I just talked to Zorash to see if she had heard anything from Adamu’s mother or from the family. She said that the only person she saw was the aunt that was sitting at the hospital; she told Zorash that she was going to go to the hospital and greet Azara, the green leaf seller. I asked Zorash why she had not gone home yet. You know she was so desperate to go home that she did not want to stay at the hospital any longer. Zorash said, “By all means she will go, but who knows the day she will go.” She is probably waiting for someone to send her transport money. Ha! Zorash said that Azara, the green leaf seller was still sitting at the hospital so evidently Adamu’s family has not asked her to go yet. The whole thing is a mess.
We spent the bulk of the day packing. When I see something of interest I buy it and we put it in the spare bedroom until it is closer to time for us to go home; and then we spend a day packing and weighing suitcases. I am a little disappointed this time because I had planned on stopping at the Cultural center in Tamale on Friday and picking up a few baskets but we were too busy to go. I like the baskets because they don’t weigh much and they are great filler so items don’t shift around while they are being moved from place to place; the baskets are also great for protecting fragile items. I don’t like to use newspaper for protection because it seems like such a waste so this time I used fabric scraps to wrap around the things that needed protection.
First thing this morning Steve called Johani, the air conditioner repair man to see if the compressor had come in for my brother Paul’s truck. We were pleased when he said that not only had it arrived but he had already started installing it. He called shortly after lunch and told us that he had completed the work and that Red had picked up the truck. He said that he had to replace some sort of valve so we sent him the extra money for the part by mobile money. I asked him if the truck was cooling well, he said, “Yes, madam, it is cooling very well; it is cooling up to your standard!” Ha! He knows that we like to travel in as cold a vehicle as possible! Red called around 3:00 and said that he was ready to take off. I guess he had some errands to run before he left Tamale. He should be back in Yendi very soon unless he has had engine problems on the way. This is a good test for the long journey he will make next week when he drives the truck to Accra to pick up Paul.
We got a big wind storm last night. This morning Donkey asked if he could have the day off to repair the makeshift fence around his house. It is made from old roofing tin. He said that the wind blew down the fence and blew the roofing sheets all over the neighborhood. He said that he found all of the tin but he would have to go to the bush and cut new sticks. I imagine that lots of people had storm damage last night.
Enjoy your long weekend,
In HIS Service,
Steve and Kandie
The Monkey Shines
We are going to have to get a “weather alert system” so that I will be able to prepare for these terrible storms! Last night’s storm was so frightening! I thought that my jail cell was going to blow over! The wind blew so hard that it blew leaves and seed pods off the trees! They made such a terrible noise when they hit my tin roof! All I could do was scrunch down in the corner of my house and wrap myself up in my plastic bag! I did not even want one of my toes to be out from under the plastic! The wind kicked up so much dust that it was hard to breathe! The dust settled when it started raining! It rained so hard but I was dry inside my little house! It was terrifying! I have never experienced anything like this in my life! This morning when my parents came to let me out of jail I fussed at them for leaving me outside in that storm. Mom said that she was sorry and she wanted to come and get me but that when she is gone there will be no one to bring me in out of the storms so it was better for me to spend the night in the storm so I could get used to them. I ask, “BETTER FOR WHO?” It was still sprinkling when I was set free this morning. I actually enjoyed playing around in the rain; it was great fun jumping in the wet bushes and watching the water splash off the leaves!
I helped pack suitcases today! I was the best help! My job was to jump in every suitcase and pack the stuff down so there would be more room for more things! I found a squishmellow (stuffed animal) in one of the suitcases. The squishmellow belongs to my niece Eliza; she gave it to Mom to carry from the states to Ghana so that she could squeeze it and think of her. That squishmellow has a bracelet around her waist that says “Besties”. I attacked and abused that squishmellow in every way imaginable! Mom would hide it in different parts of her suitcase but I am a clever guy and I was able to find it! I was sad when that suitcase was closed!
I have learned to drink out of a bagged water sachet. Everyone drinks water out of these plastic bags that hold about 2 cups of water. Mom figured out that if she makes a tiny hole in the corner of the bag I can suck the water out just like I do my bottle. How convenient!
Donkey is the one that put the water in my dry food container yesterday. Mom asked him if he gave me water to drink; he said yes. She showed him that I already had a water dish; he said that he did not see the water and he was worried that I was thirsty. He said he knew there was food in the dish but he did not want me to be thirsty so he just poured water on top of my food. Really! Even I am smart enough to dump the food out before pouring water on top of it!
Weather Alert!
Love Skeeter
