#146 Sunday March 5, 2017 (By Grandma)

I just read Dad's letter to you.  Again, he has outdone me, so I have little to report.  Unless you want to know how many times I've fed the community cat.  Most animals around here do not have owners.  People put food out in front of their shops and all animals are free to indulge.  And now and then a cat enters a shop and pretends to belong.  Our neighborhood only has stray cats.  The stray dogs are mainly on the boardwalk where they bite passers-by.  I don't know who feeds them.

I carry a little packet of cat food in my coat pocket when I leave the apartment.  The name of it in Turkish is "Kitty Love".  So I know it is a gourmet cat food.  And "my" cat knows it is better than the bargain brand cat food that is placed in the community bowls.  My cat comes running and rubs against my leg when I emerge.  I usually pet it a bit, and then pour out a few bits of cat food.  Some of the other cats circle around, but my cat holds his/her position until the treats are gone.  If we open a tuna fish can, I save the "juice" for the cat.  And if I cook chicken I take the remnants to the cat.  But the cat prefers tuna remnants.  I will miss the cat.  I don't even have a name for it.  But it has been my best friend in the neighborhood.

My best shoe finally broke.  It is a canvas wide-toed skecher.  I have a sore big toe, so it has been a life-saver for me.  I took it to a shoe repair person, and he said he didn't repair such items.  I think what he meant was the shoe was too cheap to even worry about.  But I have big feet and cannot replace it here.  Turks have tiny feet.  So I found some superglue and glued the strap in place.  I'll see how long it lasts.  I've used super glue before, but I this time I was a bit careless, and it really does glue your fingers together.  

I know there is lot of news out there, but the only thing I remember is that Scott and Jill ran marathons and 1/2 marathons last week.  I'm amazed that they can do that.  And Scottie will be having a birthday this coming week.  He has been getting emails sent from our mission to him because people here assumed grandpa was scott.brown    Luckily Scottie realized that the notice about his plane tickets for March 21st were for grandpa and not for him.  

Dad baptized another man today in the Hotel Spa Pool.  We have been grateful to have this option.  We held our regular church services and then they could just go downstairs for the baptism.  We were denied permission for our baptisms when we first came, and had to go to the seashore.  Those were wonderful baptisms, but they would have been cold this time of the year.  We are grateful the hotel amended its policy.  We have given a B of M to the woman in charge of arrangements and gone to lunch with her a couple of times.  She has really been helpful to us.  It is actually a Marriott hotel, but goes by another name in Izmir.  

Well, I have to make some more fake rice krispy cookies to take to Bodrum tomorrow.  I'm getting to prefer cocoa puff "rice krispy" treats.  I've never seen any rice krispies here.  

I love you all,

Mother