Aug31- The first two days at our new home in Zombodze have been marked by strong southwesterly winds, dry and warm and full of dust. Yesterday our latrine’s (outhouse) tin roof was peeled off like a sardine can, collapsing part of its mud-and-brick back wall. We actually didn’t mind losing the roof: good ventilation and a view of the stars. But this morning, as the wind picked up again, the latrine’s doorframe buckled and fell from its brick supports. So now it’s condemned, we all agree, until repairs can be made, and we’re using the other latrine across the little cornfield, about fifty meters away.
The wind makes things hard for chickens and geese. They find low-lying, leeward spots in shrubs and corners and hunker down. But occasionally a chicken attempts to walk, and the result is pretty entertaining; not quite tumbleweed, but a feathery cousin, with claws grasping at the ground. The geese seem to manage better, perhaps because (unlike chickens) they’re actually designed for wind. And for us humans it’s the dust that makes this wind intolerable. The sky is brown today, and there’s smoke from fires on all horizons. Everyone is waiting for the rains.
We’ve begun the process of turning our little home into a comfortable living space. We have plans for making a kitchen area along one wall, a sitting area in another corner, a desk and reading chair over by the bed, and a bathing area behind a little curtain that we’ll soon hang from the roof beams. And we’re now using a solar shower bag in combination with a bigger washbasin, which is a small but luxurious change for us.
When it comes to quality of life, small things can make big differences.
The wind makes things hard for chickens and geese. They find low-lying, leeward spots in shrubs and corners and hunker down. But occasionally a chicken attempts to walk, and the result is pretty entertaining; not quite tumbleweed, but a feathery cousin, with claws grasping at the ground. The geese seem to manage better, perhaps because (unlike chickens) they’re actually designed for wind. And for us humans it’s the dust that makes this wind intolerable. The sky is brown today, and there’s smoke from fires on all horizons. Everyone is waiting for the rains.
We’ve begun the process of turning our little home into a comfortable living space. We have plans for making a kitchen area along one wall, a sitting area in another corner, a desk and reading chair over by the bed, and a bathing area behind a little curtain that we’ll soon hang from the roof beams. And we’re now using a solar shower bag in combination with a bigger washbasin, which is a small but luxurious change for us.
When it comes to quality of life, small things can make big differences.
1 comment:
What is the four-legged animal in the picture you posted? It looks dangerous.
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