December 19

Dear Diary,
It is not long now until Christmas. I have been making a basket for Mother in the Ethiopian way that she taught me, with beautiful blue and orange patterns. I have to hide it from her all the time, though, usually in the barn. It’s not easy to find time to work a basket with all that I have to do every day.

Mother took me with her this afternoon to a village. There, women have built a new injera oven; it is made of cement and uses a much smaller amount of firewood to bake the bread. I told mother about reforestation and how such ovens will help a great deal to save the trees.

“I know,” she smiled. “Why do you think we are here? I am going to bring this oven-making back to our village. You and I will not have to carry so much firewood anymore, and everyone can bake good bread with less work.”

“That means more time to do other things, doesn’t it?” I asked her.

She nodded. “Though there is always too much work,” she sighed.

I only thought about my basket and how I might get it finished if I don’t have to get so much firewood! It was a happy thought. Also, anything that makes more injera and saves trees has to be a good idea!