Steve and Barnabas in Tanzania

one of my favorite balboa trees with leaves.  valley in background This week was mixture of sad and joyous news.  Let’s get the sad out of the way.  The female puppy (Bonnie-the brown one) died overnight on Tuesday.  I noticed she was not eating that night and looked sort of frail.  The next morning she was discovered and buried.  Clyde is still doing well though they found him a new home on Friday so I did not even get to say bye.  He was doing well.  Sitting on the first command about 60% of the time and instinctively went to heel when walking to stay out from under my feet.  Hoping he is at a home that will love him.     On the better side we got some rain Tuesday night and Wednesday morning.   It was one of those nice slow rains well designed for the crops and grass.   It never really came down hard during the roughly 12 hours it rained off and on.   Thanks for the many prayers for rain in our area an...

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.  Cat...