Flora and Fauna–May 1st
As you may be able to tell, Cathy is continuing to post.
This morning began with a heavy rain, which, as you can imagine, is rather loud on a corrugated tin roof. What is also loud is the periodic gifts falling from the tree that over hangs our house. It sounds rather like rocks being throw up on the roof and bouncing down at irregular intervals. After several days of this we went outside to look around on the ground and find out exactly WHAT was interrupting our rest. We found many small hard green fruits on the ground that were maybe 3/4 of an inch in diameter. After seeing a similar fruit on a tree in the center garden that I know is an avocado tree, I suspect that these are baby avocados. It makes me rather sad to think of all those avocados that will never grow up to be eaten.
Today, May 1st, is a public holiday in Tanzania. Some business is done, but many people take the day off. Bill decided to make use of the fact that the DWT offices would be pretty much closed to work on the internet there. There were complaints about the service be very sporadic and despite the large repeater antenna in front of the offices, no signal was reaching the offices in the back building. He discovered that there were two wireless devices that were broadcasting on virtually the same frequency. This was confusing any computer trying to connect wirelessly. He changed the frequency of one of the devices and internet in the DWT compound started working MUCH better. He also installed a repeating router which pushed the signal to the offices in the back building.
While Bill was working at the DWT offices, Shaw and I were working (Shaw) and relaxing (me) at our house. We became aware of some very strange thumping that sounded like it was coming from the roof. I went outside and looked up to find a crow, picking at one of chicken bones from breakfast on the ridgeline. (The crow flew away before I 
could get my camera.)
I did find other things living on the roof though. They are not that easy to see, but those are impatiens, like I will be planting in my garden shortly after I get home. While we buy them pre-sprouted from some agriculture company at home, here they appear to self-seed.
We are at the Bible College now, where we enjoyed another lovely lunch cooked by several of the teachers’ wives. Bill is working on rebuilding the operating system of the pc we brought that wasn’t working correctly and I went for a quick wander in the market with Helen where I bought another Ketanga to use for decorating our family room.
The population in the center of Kasulu is dense. But everywhere there are little pockets of “farm”. As I sit in the Bible College internet café, I here a rooster crowing. Every so often a cow will low and you realize that it’s just on the other side of the reed fence next to the drive way. Cows in backyards! Our zoning commission would have a fit (so would the neighbors.)
Everywhere there a little pockets of green. At first it looks as if it is just general overgrowth, and the you look again 
and realized that you are not looking at weeds, but at bean or potato or tomato plants. Corps are interplanted with each other here, so you don’t have a patch or row of just tomatoes or just beans but a whole mixture of plants coexisting with one another. Corn stalks are not pulled up after the corn crop has been harvested. Instead they are left in place and pole beans are planted next to them. No need if the expense or trouble of putting stakes in the garden!
The fuzzy gold streak in the picture to the right is Cannon Daniel’s new kitten. (We had dinner at Cannon Daniel’s house last night.) If you click on the picture to enlarge it and look at it carefully you can just make out a front paw and the tail. The kitten has only been at Cannon Daniel’s house for three days and does not yet feel at home. He got the new kitten because there are many mice about – sometimes they eat his books – and a dog ate his previous cat two weeks ago. When we were here 16 months ago there was also a kitten at his house. If I understood correctly, the cat that was eaten by the dog was a replacement for that kitten, which had also been eaten by a dog. Cats do not have long lives in this area, but they are needed.
Bill made friends with the kitten, patting and stroking it. It purred madly. When he put it down on the floor, it yowled like crazy and found its way back into his lap. When it was time to go, I tried to give the kitten to one of Daniel’s daughters, who wanted nothing to do with it. Cat’s are needed, but they are not always given affection.