You can buy me with mail

I truly can’t believe the way you all spoil us with mail.

I love it.  It is really one of my favorite things.  The kids too.

So, thank you’s go out to these recent package senders:

Bonita May (mother-in-law with a flair for getting as much as she can into a flat rate box)

Carol Barnum (mom who gets the prize for the most random collection of things that are amusing and fun like a toy mosquito on a spring)

Vicki Moore (a co-worker of Ian’s who sent a wonderful package with something for everyone..I really should met you rather than just hearing about your “presentations”! )

and Anna Goodworth (for thinking ahead and sending the most adorable Gymboree outfit for Lucy’s birthday next month and fun stuff for Eli)

 

This isn’t to say that you have to send us stuff to get a mention in the blog, but you do get a bit of a sweet spot in my heart!

And this would be?

So on Friday after the program let out I took Megan in to the Makongeni market with me to do a little veggie shopping. She had been to the market previously with Ian, but on an off day…one with very few vendors and a crazy man screaming at them that they didn’t belong here in Africa, and to go back home. Not a great first market experience.

We walked to the market to avoid all of the trouble taking a car into the market can cause, and were there in no time. It is just a little bit across Garissa Road from the Karibu Centre. We made a short side trip to the post office to pay the electricity bill (which costs pretty much the same as in the States) and then entered through the main market gate.

It didn’t take long to find the vendors with pineapple, avocados, carrots and tomatos and then I convinced Megan to browse the purse and clothing vendors with me. We thought this purse would be perfect for her:

　

So did the vendor.

After browsing the clothing and not finding anything, we turned home. We decided to take the back path from the market to the Makongeni Police Station that allows one to miss most of the Garissa Road traffic. On the way I enjoyed seeing Megan’s face as we passed the various butchers with entire carcasses hanging in their windows. Then we saw a man cooking what looked like sausages on a grill.

It wasn’t readily apparent what kind of sausages they were. I think he said they were pork or beef. I really can’t remember because all I could see were the huge chunks inside of them. No Jimmy Dean sausage here.

I dared Megan to eat some. She took my dare. I didn’t really think she’d agree, and then I was stuck!

This is what we were faced with eating, I wish I’d gotten a picture of the sausage before the butcher made these slices:

Then I figured that if I said, “No, you go first!” that Megan would chicken out and we wouldn’t have to eat them.

She didn’t. Here’s the proof:

　

I couldn’t believe that she popped the whole thing in her mouth at one time. Then I had to pony up and eat one too. It looked worse than it tasted. Mostly, it tasted like salt. I’m not usually a chewed gum saver, but in this case we had both saved our gum so we could quickly pop it in to rid our mouths of the taste.

Phew, am I glad that’s over! That’s about as close as I’m getting to Fear Factor.

　

We’ve Got Mail!

One of my small pleasures in life has always been checking the mail. I don’t know what it is. It doesn’t really matter what the mail is, even bills are a thrill to receive. Ian has learned this about me and happily leaves the mail for me to collect every day. I even love catching the mailman before he has put the mail in the box. Sometimes I am just a second too late, and in Portland, I’d hear the little beep of his machine scanning the bar code on our “point of delivery” mailbox.

I haven’t really had this small pleasure while here in Kenya. There is a post office box for the center….but I am not the holder of the key (and neither is my sweet husband), and sometimes it is not available to me so that I can have the joy of driving to the Posta to check the box. I’ve found out also that having someone else hand me my mail (not the posta man) just kind of squelches the joy.

Well….this week we were blessed with packages from Rachel and my mom 2 days in a row!!! That is a record. And they both now hold the record for sending packages that have required zero to less than a dollar customs tax on our part. Though the 10 seed packets mom sent us did get confiscated and are awaiting approval in some customs warehouse….somewhere. Finding and retrieving the seeds will be an adventure for us soon.

We are loving our spice & salad dressing packets….as well as all of the other goodies.

Thank you friends and family for loving us in this way…..and feeding my small pleasure. Now if I could just get my hands on my own Posta key!

 

receiving grammy’s package

Sweet tattoos from Rachel.  A big hit!