Day 9

Today a group of men went to the mountaintop, a three-hour trip, to replace a broken battery that supplies us with internet. The battery weighs about 50 pounds so four men went to trade off carrying the weight and support the carrier. They were also instructed to label the battery. Although I did not take the trip myself I heard that the labeling process was confusing for the inexperienced laborers. Luckily one of the fellows was familiar with how to properly complete the task. I believe that such a technical job should be completed by a more knowledgeable member of the group. If there is no such member the owner should not delegate such a responsibility to anyone but herself. The level of trust involved in this project surpasses the chances of success in my opinion. Plus, the members were in a dangerous situation, needing to take with them a machete to carve a path in the overgrown weeds.

Grinder for aliño, coffee, etc.

I did not participate in the trip but instead stayed behind to make aliño, a hand-ground juice made of garlic, onion, parsley, and other herbs. The product will be used on meals throughout the week.

After the morning chores and lunch were finished I went to the garden to turn the soil and prepare the land for more planting. My hand is back to normal. The biodynamic calendar it states that flowers should be planted today but I headed to the stream to wash a week's worth of dirty clothes.

Unlike the kitchen soap, I use a soap that is grey-water eligible (meaning non-toxic to plants) to clean my clothes. After washing up, I hung the clothes on the line and prepared for dinner.