Bennett is "Bented"! A woeful tale of a broken arm.

Remember how I posted this picture a month back? A picture of Bennett so proud to be able to make it all the way across the monkey cars, which his Daddy had built for a local playground?

Well it turns out those monkey bars are not his friend. On Sunday night, just as church was starting, Bennett was taking one last swing across the monkey bars when his feet slipped on the rung at the end and he fell down, landing on his left arm. His ulna and radius bones both snapped, just above the wrist joint.

The shirt he is wearing says it all.

“I do all my own stunts!”

Now there are a few things that the Niger health system does well, but we did not feel that putting a 5 year old under general anaesthesia and possible bone surgery is on that list. We are thankful that we work for an organization with good health insurance and member care. Thus the treating doctor told us our best choice was to go to a “First World Hospital” to get the bone set. If there are any complications from setting it and it requires surgery…at least we will already be in the best place for that!

Bennett has been in a clinic with a morphine drop since Sunday night and we fly out Tuesday night. The bones are still overlapping and not even set. His arm is braced to reduce movement and jars but nothing else has been done. He is such a trooper and is in decent good spirits, all things considered.

If all goes well, we hope to be back in Niger on Sunday night. If surgery is required we will be longer, but we will cross that bridge if we come to it!

So where are we going….I will give you a hint!

Ironic thing is, we ended up getting referred to the exact same hospital I went to in 2006 when I had Dengue fever! With several dozens of hospitals in Paris, I thought that was funny. Walking distance from the Luxembourg Parc where Bennett can sail little boats in a pond on the weekend if he is up to it!

Please pray for a safe trip tonight with no bumps or turbulence and that he could sleep. Also please pray they could easily set the bones and that surgery would not be required, then we will be home for Sunday!!

Thanks to many of you who have been so encouraging and supportive these last few days – from running errands and making phone calls for us, delivering coffee and hugs to the clinic and to your notes of encouragement. We appreciate it all very much.

See you from Paris!

Harriet’s Great Escape….attempt.

We recently sprayed insecticide in our yard and poor Harriet had to stay indoors for a few days. When it was safe to go out…she didn’t want to ever come back in!

When i got down in front of her and she could see me, she would quickly turn around and head the other direction. You wouldn’t believe how fast that turtle could move!

To try and get her back into the house we had to call in the big guns. The Special Turtle Intelligence Lego Team (STILT for short)!

One of the team set up surveillance on top of a large plant where he could get a good view

One STILT member hid waiting along the back wall until the suspect approached. It was a rough confrontation!

When they finally clashed heads, it was Harriet the turtle who got the best of the helicopter. His Lego greatness was no match for her solid shell and power legs!

The helicopter upside, thrown and discarded by the sneaky turtle foe!

The final helicopter was trying to block the narrow escape pathway to the turtle’s favourite hiding place behind the air conditioning compressor unit. They had only recently discovered this hiding place when Lucky Lizard the snitch cut a deal.

This path is only wide enough for one of us Turtle scum!

Once again the Turtle comes out triumphant!!

Finally they capture the fleeing suspect on a lonely stretch of Lego road where she can’t hide. Touch down!!

Well….at least they serve lettuce in prison!!

Sooo………. what did you do on your Sunday afternoon!!!

Is rainy season finally going to start?

Rainy season has been flirting with Niger. The rains are really late, we have gotten a few sad sprinklings, but nothing serious. Tonight maybe we have seen the start of rainy season?

In the late afternoon a sandstorm blew in and it went from daylight to dark eerie night in  a matter of minutes. I verified my camera was not set to change colors of bump up saturation- this was the real color of the sky as the winds brought in all that Sahara sand!

The the main sandstorm passed and it lightened up considerably to a crazy bright yellow

And then the torrents of rain began to fall. It rained hard for at least an hour, and as I write this a few hours later it is still drizzling.

The other star of the show was the thunder and lightning. It was loud and close! I was out just under the awning to avoid getting wet, but getting some shots. All were handheld so a little blurry on the edges. What a storm!

Let’s hope rainy season has really begun! We can all use a break from the heat and humidity and the land of Niger needs rain for a good harvest and growth!