More beans and millet

Beans are everywhere still, which delights me. Some farmers have started paying back the beans seed I gave them, which mostly performed well, so I bought an old oil jog which I cleaned and dried thoroughly. Now I'll stash the beans in there until next year so the bugs can't get in. Meanwhile, our millet is also ripe. People are heading out to their fields, which have gotten so tall the stalks have begun to fall over. Millet is a very satisfying crop to grow. From tiny seeds that become bright green, tender shoots of grass which you'd never believe will ever grow big enough to feed a sheep, much less a person, come these towering plants with many tillers, heavy with grain, soaring over peoples' heads as they walk along the muddy path through the fields. Now, it's all falling down, being ripped up by the roots and laid in orderly rows by the men and older boys, while everybody else comes along with a half-moon knife to slice off the candles and arrange them into stacks. So, the inevitable sounds of women and girls pounding millet are returning to the village. Tomorrow is Korite, celebrating the end of Ramadan, so soon we'll be working hard again and well-fed, so everyone will be happier. There will be some things to miss about the fasting month, however. Waking up before dawn to down a couple spoonfuls of funde is NOT one of them. But, sitting in the cooling evening, waiting for the call to prayer which announces the hour of breaking fast, then enjoying a hot mug of coffee, a cup of bissap, maybe a handful of bread, is very nice.
Just yesterday I went with everybody to a peanut field, one of the earliest to be harvested. It's quite an all-day affair! Almost all the women and children were there with buckets, pots, and bowls, which they filled with peanuts from enormous piles of uprooted plants. We pulled them up before settling down to "hontet", or snap off the peanuts from their stems. For a tomato pot full of these fresh peanuts, the field owners will pay 25cfa. So, it's a good way to earn a little extra money, and get some peanuts to take home too. My host sister pulled enough peanuts to buy herself a new pair of sandals for Korite; my little brother slacked off and only made enough for a lollipop. I didn't bring my own bucket, so I just helped whoever I was sitting with, so I'm not sure how many pots I had. Next time I plan to keep count and see how much my work is worth!