Blog worthy events

Throughout the course of the day, there were a few blog worthy quotes that came out of me and Jackie's mouths... but of course, now I can't remember any of them. So this blog may end up being rather anti-climactic. I think one of the quotes had to do with the fact that we wake up every morning and find bug legs all over the kitchen counters. Yes, I said bug legs. I don't quite know what kind of bug legs they are, but they are definitely bug legs. So we're really not quite sure what happens on the kitchen counters at night. Are the rats coming out and feasting on the cockroaches? Are there spiders or bats that are feasting? Are the bugs just spontaneously losing their legs on our counters? I just don't get it. What it does mean, though, is that our counters get a good bleaching every day, since we just don't know who's dancing on them at night.

Last night, in fact, I heard some noises coming from the kitchen. Good old Zane, the might hunter that he is, was sound asleep at the foot of my bed. He was completely zonked out. But there were some sort of creatures having a little party in the kitchen, so I woke him up and threw him in there at about 2am. By 4 am, he was back in my room, biting my toes to get me to wake up and let him outside! He's a clever kitty, that one. He knows exactly how to get my attention!

Speaking of the cat, I rented him out this evening for his rat hunting abilities. Our neighbors (the ones with the baby that I love to hold) also have baby rats in their house! So I've sent Zane over a few times now to try to put an end to that little rat family. So far, he's already had a few tender morsels over there. He's spending the night tonight, so I have no one to wake me up in the middle of the night here :) I just hope he's not making a nuisance of himself over there.

Since I rented out my cat to them, Julia came over and used our oven to make an amazing chocolate cake! So I will certainly rent out my cat for a piece of fresh from the oven chocolate cake anytime.

I also went to the market today with a friend. I love going to this market here because you still see a handful of people wearing their traditional clothes and ogling at the white girls, because you know they have had very little contact with white folks before. Today, though, there was a family wearing clothes that I didn't really recognize at all. They were quite different from most of the clothes we see around here. They were similar to some of the clothes that the bedouins in the desert near where I used to live wear. They were quite stunning people - definitely of Arab descent, but certainly not from the city, which is where most of the Arabs here are from.

In fact, one of the women wanted to talk to me, but she was holding out her baby as she was calling me over. So I didn't get too up close and personal with her. I've had the experience before of people giving me their babies and expecting me to take them, assuming that I would give their baby a better life or something. Maybe I was assuming too much out of the situation this afternoon, but I just really didn't want to cause a scene in the middle of a crowded market! So I just waved, smiled, said "salam alekum" and kept on walking! But it would have been very interesting to talk with them, with my extraordinarily limited Arabic, and find out where they were from. Maybe I'll see them again, and will have a chance to talk with one of them who isn't trying to force a baby into my arms!

Ah, the joys of life around here. You never quite know what's going to happen next...