Rambling thoughts of a smoke filled mind

I apparently made one pot of nshima too many for the dog, since the spoon broke yesterday evening while dishing out Ceili’s supper. I feel bad, but its not like the spoon was in any way new when I inherited it!

Yesterday was really windy and cool—so cool in fact that I lit a fire for the first time in over a month. Part of it was that I just wanted a fire, and part of it was because it was chilly. I’m trying to figure out my literature plans for next term—I have some ideas, but its just a matter of finding the things I have the materials for as well as getting ideas that work.

My doggie life continues—the little dogs make life interesting, and the big one is by turns a sweet puppy and an elephant when her sister comes over to play. Wish I had that much energy...

More sorting yesterday morning—getting ride of all the music I don’t ever intend to use either for myself of my students that’s taking up a corner of my big cupboard. I need to pack up the pattern pieces I’m done with as well and figure out where to put the text books I’m going through so the house doesn’t look like a crafting, planning teacher lives here. Oh wait, one does!

I went on a baking spree the other day and made up a whole pumpkins worth of puree. I’m still trying to get used to the look of Zambian pumpkins. When looking at the pile of gourds on the table, Jimmy, one of our kitchen workers, pointed to the only thing I would have called a pumpkin and said “That one looks like a squash. The rest are pumpkins.” Coulda fooled me! Not that it really makes that much difference in the long run, but I thought it was worth asking! I think I’m going to make a pie or some more pumpkin bread...haven’t decided which yet, and I might make some of my mom’s famous pumpkin soup. After all, its fall/spring in Zambia, and what better thing to eat in the fall than pumpkin!