of done is good, of frog fishing, and of building an above ground garden

29 May 2009
Friday
8pm, Esteli office

Well. Decided to get out of my site for a while and come to Esteli for the weekend. Not gonna lie, though, don’t like leaving when the boy is still there. But he has to work tomorrow and has class Sunday and it’s fine.

I have a ton of stuff to do tonight and tomorrow. Stuff to buy. Stuff to do. And am going out to Moncha’s for Mother’s Day tomorrow.

I am in the office, blessedly on wireless, and it feels like I am in college again, preparing for an all nighter. Except it’s only 8pm and I will probably crash in about two hours and head back to the hotel.

TO DO
X print photos
photos to kodakgallery.com
WORK REPORT
6 month INTA report
seed bank office?
visit Moncha mother’s day
tech day’s jicaro prep
BANK
haircut


TO BUY
X pot/pan
sheet / towel / pillow & case
X dictionary
X nica map
X envelopes
moto toy
X tonail polish remover
Christmas lights
X smaller pants

In other news, country kids are the same everywhere. There are those that get drunk and smoke ‘cause there’s nothing else to do… and there are those of us who make our own fun… like stargazing at HaHaTonka and being cool dorks.

The Torrez kids are cool dorks who make their own fun. Background. The rainy season is upon us. I am equipped with a rain jacket, an umbrella, several baseball caps, and awesome croc-like-boots that Lenin and I are making all the rage in Madriz.

With this rain come a lot of mosquitos and bugs… and toads. There are toads everywhere. They congregate under the porch lights and eat the bugs that are drawn to the light. We sit outside at night and watch the toads and catch lightning bugs (candelias).

PS Lightning bugs are different down here! Not only does their abdomen glow, but their EYES glow, too! Kinda creepy, actually.

Anyway. Last night Lenin and Milagro decided to go “toad fishing.” Which involves: Catching beetles and tying them to a string and hovering the line near the toads and watching them try to eat the beetle … and then pulling the string, and beetle, out of the bowels of the frog… and doing it again and again. Then Lenin got the bright idea to tie beetles to both ends of the string, fish for two toads and have them fight it out. Have to admit, that was a much more entertaining spectacle!

So that’s an evening in the life of a Peace Corps Volunteer in Central America.

More later about constructing an above ground garden in Nicaragua!

.......Later...... taking a break from my work report....

So. Pretty much everyone in my site has above ground gardens. Like, in the air. They build these for several reasons. 1) the free roaming chickens and ducks can't eat the seeds/plants. 2) during the monsoon season the seeds/plants won't wash away. 3) ... you don't have to bend over!

The steps involved in creating this above ground garden are as follows:
1. Procure a large - like 5 foot - crowbar to dig post holes
2. Dig holes
3. Find posts. Usually involves scaling trees - easier when barefoot - with a machete to chop down post worthy branches.
4. Cut posts to right length with machete, with "Y" of posts facing the "right" way.
5. Plant posts
6. Cut more branches to create the table.

So at this point you literally have a table like structure, though with gaps between the branches.

7. Find old sackos, or 100 lb sacks that all the grains are stored in.
8. Place sackos over the table.
9. Make good dirt... dirt, horse/cow crap, and ash. Organic fertilzer or worm fertilizer, if available.
10. Place good dirt on the table on top of the sackos.
11. Plant!

Voila! An above ground garden, Nicaraguan style!

Alternatives: Enclose the area underneath the garden with chicken wire and use it as a chicken coop.


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ps work reports SUCK. good thing they only happen once every 4 months. heading out to moncha's tomorrow, sunday, before heading back to the mopo.

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