another post so soon?

Morning Rachael! 

Ahhhhhh..... daughter #1, the ever in control, stay the course, a-fish-inado of Colorado rivers, Alaskan guide and bear chaser, I'm outta here, never homesick, queen of the passports........ is homesick in Benin, Africa.  The last few days of trying to communicate have me convinced there is a wildebeest running the 3G network.  We have tried Skyp, Facetime, ichat, AOL, google chat, talkatone app, heytell app and now realize..... a tin can with string would have worked!  

But then in 2006, when she threw herself on Peace Corps doorstep, there was NO communication.  A package took 6 months to get to her.  I sent a lot of fuzzy cookies and hairy smokies those years, they ate them anyway.  This time around she has running water!!  

We had a brief facetime yesterday and I got the tour of her apartment.... posh!  Well except for the rats in the ceiling.  Her table and two chairs had arrived, custom but then everything is custom because there is no IKEA or Walmart in Parakou.  Do you hear that fellow craftsmen????  She had to wait for the local furniture maker to make and deliver a table and chairs.  And they were beautiful!  

As she sat on her concrete steps, outside her concrete block house, in 88 degree weather, she looked a little beat down and she was questioning what she was doing there.  Oh honey, you have taken yourself on a self imposed vision quest!  Honestly, as bad as she feels right now, I believe in my heart of hearts she will rock this trip.  Her partner on the ground, Ibraheim is the undimming light pushing her forward and focused.  They have a mission to get MAMACARTS off the ground with a Rockefeller grant.  One year to make it happen.  Do it now, run hard then come home and fish, drink beer and recover, you will never be sorry or look back..... I promise.

As our all too brief facetime ended I promised I would blog daily to keep her up on the home front. 

So Rachael here is the run down.......

I know you are sweating to death in your concrete apartment...... we are buried in snow and living large in 4 degree weather.  

there is a hoop house under that pile of white stuff...... OH and it's early morning here, 

on my way back from the chicken coop this morning.....

waiting to be glazed........ 

winter carving......

new forms, not sure I love these yet...... 

on my reading table..... currently listening to "Cooked" by Michael Pollan.  

It is blowing my mind and LOVE this book!! 

Watched this great video on Minnesota Potters, Sharing the Fire.  

If you watch you will recognize many of the studios and potter from our trip last May.

one chicken out this morning, the rest of the girls were complaining...... loudly! 

found them!  The days are getting longer as I collected 5 eggs yesterday!  

Two of the cuckoo marans are still  sporting bubble gum pink combs and molting but that should end soon. 

This morning, coffee with SARAH JAEGER and my keyboard.  

I will keep you posted daily on the homefront, I promise :) 

Love you always, you are rocking the world ....... Mom