Dog Bites, Ticks and a Monkey....oh my!

Loki

Back in the BIG city of Nairobi after two weeks upcountry in Lokichoggio on the border of Sudan. Loved the quiet, the time to focus on the kids (no horseback riding lessons, Bible Studies, homeschool co-ops to run to, or traffic to sit in while trying to pick up a few groceries), seeing the beautiful Turkana women with beads piled up to their chin regally carrying firewood or jerry cans of water on their heads.

Loved the fact in a place where the women sport mohawks, my son (with HIS mohawk), or our three white kids riding around town on the roof rack was a source of giggles for the locals!

A Typical road in Loki

Two weeks upcountry with no prior commitments to keep me busy. We got through or homeschool day at lightening speed! So then I looked around the house, belonging to missionaries on home assignment, what could I do for them while they are away? They have two dogs, covered in ticks -a year without their owners to care for them and pilots through the house for brief periods of time left the dogs in need of a lot of TLC.

Griffins and Isaiah

Even though one of the dogs bit Olivia our first day in Loki, I almost didn't blame his bad behavior because of his sad condition. Pulling my tweezers from my makeup bag, I pulled probably 200 ticks off Mabior, the white dog who had it worse off. Twiga had maybe only 100, most of them between his toes and the pads on his feet!

The pup with the ticks and over active jaws

I googled "ticks" to find out they don't drown in water, but rubbing alcohol would work. I found mouth wash, that would have to do. It worked a heck of a lot better than smashing them with a hammer, which was our first method of elimination of the ticks....that is until Jerry smashed a fairly "juicy" one and my clothes and I became splattered in dog blood, Yech!!

Most of the ticks I removed from the dog.

Notice the variety!

They're in mouthwash because they will not drown in water

So here's the proof, the TMI picture to go with the TMI description of my time pulling ticks off dogs, and not forgetting to check my kids meticulously for ticks too! Thanks to friends in Nairobi sending up lots of dawa (medicine) for the dogs- a tick/ flea bath and Frontline, and for the yard ( a good strong pesticide) we knocked those ticks out of there!! I hope they stay away at least until the owners return in a month, but that may be optimistic with those relentless and nasty ticks.

Loki Grocery Store

Lucy transporting a chicken

Another chapter in the battle of the ticks, was taking a friend's great advice to heart, that chickens would eat ticks....so in hopes of purging the yard of hiding ticks, the kids and I tried to lure chickens from the compound through the house into the backyard with a trail of bread crumbs and popcorn. We couldn't have done it without Olivia's Turkana friend, Lucy, who wasn't afraid to pick up the chickens and rooster and carry them to the backyard, while the Hurds preferred to flap our arms in a rather chicken-like manner and attempt to herd them into the backyard!

The compound manager wanted the chickens out of the backyard, and able to go their roost at night...but a sudden rainstorm made us wait.

Now it was dark and raining and we still had chickens in the backyard, huddled on top of each other in a poultry pile. The kids and I held out towels to hopefully keeping the chickens from running, and Jerry lunged and faked trying to pick one or the other up to toss over the fence, as the chickens were in no mood to be herded out the way they came. Finally Jerry managed to get a hold of one chicken, who smartly grabbed onto the top rail of the chain link fence and refused to be pushed over. She kept bouncing back up to the top of the fence, clinging tight with her talons, like a jack in the box! The next few didn't grab on and went over flapping and complaining. So, if you're bored and upcountry, you should try the herding chicken game!

Girls fetching water for their families


























































Bugs come big in Loki! The spider was dead in the pool.







































I was privileged to visit a women's cooperative, with the kids, and Jerry,  where  they learn to bake bread and bead necklaces to sell. It helps women with few options to provide for their families' needs. It made my heart beat a little faster to find a place I felt I might fit in rather well, helping keeping the ladies co op going, by teaching them crafts! How fun!
















 Women's jewelry making co-op

Rafiki, Olivia's vervet monkey, with a cat

The day before we were to leave, Olivia's Turkana friend, Lucy, arrived to visit, a  monkey attached to a long leash trailing behind her. We oohed and ahhed at the little guy in wonder....until she informed us that the monkey was a gift for Olivia -then we were quite speechless! I heard my mother in my head, saying, "Rabies, rabies, rabies!!" after our dog bite experience. BUT, he was pretty darn cute, and Lucy was being incredibly generous to give the pet she had raised from a baby, when she found it in the jungle. (She said jungle, but remember...we are visiting in the DESERT. Hmmm.) I came up with a brilliant plan....ask Lucy to care for the little guy until we move up to Loki! So he's there, waiting for us...to figure out what to do with a pet monkey!!! When we do return, I will bring rabies vaccine for him, I guarantee it!!

Beware...of pirate hats?! ARRR!