Day: February 21, 2018

We met the RISSE soccer team around 1:30 at the Sportsplex in Half Moon, N.Y., where they planed in the Presidents Day Tournament. They look sharp in their new soccer team uniforms and their new Nike equipment bags, each one with their names stenciled on the bag.

The bags were a hit, so were the indoor/outdoor soccer shoes that Todd Van Epp of WickedSmartApparel donated as a gift.  More about Todd later. He is a very good and generous man.

The team played in the tournament on and off from 2 p.m. to 6:30. They won one game, tied one game, and lost one game. Ali was thrilled. They played well and worked hard.

The two games Maria and I saw were intense and sometimes rough. The other teams were strong and experienced. The RISSE kids played hard and well.

They had a celebratory feast after the Tournament at a Chinese restaurant in Schenectady, New York.

Maria and I had to get home to feed the animals and had burgers at the Bog.  I admit my cold is still weighing down on me, and I was running out of gas.My doctor said I was not infectious, but he urged me to rest, this new breed of colds, he said, hangs on for days. I got some nasal pray and anti-cough medication.

We had a great time with these kids, they work so hard and are so gentle and polite. They adore Ali and want to win for him, but he said was thrilled with their play, they are improving every day.

They have a beautiful ethic of support for one another, we stand or die together, they say often. I suggested standing is more productive.

Some of the kids reported being taunted at school and Ali and I told them this was a great country, and there were many people eager to support them and stick with them. About a dozen kids came up and hugged me, which brought me nearly to tears and caught me by surprise.

Maria can’t take too much of sports, but she hung in their valiantly, peppering everyone around about the game and how it works.

Thanks to the Army Of Good for the uniforms, Keven Smith of Sportsplex for time and space to practice, Todd Van Epps of WickedSmartApparel. for the stenciling and the new sneakers. I almost forget, Ali loves his megaphone, although the kids scared him out of his wits when they figured out how to use it and suddenly turned the siren on.

Friday, the soccer team comes to my town, Cambridge, N.Y., to have lunch with me and the Mansion residents and make some hot fudge sundaes. Afterwards, they’re coming to Bedlam Farm to see the donkeys and their mascot, Red, herd the sheep. This is a side of Red most of them have not seen.

I am eager to see these two worlds meet. They will mix with one another at lunch. My cold ( and the Scotch I had at the Bog)  is urging me to rest, more in the morning.

 

For a person like me, who favors boundaries and clear resolution, megaesophagus is quite the spiritual challenge. I wrote yesterday that Gus has had a few particularly dark and rough days. I got up early this morning and re-conceived his diet, cutting back on some things, adding others, generally making the meal dryer and less of a mix.

Today, at least, it worked remarkably well. Gus didn’t so much as burb, let along regurgitate or vomit or spit anything else up. He was his usual active and mischievous self, but his stools were solid and health, and so was he.

It’s too early to draw any conclusions from this, Gus enjoyed the 70 degree temperature today (a warm week), enjoyed his food, and his digestive tract and esophagus seemed to handle it easily.

The last few days were tough. Today was a charm.

I hope I’m on to something, I didn’t want to leave things on a down note, today was absolutely normal.

There is a lot of trial and error to match the right feeding formula with the right dog. Fingers crossed. A very good day, maybe just another tilt in the roller coaster that is this disease, maybe something more. With this particular disease, you dare not peek around the corner. Today felt very good.

Our 10 gallon fish tank is doing well, we got two small bumblee snails and a larger snail we named Socrates, he just seems thoughtful and deliberate. The tank has matured and all the residents are  happy and healthy. We are a bit surprised by the tank, we love taking a few minutes each day to see what’s going on in this new little world.

 

I’ve always believed that life is defined not by an abscence trouble but the way in which we respond to trouble. Everyone has a harder battle than I do, and we will all face challenges and setbacks in our life. People will get sick, dogs will die, things will go wrong.

The choice is always stark: I can either wring my hands or get moving.

I woke up this morning thinking of Gus and the difficult few days he has been having with us and his megaesophagus. I had this strong, even overwhelming feeling that this was going to be a good day for Gus, a turnaround day, and I mean to make it so.

I got up early, and sat down and went over my notes and decided to make some changes in his diet.

Smaller feedings more frequently.

I’m dropping the chicken broth and returning to a couple of teaspoons of yoghurt for liquidity. I am reducing the amount of EN gastroentric food and increasing the Pro Plan turkey and sweet potato. Also decreasing the rich Royal Canin veterinary recovery food..

Perhaps his diet was too liquid and too rich, We’ll know soon enough.

The other big move: I have an angel, unnamed, below, one of the New Mexico Reftalos we got from an artist named Diana Breyer whose studio is in Chimayo. Diane is Jewish and was troubled by the fact too few Jewish angels are available for sale by artists.

She says the first angels were Jewish. So she made some Jewish angel Reftalos.

I have always believed in angels and spoken with them. I think one sent me Maria.

So she made some and gave me one, which now hangs on the door to the Frida Kahlo bathroom.

She doesn’t have a name, I call her Deborah

I always talked to angels and asked them for help. “Okay,” I said to Deborah, “you’re not just a pretty face hanging on an old farmhouse door. Let’s get to work for Gus. I’d like some inspiration.”

And I felt better immediately, confident and sure about Gus’s future. I believe dogs are spirit animals, and when I see that they have lost their spirit – I saw this with Rose and Izzy and Frieda – then I know it is time for them to leave our world and return to theirs.

The only treatment for Gus’s esophagus is diet, and so that’s on me, there is nothing he can do.

I created a new diet and gave it to Gus for breakfast. So far, so good, it’s been four hours. That was farther than we got  yesterday or the day  before.

Gus has great spirit, he is bright, aware, loving,  playful and obnoxious. He is not fading, and is not ready to leave this world. So I have to figure out a diet that will stem these difficult few days. And I will, at least for awhile. I feel it.

And when I waver I can turn to Deborah or call the vet, or the gastro specialist, and just sit down and gather myself.  My stubbornness has kept me alive and I’m not into whining or lament. This is not a tragedy or drama, it is just life, and life is what we all face, most people in harder ways than me.

Deborah is already sending me vibes of encouragement. I think I woke her up. And I don’t know as I have ever seen a Jewish angel or worked with one. They all seemed non-denominational to me.

To those of you sending me messages telling me you know I don’t like advice but have an Aunt Fanny who had nine dogs who died, or a friend Sue who talks to Gus daily. and would I message them and arrange to talk to them?:

Don’t do it. Just say no, and follow your good instincts.

It’s like teaching young men that no means no. Period. Stop.  No excuses.

Those offering support and good wishes, thanks as always.

Gus is in a great mood this morning, and so am I.

 

Today is the Presidents Day Indoor Soccer Tournament at the Sportsplex sports facility in Half Moon, N.Y. Maria and I will be there (I’m leaving Red, the team mascot, behind, as it may be crowded and some people are afraid of dogs). It’s a big day for the team, and also for me.

It’s surprise day for Ali and the team. We are giving each player on the soccer team a snazzy Nike Brasilia Equipment Bag with their name stenciled on it, and I’m giving Ali a megaphone (see video) with a siren on it. He will definitely be able to get the kid’s attention whenever he needs to. I think Ali will love it, I demonstrated it for the video above, Maria took the video.

A lot of people contributed to this day. The Army Of Good has supported the team and purchased their new uniforms. We have also paid for practice time on indoor courts (Thanks, Kevin Smith of Sportsplex for the discounts on time and food).

The stencils on the Nike bags were done by WickedSmartApparel of Watervliet, New York, one of the country’s top sports apparel suppliers. The team name is in white, the kids name in teal.

Thanks Todd Van Epps, the owner of Wicked Smart, a supporter of the RISSE (Refugee and Immigrant Support Center of the Emmaus Methodist Church in Albany) soccer team and also the new RISSE girl’s basketball team being organized now.

And, of course, Ali, who has devoted much of his life to supporting these children. They are from everywhere, including some very troubled countries – most from Afghanistan, Southeast Asia, and Africa. They have endured a great deal to get to America, and are struggling to assimilate in America at a time when their very presence is suddenly controversial.

Ali has committed himself to watching over these boys and girls, he is available to them seven days a week, day or night. They love him dearly and thanks to him, I believe they will succeed in their struggle to acclimate to American life.

They and Ali and I are deeply touched by the love and support they have received from people who represent the true heart and soul of America, a generous and welcoming country. Ali and I have told them the hostility they sometimes face and hear about is a phase, and will pass.

I believe that.

People from all over America have showered RISSE with good winter clothes, sweaters, jackets and shoes, games and toys. RISSE is working on a new Amazon Wish List, to go up shortly.

The kids at RISSE – they have a large after school program –  always need clothes and toys and school supplies.

So today is a big moment for the hard-working, close-knit soccer team. Soccer is important in their countries, where they usually played barefoot and in back yards or empty fields.

Americans play soccer differently, the game here is richly supported by parents. They play against suburban teams with lots of money and community support – lots of coaches, players, fancy shoes, expensive uniforms, the best equipment.

The uniforms we got them – they call themselves the “Bedlam Farm Warriors From RISSE” help balance the scale, and I hope to continue to support the soccer and basketball teams in this way.

That means uniforms and equipment, food after practice, and sometimes, some emergency help with clothes. I also try to help the refugee kids take special classes they might need, especially in language, finances and computing.

If you wish to help support this project, you can donate to my refugee fund, send checks to Jon Katz, P.O. Box 205, Cambridge, N.Y., 12816, or via Paypal, [email protected]. And thanks.

I have to go pick up the uniforms and then go to the tournament. See you later.