zeina update...

I found her! she was somewhere I never thought she would be! Alhamdulillah

Zeina

My dear zeina,

I have no idea where you are now, or whether you are dead or alive. After a day of you going missing, and me looking for you all over the house, I might have to face the strong possibility that a bird has indeed caught you. Alhamdulillah for everything at all times. You were a good pet turtle. I did not think that I would be this sad that you are gone. I never got to say good bye or anything. I know it seems corny about a turtle, but it is true. If I feel this way for a turtle, I can not begin to imagine how a mother would feel if her child God forbid would just go missing, yet it happens. . I do not know how these women cope, except that Allah is with them.

Zeina, I have had you for 5 years, and have fed you almost everyday. I hope I had cared for you well when you were in my care. I hope you did not suffer. I hope you will turn out to be okay in the end, but if not.. I am so sad to lose you, I loved you (though I never really knew it till today, surprised at the tears that flow for you). I can not bear to see bondok alone, so forgive me, I plan to get him another turtle friend soon. You were only a child as turtles go. I think I will remember you always. For now, goodbye.
Doshar

where is she?

This morning, I went into the balcony to check on my two turtles, Zeina and bondok. At first glance I noticed a flipped turtle (they do that alot) and turned it gently around, to see who it was this time. it was bondok, the male turtle. so where was zeina? l looked around there area for her and she was just not there. just missing. Only bondok by himself. they have a wooden board that closes off their area, so I thought she misht have gotten out from under it. I looked around the balcony, she was no where to be found. I really started to worry, where did she go? where could she have possibly have offed to? She can't climb a wall, or dig or anything. she can not even make a noise. I looked around the house, incase she somehow got in. nowhere to be found.

It is really upsetting to find your pet just missing... pure and simple... vanished into thin air. where in the world could she be. a friend of mine told me that a hawk or some other predator bird could have scooped down and taken her... I had seen that on an animal planet episode, but I thought that just would not happen here in the middle of the city.

and the frightening thought that maybe a bird just came and took her away to EAT her just tears me apart. OMG she must have been so frightened. I do not know yet if that is what happened, I hope not. I hope she had just hid really really well. It feels really bad, did not think I would feel like this over zeina, but I do. I had her for 5 years now, fed her everyday, and kind of knew her well. she had a diferent personality than bndok, she always likes to explore, and poke around, and is not afraid of humans.

she has a very healthy apetite, and loves coming into the house. many times I would open the door to the balcony, and find her standing there, waiting to come in. She sometimes kind of knocks by hitting her shell against the door. It just is a bad feeling in the pit of your stomach, when you hve no idea where she is, and if you are ever going to see her again. I pray she turns out soon. :(

Chicken Run....?

Chicken Run is quite an amusing, well made children's movie, whose main attraction in my opinion is that Mel Gibson stars in it. But the idea was quite wierd for me when I first watched... I mean, chicken planning to escape from their farm to be free, and not have to lay eggs... and God forbid... be eaten in the end.

I mean, is that not what chickens are for? in the movie, We are obviously supposed to cheer the chicken on ... hope for their escape from the tyrant oppressor bad guys in the movie (the Farmer and his wife). But It would be really conrtradicting when I tend to eat chicken and eggs day in and day out. but I watched to appreciate the movie in itself, trying not to relate it to real life.... and that went on fine...

till my nephew watched it with me last night that is. there was this scene where the farmer found that one particular chicken hadn't laid an egg for a while, and so he took it out to slaughter. and Ibra (my nephew) was horrified. Did the chicken die? did the guy kill her? why? couldn't he have given her a chance? why did he have to kill her?

didn't really know what to tell him... that this is what we actually do? kill the chickens, and it is ok really. chicken is good for you.

they made it seem so cruel and inhumane... so I went out with : I guess he killed her to save on feeding her, but I guess he could have just let her go...

don't know, the balance between keeping the guy "bad" , and not relating it to eating chicken was a tough one. for a minite there I was scared he would go all vegetarian on me... but then he asked me to fix him a sausage sandwich. :)