A rumble from the jungle

The jungle is so outstandingly alive.

I am not used to coexisting so close to so many different visible forms of life. It´s becoming increasingly amazing, now that i am less afraid of snakes and spiders and burrowing bugs. Last night as I went through my bedtime routine of shaking off the tarp that covers my tent by the light of cj´s headlamp, quickly undoing my sandals, unzipping the tent partway and diving into the safety of a bug free sleeping area, I accidently allowed a ginormous wolf spider in with me. I turned around to put on my jammies and saw him hanging out on my sleeping pad. Instead of screaming and creating a world of trouble for both of us, I just unzipped, thrust the sleeping pad out the door, and he crawled off into the night, thankyouverymuch. Those of you who have experienced my relationship with insects will appreciate the growth indicated by this interaction.


That being said, the bites on my body are out of control. I have learned to love plantain balm (not the banana kind of plantain but a green plant that grows down here and is very soothing on stings and bites) and to stop scratching.

It feels overwhelming to post because so much happens every day on the farm. This week we have begun building our long drop dry composting toilet. We spent a day digging soil to fill polypropylene bags, which we then laid out and tamped down to create a very solid foundation. We then spent many hours sifting soil (wet and claylike because of all the humidity), then mixing with sand and dried needles to create a mortar. Using leftover adobe bricks (unbaked, just sundried), we built the wall that will separate the two lower composting chambers of the toilet. Then it started raining. Next week we keep building up! Stairs and pooping seats (and pictures), here we come!!

I found a tiny egg the other day. Thank you, chickens.

In addition to the learning and the working we have been resting and creating...teaching each other songs, sharing interesting books, climbing waterfalls, naked bathing in the river and mushroom hunting.


I have fallen in love with a kitten named Conan who is a sweetheart but becomes rabid when hunting butterflies and mice. Can you imagine him with a blood-smeared face??


To the left is our neiThis sweet beast is Lulu. The eternal puppy.



I still haven´t seen an armadillo. I do not appear to have any botfly larva.

Rainy day from the Mama Roja kitchen

Maggie, Hannah and Kayla. While I napped in the hammock, they wove hats out of long grass. Such lovely women:

Fence building

It is certainly being an eye-opening adventure. In addition to flowers, medicinal plants, insects and animals, my eyes have been opened to the delights of things like mushrooms:





And, synergistically, the day after these photos were taken I spoke with CJ who informed me he had just gone mushroom hunting with a group of friends. I love these quasi-coincidences...we are planning to take a mushroom class when I get home. Then I will have to ask some of my former workmates to take me foraging with them!!

Town days are sweet in their own way, I finally got to talk with mom and skyped with Cj, which is always hilarious and loving and makes me miss him and home while appreciating this time even more.

Till next time!