Red stopped by this afternoon. I could hear him out on the veranda talking to Steve; he said that he had something for Sister Kandie. Steve said, “Oh! She is going to love this!” He brought me a handmade metal dump truck! It was about the size of a Tonka toy. It is the most detailed metal toy we have ever seen! It has mirrors, the steering wheel actually turns, and the truck has a hydraulic looking thing so that it will rise up and dump. The back door of the truck bed opens so the load will slide out, It has bumpers and a hook on the bumper to turn it into a pull toy, it has wheels that the guy scabbed off of a roller bag like we pull around the airport, it has a clear plastic front window, it has seats and running boards. It is amazing! Red did not make it but when he saw it he got it! I tried to dicker on the price but Steve whispered in my ear “Just buy it!” He knows I hate to pay full price for anything! Steve loved it too and I think he was afraid we would miss out on getting it.
Red showed us a picture of his bean crop. It looks really good; he said that he is going to spray the plants to keep the bugs off of them. If the rain holds he will have a bumper crop! He told us again thank you for loaning him the money to buy the seeds.
This morning we had Donkey level some of the stepping stones on the sidewalk that leads around the house toward the Child Center. They are a trip hazard! The watchmen walk on that sidewalk every morning and night; we don’t use it all the time but I would be the one to fall and break something so it is better to get them fixed! The dirt under the stones is soft right now and it did not take him very long to dig them out and get them reset.
Donkey said that the American Ambassador to Ghana has been in Ghana for a while and that she came to Yendi to meet the Ya-Na. Donkey said that everyone was so happy that she came to visit. I am sure that she was flown up here and did not have to endure that 15 hour road trip on terrible roads! The Ya-Na presented her with a white ram and a bunch of yams. The Ya-Na dressed in his traditional garb with all of his regalia to show her how he dressed when meeting important people. He said that she slept in Yendi; we have a new hotel; maybe she stayed there. In the past we stopped to look at the hotel and ask if they had a restaurant. They said they did not have a restaurant but they were going to have one. They said that if we stayed there they would find us something to eat; I imagine they would go to the local chop bar and buy something from there.
Steve finally put the Social Welfare report to bed! He had to make a call to the Social Welfare officer to see if we needed passport photos this time and he had to call the auditor to see if the new certificate to commence business had come in yet. He said that he checked on it a few days ago and they said that it was almost ready; it was pending approval before it could be printed. He said that we could use the old certificates until the new one came. Steve printed the invitations to the seminar; he will pass them out at the October class.
I finished the quilt top. Enjoy your weekend!
In HIS Service,
Steve, Kandie and Skeeter
The Monkeyshines
When Red came this afternoon he got too close to me and I screeched and hollered an grabbed his pant leg to let him know that he was intruding on my territory! I was very unhappy that he was so close to Mom and Dad! It was very disconcerting that he was carrying something! I was not sure if he was supposed to have it or not! I was happy when he finally left!
Meri is scared of me! I delight in standing in front of the door to the Child Center when she needs to go inside! She tries to dart past me and I grab her dress as she passes by just to see her jump! Yesterday I hid behind the door and waited for her to walk past!
Mom has been working on her quilt today; the quilt is getting big and it is difficult for her to keep it all on her lap and out of my way! All I want is the straight pins; they have plastic flowers on the ends; I sit and watch and every once in while I can snatch one out of the quilt; if I am quick I can have the head pulled off before she can catch me! It is a great game! Mom doesn’t like it very much!
Boo! I scared you!
Love, Skeeter
