Everyday Update

1)  Today is the 27th birthday of the darling and charming Els.  We had a birthday party for her Saturday night, filled with too much food, lots of drinks, and plenty of games.  Her parents are visiting from Belgium so there was Speculoos Tiramisu (!) along with our cheesecake and Katka's cinnamon rolls for dessert.

2)  What's coming out of the garden lately?  Carrots!  They're slightly dumpy and bumpy because the ground is too hard, but they taste delicious.

PS I made fried okra from our last harvest.  It tasted like Oklahoma.

3)  I feel truly Ugandan now.  I have indulged in one of Uganda's finest delicacies, the fried grasshopper.

Els and I picked up a batch last weekend after doing some shopping.  We each tried 3 or 4.  They taste like salty, cheap cooking oil with a bit of a crunch.  We had to dare Phil to try one when we came home.  He sat with one in his mouth for about 3 minutes, all the while growing redder and more sweaty.  Then he decided he couldn't do it and spat the hopper into the toilet.  Wuss.

4)  What can I say, bugs are big part of our lives lately.

Sahara found this beast in the landing one evening.  She and Tuna stalked the prehistoric insect for hours on end.  When the bug would twitch or move, the dogs would jump back in fear and start barking as if they had seen Big Foot.  You can see from they photo that the dogs eventually swatted off one of its legs, but I'm pretty sure they were too afraid to do more damage.  Goats and cows, no fear.  Big bug, terrified.  I will never understands these mutts.