Handymanning Around

It's been a somewhat eventful week here in Choma. Last Sunday our kitten bit Kate while she was trying to feed her. It was a tiny bite at the tip of her finger but we immediately became worried about rabies. Not because our kitten was acting strangely, but because our dog 'eats' the kitten, and plays voraciously with the other dog who has come back after being given away, who wanders around town frequently. So, for peace of mind we started Kate on the anti-rabies vaccine at the local medical clinic. Now, six days later, all the animals are fine, but we will continue the third shot of the series on Monday and stop after that (unless the cat dies suddenly).

We promptly got the feline version of the rabies vaccine for our kitten so that this doesn't happen again, and tried to catch our dogs so that we could give them the shot too before we give them away (we've decided they're more hassle than they're worth, and have people willing to take them off our hands). But, the dogs will not be caught. They're friendly enough until I get near them with a leash. I even drugged them with sleeping pills one day, but although they acted a bit woozy, they never slept...they have a lot of room to run around so it's difficult to contain them. However, I've fixed our front gate so it's a little harder for them to get out on the street.

I was discouraged about my failure to deal with the dogs, so I turned my energies toward other things needing attention. I cleaned out our spare room (fifth bedroom) which has been a breeding grounds for collecting junk and working on projects. We plan to convert this into Michelle's home office, and use her current office room as a dedicated guest room. Also, our fridge plug has not been reliable so I took it apart today and it seems to be okay now; while I had the fridge moved, I realized why it has been leaking water on the floor these last few months--the drain hose was directed away from the drip tray! And, while I was at it, I tackled our ensuite door, which has never closed properly--maybe due to settling? I cut off a strip at the top of the door, added a towel hook, and fixed the lock so that you can open it from the inside, not just the outside. I am very satisfied with my handymanning today!

Here is a picture of a typical lock in Zambia (the one I fixed). I couldn't believe that these are the norm here, but it's true--even our exterior doors have these, though often a second security mechanism as well. I don't like them personally--they seem to break easily, and are probably easy to pick if you know how.

We took our monthly worker renewal meal at the Choma Museum tonight. We usually order chicken and chips, and the kids love getting Fanta to drink! They jump on the trampoline while they wait for the food, and we eat outdoors at a picnic table nearby. Fine outdoor dining in January! And now I need to polish off my sermon for church tomorrow. I'm borrowing the sermon idea from Gerald Janzen--'The Snake and the Son.' It combines the bronze snake in Numbers 21 with John 3:16.

So, that was my week. How was yours?