It's here!

A mere week late, but not half bad-- the mirror and shower door arrived Saturday and were installed. Other than this, the only major thing left to be done is the pantry. But the pantry is out of sight and out of mind for the time being :) The bathroom was never out of sight or out of mind, so I'm particularly glad that it's now done! After the glass was installed we could also install the toilet paper roll.

Guest impressions

I have long since forgotten what it's like to experience life here on the farm for the first time. But my mom's visiting for a few weeks, and I've grabbed some excerpts from an email to family. Hope you enjoy.

We are surrounded with chickens, roosters, ducks and ducklings, birds of all kinds, fruits I've never tasted and trees of all sorts: bamboo, palm, eucalyptus, cashew, teak, lime, orange.

The weather is warm and humid but not insufferable. The room in which I am staying is air conditioned (if I choose). I am beginning to sleep peacefully after several nights of unsettling dreams, followed by deep drug like sleep. Although there are few city noises, (cars, sirens, neighbors, phones, pagers, doorbells, snow plows etc.), the relative quiet is filled with an occasional plane, and nature's sounds: roosters crowing, and ducks quacking, unlimited songs and calls of well over one hundred fifty species of birds, crickets, gentle breezes and last night a "torrential" rain.

Most of the food we eat comes from the farm: meat, eggs, milk, yogurt, homemade bread, vegetables, different lettuces, fruits and juices. Evelyn and Clovis have two washing machines but the clothes dry on the line within an hour or so. We've been once to the "city" for ice cream, a specific weight of hammer, and some grocery items. (they wheel the groceries to your car and put them in the trunk even if you're not handicapped!) The driveway to the farm is a mile and a half dirt road and the farm itself is about a half hour from Cuiaba central. All in all it is a calm and calming space.

sing with me now...

... "Everybody Ought to have a Maid"...

Especially when their mother is arriving the next day :) The house is in good shape, everything is prepared, and the maid came this morning and did windows, most of the floor and most of the pavement around the house. The pavement was in especially dire need since I don't think anyone had scrubbed it since the early 90's. I'll finish up mopping the floor tomorrow morning, and then pick my mom up from the airport!

But earlier this week we did put up the weather station and the key cow, and got to do some bouldering as well. And the in-laws bought a new stove, so we now have a new (to us) stove which fits the space far better than the old one.