Ano ba yien!!!

Well it seems like running around in heavy boots during the spring has paid off. Now that it’s dry I wear my tennis shoes most of the time and I am able run from one side of the farm to the other without a problem and sprint a 100yards with the yearling sheep. This new ability saved the day on Saturday morning.

            I was herding the ewes, lambs, and cows out to pasture, when someone carelessly left the gate to the garden open about a foot and a half. So as I’m trotting behind the animals I notice the gate, so I yell the Zambian way of “Oooooooowwweeeeeeee!!! ANIMALS!!!”. The two people left in the garden just watched at first, with a ‘deer in the head light’ look. The cows started to take an interest in the open gate also and move toward it. My body moved without thinking, I was flying down the path and cut the cows off from the gate. Yelling tagalog exclamations and insults like a crazy lady. The other two apprentices managed to momentarily halt the sheep.

            “OPEN THAT GATE!” I yelled, pointing to the last gate that exits the garden.

            “But, but…” was the answer.

            “JUST DO IT!” I yelled from across the garden. The gate was opened the sheep joined the other animals and I continued to trot after them all. Luckily it happened so fast that only a few peas were chomped in passing and that there was minimal damage.

            Later that day we went to a John Jeavons tour and workshop in Willits. John Jeavons has a whole system and books on how to grow more vegetables and all your food in less space. His garden was beautiful and his methods accurate and I could see how they would be very useful in other countries like Africa, because of his minimal water-use methods. But we all agreed that Mr. Jeavons is a business man, not a farmer, a lot of his theories don’t add up, have loose-ends, or just aren’t realistic.

            It was good to see a comparison, and we all came home with more gratitude for the work we do here on Live Power.