bright eyes + blue eyes

photographs

Simply by reading blogs & various online articles, I've learned a lot over the past four years about photography. There's still so much I want to learn!

One of the main things I've learned is to avoid using the flash (when I can.)

Earlier today, I took the following picture of Harriet Hippo. This is how I used to take a picture--point the camera and click the button:

But the more I read about taking pictures, the more I came to value the use of natural light. (i.e., taking the picture without using the flash.) See what I mean?

As I took this second picture, a cute little someone realized there was a photo shoot going on and wanted in on the action.

Then, that cute little someone wanted to get a few portraits with Spesh*.

*Rhymes with Mesh. Short for "Special Baby." Spesh is Pumpkin's most precious baby doll & was a gift from Momma Frances.

 

The thing about not using the flash is, I really don't know how to avoid using it when there are events (specifically indoor events) I want to capture. Christmas morning. Birthday parties. Etc. Etc.

For those, I usually still use a flash. But not always. Still learning.

Anyway, over the years, I've bookmarked lots of great blog posts and websites which have good things to say about taking pictures. I'm going to post a few below. I'll add to this list as time goes on. If you have any great posts to add to this list, I'd love to know about them. Just leave me a comment or shoot me an email.

Happy photo-taking!

-abbie

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How I Take Pictures, Posie Gets Cozy

First Flowery, Posie Gets Cozy 

Camera FAQ, Confessions of a Pioneer Woman

Q&A, Tina Cockburn Photography

Homemade Bounce Flash, Petteri's Pontifications (I haven't tried to make one of these, but I'd like to. I like the pricetag on this particular piece of photography equipment.)

Photo Tips, Little Birds

Here's Marla, Fly Through Our Window

Photography Articles, Two Peas in a Bucket (There is SO much good information here. And all of it is very easy reading--not a lot of technical jargon.)

Clickin Moms (I am not a member. But it does look interesting.) 
 

i miss you, camellia blooms.

Snowy camellia above (January 2010)

Blooming camellia below (end of March 2009)

(1) I thought I would re-post some springtime pictures just for a personal reminder to myself: spring will be here soon. (There are four words to describe my mentality about the weather in January & February: Endure. It. Spring. Soon.)

(2) The other day Pumpkin and I were running an errand. We saw a momma and cute little baby walk by. She said, "Oh, mommy, I wish I could have a little baby brother or sister." Then, she looked at me very seriously & said, "If I had a sister, when she grew old enough, I would teach her important things like six plus six equals a dozen.".........Pumpkin thinks it is a very big deal that she knows the fact that the word "dozen" and the word "twelve" mean the same thing. In her mind, this is one of the litmus test for if you are a big kid or a little kid. :-)

(3) Hunter and I have wanted a dog for-ehhhhh-ver. We talked about getting a dog back in 2001, but when we began to suspect that we may be moving overseas, we decided to wait. (If you move to the UK and bring a family pet, there are government requirements that you have to quarantine the dog for a really long time--like 6 months or something. They have no rabies in the UK and want to keep it that way. Actually, I think the regulations might be more relaxed now, but it was pretty severe then.) Anyway, ever since we moved back to the USA (2006), we've done a lot of talking about when we should get our family dog. We've recently become interested in the idea of getting a boykin spaniel. Over the Christmas break, we got to hear about Matt & Abigail's boykin spaniel--and ever since then, we've been thinking and researching that breed. Medium sized, very good natured, excellent with children, and fantastic potential to be a great hunting dog....Sounds like a very promising possibility.

(4) I want to learn how to knit. And then (someday, when I am good enough), I want to knit a dress like this: Peaches and Cream Hand-Knit Dress. Is that dress not the most beautiful thing you've ever seen? Oh, I love it.

(5) My brother Joe recommended a song to me that I've been enjoying: "My Girls" -- Animal Collective

(6) And speaking of music, my brother Robert introduced me to Owl City a while back. I really like the song "Vanilla Twilight." Well, I was reading World magazine at my parents' house over the Christmas break. There was a little blurb about the Owl City guy. It said he lists C.S. Lews & John Piper as significant influences on his life. Hello! That caught me off guard. So interesting! Now I'm even more intrigued by this newcomer.

(7) Also speaking of music, Paste magazine has a noteworthy offer going right now: "Songs for Haiti" offers a chance to contribute to relief efforts in Haiti. As a bonus, after you donate, you receive access to the "download vault," where you can download over 250 songs for free, as a thank you for your contribution. The artists have all donated their MP3s. 100% of contributions go to Haiti. Isn't that wonderful? Go here for more details.

(8) Let me tell you about this very strange coincidence: Today I went to Superboy's classroom because the parents were invited to come watch the children's presentations on Native American tribes. (They were great!) After the presentations, I asked Mrs. Thompson if I could help her as she transitioned back in to the normal school routine. She said, yes, would I mind reading to the children for a minute while she shifted gears? Yes. I would love to do that. So then she handed me their current read-aloud book and pointed out which chapter I should read. Do you know what book it was? Little House in the Big Woods. Do you know what chapter it was? The chapter which I quoted in my post yesterday--about pouring molasses syrup onto the snow to make candy. Isn't that interesting? I had no idea they were even reading that book at school!

(9) I really liked this post about January gardening: All Things Farmer -- Tips for January Gardening in the Deep South. The author says he has come to be thankful for January--perhaps I need to shift my attitude (see #1 above.)

(10) Hubby is watching Shark Tank now in the living room. I don't care much about sharks or dollars or nifty new products, but I sure would like to go in there and sit with my honey on the warm couch, so I'm signing off! Nighty-night!
 

snow day

Earlier this month, the children had a snow day. School was cancelled. Hooray!

As they were getting their warm clothes on to go outside and play, I overheard Superboy talking about how he was going to build "a snow fort with windows and a staircase."

Oh--poor boy--was it up to me to explain to him what the phrase "1 inch of snow" means in terms of building capabilities?

I told him to go for it, but to try not to be disappointed if it didn't work out.

Making snow angels proved to be a nifty alternative.

And then there was also the molasses candy-making...

We've been reading through the Little House series over the last year and a half. (currently reading By the Shores of Silver Lake.)

The children both begged to pour molasses on the snow so it could harden up and they could have candy just like Mary & Laura had.

Sure--why not?

Well, I have a little news to share with you.

Frozen molasses is actually not that tasty.

But they still enjoyed the experience.

Then, later, when we went back to find that passage in the book, we realized that Ma had boiled molasses and sugar together before pouring it on the snow. 

That'll be a good thing for us to remember the next time we have a snow day.

+ + + +

One morning she {Ma} boiled molasses and sugar together until they made a thick syrup, and Pa brought in two pans of clean, white snow from outdoors. Laura and Mary each had a pan, and Pa and Ma showed them how to pour the dark syrupin little streams onto the snow.

They made circles, and curlicues, and squiggledy things, and these hardened at once and were candy. Laura and Mary might eat one piece each day, but the rest was saved for Christmas Day.

--from Little House in the Big Woods, by Laura Ingalls Wilder

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And while I have the book in my hand...I'll also copy down my very favorite passage, which is from the last page of the book. I remember that when I read this part to the children, I was surprised to feel my eyes filling up with tears. I don't really know why--I suppose it has something to do with sharing an experience with them (reading these particular books) that I had enjoyed so much when I was a little girl. But also, the passage itself captures such a sense of safety, security, and contentedness in the mind of a sleepy little child. There is such tenderness contained in these words:

But Laura lay awake a little while, listening to Pa's fiddle softly playing and to the lonely sound of the wind in the Big Woods. She looked at Pa sitting on the bench by the hearth, the fire-light gleaming on his brown hair and beard and glistening on the honey-brown fiddle. She looked at Ma, gently rocking and knitting.

She thought to herself, "This is now."

She was glad that the cosy house, and Pa and Ma and the fire-light and teh music, were now. They could not be forgotten, she thought, because now is now. It can never be a long time ago.

--Little House in the Big Woods
 
 

2009 review

January:

• Superboy had a group of school friends over for a playdate. Made snickerdoodles for them. The weather was beautiful and they ran around outside for hours.
• Hunter went on a hunting trip with Benton & Ben. I remember he was gone the day of President Obama's inauguration. (random inauguration thoughts: Loved the first lady's dress. Gorgeous. Loved Yo-Yo Ma. Really enjoyed listening to Elizabeth Alexander read Praise Song for the Day.)  

 

  
  
 
 February:

• Dad, Mom, and Joe came for a visit. Mom got to stay a bit longer. She was here for Superboy's Pinewood Derby Tournament (Cub Scouts.)
• Tried to make decisions about the children's schools for '09-'10. Observed classes at ICS.

March:

• Pumpkin had her friend Hailey over for a playdate. I remember that the weather was sunny and beautiful that day and I let them pick a few daffodils.
• Attended Timothy's confirmation service. (Timothy is the oldest child of all the children in our community group.) His public profession of faith had a big impact on both Pumpkin and Superboy. Great conversations afterwards.
• Started blogging with my sister--yippee! And here we are, 195 posts later.

April:

• Game night at our house. "Bowls" and Catchphrase.
• Went to sunrise service on Easter morning. Had students over for lunch. Lovely and wonderful.
• Watched baby birds grow up and fly away.

May:

• Visited retirement home with the children's music class. Sang songs. Played glockenspiels.
• Summer conference '09 in Florida. So much fun on the beach.
• Daddy's "Mozart in the Morning challenge": We (family members) had to listen to the CD and assign a family member to each song. And justify our choices. What a great challenge. I loved it.

June:

• Superboy and I spent the night with my grandmother, Nannie. Just the three of us for dinner. Lots of great time for visiting.
• Next, Pumpkin and I spent the night with Nannie. Ditto. Just the three of us for dinner. Lots of great time for visiting.
• Nannie and I stayed up each of those nights talking through our family's history. I took notes on a yellow legal pad. (The yellow legal pad just happened to be what I had with me...later, I thought it was a paper choice that Granddaddy would've really approved of.) :-)
• VBS at Covenant. Allison and I helped with the 3 yr old class.

July:

• Pops on the River for 4th of July. Sonic afterwards. Then, on to Robert & Allison's house for more fireworks.
• Gram, Aunt Beva, Aunt Camie, and the cousins came to our house for a visit. Slip-n-slide in the backyard. Frisbee in the front yard. Playing at the park. Had a yummy picnic (with Chinese Chicken Salad) at the pool. And had birthday cake for Gram's birthday.

August:

• Took the children to various appointments: annual check-up at dr, visit to the dentist
• Enjoyed delicious produce from our first ever backyard vegetable garden. One night we had a taste test--We just happened to have a container of store-bought cherry tomatoes. And we also had our basket of homegrown cherry tomatoes. We took turns blindfolding each other to do a taste test. Could we tell the difference between the two? The answer is: you can tell whether it's homegrown or storebought before the tomato ever touches your lips. I promise, it's true. There's a fresh/peppery/green/delicious fragrance that radiates from the homegrown tomato.

 

 

September:

• Pumpkin started her gymnastics class.
• Massive flooding in our city. School cancelled due to flooding on 9/22.
• Robert & Allison were passing through town & stopped to stay with us for one night. Allison and I usually drink a cup of coffee together in the a.m.. When I asked her what she wanted in her coffee, she sort of grinned and said, "well, I'm not drinking coffee right now." WHAT??? I knew in that instant that she was telling me big news. "You're pregnant?!?!" Yes!...We had to immediately rush in and wake up Hunter to tell him the big news. Hooray!

October:

• Girlfriend getaway weekend with Marsha Kay and Jenny Beth. We went to Gram & Papa's log cabin. So cozy & so many great conversations. Pretty much one entire weekend of non-stop conversation, actually.
• Hunter & Superboy went on a Cub Scout campout. Lots of dads and growing boys. Superboy brough his pocket knife and whittled a stick into a spear. Sat around the campfire telling spooky stories. Hunter said that Superboy waited really patiently and then stood up to tell his story (which he made up on the spot.)

November:

• Thanksgiving feast with Pumpkin's kindergarten group (at Amy's house.)
• Thanksgiving feast with our community group (at Jonathan & Rebecca's house.)
• Thanksgiving feast on Thanksgiving (at Jonathan & Susie's house.)

December:

• Superboy's first performance in a church Christmas pageant. Pumpkin sat beside me and recited every word of the entire script as it was performed. :-) (from having listened to the CD.)
• Pumpkin & her kindergarten group performed a precious Christmas pageant as well. My favorite part was when they sang Away in a Manger.
• Celebrated the birth of our Savior!

+ + + +

Great is Thy faithfulness, O God my Father;
There is no shadow of turning with Thee;
Thou changest not, Thy compassions, they fail not;
As Thou hast been, Thou forever will be.

--words by Thomas Chisholm

+ + + +

God of the ages, history's maker--

Planning our pathway, holding us fast--

Shaping in mercy all that concerns us--

Father, we praise you, Lord of the past.

-words by Margaret E. Clarkson

2008 review

Earlier this month, I noticed a handful of bloggers posting "year in review" summaries. I like those sort of posts and decided to look back over my 2009 calendar to come up with a list of my own. Very fun. Then I decided to go back even more, so I scanned through my 2008 calendar as well. I'm posting 2008 today and will post 2009 tomorrow.

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January:

• We were invited to go to Mexico with our dear college friends. Super fun. 6 parents, 7 children, 3 babysitters, 1 house. Loved it. I would like to teleport myself there right now.
• Superboy was enrolled in karate classes. Pumpkin was enrolled in a gymnastics class.

February:

• Continued to go to BSF with Katie every Wednesday. And our three little ones. Had a great year studying Scripture.
• Woke up at 5am one morning to go get in line to register Pumpkin for preschool the following year. She was changing to a new preschool, and the one we wanted only had one or two empty spots. (We got a spot.) 

March:

• Superboy signed up for t-ball (first time.) Practices & games. So fun.
• Got our house ready to put on the market. Mad dash to finish all of our renovations. Worked nights and weekends on completing projects.

April:

• Brought children to grandparent-land during spring break. Hunter stayed home to (1) work and (2) host open houses at our newly-for-sale house. We used For Sale by Owner dot com to list our house.
• Later that month, when I was back home, we had the final college girls' Bible study of the semester--we read and discussed the "I am" statements of Jesus in the gospel of John.

May:

• Baby nephew born!
• Sold our house.
• On a whim, I went to a new lady to get my hair cut. Ended up with the absolute worst haircut of my life. Took a year to grow it out.

 

June:

• Played at my grandmother's lakehouse. Went tubing. (Q: Is there anything better than going to the lake in the summer? A: No. There is not.)
• Enjoyed a visit from Ginger, Debra, Paul, and Ashleigh!
• Said goodbye to Ellie & H on the 12th.

July:

• Closed on the sale of our new house. Moved in.
• Enjoyed a visit from Aunt Allison. She was here for a week of service--tutoring refugee children.

August:

• Went along with Gingi to visit Aunt Helen in sunny Sarasota. So fun.
• Gram and Papa came to our house for a visit. Hunter an Papa installed canned lights throughout our new house. They also finished making our new dining room table. Also, the figs were ripe, so Gram & Papa made lots of fig preserves.
• Sweet Nonie went to be with Jesus. We are so thankful for her life and for how much she loved and nurtured Hunter as he grew up.

September:

• Pumpkin started Pre-K. She also started ballet lessons.
• Superboy started 1st grade. He also started Cub Scouts.

 

October:

• Hunter and I went to see Wicked.
• Trick-or-treating: Pumpkin dressed up as a princess. Superboy was a ninja.

November:

• I mailed yogurt starter to my sister in Tanzania & hoped it would actually make it to her. (it did!)
• We stayed at our house for Thanksgiving. Gram and Papa came for the holiday. Hunter left on Nov. 28 to fly to Edinburgh for his graduation. (hooray!)

December:

• Hurried to our hometown when my grandmother's health began to rapidly decline. We were able to be by her side during her last days. I'm so thankful for her life and her legacy. My heart is fillled with so many wonderful memories of her.
• Celebrated Christmas with grandparents, great grandmother, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Celebrated 12 years of marriage with my sweetie. Celebrated along with my parents their 36 years of marriage.

  

christmas notes

gingerbread house, 2009

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Yes, yes....I know that Christmas was a month ago. It's time to move on. 

However.

I have a few more Christmas items to mention. Most of this is just my "notes to self"...I'll look back on it as I prep for Christmas 2010.

*The November 1st Rule: I've thought about this for a few years, and now I think I'm ready to commit. I'm going to try to think through Christmas plans & preparations prior to November 1st. When it's October & I'm beginning to think about Christmas, it's so exciting and fun and there's so much anticipation. On the other hand, when it's December 15th and I'm thinking about Christmas plans & preparations, it can be stressful and overwhelming. So: I'm going to try to plan ahead much more efficiently next year. For example: think ahead on gifts to neighbors. Have materials/supplies/packaging/labels ready to go so that the part to do in December is easy & fun. Think ahead on gifts to teachers. Think ahead on meal planning.

*Also, think ahead on family devotions for the Christmas season. Have books/resources/etc ready to go. Shannon & Michael do Jesse Tree devotions during the month of December, I think. (Ask Shannon for more details about their tradition.)

*Get recipe from Katie for the Thin Mint "cookies" (ritz crackers covered with mint chocolate.)

*Here are a few links from my Christmas posts. I composed & published my posts in a big hurry that particular week & never included any of these links:

• Cookies by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Christmas Cookies by Amy Krouse Rosenthal
• Sugar Cookies by Amy Krouse Rosenthal--we just discovered this book recently! Pumpkin had a gift card to Barnes & Noble, so she now owns this book. Yippee!
• The Nutcracker Ballet: A Book, Theater, and Paper Doll Fold-out Play Set by Mara Conlon--this is where we got our paper ballerinas, pictured here. 
• Paula Deen's Gumbo: served by Uncle Joe & Aunt Ginny on Christmas Eve. Yummy.
• Brunch Eggs: served by Papa and Gram on Christmas morning. Yummy. I made it a few days after Christmas & it's an easy way to serve a crowd (12 eggs used in the recipe.) I think it'd be perfect with a fresh fruit salad and homemade cinnamon rolls fresh from the oven.

*Someday, I'd like to hang wreaths on our (front facing) exterior windows. With red bows. I'd like to find some I really like so that we can use them year after year. (Anyone have any great sources/tips?)

*Some people really love coming up with stocking stuffers. They enjoy the process of finding a bunch of little things. I do not. I do not enjoy shopping whatsoever--my theory is that the people who love buying stocking stuffers are also the people who enjoy the shopping process. All that being said, I do like the tradition of opening stockings on Christmas morning. For that reason, I will persevere! :-) (On the other hand, I really *love, love love* buying the real Christmas presents--those special gifts that I know the children are going to enjoy. I consider my options for months & love every minute of that process--what would they really love this year?? It's just that I don't get that jazzed up about the little junky stuff that they aren't going to care much about in a week or two.) My solution for stocking stuffers is: I force myself to come up with ten little things to put in their stocking. I gather these things throughout the year. (target dollar section is a great spot for this...) This is definitely one of those things that I could have done by Nov 1st next year. (So resolved) Ali Edwars has a post which had some great ideas--check the comments for stocking stuffer inspiration: Stocking Stuffer Ideas from Ali's Blog. I like the idea of homeade coupon books. Would like to try that.

*Speaking of Ali Edwards and her blog (which is major visual inspiration for me--love the projects that she posts), I would love to do a "december daily" album like she's done for the last couple of years. Links are here: 2007--planning & prep, 2007, 2008, 2009

*I'd like to try to make coquito, as mentioned here by Kate. Yum. I like eggnog, and I like coconut--putting them together sounds great to me. This recipe looks like a good one to try. (Kate, if you read this, does this recipe come close enough to Omar's?)

*Two gift ideas for next year: Snap Circuit for Superboy (he loved playing with Connor's), and a beginner sewing kit for Pumpkin (she loves any & all craft projects...I think she's almost ready for a little kit like this.)

*Let children design thank you cards ahead of time so that the process of writing thank you notes can start right after the 25th.

+ + + +

Okay, now I'm off to do the sad job of taking down our Christmas cards. They're attached to our kitchen wall & I'll miss them when they're gone. (But I do think it's time to say goodbye.) I like to cut out the pictures and put them in my christmas card albums--so at least it's not goodbye forever.

Ellie + Abbie + TED

Given my enthusiasm about TED lectures, I’m thinking that a name change to the blog might be appropriate.  I am sure I could come up with commentary about a TED lecture to post for any given day.  Abbie introduced me to TED when she came to visit me in Berlin.  I remember us sitting on the futon and watching Ken Robinson together. [There’s a very funny, completely unrelated story about that futon, involving 3.25 human arms and an attempt to move the piece of furniture across Berlin using the tram system.  Maybe that story is better left to be told in person, though.]

My most recent TED favorite is a talk by Louise Fresco.  This is what I love about TED lectures.  I don’t think I would have otherwise encountered a talk from an agronomist, but the things that Louise Fresco has to say are so interesting.  

Fresco begins her talk by polling the audience.  She asks who would prefer a loaf of wholegrain artisanal bread from a small bakery over a loaf of Wonderbread from the supermarket. I know which I would pick, even after listening to her lecture.  Nonetheless, Fresco goes on to make compelling points about how the Wonderbread represents the enormous progress of Western society in the 21st century.

She talks about how modern intelligencia has created a mythical past of small scale farming. Yes, rural farmers did enjoy pure, fresh food.  They also had astoundingly less variety than we enjoy today, and each simple meal represented hours (if not days or months) of preparation.  Can't you just imagine a farmer’s wife baking a rustic loaf of 7-grain bread back in the good old days, surrounded by pastoral European countryside? I can envision her hearty loaf in my romantic mind’s eye, but the reality was probably far different. Seven types of grain in one loaf – just to grow or obtain such a variety would have been extraordinary effort!  Fresco’s points about the historical fantasy of small-scale farming are grounding and realistic.

Fresco also mentions how modern agriculture has freed most of the population up from thinking about food to a very large degree.  Your food consumption today likely involves breakfast cereal, a sandwich for lunch, and maybe you’ll make a 30 minute meal for dinner tonight.  All total, even considering shopping, that's no more than a cumulative total of two hours dealing with food - max.  Meanwhile, I am sure that there’s a woman in Masasi who is in the fields all morning today hoping to grow enough corn for next month’s meals.  When she comes home, she’ll have to organize having enough water and charcoal to prepare her daily ugali, which is the same thing that she ate yesterday, and she’ll eat ugali again tomorrow.  My Masasi sister will spend most of her energy on procuring and preparing food for herself and her family.  That won’t leave a lot of time for crafting, reading, thinking about parenting strategies, or anything else, for that matter. It is very sobering to me to think about how much I have taken for granted in my life when it comes to food.

This TED talk gave me an enlightening perspective on food politics.  I still want to join a CSA when we’re back in Europe/USA, but I have a better sense of my place in the worldwide food market.  I can make the choice to be a luxury food consumer because I have the time and money to afford preparing my food with local, hand-tended ingredients.  However, I should also promote others’ access to modern, mechanized farming methods that lift people out of poverty and hunger.  The same changes will allow people to divert energy to new enterprises, instead of devoting most of their time to growing and cooking the same meals day after day.  If that were to happen, who knows… maybe the next Einstein really will come from Africa.

Bajaji

These little motorized rickshaws are all over the place in Tanzania.  They’re cheaper than taking a car taxi, and much safer than taking a motorcycle taxi.  Motorcycle drivers around here tend to be kind of psychotic (but not as crazy as the bus drivers). I think the top speed of a Bajaji is about 25 miles per hour, so they can’t really zip and swerve around. I prefer slow and steady, given the road/traffic conditions.  I use Bajajis sometimes when we’re travelling and on rare occasions in Masasi.  They’re slow but not exactly sturdy, so I mainly stick to using them where there’s not much traffic. 

I think Bajajis are cute.  

photo courtesy of my dad, Onboard Doctor Eyes

Cashew Country

We live in Cashew Country.  Southern Tanzania is filled with cashew trees. Cashews are the main cash crop in this area, and many cashew farmers depend on the money that they make through their harvest to support them throughout the year. Cashews are sold by the ton through farmer co-operatives, then prepared for export.  I know that one large Indian company buys boatloads of cashews. Apparently, Indians eat a lot of cashews.

These are cashew trees.  The nuts grow from fruit, called cashew apples.  I’ve never tasted the fruit.  I’ve been told that cashew apples rot very quickly after falling from the tree.  If you can get a very fresh cashew apple, it’s supposedly a treat. Cashew apples are also used to prepare gongo, a popular local alcoholic beverage.  I don’t care how fresh the gongo is, I don’t want to taste it.  Based on how people act after drinking gongo, it seems like it’s got quite a kick.

This is what unprocessed cashew nuts look like.

One day Daniel showed me how to process your own cashews at home.  If you ever walk through a village in Southern Tanzania and see people gathered around a flaming metal tray, you’ll know that everyone is getting ready for some cashews.

After the cashews have cooled down a little, you have to remove the shell, which has charred in the fire and popped from the steam.  You set the cashew on a rock, and bang it with another rock or metal object.

After you’ve rubbed off the papery skin, the cashews are ready to eat.  Home-processed cashews have a smoky flavor (no big surprise), which I personally like.  I seek out the burnt kernels of popcorn in a bowl, though, so my taste buds are a little weird when it comes to charred-tasting things. The cashews that are factory-processed are much blonder and milder.  I have really grown to appreciate cashews, which is a good thing, since they’re the only nuts you can get around here.  I’ve always been more inclined to eat almonds and pecans. Now I also love the buttery crunch of local Tanzanian cashews.

Worry Not, I Shall Do the Needful

Living in Tanzania has been an education, and we’ve definitely learned new vocabulary as part of the process.  It hasn’t just been new words in Swahili that correspond to our English vocabulary.  We are learning entirely new concepts along with the words to express them.  Kesho is a great example of this.

One of our favorite Tanzanian phrases was given to us by a colleague.  She speaks English, and H had e-mailed her asking her to follow up on something.  Her one-line reply came back: Worry not.  I shall do the needful.

How great is that? H and I say this to each other about five times a day now. Worry not, I shall do the needful.

 

This picture has nothing to do with the phrase.  But isn’t she a pretty little girl? I think she understands the concept of Worry not, I shall do the needful.