A very, very, very fine house...

Outside it's raining and thunder is rumbling. Wally is finishing installing a gate in the chicken yard. He's mixing cement in a wheel barrow, pouring an upright post and threshold. Wally has painted the gate a lovely lavender and despite the overcast afternoon and the rain the gate looks cheerful. The chickens always enjoy Wally's projects on their turf. All eyes are watching and they are engaged in all manner of happy-talk.


Inside and outside, the music is Chopin and Bach coming from our XM radio. Remember the lovely pink housing and stand Wally made for it? Well, he also connected the radio to some magnificient-sounding speakers which are pointed out into the chicken yard from the kitchen window. The volume is up so Wally and the chickens can enjoy the concert.

Inside the kitchen, the dogs and I are also enjoying the music... and the smells. I let them come in because of the thunder. There is no greater contentment for them than to be with me when I'm cooking. This is where they earn their keep as kitchen aids licking the stuff that falls on the floor and scouring my pans with their tongues. I just baked some ginger cookies using our home-grown ginger. I also made a schmoozie - I like the way the French say smoothie, it sounds affectionate - with 2 types of mangoes, passion fruit and yaka, all grown here on the farm. It's cozy up here, as I bake and listen to the music and look out the windows. I never tire of my view of the mango orchards. The trees are drinking deeply and their leaves are glowing with green light.
Everything is ready to greet a tired, wet farmer.  My heart is full...


"Our house is a very, very, very fine house
with chickens in the yard.
life used to be so hard
now everything is easy cuz of you...."