A little of this, a little of that. . .

Our "normal" day is consumed with activities that would require just a fraction of the time if we lived in Redmond. Curtains for instance. One of the things I love about this house is that it is loaded with windows. Some require coverings for privacy. No problem right? Just hop in the car, drive to Wal-Mart, buy curtains and the rods from which to hang them, drive home, hang them up and presto! Window treatments!

Not so in Ndola, Zambia. Ready-made curtains do not exist and neither do curtain rods of any kind! So. . .each window to be covered was carefully measured by my precision oriented husband. Then a taxi was called, and the quest for material began. I told Jason to get muslin as it is inexpensive but strong. Off he went with one of the kids (I don't remember which one.)

He arrived home several hours later as frustrated as ever. No one knew what muslin was. So he bought several meters of cream colored, light weight material. Oh rats! He forgot thread and straight pens. Back into town he went only to come home empty handed twice before finally locating a store that sold the required items.

Now you are probably thinking, "Why didn't he just buy thread at the same store from which he purchased the fabric?" Oh if life were only that easy! You cannot buy thread at the fabric store.

Finally, with thread in hand Jason decided to hand-sew the curtains. He carefully measured, ironed a hem, and began sewing away. Then reality set in and he realized that hand-sewing several meters of fabric into curtains was going to take entirely too much time. So we talked about it and decided to purchase a sewing machine which would come in handy on many occasions.

Back into town he went. There are large numbers of treadle machines for sale but almost none that operate with electricity. Those that are available were cheaply made and most certainly would not hold up to the use it would receive in our home.

This whole process has taken a couple of weeks! And we still don't have rods to hang them with! Jason is trying to come up with a solution to this (I am fully confident that he will) but in the meantime, a project that should have been completed in an afternoon, has turned into several days, tons of man-hours, and many "character building" opportunities for my wonderful hubby. (He is still not laughing yet.)


Above, Jason sews the rod pocket by hand. These curtains are now hanging in Caylie's and Sia's room. They need hemmed but after that, they are all set to go! I will keep you updated on the curtain saga. I'm sure many more adventures await us before the windows are covered.

Just look at the muscles on Miss Shauna! She is quite the athlete. Of course she has completely taken on the challenge of learning karate. I would love to photograph one of their lessons, but Augustine teaches after sundown in the yard. It's too hot during the day for the kids to train.

Above is the view from the back of our house. Over the wall is an apartment complex. What amazes me is that the houses may be falling down but almost everyone, including our own landlord, has satellite dishes for television! Go figure!

Above is the side of the Matamba house. The planter area is where they cook with the brazier. You can see the sink I described in yesterday's post. This is where the Matambas wash dishes, scrub their laundry, and brush their teeth. It is also the sink we must use for handwashing our own laundry.

I can see you scratching your head as you ponder my last statement. Didn't we buy a new washer which had never even been out of the box from the people across the road? Why yes we did. It lasted through four loads. Even with babysitting its every cycle, it still managed to fall apart while spinning yesterday.

The washer was labeled Whirlpool but when I looked it up online, nothing resembling our unit was on the website. Hmmmm Another issue we have with it and the television is that all the buttons and instruction manuals are written in Chinese! It was purchased by the neighbors in China and shipped to Zambia.

You may be thinking "Well how hard can it be to operate a washing machine?" Trust me, it is unlike any you have ever seen or worked with. Two of the fans we purchased also quit within days. There are absolutely no returns here no matter how defective an item may be. Every item is plugged in and checked by both clerk and customer before it leaves the store. Signs are posted everywhere that say "All sales final. No returns for any reason."

And now for my favorite picture of the day. This is Isata putting flowers in Caylie's hair. These two have enjoyed a special bond since Isata first joined our family and Caylie was 13 months old. Isata use to carry her everywhere African style.

This photo was not posed. My camera was focused on another subject when I looked up and saw this precious sight. I could not resist capturing it. It would have been better if Isata's hand was out of the way so the dainty yellow flower could be seen. But I still love it!

I hope and pray all of you enjoy this wonderful weekend. I look forward to hearing from more of you soon.

Blessings and joy,
Beckie