Finding land and floor paint

Catherine is back in the US now, and Paul is out traveling the world, so I'll be flying solo for a little while. My first doctor arrives from Tenneesee in two weeks, and after that my good friend, Ray, arrives. So excited to show them my home :)

Catherine and Paul on our sunrise hike

In the meantime I am struggling with the decision of our future housing. Our current place is rapidly getting too small for us, and where to go next is the question. There are other, larger homes that we could rent, but renting is not a good investment, and we usually end up putting a lot into our homes, like water tanks, gutter, plumbing, etc. that we can't take with us if we go. Owning our own home seems like the smartest choice and best investment, it's just a matter of finding land, a builder, cost considerations, and things like that. You really can't buy an existing home here, as nice as that would be-you have to build it. I have hatched a plan that is think is brilliant and will work perfectly if I can get everyone on board. I am currently working on a proposal for the Anglican bishop to convince him to sell me a small corner of the hospital land. That way I can build on it instead of leasing and our investments are secure. We would still be within hospital compound, so we would maintain this wonderful community of friends and neighborhood kids that we are a part of now, and we would the added security of staying within the gates. The HIV clinic is a 2 min walk away, which is also important, and school is 2 minutes the other way. Now it's just the matter of convincing the Bishop.........if you're the praying kind that is my request, prayers that my meeting with the Bishop goes well and he is willing to start negotiations.

As I am anxiously waiting all these decisions to finalize, I have used the time to get my guest house put together before the doctors come. It's been painted inside and out, roof repaired, ceiling replaced, showers fixed, and rewiring done. We paint the floors a dark red here because that's the color of the dirt, and it protects the cement floors. For being a relatively smart girl, I can be a nitwit sometimes, and after an hour of jamming out to Tay Swift and painting the floor in the first room I realized why you never ever start at the doorway and end in the far corner............this is where the term "you've painted yourself into a corner" comes from. And its oil paint, so dashing through it and washing your feet is not as easy as it sounds. Thankfully there were two sets of bunks still in the room, so with a little luck and my acrobatic skills I was able to land on dry ground and went back for my shoes the next day. Now that I am a seasoned floor painter things are going much more smoothly. When I was painting the walkways through the house I had to follow an intricate pattern of hopping around to the dry spots for a few days-good thing I was the only one here. It was less fun at 3 am when you have to go to the bathroom, but generally speaking I find this kind of work fun and satisfying. I also hired two workmen who have been coming everyday this week and last, and I haven't stopped coming up with jobs for them yet :).

James hard at work

I have also employed my older boys so they can make a little spending money, and learn how to paint. Much to the disappointment of the little ones, I had to forbid their helping hands from trying to help after Naomi took a baseball style slide across the porch floor and ruined her new dress. They are now quarantined to the front yard to play until painting is done.

Jessie

 

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