We are in Accra. Our son-in-law Marcus and grandson Evan are flying into Accra at 7:00 on Monday morning. We could have flown down to Accra to pick them up tomorrow (Sunday) but Steve was afraid that something might happen to delay the flight or worse a flight cancellation and we would not be waiting at the airport when they arrive on Monday so we flew down a day early just as a precautionary measure. It would be awful to be stranded at the airport in a third world country with no idea what to do next. We are holding their plane tickets from Accra to Tamale. Lord willing, we will be standing outside the airport when they get off the plane. Meanwhile we are going to enjoy our tiny holiday in Accra.
We picked Red (the driver) up at his house this morning around 7:30. It did not take us long to realize that the air conditioner was not working properly. It was not cooling well and it was not even the hottest part of the day. We told Red he was going to have to stop by the air condition shop before he went back to Yendi and have the air conditioner looked at. Steve called Johani, the air condition repair guy to see if he was working today. We hoped it would be an easy fix but it was not. A couple hours later we got a call and the mechanic said that the unit was full of gas and the compressor was weak. Johani does not usually work on Sunday but he said that because we had guests coming and needed the van on Monday he would order the compressor and call his men to come to work on Sunday to fix the van for us. Is that wonderful or what? It is great to have friends in high places! We sent the money for the compressor by mobile money. Red left the van with the mechanic and took a bus back to Yendi. He will take a bus back to Tamale early Monday morning and if all goes as planned he will pick up the van from the air conditioner repair place and be at the airport to pick us up when we land in the early afternoon on Monday.
We had a lovely lunch at the Lebanon Mountain restaurant. The owner is so nice. The electricity was off so we ate outside on the veranda. When we asked for our bill the owner asked why we were leaving so soon. She said we should stay around and rest. That is very sweet. We are one of the only cultures in the world that rush through our meals and dart off as soon as we finish eating. Many cultures make a meal an event.
Steve bought our supper tonight off the street. You never know what you might find when you are out hunting and gathering. We are dining on beef kabobs covered with hot pepper, Pringles and Sprite and Tonic water. A feast fit for a king!
Please keep us in your prayers while we travel; especially our children.
In HIS Service,
Steve, Kandie and Skeeter
The Monkeyshines
I have nothing to report except that I am going to file another case of “monkey abuse” with a secondary complaint of “monkey abandonment”. The parents left this morning without so much as a fare thee well! I knew they were going when I saw the blue van being washed a couple days ago. They were not even discrete about washing the van; they pulled it up beside my jail cell and Dad washed it after he cleaned the floor in my cell. I knew I was in for trouble!
This morning Dad threw the root end of a yam and half of a pear into my jail cell. What in the world! The yam was not even cooked! I love yams but I was insulted that I was given a raw yam! And let’s just take a moment to examine the pear. Upon inspection of the pear I discovered that it was only ½ a pear which was cut at a very peculiar angle which can only mean one thing; the pear had a bad spot which Mom cut off before giving it to me! Now I thought I have made it very clear that it is unacceptable to give a baby monkey fruit that is about to go bad! I still cannot get over that raw yam! The thing is bigger than my head and they did not even take the time to peel it! I have heard that monkeys in the wild go into farmers’ yam fields, open the yam mounds and eat the yams but I am not a wild monkey! I have a refined palette and prefer to have my yams cooked! They probably think that because they are going to be gone for a while that I will forget about the insults that have been heaped upon me by the time they get back but it is not going to happen!
MONKEYS NEVER FORGET !!!!
Love, Skeeter
