New Bovine Next door

We met our next door neighbor/night guard as we were walking up to get a taxi.  He was carrying a small bundle of hay that he said he had just purchased for 20 cents.  We assumed it was for the many goats he has in his courtyard, but he informed us that he'd bought a cow.  And his mother, "Grandma" had also bought one.  So they were the proud owners of two cows.  When we returned this afternoon we stopped in to see/admire the new purchases.  He paid $160 for the 2 year old and Grandma paid $140 for hers.
Voila!

Remember the kitchen pictures I blogged about several weeks ago?  This is right next to the open, outdoor kitchen.  Goats run in and out as they please.  It was evening time and the goats had all come "home to roost".  Amazing. 

 This cow is a 2 year old purchased by "Grandma".  It couldn't get up no matter how many times it was kicked, yelled at and pulled by the tail.  Our neighbor said it was too tired from the trip from the village.  

 The other one is also a 2 year old and had a bit more spunk. 

One never knows what is living next door.  They suggested we buy one also and party together!

Day 28 Photo a day: the weather today

Monday

Partly cloudy. High of 38C. Breezy. Winds from the SW at 15 to 25 km/h.

Monday Night

Mostly cloudy with a chance of a thunderstorm and rain in the evening, then overcast. Low of 27C. Breezy. Winds from the SW at 5 to 30 km/h. Chance of rain 20%.

Hourly Forecast	6AM	12 Noon	6PM	12 Midnight
Temp. | Dew Point	29 | 21	35 | 17	37 | 17	32 | 21
Wind	19 km/h SSW	18 km/h SSW	9 km/h SW	15 km/h SSW
Humidity	63%	36%	30%	49%
Chance of Precip.	0%	0%	0%	20%
Cloud Cover	54%	53%	62%	86%
Conditions	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Partly Cloudy	Chance of a Thunderstorm
Sunrise & Sunset	6:23 AM 7:14 PM

Source: Weather Underground BestForecastView Detailed Hourly Forecast

The quality of the forecasted high temperature for this day is fair. MaxT RMSE [2.97], Average RMSE [2.22] : Use BestForecast

 

Here is the official weather forecast for today!  It's looking like a good week.  I don't know how well it will turn out but this is the first week under 40 degrees that we've had since the beginning of March.

For those who don't understand the Celsius numbers, here's the translation to Farenheit:

                                                               C.      F.

                                                              38=100.4
                                                              39=102.2
                                                              40=104
                                                              41=105.8
                                                              42=107.6
                                                              43=109.4
                                                              44=111.2
                                                              45=113

I'm waiting to hear the deafening sound of raindrops on the tin roof of our house and the fresh smell that comes with the rain.  Rain would mean no dust for a couple of days!  Yea! for the floor-washing.

Day 26: Photo a Day: 12:00

Twelve o'clock noon found Lindsay and I, with one of our favorite taxi men, Youssof, on our way to swim laps at the American Rec Center.  Even though the water is as warm as bath water, it still is so refreshing  on these hot, hot days.

We'd been to the big garage sale day at Lindsay's school all morning where I'd had a table selling my hand stamped cards.  We made some key purchases, i.e. The Walton's DVD series!  Memories of years gone by.  The garage sales the past 2 weekends have added to our minuscule video collection with a NCIS series as well.  Does Wheel of Fortune come on DVD's?  That would make my life so sweet!

Day 25 Photo a day Challenge: Unusual

It's an unusual sight for our Kansas eyes as we are used to seeing a pen full of fat cattle eating at the bunks or the green Flint Hills dotted with cattle delightfully grazing.  But it's not an unusual sight here.  Cattle are herded through the streets along with the cars.  Grazing possibilities are slim so a pile of trash is what's available.

I realize that I've had three posts of animals in the last three days.  Some days it's hard to believe we live in a city of 1,000,000 people due to the huge amounts of camels, goats, sheep, cows and chickens that freely roam the streets along with us.  But, as shown by the amount of "animal" pictures, it makes taxing around town more interesting.

Day 24 Photo a Day: Something new

We walked out of our gate last evening and looked across the road to see an honest to goodness Billy Goat Gruff!  What do you think?  We've never seen one like it.  He must be visiting the neighborhood.  He certainly acted like he was boss and joining the other goats eating black plastic bags.

Day 23 Photo a day: Technology

Technology is today's challenge.  Orange is the name of our internet company  as well as a cell phone company.   This camel was roaming around the round-a-bout.  I'm not sure if there is a subtle connection between camel and cheaper cell phone rates or if it was just a means to have a roaming billboard.

Days 18,19,20,21,22 Photo a day

Wow!  Where have the days gone.  It's time to play catch-up.

BTW,  Happy Anniversary Bob and Clare!

Today is also the anniversary of our evacuation from the Central African Republic after the attempted Coup d'Etat way back in 1996 when Erika was just 4 years old and Lindsay lost all her  presents from her recently celebrated 6th birthday and Andrew got a picture taken with the  US Marines as he was holding a big, bad gun and Melissa had the nightmarish experience of being in our pickup with her dad when it was seized at gunpoint.  Remembering God's faithfulness during those difficult days renews our trust and faith in our loving Father today.

On to the photo challenge:

Day 18:  Something you made:

I made Tom a couple of shirts:

Add caption

and here is a collage of some of my favorite cards I've made lately.  Anyone need cards?

Day 19:  A Favorite Place

I really enjoy wandering through the local marché (open market).  There is one just a 5 minute walk from our house and there are always so many intriguing grains, potent spices, stacks of plastic ware and shops full of items for sale.  At times the smells are overpowering, but that just makes me walk a bit faster past those stalls.  It's not quite like window shopping at the mall and I certainly don't spend as much money or time.

I'm finally learning my way through the amazing maze of alleys and paths so that I can end up at the same place two times in a row.  That way I  get to know some of the merchants so I don't have to "re- barter" the prices for the items I buy regularly.  It really is a fascinating place.

Here are some photos I took this morning when I went to buy onions and sugar.

My "peanut butter" lady.  A 30 gallon can full of natural peanut butter.   

Our pumpkin squash.

Day 21  Where you stand.  Skip

Day 22  Pink:  Bouganvillea bushes at the office.

Day 17: Photo a Day Snack

Lindsay's favorite snack is a little donut-like cake that is fried over a fire on the side of the road around 4:30 in the afternoon.  A "beignet" goes into the bag with a spoon of sugar dumped over it and yummy! But, alas, today the first bite shouted "rancid flour".  Hope deferred makes the heart sick.  So does bad flour.

Day 16 Photo a Day: What I'm reading

I just finished the classic Crime and Punishment  by Dostoyevsky.  Quite a read.  Lots of details.  An entire book devoted to guilt.  Definitely worth the read.

I'm also reading several books on the Kindle...at the same time.
And a great book to process is Rebuilding Your Broken World by Gordon MacDonald.
Very insightful book.

Tom is re-reading yet another biography.  He's such a good reader and thinker.

Day 15 Photo a Day: Love

Love.
Public display of affection is a no-no here in Niger.
Can't even hold hands in public.  Even old married people.
I miss walking hand in hand with my dream man.  Really miss it.
Sometimes when we are alone on the road we hold hands a bit.  Or at night.
Tonight we were invited to some friends' house across town.
They live on a beautiful street with tons of bougainvillea flowers.
It was much too romantic to just walk--so Linds documented the illegal activity!

Day 14 Photo a Day: Grass

Yes, that's right,  grass is the subject for today.  We don't have a blade of it in our concrete yard.  The neighbors don't have any.  So, Lindsay and I walked up to the round-about where we catch our taxis because I knew I'd seen grass there.

The grass is a bit hidden. I didn't notice it for a number of months even though I walked right by it several times a day.  There is a caretaker who waters it carefully.   It's roped off so no one walks on it--the caretaker makes sure of that.  I've wanted to take my shoes off so badly and walk on it but I haven't had the courage to ask yet.  

Day 13: Photo a Day: Mum

Mum.  Mom.  Mommy.  Mama.  Maman.  Mother.

What an incredible privilege to be called Mother.

Nothing brings more joy, more contentment, more satisfaction, more sleepless nights, more heart pain than mothering.

I have 4 adult children now.  Where did the years go?
So many memories.

• Dreams of motherhood crushed as we buried our first little girl in Iowa. 
• Melissa deciding to be born in Des Moines instead of Iowa City so Tom had to give up his post of Best Man in our dear friends' wedding to welcome her into the world.  
• Andrew, born in France during language school.  What an absolute blue-eyed, dark-haired charmer he was!  
• Moving to Central African Republic where first Lindsay and then Erika were born.  Our two "Ouali-Bangui(s)".

Now they are all adults, bringing us so much joy as they choose to follow Jesus.

Melissa arrived in Kansas last night from France where she is a missionary.  How I would have loved to welcome her with roses at the airport!  That's what moms do, right?  Her Dad was awake at 3:00 am tracking her flight on the computer until it landed in Wichita.  Her "other Kansas family" joined Erika at the airport to welcome her.  Thanks so very much, Beverlins, for making her homecoming so special.  That brought tears to this mom's heart.

Andrew is working in Minneapolis, MN.  We are so thrilled at how God continues to work in his life and build a depth to his character that only comes through hard knocks.  How we love and miss him!  

Lindsay is the only one that gets to celebrate Mother's Day with her mom in real life!  Our joy-giver.  Such a gifted teacher.  It blesses my heart to walk through the school yard with her and hear shouts of "Ms. Dorsch, Ms. Dorsch!!" coming from loving, admiring students.

Erika just finished her second year of college.  It wasn't so long ago that she was playing Barbies with Lindsay.   She's going to be an incredible nurse.   What a joy it brings to hear of the godly influence she is having in the lives of fellow students.

Tom and I stepped outside our gate to take an evening walk.  Our neighbor goat is a new mom of triplets.  Sooooo cute!

One look at the sky and we realized taking a walk was not such a good idea.  The dust storm was rolling in.

One of the most beautiful sounds in the world, in a sun-scorched land, is the sound of raindrops on the tin roof.  Lindsay was the first to hear the pings.  I think there were 259 drops that fell!  It did smell luscious.

Happy Mother's Day!

Day 12 Photo a Day: Something I Makes You Happy

Something that makes you happy.
Something that makes me happy.
I just about skipped this one.
It seemed rather inconsequential.
Some of the other photo challenges have been so fun to do.
Besides, there are lots of things that make me happy.
And I already noted a bunch of things that bring me delight in an earlier post.

But tonight, as I sat down at my desk to make a few graduation cards, I realized that stamping really does make me happy.  I LOVE to make cards for people and I hope that receiving them makes them happy as well.

I have 2 nephews and 1 niece that graduated from high school today.  I wish I was partying with them and their families today in Kansas.  I also have a nephew who graduated with his master's from Kansas State.  Way to go, Wiebe clan!  I'm proud of you all.

I'm in the process of making their cards.  Here's one:

Whether the card will simply be signed with lots of love or something more (!!!) included in the card will depend on whether we receive the graduation announcement WITH a senior picture.  You've been duly warned Denny, Casey and Carrie!!

We love you all and are so proud of you.




(Card is CASED  from Mary Fish @ Stampin' Pretty.)

Day 11 Photo a Day: Kitchen

Today's photo challenge is "Kitchen".  Mine is not too exciting and in most ways, it's similar to yours:  cabinets, gas stove, fridge, sink.  But let me take you next door to a kitchen of a different style.  In the following photo, you can see our yellow gate and right next to it is a red gate.  That is where "Grandma" lives as well as Adam and our night guard and a lot of other people as well as a dozen goats (they only come home for night) and a plethora of chickens.  

And, voila, the kitchen!  These women do a ton of cooking.  Ramatou, the lady looking at the camera, is making a corn-based couscous to sell to passers by for breakfast.  Early in the morning she sets up a table in front of our gate to serve breakfast.

A close up of the corn couscous being steamed.
Huge pots.
 Hot fires.
Hard work.
Beastly high temperatures everyday.
One water spigot by the gate.
One light bulb in the entire courtyard.
No sink. No stoves. No refrigerator.
Great neighbors.