a pause in the storm

The rainy season has begun. Work had slowed to a standstill, and I have brought the work to a halt. Like a seed uncoiling its stored energy in to a structural thing, the house has uncoiled from the low bush into a structure with floor, roof and walls.

But like a bean seed that springs up from the earth in an hour and uncoils two thick leaves, there must be a pause before the next set of leaves develops.

The momentum was almost expended, and to push on might drain beyond recharge. Plans and details were never more than fuzzy for the next stage. But the next stage is before us.

Everything that can readily be stolen is being trucked back to within view of friendly watchful eyes. The workers have been told they will be called when the beginning comes again.

There are a number of reasons for this. Workers work for $17.50 a day, and if the work is outdoor work, and it rains hard, they can't work, but they still get paid. Going forward, I need to watch the weather forecast, and arrange work on days when it is less likely to rain. Also, I need to be prepared with indoor backup work in case it rains anyway. For now, indoor work can only be plastering. But plastering is not ready to be done as there needs to be some more thought regarding using either lime and marl plaster or cement and marl plaster.

Also, much of my time must for a while, be spent in town. Much has been neglected. I had three pairs of shoes, I have worn out all three, without replacing any of them. I need to shop lumber yards for suitable boards to make the windows and price. And the roads have taken a toll on our little car. After all the pot holes, and big rocks we have hit, it is now necessary to check the brake fluid every day. There is a break leak somewhere, and that has got to be fixed for safety and my own peace of mind.

Another thing that the pause serves to do is to throw uncertainty into the workers. I admire and like these men, but they are becoming dependent on this temporary job. Now they are uncertain as to when we will have work for them again. It felt cruel to tell them, I will call you, maybe sometime next week, but it would be worse to let them get too accustomed to this job which will come to an end at some point.

At the same time, we must begin a psychological transition. We have developed some skills in this area, and today, Christopher and Johnny relieved the watchman and stayed there alone all day.

Today Rebecca paid bills and I managed to get to the veterinarian office while it was open to purchase Enlil's monthly ivermectin dose. We had missed a month, so while I was there I purchased three doses. Enlil rather frequently kills possums and it is only a matter of time before one of them gets a good bite in. So an hour later I returned with Enlil for a rabies vaccination, this cost $7.50.

A few selected items will be left at Chakha'asi to gauge how prevalent theft is. Our friends assure us that if something is worth more than $5 and not chained down, it will be stolen. At the same time, some of us will be spending a significant amount of time there both day and night. We work for free so if we sit and watch the hard rain all day and get nothing done, it costs only the time.

But I will not always be there, and while I trust the sensibility and judgment of my wife and sons, I know that I would worry. The dogs that have been present and provided an alert system will be returning to their respective homes. Our dog Enlil, is somewhat aggressive and overly protective of us. Unchained, and unfenced, he could unjustifiably harm someone. We are going to work that out, but for right now, I knew I needed another dog.

So, I purchased extra food, and the extra doses of ivermectin, an extra chain, and found Enlil's first collar. With these we headed out to Chakha'asi. I try not to exploit Lady Luck, however, I wanted to be prepared in case she might smile upon me.

On the way, we saw a starving dog waiting on the side of the road. I asked at a nearby shop if the dog was owned by somebody as I wanted to take it. I asked at a nearby house, may I take the dog, if that would be a problem for anybody. I was assured in both cases, I could take the dog.

He is not in good condition, but he is in better condition than Enlil once was. Like Enlil, he was afraid to actually climb into the car. After a little while he let me pick him up and put him into the car. After a short ride on the bad road we arrived at the new house and he disembarked to explore his new surroundings.





He has almost no fur, calloused skin and looks like he has mange and starvation. I think we can fix this, we have before.

Arriving at the beginning of the planting and rainy season, his name seemed preordained.


We will call him Enki.