New Cool Neighbors and Health Post News

Rock Monitor (juvenile)

Actually, since most of our new neighbors are cold-blooded reptiles, classifying them as “cool” rests on whether or not you’re a reptile lover. I guess after so many years of living around them, I’ve learned to rather like reptiles. Good thing since there are so many!

We recently discovered this Rock (or White Throated) Monitor living in our water tower. These guys can grow to 1.32 meters in length, but this one is still a baby. And yes, he dug a hole/home into the compressed dirt brick. Apparently they bite hard and hang on like a bull-dog when threatened, so I won’t go poking him with my finger. (more info on White Throated Monitors)

Rainbow Skinks like this one skitter and sun themselves among the rocks in our yard.

Tree Agamas and Ground Agamas hang out in the yard too.

This Rough-Scaled Plated Lizard lived among our rocks but then he found a safer, more convenient spot—a rain-water drainage pipe we installed. So he moved there instead. I bet he said, “Thank you, God!”

This is snake time, and a Twig Snake like this (there are actually 2 in the photo)

was lying smack dab in the middle of my path the other day while I was rushing to get somewhere. I stopped dead in my tracks and we just stared at each other for a long time. There is no anti-venom for the deadly bite of this snake. Thankfully, it’s a very shy snake. I hurled sticks, which he ignored because they didn’t land anywhere near him (I have terrible aim ☹). When I turned around to look for something bigger to throw (small target + larger weapon = increased probability of at least scaring enemy away), he slithered off into the bush. Phew. I didn’t have my camera on me so I used this photo I took last year.

And then there are these guys.

These Ghekos live IN our house WITH us. At night, as they chase bugs or each other around, they can be more entertaining than the TV or Facebook status updates. Supposedly, they make barking or chirping sounds. I, myself, have never heard them so for me, the verdict is still out on that :P

We have other neighbors right now too, like big hairy spiders, several varieties of wasps, more scorpions, centipedes, bats, monkeys and mice. Oh dear. If only we could choose our neighbors!

Moving along here.

We’ve been busy as bees trying to finish up our house. I spent hours down there tiling a shower. Straight tiles in an off-square shower = a time consuming challenge! Sure glad Mushu was such a big help.

Glenn and Matthew put a lot of time this week into updating school child photos and info,

plus doing vision tests on the kids.

And there are changes in the works for both of our health posts.

#1: Construction on a new health post, which will be situated right beside the school, has the official “go ahead”. The new situation will make the health post more accessible to not only the school kids but for the local community as well.

#2: The Health Department has requested our help in expanding the current Mucombezi Sede community Health Post (which the mission operates)

to a “Health Center”. (More building!) Health Centers, which are staffed by nurses and have regular visits by Dr.’s, provide a wider range of services. This would help to better meet some of the critical health needs in our area.

Now THAT’s cool!

Until next time.