One of the prominent feature of our town is our steep mountain range, it does speak of a lonely view that on the big island we live in we had it in full view for all to see. The greenery is vast but are those hills and fields farmed or left alone?

The mountains and hills are now empty of people for most of had move away from the mountains to live near a more accessible location while the muddy trails of the woodland slowly turned to become jungles again. Our town is gorgeous and prestine, having been a natural forest and wildlife reserve, it has still hasn't lost its natural glory and wonder. People have lived in these places a long time ago. Children had been born beyond these hills before. Older people used to be there plowing their fields and tending some few farm animals around their quaint farm houses.

There is life in these mountains before, there are families in there before, the streams are alive before but now it lies quiet with some occasional people around. Only the farmers risked living on the farmlands right now knowing there are a few chances of earning and much are of sweat and labor to tend a farm.

Months ago, I decided to grow crops at a piece of land my parents owned at the foot of the hills. Not knowing where farming would take me, I tilled the land to grow a bunch of crops around our hut. I decided to plant some melons (two more weeks to wait till harvest). If I learned something about farming in these past four months of labor under the sun, I did, and I am hopeful that people would love farming too.

The Mountains is Quiet But are Full of Wonderful Things

The trees stood silent most of the time but if you listened well there are creatures that hides around the bushes singing along and most of the time in sunny days large bugs would sing like birds above the tree tops. And one time, we realized that the weird smelling creature living near the path we used to walked on towards our farm is none other than a monitor lizard (an average size), as we heard it run away on its four legs weeks ago. We are thankful it wasn't a snake judging fom its weird bugging smell (mountain people often said that 'flies' would often gather around a snake den and perhaps to other reptiles den too like this one).

Farming is a Heavy Work

Apart from hard labor under the heat of the tropical sun with occasional cool breezes, it wasn't all work, bathing on a warm springwater is great after a day's work--and thankful for the warm spring nearby. Our hut is hidden between two smaller hills and so far the house is safe from the harsher winds but a bit far from a natural spring but still a walking distance from it.

Trivia:
No one can explain why the water from the spring is a bit warmer until my father said that the spring is a part of a pyroplastic flow of an ancient volcano which our island has and the ancient volcano is said to be the 'lake' towns away. But the water is good for bathing because it's warm and I believe there might be crystals in some parts of that volcanic vein.

Do Farmers Age Faster?

They are right and wrong at the same time. The sun might give us wrinkles but we could put some sun protection on, we could drink liters of water to keep hydrated and take supplements. But, skin really do age faster under the sun so as much as possible if you aren't working on your garden/farm, stay away from direct sunlight. Also, I do wear long jackets and hat when I am in my garden. As much as the skin ages faster, the overall well-being of a farmer is healthy as long as we don't overdo the work and learn to take a break from time to time.

Overall,

I learned that plants grow well when properly tended, when the soil is healthy, and when we put additional fertilizer to help it grow. Plants will grow if cared and so does us, we needed to be placed on a healthy environment, to be tended regularly, and to take additional vitamins and supplements to grow well (much of these I meant is for our mental well-being).

Farming had helped me took a break from my own self. I needed the mental clarity as well as a hobby to get by. I wasn't really that ambitious which is the main reason I always felt stuck but I never expect that I'd see melons today than I first started. I saw them grow as much as I wanted to see myself grow and this is only the beginning of my journey. I hope I grow well like my melons do, not rounded and plump, but healthy as well as sweet.

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ABOUT ME

@janesuiren is an introverted night owl who enjoys coffee a lot. An otaku and a foodie, she also lives inside the stories she dreams to publish one day. You can catch her admiring her rainy and picturesque hometown in Western Leyte, Philippines.

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