The clock, she is a-ticking, my friend

     Well, I don't have to tell YOU that time flies.  Going to Modisa seemed like a hypothetical possibility until just a few days ago, and when I found myself saying "I'm going to Botswana Wednesday," no one was more surprised than me.
     Up to last Thursday, I was focused like a laser beam--and a highly nervous laser beam at that--on the presentation I was giving at Nicolet College for their Creative Arts series.  I was invited to talk about Cambodia and the Elephant Valley Project, and that required a LOT of preparation, especially since it had to be in PowerPoint format, which I've never used.  
     This preparation required me to immerse myself totally in my photos and old blog entries from 2011, and Cambodia seemed much more real to me than Botswana as a result.
      Jack had sent me a boxload of the little wooden elephants carved by the mahouts at the Elephant Valley Project, and I gave them away in exchange for donations to the Project.  This turned out to be hugely successful, and it was thrilling to realize we had earned nearly $1000 to send to the Project!       

I'm just not going to say what relevance this slide had--you'll just have to guess.

     Around 200 people showed up at Nicolet on a night in which the projected low temperature was minus 24 degrees Fahrenheit!  How exciting to think that so many people in our little community would come out on such a night to talk about a few old elephants halfway around the world!  And everyone seemed to go home happy, so I consider the whole thing an unqualified success.
     But what an abrupt shift now!  I am scurrying to get packed and prepared.  There's not as much to do as with previous trips, because Africa has much better access to quality veterinary supplies than did Cambodia, and Mikkel from Modisa assures me that they have a first-rate veterinarian on call and are well-provided-for in that area.
     Also, I don't have any shots to get, because those I got for Cambodia are still up to date.
     I am also assured that at Modisa, they have reliable WiFi access, so I'm hoping that I will be able to keep my blog up contemporaneously, which will be something new.  So, you faithful friends and readers, you and I should be able to stay in touch with each other.  I'm going to Botswana on WEDNESDAY (March 5)!!!!