Deliberation over losing power or losing water

So today we lost our water.

Of course, it had to happen when I had a load of clothes soaking in soapy water in the bathtub. But whatever. We knew there was a possibility of it happening, so we had saved up a few 5-liter bottles of tap water, so I was able to finish my laundry.

I think the conclusion is that I would rather lose power than lose water. Of course, if we lose power we lose internet, and when it's really hot out, we also lose our air conditioning and our fans, so that throws another interesting wrench in things. In that light, I think I would rather go without water, as long as it was a short-term thing (like less than a day). Going without water for any longer could get a little interesting - no showers, no washing dishes. We could always eat out for all our meals and ask the neighbors to use their pool, but that would get old after a while.

I've spent a bit of time this morning thinking over the pros and cons of losing each, and I'm really not sure which I would rather lose. But in the end, we weren't given a choice in the matter, so I don't think they really care what I think about it. :)

Which would you rather lose?

Missing You

Do you know what I'm missing most of all today? Having a dog. A sweet puppy to follow me around the house. A dog to crawl up on my couch and put his head in my lap to try to get my attention. Whether or not Bandit misses me too is debatable. His life is pretty good right now! :)

I also miss wearing fuzzy socks, wool skirts, sweaters, and my hair down, but that isn't the point of this post.

This week, I'm going to visit another puppy.

She's a bit of a dork, but that's okay. I love Cocoa too. :)

Heavenly Vision

Copied from this month's Grace & Honor:

Heavenly Vision

December 2009
By Rachel Hammett

     What a miserable way for the Son of God to come to earth! Mary, a first-time mother, traveled with her husband into a faraway city, and gave birth to her firstborn son in a stable! This simply blows my mind…that the God of the universe, the Creator of all that is – including Mary – the One whom angels adore, the Ancient of Days, Wonderful, Counselor, Mighty God, the Everlasting Father, the Prince of Peace, should come and be born so simply and “commonly.” Luke puts it like this:

“And so it was, that, while they were there, the days were accomplished that she should be delivered. And she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in a manger; because there was no room for them in the inn.” Luke 2:6-7  

     If the average person were to just read that part, they would think there was nothing out of the ordinary there…just a poor mother giving birth. They might think it was special that the mother gave the baby the best she had…even if they were in the stable. They might feel outraged that any innkeeper would make an expectant mother give birth in a barn. But they wouldn’t be awed by the splendor, the majesty, or the holiness of that birth. Only those with “Heavenly vision” could look above the rafters and see the angels rejoicing as God’s plan unfolded. Only those who knew the Father could sense His smile as His Son came in human form.

     So it is in many situations during the days of life. Some things happen and to the casual observer, there may be nothing out of the ordinary. Only those with their hearts in tune will know that great spiritual battles are being fought. There is another world out there…too often I think we forget about it. Is your Heavenly vision affecting the things you see today? 

Seasonally Dysfunctional

It’s been one of those strange, season-questioning days. What month is this? What season am I in?

It’s summer! I wore flip-flops and short sleeves today. Waiting for a study, a sudden Spring-like shower came up, making me shrug on a jacket, which I was glad I had brought along.

But it’s winter! I went shoe-shopping for a pair of closed-toe shoes, something to keep my toes warm on the way home to PA, because it is more than likely there will be snow on the ground when we arrive.

But it’s still summer! Coming back to the house, we left the air conditioners on because they filtered out the humidity from the rain. We had wonderful fresh fruit smoothies, compliments of the hot climate here, but then I got cold sitting under the air conditioner.

It’s winter! I put my jacket back on as well as a pair of socks, then snuggled up on my bed with a cup of tea, a book, and some Christmas music.

But it’s still summer! A trio of mosquitoes lazily flew near to me, reminding me that it really is still summer. Or is it really winter?

The Scent of Africa

It's already dark outside, though not very late. I go over to the window to let in some fresh air for a minute or two. I should have thought that it would be there and immediately enter - but I wasn't quite prepared for the intensity of it and it took me by surprise. In that instant, it was forcefully right in my face. I closed my eyes and took a deep breath.

It's the scent of Africa and I don't think I'll ever forget it. 

I don't even have the words to describe it, though often I've mentally tried. It's the earthy scent of dirt and dust. It's the promising scent of rain on the horizon. It's the intense scent of a thousand fires. It's the scent of clean, unpolluted air. It's the scent of, yes, even the bad and foul. It all melds together and comes as the familiar - the scent of Africa.

But what I can't put into words so deeply rests in my heart, that I don't think I will ever shake it. Coming off the airplane in October, we walked out the doors to go into the terminal, and it hit me there too. I almost cried when I recognized it, because I wasn't expecting it to be there, right in the center of the capital city and surrounded by tall buildings.

For me, the scent speaks of long evenings by the fire, nights in the bush, days in a small town, and special memories with family and friends. For me, the scent speaks of this land I've come to respect, and most of all, these people I've come to love. For me, the scent speaks of a home.

It's a strange thing, really. I didn't think I would have trouble adjusting to being here in Botswana, but I wasn't expecting to be so very at home. I'm certainly no expert on the culture or well-versed in all their customs, but coming here did not feel awkward, nor do I feel displaced or disjointed. No, I truly feel at home here, and I'm happy to say so. There will always be a special place in my heart for Africa. And when I go back to my home in the States, I imagine that I will dream about a certain scent and the day I can smell it again - the scent of Africa.

Easy come, easy go...

Today I found 50 billion dollars.

I almost stepped on it, as it was just there on the sidewalk in front of me. 50 billion dollars! I'm rich!!!

Oh wait...it's Zim money. That means it isn't even worth the paper it is printed on. From my research, two years ago this would have bought 2 loaves of bread. Today it is literally worthless.

Oh well.

Decking the Halls

I love making do.

Is that strange?

I love the challenge of trying to do something ordinary, but in unusual circumstances or with limited resources. Making tortillas for 10 hungry people when I don't have a rolling pin or a good pan for frying? And this country doesn't sell shortening? Oh, bring it on! Doing laundry without a washing machine, dryer, or endless bank account to take it to the cleaners? Let's do it! See, it's not a problem, it's a possibility.

Is there something wrong with me? I think I thrive on the challenge more than the actual project. If something is too boring, I won't even bother with it. Enter a hurdle that must be overcome and I'm all over it.

*sigh*

So, I decorated for Christmas. I was actually surprised at the amount of decorations available here. In Game (think mini Wal*mart), there were three or four aisles of decor - lights, packaged gift sets, wrapping paper, ornaments, wreaths, even Christmas trees. Everything seemed to fall into two categories - inexpensive, Oriental Trading quality stuff, and expensive-yet-still-cheap-looking stuff. Hhhmm...I opted for something different.

So my challenge? Make the house Christmasy as cheaply as possible, without lights, without a tree, without anything really. We didn't really even have room for Christmas decorations. We still have 9 people in the house, so we're a little packed in. Oh, and make it look nice, not cheesy.

I bought craft paper and splurged on a package of red raffia (in all, I think I spent 10 dollars). We already had scissors, tape, and a stapler. I just started cutting and taping, stapling and tying to my heart's content.

Bing Crosby was a must for this project. I don't think I would have gotten very far without his crooning to buoy my spirits and make me really feel like it was Christmas, even though the temp was well over 100 that Saturday.

The end results? A lot of paper chains, red raffia bows, and 3D snowflakes. Hey...just working with what I had.

All in all, I think it turned out alright. It will work for us, it was cheap and fun, and in the end, I can wad it all up and throw it away. (Because I am NOT carrying paper chains back to the US in my suitcase, no matter how long it took me to do them!)

Makin' Smoothies

We got a blender. One of the guys who is currently staying with us decided to get it. There is a bit of a story behind it, which is this. Someone brought us coffee - STARBUCKS! Four bags of delicious whole bean goodness, including a bag of Christmas blend, which I almost cried when I saw (well, maybe not). Very thoughtful of him to bring it, and even more thoughtful to have it ground since our 'grinder' consists of smashing it with an ice cream scoop. (Comes in handy for lots of things - bread and cracker crumbs, pressing garlic - but I imagine it would be a pain to grind coffee that way). Unfortunately, the lady who ground the coffee did NOT know what she was doing and left it chunky and mostly unground. *sigh*

Enter our new blender, which has a grinder attachment. Life is once again good.

AND! With a new blender, we can do other things. Like make fruit smoothies.

How could you NOT make smoothies with such an abundance of tropical fruits. For instance, fresh mango and papaya...

My brother Sam did the honors of being the Smoothie Master, figuring out the exact proportions of fruit, ice, milk, yogurt, and honey.

It's like a liquid nectar.

The blender is a bit cheap (what isn't in Africa?!?) but I can guarantee you that as long as it still turns, we will be putting it to good use. :)

A New Home

So...here I am.

I'm feeling the need for a change - a new address, the ability to edit and manage the appearance of my blog, but still doing all this without spending too much money. (according to my brother, I'm a tightwad...)

For a while, I wasn't sure what I wanted to do with my former blog The View From My Fishbowl - www.theviewfrommyfishbowl.com (which is really a compilation of 5 blogs from the past 3.5 years). I backed it up on my computer and eventually want to get a bound copy printed. I thought of moving some posts over, but was having a hard time deciding exactly which ones. SOOOO...I'm going to start over - all fresh and new.

Welcome to my new home!! Leave a comment if you found me here. :)

life happens

It's been crazy busy, you know?

We bought a rather large pumpkin to make our pies with, so we had quite a bit of mashed pumpkin left over. I decided to make pumpkin bread tonight, and wouldn't you know? After our power has been flickering on and off a few times a week since we've been here, it actually went off today just as I slid the bread into the oven. *sigh* But! I think it might turn out okay... The power just went back on, so even after the half-baked bread sat in the lukewarm oven for over two hours, it seems to be raising just fine now. Somehow I think that these guys will eat it, even if it turns out horrible. :)

Some other snapshots of life in these parts.


Making tortillas...not exactly an easy feat to feed all these guys, but a lot of fun. :)


Dad's birthday...chocolate pie, of course


Lukey's first birthday...stuffin' it in! And the poor baby was covered in bug bites!



I missed having kids around!


These white plumeria flowers come from the trees in our yard and are scattered all over the ground. They are so fragrant! (And...they don't smell like the plumeria that you get from B&B Works...just sayin'.)

So in all that time it took to upload these pictures...the pumpkin bread is done! It looks and smells just fine - wonderful, in fact - so I think I'm going to go test a piece of it. :)