1/23/2009 - Rain

Good morning all...I assume that it will be Saturday morning by the time you get this message; it's a rainy Saturday afternoon here in Tabola. I am sitting with the front door to my cottage wide open, watching the rain...It's about the sixth day of it here. Actually, the scene is pretty funny...my cottage is TEEMING with wet, just washed clothes, hanging in every direction possible. I put a line up...tied it from one log to another in the rondaval (at which point pounds of dust and dirt from years and years came tumbling down on me! Luckily, the clean clothes were still in the tub...yes, the same tub I use for bathing.) My friends Mary and Kaye were supposed to visit today. Mary's coming up from Sebetia, a bit south east of me...kind of across from TY (Tayateyaneng). If she made it, she will spend the night with Kaye because Kaye lives in a REAL house on St Rose Mission...flush toilet, running water, four rooms, electricity, a real sink, etc. I haven't heard from them so I am assuming that Mary was not able to get out of Sebetia (dirt roads). Tomorrow I shall go over to Peka, St. Rose, really, to hear the nuns sing their Sunday mass. Kaye says it goes on for hours and is quite lovely....There's a HUGE BLACK COW in my doorway; I think she wants to come in and chat but she's too big for the entrance! The rain is really beautiful...even if everything I own is now brown. No one complains; they just go about their chores holding their western style umbrellas.
Wow...all that and it's still pouring!!!...and still no word from Mary or Kaye. I'm excited to see Kaye because she was in Maseru yesterday and picked up FIVE letters for me.
This morning Ntate Joseph (ever since he told me his Christian name, I can't remember his Sesotho name) and M'e Mamoabi invited me to go with them to Mapothsuae. It was great to be able to ride in a comfortable car!!! We took their 2 year old grandson, Thieko (Tekko) with us; he sat on my lap the entire way and just covered me with lollypop goo...of course I gave him the lolly! Yes, with permission. Tieko lives with us; his father (the son) and his wife live in Maseru. He works there and his wife goes to school in Roma (commutes). Tieko calls M'e Mamoabi M'e instead of Nkhono because he's here so much and doesn't really know his parents. This is very common in Lesotho.
Kaye just called and said that Mary's still not there but I should go over anyway. Talk with you all later.
Love, Rus
Hey, there's a let-up in the rain...I guess I'm meant to go traveling.