WALK WITH CUBBY
After Grace and I had such a fun time walking up to Sibebe, Cub wanted to do it too (with the same candies). So the next Tuesday (24 August) she and I headed out. We took only 2 liters of water (instead of 4) and we left the big camera at home (since we had already shot a lot of photos of the trip with Grace). We left the house at 7:20AM-a little later than Grace and I did, but Cub wanted pancakes for breakfast, and that took a little more time.

It was a great trip. She took 5 hours to get to the top; we hardly ever stopped; quite a feat for a five year old!). The weather was cold and overcast the whole time (by contrast, Grace and I set out under cloud cover which quickly burned off). The only worrisome part was the very end-going down Sibebe. With Grace it was no problem, but by the time Cub and I reached the top, we were in the clouds and surrounded by mist. This is not an ideal circumstance in which to descend an occasionally-steep rock face! But we were careful where we stepped, avoiding rock (which is slippery when wet) as much as we could (which was most of the time), and got down wet and blackened, but happy. The blackened part came from the fact that much of the grassland through which we walked had recently been burned. The winter fires are an annual feature of rural Swazi life. Ruth and I, having grown up on Smokey the Bear, never get used to it, but it sure is a fast and effective way to clear out rats and snakes and to ensure tender new grass for the cows.

After getting to the Pine Valley road, Cub and I boarded a bus and took our damp selves into town. I thought about changing clothes, but it was also drizzly in town and I didn't want to mess up our nice clean clothes with our dirty bodies. We ran errands around town, including having lunch. I ordered a large chicken and rice dish and wondered if we would finish it. We finished it FAST. The cold and the hiking must have made us hungrier than I realized. We spent the night at the Youth With A Mission (YWAM) base (thanks guys!), ran a few more errands the next day (including getting Jabulile's residence permit; she's legal now), and headed home. Though life and school here does have its frustrating aspects, I cannot imagine a job I could have right now that allows me to take off two days in the middle of the week to hike with my 5 year old, and do it at almost no expense.

BIKE RACE
When Grace and I did our hike, a local man stopped us early in our walk and informed us of an upcoming bike race that will travel through Dlangeni. I've been riding a bike about 3 times a week since March or so, now that my left knee is allergic to running. The biking is no problem for the knee, and it is also a fun and solid workout. Kit and I also happened to meet a group of cyclists (they're kind of easy to see in the States, and much more so in Swaziland: exotic-looking bikes and clothes out of some science-fiction movie) riding on the main road last Saturday. After confirming the race with one of those cyclists, I also saw a poster advertising the race in town. After talking to Ruth, I signed up. This is the first bike race I've ever entered, and I have no expectation of being a competitor. The main thing is the opportunity to get out and do something with like-minded guys; perhaps I'll hook up with the cycling group for a Saturday ride every few weeks. I did purchase some toe-clips (keeps the feet on the pedals) and hacksawed off my bike lock (lost the key about 2 years ago, and replacing it is impossible). I was a little worried when the application form asked the name and number of our doctor, and what my blood type is. Yikes, I'm only in this for the fun, not blood and glory! The race is 40 kilometers; I've ridden 35km straight before, without any previous training and with Ruth's backpack full of food on my back. That nearly killed me. But now I've been riding consistently up some big hills, and I won't be laden with anything, and the adrenaline will be pumping (hard to avoid that entirely, as it is an official race), so I think things will turn out fine. The other thing is, I don't know where the finish line is. I'll just call Ruth when I get there and tell her where I am and ask her to come pick me up with our shiny SUV with the bike rack on the back, by homing in on my cell phone signal using the GPS inside the car-HA HA HA! I really don't know what the situation will be; but as the race starts at 8:30, I'll be done by noon at the latest, and I can get somewhere (hopefully home!) by 5PM.

[From Ruth--Rudy and I discussed whether he should do the bike race or not. We had just decided that it would be a good idea--a way to meet other bikers. Rudy started to get excited. And then a cloud crossed his face as he started thinking about the logistics of representing Team Nsukumhillbilly at a First World type event. If you know Rudy, you know that anything that he wants to do, he will figure out a way to do it--So here are his low-budget biking solutions]

As for clothing, I fear and relish the thought that I will indeed represent Team Nsukumhillbilly. I don't have a pair of those biking shorts (they are mighty immodest, if you ask me), and my soccer shorts (though I wear them when I ride in the mornings) are too baggy for a race; they get caught on the bike seat. I'm going to wear the cotton shorts I use as pajamas; they stay closer to my legs. I went out this morning for a ride, and Grace said "You're going to ride your bike in your pajamas!?" It's sort of like being in a dream when you are not quite properly dressed. Nobody else knows or will notice, but you do. As for the $300 cycling cleats: on my feet it'll be a 3-year old pair of lightweight hiking boots that are just barely holding together. As they've worn down they started to hit me on the outside of my left ankle; I had to cut a fair amount of the shoe out to relieve the pressure. Looks like a small shark attacked that boot. The leather is separating from the nylon around the toe, and the laces snapped recently. One of the new pair of laces is capped at the end with duct tape to keep them from fraying (because I bought a long size and had to cut them short). My shirt? I used to have one of those sleek 100% nylon biking shirts with the three long pockets in the back to hold water bottles and power bars. I liked to imagine I was part of the Austrian Olympic cycling team. That shirt wore out long before we moved here, so I'll be sporting my long-sleeve green cotton shirt with "Not All Who Wander Are Lost" emblazoned across the front. This shirt was a gift from my parents when they visited the Grand Canyon a couple years ago. Thanks mom and dad! I'll try to do you proud. I'm thinking I will have to carry my small backpack, because I don't have a shirt with those slick pockets. Then again, my shorts have pockets; could I cram a Cadbury Top Deck in each one, and drink from the streams?

Given my outfit and the region where we'll be cycling, I like to think that should the ride go commando somehow, I will have an edge on the shiny, brightly-colored "furriners" who don't know the area.

TREES
The avocado trees we planted on the west side are showing the signs of winter: they are still alive, but the leaves are a pale yellow, indicating lack of nutrients. Ruth says it is good to not water them through the dry season, so that their roots go deep. She also says that fertilizing them now won't help, as there is no rain to wash the fertilizer into the soil.

A month ago I decided to start "fertigating" ("fertilizing" and "irrigating" combined) them myself. I urinate into a 1 liter bucket, then top up the bucket with water. Then I pour the 1 liter solution around a tree. I fertigate each tree, using an old metal desk frame to indicate the last tree I did. I don't know if it's my imagination, but it seems that the plants are looking better. It is my hope that as the days get longer and warmer, and especially when the rains start, the trees will draw on this "fertilizer cache" and have a great start for the growing season.

The July 2010 edition of ECHO Development Notes (echonet.org) has an article entitled "Human Urine as a Fertilizer". Looks like this is a good use of an otherwise squandered resource. The ECHO article concludes "Human urine seems to have significant potential as a source of essential plant nutrients." For more information, visit www.ecosanres.org and http://aquamor.tripod.com/KYOTO.htm

MAMA SAID THERE'D BE DAYS LIKE THIS
I heard a Van Morrison song with that refrain in it one time at a Wendy's restaurant; I'd never heard it before, nor since. It's a great song, talking about sunny days and fun with friends and all the small, sweet things in life.

This has been "a day like this" all school break. The school term ended well. Rudy has been up Sibebe with Lawrence Rugumambaju, with Grace and with Cub. Kit and Rudy walked to the Pine Valley road together one Saturday morning, and we have spent time with our YWAM friends. We've visited the homestead, and learned that Abner Dlamini (Rudy's homestead father) is in physical therapy until October. While there, we bought 50 pounds of corn for 50 Emalangeni. We are glad to have the imphuphu (corn meal, for making umkadzanga/liphalishi), and we are glad to have put the money into the pocket of folks we know who can use it. Mr. Lukhele and I got all the National Geographic magazines; on that same trip we got some fencing for a new (small, but significant) fruit tree orchard. The hard part of clearing the area for that orchard was done Monday, and on the next Monday we plan to start putting up the fence. In October we plan to put the trees in the ground. Mr. Kunene, Musi Kunene, and Mr. Mubiru from the small outstation church will be over on Tuesday for a meal and a brainstorming session for ways to keep the young men (11-20 years of age) active in the church. On Tuesday we will visit veteran missionaries and friends Bruce and Carol Britten in Manzini, and then Friday one of the YWAM students will spend the weekend with us, including the hike to the church on Sunday. It is important to appreciate these times when one is in the midst of them, and to remember them when other, more difficult periods, inevitably come. Hope you are now or will soon enjoy "a day like this".

For the gang,
Rudy Poglitsh