My dogs? Let me tell you about my dogs…

An astrologer once told me that I would have two children. Because I am now divorced, almost 44 and childless, I started to doubt this person, but then I thought, “Wait a minute…These two children must be my two dogs!” And then things started to make sense. Now, I know that these two little beings are not babies and I thank God I don’t have to change their diapers or feed them every six hours but they, in many ways, are like the children I never had. For example, I tell them off, I teach them tricks, I go walking with them, I take them to visit my friends, I talk about them at reunions or parties, they keep me company, I buy them the food they like every now and then, some times they make me really mad, some other times they make me really happy, they make me laugh [a lot!], I worry about them when get sick, I miss them when I’m away…so, yes, they’re my children!

These are my dogs: The white, incredibly cute one is Chichita. She just turned 2. Chichita’s mom, Miel [honey in Spanish] is a cross bred between poodle and schnauzer but Miel’s owners never knew who Chichi’s father was. Clearly, judging by Chichita’s looks, he must have been quite handsome My other dog, Charlie, I found in my plot. He must be a bit over 1 year old. He was abandoned in my plot and managed to make it because some workers fed him. When I rescued him, he was a bit larger than my fist and was covered in fleas. My vet remembers him well because of the bite his assistant got from him. I love his caramel color and his eyes, so sweet but he is the bad boy in the house…messy, noisy, sneaky and very disobedient Chichi, on the other hand, is very well behaved, a “saint” as I call her sometimes. She’s tidy, doesn’t bark unless strictly necessary and is super obedient. The black dog has a sad story. He is now homeless because he was one of those puppies who gnaws at shoes, and steals socks and clothes to chew on them and his owner got sick of him and put him in the street. He now stays in my house on and off and uses it as his hospital, basically. He has a nemesis, another street dog,  that beats him to a pulp every now and then. When that happens, I take him in and let him stay until he recovers.  So, that’s something about my dogs…what’s your dogs’ story? And would you say they are your children or at least something close to being your children?

Always close to home!

I recently went on a short trip to a the nearby state of Zulia. Why I went there is kind of a long story but to make it really short, I gave a ride to a friend of mine who is doing a documentary. We left very early in the morning and because his producer from New York was here, my friend asked me to stop at a small lake that is on the way so this guy could see it. We arrived there at 7:00am and the sun was just rising and the fog was starting to clear up. There was not a soul, just us, so the silence was really imposing and beautiful. The air was clean and cold (we were at 3600 above sea level, i.e., almost 12,000 feet high) and the wind was dry and gentle. And this is how we started the trip. But wait! It gets better…On the way back home three days later, we decided to use this same road instead of the one we had planned initially and it was 6:00pm already when we got to the top part of the road (4000mts or 13123 ft). We noticed that the people there had a strange attitude…they were all outside despite the cold and they looked excited. We drove just a little further to find out what it was: the highest peaks were covered with snow! For some of you, this may not be exciting, but remember, this is the tropics, this is South America, this is the Caribbean…and we got snow! The scene was so incredibly beautiful that it made me wonder why the sights close to home are the ones that impress me the most. Do you ever have the same feeling?

The Garden is Here to Stay!

It’s been a while since I last wrote on the blog but a lot has been going on since that January post. For one thing, the works at the plot are now finished, the fence is in place and the garden I planted with my friend Mary is growing! The other really nice thing is that the rainy season is just starting and that is going to be very good for my little plants so when I leave for New York next month, I’ll know they are going to be just fine. Here are some pictures of what the garden looked like about a month ago when I planted the first batch of flowers, creepers and papyrus. Since then, I added another batch of flowers and a really nice plant that covers the ground so it stays moist. My idea is to take one more shot before I leave in about three weeks so you can see how much bigger it will have got. I’m hoping that the garden will make it while I’m away but I am interested in knowing how you make sure your garden survives when you go on a trip. Do you have any tips?

My Sad Admission

The year ended and I still have unfinished tasks (including the retaining wall) at my lot and the painful realization resulting from the process is that a person on their own would have a very tough time building a house. I know, I started out in a very optimistic mood but as it has turned out, even the most resilient optimist has to admit that one person can’t do it all. I was so stressed out by the end of this year and everything piled out in such a manner that I could not follow through one of the few rituals I have for the end of the year…changing my sheets for a clean set. Just imagine! On New Year I had to sleep on the same sheets I woke up in on New Year’s Eve. So, that was when I realized, it’s too much. So, I am putting this project on hold for a while to work on other things I know I can accomplish on my own and also to do a little traveling. Maybe in six months’ time I will be more rested and I will have regained some of that old optimism and who knows? I might try again. Maybe by then I will also have managed to get a willing prospect on board In the meantime, I will keep writing posts about the garden. That project is still very much on! Please, don’t be disappointed and I beg you to cut me some slack here…Believe me when I tell you that dropping the whole project was a very painful thing to do. As for the rest, I wish you all a wonderful 2012!

 

Colors of the Caribbean

After what seemed like a very long trip, I’m finally back! You see, the whole building thing was taking a toll on me so I decided to go on a short trip to the beach, more specifically, to a small beach town called Chichiriviche, in Falcon state, here in Venezuela. This is one of the closer beaches to where I live but it takes a 10-hour drive to get there. It was totally worthy, of course, because we had a wonderful time, the sky was blue, the days were hot and sunny and the colors were simply spectacular! So, I am sharing some pictures with you so can enjoy the colors of Caribbean beaches. The first two pictures were taken in Cayo Sombrero, a small island twenty minutes off the coast of Chichiriviche, the third was taken in Cayo Sal, a nearer island and the last one was taken on the road to Chichiriviche at 9am when the flamingos come to this particular place to eat the tiny shrimp that give them their characteristic color. Enjoy!

Wikipedia: which definition: being what one or ones out of a group —used as an interrogative. →

What a beautiful sight!

Today I stopped by the plot because I had a little extra time after going on a [failed] tree hunt. Basically I have been searching in vain for a weeping willow in different nurseries. I also had to get linseed oil for another project. Anyway, I had a bit of time so I used it to go check on my zen master and his assistant who have been working on the bahareque since last Monday. I was in for a treat! The shed has turned into a total beauty now that almost all the walls have been filled up with earth, hay and wood chips. I think words can’t describe such beauty so I will just leave you the pictures. Enjoy!

Wikipedia: Sufijo que entra en la formación de palabras con el significado de: I Acción y efecto: cese, corte, tueste. →

After a conversation with an expert…

I have been so embarrassed with my carelessness in terms of providing accurate information about my plants that today I paid a visit to the School of Forestry and talked to one of the experts at the seeds lab about some varieties I am using in my plot. So, here’s the up-to-date information for those of you who have not been able to sleep or eat waiting for this vital information By the way, I also learned today that when you write the scientific names of species the first word is the genus and is written with a capital letter and the second is the species and it is written with a low-case letter. Am I totally lame for not knowing this before? Anyways…

This is the one I was not sure whether it was balsa or majague…turned out it was majague or White Moho: Heliocarpus popayanensis

The species of willow that I planted and may use for a fedge: Salix humboldtiana (I owe you a picture of it)

And finally a tree highly recommended for clay-y, very wet soil: Alnus acuminata (will get it next time I go to the School of Forestry)

Operation Rescue Begins!

Yesterday, my good friend Mary came to spend the morning at the plot to help me begin plant some beauties that had been waiting for over three weeks. I decided to begin with these plants because this part of the plot will remain largely undisturbed by Sr. Goyo and his trusty assistant Eric. They finished this wall maybe three weeks ago and because the thing is u-gly I got some hanging plants with pretty flowers to eventually cover it. As I told you, the land there is really poor in terms of nutrients and there is also a variety of grass that grows there called “elephant” grass (Pennisetum purpureum)–I suppose because it is very tall and sturdy. Dumbo also is very invasive and its roots are very difficult to get rid of and it also thrives in acidic soils. Because it is unfazed by adverse conditions, it really is a threat for gardens as it can take over easily and it is hard for smaller plants to compete with it. So, the first step was to make sure my friend Dumbo does not take over so before planting anything we covered the ground –and Dumbo–with all the cement paper bags. On top of that I put a layer of grass clippings that had been rotting for over a month and on top of that I put the nice soil that I bought the other day and mixed in dry horse droppings for added fertility. Then I covered the whole thing with a long roll of paper that a neighbor had put in the garbage and voila! I think these babies have a very good chance of making it. I planted two Allamandas (Allamanda cathartica) which have beautiful yellow flowers all year round, a small succulent that I hope will eventually cover the ground and a cute little plant that looks like a fuchsia but the flowers are red and yellow (I know, this is terrible but I forgot to ask what its name was at the nursery). Anyway, here are some pictures, and, as I promised Mary, I will immortalize her in my blog

Two updates

Well, this is just a quick update on two of the initial projects…with pictures…In one of them you can see that the stairs are shaping up after I was able to find cement. Because there is still a lot of water in this area (I owe you a picture of the puddles in each one of the steps), I decided to plant a Eucalyptus pulverulenta otherwise known as Baby Blue right at the top of the steps where most of the water seems to collect. What these “babies” do is basically soak up the water and transform it into a really beautiful, very decorative tree whose leaves can be put in a vase and look quite stunning. They can also be sold, if I needed to. Also, I have a vision of this tree and its shade welcoming you as you reach the end of the stairs…Gorgeous! The other picture is of the very first baharaque that was put in place…It is simply beautiful! I don’t think the picture does it any justice, though. It is so amazing and the texture is soft but also hard and resistant. I cant wait for it to fill up the whole wall. I feel so happy today…for the longest time things seemed to have come to a point where nothing was happening and I was so stressed out and now everything is just flowing

Beautiful, black soil…

The soil finally made it! This morning the truck dropped it in a nearby location and I have to transport it in small batches from there to the plot. If you were wondering why I am doing that, the explanation is simple. My plot is up on a hill and the road is a bit steep for regular trucks. Also, the community wants to maintain the road in good shape by not letting big heavy trucks transit from a certain point of the road on just because it is difficult to repave the road up there. So, what people do is have everything delivered at the bottom of the hill and then a small jeep takes the load uphill. So, what you see in the picture is my beautiful, black soil being loaded on one of those small jeep trucks! And, by the way, this guy gave a very good price for it…I am simply ecstatic!