Letter to Jayne & Steve 10/10/06

Dear Jayne & Steve & Dogs

Hey, guys, how's it going? Hopefully well for you both and dogs. First, before I thank you for the awesome package, I want to say, "Way to go Bridget!" "Good Dog! I'd pet you if I could!" (Go PEE PEE!) Okay, now that that's out fo the way, I feel somewhat vindicated having to hear Jayne pour soda over ice on the phone. That was almost as bad as getting a chocolate chip cookie scented candle. Grrr :)
But I am really, really grateful for the time & thought you put into that package. All I can say is free backrubs for the rest of your lives or whenever I visit (Probably the latter).

How's the bike doing? You probably have it tucked away already for the winter, but I hope you've enjoyed it. When I sw the pictures of it suspended, besides shock, I was really homesick for it. THat morotcycle will always be in my heart. Odd, but it'definitely sentimentality. If you could, post one of the photos of the bike suspended, they're hilarious.



(Editor's note from Jayne, Laura entrusted us with the care of her motorcycle while she's gone & it needed a new tire, but Steve brought it home in the back of our truck instead of riding it home. Luckily with our trusty John Deere we were able to perform an motorcycle-ectomy from the truck. I sent Laura a whole series of pictures of her baby's first flight!)

Back to the letter...
So, what's going on now? Well, now is the harvesting season for most of the crops. People are in the middle of harvesting their corn, peanuts, beans, somsa (another legume), and millet. There's also a lot of cotton here, but that won't be harvested until Jan or February. School has stared again & seemingly all the children sent off for the rainy season are back and annoying (that's another reason I like the rainy season, no kids). I do plan on working a little bit with the schools this year, thinking about a girls soccer team with the primary school & maybe a intro to micro-credit with the high school kids. Still plan to do sensibilizations on the general health issues, but this year I really need to target the satellite villages. Hopefully I'll be busy enough with all that but we'll see. Currently the days feel longer than usually, but that may mean I'm just being lazy and need to get my butt in gear. There are still a few ideas bubbling in my head on some potential projects, but since this is the final year I better get them started or just leave 'em.

There are days where I can't wait to get back & I know the exact # of days to go. But, thankfully there are days, that unexpectedly, bring a positive step forward and I feel like I've earned my pay that day or for that month in that on instance. It usually , no always happens when I'm doing discussions AFTER sensibilizations. That's when I discover if what I said really prenetrated or not. Sometimes it doesn't and I"m okay with that, cause these people have to open to new ideas & I can't force them to listen. But when people are open & willing to learn an use that knowledge, it's awesom. That' is what keeps me going & hopefully will for the nest year. Little by Little.

Well, that's it for now. Hopefully thsi finds you well & I'm looking forward to seeing you guys new October.
Take care.

Always,
Laura