It rained last week.

In Dallas, when it would rain, I would think `All the morons are going to take their stupid pills and try to outrun the raindrops and cause a million accidents and I’ll get home later.’

The drought isn’t over, but I saw people walking around with tears in their eyes. Tears of joy. Adults were walking around just to feel the water on their face. What an amazing feeling: to be grateful for rain.

We had our midterm break this week. School ended Friday morning and resumed Tuesday. I knew I needed it when I saw a little sixth grade girl who looked so sad I asked her what was the matter. She said `My whole dorm voted for Veggie Tales and I hate stupid Veggie Tales.’ Then she started to cry. I have sons: I know how to handle boy tears, but I absolutely lose it when little girls cry. I said it must be hard when you don’t want to watch what everyone else wants to watch. And she said `I only have one friend.’ And I said, no, that’s not true, I’m your friend also.

And she gave me the look. The look that says: Oh boy: an old bald fat guy wants to be my friend. Big Deal.

And I knew at that moment it was time for the break.

I have cut and pasted the email directions we received as we took our mid semester break:

Come the main road from Kijabe all the way to Eldoret. Don’t take Eldama Ravine road because it will be too late when you come through there and it can be dangerous because of bandits! If you have a map, just follow the main road through Eldoret and about 5 miles outside of Eldoret you will go under an overpass…….after that, you will come to a big main road that turns to the right (paved) take that road….I think it may be marked. There are some dukas on the left side of the road as you turn and there is sometimes a family of about 12 giraffes that wander around on the right side of the road late in the afternoon. Follow this road all the way to Kitale until you come to the Total station on the right….turn right on the road that goes beside the station….follow that to a dead-end….it is a very rough road so drive slowly….turn left at the dead-end and take an immediate right….follow this road until you come to St. Martin’s Cottage Hospital on the left….the first gate past the hospital on the right is ours. Just honk and the guard will open the gate for you. If you should get lost…..our phone number is 30949 in Kitale…..outside of Kitale is 0325-30949.

We missed the bandits, we saw the giraffes, the road was rough, and we got there after a five-hour drive on Friday. Our hosts invited us to play golf. I had not played in twenty years, and I had always said that I wouldn’t play until our kids were old enough to play with us. They begged us, so we thought it was time.

First of all, the cost was 6 dollars. For 18 holes. With the added delight of monkeys in the trees, cattle in the rough and a black mamba in the water. In the four hours we were there, we saw only one other group playing. The boys decided to putt for me, which is one of the reasons that I got an 18 on the first hole. But there were many holes where I needed no assistance to achieve a rather astonishing total.

The caddies were British Kenyans, very proper and well versed in the art of saying the right thing to inflate the tip. After the first hole, I told them: `No matter what, you can’t laugh at me. Agreed?’ By the third hole, they decided that whatever tip they might get was no worth missing all this opportunity for mirth. By the eighth hole, when I said `I’m not doing too good’ they both started laughing in such a way that I was afraid harm might befall them. They were so merry that I couldn’t help but tip them well, or as Matthew observed `Dad, they had to do more work for us than anyone else.’

Nan and Grace were talking, and somehow got on the subject on circumcision.

Grace: My children were all circumcised when they turned 10.
Nan: I can’t believe it! (Shocked face)
Grace: When did your boys get circumcised?
Nan: When they were born.
Grace: I can’t believe it! (Shocked face)
Me: Can we talk about something else?

On that cheery note, I remain

YOP

S