"I'm proud to pay taxes in the United States. The only thing is, I could be just as proud for half the money." - Arthur Godfrey

Today on Baker Rd.

• I got four Marion berry plants in the ground and covered with netting to protect them from the birds.
• Did the same with two blueberry bushes.
• We're down to seven pullets. I check on them a couple of times each day, and when I looked in on them this morning they were all fine. This afternoon one of the Buff Orpingtons was laying lifeless on the floor of the coop. I dunno, but what lives dies. The Buffs were a week or two younger than the rest because they didn't have any when I bought the others, so it may have succumbed to the cold temps last night. 
• I measured the water depth in the hand dug well I hope to use for irrigation and was very pleasantly surprised to see it's at 8'. Yes, it's April, but even after months of dryer weather it should be well within the 20' required for a jet pump to work. (See what I did there?) Now I'm eager to get the well working so I don't have to haul water down to the coop and berries in a 5 gallon bucket. I need to put a draw pipe in and hook up a pump. My tentative plan is to put a plastic recycled 55 gallon drum up on a stand so that once it's filled I'll have gravity feed for a couple of weeks at a time. 
• We hit 79 degrees, 18 degrees above average. It was beautiful outside.

Only a few people at church know that I was in Tanzania for the last 2+ weeks. Those that do asked, "How was Africa?" How do I answer that in one or two sentences???

I spent one week of that time at the mission's property in Mumba, a remote village near the western border of the country. I thought it was dark here! The night sky was stunning, and I've never seen the Milky Way as clearly and distinctly as I did there. 

Here's a pic of the missionaries and their families who work in Tanzania (except for the two families that are home on furlough). These are some impressive people, both in terms of their skills and their commitment to service. 

That's Mark on the far left. He's a Physician Assistant who runs a clinic down in the Rukwa Valley. Note the headlamp he's wearing. Here that would be considered a bit nerdy, but it's almost essential there. Once the sun goes down it is VERY dark, and if you have to walk from one of the mission houses to another 300 yards away you're going to need a light. Wearing one on your head leaves both hands free to unlock the door when you get there. 

We're heading out tomorrow. We decided that my extended absence requires a day away together, so we're headed out to the town of Florence on the coast, 50 miles west of here. The drive out Hwy 126 is beautiful, winding through the hills along the Siuslaw River for much of the distance. The old town portion of Florence, down by the waterfront, is a bit of a tourist trap draw, but the main street is an interesting stroll, some of the shops have interesting things, and there's a really cool restaurant we like. It's a tea shop run by a woman from England and feels very British, including the fine china cups & saucers used to serve your tea or coffee. It's only open for breakfast and lunch and the menu is just as British as the decor. So that will be our splurge for the month. 

The chores on Baker Rd. can wait a day.

Edit: I just learned the tea shop is closed on Mondays, so we've changed our plans and will go Tuesday instead. The weather will be the same - low 70's and sunny - and hey, we're retired. We can do that!