotter   Dump all ingredients in a large pan, bring to a boil and simmer an hour OR dump everything in a large slow cooker and cook on low all day—8 hours or so. Serve over rice.

Nigerian Groundnut Soup with Meat Just add 2-3 lbs. of cubed beef to above ingredients (cheapest boneless cut—let butcher cube it for you—no charge!)

Nigerian Groundnut Soup with Meat Just add 1-2 lbs. of cubed beef to above ingredients. Cook till meat is tender (cheapest boneless cut—let butcher cube it for you—no charge!)

Efo (Nigerian Spinach)   1    32 oz. bag of frozen chopped spinach 2    10 oz. bags frozen chopped onions 1     T.  olive oil or other oil Salt to taste Pepper to taste   Heat oil in large sauce pan.  Add onions and sauté until thawed.  Sprinkle generous amount of salt and pepper on onions.  Stir in spinach and add more salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes—hour, stirring regularly to avoid sticking.

Efo (Nigerian Spinach)   4 or 5 bunches fresh spinach, chopped 4 chopped fresh onions 1     T.  olive oil or other oil Salt to taste Pepper to taste   Remove stems from spinach before chopping leaves. Heat oil in large sauce pan.  Add onions and sauté until thawed.  Sprinkle generous amount of salt and pepper on onions.  Stir in spinach and add more salt and pepper.  Reduce heat, cover, and simmer for 45 minutes—hour, stirring regularly to avoid sticking.

Black-eyed Peas (Until I ran into a long-time Nigeria/Sierra Leone missionary friend buying canned peas for a Nigerian dinner, I used dried black-eyed peas. She informed me that canned tasted much better!) 3 or 4 cans of black-eyed peas Black pepper to taste Dump cans with some of the liquid into a pan. Add pepper and heat through.

Beans (Cow Peas or Black-eyed Peas) 1 lb (1/2 kilo) dried cow peas Black pepper to taste Cover peas with water. Add pepper and cook in slow cooker on low all day or on a stove until done—several hours.

When we lived in Nigeria a favorite cookbook for many expatriates and missionaries was From the Crocodiles: from the International Women’s Club Kaduna, Nigeria. Recipes Can be found at https://www.yumpu.com/en/document/read/28708646/the-crocodile-cookbook-ecwa-evangel-hospital Accessed 18 Oct 2019.

When deciding to make lasagna in Kigali, Rwanda, assembling all the ingredients was a problem. After sharing this issue via email, a missionary friend suggested the Crocodile cookbook recipe for making cottage cheese from boiled milk and a little vinegar—problem solved!!

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