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Thank God I can walk!

I was on the bus for a long time...Phew! It is good to walk again! So after I blogged yesterday, I wandered around Mendoza before I had to meet up with Sean and Myrna. I found myself in another ice cream shop, but caught myself before I ordered any. My goodness those cravings are strong. It might be because ice cream is famously delicious and cheap here in Argentina. I did have some today. I will probably have some everyday, since it is only a dollar a cone, and I have to try all the flavors. Anyway, I wandered around and then wandered into Myrna and Sean. We picked up some avocado and bread to go with the tomato sauce from Azucena. I got some apricots and facturas for dessert. We had a little picnic until the sprinklers came on. The bus was pretty empty, so it was like a private party up top and in front. We had the first rows of seat above the driver, so the views were great. I took way too many pictures of the sunset, but with a digital camera, it is not a problem, right? We watch a move called El Ex. It was pretty funny. We also got tortillas and flan and other stuff for dinner. Tasty! The enxt bus was even ritzier for me, bt we went separate ways, so it was a little more lonely. My lunch was vegetarian and came with red wine...classy. I took a bunch more pictures when we got close to mountains again. In the middle of Argentina around Neuquén, it is so flat you can see for kilometers. It kind of reminded me of eastern Colorado and Kansas. But once the peaks came into view again, I was in love all over again. El Bolson is where I am hanging out for a bunch of days. It reminds me of Carbondale a little bit. And lucky me, the jazz festival is this weekend, so I have some fun free things to do, too. The hostal is nice and cozy. I enjoyed sitting on something with a cushion again. It is a bit of a walk out of town, but as I mentioned, I was happy to walk after being on the bus for so long. I made dinner at the hostal and drank some wine as I journaled, and thrill of all thrills, the shower was hot, and I didn´t even have to build a fire! I think the grease has finally come out of my hair. Now if I can just get the rest of the dirt out from my nails. Blessings on December! tori

changes all around

The weather here feels a lot like summer, though it isn't official for another few weeks. The afternoon mugginess if no fun, though it is a good excuse for doing nothing and eating ice cream. Sean and Myrna and I packed our bags this morning and waited for a ride into town. We waited some more and some more. I don't know if Azucena was trying to time our arrival with a bus's departure, but we waited beyond an hour. It meant Patch and Kaitlyn weren't too productive this morning. Azucena did sleep in, so even though they were ready, the work day began at 9 am and will only last a couple hours in the heat. Saying good-bye was tough. It wasn't like it was a surprise that we were leaving, that we weren't staying forever. We wandered around, taking pictures, kissing cheeks, talking with the children. Despite abandoning my work clothes, a couple gifts for the kids, and my Spanish lesson book from Cuzco, my bag fel heavier. And even worse for weight, though super generous, Azucena gave us each jars of tomatoes and garlic sauces. Great! Well, we just barely caught the bus to Mendoza, but it was made better by over an hour of 90s dance party music videos. When we got to Mendoza, we bought tickets to take us south. I imagine we may part ways in Neuquen, but it will be fun all the same to travel a little ways with Myrna and Sean. We had pizza and beer for lunch, even though pizza is on the outs with me. While they look for a new camera, I am chilling out in the squares. I might need another ice cream in an hour or so. Argentina makes exceptional ice cream! I have posted more photos in a second album called "Rincon Madre Tierra" and hope you won't have any trouble finding them. I have been taking lots of pictures before I go! Enjoy...loveyoumeanit...tori

My last day on the farm!!!

My last day of work – four week anniversary on the farm – Wednesday! I am notorious for cramming, but I can’t seem to motivate myself to get stuff done during siesta. It is so hot. I think it has been in the nineties regularly, and even in the hundreds maybe. These days I don’t have much to measure by except sunset and sunrise. Everything is relative to the day before, the last task we didn’t finish, the meal we just ate, and so on. Azucena, for our last day of work ironically, told us last night to be ready at 8 am, not getting out of bed at 8 am. So we all were, but she wasn’t here. We ended up in the huerta planting and weeding. For the third day in a row we planted lettuces in the same spots. Some wither, and some are eaten by slugs and caterpillars. Patch sprayed tomatoes with a water and sulfur mixture to try to keep bugs away. More are living. This is good. I am learning all sorts of life lessons on the farm: - it is more fun to weed by hand with someone else for conversation, but the zapa makes it go much faster, - organic means weeding over and over and over again, as well as planting over and over and over again, - your hands will never be clean again (though I love the gloves Susie gave me so much that I have worn holes in the fingers!), - if you work hard enough, you won’t mind that the shower is cold, - whether or not you work smarter or harder, there will always be more work, - nothing is ever finished! Projects I have helped complete (though nothing is ever finished because we run out of time, materials, or the bugs eat the plants; there is always more time later, but having the people and materials at the same time is the trick. Sadly, there ): - planting tomatoes, melons, butternut squash, lettuce, spinach, and beans - weeding much - mulching much - sustainable buildings: a chicken coop, the new dormitorio, and two little sustainably built shops for farm products; harvesting trees to weave, weaving trees into walls, building wine bottle windows, making mud, and throwing mud - packaging products for the shop in Mendoza - preparing the shop in Mendoza for opening night - drying herbs - harvesting herbs, beans, and strawberries - weeding and mulching around the house - a bridge to the pit toilet (got to talk about the composting toilet) - an irrigation ditch and transplanting irises - cleaning house and around the house So much fun, all these things, and I can hardly think to leave. I could stay and keep learning, but it is time. This afternoon the mudding continued. Myrna, Kaitlyn, and I talked about relationships and family. It is amazing to become so close to these people whose lives just happened to cross paths. It is such a different level of intimacy when you volunteer to participate in a life other than your own. After I put the goat in and the others started a fire for hot showers, we all ate leftover pasta out of the bowl with the same spoon. And the bombilla in Argentina is passed from person to person without thought of whose mouth was on it last. We share a pit toilet and all our secrets. It strikes me so funny how we all have become friends. So tonight Azucena made us sandwiches, a bit too much mayonnaise, but really delicious. Megan and Vida brought back a couple movies: Perfume and Spice of Love. Gratefully, they are both in English. My toe is going to be okay, and my bags are nearly packed. Tomorrow the journey continues. tori

Dreams come true...

None of us slept really well, and I had a mini-belly ache. I had been thinking all night about cutting up one of my apples and adding it to the leftover gingery white rice, along with some cinnamon and sugar and butter. Therefore, I made it! It was so delicious, though nobody else wanted any. Jorge had already showed up, but I didn’t rush. I really wanted my rice, and the day looked pretty grey, so I figured no hurry. It did warm up, and at one point I was too hot. I planted…(drum roll, please)…tomatoes. Every time we plant them, it is the last time. Still replanting, too. I also got to plant lettuce, help Nacho harvest moras, and take pictures. Moras are blackberries, but they grow in trees. The black ones aren’t ripe, but the white ones are – I know! White blackberries!?!? Who would have thunk? I was grateful for a day with yoga, again. We haven’t had it for a week because Jorge’s foot has been really bothering him. Lunch was one of Patch’s creations, and evidently the polenta I was enjoying wasn’t quite done yet. It didn’t stop me from digging in. This afternoon I wrapped my big toe, stuck my foot in the rubber boot, and jumped in to the mud with one shoe on and one shoe off. It felt pretty silly, and I really did want to get mud squishing in all my toes, but I knew better. Kaitlyn and I mashed away, mixing the clay from the bottom with the wet stuff on top. Then we added sand and straw. Water, clay, sand, and straw. Unfortunately there are rocks and sticks in there, too, and they don’t feel as good under your feet. Sadly, my right foot, the bare one, still feels really rough and calloused. I also got to throw mud because we were moving a little slowly in the afternoon. And when I say afternoon, I don’t mean four o’clock. We don’t start work until 4:30 or 5 pm, and then quitting time is darkish, typically around 8:30 or 9 pm. Thus getting dinner at 10 pm doesn’t feel late. I don’t like going to bed with a full belly, though, yet I want a full night’s rest. Such a problem for me: to be hungry after working and not want a full belly before going to bed! Spoiled, I know! Kaitlyn and I walked to the first kiosko to buy cookies for everyone. I was just happy to stretch my legs, and Kaitlyn and I have great girl-talk. We like to talk about our dreams from the night before, relationships, and plans for the future. We plan to meet up in Portland after Christmas, so we can catch up on the next month. It feels weird to be leaving here. I like it here. Change, change, change…only constant, eh? tori

It did it again...

I didn’t try to jinx myself. Mondays just happen to me. I was hoeing straw, so we can get the mud good and thick for construction this morning. It was not even a hard swing, just a little duffer, but I hit my big toe. I looked down and saw that the skin pulled off. Shoot!!! I worked a little more because it wasn’t bothering me, but I decided to bandage and clean it. Once I did that, it bled a bunch. I ended up adding another bandage or paper towels and some plastic from an old bread bag over the old one and going back to work. I didn’t think to bring in my work clothes last night, so this morning they were cold and dewey. Thus, I was wearing my chacos instead of my boots! Goodness!! Somethings can be prevented, but you never know when. Poor Kaitlyn is a bit taller than I am, and she hit her head on the roof of the open-air building by the drying racks. Even worse, she did it a second time walking into the roof. She stopped and held her head, but I was really worried because she walked into the end of the corrugated metal! At first it seemed there was no cut, but I found it right along her hairline. It wasn’t deep, so she just chilled while I collected more straw. We came up with a story about a hoe-fight, though it played out more like an episode of Scooby-Do: Scooby and Shaggy are slowly walking back along a corridor, and approaching the corner, Daphne backs in to them; they think it is a ghost and run. But in our story, we both spin around with our hoes, Kaitlyn catching me in the foot, and I catch her in the head. It is definitely a better story than the truth. We switched jobs to mudding the tienda and adding more bottles. I also got to go into the trees to collect some more palos with the cloppers, which meant getting to use the machete again! No injuries, either! We ran out of mud right about quitting time, so I came back to clean up breakfast dishes. I also changed the bandage in total and have elevated it almost the whole time of our siesta, and it hasn’t bled through the band-aid yet. We will do more mudding this afternoon, but now we are trying to catch a nice breeze to relieve of us of the heat. We made more mud than this morning, so it took a little longer. We all shared a lot of laughs and teasing as we mudded the inside of the tienda. Patch tried to get us singing, but I really prefer just to listen to him. Last week he disclosed he was in musicals in high school, so we all know he can sing; the trouble is whether he remembers the words. Jorge got the car running again. It has been almost a week since it broke down in Mendoza. Azucena had work to do and left us to our mudding. I did pick up the hoe again, and there were no more injuries for the afternoon. We started dinner for ourselves because Azucena usually returns late when she goes to El Peregrino, but she returned and brought Nacho back with her. We laughed quite a lot at dinner, and I shot a video of Nacho. I am realizing how sad it will be for me to leave, and how I wish I could take so much of this place with me. We played cards after dinner, and all went to bed feeling a bit restless and tired, I think. A difficult contradiction – the rain began and put us too sleep, but also made us all have to get up and pee! Happy birthday to Todd and Mark and Michelle! A belated happy birthday to Johnson! Paz afuera - tori

My last Sunday on the farm...

I think I am leaving on Wednesday with Sean and Myrna. They have delayed their departure once again, and I think we will travel south together. I have much to say, but I have to go. We wlaked in for ice cream, and a quick e-mail check. Just have to say we had a delicious Thanksgiving feast. And last night we had a great party! More to come...tori

The real Sunday blog

Oh my goodness!!! We had a late Saturday night of partying, but the family and their friends who were here also stayed up late. Nonetheless, they were up early and turned Moby on. There is no door, so on our one day off to sleep in, we didn’t have much choice. Alas, Antoine and the other volunteers brought crêpe fixings, so I didn’t mind getting up and eating crêpes. As the morning wore on, we all moved into the shade at Vida’s and played cards and listened to music some more. The heat was really getting to all of us, and we were hungry for something heavier than crêpes. Lunch is always so late, and there were so many people to feed. We still didn’t have the energy to walk into town. The heat was too much. We played a lot more cards. Sean, Myrna, Kaitlyn, Patch, and I get along really well: two Canadians, a Californian, a Coloradoan, and an Oregonian. We have a nine year spread, and I get teased for no longer being in my twenties. But we just laugh and tease. Though some of us want the practice, we usually don’t speak in Spanish. We did end up walking in later to get ice cream and e-mail, but it wasn’t until after 7:30 pm. It is still so bright here that late!! We hitched a ride in Luis’ truck, and though he charged me solo, he didn’t charge the five of us. I figure I already paid enough. The internet place was full, so I didn’t get to write much, but I will post again soon. A highlight for the night was reading El Principito. Patch had said he loved the story, too, so we talked about having a nightly read aloud. Now with less than a week left, we started reading. I read so slowly out loud, but it will probably help my Spanish. Can’t wait for more tomorrow. tori

SATURDAY NIGHT PARTY!!!

Half day! I was thrilled to do construction this morning. My first job was stomping around in the mud. I am not sure which day we are using it for construction on the tienda, but it was a fun morning workout for my quads. Myrna likes to say everything is practice for Machu Picchu. We had added a lot of water to the mud a couple days earlier, but needed to mix it up and add a lot more water. Azucena gave me a pair of orange rubber boots. They kept making farting sounds and getting stuck in the mud. When I sufficiently stomped around – and without falling in, Azucena asked me to make the window. I lined up glass bottles and used twine to secure them. They all lined up pretty nicely side by side, a blend of colors. The second level was a bit more difficult because I was trying to balance the bottles on a long stick. Kaitlyn and I teamed up to make a really nice window. Myrna helped us mud it up. When we finished, there was not much left to do, and our shift was mostly up. Let the weekend begin!! Actually, it was pretty cool in the shade in the morning, so I wasn’t warm enough for a cold shower. I offered to help Vida with some work with her trees to warm up. It helped. For Sean and Myrna’s last supper, we asked Vida about having an asado at her place. An asado is a typical meal in Argentina, barbecuing lots of meat and chowing down. There are parks along the highway and all over the place with big cement barbecues for people to pull up in their trucks and start a fire. There is often lots of wine involved. I found some milanesa de soja at the grocery store, along with an onion and green pepper. My choices of flavor were original (ajo y cebolla), zanahoria, queso o jamón. I chose queso, as the thought of ham flavored veggie patties seemed ridiculous. Sean bought 4 kilos (8.8 pounds) of meat, which seemed like a lot to me for five people, but that’s the meal. We bought wine on the way back, too: 3 bottles for 12 pesos ($4). Crazy, huh? Three volunteers ended up coming from El Peregrino, so I shared my goods with the two vegetarians, and there was another meat eater. We got the fire going right away, and Sean fashioned a grill with wire and a grate. I pulled out the leftover pasta from lunch and a bag of bread, too. It looked like we had all the ingredients for a great party. Patch arrived a bit later with the beer. Kaitlyn took a little longer to arrive; she walked home alone in the dark for the first time, and she got lost twice and got rides twice. She was so close, second-guessed herself, and turned back. Dinner was great. The chorizos ended up a bit ashy, since they were smaller than the grill. We vegetarians ate from a cast iron pan, so not to worry for us. We moved inside for some music and dancing. It was tons of fun. A great party, though not the last supper because Sean and Myrna are enjoying themselves so well, they are staying till Wednesday. If they don’t delay again, we will travel south together. Hooray for music and dancing!!! tori

TGIF!

I was not sure about waking up today. I had incredibly vivid dreams last night. I was working in a store/restaurant, but everyone spoke another language. I tried to be helpful, and there were some really nice people who smiled at me. I mostly felt like I was on the outside. They were mostly older, and I started crying because I wanted my grandpa. Then I got tickets for a boat, so Sean and Myrna came with me. There were orca whales jumping and dancing. There were really big whales holding little baby orcas in their right fins as they danced through the world. There were others swimming under water, and then the boat wasn’t so large. Sean and I were at the front talking, and I felt like I had to get away, so then the helm of the boat became an elevated plaza off a mall with a movie theatre. There was a dam close to us that was coming apart. And then we were driving down this street that was a mix of Denver and Portland. I remember thinking, as Myrna drove, that I was wondering how to get to these streets. It was dark in the shadows of the big trees, and Sr. Marianne Mistech (Grandma’s classmate) was standing on the sidewalk, and I was now alone as I approached her on foot. She tried to tell me everything was okay, but I was crying again for my grandpa. I couldn’t explain to her how hard it is have the holidays without Grandpa. I just kept walking into the darkness of the street, into the light of today, and woke up crying. Oh sometimes dreams seem a little too close to reality.

Last week Myrna and I were talking as we worked, and I hit a chord when I asked about her dad because she hadn’t said anything about him. He died a month before she and her boyfriend left for South America, so it still feels pretty raw. We talked about death and grief. I am not through with my grief yet. Living so far away and now traveling, I am not around to live how it feels for life to keep going. I was thinking yesterday how thankful I am that I went home for our birthday this summer, though early on I hadn’t planned on it. Moreover, I am grateful Erik could meet him, too. A pensive morning for me…the sky is cloudy and gray. It rained last night, so the fields were especially wet. I planted spinach all morning, but I think the weather subdued all of us and quieted us. We were all working in separate parts, too. We got a late start, but it didn’t get hot, so we were able to work later. Patch revived the pumpkin soup and some other leftovers. My potatoes didn’t make it past breakfast. We all agreed that this is perfect weather for chocolate caliente y una pelicula (plus a blanket fort). I think they have movies at the other house, so maybe we’ll try for one later tonight. No movie, but we did sneak some drinks out since we were not having company. Azucena was not expected until much later, and Jorge and Paloma were eating when I walked over for matches for the stove. It was lots of fun playing games and enjoying beverages. Azucena did walk up while Vida and I were at the kiosko buying a bottle of wine and a couple bottles of beer. Because there is a deposit on the bottles, the man poured them into empty plastic soda bottles. We walked and talked on the way home, and Azucena didn’t make a fuss. We are all having so much fun. To good times!! tori

Dia de Gracias!

I woke up to Azucena knocking on Vida’s door to pass on a message that Mickey called. Vida wants to buy some property from him that is adjacent to her property, but he won’t sell for a reasonable price. She has a collection of candles and prayer cards for intercession with the sale, so we were hopeful that was why he called. Sadly, no. I collected my things and headed across the fields back to the cabana to get breakfast and get to work. Patch was reading a Thanksgiving card his mom packed for him. Azucena gave us our work for the day – weeding. Kaitlyn and I worked a row over together. It wasn’t too bad, though neither of us wanted to use the zapa. We made great progress until the sun came back out – it had been warm and overcast until about 10:30 am. Our other obstacle was the water that started coming down the irrigation ditch. Bummer! At lunch, which was tasty leftover polenta with quinoa greens and fried eggs on top, Azucena talked about Thanksgiving. We invited her family’s farm and volunteers to come over for dinner. She took a list of items we wanted and planned to go to the store to buy our groceries. We weren’t going to work really long in the afternoon. I was thrilled to get to make mashed potato casserole – papas famosos, as Patch called them. I tried napping in the hammock during our break, but it wasn’t great. The flies bother me, and I just couldn’t get super comfy. I wrote a bit, and then it was already time to get back to work. We “cleaned the floor” of the mud-construction building. This involved hoeing up the leaves and sticks because it is currently a dirt floor. It was amusing. We also filled the mud beds with water to prepare the mud for tomorrow. There was a mini-water fight between Sean and Myrna, but I was happy to stay dry, if not clean. That didn’t take long, so we collected firewood. Gratefully, Azucena returned with the vegetables, so I could get started on cleaning potatoes and getting them boiling. She forgot cream cheese and sour cream, but a bunch of people can’t eat dairy, so I figured I would just use lots of garlic and rosemary. I had a wooden spatula to mash potatoes, which I thought would be terribly difficult, but it worked quite well. No pyrex in these parts, but I did have a big rectangular metal pan charred with lots of past dishes. The oven is a metal drum sideways in the wall. There is a door on our side with two racks and rocks on the bottom. Outside there is a space underneath to build a fire. It works great, but changing the temperature means having a fire of different sizes. I wasn’t exactly sure how hot it was, but I wasn’t about to fret about that. Halfway though prep Azucena said the other farm wasn’t coming, but they surprised us and showed up anyway. It was a confusing night for us in the kitchen. Thanksgiving was not the same for Patch without college football, and most were really missing the turkey. I enjoyed myself, didn’t gorge myself, and washed a lot of dishes! There were 14 of us. We had mulled apple cider with spices and oranges with apple juice from the other farm. I made a big pan of mashed potatoes, and the other farm made a layered dish of potatoes and vegetables. There were roasted sweet potatoes, garlic, fennel, and carrots. Patch made a huge pot of pumpkin soup, which we will be eating for a while. There was a group effort on stuffing that was a little mushy, but none of us make it the same way. It tasted great, much to the surprise of the meat eaters, who doubted stuffing existed without meat juices. We had salad from lettuce, as opposed to the typical bitter greens we pick from the yard (maybe dandelions?). It felt like a great feast, but I missed pumpkin pie. I was imagining that if Gail and Mike were with my family in Portland, Gail might have made amazing pumpkin pie. And homemade whip cream? I guess there are a few things I missed. We don’t eat much in the way of desserts here, mostly just bread with cinnamon and sugar for me. The cider was pretty darn dessert-y for me. I washed a lot dishes before heading back to Vida’s to sleep. I am so thankful for so much! What a privilege for me to be here! Peace, tori

The rest of Wednesday

So the rest of the day went pretty well. I didn’t need to leave the gas station so early because when I got to the grocery store to buy wine and some cinnamon and butter for bread in the mornings, it didn’t open for twenty minutes!! Siestas here are for everyone, and the store closes from 1 – 4:30 pm. Pretty nice, eh? I found some butter, cinnamon, and three boxes of wine (1L each), and my total was less than 12 pesos - $4 dollars. Unbelievable!! The ride back on the horrible bike wasn’t too bad, though slowing down was tricky and necessary a couple times. I made it back in time to get instructions from Jorge and tell the others. No rest for me! We planted spinach all afternoon. It was fun poking the little plugs of soil out of the tray. We got a lot done and even got some weeding done, too. Nobody knew who was supposed to take the mare down to the end of the huerta to eat, so Sean and I went. The chain was missing because Luis never took it off yesterday. We looked and looked, but the horse was not only in the corral; she had full access of the the bosque. I tried to talk to Jorge about it, but my Spanish failed me. I didn’t understand completely, and I am sure he was just as frustrated that I didn’t know what he was saying. I heard tree and cabin (volunteer house). Around the tree with the hammock, I found some plastic stripping. I guessed that maybe the horse doesn’t pull hard enough to break it when there is plenty of food around the stake. I invented some new knots and tied her up down at the end. Five minutes and four pieces of plastic later, Manteca, as she is called, was free. Sean and Myrna walked her back to the corral and looked harder and longer for the chain. There success was obvious when thy returned with Manteca. Silly me! Sean, Myrna, and Match walked into Ya Ce for some meat. Vida, Kaitlyn, and I started cooking. We had lentils, polenta, onions, and salsas to work with. I wanted to try to make patties to fry, but it didn’t work out that way. Nonetheless, our crispy polenta with mashed lentils and sautéed onions and spices was more delicious than imaginable. We had red wine with bread, vinegar, and rosemary infused oil. What a feast!! When the other three returned, we placed some cards and drank more wine. It felt a little like family dinner or something – cooking, wine, talking, and music. Key ingredients to life! Vida’s friends were in town (as opposed to out of town, but not on the farm), so I went over for a sleepover. It was a lot of fun. We layed in our sleeping bags and talked for a while before dreaming…ah, dreaming…tori

Hooray for Wednesdays!

I always liked Wednesdays at work. Today has been no exception. It was much warmer this morning, which was nice, but we didn't have much food in the house - never do. I woke to Jorge's voice because Patch wasn't here to get up first. We went to plant more spinach, and guess who got to finish the tomatoes!! Always more! The sun started beating down pretty badly pretty early. It wasn't even eleven before the sweat began dripping into my eyes. When the wind picked up it was better, but it was a hot morning. The afternoon is not much different, but Jorge gave us enough time for siesta, I thought I would come into town, upload photos, and blog. I am adding photos from the weekend. Take a look at them. A Saint Bernard just walked into the gas station...pretty funny sight down here. Iam also on a mission to buy wine for a little down time at Vida's house after work tonight. I rode the red bike in because my experience with the other bike wasn't winning. This is a straight handle mountain bike. None of the tires around here are ever full, but it seemed to be a better option anyway. Until...it doesn't have brakes, which I knew, but I also knew I wouldn't be going very fast. It also has a funky chain. You can't stop pedaling, even to try to get off the seat on a bump. This might be training for mountain biking with Nikki. The ride home will be lots of fun with the extra weight of wine on my back. Well, we're supposed to plant more spinach when it cools. I will have to tell you about the rest of my day later. loveyoumeanit...tori

Uh-oh!!

I woke up this morning feeling like barfing again! Argh!!! I think maybe it was the chocolate milk. I might have indulged in too much, but it was so good! I took the morning a little slow. We were surrounding the tomatoes with dried garlic, so it was an easy slow job for me. Patch went into Mendoza to help Azucena with the shop. He was also going to buy Sancho Panza, a pet mouse. Katie didn't end up leaving yesterday because she didn't have a ride, but this morning she did - ciao! As the morning progressed, my stomach started feeling better, so I ate some crackers I bought last sick-o time, crackers I hoped I wouldn't really need again. A new volunteer also arrived. Caitlin is from Dundee, Oregon, so we had much to talk about. Yoga felt nice. With Azucena gone, Jorge is running the show, and I really love that afternoon yoga before lunch. Rest was also good, though I never nap well. In the afternoon we got to weave all the poplars we stripped yesterday into what will be a new dormitorio for volunteers. Myrna, Caitlin and I enjoyed talking about lots, even about some of you. The heat has been getting to be too much, so it was nice to not be out in the fields, but wouldn't you know, when we finished that project (not completed, just used up all our palos), we planted spinach in the fields. It was much cooler. I wanted to wrap up and clean up because Luis was picking me up at 8:30 pm. He has two horses that come to graze in the fields during the day, and he asked if I wanted a ride. I thought that would be fun. We had a bit of difficulty communicating, but these older Argentinean men are always so nice to us young women. Anyhow, he picked me up in his truck, and we drove to the city. We made small talk, but I was really confused. We stopped at a store, so I bought a couple pieces of fruit, a new toothbrush, and some soap. He was trying to practice his English, but I didn't understand it at all. He brought me back to the finca and asked for five pesos. What?? I was so confused that whole time, but he asked if I wanted a ride. He uses his truck as a taxi, so there will be no horseback riding. What a misunderstanding! I didn't need a ride into town, and if I knew that is what I was getting, I would have gotten ice cream, used the phone, etc. The others laughed when I returned. We played cards and ate soup. Azucena and Patch are stuck in Mendoza with a brokedown car, so it was a quiet night. Ciao! victoria

Monday, Monday...

I need to start working on my Monday luck with a new mantra. Today we planted more tomatoes…again. We almost finished, but the last tray will have to wait a couple days because someone left them in the huerta for a few days in the sun without water. They weren’t tostadas, but they need some time to recuperate. We all pitched in and got lunch on the table – mashed potatoes (from a bag) and the quinoa tortillas I missed last week (eggs and the quinoa leaves – not seed). Everything was tasty, but it took so long that I didn’t have enough time to walk into town like I wanted. I guess I will keep waiting to post these and get more ice cream. Alas…at least I had enough time to wash my undies, my pjs, and a couple tops. We have great afternoon sun for drying. In the end, the laundry didn’t dry, but I think it will finish in the house. This afternoon we mulched around the tomatoes and then, AND THEN, they let me use the machete!! We were stripping the little limbs off of poplars. It sounds like tomorrow will be a construction day. I forgot to write yesterday that when we finished work, we sat at the table waiting for supper, and Azucena made us fruit smoothies! They were so delicious!! Strawberries and quince and peaches and cherries and oranges...I had a couple helpings. Fruit is such a treat here. Tonight, however, because Peggy and Tatiana left in the morning (hitchhiking to Patagonia), we North Americans rented a movie. I biked into town with Katie to pick up the movies, sodas, cookies, and chocolate. I had been craving chocolate milk in the morning when we were working, so I bought a box of it, too. We don't get much dairy on the farm, though we did get to sample some of the goat's milk tonight. Anyhow, the bike I rode was a bit too small, and the seat wouldn't stay in one position. It is hard plastic, and when I hit a bump, it would bend back and jab me in the bum with the front of the seat. I would jam it back down with my hand, but it was tricky. The road is just dirt, so you can imagine there were a lot of bumps. Our headlamps did not sufficiently illuminate the road, so I didn't even get to them coming. Ouch! We watched Idiocracy, a movie to inspire reading, learning, and smart people having babies. It was pretty funny, but it was well after midnight before we went to bed. Tuesday morning may not be as great as Monday! Sweet dreams! tori W

A working Sabbath

So last night there was no fiesta. When Peggy and I got back to the house, it was mostly dark. The volunteers were just playing cards. Dunia, the volunteer from Germany, didn’t stay long and left while everyone was napping in the afternoon. We speculated about why she left, not in record time as the two girls a week ago, but for much the same reasons: uncomfortable bed and too chilly for her sleeping bag, the pit toilet, cold showers, volunteers not speaking Spanish, everyone being sick, not wanting to work Sunday on her birthday…and the list goes on. She had farmed somewhere else, and she did work a day and a half, though she didn’t get much done. Ah well…one person she invited to our bonfire showed up, but he left with understanding. Who knows if anyone else got close and turned around when they saw the darkness? Peggy ended up making popcorn, and we ate a bit of Patch’s dessert. I was tired, so I didn’t mind going to bed before midnight on a Saturday. The funniest was when we asked for more papel higenico for the bathroom. Azucena said she just bought a four pack for us Saturday morning, but we never saw it. Paloma repeatedly affirmed that she brought it over to our house. About five minutes after they left, she came back in with her head down and set the toilet paper on the table and walked back out. Are you sure you brought it? It meant nobody had to use the paper flour bag, though there was creative alternatives to TP. Today is a work day, not a day of rest this week, though we did get to sleep in. And our wonderful foreman, as I am calling Patch, made papas fritas norteamericanas (when you dice the potatoes and fry them). The Canadians didn’t dice yesterday, but they did contribute their ketchup again today. What an aroma, but no eggs today. Can’t quite get the combination down! I went “to the mountains” with Sean, Myrna, Paloma, Patch, and Azucena to pick “tea”. I was excited we might have tea in the house again, but really they were just these wild yellow flowers along the side of a road perpendicular to the mountains. So I did get to see the mountains, but we didn’t go to them. It was so hot, too. Azucena asked me to build a fire when we returned. I was never a boy scout, and my brothers would probably say it’s a waste of time to even let me try, but try I did. I had great success, and then it went out. In the end I made a go of it and got the potatoes cut and boiled. We had boiled potatoes and sauces for lunch, plus the usual salad of bitter greens and olives and anything leftover from a past meal. Azucena is usually pretty good about reinventing leftovers, particularly turning something into a soup. There was a great dilemma because we had no oil. These guys put oil on everything, though I usually don’t care much. Patch biked to a kiosko with no luck. Alas…it was good to me anyway. We didn’t get much time to rest before going to work. The moon was in the right position for planting, so we planted tomatoes and tomatoes and tomatoes. We mostly replanted, didn’t even get into new rows. We planted until it was too dark and too cold to be in the rows with the water coming down. Dinner was tasty polenta soup, a recreation of the recreated leftover polenta from lunch – that was really tasty, too. We enjoyed cards and conversation about Thanksgiving. We talked about foods and traditions, Peggy constantly asking why and what because they don’t have Thanksgiving in France. I joked that they don’t say thanks in France. Azucena said we will have Thanksgiving dinner on Thursday here, which excites me, though I don’t know if I will be able to make mashed potato casserole or not. There will be a lot of people here, and we don’t have the proper dishes for trying to bake it. We’ll see… I had such great conversations with Katie tonight. She is heading to El Peregrino tomorrow afternoon, so we may not have a chance for another good chat. We talked for a long time. I wish her luck and am excited for her to continue her adventure – maybe here or maybe Chile. Peggy, Tatiana, and Katie leaving tomorrow…Sean and Myrna on Wednesday…solo Patch y mio…ciao

Un gran aventura!!!

Holy shirt! This morning I didn´t want to get out of bed. Peggy planned to visit Manzano Historico, a town at the foothills. It is our day off, so last night I went into the city with a few others for dinner (not that great) and ice cream (delicioso). They were trying to convince me to sleep, but I wanted to get away from the farm, and I am healthy again. So when Peggy woke me, I was undecided. I got ready, and that was decision enough. We walked into town to the bus station and learned the times changed and we had half an hour. This was a blessing because we stopped for fruit and vegetables at a shop close to the station. I fell asleep on the bus to awake at a dusty stop. There were lots of campgrounds, half occupied. There were a couple little cafes, closed. The information booth and museum, closed. Nada! So lucky we bought food in Tunuyan because we planned to buy lunch in Manzano. We decided just to walk up the road into the mountains and see where it led us. A couple guys heading into town told us there was a path a couple kilometers ahead and great views 40 kilometers ahead. Yeah right!! We found the park and walked through a lovely area of rose plants and streams. We were debating about the hunger tugging at us because we didn´t exactly have a destination. It seemed to be a good place to return for an afternoon nap. The trail wandered aimlessly up the little river. The road was not far to our left - just a dirt road. We ended up on the road when the path turned really wet. Pegy doesn´t have waterprrof boots. One part was so amazing. It was like a floating lawn. The grass and mud rippled like water as we walked across. Really bizarre, but fun. We passed a hotel that burned down. Evidently, it was better just to rebuild behind it, so the old tangled metal and stone frame stands on display like outdoor art. We came to a sign for Cruz del San Pedro. This seemed a good place to hike to and eat. Along the way we spoke only Spanish. Peggy is French and speaks Spanish better than English. We talked about much, and I really enjoyed the practice. We had a great discussion about religion on our way to the cross. The trail kept going up, up, and away. I lamented we would never make it, but it really wasn´t that bad. There were pretty cactus flowering and occasional butterflies. The sun warmed us, and the cloud cover cooled us, and the wind refreshed us. It was perfect!! We reached the top, a vista of the the valley and more snow-capped peaks. I was in love. Me encanta mucho! Even better, it was lunch time! We pulled out our crackers and produce. I ate crackers with palta y pimiento rojo y pasas de uvas y una banana y un mandarin. I think it is one of my favorite meals. The views, the fresh produce - especially fruit! Surprisingly, there isn´t a lot of good fresh fruit here. This is in part because it is Spring here, and they don´t import produce from all over the world like the US. our peaceful lunch was interupted by a cuatro cyclos, an ATV. Neither of us were terribly pleased, but he left quickly. Then he returned and came closer. We talked briefly, and before long, we made friends with Carlos, a man in his fifties who is a member of a paragliding club. He was picking something up, I think. In the end Carlos contributed greatly to our adventure. The trail was really steep in places and just loose rock and dust. Neither of us wanted to walk back down that way, but we didn´t have to. Carlos strapped our backpacks on the front, and we hopped on behind him. There were a few times I thought the 4x4 would slide out under us because it was so steep, but it was lots of fun. When we reached the bottom, he asked us if we knew the rest of the road. Arriving on foot, we hadn´t really made it that far, so he took us to the end of the road. We saw a beautiful waterfall, lots more snow, beautiful vistas from new directions, and some rock climbers. At the end of the road, well not really the end, but the military has a station set up because it is close to Chile. They are just trying to control the border. Anyway, we talked with Jose for a while. He pointed out the rock climbers, and we talked about his post at the end of the road - a month long assignment. The return was beautiful, too, and I didn´t know where he would leave us. We returned to the building for the papagliders, just an open air building, and he invited us to barbecue. We needed to catch the bus in two hours, so we thought it would be too late for us. So instead we got back on and went to his house. He is actually building the house, but we went to his land and had maté, the tea everyone drinks here. I actually liked it because he added sugar. He asked hard questions, like what my opinion was of Argentina before I came and now, particularly aboput the people. In truth, the people I have met are few because I am almost always at the farm and because my Spanish isn´t the best. But everyone extends such amazing hospitality. Doors are always open, and people are so happy to be helpful or offer their time. I couldn´t have an adventure like today´s in the States, I think. I wouldn´t accept a ride from a stranger, let alone go to his house. It is so wonderful how people are trusting and can be trusted. This is a very special place. We enjoyed discussions about much more - travel and family and my need for a new adapter for my computer charger. He said we are welcome back anytime - in the near or not so new future. When I get my photos online, you can see. His wife Miriam works close to Azucena in Tunuyan, so he knows the finca. So fun! We watched one bus come and go, so we thought we might have to hitchhike back to town or the other farm. In the end they have actually added a bus to the route. While we waited, we visited the museum, now open. On the road we met a local guy selling this and that. He was quite fun to talk with and told us about dulce de leche from goat´s milk. We ended up buying a couple jars. So delicious! The bus showed up just in time, and now we need to walk back to the finca from town. We have a bonfire tonight for two birthdays. Tomorrow we work planting in the afternoon because the moon will be in the right phase for planting again. (Thus we had today off.) If I can find an adapter, I will try to return in the morning to upload all the other things I wrote this week. With much sun in my smile, tori

Ketchup!!

Bummer, my converter broke, so I can write until this battery dies! It feels good to feel good! And guess what! This morning I had a fried egg and some fried potatoes!!! So exciting!! It wasn’t anything like the delicious ones I am used to back in Denver, but just the idea of it was tasty enough. And when Sean pulled out ketchup…wow!! It is something little like this that makes me smile. The sun is so hot these days, though when we wake, the morning is dreadfully cold. Doesn’t make the first trip to the pit very inviting when it is cold and the grass is wet. But I will admit that having to go really early in the morning meant watching the sun rising on the mountains. They don’t usually have shadows, so to see them in the morning shadow was a treat. I might try to get up early another day to take pictures. Shocking, I know, that I might get up early! These little things that make me hold my breath for just a minute bring a smile from ear to ear…mountains…eggs and potatoes…being able to work! I was back out planting tomatoes in the field this morning. I made peace with tomatoes yesterday when I ate some sun-dried tomatoes, so working in the field was refreshing. I hadn’t been out working in the field for a full week. Who knows what we’ll get to do this afternoon? I am hoping we will start some serious work on the baño seco because we are going to end up with pits all over the place if we don’t. ooopps...didn't finish. Here it is anyway! tori

A fun party night...

Though I am not really a sick kid anymore, I still got the easy assignment, but I didn’t argue. I had a fried egg with toast, good protein for strength. Azucena got Myrna and I working on packaging products for the store. We packaged a lot! The house was freezing, so we moved our operation into the sun. The whole set-up is not that great, and Azucena couldn’t tell you what she has where. A supply shelf would be useful, but then it would probably just get used for something else. Today is Katie’s birthday, and we have been talking about walking into town for ice cream during the afternoon. In the evening the plan was to have a bonfire and some wine at Vida’s house. There wouldn’t be room for everyone to go into Mendoza for the grand opening, but we could all have fun. The production line was stressful because Azucena is never organized. She always manages, but she works with that cloud of stress around her that I am all too familiar with. We packaged at least half a dozen herbs, soups, salts, dried tomatoes, and more. She was still making things, too. Gratefully, we were working pretty efficiently, but I couldn’t help but think how much easier it would have been to be packaging the herbs she had days earlier. Alas! I could hardly wait for lunch because she handed me a zapallo, butternut squash, to take to our kitchen. When we found a stopping place, she sent us to our house for lunch, while she went to pick up a new volunteer from the bus station. Instead of roasting the squash, it was boiled with potatoes. I made a mash for myself, quite tasty. Azucena said she had room for one more in the car for the grand opening, but it meant leaving an hour after lunch. Katie and I had our plans for ice cream, and I was kind of the ringleader of getting the bonfire at Vida’s, but I wanted to go. I imagined Katie would want to go, too, if we weren’t keeping our plans. In the end we were both able to go, and it was a lot of fun. The shop is really quite small and cute. We filled drawers with our herbs and the shelves with the soups. I got to write labels for the herbs, which was a good job for me, and we still had time to walk down and get ice cream! For four pesos (a buck thirty), we got a waffle cone with three flavors and a drizzle of chocolate or caramel The scoops aren’t huge, but three flavors was a deal! I had bombon rocher, chocolate, y pistacho with a drizzle of caramel! Oooh – I’m making myself hungry for more! It was tastilicious. The grand opening attracted a small crowd, some of whom I knew already. We set out bread and sauces for tasting, dried fruit, wine, and apple juice. Everything was from the two farms, except for the wine and figs from another farm. All was organic and homemade – delicious! I enjoyed the wine a bunch, but not nearly as much as Katie, who got sauced for her birthday. It made for an entertaining evening and ride home. It took a couple hours with a couple stops for her health, a stop for a volunteer from the other farm to get a sandwich, and problems with the truck from the other farm. Instead of returning around 11 pm, it was about 2 am. The bonfire was still going on, but I was tuckered out. I had Katie sleeping on my shoulder and Nacho sleeping in my lap. He was so sweet, and with his fingers wrapped around my thumb, I felt so content. What a sweet child he is asleep! I was glad I went to the grand opening, for though I missed a lot of what was said, I really enjoyed watching Azucena talking to everyone about organic foods, cooperatives, and a higher consciousness about what we put into our bellies, on our backs, and into the earth. It was an “AMEN” moment for me. Listening to the questions people asked made me realize how different I am to know so much about food systems, farming, organics, and policy. What a gift Metro CareRing gave me – an avenue for learning more about some of this. Dunya (probably spelled wrong) is the volunteer who arrived today. She is from Germany and celebrates her birthday on Sunday. More fiestas to come! tori

A great day!!

Feeling even better…what a night! I dreamt about so much. This morning I felt stronger and helped with some more of the work outside the house. I was cracking up when Peggy pulled out the lawnmower. Sean and I had a couple chuckles about her obvious lack of practice. It is an electric mower, and she kept coming unplugged. The last straw was mowing over the line. I couldn’t help but think of my brothers and uncles and all the teasing about cutting lines. It meant Peggy was stuck using the hoe again. The place does look so much better. I was a mulching-mama. I was feeling up for a challenge, so my next project was digging up irises that were growing in the middle of where a new irrigation ditch needs to be dug. Katie (oops, it’s with a “k” not a “c”) was mowing them down with her shovel, so I intervened and transplanted many. The purple ones are about done, and now the yellow and white irises are out. They are so beautiful. I felt like I was doing something happy for the earth by saving them. And though the work was more difficult, I didn’t feel too sapped. Lunch was a delicious pot of soup with beets and beans and lentils. I especially liked the broth. I have to say though, everything is better with salsa de ajo y salsa picante. It really isn’t a hot sauce, but it adds good flavor. The garlic sauce is pretty much just pureed garlic stalks with a bit of water, maybe salt and oil. Sadly, the food is often left un-spiced with the exception of coriander and salt. Our afternoon siesta began so nice; I was taking a nap in the hammock. Paloma and Nacho are back from their grandparents’ house, and both decided to join me in the hammock with a truck and a whistle. Oh brother! They do not have many boundaries, so I gave up on the idea of more rest and played. Nacho and I were playing with a little seat that attaches to a bike for a child. His games are so creative. It gives me hope and faith that there are still children with really active imaginations. I don’t see these guys becoming video game addicts any time soon. I worked filling bags with soil again. Myrna joined me, as she is slowly getting her strength and appetite back now. We were entertained by the baby goat. It would come close and then bleat and run back to mom. She was so funny, kicking her legs up and jumping around rambunctiously. It was such a sight! Tonight “What the Bleep Do We Know?” was watched again, so I tried to get some more sleep. Staying healthy and strong! tori

Back to work!!

Woo hoo! I got of out bed! I had bread for breakfast, and the last of the broth. The work today was what I would call beautification work – cleaning up the yard sort of work. There was much grumbling about why we weren’t putting plants in the ground, but Azucena is the boss. She told me to take it easy and not work in the sun, so I was confused why I was hoeing in the sun fifteen minutes later. I finished my clearing and mulching, and Azucena found a more appropriate project for me. I got to seal packages of herbs. Most are wild: limpiaplata, hojas de frutilla, stevia, and hongos. It was ideal for me, sitting at the table inside. My appetite was definitely back, and I enjoyed eating lentils with everyone else, though I skipped the bitter greens. The products I was working on are for a store that Azucena and her mom/sister’s farm are opening. It is a bit of a cooperative in the midst of a Chinese herbalist, acupuncturist, tai chi school, and other little shops off a courtyard. It will open once a week and sell organic products from Rincon Madre Tierra and El Peregrino. Some of the other volunteers have gotten to go help get it ready. I asked if I could this afternoon because the work in the huerta would be difficult for me. There wasn’t room in the car, but Azucena said to meet Jorge at 4 pm. This is an hour earlier than everyone else starts work, and I thought it rough, but I was willing. Jorge and I went into the huerta and took a look around. He is still on crutches, but he is starting to get around a lot more. And to my surprise and delight we went to the rows of frutillas. I felt like little Mia when Jorge said I could pick and eat. He must have felt my disappointment when I couldn’t eat them yesterday. They were so delicious, and I told him about Mia. None of the family speaks English, so I really have to focus. Jorge is soft-spoken and speaks slowly for me, though I still only understand about two-thirds. We had to stop a couple times walking back because he was tiring. I asked him about the bind weed that grows thickly along the road by the rows of vegetables. And to my surprise, he said he loves bindweed! I remembered all the bindweed pulling at Delaney Farm in Aurora, and I had to remember where I was for a minute. It is flowering right now, so it is pretty, and he also said it makes really great mulch. Hmm…we’ll see. We talked about other plants and trees, fruits and vegetables, birds, and family. There are so many birds, they remind me of Grandma. I shared what a blessing it is how close my family is…physically and emotionally. It gives me pause to wonder why I live so far away, but I have more than one family. If only in my little cosmos, all were closer. Anyhow, my work in the afternoon was filling little bags with soil for seeding pepinos. It was mostly solo work, so while my hands worked, I practiced my mantra some more. It was really so peaceful. When Jorge returned, we talked politics, pickle recipes, and more about families. Tonight we had plain white rice for dinner. It was a comfort not to worry about finding coriander on my fork, though plain. Peggy made popcorn and put on Shrek 2. It was in Spanish, but some of the songs were in English. I watched for a while, but I was pooped. An early night…sweet dreams! tori

Alas...

So I walked home from the gas station last night after stopping at the grocery store. It was quite awful. I was not sure I could keep my lunch in, and the smells and everything in the store were overwhelming. So as I walked, I repeated in my head, “Voy a vomitar! Cuidado!” (I’m going to vomit! Watch out!) This was what I was going to tell anyone who tried to mess with me, though it is really quite safe for me to be walking around by myself. Having just watched “What the Bleep Do We Know?” a couple days earlier, I remembered I needed to be talking good about myself. I changed my mantra to “I’m healthy and strong.” It worked for a while. I made it back to the farm and got myself ready for bed…and then I vomited. I felt so much better after that, but it meant today was another day in bed. No food! All I wanted was to eat something tasty and keep it in my belly! It was a much more difficult day. I couldn’t help but cry. Everyone else got to work, well almost. Myrna had a horrible fever. Something is cruising through us. Tatiana was very sweet and made me some capsules of oils to help my stomach. It seemed to help, and I had some flavor in my mouth at least. Lunch was homemade tortillas (omelets), and I saw lots of strawberries. I wanted to be a part of everything. Staying in bed is BORING!! I was a little relieved to miss the discussion of cleaning and the creation of a chore list, but I cried in bed anyways because I wanted to eat strawberries. I cried because I came to work and was missing my third day of work. Meditation and my mantra helped. Reading “Tuck Everlasting” was consoling. For dinner I got to make myself some broth with celery leaves, onions, and carrots. It was great. Everyone teased me, but it was salty and good. I plan to work tomorrow. There is just no way I can spend another day in that bed! I am healthy and strong!!! tori

Alas...

So I walked home from the gas station last night after stopping at the grocery store. It was quite awful. I was not sure I could keep my lunch in, and the smells and everything in the store were overwhelming. So as I walked, I repeated in my head, “Voy a vomitar! Cuidado!” (I’m going to vomit! Watch out!) This was what I was going to tell anyone who tried to mess with me, though it is really quite safe for me to be walking around by myself. Having just watched “What the Bleep Do We Know?” a couple days earlier, I remembered I needed to be talking good about myself. I changed my mantra to “I’m healthy and strong.” It worked for a while. I made it back to the farm and got myself ready for bed…and then I vomited. I felt so much better after that, but it meant today was another day in bed. No food! All I wanted was to eat something tasty and keep it in my belly! It was a much more difficult day. I couldn’t help but cry. Everyone else got to work, well almost. Myrna had a horrible fever. Something is cruising through us. Tatiana was very sweet and made me some capsules of oils to help my stomach. It seemed to help, and I had some flavor in my mouth at least. Lunch was homemade tortillas (omelets), and I saw lots of strawberries. I wanted to be a part of everything. Staying in bed is BORING!! I was a little relieved to miss the discussion of cleaning and the creation of a chore list, but I cried in bed anyways because I wanted to eat strawberries. I cried because I came to work and was missing my third day of work. Meditation and my mantra helped. Reading “Tuck Everlasting” was consoling. For dinner I got to make myself some broth with celery leaves, onions, and carrots. It was great. Everyone teased me, but it was salty and good. I plan to work tomorrow. There is just no way I can spend another day in that bed! I am healthy and strong!!! tori

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