Seen on My Walk Home Today

I took a leisurely, roundabout walk home from school today, passing by an open space on one side of our village that is often used as a soccer field in the late afternoon.

The cell phone tower in the picture below is in our market town, Wanyjok, about a 10-minute walk from where I was standing.

The rainy season is almost over. There are still places where water covers the paths, but it won't be that way for long. The rains will stop soon, and the ground will become bone dry and hard until they start up again. This usually happens some time in April.

Dried grasses of various earthy tones predominate at ground level, with a few remaining patches of green.

Cucumber Lentil Stew

I've never done a post like this before, but thought I'd try it. My friend Nyibol recently gave me a few cucumbers from her garden. They are more oblong and have a thicker skin than typical North American cucumbers. We have found that they're quite good cooked. I made one into a meal one evening last week by combining it with some lentils. So here is my recipe for Cucumber Lentil Stew.

Ingredients: cucumber, oil, onion, garlic, tomato paste, orange lentils (to provide some protein).

1.  Dice the cucumber. You can see in the photos how thick the skin on these local ones is. 

2.  Sauté the cucumber in oil until it gets slightly soft and golden.

3.  Add the onions and sauté with the cucumber for a few minutes, then add the other ingredients.

4.  Simmer for about 10-15 minutes, covered, then turn off the heat let sit for about five minutes more.  That's it.

I served the cucumber/lentil dish with some Ryvita (whole rye) crackers. And enjoyed it with candlelight and a good book.

Cloudy Day Photos

One cloudy day towards the end of July, I walked home from school around 6:00 enjoying the lovely sky and vivid colors. I picked up my camera and went out to shoot some photos. Here are a few of them.

The large tree on the right in the photo below loses its leaves during the rainy season and looks out of place amidst the abundant vegetation.

I love how the walls of the Dinka huts tend to disappear as the vegetation grows up, leaving only the thatched roofs visible--makes me think of mushrooms or of "Hobbit" huts.

I like the clouds in this picture, and also the way the top of the hut on the right is leaning over. They tend to do that as time goes on, giving each one its own unique shape (kind of like people as they age!).

Some of the local young guys, hanging out at a favourite place near the village well.

One of my older neighbours preparing pumpkin greens as her grandson watches.