Andrew, the gardener has decided that he is the "Executive Manager" of the Garden and now does what he sees fit so planting tomatoes and squash next to each other in the small bed is just how it is gonna be LOL. And don't even get me started on his landscaping aesthetic of the the front of the house... But he is proud and he actually enjoys gardening so who am I to judge eh? Things are growing under his watchful care and now that we are collecting enough condensation/fresh water from the air conditioners the plants seem to be doing much better.
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| Garden Bed |
Folks have been by to see the garden a colleague here and there and even the property managers bring folks over to show that the "garden." Those who have heard about it I guess have never believed it - yes you can grow tomatoes and such in Liberia - it just takes care and time. And so I pay them no mind when they see the garden and find it awe inspiring that an expat is actually improving their area...sigh
I bought a few plants from a local nursery and well 2 1/2 out of five survived and to me that seems about right considering the conditions they were handed to me lol
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| Can't wait to find out what that white puffy thing is going to release? Spiders? Locusts? God Help me - this is what happens when you buy plants from the side of the road. |
I have also convinced Andrew to water the "bushes" and other plants surrounding the house. This would normally seem a gluttonous use of water except now we are collecting water so we can be generous! Now we need dirt! Dirt? yes DIRT! the land surrounding our place is pure beach sand and we are at the bottom of the small hill (towards the ocean) and so the wind and light rain daily wash away the sand. As we water the bushes so too the sand is washed away creating holes and exposing roots (and attracting ants). So now I need to find a resource for dirt. A LOT of dirt. I am also thinking of building a small framework to stop the erosion of the yard, like dunes on ocean beaches, steps if you will. So I have found some cheap wood and I could make this dream reality but then I have to remember I am in Africa.....If I create a system to "trap" dirt and sand when the rainy season arrives what will happen? Will I be creating a mosquito breeding ground? Will the dirt just become MUD? Thus sand then becomes the chosen answer because it dries quicker in the sun and doesn't hold moisture for long...sigh
Not sure I mentioned how hot it is here today!
Last night/today was my first experience with heavy rain here in Liberia. And now I am beginning to understand the gravity of it all. We saw our FIRST mosquito since arriving-and it was INSIDE the House.
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| Check out the new life on this "dead" stick. |
But such is life if beautiful Monrovia! Back to the garden. Andrew did teach me about the Magic of Africa. Surely in the western world we are familiar with the concept of plant cuttings..but roses for instance take need and care to root and grow. Well here in Africa, or at least Coconut Plantation, the rule is: Cut branch from a tree/bush/plant you like, dig a hole and stick your branch in the ground, wait. Well....as you can imagine when Andrew took a bunch of sticks and put them in the ground surely I thought he was mocking me - "Yes, Mike they will grow..." Surely, after work Andrew hangs out with his friends and makes fun of Mike waiting for his branches to grow- like some twisted mean lesson in a Liberian Folk Tale.
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| LIFE! Four weeks! |
Well - The sticks are growing new life - UNBELIEVABLE - every stick that Andrew planted has blossomed leaves - truly Magical MAGICAL. And I can tell you I have never - Never seen such will to live as watching a "dead" stick over FOUR WEEKS actually survive to the point that the leaves are bright, warm, vibrant and just plain full of LIFE. So magical these little sticks, these PLANTS have given me the hope I have needed.
The trust in fellow humans: Andrew, the hope that all is never lost: dead branch, trust in God that life goes on after death, the hope that Liberia will flourish again.
Good morning how are you?
ReplyDeleteMy name is Emilio, I am a Spanish boy and I live in a town near to Madrid. I am a very interested person in knowing things so different as the culture, the way of life of the inhabitants of our planet, the fauna, the flora, and the landscapes of all the countries of the world etc. in summary, I am a person that enjoys traveling, learning and respecting people's diversity from all over the world.
I would love to travel and meet in person all the aspects above mentioned, but unfortunately as this is very expensive and my purchasing power is quite small, so I devised a way to travel with the imagination in every corner of our planet. A few years ago I started a collection of used stamps because trough them, you can see pictures about fauna, flora, monuments, landscapes etc. from all the countries. As every day is more and more difficult to get stamps, some years ago I started a new collection in order to get traditional letters addressed to me in which my goal was to get at least 1 letter from each country in the world. This modest goal is feasible to reach in the most part of countries, but unfortunately it’s impossible to achieve in other various territories for several reasons, either because they are countries at war, either because they are countries with extreme poverty or because for whatever reason the postal system is not functioning properly.
For all this I would ask you one small favour:
Would you be so kind as to send me a letter by traditional mail from Liberia? I understand perfectly that you think that your blog is not the appropriate place to ask this, and even, is very probably that you ignore my letter, but I would call your attention to the difficulty involved in getting a letter from that country, and also I don’t know anyone neither where to write in Liberia in order to increase my collection. a letter for me is like a little souvenir, like if I have had visited that territory with my imagination and at same time, the arrival of the letters from a country is a sign of peace and normality and an original way to promote a country in the world. My postal address is the following one:
Emilio Fernandez Esteban
Calle Valencia, 39
28903 Getafe (Madrid)
Spain
If you wish, you can visit my blog www.cartasenmibuzon.blogspot.com where you can see the pictures of all the letters that I have received from whole World.
Finally I would like to thank the attention given to this letter, and whether you can help me or not, I send my best wishes for peace, health and happiness for you, your family and all your dear beings.
Yours Sincerely
Emilio Fernandez