PostScript Positive Changes are Possible

 "Let everyone sweep in front of his own door and the whole world will be clean." Johann Wolfgang von Goethe

Prices are raising for medication, fruits, vegetables, animal food and other items. A misunderstanding? The president had asked for the opposite in aid for the country. One explanation one hears is the exchange rate for the Dinar, it lost value. While this of course makes imports more expensive, why should it effect locally produced goods? Folks employed to harvest fruits and vegetables are badly paid and without women willing to accept this there wouldn't be much on the market. I wonder whether they profit from the higher price or is it all pocketed by the sellers? You may think the sausage produced for animal consumption is a luxury product, hungry cats and dogs feel differently. Many Tunisian feed the leftover from their meals, thus heavily spiced couscous, noodles and rice, bred. Not exactly what veterinarians recommend and it explains the often bad immune system and short life of pets and strays. I buy the special sausage for cats in addition to the croquettes. Since the prices keep raising and raising, I am forced to reduce the amount I donate to my in-house cats and outside guests. By the way, from time to time a dog or another one arrive without a collar, not sure it's a stray, always well behaved and gentle. Cats don't fear them, one or two even dare chasing the dog away. Lately a bitch that appears to have puppies comes looking for a bit of food. Her tail she presses between her legs, looks like she has been abused a lot and accustomed to having stones thrown at her, a German Shepherd dog. I feel sorry for her and will try to find out whether she has a house and if perhaps an animal protection organisation can help her. Poor darling. - Bad habits die hard. In Tunis folks who damp their rubbish anywhere, if caught pay a 60 Dinar fine and 300 guys are employed to trace those who pollute the environment. It happens even where better-off residents live. For unknown reasons some consider it too much effort to drop their waste in available containers or waste bins. The ignorant just don't care and kids watching this act like wise. Certainly no way to attract tourists. We used to have a place close by with three containers for the residents' waste, a lot used to be damped around the containers, leaving an unpleasant job for those who collect the rubbish. Following a person's  certificate of a doctor that it can be harmful to one's health to live in the direct neighborhood, the containers got removed and a waste collecting lorry arrives at night instead to empty the household bins or pick up the waste bags. I use 2 or 3 small cheap bins since expensive ones might get stolen, and leave them in front of my house, as I am not sure at what time the lorry arrives, usually fairly late. For several days some badly wrapped bags,  partly torn, with  food and other waste were placed next to my rubbish. Neither wanting flees nor cockroaches attracted, nor other neighbours perhaps also deciding to do like wise, I had to find out who acted so selfishly. One day, with two bags containing rubbish already standing next to my bins, I view a neighbor with another bag, seeing me he goes past my house and leaves the bag at a little distance. Next day I see big open black plastic bags in the middle of the road, open,  containing rubbish spread. Where does it come from? Usually our street is quite clean.  Surprise, surprise, a direct very special neighbor, I have written about him before, he invented laws just for us that no one else ever heard about. Further, he advised me that Tunisan folks are very clean, unlike those from the Middle of Europe; my cats are too loud, his son's motorbike tuned to be extreme loud and his racing around here are perfectly okay though. Some people are happy with themselves and as they never do anything wrong they see no need to change.- My husband dreams of a medicine that cures cats from sneezing and running noses. A lot of cats can quickly mean a lot of sneezing, in particular with those cold, damp nights. At present we are all still enjoying the gratuite sunshine, put up with a bit of sweating, early darkness - well not quite, there are too many street lights for that, in our opinion less would do. We hope our President will introduce animal protection laws. Unlike what the uneducated and ignorant believe, there is nothing in the Quran stating that dogs are unclean, dirty, stinking, should be killed, it is fake news! And hopefully folks will learn to protect the environment, it is worth it, Tunisia can be beautiful. I heard expats' children watching people dropping wrappings on the street asking: "Why do they do this?"