Lifespring Farm Update

Happy Mothers Day to all!!

I’m sorry that I’ve been neglecting my blog lately. I have very little access or time for internet, but I’ve jotted down some notes to share with you about normal day-to-day activity at Lifespring Farm:

- Sue has grown a tree called Marenga which provides nutrients through the leaves which are grounded and then placed into their staple diet. This helps give nourishment to the HIV/AIDS patients and the underweight babies in our Isubilo program

- I take time to appreciate nature on the farm -- there was a beautiful yellow-billed eagle flying down into the banana plantation

- 15 people were sitting at the dinner table the other night (3 sets of visitors)

- Morgan, one of our many guards brought in an 8 foot king cobra snake (dead, of course)

- All six vehicles were broken down due to the crazy pot-holed road caused by rain and lack of maintenance. Luckily, we have 2 mechanics who worked 12 hour days to get them back up & running. ‘Way to Go’ / ‘Good Job’ which I say all the time, everyone laughs at our Canadian phrases – ‘well done’ is the more common UK term

- The sky is SO big!!! Lots of amazing stars (different hemisphere), fluffy dreamy clouds, HUGE moon and GIGANTIC sunsets. I realize that we are 1500m above sea level but it truly is amazing!

- I had a 4 year old visitor named Nala teach me how to pick a Guava off the tree, bite the skin, spit it out, then eat the juicy passion fruit inside – how delicious, wish I could bring some home!!

- The local market vendors/ladies show up at our gate before 6:00a.m. to purchase our bananas to sell for only 20,000 kwachas (which is $5) for a huge crate!

- I had a blister beatle spray two of my toes on my left foot – so a few weeks of ‘mangy’ pusey toes and some love & tender care from nurse Sue – fine now

- Orange wild flowers called African lilies are one of my favourite flowers here on the farm – others think them to be horrible weeds! They remind me of our expensive gerbers at home

- We had a power cut tonight but something about candle light that makes such a lovely ambience – quite a nice change

- The rain can be beautiful but the sound it makes hitting the tin roofs is something else, you can hardly hear yourself think. To watch the rain storms come over the African plains from a distance is a sight everyone should see!

- Our Farm Volleyball team is getting better with much practise – I can’t believe the difference. We try to play Mon.-Wed.-Fri.’s pending on weather and bike loans to get home. They miss out on catching the 5:00p.m. truck ride home so if they’ve had a tough/tiring day, no shows occur.

- Lawnmowers do not exist – slashing is the form of cutting grass – yes, cutting with large machete by hand! Also, new grass is often laid by hand - piece by piece, not rolling sod.

- Bracken, our African Ridgeback had a cyst growing on the back of her neck so surgery occurred in town at the local SPCA. Now, she’s ripped out her stitches and we are all trying to keep her neck covered with all types of head dressings/T-shirt fittings/cup contraptions, etc. No luck, she still has a gaping hole on the back of her neck!
Boy, am I going to miss this place...
Gotta run, till next time. Go well…