Randomness

New health trainees are in. Heather saw them and said "wow, they look so clean!" I said to wait a few days until they had to do their own laundry at GPI.

On other news: I am knitting Dan a Man Purse for his COS gift. Two years in the URD! We all strive to be him! He wants to call it something more masculine, but the PCV's here have unanumously voted that it is a Man Purse. I am doing a loose interpretation of the Monk's Satchel from Folk Bags. It is my favorite pattern from the book I highly recommend the series. I have made myself two, each one a little different. It is a really easy pattern, and adaptable for whatever you want to do with it. My Gambian one has a cell phone pocket on the strap, which sits right over my chest probobly one of the reasons I still have my original phone. A lot of PCV's have theirs stolen here. I hope I would notice if some stranger started fooling around near my chest. That is what Dan really liked about the bag. I like them to be bright colors. Dan wanted either "really out there funky" or "masculine". Since the "really out there funky" colors avaliable in Basse hurt my eyes, he is getting black, navy blue, and red.

I foundthis site. She has some really nice stuff. It gives me ideas.
I have made a few bags for runes, tarot cards, etc. Not as nice as this this or this. Mostly because I was experimenting with them before I left, and partly because I am not this original. But she has given me some great ideas did I say that already?. Anyway, they are great, except I have one tweak I would make. Natural fibres are great. I like using them in most instances. EXCEPT in a few instances. This would be one. Wool, cotton, etc, are good natural fibres to wear in clothes, robes, ect because they do not impede energy flow. If you use robes in Circle, they should be 100% cotton (prefferable undyed). In something like a tarot deck, you want an insulating fabric. One where the energy with have trouble flowing. Silk is a very popular one. But getting 100% silk is expensive, and out of a lot of people's pricerange. So I experimented on something else. A fooled around, tested, asked people to test, and guess what? Acrylic yarn. I used Red Heart, actualy. Cheap, easy to get, pretty colors. Not as soft and pretty and traditional as silk, but it works well. Not as well, of course, but it insulates decently. Better than wool would. And isn't that what you would want for your runes, cards, etc? When they are traveling or being stored, you wouldn't want them to pick up someone/thing elses energy. SO a bag made of an insulating fibre would be better. When I get back, I may experiment more with different kinds of acrylic yarn. And maybe get some recycled silk anyway.

I am not really sure what these are, but they are really pretty.

What Stone Are You?

Hematite
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Um...How?

Can you guess what this is?

Did you say the cealing? You would be correct. Except let's take a closer look...

If you can give a good reason why there are handprints on the ceiling of the Basse House, we would appreciate it.

note: the handprints showed up several months before the fan. Noone had a camera though.

additional note. we would like a good story. Not a true one. Thoes are boring.

Vacation Part 1: The Gambia

This is a pic heavy post, sorry. I just got the CD of pics my parents took while they were here and in Ireland.

In November my parents came to THe Gambia for 10 days. A half-way point/25th birthday treat for me.

I picked them up from the airport, we spent the first nite in the Serekunda compound, then drove upcountry.



They liked the scenery, and their first "real" up-sountry village


The kids were a little unsure of these new white people in the coumpound



But quickly decided they liked them



We went to the river, walked around village, went to the hospital,




We worked in the peanut fields,




where I continued making my father do women's work (fetching water, working in the groundnut fields, etc, are women's work)

We fetched drinking water

And went to the lumo is Sami, where my parents saw their first "Dead Tubab Clothes" ever wonder what happens to the clothes you donate to Third World countries? They end up in the market

We killed a goat in celebration of my parents visit

And just hung out a lot





All in all, it was a good trip. Except for the malaria and the snakes...