Days Inching Past...

It amazes me how much these ladies can carry balance on their heads! They work VERY hard and are yelling out the whole time what they are selling.

In service this morning. Behind us is one of the beautiful local churches and beyond them, Mighty Mombacho.

Playing cards in our tiny bedroom last night. Its small and we already have two beds in there (dbl & qu) so if we want to play cards, it's on one of the beds I'm afraid!

Not that I have ever had Christmas....but if I did, this is what waiting for it to come must feel like! The days are passing agonizingly slow till our departure. So much in fact, that we even considered pulling our dates forward by a week or two, but always cheap, we just couldn't bring ourselves to pay the exhorbant fees that would include. When we booked for December 9th, we did so thinking it would take us at least that long to get all our affairs in order. Guess when you are really motivated, you move fast, because we could leave next week! Almost everything we bought is sold.

So, life must continue with some sort of routine for the next 2 1/2 weeks. The highlights of this week have been that Gary got bit by a dog in service yesterday :) He was alone, walking down a tiny dirt alley and a little long haired dog came barrelling out of nowhere and attached himself to the back of Gary's shoe. Good job they were good leather ones and kept the teeth out of his skin! I think the humiliation of being bit by something that small and cute must have been worse that the fear of what it was doing! Gary just kept walking and eventually, satisfied that he had bested Gary, he left to brag to all his friends.

The terrible humidity has for the most part broken and although the days are still hot (we hit 110 F this week) it is actually pleasant with the end of the non existent rainy season meaning that the breeze has again picked up. Mornings and evenings are gorgeous. Everything is really dry though (this should be Nicaragua at it's most lush) and serious problems are ahead for the country as the harvest should soon begin....and there is little to harvest. There is also a political clash brewing, even though the next election isn't until 2011 for some reason they are starting now and this weekend we have all been warned to stay out of Managua and both parties are having demonstrations and rumour is that Ortega (the president) has issued permission for force to be used. I am so relieved to be leaving....and that is all I will say or think about that because it makes my anxiety go up........I can't wait for my family to be safety back in North America.

We had taken this last week to going into our bedroom around 5 pm, when it gets dark, putting on the AC, (decadence), and watching movies together until bedtime (off the street they are only 20 cords each ($1). Until yesterday when our TV and DVD player sold. So last night, for the first time since we got here, we dragged out the cards and had a riotous game of cards! I forgot how much I loved to play. Nikki is really quite good and I love to see her trying to stratigize. Plus, we usually end up ganging up on Gary, which we think is fun, Gary....not so much. Not really, he's always a good sport and keeps us in stitches. We're trying to keep busy to help the time pass.....did I mention it's still 2 1/2 weeks till we leave.....????