Fix-it-Felix Ain't Got Nothin' on Me

Another month has come and gone. As always there has been much to do, but I feel a slight change of order is necessary, so let's start with the animals first.

The puppies have had their last few weeks with mom. The last three pictured above have all been carted off to their forever homes and it's back to just me and momma hanging out around my house. It'll be quiet again until she has her next litter, but I'm ok with the slightly reduced company for a few months.

I saw this guy sitting on my window sill the other day and couldn't get my camera out in time to snap a shot while he was so close, but he did pose in a nearby bush for a few quick pictures. I really liked his bright yellow head. The birds here can be quite stunning, but they are very camera shy.

And of course the ever present lizards. This pair of antsatsaka (this specific type of gecko in Malagasy) was hanging out on my kabone one afternoon so I decided to get as close as I could and grab some pictures. They were cooperative for far longer than I imagined they would be.

As mentioned last month, I needed to evict the puppies for flea issues, and this was the result of that decision. Chicken netting on my fence. It also has the added advantage of keeping out chickens and cats too, which should also help my gardens keep their seedlings from getting mowed down.

Speaking of seedlings, I have green beans growing! I'm super excited for them and they sprouted very fast and tall. I'm away for a weekend as I write this, and my biggest fear is that they won't make it through my absence, but barring that, they should be ready for an early February harvest!

Other green things have been popping up around my place too, like this curtain that I bought. I made the curtain rod and put the cover up over this and one other window to allow me a little more privacy if I should so desire it while still allowing in the much needed cross breezes. It is the HOT season right now!

Also sprouting up is a new house a little walk down the road from mine. I've been eagerly following the progress of this house because its intended recipient is a new Peace Corps Volunteer! As long as the house is finished in time, I will be getting a new friend just a couple hundred meters down the road in a few months time, and I am super excited!

This was the latest picture of the house with about half the walls put in place. They are currently looking for the materials they need to make the roof, and once that's done it's just some minor touching up and then it'll be ready!

That's not the only project that's been going on in town, I've also finally had some big progress on my grant project! Here we see a student from the elementary school helping move some of the wood to the work stations.

And here are a bunch of the community members who came out to help one fine afternoon. Each day is a different set of people showing up which is sometimes frustrating, but also encouraging because so many people are involved and learning. Also, we're making desks for the kids which is a great and rewarding goal.

Everyone who comes brings tools they have to help out, and every once in a while a gem like this joiner plane shows up. It's a beautiful tool and I was able to help the owner out by showing him how to sharpen his blade and keep it straight at the same time.

We've had quite a few women show up to help as well, and they love to jump right in and show up the men whenever they get the chance! These two sisters-in-law showed up a few times and were a great help with cutting out the pieces for assembly.

Here's our storage room at the school where we leave our supplies and stockpile the cut boards for assembly. On the left is a stack of left and right feet, while on the left and behind the table are piles of benches, tables, and support beams. I still haven't gotten a picture of a finished desk, because as soon as we finish them, they rush them off to the classrooms for use!

Of course all this work can be harsh on the tools. I've had two casualties since beginning. First was this clamp. A small foundry error was compounded over time and it just fell apart while I was tightening it down on a glue seam. Thankfully I had enough clamps to work around the failure, but it was a sad day for a tool lover.

The next hit was my saw, but this was more of a flesh wound. The handle fell apart! "I can fix that." I said. So I did. Here is the rough cut out of the handle. From here I sanded it, whittled down the edges to make it more comfortable, and cut out a slot for the blade.

Finally, the blade installed, and the saw is now back in operation, and better than ever. Good old American persistence and Malagasy perspiration combined to make a great and lasting tool!

This is my constant reminder of why I'm doing this. Just before delivering a desk, I popped into a classroom and took a picture of the kids studying. This is how they were, sitting on the floor and shoved 4 or 5 to a desk elsewhere. Not a good situation, but slowly improving with each desk we're able to deliver!

All this desk building can make a volunteer hungry, so I've been back in the kitchen experimenting and this time I've come up with two great new recipes. First is tomato coconut egg drop soup! Sounds involved, but is actually fairly simple and very delicious. First sauté onions and tomato with some salt added for flavor. When its starting to form a sauce, add in the coconut milk and bring to a boil. Next crack in as many eggs as you want and stir vigorously for a few minutes until they're fully cooked and that's it. Delicious and easy.

My other inspired meal, beans in a tomato pepper sauce with grits. For the sauce, sauté onion tomato and peppers for a few minutes until tender then add salt and cover. After a few minutes remove the lid and add cooked beans with a little of the bean liquid to the sauce and simmer uncovered until the sauce reaches the desired consistency. Make a small pot of grits on the side and your done!

Not every meal can be simple though. Sometimes its Thanksgiving Day and you need to go all out! Here was the spread this year from Thanksgiving Diego Suarez. From left to right we have collared greens, coconut chicken, cranberry sauce, two more roast chickens, mashed potatoes, bread, cheese grits, dirty rice, green bean casserole, two more roast chickens. Not pictured was the wine and gravy. A fine and most delicious spread indeed!

And to top it off was the desert course. Chocolate cake with buttercream frosting, vanilla ice cream and chocolate peanut butter oatmeal no bake cookies. Suffice it to say I was thankful for food comas afterward.

With all this food talk I couldn't help but finish up with a picture of some of the delicious exotic fruit I get to eat. Litchis! or lychee depending on your preference. These prickly red skinned guys are amazing and really don't have any equivalents in the US. Plus they look really cool too. Unfortunately their season lasts about a month. I could really get into a full 2-3 month litchi season like all other fruits, but alas it is not to be.

Another wonderful month, and I can't wait for the next with some guaranteed excitement, action, and adventure! Be sure to keep your dials tuned to the right blog so you can see all when I report back then!