Life in the land of the pure 2024-25, episode six: catching up

 Wow my last post was over six weeks ago!   Yikes! so many things since then:

After taking over the garden club, we. Have almost all  the plots “adopted.” My basil is doing well, my pumpkins are flowering (still) but no fruit, my sunflowers are nonexistent … but the collard green plant I inherited is doing well, I harvested it and cooked it up some for snacking.  Not too bad. 


We had a Halloween party and more importantly the Marine Corps Ball (or as heather and I put it, prom for old people). DCM natalie, USAID director Kate, and I finally got together for a photograph. 


Book club has done two books, The Center ( a sort of Pakistani horror thriller) and There There (a novel about the Native experience in Oakland). Next up is James, a retelling of Huck Finn from the perspective of Jim, the runaway slave.


I’ve been volunteering with People Actively Working for Strays (PAWS), the group that supports and cares for the dogs in the diplomatic zone. When the police began to round up the dogs, one of the Pakistani volunteers did so first and they’re sheltering temporarily in his house.  A project I’ve taken on is to elevate our image and fund raise, we now have a collectible challenge coin we give to supporters  who make a suggested minimal donation, about $20. 


Also I’m doing some driving!  Nothing too nutty but I i admit the traffic and roads aren’t great.  Parking can be the real challenge. 


Lots of holiday bazaars but the best was held in the grounds of the Lok Virsa museum. Each province (Punjab, Sindhi, khyber pakhtunkwa, Baluchistan, Azad Kashmir, and gilgit-baltistan ) had a pavilion with food, music, dancing, and shops.  When I was here two years ago we brought puppy pepper and she was transfixed by a big circle of chickens roasting on spits.  


Ok enough for now,  I’ll try to post smaller & more frequently and with photos.   Oh and I think I fixed the YouTube links for the enclave walk episode, please let me know if they don’t work for you.  

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