Today was my second day back alone in V after the past three weeks of visitors. Every time I go away, I forget just how much I love this place. The house was bustling with kids all day, coloring in their new coloring books (sent with Mat by Libby), playing ball in the yard, and helping straighten the garden, fetch water, and hang my washing–for which each received a “special treatâ€? of “voankazo mainaâ€?, a.k.a. dried apricots. I just got an envelope containing a new dried berry medley (her favorite from Trader Joe’s) so figured I could justify sharing my already open, long-rationed bag of apricots. All loved them, no surprise there, and several of the boys tore theirs in half and stuffed a share in a dirty pocket, “satria tia papako e!â€? (because Papa likes them, too). Soon after, Franko and Franklin ran up to my door with an egg in Franko’s outstretched hand. Small and a little misshapen, but they were excited that my remaining duck (still lodging with their birds, since I left for Tana after the cyclone) finally laid its first egg.