Shy plant, the sparrow and the lily of the field

I first encountered shy plant in the compound of our rich neighbour when I was still a little boy. Every little touch would make the plant bow down in contrite manner, and when left alone it would unfold back to life with freshness. It's only lately that I learnt about the science behind the closing and opening of that shy plant whose botanical name is " Mimosa pudica", also known in plain English as "humble plant".

The intelligence of humble plant is amazing. It's often found in areas deficient of nitrogen because that's where it can tap its food. And do you know what it feeds on? Insects! That's right. When a small insect lands on top of its leaves, it suddenly closes; trapping the insect, until the poor insect dies. Then the plant extracts nitrogen from the protein material of the said insect, that's how it's able to thrive.

Shy plant. Internet photo

The sparrow is another deeply interesting creation. I grew up in Kabale where they came in many shades of the finch birds. These are the smallest of the bird species but more exciting than their chirpy music and colourful plumage is the intricate design of their nests. In Jesus' time these birds were so undervalued that two sparrows sold for a mere copper coin yet the creativity and the heart with which they craft and decorate their nests to the last detail would shame a typical Ugandan architect and interior designer. 

Meanwhile people talk about a rose, a red one particularly but have you taken time to observe the colour and look of the lily? It was not easy to impress Jesus Christ yet the lily of the field did so effortlessly. He talks about it glowingly in the gospels, gushing about how even King Solomon with all his wisdom and splendor could not come close to smartness compared to how the lily arrayed. 

For me the humble plant, the sparrow and the lily of the field are little things that make me ruminate. You think about the quiet intelligence that is thoroughly applied to their daily living, and you are profoundly humbled.

Save us from the mosquito

The mosquito is the most arrogant, insensitive, vindictive, unapologetic, persistent creature ever created. In the morning, it bites. In the noonday it bites. Even at night it doesn't want to know that I had a long day and deserve my eight hours of uninterrupted sleep that medics recommend. It just never lets me go to sleep.
 

The irritating mosquito cannot let you enjoy your comfortable bed

When  I cried out to my friends what it is the skinny little creature finds irresistible about my ears that it spends sleepless nights trying to whisper into them, they thought I was being cheeky. But in essence I was crying for a solution to my suffering. Not even the insecticide-treated net has helped. Vanishing inside my blanket leaving only my nostrils for breathing has not helped either. The mosquito continues to make my night life hell.

Now my 'beef' is turned on those makers of treated mosquito nets. First of all they don't do any harm to the mosquitoes. Secondly, mosquitoes are so good at maneuvering that they always find themselves inside the net. I am moreover left restless as I toss and turn struggling to breathe inside the net. Then it gets hot forcing me to fling the helpless net like a dirty rag.

The endless wail of the mosquitoes as they circle you like a vulture around its victim is enough to drive anyone crazy. And no amount of swatting and hiding beneath the blankets seems to discourage the persistently irritating creatures.

Even more alarming is the fact in this day and age malaria is still the second leading cause of death in Africa and nothing has been done to inoculate us all against the anopheles. Surely if global doctors and pharmacists put their brains together they can eliminate the bloody vector once and for all? Or would that mean losing
business since there's would be no need for anti-malaria drugs?

Home to the most amazing sights

Today is November 3, the day of the Hybrid Eclipse [rousing applause]! I am hypnotized; giddy with excitement and anticipation like a virgin about to consummate with the woman of his life on their matrimonial night.

Who am I to belong to a country that the world's best scientists have designated the best spot to view the moon strut before the sun? When this happens at 4:15pm today, the sun will be so mesmerized that it will forget its job and usher us in darkness so intense that for one minute and 40 seconds you will feel like your eyes are shut even when they are wide open! The last time something like this happened was a whopping 547 years ago, and it will not happen again until June 3, 2114.

Really, this is the kind of history I cannot afford not being part of. Here I am in Packwach, right on the pass of the eclipse, and will for the whole day be peering at the heavens through a pin-hole camera. I am sure some people behind the Guinness Book of Records have flown in to watch the astronomical occurrence. They also won't help gazing at our physical endowments and confirming that this country is the most beautiful. This is what Winston Churchill meant when he called us the "pearl of Africa" but fell short of calling us the pearl of the world for fear of being accused by his countrymen of extolling a foreign nation more than his.

You have to pity Ugandans who go roaming the world in search of riches instead of developing the riches of their motherland. There is nowhere else where the grass is greener than here unless you have eyes but do not see. Hey, we are the Source of the Nile, the home of the mountain gorillas, perfect weather, loam soil, oil and now the eclipse!

That "American Dream" you hanker after is depicted in The Great Gatsby by F. Scott Fitzgerald as a sham. All that intellectualism and dominance, the glitter of Hollywood, the revelry and the philosophy of doing as you like, have left many with scarred consciences and inner emptiness of alarming proportions.

We have to be wary of Western influences, develop our country our way and protect who we really are. "Uganda - gifted by nature" is not just another colourful slogan. The world will best observe the Hybrid Eclipse in this very country. It shows how beloved and favoured we are by God!

Who wants to be Ugandan this weekend? I'm one proud patriot and will always sing the national anthem to that effect!