Somos hormigas!

We attended our neighbor's birthday celebration yesterday afternoon.  Julio Cesar turned 12.  Fun was had by all.  I laughed so much my head was aching.  Wally is the big hit.  All the children adore him.  He got us all laughing by saying "somos hormigas!"  which means we are ants instead of we're friends.  He has a talent for misconstruing words in a witty way and then they are unforgettable whether in English or Spanish.

Wally the Rambler

What does it take to house and protect our chickens living on the edge of a jungle?  A lot of sewing!

Farming is all about giving yourself over to serving members of the plant and animal kingdoms.  In turn they feed us, love us, entertain us and teach us all about life and living.   Our days here on the farm are never boring and at the end of each day we feel fulfilled and satisfied.  Each day is different from the one just past.  There a lot of chores that have to be done daily like feeding the creatures and watering the plants. Mixed in with these chores are lots of interesting projects and things to challenge your mind.  Sometimes nature pops up with a surprise like a storm or a hungry critter hoping for a chicken dinner and we set aside the other projects till we've come up with a solution. 

Today, I worked on stitching together lengths of fine mesh chicken wire to keep the iguanas out of the area where the baby chickens are.  There was already a larger mesh wire but the iguanas were able to squirm through.  We lost one little baby but there are still 4 more and more on the way.  Chickens are food to lots of other animals.  We understand that but at the same time we love our chickens and do our best to help them live a long happy life.  We don't eat our chickens.  We coexist with them and share.  We feed them good food and give them lovely housing and they give us eggs and allow us to hang around and experience their unique world.  It's a fair trade and never gets old.

Another project I'm working on is converting a 1995 Land Rover out of it's computerized zombiehood to a genuine, old fashioned car with lots of user-serviceable parts.  I got the car for free cause it was not running and was going to cost a fortune to repair.  I got rid of the computerized fuel injection system and installed a carburetor.  I also adapted a Chevrolet distributor to replace the hard-to-find parts for a Land Rover one.  After I got it running the brakes quit.  I needed a new master cylinder:  $675.00 from Land Rover in Tucson, Arizona.  I replaced it with an 81 Dodge master cylinder and power booster that I adapted.   Cost for the 81 Dodge master cylinder:  $21.00.  Much better and easy to find replacements down here in Mexico.  I also got rid of the computerized brake system (anti-lock).  We won't be going over 35 mph.  I also replaced the electric window switches that needed a $350.00 control unit with some switches off my 1990 mini van.  We're out in the country here and we have to be able to keep our things running.  We do just fine. 

Among our other vehicles are a 1979 Porsche 924 that has 1990 Suzuki sidekick (4x4) running gear.  I bought the Suzuki wrecked and found the Porsche body in a field.  I bought the Suzuki for $500 and the Porsche body for $100.  I also have a 1990 Plymouth mini van with a 1990 Toyota 4x4 truck running gear.  Recycling at its best.  I also have an electric wheel barrow I made out of 2 salvaged wheel chairs.  This is one wheelbarrow you can ride.  I have a wonderfully messy shop to support all my daydreams. 

One of my favorite fixer upper projects is Moochie.  He was definitely in need of repair when we got him but he's turned into a magnificent little boy.  When the vet gave us his prognosis we decided  to try for a different outcome.  We came up with our own regimen of physical therapy and nutrition and look at the results.  Moochie has no memory of anything but a sweet life surrounded by us and 3 brothers and 3 sisters.    It's amazing how similar he is to a human child.  He likes to spread his toys all over the yard and he's joyously curious about everything.  I watched him chasing a butterfly the other day.  Something good happens when we stop to watch him or when we lay down on the grass and tussle with him for a while.  You just have to smile.

Bigger, Better Moochie

Isn't he a beautiful boy?  And smart too!  Our Moochie Carlson is a perfect example of what can happen when you decide to make the world a better place one positive act after another.  Scroll down to see what he looked like when Wally first rescued him.  He had a broken leg healed poorly and crippled.  His leg straightened as he continued to grow with good grubs.  And look Ma, no more mange. He is our joy!

From Refuse to Reuse

Don't believe what they say about newer being better.  My home is equipped with appliances that are repaired and refurbished to be better than the original.  When I was a new bride Wally told me not to throw away things that didn't work anymore.  An enthusiastic consumer, I never gave a thought to repair, always replacing the broken and shabby with new.  Wally forever changed me.  Now I am the beneficiary of the old, familiar appliances repaired, cleaned, and painted in great, new colors.  Not only do I get to hang on to my old friends like my 12 year old depilatator, but also my dad's rice cooker, bought when he and my mom divorced over 35 years ago.  Not only does it work and look great, it reminds me how even my dad was irrevocably Japanized.  These things are priceless.  Wally has reclaimed many things from being tossed in some landfill.  I have a crisp celery-green and white crockery slow cooker to complement the rice cooker and a chic pink Kenmore blender with a powerful motor of metal parts, no plastic gears; all one-of-a-kind and lovingly reconstructed to make my life easier.  I have a great affection for these machines.  They are memorials of the past that also speak of the love that surrounds me today.  In an age of entropy, where even nature seems to be losing, I have a hero in the quiet, patient, steadfastness of Wally's creative impulse.

Rose apples

Meet the rose apple: a delicious, lightly sweet, crisp fruit the size of a plum with the taste and perfume of a rose. 

Around the tropical world, rose apples are mostly eaten out-of-hand by children. They are seldom marketed.

Wally planted two trees a few years ago and now we are enjoying their white, cheerleader pom-pom flowers,  and their rosey-scented fruit.  Wally made a long pole with a hook on the end for picking the ripe fruit.  The rose apples are sturdy enough to survive the fall to the ground.  Rarely does one make the bucket.  They are consumed as quick as we pick them.  They are so light and tasty that you feel good even after eating your fill of them. 

Meet Moochie the Poochie

Meet the newest member of our family -  Moochie Carlson. 

I met him while leaving a restaurant in San Blas.  As I was getting into my car I heard something crying and looked up to see a tiny little black and tan dog limping my way from under the car in front of me. He had patches of hair missing, a badly broken leg and was hungry and very thirsty.  He looked up at me begging me to show him some mercy.  He became our dog as soon as our eyes met.  We already have 6 dogs so it's not an easy decision to add another.

The next day we took Moochie on a 2 hour drive to the vet in Tepic.  He checked  Moochie's leg and said it had been broken for a while and was already healed in place (about a 45 degree angle from straight).  I asked if he could re-break the leg and straighten it.  He said there was the possibility of nerve damage if he did.  He told us Moochie would adapt to walking on three legs and be just fine.  He gave him a worm shot and some shampoo for the skin problems.

Back home the other dogs weren't happy about the newest member of the pack.   They weren't really sure what it was.  The females nipped at him and let him know he wasn't needed or welcome.  The other dogs did their best to avoid him.  Moochie adapted right away and made himself at home.  He was oblivious of the other dogs' unwelcoming signals.   He was perpetually friendly and energetic.  Teething puppies bite everything.  Eventually Penny, our fluffy-not fat-chow-pitbull mix adopted him and became Moochie's own personal Beenie Baby.  Penny has rolls of fat in all the right places so Moochie can chew on her with out causing her a lot of discomfort.  She chews back in a very gentle way.

After a few baths Moochie's skin problems cleared up and now he has a beautiful, shiny, black coat.   We put him on a diet of hamburger, yogurt and fresh eggs with dry dog food when ever he wants it.

In the beginning Moochie had an darling little bark which sounded like: "Maf-maf."   It's becoming more adult-sounding.  He's changing before our eyes as babies do.  He delights us with his antics and we have taken lots of pictures to remember his puppy days.  He's already reached the big boy stage where he avoids mushy stuff like hugs and kisses.  You've got to get them while you can and he puts up with us.  

Moochie follows us everywhere:  up the stairs, down the stairs, all over the farm.  Along the way, a nice little miracle happened.  His leg became straight and there is no trace of the break.  He's perfect.

We're not sure what Moochie's lineage is. He's husky like a Rottweiler, but not quite a Rottweiler, so we've decided he's a Ratweiler, a breed of his own.


Where did we get the name Moochie?  It's a variation of "muchisimas!" And he is!
Wally

   

 

Hope in the new year...

New Year's greetings from Slow Living Farm in Mexico! 

We hope all our friends and family had a joyous Christmas. 

Ours was a strange mix of joy and sorrow.  We invited a young woman from Czechoslovakia and her two children to take refuge on the farm until she could find work and childcare.  In the course of her living here we helped to care for her children while she worked for the gringos who live in the area.  We thought things were going well except that she never had money and her children weren't well cared for.  After a frighteningly sudden and violent sickness we discovered that she was an addict when we took her for emergency care.  We set down some rules in order for her to continue living with us and in the end she vanished with her children on Christmas eve.  All of her things are still here and we have not heard where she is.   Because we love them, we keep hope as our focus rather than fearing the worse for them.

We don't always get the "good" part in helping others and we never like it when we have to be the heavy, but one of the things we are learning is not to interrupt the lessons life is teaching.  By interrupt, I mean not rush in to "fix" things. The sooner we learn the better for everyone and no one is without effect on others.  During this difficult situation, we met many loving people who wanted to help, some of them as poor as the little family.  There is a strong unity on the side of good that is a marvel to witness.  That's a good thing to report in these times.

Despite the bombardment of bad news blaring from our satellite radio, where as Thomas Merton puts it:  "each day's disaster is the greatest announcement replacing the noise that went before it and yielding to the noise that comes after it so that eventually everything blends into the same monotonous and meaningless rumor", we deliberately resist the drone and actively hope for better things for ourselves and the world, and we notice that when we do everything moves in tandem as we exercise our hope.

Our farm is living proof.  Each year things get more beautiful, more productive, richer in every way.  Wally has expanded our collection of exotic tropical fruit trees further and everything is thriving.  Last year was a great year for mangos and soon our new mangosteen trees will produce their first fruits.  We continue to have volunteers from around the world.  Wally has refined his systems so that things run smoothly and efficiently.  We find there's not so much need for volunteers so after February it will be just the two of us.  We hope the change will leave us more time for personal projects.
 
We are hoping that 2010 will be all you hope it to be.  The psalmist says, "Constant has been my hope in you,"  Constant.  Hope in God and in goodness and be at peace ..constantly.

Love,
Wally & Amaranth