Family Pets and the Livingstone Market

July 15th

     First Monday back in CONUS (Continental United States).    Lynne is in Auburn with her mother and sister.  If you follow us on Facebook you know her dad had bypass surgery today.  It was going to be a triple by-pass, but turned out he only needed a double by-pass.  Keep him in your prayers.

Offending Pecan Tree in the center.

     I has rained every day since we came back to Georgia.  Stephen says is has rained every day since we left. There are 6 pecan trees on our 6 acre farm.  Pecan trees are a mixed blessing.  Our pecan trees stopped producing pecans about 6 years ago when they contracted tent caterpillars and leaf cutters.  At least they still produce shade . . . and broken branches.  Pecan tree limbs are fragile and break easily.  If a storm has any wind there will be broken branches all over our front yard.  When we return from Zambia a limb had fallen from the pecan tree in the center of our front yard.  Understand that if one pecan limb falls, there will be hundreds of broken pieces on the ground.  The limb that fell was about 6-8 inches in diameter.  I tried to drag it from the front yard with our Chevrolet S-10 pickup but my tires spun, so I cut it into quarters.  Remember it has been raining every day.  I just wanted it out of the front yard so I could cut the grass. Success!!  Tree limb(s) moved and grass cut.  It rained shortly after I finished cutting the grass.

    Meet Jake, one of our two dogs.  His full name is Jacob McCandles after the John Wayne character in the movie Big Jake.  Jake and Goldie are siblings and were here when we purchased the house in 2001.  They showed up with their own stuffed animal.    The first day they were here, Jake climbed the steps into the hay loft and then would not come down by himself.  I carried him down.  They used to circle our house at night patrolling while we slept.  We would often wake at night and hear the soft patter of their paws passing our bedroom.  Twelve years later, Jake is deaf, and Goldie is blind (cataracts on both eyes).  They no longer circle the house, and have developed some quirky behaviors.  To the left you can see Jake's favorite sleeping position, in the middle of the driveway

     We had three cats, but are now reduced to two.  General Sterling Price (Rooster Cogburn's cat in True Grit) is pictured at right.  He died last summer after 18 years with our family.  His sister was a calico, but she died in 2000 in Chesapeake, Virginia, after being attacked by a dog.
Stephen's  cat, Smoky, is still with us.  She is a fickle lap cat.  Maribeth's cat, Prissy, is developmentally disabled (or mentally challenged).  Sometime she is friendly, but mostly she is standoff-ish.  Yep, we are animal people.  None of our cats compare to those two loving occupants of the agriculturalist's  hut at NDO.  I miss old Max and Nala.  I really miss Sterling.  The last 4-5 years he attached himself to me, and actually became my cat (he was originally Maribeth's cat from a kitten).
     Some of you are wondering why I am still blogging when I am home.  I was asked to continue writing by a couple of folks at NDO.  They enjoy reading my posts, and it is probably a good distraction for them.  So you really don't have to read what I write.  I write because I enjoy it.  A teacher once told me that the more I read and write the better I will be at both.  I read a lot, so this gives me the opportunity to write a lot.

Livingstone curio market.

     I promised Melody Hammond that I would write about the curio market in Livingstone.  Why?  I have shopped in local markets all over the world (except South America and Antartica).  The most interesting and adventurous would be the souk in Manama, Bahrain.  I will post a blog on my souk adventure later.  The shops in Livingstone are run by local villages.  The objects for sale are made in the villages, and the profits go to the villages. No, I don't know if they pay rent on the stall.  In most of the markets I have visited, haggling is socially oriented and very much a friendly game.  The vendors in Livingstone are selling their curios for the benefit of their village, so it is a matter of profit.  They can be aggressive.  Their goal is to get you into their narrow (4-5 feet wide) shop and push you to buy something.  Some of the vendors are too aggressive and will get you into their shop and block you from exiting as they try to cajole you into buying something.  You get a better deal is you bargain in Kwacha (5.5 Kwacha~$1 US).  However, they will trade.  You are probably thinking what do I have that they would want?  Here is a list of things I know people have traded:

• Hair bands/bows
• Barrettes
• Pens and pencils
• Toothpaste
• Hand sanitizer (they prefer Bath & Body Works)
• Belts
• Shoes
• Socks
• Sunglasses
• Reading glasses
• Chewing gum (pack or a single piece)
• Food (snack bars, granola bars, etc.)

No kidding, they will trade for this stuff.  I bought a carved African Hornbill.  I used two pens and the reading glasses hanging around my neck.  Funny story!  Toby Scott was wheeling and dealing with all kinds of stuff when the Rosemont team was in Livingstone.  I asked him why he didn't trade his belt.  He told me the button on his shorts had come off and the only thing keeping his pants up was his belt.:-)