Meet the family

The party was a success people! The food I made was a hit!! Tears were shed, plates were licked and a celebration of life was had. I took a few pictures of Julius and his family and friends.

That's Julius with his family goofing around. That on the far right is Lorraine! Remember I mentioned her earlier, the one that keeps giving me kisses and hopes I will take her when I leave? Oh but she's adorable though. And Julius's sisters are just so awesome!! I loved meeting the rest of the family and they seemed to enjoy my company. After the initial shock of realizing what an odd looking fella I was. 

I got to meet one of the greatest men alive, Julius's dad Jonathan!! He is very well spoken, gentle and very, very wise!! Everyone goes to him for advice and he always has the right things to say. That's him with that pesky Lorraine draped all over him. Granted he is her grandpa, but she's in every picture!...oh but I still love her!

Gross! Someone needs to have a talk with Lorraine! Pronto! This kissing business needs to stop! Can you see the horror on my face?

Teeheehee! You better believe it! I'd rather stand in this thorn bush than get one more kiss!! Ouchie! Ok maybe that's drastic! Off to find Lorraine now...

Sorry for the sporadic messages but it's  been very busy here. I'll do better....promise!!

Fun in Kilome!

The last few days have been very busy for me. We are preparing for a party and we have been running around trying to get things done.   Right now I have to figure out the ideal place the cooking will get done. We are going with the three stone setting you see here. It's best for big pots and cooking for masses. Oh you wouldn't believe the things I've learned here. Who would've thought I'd be cooking meals in big pots on bricks?! Awesome!! it's like camping, only better! The fact that I get to do it outside in great weather is just epic!

Will this be it? Hmmm! I can't decide. We've used this spot before. I'm using it now to warm up some tomatoes. I will then add some maple syrup, blend them and make an awesome soup!! It tastes better than it sounds. Yummy!!

Found it!  This is a better spot!! It's a little hidden away from prying eyes and I can put my culinary skills to good use without people peeking at what I'm making. I'm frying up some onions to make a chicken curry!! Yum. I have to be careful though.  It's very easy for me to fall into the pot or step on a hot log! ..or worse, fall into the fire! Ouch!!  Hmm I need more firewood!

Gotta make sure that the outdoor bathroom and latrine are kept clean before everyone gets here. I definitely, had to get used to the latrine. Never seen anything like it back home. That's because I haven't gone camping yet. A little fella like me could easily fall into one. 

Did I tell you all that this party is actually to celebrate the life of Julius's brother Jack? He was a wonderful man that left us way too soon! He will be missed tremendously.  Sob! Sob! Sorry, didn't mean to get you all sad too. 

Gotta make sure the dog, Wewa, is fed and comfortable. He will be staying in his kennel when the crowds come over just so that he doesn't nip at anyone. He's very friendly but tends to nip when provoked and as we know kids tend to do that! Can you see him behind me? There's a good boy!!

Hedges are trimmed and path is swept. Now the lovely Lorraine, Julius's beautiful niece thinks it's a runway! Look at her!!  Lorraine is so sweet! She has a crush on me teeheehee! She's trying to convince me to marry her and take her with me when I leave. She says she's never met anyone like me before...Pssst, I wonder if she's noticed I'm a little monster? Teeheehee! If she kisses me one more time....

Time to open the gates and let the people make their way in. Teeheehee I may need help with this one.  Meanwhile I will just swing a little on it until Julius comes down to help me. Who knew gates can be so comfy to sit on?

Toodles...I better go get everything finalized before the family gets here. I wonder if any of them have seen Bilbert?  We'll soon find out. 

Meet the farm animals!!

I'm having the time of my life in Kilome and I feel like I'm never going to leave! The locals speak a language called Kamba and i'm getting an ear for it. I've even learned a few phrases that come in handy.  Like "uka vaa" which means 'come here'. For some reason people keep calling me to check me out. I guess I'm odd looking enough to arise curiosity. The kids follow me around, which I think is very funny. Atleast they're helpful. Another word is "ya!"! Which means "eat". Everyone one is constantly trying to feed me. I'm starting to get a little rounder. Short and rotund has never been a good description of anyone! Anyway I wanted to show you guys a few of my farm animals.

This here is Kasau the little calf who's a little bashful and camera shy. She's very playful once she gets to know you. She even lets me ride her...So much fun!! Can you see the white heart shape on her forehead?? Isn't that so coolest thing ever???!!! Kasau eats a ton though. I guess that's why she's growing so fast!!

We're having a little chat here!  Kasau thinks I should give her napier grass instead. We are saving that kind of grass for the drier season. I guess it tastes sweeter than the regular grass. It has a very pleasant smell too!!

This big one is Kalombe and as you can see she's a very suspicious one. She looks at me like I'm up to no good..or maybe she's just curious granted I look a tad odd to her. She's getting a little skinny. We are hoping for some rains soon so hopefully the grass gets longer, greener and yummier!  Kalombe is tethered because she has a tendency to wander around and nibble on crops in my garden. Oh you should have seen my corn the last time she got loose! Disaster!!  She has the cutest moo too. Oh how I love it when she moos!! Mooooving along...

Here I'm standing by the chicken coup! I'm just about to let them out. I prefer to have them wander around and let them scratch and peck their way through life.  They seem to enjoy that even more than leaving them in the coup and feeding them grain. I just toss them some grain on the go as they scratch and peck the ground. They seem to chat as they do this. Sometimes I think one says a joke as they all cluck cluck cluck at the same time and then continue on their merry way. They're quite an amusing lot!

This is Nzamba the ring leader!! The rest of the hens seem to follow his command! They seem to go where he goes and listen to every word he says!! Oh I asked them if they've seen Bilbert anywhere but their simultaneously cluck clucking and head shaking was a clear indication that they hadn't.  I'm getting very frustrated! Oh where could Bilbert be?

Gotta keep looking. Now I've gotta run! I've got animals to feed, crops to grow and a brother to find..

Kwaheri!! (Means bye in Swahili!  I'm learning that too) teeheehee