DD Plus Three

Today's my due date plus three. Those that followed Abe's tardy arrival almost two years ago (he was 10 days late) will remember the eggplant story... my midwife told me about a restaurant in Georgia that served a splendid dish of eggplant parmesan. Customers (pregnant ladies, that is) who were full term were guaranteed to go into labor within 24 hours after eating their eggplant or they would get their money back. Well, we had some eggplant in the fridge and I indulged... Abe was born the next day.

So today for lunch we had hummus and eggplant saute. Tomorrow we may try local strategies...

As I mentioned earlier this week, Esther has been taking advantage of the pre-baby time to experience some of the local culture and nature. I thought you'd like to hear her highlights from her stay in a traditional longhouse (this is a tribal group quite different from the Lono we serve).
And now from the guest blogger from across the ocean...

Starting from the ground up, the long-house which was made for communal living is built on wood stilts--some as tough as iron-wood. Whoever wants to enter, climbs past a short porch up a tree that's had steps cut out of it. Exterior walls lean outward, framed in round bamboo; interior walls are lined with bark that peeled looks like prints from African mud cloths. The floors--made of split bamboo-- rattled as Noah, the youngest boy of the group raced up and down the longhouse "hall"after we had watched an intimate concert (The guests totaled 4 to the hosts' 12-some) which included playing homeade instruments: a thimble sort of guitar, and a flute played nasally. The tribal group was very gracious to invite us to dance with them after their examples in between long bamboo sticks that were pounding to a beat; then in a free-flowing arm dance to throbbing gonging. The floors held up to all of this, much better than I've felt them throb in manufactured trailers. The individual rooms were no match to Motel 6's homespun love either. Numbers indicating the room had been woven and pinned above the door. True Bathrooms were out-of-house..., but other positives: Mosquito nets in that hung over our mattresses weren't needed that eve--so scant was the insect life on our eve anyway. Altogether, it seems long-house living would make for good community living--eating, running and playing music together; with ability to close your own door when you want to.

Pictured, from top: Underneath the longhouse; Noah and Esther with the dancers; The "guitar" and the nose flute player; Esther doing the bamboo dance