My grandmother Patton used to make "patchwork" quilts. These were made of random pieces of fabric (usually, but not always cut in same-size rectangles) sewn together, then bound with whatever batting she could find (She was a Mom during the great depression and found uses for everything). My "Grandma Patton" quilts were cool because you never knew what you would get. So, think of this blog as a Grandma Patton quilt - random stuff strung together with pieces that may not match.


First and most important to our homesick psyche, we found a REAL grocery store in Phnom Penh. It has a parking lot for cars (about 20 out front, same in the back), grocery carts (all four wheels turn) and room for two people in a single aisle - HEAVEN!! It's products included Kraft Mayonnaise (I thought Erin was going to cry on the spot), Molasses, Clorox wipes, flyswatter and Calcium pills (it was a large Kirkland brand bottle :-)). The imported goods were expensive as you would expect. But our tuna fish sandwich with REAL mayo was worth almost any price.

Patchwork piece #2. There are ants in my laptop. They crawl out of the hinges and USB inputs, and squeeze in through the tiny crack surrounding the keyboard keys (they like the numbers for some reason). There's probably an entire PUDFA (Planned Unit Development For Ants) inside, complete with a luxury suite for a queen. #%&%!!! I've tried wiping everything down with vinegar and even put the laptop in the fridge overnight - hoping Cambodian ants have no cold tolerance. But the ants keep marching one-by-one. I've found some weird online ideas which I'll try, but I'm open to anyone who has found a workable solution.

Patchwork piece #3. Brownout. We're used to occasional power outages - they're annoying, but the power usually comes back on in a couple of hours. But a brownout was new to us. We noticed our bedroom getting warm about 12:30 a.m., then saw that the AC had shut off (but it would still beep if you clicked the remote). A light worked (most of the lights in our house are LED) so we knew the power wasn't off, but NONE of the AC units in the house worked. Yet, the microwave clock and the Wifi seemed fine (couldn't check the laptop because it was in the fridge). We turned on a fan and could hear the motor, but the blades didn't move. I hand-flipped the blades and they stayed on at a constant, albeit slow, speed. Got it!! Brownout! We laid down and listened to a wedding party (they go non-stop for 48 hours straight) while a speaker blared wedding music over and over and over. It's like listening to "It's a small world after all" on repeat mode for hours. We fell asleep about 4 a.m., but were wakened by the dogs and roosters at 5:30. Grrrrrr.., I pulled the laptop out of the fridge and started doing this blog (the brownout hasn't bothered the ants - I've killed 4, 6, 7, 10, 12) already this morning). The power came on full strength about 7.



Patchwork piece #4. Yesterday was my birthday. We had lunch with the missionaries then had them all over for cake. Erin made my favorite (whole wheat carrot cake with creamed cheese frosting) - which was made possible by a box of REAL cream cheese ($5 each). We watched a cheesy video (haha) called "The Phone Call" because one of the senior missionaries had a bit part (when he was MUCH younger). It's a 1970's version of Napoleon Dynamite, sprinkled with Johnny Lingo. It's cheesy beyond belief, so be warned if you look it up on YouTube.

I'm now past 20 ants, so it's time for something drastic.... I've heard Windex solves all the world's problems :-)