Goings on.....

Time for a little update on what's been happening around here. It's been a busy 7 to 10 days.


Last week H. was circumcised at the French Military Base. What an experience! Got there at 7 AM and didn't get home until almost 7 PM. In that time he had 2 surgeries, Gracey and Liddy and I spent 2.5 hours parked in our car (it was over 100 degrees) because they wouldn't let us back in until 3 PM after we had left to run errands, Janice spent over 5 hours couped up in a room with H. - without cell phone - wondering what happened to us, and we received what must've been 200 phone calls from the kids at home wanting to know when we were going to be home. Wow!


We always wondered why the French don't like to circumcise. Well, now we know. They actually put the little guy under. Yes, it is true. Completely out. Surgery lasted just over 30 minutes. And, later - while 3 of us were stuck in the parking lot - he had an "emergency" surgery because he had developed a blood clot in his manly part. Yikes! (I sure am glad he won't remember any of this.)


Then, there was the work crew who broke the main waterline going to the Welcome Center while putting in the poles for our "parking garage". The pipe here is so brittle that I was afraid to fix it properly. So, instead, I used Chadian duct tape. "What's that?" you ask. Well, it is cut up strips of inner tubing. They use it to fix everything. I wrapped about a 3 foot section of it around the pipe, turned the water back on, and voila! This morning I had the work crew pour concrete around the pipe. I am hopeful that this fix holds. (I am almost ashamed to admit how we fixed this. I know my dad is gonna be disappointed!)

Today, while on our way home from town, Janice, Liddy, H., Gracey, and I stopped to get lunch at a road side restaurant that sells 4 things: BBQ'd meat, BBQ'd meat with breading, bread, and soda. We always get the meat with breading and the hot pepper. It is yummy. And, today was no different. We purchased 3000 Francs worth ($6) and ate it a little while later while sitting in the back of our car, in the shade, with the A/C going. Washed it down with Orange soda. Good times.

What made this so memorable, really, was watching Janice eat the meat. She's supposedly a vegetarian but she's the most peculiar one I've ever met. (In all fairness, she is a vegetarian but, occasionally, she does eat meat... or tries to eat meat.) She said the meal gave her a gut ache.

We have noted that many of our friends and family are suffering through a pretty bad winter (still) with lots of cold temperatures, grey skies, and rain and snow. Well, we are here to report that today (and every day for as long as I can remember) it was sunny, about 105 degrees, with no precipitation. All this to say that should any of you wish to experience a fine warm and sunny climate we've got the place just for you. Our rates are reasonable too!

Hope you all are having a great week. We are. Take care.

sf