Dawn's Dream

Came my mother and my aunt and uncle - after an unbelievable trip to Mali to visit the home of my new cousin-in-law. So there they were, in the wilds of the third-world, negotiating on the black market, always finding cold Coke and beer in the remote-est of places, celebrating Jaimie & Drissa's wedding the Malian way with henna tattoos and bride and groom in separate huts - whew! Dad should have been there to lead the pack, but mom was apparently channeling him (and really just being her amazing self) when she always had a band-aid, or a pocket knife, or a granola bar - she was apparently the hero in many unusual situations. Mom - you rock!

When this arrived in the mail along with fabulous jewelry, game-y Malian honey, and a can of hot chocolate mix, I wondered if my mother had overestimated her communications skills and been taken for a little ride, and marveled at how she managed to have escaped rotting in some dirty jail a la Midnight Express - what does this look like to you?
Wrapped in this pretty purple cellophane are a bunch of little brown chunks that look remarkably like something to be enjoyed under glass while listening to the Grateful Dead or the Dark Side of the Moon...

Well, I won't be smoking it - it's indigo - real, true, African indigo. Looks like dried brown dirt, but after handling a chunk and wrapping it back up, I noticed my fingers were blue - so very cool. Must to study some dyeing manuals and perhaps try it out on gobs of BFL in my stash. Thanks mom!!