Out of Africa

My friend Sarah, who just happens to be our Rector's daughter, is in Tanzania, Africa this year, serving as a missionary. When she graduated from the University of Georgia last Spring, she decided she wanted to do something different for a while before she began a real adult kind of job. I think it's been a wonderful experience for her, and I live rather vicariously through her blog posts and emails, in which she attaches lots and lots of the most fabulous pictures. Her parents visited with her for two weeks just after Christmas and had a marvelous time. I had hoped to go along, but, sadly, things just didn't work out for me. When our Rector and his wife returned, they brought me this wonderful fabric:


I think it must be mud cloth, but I'm not sure. Does anybody know? There must be 3-4 yards of it, and it is very wide, so I am hoping to make at least a long skirt from it, and perhaps a jacket, and if yardage permits, some slacks. I just love it! They gave it to me last night at our parish's Wednesday night dinner. Claude, a friend seated at our table, grabbed his napkin and pen and immediately sketched out this wonderful giraffe!

Here is one of the pictures that Sarah has sent me of women in Tanzania. I was very attracted to the wonderfully colorful fabric in their skirts:


OK, now I need to do a bit of 'housekeeping' here:
My Swedish Cousin Eva awarded me with a blogger friendship award a few days ago. Now I am feeling rather awkward and badly as I had decided a while back that I would no longer accept any of these awards, but I had never stated that on my blog. While it's always an honor to receive such accolades, I often feel badly in having to single out just a few of the wonderful bloggers who entertain me on a daily basis. So, Eva, at the risk of hurting your feelings, I want to thank you and let you know how much I appreciate this, and also extend the award to each and every person who reads this post.

At the same time, I want to announce that I'm no longer participating in these awards. Thank you, thank you, thank you....but enough!

I've borrowed the above award from my German blogger friend Eva (yes, another Eva!), and she states that anyone may use it.

Speaking of blogs that I read, I came across this great quote on Lesley Riley's blog this morning:

I get up every morning determined both to change the world
and have one hell of a good time.
Sometimes, this makes planning the day difficult.

E.B. White

YES WE CAN!