WILL HURTING HIS BACK
YVES BREAKS GROUND
THE 3RD K-9, LITTLE BUDDY
Since Yves and Sylvain are both architects, they are very excited about their new project. Will and Laurie want to erect a building next the the cottage we were sleeping in last week. This building will house a solar panel heated shower and two composting toilets. The french dudes have been sketching and making diagrams all week, and yesterday they finally broke ground. Using a wide variety of tools, they were hacking away at tree roots in the clay soil all day long. They hope to have the foundation completed in a few days and the entire building constructed by the weekend. They will likely leave upon completion of the structure.
Meanwhile, we helped Laurie prepare for pea planting. We carried a trough near the garden, and then added: 20 year old chicken manure, 6 month old compost, 1 year old compost, worm castings, a bucket of wood ash, and leaves. This mixture will provide nutrients to the soil so when we sow the pea seeds, they will have a happy new home. The process wasn't as scientific as making compost with the Barefoot Farmer, but we are slowly understanding the importance of compost. Part of this trip is to learn why different farmers employ different methods. The compost preparations may vary from farm to farm, but having nutrient rich compost to add to soil is critical to successful growing. With soil lacking nutrients, successful farming can only happen one way: spraying chemicals. This is something we want to avoid.
After going at it on and off all day, we built a great big bonfire as the sun dipped over the evening sky. The full moon made its way up over the ridge, casting moon shadows all over Moore Farms. We cooked our dinner atop the coals on the open fire and ate huddled around the warm flames. The meal was potatoes, sweet potatoes, onions, butternut squash, and sausages. Jen made a wonderful apple pie for dessert that we cooked for about an hour over the bonfire and finished baking for just a few minutes inside because it got too dark to see what was happening inside the pie pan. Jen's first ever pie over a bonfire was a complete success.
Then we played Tarot, a card game we are trying to learn, that features a 78 card deck. It's challenging to understand, but we are slowly getting there.
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