Hammer and Shovel

… at lo tuyo things are happening at the speed of the wind …

Garden Eda is taking on jungle dimensions. Peas, manioc and other vegetables are growing at fascinating rates; many are already over 2 meters! Ñame is entwining up a bamboo ladder with its beautiful bulbs. Bananas and papaya are also thriving, and many a pumpkin of all shapes and sizes has been harvested. By February a good amount of delicious organic vegetables in all varieties will be ready for harvest. Our expectations on the agricultural land have been exceeded, constant fertilization with compost and different tending strategies are being rewarded. The last spots of strongly compacted ground are being loosened by José and mixed with fresh compost.

An agronomist from the local ministry of agriculture (MIDA) recently visited the project and is very interested in collaborating with us. Only the chickens of the neighboring garden are causing trouble; they are excited to find neatly portioned meals in little plating holes in the ground! To this the agronomist only commented “un pollo frito es muy rico!”,  fried chicken is delicious! 

To build the next house on stilts another carpenter, Julien, has come from Freiburg, Germany.  Along with Miguel and Tito from the neighboring village, Vera Cruz, he wants to put more wooden beams together. Right now 25 cubic meters of zapatero - wood from nearby plantations are being processed on the terrain. A mobile lumber mill has been constantly spitting out many a foot of beautiful reddish colored beams and planks for days. Yes, in Panama the measuring unit is feet, which is causing Melina, who has to register and keep track of everything, quite a headache.

Currently in construction are two guest houses, three meters above the ground with a view to the mountains, open towards the west. The 35 m2 terrace will lie in the canopy. Will a toucan join us? Evening parrot spectacles are guaranteed.

lo tuyo is on the move, neighbors young and old, visitors from here and abroad come over to watch building, digging, planning. The collaboration of volunteers and workers from the town is great. Just the other day a neighboring woman gave us palm leaves as a gift to cover our wood storage area.

Miel, the lo tuyo horse, is in her last months of pregnancy. Her foal will surely grow up to be multilingual!