tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-35046863618420405882024-03-13T17:05:01.207-07:00Save the CerradoGretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.comBlogger49125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-37851349556587900982018-09-07T19:46:00.001-07:002018-09-07T20:14:31.426-07:00Peaceful on the farm<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Orange bougainvillea outside our bedroom window.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">September 7, 2018</span></div>
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In troubled times it's peaceful on the farm.<br />
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b>"<i style="color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif;">I come into the peace of wild things who do not tax their lives with forethought of grief... </i></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;"><b><i style="color: #545454; font-family: arial, sans-serif;"> For a time I rest in the grace of the world, and am free." (Wendell Berry)</i></b></span></div>
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<span style="color: #545454; font-family: inherit;">Once again we're at the end of the dry season (May to September) and hoping for rain to replenish the creeks, the springs, the water table. Our little town of Cocalzinho has already experienced one day without water, and the electric company is charging extra (</span><i style="color: #545454; font-family: inherit;">red flag</i><span style="color: #545454; font-family: inherit;">) because water in the reservoirs that provide hydroelectric power is low. The whole region sits uneasily on the unpredictable area where climate change could result in more yearly rain (to the southwest) or less rain (to the northeast).</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Moon rise over the dry cerrado.<br />
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<span style="font-size: small;">What shall I tell you about our lives on the farm since November 2017, when I wrote my last blog entry? In January we discovered a new fruit in the woods, above the bridge we cross when we walk to my son's house - it's pretty and tasty and abundant though we never found out it's name.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">In March Guy and I went to the 8th World Water Forum which took place in Brasilia. At first we were excited and hopeful that we would learn much and make connections that would help us in our work with the association we helped create in Cocalzinho, Associacão Nascentes do Cerrado (see Facebook page). Soon we realised however that the Forum was run by corporations, banks and governments with little room for activists that might challenge the establishment. Do corporations want to maintain a sustainable supply of water? Of course - but on their terms, for their profit. Small farmers beware. At the alternative water forum, sponsored by university faculty and students, we saw a film depicting a situation in Peru where an agrobusiness at the foot of the mountains, raising asparagus to ship to Europe, funnelled water from the hills above in cement channels, leaving small farms and pastures high and dry. And another film about Nestle's predatory grab of water around the globe.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">We met a few wonderful groups, doing good work protecting headwaters, teaching agroforestry and permaculture, and modelling grassroots techniques of saving and storing water. A group of artists - women who embroider panels showing the rivers and waters of their towns and regions - blew me away. It's a traveling project that this group takes to communities where they teach women to create their own panels. I'll show you a few that were exhibited in the National museum in Brasilia:</span></div>
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We've continued to work on our cob house, with the help of our neighbor Marli. We finished the walls, built a porch, and worked on the floors.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The back walls of the house<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our chickens enjoying the shade on the new porch</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final layer of the floor</td></tr>
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One of our favorite outings was up to the remote road in the hills behind our farm where we found a supply of sand to add to our soil for the floor mixture.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sand around the road up in the hills<span style="text-align: left;"> </span></td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sunset on the way back home</td></tr>
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At the end of May we witnessed up close the truck strike that paralysed Brazil for over a week, stopping deliveries of fuel, food, and most other amenities. The majority of the population supported the strikers who were demanding lower diesel prices because the increases had reached an untenable level. Brazil adds very high taxes to fuel prices, close to 50%. </div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">People from Cocalzinho marching to support the truck drivers - "Together for a better Brazil, We are all truck drivers."</td></tr>
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We traveled to the States for a family reunion in July, and visited Zeke and family in Massachusetts, and Sofia and family in Maryland, as well as Guy's cousins and other friends in the Lehigh Valley.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Browne Clan Family Reunion 2018, Catskills, NY </td></tr>
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Back home on the farm we find peace with our trees and flowers, and animals.</div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bougainvillea outside the window, quaresma in the background</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cows in the babaçu pasture behind our property.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Susie and Lolita who watched over the farm while we were away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Signing off, Greta and Guy</div>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-19362582596704402622018-02-14T09:08:00.000-08:002018-02-15T06:03:39.102-08:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">November
2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb77jgE1zZ65u0oe3zudGvUfWT3WGYjTy7TDFQ6NeiBCO79ssByw11uQ9SN3c1aRBT2hviOSP0wOJztssPnY22ZsIFqCG4KP4hkdTvR07suGFgMDHzwvSH9WbZAQiYtmBRaWYBBo_tH_Fx/s1600/IMG_7885.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="623" data-original-width="1600" height="248" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhb77jgE1zZ65u0oe3zudGvUfWT3WGYjTy7TDFQ6NeiBCO79ssByw11uQ9SN3c1aRBT2hviOSP0wOJztssPnY22ZsIFqCG4KP4hkdTvR07suGFgMDHzwvSH9WbZAQiYtmBRaWYBBo_tH_Fx/s640/IMG_7885.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of the oldest houses in Cocalzinho</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Time
has flown by and the rainy season has arrived once more. We give thanks every
time it rains because the sustainability of our area is in question as
headsprings collapse due to agricultural practices, and streams shrink and
sometimes disappear. While we’re aware of climate change around the world,
we’re uncertain of its effects in this part of Brazil, but the trend seems to
include less rain each year and a decrease of water in the aquifer that
sustains this large biome called the Cerrado. Guy and I are working with a few
other local people to found an association - Associação Nascentes do Cerrado –
that intends to dedicate its efforts, among other things, to restoring the
headsprings of our river- the Rio Corumbá. (We have a Facebook page: Associação Nascentes do Cerrado - Asnace)</span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv48B4D6jy9wNfvlqhJSvP1Bg7noMxtFcIw4KbtRJytMDCjyDtPdPsmIyfMHFaiMbQ9gJECH7-D0FszOWdOGuev4DDddusLrzwA_oDY_cQ3xncyAr-3iSalgkdHriS0Po2W3YIQEdtNJz3/s1600/IMG_7876.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="960" data-original-width="1280" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiv48B4D6jy9wNfvlqhJSvP1Bg7noMxtFcIw4KbtRJytMDCjyDtPdPsmIyfMHFaiMbQ9gJECH7-D0FszOWdOGuev4DDddusLrzwA_oDY_cQ3xncyAr-3iSalgkdHriS0Po2W3YIQEdtNJz3/s640/IMG_7876.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A few members of our association took a field trip to look at the headsprings of our river.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLABUHon6Dssno_glqUpGP8HJJ9vBsnIvqvR33JbdaQepTgd77GwjiMwGndx3HFWpTycy20pzpEvVSTm7cBKVfeYqUqqUnI4TGEmX6z33xW7x4Q8aziw013mkeYk6_xNLwNPuXvu7Valc6/s1600/IMG_7867.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgLABUHon6Dssno_glqUpGP8HJJ9vBsnIvqvR33JbdaQepTgd77GwjiMwGndx3HFWpTycy20pzpEvVSTm7cBKVfeYqUqqUnI4TGEmX6z33xW7x4Q8aziw013mkeYk6_xNLwNPuXvu7Valc6/s640/IMG_7867.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Thick woods should surround this area where we found a spring that has mostly dried up. <br />
Lacking a good fence to protect the area, cattle break up and tamp down the soil, and winds and flooding wash sand and soil into the stream bed where they choke it. This is one of three springs at the very top of the Rio Corumbá system - as it dries up the river's flow decreases.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebSHhK9rUwf-oy1Vk6pLq0EcRWXrvKFvGrHIwPEt1PGi_3WaWth4-W0FJccNiajViUS1kKuqm495bNpLGsL67P5LDmp5tXLCWje0AQiWg6syZNvHqfPVKbKCKaE8mA5I7fuIS5WPoT9ZH/s1600/IMG_7768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgebSHhK9rUwf-oy1Vk6pLq0EcRWXrvKFvGrHIwPEt1PGi_3WaWth4-W0FJccNiajViUS1kKuqm495bNpLGsL67P5LDmp5tXLCWje0AQiWg6syZNvHqfPVKbKCKaE8mA5I7fuIS5WPoT9ZH/s640/IMG_7768.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our group requested an audience with County Council to present an official request that the council members vote against a developer's request to expand the city's urban limits. We know that this developer intends to clear the land around a lush spring and wetland that currently lies outside the city limits.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">On the
farm we see the results of our first five years on this land. (Guy points out
that five years is longer than a college education.) Trees that we planted have
begun to bear fruit: bananas, coffee, pitanga, and oranges. </span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMvM-6PfjoZnRUmkhV7YyU9nxusmh-jOQ5fnQ5MV66Hi-jA9cI56mZa2g7c_OOv4vxtj6d_4UmEKERRPPnKJETumpFIzXhLdMjXbQq6lmOd3geYtPE7qY1Oel1ZM2rss0bU6Ye1_oFduv/s1600/IMG_7643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1200" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEicMvM-6PfjoZnRUmkhV7YyU9nxusmh-jOQ5fnQ5MV66Hi-jA9cI56mZa2g7c_OOv4vxtj6d_4UmEKERRPPnKJETumpFIzXhLdMjXbQq6lmOd3geYtPE7qY1Oel1ZM2rss0bU6Ye1_oFduv/s640/IMG_7643.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We have four varieties bananas growing near our house: prata, nanica, maçã, and marmelo. <br />
These are nanica, and they ripen all at once so we had to give more than half of them away.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We are self-sufficient
in eggs year round, and in milk during the time that our goats are producing –
that would be in the ten months after they give birth. Polly had her second set
of twins early this month, and Nellie is supposed to give birth in January,
though I see no evidence - maybe she’s just fat and sassy. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve
lived in our brick and mortar house for these five years and it truly feels
like home. We designed the house so that we would experience the elements of
nature – the view of the sky in the day and at night, sun, moon, and the feel
of wind, rain, lightning – while still having enough protection to stay dry and
safe. Those of you who’ve been here during a fierce rainstorm know that we’re
truly in the midst of it, but also when the sun shines and the breeze blows
gently, or when the moon is full, or the night very silent and dark, we
experience it all. We’re not always comfortable – right now my feet are cold
because the day is wet and dismal – but I prefer some discomfort rather than
feeling cut off from the outdoors. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1M5uCZpoYOWIUZOUbdBg3O4T64-MPPXQ817GMhIhOG0FvivDvNtEIVCBc_mbAyTX8I_397UdtgXHsD0KCy3rta_DePJS0WmYfSkXdwPEcPQl0WhwFHvSN71DCg2EmZgeRqpQoLnTIO5x/s1600/PA060690.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgk1M5uCZpoYOWIUZOUbdBg3O4T64-MPPXQ817GMhIhOG0FvivDvNtEIVCBc_mbAyTX8I_397UdtgXHsD0KCy3rta_DePJS0WmYfSkXdwPEcPQl0WhwFHvSN71DCg2EmZgeRqpQoLnTIO5x/s400/PA060690.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Buit-in openness - October 2012.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3ucJ7vU1WA4lE6KOi5_dh7EIxiI7rVysj6GVDK00VAcZJezyqFvtaPH_hx__j4k0UJHVLpAuOxHDsbz0JE4lZrOjOCIfin_Pd5mSwShVjq2oObddltyh-ynqIBfDtcPNz7wjKP1I0KSW/s1600/IMG_1088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif3ucJ7vU1WA4lE6KOi5_dh7EIxiI7rVysj6GVDK00VAcZJezyqFvtaPH_hx__j4k0UJHVLpAuOxHDsbz0JE4lZrOjOCIfin_Pd5mSwShVjq2oObddltyh-ynqIBfDtcPNz7wjKP1I0KSW/s400/IMG_1088.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our first house viewed from the site that now holds the cob house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">In
the meantime the last wall of the cob house has been completed! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<br /></div>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-26047470497227412962017-08-12T09:07:00.000-07:002017-08-12T09:07:06.379-07:00
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> July 2017</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAWk2ono_2g3j7vvaST2L3o3hkgqGTqoO4Zqbi26gW10sKkViiCsRzmbNdisgw82jFNyu5QPEhxG_rW_ez3tfaxl9iZKr1DRV0SxBoT86C1eQ2TH1P8zP74f43iP59Cg1r3S7ErHbohvn/s1600/IMG_6461+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="449" data-original-width="1400" height="204" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiYAWk2ono_2g3j7vvaST2L3o3hkgqGTqoO4Zqbi26gW10sKkViiCsRzmbNdisgw82jFNyu5QPEhxG_rW_ez3tfaxl9iZKr1DRV0SxBoT86C1eQ2TH1P8zP74f43iP59Cg1r3S7ErHbohvn/s640/IMG_6461+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
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<tr style="display: inline !important;"><td class="tr-caption" style="display: inline !important;"><span style="font-family: Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif; font-size: large;"><b>Happy Vacation Days</b></span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 11.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Menlo Regular"; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">(This
is an essay I wrote in Portuguese* to commemorate the World Day of the
Environment on June 5. I read this passage to the County Council members in
Cocalzinho on June 9.)<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i>We all live in the environment. Our families, our children, our animals
– all of us live in the midst of the natural environment. Air, earth, water,
plants, woods, the sun, the rain, the wind, all of this is our natural world.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>You don’t even think about it – you walk out into the middle of the
environment. It’s all there from the very start. When we were children we
learned to take for granted the earth, the air, the water, the sun, the rain.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>It’s like our mother, always there, always supporting us. We have
Mothers’ Day, we give thanks for our mothers, and promise them our love. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>It happens that
sometimes we do things that hurt or damage our mother. She seems so strong, so
powerful, but she’s not always so perfect and sweet. However we recognize that
she gave us our life, took care of us. Worthy sons and daughters look after
their mothers.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-left: 1.5in;">
<i>Likewise worthy
human beings look after the environment, take care of the earth, the water, the
air. We recognize that our well-being, our very life, depends on Nature – and
when we damage it we’re damaging our own selves. Bared earth no longer produces
fruits, and the water dries up. Polluted water can no longer serve as drinking
water, and impure air ends up killing. On our natural environment depends the
viability of our living area and the very survival of our children and
grandchildren. Let’s take care of it.
<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We’re
more than half a year into the incredible Trump-era and looking at the tearing
up of many hard-won advances in the fields of social justice and the
environment in the United States of America. It’s like the take-over by a
ruthless agro-business of a piece of land that has been carefully tended for
fifty years.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We
live in something of an island here in the Cerrado of Central Brazil. Fifty
miles away and creeping toward us are huge fields of soy and corn, and the
tomato business regularly plows new tracts of land, several acres at a time,
for a one-year crop, moving to a new tract the next year and leaving the
abandoned land bare and fruitless. But right where we are small farmers still
maintain their diversified lands – one or two hundred acres of pasture,
orchards, vegetable gardens, and yearly subsistence crops of corn and manioc.
And acres of shrub-studded cerrado and riparian woods still stand. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our
little fenced in half-acre within my son’s one-hundred acre farm is surrounded
by pasture and woods. Cows stick their heads through the fence to nibble at the
‘greener’ grass on our side, and our chickens roam during their hours of afternoon
freedom into the pasture as well as into the woods. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpJxNaeSQbzHIkTq8we4wK8p8ktiE3yFNW0K3x2OWKIcvL3DRpaVsSq_Us1LlfW8ysoF9sq3TBkRQhHIb5jgkwVvXo8erVi1FY2AgBKmePRrKvdElsrk66Ev5upxwRHFMDe7FBo8ctC9s/s1600/IMG_6099.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhFpJxNaeSQbzHIkTq8we4wK8p8ktiE3yFNW0K3x2OWKIcvL3DRpaVsSq_Us1LlfW8ysoF9sq3TBkRQhHIb5jgkwVvXo8erVi1FY2AgBKmePRrKvdElsrk66Ev5upxwRHFMDe7FBo8ctC9s/s640/IMG_6099.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Not
long ago this 40-inch rattlesnake wandered onto our property, where the grass
had been cut for hay, to bathe in the winter sun. Guy walked right past it,
within ten inches, on his way back from the goat pen, and he reluctantly killed
it, with a hoe, because of the danger it represents to us and all our animals. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
dry season has settled in, with temperatures around 70° F in the daytime and as
low as 45° at night. The blue skies often have no clouds at all and the sun is
very hot this close to the Equator (16˚ latitude south), though the breeze and shade keep us cool. Humidity varies between 30% in the daytime and 80% at night. There’s no
danger yet of our water supply running out, but we remain watchful because we
know that the water table is low and it might not rain for another three or
four months. Our bananas are taking forever to ripen but the bougainvillea puts
on a radiant show.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP55QHv_QEpMtfH8OLw9d5i3GJ_4Awa1es_KKhnpNuPpbaB4nLqOIPxbYPioXWesnm_I1SDefruGJ3dsEdP0qWal67t__aXJRYL5dyf9F9mh1t1MJZkh-IrdcsdclOna4SbfkjqtmQ1_y/s1600/IMG_6520+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1348" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBP55QHv_QEpMtfH8OLw9d5i3GJ_4Awa1es_KKhnpNuPpbaB4nLqOIPxbYPioXWesnm_I1SDefruGJ3dsEdP0qWal67t__aXJRYL5dyf9F9mh1t1MJZkh-IrdcsdclOna4SbfkjqtmQ1_y/s400/IMG_6520+%25281%2529.jpg" width="336" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana prata - my favorite variety</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2g04H_yvOw7CgO3r2j-yiyOg0x3tWxqBqHcj6ZZOrjmms1ry_9oJtBqfxsC_S7JxV2yPRSvmJlKmdBdxEdnQCHF96UJDDIaqUAf4ZFCvdz5CEhKjRMk0eGN1V61700y-NesgDfXfA-Zd/s1600/IMG_6522.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="951" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjo2g04H_yvOw7CgO3r2j-yiyOg0x3tWxqBqHcj6ZZOrjmms1ry_9oJtBqfxsC_S7JxV2yPRSvmJlKmdBdxEdnQCHF96UJDDIaqUAf4ZFCvdz5CEhKjRMk0eGN1V61700y-NesgDfXfA-Zd/s400/IMG_6522.jpg" width="237" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana marmelo - good for frying and cooking green in stews</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5fQQmpUp3cL33n_DtqPP9fyX_uCw51FZgtU2SqohkZFP9fikqThaOj_LQ_MkwYdHx_AoF9L9gkAxIUqtOz3sXmNj9QiUgN3hOkRTG9SKETg-pNUfw2pAnS0NG7Y4uFT_JUP6mXJykKSe/s1600/IMG_6194.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgI5fQQmpUp3cL33n_DtqPP9fyX_uCw51FZgtU2SqohkZFP9fikqThaOj_LQ_MkwYdHx_AoF9L9gkAxIUqtOz3sXmNj9QiUgN3hOkRTG9SKETg-pNUfw2pAnS0NG7Y4uFT_JUP6mXJykKSe/s640/IMG_6194.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">I planted this bougainvillea in 2013</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">We’ve
welcomed several visitors in June and July. First was a couch surfer from
nearby Anapolis, who rode his bike the 50 miles to spend the night in our cob
house. It was his first experience as a couch surfer and our first as hosts.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitVKvHCCQA3QEl2FD8Vzo6ZrT0ZhFdMk2Np4iJkpH963SWkcaHcP_iqpbJiEo8z93dwYzpT6C8WxhpFR_bcbHLB80NAbi0q9FrrazIqzMMXRppU8rD6dR87IS5gWyr4BagochW7VCve_D/s1600/IMG_5932.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjitVKvHCCQA3QEl2FD8Vzo6ZrT0ZhFdMk2Np4iJkpH963SWkcaHcP_iqpbJiEo8z93dwYzpT6C8WxhpFR_bcbHLB80NAbi0q9FrrazIqzMMXRppU8rD6dR87IS5gWyr4BagochW7VCve_D/s640/IMG_5932.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">José biked 80 miles from Anapolis to take advantage of our couch surfing offer (couchsurfing.com)</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Then
came the long-awaited vist from my son, Zeke, who lives in the Boston area, and
his two sons, Luke (14) and Isaiah (11). What a wonderful treat. Zeke first
came to this farm when he was a baby, in 1974.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivn644Oycp-z50tj1i6wX9DeHh0j_ZyAJoDpUSpTK63QiUFKMyzuGfh5wWjUX6LbadGPLDYa06tebiZ2LGmRdDAXrEZR3iMHwVNLVhtfTtwRKkOhw25tOeGVj_UY4kCk5CvGnFL1ZycX6c/s1600/Scan+296.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="838" data-original-width="610" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivn644Oycp-z50tj1i6wX9DeHh0j_ZyAJoDpUSpTK63QiUFKMyzuGfh5wWjUX6LbadGPLDYa06tebiZ2LGmRdDAXrEZR3iMHwVNLVhtfTtwRKkOhw25tOeGVj_UY4kCk5CvGnFL1ZycX6c/s640/Scan+296.jpg" width="464" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zeke and Greta in 1974.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdfRU1mWLAnnPXgLX_JXX2IcKbd_mUbcM4MjQ_oNMD7A2GNFFdW0iwljEFJuNUT6qT99KMT1MilG1PMAHfuSj-36VzFWqbZSV7EeGOKsvcfOGQYuHRdufrA_eEBK_jhq2W_IQlVowe0Xu/s1600/IMG_6464.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhDdfRU1mWLAnnPXgLX_JXX2IcKbd_mUbcM4MjQ_oNMD7A2GNFFdW0iwljEFJuNUT6qT99KMT1MilG1PMAHfuSj-36VzFWqbZSV7EeGOKsvcfOGQYuHRdufrA_eEBK_jhq2W_IQlVowe0Xu/s640/IMG_6464.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke, Guy, Greta, Isaiah and Zeke, in 2017</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
They stayed in the cob house.</div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgbbbjcDuWJ8jP1wQa5tClNpnkeEPgwjOwCfrjbF2y0YTKkxKHCwZHziZWmT0mvGKrZ7ZOqPg_CNg2QI47u6QNUaGLEWM5an26OZbKF4yz6NqIYNoiqhqk7lzrUSEEUw4CFP7o2wcE5SK/s1600/IMG_6402.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="769" data-original-width="1024" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgqgbbbjcDuWJ8jP1wQa5tClNpnkeEPgwjOwCfrjbF2y0YTKkxKHCwZHziZWmT0mvGKrZ7ZOqPg_CNg2QI47u6QNUaGLEWM5an26OZbKF4yz6NqIYNoiqhqk7lzrUSEEUw4CFP7o2wcE5SK/s400/IMG_6402.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke warms up in the morning sun.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxI_djQkU3AtRg7uT8wF3ZtzxoYl7cYBF1sLeNJVcCat1fubYbiE_fVRPKdGzUmORt72Az2CaG_29944fYlvlXOFkDI7RHw6HuPuMTz-nrC5XwnVC5SY-bEcSHIqJUdT3YehxI8etdGZ9j/s1600/2017_IPT-1323.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxI_djQkU3AtRg7uT8wF3ZtzxoYl7cYBF1sLeNJVcCat1fubYbiE_fVRPKdGzUmORt72Az2CaG_29944fYlvlXOFkDI7RHw6HuPuMTz-nrC5XwnVC5SY-bEcSHIqJUdT3YehxI8etdGZ9j/s400/2017_IPT-1323.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Isaiah enjoys the shade in the afternoon.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">My </span><span style="font-size: medium;">granddaughter, Camila, who lives in Brasilia, came out to the farm to spend several days with her cousins.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /><table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwLbRimxRZE0o-IJBqlFi8rzDkT2UqzHyZjKxUfNij_cnVepqkO45tgkQ4Ruix1huBC0bDtj4h4l0slwnTGiuCi9oc99Ms13uPxaXzyUAaQkYG5E1HM8vztBqkYcaRZKXkWidoD7Si1MR/s1600/IMG_6415.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1024" data-original-width="768" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjPwLbRimxRZE0o-IJBqlFi8rzDkT2UqzHyZjKxUfNij_cnVepqkO45tgkQ4Ruix1huBC0bDtj4h4l0slwnTGiuCi9oc99Ms13uPxaXzyUAaQkYG5E1HM8vztBqkYcaRZKXkWidoD7Si1MR/s400/IMG_6415.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Camila and Isaiah feed the goats. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</span></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbJu6L4otc_3QbvGxHSaYCL-vNZlXI8RbkJSM9kdDqYfqPre3HsfDBBMGZ0ChBlJfIM4bQCywSyvjJu38EiIc9teQDjxNDEm5xLarM-_h6n2veFXuVRAfK1qr5yW8IyQpYLI4XOTgn8w2/s1600/2017_EP2-7125794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxbJu6L4otc_3QbvGxHSaYCL-vNZlXI8RbkJSM9kdDqYfqPre3HsfDBBMGZ0ChBlJfIM4bQCywSyvjJu38EiIc9teQDjxNDEm5xLarM-_h6n2veFXuVRAfK1qr5yW8IyQpYLI4XOTgn8w2/s400/2017_EP2-7125794.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke and Isaiah pick cotton - the large white stuff in the background isn't cotton, it's Greta's hair.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Lolita
had a special surprise for us. </span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWkelxx5ArOi3ZEv_q4EiZsX6LoUAonwXwtFfXZYWhDUVbB3mzvgo5yBLUie_V0PH1AL7iXb9caXAH_oFI7vM1N5BFIEHUNWpyf2I3o3NeVdkZ4FEK5KYW60r-cMbc9oFRFCTUPh_mseW/s1600/2017_IPT-1321.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkWkelxx5ArOi3ZEv_q4EiZsX6LoUAonwXwtFfXZYWhDUVbB3mzvgo5yBLUie_V0PH1AL7iXb9caXAH_oFI7vM1N5BFIEHUNWpyf2I3o3NeVdkZ4FEK5KYW60r-cMbc9oFRFCTUPh_mseW/s640/2017_IPT-1321.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is before the fourth puppy was born - a full six hours later than the others.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;">I knew she was pregnant but thought the
puppies wouldn’t arrive until late in July, two weeks after my grandsons' departure. But she </span><span style="font-size: medium;">was very antsy one night, keeping us awake, and on July 8 I realized that
her behavior over the last couple of days probably meant she was due to
whelp. Sure enough – that day she birthed four puppies, two males and two females, to everyone’s delight. She’s proving to be an excellent mother.</span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4c8ybe-RF67TCWklyZY8CCYQy-n1v7vO5MzWMhzV3BceYRXF9xz3YjSB9MCD-32h1yNjqhKHH3l2r5Sg_mgrZ0jrhZVvnTwq_wdoRWxuqQweMtTAFSw5jR8sgWCBdJ_uQ4ydGnXU4sfO_/s1600/IMG_6449.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4c8ybe-RF67TCWklyZY8CCYQy-n1v7vO5MzWMhzV3BceYRXF9xz3YjSB9MCD-32h1yNjqhKHH3l2r5Sg_mgrZ0jrhZVvnTwq_wdoRWxuqQweMtTAFSw5jR8sgWCBdJ_uQ4ydGnXU4sfO_/s640/IMG_6449.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Be careful with those babies, boys."</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b>Cob house update</b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><b><br /></b></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: medium;">Work
on the cob house stopped during the month of August – we’re preparing for the final wall to go up in
August. But a lot happened in May and June.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yCCoZ2rtY11EkrjOYZtEsR1XzIUc4J-KsZnSIS1jRLLp-dJib7dzl_WRUyS1uAuc4QsjQHZW5RSImoUjkqCwIZi3geVTXfQ-pXUOHZ88mF2_nlFVyCQu5znyNIUfZOYihw_KjB00rxpj/s1600/IMG_6339.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1600" data-original-width="1196" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9yCCoZ2rtY11EkrjOYZtEsR1XzIUc4J-KsZnSIS1jRLLp-dJib7dzl_WRUyS1uAuc4QsjQHZW5RSImoUjkqCwIZi3geVTXfQ-pXUOHZ88mF2_nlFVyCQu5znyNIUfZOYihw_KjB00rxpj/s400/IMG_6339.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy, the designer</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBsPaNuHbTrTZimogviJ6WYA8zxO9Yh41lJaLMQ_2Hl0Yz7BD6pmB4Aaru16YzXPUE_S2y5_RirMXHRg-e4ME6fY_ezFEp1Vj8oVlOcDD6cvYViluE9QuT5IvYMgV9t0wlmy5xdHeqYy_/s1600/IMG_6333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhBsPaNuHbTrTZimogviJ6WYA8zxO9Yh41lJaLMQ_2Hl0Yz7BD6pmB4Aaru16YzXPUE_S2y5_RirMXHRg-e4ME6fY_ezFEp1Vj8oVlOcDD6cvYViluE9QuT5IvYMgV9t0wlmy5xdHeqYy_/s400/IMG_6333.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Removing the support for the arch.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxF1UWkyeORGRxsV_QyqB5_Yn9BpaGRkUvvn3XFJt-dH6-k43DkZe7eDo9Dzcpsjn5Jfmn6Ahc2GocxojVI4ZusuxdY69G3G9qWM2vzYp9WizuuGeN-efKLT8uJyrjaJU6RrVkox1cuWyg/s1600/IMG_6341.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhxF1UWkyeORGRxsV_QyqB5_Yn9BpaGRkUvvn3XFJt-dH6-k43DkZe7eDo9Dzcpsjn5Jfmn6Ahc2GocxojVI4ZusuxdY69G3G9qWM2vzYp9WizuuGeN-efKLT8uJyrjaJU6RrVkox1cuWyg/s400/IMG_6341.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greta tries out the new space.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnMOtg-cdevZm8xu0f3vFVqDFZ-VN8ZuOCT_KsUyvj_2ePZm4jvjFHwWnHa7MbXL3e1xDqW5xWtJtX_OMV8RwdD6EUY5jjp5zsfVCGcjigh01-QpytssCh8hbq9SqnCqODJnKELcEWrGY/s1600/2017_IPT-1317.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1200" data-original-width="1600" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXnMOtg-cdevZm8xu0f3vFVqDFZ-VN8ZuOCT_KsUyvj_2ePZm4jvjFHwWnHa7MbXL3e1xDqW5xWtJtX_OMV8RwdD6EUY5jjp5zsfVCGcjigh01-QpytssCh8hbq9SqnCqODJnKELcEWrGY/s400/2017_IPT-1317.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Luke keeps his stuff in the semi-finished alcove.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UInydtWpkeSZ1tdo2UONvSJy9B4_tXXJNbIFv5-0c4iFczC8dnljldQNccTiu17O6gcsMymIfB-vhyfi_EtEjLQcXoFV8_SysWdC8hPQNYRjdOfe42Va2KZ12gGdj2LXz7rNGwgUMaoQ/s1600/IMG_6128.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1UInydtWpkeSZ1tdo2UONvSJy9B4_tXXJNbIFv5-0c4iFczC8dnljldQNccTiu17O6gcsMymIfB-vhyfi_EtEjLQcXoFV8_SysWdC8hPQNYRjdOfe42Va2KZ12gGdj2LXz7rNGwgUMaoQ/s400/IMG_6128.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The floor in these two areas got covered with another layer of cob.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2B5nCHwVqWVfNTk52vRUCc_AyHeLYlSWiP5oDcEwOne_Vu-kyPpiOrI5_nB8TfcFigVb17D4OqEDthU1R8dDve-LgbjMor3CXnn16XGDNItXSjwyyTi5Xcmmt01TH0-pvWkjcufLLJa7D/s1600/IMG_6305.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg2B5nCHwVqWVfNTk52vRUCc_AyHeLYlSWiP5oDcEwOne_Vu-kyPpiOrI5_nB8TfcFigVb17D4OqEDthU1R8dDve-LgbjMor3CXnn16XGDNItXSjwyyTi5Xcmmt01TH0-pvWkjcufLLJa7D/s400/IMG_6305.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We put in a cob bench in the living room. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxp0ArY4SdDwtKC3ZjF-YS6-JLXQXAcHiaD61lhTpQVYGnqhe6zF_NyoX53eO7bq03X1gK6-lOOBCnxho-wsfn4lxbAahBQsiT5Liauz8rsuz-xodVXSUYv6RCBKc3rv54GCSPySVkz2J/s1600/IMG_6352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLxp0ArY4SdDwtKC3ZjF-YS6-JLXQXAcHiaD61lhTpQVYGnqhe6zF_NyoX53eO7bq03X1gK6-lOOBCnxho-wsfn4lxbAahBQsiT5Liauz8rsuz-xodVXSUYv6RCBKc3rv54GCSPySVkz2J/s400/IMG_6352.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And this bench in the master bedroom.</td></tr>
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Preview of plans for August</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyfJq3cwYxiiDU-WqGBJ07yR5dTkNb_QI1OsUDoloUuHh6VnBFDGQapUiPvqo8MAZJR5-RZSm5jFJ4NtdvwGGyOTe4oqvfWC362vpGdU2ZFyW-3tprWUwK4d0CJrBlvfL-QHvX9_c_8D4/s1600/IMG_6505.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjlyfJq3cwYxiiDU-WqGBJ07yR5dTkNb_QI1OsUDoloUuHh6VnBFDGQapUiPvqo8MAZJR5-RZSm5jFJ4NtdvwGGyOTe4oqvfWC362vpGdU2ZFyW-3tprWUwK4d0CJrBlvfL-QHvX9_c_8D4/s640/IMG_6505.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The final wall, to enclose the living room and mini-kitchen, should be up by the end of August. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7o4f4GSQjq5YfW9gmbOq7YVGNMBsGendDDFt3s6fKTZfXovemnzI_ztOWwtHeS6jVTCXxwe-gt8KYFiBz82ieeW6MzYZ_Mlxl3_Nw2Tcg_il8AHYV2AQMRgShPpTWxg5ZAlFTVTZToJGZ/s1600/IMG_6514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="297" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7o4f4GSQjq5YfW9gmbOq7YVGNMBsGendDDFt3s6fKTZfXovemnzI_ztOWwtHeS6jVTCXxwe-gt8KYFiBz82ieeW6MzYZ_Mlxl3_Nw2Tcg_il8AHYV2AQMRgShPpTWxg5ZAlFTVTZToJGZ/s400/IMG_6514.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">In addition to two doors we'll have two window in this wall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWIbxJf0vX3sTmQi8WiNdhE-iv6T4-NHpoCn_zG1Rbfx60nzRMg9UFv28GWYFjTzCuZ9WS2v9nMD57yRS73Ufhc58WlhwhXMZRbAWhk7nQcFMslMzBxjjeXtYa5xmNIOsuidSypNtbTOp/s1600/IMG_6517.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" data-original-height="1196" data-original-width="1600" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjOWIbxJf0vX3sTmQi8WiNdhE-iv6T4-NHpoCn_zG1Rbfx60nzRMg9UFv28GWYFjTzCuZ9WS2v9nMD57yRS73Ufhc58WlhwhXMZRbAWhk7nQcFMslMzBxjjeXtYa5xmNIOsuidSypNtbTOp/s400/IMG_6517.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Next photo from this angle will be very different. I'll miss the open space.</td></tr>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">* </span></b>Portuguese
version (original)</div>
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<i>Dia Mundial do Meio
Ambiente – dia 5 de junho<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Todos nós vivemos
dentro do meio ambiente. Nossas familias, nossos filhos, nossos animais – todos
vivemos no meio do ambiente. O ar, a terra, a água, as plantas, as matas, o
sol, a chuva, o vento, tudo isso é o nosso ambiente. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>A gente nem pensa -
sai andando no meio do ambiente. Está tudo aí desde que nos demos por gente.
Quando éramos crianças aprendemos a contar com o chão, o ar, a água, o sol, a
chuva. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>É como a mãe, sempre
presente, sempre nos sustentando. Temos o dia das Mães, agradecemos a Deus por
nossa querida mãe, prometemos amor a carinho a ela. <o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Acontece que às vezes fazemos
coisas que ferem ou prejudicam a nossa mãe. Ela parece tão forte, tão poderosa,
mas nem sempre é perfeita ou tão boazinha assim. Mas se pensarmos bem, foi ela
que nos deu a vida, que cuidou de nós. O filho digno zela da mãe.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
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<i>Assim tambem o ser
humano digno cuida do meio ambiente, zela pela terra, a água, o ar. Reconhece
que o seu bem estar, sua própria vida, depende da natureza, - e quando a
prejudica está prejudicando a si mesmo. A terra desnudada deixa de produzir
seus frutos, e as aguas secam. A água poluida não serve mais para beber, o ar
impuro acaba matando. Do nosso
meio ambiente depende a viabilidade do nosso município e a própria
sobrevivência dos nossos filhos e netos. Vamos cuidar.<o:p></o:p></i></div>
<!--EndFragment-->Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-58458645532042844222017-05-08T13:47:00.001-07:002017-05-08T13:47:18.237-07:00The dry season begins<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">May
2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
dry season has arrived in central Brazil and the good news is that in our area
the rainfall for the rainy season (October 2016-April 2017) surpassed each of the
last three years according to Guy’s approximate measurements: </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2013/14 - ? millimeters (I'll fill this in as soon as I can.)</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2014/15 – 1272 ml </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2015/16 – 1057 ml </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">2016/17 – 1500 ml </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">However we’re learning that the
depletion of the water table in this area has been going on for many years
-decades - and that one good year won’t have much of an impact as more land is
cleared and more water used to supply growing populations and to irrigate
increasing monocultures of soy, corn, sugarcane and other crops. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLe08UCUYHncDs3SEF7_5BbsaVlV6yZPUnKSANdrCWf_3iiycVAAryUOH3kTiVRrYEfP5fR8CEQoOvNaqffYsMghX36QIGAPGjcqYSVXGIYU1kzD1HMBiv7KiD2by-EkJv7BrnyXJUaBI0/s1600/IMG_5777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLe08UCUYHncDs3SEF7_5BbsaVlV6yZPUnKSANdrCWf_3iiycVAAryUOH3kTiVRrYEfP5fR8CEQoOvNaqffYsMghX36QIGAPGjcqYSVXGIYU1kzD1HMBiv7KiD2by-EkJv7BrnyXJUaBI0/s640/IMG_5777.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pump is dangling by black hose in the deepest water hole, just down from our house.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’ve
installed a pump (electric) to draw water from the creek that flows by our
property. The water isn’t as clean as the water that comes half a mile from the
spring above my son’s house whose water system we tap into. But our own water
supply will work for irrigation and for emergencies if the other system gets
low. We’re also planning to build a cistern to collect rain water, and a pond
that will hold water in all but the driest years. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What
way will this region go as climate change progresses? Wetter, drier, mixed?
Experts are telling us that if forests are protected and replanted it will rain
more, but agro-business, promoted by the government, is taking us in the opposite
direction. And the small effort I agreed to initiate with a local friend, an
organization that would protect the local waterheads, is proving difficult to
get off the ground. People are too busy, their personal lives too compelling –
justifiably or not – to attend meetings, organize events, actually plan the
reconstruction of a spring that’s been degraded. (Sound familiar?) I haven’t
given up so stay tuned.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWUKX3gvdV-3ky64HNAouAcO3js7LxYnSseXez6HGwUQ-IDtjuF16EGUv9CZLs92hSxiGbFLhDhOupByk-vhQlJ7gv4Okce-bF9L9_3bcKClJeJuuiJ6AbsEGNLyeT0_Npoi8pziWx2qX/s1600/P4025232.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="456" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjEWUKX3gvdV-3ky64HNAouAcO3js7LxYnSseXez6HGwUQ-IDtjuF16EGUv9CZLs92hSxiGbFLhDhOupByk-vhQlJ7gv4Okce-bF9L9_3bcKClJeJuuiJ6AbsEGNLyeT0_Npoi8pziWx2qX/s640/P4025232.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our young male goat, next to his dam.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">As
for our personal projects here on the farm, the big news is that we butchered
our first young goat, a six-month-old wether. We raised this cabrito with
kindness, in a nice pen large enough for him to run and play with other goats.
We had him castrated by a neighbor who is our stand-in for veterinarian counsel
and action due to his long experience with animals, especially the sheep that
he cares for for his boss. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Roast leg of goat - very tasty.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Now
a roast, two legs and two racks of ribs fill our small freezer, after we
roasted the first hind leg when my daughter and her partner came to visit from
the US. I had to learn how to marinate it so that it would be tender and
flavorful, and it was a wonderful success. And we gave one of the front legs to
our friends in town. We find that most people around here are loathe to try
food they’re not used to, like goat milk and meat, but a few people are curious
or have traveled and welcome the opportunity to experiment.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
raise goats partly to explore the advantages they represent over the prevailing
and growing beef consumption. Around the world people have learned to equate
prosperity with having abundant meat on their table. Cattle raising means
hundreds of acres of land cleared for pasture, both here in the cerrado (our
richly bio-diverse savannah) and in the Amazon. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Permaculture
teaches us to think small and efficient, focusing on the resources of the land
under our feet and the vegetation that surrounds us. Goats can be raised on
small farms and even in large backyards, providing milk and meat in exchange
for corn, hay and the prunings of bushes and trees. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.0pt;">We don’t try to keep a male goat to impregnate our does. Instead we
transport our pretty ladies to a neighboring farm where a herd of goats roam a
fairly large area of grass and woods. Male goats are difficult in close
quarters due to their ornerish personalities and a distinctive and very
unpleasant odor. Our place is too small. </span><!--EndFragment--><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This variety of banana is called 'nanica,' which means 'small.'</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The two bunches on these trees are 'banana prata.' We also have 'banana maçã' and 'banana marmelo.'</td></tr>
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<br /></div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">The
banana plants we put in two years ago (May 2015) are finally producing bananas,
which look like they’ll all ripen – it takes months – at approximately the same
time, hopefully when my son and grandsons visit in July. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 12.0pt;">Our eight hens are laying four or five eggs a day, fewer than a month ago
due to the shorter days – supposedly hens require fourteen hours of daylight to
produce an egg. Right now the sun rises at about 6 am and sets at 6 pm. The
mama hen doesn’t lay eggs while she cares for her brood, but eventually she’ll
start up again and her little pullets should start laying in September.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqaAp_jUF3-WSUg_bGGcdWKqckL6k0I9hBl6lqB9_id_z6dNpEaLxwY8UXuSO8PoeUE7qpyXn5TfDr6pItUF_N_KmXawkM5g8kPV1Xt1D9kzDO00rpoGBWMlKcJFJnsCLSQgGCKGqc6xl/s1600/IMG_5638.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjrqaAp_jUF3-WSUg_bGGcdWKqckL6k0I9hBl6lqB9_id_z6dNpEaLxwY8UXuSO8PoeUE7qpyXn5TfDr6pItUF_N_KmXawkM5g8kPV1Xt1D9kzDO00rpoGBWMlKcJFJnsCLSQgGCKGqc6xl/s640/IMG_5638.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mama hen and chicks enjoy a dust bath.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div>
<span style="text-align: center;">And here's a look at the latest stage of the cob house, outside and in. Notice that the walls are finished all the way up to the roof. Next steps include new layers on the floors, ceilings in the bedrooms, and some cob furniture - seats along the walls, an alcove, and a bookcase.</span></div>
<br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8Z7Q6depv4QrdwWNlJY5_jXAfkm_cJCpoDdCFIucJQfB1mYWwxbBEPB7Uds3dlX6pugJre9mboakMIcWUX1xVa7uRrGJTRPoKlE9sG-JZkH3r9PNWtDjE8yibK-rZT1OTMPXYHlbEdgF/s1600/IMG_5791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhR8Z7Q6depv4QrdwWNlJY5_jXAfkm_cJCpoDdCFIucJQfB1mYWwxbBEPB7Uds3dlX6pugJre9mboakMIcWUX1xVa7uRrGJTRPoKlE9sG-JZkH3r9PNWtDjE8yibK-rZT1OTMPXYHlbEdgF/s640/IMG_5791.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8ecRSJpsBog3RStXC03F0T9Zc_WxleFVfNaYwLsXDh0-0ymkF5eMTSjsILIN6_j4dNESKDIz6b6_F_16bGY6EQqbzHTX79zpglQLwTecZ8IbOwIx8Igs-PdJFSsQ-g7tFH6_8seW8dii/s1600/IMG_5793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT8ecRSJpsBog3RStXC03F0T9Zc_WxleFVfNaYwLsXDh0-0ymkF5eMTSjsILIN6_j4dNESKDIz6b6_F_16bGY6EQqbzHTX79zpglQLwTecZ8IbOwIx8Igs-PdJFSsQ-g7tFH6_8seW8dii/s640/IMG_5793.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: "cambria"; font-size: 14.0pt;">I look forward to hearing from you. Leave a comment if you please.</span>Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-42529944355556982422017-02-22T11:10:00.000-08:002017-02-23T11:10:53.897-08:00The big cob-house update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
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</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
The last time we showed you our cob house the roof frame was beginning to go up, back in October. I'm taking a step back to show the whole process of getting the roof up. By the end of this post the house will have developed dramatically. I hope you enjoy these photos.</div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: left;">
<br /></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5WgvWsFnRkQzX39ZC7cMuv0T296Jg0wK0R8L3Ob6qHyLzaGThNLNkte1cJyrElBSLw2S2av6_mQMb7veJgaOmo5ZMAsWOp9VM_LDyUOeVPRvLMB7k8drD2g9WWzQmo3f6SOYW9z6HWbh/s1600/IMG_3997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhg5WgvWsFnRkQzX39ZC7cMuv0T296Jg0wK0R8L3Ob6qHyLzaGThNLNkte1cJyrElBSLw2S2av6_mQMb7veJgaOmo5ZMAsWOp9VM_LDyUOeVPRvLMB7k8drD2g9WWzQmo3f6SOYW9z6HWbh/s640/IMG_3997.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">October 17, 2016 - The house unprotected. For a year we had a tarp over the house to protect it from the rain. Guests slept in the rustic rooms with good windows and doors but only a large blue tarp to cover it.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0zxdSF-2qnEfNPoD40X-DpZYzgLgtcdHjibLq57l5VrwTqXGxVRpq5rmIUK_SGopBKvNi0fKXOQJYoNBbBdmMNie2YIdgU_xKBodQTfhRE_tKs-Qwplm4R_P_RgceaasEPRl44sPAhHY/s1600/IMG_4037.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgl0zxdSF-2qnEfNPoD40X-DpZYzgLgtcdHjibLq57l5VrwTqXGxVRpq5rmIUK_SGopBKvNi0fKXOQJYoNBbBdmMNie2YIdgU_xKBodQTfhRE_tKs-Qwplm4R_P_RgceaasEPRl44sPAhHY/s640/IMG_4037.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Oct. 19 - The roof structure goes up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK3PmuKICdrQtSVBcUJTSvUTlRsDdbnp8Wk9eQQk4Um3cdGpK5edCoaovAHIQCmlXGqGGOnpIrbhdcaHzLRa6WKflKF87Bkt5rkbFlNZVAnjBzTarKantBUXx2eFPf_Sqd4Jvxe-Pw_Z3/s1600/IMG_4075.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiPK3PmuKICdrQtSVBcUJTSvUTlRsDdbnp8Wk9eQQk4Um3cdGpK5edCoaovAHIQCmlXGqGGOnpIrbhdcaHzLRa6WKflKF87Bkt5rkbFlNZVAnjBzTarKantBUXx2eFPf_Sqd4Jvxe-Pw_Z3/s640/IMG_4075.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The recycled tiles are made from used milk boxes - heating and molding the aluminum and plastic remains <br />
into strong but lightweight and pliable tiles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMumwRVYRiPFQqS-UkPPsWLQDYXNUjrx1MgnaK3qDPNtWvru-Qs6-fh_9QDgee6_-1KmCPSvkzJj8aW4fTGYH8MK2RfHlGvKPTFGRCbLOllKF2LMi24xlJS-YkUjT4fBXn-dX6PtGTz0UP/s1600/IMG_4088.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMumwRVYRiPFQqS-UkPPsWLQDYXNUjrx1MgnaK3qDPNtWvru-Qs6-fh_9QDgee6_-1KmCPSvkzJj8aW4fTGYH8MK2RfHlGvKPTFGRCbLOllKF2LMi24xlJS-YkUjT4fBXn-dX6PtGTz0UP/s640/IMG_4088.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We hired a local builder and his brother to put up the roof.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tHeKJtxjPkj1meM6pTkhcwdEiGi_r_zjl28vvxvWI6qPjg4IOLkAwIMLmRY9Wfi1kbnydKDN8LaumB8z5Krxg7NSGYpd2BgvGmx36w5Ynnc_yX3dEeyD9tK-p9IJKBaliMtfVIsn2y3t/s1600/IMG_4089.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0tHeKJtxjPkj1meM6pTkhcwdEiGi_r_zjl28vvxvWI6qPjg4IOLkAwIMLmRY9Wfi1kbnydKDN8LaumB8z5Krxg7NSGYpd2BgvGmx36w5Ynnc_yX3dEeyD9tK-p9IJKBaliMtfVIsn2y3t/s640/IMG_4089.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The weather cooperated, cloudy but without rain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpmuWmUbaCvaRPU4sMfVOBfGqlyaeYdpGV0JI4BQz3DNXCOQnTCb7gy-bCNGfKLEHAQyve4Kd-6H15S6NWbgtKeTYGOCPm7kxrSOu4gez7oycAIF_Hbb4waQpvYlWP9hXX8fh4TWBuLrX/s1600/IMG_4104.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdpmuWmUbaCvaRPU4sMfVOBfGqlyaeYdpGV0JI4BQz3DNXCOQnTCb7gy-bCNGfKLEHAQyve4Kd-6H15S6NWbgtKeTYGOCPm7kxrSOu4gez7oycAIF_Hbb4waQpvYlWP9hXX8fh4TWBuLrX/s640/IMG_4104.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nov 10 - The finished roof, nicely rounded with a small circular saw.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOJbC_4d4smv8HKMD5cG3pxsNe2nIU5m5a1NqgG24MLZXAkEEYEiGdhhSKQY3Zn46ywcJzfC0t4YziH1RgYwtHeCK8LFX0FgB6kxD56zdtouhxUxr0kfbtG7veM5qhcOL_VvnIR0hejvM/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjCOJbC_4d4smv8HKMD5cG3pxsNe2nIU5m5a1NqgG24MLZXAkEEYEiGdhhSKQY3Zn46ywcJzfC0t4YziH1RgYwtHeCK8LFX0FgB6kxD56zdtouhxUxr0kfbtG7veM5qhcOL_VvnIR0hejvM/s640/IMG_4287.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Another view of the completed roof.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJZk1fN1LlboJ44s4kmPYIYCUWPK4xNNoiHBBF1Ti9I45Ms4UChsCr5oj-C6AKQFkOcskRrhwZS81ZoUkr2vFZNI-b_2dh8Yn0qI2EOsjCHhqRvKdavGOzNsdSQUW6eRDRwYLlYPPxWaR/s1600/IMG_4287+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="255" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAJZk1fN1LlboJ44s4kmPYIYCUWPK4xNNoiHBBF1Ti9I45Ms4UChsCr5oj-C6AKQFkOcskRrhwZS81ZoUkr2vFZNI-b_2dh8Yn0qI2EOsjCHhqRvKdavGOzNsdSQUW6eRDRwYLlYPPxWaR/s400/IMG_4287+%25281%2529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The space between the wall and roof must now be filled in. Eventually the roof <br />
will be supported by the wall and some of the posts will be removed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbVooT5XdKouaaByS-5XeelNR22px_LnZ4ntVLwtSM1POQpQRHZ93zCcAopSzAKeYPSYT8JdEwAIWCwmmu9kp257lbgqQfDI-ood_nnp6aCMKUTS8HXJCe2X9aT89jErB58ZnPsNGvE4j/s1600/IMG_4489.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhjbVooT5XdKouaaByS-5XeelNR22px_LnZ4ntVLwtSM1POQpQRHZ93zCcAopSzAKeYPSYT8JdEwAIWCwmmu9kp257lbgqQfDI-ood_nnp6aCMKUTS8HXJCe2X9aT89jErB58ZnPsNGvE4j/s400/IMG_4489.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Handing up the cobs to be added to the top of the wall.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaneKXmQIEGAEthcCPmS624VKKQ8AGmhUa44yuyZ3QGBNBDOD_5v-9Mzs2kBUIT49vXOsAkL1cEseGWU_jEE9CEpdRw5AmbW9lBP-0Wyk_lvWAeqcQG0FdjhgjwxL6UiT6ifOSO_AtCob/s1600/IMG_4494.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiaaneKXmQIEGAEthcCPmS624VKKQ8AGmhUa44yuyZ3QGBNBDOD_5v-9Mzs2kBUIT49vXOsAkL1cEseGWU_jEE9CEpdRw5AmbW9lBP-0Wyk_lvWAeqcQG0FdjhgjwxL6UiT6ifOSO_AtCob/s400/IMG_4494.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cob meets roof.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4Z8apN_80bmwAI1IhxXHfheqeE71V8_ofwPez7-8P851aRU8OyUIVvpl-i4AfRZ6lga4EtVtepQA3ogWgj5Q745zAZRDFw56rtf8ohXMLj4XZyP7FT3Ua2fdmFikhQV9dVENZT7tbVUf/s1600/IMG_4497.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiq4Z8apN_80bmwAI1IhxXHfheqeE71V8_ofwPez7-8P851aRU8OyUIVvpl-i4AfRZ6lga4EtVtepQA3ogWgj5Q745zAZRDFw56rtf8ohXMLj4XZyP7FT3Ua2fdmFikhQV9dVENZT7tbVUf/s400/IMG_4497.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We created vent holes with screening. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAa1mMveLrJTcIbAK0EGcdZ1RuLQ_RQR8ijHeNj4rZBzxCLXHLOUVZ3ewH0PCEHN67vjLbWYrXe9Pb_gfKn9W4n_eFdDwjNni7h_BU3q9X8YNq7AbBa2MBmI9aczLVm8ZqL28h-wZRZqDZ/s1600/IMG_4498.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgAa1mMveLrJTcIbAK0EGcdZ1RuLQ_RQR8ijHeNj4rZBzxCLXHLOUVZ3ewH0PCEHN67vjLbWYrXe9Pb_gfKn9W4n_eFdDwjNni7h_BU3q9X8YNq7AbBa2MBmI9aczLVm8ZqL28h-wZRZqDZ/s400/IMG_4498.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Dec 28 -The walls of the two bedrooms and the bathroom are almost completed.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsmZHAMzf7pduQmmUqhaDWVG-A93BCqyF5JYvHwUO1qmMM99Q5e9-uvDuIVmpUASf7-uGFhRMxx7ifpJkJlS4LP0DonWMcgKdJ3dVdnk614-59TwGs9d_ua4w4gmGPjXANHqLUF7SzoFv/s1600/IMG_4670.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYsmZHAMzf7pduQmmUqhaDWVG-A93BCqyF5JYvHwUO1qmMM99Q5e9-uvDuIVmpUASf7-uGFhRMxx7ifpJkJlS4LP0DonWMcgKdJ3dVdnk614-59TwGs9d_ua4w4gmGPjXANHqLUF7SzoFv/s400/IMG_4670.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jan 17, 2017 - Now it's time to work on the two level floor: <br />
living room above, entry-level kitchenette below.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-U0s67zfdqFddw7nT-MXNwNliC9cggt5WZgTj0BTomP53w5goyJJOWHxMQdjRyUMw3_wJ0UFJSFJQmhZMzb-1QRRTMyD79WWGjXBLBDthX2Z_8hTl8hbXyvaCcAc8mH55WkfU3v8yAJHZ/s1600/IMG_4681.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj-U0s67zfdqFddw7nT-MXNwNliC9cggt5WZgTj0BTomP53w5goyJJOWHxMQdjRyUMw3_wJ0UFJSFJQmhZMzb-1QRRTMyD79WWGjXBLBDthX2Z_8hTl8hbXyvaCcAc8mH55WkfU3v8yAJHZ/s400/IMG_4681.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy empties one of the unending wheelbarrows of gravel. At the back sits a<br />
handmade water level. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGoLv2Frk9rUUxojpu-5niKuGdDOZ5JB2CaohXn6DacR4ddJTPm02bKMklR08xFFTt2IEDFProm98rSyh0jROQCAN99H0DCE2ZP2i2kGjfsqyCb62-xv-UFTjy6pIVFIziMn0UgMDp4dC/s1600/IMG_4735.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihGoLv2Frk9rUUxojpu-5niKuGdDOZ5JB2CaohXn6DacR4ddJTPm02bKMklR08xFFTt2IEDFProm98rSyh0jROQCAN99H0DCE2ZP2i2kGjfsqyCb62-xv-UFTjy6pIVFIziMn0UgMDp4dC/s400/IMG_4735.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lolita and Cindy inspect the premises while Guy starts filling the lower level.<br />
The tamper is used to make the floor as solid as possible.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBExrrclPDLk5oeslC598wsUNN8ziKW98Y-XTto8p7vLnQTshstnRn6GXdTlR3YDIq7EzhXeLMSV4GGZEq8HkiU6A9dwordaL5M4XAVdJBd0Sjz33GVWbfgMld4GBLDWwWJeClySStc2eL/s1600/IMG_4741.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBExrrclPDLk5oeslC598wsUNN8ziKW98Y-XTto8p7vLnQTshstnRn6GXdTlR3YDIq7EzhXeLMSV4GGZEq8HkiU6A9dwordaL5M4XAVdJBd0Sjz33GVWbfgMld4GBLDWwWJeClySStc2eL/s400/IMG_4741.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stones, gravel and sand are delivered just outside our property since the<br />
bridge isn't strong enough for heavy trucks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgEgUaF6B_zG8NfeD6QxsBz9XDfznaXeur4oRuSb4T_zmGcq3OxOv3xMIA8UINGtLNQibKL4bgmarB99MMj1qo826KQcxRfhcMz2KiyYzJQUCFSGjEx-8JNeY6StC1Xpo7E-DrwoaylZQ/s1600/IMG_4748.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHgEgUaF6B_zG8NfeD6QxsBz9XDfznaXeur4oRuSb4T_zmGcq3OxOv3xMIA8UINGtLNQibKL4bgmarB99MMj1qo826KQcxRfhcMz2KiyYzJQUCFSGjEx-8JNeY6StC1Xpo7E-DrwoaylZQ/s400/IMG_4748.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a pretty stretch but long after about twenty cartfuls. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx1Na2Xor3sSHVBIsG7dGp4Qlxq_UEapw14V6rnBnZBq47ClHTaV0t-YNm_C1WukQ_9DtnL5O3XquEwEUGgFJjVGf-gQ5m4x2gUkmIpP19A3aZCHZijDNOcPSnLecDRuXISLSRJLBDrY-/s1600/IMG_4752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjIx1Na2Xor3sSHVBIsG7dGp4Qlxq_UEapw14V6rnBnZBq47ClHTaV0t-YNm_C1WukQ_9DtnL5O3XquEwEUGgFJjVGf-gQ5m4x2gUkmIpP19A3aZCHZijDNOcPSnLecDRuXISLSRJLBDrY-/s400/IMG_4752.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Especially since its' uphill.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT97B_UHy94ASL6_88AnGhfYPOEFaZJ0yEaxF1Om-dOfuKH-iq49qmb06lZqp2Kfkfu2c4wYNLHv3nMdRoyONGDTtRuyh5lY5pvLKq_Xwm04SjErG6_PKKNza3A5ye-S8kZgzFXiHzSOeh/s1600/IMG_4828.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT97B_UHy94ASL6_88AnGhfYPOEFaZJ0yEaxF1Om-dOfuKH-iq49qmb06lZqp2Kfkfu2c4wYNLHv3nMdRoyONGDTtRuyh5lY5pvLKq_Xwm04SjErG6_PKKNza3A5ye-S8kZgzFXiHzSOeh/s400/IMG_4828.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 1 - The next floor layer is made of earth, sand, gravel and straw. <br />
It's pocked so that the next layer will adhere. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFf6aIwFTupfnzq-Q3SREBr4rp8JjK9tKrodzis5BwJ65_vf9reyNdW2_id-KpTArgQlpwxOcXuaZYDYbo8YugCSjmlMXcl5jE4RcXnIj6ebGOIfFpgp-S9Rq-H1itW3bC7FpSDA6pP6F/s1600/IMG_4829.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieFf6aIwFTupfnzq-Q3SREBr4rp8JjK9tKrodzis5BwJ65_vf9reyNdW2_id-KpTArgQlpwxOcXuaZYDYbo8YugCSjmlMXcl5jE4RcXnIj6ebGOIfFpgp-S9Rq-H1itW3bC7FpSDA6pP6F/s400/IMG_4829.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We decided to make a ramp between levels since we have a wheelchair-bound<br />
friend. And, who knows, we might need it ourselves in the future.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX8RF-O16jCmrMiO4l_vBy7jT8rwp9TNeDAIe_GmUWtjQnSNlp4jDDDO7EaCoBTP-8wfU04xEkZasptC57W2dJXVpkfy3NTXZXaakzDeDdkzZel9bANGMNhMNuyf4ohEY7HaM2I7MtVHZ/s1600/IMG_4888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCX8RF-O16jCmrMiO4l_vBy7jT8rwp9TNeDAIe_GmUWtjQnSNlp4jDDDO7EaCoBTP-8wfU04xEkZasptC57W2dJXVpkfy3NTXZXaakzDeDdkzZel9bANGMNhMNuyf4ohEY7HaM2I7MtVHZ/s640/IMG_4888.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Feb 7 - Now we're placing the used windows we bought back in October. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bdOIVMQSpMHayRdv_wROGfoPrz6fY8D_JGroyZxhuhQyhnqBITsUAE6wBieGU4YBE4tHnwiyUqMlceMLALleotawRcHy_S86UMVqL7f5ndw1y3Ik8KI0Qm2gGlbWanbHrpQ0fyxi2edV/s1600/IMG_4884.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9bdOIVMQSpMHayRdv_wROGfoPrz6fY8D_JGroyZxhuhQyhnqBITsUAE6wBieGU4YBE4tHnwiyUqMlceMLALleotawRcHy_S86UMVqL7f5ndw1y3Ik8KI0Qm2gGlbWanbHrpQ0fyxi2edV/s640/IMG_4884.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The three large windows have to be propped and tied in place until<br />
the walls go up around them.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O1jdH8E3L2pblWw-dI3vdB_Qb6v4KRhcEOWMzzZzGPJ2uiGycym5T-Q8r0eR3mpyGxwxrknsGeekPa2Tjd749SSe15BtIhjcMrgUceNDmuq4WQVPUDffhNgwPDas7RLs7qmrR0dY19mv/s1600/IMG_4893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg8O1jdH8E3L2pblWw-dI3vdB_Qb6v4KRhcEOWMzzZzGPJ2uiGycym5T-Q8r0eR3mpyGxwxrknsGeekPa2Tjd749SSe15BtIhjcMrgUceNDmuq4WQVPUDffhNgwPDas7RLs7qmrR0dY19mv/s640/IMG_4893.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We get an idea of what the windows will look like from the outside. The space looks smaller from this perspective.<br />
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<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: x-small;">Today, a week later (February 22) I took the final photos for this update. </span></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; text-align: left;">The cob has gone up almost two feet, holding the windows firmly in place. </span></div>
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Since we've decided to wait a few weeks before building the front wall with its doorways and window, the cob wall has been tapered so that the next piece of wall supporting the main doorway will join more securely.</div>
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The space looks inviting in the morning sun. The tall window at right will open into an alcove.</div>
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(I just realized I should have a photo taken from the same angle as the first photo in this post. I'll take that picture and get it posted as soon as I can.) Feb 23: Here it is:<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdweb6KRy3xijTS90-hpOg2RfbE21V0J8bx056wvabmEvLwtcH6Di0vAk2FBO0wb_93MJK4YqrKinNUxr62es4SDWFiWoZJzTB8SY5C3foNDTm0fg8sou2ZbS9fRmTxxeUnoA9UhQS5BU/s1600/IMG_5063.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="408" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgQdweb6KRy3xijTS90-hpOg2RfbE21V0J8bx056wvabmEvLwtcH6Di0vAk2FBO0wb_93MJK4YqrKinNUxr62es4SDWFiWoZJzTB8SY5C3foNDTm0fg8sou2ZbS9fRmTxxeUnoA9UhQS5BU/s640/IMG_5063.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The cob house as of February 23, 2017</td></tr>
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<br />Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com6tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-40259393936055669432017-02-07T11:07:00.001-08:002017-02-07T11:07:49.294-08:00<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Once again we want to put
out an appeal to anyone who is </i><i>ready for a Brazilian adventure and eager to learn about cob or to participate in a permaculture
project – come join us for a week or two. To come from the US you will need a
minimum of around $2000 for
airfare and incidentals. We will pick you up at the airport in Brasilia and
host you (good food and wonderful sleeping in a quiet dark space where the
stream gurgles by and the stars jump out at you at night) in exchange for four
or five hours of work a day, very flexible. Of course, there is a whole lot more to see and explore in Brazil and Latin America. Contact us through the </i>Comment <i>section below, or by email or Facebook.</i></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7B9L8eCyL3hNYCGfmxASyPHzf1XZ-YUrggVCq_2gMsOqakybkQgt_nqylzWl7-EMzLXR8m3Qs_P5tEirbo15OsK6Fi_SoC0lNfyWpw6SXypMdkuRng3t4wpHDMwjaP1CvieeSf-lH9cCZ/s1600/IMG_4565.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="260" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7B9L8eCyL3hNYCGfmxASyPHzf1XZ-YUrggVCq_2gMsOqakybkQgt_nqylzWl7-EMzLXR8m3Qs_P5tEirbo15OsK6Fi_SoC0lNfyWpw6SXypMdkuRng3t4wpHDMwjaP1CvieeSf-lH9cCZ/s640/IMG_4565.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mangoes and guavas on window sill.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">January <span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span>2017<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In these times of political
unrest, both in Brazil and the United States, I sometimes wonder if we’re in
the right place, doing the right things. Guy often wishes he were in the US in
order to participate in marches and other actions to protest the direction this
new president is taking the country, and to hold our elected officials
accountable for preserving the rights of every American as well as safeguarding
the rights of those world citizens, including countless children, who have been
displaced as a result of the war-making in which the US is complicit. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">On the other hand, our work
here compels us to continue with ongoing projects. The cob house is more than
halfway done, goats and chickens need daily attention, fruit trees require
care. We’ve also taken our commitment to ‘living into our place’ to another
level as we help found and build a non-profit organization which will dedicate
itself to the preservation and recovery of springs and creek beds in this high
plateau where many rivers have their source. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMnIf8axRnFc5ptCE1UUjaCflkkfC8KuCj4emqK9h2bkcTRBkYmTy9jLOJQRAUQrOddL7Xp6loCnAaeTKapoVeNsID6bWDHNhQhKc47rnQs7TMmeAiyNBu0eiAHElY4PqDqBGXPJfe1vW/s1600/IMG_4804.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgPMnIf8axRnFc5ptCE1UUjaCflkkfC8KuCj4emqK9h2bkcTRBkYmTy9jLOJQRAUQrOddL7Xp6loCnAaeTKapoVeNsID6bWDHNhQhKc47rnQs7TMmeAiyNBu0eiAHElY4PqDqBGXPJfe1vW/s640/IMG_4804.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Looking North toward the crest of the Continental Divide of Central Brasil and to the beginning of the Amazon Basin beyond. We live just South of the divide at the beginning of the La Plata Basin. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Just two miles north of us
runs one of the ridges of the continental divide - between the Amazon River Basin to
the north and the Plata Basin to the south. Rainfall here has decreased
steadily over the past few years (climate change?) while farmers, large and
small scale, continue to clear land with reckless disregard for ecological
balance. People in this area of abundant water are for the first time in memory
worrying about the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>water running
out. In Brasilia, only 60 miles away, water rationing<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>has become necessary. If it doesn’t rain enough between now
and May, when the dry season starts, the situation could be drastic, even
deadly. So it makes sense for us to stay here and do our bit for
sustainability.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_U0_VdDz98Bry8sLNlmn8millKBWBBcIV9bb6Wb0EQyx1XrFWp8l_5ZaifpogWFcFOuz5Rxrv8_V0ZbhRgc7w4ZeM8Lc_Intm5QyTGK4pSVdp8cWf1ZfYJVMYXevskPwk_KUcZz5SmOu/s1600/IMG_4787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEha_U0_VdDz98Bry8sLNlmn8millKBWBBcIV9bb6Wb0EQyx1XrFWp8l_5ZaifpogWFcFOuz5Rxrv8_V0ZbhRgc7w4ZeM8Lc_Intm5QyTGK4pSVdp8cWf1ZfYJVMYXevskPwk_KUcZz5SmOu/s640/IMG_4787.jpg" width="478" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The site of a spring that has been totally cleared of trees to make a watering hole for cattle. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Our permaculture project
began its sixth year in August and we moved into the first house we built a
full four years ago. Trees that we planted back then have begun to bear fruit:
pomegranate, pitanga, coffee and orange. Guy has produced two years of fully-cured
humanure that we use in our vegetable garden and on our fruit trees. I’ve
developed a flock of chickens with Rhode Island Red hens that are just
beginning to lay, and we collect four eggs a day already. Our goats provide
enough milk for our daily needs and we’re learning to make cheese. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Among other things, I would
like to plant ginger and turmeric – both grow well around here -<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>to use with goat milk to make turmeric
tea, supposedly a powerful anti-inflammatory. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Very soon I plan to post a
complete update on the cob house so I won’t go into any details in this entry.
Please stay tuned. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAquU-t2k1RzFl5p3Epe71vYuAWamK_WEMwHtrKVInYb61-sPK_aSmcgzUE32B-2OlRP8qfrLMJAF5AE-Ba99ucROOdentWfa25YlpCPUdr_A-MutaBizHdK6wdz8N9Lu3RxkftNr7fpX/s1600/IMG_4287.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEinAquU-t2k1RzFl5p3Epe71vYuAWamK_WEMwHtrKVInYb61-sPK_aSmcgzUE32B-2OlRP8qfrLMJAF5AE-Ba99ucROOdentWfa25YlpCPUdr_A-MutaBizHdK6wdz8N9Lu3RxkftNr7fpX/s640/IMG_4287.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A peek at the cob house with its new roof.</td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-46718106662551093722017-01-29T06:42:00.000-08:002017-01-30T15:05:32.388-08:00Almost there!<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
I wrote this post in late October however earlier attempts to publish it failed - and it sat languishing for three months. Much has happened since then and very soon I'll publish two entries in order to catch up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy0H5PbYlZ-iu8aKV1-tvDvFWZKggmw_hxTr3MSFwmYFCND1GI5o2e3hs-INZeE8lBOkA6rQ7pWldQdfOkKwT-8-5uWX2u5By_yu1kE8_lfyecX_RMlzWkNwwFnz1oFbCyLdnA-yxTElk/s1600/IMG_4079.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="244" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhYy0H5PbYlZ-iu8aKV1-tvDvFWZKggmw_hxTr3MSFwmYFCND1GI5o2e3hs-INZeE8lBOkA6rQ7pWldQdfOkKwT-8-5uWX2u5By_yu1kE8_lfyecX_RMlzWkNwwFnz1oFbCyLdnA-yxTElk/s640/IMG_4079.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Almost there!</span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Our
neighbor, Marli, has been building the walls of our cob house since I had to
stop, and now two of her brothers have worked since Monday this week to put the
roof over the whole house. The two bedrooms are finished, except for the final
foor layers and wall plaster and Marli just completed the foundation for the
living/dining area, but we’re taking a break from the cob building until we get
the doors, windows and other parts together. (With the two bedrooms we got the
walls most of the way up and then had to partially cut out holes for the doors
and windows – a waste of energy and time.) It will be great to have the whole
space covered and protected from the rain. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RpS1LkTP-kridFahPV0OWPgeDf_-WL-mYgQjG9awep_ZcjUBDQLg_MQmi2C-JFOVZwirq_SnNk6Le9rDixeL0oRNkr34TN6Xicg6VCWLeLGk-kX7FPhq-yI3SY_X6FyM90CaV05W4YD8/s1600/IMG_3703.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6RpS1LkTP-kridFahPV0OWPgeDf_-WL-mYgQjG9awep_ZcjUBDQLg_MQmi2C-JFOVZwirq_SnNk6Le9rDixeL0oRNkr34TN6Xicg6VCWLeLGk-kX7FPhq-yI3SY_X6FyM90CaV05W4YD8/s400/IMG_3703.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cob house with blue tarp that was up for over a year.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cob house without any cover.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Current work on the cob house - wood structure for the tile roof.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Animal
management takes a lot of our time. We get up early to feed the goats and milk
Polly whose two kids spend the night enclosed in a pen away from their mother.
We’re getting three cups of milk every day now. We made a difficult decision:
we got rid of Nina and Daisy, and are keeping the two Nubians, Polly and
Nellie. “Developed in England, the Nubian is popular among makers of cheese and
ice cream because its milk is so rich. This goat comes in many colors, most
typically bay or black, and is the most energetic, active, and talkative of the
dairy breeds.” (Damerow, Gail, <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">The
Backyard Homestead Guide to Raising Farm Animals.</i>) Nellie has returned from the farm where the went last month to hang out with the billy goats, and hopefully the fullness in her body means she's pregnant, expecting in February. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
chickens require little care other than feeding them in the morning, making
sure they have plenty of fresh water, releasing them late morning, gathering
eggs, and enclosing them at dusk. As I described in the last post, from time to time we have to deal with a broody hen - right now we have one isolated in the cooling down pen and are only collecting two eggs a day. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo3How_6_WKK5h0NybS95JnW2sm91-KPeNOAZDFJiI7twVLnRThSR6Zxv1ULsultDpbdMPgaGYmeJiUy9cUy1fRFG2sENdUqEvyaHWbGsNx2uMPR2iLmS0HQtyPyOsYEdApssrG3ADV03/s1600/IMG_4085.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="466" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxo3How_6_WKK5h0NybS95JnW2sm91-KPeNOAZDFJiI7twVLnRThSR6Zxv1ULsultDpbdMPgaGYmeJiUy9cUy1fRFG2sENdUqEvyaHWbGsNx2uMPR2iLmS0HQtyPyOsYEdApssrG3ADV03/s640/IMG_4085.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lolita in the pit.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Then
we have our pets, Lolita and the cats. Lolita tore her leg on a piece of wire
and the sore was invaded by flies that lay their eggs inside. It was taking
forever to heal so I took her to vet. Now she has a collar to keep her from
licking her wound, and she reminds me of the RCA dog. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hzRDSlV1uVzma7CtYi1lkYFWj1FQEXFS-V8Yg4Stb0YFVaoUXLYCrsOP3MhIeAz26s8BFYf-wGu-7nh3K5SBwHXD_A7babIzDpJI6l5YzgsVAX5O3toxpVFISSpJ5XDDubI4BJEb4wcN/s1600/IMG_4101.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2hzRDSlV1uVzma7CtYi1lkYFWj1FQEXFS-V8Yg4Stb0YFVaoUXLYCrsOP3MhIeAz26s8BFYf-wGu-7nh3K5SBwHXD_A7babIzDpJI6l5YzgsVAX5O3toxpVFISSpJ5XDDubI4BJEb4wcN/s640/IMG_4101.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our little orphan kittens seem to be doing fine. When they're not sleeping they're all over the place, very cute.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The cats usually
require almost no care but suddenly Fofa, who birthed kittens in the beginning
of September, has gone missing and we have two of the cutest little devils to
take care of. They’re drinking goat milk out of a bowl and eating both cat food
and dog food. I miss Fofa. The other adult cat is Cindy, a pretty Calico, and
she’s no trouble at all. I assume that she catches any mice who make the
mistake of coming around for corn and other foodstuff. Lolita also has a job
and that’s to bark when any stranger, including the monkeys, comes onto the
property. She’s good at her chore, sometimes she overdoes it, but fortunately
she doesn’t bite.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwi_ifH5BhkVzyk1yG7Zi6OCzmbfx8yHF2LASGZbRI2BPMbz4BMTenjP041yV6P-KgJ21SswRKPRtQZd7vLCuxgmK7jb6HO-j_nIXhO2cxKI1DHS764ZLNvQjbbuyCb5UrZ30MBkAq5lXG/s1600/IMG_4109.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhwi_ifH5BhkVzyk1yG7Zi6OCzmbfx8yHF2LASGZbRI2BPMbz4BMTenjP041yV6P-KgJ21SswRKPRtQZd7vLCuxgmK7jb6HO-j_nIXhO2cxKI1DHS764ZLNvQjbbuyCb5UrZ30MBkAq5lXG/s640/IMG_4109.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lolita and Cindy.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When
we moved onto this piece of land several fruit trees remained from the prior
dwellers who’d lived here about fifteen years before. There were five mango
trees, two China limes, a dying orange, several guavas, and five jabuticaba
trees, the latter being a superb fruit endemic to Brazil that is now cultivated
in many places including Florida. We’ve pruned the old trees and all of them,
including the orange, are doing well. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQscLYj9u4yQ6-1HmU6CFKMW12cdqA9zfwQZPzV2P69ZcQXKfEkVU1eOSz09OCjdzSQsN7egdrbTPfH059QHaz08N2heZ2zHeTXyKSzmp6dwOC8F3ExJxDyKDCJhf4GmAu5FfKslIoVQM0/s1600/IMG_3511.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="478" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiQscLYj9u4yQ6-1HmU6CFKMW12cdqA9zfwQZPzV2P69ZcQXKfEkVU1eOSz09OCjdzSQsN7egdrbTPfH059QHaz08N2heZ2zHeTXyKSzmp6dwOC8F3ExJxDyKDCJhf4GmAu5FfKslIoVQM0/s640/IMG_3511.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">More limes than we can use - lemonade, salad dressing, caipirinhas, lemon bars - yumm.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DNaAHraSFrrKTsvOv1APNC4O2PskfjGhaUwFgD20HOIj0529pCsaYEQv1Jik5KeyUo5BKa-v92y4jIPscQ5WU1AjxDe8v9ON51yJdJpKjPovrSbbP2PppkvPWn0V0Yk0oAlEi5Hn3aR9/s1600/IMG_3514.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj2DNaAHraSFrrKTsvOv1APNC4O2PskfjGhaUwFgD20HOIj0529pCsaYEQv1Jik5KeyUo5BKa-v92y4jIPscQ5WU1AjxDe8v9ON51yJdJpKjPovrSbbP2PppkvPWn0V0Yk0oAlEi5Hn3aR9/s640/IMG_3514.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaboticabas- a few green fruits growing on the trunk while a new set of blossoms are beginning to flower.<br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: 19px; text-align: start;">We’ve also planted numerous fruit trees, coffee, and a small banana grove. We picked our first coffee beans last season, and pitangas (a delicious cherry-like fruit) this year. One of the new orange trees is flowering right now as well as a pomegranate. The passion fruit vine is flowering profusely but no sign of fruit.</span><span style="font-size: 19px; text-align: start;"> </span><br />
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-88471581638314553912016-10-09T07:02:00.000-07:002016-10-09T07:02:00.441-07:00Eggs and milk<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3DUtc3KjytPuk473IdO4C7P-53TX_492F8Pp4tE-BBdq7cRyGLcY37nPpBgnO8yoqr9D_3iIh58LCNAJM88lg-haoHNU_QlvEHG7a-ojQ_R4FhhWUJGpx2T-oqY2-kSfFTIxm0Z2g1BU/s1600/IMG_0541.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="224" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgd3DUtc3KjytPuk473IdO4C7P-53TX_492F8Pp4tE-BBdq7cRyGLcY37nPpBgnO8yoqr9D_3iIh58LCNAJM88lg-haoHNU_QlvEHG7a-ojQ_R4FhhWUJGpx2T-oqY2-kSfFTIxm0Z2g1BU/s640/IMG_0541.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">October 7 , 2016</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s
11 am and I just collected three eggs from the chicken pen as I let out the
flock (three hens, one rooster, and seven 3-month-old cockerels and pullets)
for free-range pasturing the rest of the day. At sunset they will go
voluntarily back into the 8 x 12 ft pen to roost safely for the night. In the
morning I feed them corn and keep them enclosed so that they’ll lay their eggs
where we can find them.</span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dbyAG5OZCQgM_VAMmRjsQptNpYSf_KXkYukcgc0sSegVqFjR1H5_y0QP75790JwqjMGvZRAk7KVls6taNq7yL8GP-YIxDibMfbSUATIm5WydsX4P3pa8Zn4vIK-FRd7ajzrCit0EMvWR/s1600/2016_EP2-9144513.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi5dbyAG5OZCQgM_VAMmRjsQptNpYSf_KXkYukcgc0sSegVqFjR1H5_y0QP75790JwqjMGvZRAk7KVls6taNq7yL8GP-YIxDibMfbSUATIm5WydsX4P3pa8Zn4vIK-FRd7ajzrCit0EMvWR/s320/2016_EP2-9144513.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMApYubRrObHfbH5EakR1y6bilfBb7gNxsTkQVm8I_Z_6-DCuQ3T6ht7sJZSC7wq9eUkrO4CF-tT9g5qvZMmjtIBC43gk5rLW5sxjL1spU6hQxoDCOQ7BzhfDSMjx34EY56umrvYUk1ewQ/s1600/IMG_3343.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="476" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgMApYubRrObHfbH5EakR1y6bilfBb7gNxsTkQVm8I_Z_6-DCuQ3T6ht7sJZSC7wq9eUkrO4CF-tT9g5qvZMmjtIBC43gk5rLW5sxjL1spU6hQxoDCOQ7BzhfDSMjx34EY56umrvYUk1ewQ/s640/IMG_3343.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our chicken pen: the roosting area is protected from the rain, and there are two nests in boxes in the covered area. A passion fruit vine covers the rest of the pen, including the extension.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Last
month two of the three layers went broody, meaning that their hormones changed,
they stopped laying and started sitting on the nest day and night, even though
we’d removed the eggs. For those who aren’t familiar with chickens, brooded
eggs hatch after 21 days and the hens spend another six weeks or so protecting
their chicks and keeping them warm at night, before starting another period of
producing eggs. To bypass the 9-10 week brooding and little chick phase it’s
necessary to break the hormonal cycle by cooling down the hen’s body which has
heated up to hatch the eggs. Some say to dunk the hen in ice water, which I’ve
tried several times without success. Instead we put our two hens in little
elevated cages with wire bottoms and left them there for four days with only a
bit of water and corn. It worked but still took another week and a half for
them to start laying again – about three weeks without eggs. Any day now the
third hen will probably go broody.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-E_xNjGSc6k7KhFUadwSKDVfpDlC2kLPsYCPXHTUgxWErrO3HeacTllFdymBi7Rh0n_mO9xtAFsBwB7Hu0z-9wI5HI_VSRfsB-JVrIlu_K4AGWf6KDPJGbCjXYRGoUArQFhAzryCWSBlS/s1600/IMG_3344.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh-E_xNjGSc6k7KhFUadwSKDVfpDlC2kLPsYCPXHTUgxWErrO3HeacTllFdymBi7Rh0n_mO9xtAFsBwB7Hu0z-9wI5HI_VSRfsB-JVrIlu_K4AGWf6KDPJGbCjXYRGoUArQFhAzryCWSBlS/s400/IMG_3344.jpg" width="297" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The separate extension provides an area for little chicks. Right now it houses six Rhode Island Red pullets.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">To
the left of the main chicken pen is a smaller extension (4 x 8 ft) where my six
Rhode Island Red pullets live. I got them by special order in Anapolis, five
day old chicks that I raised in a cage in our pantry until they were old enough
to be outside. Now they’re about nine weeks old and have joined the older fowl
for the run of the property where they gobble up insects, worms and bits of
choice vegetation. Thanks to Grace’s work in January and February we have two
enclosed garden areas for our vegetables, protected from the chickens. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Two or three months from now nine
pullets will begin laying eggs, and we’ll finally attain our goal of all the
eggs we can eat plus plenty to share. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnmnnNwU2LCuM_YxLjPsQpRFl7eWN2Fo-0zsJDLzBq-hy_cJJ7dZ9ZFbYmiNyZAqnljPFZ3z-HugqPVxl3z_reM-Rn5ThuSjs0e-hYEElRzRJeR-nYBzGXTek77KbNCYzH6GdVLbwVcLX/s1600/IMG_3345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="448" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxnmnnNwU2LCuM_YxLjPsQpRFl7eWN2Fo-0zsJDLzBq-hy_cJJ7dZ9ZFbYmiNyZAqnljPFZ3z-HugqPVxl3z_reM-Rn5ThuSjs0e-hYEElRzRJeR-nYBzGXTek77KbNCYzH6GdVLbwVcLX/s640/IMG_3345.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The Rhode Island Reds grazing in the open range - enclosed veggie garden (fallow now at the end of the dry season) <br />and the goat pen in the background.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8lF6RLSP5PbPCnOzoNr2GcboACIqV8QifPAa4xBtVP3mAYsCr6lREA5OcuvPu_YT91dfYnZ_0e755TnXhO589fv3Ru8znz7lQn-uAKAAXDNjz55jkaiKmdbYETS2sH8derBo0Dne_Wjj/s1600/2016_EP2-9304691.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjl8lF6RLSP5PbPCnOzoNr2GcboACIqV8QifPAa4xBtVP3mAYsCr6lREA5OcuvPu_YT91dfYnZ_0e755TnXhO589fv3Ru8znz7lQn-uAKAAXDNjz55jkaiKmdbYETS2sH8derBo0Dne_Wjj/s400/2016_EP2-9304691.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our newborns, doeling at left and buckling at right. <span style="font-size: xx-small;">(Guy's photo)</span></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9u5oznxKfbPjlUxqAFkD0rMOlG926FWOFpXBdDOG988liv9FWvU0g3-wwtsL_LFN76ttbe9QbMAGDGxPBoQXZgFoNRI5niIkNvuKFWAnyV0FTndAaVyw287j_QmggKSjiGeMxL3pqhp9/s1600/2016_EP2-9304711.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEju9u5oznxKfbPjlUxqAFkD0rMOlG926FWOFpXBdDOG988liv9FWvU0g3-wwtsL_LFN76ttbe9QbMAGDGxPBoQXZgFoNRI5niIkNvuKFWAnyV0FTndAaVyw287j_QmggKSjiGeMxL3pqhp9/s400/2016_EP2-9304711.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polly, one of our original goats, nursing her newborns (Sept.20th) <span style="font-size: xx-small;">Guy's photo</span></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">This
morning we started milking Polly, the mama goat. Eighteen days ago she
delivered two kids, a buckling and a doeling. This is her second birthing and
we hope to get more milk, three or four cups a day, which is enough for our
needs when it’s just the two of us here. Guy and I have learned to house and
feed and to milk the goats in the past year, since June 2015 when we got our
first two pregnant does. Our little herd is up to six and one of the does that
was born here is off at a neighbor’s to get pregnant from one of his billy
goats. We don’t have enough space to keep a buck. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopKaJs2e00COHdNCf5pAzoRhrmCW2rt3KKo-ErBCkG7JMuIgTko9P-Npd_PzL11oSulOnJdV8Yd3BvlzjDNvG-qFD92Jnp-vp8MOghadykesD_nkBH_iwi3rxQvjKplNG7FmZQ3mrTMoK/s1600/IMG_0435.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgopKaJs2e00COHdNCf5pAzoRhrmCW2rt3KKo-ErBCkG7JMuIgTko9P-Npd_PzL11oSulOnJdV8Yd3BvlzjDNvG-qFD92Jnp-vp8MOghadykesD_nkBH_iwi3rxQvjKplNG7FmZQ3mrTMoK/s400/IMG_0435.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2011: Clearing the old foundation - a jabuticaba and a mango tree.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjukg7SMx5nRqtiMDu5Fd9n2NhaxKmSc0Pv09og3EUvXelZavcCCl_YIk_zafCcpsc1HsCj617XHNrVb-KJ0NofN8DwF22XGdlkQpk8G3bkH69o4LiSwPi_cncbhdqZFMg457quZ5-LUs26/s400/IMG_0755.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">2012: another angle, a second jabuticaba tree; babassu palms in the background.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’re
entering our sixth year on the farm. The photos above show our land before we
started building anything. Now our brick and mortar house sits on the old
foundation we cleared, and just beyond the little jaboticaba tree on the other
side of the foundation we’re building our cob house. I plan to write an update
on the cob house very soon – hopefully by the end of the month we’ll have a
roof!<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w37MFLWg3OxJUIYQxWyaguZ6KXu7qZj9w6-I3GmY5-R_1uXd-JF0usEjni0g8SFTdHfmz6bKKTQIEhuzhyphenhyphenYMBCzNLKRNNo9ZK2N9_TpeJxLVJdIslW2I-kGYZ0GMUABy1IqcisQs7q7E/s1600/IMG_3333.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="473" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_w37MFLWg3OxJUIYQxWyaguZ6KXu7qZj9w6-I3GmY5-R_1uXd-JF0usEjni0g8SFTdHfmz6bKKTQIEhuzhyphenhyphenYMBCzNLKRNNo9ZK2N9_TpeJxLVJdIslW2I-kGYZ0GMUABy1IqcisQs7q7E/s640/IMG_3333.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy sitting in our future sitting room. The foundation was completed last week. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVy55r_4Tyk8mJ9YkAU9O2nVz4L9pd9b8xiFH3iI3uzO7sQOZf2iI-H3eygHSqtwsNae8-UGN5q37zdUyPWBTNlNPQqBWhJAc87Ql9j_9ss4dG9Wb0YJVYu-g6kz8NoKQx2DvHL9dpW1T4/s1600/IMG_1088+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="276" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgVy55r_4Tyk8mJ9YkAU9O2nVz4L9pd9b8xiFH3iI3uzO7sQOZf2iI-H3eygHSqtwsNae8-UGN5q37zdUyPWBTNlNPQqBWhJAc87Ql9j_9ss4dG9Wb0YJVYu-g6kz8NoKQx2DvHL9dpW1T4/s640/IMG_1088+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first house, brick and mortar, completed in November 2012. The two houses face each other.</td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-21459646868257711702016-05-07T18:32:00.002-07:002016-05-07T18:38:56.418-07:00<span style="color: lime; font-size: x-large;"><i style="background-color: white;">Catching Up</i></span><br />
<br />
<span style="font-size: large;">March</span><br />
<br />
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<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIQxbsyfQbIdhdgvfVrQjEyjKl2Aoo0JwFrfNGUnyLeVEnCe1I5ruWboBxlaPK7AHZa5NW56Q8Wmo-7gEiS1UyntwZijWm-Ckqom-aR8sUbGwFTiwrebsfxaliaVQ2J-5D80O29iVsFR8/s1600/DSC_1643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="249" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhqIQxbsyfQbIdhdgvfVrQjEyjKl2Aoo0JwFrfNGUnyLeVEnCe1I5ruWboBxlaPK7AHZa5NW56Q8Wmo-7gEiS1UyntwZijWm-Ckqom-aR8sUbGwFTiwrebsfxaliaVQ2J-5D80O29iVsFR8/s640/DSC_1643.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cerrado flower (photo by Sofia Hart)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Posts on this blog show that since December we've been busy with our guests, Grace and Jaqi. What
does entertaining and hospitality have to do with permaculture and saving the
cerrado? Why fill these blog pages with stories about our guests and the
adventures we share? <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIStiFosKsLg1J1s-UzCsOoqkuMAEG6ko8JGLDJvDYkKh81rbAi69BH9DImI03Zngcxu8VemczdHqVojrsMmw8GUHhOWsG-C_Rfd33rb6qfj2OHrXruZ9qj2xNwutQIpWYMorvVkotf7x/s1600/IMG_3149.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXIStiFosKsLg1J1s-UzCsOoqkuMAEG6ko8JGLDJvDYkKh81rbAi69BH9DImI03Zngcxu8VemczdHqVojrsMmw8GUHhOWsG-C_Rfd33rb6qfj2OHrXruZ9qj2xNwutQIpWYMorvVkotf7x/s400/IMG_3149.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second guest room in the cob house</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">From
the start of our experiment here I’ve thought of Scott and Helen Nearing as an
inspiration for us (see post from September 7, 2012). In the nineteen sixties
and seventies they received scores of young people who worked on their farm in
Vermont, learning the skills of homesteading and organic farming. Now the world
is seeing a new back-to-the-earth movement as people, especially the young,
look for ways to take back from huge agrobusiness the production of food and
the care of the soil, water, seeds, plants, animals, and forests. Our tiny part
in the movement puts us in the position of offering a place for people to
examine what it means to live on the earth sustainably, and to begin to learn
alongside us some of the skills to do so. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
Cerrado comprises a large little-known biome covering the central states of
Brazil, including the vast highlands where we live. We want to introduce the
Cerrado to our friends, show it to you through this blog, and welcome guests
that would like to get to know first hand this amazing and beautiful place. </span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGX8wjscfiMvml4gjB337CETPXxIqnzj5pmk9EePfdsJ-J9C_3Y1jU8aMbexF5JKDaanx4rFntjb15DwhomsAhLmtB9cF9PBpL6oVvdd9PVj0aUNsd5ZKeDUZO8UPNJwcs4nVNBZwM_Ss9/s1600/IMG_1905.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="194" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiGX8wjscfiMvml4gjB337CETPXxIqnzj5pmk9EePfdsJ-J9C_3Y1jU8aMbexF5JKDaanx4rFntjb15DwhomsAhLmtB9cF9PBpL6oVvdd9PVj0aUNsd5ZKeDUZO8UPNJwcs4nVNBZwM_Ss9/s640/IMG_1905.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia gathers grasses on a high spot near our farm.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Why
have I called this blog Save the Cerrado? According to our Wildlife
Conservation Society book, </span><u style="font-size: 14pt;">Birds of Brazil, The Pantanal and Cerrado of
Central Brazil:</u></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-tab-count: 1;"> </span><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Though barely known to foreigners or even
many Brazilians, the Cerrado <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>is a national treasure. It has one one the
greatest plant biodiversities of any savanna in the world … But all will vanish
if the march of industrail agriculture is permitted to continue across all of
what was once the wild Cerrado.<o:p></o:p></i></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><br /></i></span>
<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVWy00PgY_XLXSGyGctxTeMzH5Jyh9hljE-llZmGpLJ26KVqjmp6VqIO6cEoT-z-wQ_iSp_3mrchnRuXe-ia_BJNOuVM35UWAWrY8NmeWrn_HkOZGOyabWxcN4dszRaxuKCThYtmjOtP0/s1600/DSC_0347.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="486" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjVWy00PgY_XLXSGyGctxTeMzH5Jyh9hljE-llZmGpLJ26KVqjmp6VqIO6cEoT-z-wQ_iSp_3mrchnRuXe-ia_BJNOuVM35UWAWrY8NmeWrn_HkOZGOyabWxcN4dszRaxuKCThYtmjOtP0/s640/DSC_0347.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A gathering of macaws (photo by Sofia Hart)</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In
early March Guy and I took our guests, Grace and Jaqi, to a magical parkland
area north of us, the Chapada dos Veadeiros, in the heart of the Cerrado. We
spent two nights in Sao Jorge, a little town on the edge of the National Park,
and from there we went out to visit waterfalls and a hot springs. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Chapada dos Veadeiros grasslands (photo by Guy Gray)</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaqi and Grace in the rocky wilds of Chapada dos Veadeiros.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Vale da Lua (Moon Valley)</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaqi and Greta in hot springs - delicious! (photo by Guy Gray)</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDRHon_OBq05gkfHy_JN6NlZEBFE7Mc93gEUnIpMww7jgIhk5mpbtvXZAJ9fe3A7b4PwPspgCNdShPsZiyN5IggGH7PplcrK2cNDbN-eKNU2Q8T46hTsV2iEJuMsdW8AEXG00jeo9xss0/s1600/IMG_0237.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="561" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgDDRHon_OBq05gkfHy_JN6NlZEBFE7Mc93gEUnIpMww7jgIhk5mpbtvXZAJ9fe3A7b4PwPspgCNdShPsZiyN5IggGH7PplcrK2cNDbN-eKNU2Q8T46hTsV2iEJuMsdW8AEXG00jeo9xss0/s640/IMG_0237.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace at São Bento Falls</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy took a swim.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kZuul5gbTSH2MjZY4qx097eBea7g6lBdC96v6rTRY3hhhiMhGAP5jLqPVI8RT1Go2IJQ1DTtnsQ1iHtE02tFAi80zMzMxnSipOet5-S0B8mGr5K9cNEquOeRtx5iNB-7zIZv5UKtnTet/s1600/IMG_0254.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0kZuul5gbTSH2MjZY4qx097eBea7g6lBdC96v6rTRY3hhhiMhGAP5jLqPVI8RT1Go2IJQ1DTtnsQ1iHtE02tFAi80zMzMxnSipOet5-S0B8mGr5K9cNEquOeRtx5iNB-7zIZv5UKtnTet/s400/IMG_0254.jpg" width="298" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The bamboo dwarfs Grace.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Before
Jaqi left on March 15, we took a couple of walks right where we live, the first to
a hill from where you can see 360 degrees of the horizon.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtVRES_wILT_Ar9wFmm0y-2I9AKVcr8tr6TOzyvBXWjh2tzjscEq7mPnFUlJCnAR0SldTDnE2kqk3b0InBMoXYsw7ybhid8gvczKoeWaSA_A_UTd94lmdKQ1iFAwNWunCMvZjxXWa_RKp/s1600/2016_EP2-3143064.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOtVRES_wILT_Ar9wFmm0y-2I9AKVcr8tr6TOzyvBXWjh2tzjscEq7mPnFUlJCnAR0SldTDnE2kqk3b0InBMoXYsw7ybhid8gvczKoeWaSA_A_UTd94lmdKQ1iFAwNWunCMvZjxXWa_RKp/s400/2016_EP2-3143064.jpg" width="400" /></a></span><br />
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuKa2vghNJPxi1gD6cAUkwHsGN6iKyUXKVYd3EKtXwovAXc_3EYnnBViB073nD4xJkq0CbcFr-LuNOgWXnrJ-QubBGGYZ-z7XoNVTuT4hpBM87otunu89Rjh2Aag1NUilVvoV7VkWTdgL/s1600/IMG_3113.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="254" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEheuKa2vghNJPxi1gD6cAUkwHsGN6iKyUXKVYd3EKtXwovAXc_3EYnnBViB073nD4xJkq0CbcFr-LuNOgWXnrJ-QubBGGYZ-z7XoNVTuT4hpBM87otunu89Rjh2Aag1NUilVvoV7VkWTdgL/s640/IMG_3113.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cerrado flowers on the hill</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfpDDT7APQA8EuomWPeaAQ1qbFY02tiek5AcfSUtzzI0dAq_wSwNSu0W9bwXYBU9ADW1bMPCkdO9tFAxY6iw9pzRaoBgpckCd5Ieq2j3HxavkWgNMqKIbX2ZvkQ3bCnok6MdxghgYdxdg/s1600/IMG_3115.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEihfpDDT7APQA8EuomWPeaAQ1qbFY02tiek5AcfSUtzzI0dAq_wSwNSu0W9bwXYBU9ADW1bMPCkdO9tFAxY6iw9pzRaoBgpckCd5Ieq2j3HxavkWgNMqKIbX2ZvkQ3bCnok6MdxghgYdxdg/s400/IMG_3115.jpg" width="296" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGw6MEXjYRQtu9Lr0rRqtvLYCc35d_aGJ48QwP3x5whalaqeauRXC3iiLghtNhrNp1RNML3E_2y69c6JFDFMO1En-e3psq9JrFRCLOHwGlocCfGlyL-h-OGqcO4UeunbmF5wo6wZCZaQa/s1600/IMG_3116.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhkGw6MEXjYRQtu9Lr0rRqtvLYCc35d_aGJ48QwP3x5whalaqeauRXC3iiLghtNhrNp1RNML3E_2y69c6JFDFMO1En-e3psq9JrFRCLOHwGlocCfGlyL-h-OGqcO4UeunbmF5wo6wZCZaQa/s400/IMG_3116.jpg" width="297" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMh7jE_MT-OLVHLmnYrFvI_g0HooCu67bgc3o-KKiUNpdt0zQGicoVDMPMqL7Z_uUgNXyfcKAXRPYYMKjOyaSRlW4HQv0mNWTnGD_Pss0D7shButvyh1o9a4vb_kLgLzDtrhVG0aAbcZpE/s1600/IMG_3117.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMh7jE_MT-OLVHLmnYrFvI_g0HooCu67bgc3o-KKiUNpdt0zQGicoVDMPMqL7Z_uUgNXyfcKAXRPYYMKjOyaSRlW4HQv0mNWTnGD_Pss0D7shButvyh1o9a4vb_kLgLzDtrhVG0aAbcZpE/s400/IMG_3117.jpg" width="382" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
second walk was through the woods on the farm, and down to a little waterfall
on the stream, Areias, that gives the farm its name, Fazenda Areias.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcghdj1Ap91IlRiOjXcB5EP5KAoIrrHQ45s1M_prDDaygPII7I9r2ZOH_aduaU5Mk7bX2__n8LCAExCebCMWgtlZjVZB-3XOx0D5Nn-ZRxIoc1ZEgM0trKoWBDlHMoUl-nnANmfa7nYmNz/s1600/IMG_3093.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcghdj1Ap91IlRiOjXcB5EP5KAoIrrHQ45s1M_prDDaygPII7I9r2ZOH_aduaU5Mk7bX2__n8LCAExCebCMWgtlZjVZB-3XOx0D5Nn-ZRxIoc1ZEgM0trKoWBDlHMoUl-nnANmfa7nYmNz/s640/IMG_3093.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This stream, the Areias, is one of the borders of the farm.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
second part of March was now just the three of us, Grace, Guy and I</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">. After we dropped Jaqi off at the
airport we went to a nursery in Brasilia to purchase several trees for the
farm: two bougainvillea trees, one with white flowers, the other with purple,
and a tiny mangaba sapling, one of my favorite cerrado fruits.</span><br />
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Final news for March: Grace sliced open her toe on a rock in the creek. She got to try out the emergency room in Cocalzinho where she received free treatment courtesy of Brazil's government single payer health system.<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stitches.</td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-91604502315298483952016-04-28T17:09:00.000-07:002016-04-28T17:09:34.092-07:00<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><i><span style="font-size: 19px;">Catching</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> up</span></i></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">February</span></b><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">At
the time we were happy to see the rains decline to a shower here or there most
days of the week. We continuted to meaure the rainfall in our flat plastic cup
atop the pole that supports an antenna for phone reception (photo
below, taken on January 26).<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU60hn8E98jMIEfZnF0-UsxLULhyYaxgf5iSOL06u3AEgiBqE9ubgcj4-SgNqcA8NmmgmDwr1cB1tJLi_KHm79GgS7sHrLm43Llp9QScXoeZL9mHAsuie3RJNAoTBuqCHIjLaV9mYQHGK/s1600/IMG_2987.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="227" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifU60hn8E98jMIEfZnF0-UsxLULhyYaxgf5iSOL06u3AEgiBqE9ubgcj4-SgNqcA8NmmgmDwr1cB1tJLi_KHm79GgS7sHrLm43Llp9QScXoeZL9mHAsuie3RJNAoTBuqCHIjLaV9mYQHGK/s640/IMG_2987.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A full cup of rain water, one day's worth, about 8 cm or just over 3 inches.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">As
long as the total for the season adds up to 120 centimeters (about 47 inches)
we could relax. By the beginning of February we had, counting from November 5,
71.5 cm or 28 in (55 in January alone), and two to three more months of the
rainy season. I’m writing with hindsight in mid-April and you can probably
guess how this story will go. But we were thoroughly enjoying February weather.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<div style="text-align: right;">
</div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmYAH235ux02ItiBhpLVnKBd9s0sXCMy-_NhbBSsQriIHpwqf784A9afBQbtMWo71jOOlDi7NeGPqn6QYM2xcJKLPWlqBx9ZnKvxvXwGfZw5InPGv7wu-Q5d_A5Id0lqlQtZUdLZ-7fJO/s1600/IMG_0881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhRmYAH235ux02ItiBhpLVnKBd9s0sXCMy-_NhbBSsQriIHpwqf784A9afBQbtMWo71jOOlDi7NeGPqn6QYM2xcJKLPWlqBx9ZnKvxvXwGfZw5InPGv7wu-Q5d_A5Id0lqlQtZUdLZ-7fJO/s640/IMG_0881.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The four of us go to Brasilia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_i1036" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt=":Blog photos:IMG_2987.jpg" style='width:468pt;height:167pt;visibility:visible;
mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image003.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2987.jpg"/>
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</div>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Carnaval
(Brazilian spelling) came early and while we couldn’t all trek down to Rio or
Salvador for the famous street displays, we went into Brasilia for a day and
night.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_1" o:spid="_x0000_i1035"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:new post:Carnival 2016:IMG_0881.jpg"
style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image005.jpg"
o:title="IMG_0881.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Brasilia,
the nation’s capital since 1960, has drawn people from all around the country,
who brought with them their own regional traditions, foods, and festivals. On a
Monday afternoon we joined the colorful parade, a wild medley of costumes,
political statements, people of all ages including families with children,
following the various musical groups, some marching, others truck-borne,
dancing, shuffling, laughing, drinking water, soda, beer, singing along with
the well-known Carnaval lyrics. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOKOuBNhinXFf7dNyu5o18vL_xYYZHDObS2hcoGwSgdKE1G_huHIqV7RsuvTbrNFWDY95B2wW5G-xFO0n_saBWzQvGLx5oXvhmOLiec_ljFVQpieeE-PbrfOQBujdbSOV2L7qDKlShbKv/s1600/P2072635.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOOKOuBNhinXFf7dNyu5o18vL_xYYZHDObS2hcoGwSgdKE1G_huHIqV7RsuvTbrNFWDY95B2wW5G-xFO0n_saBWzQvGLx5oXvhmOLiec_ljFVQpieeE-PbrfOQBujdbSOV2L7qDKlShbKv/s400/P2072635.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy's camera lens is splattered with beer sprayed by revelers.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuQ7rGRF1Nx7X8U7-H46Y7qoiucop-cbPqykF-_lWA_DBrUtluvAvjYqYpf2LpwSzl9WgCpyyP4GudqEyY_CQiRmc2l4HfxY68zaEM1zdCX7NPG_v1-JVCxWpCR7H1QVzORUHUQr871Hs/s1600/P2072643.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgOuQ7rGRF1Nx7X8U7-H46Y7qoiucop-cbPqykF-_lWA_DBrUtluvAvjYqYpf2LpwSzl9WgCpyyP4GudqEyY_CQiRmc2l4HfxY68zaEM1zdCX7NPG_v1-JVCxWpCR7H1QVzORUHUQr871Hs/s400/P2072643.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Part of the fun for the men is wearing bras and big butts.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8Yk-qyXFdUW7f5VjN16cGseM_gZVPXqvIxgccYG4KdvD1S6ds2QV6bf-_lS4PiS_PIf3eespyb_q-PeIV_McQWR8TAf7Faf6lFftqZHFWVwlp2WBMOkPtz12pF3eHyKOm0OXdhilM0Ul/s1600/P2072604.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhO8Yk-qyXFdUW7f5VjN16cGseM_gZVPXqvIxgccYG4KdvD1S6ds2QV6bf-_lS4PiS_PIf3eespyb_q-PeIV_McQWR8TAf7Faf6lFftqZHFWVwlp2WBMOkPtz12pF3eHyKOm0OXdhilM0Ul/s400/P2072604.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaqi gets into the mood.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
</div>
<br /></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WMr-xWqwMvIFhalrLduncSRTP5UHdOUdxC5zGsr0Xi_nQzhml7LCnqLuFWum8AKombPZzEcRgfyDqZ2Ad2yxABviOTMsb0Rk8eJbcMsGKNm6D_9USFRRWwkE_OJ_zhF-dIlf_AaBFpZy/s1600/IMG_0120.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj7WMr-xWqwMvIFhalrLduncSRTP5UHdOUdxC5zGsr0Xi_nQzhml7LCnqLuFWum8AKombPZzEcRgfyDqZ2Ad2yxABviOTMsb0Rk8eJbcMsGKNm6D_9USFRRWwkE_OJ_zhF-dIlf_AaBFpZy/s640/IMG_0120.jpg" width="476" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace and the red man.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_10" o:spid="_x0000_i1028"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:new post:Carnival 2016:Carnival 2016:P2072665.jpg"
style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image019.jpg"
o:title="P2072665.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the evening Jaqi opted to stay in while Grace, Guy and I walked a few miles
down the major central freeway, closed to traffic for the revelers, and joined
thousands of young people in a louder, harder rocking version of the Carnaval
parade. We were something of an anomaly, Grace taller than almost anyone else,
and Guy and I older by thirty years. We kept getting requests for photographs,
young people gathering around us to pose with <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">their grandparents</i>. One young man asked me to stick out my tongue
for a photo and I said I wouldn’t. “Why not?!” <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Everybody does it!</i> “It’s a generational thing,” I said with a
smile. “Oh,” he nodded and that was that. Good cheer all around, lots of beer
and laughter, young bodies seeking each other out, dancing, kissing, running
after each other, colors, costumes, masks, the darkening night. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypCLP7Tmec2C9Fgsh5Jjw7WnxjPgSwK4vACDaUm-EOVaM-7eGB9WrjdQEoqAhF8LPIuFsvgm7Di7_-sVz7rR6P5Ic_wmVkCYN5D8ZlI7md1-1PikrGiSg-wFqgOhlhn1xdGnuatcsk9-E/s1600/IMG_0136.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="538" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhypCLP7Tmec2C9Fgsh5Jjw7WnxjPgSwK4vACDaUm-EOVaM-7eGB9WrjdQEoqAhF8LPIuFsvgm7Di7_-sVz7rR6P5Ic_wmVkCYN5D8ZlI7md1-1PikrGiSg-wFqgOhlhn1xdGnuatcsk9-E/s640/IMG_0136.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace, Guy and Greta ready to hit the street. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Back
on the farm Grace was building a fence for the second small garden we’d used in
the past but now was open to the chickens we started to raise last year. The chickens eat the insects that plague the garden but they also eat the young vegetables.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="Picture_x0020_11" o:spid="_x0000_i1027"
type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:new post:IMG_3025.jpg" style='width:467pt;
height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image021.jpg"
o:title="IMG_3025.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B76_FKadqCsABPdXrWhyphenhyphenbcVHwrqW-AxBHBevyOkJkmsN5gqpXFohT2rS9V8FUaolMf8uIUo-MfeNyzMxn1bMUBlx8DkwkyUPbuhNURGuhozlXuDyTuOSTHMg7GPk0fNi9yUdy_PHRlUg/s1600/IMG_3025.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi1B76_FKadqCsABPdXrWhyphenhyphenbcVHwrqW-AxBHBevyOkJkmsN5gqpXFohT2rS9V8FUaolMf8uIUo-MfeNyzMxn1bMUBlx8DkwkyUPbuhNURGuhozlXuDyTuOSTHMg7GPk0fNi9yUdy_PHRlUg/s640/IMG_3025.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace has developed some building skills.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5fzSYeXO_VhTjovdZXFwRyN4e6ykoPiLqV8OqFBDUvhgHRH-n0V4HHvVn3-w5Ui_IMON4Bul3vB9NeDsSbOIdHAWx0oSzlTzDpila459gAfjnaBJz9rNOkXwuJN35bCxX0QdplSRMn95/s1600/IMG_3035.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgT5fzSYeXO_VhTjovdZXFwRyN4e6ykoPiLqV8OqFBDUvhgHRH-n0V4HHvVn3-w5Ui_IMON4Bul3vB9NeDsSbOIdHAWx0oSzlTzDpila459gAfjnaBJz9rNOkXwuJN35bCxX0QdplSRMn95/s640/IMG_3035.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaqi adds some moral support.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br /></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_13" o:spid="_x0000_i1025" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:new post:IMG_3043.jpg"
style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0/clip_image025.jpg"
o:title="IMG_3043.jpg"/>
<v:textbox style='mso-rotate-with-shape:t'/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuqp8anFZ6oIhT2_y_o_DZV-POupcjiAfxP1g3g8W7aJPzOMN_qX6iCiLI9eW4kYDyHSq2t2uicm1REJMpNapCYtxZU-xoPGEF88vMTVd_HU4VgDR2FfByNaaH6CAhZZWLyr7I8AU-ODm/s1600/IMG_3043.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKuqp8anFZ6oIhT2_y_o_DZV-POupcjiAfxP1g3g8W7aJPzOMN_qX6iCiLI9eW4kYDyHSq2t2uicm1REJMpNapCYtxZU-xoPGEF88vMTVd_HU4VgDR2FfByNaaH6CAhZZWLyr7I8AU-ODm/s640/IMG_3043.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"> Now that the chickens, cats and dogs can't get in, the garden can be prepared with compost. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><br /></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
took a day off to go to the Salto do Corumba waterfall, formed by the Corumba
River that flows past Cocalzinho. We pass this fall all the time, on our way to
Anapolis, Pirenopolis, and the little city of Corumba, but we’ve not been
particularly interested in the recreation and camping area at the foot of the
falls. We expected it to be unacttractive, unkempt and noisy, with trash left
behind by weekend campers. But when we asked around in town people told us it
was definitely worth a visit.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">So
after lunch in town we drove about ten miles to the entrance to the recreation
area, paid our R$ 20 entrance fee (US$ 5.50 – half price for seniors),<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and wandered in to a delightful place,
clean and nicely laid out and landscaped. Our main goal was the mile hike up to
the base of the falls, along a well-developed but steep and rocky path. You’ll
see from the photos that it was well worth the effort. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C8m9GM6ISM8Bs4Xb5xcR7bdZZiKkkFKv0z-Oa2534z3yFF2rYiDOrEyWZPO6g-_xuDezprIvMSPylnm4AgLWGeSs_Rh3mP9866SQC-WpePdBa59f4cvHvMeqiZixciDPQx7qWoxxUj48/s1600/IMG_0148.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9C8m9GM6ISM8Bs4Xb5xcR7bdZZiKkkFKv0z-Oa2534z3yFF2rYiDOrEyWZPO6g-_xuDezprIvMSPylnm4AgLWGeSs_Rh3mP9866SQC-WpePdBa59f4cvHvMeqiZixciDPQx7qWoxxUj48/s640/IMG_0148.jpg" width="512" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace and Jaqi rest along the river below the falls.</td></tr>
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<br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy takes in the full view of the falls.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">February
brought a crisis on the goat front: for weeks a lump had been growing on Nina’s
flank, and we’d asked several neighbors to opine on it, receiving reassurance
each time that it was no problem, it would come to a head and burst and then we
should clean and treat it. When it finally opened, <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>thick pus, hard, almost an inch in diameter, pushed out
slowly. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The access on Nina's flank comes open, releasing the thick cheesy pus.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Guy checked our goat manuals and discovered the dire diagnosis: <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">Caseous lymphadenitis</i> (CLA), an
uncurable, highly contagious disease that plagues goats and sheep, causing
considerable damage to larger herds. We isolated Nina, called the city vet, and
were somewhat reassured by his recommendations: keep her isolated, clean the
pus out thoroughly, treat with antiseptics, give her a broadspectrum antibiotic,
and sterilize the pen where she’d been with the other three goats.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>The short of the story is that soon our
second goat developed symptoms and we isolated her as well. Our neighbor,
experienced with sheep, took over their care, and several weeks later we are
tentatively moving ahead with the understanding that we have infected goats,
perhaps an infected herd (of 4), that can probably live a fairly normal life,
with new goats and milk, as long as we take all the necessary precautions. An
analogy I came across in our books, that living with caseous lynphadenitis is
like living with tuberculosis, helps me to understand what we’re dealing with. <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><o:p></o:p></b></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">These young trees still need to be watered during the dry season. Most of them are two or three years old.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It
ended up raining very little in February, but hopefully there were still the
rains in March and April to reach
the 150 cm we need to carry us over – the water table, the trees and pastures,
the reservoirs that supply the cities and provide electricity – until the rains
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-2528115439751831032016-04-15T17:58:00.003-07:002016-04-15T18:03:06.618-07:00Catching up<div class="MsoNormal">
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<br />
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">January</span></b><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ARbCdZowas7pdTV7QV2Rn95dOz7Mq32JlTXc6UAXfuY6VXNrWTvAcTG3Z-mweCID3ED62y8CS4yurq896pC7u0IHeHtIJt9uAOlZIaKBhzkyIIkh8i-3SHheaob7cALlDspQ7zI7BX1c/s1600/IMG_2888.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="268" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg7ARbCdZowas7pdTV7QV2Rn95dOz7Mq32JlTXc6UAXfuY6VXNrWTvAcTG3Z-mweCID3ED62y8CS4yurq896pC7u0IHeHtIJt9uAOlZIaKBhzkyIIkh8i-3SHheaob7cALlDspQ7zI7BX1c/s640/IMG_2888.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It rained
for 23 days in a row in January; for the month we measured 54.5 cm of rain
(21.45 inches). Despite the inconvenience of wet clothes, mildew, and mud
everywhere, I was relieved since after three months (Oct, Nov, Dec) of very
little rain I worried we might face a drought this rainy season. If it doesn’t
rain enough between October and March our water supply can run out in the dry
season, June to September. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Preparing
for resilience in the advent of climate changes means re-imagining life in a
drier land instead of a place of abundant water. Rain catchment in the rainy
season and water conservation the rest of the year are challenges we need to
face.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>We plan to make a pond out
of the pit that provided the earth for our cob house so far. Perhaps we’ll dig
a new pit for the rest of the cob house – the living room and small
kitchen/dining area – and use it as a cistern for water gathered during the
rains. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxz0Lv7WaSv-ZmjgHNV-06_nVF-L6eZX_Tqp8YvZ-fZJ5YXUanVIYJJPVjJwCIf93Zb3EK6SEgkjcwLrr0MwnULvwKrgNO_Mgek_-pISH1Rjr8n0el8mXoveXSDVKoml0iQX_JUQTkE4S4/s1600/IMG_2973.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxz0Lv7WaSv-ZmjgHNV-06_nVF-L6eZX_Tqp8YvZ-fZJ5YXUanVIYJJPVjJwCIf93Zb3EK6SEgkjcwLrr0MwnULvwKrgNO_Mgek_-pISH1Rjr8n0el8mXoveXSDVKoml0iQX_JUQTkE4S4/s640/IMG_2973.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Banana trees planted less than a year ago love the rain and the goat mature.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZF-BplGqC4I5s2ylwio69dQDW0xOpX6RyGrKYTULKcBauZUSiiUJh-QrVh1Kr5soejGdEhyphenhyphenq2vs6EiJNHvgMDxGHbbWxueiQn7FXBXIklS1jl_okiKgUys2Av2u7imBT93JepEw7G2FFD/s1600/IMG_2978.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZF-BplGqC4I5s2ylwio69dQDW0xOpX6RyGrKYTULKcBauZUSiiUJh-QrVh1Kr5soejGdEhyphenhyphenq2vs6EiJNHvgMDxGHbbWxueiQn7FXBXIklS1jl_okiKgUys2Av2u7imBT93JepEw7G2FFD/s640/IMG_2978.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The mud pit from which we took sand/clay/soil to build our cob rooms filled up with the rain<br />
and we have an idea of how it will look when we transform it into a pond.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61aaaPySfF-zEQ2IjMfO5PY3L9rs5kz8BmYrgLjkKT0pofb-K29hOyzrVRx2Xy_Cq9_E_XvfpZP2-LEN7fJGe-2_GJ7DgOUeh4WkL8H2od7-jXYLTXU5ccxcxR7kE9tY08i7a55QhEWWk/s1600/IMG_2970.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj61aaaPySfF-zEQ2IjMfO5PY3L9rs5kz8BmYrgLjkKT0pofb-K29hOyzrVRx2Xy_Cq9_E_XvfpZP2-LEN7fJGe-2_GJ7DgOUeh4WkL8H2od7-jXYLTXU5ccxcxR7kE9tY08i7a55QhEWWk/s400/IMG_2970.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace and I share of love of mushrooms which pop up after the rain.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjil5JmQwvAgxsRPj3LJIDJD8bqahyxUOsb6gu3nvTbtdZ24hlEZ_bwQwEKpL_CTK7w9NuSMl5uJj01lyEWuINuCC22_Z7QBgJhMD4HXd3DImMvRLs5pLL52ZRvV58bLK6-uMK1g7U1ZkGO/s1600/IMG_2972.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjil5JmQwvAgxsRPj3LJIDJD8bqahyxUOsb6gu3nvTbtdZ24hlEZ_bwQwEKpL_CTK7w9NuSMl5uJj01lyEWuINuCC22_Z7QBgJhMD4HXd3DImMvRLs5pLL52ZRvV58bLK6-uMK1g7U1ZkGO/s400/IMG_2972.jpg" width="330" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We don't have good resources to identify them but we we<br />
able to ID a few.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr0ZJq2vcp36haAa4RBL2BR7G5s8DmgXYNWkeItro8kmV8gkX-vPsHW7cQDlwV_aLybad-dCJe7sDFmCQdOkD9nLlUg1wN1jLyYR_sLekKwKPAfzaEj8OFqQpb9wPfOulbgtbwCBskgU-/s1600/IMG_2997.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhXr0ZJq2vcp36haAa4RBL2BR7G5s8DmgXYNWkeItro8kmV8gkX-vPsHW7cQDlwV_aLybad-dCJe7sDFmCQdOkD9nLlUg1wN1jLyYR_sLekKwKPAfzaEj8OFqQpb9wPfOulbgtbwCBskgU-/s640/IMG_2997.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A rainbow above the cob house and the straw 'rancho'.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In
midJanuary our second longterm guest arrived, Jaqi, from Pleasant Valley, PA,
who was joining us for two months. Jaqi and I became friends through a Climate
Change group convened in Fall 2008 by Len Frankel, of Bethlehem, PA, to read
<u>Six Degrees of Climate Change </u>(by Mark Lynas) . We ended up walking many miles together
as part of the Climate Walk for All the Grandchildren, a pilgrimage along US
Route 11 from New Orleans to upper New York State. Guy and I have enjoyed
Jaqi’s company and hospitality in the US and were delighted to receive her in
our Brazilian home. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTOfAyCDfp2phNzwFAAj2dgOJcJmAkeEvx5lZRsO2BCX1jxQXFH6BRR2LgT4EXB7W_SsIQLXokkXeVwvp651ORp44JkooB_0it-EQ45PCD0pq8nh-c6IKTgwsa5kHpWeG2aWv0PvwppC7/s1600/IMG_0086.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="298" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjsTOfAyCDfp2phNzwFAAj2dgOJcJmAkeEvx5lZRsO2BCX1jxQXFH6BRR2LgT4EXB7W_SsIQLXokkXeVwvp651ORp44JkooB_0it-EQ45PCD0pq8nh-c6IKTgwsa5kHpWeG2aWv0PvwppC7/s400/IMG_0086.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaqi on her arrival date visits the radio tower in Brasilia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdPbo5msHLrw4EZSWMmA2VKIMAU_Fh0pb10yd9Ls8nstktPFeWXizn80C509MaDn4OIMAMG4RPmr-nnQ1IR9tNhWBVk1aQ0Cgt_wtTxdxe3a_6hCOcSI_j9xaBs-eMQKeeqtnFVDOmjKr/s1600/IMG_3014+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhzdPbo5msHLrw4EZSWMmA2VKIMAU_Fh0pb10yd9Ls8nstktPFeWXizn80C509MaDn4OIMAMG4RPmr-nnQ1IR9tNhWBVk1aQ0Cgt_wtTxdxe3a_6hCOcSI_j9xaBs-eMQKeeqtnFVDOmjKr/s640/IMG_3014+%25281%2529.jpg" width="572" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaqi found her chair and the kitties found her lap.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Jaqi
arrived while it was still raining and had to deal with the endless downpours,
occasional leaks in the blue tarp that covered her cob room, and mud and
puddles everywhere. We all admired her good spirits, undampened by the rain,
and her energy for exploring and joining in with the farm work. May we all be
so vibrant at 78! </span><i style="font-size: 14pt;">(More about our adventures
with Jaqi in February and March posts.)</i></div>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4Z8V0EBji2Owp4qrVGXhib5Z9m8Ozu_YCLrUnGRuG5aMtrxIUTfoICkvay3rx5uIXz2PA8ZZCCDCHkY0kxZy0L1zsdhJz6k7SItd0nUtNL2n5mIwOzQP-xYW9ny5LAj8ce3RA2fJAXgv/s1600/P1242521+%25281%2529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP4Z8V0EBji2Owp4qrVGXhib5Z9m8Ozu_YCLrUnGRuG5aMtrxIUTfoICkvay3rx5uIXz2PA8ZZCCDCHkY0kxZy0L1zsdhJz6k7SItd0nUtNL2n5mIwOzQP-xYW9ny5LAj8ce3RA2fJAXgv/s640/P1242521+%25281%2529.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Jaqi, Grace, and Camila hurry to get the hay in before the rain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: left;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIsl-bpElE8YckUZLtB6wAL54N_zvlbCFA1sibvK06ye11DcfdDCM3HjjtsnEiOaOvYmzZj9g7rxpo-YhUZlmCz-CEeyjUeZWPOtwYzS3EFSOh1YwDTtrQK0-WvYcKa4DbgA7cfadK9XC/s1600/IMG_3022.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdIsl-bpElE8YckUZLtB6wAL54N_zvlbCFA1sibvK06ye11DcfdDCM3HjjtsnEiOaOvYmzZj9g7rxpo-YhUZlmCz-CEeyjUeZWPOtwYzS3EFSOh1YwDTtrQK0-WvYcKa4DbgA7cfadK9XC/s640/IMG_3022.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The teardrop garden with Grace's fence to protect it from the chickens starts to grow.<br />
<br />
<br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 19px; text-align: start;">Also in January our menagerie increased by one foster dog, and two colorful fowl. Mabel, a little black puppy, found her way from the road, where she’d apparently been abandoned in the very wet weather, and into our house. We tried to find a home for her, including a trip to Anapolis to attempt to place her in a shelter, but discovered that no one (so far) wants a small (but not tiny) female dog. People around here seem to prefer male pets, and tiny or large dogs.</span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<br /></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm0KJcg1pYSArB9yk7JQYGseEo-eV_MPd2r8l11buFVF58sTELeizhh6sNxXVntG4DR6P2Gwt8YCSbIO47j4lg87IIxuMOeD8ruHsDjBoaE7LnoQ4UxfJplu5ly1TmTUkbkm6BJXvDROJ/s1600/IMG_3010.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhUm0KJcg1pYSArB9yk7JQYGseEo-eV_MPd2r8l11buFVF58sTELeizhh6sNxXVntG4DR6P2Gwt8YCSbIO47j4lg87IIxuMOeD8ruHsDjBoaE7LnoQ4UxfJplu5ly1TmTUkbkm6BJXvDROJ/s400/IMG_3010.jpg" width="341" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mabel came in from the rain and hid behind Jaqi's chair.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhHs8882eF4znSTF4AeH3kh64zwyxxIinSZf6ie0ISk1HFxWYK8vumM_wo5wTWf70rYdv5oka_Em7TtisAFArwoFPea4u8ZPwguGYiz-vgm94QcZKZ3_i4nFOrV7JRaJRnFEMRCD_1LasLb/s400/IMG_3036.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Instant friendship with Cindy, the calico kitten.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhBZts_SRq3kHRDIPkiIrUTlLVxmP6RMNiXCtsS31umau2lJ_ZGH528tN8DzkYX6NUTtLOBzSyKyw8mKF5D4k1elD11sELJ1PTbonbVvcZBxgfW0FgRt1nFJ-ikJv3X7_CokvQURxhuW5SA/s400/IMG_3034.jpg" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;" width="400" /></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And best buddies with Lolita.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: 19px;">We found Strawberry Hen and Pepper Rooster as we shopped the local thrift store for furniture for Jaqi’s room.</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4j7KEl25IZWr0CT81569X-WqKL3d52s4iLZSIe4wneeQ0hdF6iHhcNin9QXQUfuCyQR2ugsD9G59bXYX21hnK5x7Hr0U3PGzS08j5dN7ijP_V8JCwQDWSnw34PUv3Wme5tq34rbx7i8sG/s1600/P1252528.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi4j7KEl25IZWr0CT81569X-WqKL3d52s4iLZSIe4wneeQ0hdF6iHhcNin9QXQUfuCyQR2ugsD9G59bXYX21hnK5x7Hr0U3PGzS08j5dN7ijP_V8JCwQDWSnw34PUv3Wme5tq34rbx7i8sG/s400/P1252528.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A contented duo, the hen and the kitten.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnUDZxONx7fue3IrCN1YhwaWeIyM1MQMYTWeOOgH6kqbK0ornEBBu_S2cfrp3Kich3_jMJwXK-1z-EPMzgyrXUYMRlg9zyt9GLMHGJjXzqedJ5IbETf8NRgOjm4IHwOeGJ92twrvIthMV/s1600/P1252529.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiKnUDZxONx7fue3IrCN1YhwaWeIyM1MQMYTWeOOgH6kqbK0ornEBBu_S2cfrp3Kich3_jMJwXK-1z-EPMzgyrXUYMRlg9zyt9GLMHGJjXzqedJ5IbETf8NRgOjm4IHwOeGJ92twrvIthMV/s400/P1252529.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Very colorful rooster fits in with the clutter. Bromeliad painting by Sofia.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-44456310892154901742016-04-05T18:06:00.000-07:002016-04-05T18:06:06.257-07:00Catching up <div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsX2QQ87t1LCXQLKat3OFrCNCdaazFVl9uhVEYrHmgz9BPKCfGIGlHB_3DG06mCAKUKxbHIMn4cb4Tz1LJTjQJoGIy5VnN00S0Db1VtTjAJxo0vSwjqhAntQEz53oJN60RPS7zn7mG8jI/s1600/IMG_2853.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="348" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjdsX2QQ87t1LCXQLKat3OFrCNCdaazFVl9uhVEYrHmgz9BPKCfGIGlHB_3DG06mCAKUKxbHIMn4cb4Tz1LJTjQJoGIy5VnN00S0Db1VtTjAJxo0vSwjqhAntQEz53oJN60RPS7zn7mG8jI/s640/IMG_2853.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Time has run away and I'm way behind on my posts. I plan to post four entries in the next few days starting with December now.</span></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">December <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Guy and I spent the first part of December getting the larger cob room prepared for the arrival of our first longterm guest, Grace Wall, who responded to the notice on this blog inviting people to come spend some time here, working with us, and enjoying our litle bit of paradise.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmYgeLtcqazBEvBDxr8qA_HJpZfIVp_deqJUCXPLy-HQEnD6sJmPOpIqeOumCPHRpWRgnkE0nQmcKXn-sEPoKOcNiYIZjkZd-V7YKH0Oq6WifhCHPwJZmcfiODgiiBocUsavCagvjgEiB/s1600/IMG_2856.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiZmYgeLtcqazBEvBDxr8qA_HJpZfIVp_deqJUCXPLy-HQEnD6sJmPOpIqeOumCPHRpWRgnkE0nQmcKXn-sEPoKOcNiYIZjkZd-V7YKH0Oq6WifhCHPwJZmcfiODgiiBocUsavCagvjgEiB/s400/IMG_2856.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First window installed. This window also works as a door, and eventually there will be steps up to it from the inside.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hbRdkHKXSlFt3bg1LsPL54xT_yiQYI3LDvl5QgumlKjgtwnW6sDMXDKnjJqQvKAh2QZbjefPUpcDD533e1PtobNvVjmFic29M7pk7ZoxQyazV7MRI4hq4TtLTB9MGYY1beDB6odjuuXT/s1600/IMG_2859.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg4hbRdkHKXSlFt3bg1LsPL54xT_yiQYI3LDvl5QgumlKjgtwnW6sDMXDKnjJqQvKAh2QZbjefPUpcDD533e1PtobNvVjmFic29M7pk7ZoxQyazV7MRI4hq4TtLTB9MGYY1beDB6odjuuXT/s400/IMG_2859.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />Guy works on installing his first door, a new skill for him. </td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE5S37XpviImWTH0vA8eFGPHI0YokE_qx419bycGKmVVm_zpduaDZ351-ytsb4z0ZJreu8_BO_tvzhM9GOE_7CGQwzPTnZJr5HOelPYv8-qYWUV4g0VScdvzTISlGK5jVyt4u_l1kZoFM/s1600/IMG_2875.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqE5S37XpviImWTH0vA8eFGPHI0YokE_qx419bycGKmVVm_zpduaDZ351-ytsb4z0ZJreu8_BO_tvzhM9GOE_7CGQwzPTnZJr5HOelPYv8-qYWUV4g0VScdvzTISlGK5jVyt4u_l1kZoFM/s400/IMG_2875.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Door is level.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBYX4xsZa-hhDP44QWuT-Q-gFI7q66McDQMrUg30LGvhU1Atn5XpqwoGXZIP1DnOyhXPdV7GSTFP4JlHapy_ZQhN9gR79XRLe23raanIZISlRSN_4vxHxfkpRfhcMSrbMoiM61Rnjyw_U/s1600/IMG_2881.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEibBYX4xsZa-hhDP44QWuT-Q-gFI7q66McDQMrUg30LGvhU1Atn5XpqwoGXZIP1DnOyhXPdV7GSTFP4JlHapy_ZQhN9gR79XRLe23raanIZISlRSN_4vxHxfkpRfhcMSrbMoiM61Rnjyw_U/s640/IMG_2881.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">After placing anchors between the doorframe and the cob, plus nails to hold the new material in place, <br />Guy fills in the space with cob.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEPbfXbaiMT_wEqbLH-xxuUJP-wCUNDBtdbGY4M-F2y8zY71dU3BFGQQtbqlK_i6K48Jg5CcuCv7C7PWv2ZGuLimJqcmlcudBPjMJB6oz6X_bFjrNbGjPi_-0aRtu2QuuePlIA2TvlyXN/s1600/IMG_2893.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCEPbfXbaiMT_wEqbLH-xxuUJP-wCUNDBtdbGY4M-F2y8zY71dU3BFGQQtbqlK_i6K48Jg5CcuCv7C7PWv2ZGuLimJqcmlcudBPjMJB6oz6X_bFjrNbGjPi_-0aRtu2QuuePlIA2TvlyXN/s400/IMG_2893.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Soon the new cob will dry and the door will be ready to use.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVCuAMu8Hugj5DXofMpkTGhFaMdp13TX8e38mGmbBrleQwu_o2P8XEBv0dL0sAuiyedDc7KUczVCx8rzb51V_BaDcE2ysohxqEbRE4oZARH3hUkKiHQ7j4JqPFvBTC7bm8j3EjKfUahBe/s1600/IMG_2903.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjLVCuAMu8Hugj5DXofMpkTGhFaMdp13TX8e38mGmbBrleQwu_o2P8XEBv0dL0sAuiyedDc7KUczVCx8rzb51V_BaDcE2ysohxqEbRE4oZARH3hUkKiHQ7j4JqPFvBTC7bm8j3EjKfUahBe/s640/IMG_2903.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first cob room, rough but pleasant, is ready for the first guest. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">In
mid-December we picked Grace up at the airport in Brasilia. Soon she made
herself at home and started working with us to prepare the smaller cob bedroom
for the arrival of our friend Jaqi, due in mid January.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ni6EocQwxkMTD8LQFBgYt53dN7bJCLu1xXuklH3UoRUWIV3C_Wn5Q_M_UtcbFZrWs1RWJBU-078Wo5ZfbcvZIN2fp5AxQAjybsBU6TDw2dt_SqBZAQXLd9nz3HxoN3606dN5eMK212xa/s1600/IMG_2904.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh_Ni6EocQwxkMTD8LQFBgYt53dN7bJCLu1xXuklH3UoRUWIV3C_Wn5Q_M_UtcbFZrWs1RWJBU-078Wo5ZfbcvZIN2fp5AxQAjybsBU6TDw2dt_SqBZAQXLd9nz3HxoN3606dN5eMK212xa/s400/IMG_2904.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace found her chair and started reading about permaculture.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIuvmuntOWwExbBZ887cOLZ0LfSERQNpsVcpXereu4370-UTZG_5uwYGJie51ugZOWu2Dtt9I0RL7gJT1BuceiMqSE-d-8nNuHgKUuMQUDebVK_iwdk5I8Ksg510cCPhVAaandRkaycwy/s1600/IMG_2957.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjHIuvmuntOWwExbBZ887cOLZ0LfSERQNpsVcpXereu4370-UTZG_5uwYGJie51ugZOWu2Dtt9I0RL7gJT1BuceiMqSE-d-8nNuHgKUuMQUDebVK_iwdk5I8Ksg510cCPhVAaandRkaycwy/s400/IMG_2957.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">She delighted us with her music.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfslyGQw1W6PcYDDcihTFda0f3q-I5M1Mpr40cl-3KoW8WF7O6l0IRcK3oA-sdJ9VE4U4ckk3U1kH9lBJk6L0K7UlkIaRm7AS1lH61mh5XcV-C2ynRk8ZLQkQPmZ8wBvVe8iRHuRYmGjrR/s1600/IMG_2927.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhfslyGQw1W6PcYDDcihTFda0f3q-I5M1Mpr40cl-3KoW8WF7O6l0IRcK3oA-sdJ9VE4U4ckk3U1kH9lBJk6L0K7UlkIaRm7AS1lH61mh5XcV-C2ynRk8ZLQkQPmZ8wBvVe8iRHuRYmGjrR/s400/IMG_2927.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><br />And she helped plaster the second bedroom, a tiring but <br />ultimately satisfying job (I think).<br /><br /></td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1DAvomBycjl5t88QB-phfgK1tJPFhbar7GjyKU-PSXDKlefCP8Fa75QSwfzMY_JM4dyAZNiRoOjOfDBuYwweYpFM2h01fP5JrGvpRMOkaJOZiHTzU28PtO4YjyvE-qjI-nNjs5MRh9b1/s1600/IMG_2944.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjg1DAvomBycjl5t88QB-phfgK1tJPFhbar7GjyKU-PSXDKlefCP8Fa75QSwfzMY_JM4dyAZNiRoOjOfDBuYwweYpFM2h01fP5JrGvpRMOkaJOZiHTzU28PtO4YjyvE-qjI-nNjs5MRh9b1/s400/IMG_2944.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy's still working on installing windows.<br /></td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Grace
expressed an interest in working on a vegetable garden, a very welcome
initiative since both Guy and I were discouraged by the failures of our first
couple of years here and hoped that with some new energy we could continue the
experiment of growing vegetables in this poor soil without chemical fertilizers
and pesticides. By now we had a fairly good supply of compost, including the
humanure that Guy has been making since September 2014. We also have chickens
that love the insects – grasshoppers, cutworms, caterpillars – that prey on our
tender plants. However chickens also love tender plants, so our veggie gardens
require fences. Grace was game and though she had little experience building
structures she soon built the first fence around a small area, and planted
lettuce, radishes, cilantro, mustard and collard greens, cucumber, tomatoes and
basil. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grace digs hole for the fence posts.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">New kittens, Cindy and Fofa.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Also
in December we got two kittens.</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">
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her and she nursed with a litter of tiny puppies. She looked like a malnourished
rat and everyone who saw her wondered if she’d make it. The second cat, Fofa
the albino, chose us, even though I didn’t want a white cat and we returned her
to the road several times, to no avail. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cindy finds a place to nap.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lolita, who has missed her old pal, Fofinho (who disappeared many months ago) accepts the two new residents.<br /><br /></td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-24815681343101415392015-11-29T05:18:00.000-08:002017-05-10T11:05:10.644-07:00Cob house update<div class="MsoNormal">
<a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><a href="https://www.blogger.com/blogger.g?blogID=3504686361842040588" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"></a><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">November 26 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Update on Cob House</span></b><br />
<b style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></b>
<i><b style="font-size: 14pt;">Save the Cerrado, </b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">a permaculture blog, started publishing three </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">years ago, in August, 2012. </span><span style="font-size: small;">If this is your first time visiting this </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">blog </span><span style="font-size: small;">please check back </span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span><span style="font-size: small;">from the beginning (check postings in right column) </span><span style="font-size: small;">to understand our approach to permaculture and to </span><span style="font-size: small;">see the photos that </span><span style="font-size: small;">document our progress so far.</span><span style="font-size: small;"> </span></i><span style="font-size: small;"><i> </i></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’re
getting ready to receive our first long term guest, Grace, who responded to the
invitation we put here on this blog in May. Her arrival in mid-December has
been a great incentive to speed up the work on the cob house where she will be
living. You can see in the photos below that we’ve made a lot of progress since we got back from the
States in early October. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5YCmI8DPVm6n4yZK9AUAr9qnMEHr-iPdBaWxUmQJrydTg4rs08wtuvbFSatXi0HjP1WWyjAvvbIz2YhQThv0_ov8c_htX8CdWHFnMDWTu4s7n5G494Q1mbvh8IVRGbbfTlUvnXC1ztck/s1600/IMG_2769.jpg" imageanchor="1"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEie5YCmI8DPVm6n4yZK9AUAr9qnMEHr-iPdBaWxUmQJrydTg4rs08wtuvbFSatXi0HjP1WWyjAvvbIz2YhQThv0_ov8c_htX8CdWHFnMDWTu4s7n5G494Q1mbvh8IVRGbbfTlUvnXC1ztck/s640/IMG_2769.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> October
20 – Expecting rain; the cob needs to be protected.</span></div>
<br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxG71UOhsti_Dfcq762mSJHgAmvUYqlDV2DDuZWpeYr1XwRto-iZF7QeSTwgtEy2XqN0HVyzEvIZjbPlAudU8Lae8OWd_dqGkW0ZOJpWpfMdpqbvpQkardMORtMDsHdRcwpMm5M8MKiFRj/s1600/IMG_2785.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgxG71UOhsti_Dfcq762mSJHgAmvUYqlDV2DDuZWpeYr1XwRto-iZF7QeSTwgtEy2XqN0HVyzEvIZjbPlAudU8Lae8OWd_dqGkW0ZOJpWpfMdpqbvpQkardMORtMDsHdRcwpMm5M8MKiFRj/s640/IMG_2785.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">November
8 – That’s better. Let’s hope the tarps can withstand the winds. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> Walls are up
several feet.</span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMN_Vzcy9N6vxJYBE3fa6xAYHljL6Mb-AEXqY0a12AyNzftC4lSEdsZwIUVodTWp0EPRmovdLi4nPeNHPKm6S-pRH06JuXUa8apMjyFA0HC4eidOXT7XzUETJgYuQVL01qlJNco2GN00ad/s1600/IMG_2787.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiMN_Vzcy9N6vxJYBE3fa6xAYHljL6Mb-AEXqY0a12AyNzftC4lSEdsZwIUVodTWp0EPRmovdLi4nPeNHPKm6S-pRH06JuXUa8apMjyFA0HC4eidOXT7XzUETJgYuQVL01qlJNco2GN00ad/s640/IMG_2787.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Second bedroom and bathroom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNofIafXPn1YfbL7anitw29_7CBIws6hJtdwJhettn3BDkNAjxrKuA2heBKgEDsKAshb4qbqbR8WXiayEy-TlKcaSHr17mIJz5J0yylDL1CwpHssJHqrB7gV7eY6tQAkU5UZ_lrkIW-8N/s1600/IMG_2789.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgBNofIafXPn1YfbL7anitw29_7CBIws6hJtdwJhettn3BDkNAjxrKuA2heBKgEDsKAshb4qbqbR8WXiayEy-TlKcaSHr17mIJz5J0yylDL1CwpHssJHqrB7gV7eY6tQAkU5UZ_lrkIW-8N/s640/IMG_2789.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Row of glass bottles to let some light into the bathroom.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeBhrPqEAEZ29ALMjgBb6LpEYlg-ldd_uVmct8ouWcsNbACEW4hsRSVvuRZ6Kc4Sx2D8Lsvn_rnRJZHzWeOxut5iRUNef8yZYElI-m8ZLlGmZUDKPzkBeH3iuSbCXONBefB9hbKJ2TAJq/s1600/IMG_2791.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKeBhrPqEAEZ29ALMjgBb6LpEYlg-ldd_uVmct8ouWcsNbACEW4hsRSVvuRZ6Kc4Sx2D8Lsvn_rnRJZHzWeOxut5iRUNef8yZYElI-m8ZLlGmZUDKPzkBeH3iuSbCXONBefB9hbKJ2TAJq/s640/IMG_2791.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Outside view of the bottles.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEW-h5p7ZKa9GyWqxfQtbS5xpA8dBWfPiCHjxykI-6eKwxvopaFZEyc0XBaNQLlf2tjwkR-L8vJABIssxR5Ggy4eyQuVAJ1ZfeLxGYlEotIE8xd4ZVSXUua7DiDFH0QwBU9wkz-ndVSMn/s1600/IMG_2796.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEivEW-h5p7ZKa9GyWqxfQtbS5xpA8dBWfPiCHjxykI-6eKwxvopaFZEyc0XBaNQLlf2tjwkR-L8vJABIssxR5Ggy4eyQuVAJ1ZfeLxGYlEotIE8xd4ZVSXUua7DiDFH0QwBU9wkz-ndVSMn/s640/IMG_2796.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_12" o:spid="_x0000_i1035" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:IMG_2796.jpg"
style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image011.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2796.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">November
25 – Walls have reached full height. We had a fierce storm last night with lots
of wind. and rain. The tarps held fast and the house remained dry.<span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape id="_x0000_i1034" type="#_x0000_t75"
alt=":Blog photos:IMG_2813.jpg" style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;
mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image013.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2813.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><span style="mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_2" o:spid="_x0000_i1033" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:IMG_2819.jpg"
style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image015.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2819.jpg"/>
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style='width:468pt;height:623pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image017.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2792.jpg"/>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8bzkQWpuKhvgqCK3PxKBndzt66j3fHtbDMVpEf8O8ipMOMs2qa27NGa_cJIFtjjTybAHJ4dpHkiuyZSUlU67j8TuyuaNs5LMqCs_L595PVFYUMg15vlkmZ-nvHSPpOlzW84BrbeHX64f/s1600/IMG_2792.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgg8bzkQWpuKhvgqCK3PxKBndzt66j3fHtbDMVpEf8O8ipMOMs2qa27NGa_cJIFtjjTybAHJ4dpHkiuyZSUlU67j8TuyuaNs5LMqCs_L595PVFYUMg15vlkmZ-nvHSPpOlzW84BrbeHX64f/s640/IMG_2792.jpg" width="480" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Guy has set the window frame in place. It still needs to be tied into the cob wall.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigg5zw6KOca3eP-c4fc0lUtyu4oMEXhQVU66FlBPaEFApZV_QfDcTBQD2snXKiIDZ2bMo_Yurjd7JeuFwEje48GEqGQ-NEaEKi_qTvjKvNBj9blzBoabzLyvacVFyrGNsJRlUmF80usP1N/s1600/IMG_2793.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigg5zw6KOca3eP-c4fc0lUtyu4oMEXhQVU66FlBPaEFApZV_QfDcTBQD2snXKiIDZ2bMo_Yurjd7JeuFwEje48GEqGQ-NEaEKi_qTvjKvNBj9blzBoabzLyvacVFyrGNsJRlUmF80usP1N/s640/IMG_2793.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image019.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2793.jpg"/>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
tested a patch of plaster for the first coat: earth, sand and finely chopped
grass straw. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
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style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image021.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2794.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMGrek-C0Z2oTo7EggyTNyuwCs6NCTHOoSfZr_4phn2DQsQYU3HNV2JwulWxlfTqrviIOk7R4Pd30yDz_cLNb2FCHmEfnZqWB8vp4BhlUBiwUHXetJR_J_HV_Xri5uXcmRBzBU-_rQoTZ/s1600/IMG_2794.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjZMGrek-C0Z2oTo7EggyTNyuwCs6NCTHOoSfZr_4phn2DQsQYU3HNV2JwulWxlfTqrviIOk7R4Pd30yDz_cLNb2FCHmEfnZqWB8vp4BhlUBiwUHXetJR_J_HV_Xri5uXcmRBzBU-_rQoTZ/s640/IMG_2794.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
first bedroom begins to look inviting. By December 5 the second window frame as
well as the door frame should be in place for the carpenter who will install
the windows and door. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNx9vYJR8lkF5rUzdPuUxGcgnvURqNCe0Ipkvq_StT7XAviDPUowockI5qGi9GeHYtAD6mETRXMu-w5L5P-2PmIWYk-uN6nL7qNQdQvMLeSBt4vJdapkO-9X6EMQnGfOCeXEd-3lgjFAcQ/s1600/IMG_2795.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNx9vYJR8lkF5rUzdPuUxGcgnvURqNCe0Ipkvq_StT7XAviDPUowockI5qGi9GeHYtAD6mETRXMu-w5L5P-2PmIWYk-uN6nL7qNQdQvMLeSBt4vJdapkO-9X6EMQnGfOCeXEd-3lgjFAcQ/s640/IMG_2795.jpg" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt; mso-no-proof: yes;"><!--[if gte vml 1]><v:shape
id="Picture_x0020_10" o:spid="_x0000_i1029" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:IMG_2795.jpg"
style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image023.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2795.jpg"/>
<v:textbox style='mso-rotate-with-shape:t'/>
</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
second bedroom is coming along too. The floors still need to be finished and ceilings will be added soon, but the tarp covering should stay in place until we're ready to put in a permanent roof.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Meanwhile farm life goes on:</span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YXYjqfJ4PDRyDkLjI_sUycAcUcg8QqNCexaMMB-89Yb3WrFE1tVO4-RciixIiLD7oNP4HO7ZHDvBWnj9J5XZdIgA_Z6jZ4c992dMzkI1dDipOR1dj1Pz6bWvw3tjfJ0h_Qn2xX57rJdp/s1600/IMG_2784.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj9YXYjqfJ4PDRyDkLjI_sUycAcUcg8QqNCexaMMB-89Yb3WrFE1tVO4-RciixIiLD7oNP4HO7ZHDvBWnj9J5XZdIgA_Z6jZ4c992dMzkI1dDipOR1dj1Pz6bWvw3tjfJ0h_Qn2xX57rJdp/s400/IMG_2784.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lolita monitors all comings and goings.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNadgeDpl7v0w5NQRKMh_Dk5BHy2IfPiLI3GO1OPK-TYEudsDqppOMvRxhNokhwyvnK4oaw91a5gdhQqXdq7McwTVxuE2YEtiqkeJpYXGq7VU6UHoYR3C0sew_x-LWHiBf1jX4MjWk5XkV/s1600/IMG_2800.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="338" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNadgeDpl7v0w5NQRKMh_Dk5BHy2IfPiLI3GO1OPK-TYEudsDqppOMvRxhNokhwyvnK4oaw91a5gdhQqXdq7McwTVxuE2YEtiqkeJpYXGq7VU6UHoYR3C0sew_x-LWHiBf1jX4MjWk5XkV/s400/IMG_2800.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">An older Rhode Island Red joined our flock, and NoName hatched a healthy flock of chicks.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpEokia1e1kcOrAvaFiE65Qr5x64wg3EZ3382qhmtUrzDd3PY0OGT8jn8fxv2LZQ1im6QV0KDuQLlm1LMCSQWO-bikOGzgr15_7LOtm6G7iog7fIyue91mNqoy04m-Cd1cNaR8kZpiH8s/s1600/IMG_2805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjhpEokia1e1kcOrAvaFiE65Qr5x64wg3EZ3382qhmtUrzDd3PY0OGT8jn8fxv2LZQ1im6QV0KDuQLlm1LMCSQWO-bikOGzgr15_7LOtm6G7iog7fIyue91mNqoy04m-Cd1cNaR8kZpiH8s/s400/IMG_2805.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina and Polly and five-month-old Nellie are doing well. We're milking only Nina.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyy3w_1hrRQG1zOkGnlhLwNWDHQmIrj9aOdRmqAQP1NsC1KP73IPz_rgs-qTIz51KEd23vqycX7smP7OCjIzOeKbRYLdGr6h_U9zNH3ZHpgEc9QvWJBJK6_ocm1MlpSG7SuP7cQt3PpN_j/s1600/IMG_2808.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjyy3w_1hrRQG1zOkGnlhLwNWDHQmIrj9aOdRmqAQP1NsC1KP73IPz_rgs-qTIz51KEd23vqycX7smP7OCjIzOeKbRYLdGr6h_U9zNH3ZHpgEc9QvWJBJK6_ocm1MlpSG7SuP7cQt3PpN_j/s400/IMG_2808.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here Nina and Daisy share their food with bees. <br />
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="text-align: left;"><span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></span></div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><span style="text-align: left;">November 29 - Today we're in Brasilia to participate in the Global Climate Change March, which had already seen large </span>demonstrations in the Philippines, Japan, Paris and elsewhere. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="text-align: left;">
<span style="font-size: large;"> Let us know your thoughts in the comments below. Thanks.</span></div>
<span style="font-size: small;"><br /><br /><br /></span><br />
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style='width:467pt;height:396pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
<v:imagedata src="file://localhost/Users/greta%20browne/Library/Caches/TemporaryItems/msoclip/0clip_image025.jpg"
o:title="IMG_2800.jpg"/>
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</v:shape><![endif]--><!--[if !vml]--><!--[endif]--></span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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id="Picture_x0020_3" o:spid="_x0000_i1027" type="#_x0000_t75" alt=":Blog photos:IMG_2784.jpg"
style='width:467pt;height:350pt;visibility:visible;mso-wrap-style:square'>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com10tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-85732467384757723502015-11-08T08:42:00.001-08:002015-11-08T08:47:36.583-08:00Back on the farm<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;">October 16</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS68n13z6z8fCf8rgv3RjxU-an08cf68vnpSCrN2vXfUQ1U9q2rO91UpE7jsUmmE07Li5262GyXx0ULl1-0B58C2l63ImxYBpp-oTu0CFKsYY6ijH33yCiGT6JZWLKQ3wARyvSSTxwhAlS/s1600/IMG_2764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjS68n13z6z8fCf8rgv3RjxU-an08cf68vnpSCrN2vXfUQ1U9q2rO91UpE7jsUmmE07Li5262GyXx0ULl1-0B58C2l63ImxYBpp-oTu0CFKsYY6ijH33yCiGT6JZWLKQ3wARyvSSTxwhAlS/s640/IMG_2764.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Wild cashews, ripe when we returned from the States in early October</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Back
on the farm, work on the <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>cob house
continues apace. The next step is to build a large temporary roof that will
cover the three rooms we’re working on so that building can continue as the
rainy season starts up. So far, since we arrived from the States, we’ve had
only one rain, a storm with wind, lightning and thunder and copious water. Guy
hadn’t uncovered the cob construction yet, so damage was minimal. But our large
blue tarps allowed water to collect in big pockets and some water also got in
on the floor, a danger to the base of the cob walls. So this coming week a wood
frame will go up with cross beams to support the tarps, which are still the
least expensive way to cover the area for now. Not attractive but functional. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEiY_lB8n7J6hP49uIc2s83RRoeHXP5KNo5iokUmrkBat4chzfp7Dj7Cob8DU1jFrW-9fy7BD-T_034rzWreivX-jBiQiJRuoM9xrBqJli6_FVxvepWc6fKboGUJnc1olX4YD6hh1b60h/s1600/IMG_2758.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoEiY_lB8n7J6hP49uIc2s83RRoeHXP5KNo5iokUmrkBat4chzfp7Dj7Cob8DU1jFrW-9fy7BD-T_034rzWreivX-jBiQiJRuoM9xrBqJli6_FVxvepWc6fKboGUJnc1olX4YD6hh1b60h/s400/IMG_2758.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Daisy, our second goat born on the farm</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Two
days before we arrived from our trip, Nina the mama goat, gave birth to her
tiny black and white kid, whom we’ve named Daisy. Mother and daughter are well.
Three days later we started milking Nina. One of her teats was overly full – I
don’t think Daisy had nursed on that side at all. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Often
goats have two kids at a time but both Polly and Nina only had one, their first
pregnancies, and I noticed that both kids developed a preference for one teat.
Nina’s milk for the first three days tasted strong and unpleasant, probably
some colostrum at first. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCdUJNxLMYakbbIN5OGIfD0lDbSy8Lxe_d3floW2U5m4SAxr8OPpGUeJjvyJ19YaK3-rtYYcF7KtnoroticjhHb8u-1xIFY_b6DkpEOnLgXuZVJ6rRZpDX2cofwhjkah6_iiMWI2ouwPw/s1600/IMG_2754.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEikCdUJNxLMYakbbIN5OGIfD0lDbSy8Lxe_d3floW2U5m4SAxr8OPpGUeJjvyJ19YaK3-rtYYcF7KtnoroticjhHb8u-1xIFY_b6DkpEOnLgXuZVJ6rRZpDX2cofwhjkah6_iiMWI2ouwPw/s640/IMG_2754.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina's newborn, Daisy, nurses inside the shed. Nellie nibbles the plastic container while Polly watches Guy.<br />
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14pt;"> We’ve
also restarted milking Polly, after five weeks when only her kid Nellie, nursed
the milk. We’re getting two to three cups of milk each morning, enough for our
needs. Soon we’ll start experimenting with yogurt and cheese. And we can’t wait
to try the milk pump I bought in the States from UdderlyEZ.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Another
farm mama welcomed us with eight tiny chicks. Henny-Penny is the<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>hen given to us by friends back in June
with nine chicks that have turned into six little roosters and three small
hens. The hens should start laying eggs at 22 weeks, or the second week in
November.</span></div>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cSvoh-2PmxKTfNDOHVfPMI8FAn-3CDGg_Z0rtjsxnxfgaYLHHthasTesq2o_iqDDzMFartYxqMhEQ-ZiBcfblTj-iYxsZBPbB3TL2qcclqIPe84QE_ulGNe8GJOm5_b_7Hhq1cJy9tBa/s1600/IMG_2751.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="237" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj0cSvoh-2PmxKTfNDOHVfPMI8FAn-3CDGg_Z0rtjsxnxfgaYLHHthasTesq2o_iqDDzMFartYxqMhEQ-ZiBcfblTj-iYxsZBPbB3TL2qcclqIPe84QE_ulGNe8GJOm5_b_7Hhq1cJy9tBa/s320/IMG_2751.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
cockerels have to go, butchered, sold or exchanged for hens, leaving one to
rule the flock if we decide to keep one. The hens will continue to lay eggs
without a cock but the eggs will be infertile, which means we’d have to bring
in fertilized eggs from elsewhere if we want to let the hens hatch a brood when
they go broody. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnBk0gkWEA496kKmqphN7oD5RnHp9gtKWPWQGVlMJu7ly4BjVlStSDhzhN2cJXKI9hlzre42IxOZMSUjgz5ieEjqm7HHGKOhFu47HfUagGOHZyyQZ6AEuhcKzt-p5xmlPWW8eD6KehBSS/s1600/IMG_2763.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="212" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhgnBk0gkWEA496kKmqphN7oD5RnHp9gtKWPWQGVlMJu7ly4BjVlStSDhzhN2cJXKI9hlzre42IxOZMSUjgz5ieEjqm7HHGKOhFu47HfUagGOHZyyQZ6AEuhcKzt-p5xmlPWW8eD6KehBSS/s320/IMG_2763.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Right
now we have another hen, NoName, who was given to us by a neighbor, who went
broody back in August. Thinking the seven eggs she’d layed weren’t fertilized –
our cockerels were just eight weeks old – we tried to break her out of the
broodiness. It turns out she remained broody the whole time we were gone and
insisted on sitting on two old eggs I’d left in the nest to encourage any
layers. Now I’ve acquired ten eggs from a neighbor, mostly Rhode Island Reds,
and by November 4 we should have a new batch of chicks. All this
population explosion disturbs Guy who thought we were aiming for four to six
hens. I guess I like the whole chicken yard scene, with little chicks and a rooster
to announce the morning.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK12BOpkEzjDb5JiD4ToreL1mLk_mmBQvD2zwI23ULwvqm_Cmni62DdURb9nfefnH1zavNC-bKfnBAnu-Ou0zXX02o2MqeSGRlXC2U1ZbxYY6N3AZJyrOi4JTwZxrg_NGwp9yx4f0nZJ00/s1600/IMG_2749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhK12BOpkEzjDb5JiD4ToreL1mLk_mmBQvD2zwI23ULwvqm_Cmni62DdURb9nfefnH1zavNC-bKfnBAnu-Ou0zXX02o2MqeSGRlXC2U1ZbxYY6N3AZJyrOi4JTwZxrg_NGwp9yx4f0nZJ00/s320/IMG_2749.jpg" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"How many chickens do we need just to get a few eggs? This is population explosion."</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Now that we're back we reflect: How
does flying, with its heavy carbon footprint, fit in with our permaculture
lifestyle? Ideally, it doesn’t. But permaculture as I understand it is not
dogmatic. It makes room for the reality of the world around us. Seeing family and friends in the States is important to us and the five weeks we spent in Massachusetts, the Lehigh Valley, and Silver Spring, MD, were invaluable. On Labor Day Weekend we watched our grandsons play four or five soccer games near Needham, MA. </span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Grandson Luke, number 24, watches the ball intently.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy, grandson Isaiah, and my son Zeke walk back to the car.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpSsHDo03iBgRsVdOOxJdmHpkZCKuYOPbTwOpnwYhLlUzH5r9CNaN7p7yG8tLD788itPLgP_OGHsbb3UJPThely9k1YqwaPYVYbzJUuRqJXkdK89iQg8xH6rr16X6FQH9lUb7JynFfYak/s1600/IMG_2745.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLpSsHDo03iBgRsVdOOxJdmHpkZCKuYOPbTwOpnwYhLlUzH5r9CNaN7p7yG8tLD788itPLgP_OGHsbb3UJPThely9k1YqwaPYVYbzJUuRqJXkdK89iQg8xH6rr16X6FQH9lUb7JynFfYak/s640/IMG_2745.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Zeke, Luke and Isaiah.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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In the Lehigh Valley we saw some of Guy's relatives and many dear friends. We went to a LEPOCO celebration and dance, and stayed in the homes of two women who plan on visiting us on the farm soon, Jaqi and Grace. In Silver Spring we visited my daughter Sofia who just moved back to the States. While she was living in Brasilia in 2013 and 2014 Sofia was a constant companion to us on the farm and participated in most of our permaculture projects. It was a delight to see her. </div>
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I've been scanning old photos each time I go to the States and I'll share three of them with you:</div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq9KiH2A7Y8-ru0aGCBINc_um9FCK0oWL93NgwXrPZND5LbfvwjIIQPedHZq6d-l1-oHX8wJ9uN3rBy86ey84IpN0hZ3fvXlEINvDoMsd4MUJbbrSgO6bsmprdaO_DFioiPEYApK0d_5a/s1600/Family%252C+jeep%252C+cerrado.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="450" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhKq9KiH2A7Y8-ru0aGCBINc_um9FCK0oWL93NgwXrPZND5LbfvwjIIQPedHZq6d-l1-oHX8wJ9uN3rBy86ey84IpN0hZ3fvXlEINvDoMsd4MUJbbrSgO6bsmprdaO_DFioiPEYApK0d_5a/s640/Family%252C+jeep%252C+cerrado.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our farm is situated in the part of the world where this photo taken, in the Central Highlands of Brazil,<br />
when I was 11, with my sister and brothers. (I'm the child at the left)</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZAyWNluPv7RizsYrvkmh-k0yvqA6VLT4aACGeH7V_e6ho46fg05v3dKoeyN_aqjNcMfePgVw6gPIBkeeT0TauNk-x17KFCn3qtbU-bi3elJm6pCJR04Rt337X1XD97FYXat-clIP-TfW/s1600/Scan+441.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="340" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaZAyWNluPv7RizsYrvkmh-k0yvqA6VLT4aACGeH7V_e6ho46fg05v3dKoeyN_aqjNcMfePgVw6gPIBkeeT0TauNk-x17KFCn3qtbU-bi3elJm6pCJR04Rt337X1XD97FYXat-clIP-TfW/s400/Scan+441.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My first efforts at farming.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JwhPkkd0oZ1DvBUAta-pxmP-HBgW4VBhD57GY3z-xj3LNiOwAvbR7dGX7ep2_2d3DXauS1jr-p9I0ytpa1VCC_ZG8ut8JE2Equ8669dI_pnaxDfx1NLeenjA7IFLJiDcircIy41DfLQE/s1600/Scan+443.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="282" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi6JwhPkkd0oZ1DvBUAta-pxmP-HBgW4VBhD57GY3z-xj3LNiOwAvbR7dGX7ep2_2d3DXauS1jr-p9I0ytpa1VCC_ZG8ut8JE2Equ8669dI_pnaxDfx1NLeenjA7IFLJiDcircIy41DfLQE/s400/Scan+443.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My brother, George, with a neighbor's goat in Ohio.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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Check back soon for an update on the cob house.</div>
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<br />Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-28792258392902250092015-08-31T15:24:00.000-07:002015-08-31T15:24:17.337-07:00Closure of sorts <!--[if gte mso 9]><xml>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">August 31, 2015 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJaSHCvUFdAkCITLBe3nzYSiEDMMEH_rN50fK0vHXX7WM5vnF4YfifnCBkpLl3b8neUat0iLCHdo1me35ERN8DOuhuzZ4hz-821iLiJwWtQV1DcKjYFah0KBgbpzpGQ2CMUXXm8zs7xCH/s1600/IMG_2705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgkJaSHCvUFdAkCITLBe3nzYSiEDMMEH_rN50fK0vHXX7WM5vnF4YfifnCBkpLl3b8neUat0iLCHdo1me35ERN8DOuhuzZ4hz-821iLiJwWtQV1DcKjYFah0KBgbpzpGQ2CMUXXm8zs7xCH/s640/IMG_2705.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our bedroom window</td></tr>
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</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><b>Away from the farm</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">On
Monday we fly to the States for a five week visit. Guy was there last October
but I haven’t left Brazil since July 2013, a long time for me, the erstwhile
traveler. I look forward to seeing family and friends - perhaps you who are
reading this post.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyTmVcDZPiXAWP6-RizdFsqiGFWGQogPRLCcQgGIxMeKVRL3CssyKG-yXhaEOz5knCqOO6zL7Wl4FFyORUNHHtHOveMHTpCrRYERmXKVxGUMr_sPGjKpvkjTDKezrhCIBk5xfSGK1vS7C/s1600/IMG_2426.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEieyTmVcDZPiXAWP6-RizdFsqiGFWGQogPRLCcQgGIxMeKVRL3CssyKG-yXhaEOz5knCqOO6zL7Wl4FFyORUNHHtHOveMHTpCrRYERmXKVxGUMr_sPGjKpvkjTDKezrhCIBk5xfSGK1vS7C/s400/IMG_2426.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A June photo of Sofia with Polly, the goat, and Lolita.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Leaving
a small homestead with chickens and goats, a beloved dog, trees and other
plants that need attention requires a tough examination of one’s priorities. The
unending demands that preclude the family’s absence rank high among the
hardships of the working farmer. A co-housing or other cooperative situation,
where two or more households live within shouting distance and can fill in for
each other, would help solve this dilemma. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqw423Xm4n2ix3DlQRl1hjrT8AUsATZfgYCWReFVd-he-_EBJ3zvyL9_Hfw_ls2EfbpAyfnyXKmoVHbiGZdDTVcmJkXvT5wIjUpT1YAjUTfq9BncQ-85RTk2MQWcSUt96QLeVJ9pRpuBE/s1600/IMG_2697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjtqw423Xm4n2ix3DlQRl1hjrT8AUsATZfgYCWReFVd-he-_EBJ3zvyL9_Hfw_ls2EfbpAyfnyXKmoVHbiGZdDTVcmJkXvT5wIjUpT1YAjUTfq9BncQ-85RTk2MQWcSUt96QLeVJ9pRpuBE/s400/IMG_2697.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our nine chickens spend the night in this enclosure.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhZG-vHweEeqnwXvkWTlhIrW6mgq6_stBSSxga9VwXCEpZDGTUvqj94N-0shC9iUQ3JL1XaDqSTfifXMtDCoqEpScn-ZhF0p_Nm1D5XkZTkOmB0eWGYPmD1RTTcb8LefJLBZ7E-x0sIM4/s1600/IMG_2722.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLhZG-vHweEeqnwXvkWTlhIrW6mgq6_stBSSxga9VwXCEpZDGTUvqj94N-0shC9iUQ3JL1XaDqSTfifXMtDCoqEpScn-ZhF0p_Nm1D5XkZTkOmB0eWGYPmD1RTTcb8LefJLBZ7E-x0sIM4/s400/IMG_2722.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're out and about during the day - free range for the time being.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgh_BNKSnJJnIFGKlJdmQSsYajDvYj_bnSY-C9Lzk3L_x1k6ipwmcwqoKQinZPh_6sXhP62uLLNz3tfkX0WSS5XThrc69YbfHgH9pSLWLcxtkqAhb8D92K4vWPt-b76RpyKq3UXceVaff/s1600/IMG_2715.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifgh_BNKSnJJnIFGKlJdmQSsYajDvYj_bnSY-C9Lzk3L_x1k6ipwmcwqoKQinZPh_6sXhP62uLLNz3tfkX0WSS5XThrc69YbfHgH9pSLWLcxtkqAhb8D92K4vWPt-b76RpyKq3UXceVaff/s400/IMG_2715.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polly and Nina.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9ladLO7fL7jcnAGHalFN35L-UC-oM7UOOsl8Iq0dtbGlgf0bJr0Scqb0VozYuKwJvPMDsKqH6P1MTO4yGOP9Z3UCTlSf8NkCAx0tEWsHY2isa11Rg4ikqR2wMuSTnxX8lsWokNzh0BC1/s1600/IMG_2718.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjW9ladLO7fL7jcnAGHalFN35L-UC-oM7UOOsl8Iq0dtbGlgf0bJr0Scqb0VozYuKwJvPMDsKqH6P1MTO4yGOP9Z3UCTlSf8NkCAx0tEWsHY2isa11Rg4ikqR2wMuSTnxX8lsWokNzh0BC1/s640/IMG_2718.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">At 7 weeks Nellie love to explore her world and thinks <br />
the new feed box was just made for her.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
do have neighbors, half a mile from us, who will help out by feeding the
animals twice a day and watering the plants once a week, as well as keeping an
eye on the place, but things will be unattended for long hours including every
night. I worry but we trust the neighbors and, on the other hand, we’re not
dependent on the plants and animals for our livelihood. If accidents happen
while we’re away they might have happened even with us here – like the ants
stripping our trees. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpO8Dasd6XDS3TzZWff7TS5OT4OtsOYxg8fftU5i0d-Zv513IdhtAVzzh3YhHyuipx953rriE8XZnYrX30BeozmmLhE6aiYSEPS94fZrVQ5l3hREeWmbshm3eog-t0iEiKq-a53-HSRen_/s1600/IMG_2719.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhpO8Dasd6XDS3TzZWff7TS5OT4OtsOYxg8fftU5i0d-Zv513IdhtAVzzh3YhHyuipx953rriE8XZnYrX30BeozmmLhE6aiYSEPS94fZrVQ5l3hREeWmbshm3eog-t0iEiKq-a53-HSRen_/s640/IMG_2719.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Nina doesn't show very much yet so she may not have her kid(s) until late September or early October. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Nina,
our pregnant goat, may give birth while we’re away. Fortunately goats are very
self-sufficient, accostumed as a species to live in wandering herds. When Polly
gave birth to Nellie all we had to do was clean up after her. In the wild she
would have wandered on leaving the after-birth behind. Our neighbors more knowledgeable about
farm life than we are so Nina and her kid(s) will be in good hands. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzX079spZR3CafWDcTtzxroCLFXk1LvLPWD0vGt-RU6SGMpXDQrT2P5sEnMWd50sdo05gaJo6Dx67TfIL2GfY1QfLbaOKSHq_FhZYZB_pI_9BwG3a5sgkwbEFJHh9k1wLbTNCgpeCOzIM1/s1600/IMG_2686.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="400" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjzX079spZR3CafWDcTtzxroCLFXk1LvLPWD0vGt-RU6SGMpXDQrT2P5sEnMWd50sdo05gaJo6Dx67TfIL2GfY1QfLbaOKSHq_FhZYZB_pI_9BwG3a5sgkwbEFJHh9k1wLbTNCgpeCOzIM1/s400/IMG_2686.jpg" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy and Marli, the neighbor who saved the day for us<br />when I had to stop working.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrCjbpsyv0rpCIPvCLF1IN6akfwVB2gVLZbbfVjy6GHmK3KeW_QnyrbaiBtYwNOTzTpcb_yDaHdsj0TzzLv64NPnmVWIVKSgwe_lxleKxMOkGqKb-jUpj15CURIkPz_XEBoVkNMY-d3cZ/s1600/IMG_2688.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjNrCjbpsyv0rpCIPvCLF1IN6akfwVB2gVLZbbfVjy6GHmK3KeW_QnyrbaiBtYwNOTzTpcb_yDaHdsj0TzzLv64NPnmVWIVKSgwe_lxleKxMOkGqKb-jUpj15CURIkPz_XEBoVkNMY-d3cZ/s400/IMG_2688.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first bedroom is full height.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoXuwvWPHm5tS5XQibUDooJudlb177j3YyqCwmYKlRi3JrJP-S93UP6ImIOFeQsz8ICOz9ROWISewilGq8kjPZVSYjt5Eez-WsLkbCau-APIwgGeY_7A6vMrO9Qw5MZYtPm_9xTexiJQT/s1600/IMG_2733.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigoXuwvWPHm5tS5XQibUDooJudlb177j3YyqCwmYKlRi3JrJP-S93UP6ImIOFeQsz8ICOz9ROWISewilGq8kjPZVSYjt5Eez-WsLkbCau-APIwgGeY_7A6vMrO9Qw5MZYtPm_9xTexiJQT/s400/IMG_2733.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The second bedroom and bathroom have started going up.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
rainy season should only get serious in November or December, so when we return
work on the cob house will continue. With a roof on the first bedroom we’ll be
able do inside work in preparation for visitors we hope to accommodate later in
the year. If we’re lucky two rooms and the bathroom will be useable – safe, dry
and comfortable. </span><br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0nWDB1rJNNPk3inpioRmGGSmSM-o4VgOiyEXol9SdG0GrCvIIRs-ZapB_FojI-BGLIsk98MHyT3yr_ctL2PID__DA4mksj9VfsNSU5GvPZnYU8yBaiksCU4kBX1UqXByAbpv1g3Gezqb/s1600/IMG_2725.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhu0nWDB1rJNNPk3inpioRmGGSmSM-o4VgOiyEXol9SdG0GrCvIIRs-ZapB_FojI-BGLIsk98MHyT3yr_ctL2PID__DA4mksj9VfsNSU5GvPZnYU8yBaiksCU4kBX1UqXByAbpv1g3Gezqb/s400/IMG_2725.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy dreamed up this covering at night while he worried about the rain.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mp7U3terUck4ULX8uZ_uJ9roi8rRV3R3vPOdy68wXJVVpG5qzZXiX67nOS4PiJnwmF6wifzs14h8hSdhA_s3pfkWreIvr5q2B7OwcG88J1AMouBjakvnEEV8Vr3BgC2FsdQVfuIGpvFv/s1600/IMG_2740.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh7mp7U3terUck4ULX8uZ_uJ9roi8rRV3R3vPOdy68wXJVVpG5qzZXiX67nOS4PiJnwmF6wifzs14h8hSdhA_s3pfkWreIvr5q2B7OwcG88J1AMouBjakvnEEV8Vr3BgC2FsdQVfuIGpvFv/s400/IMG_2740.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">All the cob covered up while we're away.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3_3iefIs7U084XPnV4CzjaER4SMS-gTGL6mdHwSI-bmDZVS8NpDpdSoHHRsNAN3wwCT-c2sG0AoTKHiAaq7ho7M9IG3ZoNQWvJk5uggjFzyY88KsgXuA9C5bKmni15vdwi86Ab2SiZBw/s1600/IMG_2737.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhx3_3iefIs7U084XPnV4CzjaER4SMS-gTGL6mdHwSI-bmDZVS8NpDpdSoHHRsNAN3wwCT-c2sG0AoTKHiAaq7ho7M9IG3ZoNQWvJk5uggjFzyY88KsgXuA9C5bKmni15vdwi86Ab2SiZBw/s400/IMG_2737.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The arched bamboo will keep the rain from pooling or collapsing the cover.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjch5ut0fP4Jt1KY9Z7NTYmaR9ZtWZgMqxBj0i1KfSkLYyc6K2tfmSnAdEz6FZj6ZCezD3-xqshRMImNN_g6QuEpSMP-s_h8h0DXHysHGWCYTFcpbdTgiJ6I4TsNJ6S_vzsaTdiLoBuW6De/s1600/IMG_2736.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjch5ut0fP4Jt1KY9Z7NTYmaR9ZtWZgMqxBj0i1KfSkLYyc6K2tfmSnAdEz6FZj6ZCezD3-xqshRMImNN_g6QuEpSMP-s_h8h0DXHysHGWCYTFcpbdTgiJ6I4TsNJ6S_vzsaTdiLoBuW6De/s640/IMG_2736.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A porthole in our new cob bedroom.</td></tr>
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<!--EndFragment-->Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-77172983080813369912015-08-12T17:45:00.000-07:002015-08-12T17:45:19.512-07:00Cob house update<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">August 13, 2015</span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobaFbYnygmnmtH4RxqzsrnWn4SoufsoeztfsaOK30NjCWTKw8kD0KaWm6PMc9EolYdP4jy5mC_HqmRdkHvZr2pxfpfjlz3mAyOA6CbpYhAKOWKTBxek3cNFojaDd1HDEmkndWc5j9bznB/s1600/IMG_2625.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiobaFbYnygmnmtH4RxqzsrnWn4SoufsoeztfsaOK30NjCWTKw8kD0KaWm6PMc9EolYdP4jy5mC_HqmRdkHvZr2pxfpfjlz3mAyOA6CbpYhAKOWKTBxek3cNFojaDd1HDEmkndWc5j9bznB/s1600/IMG_2625.jpg" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First bottle in the wall</td></tr>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Here’s
the good news: the walls to the room we’ve been building now reach almost six
feet, with spaces for a door, and two windows for which we have the frames
ready to be mounted. The rounded walls remind us of a castle and feel like
they’ll last forever. The foundation for the second bedroom and the bathroom
await their first layer of cob, and the foundation for the rest of the house,
the livingroom/kitchen area, has been built up to six inches or so and we can
enjoy its pleasing curves. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyzTqCTOyY0gQPIB3PiU2nRk60e48wthU0FVSWFQ9QTuST7qQF7yuQI4LPqRN0AEkYsJ37Qu_PJs9zKsk3d1bjBNh1HKmsXxKLblH0ZGHIczMq055oQaf251X-N7xK7r0jrEiQrllSK-r/s1600/IMG_2615.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjoyzTqCTOyY0gQPIB3PiU2nRk60e48wthU0FVSWFQ9QTuST7qQF7yuQI4LPqRN0AEkYsJ37Qu_PJs9zKsk3d1bjBNh1HKmsXxKLblH0ZGHIczMq055oQaf251X-N7xK7r0jrEiQrllSK-r/s640/IMG_2615.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two weeks ago - stripes of foundation stones, dry cob from many weeks ago, current wet cob. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMca__6IbXlxCJQ2RyrlU4t9Sy3ruQTMzeGgf99t2TOSeTqmiXOThmTtH9yyplK_fZkzJLPuMj63YNJ5kZqJ9zGwDc-TDNp8BckGMHOQA-b29jjXtw_z3FwmWVt5Sz2qoNSULOAmKd80w/s1600/IMG_2669.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEioMca__6IbXlxCJQ2RyrlU4t9Sy3ruQTMzeGgf99t2TOSeTqmiXOThmTtH9yyplK_fZkzJLPuMj63YNJ5kZqJ9zGwDc-TDNp8BckGMHOQA-b29jjXtw_z3FwmWVt5Sz2qoNSULOAmKd80w/s640/IMG_2669.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy in doorway of our castle last week.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLN5CytAA2NA4RK5kAmST4OCLIkasuR4q0Dm11nKlGrni68P0XQ0Rm4WtTVn143-qYQYOrQJBYqwBXIQLytntBiVM9x7MxNrGZ_qUCR8U9q4q-U6GYi_PQTRFNkDeX6UefxqHVFXJriaB/s1600/IMG_2663.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCLN5CytAA2NA4RK5kAmST4OCLIkasuR4q0Dm11nKlGrni68P0XQ0Rm4WtTVn143-qYQYOrQJBYqwBXIQLytntBiVM9x7MxNrGZ_qUCR8U9q4q-U6GYi_PQTRFNkDeX6UefxqHVFXJriaB/s640/IMG_2663.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from second bedroom.<br /><br /><br /><div class="MsoNormal" style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-size: 14pt;">The bad news laps at the heels of the good: it’s already mid-August and we haven’t completed the walls of the first room. (We’re going to the States for five weeks, as of Aug 31<sup>st</sup>) We still hope to have at least one bedroom ready for guests in late October and then for a young friend who plans to live with us for a few months, arriving in December. By then the second bedroom and the bathroom should be well along.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy cuts out section of cob for small round window.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Window frames ready to be mounted.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Why,
you might ask, and we ask ourselves at times, put so much effort into a cob
house, risking disappointment and failure, when construction stores line</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">the streets in town with mountains of
bricks and hills of cement bags?</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">It’s
not just the cool factor though I admit to that motivation among others. Nor is
it sheer stubborness in face of the difficulties. So? Permaculture, my friends,
and the idealism that holds fast and true since the sixites when The Whole
Earth Catalogue showed the way for the back-to-the-earth movement, and feminism
painted the picture of women and men working together to create a more people-friendly
society, and the doors of perception opened on the grand view of alternatives
to a punishing, greedy, individualistic work ethic …<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>Ooops, am I waxing too grandiose? losing my audience? I’m
sure you get the picture. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Recpitulating,
for myself as well as my dear reader, we’re here to do our tiny bit in
generating a sustainable society where, if human life hasn’t gone extinct, our
great-grandchildren around the world will be able to build their own shelters,
grow their own food, and live a decent and just life. Cobbing is part of this
effort: building with the soil from our own property, avoiding as much as
possible the environmental costs of industrial products as well as
rediscovering the age-old techniques of building with what’s at hand and fits
with the local habitat. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 19px;">A couple of updates: Sofia, my daughter, has returned to live in the States for the time being.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCGFGHff8U16WatR7e_XgCqbllpKChil9NW1TpsNVljDqs2UdBCtsK82jR04ze7AgdpwsBFtIQligrFOUSUOZ_uDQXCI5oYVCmSE2drRsfwHwrDPgU9sqBW_szwD50dMTC40fksAXHOIi/s1600/IMG_2503.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="315" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhGCGFGHff8U16WatR7e_XgCqbllpKChil9NW1TpsNVljDqs2UdBCtsK82jR04ze7AgdpwsBFtIQligrFOUSUOZ_uDQXCI5oYVCmSE2drRsfwHwrDPgU9sqBW_szwD50dMTC40fksAXHOIi/s400/IMG_2503.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia, Greta, and Lulu - last day on the farm.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3e_SIe8Nt-Qe5J4gVQM8Y73c0JRYZifcJPF7glpkBVnZdrv0r9LqTmrxlt2Qzlxz0p6yAE5UTigpnZTIxyU_4M53JAPZUzu8QxlMMmSzQkYA8TvGjfrHmnjaiEqxVkaPeJfhImBZ2vone/s1600/IMG_2508.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3e_SIe8Nt-Qe5J4gVQM8Y73c0JRYZifcJPF7glpkBVnZdrv0r9LqTmrxlt2Qzlxz0p6yAE5UTigpnZTIxyU_4M53JAPZUzu8QxlMMmSzQkYA8TvGjfrHmnjaiEqxVkaPeJfhImBZ2vone/s400/IMG_2508.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia and Guy - getting ready to go.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">She kept us company and worked alongside us for three years,
clearing the land for planting and cobbing, making vegetable beds, digging deep
holes for saplings, loving our pets (Fofo and Lolita), and generally cheering
us on. For the cob house she collected stones with me for the foundation,
helped mix the first batch of cob, and brought friends out on several Saturdays
to do some building. We already miss her and will always be grateful for her
support.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fresh goat milk - yum.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’re
milking Polly, the mama goat, every morning now. We’re up before 7, in the cold
mornings, but we warm up quickly as we put ourselves and Polly through the
paces. We’re consistently getting two cups of milk, which we immediately use
for our coffee and for granola. Tastes great, just like cow's milk. Perhaps we’ll get up to a quart before we leave
for the States. When we get back in October Nina, the pregnant goat, will have
birthed her one or two kids and we’ll be back to milking. With experience under
our belts we won’t have to start at two tablespoons as we did with Polly. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In the meantime we enjoy the farm views in the daytime and the stars at night.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bougainvillea (red), mango flowers (pinkish), and quaresma (purple).</td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com4tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-61045690904189404482015-08-05T16:47:00.003-07:002015-08-05T16:48:35.671-07:00Goats and chickens<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">August 5, 2015 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Despite
my intentions another two months have gone by without a post on this blog. Some
of you get our news and occasional photo on Facebook, however I want to
maintain a full account of our projects here<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>–<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>permaculture,
bio-construction, small-scale animal raising.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Speaking
of which, the farm has numerous new residents since the beginning of June. On
June 8<sup>th</sup> we picked up two young goats, both does expecting their
first offspring in a few weeks. We named them after our mothers: Nina, for
Guy’s mother, and Polly for mine. After all they are the matriarchs of what we
hope will prove to be a fine lineage. Neither of us had any experience with
caring for goats though Guy’s relatives in Easton had goats at Mary Farm back
in the mid-twentieth century. (Don’t you love how that sounds?) <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWERRv3xXyrAAn_j0ZTdVWmpwNNGCdG2F-8M4dhAZeAo6r1WDU_DU5BJeWDddUz7s4y5MdSIoQLqG3LeCbbTz8Yz6B8BRG34_zMy3MTUII8hAgZhzNow2lQk5N5Ab75dcU7jD8A-YeMQ-U/s1600/IMG_2400.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhWERRv3xXyrAAn_j0ZTdVWmpwNNGCdG2F-8M4dhAZeAo6r1WDU_DU5BJeWDddUz7s4y5MdSIoQLqG3LeCbbTz8Yz6B8BRG34_zMy3MTUII8hAgZhzNow2lQk5N5Ab75dcU7jD8A-YeMQ-U/s400/IMG_2400.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polly and Nina are the two goats on the right. This is at <br />
the small goat farm where we picked them up</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We took them home in our little Fiat Uno.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
day we brought Nina and Polly home they escaped twice and led us on a wild
chase through woods and pasture. It took us around three hours, with no lunch
or rest, to finally get them safely tied up. For me, after six months of sciatica,
the ability to engage in such an adventure was exhilirating at the same time
that it was frustrating and scary. What if we never caught them? What if they
ran into the hills and disappeared altogether? What if the neighboring dogs, a
goat’s worst enemy I hear, joined the pursuit and ended up tearing them to
pieces? </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkN1KiGfXtkKFBS4buM8b52kjNrL3llgDVTM3Bjj0wxS5YULliDhJNZEE3RcgXIECKgBqfL8_nAebfLaguNweMGNpZt3rB6b2xR1oa05tbPaRVYR8_M4-XjkCotEYNmfqWazHOQchk0b6b/s1600/IMG_2407.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjkN1KiGfXtkKFBS4buM8b52kjNrL3llgDVTM3Bjj0wxS5YULliDhJNZEE3RcgXIECKgBqfL8_nAebfLaguNweMGNpZt3rB6b2xR1oa05tbPaRVYR8_M4-XjkCotEYNmfqWazHOQchk0b6b/s640/IMG_2407.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"Catch us if you can!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9dj8c18bYeQ1bZirlz8zFN84PwUL47kSJRTW_iyW2VpNJiTl24cJy7Idf7PjXsI98XuHv4LBgxZ5VbLG-WxA_TN5jnvCEcS4TCZZf9dzdBFTR42v54x2CcDkuYDBTTaCn0RFEQIEOBXH/s1600/IMG_2409.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhp9dj8c18bYeQ1bZirlz8zFN84PwUL47kSJRTW_iyW2VpNJiTl24cJy7Idf7PjXsI98XuHv4LBgxZ5VbLG-WxA_TN5jnvCEcS4TCZZf9dzdBFTR42v54x2CcDkuYDBTTaCn0RFEQIEOBXH/s640/IMG_2409.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polly and Nina: "OK, what's next?"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">By now they have a pleasant fenced in area, with electric fence to keep
out the dogs and other predators, as well as a sturdy shed to give them
shelter. We understand that goats don’t like rain and mud, therefor the
importance of an elevated covered area.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Y7KvTssQet49oqQOkWgoxveTiyuzw_8zofOpJdtKt4olqf0iV0hmjmMJJXh1euDOwmSaHww_zSayPvreAPPv8XC3kyfzjeY2u9ns-1XNhn4Kh_ZSNtnbYqsegxg3FA11BYaD-1Kwtmho/s1600/IMG_2524.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg5Y7KvTssQet49oqQOkWgoxveTiyuzw_8zofOpJdtKt4olqf0iV0hmjmMJJXh1euDOwmSaHww_zSayPvreAPPv8XC3kyfzjeY2u9ns-1XNhn4Kh_ZSNtnbYqsegxg3FA11BYaD-1Kwtmho/s640/IMG_2524.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">"You're welcome to visit. You should know that I, Nina, am the boss!"</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">On June 16 friends in Cocalzinho gave us a hen with nine tiny chicks. Of the
dozen or more free-range hens and roosters on their little weekend farm, wild
animals – dogs, otters, hawks, wildcats – had taken all but this brooding hen
and three roosters. The chicks hatched on the weekend while they visited and it
was a no-brainer to bring the brood to us. Unprepared for this sudden addition,
I hurried out on the town to get provisions. At the stuff-for-sale dump (ferro
velho) I found a rusty but strong cage, and at the farm store I picked up a
feeder, a water server, and five pounds of feed. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9RTHEZIj01yFPvByFNkAN5_42MYcLhBgTBYdL2y19WsXknQI59lHrwcHtscl2-9RMClCkFCKjC-f6LBK6UFyszEq0ky27lbmq48bFNRY5oAeng8H6xWoZDu2O4RLYgYaNz4IuSC5iBuf/s1600/IMG_2438.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjP9RTHEZIj01yFPvByFNkAN5_42MYcLhBgTBYdL2y19WsXknQI59lHrwcHtscl2-9RMClCkFCKjC-f6LBK6UFyszEq0ky27lbmq48bFNRY5oAeng8H6xWoZDu2O4RLYgYaNz4IuSC5iBuf/s320/IMG_2438.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<br />
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJGtNe-SQ_t_xmrPcZaGPDHv7LIRaxMRfJgFNrK-gSXIIteN_E5so9_McCwuP3PnD2zhzdPLXuhDH7bMdkf9G_KpADx6vOWGspUgLUOg0d8MRygR1faaQqDGQ2OZwGV961NSHzqPqmHVQ/s1600/IMG_2447.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgHJGtNe-SQ_t_xmrPcZaGPDHv7LIRaxMRfJgFNrK-gSXIIteN_E5so9_McCwuP3PnD2zhzdPLXuhDH7bMdkf9G_KpADx6vOWGspUgLUOg0d8MRygR1faaQqDGQ2OZwGV961NSHzqPqmHVQ/s320/IMG_2447.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
brought Henny-Penny and her babies home in a cardboard box. As we transferred
them to the cage a very excited Lolita (our dog) grabbed one of the chicks and
ran off with it. I think she only wanted to play and had no idea how fragile
that little bundle of feathers was. I collected the mangled chick, scolded
Lolita soundly, and put the little body on the porch in front of her until she
understood that she was not to touch it. It took a few more scoldings in the
following days, but now Lolita doesn’t blink and eye while the chickens roam,
including a new addition – another hen donated by a neighbor. She has to live
outside the chicken pen because Henny-Penny attacks her relentlessly when they’re
in close quarters, supposedly guarding her chicks from the intruder,
establishing who has rights in the chicken yard. We release the whole brood in
the late afternoon for two hours of roaming. Otherwise they eat grains and
leftovers from the kitchen. I can’t tell for sure but I think most of the
chicks are females – soon we should start collecting eggs! <o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJZkheHLqjF9lrXTt8ar9zO8HmlzSP7330XnpV0WqrMjGEFoBCw4ygT5YAJ_KqM5xoQ1nc08MAwB7l-rpHPY3b87zADZB81MzLaCZFd3bId2G8sabosJ2CynygBLXsWADjoMonSlqWnF9/s1600/IMG_2530.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiuJZkheHLqjF9lrXTt8ar9zO8HmlzSP7330XnpV0WqrMjGEFoBCw4ygT5YAJ_KqM5xoQ1nc08MAwB7l-rpHPY3b87zADZB81MzLaCZFd3bId2G8sabosJ2CynygBLXsWADjoMonSlqWnF9/s400/IMG_2530.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Inspecting the cob house.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQNsygUi0zdaCz3keq8kQqy-VfrMA7q3337f458cqxIlydRHkkf-J2-rMHHBwKDE56dlnafQ1Na9oWxiPkGDDfEuGhyphenhyphenlpXaul9t4opOsistHl4_EhrIiShH4AH2_lBD64x_tkUepyO5d5/s1600/IMG_2632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhEQNsygUi0zdaCz3keq8kQqy-VfrMA7q3337f458cqxIlydRHkkf-J2-rMHHBwKDE56dlnafQ1Na9oWxiPkGDDfEuGhyphenhyphenlpXaul9t4opOsistHl4_EhrIiShH4AH2_lBD64x_tkUepyO5d5/s400/IMG_2632.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Six weeks later - chickies growing up.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQT6tirfSm9WUOBib30Wnsb5UHcdk0-DEdmEsAIFtQXKbmFLgpUZisHjyK-73oANGpGoCp5cDAmm71TJBGo7V5B-2Pp6Y5o2cJTkGU-_vPvurQvW48RVM0o7ol2cOWO96Wo6I076mT-kCz/s1600/IMG_2631.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="444" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjQT6tirfSm9WUOBib30Wnsb5UHcdk0-DEdmEsAIFtQXKbmFLgpUZisHjyK-73oANGpGoCp5cDAmm71TJBGo7V5B-2Pp6Y5o2cJTkGU-_vPvurQvW48RVM0o7ol2cOWO96Wo6I076mT-kCz/s640/IMG_2631.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Unwelcome addition - she lives outside the coop and<br />
perches in a tree overnight. Check out her beautiful tail.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">On
July 10<sup>th</sup> Polly gave birth to little Nellie, who entered the world
ready to go, up on her legs and following her dam around right away. Guy
reminded me that the newborns of many roaming herd animals need to be able to
move on with the herd immediately after their birth. </span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuG8BKKIZPBBUcaVXicCqWr0kgBoz7baJAxZhnHuozhxB2U-k8Y772j-WU1BXHdqylbORYIiaA62fZP5lxzLcWP8gAhzV6xDJ-kns41LR5OmXhC4UT0mVjurLI-5tlt8mw9UV9QmDI04G/s1600/IMG_2519.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="281" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvuG8BKKIZPBBUcaVXicCqWr0kgBoz7baJAxZhnHuozhxB2U-k8Y772j-WU1BXHdqylbORYIiaA62fZP5lxzLcWP8gAhzV6xDJ-kns41LR5OmXhC4UT0mVjurLI-5tlt8mw9UV9QmDI04G/s400/IMG_2519.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome Nellie.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC5aIgXnlSflD6AD5pLcZGLdiMmLKrY4s1VpGPOGevqzKTnevAeTZauKp_VjkQg82AkPqv-8MfgZfvMvx3_21Vs0QEVmllVI_1j3b-Urbm_2j16x5yVu8MK06n6vrLLOOFNVaN4-epC8e/s1600/IMG_2606.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEghC5aIgXnlSflD6AD5pLcZGLdiMmLKrY4s1VpGPOGevqzKTnevAeTZauKp_VjkQg82AkPqv-8MfgZfvMvx3_21Vs0QEVmllVI_1j3b-Urbm_2j16x5yVu8MK06n6vrLLOOFNVaN4-epC8e/s640/IMG_2606.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Polly and Nellie in foreground. Pregnant Nina behind - we don't know when she'll give birth. </td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Guy and I work together to
milk Polly and so far we’ve gotten up to a half cup at a time. It’s not easy,
but we’re determined to keep at it, and we like the milk a lot. It’s like a
mild low fat cow’s milk; I don’t think I could tell the difference in a blind
test.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><br /></span></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> <b><i>Please leave a comment.</i></b></span></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"><b><i><br /></i></b></span></span></div>
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<b> Stay tuned for news on the cob house - next post soon.</b></div>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com5tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-43731364820737996502015-06-06T16:34:00.000-07:002015-06-06T16:34:33.338-07:00A New Phase<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">June 5, 2015 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: .5in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in; text-indent: .5in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Once again we
want to put out an appeal to anyone who is <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in; margin-left: 1.0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: 0in;">
<i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;">ready for a Brazilian
adventure and eager to learn about cob or desirous of participating in a
permaculture project – come join us for a week or a month, or even longer. To
come from the US you will need a minimum of around $2000</span><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> </span><span style="font-size: medium;">for airfare and incidentals. We will
pick you up at the airport in Brasilia and host you (good food and wonderful
sleeping in a quiet dark space where the stream gurgles by and the stars jump
out at you at night) in exchange for w</span><span style="font-size: 19px;">orking alongside us, a few hours most days,</span><span style="font-size: medium;"> very
flexible. We have people scheduled for this Fall and Winter, but right now
June, July and August are wide open. Contact us through the </span></i><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Comment <i style="mso-bidi-font-style: normal;">section below, or by email or Facebook.<o:p></o:p></i></span></div>
<div class="MsoNormal" style="margin-bottom: .0001pt; margin-bottom: 0in;">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<br /></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">A new phase begins<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Od1q4-cjGsNlZOA5cjTIJtg-TxGhB-OPYhXJGyH4Vv00XRJZJ1d1KRaXfbqN90srfWgvNLYpCUS9Fa7OeDz_ldsd0Wz_a6SXKgyflc7_Mc4EQMid9cSQ5Rp-x5ElCxTj71Xpga0mi8cJ/s1600/IMG_2280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Od1q4-cjGsNlZOA5cjTIJtg-TxGhB-OPYhXJGyH4Vv00XRJZJ1d1KRaXfbqN90srfWgvNLYpCUS9Fa7OeDz_ldsd0Wz_a6SXKgyflc7_Mc4EQMid9cSQ5Rp-x5ElCxTj71Xpga0mi8cJ/s640/IMG_2280.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where we left off at the beginning of the rainy season. We covered the cob to protect it from the daily, sometimes torrential rains that we expect between November and April. </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
rainy season is finally coming to a close – the June 2<sup>nd</sup> full moon
may have brought in the dry season - and we’ve taken the cover off the cob
house. <span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>On Monday, June 1, we mixed
our first mud cob and started building again. It took us four days to complete
a full round and now we’re ready to work on the floor for a few days – a new
task for us. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHGjXDtndb1ktHVxPsglou3avYz62fen5M_IwcSzlem8XnTdMBAhvfJl6_S85vooWyLd7Oba-vofUO8yG1pZXAe9yGqbtfW21iC5ZNsuduu57CEk3NjLhQU8b76CxXM_hyphenhyphenmb0zjQZebR_/s1600/IMG_2345.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjiHGjXDtndb1ktHVxPsglou3avYz62fen5M_IwcSzlem8XnTdMBAhvfJl6_S85vooWyLd7Oba-vofUO8yG1pZXAe9yGqbtfW21iC5ZNsuduu57CEk3NjLhQU8b76CxXM_hyphenhyphenmb0zjQZebR_/s400/IMG_2345.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We started at the upper side, covering the foundation stones.</td></tr>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv27qVjl4IBTb-HvuT_eI9VQSoqrRIBz_PhfW6Dpnv_QUnLPWrM6Qwf1_BQA2eTaMeeWRKazSSQc04uDVvC0MruCMxb8UQ0Jwt5K9soaXCqX6WMbtTKNsCKSghlTACayaZgOi4fgfvkRgJ/s1600/IMG_2349.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgv27qVjl4IBTb-HvuT_eI9VQSoqrRIBz_PhfW6Dpnv_QUnLPWrM6Qwf1_BQA2eTaMeeWRKazSSQc04uDVvC0MruCMxb8UQ0Jwt5K9soaXCqX6WMbtTKNsCKSghlTACayaZgOi4fgfvkRgJ/s400/IMG_2349.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We wet down the dry cob so as to lay down a new layer.</td></tr>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCY4fdb4vkn7FDHERZ46qrr4K-LUbjlLSI10u90tCiHrgk6w5nWZ_M8kpZ1Cx2TwYP08ONl1Tqof0tSAPSLlHe9sM7MtDxvjnesbC1LzatD2Jxe6_1ouq5mVP1Q6g5pFynDs1KwQ2SMMK/s1600/IMG_2348.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgjCY4fdb4vkn7FDHERZ46qrr4K-LUbjlLSI10u90tCiHrgk6w5nWZ_M8kpZ1Cx2TwYP08ONl1Tqof0tSAPSLlHe9sM7MtDxvjnesbC1LzatD2Jxe6_1ouq5mVP1Q6g5pFynDs1KwQ2SMMK/s400/IMG_2348.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The earth is waiting on the tarp to be trampled into cob.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiiTwfs5OvJqYlUX7aaTGBKZ6Mr3SmZAedoAYPw-Y9v1uUywvG9gdJatuFB7KPPGFJVPRBtznI7r-r8kvcAr6RmqV-9yOBwkLowuU00gr0PulVZYkk2p8HRJTRA1_sW2qKiTLMeRZU37j/s1600/IMG_2351.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjAiiTwfs5OvJqYlUX7aaTGBKZ6Mr3SmZAedoAYPw-Y9v1uUywvG9gdJatuFB7KPPGFJVPRBtznI7r-r8kvcAr6RmqV-9yOBwkLowuU00gr0PulVZYkk2p8HRJTRA1_sW2qKiTLMeRZU37j/s400/IMG_2351.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">About three inches higher on either side of the doorway.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFy61L0aSPgrUdPY-tsJ11RAsKceN3fWqhbKMXE5jYDdx4_DncnrHmMTyDm9VfEdMPyI5d4yTH3NUaSK4qsAHImT9SkME9B7mO2VecKp_g4NkvunZjLssSvgNtLtzJQ_VvrtusKjyhetmX/s1600/IMG_2352.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFy61L0aSPgrUdPY-tsJ11RAsKceN3fWqhbKMXE5jYDdx4_DncnrHmMTyDm9VfEdMPyI5d4yTH3NUaSK4qsAHImT9SkME9B7mO2VecKp_g4NkvunZjLssSvgNtLtzJQ_VvrtusKjyhetmX/s640/IMG_2352.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">A complete circle added. The cob at the far right starts at floor level, behind the pails, about 18 inches. The outside walls have a high foundation to protect them from the rain, so there's only three inches of cob on the high end.<br /> </td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’re
moving slowly, a bit tentatively since about five and half months ago I entered
a period of chronic pain caused by degenerative disc and osteoarthritis symptoms,
both cervical and lumbar. I’m finally better but more limited in my activities
than before. I’ve had to give up some of my jobs such as tree hole and trench
digging, and heavy weeding. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Re-cap
for those who missed earlier phases (you can, of course, go back in the blog
and see our work from the beginning, including references to some of the
sources we’ve used):</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">At
this point we’re building the first bedroom of a two bedroom house with
bathroom, open space for living room and eating area, and ample porch/patio
area. </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">First
we made trenches with a lining of gravel, over which we built the stone
foundation. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR5UdR9O0aZHYcP3_m5pdxqIKbgsS7NhEKagrm4J2jlwvP8qM0cgHEVUmIAAmzgdzD9rsj80KDdOtoJ8ySgUbu5IwLEHmEiPssAQuiBfIB7kgeLrFmRo4-mnGvlq-Ncrf9MpYUzQG3Lfd/s1600/P7114601.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEidR5UdR9O0aZHYcP3_m5pdxqIKbgsS7NhEKagrm4J2jlwvP8qM0cgHEVUmIAAmzgdzD9rsj80KDdOtoJ8ySgUbu5IwLEHmEiPssAQuiBfIB7kgeLrFmRo4-mnGvlq-Ncrf9MpYUzQG3Lfd/s320/P7114601.jpg" width="320" /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gXRozAeq3NAlxPTdhw3kyryGAhDBm5Vv8IAeGIgYTYaZKCy42mL8imD3j1b9XUVAeevi11mTNNaYZw3rLn0vLsMuVF2SBSXw7wZvVaPHs5zn_b1l0vDl6djZ-5AR46nZGSW9_VNM5nJS/s1600/IMG_1924.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEj6gXRozAeq3NAlxPTdhw3kyryGAhDBm5Vv8IAeGIgYTYaZKCy42mL8imD3j1b9XUVAeevi11mTNNaYZw3rLn0vLsMuVF2SBSXw7wZvVaPHs5zn_b1l0vDl6djZ-5AR46nZGSW9_VNM5nJS/s320/IMG_1924.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxGtVmEr5JO5jD_1fOBp9wAGrr06Fch-YalxnSll4ltbH9Zc5QKDwdfSdS79jeqbXt2bnH0fa8x829E71GpS8CM9BDTSvNs3XCtro3T61GPoELkCzyyZlNeLNTlBFL-bjVfvdTu4tvnMQ/s1600/IMG_2031.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" height="240" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgsxGtVmEr5JO5jD_1fOBp9wAGrr06Fch-YalxnSll4ltbH9Zc5QKDwdfSdS79jeqbXt2bnH0fa8x829E71GpS8CM9BDTSvNs3XCtro3T61GPoELkCzyyZlNeLNTlBFL-bjVfvdTu4tvnMQ/s320/IMG_2031.jpg" width="320" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">We determined the correct mix of earth, sand and straw for our cob mixture, and began building up the walls. </span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Guy and I can do it alone, but we’ve
enjoyed the company and help of several people: Sofia, Camila, Kimberly, Lisa,
Hale, and Cesar. Victor, Sofia and some neighbors helped with the arduous task
of collecting stones along the road and creeks.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9k7HsFxDiHoxuA-vAv51S110h8HmJzZIGEUIhHq161xUX9o9_m3CBxHl8oLCOCT5HD10sUidqI7kATWqSVeEoHnyMaVVnosLeHtynP7rA-Bx7YnSsBUpkN-crn0l3uUIZLqgubC1oaXvX/s1600/IMG_2036.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="470" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9k7HsFxDiHoxuA-vAv51S110h8HmJzZIGEUIhHq161xUX9o9_m3CBxHl8oLCOCT5HD10sUidqI7kATWqSVeEoHnyMaVVnosLeHtynP7rA-Bx7YnSsBUpkN-crn0l3uUIZLqgubC1oaXvX/s640/IMG_2036.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia and Kimberly putting down the first layer of cob.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’ve
spent less than US$500 (R$1500) for construction grade gravel, several bags of
lime for the foundation mortar, and a load of stones to continue the foundation
for the second bedroom. Soon we will need to build or buy doors and windows,
and eventually wood and tiles for the roof. We’ll probably also pay for outside
help – we hope to move more quickly now in order to finish at least the two
bedrooms by the end of August, but even better the whole house by the end on
the year! <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7kvpsYo0VJcuMDbty0JRC51v3wEBNo0tjGH1w7ZFMfzXsF8VbDTG63VPv4V3_izWsk5OTdZk3_Wu-XGGmsUfj9pW86JJjvG9yTZuYlVORULd9HirQQEBlN0RfqLLWOk6r6DUMbB6sprR/s1600/IMG_2354.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhm7kvpsYo0VJcuMDbty0JRC51v3wEBNo0tjGH1w7ZFMfzXsF8VbDTG63VPv4V3_izWsk5OTdZk3_Wu-XGGmsUfj9pW86JJjvG9yTZuYlVORULd9HirQQEBlN0RfqLLWOk6r6DUMbB6sprR/s400/IMG_2354.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The pit where we get our earth, an appropriate mixture of clay and sand, is close enough to the building site.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqn8IJiEP3id3NxlM1O3-Lrw3s94FmgVS4X_OWgBEzqCxzOQ1_TVRjWsyLhu3KnrQrvlrI3dMJaS84VgD-_k9RTZibgxOTH7Nup5dw9pPvylrDU8DFr5TUwx4vUvCwF1sdeFtNHJtG5oT/s1600/IMG_2355.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="300" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNqn8IJiEP3id3NxlM1O3-Lrw3s94FmgVS4X_OWgBEzqCxzOQ1_TVRjWsyLhu3KnrQrvlrI3dMJaS84VgD-_k9RTZibgxOTH7Nup5dw9pPvylrDU8DFr5TUwx4vUvCwF1sdeFtNHJtG5oT/s400/IMG_2355.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The sand mound that provides additional sand for the cob is left over from when our <br />brick house was built two and a half years ago.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">What
else is new? I’m in the middle of harvesting cotton from one plant and coffee
from two little trees. </span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByyStcPF83ml8_ZHNNOB4pmrTN13Y-zgtPf6g1m6BZgI3hp4o4_TPBl53GwLzOn40uQ96V_YGmdVlXqTtLRVW6apmI6BBAvASx-yINbcAv_RgclRxOPgEq0BhcH79JwUu3mLt1Vh-SFd4/s1600/IMG_2332.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhByyStcPF83ml8_ZHNNOB4pmrTN13Y-zgtPf6g1m6BZgI3hp4o4_TPBl53GwLzOn40uQ96V_YGmdVlXqTtLRVW6apmI6BBAvASx-yINbcAv_RgclRxOPgEq0BhcH79JwUu3mLt1Vh-SFd4/s640/IMG_2332.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cotton and coffee.</td></tr>
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<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-size: 14pt;">The lemon tree is full again of ripening lemons and a second tree is starting to produce this year after two years of pruning. Both trees were here when we arrived, in the middle of pasture land where the cows rubbed up against the trees, breaking branches and trampling new growth. Our new trees this year are a cashew, a cajá-manga, and a tamarind. And six banana plants forming a grove just back of our house, where the </span><span style="font-size: 19px;"> </span><span style="font-size: 19px;">water from the kitchen and shower drains.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Newly planted banana sprouting a new leaf.<br /><br /><br /><b>Stay tuned for the next chapter: GOATS!</b></td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-30844024919579144132015-05-21T17:56:00.004-07:002015-05-22T16:28:22.137-07:00<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Written January 28 - Posted May 22</span></b><b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"> </span></b><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGuvZnjRjE-ZsArFZOA-DYwiekb6Fp5vpCF9lOgJEtBc4df8iF_jOCde1SRHYEmNoA01r3JAJhmNGRo-iwMRELluulctZTT22dJSgAhRdknYacBMBX5SF9NAqFR4ANrTwod-fS1xeJXzQ/s1600/IMG_2291+-+Version+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjJGuvZnjRjE-ZsArFZOA-DYwiekb6Fp5vpCF9lOgJEtBc4df8iF_jOCde1SRHYEmNoA01r3JAJhmNGRo-iwMRELluulctZTT22dJSgAhRdknYacBMBX5SF9NAqFR4ANrTwod-fS1xeJXzQ/s640/IMG_2291+-+Version+2.jpg" width="626" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Every so often I lose touch with the significance of
what Guy and I are doing here on this little piece of land. Then along comes a
book or an article that puts things into perspective again, such as this
article by Nafeez Ahmed: <b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;">Nasa-funded
study: industrial civilisation headed for ‘irreversible collapse’?<o:p></o:p></b></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Nafeez writes about a study, partly sponsored by
Nasa’s Goddard Space Flight Center, that looks at the possibility that our
global industrial civilization is headed for collapse. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GuardianTextEgyptianWeb; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">[The study] finds that according to the historical record
even advanced, complex civilisations </span><span style="font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><span style="font-family: GuardianTextEgyptianWeb; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">are
susceptible to collapse, raising questions about the sustainability of modern
civilisation: </span><span style="font-family: "Lucida Grande"; font-size: 7.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-family: GuardianTextEgyptianWeb; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">"The fall of the Roman Empire, and the equally (if not
more) advanced Han, Mauryan, and Gupta Empires, as well as so many advanced
Mesopotamian Empires, are all testimony to the fact that advanced,
sophisticated, complex, and creative civilizations can be both fragile and
impermanent." </span></i><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: GuardianTextEgyptianWeb; font-size: 13.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";">By investigating the human-nature dynamics of these past
cases of collapse, the project identifies the most salient interrelated factors
which explain civilisational decline, and which may help determine the risk of
collapse today: namely, Population, Climate, Water, Agriculture, and Energy. </span><span style="font-family: Times; font-size: 10.0pt; mso-bidi-font-family: "Times New Roman";"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Permaculture, </span></b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">an approach to living
sustainably on the Earth, could save us from the catastrophe of the collapse of
western industrial civilisation, which sometimes seems awfully close. The news
that the new director of NASA is a climate-denier adds a notch on the toppling
timber. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Once
again I understand our commitment here on this farm to be part of the global
effort to bring some sanity and hope to our civilisation. We do not deal here
in cynicism, consumerism, commodification of people (racism, sexism, pornography),
selfies, swear words. We eat little meat and avoid processed foods. We are
trying to find the simple and basic ways of meeting our need for shelter and
food, comfort, friendship, entertainment, beauty. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm13rhJ8nXBPkdh3jga8BG4d9ls9zTyf-UVsUNTHjze5qQLuSSEudSUtRhQFMS95Ax6uVSS-PLjsvtdyvWPzsDdPeRRh9DaxVNau8xuLKejqOXwc9yhBmMHMW1uCHpc58tP4rwFzLuc6t8/s1600/IMG_2278.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm13rhJ8nXBPkdh3jga8BG4d9ls9zTyf-UVsUNTHjze5qQLuSSEudSUtRhQFMS95Ax6uVSS-PLjsvtdyvWPzsDdPeRRh9DaxVNau8xuLKejqOXwc9yhBmMHMW1uCHpc58tP4rwFzLuc6t8/s640/IMG_2278.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Kimberly and Cesar transport gravel to cob construction site.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p8n1s_BtzHwpYKkXnOCuxgGpOlW37W_-Ahc2hizC_4I9tDiDCWUHH6ADIrr9OW684wSSVLTA1EJZq7xp5gMjs8zAhHRhj5ryC1eaf1KZefUUEsxzRKVEETRlpsE1mT3BdletsuUcyyYA/s1600/IMG_2280.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="480" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi3p8n1s_BtzHwpYKkXnOCuxgGpOlW37W_-Ahc2hizC_4I9tDiDCWUHH6ADIrr9OW684wSSVLTA1EJZq7xp5gMjs8zAhHRhj5ryC1eaf1KZefUUEsxzRKVEETRlpsE1mT3BdletsuUcyyYA/s640/IMG_2280.jpg" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy supervises placement of gravel.</td></tr>
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We
do use technology and the internet, we have a car (flex: gas or alcohol). We
use gas for cooking for now. We get electricity from the municipal grid.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">But
slowly we are moving in the direction of solar cooking as much as possible, as
well as solar heat for our shower, and solar panels for electricity. We already
use only a dry toilet system with composting of human waste in addition to a
separate </span>compost area for kitchen and garden waste. Our use of electricity is
minimal: four overhead lights, six outlets for our gadgets, the refrigerator
and an electric shower.</div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLZHnV_xBmoMZHCo_5ks848ZYDFBDMQBOrIo7rNYgGVNZD4Erugl0SB0xEp0vwVdtUt1XuwfRDgQCefBEDo-WibQA2MC8XfOX9s1BmY9KhHdJbJvJ6-GoS8gJBcBtg5Tq_qP1DlDCLrFl/s1600/IMG_2231.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="316" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhvLZHnV_xBmoMZHCo_5ks848ZYDFBDMQBOrIo7rNYgGVNZD4Erugl0SB0xEp0vwVdtUt1XuwfRDgQCefBEDo-WibQA2MC8XfOX9s1BmY9KhHdJbJvJ6-GoS8gJBcBtg5Tq_qP1DlDCLrFl/s400/IMG_2231.jpg" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">We tried a new technique: in the strip above we burned wood to char, then covered.<br />
Thanks to Hale, who helped us with this project.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uwbawTfpcNLbqJemUSVlTd2eV3kcFDEXNZK0yeCETomxLWFCUxN8yi3MiLVWJBUX6jTvUW4uydAhRB4P3gwMgNfcCOgbswv70PaR3cG24loVU02LpPQlq_m13dLn4ZiWtxaJWE3MCSY/s1600/IMG_2259.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiD6uwbawTfpcNLbqJemUSVlTd2eV3kcFDEXNZK0yeCETomxLWFCUxN8yi3MiLVWJBUX6jTvUW4uydAhRB4P3gwMgNfcCOgbswv70PaR3cG24loVU02LpPQlq_m13dLn4ZiWtxaJWE3MCSY/s640/IMG_2259.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Eventually we successfully planted mustard, arrugula, lettuce, radishes and cilantro in<br />
the char strip.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Gardening</span></div>
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continues to present us with constant disappointments: pests of many varieties
(ants, caterpillars, grasshoppers, aphids, cutting worms, and other bugs we
never see except for the damage they leave), and failure to thrive that we
still don’t understand. We use no chemical fertilizers or pesticides as most of
our neighbors do. We haven’t been able to find answers in books or on the
internet for our specific problems, so as we find our own solutions we’ll be
able to share with others in our area.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">There’s
actually a lot of interest in organic vegetables in this area for two reasons:
a) the knowledge of the negative health effects of chemical fertilizers and
pesticides is becoming more widespread and people decry that Brazilian food is
the most contaminated in the world; and therefor b) the market for organic
foods grows not only in the big cities but in the small towns like Cocalzinho
as well. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Green coffee beans. We have two young plants and this is their first crop.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPuCb8lUS-lS6CloGbiy3mm7hySqnRp-dRQJW36GMpxGRHFusCjO-mKkeu_sfOMUHhtsxnupBxDhwSTd6DcfCybH0pe9-kXSKpjhsa5vruVxAomybN4VdCT8Ps-tzhyphenhyphensYQSGEbO7Japub/s1600/IMG_2288.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" height="640" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgtPuCb8lUS-lS6CloGbiy3mm7hySqnRp-dRQJW36GMpxGRHFusCjO-mKkeu_sfOMUHhtsxnupBxDhwSTd6DcfCybH0pe9-kXSKpjhsa5vruVxAomybN4VdCT8Ps-tzhyphenhyphensYQSGEbO7Japub/s640/IMG_2288.jpg" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our cotton plant has started to produce.</td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-5221307467160304082014-12-01T15:44:00.001-08:002014-12-01T15:44:43.689-08:00Cob House Update<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<span style="font-size: large;"><b>November 2014 - Cob House Update </b></span><br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_i1WTx5m3WGZptZdrViMed1ree7xqFCbvgFYZxMLAvmmNZcDRiqTg779f2CTiqRSH7Se-NbIiwsBr3yAKa-fTpwERlmY9E-TRen7adY7ZEo15TCZGJ6G1xJLUp4sAj0gblZX3idRtQCN/s1600/IMG_2214+-+Version+2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjv_i1WTx5m3WGZptZdrViMed1ree7xqFCbvgFYZxMLAvmmNZcDRiqTg779f2CTiqRSH7Se-NbIiwsBr3yAKa-fTpwERlmY9E-TRen7adY7ZEo15TCZGJ6G1xJLUp4sAj0gblZX3idRtQCN/s1600/IMG_2214+-+Version+2.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a>My last post on the cob house was early in August, when we were still working on the foundation. Since then we've raised the inner walls up to the level of the outer stem walls (the part of the stone wall that rises above the ground), and have started to create the space for the door. However when it started raining in early November we found that we've had no dry periods long enough to lay down more cob. So the site is covered and we will probably have to wait until the end of the rainy season sometime in late March or April to make more cob. In the meantime we plan to gather more stones and build the foundation and stem walls for the second bedroom and the bathroom.<br />
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwq55WOJbZmb6-Ycw3GZtH8vCcB6qzmOwvc0ZDO70Tt8WAeRAXavxpKqTRBc7rb1hGNPtVdfTDbUs7haoJoybCy0k6nF4yqysO6HzbJVF6KtTe5p8aNsRvghw3gjGwErSoLe-PCfORn9k/s1600/IMG_1939.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiAwq55WOJbZmb6-Ycw3GZtH8vCcB6qzmOwvc0ZDO70Tt8WAeRAXavxpKqTRBc7rb1hGNPtVdfTDbUs7haoJoybCy0k6nF4yqysO6HzbJVF6KtTe5p8aNsRvghw3gjGwErSoLe-PCfORn9k/s1600/IMG_1939.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This is where we were at the end of July.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q7HZthoPPTtOVlj8EGiPXzrPdkZvHnngEH3HEVvKjeTU6hxESWY-jRDxi2KB-DUwgY-vQqN2jzHQrRdDSzmfvwJAenJcyPrpEb5La41ZLJEn7-_16HQCtS_j4z5jQjUKN7Wfy2ozJXYS/s1600/IMG_1986.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh5Q7HZthoPPTtOVlj8EGiPXzrPdkZvHnngEH3HEVvKjeTU6hxESWY-jRDxi2KB-DUwgY-vQqN2jzHQrRdDSzmfvwJAenJcyPrpEb5La41ZLJEn7-_16HQCtS_j4z5jQjUKN7Wfy2ozJXYS/s1600/IMG_1986.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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We still had to gather a lot of rocks, along the roadsides and creek beds. We'd traded our 1996 Peugeot in for a 2008 Fiat Uno - less trunk space but enough to carry a good load of rocks.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd6uTpq7RBiNDTk2Lnc_ULvIAdb7BG8PyunBg-SE4BZ3KUyKE8CNV-IVgEahgcWmo-faypP4P07u1XBdde5mCynyHbeZLc31DxVGNvwff9-4Bl7oB2nzn4s1-0aySF5cipSTyKmxZh-sD/s1600/IMG_1984.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhVd6uTpq7RBiNDTk2Lnc_ULvIAdb7BG8PyunBg-SE4BZ3KUyKE8CNV-IVgEahgcWmo-faypP4P07u1XBdde5mCynyHbeZLc31DxVGNvwff9-4Bl7oB2nzn4s1-0aySF5cipSTyKmxZh-sD/s1600/IMG_1984.jpg" height="400" width="281" /></a></div>
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My son Victor helped out one Sunday afternoon, but he was disappointed that the rocks were so small.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSGaSrrqf8oNXkfPD2LEdB2IxfAaJylU7X4eg8cIVQc-FacALn3c0KUYpqy1iQ9RYEUcog04OcguYgWAdEqYjmKN0MDotUa3J8hIxwIp8X4ttBDKiU5_eJxc9dcKjvJGHe0hh55JN7YuD/s1600/IMG_2005_2.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgKSGaSrrqf8oNXkfPD2LEdB2IxfAaJylU7X4eg8cIVQc-FacALn3c0KUYpqy1iQ9RYEUcog04OcguYgWAdEqYjmKN0MDotUa3J8hIxwIp8X4ttBDKiU5_eJxc9dcKjvJGHe0hh55JN7YuD/s1600/IMG_2005_2.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
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Our neighbors - three generations - helped out with their pickup truck and a lot of good energy.</div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbWlQJRUqm2kre5IHraBeWAgj_1JW1_OPPAJRRJDNJFlsXnRZUi5tDpswljgs7dE7GwWr4ZXP4ruuYTd2i6QgzyM9tX8EyY91eqoq0xbec9N-R5Rf02BX4AnUyvzprhlWs_vdK6PhrjMx/s1600/IMG_2009.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEigbWlQJRUqm2kre5IHraBeWAgj_1JW1_OPPAJRRJDNJFlsXnRZUi5tDpswljgs7dE7GwWr4ZXP4ruuYTd2i6QgzyM9tX8EyY91eqoq0xbec9N-R5Rf02BX4AnUyvzprhlWs_vdK6PhrjMx/s1600/IMG_2009.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;">Now we had a lot of rocks to choose from.</span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3pktZZP4S8Vop2GN6dVIKMq9wzcznJXZR_roh8vk0cey1JKgPyI_qNVLRk_v21vLkvHlv2WOw1CyrqhDucoLU7D8GltUYqXQ-t7SFD1vxn52bmFxKvirTwCkq6n_yrlVxzPOm-E_xec6/s1600/IMG_1994.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhd3pktZZP4S8Vop2GN6dVIKMq9wzcznJXZR_roh8vk0cey1JKgPyI_qNVLRk_v21vLkvHlv2WOw1CyrqhDucoLU7D8GltUYqXQ-t7SFD1vxn52bmFxKvirTwCkq6n_yrlVxzPOm-E_xec6/s1600/IMG_1994.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">The stem walls started going up.<br />
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnSOd0kkOg-y0aIrp9Ec_nOEpSPsy9KpjdmRkQz4U6cTiR2eI13DDbBjSxifcINQulwWPQGxCErMf1WPvZaFF1yiCbuuj4dfWo7X5pmuHYpaTwSBSEIegw1djb3x4q1JPZqsLn-JmL5CN/s1600/IMG_2014.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhLnSOd0kkOg-y0aIrp9Ec_nOEpSPsy9KpjdmRkQz4U6cTiR2eI13DDbBjSxifcINQulwWPQGxCErMf1WPvZaFF1yiCbuuj4dfWo7X5pmuHYpaTwSBSEIegw1djb3x4q1JPZqsLn-JmL5CN/s1600/IMG_2014.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a><br />
We used a mortar of earth and lime to hold the stones.<br />
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM8ovNvEiqA3wXGwO0GrparGCvKIe41Xc7fjf8XYpU3QbNRhPb4XpM6IdmNX57QvRIwBio3DDMkcuDvmFzjMYbfSZKherVEaqy7nsxmZpd9PLWOXR9NSrF41s4PKv_JsjKKtYnhpfpxSc/s1600/IMG_2012.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjMM8ovNvEiqA3wXGwO0GrparGCvKIe41Xc7fjf8XYpU3QbNRhPb4XpM6IdmNX57QvRIwBio3DDMkcuDvmFzjMYbfSZKherVEaqy7nsxmZpd9PLWOXR9NSrF41s4PKv_JsjKKtYnhpfpxSc/s1600/IMG_2012.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">For first time stone builders we feel pretty good about our results.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYZ9JUJjjh20-O1pWx1cPcjlXT2SX0m3p_A66KTZPp2AwTT6eYc_XRpw0Hsh8Cs2eeuCoYejjYnmQMEs4QE5KYZ90r9cP09K367NCoBbsEMVMw5ixIDo7ogsU-qazgWhdzlqCWKH5erBW/s1600/IMG_2033.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjjYZ9JUJjjh20-O1pWx1cPcjlXT2SX0m3p_A66KTZPp2AwTT6eYc_XRpw0Hsh8Cs2eeuCoYejjYnmQMEs4QE5KYZ90r9cP09K367NCoBbsEMVMw5ixIDo7ogsU-qazgWhdzlqCWKH5erBW/s1600/IMG_2033.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia and Kimberly prepare the first cob.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;"><br /><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1gdTHP8TVFYW1H9MEyq3vQRQDFboOWsiIMBwPzag51T0n5P2H6Gl4NnrTWQWvFxMeWOqU8ogLy5muM8T4j-L7NBcDZ-zv63_eatP3HkKBMDUsU0CYl0V51a7D3JQJ73vOShRuEO2oxJO/s1600/IMG_2039.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiy1gdTHP8TVFYW1H9MEyq3vQRQDFboOWsiIMBwPzag51T0n5P2H6Gl4NnrTWQWvFxMeWOqU8ogLy5muM8T4j-L7NBcDZ-zv63_eatP3HkKBMDUsU0CYl0V51a7D3JQJ73vOShRuEO2oxJO/s1600/IMG_2039.jpg" height="400" width="321" /></a><br />Now it's time to mix another batch. Kimberly brought the earth up from the pit, and Lisa, wielding the machete, cut the straw that gets mixed into the cob.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhE4Gb6a-nh8XO16qh4Ni4Tc0k1WwfnNTpaeQuPuy3EFyrBPnFaWUSqG31TdYjC4U_YIoHQdhnbSLh8XvDeQnH1p1M0Lkj3ERXKFnxIW45jDSb_KsDmbRhyphenhyphenw-i30laZ219ad4Daf2Mal0nl/s1600/2014_EP2-9060256.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: 13px; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><br /></a><div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The other inside wall.<br /><br /><span style="font-size: small;">It was wonderful to have Sofia, Lisa and Kimberly help us get the cob walls started. Their energy and enthusiasm gave us a big boost. After they left Guy and I carried on.</span><br /><div class="separator" style="clear: both; font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GIlIZo6Sw-yXIc0rKhYjhiB4lza_7RhMXLH4-sMUekrvLPD80r1gbHFp6ih3Biju_n8CDcU1sidOvCNaBMKabBWMQZ8V1mu1RNB-ps-rN-PZAlu0Gbmfor1JZo-Ujm-7v5LXote-YBe3/s1600/IMG_2046.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi9GIlIZo6Sw-yXIc0rKhYjhiB4lza_7RhMXLH4-sMUekrvLPD80r1gbHFp6ih3Biju_n8CDcU1sidOvCNaBMKabBWMQZ8V1mu1RNB-ps-rN-PZAlu0Gbmfor1JZo-Ujm-7v5LXote-YBe3/s1600/IMG_2046.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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We were blessed with the visit of a woofer (world wide organic farm volunteer), Hale from Turkey, who spent a week with us in September. Sofia and my granddaughter joined in on the weekend to make a cob.</div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9f_2qDJoOisalb77-crllcxuyegDMuDcYXP-1HqXjaYUb4wwg3K0dgdKXNzV9FNLtBmpcF93YKjYh1c02g1wXiaEzw3SOPLnYqLAwVPypqvPdf1qcIviRhgFdZhdGqfGGT1dN8TwEEGes/s1600/IMG_2127.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9f_2qDJoOisalb77-crllcxuyegDMuDcYXP-1HqXjaYUb4wwg3K0dgdKXNzV9FNLtBmpcF93YKjYh1c02g1wXiaEzw3SOPLnYqLAwVPypqvPdf1qcIviRhgFdZhdGqfGGT1dN8TwEEGes/s1600/IMG_2127.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Detail of the wall where the cob gets laid on the stem wall at the joint with the </span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">wall of the next room. Pieces of straw will help bind one wall to the other. </span></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc2z-8L40xMxoC53w23uGVBrlNGRbZVv27Ji62h6rVy5V6Ue2UayLNmoKc277xJc6BKQbVp-RtCf7tRn5QjozHoxK1VCJ3CSKtCeZLDsjrAOW4D1eZQx_X1YZCs9n1IM44MpQG5W5LeRW/s1600/IMG_2141.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgWc2z-8L40xMxoC53w23uGVBrlNGRbZVv27Ji62h6rVy5V6Ue2UayLNmoKc277xJc6BKQbVp-RtCf7tRn5QjozHoxK1VCJ3CSKtCeZLDsjrAOW4D1eZQx_X1YZCs9n1IM44MpQG5W5LeRW/s1600/IMG_2141.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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We had to stop shortly after we reached this point, because of the heavy rains and high humidity. The space where the board lies is the opening for the door. </div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WQimC7VlzxsVpSnwOhG2ShiFKwfoHKJPFRrRWRs6uZweXYcMuUPK5ocHE-kCcWeAjQ28cbTzmfeL0QqkvISBtqZcy3dVj4ZSoMkg-QWEIFNUDa9sDyPYAspSj3IJPrApo8CreVo-mPLD/s1600/IMG_2131.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="font-size: medium; margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg1WQimC7VlzxsVpSnwOhG2ShiFKwfoHKJPFRrRWRs6uZweXYcMuUPK5ocHE-kCcWeAjQ28cbTzmfeL0QqkvISBtqZcy3dVj4ZSoMkg-QWEIFNUDa9sDyPYAspSj3IJPrApo8CreVo-mPLD/s1600/IMG_2131.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></div>
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And here you can see the outline of the second bedroom. We plan to work on the foundation and stem wall for this room and the joining bathroom while we await the rains to diminish some time in March or April.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">Hopefully these photos give you a good idea of the simplicity of cob construction. It's work but something that everyone, old and young, can do, requiring very little in the way of tools and gadgets. Granted, when the walls get higher it will complicate matters, and we'll show you how we do it as we go along. Setting in the door and windows, laying the floor, and finishing the walls - all this lies ahead. So keep checking - it's a real adventure.</span></div>
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<span style="font-size: x-small;">Construction inspector, Mr. Fofo, on the job.</span></div>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-50218136458891090082014-11-27T14:57:00.001-08:002014-11-28T15:03:21.078-08:00Thanksgiving Day<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: medium;"> </span><i><span style="background-color: lime;"><span style="font-size: x-small;"> Be sure to check the update on our cob house in a new post this weekend.</span></span></i></b></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">View from our house - November 2014</td></tr>
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We're thankful today for the privilege of living on this peaceful and abundant land, and the opportunity to work on projects that are meaningful to us and will hopefully add a few drops to the bucket of inspired efforts around the planet to build a more sustainable world. The Cerrado (Central Brazil) is indeed a special and beautiful place, threatened by big agribusiness including cattle, and soy, corn, and other monocultures. Our project is to develop a small (one acre) piece of farmland into a permaculture homestead. If this is the first time you're reading this blog I invite you to go back and at least skim the entries since August 2012.</div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’ve been living on this
little parcel of land for over two years now – the builders completed our house
and we moved in at the end of October 2012. <o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Our house with a jaboticaba tree in the foreground and a large mango tree to the left side.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">When we arrived here there
were already five mature mango trees, as well as two jaboticabeiras and a lemon
tree that I’ve pruned back to health after years of abuse by the cattle that
pastured here. We’ve planted about fifteen fruit trees that have established
themselves successfully, and another ten or so that are coming along fairly
well. We also have a grape vine, a passion fruit vine, two neem trees, two
bougainvilleas and a bamboo plant that are doing well. Two little coffee trees
will produce their first small harvest this year.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">One of two coffee trees we panted last year.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m0nTI0Z5FQ__PZcHjqB6y68R8WUChyphenhyphenbQVpjryP8ldDjh3nIc2tqhOmKp0PqrUxArnJNMU2Agg5DvhtdiQTNbMz02qYyVO-s6mpKSf7fVUT97tvAQYz0-binH43xBxucnugehUjmYuMHs/s1600/IMG_2238.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh9m0nTI0Z5FQ__PZcHjqB6y68R8WUChyphenhyphenbQVpjryP8ldDjh3nIc2tqhOmKp0PqrUxArnJNMU2Agg5DvhtdiQTNbMz02qYyVO-s6mpKSf7fVUT97tvAQYz0-binH43xBxucnugehUjmYuMHs/s1600/IMG_2238.jpg" height="240" width="320" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">They're producing their first coffee beans.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p>Our pets</o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Lolita joined us this
September and had become best friends with Fofo. Both Guy and I enjoy our furry
friends who give us affection and hours of entertainment. They each have a job
to perform: Fofo keeps the place free of mice and rats, and Lolita warns us
when anything strange makes an appearance. She’s still figuring things out –
she barks at rain and shadows, and beetles and moths. And she’ll bark loudly
when a person or animal approaches while at the same time she scampers to
safety on the porch. <o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We’re hoping to put in some
chickens soon but we have to figure out how to keep them safe as well as protecting
our young vegetables from them.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Lolita, who came to us as a puppy in September.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDvlTV-4dwCDUUXRkE4-KjD-1xPFU0SI31moCBQtNS3NEpGfJU6Yna3QeMfcjVyOxEdMtYyRk8mmod6fbNOzLdfA_Opa0gdyI8idw3w3a8YW8ROp4nCfWlzkcgvacQ__BGN6mu3tPLTk9/s1600/IMG_2137.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhaDvlTV-4dwCDUUXRkE4-KjD-1xPFU0SI31moCBQtNS3NEpGfJU6Yna3QeMfcjVyOxEdMtYyRk8mmod6fbNOzLdfA_Opa0gdyI8idw3w3a8YW8ROp4nCfWlzkcgvacQ__BGN6mu3tPLTk9/s1600/IMG_2137.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fofo, who showed up on our doorstep in March.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Our biggest job this year
has been the new cob construction we undertook as of May. The last two posts
(June and August) show the planning phase, the clay model, the trial
bench,<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span>and the beginning of the
foundation. In a day or two I'll post an update of the cob house, but today I want to express our gratitude for those who helped us make cob and build the walls: Sofia, Kimberly, Lisa and Hale. Also, Victor who helped collect rocks, and both Enriques - son and father - who helped with the design.<o:p></o:p></span><br />
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span>
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Thanks for your visit. Please leave a comment if you have one, and tell others about this blog. </span></div>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-43678586812226485762014-08-14T05:33:00.000-07:002014-08-14T06:31:29.330-07:00Finishing the cob bench<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifndoJvs4dBCyNLSqzhhMUVFbueUrETpPV1yDkJNxc0zrWp4A0tFwExRa_dgppRJX0OHCweTGwTdoM3RnNhR4Ufv1BZ5sZ2_WDLOMxtVcifpvmWXwTXYMUFgfaFH91WR2XXR4k55aML-3J/s1600/DSC_1727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; float: left; font-size: medium; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-right: 1em; text-align: start;"><br /></a>
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<h2>
August 14, 2014 - <span style="font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: small;">Backtracking a couple of months</span></span></h2>
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<span style="color: #1a1a1a; font-family: Arial;"><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> The cob bench served as an experiment for us first-time cob-makers. It's about as thick as the </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">walls</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> we plan to make for our house, which is now in progress. This post is mainly a photo </span><span style="font-size: 17px;">gallery</span><span style="font-size: 13pt;"> as I go through the steps of plastering the bench, to protect it frm the elements and make it prettier.</span></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5_gi2atoLBH1ldob7Ht7Kbh6Djbn4mreVqvmIEWC1bzZ3umWqJdvsdyfgWDhX1xA0ZYo368uAoKMVvv4j6ibqSg9q-D2MZgxe_TRbU9E9LLFJEXPf0VF7Dp2CRCeLLtnruKVr0iP-V-O/s1600/DSC_1657.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiL5_gi2atoLBH1ldob7Ht7Kbh6Djbn4mreVqvmIEWC1bzZ3umWqJdvsdyfgWDhX1xA0ZYo368uAoKMVvv4j6ibqSg9q-D2MZgxe_TRbU9E9LLFJEXPf0VF7Dp2CRCeLLtnruKVr0iP-V-O/s1600/DSC_1657.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Gathering subsoil from an area of our property that will eventually be a fish pond.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ScuLqD5pKrdEIma-mAMF19diJ-rBMQAwPuEMGfKze8WI6dI5r9baxV66_vhAFTLb_qIKHbx8E22rtZzlDl5V_VABrPWibGBMz1Fp0XSmRViWfLLJc8zeQt5SQc_HZ79H3XSE5q8Szf6K/s1600/DSC_1662.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg6ScuLqD5pKrdEIma-mAMF19diJ-rBMQAwPuEMGfKze8WI6dI5r9baxV66_vhAFTLb_qIKHbx8E22rtZzlDl5V_VABrPWibGBMz1Fp0XSmRViWfLLJc8zeQt5SQc_HZ79H3XSE5q8Szf6K/s1600/DSC_1662.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia and Guy sift sand to add to the soil/sand/straw plastering <br />
mixture. The sand is left over from the construction of our first house</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia mixes the cob.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSne9io3clQxPtNU6XZ1M5yYT1KWSHxRhDJHwkQrD98wjgH8FIdZ49wCym-pVL_XQbEhwrAhxvYrGxcC1qtCNjRg5noe9P43wgT6-aGnKjM9B-l3H0dVz3v9Oj-Lmq0Jlg0fliXLAlQ2q-/s1600/P7114619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjSne9io3clQxPtNU6XZ1M5yYT1KWSHxRhDJHwkQrD98wjgH8FIdZ49wCym-pVL_XQbEhwrAhxvYrGxcC1qtCNjRg5noe9P43wgT6-aGnKjM9B-l3H0dVz3v9Oj-Lmq0Jlg0fliXLAlQ2q-/s1600/P7114619.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Water to wet down the bench that has dried out completely, and scraping <br />
to prepare the surface for the new cob plaster to adhere.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQSS2_6k7BRIFuD9HMcR9JXu5gZqFIM-oXCUbKZ3sHJnbvRUC3BkcmO5JNj7kUEW5muFXm1gwRUHGg1lO2Dk4IZKZWo_EbYLaDWjmDfVSi0WsibeBmWaqSekTkbOolzL_jukjb__0MfbL/s1600/P7114620.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiyQSS2_6k7BRIFuD9HMcR9JXu5gZqFIM-oXCUbKZ3sHJnbvRUC3BkcmO5JNj7kUEW5muFXm1gwRUHGg1lO2Dk4IZKZWo_EbYLaDWjmDfVSi0WsibeBmWaqSekTkbOolzL_jukjb__0MfbL/s1600/P7114620.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Testing the plaster mix by flinging it from a few feet - if it sticks it's good.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96coQ4gAoD1gxG4U2062_mx2yVAaT5hHzXiNnQ3LDO-uAsqT6g4L09Xc_nn_2_Ud4dGEunx1amNjhDUTrtlaAAKvhyphenhyphenWQnanQ6ADhJrMqoJBT0kIKGvDmkQwkJwRQdhD-T5LXKyp3hjIwW/s1600/DSC_1665.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh96coQ4gAoD1gxG4U2062_mx2yVAaT5hHzXiNnQ3LDO-uAsqT6g4L09Xc_nn_2_Ud4dGEunx1amNjhDUTrtlaAAKvhyphenhyphenWQnanQ6ADhJrMqoJBT0kIKGvDmkQwkJwRQdhD-T5LXKyp3hjIwW/s1600/DSC_1665.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy and Greta start applying the plaster.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif39a1ahbo-Hi5rBFeQjefsyapFyDRoPQuLuKPDCfxgLmTgjKuDUrpH9V3UiLVZgoYUQIrJpYNiN-zCRQ_V4dfSCx6sbIZRAYGXVY7BxI1lmDJIhucAyPFXc0Ktvr3SsgQy8gEwc3I6Wpa/s1600/P7114622.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEif39a1ahbo-Hi5rBFeQjefsyapFyDRoPQuLuKPDCfxgLmTgjKuDUrpH9V3UiLVZgoYUQIrJpYNiN-zCRQ_V4dfSCx6sbIZRAYGXVY7BxI1lmDJIhucAyPFXc0Ktvr3SsgQy8gEwc3I6Wpa/s1600/P7114622.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia and Greta pat on the plaster.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnhIndKqRhTehp7UrtSrZ8e9UGc0eB-NBaDO-uZPRZxbdk0df84IGilQNTrRRFeCVatZp-qOdOaJVUgAtroYGNRHN7NbVhnHUMoswAlQhuXeBgzdiKY5jBP2Attfd2YehOTu3p67vuYJQ/s1600/P7114623.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiLnhIndKqRhTehp7UrtSrZ8e9UGc0eB-NBaDO-uZPRZxbdk0df84IGilQNTrRRFeCVatZp-qOdOaJVUgAtroYGNRHN7NbVhnHUMoswAlQhuXeBgzdiKY5jBP2Attfd2YehOTu3p67vuYJQ/s1600/P7114623.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">It's a sensual earthy experience.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifndoJvs4dBCyNLSqzhhMUVFbueUrETpPV1yDkJNxc0zrWp4A0tFwExRa_dgppRJX0OHCweTGwTdoM3RnNhR4Ufv1BZ5sZ2_WDLOMxtVcifpvmWXwTXYMUFgfaFH91WR2XXR4k55aML-3J/s1600/DSC_1727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEifndoJvs4dBCyNLSqzhhMUVFbueUrETpPV1yDkJNxc0zrWp4A0tFwExRa_dgppRJX0OHCweTGwTdoM3RnNhR4Ufv1BZ5sZ2_WDLOMxtVcifpvmWXwTXYMUFgfaFH91WR2XXR4k55aML-3J/s1600/DSC_1727.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy and Sofia adding final layer of plaster.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzFEh72VAtpFqhv-YTCfdJkcec-HbWk2_9pr7yzJhOxkRP-2wiqDN0MDKU8X62orqWM6JgUtcObn4Ku2w1NRY4TbLmZysseaduCTX1bUMqb0NDtrqvNUU5s4Bpe53sW7MoUslSkHH1MM5/s1600/P7114629.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjRzFEh72VAtpFqhv-YTCfdJkcec-HbWk2_9pr7yzJhOxkRP-2wiqDN0MDKU8X62orqWM6JgUtcObn4Ku2w1NRY4TbLmZysseaduCTX1bUMqb0NDtrqvNUU5s4Bpe53sW7MoUslSkHH1MM5/s1600/P7114629.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px; text-align: center;">Smoothing it down. We added a significant amount of fresh cow dung to the final<br />
mixture for increased strength and added impermeability.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCphoptkbnm1uyPC_GtB3z3ENMtsuHBKx5fXQ7S2L8v4kb98F8JbqiFlqeRDFVDQZDvZ8HPEIZXiDDqJZ1fjeQ5dUgIbVCzBFDl7RO6GHTK5sZfnR0Ro8Zn0Iv3XSSZFkbixVZ8dOT5uIW/s1600/P7124632.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgCphoptkbnm1uyPC_GtB3z3ENMtsuHBKx5fXQ7S2L8v4kb98F8JbqiFlqeRDFVDQZDvZ8HPEIZXiDDqJZ1fjeQ5dUgIbVCzBFDl7RO6GHTK5sZfnR0Ro8Zn0Iv3XSSZFkbixVZ8dOT5uIW/s1600/P7124632.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;"><div style="text-align: center;">
Here it is! It had to dry for a few days. It's as solid as we hoped and we feel confident </div>
<div style="text-align: center;">
about the walls we'll be making for our cob house.</div>
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<span style="font-size: small;">My son from the States and his son (Zeke and Luke) came to Brazil for the World Cup in June and early July. Along with my daughter, Sofia, and other son, his wife and their daughter (Victor, Ana Claudia and Camila), they spent a lot of time on the farm where we watched most of the games together.</span></div>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKTKvTNprOHOdPr8AZ00EuFMIaJ0DhN4yMajPU0D-ZOZxDltYenk5Dc-46mwMtCsrdieUoWjwazwXTOcY_VenaiRDHOHcaKAcJ0WY4kpzClHbK8Au1zyBdz-3YKgvXE3exw-WgH_ayewn/s1600/DSC_1502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKTKvTNprOHOdPr8AZ00EuFMIaJ0DhN4yMajPU0D-ZOZxDltYenk5Dc-46mwMtCsrdieUoWjwazwXTOcY_VenaiRDHOHcaKAcJ0WY4kpzClHbK8Au1zyBdz-3YKgvXE3exw-WgH_ayewn/s1600/DSC_1502.jpg" height="422" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="font-size: 13px;">Family gathered on porch of farm house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGG2FuJPXFDEq_VWSWGjGpL5bXl33o3I0AMVWwIutAaoSp5S8HiU94sHfLpMyZn5fyEjOMQywgiyA9Vz04VJLiAoOqhyphenhyphene6eTrHMIPPOs4R57h6XxumWzqZAtGLjsZ1BiLcHX1ZvSi9Aq7/s1600/IMG_1837.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgaGG2FuJPXFDEq_VWSWGjGpL5bXl33o3I0AMVWwIutAaoSp5S8HiU94sHfLpMyZn5fyEjOMQywgiyA9Vz04VJLiAoOqhyphenhyphene6eTrHMIPPOs4R57h6XxumWzqZAtGLjsZ1BiLcHX1ZvSi9Aq7/s1600/IMG_1837.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">My grandchildren enjoying the bench.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2yWeNYIlGw3Nm5aeumkGPIGi9S4B3R-hhH9aRdPMIGe2dO4j1WCn4NvkSnbMwfoqkpwoSardt5glSPvaQU4KgPp9DToJU4H4Fi8IyOwhSFQ-okQ93DwovtqgxJ6ZijbvEo8Jc5L_JXRS/s1600/DSC_1649.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhi2yWeNYIlGw3Nm5aeumkGPIGi9S4B3R-hhH9aRdPMIGe2dO4j1WCn4NvkSnbMwfoqkpwoSardt5glSPvaQU4KgPp9DToJU4H4Fi8IyOwhSFQ-okQ93DwovtqgxJ6ZijbvEo8Jc5L_JXRS/s1600/DSC_1649.jpg" height="266" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">And where was Fofo during all this? Just hanging out, paying attention.</td></tr>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKTKvTNprOHOdPr8AZ00EuFMIaJ0DhN4yMajPU0D-ZOZxDltYenk5Dc-46mwMtCsrdieUoWjwazwXTOcY_VenaiRDHOHcaKAcJ0WY4kpzClHbK8Au1zyBdz-3YKgvXE3exw-WgH_ayewn/s1600/DSC_1502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcKTKvTNprOHOdPr8AZ00EuFMIaJ0DhN4yMajPU0D-ZOZxDltYenk5Dc-46mwMtCsrdieUoWjwazwXTOcY_VenaiRDHOHcaKAcJ0WY4kpzClHbK8Au1zyBdz-3YKgvXE3exw-WgH_ayewn/s1600/DSC_1502.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-20535646892886931312014-08-05T18:00:00.002-07:002014-08-05T18:13:14.405-07:00Working on the Cob House<div class="MsoNormal">
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">July and August 2014 <o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9v_IrbzAPZEMnjorKJ56eOmPvCOqopnRF6-nbLj0JyrbTpQudIkB0ObNga55Xahgzw_O0euNc0kYjnnaGvSdfu5aqXSJk9evUpvQcJ-K2MeNVhwRnnw0hOMcCsQJzrsipJ5HjPw6HEv6w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-05+at+8.35.46+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg9v_IrbzAPZEMnjorKJ56eOmPvCOqopnRF6-nbLj0JyrbTpQudIkB0ObNga55Xahgzw_O0euNc0kYjnnaGvSdfu5aqXSJk9evUpvQcJ-K2MeNVhwRnnw0hOMcCsQJzrsipJ5HjPw6HEv6w/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-08-05+at+8.35.46+PM.png" height="258" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Traditional earth dwellings of the Pueblo Indians, Taos, NM</td></tr>
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</span></b></div>
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<b style="mso-bidi-font-weight: normal;"><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Vernacular buildings record
lifestyles of the past, when people had to find a sustainable way of life or
perish. Just as we will have to now. The new importance of vernacular building
is that it has vital ecological lessons for today.<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;"> </span></span><u>Building with Cob: A Step-by-Step Guide</u>, David
Pearson, Earth & Spirit<span style="mso-spacerun: yes;">
</span>Weismann, Adam; Bryce, Katy (2006-02-01). </b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">______________________________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;">Would you like to spend a few months in Brazil this year? We’re looking for one or two people to live with us for a while and work alongside us on a variety of projects - permaculture, gardening, bio-construction, advanced composting, and working with bamboo. We offer room and board in exchange for a few hours of work a day. You pay your own round trip fare to Brasilia, we pick you up at the airport, show you around, assist you with practical matters, help you learn Portuguese if you wish. If you’d like to know more, please email me at gretabrowne@gmail.com. <o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> __________________________________________________</span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-family: Papyrus; font-size: 20pt;">Rocks<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<span style="font-size: 14pt;">Bit by bit we’ve been building the foundation for our cob house. Guy dug the trenches and lined them with gravel, placing rounded tiles along the bottom of the trenches to provide a conduit for rainwater to drain. However when he tamped down the gravel it appears that the tiles broke. We believe it won’t be a problem here since the earth drains well, but we do plan to make a second ditch about a meter above the house to draw excess water away.</span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The trench digger</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fofo inspects the trench</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">White rocks along a sandy road, at 4000 ft altitude.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sparkling creek and smooth well shaped rocks.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Building those muscles.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAbiLbYvc0YDdosvwS1Z8a9dipTfUJ8aLdCKS0EyJV1GJljYI-sRfCcDsNaX6fQNFTGdC1uikdyuy_HZlLWmPQ33s2dpH9VGkh93rVHtADGPeR5vRquoiG5hsmOb5jIO78Aji35muHoPr/s1600/IMG_1922.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEimAbiLbYvc0YDdosvwS1Z8a9dipTfUJ8aLdCKS0EyJV1GJljYI-sRfCcDsNaX6fQNFTGdC1uikdyuy_HZlLWmPQ33s2dpH9VGkh93rVHtADGPeR5vRquoiG5hsmOb5jIO78Aji35muHoPr/s1600/IMG_1922.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The rock pile grows.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 19px;"><br /></span><span style="font-size: 19px;">Building with rocks is new to both of us and we’re learning as we go along.</span><br />
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The first puzzle-like layer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greta's second layer</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy's second layer.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Mixing the sand/lime mortar.</td></tr>
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Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com3tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-9841686676465757772014-06-07T12:12:00.001-07:002014-06-07T12:19:18.702-07:00 The Cob House<span style="font-size: large;"><b>Building with Cob</b></span><br />
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<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><i>“Building
with cob is a powerful political action, greatly reducing the need for the
mortgage systems, lumber and construction industries, and petrochemical
companies. Cob builders spend less of their lives working to pay for all of the
above, and more time living. Making homes with natural materials gathered
gently from the earth improves the likelihood of the survival of life itself.”</i> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">(</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;">The</span><span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"> CobBuilders Handbook, by Becky Bee)</span></span><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: "Times New Roman";"><i>“Cob
is gentle on the planet. Using cob reduces the use of wood, steel, and toxic
building supplies.”</i> </span><span style="font-size: x-small;"><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">(The CobBuilders Handbook, Becky Bee)</span><o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';">Resources we're using:</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b>The Handsculpted House</b>, by Ianto Evans, Michael Smith and Linda Smiley</span></div>
<div style="margin-bottom: .1pt; margin-left: 0in; margin-right: 0in; margin-top: .1pt;">
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b>The CobBuilders Handbook</b>, by Becky Bee (free pdf download)</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><b>The Tao of Cob</b>, by Dorethy Hancock</span><br />
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman';"><br /></span>
<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px;">We’ve cleared the ground, outlined the walls with stones, built a model more or less to scale. The shake tests of four different soil samples suggest that the dirt under our feet will make fine adobe or cob, with a good proportion of sand, about 50%, and perhaps 25% clay. We think we can gather grass stalks from Guy’s scything to use as straw to help bind the cob. Today we plan to start a trial wall, something small, to see how the cob mix holds up.</span></div>
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<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTEfCCExqCwf7pmowsO-lJHLgZvsaKuQGlY_LSXUu-eAuCPKls6nB1L1sEs2g82sIgYsOfx2NTwBFjAIYnFSDiq61Im2mY6Q2NJZsPk56Q8-1nsXbD0YdrxOarNXDYE9A55U2I3rtWwIS/s1600/IMG_1705.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgNTEfCCExqCwf7pmowsO-lJHLgZvsaKuQGlY_LSXUu-eAuCPKls6nB1L1sEs2g82sIgYsOfx2NTwBFjAIYnFSDiq61Im2mY6Q2NJZsPk56Q8-1nsXbD0YdrxOarNXDYE9A55U2I3rtWwIS/s1600/IMG_1705.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Location of new house, just a few yards from the first house we had built in 2012.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIyKV9luVreQa2NGg0WjVpQZNqwKenRW7I5hSvohNrIurOlGhY_ZxF4x_WT8lxD_MAmHTWc3rMNlSMwu787wE8cV3-OqS0eudQpSq-k9l9MCMkKyrcmrlTBZyC_OSwZtZlaBM_QGPOI5y/s1600/IMG_1786.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgXIyKV9luVreQa2NGg0WjVpQZNqwKenRW7I5hSvohNrIurOlGhY_ZxF4x_WT8lxD_MAmHTWc3rMNlSMwu787wE8cV3-OqS0eudQpSq-k9l9MCMkKyrcmrlTBZyC_OSwZtZlaBM_QGPOI5y/s1600/IMG_1786.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Stakes and tape outline the walls of the projected house</td></tr>
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<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMQkqNcZlxuzliamhTgHb3Y3Fpkgf33at90K-f1-AtttElrqQuR8DsMSVV6dkqg1x6lGI3wcV17E8d2p541CMXNUxyJqVxWoiQPe1Oj4IymGv5lddL2JXl9iSWGxuPZ2m8Iw9UcbfZSHJ/s1600/IMG_1777.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEirMQkqNcZlxuzliamhTgHb3Y3Fpkgf33at90K-f1-AtttElrqQuR8DsMSVV6dkqg1x6lGI3wcV17E8d2p541CMXNUxyJqVxWoiQPe1Oj4IymGv5lddL2JXl9iSWGxuPZ2m8Iw9UcbfZSHJ/s1600/IMG_1777.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Soil from four sites. Bottom line indicates where sand settled within 5 seconds. Next line up indicates where silt settled after 10 minutes. Above the second line the clay separates more slowly from the water. </td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUt7MZtdmiQVjzM_B4ek6NBAfhyfd_68PhlsUckR5r5tacIEKtH6IeDSp6OYUjHlKrKvRo9UJikhE2KR5FfwBixO-mKaQw8aqbhXk_mhx48a5OLPswFdpjkVJDmmxZpzQ5R246bbxVXMF6/s1600/IMG_1809.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjUt7MZtdmiQVjzM_B4ek6NBAfhyfd_68PhlsUckR5r5tacIEKtH6IeDSp6OYUjHlKrKvRo9UJikhE2KR5FfwBixO-mKaQw8aqbhXk_mhx48a5OLPswFdpjkVJDmmxZpzQ5R246bbxVXMF6/s1600/IMG_1809.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Here the water has been poured off - a good ratio of sand to clay.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJkir_23y9xtPV-rtmbvlfddoRcPtHqG7F4LECFOihJY6FNvDdQecDOzaznKTLqGSFkO1LdfVF8BU-MGEkDV4_faB8HU7kia8v5G9vzxHxR4Bp16UT7DRK19j-NpStpDDdDh1KQXayjon/s1600/IMG_1805.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjVJkir_23y9xtPV-rtmbvlfddoRcPtHqG7F4LECFOihJY6FNvDdQecDOzaznKTLqGSFkO1LdfVF8BU-MGEkDV4_faB8HU7kia8v5G9vzxHxR4Bp16UT7DRK19j-NpStpDDdDh1KQXayjon/s1600/IMG_1805.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Sofia starts clearing the area. Fofo, the cat, wants to help.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrdJ2T2LelVguy8pdjngHdhU9e1YvsaOGml85OQYfLzUPMKhXRtCmjhhp_HTA98MOlPlw_Kem5QCCUGcNbF4v9Cy9xVIbIP8DswfoZNYJW6BZHsJl6yXRyzwy9dS5-HC8TNVrl3lXGo_D/s1600/DSC_0132.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjqrdJ2T2LelVguy8pdjngHdhU9e1YvsaOGml85OQYfLzUPMKhXRtCmjhhp_HTA98MOlPlw_Kem5QCCUGcNbF4v9Cy9xVIbIP8DswfoZNYJW6BZHsJl6yXRyzwy9dS5-HC8TNVrl3lXGo_D/s1600/DSC_0132.jpg" height="265" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Hard work but nice as the afternoon cools off.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweXsXLSlozCmS22Tsoh3WCudZSV0m88B92PVV5xurYFGlVAGEQ2e0WG4F2flYbiTHRlaITkxFwvuy7gj4Qc9bkX-QdVHq0p7Y3quEgSGJOpmkcfegqShJWlg0pUC3ASmNcHI1zkJRov9w/s1600/2014_EP2-5274445.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgweXsXLSlozCmS22Tsoh3WCudZSV0m88B92PVV5xurYFGlVAGEQ2e0WG4F2flYbiTHRlaITkxFwvuy7gj4Qc9bkX-QdVHq0p7Y3quEgSGJOpmkcfegqShJWlg0pUC3ASmNcHI1zkJRov9w/s1600/2014_EP2-5274445.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Greta finishes the clay model of the cob house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOj-ARdPnEKjKoVEih4swDteDk6PB_EJLZa5lkA0kgGCAbIgjG1kRtrPVwULb6YmfdPiO8sadsOYWSk4uHb94hZiQe3WJng1pI5lq6PTSdMAy5QlAOtA1aT1kzxgPrAx7YP3YmYL66hGht/s1600/2014_EP2-5274448.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiOj-ARdPnEKjKoVEih4swDteDk6PB_EJLZa5lkA0kgGCAbIgjG1kRtrPVwULb6YmfdPiO8sadsOYWSk4uHb94hZiQe3WJng1pI5lq6PTSdMAy5QlAOtA1aT1kzxgPrAx7YP3YmYL66hGht/s1600/2014_EP2-5274448.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Front door - two bedrooms, a living area and the bathroom.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">First experiment making cob.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Third attempt with a larger amount of earth. This came out well.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Foundation for a cob bench - our first trial project.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Working in the cob.</td></tr>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Bench is about a third done.<br />
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt;">We have an offer from an architect from Panama who currently lives in Brasilia (about 70 miles from here) to help us for a day or two. His father, also an architect, will be visiting from Panama and has expressed interest in what we’re doing. What a gift! We hope they’ll look at our plans and the tiny progress we’ve made, and help us with their observations, especially regarding the roof, which we haven’t been able to envision so far.</span></div>
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<span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></div>
<div style="font-size: medium; text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman;"><span style="font-size: 19px;">Will it work? No one around here makes cob houses - there isn't even a word for cob in Portuguese. In the past adobe bricks and wattle-and-daub were common materials for farm houses, but now baked bricks and cement prevail. We would love to show that we can build a very nice house for next to nothing. We hope it looks something like the house pictured below, thought t</span></span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px;">he Kansas grandmother who built</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px;"> this house spent quite a bit because she paid for a lot of labor and purchased really nice extra materials and</span><span style="font-family: 'Times New Roman'; font-size: 19px;"> fixtures. </span></div>
<div style="text-align: start;">
<span style="font-family: Times New Roman; font-size: small;"><span style="font-size: 19px;"></span></span></div>
</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AqPo7BqUa2R4yZZmyRUf8eOO-x0k-7bYZ2QP_9L4EUbKTGYtaEU95aZwaU8KUvwa23JqdnQeAqlv5TESqCBtzt0yyiN7JGRSSff6RwVkdQpbKooiBObY1tXPgVrRTQoriIzrXUC0nAo6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-07+at+3.30.52+PM.png" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg3AqPo7BqUa2R4yZZmyRUf8eOO-x0k-7bYZ2QP_9L4EUbKTGYtaEU95aZwaU8KUvwa23JqdnQeAqlv5TESqCBtzt0yyiN7JGRSSff6RwVkdQpbKooiBObY1tXPgVrRTQoriIzrXUC0nAo6/s1600/Screen+Shot+2014-06-07+at+3.30.52+PM.png" height="325" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption">Photo from the cover of The Tao of Cob, by Dorethy Hancock<br />
<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
Gretahttp://www.blogger.com/profile/14051530592208173839noreply@blogger.com2tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-3504686361842040588.post-80595699061332336502014-04-13T17:15:00.000-07:002014-04-14T09:48:12.367-07:00April - our autumn<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDcvBDDGpsWwFS_ZeaCCzkeCj87jv0x0_J2egoJmI8bosQaMfIoh-C9lonLxz8TtV5YHa7_nkrkZdzcrgMQsIgFMCwxuJLtOZ32RytD44eIEk8JK3KNvDRLONRkX37Lqc6Y7SfY9CvTSx/s1600/IMG_1619.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: 1em; margin-right: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgFDcvBDDGpsWwFS_ZeaCCzkeCj87jv0x0_J2egoJmI8bosQaMfIoh-C9lonLxz8TtV5YHa7_nkrkZdzcrgMQsIgFMCwxuJLtOZ32RytD44eIEk8JK3KNvDRLONRkX37Lqc6Y7SfY9CvTSx/s1600/IMG_1619.jpg" height="324" width="640" /></a></div>
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<b style="background-color: white; color: #686868; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 15px; line-height: 20px;"> </b><span style="background-color: white; color: #686868; font-family: Arial, Tahoma, Helvetica, FreeSans, sans-serif; font-size: 14pt;">______________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span><br />
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">Would you like to spend a few months in Brazil this year? Even if you’re not a soccer fan, 2014 promises to be an exciting year to visit the land of Pele, samba, Rio, the old capital with its lovely beaches, and Brasilia, the new capital in the tropical central highlands – which is where we are.</span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: x-small;">We’re looking for one or two people to live with us for a while and work alongside us on a variety of projects - permaculture, gardening, bio-construction, advanced composting, and working with bamboo. We offer room and board in exchange for a few hours of work a day. You pay your own round trip fare to Brasilia, we pick you up at the airport, show you around, assist you with practical matters, help you learn Portuguese if you wish. If you’d like to know more, please email me at gretabrowne@gmail.com. </span><span style="font-size: medium;"><o:p></o:p></span></i></div>
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<i><span style="font-size: 14pt;"><br /></span></i></div>
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<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoFM19H9EfgH8_mc6gbC21MZCdyXWo2vkbsgVPrfRXjuTDTcQaVD32QwcmNeaO2-rJP7ZHfdIPYeC3X7o66Tavy0lzwNMBJGmMYDSX87SFSfZNu0FkTpqbzX01o-sBTyEVoHMesMpZLza/s1600/IMG_1773.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjFoFM19H9EfgH8_mc6gbC21MZCdyXWo2vkbsgVPrfRXjuTDTcQaVD32QwcmNeaO2-rJP7ZHfdIPYeC3X7o66Tavy0lzwNMBJGmMYDSX87SFSfZNu0FkTpqbzX01o-sBTyEVoHMesMpZLza/s1600/IMG_1773.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a><b><span style="font-size: 14pt;"> ___________________________________________<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">April 13, 2014<o:p></o:p></span></b></div>
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<b><span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;"><br /></span></b></div>
<div class="MsoNormal">
<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Another
two months have lapsed without a new post. We completed our part of the video
that Guy helped produce for the eleven-year celebration of my son’s language
school in Brasilia (</span>http://www.naturalenglish.com.br/11anos.html<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">). The video comprised part of the March 21 party, an
elegant affair with gourmet finger-foods, an amazing array of beverages – from
tropical fruit juices to bubbly wine, beer and Johnny Walker Red Label. In
addition to the video there were skits highlighting the various languages and
activities the school offers, a learning-oriented bingo game, prizes, and
finally informal ballroom dancing, a sine qua non for Brazilians.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlpO-BvtWFwYtTcn_bpTKaJ7hMTEVfjW1GuCEMOJczaGRh-WNAxhSHieZ9Snl9P0c7E6l_08q6LtIBZE73z868c66BxTuMNCUuknrTK55MinTWWNvhFr3KIcTInLSNAyHVfrzzlfE5Fsq/s1600/IMG_1679.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiRlpO-BvtWFwYtTcn_bpTKaJ7hMTEVfjW1GuCEMOJczaGRh-WNAxhSHieZ9Snl9P0c7E6l_08q6LtIBZE73z868c66BxTuMNCUuknrTK55MinTWWNvhFr3KIcTInLSNAyHVfrzzlfE5Fsq/s1600/IMG_1679.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Fofo on the roof</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">Some
of you already know about Fofo, the kitten that showed up the morning after we turned
over the video for final production. We’d been working 10-12 hour days and
weren’t sure what to do with ourselves next. So a sweet playful kitten was just
the ticket. We have no idea from whence he came – we live in the country,
tucked away and hidden from the road, with no neighbors closer than half a
mile. He likes to climb on top of the house to watch birds and stay safe when
we’re not around, and he’s a good mouse-catcher, a real benefit here in the
country.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjkZliX_83PNft9iPxJQszL6WHvkaYU2YL-nfB_-wLqEA-mYtHlvky_wV7Z34zL14nt8fIEXnu8L84ihIz-PiVPY6XARYSIgPjF_zECukkL6KWe3joF2g3UmeXp05MDAO_ORjK19uyK0h/s1600/IMG_1762.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhAjkZliX_83PNft9iPxJQszL6WHvkaYU2YL-nfB_-wLqEA-mYtHlvky_wV7Z34zL14nt8fIEXnu8L84ihIz-PiVPY6XARYSIgPjF_zECukkL6KWe3joF2g3UmeXp05MDAO_ORjK19uyK0h/s1600/IMG_1762.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Quaresma flowers announce the dry season.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">In
the meantime the rains picked up after the semi-drought in late January and
early February, and we’re now secure in our water supply for the next few
months, as the dry season arrives later this month and lasts until October. The
creeks are running full, and here and there the water table has broken through
the surface of our hilly plateau, at the northern lip of the La Plata
watershed. Already the <i>quaresmeiras </i>blossom
along the borders of the woods. The dirt road that connects our land to the
asphalt road about five miles away is full of huge puddles and deep ruts but
still passable.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-o5xfICKTLkcs-WyEOUpzdV5WNwQcggyOatSM2ZdpMJwWBMkKRrTMRpvUuRSqRNrFDjsWriN_9Vj-w5XtGnGzCMZ77I_kOuJ5g0EJingfrXtPcbQMN3xC7D9qfhXmO-w3MGr1jRDSChO/s1600/IMG_1697.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEin-o5xfICKTLkcs-WyEOUpzdV5WNwQcggyOatSM2ZdpMJwWBMkKRrTMRpvUuRSqRNrFDjsWriN_9Vj-w5XtGnGzCMZ77I_kOuJ5g0EJingfrXtPcbQMN3xC7D9qfhXmO-w3MGr1jRDSChO/s1600/IMG_1697.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Two siriemas (roadrunners) on the upper corner <br />
of our property</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">We
have begun to prepare for the second phase of our house-building project. This
time, instead of hiring a local crew to build in the current squared-off
manner, with hollow bricks, concrete, a wood structure, and cement-tile roof,
we want to build the house ourselves, with the earth components we have in
abundance on site – clay, sand, water, straw (perhaps some cow patties mixed
in), stone, and bamboo. We’re considering cob, a material that even a small
seventy-year-old woman can wield, and we‘ll build only one or two rooms to
start out, since it’s easy to add on. <b>The
hand-sculpted house: a philosophical and practical guide to building a cob
cottage</b>, by Ianto Evans, Linda Smiley, and Michael Smith, is the main
resource for our planning, so far.<o:p></o:p></span></div>
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<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Clearing the area, just above (west) the current house, where we will build our cob house.</td></tr>
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<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtJK1AyMNKOU3pZddT-C7eg2gsOWfSVDzYbKqHZgD2IeXOdSiMbcYs0ZfJXpOIeyGFcAso5XjCWVoSTO0X6lUrcSq5ZuZQaPuBEWPaJy3JSQjUOggl2bFN-4VbegIIQqrpHVmsp2AMLCD/s1600/IMG_1764.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEgZtJK1AyMNKOU3pZddT-C7eg2gsOWfSVDzYbKqHZgD2IeXOdSiMbcYs0ZfJXpOIeyGFcAso5XjCWVoSTO0X6lUrcSq5ZuZQaPuBEWPaJy3JSQjUOggl2bFN-4VbegIIQqrpHVmsp2AMLCD/s1600/IMG_1764.jpg" height="400" width="300" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Ipê tree stripped by ants - just a thin stem left.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DadPoo2tlEGPU6LAPjx-LLXe3XmNGJ2GapQDYYHJE3OepFitb3ghmnFJ5Ww-1RM_BvKFQ4K28-PZIK9LfJDn-r-jiy98FDjELtF4LGzAGEizuYevkEdD8dRHos2tqm1yrJNYr6VpOFtC/s1600/IMG_1765.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEh0DadPoo2tlEGPU6LAPjx-LLXe3XmNGJ2GapQDYYHJE3OepFitb3ghmnFJ5Ww-1RM_BvKFQ4K28-PZIK9LfJDn-r-jiy98FDjELtF4LGzAGEizuYevkEdD8dRHos2tqm1yrJNYr6VpOFtC/s1600/IMG_1765.jpg" height="320" width="240" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Pocã tree stripped by ants.</td></tr>
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<span style="font-size: 14.0pt; mso-bidi-font-size: 10.0pt;">The
two last nights red cutter-ants (<i>formiga
saúva)</i> have decimated two of our young trees, stripping them down to bare
branches. One was a volunteer native plant, an ipê, that I was thinking of
sacrificing anyway since it was too near the path and didn’t fit into my
orchard scheme. But the other was a pocã, a large loose skinned tangerine, that
planted last year. I think it will survive but I suspect we’ve lost a year of
fruit from it. Tonight we’re prepared, with ant bait to lay by the side of
their path. They should ‘discover’ it and carry it back to their lair instead
of the targeted leaves – and it will destroy them. We’d avoid the carnage if
they weren’t such a menace to our orchard, but all our sources tell us that we
must get rid of them. Fortunately the ant bait is organic so we don’t have to
use a chemical pesticide.</span></div>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: left; margin-right: 1em; text-align: left;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgiuiALkqDS5LE28xstwzapSA-Bxx7JwNzW9-akc6UfbuNah3Y3hkV4NBTBOubUxlp_tYgDa_Fp25KPoLnxCbDmfyRROo1eGigHVh7H2UEmRsLvxXzFiiPZStcDTbNt1KRluA23tBI_1X/s1600/IMG_1766.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEiSgiuiALkqDS5LE28xstwzapSA-Bxx7JwNzW9-akc6UfbuNah3Y3hkV4NBTBOubUxlp_tYgDa_Fp25KPoLnxCbDmfyRROo1eGigHVh7H2UEmRsLvxXzFiiPZStcDTbNt1KRluA23tBI_1X/s1600/IMG_1766.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Cut leaves left by ants who work mainly at night.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdc5BPdZ2lya6SNaCxGf7m7GlmpQoVQUP6zENAS_svKcS3SG4SIhKHKwhXdnJu7DvHZkUdT-6VCmdgEp3ayFkG4FqZrzhev2EYRcxXjmFBsMWAPtWvAFwtod4MMqMAbDd7I2yudZ0y0aKF/s1600/IMG_1767.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEhdc5BPdZ2lya6SNaCxGf7m7GlmpQoVQUP6zENAS_svKcS3SG4SIhKHKwhXdnJu7DvHZkUdT-6VCmdgEp3ayFkG4FqZrzhev2EYRcxXjmFBsMWAPtWvAFwtod4MMqMAbDd7I2yudZ0y0aKF/s1600/IMG_1767.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">This little ant is finishing up during the day.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gYs6jpxV-FQETJj7-PsNnUbp4DMwbJVKc8ev9eNxeGC6_RX8uLoDH0ZUdXM49qjDVAaCzLGrQZLRxUSNHZPGj-vncbn0hpy_u6XF1iX9FNkz99BTPQUCTOGOjUCOHQnhL3qhyphenhyphengQCfTdB/s1600/IMG_1768.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: left; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEg0gYs6jpxV-FQETJj7-PsNnUbp4DMwbJVKc8ev9eNxeGC6_RX8uLoDH0ZUdXM49qjDVAaCzLGrQZLRxUSNHZPGj-vncbn0hpy_u6XF1iX9FNkz99BTPQUCTOGOjUCOHQnhL3qhyphenhyphengQCfTdB/s1600/IMG_1768.jpg" height="300" width="400" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">The entrance to the ant house we hope to de-activate tonight.<br />
<br /></td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_zRQJuEaIB4EBp4jOhgYXvieM9WUMiZjbwOblCeS-bwTnrrQoo_WdFKNAAfp0BTbQWp1sbsY5KLOzUEfIv8R5fMKY70yhnFCPsILpHQdZc2HVYFPmWLsM3VKinyxhZEEnUJz5VyjlIce/s1600/IMG_1739.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjH_zRQJuEaIB4EBp4jOhgYXvieM9WUMiZjbwOblCeS-bwTnrrQoo_WdFKNAAfp0BTbQWp1sbsY5KLOzUEfIv8R5fMKY70yhnFCPsILpHQdZc2HVYFPmWLsM3VKinyxhZEEnUJz5VyjlIce/s1600/IMG_1739.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Loufa gourds.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<br />
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbPPN032sMciEh6vjuZm4s8JmJhQ7YN-qzn0bPM99DmNbrJfjWDQLsfYtZcu2i76WRKyYL4HGydLPSF_NkmSsaAqi5_Reg2cG9rOzoB_mjWex5ALyQ1LfmFYr4zq2IREvRWZeTcUYJo7v/s1600/IMG_1726.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEisbPPN032sMciEh6vjuZm4s8JmJhQ7YN-qzn0bPM99DmNbrJfjWDQLsfYtZcu2i76WRKyYL4HGydLPSF_NkmSsaAqi5_Reg2cG9rOzoB_mjWex5ALyQ1LfmFYr4zq2IREvRWZeTcUYJo7v/s1600/IMG_1726.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Welcome.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfvQHOLfa79KfMZHCE4Uh-9BBu1KsL5jZe5SLHsmNs5Yt5sMLVfDryxK1SPaVo8aHZKnCdWrIEgkYztNtQl2bKJ2uYAgamcFLo0U3hgJ9855zDfdb5-WCLIrcvb4O0Btb-5fXNYfY2BVE/s1600/IMG_1727.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjcfvQHOLfa79KfMZHCE4Uh-9BBu1KsL5jZe5SLHsmNs5Yt5sMLVfDryxK1SPaVo8aHZKnCdWrIEgkYztNtQl2bKJ2uYAgamcFLo0U3hgJ9855zDfdb5-WCLIrcvb4O0Btb-5fXNYfY2BVE/s1600/IMG_1727.jpg" height="640" width="480" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Babaçu trees.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
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<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CJSDhxBaibluOb62mZU7JSbPqMdCKlVOqXDsFr4tntXfCKrbsSx5SnPSIikstvGLZ4VSyKFNxuNnU5PaSP3nS04M0qwWSaZcXtONb89rz-zacZOq1gJO8VnrkymTirzU3AukXaG5ZJJE/s1600/IMG_1752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CJSDhxBaibluOb62mZU7JSbPqMdCKlVOqXDsFr4tntXfCKrbsSx5SnPSIikstvGLZ4VSyKFNxuNnU5PaSP3nS04M0qwWSaZcXtONb89rz-zacZOq1gJO8VnrkymTirzU3AukXaG5ZJJE/s1600/IMG_1752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CJSDhxBaibluOb62mZU7JSbPqMdCKlVOqXDsFr4tntXfCKrbsSx5SnPSIikstvGLZ4VSyKFNxuNnU5PaSP3nS04M0qwWSaZcXtONb89rz-zacZOq1gJO8VnrkymTirzU3AukXaG5ZJJE/s1600/IMG_1752.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Squash.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
</a></div>
<div class="separator" style="clear: both; text-align: center;">
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEi0CJSDhxBaibluOb62mZU7JSbPqMdCKlVOqXDsFr4tntXfCKrbsSx5SnPSIikstvGLZ4VSyKFNxuNnU5PaSP3nS04M0qwWSaZcXtONb89rz-zacZOq1gJO8VnrkymTirzU3AukXaG5ZJJE/s1600/IMG_1752.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; float: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: 1em;"><br /></a></div>
<table cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="float: right; margin-left: 1em; text-align: right;"><tbody>
<tr><td style="text-align: center;"><a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9ye9tioSNcRV3yFTiwdX6WC6V1A9mbjmZTHiYHbHkNNT-fWDSJLVsefhlCpMN-1Hag2n6AiBzFKAI0R3TrlLPtuqAYq9xqKnXXVTe2xBvoGu3mG7ThN1fBADayUG5yJx69_reXOAUk8Q/s1600/IMG_1749.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="clear: right; margin-bottom: 1em; margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjm9ye9tioSNcRV3yFTiwdX6WC6V1A9mbjmZTHiYHbHkNNT-fWDSJLVsefhlCpMN-1Hag2n6AiBzFKAI0R3TrlLPtuqAYq9xqKnXXVTe2xBvoGu3mG7ThN1fBADayUG5yJx69_reXOAUk8Q/s1600/IMG_1749.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a></td></tr>
<tr><td class="tr-caption" style="text-align: center;">Guy and his carrot - destined for a stir-fry tonight.</td></tr>
</tbody></table>
<table align="center" cellpadding="0" cellspacing="0" class="tr-caption-container" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto; text-align: center;"></table>
<br />
<a href="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjto5vF5c3ZdHq-icushWcQjB0egoFnTzvqc6KrdL0yqqQ9lFl6pmRBPm1ar3Q-hYViNRsVHYO57l5QRbu0kOG6UbGMq-EGw2WggB8sHFs8B_-EzN6J9tDJivJeSn_GZghlofZu2rtnvrUD/s1600/IMG_1761.jpg" imageanchor="1" style="margin-left: auto; margin-right: auto;"><img border="0" src="https://blogger.googleusercontent.com/img/b/R29vZ2xl/AVvXsEjto5vF5c3ZdHq-icushWcQjB0egoFnTzvqc6KrdL0yqqQ9lFl6pmRBPm1ar3Q-hYViNRsVHYO57l5QRbu0kOG6UbGMq-EGw2WggB8sHFs8B_-EzN6J9tDJivJeSn_GZghlofZu2rtnvrUD/s1600/IMG_1761.jpg" height="480" width="640" /></a>Avocados, lemons cherry tomatoes, red bode peppers, bishop hat pepper, carrot ...<br />
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