market day

Grrr....Computer didn't save my draft. lost 40 minutes of typing. Don't have time to redo or the heart. Will post tomorrow. Hope this one goes through....grrrr...... Good news I've figured out I think how to post myself. Thanks Jim for the lesson and Dennis my wonderful tech support guy who works for love. xoxoxo

The admin guy at the internet cafe has given me 22 minutes to redo the blog. He is good to me. So I will do what I can in this time.

Monday is market day. It is busy, congested with people on their little patch of dust selling anything you can imagine. Like used black shoes they polish with black polish to make them look like new. Or used clothes. Fabric for basutis or ladies formal dress, men who sell ladies bras and panties (can't get over that one), dishes, cooking pots, little dried fish that look like minnows and are smelly, fresh produce, meat, samosas, chapatis. Every available space is taken on the street of businesses and houses, right up to porches. I bought some handmade wooden ladels and scrubbies that are unique to Uganda. Tried to buy a jitengi or like a pareo but he wanted more shillings than I wanted to pay...muzungo prices I think!

I'm pleased I was able to buy 4 solar light bulbs for the house so that 4 more rooms will have light once the solar is installed (if container ever arrives....still no word today...maybe tomorrow is the common words). Jim is keeping costs down as the library project is already over-budget. He is really frustrated with each passing day. He knows he won't make his planned return flight on Thursday. He will likely be another week. I think he is also tired of make work projects and not much productive work to do.

Curtains were hung yesterday with electrical wire as that is what was available. The girls wanted the print side to be facing out and lining side on the inside so they can see the pretty floral print from the outside as that is where they spend most of their time. Hey...they aren't my rooms or curtains so I said okay. The nets were up yesterday and will help prevent more malaria. I paid for 4 of them. So I'm feeling like I'm doing something that matters. I'd really like to find a way to help Asa's mom pay for his school fees in Kampala. Asa wants to be an engineer and fix things he told me yesterday. And I so want to help make that happen. He is going on 7 and has still a lot of school before university. He is such a bright light and an amazing hambone! He loves the camera and tends to dominate picture taking if we let him.

Hopefully we will be able to have our nightly wine and card game under the stars. We got silly last night with a lot of laughter and kidding around. With Jim getting the brunt of it...being the only guy among 4 women. He has such broad shoulders. Laundry is done this morning despite water shortage. Washed in about 3 inches of gray water. Don't want to think about what shape my clothes will be in what I come home. Rubbish bin I think! anyway...at least I now have clean underwear to wear the rest of the week! Hurray! I think I've lost some weight judging how my capris are hanging on me...my appetite has been hit and miss with the heat. White t-shirts looking pretty grubby too. I know why would I bring white to Africa? Cause I could! Looking forward to cold shower tonight....no power and no hot water. But I love seeing clean feet to go to bed at night. Thank god for camp suds....does a great job on my hair an smells clean while biodegradable. Good for the environment. Ok....my extra minutes are running out. More tomorrow!