Feb. 30-31, 2006

After the fallout with Noeline and my little cry, I got out my work clothes and boots and trudged back to the main house and commenced working on cleaning.  I was in a really low mood, I felt horrible that Noeline spent last the last 4 days with this hanging over her head rather then confronting me.  Not that I wanted to feel bad, but I hate hurting people and needlessly at that.
 
So basically I didn’t say much the remainder of the day.  At first I was going to try and help Noeline pack up items in the kitchen area, but she knows more of what she wants and to whom she wants to give stuff too and I just seem to be in the way when this is going on.  Noeline has a small kitchen that is stacked up with lots of tablecloths, small decorative pillows and covers, kitchen dish’s, glasses and flatware and pots and pans and all kinds of smaller household type items.  A man who is a helper of Noeline’s gets big cardboard drums that have lids on them and we had about 3 lined up and each was going either to a special person or to Noeline’s school. 
Noeline has just gotten word that the school that she had paid for to be built was completed and it is grand!  It has walls and a roof and it is 100x better then anything around for miles.  She paid for it to be built out of her own money and she is very proud.  She has been collecting desks and chairs from for the last few years to supply the school.  Her friend that runs the mission called to tell her that they can’t afford to hire teachers to teach at the school, but the Salvation Army has offered to run it and get the teachers.  Noeline was thrilled with that- she doesn’t care who runs it as long as children are being taught. So the one drum was dedicated to educational type toys to go to the Rainbow school.  

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2-26 –06 through 2-29-06
 
TROUBLE IS BREWING…
 
Noeline was upset about something.  In the past I would think that I did something to upset her, but in the last few years I realized that the world did not evolve around me- good or bad and I figured I hadn’t done anything wrong, so she must be upset about something that happened while I was out on my job interview.
 
She was very short with me and abrupt with her directions.  She had to go to Castlebar in the morning and I knew that she didn’t like to make the drive and the cost of parking and attending boring meetings – so I figured that must be occupying her mind.
 
 When we returned to the house, I tried to make myself helpful with packing stuff for Ghana, but her mood made me feel that I should just go to my room and get out of her hair.  I really wanted to go to my room, but I was still trying to get a hold of my cousin Teresa to see if I could get a ride from Mary in the AM or have to walk to her house.  I didn’t want to walk to her house (I would die!) but if I had no other choice, I would have to.   But I hadn’t heard from her and I kept trying to call and no answer.( Teresa was at an Irish wake!)  There was nothing I could do and I was tired from the events of the day, if not physically but mentally, I figured I would talk to Teresa in the AM.  I heated my two hot water bottles and got my flashlight and made my way to the stone house. 
 
The next morning I was up and packed and as I came out of the stone house walkway I was expecting the throngs of dogs to jump all over me- but all I saw was Noeline with her head down storming through the front door to the van.  She snapped, “Your cousin Teresa called last night and she can’t pick you up, I have to drive you to her so we have to Chop Chop!”  I said “OK’, got all my bags into the back of the van and started to pull the blanket that she keeps over the car windows off (to keep the frost from sticking) and by mistake I caught one of the wiper blades.  Noeline of course walked past just as I had done it and said- “don’t ever do that alone again- get in and I’ll fix it!”  Man, with that tone I was in that van as quick as I could and just sat and didn’t dare breath!
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