[Continued from HERE.]

Generally, no matter how strong one must be to survive, how hard life seems to be in Malawi, most people just get on with the art of living ... with plenty of joy and laughter thrown in for good measure. I have seen women with one or two children strapped to their backs, bent over tilling their fields with short handled hoes suddenly stand up, stretch a bit and start singing, dancing... more

Again, sorry for delays, but... the dog ate my homework... wait, no, that wasn't it, it was the aliens... um, no, sorry, now I remember... my technology is eating me alive... SEND HELP!!!! Thanks for bearing with me. This is continued from HERE

So here we are, at the point where the little picture becomes the big picture and the most important difference between our Jethro fiction and the M fray non-fiction... more

[Continued from HERE]

There have been many un-sung adoptions of children from either different races and/or nationalities by celebrities of various standing in the past, but lately the ‘trendy’ ambience around the adoption of children from undeveloped/third world/whatever-other-condescending-term-one- might-want-to-use countries has created a whole new level of hubbabaloo. It seems as though the new mantra... more

[Continued from HERE]

Is our scenario on the “what-if” trail so different from the real live M fray? Well, yes and no. The core of the situation is the same, but some key details are very different. It seems to me most of the hooplah and hystronics have manifested from two main points of departure between the tales: too much of a good thing often seems to turn into a bad thing, and the U.S. of A is the... more

[Continued from HERE]

Now what if for some strange reason, Jethro’s case came to the forefront of media attention, the chances of which are slim to none. Would anyone other than those completely against any adoption (the “banning” business is just too black-and-white in a world of gray shades to broach right now, so let’s leave it for another discussion) have a problem with the agreement between Earl and the... more

[Continued from HERE … but ages ago!]

I’m sorry it’s been so long for the rest of this. “Technology Meltdown” has been the tune that I sing these days, (is that a song? should be) however, it seems as my laptop is recovering from its recent stroke and, at least for today, my internet is working, so am back online. Thanks for your patience.

The M Fray (which is how I will be referring to the Madonna adoption drama from... more

I have often realized that I must be missing the gene that would compel me to keep abreast of the big celebrity issues the world faces (ahem.) However, in this case the buzz is international, deafening, and some points being made so ridiculous, even I have a hard time ignoring it under the rock by the ocean where I am currently living. So here I am, entering the fray, at least for a minute: the Madonna adoption.

No matter how many different "sides" of the story I hear, I can’t figure out what is upsetting... more

[Continued from the last blog...]

My cousin pointed out, with time zone differences, I am already in “tomorrow” while he still lives in “today...” a situation he thought might give me scoops for betting on horse races and/or playing the stock market and maybe even advance information on the election results. Luckily, he was just kidding... I think. His reminder, however, did act as a catalyst to get me out of bed much earlier than usual to check out election results on the local network broadcast of CNN, which was late Election... more

Before I get on my soap box and you start reading, I would like you to know that none of the opinions I will share here are because I was adopted. Well, I guess that's not strictly true as I am who I am and a part of that is adopted, but I reckon that's a bit of a stretch. This is just a little pointed bluster I feel I must put out there.

Am now stepping on my soap box … and away we go …

Ex-pats all over Africa can often be heard complaining about how disorganized everything is. We rant about long waits, rage about bureaucracies... more

I went to my favorite place near the edge of the lake with my rock in tow. Until that year, the adoption thing didn’t really move around my mind much, but as my body started changing, my moods started swinging and my social interactions grew more complicated (in that 12 year-old kind of way,) I started feeling like a complete freak. The best reason I could come up with was a cheapie, no imagination, but the easiest one to grab: “I’m adopted. My biological mother didn’t want me because I was a freak and my parents now don’t want me because I am a freak... more