Zambia is below the equator so the month of July is cool. In fact, temperatures can come close to freezing. July is also in the midst of dry season. Nothing is really green any more except for the trees that keep their leaves.
This month is also time of harvest. Maize is grown by most subsistence farmers. By now the corn in the fields is dry and the farmers harvest by hand. They will hire ox carts to transport the maize to their homes or to a place that stores maize. Once the maize is harvested and brought to its location, the maize cobs are either beaten with a club to remove the kernels or the kernels are removed by hand.
I like this time of year. It is still warm during the day, guaranteed no rain, and it is breezy. I love seeing the elephant grass swaying in the wind. Peaceful.
Village children who visit all of the time
I don't give the children things. I don't want them to think I give handouts, but chalk is what I will give to the children. They practice writing on the cement slab of my outdoor kitchen
My to-do list
Transporting soil from old garden beds to create new beds in my garden in front of my house.
I made this shelf which will serve as my workbench for my tree nursery. I built it into a tree.
My walkway which I will fill in with gravel. I am looking outside my doorway.
Letting my hair grow. By the end of two years my hair should have grown a foot long!
This is my water source. It is about 50 meters away from my hut. I fill two 20 liter jerry cans two or three times per day and carry them to my hut. I don't mind doing this at all. I am learning how to conserve water.
