Oxen, Compost and Birds Nests

In the last couple of weeks, we´ve been busy (as usual).

We finally finished the Earthbag wall in the kitchen, and of course, painted it red (with lime putty and oxide pigment.) The kitchen was somewhat put together, but then we took it all apart to start working on the floor to get it level and prepped for rock-and-cementing it... We didn´t take pictures of that mess.

The first friend to find the wall!

And with the help of our super volunteers, we built a new and improved double sided compost bin!! We used old pallets and some creatively recylcled things from a local junkyard. So far, so great!

Also, Marcelo and a neighbor used oxen to cut up and haul old fallen hardwood trees from the forest, and take them up to our local sawmill. We are having the trees cut into boards to use for building the inside walls of the house (and other future projects). This is Minero and Fasero-- they spent a couple of nights with us in the valley. Though not very social (they don´t like hugs much), they sure were hard workers!

And it seems our volunteer popularity is growing, so this week we grew to a big family. We have been doing lots of craft sharing. We are using vines from the jungle to make baskets, carving peices of wood into tools, making macrame hangers... and loads more. We love to learn new things, especially when we can use the materials in the jungle.
Of course, springtime means lots of feathered company. This is a Surucua Rojo-- a spectacular bird who moved into a dead tree near the spring. She and her partner take turns guarding the nest and looking at us walk by. We also have been discovering birds nests in our backpacks, the seed boxes, and other tucked away dry places in the toolshed-toilet house. Some we let stay, but others, well, we have to encourage them to move outside. It´s always fun to see who shows up every morning!

On one of our night hikes, we followed the croaks of this little guy and found him by the babbling brook.

Ode to Marcelo...

We celebrated his birthday this last week, with a big asado lunch shared by our friends and volunteers. Marcelo confessed (post-vino) that he feels a little left out of the blog, being that we never post photos of him. So, happy birthday, mi amor. This part is all for you...

Tacuara, Mariposas, y otros Projectos

Spring weather is finally here, and we have been busy busy busy in the sunshine. Lots of projects going on simultaneously, which makes for interesting workdays, and mild exhaustion at night!

Water update: We now have water running directly into our kitchen and to our gardens! Marcelo installed the water tank (which gravity fills up with water from our spring) under the apricot trees just above the upper garden beds. The photo is of Marcelo´s legs and our volunteers working hard not to let him roll down the hill (oops!)

And since the summer sun is on its way, we added a shade awning on the north side of the community kitchen. We harvested the giant bamboo (called "tacuara" here) from the river, split it, and wove it into a fabulous shady covering, which will one day suport some lovely fruiting vine!

Here´s Eleanor, Danielle, and Libby modeling the awning.

Also, we are plastering the Earthbag half wall in the community kitchen. This is a photo of the first plaster (sifted earth with dried grass) and Rambo installed in his new favorite nap spot. This week, we should finish the final plaster and start painting it.

Also, we took a little afternoon outing to our friends Butterfly Reserve. They are creating a project focused on attracting butterflies and birds (their passion is nature photography), and conserving the jungle and reforesting with the native flora. They have lovely trails through a bamboo forest and this ittle bitty waterfall...!

Oh, and the wooden cabin now has a lovely sturdy plank floor (sorry no photos yet) and this week we should start putting up the outside walls (with salvaged eucalyptus rolls) and putting in the loft floor (with mixed leftover hardwood pieces.)

Also, the gardens are growing, and we are trying to organically encourage the cutter ants to find some other greens to eat... but I might not be so nice if they keep eating my arugula!!

Lots to keep us busy!!

Bonus photo this week: Bug On A Stick!

Map of Mama Roja... so far

Danielle, one of current volunteers, got stuck in her tent during a rainstorm and drew a lovely map of the farm´s living spaces... It´s hard to believe this was all overgrown weeds and jungle vines just two months back!

(It was requested by Rambo-- who changed his name recently to "Rambeax"-- that we add this photo in honor of Danielle, who he still howls for in the wee hours of the night...)

And let´s not forget those blue overalls...

Towards the Within... and Green Bugs too

There were lots of butterflies around this week. They especially like our toes (and the uric acid left on the ground after peeing.)

So...... The wooden cabin is framed... that´s Kim standing in the loft.

And it´s crowned with an aluminum roof...

... this week we will put in the floor, and start thinking about walls, windows, (a) door, etc.

We also installed our Cool Box for storing our veggies below ground, thus keeping them fresh and bugless. Yup, it´s an old refrigerator, sassied up with anti-rust paint (Marcelo picked the color) and stuck in a giant hole by the kitchen. So far so fresh!

What did we do with all that dirt from the hole, you ask? Why, we built an earthbag wall with it, of course! It´s a lovely arching halfwall in the kitchen, which protects us from the raindrop drips splashing in from the forest trees, and makes a nice sitting bench/earthbag yoga stretcher. This week we will plaster it with straw, lime, and love!

Bonus photo: this is a snapshot of the Rio Uruguay, which is the big river into which the little rivers at Mama Roja eventually run. It also divides Brasil from Argentina. This was the viewspot on the way to do Kim´s border run. We also saw toucans munching berries and a giant hollowed-out tree so big that you could do yoga in it!!

The Wonders, A Wondering, Some Wandering...

There was the full moon, and a lunar eclipse, and the wild energies of the Red Lady. She had us learning our lessons in the mud this last week, redefining Sustainability in this deep jungle, and reaffirming our dedication to this adventure.

Beautiful days, some quick, hard rain, and the fabulous full-force waterfall... Here´s two volunteers (Eleanor and Chris) enjoying the water and the laguna, which are fantastic after a sunny morning at work on the garden...

Planting some seeds in the boxes we made out of old pallets-- seeds from all over: gifts from neighbors and local farmers, some picked in Thailand and Texas, some found along the way. All hopes of a delightful first garden.

And so...

When the clouds are thick on the valley floor and the humidity rolls around us like a thick white blanket, it occurs to us how lovely it might be to have a house. Don´t get us wrong-- tent life is grand, especially next to our Babbling Brook snuggled in between beautiful trees... but a little porch for the (funky toothless wonder) dog, and a dry spot to rest our weary heads... mmmmm.

But we tried with all earnestness and strength to start an earthbag cottage... A lovely little round spot to cuddle up... but my prayers must have been misunderstood because instead it puddled up! When we started to dig the trench foundation, we hit water-- lots of water-- and had to take a moment to reconfigure our earthen ideas. Long emotional story short, we are now using the available wood harvested from the fallen trees on our land to build our first cottage. Something creative and loving and not full of jungle water!! We have the help of our neighbor, Juan (the carepenter- extraordinaire) helping us, and a few volunteers to lend a hand. This is the first part: the posts and the floor frame, and lots of stacked lumber (which we are doing a trade for with our sawmill neighbor.)

More photos of the cottage and garden as they progress...

Send prayers and good energy our way!

Giant Worms and Crystals

Digging our beds, we discovered all sorts of wonderful things-- like gigantic earthworms and rocks that have crystal bellies!! It makes garden bed-making delightful, amusing, and full of ooohs and ahhhs as we all run to see what the others have found.

Pulling out the rocks from the garden spot isn´t so bad when the rocks sparkle and charm you when you wash them off in the river. Marcelo, Chris, Eleanor, and Danielle couldn´t get enough!

Community Kitchen Goes Up!

We built our community kitchen this last week, with recycled hardwood posts, site-found wood (Canela Laurel trees), galvanized tin for the roof, and good help!

Marcelo, Juan (our neighbor and carpenter-extraordinaire), Elorry and Paxcal (two great volunteers), and Kimberly (taking the photo).

Creativity comes in handy out here. We used oil drums for ladders, and to get to that super high beam, our truck was put to good use.

Once the structure was up, we moved in the goods, including our food for the week, pots and pans, and a fantastic table made out of recycled pallets...

(The kitchen is now more organized than this photo shows, although I think it is a perpetual work-in-progress...)

... and we installed our "big bertha"

wood-burning cookstove on a
stone-laid floor made by Elorry...

...and Juan and Kimberly built a firewood stand just outside the kitchen to the left of the stove (not pictured) to keep our wood dry even in the jungle humidity and rain...

...and our simple dish-washing station proves to be water-effecient and fun!

(as modeled here by Kimberly and Eleanor)

And we also built our humanure compost pile with pest-proof wire mesh and the tops of the canela laurel trees (left-over from the kitchen structure.) So far the compost toilet filled with sawdust from the local mill has been working great...

And let´s not forget the fridge-- a total ecological necessity if one is to store butter, dulce de leche, dulce de batata, and milk from the neighbor´s cows! The 5-gallon bucket in the creek with a rock on top works great... and it´s just below our tent site for midnight snacking and splashing.

And we have a front gate! Mostly to keep the neighbor´s cows from wandering in and eating our soon-to-be-planted garden, but also to add a little prestige to our humble wilderness abode.

You can´t really make it out in this photo, but you have to go down the rose-lined road and cross the creek to officially "arrive" at Mama Roja.