Well spring is in full swing here in Mali. Life is getting progressively hotter by the day! We have enjoyed our days with the hatching of many chicks. Our biggest hen sat on 20 eggs and so far 11 chicks have survived. We had some that never came out of their eggs, but most did just great. Even the runt chick that we call "Kenny", short for Kentucky Fried Chicken ;) After Kenny came out of his egg he was immediately "adopted"( stolen away) by my two eldest daughters. I was afraid that he would die! I was also concerned if his mother would reject him after we had him in the house for two days. My concerns were apparently unfounded, his Mommy hen took him right back into the fold. I watched him closely as I reintroduced them. Immediately little Kenny's mom let him cuddle into her many feathers, so sweet!
See the photo below with Luke and our tennis racket bug zapper? That has become one our favorite nightly pastimes! We are enjoying killing all the Mosquitos that prey on us with increasing numbers this spring. The other night I got a huge fly the kids and I watched it get zapped. It was big and it even caught on fire, yikes! Please children don't do this at home without a trained professional , namely ME ;)
Hope and Tim went on a field trip with their class to a farm close to their school. Their teacher, "Miss Winnie" is just the best! They loved learning about plants and seeds.
Luke enjoyed helping our guard, Isaac, out one day last weekend. He got to dress like the guards and carry a billy club. Needless to say, he was in his element!
I was able to pass on one of my recent knitted caps to my friend and her baby. I see her everyday panhandling and she is just a highlight of my day! I adore her little son :)She has actually tried to get me to take him to the United States. She frequently hands him through the window for me to "take" and it breaks my heart.
We gave our well producing rooster to our driver to eat. He is pictured with Grace and Faith as they say goodbye to the "Coq". Aboubacar, our driver, told me the next morning that the "Coq" was Tres Bien (very good) eating!
Recently the kids had A 100 day celebration at school. They made a craft that was a picture of themselves at 100 years old. I thought is was a great idea! They will be cute grandparents someday:)
Lastly, is my new favorite shirt :) I miss you, Michigan! I will always be "smitten" with the mitten. My dream is to own a cottage on a lake there someday. Until then, I wear my shirt with pride!
Have a great week to all~~~
