You can never tell what she wants...

I really enjoy my independence here, and with so many people and so few cars I try to take a bike places, instead of keeping a car all to myself while I do my own thing. Or asking for a ride that would later leave me stranded. On Friday night I wanted to go over to a friends house, but it was dark out already, AND they’d been repairing the roads like nuts, so there were ditches and piles of fresh dirt where there weren’t before. One of my friends had had a little bike accident b/c a ditch was dug while she was visiting my house- the road that had been safe only a couple hours earlier now made treacherous with the potent combination of hard working men and the sun setting. I didn’t want the same thing to happen to me so I asked one of my daughters to borrow her flashlight, but she couldn’t find it. The main house dad wears a headlamp on his cowboy hat all the time. Which is great b/c he’s always fixing things, and it comes in handy. I’ve asked him for a lot of things living here...let's recap.

1. Would you fix the water pipe that broke in the attic?
2. Would you fix the bathroom pipe that broke above my bedroom?
3. Would you fix the water heater in my house? I think the filament is broken, the water is cold.
4. Would you fix our septic? The toilets won't flush and the sewage is backing up into my bath tub. (twice)
5. Would you take this child on your errands today? I need them to not be in the house.
6. How do you get on the wireless again?
7. How do you change this car from 4-wheel drive to front wheel drive?
8. Can you get the car unstuck from the mud? (twice)
9. Would you get the electricity to work in the house again?
10. Do you know why there isn't any water in my house?



so, I've asked him a lot of things, but never have I asked to borrow his headlamp. I went and waited in line, 3rd behind his kids that were asking him for money. If food is the way to a man’s heart, then money is the way to a teenager’s heart. Upon hearing my request one of his children, Y—said, “that’s ALL you want?” I'm sure Steve was relieved that his headlamp was all I wanted.

A---, 15, and I rode 5 blocks to our destination. I was the “lighter”. While I pedaled, I panned my head back and forth to light the whole street, her side and mine. I started swerving, got dizzy, struggling to bike straight and move my head at the same time, so I quit. She said, “Jen, You’re a bad liar.” I’d gotten selfish with the light ☺ She had meant, “you’re a bad lighter” but English is her second language . I realized I couldn't look at the stars and bike at the same time if my head had to point to where we wanted the light. Luckily, that was the only interesting thing that happened to us while we biked in the dark.