can i please just write about the puppies?

There are ten of them. Spent a solid hour and a half washing them all today with a shampoo that is supposed to rid them of fleas. They were so incredibly loud and freaked the poor things. I also arranged for an old rabbit house to be moved across the center and cleaned it out for them so they wouldn't go back to the dirty storage shed they were in before. Most of them are just barely longer than the length of my hand. As I was holding one after they were all washed it fell asleep in my hand with it's tiny tongue hanging out and it's little legs hanging down and twitching slightly. I seriously considered smuggling it around the center all day long but managed somehow to eventually put it down.

In other productivity news, I began our 2012 planting record so that we can document everything and so that I know how to label everything once I muster up the courage to work with the chemically paint and make all of the signs around the center.

I've been charged with designing the e-newsletter while I am here and felt pretty proud that I had completely figured out exactly what I wanted to do for it (even though the deadline isn't until February 15th). Then after work Samuel informed me that he had a specific idea for February already and I won't have room to write about the stuff I interviewed people on already. How wonderful. I am getting pretty irritated about the lack of communication in general. In all fairness I enjoy and expect communication a lot more than most people, but in situations like these, I feel like I can't be helpful unless I am informed.

Soil sampling starts tomorrow. Or so I am told. But it might be next week. Since, as I've been told, "there's no hurry in Africa".