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

More pictures!!

 

	you're invited to view Tori's photos! plus, get 20 FREE prints when you upload your photos to Snapfish
		Peru (album 1 of 4)		Tori says... the latest...tori       why Snapfish? we're the #1 online photo service top-quality prints at the lowest price - just 12¢ each create photo cards, books & more with your photos
Snapfish and the Snapfish logo are trademarks of the Hewlett-Packard Company. All rights reserved. Snapfish, 303 Second Street, South Tower, Suite 500 San Francisco, CA 94107.
If the 'view my photos' button above does not work, copy and paste the link below into your browser http://www2.snapfish.com/share/p=477111194823082553/l=321440211/g=26469839/otsc=SYE/otsi=SALB

__________________________________________________
Do You Yahoo!?
Tired of spam? Yahoo! Mail has the best spam protection around
http://mail.yahoo.com

ewww...gas

I am back at the gas station for my weekly attempt at the internet. Being sick again stinks! Smelling the gas occassionally makes me wonder if I am well again. I went to sleep last night with so much energy and strength. I woke up today so hungry, and nearly nothing to help in the house! I am gulping deep breaths for fear of puking again. Not the day I had dreamt of last night! Today Azucena made pizza, which didn't look the most appealing to me, but at least I have 7-Up now! We joke about how all the food has coriander seeds in it. All the food! So much so, that today my tongue automatically separated the seeds from the pizza dough like cherry pits that I spit out. How I wish I could be home for family dinner and someone's creative dish! I also have noticed how time is flying! Soon Erik will be here, and in little more than a month, I will be stateside. Sometimes I think how fun it would be to stay here long enough for harvest. We have already started eating the artichokes, though they aren't the same without mayonnaise. The beans we have been eating, too, and I have never had a sweeter white strawberry. But I am not sure what else will pop up in the next few weeks. I have uploaded more pictures to snapfish, so please check them out. The password is Peru&Argentina. I spent the better part of the weekend adding captions to explain them. I hope you enjoy them. I would really love to write more, but I think I need to get out of here. I may be puking in the alley before long. How pathetic, I know, but I can't seem to shake something. I really want to be strong again. I have been practicing my mantra from Rebekah, which does make me feel better. Join with me and pray for goodness! loveyoumeanit...tori