Some here we mark the seasons not by the weather, but by the insects that make themselves know in massive quantities as the weather changes. We have recently passed through a moth season which we are lucky enough to have never experienced. We are familiar with the termite seasons and the grasshopper/locust seasons. Our homes are not well sealed, so when the insect seasons come we turn down all the lights inside, pull the curtains tight, put towels under the doors, and try to hide from the oncoming wave of flying nuisances before they swarm into the house. We had short term visitors over during the moth wave, and we commented on how romantic the setting was as we ate around lantern light while the moths banged against the roof and windows. It is so fun to live here . . . . right?!

A visitor to Kijabe was coming up the local road when a leopard jumped on the road in front of their car. They slowed down and despite the its camouflage were able to get it on video. As I walked by this spot yesterday with my dogs, I took my headphones out of my ears and kept a better lookout than usual. Today riding bikes with David, we blew by it quickly. It is very cool to have a leopard nearby. We have baboons, hyenas, and now leopards right around Kijabe. A bike ride away I have seen elephant droppings in the forest. If you go down to the valley there are all sorts of grazing animals like giraffe, buffalos, and zebras. When we camp by the lake, sometimes the hippos come It does not feel wild around here, but we certainly have a lot of wild animals.