Moment to Moment

On a cold clear day

2012-01-24T17:48:00.000-05:00

~Blessings~

Postcards from Denmark

2012-01-19T04:32:00.000-05:00

It is hard to put words to any post these days, which is why I haven't been posting I suppose.

One day takes the next, and while the situation is essentially a tough one,

we are all managing, I feel, with strength and courage.

My parents are truly handling this circumstance in an inspiring way.

It reminds me of the strength of the human spirit.

If we think to far into the future, imagining where this road will take us,

we can easily become overwhelmed with grief and thoughts

of how we might not be able to make it through.

Yet when we manage to stay present and deal with each moment as it presents itself,

it somehow transforms us and the moment, into something that we can digest and deal with.

My dad, his body fading away before our very eyes, yet the spirit in his eyes shining clearer than ever.

My mom, tapping into an inner strength, I think she had forgotten was there.

I am filled with love and admiration for these two people, for the human spirit,

and for this thing we call life.

~Blessings~

Postcards from Denmark

2012-01-09T12:09:00.000-05:00

It is so wonderful to be home!

My dad is doing well, and has spent a lot of time at home,

although he returns to the hospital at night.

I am so very grateful for this time.

It has been many years since I have spent a winter in Denmark and while this winter has been very mild,

as is the case in many places from what I understand, it is much colder than where I come from.

Yet what strikes me every time I visit is the light, summer or winter the light always amazes me.

I find it so dramatic and it makes for wonderful photographs.

All of these first pictures are taken in a large green area behind where my parents live.

I have so many childhood memories from this lovely area.

The pictures below are from the same area but taken when I visited this past May.

A beautiful mama swan on her eggs

And these are pictures from today walking up to town to meet my mom,

stopping every moment to take another photo...

~Blessings~

A children's garden made by children and a new years ritual.

2012-01-02T19:10:00.000-05:00

As I sit here in the airport with a six hour lay over waiting for my connecting flight to Copenhagen,

I was delighted to "find" a password that allowed me free internet connection.

The little garden below is one that Keenan and Kaleena have been working on for a few days now,

and when I say working I mean working.

It is funny and lovely to observe how much they still imitate the work they see around them, and how much pleasure goes into their creations, they really take it very seriously.

Kaleena claimed this particular spot as hers in the first days living on the land.

It is a spot that gets a little morning sun but is otherwise shaded,

and it can be seen from the kitchen window.

The only help they received was having Miguel bring the biggest trunk for the table,

everything else they have done and they are still working on it.

Planting flowers and decorating with rocks and broken tiles that they found yesterday

is still in progress.

I am looking forward to see how it will look when I return.

For years now we have been floating little lights on New Years eve with wishes for the coming year.

The children look forward to it, and while we have been doing it for many years,

it is a little different each year.

The first year we floated little walnut shells with birthday candles in the pond that

Miguel had built in our garden in Miami.

In North Carolina we sent our little lights floating in a big bowl as we had no other water close enough.

In the Dominican Republic we floated the lights in their big pond, back in Asheville

in my sisters creek in her back yard and this year we walked through the dark woods to the cenote

with our little lights already lighted,

sitting on little pieces of coconut shells and set them afloat with our wishes.

It was lovely, so quiet and peaceful (besides the constant chattering of Keenan)

Both Keenan and Kaleena were sure that we were all wishing for the same thing this year,

and while they were both concerned that our wishes might not come true

if we talked about it out loud, we assured them that it is

the intention behind the wishes that matters most.

So this year we said a joint wish out loud and kept a moment of silence after.

It was beautiful and fitting, and is a lovely tradition that we all enjoy deeply.

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2012-01-01T14:15:00.000-05:00

“It must happen to us all…

We pack up what we’ve learned so far and leave the familiar behind.

No fun, that shearing separation,

but somewhere within,

we must dimly know that saying goodbye to safety

brings the only security we’ll ever know.”

― Richard Bach, Running from Safety: An Adventure of the Spirit

~Blessings~

Baby bunnies, home improvement and going away

2011-12-31T14:18:00.000-05:00

One of the bunnies died the other night. We are not sure if it was the cold or if he got smashed

under his brother and sister. Either way we now have three bunnies and we are supplementing the smallest with some cow milk. Mostly I try to help her nurse, but mama bunny seems to have had enough nursing, since her two biggest babies are eating on their own now.

In nature it is clear that only the two would have survived.

It is precious to take part in this process of caring for these little creatures and the children are obviously

besides themselves in love with each one.

Two already have name and are suppose to move in close to our house and be cared for by the children. We shall see:)

We now have a few shelves!!

It might not seem like a lot, but just these couple of wooden crate shelves make a big difference in our kitchen. We now have a place for dishes and have been able to clear up the mess under and on top of the counter top.

These are temporary shelves but are part of the next step of settling into our new home.

Everything is one small step at a time. We unpack and organize a little more each day

and each day we feel more at home.

I will once again be leaving for a while.

I plan to post while I am away although it will not be Land related.

I am going to Denmark on my own to spend a couple of months with my dad and mom.

Although my dad appears fine when we talk on Skype apparently he is getting very weak,

and I will go to help out in any way that I can.

I feel extremely fortunate that I live a life that allows me to go away for a couple of months

and serve my parents in their time of need.

And how fortunate I am,

that Miguel is the kind of hands on father and the kind of husband that supports me in my choice to go for such an extended while.

While I shall miss my sweet family here and life in the wild,

how much I look forward to be able to be of service at such a time in my parents life.

It gives me great pleasure to give back a little of all that they have given throughout my life.

And finally I wish us all a peace filled new year.

May it be a year of positive change and a deepening of our awareness!

~Blessings~

The little things..

2011-12-29T11:34:00.000-05:00

I thought I might share some of my more challenging moments from these past days, but why put my attention there?

Part of life will always be challenging and it will always depend on how we deal with these challenges that determines how much they affect us.

The constant mess and dirt in the house, with workers constantly in and out can certainly drive my crazy if I let it, and sometimes I do let it.

Yet if I remind myself to take a deep breath, and tell myself that this too shall pass,

that everything, this included, is temporary, then I can take a step back,

and allow the mess to be, and go on with my day and my work.

The same goes for our toilet situation which is also getting tiring, especially for Kaleena and I,

who must crouch in the forrest floor and hope to not encounter critters or stinging plant while doing so.

Yet I know that soon we will have the composting part of the toilet ready and will once again enjoy the simple pleasure of sitting inside in peace to take care of business.

This way of living certainly has a way of teaching us to enjoy the simple pleasures in life,

and not take anything for granted.

Such as going to the bathroom inside, a hot shower (it will probably still be awhile before we can add that to our everyday comforts), cooking inside on a stove (yeahh, we now have a gas stove and no longer need to start a fire to boil water), having closets to put away things and doors so that not every little critter of the forrest will enter when the rains makes them seek shelter.

Yes, surely it can be uncomfortable and messy living like this, but as we each day make little progresses

we can truly see and feel the fruit of our labor and that alone is very satisfying.

Also the beauty always helps to bring peace to our hearts, because each day there is something new and amazing to wonder at, and to remind us about the perfection of the natural world.

~Blessings~

Around the Land

2011-12-26T13:57:00.000-05:00

Besides spending a lovely quiet Christmas on the land here is a bit of what we have been up to.
We made another bed, which has already been planted with beets, rutabaga, dill, calendula, green beans,
and a mix of lettuce greens.

The broccoli is starting to flower...

I planted 12 pineapples from the tops of rotted pineapples that we picked up at the local fruit market.

We have been enjoying the peace of the back wetland and the multitudes of birds that

live there.

Miguel has been dealing with getting water into the water container on the roof from the cenote,

the pump which is not yet a solar pump has not been working and it has required a lot of effort to

have water in the house.

According to Miguel the view from up there is breath taking, I have not yet made it up there as the way up seems a bit unstable to me, and as it is I am not crazy about heights.

Nothing like an afternoon rain shower...

Huge scorpio in the house on christmas eve

Our christmas meal, almost entirely from the land.
Turkey from the land cooked Pibil style, sweet potatoes from the land cooked int he coals of a fire, and pak choy from the land, cooked with garlic, olive oil, sea salt and cream.

The leftover sandwich the next day, complete with potato and all,
as well as mayo and arugula from the garden.

And this morning we found baby rabbits.
We have found many dead ones before as the fire ants get to them before we have been able to save them.
Two of the ones we found today were one week old and two were about three weeks old.
The children were so excited to enjoy these babies for a brief moment.

~Blessings~

A bit of Christmas in the jungle

2011-12-22T12:39:00.000-05:00

We have not been doing a whole lot of preparations for Christmas this year.

Usually we spend all of December making decorations, keeping traditions of different kinds

and baking cookings. This year however there have been different priorities.

We do still have the little dry Christmas tree and a lot of our home made decorations from years past.

Kaleena also took it upon herself to make us an advent wreath. Usually this marks the beginning of our Christmas preparations, the first sunday in advent we make œbleskiver,

hot cocoa and make the advent wreath, but this year Kaleena finally got tired of waiting for me to make one so in this last week before Christmas she made us one beautifully.

I have also added the Christmas cards that we have received to the tree, this is a first but I really like it.

My mom and dad sent us a box with Christmas candy and goodies and in it was also a kit to make little gnomes, the children found these in one of their advent bags and they

loved having a little craft to get into.

Finally we found some of our favorite christmas books which we read every night,

so while this years Christmas will certainly be quite different at least there are things familiar to the children through this special time.

I once again realize why these traditions and celebrations are so important for children.

It supplies them with an anchor, a place of familiarity, something that they can count on to return, time after time no matter how life may other wise be different around them....

~May this Christmas be filled with joy and peace~

~Blessings~

What we have been up to...

2011-12-19T15:34:00.000-05:00

Life on the land has been intense in every way.

There are beautiful sunsets, unbelievable starry skies, amazing silence and such peacefulness.

Of course there is also ridiculous amounts of mosquitos and black flies (that bite even worse),

unending amounts of dust in the house, and all the inconveniences that come along with living

without a toilet, electricity and hot water.

There are moments when I want to scream out of frustration, (plenty of times I actually do scream); from the constant mess, the dirt, the food floating around wet in the cooler, the constant itching from bites and so forth. I remind myself, and the children that it is temporary and keep on going...

But I can honestly say that overall, even with all the little inconveniences,

life on the land is wonderful.

It is so rich, so alive, so full of "real" work.

The days never seem long enough, so much to do, so much to create.

It is a canvas, a blank canvas, with unending amounts of possibilities,

and we all love it for this.

Living so in the middle of the raw nature, it absorbs me and full fills me so wonderfully.

This week we created a new bed.

Nothing here is just like that, first finding the spot, the removing all rocks and roots.

Then finding large rocks and building the walls around.

Creating the pathways around the beds.

Then adding the soil. We used a few different composts and some of our Bokashi ferment.

I planted tomato seedligns that were ready for their permanent location, as well as some Kale and Basil.

Keenan was a great help as usual...

We harvested lettuce greens from the garden and made a yummy salad...

with dates, onion, mango and cranberries.

The dressing was olive oil, balsamic vinaigrette, some juice from an orange and crushed garlic.

It was very delicious!!

In a random space created by the making of a path and the roots of an old tree I planted some

radish seedlings looking for a home.

Kaleena enjoys helping with the watering...

Look a those broccoli plants..

Repositioning our seedlings and tree cuttings to a more sunny spot.

I see a nursery in our future...

The children were determined that we should have a christmas tree.

We found a last one a the local super market, so extremely dry that Keenan could easily carry it all on his own, and very proud to do so.

And Sunday we finally had the house "clean" enough to bring it in and decorate it.

We will have Christmas in this house even if the dinner is on the floor, with the mosquitos and the dust

and no light :)

Will you look at this spider eating a dragon fly for breakfast right outside our door,

no not door of course, because we don't have any doors, but the door opening.

And of course I must have a few banana palm pictures too

and the other day while watering, it started drizzling and this gorgeous rainbow grazed me with

its presence...beauty, beauty, beauty....

It really makes all the difference when everything else can seem momentarily overwhelming!

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2011-12-17T14:11:00.000-05:00

~Blessing~

Around the Land

2011-12-16T12:53:00.001-05:00

~Blessings~

Children at play and daily rhythms...

2011-12-14T13:48:00.000-05:00

How different life is these days.

I get up with the rooster at sunrise and more or less go to bed with the sun also,

well not quite but these days I am usually in bed around 8pm.

Each morning the first task is turning on the fire to boil water and toast the bread,

sometimes getting eggs from the chickens and making scrambled eggs is included.

Then I head to the garden where in just a few days we have already made lots of progress.

Usually by midday I head to town to Skype with my dad and get things that are needed.

Then back in the garden until it is time to get the fire going again for dinner, then story and bed.

I truly love this work, tending the land, being part of it...... it is wonderful.

What I enjoy the most though is watching the children and how their creativity

is blossoming once again. They are so peaceful out here, they always

find something to do, and always something creative.

Keenan is working with his tools since early morning, and Kaleena too actually.

They go exploring, find little special areas, where they clean up plant flowers or climb trees.

All day they are entertained and happy, a sense of peace that I have not felt from them since

our house in the woods in NC.

This is indeed why I want to raise my children in nature...

Kaleena made this little house for her cat Lily, she made the latter herself and the little cat shelf, also the bed with all her little homemade collars too, so precious..

One of the newly hatched chicks was killed by fire ants and

the children buried the little creature tenderly.

Here are some of the areas that I have been working on, it is hard to really see the progress because I have been dropping all the weeds and cuttings on the ground as mulch. But I have planted many

Papaya trees, a couple of bitter Orange trees, an Avocado tree and many Chaya bushes.

Also many flowering bushes and colorful foliage.

I am looking forward to see everything settled and established.

One of their many wanderings...

Last night we picked the first ready Pak Choy and cooked it over open fire, it was so delicious!!

~Blessings~

Around the Land

2011-12-12T12:38:00.000-05:00

Given that we do not have internet at the land yet, and probably not for a while, my posting here will be sporadic and short. I thought I would share a few pictures from this morning, we had a lot of rain last night and everything was fresh and filled with dew. So beautiful and peaceful!

Adjusting to life on the land is certainly not without its challenges.

We spent the weekend in Playa del carmen celebrating two birthdays, and when we returned

the dog of the land, Suzi, had gotten into my wool stash and spread all over, she had also eaten the hand and foot of Kaleena's doll and taken Keenan's doll off somewhere in the woods, we found him this morning, thankfully in one piece but very dirty. The little gnomes I posted a pictures of in the last post were also destroyed, enough to make even the most patient soul loose it I think, and I am not that patient.

Today Miguel has been ordered to seal off the house, first with mosquito nets so that no uninvited animals can enter and later we will add the doors.

We have also realized the importance of getting ourselves organized, in terms of how we spend our time, so that we might get the house in order as soon as absolutely possible.

But look at this beauty, it is very hard to stay upset for too long....

~Blessings~

Around the land, and the first couple of days

2011-12-09T14:27:00.000-05:00

The banana palm has me fascinated these day, watching how the leafs peal away one by one to give birth to a cluster of bananas complete with tiny orchid like flowers at their tip,

it is beauty and nature at its best.

We have now been on the land for two nights, and we are still very much camping and I expect that we will be for a while. This means that we cook over open fire outside, a task that the children especially Keenan takes very seriously, he is the fire keeper for sure.

Kaleena takes great pleasure in cleaning up around the house, which of course is a mess of construction debris, she has many plans for gardens and beauty all around.

Inside the house is still a mess, very dirty and dusty and we still have workers sleeping in hammocks outside. We sleep on mattress on the floor, tucked under mosquito nets and lots of clothes, without windows it is really very cold at night, and humid so it can be felt in the bones.

We still do not have a toilet nor shower, so we are not exactly clean.

Yet with all the chaos around us, the lack of quiet and privacy we are all really enjoying it.

When all are a sleep the night sounds are of pure nature, not a car can be heard, nor airplane or any such thing. Last night Miguel and I sat, well wrapped in wool, and well covered from mosquitos, on the door step of the front door, the moon was almost full and the light was almost bright. Right by our front door there is a small clearing that allows for a wonderful view of the night sky, it was blissful and beautiful.

I am most certainly looking forward to be able to unpack and be able to find things, to have a shower even if a cold one, and to have doors and a completely mosquito sealed house, yet

I am really enjoying this stage of the process for what it is.

We all are....

In the garden certain things are looking really great while others are struggling.

The Pak Choy is doing great, as is surprisingly the lettuce greens, the tomatoes however are not doing so well, given the high pH that is much as I expected it...

and finally there are signs of Christmas, even if only a couple. On our first night Miguel and I managed to hang the advent bags, 7 days late but better late than never right?

And the little needle felted gnomes or nisser as we say in danish, that I made last year were also found and set in the window sill.

It is hard to imagine Christmas just around the corner, usually I would be in midst of preparations

every day now, but this year it will be a different kind of Christmas, and I think that that is ok

~Blessings~

Pre moving

2011-12-05T21:58:00.001-05:00

Today we brought a few things to the land. Tomorrow is the main moving day and wednesday we will sleep on the land. Linus is restless these days and the moment we went to the car he jumped in and sat there happily waiting, just to make sure that we would not leave without him. He has been through enough moves with us that you would think that he knows by now
that he is coming with us, but apparently not.

On the way with the second load, we saw a tornado off in the distance, it was far away, very thin but appeared to be touching down, I was happy to be so far away..

As we came down the dirt road leading to the land we saw this tiny rainbow and Kaleena said she thought that it must have been the rainbow that chased away the twister.

This is what the house was looking like this evening, by wednesday regardless of where it is

we will be moving in.

Solar panels, solar fridge, hot water, doors and many details will come later .

In a way we will be camping out for the first couple of months...

Here is the dry toilet, or composting toilet, almost ready to go.

We will add a composting lasagna, made up of different layers, to the bottom of the solid waste compartment to get the composting started. The urine will run off into the compartment in front.

All that is needed now besides the beginning

composting layer is a couple of doors.

The level of peace on the land in the early evening is something quite special, and quite different

from the noisy days, such as they have been lately with all the construction going on.

Looking forward....

~I would also like to give thanks for the tender and comforting comments

on the post about my dad the other day~

~His body is tired, yet his spirit is high and his soul in peace.

To watch him go through this challenging time,

to follow him through the different stages of this event,

and to see him flowing and accepting, all the time with dignity and humility,

is inspiring, and yet another gift..... ~

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2011-12-04T08:49:00.001-05:00

Keep me away from the wisdom

which does not cry,

the philosophy which does not laugh

and the greatness

which does not bow before children.

Kahlil Gibran

~Blessings~

Around the land

2011-12-03T17:17:00.000-05:00

~Blessings~

The beauty that surrounds us

2011-12-01T23:15:00.000-05:00

Today the cenote was crystal clear, you could see the rock walls, and how there appears to be a cavern or river straight below. Besides the crystal waters, the air was especially clear today and lend an air of

magic to everything.

Nothing like little fishes nibbling your toes.

Apparently the fishes were nibbling more on Kaleena's rock, so she invited Keenan to come try her rock.

The fishes still did not seem to nibble Keenan's toes

And finally the pull was too strong and in they went, even though the water is very chilly

Kaleena made us a beautiful little salad, with everything fresh from the garden

I started more seeds, how I enjoy to grow things...

Miguel and I have been putting a lot of love into the immediate area surrounding the raised beds

Lots and lots of rides in the wheel barrow

I have once again been made acutely aware of the sacrifice that it is

to live very far away from family I love.

My dad is once again in the hospital, and while his spirits are high, his body appears to be getting tired.

(You might remember that my dad was diagnosed, about 9 months ago, with a very advanced stage of

colon cancer that had spread to his liver)

Part of me feels in peace with whatever may happen, and still the thought of not physically

having my dad in my life, not having him be part of the children's growing years, is just too hard.

What will be will be, yet when my thoughts go to him I want them

to be thoughts of healing and health, of strength and vitality.

It makes me realize how aware I must be in order, that my thoughts do not take me directly into fear.

When my thoughts go to him I pray....and so throughout the day, as I was pulling out rocks,

amending the soil, planting seeds and seedlings,

marveling at the light or observing the children, I would pause,

see him in my minds eye, and feel peace.

It was helpful for me to bring him to mind in those moments throughout the day, when the surrounding

beauty connected me fully to the present moment.

I feel that these moments of "prayer" bring me closer to him

and it makes the distance bearable.

So while the emotions involving my dad are intense for me these days, I was able to enjoy a day of work

surrounded by nature.... and be in peace.

It was a gift.....

~Blessings~

House progress

2011-11-30T19:46:00.001-05:00

Wow, just seven days to move in, a week from today.

I just realized that as I was writing this.

Thankfully the house is almost ready, the mosquito net frames are in almost all the windows.

The kitchen is almost ready, the bathroom also...almost...

Many details will be left for us to finish once we are moved in, and I am really happy

about that. This way we will have the chance to make the finishing touches NOT in concrete,

but in creative unconventional ways, put a bit more of our touch on the details.

This will be the desk area, just inside the front door, separated by a low bench with shelves for shoes and a planter.

And no, that is not a second toilet there in the middle of the house, that is one of a couple of planters

that was part of Miguel's design to create a natural separation of the spaces.

Here is the couch corner. We will eventually make cushions for the built in couch.

Underneath will be storage, much needed storage, besides the basement I am not exactly sure where we will keep clothes and such:)

We are all really excited for the big move....

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2011-11-27T10:32:00.000-05:00

The Great Way is not difficult

for those who have no preferences.

When love and hate are both absent

everything becomes clear and undisguised.

Make the smallest distinction, however

and heaven and earth are set infinitely apart.

If you wish to see the truth

then hold no opinions for or against anything.

To set up what you like against what you dislike

is the disease of the mind.

When deep meaning of things is not understood

the minds essential peace is disturbed to no avail.

The Way is perfect like vast space

where nothing is lacking and nothing is in excess.

Indeed, it is due to our choosing to accept or reject

that we do not see the true nature of things.

Live neither in the entanglements of outer things,

nor in inner feelings of emptiness.

Be serene in the oneness of things

and such erroneous views will disappear by themselves.

When you try to stop activity to achieve passivity

your very effort fills you with activity.

As long as you remain in one extreme or the other

you will never know Oneness.

~Sengstan~

translated from Chinese

~Blessings~

Around the land

2011-11-26T19:52:00.000-05:00

~Blessings~

This Moment

2011-11-25T11:35:00.000-05:00

A friday ritual inspired by Soulmama

A single photo, no words

A moment I want to pause, treasure and remember

~Blessings~

Pibil, earthen oven and Yucatan Panuchos

2011-11-22T23:38:00.002-05:00

On saturday after a work party at the land, Jose, our main man and also an amazing cook, prepared a typical Yucatan dish, perhaps it is also a typical Mexican dish, not sure.

First one of the turkeys were sacrificed for the occasion, a most delicious meal was to be prepared after partners and friends had put in a few hours of manual labor on the land.

A Pibil was prepared, an earthen oven as it where, Pibil is a Mayan word that mean burried or cooked under ground, and is

a typical way of slow cooking in these part.

Most typical is the slow cooking of a small pig, using the same recipe as for the turkey.

To prepare the animal for cooking it is basted in

Achiote, a very red, very typical spice paste used here in the yucatan,

the main ingredient of which is

annato seeds.

It gives a wonderful flavor, and the Pibil renders a juicy and tender meat.

Once the bird is covered in Achiote it is placed in a big pot, a bit of water is added and finally it is covered with banana leaves, ideally I think it is wrapped in the banana leaf, and a tight fitting lit is placed on top.

To prepare the Pibil, first a hole is dug, then a fire is lit using a

high density type of wood that will

burn hot and long creating good coal, in NC the wood to use would have been Black Locust,

I can not remember which kind he told me they used here.

Once the fire has settled into burning embers, the big pot with the turkey is then

placed onto the burning embers. Then boards are laid across the top

then a thick layer of leaf covered branches, then a few sacks that used to hold flour

and finally a thick layer of dirt.

For a good twelve hours or over night the bird slowly cooks in the

earthen oven, and can be left there for hours after the cooking is done, to simply stay warm.

The turkey was served to us all on top of Panuchos.

Panuchos is a variation to the corn tortilla that is served with all Mexican dishes so far as I can tell.

This kind of corn tortilla is baked a bit thicker than normal tortillas are, and therefor puffs up and makes a hollow inside that can then be filled with mashed black beans and fried.

There are all kinds of Panuchos, in the sense that you can then add anything on top, our was topped with

raw finely chopped cabbage, red onion in the juice of bitter oranges

(this is something I have grown to love here, and is also very typical in all meaty dishes.

You cut a red onion in small pieces, pour boiling water over it and let it sit for a

few minutes, this to take the edge off the onion.

Then you pour out the water and add the juice of a bitter orange)

Anyways we added this on top of the cabbage, then some guacamole, some of the shredded turkey,

some crushed tomatoes as well as raw tomatoes, and finally traditionally

you add a nice dabble of habanero pepper sauce, I skip this step as the habanero is

ridiculously hot and burns my mouth from even a drop.

Besides the fried tortilla this is a healthy and extremely delicious meal,

and a specialty here on the Yucatan peninsula.

I wish that once we live on the land Jose will introduce me to, and teach me how to prepare typical dishes of the region, and I will share them here in a weekly post.

Buen provecho!

~Blessings~

Chicken maternity

2011-11-21T19:39:00.000-05:00

The maternity ward for the mama and baby chicks is finally ready, and just in time, because a few days ago a mama turkey, (who is currently the most patient sitter), hatched 7 little chicks who where then passed back over to mama hen who proudly accepted them as her own.

The maternity is a private "building" where mamas and chicks can have a more calm environment, until they are bigger and ready to join the rest.

They have their own little cozy and safe area (free from fire ants) and their own backyard as well.

Yesterday when I took these pictures their back door was closed but today it was opened and mama hen was coaxing the chicks to step outside, though I did not see any venture out while I was looking.

It may be that this is all common practice when keeping chickens and growing the flock, I just haven't

seen it before and really like the little set up.

I still know next to nothing about keeping chickens, hatching chicks, and producing the best and most natural organic eggs, but I am really looking forward to learn about it all.

Once we live on the land, it will be part of the day to day, and something very important to me, in the sense that if we are keeping animals, it is extremely important that they live well and eat good feed.

It is important that they are an integral part of the system as a whole.

~Blessings~

House progress

2011-11-20T19:01:00.002-05:00

As the move in date draws nearer everyone is scrambling to finish up the final details.

Many things will be left to be finished later, such as the solar power, the doors and windows, the upstairs entrance and bathroom, but for phase one move in dec 7th, we are almost ready, yes well almost...

This was the front of the house a few days ago

This is the front of the house now.

To the right where the showing rock wall is lower, we will build, once moved in, a grey water run off bed filled with water loving plants, this will be the filter for the kitchen sink water. In the back will be another where all water from the bathroom will be filtered and reused.

One day last week I arrived and had to take a step back. So much concrete everywhere.

Considering I had a romantic idea that this would not be a house with much concrete it felt overwhelming for a moment. The truth is that due to time and money constraints this seemed the best option for this house. Once the block had been covered and the edges rounded it really is very nice.

Once all the details are in place I know that the house will be lovely, indeed wonderful,

a place for us to settle.

I am very excited to move in and dive into off the grid living and homesteading this wild land.

The loft is just lovely...

The bathroom has an elevated floor to create the proper hight between the seat and the space below where all the waste is composted. A hole will be opened in the wood and a seat placed on

top, just like that:)

Linus is really back to himself again, the king of the land. This means he barks at everyone

that comes around. He has already found himself a nice space on the deck.

I love seeing him all settled in.

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2011-11-20T10:02:00.000-05:00

The Road Not Taken

Two roads diverged in a yellow wood,
And sorry I could not travel both
And be one traveler, long I stood
And looked down one as far as I could
To where it bent in the undergrowth;
Then took the other, just as fair,
And having perhaps the better claim,
Because it was grassy and wanted wear;
Though as for that passing there
Had worn them really about the same,
And both that morning equally lay
In leaves no step had trodden black.
Oh, I kept the first for another day!
Yet knowing how way leads to way,
I doubted if I should ever come back.
Somewhere ages and ages hence:
Two roads diverged in a wood, and I -
I took the one less traveled by,
And that has made all the difference.

: Robert Frost

~Blessings~

This Moment

2011-11-18T11:32:00.000-05:00

A friday ritual inspired by Soulmama

A single photo, no words

A moment I want to pause, treasure and remember

~Blessings~

Sheet mulching and pH

2011-11-14T13:20:00.000-05:00

Finally we have our first two beds filled with dirt.

The first one we sheet mulched in order to build the soil directly into the bed and the other we

simply filled with cenote dirt.

I used sheet mulching a lot in our garden in NC, when opening another piece of grass up for growing, rather than digging out the grass, I would simply cut it real short and sheet mulch directly on top of the grass. This would incorporate the grass, roots and all the layers into the building of the soil, and at the same time avoid disturbing all the life beneath the grass.

Here however I am trying out using this technic to build the soil directly into the raised bed.

This is the process we used this time around, every time I have sheet mulched it is always a little different, depending on the materials I have on hand.

First we cleared out all the rocks, well the ones that we physically could.

Then to clean the soil (as has been suggested by local farmers) we added a layer of ashes and left it in the sun for a day. (as it turns out I wonder if this was a good idea as my soil test proved that our soil, at least the cenote dirt, is very alkaline, and ashes are used to make acid soil more alkaline, so not exactly what we needed) .... ohh well....

Then we added a layer of card board, if there are any weeds or if you are sheet mulching on top of grass or thick weeds this layer will smother it. Then lots of water.

Then we added a thick layer of greens

Then lots of water, as between each layer, in essence much like making a compost pile.

Then we added a layer of dry matter, could be leaves, newspapers, or what ever you have, we used

the dried cut grasses from the cenote. Then more water.

Then a layer of horse manure, and more water.

Then we added a layer of our ready compost, then more water.

And finally a layer of cenote dirt.

Ideally I would leave that for a few months, in NC I would leave it to overwinter and it would be ready in spring, but here with the heat I think it will soon be ready, because it has already been sitting for about 4-5 weeks and is no longer warm at all.

Now the bed below is filled with just cenote dirt.

I did a home soil test the other day and it tested the soil very alkaline, which usually translates into a high salt content, this makes sense as the dirt is taken from the cenote. Apparently at some point the saltwater of the sea mixes a little with the underground river systems here, so sometimes the water is more salty than others. Also we find alkaline soil mostly in arid areas, which this place must be said to be, at least somewhat, when we arrived in early summer, it was just the end of

dry season and it looked much like a dessert everywhere.

Apparently it is tougher to lower the pH of the soil than it is to raise it if your soil is too acid. Generally soil is considered neutral when the pH measures 7.0, anything below is considered acid soil anything above is considered alkaline. Most plants prefer a pH around 6.5-7.0.

Our cenote soil measured at least 7.5, that may not seem like much but it makes nutrients in the soil unavailable to the plants and encourages pests and sickness in plants when the pH is off.

There are a few ideas out there as to how to remedy this problem.

Add plenty of organic matter, when we have more compost ready I will mix at least half the bed

with compost. Adding peat is also mentioned, but peat is expensive, a nonrenewable resource and I do not even know if we can get it here. Another suggestion is adding sulfur straight to the soil, not sure about that but does not sound like a sustainable way to handle the problem. You might also add vinegar, which has a very low pH, but this will need to be done continuously to work, and so not very practical.

Another suggestion mentions composted sawdust, this we have though not composted,

and I will add some once it has broken down a bit.

Horse manure is also said to do good and this we are already adding.

I hope and believe that adding plenty of compost, growing a cover crop rich in nitrogen and continually adding mulches will go along way to solve the problem, but I will keep you posted on the progress.

Can you tell these things interest me? I find the workings of the soil so interesting.

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2011-11-13T12:46:00.000-05:00

"To live content with small means.

To seek elegance rather than luxury.
And refinement rather than fashion;
To be worthy not respectable
To study hard, think quietly,
Talk gently, act frankly;
To listen to stars and birds,
To babes and sages with an open heart;
To bear all cheerfully, do all bravely,
Await occasions, hurry never;
To let the spiritual, unbidden and unconscious,
Grow up through the common,
This is to be my symphony.

~Wm. Henry Channing~

~Blessings~

Around the land

2011-11-12T21:09:00.000-05:00

~Blessings~

House progress, health, and gratitude

2011-11-07T22:28:00.001-05:00

Returning a week ago from my little trip, I went from feeling renewed and excited

for about half a day and then straight to bed for two days followed by a few

days where I could manage just very slight movement. We all came down with a stomach bug and are still feeling the lingering "sinking" feeling in the belly. Strange it was, I never felt any real pain, nor did I or any of us have fever at all. The children vomited and had diarrhea, for Miguel and I there was no vomiting but intense fatigue and discomfort. I am thinking we had a mild case of salmonella poisoning, or perhaps parasites. Not much for doctors and with a strong faith in our body's

innate ability to heal itself, we stuck it out monitoring ourselves and the children,

keeping hydrated and resting.

And by now we are all much better although not back to 100% yet.

Just in case we will all do a parasite cleanse, I read up on parasites and feel that no matter what it will not harm to do this, and make it a biannual or at least an annual event.

What I found was a cleanse (if you are interested there is some info on it here and here)

using black walnut hull tincture, powdered cloves and wormwood.

I had so much wormwood in our garden in NC, I wonder if it will grow here, I bet it will, or better yet find the local plant that the Mayan use against parasites.

~~~~~~~~~

Anyways back to the house, which fortunately is nearing it's completion,

(well the shell anyways), I say fortunately because we need to move in the

first week of December no matter where we are in the progress:)

Here is where it was when I left two weeks ago, the first few rocks of the wall being laid,

this is a picture from while I was away...

(and by the way, the storm Rina completely fizzled after

threatening to make landfall as a category three hurricane on this coast a bit farther north)

and this is as it stands now, a little mushroom house. This is the view from the west, to the left is the bathroom window and to the right the bedroom windows. The little opening that you can see at the bottom left is where the opening for the dry bathroom compartment will be.

This is the view from the north/east side of the house. To the right the large opening will open to a deck, and by the window to the left there will be a dining/schooling/crafting/drawing/sewing area, and the door on the far left is the main entrance to the house.

We spent a long time today sitting in the house visualizing how we would lay out the space, now taking into consideration that the loft will be sectioned off for the time being, to be available to the partners.

I enjoyed the creative process of seeing how we might be in this house,

finding solutions and being open....

This will be the joint sleeping area, to the right the bathroom

to the left the main entrance, to the right the kitchen

While pondering the challenges of working with round walls and an enclosing circle toward the middle, in other words a round house, out of nowhere it suddenly started to rain hard.

It was lovely to sit inside looking out, feeling the fresh wind flowing through the house, and feeling the change of the season, which is now apparent.

It was also lovely to find that the children, together, had run into the wilderness eager to explore.

It reminded me of why I love living in the middle of nature, how our connection to it sets us free.

I can truly say that we are all looking forward to move out here.

We asked for this opportunity, to live back in nature,

and here it is....not exactly as we thought it would be, but then again is anything ever?

ohh and look, signs of autumn here too:)

~With much love and gratitude~

Words to ponder

2011-11-06T09:29:00.001-05:00

Do not fear the form in which it comes,
it comes in the form it needs to come in
for us to be challenged... for us to grow,
each and every one of us according to our kind,
according to our belief... according to our vibration.
...
Embrace the unknown... embrace the change,
within it you will find the rest of yourself.

~ Bashar ~

~~Blessings~~

Waiting for the storm, house progress and going off line

2011-10-24T22:38:00.000-04:00

As hurricane Rina is nearing our coast we are hoping to avoid a straight on landfall here in Tulum, either way the beaches will not look like they did Sunday when the children and I stole away for a few hours of tranquil enjoyment. As it turns out I will not be here for this storm, I leave tomorrow to spend a few days with a dear friend and perhaps pick up a few of my jars in the storage:)

This also means that I will be off line for the week as I have decided to travel light, neither computer nor camera will I bring, can I manage I wonder? Hard to imagine not to have a camera in hand, but I am determined to simply take mental images this time, and unplug completely.

The house is all of a sudden moving along quickly and who knows maybe it will have walls when I return. Today they started laying the stones for these walls so now it wont be long,

good thing as we need to be out of the rental no later than dec 7th.

So until next week...

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2011-10-23T11:43:00.000-04:00

An old Cherokee told his grandson,

"My son, there's a battle between two wolves inside us all. One is Evil.

It is anger, jealousy, greed, resentment, inferiority, lies, & ego.

The other is Good. It is joy, peace, love, hope,

humility, kindness, empathy, & truth."

The boy thought about it & asked his grandfather, "Which wolf wins?"

The old Cherokee quietly replied,

"The one you feed."

~Blessings~

Around the Land

2011-10-22T20:19:00.000-04:00

~Blessings~

A children's garden in the making

2011-10-21T22:21:00.001-04:00

With all the rain we have been having many projects have been halted, so we decided to get started with
one of the children's areas that we hope to create. As you can see below, the area already had a basic tee pee structure but had otherwise been abandoned. I needed a place to plant my cucumber seedlings and the tee pee seemed a perfect place. This together with a wild climbing spinach that we had growing in a different, less ideal, location will create a lovely shaded hideout for the children. We cleared the front of the area, moved a few banana palms over that needed new location and will
eventually offer lovely fruit for the children to pick and an orange tree.
It became clear that we need to add a structure for climbing as both children enjoyed climbing the tee pee so much for the couple of days when it was under construction. We plan to clear the weeds and grasses back to the fence line and add a simple climbing structure, perhaps some tree stumps to jump between and ideally a little tree house or a simple deck. We shall see....

Look at this amazing spider that Kaleena found right in the middle of hunting time.

As we were watching, a grasshopper got stuck in her web, as you can see on the second picture, and in a few seconds it was already wrapped in the silken wrap of the spider, really amazing to watch.

~Blessings~

Halloween lanterns and simple trick or treat baskets

2011-10-19T20:09:00.001-04:00

Since we arrived in Mexico the children have been asking for craft projects, if you have been reading along here since last year you know I used to do a lot.

However it seems my creativity was completely dried up and I have really done none since arriving.

As Halloween approached and the neighbors were hanging up ghosts and skeletons Kaleena was almost in tears that we had none, and I was having a hard time getting into the spirit of things.

In our home Halloween have never been about scary, it has always been about the coming of the darker season, adding candles and bringing in light, the time to go to the fields to
pick the pumpkins, carve them, roast the seeds and make a pie.
Last year we also made these cute paper bag Halloween lanterns.

Our decorations were autumnal never scary, but staying with my sister last year the children

got a taste for adding ghosts, skeletons, and sculls around the

yard and apparently especially Kaleena loved it.

I kept telling Kaleena to get creative use what we had in the house but found no energy to get involved. Then yesterday morning before going to the land, Keenan came in with a dead butterfly he had found, and he wanted to add it to a jar. I pulled myself together and got out the Mod Podge and together we

added his little butterflies with some orange tissue paper to a small jar (found on the land).

Kaleena came in and at the sight of the Mod Podge her face lit up and she too wanted to do decorations.

I had to offer up my one and only Mason jar, empty it's contents and we also used an old mayonnaise

jar and made a couple more little simple lanterns.

(we just added the orange tissue paper to the jars and cut out a jack o lantern

faces and added that on top with the Mod Podge)

When I returned from the land Kaleena met me proudly with a homemade trick or treat basket.

She had been crying for one, and I had told her that we would have to use something already here,

the children's little wicker baskets being in the storage in Miami:(

I love what she came up with, so creative and so pretty really.

She had taken and old yoghurt container Mod Podged it with black and orange tissue paper,

and cut out shapes for decorations.

Today when we returned from the land Keenan painted the inside of the containers orange and Kaleena finger knitted orange and black embroidery thread for the handles. I added little holes with the leather punch, and added little beads to the strings to fasten.

Very simple, very inexpensive and very lovely.

I was so proud of her initiative, and really love the outcome.

Best of all she herself is proud of her creation and looking forward to use it.
Also, how wonderful it felt to get creative again (other than at the land), to see how excited they both were that we were all finally doing a project together again, surely we will be at it again soon.

~Blessings~

Visit to a neighbor and October seedlings

2011-10-18T20:59:00.000-04:00

Today Miguel was not feeling well and stayed home, the children decided to stay home with him

and surprised me with a very creative Halloween creation when I returned.

I will share this project tomorrow.

I went to visit a neighbor, a mexican woman who used to be a dancer in Las Vegas,

and who is lovingly called the papaya lady by the children.
I mention the dancing bit because I find it so interesting;
all the different walks of life found in just this little part of the jungle.

From the outside, and from the inside too really, her garden looks a bit confusing.

Everything is randomly planted in between the cracks of the rocks, but how healthy and happy all the plants look. And the variety was just amazing,
she must have a good 50 different kinds of fruits, perennial greens, nuts and herbs.

I took many photos of trees but I cannot as of yet identify them all, far from it, many of the fruits I had never even heard of. She even has two apple trees, one pear tree and a couple of peach trees growing,

I think they are all young trees and not yet fruiting, but she is convinced that they will, and they look healthy. I will be very excited if we can indeed grow apples and pears here.
Visiting this garden was very inspirational for me, to have such an abundance of food growing with absolutely minimal effort is amazing, it baffles me that just down the road a local family lives and they have not a single fruit tree growing, not one.
In a place such as here, meaning the tropics, it seems everyone should have all their basic fruits growing right outside their door. Some do, but far from everyone.

Since arriving here in Mexico I, and the children especially, have enjoyed a red drink which we make from dried red flowers boiled in water, it is called flor de Jamica, and here in this garden I saw the flowering plant, and was even gifted a few babies to plant on the land.

Beautiful and useful too, love that!!

These are the flowers once they fall, they are then left to dry before cooking.

(most likely they can be used fresh as well, though I imagine they rot quickly

if not used or laid out to dry immediately.

Here is another perennial green, I already forgot the name even though I was told several times.

I must write it down and look it up.

But it is I suspect similar to the Chaya in terms of nutrients, it does however have a very
distinct licorice scent when the leaves are rubbed between the fingers, and I was told that it is most delicious in foods, I am looking forward to try it.
We were also gifted two large seedlings of this tree/bush.

Below is a Noni fruit, I brought home several fruits to try,

Miguel knows them but I have never had them.

I will take the seeds from the fruits and hope to start little trees from them.

And here is an old favorite. I had two growing in my garden in North Carolina.

A beautiful Fig tree, I was so happy to actually recognize one of the many fruit trees in this garden, yes well besides the obvious ones.

And we were also gifted three seedlings from this lovely Fig.

mmmmmm, so grateful

Back at home it is becoming obvious that the seedlings are not nearly as pleased with all the rain we are having (it is still raining on and of). All of the pak choy has rotted, the tomatoes look like they are going the same route, and the salad greens the same. The only ones still looking healthy and strong are the cucumbers and zucchini.

A friend told me the other day, that each year he promises himself not to start anything tender, really any annual vegetable, between september and end of november as that is the heaviest rainy season in these parts. He told me that each year the same thing happens;

because of the humidity with all this rain, the seedlings simply all rot.

He even spoke of healthy arugula already in his beds about 10 cm tall, gone.

It sounds to me like good advise,

besides this is an excellent time to focus on all the fruit trees, the trees that love all this water,

and can really benefit from being planted now.

This spinach was so healthy a couple of days ago, and now one by one they are keeling over,

frustrating really!

~Blessings~

After the rain

2011-10-17T21:20:00.001-04:00

Today the rain stopped. It has been raining since last wednesday,

and torrential downpour without a break for the past three days.

Today we found a water world at the land, the cenote reached across the paths all the way through.

It was really beautiful and the children were in heaven.

Keenan sweetly thought he might help clear the path by pouring water with an empty yoghurt

container back into the cenote.

Ahh yes, and another crocodile was spotted yesterday by Abelardo, a bit smaller than the one we moved. So it seems that we will be dealing with these guys for quite some time, catch and release.

And would you believe it Kaleena still went for a swim, a quick one close to the edge, but still...

She reasoned; "but we have swum here so many times and it seems they have been here all along and never bothered us" I told her to make sure to make a lot of noise and be extra aware.

(To think that I allowed it...... does that make me an irresponsible mama?)

~Update~
Yesterday I felt it was ok to allow Kaleena a quick dip in the cenote, today I feel different.
Even if these are shy and timid crocodiles, even if locals in Belize are not too concerned about swimming in the rivers with this type of croc, even if these are freshwater crocs, even if they are unlikely to attack, even if they hunt mainly at night, even if there is plenty of food
such as fish and the like in the cenote,
even if we were probably swimming with them all along,
even if the chance of an attack is actually minimal,
I will not allow Kaleena nor Keenan to swim in the cenote for the time being.
I have also forgiven myself for allowing it yesterday:)

All the plants were in heaven...

all of the papaya seedlings had grown extra leafs

and the avocados as well, aren't they beautiful?

To think that all you do is put the avocado seed, pointy side up, into some dirt and a little tree grows.

I know it is like that with all seeds of course, but I just so love to watch the process unfold, especially with such a big dense seed as the avocado (and mango as well), and then to think that in a few years, five or so, we will pick avocados from the trees we started from a seed.

How about a bucket full of maggots?

The crew has moved to the back where they will have their own kitchen, dry toilet

and rooms. As we were cleaning out the kitchen in the front we came across this flooded compost bucket filled with maggots. Kaleena could not think of enough words to let us know how she felt about the sight. Either way we brought the soupy mix back to the chickens and they loved it!

This is excellent protein for them, so good in fact that Jose is in the process of making a maggot farm up against the outside wall of the chicken corral. Next week we will also add a red worm farm to the chicken area, here the idea is to feed the worms to the chickens and use the worm castings in the garden.

The rooster proudly prancing around keeping lookout, he ate a couple himself and like the perfect gentleman left the rest for the ladies

He is such a lovely rooster, so friendly and lets the children hold him without any fuss,

and he is so handsome:)

~Blessings~

Words to ponder

2011-10-16T12:39:00.000-04:00

"If we want to awaken all of humanity,

then we must awaken all of ourselves.

If we want to eliminate the suffering in the world,

then we must eliminate all that is dark

and negative in ourselves.

Truly, the greatest gift we have to give is that of our own self-transformation."

LaoTzu

A crocodile rescue

2011-10-15T17:55:00.003-04:00

When Miguel arrived at the land yesterday this is what he found in one of the cisterns of the house.

We had not agreed to set a trap for the crocodile yet the guys wanting to help, took it upon themselves to do so, and so we ended up with a crocodile in a cage and no where to take him.

It was really very sad, the poor guy, scared and trapped, yet very calm.

This past week I had talked to another organic farmer who said that in his experience this kind of crocodile is not aggressive, in fact locals around his farm in Belize generally do not hesitate to swim in rivers where these crocs live. The kinds of crocodiles native to these parts are the American crocodile, which is a saltwater crocodile and this kind is considered quite aggressive and reports of human attacks are not rare, these guys are not found as far inland as where we are, rather closer to the oceans where fresh and salt water mix. What we have here is the Morelet's crocodile, these guys live in swampy areas

such as ours and are not considered very dangerous, although reports of human attacks have occurred.

This crocodile was a juvenile, about a year old we guessed, and besides one time making a quick jerk of his head and snapping at us, remained very calm throughout the entire ordeal.

I felt an immense sense of compassion for this creature, there he was trapped and scared, you could see his chest moving with his heartbeat, and when looking into his eyes it was so obvious that he was just like us, wanting to live and be left in peace. Just another living being.

He definitely felt threatened and once out of the cistern his mouth opened, showing us his teeth ready to attack I am guessing, and yet at his young age not able to do much harm.

I love this picture, creature to creature connecting through a simple touch of the hands.

The children were obviously fascinated, they got to touch a real wild crocodile, and found his skin surprisingly soft not at all tough as it appears.

Off we went, we decided that rather than to leave him trapped for days while we find someone who can move him (being that he was trapped before we had arranged all the details) we simply moved him a couple of miles into the jungle where no one lives and where there is also water.

Of course nothing is as simple as just that here, and in the pouring rain,

(it has been a constant downpour here for three days now),

the boys had to push start the truck to get it running.

Keenan was very proud to be helping release the crocodile back into the wild,

his kind is after all an endangered species and we were happy to be able to help save him rather than the crew frying him up on the BBQ, which they would have liked to.

At this point the picture quality seriously diminishes as the rain had reached the point of torrential downpour and the wind was picking up, still our spirits were high as we set him down and watched him gratefully slip back into his natural habitat.

Even the guys, who without our interference would have eaten him,

couldn't help but feel that we were doing the very best and right thing.

It was a special moment and I am proud to have taken part in it.

I only wish that he might live a long healthy life, being harmed by no one and harming no one in return.

~Blessings~

Around the Land, and thinking of a home

2011-10-14T10:13:00.001-04:00

We built a nice communal dining table, it is a rustic replica of our

dining room table in North Carolina, built cheaply out of a neighbors scrap wood.

Lots of composting going on, we are struggling a bit with the shade over the piles, but otherwise they are cooking nicely, ready to be turned beginning of next week. I think that we will build a more permanent composting structure in the near future, there are many pallets laying around everywhere in town, and I thought we might make a row of several separate spaces to keep the piles contained, with an empty space next to each to turn the pile over into. Also a more permanent shade structure is in the plans.

28 sour orange tree saplings were also transplanted into bags so they can receive a bit more attention until they and the landscaping is ready to have them planted into their permanent spot.

In the back by the animals, the "mayan hotel"

(this name was given to the structure by the crew that currently lives here)

is almost complete, this structure will house a workshop, storage and tool shed, as well as kitchen and sleeping area for the couple of helpers that will live on the land permanently.

The house where we will live is moving along also, the roof is almost complete, although when looking at a photo from a couple of weeks ago, you might not notice a difference because they have simply been adding layer after layer for the thickness.

There has been a lot of unrest about the fact that the first house built

on the land is to house our family, because as a fact we are not partners in this project.

With many people involved, many far away, working together on a project such

as this it seems inevitable that some conflicts will arise in terms of interests.

I will be honest and say that it has been tough standing in the middle of this, feeling the emotions pulled first in this direction and then in that. I feel at moments very uncertain about our place in it all, will the work we do be enough to satisfy all the partners, will the value we bring be tangible enough for everyone to feel peaceful and right about this structure becoming our home while we work this land?
When we were asked to come, it was with the understanding that we would have a private place where we could settle in, a home, for the time that we are here.
Now however due to cost and conflictive interests the upstairs is to be used as a separate studio, where the partners can come and stay until another structure is completed.
To be honest, I think that this is fair and right, they have all spent a lot of money and still have no place to stay when they come. What concerns us a bit is,
will this be a temporary situation or will we in effect be living in a hotel,
with people coming and going, while we feel much like guests.

As we see it, the solution would be to keep the upstairs as part of our home, with the understanding that until another structure is completed any partner is a welcome guest and will indeed have the upstairs for them when they visit. An outside entrance to the loft would be added,
60-70% of the space upstairs would be divided off as a guest room
with private bathroom to be available for the partners to use, yet still to remain part of the house.
With such a solution, the interest of the partners is accommodated,
(after all it is not often that they come down here) and our initial agreement honored.
We understand that no one owes us anything nor do we have the right to
ask for much, all we can do is pray that what turns out to be the best for everyone involved is for us to have a home, a place where our family can settle for the time being, and therefor do our very best work.

~Blessings~

This day

2011-10-07T00:48:00.000-04:00

These days whenever I go to the land, I always make a few stops along the less trafficked roads to pick up greens for my compost piles. I make a new pile most days I go lately, and right now there are 5 piles cooking, getting ready, rich good compost for the vegetables beds.

I really enjoy this process, getting the pile just right, each time getting it more the way I want it; nice and square to keep even pressure throughout the pile, thoroughly wet between each layer. Then checking the temperature by sticking a machete into the center and see how hot it comes out and then some more to aerate it, adding more water if too dry and so on.

Building the soil, giving love and intention to the earth that will later grow the food that will nourish us,

I love it!

The compost is cooking, the seeds have sprouted all we need now are the beds ready.

Today Miguel and I cleared the first bed of many many rocks,

while Abelardo filled a few of the remaining holes in the walls. Then I added a dusting of ashes to add some potassium, but more as a kind of cleanser for the soil.

This was recommended by a local gardener, to give a fresh start.

Saturday I will sheet mulch inside the bed to build the soil right where we need it, I think that in this heat, if we keep it wet and aerated it should be ready to plant within a month.

The crocodile was around again, but I was too late with the camera and caught just the tail

slipping into the water

I checked on all the babies, we have many trees sprouting nicely. Especially the avocado

seeds have almost all shot up nice little trees. And when we were cleaning an area the other day I started many cuttings from the trees to see what would root, and so far it looks like they all are rooting nicely.

And of course I stopped by the house a few times, it is coming along nicely...

~Blessings~

Chaya, a perennial green

2011-10-05T19:33:00.000-04:00

Chaya, a new found love!

I am just starting to get familiar with the local food sources,

and the first that really has me excited is the Chaya bush.

It is sometimes called tree spinach and is native to this part of Mexico.

It is superior to spinach and other leafy vegetables in its nutritional value, here is a brief list of nutrients;

Percentages are of minimum daily requirement

%	Chaya	Alfalfa	Spinach
Protein	8.25	3.66	2.00
Crude Fibre	1.94	3.12	2.07
Calcium	421.00	12.00	49.00
Phosphorus	63.00	15.00	30.00
Iron	11.61	5.30	5.70
Vitamin A	8.52	0.74	2.48
Vitamin B1	0.23	0.13	0.03
Ascorbic Acid	0.35	0.14	0.10

My research is still very limited and I plan to get to know this plant much better.

For now I am happy to have found a perennial

(I think it would perhaps be a tender perennial in other parts of the world)

leafy green plant with such high nutritional value.

Also chlorophyll amount is supposed to be very high, just like my beloved nettles, and I plan to make myself a jar daily of these greens soaked in boiled water for a cleansing water treat.

We already have a few bushes on the land, I just planted a few more sticks the other day.

(Simply cut a few branches and stick in the ground to root.)

I harvest them with gloves as they do have little pesky hairs that really bother in the skin,

more so than the sting of the nettle, in my opinion.

What I love best besides the nutritional value is that from a permaculture perspective they are perfect too.

I hope to fill this land with as many perennial foods as possible so that our intensive gardens might be minimized. Why struggle to grow spinach and leafy greens in this heat when these grow so happily,

and I do not need to disturb the earth each growing season, or plant seeds again and again.

Also the chickens love them, these bushes need to grow all around

where the chickens roam to help feed them as well.

So far I have tried them in two dishes, one a bean salad the other a spanish omelet.

For the bean salad I cooked them lightly with some green beans,

(anywhere you read about Chaya it will tell you to cook before eating as they can release a toxin when raw, I have also spoken to some here who eat them raw,

so far I do not have enough information to eat them raw and will

stick to the cooked kind until better informed)

Once lightly cooked with the green beans I added some chick peas and some brown beans, and tossed it all in a dressing of olive oil, lime, mustard and a bit of honey and salt.

It was very yummy, even the children ate it happily.

I also tried the leafs in my spanish omelet, and it was not a success,

but only because I put too many and did not chop them finely enough.

~Blessings~

After the rain

2011-10-05T18:51:00.001-04:00

Nothing like a tropical rain to make all the colors of the landscape pop..

So much beauty!

And an old friend came to visit, can you find him?

There he is, I must say he looks much bigger in the pictures than he seemed in person.

Even so, no swimming these days.

I think there is a good chance that this is the same guy from some weeks ago,

which means we have been swimming with him close by,

which again means we might again have to see about having him removed.

Beautiful though and so clearly at home in the environment.

~Blessings~

The Beach

2011-10-02T23:34:00.000-04:00

Sometimes all it takes is to get to the beach.

I am reminded each time I go, which is not enough, that the ocean indeed is my sanctuary

the same way the mountains and the woods were in Asheville.

We are fortunate and blessed to have such a beautiful beach right around the corner

and we need to come more often!

What I love most about this beach is, that while it is almost packed

solid with little boutique hotels and cabins, it has been accomplished

to retain a consistently peaceful and calm atmosphere here.

There is always so many things to be grateful for!

~with gratitude~

House progress

2011-10-02T12:37:00.000-04:00

Once all the tresses were in place a wire mesh was laid over the entire roof. First a larger and thicker mesh and afterwards a thinner one. Then, and of course by hand as with everything, the ferrocement is slowly added, first the whole roof is covered in a thin layer and then they go around again adding layer upon layer until the desired thickness is reached which in this case is about 7cm.

The center support beam for the floor has also been laid down.
The two triangular shapes represent more or less the size of each of the children's room.
And to the right you can see the dry toilet tank.

The dry/composting toilet tank has now been cemented and sealed at the proper angle, the gutter that shows at the bottom is where the urine will run into the tank below, outside the house.

This compartment will also be cemented and sealed, and have a lid so we can reach in there with a bucket once every few weeks. The bucket will then be left in the sun for a couple of weeks and then added to the garden as a nitrogen supplement.

Here the eastern window is added, we will have two openings or windows, one on the eastern side of the roof, and the other on the western side. The predominant wind direction here is east/west, the winds coming in from the Caribbean ocean. These two openings will allow for the heat to leave through the ceiling and allow for the wind to blow through keeping the house cooler.

Once the outside layers of the ferrocement is complete

an inside layer will be added for a smoother look.

And this is pretty much where we are at right now, moving swiftly along....

~Blessings~

Seeds in trays

2011-09-28T18:24:00.000-04:00

While much of the planet is slowly preparing for winter, we are entering the growing season here.

On the land we are getting the raised beds ready and here at the house I started getting the seeds into trays, so that once the beds are finished the seedlings should be ready to be transplanted.

I decided to grow the seeds at home because we have a covered roof top here,

at the land we still do not have a nicely shaded, free from rain area for the trays.

Also here I am catching rain water which will be better than the slightly salty cenote water.

Keenan was once again a great help! First helping to spread the tarp on which we added one bucket of compost and one bucket of bocashi both brought from the land.

Then we had to bring the dirt (which we had to buy) bucket by bucket from downstairs,

it was excellent exercise, and Keenan filled the buckets while I lugged them upstairs, dirt was getting in his eyes so he felt he needed to wear protection glasses for this job:)

Once the dirt was nicely mixed we added mosquito netting to the plastic fruit trays that we have scavenged over the last two days, and added the dirt.

Then Keenan spent the rest of the time playing in the left over dirt

And a few pictures of a very happy puddle playing boy

Ahh yes and an update of the snakes from yesterday, as it turns out neither of the three snakes

were poisonous, not even the one with the arrow shaped head. Apparently many nonvenomous snake have the arrow shaped head, you can tell they are poisonous if the have a pit (hole) between their eye and nostril. Three of the four poisonous snakes here are pit vipers with such a pit, the coral snake or veritable coral which I though it was, does not have an arrow shaped head at all, and the colorful bands extents around the entire body, unlike the one we found which had a solid colored underbelly.

It is so important to be educated about these things as so many

useful snakes are killed because of our ignorance and because they do such a good job at mimicking the dangerous ones....

~Blessings~

Snakes and compost

2011-09-27T23:56:00.001-04:00

Today as we arrived Jose, our main guy, or chepe as the guys call him, told us to be extra careful because many snakes had been seen. One had already been killed, the one below.

The crew has been asked to use extreme care and not kill friendly snakes, but the Maya it seems do not like any snakes and kills on sight no matter what kind. I went home and looked for this one and could not find a match, certainly not with the four venomous kind that live in these parts.

A few minutes later Kaleena and Keenan yells from the little front house, where they go to get out of the heat, SNAKE SNAKE, everybody runs there, and we find this guy on the inside wall desperately trying to get out through a crack in the ceiling. Miguel had a machete handy and trapped its head, and we all agreed that this was indeed a venomous snake. Even though I have looked through many pictures I could not find a good match, but I am going to guess that this is a variable coral snake, the one that carries the strongest poison, yet is not aggressive, which was true for this one, even though trapped she made no attempt to attack, still we killed it.

I wish there was another way but for now that is a chance we cannot take.

A few minutes later it was covered with red ants, they are ferocious here, and are also to blame that three of the four hatched chickens did not make it:(

Finally this little guy, so obviously not dangerous, was also killed just for being a snake.

I plan to really educate myself about these creatures so

that we do not kill more than absolutely necessary.

Besides snake watching today I also made compost.

We are entering the best growing season here with rainy season almost at an end.

Now is the time to get seeds into trays, so that when the rains are over seedling are ready for the beds.

The other day we picked up a load of horse manure from some stables down the road, and first off we created a temporary shade for the piles.

(This is also the area where the green house or shaded seedling area will be some day)

First I added a layer of sticks so that the pile might breathe from below. Water!!

then a layer of dried leaves, or anything dried, hay, straw or even newspaper. Water!!

then a layer of green leaves, legumes are great (we had just a few wild beans) as they are all nitrogen fixers and add nitrogen to the soil that is being created, though any green leaves will do. Water!!

then a layer of manure. Water!!

lots and lots of water between each layer

layers continue like this until the pile is approximately 3 by 3 by 3 feet

Then a final layer of cenote sediments, or garden soil. Then some more water!!

I will check daily for the heat and moisture level and make sure to poke a stick in daily to bring air, and in a couple of weeks I turn the pile completely.

In a months time with this heat it should be ready. Lovely hummus compost for the growing beds.

By then a few of these beds will also be ready.

Due to the lack of soil and abundance of rocks, we have to raise the beds and then build the soil.

We are making the first two of many beds, these will be rectangular and measure 80 cm wide,

so that we can easily reach the center.

They will be 50cm high and between 4 and 5 meters long.

Once they are done I will sheet mulch directly into these beds to build the soil.

The first two will like use mostly cenote sediments, just to get started.

Meanwhile other places around the land; the team's living quarters and kitchen, as well as the workshop and storage area is moving along nicely. Also the composting toilet for this area is in progress.

Linus, like the rest of us, does his best to deal with the heat:)

~blessings~