Puppies and Rain

Rain

I have always loved rain for as long as I can remember.  There were a couple of times in the military where it rained so long and so hard you would think I would have learned to hate it but it only reinforced my love of  rain no matter how much or long I got it.

                  

Water is the most powerful thing I know of.  Any doubts look at the Grand Canyon and what water can do when given a chance.  Look at the massive structure that had to be built to hold water back at the Hoover Dam. 

Here in Tanzania though it is much easier to see how powerful it can be.  For only five months a year do they get rain.  During this period it needs to rain regularly to fill up water cisterns, underground aquifers, help the crops grow.  When you go more than a week in rainy season without rain you get worried.  It affects everything.  Cattle, crops how much effort goes into getting water for cleaning, cooking, laundry and drinking.

Today as I sit and write this blog we get our first good rain since my return.  It has rained in the city but not much here on site.  The occasional sprinkle or the momentary hard rain that does more damage than good.  Today is not what I would call a great rain either, but it has been going on longer than most of the rains I remember this year. It started hard and fierce with wind earlier today, but now it has settled to the on and off light showers we need so much more of.  I hope it continues for many more hours at this rate, but I doubt it.  It already looks to be clearing off.

Being an agrarian society, rain is necessary during crop season.  Without it most folks here will struggle to make ends meet all year including paying student fees for their kids to being able to take care of their other monetary resources like the cattle.

Please pray for rain for the area because it is much needed.

On a brighter side-the puppies on site are doing well.  I was not able to find chakula cha mbwa (dog food) but did get some corned beef hash in a can in town which I am mixing with rice to feed the puppies.  I am thinking if they become my responsibility, their names will be Bonnie and Clyde because they look like they are going to get into a lot of trouble together.  However several others on site also like them and they may (hopefully) become the responsible parties for the kids.  Last minute update-the guard is supposed to take the puppies to Nduguti to his family in the coming weeks.

Since I have been feeding them some meat in their diet to add to the starches the nurses have been giving them, they have shown marked improvement in their activity level.  They are actually learning to play a little with a person.  They run and play and poop just like little puppies are supposed to right now.  I am including some pictures so you can see how hard this is going to be on me not to outright lay claim to them.  But they are Tanzanian dogs and they need a  Tanzanian friend/owner.

The rice and corned beef mixture.  Good soft mix as they don't have good teeth yet.

I am starting to settle back into a schedule on site and in towns on the weekend.  Only problem this week with my schedule is my gas tank ran out the moment I started using it.  Now I have to figure out a way to get it back to town.  We will see if they will carry it on the big bus or not.

Wednesday has become dinner and a movie night with me watching some flick on my 10.1” computer screen.  This week it was Transformer:  Revenge of the Fallen.  Thursday or Friday seem to be my best day for computer work including accounting and typing up reports or proposals as well as the blog.

Saturday will be the day I mostly likely head into town so I can hang out with my friends as well as do work through the internet and yes get that decent meal or two.  Monday is my day back to the village with the travel taking up the better part of a day.

Early mornings are cleaning and washing dishes from the night before.  Morning is work on site.  Afternoons include my exercise walk, making meals for the puppies and dinner for myself. Evenings are for reviewing items done and getting pictures in order.  Then it is time for devotional and secular reading.  I have enjoyed getting back into reading for pleasure on a regular basis.  That was something I have seriously missed the last 10 years as work and volunteer demands took too much time.

This week I have also done some crochet work including working out patterns to my lion’s head, elephant body and giraffe card appliques.  I have not come up with a new animal yet thought I played with doing some different versions like a giraffe head so I could do a tongue sticking out for various kids I send cards to.

One other big positive this week was a recognition ceremony for three of our staff.  Gifty has recently completed her first year with the site, Dr. Daniel has finished up four years and Sara has been with us for over five years now.  It was a simple ceremony with soda and of course a lot of speeches.  Then a little dancing as well.

Video of the dancing portion

William doing the lecture thing

One item I forgot to mention was that when I got back to Singida, Allison,one of the peace corp volunteers had gone crafty and made everyone (including me) a stocking and put candies in it.  I thought it was really well done and thoughtful.