Tick talk

Usually we take it easy on Sundays.  Amaranth goes to the children's mass in San Blas and I go to a nice restaurant that is peaceful and a good place to drop off into a meditative state.  We did those things this morning and then I went to work.
It's the dry season so we have to watch our water levels in the water storage tank under the house.  We use the water for household things and also to water the plants.  This time of the year it's not uncommon to go 3 or 4 days without any water coming into the tank.  We monitor the water levels every day with a dip stick I made up that is marked off in inches.  Yesterday we'd dropped off to less than a third of a tank.  I didn't sleep well last night 'cause my mind was in high gear chasing the elusive solution to our problem.  This morning in my restaurant/church I came up with a solution.  I'd install another pump further down the line to give us more pressure.  I picked up the necessary connectors at the hardware store and went to work.  Connecting the new pump was easy -  the hard part was burying the electric line.   I had to dig a trench over 150 feet long.  It took me 5 hours working non-stop with a small trenching tool.  The devilish part was I had to do it sitting and crawling through a thick tangle of jungle and underbrush that was crawling, and I mean crawling with big ticks and little ticks in all sizes and varieties.  Before starting the work I had wrapped duct tape around the bottoms of my pant legs and the cuffs of my shirt sleeves.  Even with that barrier they found their way through.  I passed through communities, maybe even cities of them and they'd be crawling everywhere.  They let me know when they found some skin and I'd stop to remove them before they dug in. Digging the trench was exhausting but I wanted to get it done cause there was no way I was going back for a second day of tick tag.  I hooked up the pump and literally crawled back up the hill.  I stopped 4 or 5 times, too tired to go on.  When I got up to the house I flipped the breaker to turn on the pumps and headed for the house to get out of my clothes and get at the ticks I could feel crawling on my  back.

As I headed toward the front of the house I became aware of people talking.  A friend, Tom, had stopped by with his wife and kids.  He had a parrot that he wanted to give us.  It  was green and red with a yellow head.  Tom let it run around free at his place but it had been getting into the neighbors fruit trees and eating the fruit, so in order to avoid a war the parrot was relocated to our parrot paradise.  Tom told us the parrot couldn't fly but was adept at climbing.  He also told us not to worry if our dogs would get along with it.  The parrot has a beak, dogs don't.  We're going to keep the parrot on the veranda so we can introduce it to the dogs with some control.
We fed the parrot a banana, plums, bok choy, homemade bread and a small piece of ham.  He loved it all.  He also loves Amaranth.  When she speaks to him in her musical way he arcs out his tail feathers and puffs up.  If he had his way she'd be sitting on eggs tomorrow. Right now his name is Chico but we want to come up with our own name for him.  We'll know when it comes to us.

Oh yes, for those of you still creeped out by the ticks crawling on me, I did slip out to take a shower while the introduction to the parrot was going on.  I found a few more ticks and Amaranth found the rest.  A good way to catch the little ones that are too small to see:  tape.  The tape picks them up and no more tick.  Of course even after you get them all you still feel those ghost ticks crawling around.  Usually nothing more than a good case of prickly heat from working in your tick suit all day.

Tomorrow I'm off to fix a friend's wheel chairs.  One has faulty brakes and the other has a broken arm rest.  I'll fix them and enjoy a good conversation as payment.

OK, another successful blog.  I was in bed and oh so comfortable when I remembered my commitment to you out there.  My bones were creaking like a model-A ford as I made my way to the computer.  Once I got started it was easy.  I really like writing and each day is so full.  It's easy to get a back log of stories to tell and they're never fresher than at the end of another satisfying day.  See you tomorrow.  Love Wally

By the way I checked and we have a full stream of water pouring into the tank.  Gracias a Dios.

Bits and Pieces

Today we harvested ginger planted over a year ago from some bought in a market in Tepic.  It's not common to find it in Mexico.  We enjoyed the plants for it's handsome foliage.  Eventually I cut the foliage back and it was dormant for about 6 months.  A month or so ago I noticed some of the roots were exposed and I started watering them again,  We now have new shoots which will make more roots to harvest later.  Amaranth likes to use ginger in her cooking and for making tea.  She plans to preserve some by candying it.  Whatever it is we like we try to grow it.  We like going to larger markets to look for things we can use for starts or seeds.

We also harvested a large pomegranate and the first of our kumquats.  We've been planting trees over the past 6 years which are bearing fruit now.  It usually takes 2 or 3 years for fruit to appear, normally the first harvest is small with the amount  increasing every year after until around the 5th year when you have a good harvest.  Around here the top soil isn't too deep so the trees spend their first few years producing roots and then foliage.  When they have enough foliage to shade the ground around them the roots stay cooler and the ground doesn't dry out so fast.  It also helps keep the weeds down.

I spent the afternoon fixing things for a neighbor.  There was a boom box that needed a cord and repairs on the volume switch.  Once I opened it there were a few more things that needed tweaking. It was made from plastic which becomes brittle with time.  There was also a bamboo lamp that needed a new cord an socket.  I'm  replacing part of the bamboo stem with our bamboo.  We grow several types of bamboo.  My favorite is yellow with green stripes.  Bamboo is great for building projects around the farm.


The tinkering section of my brain thrives on problem-solving and there's no lack of stimulus here.  I like digging through my cache for just the right something that will work as a part.  I salvage as many pieces as possible when I run into something that is truly shot.  It's satisfying to find the right piece and make something like new, in some cases, better. 

I've got a Kitchen Aid blender that some one gave us that cost over $100.00.  The impeller on top of the motor that drives the blades was made out of a rubber that had become soft with age - so soft you could roll it up into a ball.  I looked on the internet and there were hundreds of complaints to the company.  The company's position was the impellers were breaking down with misuse and they didn't acknowledge a problem with the material.  Their solution:  replacement impellers in 12-packs.  My solution:  make a mold from a new impeller out of J B Weld epoxy.  No more replacement impellers.

We have a weed eater-type mower made up of 4 or 5 different mowers.  The part that spins on the ground kept wearing out because it was made of plastic so I had a friend make one out of stainless steel.  A perfect solution, its a solid piece so it'll last for many years.

A problem I've run into with the mower motors is that they quit making them after 5 years.  They change everything just a little bit on the new models so you can't use the new stuff to fix up your old stuff.  I'm looking on the internet for someplace where some old-timers have figured a way around this problem.  Never give up.

Amaranth asked me the other day if I was an old-timer...

I'm enjoying blogging.  Usually, after a shower I'd lay down with the intent of writing in a bit, but that doesn't work cause I'm just too comfortable.  Now I do my writing after a nice hot shower and then I hit the hay.  Seems to be working.  Amaranth and I have challenged each other to write a little each day.  Not so hard once you sit down to do it.

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.