Guards, Roosters, Dogs and Cats

We have such a problem here with the guards. We need them, but it is hard to make them understand what their job is and how important it is that they do that job. They all think that this is just a safe place for them to get a meal, tea and a place to sleep. If asked they would say yes I will come tonight to sleep there! We always say but you are not to sleep, "yes yes I will sleep there tonight"! is their reply. It is hard for them to stay awake until dark and tea time! Craig and I started giving our compound guards tea at 8:30 every night but found them all sound asleep by that time, so we moved it to 7:00 hoping that it would be enough caffeine to keep them awake until midnight. But no such luck!! There have been time when we go for Bible study at the Wrights' compound and come back at 8:30 and have to make one of the young boys climb the fence to wake the guards because they are so sound asleep that they can't hear the horn honking 10 feet away. I have asked Craig if we can dump buckets of water on them to keep them awake, and I think he is about ready to do this. Then you have a night when they are outside our bedroom window and it is 3:30 in the morning and they are having a great conversation with the guards at the next compound and everyone on the compound is awake!!!!! And when you yell at them to be quiet, they reply "sorry we thought you were all sleeping!!"

Then there will be nights when the dogs have been barking for hours and something is outside the gate, probably a small animal, but none the less, something to bark at. And the guards sleep right through it. you ask in the morning what the dogs were barking at and the reply "I didn't hear any dog barking!"

When it is 4AM and the "enemy" (villagers coming to steal maize) are at the gate (fields) they are ready and asking if the can kill them!!! They mean shoot them with their arrows, but they can hear people sneaking through the corn fields a quarter of a mile away and they can't hear a dog barking fifteen feet away!!

We have had a time with dogs the last few months. The Wrights got five very mean dogs from Mbale, when some of their friends left the country. Everyone was afraid of them. They bit a couple of the kids, killed 5-6 cats, and tried to pull one of the other compound's dog through the fence. They chase anything that moves and will jump on it, and the Wrights are going to move onto that compound with them!!!!

Amy got a new little puppy called Loupe, and one morning it followed her to the middle compound, Wright's compound, and the dogs had not been put in the pen yet and they attacked little Luppie. They killed her!!! Poor Amy. But since then Amy has gotten another puppy, Zorro.

Our other big dog on our compound, Tia, got sick and we had to put him down. He had been here for five years. Now we just have K'jon dogs, that bark all night long!!!

We have lost a lot of cats lately also. The Wright's dogs are the main reason. But last October the mother cat that I had had kittens, four of them. She was killed by the Wrights' dog less than a month later. One of those kittens was a black and white male we called Tom-Tom. He was big and had a fat tummy. He wasn't quite right for the beginning, and just wasn't like other kittens, didn't want to play just be heal and purr. Which was great, but as he got older he was more "off" and we knew that he wouldn't last long. Well today is his last day! He has been sick for a few days and he will not get better, so it is time for him. Hopefully he'll be buried next to Tia!

The roosters here in Uganda are some of the dumbest animals I have ever seen. Yes the moon here is the brightest I have ever seen but it is no way as bright as the rising sun. But these roosters crow at it anyway, starting about 2AM and stop about 8:30 AM. They must be from other countries and time zones and their body clocks are really off, they just don' have a clue!!!!

When you come to Africa, bring your ear plugs if you want to get some sleep!!!!

Today is a very sad day at the Mission. We had to put Tia down. Tia was the Prawius' dog, a Rhodesian Ridge back. The dogs, 4 from the same litter, came from Kenya in about 2000. Tony Curto had 2 and Dr. Prawius had the other 2, Tia and Tusker. Tusker died in the spring of 2004 and one of the littermates in Mbale died shortly after.

Tia and Tusker were two very ferocious guard dogs and most of the Karamajon feared them greatly. They were very loyal and loving dogs to all who they liked. We have heard many stories about the Prawius Children and the dogs sleeping in the girls' bedroom and the dogs having a night time "odor" problem. And how they (dogs) feared the thunder and lightening storms and gunshot sounds. They would scratch at the doors wanting in and then you could not get them to go back out!!

Tia loved to go for walks with Pastor Dave and occasionally a few others. But Tia loved to play and he would love to scare people. A group of K'jon would be walking down the road and Tia would race towards them and skid to a stop right in front of them, barking, then he would stand there wagging his tail!! It was like he was asking "did I scare you?" If the K'jon ran or screamed he barked even louder!!!!

Tia was a big baby! If you let him he would climb up into you lap so you could pet him!!! All 150 lbs of him!!!! He liked to come to our Sat. morning pray meetings in the bonda and during the prayers he would most often put his big cold, wet nose right into Chrissie's face and lick her. That always got him petted!!!!

Tia, your bark was so much worse than your bite!!!! We will miss him so much!!!!!

The Great Tractor Races

There are 2 big boys who are just having a great time digging in the dirt!!!!!! Construction has slowed down on Bob's house and they are waiting on the return of Bob and Family. So both Craig and Ed are in the fields plowing and moving as much dirt as they can daily. But the equipment doesn't always cooperate!! So far today it has been 3 flat tires, 1 broken bolt and a stop for fill in ambulance driving. Plus running all over the country to get 22 dogs and 15 cats their rabies shot only to find out that the district's refrigeration unit isn't working and they wouldn't have the vaccine for 2 more weeks!! Doesn't anyone ever call ahead???? TIA (this IS Africa)

Last Saturday, they were both on their tractors racing around the field trying to get the field done before dark. Craig was in the lead most of the time until Ed found the old pit latrine and rock pile and stopped to move rocks. Then he took over lead and they both bounced across the field, kicking up a lot of dust and rats. Eagles were swooping down and around their heads all afternoon waiting for that free meal. And they found a lot. Pray for safety and working equipment and good weather. If all that happens they may get most of the fields plowed by the end of the week!!!

~Kris