Here we are and another couple of weeks are over. My turn on blog writing. Heather is on another computer. She is feeling much better now. Thanks for all of the advice. Thanks for the lovely packages too. Thanks Jean, and Don and Liz, and of course Michele for all of the lovely candy and markers and such. The Nicaraguan people also thank you all from the bottoms of their hearts for helping to keep us in good spirits and therefore, enabling us to better serve them. Unfortunately, however, I am going to have to put a stop to the chocolate. While I thought that we could behave ourselves like reasonable adults, some of us cannot. To be specific, well, Heather has a problem. Apparently the mere presence of chocolate causes her to lose all reasoning faculties. The parts of her brain that are supposed to instruct her body to stop eating chocolate, for example, are overridden by a, well..., barbaric impulse to consume all chocolate everywhere.

In fact, we have had to arrange for her to travel to a place called Mahanaim Centro de Rehabilitacion, or "El Centro." It is an addiction recovery camp just outside of La Dalia. Mostly alcoholics and glue sniffing 8-year-olds, but she will find her place there.

Actually, the truth is, while Heather does have a problem and I in no way exagerate the degree to which it would, if left unchecked, become the controlling factor in our marriage, she has started going out to "El Centro" to help with counselling the addicts and talk to the hombres about sexual health and HIV etc. It is a great facility and she will do great work out there.

Art club has been a big success. In fact, this Friday we will be presenting the 4 murals to the community. The music class from the art school will be coming to play a few little numbers on their keyboard, guitar, shakers, or recorders. It should be a blast...that is...if anybody remembers it or comes or if the library is even open that night, etc. You see, the way things work here, or don´t work, is a little different than home. Things don´t quite come together the way they are planned. It takes some getting used to, but, we are getting closer.

The rain has been a little bit out of control. Here is a photo from hiding under a building (the only one on the street at the time with light since the power was out and they must have a generator or something.) We waited it out. Really, I would have just walked through the rain, ´cause I´m tough, but I was waiting for one of the motorcycles to wash away. It was actually kind of pretty when the buses would come by with their headlight turning the road into a million points of light, some drops falling, and some shooting up out of the street like they are trying to get back to the cloud. (separation anxiety).

There are these wonderful flowers hanging around in the campo. We heard that they are used to make some sort of halucinagenic drug. We haven´t found out if it´s true or not.

The stove-top oven is treating us well. Heather made a yummy Mexican pizza.

Recently we were able to help out with a Health Fair at the Health Center. Basically, it was all the same services that they always offer, except, well, no everything was the same. The called it a fair and had a piñata and we gave a VIH/SIDA charla (HIV/AIDS) and had prizes for correct answers to our questions. It was at least something exciting to happen. I got a picture of Heather with a group of her girls from the Casa Materna. (Heather´s the one who is not pregnant. ...or Nicaraguan.) The two on the ground and the one in the green on the left, hiding, (she´s the boss) all work with her at the Casa Materna. The others are just embarazadas (pregnants). I wish we had a word for pregnant person. Everything´s a trade off. So many times I wish there was a word in spanish for something.

The red beans that we planted are beginning to bear fruit. Yes we grow red beans. Did I mention that we live in Nicaragua. That´s what one does here. Grow beans.

Oh yes, and happy birthday to Jason today, and Ben on the 31st.

What?...

Oh, the toad! yeah, that. well... um...