Wednesday, September 16, 2009

Meandering thoughts

Yesterday I was going along in my fairly aimless way online (after an aimed but slow walk home - view from El Batey) when I came across a site I've seen for years.. When I first moved to Culebra, I looked online for any farms or farmer's markets in Puerto Rico and there were none. Today on Local Harvest, that has changed, a good thing! Not that there weren't any organic farms or markets before but no one was listing them. I did find two on my own, Montoso Gardens and Govardhan Gardens. I got in touch with them both. The two men I emailed back and forth with (and at times, still do so) were incredibly available to help answer my many questions. Despite that Gov. Fortuno seems invested in selling Puerto Rico to the highest bidders / developers, along with a few who seem to feel the same about Culebra, there are still people working hard to make good things happen. We just need to keep our eyes open for them, and maybe one day Culebra will make that list...

Another site I found after having read about good fillet knives is Cool Tools. I am a self-confessed gadget and tool freak and this site is like Tiffany's might be to a jewelry junkie. Tools for creating everything from a pretty fish fillet to a piece of furniture and lots more, this is the spot. To register for a newsletter, they ask that you tell about one tool you love and use a lot along with links to getting it. I put up my Ryobi 12v cordless drill, which is one of the few tools of that sort that I own here on Culebra beyond the basics. Well, there IS the electric chain saw. But, like kitchen gadgets, there is always another lust list item to look forward to owning....thanks, Cool Tools! Now I know where to direct Santa.

My chicken coop is actually going to get used soon! Not by me, however. A chicken who needs a stopover spot while its owner is away will be hanging out there for a couple of weeks next month. I tell you this early because I know the entertainment value will be something you want to make sure not to miss. Oh, can you feel the excitement???

The sky is just now getting light enough to call light, which makes it a good half hour past summer dawnings. There is a lot more color in the western sky than the east though, much like yesterday. At halfway through September and the early mornings are feeling a wee bit fallish. Two other people mentioned that yesterday, so it isn't just me! This year, I have two added clothing items for when it gets cold, both from Foxy's on Jost. A long sleeved shirt of the most delicious lightweight material and some very lightweight pants. I have a feeling these are going to be my new favorite things to wear this winter. See them on an Island Woman near you in the months to come. Well, if near you means you are here. And that's about as far as my meandering goes for today.

4 comments:

  1. MJ, I just came across this organization yesterday and have started the thought stages towards going to one of the farms and volunteering for a week.
    http://www.wwoof.org/ World Wide Opportunities on Organic Farms You sign up to volunteer, you work at an organic farm, your food and lodging is paid for. It is right up my alley. I didn't see any farms on Puerto Rico until just now.
    www.wwoofinternational.org/independents/preview.php?country=PUERTO%20RICO
    I haven't read enough to understand the why some farms are "independent". Thought you might like to look at this since you seem to be adventurous AND farmerish!

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  2. It's a wonderful organization, June. I've been aware of it for a few years now. The one place I mentioned, Govardhan Gardens, will let people come and work there, or he used to do that when I first checked. There are participating farms around the world and yes, I'd love to do that, in another lifetime when my arm isn't a fairly useless appendage as it is now. Maybe I'll find one to do a blog on though...

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  3. can i ask you a question? what exactly is your definition of "fallish" and "cold"???

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  4. That is pretty personal, but I can answer it here. Fallish is when you breathe in the morning and it is not like breathing in heated air. As from an oven. Cold is when I need to put something over me beside the air...and when regular clothes don't feel like blankets. Easy!

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