Rakieta's Leg

Me thinks the Prosthetic clinic is doing a very, very good job with Rakieta's new leg.
It would appear they have the skills to do a very good job. Their problem is that they lack the tools and patients with any money. Insurance is a concept that is foreign there. So it is all cash. Now What she requires would be about $25, 000 in America. There the cost has been about $1200. However, in Burkina Faso, it might as well be $25,000 because many families there survive on less than $1.00 per day.
The clinic is treating her wonderfully. They are picking her up and dropping her off free of charge, they are working with her on walking, they are fixing the old leg (yet again) and doing all kinds of other little things to just make this a great experience. The building is nothing more than a very hot pole barn, but I am very proud to report that the skill and service level is every bit as good if not better than a facility in a western nation. I am very surprised at how pleased we are.

Farm News

After we got a healthy amount of snow last weekend, we have consistently been in the mid 30's all week. Not only that, but we have also had sunshine and just gentle spring breezes. It really brings on the spring fever.
Actually it hasn't been to bad of a winter overall. We had a bit more cold than usual in January, BUT no real precipitation and definitely no big blizzards, which is very uncommon. Overall the winter's snowfall this year is quite low. That probably means a rainy spring. That means we may have a rotten mud season. Oh joy!
Well, after a lot of walking on the piece of land we were so excited about and lengthy discussions with both the health department, the surveyor and septic engineer, we had to sadly decline the property. It has beautiful farm soil, but it is almost impossible to put a house on some day and that made it a deal breaker. So.......back to grousing about our measily 2 1/3 acres.
I got all my chickens successfully moved to the proper coops. That is step one in my getting the right males with the right females to get the chicks I am looking for. I am very excited. I am also able to seperate out the eggs now better which makes for better use in the kitchen.
We may get to ride tomorrow. It may be too muddy, but at least we should be able to play with the horses.
We are starting to make plans to finally get going on a garage. That will get the storage tubs under control and that will make us all less cranky. Storage is a huge issue for us.
I just can't wait to get outside for large portions of the day. I have cabin fever in a big way.

Spring is Here!

Today was beautiful! As in 36*, sunny and the most wonderful spring breezes. I am so inspired for warmer weather. I collected my first batch of eggs for incubating. I am officially in the "do not wash eggs" camp. Since my unwashed babies have been very healthy and no casualties and my washed egg babies all were pretty sickly.
Today the news announced that the unemployed in the state of Michigan may lose any and all benefits beginning in March. That is not good. There are at least 100,000 people in the state of Michigan who will be SOL if this happens AND it will set an already precarious situation into a free fall I am afraid. I am not an advocate of the government taking care of everyone, but this would definitely send the state over a cliff. I do hope this is worked out and I really hope jobs begin to surface once again sooner rather than later.
I love our dance moms. Tonight is an unusually animated conversation in the kitchen about everything from geo thermal heating to TMJ. I always feel like the worlds' problems are a little more manageable after dance nights.

Crazy Saturday!

The girls sent me off to set up for the horse show too early this morning. That was ok because it gave me time to get some computer work done. Then the people started showing up. First ones in were Jimmy and Kara, who are pretty adorable but who are very active today and in scrappy moods, especially with each other. Then the calls started coming from home. My brother, who is not the best decision maker, and who is borrowing our old farm car until he gets his truck fixed, decided to go straight to Saginaw to pick up his daughter instead of trading cars. Matt is livid. Combine this with the dogs barking, the radio up too loud and it made for a very busy hour or two. At about noon I get to leave this insane asylum and go home to Matt and Kyle putting up my other ceiling moulding thing that surrounds the dining room fan. The living room one was quite an ordeal. And Matt's opinion on anything like this is "the more drama the better."
Tomorrow is Valentine's Day. Matt wanted to go to a movie tonight, but I think it may have moved on already. So I don't know what we are going to do. We do need to walk the property again so maybe that and then go out for dinner. We'll figure something out.
The nice thing about these shows is that a lot of the people are friends and neighbors. So it is always good to see everyone.

Rakieta and her sewing machine-Part too many to count

Today's crisis: Rakieta is having a nervous breakdown because Marie Compaore told her she couldn't bring her electric sewing machine to the house unless she could afford to pay for the electricity. Electricity is expensive in Burkina ....and unreliable, but she is also messing with Rakieta's head. So I just reminded her to think American. To be respectful, but to not let Marie stomp out her dreams. The people of Burkina are very gentle and sweet, but there is a dark side to these and many other tribal people I am sure. Here in the US, we are all equal. But in these very old cultures, royalty and servitude are very entrenched. This is just another attempt to make our Wacki remember her place. She is a "have not" and the "haves" never want the "have nots" to get any better off. Don't forget the "Frenchness" of these guys.
All that being said, Marie still provides Rakieta with a much better home and more comfort than she could have with her parents so I usually end the advice with "She's probably just having a bad day. Let it go."
Rakieta is also giving herself ulsers again because she doesn't think she sews well enough to have a sewing business someday. This is why I call 3 times a week. When I don't things go really wonky. So, while parenting across the ocean is challenging, it can be done. It must be done. To this one girl and the people's lives she touches, it makes all the difference.

What A Day!

Yesterday I drove down to our property on the border of the state in Southern Hillsdale County. While we were using it, we loved it. However, as more and more people moved out from where ever, it began to lose it's charm. Then the economy started to turn.....at that point it was just a little. The girls needed to be back in Lapeer County and it was necessary in order for us to resolve our orphan issues. It was just time. Turns out it was a really wise choice. We made the decision Christmas holiday 2004. Just think of all the economic doom and gloom since. Well, with all the chaos from caring for Grandpa and Grandma we didn't get down last year during warm weather. So I made the decision to go yesterday just to check on things.
It was a little disheartening to deal with everything I witnessed. Of course there were a very large amount of reposessions. There are everywhere in Michigan. But where I was driving, there was also a huge amount of vandalism. That was a little spooky. Then when I got to the property, I was greeted with the fact that someone had stolen our 3 sided sheds.
As I was getting my bearings about that, I noticed a weird truck casing the road. More on him in a minute. Anyway, the 40 acre parcel of woods across the street was raped of it's trees. It was being logged, but you could tell the work was VERY, VERY shoddy. The piece will be ruined when they are done. Weird creepy guy still casing neighborhood. Then I drove up to the last house on our side of the state line. Completely empty. As in repo'ed empty. Then my missing sheds began to make sense as this family had a habit of having sticky fingers. Meanwhile the creepy guy was still hanging out. Now he was sitting in front of our place. So I drove down and talked to him. He was really creepy and was less than honest with me. So I decided I better talk to the neighbors. Anyway, as it turns out , creepy guy was part of the secondary wood crew. The land had been sold to Amish and they were logging it, but had either worked a deal with the creepy guy to finish clear cutting OR he was in there bootlegging. He had gotten into a big fight with our next door neighbor and that was probably the reason for the lurking and slinking. I think he was probably trying to see if he was home.
Of course during all the neighbor communicating I was doing, I had to hear all about the moron from Hell who lived up on the hill in the original farm house. Now he is harassing the neighbor closest to him over their generator. He has harassed every neighbor there including us. And those of you who know us at all, know we are not the type of neighbor who needs to be harassed. In addition, our sheds were not the only thing pilfered. The theft through there was so bad that one gentleman who had hunting land packed up his camper and moved everything home. So, things have not really changed there for the better. I was so very glad to get home and step foot on my crappy 2 1/3 acres and my beautiful old farmhouse! While things are sometimes boring in the thumb of Michigan, they are never insane like things seem to be all the time down there.
The good thing is that 2 neighbors both would like our land. So we shall see what transpires.

Cold Blustery Saturday

Well, our short little warm spell is over. I guess we need to blame that big DC storm. No snow here but a rotten northeast wind that is very biting. Chickens will not be let out today. They'd freeze their little tukases.
Mostly I am in front of the heater at the horse show so I stay pretty toasty, but when the doors get opened too much I am forced to deal with the reality of how cold it really is. I need to put on my long johns because later Matt and I will be out marching around on what will hopefully be our new property. 1mile from the house on a dirt road and very close to where we already ride. I have waited so long for this, I don't even know how I feel.

Box For Rakieta's Mom

I am pretty excited about this box. Rakieta's mom is a sister to me. First of all, she has lent us her daughter. I can never thank her enough for that. 2nd of all, she has spunk and character. All of her children have been to school. She has sacrificed a lot for this, but all have attended school. Rakieta was the one exception because of her handicap, but education and broadening horizons is very important to her. Rakieta's life has taken a dramatic turn because very few of her people have left the region, let alone been to America. So it is with great care that I pack her box. Of course there are the normal goodies like shampoo, toothpaste, etc but I also have spoons, wall hangers, pillows and other things moms care about. She is going to be ecstatic. When I go this time, I am making sure she gets a plastic chair or 2 and probably some chickens. If we get started on a hut for Rakieta, she will live there.
It is her spunk that has made for such thunder and lightening between she and her husband, but when I look at the 2nd wife's children with the blank, hungry stares and know how grim their future is, I have very deep respect and admiration for this woman.

Painting

Our dining room is in desperate need of an update. And yet I dread this job. Our dining room is the catch all room for the house. All the computers are in there, it is still loaded with school supplies, the sewing machines are set up in there and of course we eat in there.
In addition it has not been painted since 1994. It needs work! So Jeni and I are starting the slow process of beginning the job. I am not excited, but it will be worth the effort in the end.
I think I would love a day in the 50"s and sunshine so I can avoid this job and go outside.