Yesterdays post was mostly just about the farm, today I will try to catch up on some other parts of our lives.
The kids are back in school again and doing well after the 2 week winter break. I usually drop them off at school on the way up to the field/shop but this has a bit of a catch. In the Dominican Republic (as in all nations I think) it is considered very rude to enter or leave the school during the singing national anthemn. This is all fine and understandable but the Dominican Republic anthemn is 5 verses long and sung rather slowly. As a result everyone makes sure they are either early enough to make a getaway before it starts or late enough to miss it entirely.
Felicita comes up in the truck after running the morning errands and heads out to pick up and grass or other feed we take from other fields. This could be napier grass, leaves from Madre De Coco tree (known locally as pinion), or sugercane tops. Right now we have 3 full time employees, 1 cook, 4 day laborers, 1 contractor, one helper in the shop, 37 cows, a pack of calfs, a mule, a horse, a dog and uncountable poultry to keep track of. Besides trucking, she takes care of selling the milk and calfs, calling the vet, buying of sacked feed, fields of grass, molasses, food, fertilizer, bedding, diesel, and purchasing of building materials. She does a great job at it and everyone, especailly me, is really proud of her.
I usually spend the morning in the shop with an occasional break to check on the various construction projects or plan out new projects. Everything has to be checked over and over or you will come back to find hurgry thirsty animals, wasted materials and time, and a big mess to clean up. It is not unusual to find the mule or horse parked in the sun, cement or feed bags left in the rain, open gates, animals locked in a field with no water, the dog with no food, no oil or water in the generator, the feed shed empty, or no food in the kitchen. There might be a sick cow, a new birth, a limping horse, a broken machine to fix or a new water line to add.
We run everything off a generator and fuel is expensive life is a little more organized inside the shop. I plan out machine time carefully and try to time it so that my helper can run the sander at the same time to save fuel. I still do all the machine work because I really don't trust anyone with my expensive machines, nor do I lenjoy picking up fingers off the floor. Right now I have work lined up until at least mid March and I am really thankful that I have had no shortage of work for the shop.
Breakfast is served around 10 am and everyone heads to the kitchen for a 15 minute break and a bowl of cream of wheat made from the mornings milk. At 12:00 work stops and lunch is served. We head back to town to pick up the kids. Usually all the kids are tearing about the school yard trying to get all the uniforms dirty before the go home. Siesta time is from 12 to 1:30 or 2:00 and we meet back at the house for a leasurely meal prepared by Rosanna and a good nap.
After Siesta, I usually head back up to the field on the motorcycle and Felicita and the kids arrive a little later in the truck. The kids spend the afternoon wandering about the farm, visiting me in the shop, building little castles from blocks, and playing hopscotch in the kitchen. On Saturdays our employee's two children are there and they all play together. The day laborers stop work at five and head home on foot. Many live 3 or 4 miles off but are able to hitch a ride on the back of a pickup. The employees have to work a bit later to finish the evenings milking and feeding but are usually done by 6.
Felicita takes the kids home in the truck to either spend the evening play at home, at Rosanna's house, or for a walk in the park while she heads out to go to the gym or to play volleyball. I arrive home a little before dark for a nice shower, maybe a walk, visit some friends, or some time on the computer or TV. Dinner is pretty light because lunch is the main meal and bedtime is negotiable. Quiet children get to stay up late. Noisy ones don't.
That is about it for the mundane stuff. There is always something interesting happening here but it all fits into this schedule. Life here is so vivid and bright that sometimes we become jaded to the unusual things I witness as an everyday occurence here. How many people can claim they saw a whale from their office window today or get to commute to work on a motorcycle on a dirt road? Or ask my dad about the picture I sent him today from the vet's most recent visit. Send me an email at shadley000@codetel.net.do if you want a copy but I dont think I will post it here. What about the thrill of watching the dog reach the end of his chain while trying to catch the milk motorcycle. Or wondering if the rider is going to dump the bike in terror as he makes his escape.
