The Rural Life

This week started off with style. That’s right… duck rodeo!

Sunday morning we headed down to the corral with Lisa, Corinne, and Ariel. We then attempted to catch all 51 ducks and geese without injuring them. It started out easily enough. Julia managed to catch six ducks, and so did Arial. But then they started to suspect that something was up. They started running and fighting harder if you touched them. They got faster, worked as a group, and darted between the bamboos for cover. With their sharp talons, beating wings, and pecking beaks, soon I was the only one that could keep a hold of them. Corinne banded them, Ariel was “secretary” with a pad to record the info, Lisa sexed them (resulting in a face full of goose poop on one occasion) and Julia and I wrangled them. We eventually got a system down – Julia would back them into a corner and edge closer until their only route of escape was right past me. Crouched low, I waited until they got desperate enough, then lunged at them like a fumbled football. I landed in mud, barbed wire, and bamboo on many occasions. About 15 male ducks got put in a separate pen for slaughter later in the week, and the rest got set free. It took almost three hours, and by the time we were done, we’d about called it quits for the day. After all that crouching and diving my legs were wobbly for days.

The days speed by to the sound of birds warbling and wind in the pine trees. We only get one day off a week from work, with the rest spent entirely on the grounds. In Nayarit our days were not as full, and we got more time off. Hence, it feels like Nayarit was more of a “Mexico” experience, while Michoacan is more of a “farming” experience. We’re doing a lot more and learning a lot more in the way of farming, yet we’re almost completely cut off from the local Mexican culture. I see it as a great counterbalance to our farm last month, and I’m grateful for both opportunities. There seems to always be a pot of fresh coffee or tea for the taking. If you need a moment of rest you can just grab a warm cup of your favorite drink, and plop down with one of the dogs on the couch. Even better, Lisa usually has one of her 400+ DVD’s playing in the background, so it’s great for a quick refresher.

We have a terrific group here, and we all enjoy spending time together. Whether it be watching a movie over popcorn on our laptop, or sifting through rotted vegetables, there’s always a good vibe in the air. We’ve all kind of fallen into our specified roles. Kim is the leader and manager (designated by Lisa and Ian because she’s here for 5 months), Julia is the clutter-organizer and cook (though she enjoys helping me outside sometimes). I’m the only male WWOOFer here, so I plan and execute the heavier projects. Anna, seeking to defy gender roles, likes to help me with the more physically demanding tasks (and she’s bean-thin, so it’s funny having the two scrawniest WWOOFers being the muscle on the ranch). Corinne and Ariel, having studied permaculture back home, can usually be found working in the vegetable gardens or the green houses. “Picking Day” supersedes all other tasks, as we prepare the large orders of vegetables for restaurants or hotels when they order them.

Julia loves cooking for the group, and has received Lisa’s blessing to do so. She’s cooked us a beautiful frittata, savory curry (the powder made from scratch!), and delicious desserts. When she’s not doing that, she loves to work with the animals, especially the newborns. While she’s busy in the kitchen or the corral, I’m usually outside getting dirty. Earlier this week, I undertook a project to build a smokehouse for smoking…..Bertie. Working alone from a hand-drawn diagram, I dug a huge fire pit underground connected to a twelve-foot diagonal chimney. The chimney, constructed of crimped 5 lb. aluminum cans, lays underground at a slope of about 1/10. At the other end of a chimney, I dug another similar pit, ringed it with a 2-foot tall wall of bricks, and placed a huge barrel on top. I finished by covering the wall and the bottom of the barrel with dirt (so no smoke will escape) about 3 feet high, compacting it, and assembling a staircase of concrete at the base. The idea is that it will get all the smoke from the fire, but very little of the heat. Anna and I have taken several excursions into the forest to haul immense 100-300 lb. tree trunks up from the ravine, and then process them into firewood. We also have begun the ambitious endeavor of doubling the size of the chicken pen. I put my hard-earned pick axing skills to use again, building long trenches and deep holes. Hauling the massive “posts”, i.e. tree trunks, up the hill by hand was no picnic either.

For a bit of a break to the routine, Lisa and Ian hosted a barbecue on Sunday. There were 16 of us in all, and Julia, Lisa, and I ended up doing all the cooking…and boy did we cook! For over six hours I slaved over mounds of guacamole, bowls of homemade fire-roasted salsa. I butchered, marinated, and grilled three whole chickens, created salad dressings, and flavored focaccia breads. Julia whipped up a gorgeous tray of cookies and lemon bars that had everyone drooling. Around here, even a party means plenty of work. Once everyone had eaten, all six of us WWOOFers headed back into the kitchen for another hour of cleaning while the older folks enjoyed coffee and dessert. It wasn’t a day off, but it was nice to get a break from swinging that pick-axe!

Julia and I love it here. But we’re counting the days until we get to come back to Texas. We miss everyone back home, and I have an inexplicable craving for some American fast food and my own bed. Most of all, we’re eager and excited about beginning our new lives in a new state. Every day as we work we talk about agencies, different states, a new home, and life as struggling artists. We bought our plane tickets, and we’ll be arriving in Houston on the 15th of April. We’ll spend a few days in Texas then immediately depart again to Albuquerque, NM. I for one will miss Mexico immensely, yet I can’t help but feeling we’re going to be taking a bit of this land back with us. Julia’s sense of adventure and daring has really blossomed during our time here. We’ve both gotten fitter, stronger, and more lighthearted. I believe we’ll be surprised how much more energy we have than we did 3 months ago, when all we had to do is sit and stand all day. We’ve made some terrific friendships, learned to love a culture, and learned new languages (the Spanish language, the language of bartering, the language of Mexican streets, and most of all the language of compromise). Today we’re in Uruapan enjoying our day off, and then tomorrow it’s back to farm life. We’re looking forward to tomorrow evening, when some guests at the party promised to take us on an excursion. They’re the oldest copper-working family in the region, and they’ll be taking all six of us to their smithy.

Until next week, we miss and love every one of you reading this,
Philip