Working on the farm, cleaning up

Life is good, and although busy, some activities really lift my spirits, like monitoring previous restoration sites on our farm. As I wrote on twitter:

There is a great joy in plants. In transforming physical space and assisting in the regeneration of ecosystems.

In seeing the challenges and obstacles that nature faces and helping her to overcome, jumping years ahead with a few simple stokes of the machete.

In touching dirt, and making friends with plants and trees that will live longer than me, that could give me a pension, shade to sit in and bless my grandchildren one day.

There is joy, and optimism in a life well lived.

Here I am with my great friend and one of my favorite native trees that we have identified, Vivurnum Cornifolium, or Cabo de Hacha. I do think that these will be a big source of income in the future, coppicing fence posts (sustainable fencing :), and I had just rescued this from the invasive and allelopathic grasses that always play to win.

Photo by Ledis Arango V. @ecoinstante

The reason we went down to check in on and monitor our previous implementation is that we had an opportunity to work with an old friend and neighbor, a young guy I have worked with and trained before, and trusted to run the weedwacker around our young trees.

https://twitter.com/EcoInstant/status/1760433875652874541

We recently had a very good meeting with our community, over time we are becoming more united and organized, this is a positive development and not to be taken for granted. As my grandpa once told me, and I use a lot as a saying, it doesn't matter how remote you buy land, you will always have a neighbor.

And we have had some struggles in the past, a good neighbor is something that money cannot buy. But it can be earned, worked for. And, so far so good.

I have been cleaning up around the farm as well in my 'free time'. Always pruning, the biomass comes fast and furious now, what a blessing. I wish I could work even more, or hire more and keep training, but for now we have sent Mr. Yellow on vacation and are working with young mr weedwacker. Rich times will come again, I am sure of it, but for now we cannot overextend the payroll.

But one thing did happen, my favorite tool broke!

Sure, I paid only 8 dollars for it in a year end garden center sale at Menards last October. Sure it had a bunch of plastic bits that at some point just shattered under the pressure I was putting them under. But I think I can 'fix them', I just need to machine the specialty metal gear head and weld on a metal bar and, I think it should work very well.

March is going to be a very busy month, maybe the busiest in a long while, at least that doesn't involve travel on our end. Two different groups are coming to visit, important groups. With one of the groups I'll be visiting a new city in Colombia, stay tuned for that we head out on 29th of February. A classic city, perhaps the most historical - can anyone guess?

I would send some HSBI if anyone can, @davot I am thinking of you!

Freedom and Friendship