When it rains it pours- out of the tap.

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Hey there friends, family, and the like,

Today was quite a big day here on the farm.

My first task this morning was to weed the yard- if you remember from a previous post, I had mentioned that the grass in the yard here has grown to heights reaching my hips. If that is any indication of how big the weeds are in comparison, you can probably mentally envisage their gargantuan size. Now, take your mental estimate and multiply that by 50. It would not be unfair to say that these so-called weeds have more in common with miniature trees than any type of unruly plant I have ever seen- wild or garden- grown. Normally, the process of weed removal is achieved by following these simple steps:

Put on gloves, grab the plant, and pull.

Here’s the problem. The stems of these things are about as thick as my arm with needles sticking out in every which direction that would make a porcupine look like a pillow. The grab and pull method was just not a possible feat when dealing with Teenage Mutant Dandelions. Uprooting these suckers was not unlike chopping a knotted piece of wood. With an oversized gardening hoe I spent 3 hours hacking away at their thorny bases, despite how persistent and stubborn they were in clinging to the earth beneath them. However, when it comes down to a battle of persistence and stubbornness, I am a fair match to any opponent. Eventually, victory was mine.

While I was busy using every morsel of testosterone allotted to my female body (grunting for each swing and all), Federico and Juan were trying to rid the water pipes of any blockades. I think I forgot to mention that the water in the house drizzles from the tap- almost in a drop by drop fashion. Washing dishes is not so much a chore as it is a test of my patience. How long will Brooke stand at the sink washing the same plate, using the teaspoon amount of water that has escaped from the tap in the last half an hour, before deciding that spitting on the damn thing would be faster? Luckily we won’t have to find out. EUREKA they fixed it! I can now wash my hands, brush my teeth, and fill a pot of water (including the bucket that is needed to flush the toilet—waiting for that thing to fill is a lot of fun), in a reasonable amount of time! Oh the small things in life.

Our next task was to make lunch. We were going to BBQ a stew. Yes- this statement would have confused me too had it been my first day here. In fact, on my first day, when Juan said that he was going to head outside to BBQ, I naively wondered why I had not seen this BBQ during the tour of the property. Well you see, in order to BBQ here on the farm, you need to go out in the yard and; retrieve some wood, chop the wood, make a tepee out of the wood, light the wood on fire, and then use the fire to cook. Ergo- BBQ. So in this case, BBQing a stew- thereby putting a cast iron cauldron (yes, cauldron) on top of the fire- is not so inconceivable. Lentils, potatoes, peppers, onions, carrots, garlic, and beans all mixed into a conglomerate of deliciousness. It was probably the best meal I think we have had yet.

The only other noteworthy events to include in this blog are the two sightings (and counting) of animals that would otherwise only be seen at home in the confines of zoos. First, a few days ago, there was an ARMADILLO scampering across the field as we were driving by. The silly thing ran right in front of the truck and continued to sprint ahead of us (perhaps thinking it was some sort of competition- vehicle Vs. armored animal). Juan had to get out and chase it around in attempt to clear the truck’s path. The armadillo zig zagged back and forth across beam of our headlights, almost taunting him, before scampering off into the grass. The second is a two-part story. On the way to the farm on my first day, we saw an ostrich, off in the distance, running across the plain. It was beautiful- and BIG. It had an ass the size of smart car. I wouldn’t play “shake your tail feathers” around an ostrich, I’ll tell you that much. It really did look quite majestic though, I was disappointed it wasn’t a little closer to us. BUT! As if someone somewhere in the cosmos had heard my thoughts- Federico found two ostrich eggs on the farm today! When they first brought them in the house, I was a little wary that they might be used for tomorrow’s breakfast- the poor things were still warm! But alas, Federico, Juan, and I found a big straw basket, filled it with grass and hot waterbottles, and made a cozy little nest for our new egg friends. I hope they hatch before I have to leave. Ostrich pets? Too cool.

Anyways friends, that’s all from me for now!

Oh PS- the farm is so isolated that we do not even have an address here (it doesn’t exist!)- There is nowhere close by for me to send mail. Those of you who are waiting for post cards will hopefully get them on my way to the second farm. Hang tight!

Talk soon,

Brooke

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Comments

[Terry]

Hola Chica- Que Bueno!!! Glad you are safe and raising baby ostriches. What a beautiful blogger... looking forward to future posts. So much to share with you. I met with Mr Martin on Friday. All is good. We have a friend in the past PM. Take care xox Terry