Property Development Work Begins

The vegetation clearing is going faster than I imagined. We now have a better view of the verdant hillside across the river as well as the slope leading down to the river. The clearing revealed several large trees on the slope and also a nice semi-flat area down and beyond the old cattle washing area. I imagine this spot will become a quite meditative area in the future.

The amount of projects and work to be done on the property is incredibly expansive. Our lead worker is doing a good job organizing the various projects and people to complete the tasks. A trail from the big house down to the river has been started. I walked up it today and was thinking to myself, would my Mother be able to walk up this trail? The answer was definitely no. We have requested that more work be done on the trail to make it safer and more accessible to people of all ages.

This property has been abandoned for at least the past five years. We are working to get the old trails open, create new ones and we have already begun discussing what will be required to maintain the trails. I’m hopeful we will be able to accomplish this with our one lead worker and occasional temporary help.

Meanwhile, I am constantly evaluating the land to determine the best spots for the house and garden. I plan to begin my gardens in May/June when the next rainy season begins. For now I am experimenting with various composting techniques. The soil is mostly clay and rock so it will need a lot of amending.

John continues to do all of the running around, accomplishing various errands and ordering supplies for the property. We are fortunate to have our Argentinean friend who goes along with John, helps interpret and generally makes a fun uplifting scene where ever they go. I have been staying home and guarding/securing our belongings. Currently all of the tools are stored in the stable next to our cabina. Next week, we will have a secure storage facility built which will give us more freedom to both be gone from the property at the same time.

The picture this week is taken from outside the cabina, facing the big house. The grey structure on the left is a ramp to load animals onto trucks. Next to it is the animal washing station. We plan to have the ramp removed and convert the washing area into an outdoor dining room. The two large heaps are two of the compost piles I made.