FIVE MONTHS AND COUNTING....

 It's been five months since we've moved to Bastora and I still haven't gotten out of the honeymoon phase. The village has a unique charm. The people are a mix of good, bad and ugly but I look at each through God's eyes. God created the lily and the rose. He created the lion and the lamb. Each has a place in His eternal plan. 

A nearby field
where we walk Ebony

My walks have become restricted to daily Mass and an evening stroll with Dan. We have a faithful entourage following us - the five strays! Usually, its just Mr White, Captain and Cataract. Sometimes Rio joins us and Blacky if she's around. (I'd really love to find out where she goes off to at certain times of the day.) 

Captain and Rio
 having a good snooze

Waiting for his evening meal

Mr White close up 

Cataract, enjoying the cool mud on a hot summer day 

Some weeks ago, there was the Gram Panchayat Sabha meeting, my first. It was interesting to see how people with varied views and agendas put their ideas and opinions across. We were happy to hear that the village will have a daily garbage collection but it is still to happen. 

I do the occasional walk to Mapusa market when I need something urgently but most of the time, I just pick up veggies from the underpass market. That's the day I go to St Jerome church for Mass.

 Recently, I acquired a plastic drum from my sugarcane lady. Let me tell you how that happened. Months ago, when Kirsten was working at Amazon, she had asked him for the big delivery bag he used to get the parcels in. He got her a couple of them and she rewarded him with a glass of sugarcane. Thereafter, he used to get home sugarcane in a bottle, Rs 100 for a litre. 

One day, I visited the shop and befriended this lady, Rita. She is extra tall, unusual in an Indian lady. I purchased sugarcane regularly whenever the shop was open on the days that I visited the market.  I noticed the drums which she filled water in and asked her where she had got them from. She told me that a friend had given her the huge Fevicol one. I was intrigued. I badly needed one for compost work. I requested her to get me one and she promised she would. 

Unfortunately, the guy left for his village and wasn't due to come back for a month. I was crestfallen! Seeing my sad face, this generous lady just emptied the drum and gave it to me. She had a spare at home, she said, which she would bring the next day. I was overwhelmed. Thanking her profusely, I left with my prized possession and today, I have started composting in the bin. I haven't made any holes yet but I just cover the mouth with a jute sack so it gets aerated. Its small enough to roll easily - for me to mix the compost from time to time. I check daily for moisture and smell. So far, things are fine.  The crates which were being used are now repurposed as veggie grow bins in the backyard. 

The drum before we started
using it for kitchen waste compost. 

I bought plenty of cement pots for my garden in these months. There's a place nearby where these pots are made so we'd go on Sunday and get a carload. So far, I have purchased 26 pots and three bowls. We even cleared up the space near the gate and have decorated the area with some of our plants. 

Today, I cleaned up the space around the bumper sign outside and placed one pot there. Its an old pot which I trust no one will be interested in stealing. 

In the backyard, we used an old commode as a planter, got a ring to place around a tree stump and kept the two plastic crates. Slowly, we will try to make that space beautiful too. 

Dan has been a big help to get the garden going, watering the plants regularly and is enjoying watching the frogs in the water cabbage pond. We saw a snake the other day. It was just cooling off in our neighbour's garden bed. Not seen it since. 

I've been trying my hand at growing plants from seeds this summer. Purchased zinnia and phlox seeds online to experiment with as well as rain lily bulbs. I also tried to create MINIATURE GARDENS. This Easter, with Dan's help, we created a Resurrection Garden. 

 And, with these few stories and snapshots, I take your leave. But not without saying again