Feeling Goofy
When I was 12 years old, Simon and Garfunkel came out with a happy song called “Feeling Groovy.” The song was inspiration for the title of today’s post, Feeling Goofy. The idea for the post came last week during one of our morning online meetings with the Notgrass officers. Our daughter Mary Evelyn thought it was a good time for frivolity. I thought today might be a good time for frivolity for you, too.
Mary Evelyn explained that Ray had asked her to help him with a lesson about Belize (in Central America) for the new world geography curriculum he is writing for high school students. Mary Evelyn went on three mission trips to Belize before she married, so she got out her old journals from those trips to help with Ray’s request.
I was blessed to accompany Mary Evelyn on one trip to Belize back in 2008. For two and a half weeks, we worked with children in a Christian school, preparing them to put on a program for the community. It was a super experience, filled with many new ones for both of us.
I want to emphasize that though Belize does not have the material wealth that we are used to in America, the people are some of the sweetest and most giving I have ever met. I wrote a long time ago about the woman who gave me a hand-embroidered tablecloth that her mother had made before she died. Another woman gave me a huge, beautiful conch shell. The ladies at church gave us a going away dinner with their favorite home cooked delicacies. The faith we witnessed was powerful. The trip was a humbling experience, as well as a wonderful one.
Some other folks from America were with us for a portion of our stay, but for much of it, we were on our own. We rented an inexpensive furnished apartment and lived there alone. It was really a quite nice apartment. See what I mean:
Here’s another view . . .
. . . and another.
Okay, so we didn’t have hangers. We had a closet rod and drawer pulls. It worked. The markets were a delight with some foods we did recognize . . .
. . . and others we didn’t.
The stores were another feast for our eyes.
Need some fabric . . .
. . . or sewing supplies?
How about a sink or a tv or a baby walker or a microwave? Notice that Mary Evelyn was having fabric cut.
How about shoes or a basketball?
Bucket or dishpan anyone?
We managed to find everything we needed.
We loved eating out very inexpensively.
One of our favorite places was a lady’s front porch. She cooked the food in her house.
The fresh fruit drinks were especially delicious. I guess my favorite was watermelon juice.
And our work at the school each day was fabulous. The children were very sweet — well, most of them.
However, there was one little problem. We were not the only residents of our apartment. There was the lizard . . .
. . . and the frog . . .
. . . and the bug I stepped on one day. That is where Mary Evelyn’s story comes in. When she read this journal entry to us the other day, I knew I wanted to share it with you. As Ray told me many years ago, “You’re so make-fun-able.” To my surprise, when I looked through my Belize photos to share with you today, I found a picture Mary Evelyn took at the moment where her story began.
To quote Mary Evelyn’s journal for Monday, 28 October 2008:
Before supper Mama smashed a beetle-type thing and it stuck to the bottom of her shoe. She was disgusted. She started toward the kitchen to deal with it and, lo and behold, the sticky mouse trap I had put out earlier (because Mama saw a mouse in the kitchen last night) had already done its job. The little fella was struggling to get free, squealing and all.
I went outside to look for a stick, but finding none I picked up a piece of rebar. I used it to pick up the trap and mouse and take them outside. Mama got a bag and opened it and put it on the porch. I dropped trap and mouse in the bag. Then, for some unexplained purpose, Mama stamped down on the sides of the bag. (It’s not like that was going to keep the mouse inside if it wriggled out of the trap!)
She used two rocks to pick up that bag and drop it in another bag which she had hung on the doorknob. She tied that one closed, threw it into the yard, and kicked it to the garbage bin. I think she requested of the mouse that it not wiggle while she was tying it up. 🙂 And why she couldn’t carry it to the bin is a question worth pondering. I mean she had already touched the bag when she tied it up!
She was going to leave it lying beside the bin, but I didn’t think we should do that. There’s trash everywhere I know, but I want us to do our part! Her solution was to pick up two coconuts that were lying on the ground and use them to pick up the bag and drop it in the bin. You should have seen it. It was quite a show! 🙂 She’s not exactly keen on these visitors we’ve been having!
I am due for a good giggle today. Hope this helps!
A joyful heart is good medicine,
But a broken spirit dries up the bones.
Proverbs 17:22
Thank you for the chuckle before I go to bed (that’s when I usually can get to email!). I enjoyed your reminiscing and your willingness to be “make-fun-able.” What a wonderful quality–one I sadly lack but on very rare occasions, but now that I have a wonderful example set before me, one that by God’s grace I can work on.
All that said, the reason I initially wanted to respond to your post was your “artichokes” are really Dragon Fruit. I didn’t know it was grown in South America as I’m familiar with it from adopting my children from Vietnam and it is grown there. Often times the ones found in the grocery stores by me are from Vietnam. Will have to keep an eye out next time to see if any come from other countries too.
Thank you, Rhoda, for this sweet response. I guess I have been make-fun-able for so long, I’ve gotten used to it! Tee hee. Now I am wanting to try Dragon fruit!