First Day of Autumn!!

Yes, even though all of "you" get to enjoy spring .. we counted down to the middle of our autumnal equinox.

I last wrote that the rain seemed to have stretched between storms.  Okay, call me silly ... that's okay.

The rains are still with us.  Both yesterday and today we started with beautiful blue skies and warmth.  Yesterday afternoon it began to pour, off and on through the evening.  Right now (about 3:30 pm) the sun has been obscured by fluffy clouds.  So who knows?  It might rain, it might not.  (it is now 4:40 pm .. I am slow posting and it has just begun to rain.)

Update on the garden(s):

So far we have enjoyed two mini salads from our mesclun mix.  The onions, spinach and broccoli all grew a bit, then died back.  Radishes grew funny .. long and slender, quite a bite eating them.  The monkeys have enjoyed pulling them out.  So far they are leaving the lettuce and marigold plants alone.  Not so with the bean plants by the pool fence.  Gone, gone, gone.  oh, well.  It "is" the first day of Fall here.  And the carrots and radishes we planted earlier?  one word .. monkeys

We discovered this stuff:

After tracing a powdery path around the patio, no ants!  Worked great.  (wonder, do they make a monkey repellant?)  Too bad we weren't told earlier.  However, that is often the best way to learn.  Locals would say that we lack common sense . and I would agree.  What is common to them is not common to us.  It will be good for me to remember that the next time I am tempted to lose patience with someone who doesn't seem to "get it."

Sunday Mary and I begin the trek back to the US.  We begin with a late afternoon flight via ProFlight from Ndola to Lusaka.  Then a 3 hour or so layover and about 9:30 pm we get on an Emirates flight to Dubai, arriving there about 6:30 am.  After we search for the Paul Patisserie (linked in case you want to find one in the USA)  I can't wait for a good cup of latte and French pastry!  Then we get back on board Emirates and fly over the "top of the world" and to Houston.

Today we needed to let our domestic help know about altering their work schedule.  It works well for them, with just a Monday - Wednesday - Friday schedule.  They will need to come early, before Tom leaves for work, but they are finished by noon when he comes back to the house for lunch.

Our housekeeper, Josephine, looked silently disturbed until Tom reassured both Richard and Josephine that we were still paying full wages.  The weight of the world literally fell from her shoulders.  By having Tom opening and closing up the house, it clears them (or hopefully doesn't implicate them) if anything goes missing.  All a matter of eliminating the occasion for temptation.