Envying My Neighbors

There is more to our lives than the electricity rationing, internet outages and water shortages, but it just happens that those things send me down a road of pondering. For instance, today the power and water were turned off way before the scheduled time, which sent me into a mental frenzy of reorganizing my day. Deciding to turn on the generator was even a struggle, not knowing how long we would need it and how much gas there was to be used. Still, I was so thankful for the option of an alternate power source. (And what I am about to say, doesn't mean that I am ready to do without it.) That made me pity my neighbors, who don't have any other options. But wait, my neighbors don't have washing machines, refrigerators, and computers to do their chores for them. The course of their day is not altered by the lack of electricity. So in the end, I find myself, not pitying, but almost envying my neighbors for their simple way of life and lack of complications brought on by excess.

I guess this goes to show that I've been in Africa long enough to have pretzel logic - a twisted way of seeing things.

Spring? Cleaning

Okay, so it was a Saturday, and we all know that traditionally means some housework must be done. But it is not Spring and the whole house should not have needed a thorough cleaning, but today that's what it got. We have had a bit of tick problem with the dog, so we had her treated and then called the neighborhood "terminix" man, ironically, his name is Boy. He showed up this morning and made a big mess. His equipment consists of a gas powered blower, like they use for farming. Now that sounds fine for the yard, but that's also what he used inside. Curtains flying out the windows, pictures blown from their nails, paint chips blasted from the ceiling; puddles of poisonous goo on the floor with Boy's muddy footprints tracked through. All this not to mention us transplanting ourselves around the house and yard to get away from the noxious fumes. When he had finished and I went in the house to assess the damage, I felt that I should call Nic (the insurance adjuster that he is). It was a war zone. A lamp on the floor, glass from a picture shattered, one dead lizard and hopefully buckets of dead bugs. Well, I don't need to replay what my day held, I should sleep good after a day of hard work.

Birthing The Boys

I am welcoming my four sons into the world - into the blog world that is. Yes, the Koonce kids have their own blog. Go to http://the4ts.blogspot.com to keep up with Tucker, Taylor, Tanner and Trevor. We hope this will be a fun way for their friends that have left Africa and their relatives back in the States to keep in touch.

They Didn't Count The Costs

The talk was on the street again that the Togolese Government didn't buy enough hydroelectric power from its neighbors, Ghana and Benin. Last week we started noticing that the power outages were coming more regularly and could only guess what that might mean. Sure enough, a representative from the electric company showed up with a schedule for the next month of when Tabligbo will be shut off. (That's the first time they have ever notified us, so that is one improvement.) Roughly six hours off, eighteen on. So I have spent the day trying to get everything done that requires power before 6:00 tonight.

Oh, and all this just in time for my in-laws to visit! It was during their first visit here that we had our first experience with rationing. Dejavu! Anna, it looks like you will have reason to camp under the mango tree again.

He Joined The Ranks

Last Night, my dear husband was sitting at the computer enjoying the wireless internet connection, when he called out to me "I think I'll have a blog, help me thing of a name." Well we set about a conversation of titles and purposes. Nothing I came up with fit him, so he came up with one on his own. Ten Minute Musings. I think he is trying to prove a point to everyone who says he is long winded, he can say it in ten minutes or less. Of course that doesn't mean he can't blog 142 times a day! Welcome, dear. And BTW, I am interested in what you say even if it takes more than ten minutes.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas

In the last nine years, the indicator that Christmas is near has become the Harmatan phenomenon. (For those of you that aren't familiar with this, it is when the Northern winds blow across the Sahara and dump large amounts of its dust on us.) Usually, we feel its effects starting in December. Thursday morning, however, we awoke to a hazy, grey sky and felt the moisture being sucked from our pores. By noon the humidity had fallen to 30%. By dinner, the table had the familiar layer of dust needing to be wiped before we could set it. The Togolese are remarking that it is because we had such a heavy rainy season and they hope it will lift after a few weeks. I hardly know what to do with myself. It's when the dust has come that I know to go get the Christmas tree out, but the calendar says it's too early. I wonder if this year it will rain on Christmas Day and totally turn my world upside down.

Remember, I Never Said

Remember, I never said I would be very reliable at this blog thing. For one thing, I don't think I have amuzing musings. The ramblings of my head don't always interest me, much less any of you. Secondly, our internet access has always been sketchy, to say the least. Well, Togo has marched into the current century and blown that excuse out of the water. Last week, we bought and had installed a wireless internet transmitter and antenna. Where we used to have 4.8 to 28.8 kbps with our dial up connection, we now get 230.4 kbps. The connection rarely falters and best of all, the service is unlimited for a flat monthly fee that is much less than our old charges.

Now, if I only had something to say . . .