Of Cows and Ducks.

True to the sub-tropical winter weather patterns, the butterflies are drying their new wings in the wave of heat that heaved in just after the frost.

We harvested the "culantrillo" (english name, anyone?) that was growing in the sweat lodge floor to make a tincture.  And of course we have had some winter sweats already... and quick dips in the river, oddly refreshing, and bursting with extremes.

Big news on the animal front... we are building a new animal sanctuary/barn/house.  We will be breaking ground this week!  And we now have a new black duck 9traded one of our white ones with a neighbor), who is refusing to be around the old aviary, except for breakfast, even though he has a gorgeous lady duck throwing him the flirtacious tale move and awfully long glances.  I think he thinks he found paradise swimming around in the waterfall pool. 

And our neighbors are loaning us their cows to help us clear our field for spring planting.  Elephant grass in, fertilizer out.  Good for everyone.

 And we get to milk the mama cow! 

 This means dulce de leche, cheese, and hot cocoa delights!

 That baby cow is cute, but he sure is Ornery... so that's what we named him.

 Fresh cut banana stems, the leafy greens frost-bit and turned into mulch.

 Which one's the duck egg and which is the chicken?

 Hey, we're not the only ones living in a mud house in the neighborhood. Except how'd they get theirs in a tree?

Bonus photo: My first view in the morning.  Full teets.

Mud-tastic Transformations

So we trickle into winter, leaving a trail of mud-gumdrops behind us.  So many projects completed, and Mama Roja is as gorgeous as ever! 

 This is the new and improved castle bathroom, plastered up with love and smooth delight.

 Sweet gorgeous comfrey... she wanted to be photographed in all her glory.

 Mosaic over the community bathhouse sink.

 Yoga, plastering, and life lessons.  Balance and breath are essential.

 The second plaster coat on the House ont he Hill.  

 The fine-tuning on column plastering.

 The bedroom wooden floor-- complete!  Installed, sanded, painted, all by Marcelo.  Hermoso!!

Ghana-style dancing anyone?  Our interns learned a sweet (and silly) dance, complete with swingy-legged hand-flapping and bump-be-dump-de-dump-bump and beep-e-deep-e-dee-beeps. 

 A field trip to the Chakra Suiza and a good investingation of their bio-gas system just off their dairy. 

 Of course there was pizza night...

More Mexican sunflowers still popping up everywhere.

 Reforming one of the cabins of course is delicate work, so Rambo needs to stand guard at all times.

 The cabin was mud-prepped and painted red!

 The cabin's inhabitant, managing the yerba mate rounds while we work.

 The castle bathroom seems to have a permanent lady in waiting... literally.

 The life-sized scupltural creation-- a lady on the earthbag bench-- what's she waiting on?  Conjectures...?

Thank you to to the fabulous and fun interns who made these last few months a pleasure and an all-around fantastic experience.  Much love and light to you all on your journeys.  Besos!

Sharing mud joys

Sweet April is here, and our projects are keeping us in the mud and full of spunk...

The Castle Bathhouse is looking fabulous:  the final plasters are going over the adobe bricks and earthbags...

 ...the "waiting bench" is getting smoothed...

 ...plaster delight!

 ...almost there...

 In the garden, we are still preping the beds for our little plantlings for our winter crops...

 ...and itty bitty seeds go into the ground...

 Fresh from the earth, mandioca root and her harvesting goddess:

 And Jax is keeping the kitchen team in line and aproned up:

Oh, and the recycling center gets some organizing love too.  We have just gone trash-free and are now producing eco-bricks (full explanation and photos to come...)

 Little flowers everywhere!

 Mandarine marmalade, bubbling iridescently in the afternoon light.  

 The community bathhouse extention is just about complete.  Bottles to finish the wall...

 Everyone finds a little inspiration from the farm dog Rambo.

 Plastering goes on.

 And the sink is installed, and a mirror mosaic dazzles up the mud wall.

 New stairs to the watering hole.

Ooh, and we had our first sweat in our new sweat lodge!  In the easy light of morning, we sat together in the steaming womb of the lodge right by the river, sang songs of joy, and celebrated the Easter dawn.

 See... we're all so shiny and clean now. 

Bonus shot:  anyone know what type of mushroom this is poking out from under our trees?