Rats

Yesterday had a few rough moments. First of all, my last pair of pants from North America gave way in the seat area (i.e. big hole beneath the pocket) so I'm back to one pair of pants again. Sigh. Gotta buy something today before we head back to Gabane (we're internetting in Gabs today).

Also, Rob was startled by a live rat on the kitchen counter last night. It's the first we've seen, though he certainly has heard a few in the next-door office (remember, where the snake lives/lived?). Not sure what we're going to do about that. It was chewing on our loaf of bread. I commanded it to leave the house and never return before we went to bed. We haven't heard any sign of its presence today.

Then, all last night (well, much of it, until about 2AM), the annoying dog next door was barking, barking, barking. We simply could not sleep. Rob prayed that God would shut it up - and He did, within minutes. Remarkable.

So, yeah, I'm tired and crotchety today. I think the worst part for me is that we're housesitting, with no real sense of even which country we'll be living in 4 months from now, so I can't just go out and do what any sensible person would - get a cat. That kind of “hands tied by circumstance” feeling can be pretty draining sometimes. Rootlessness itself is draining.

But Sarah and I are finishing our first round of checks of Mark next week. I am hopeful that, when all is said and done, the snake, rat and rootlessness will all result in something worthwhile. And Sarah, Rob and I are celebrating next Friday by going for a tea-tasting at The No. 1 Ladies' Opera House. Nothing like free-flowing hot drinks on a cold winters day.